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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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“Hmmm…”
“Cough…”
Two groups of people sat facing each other, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
Their faces showed that they were dissatisfied with what was happening, but no one dared to voice those feelings.
Achilles Declimonte, the representative of the Falcon Empire, and Scipio Afnus, the representative of the Elf Church, sat in silence along with their subordinates.
The tension in the air was palpable.
‘If only I could teach those arrogant elves a lesson right now…’
‘It’s disgraceful that our noble elves have to bow down to such humans…’
Just a few days ago, both men had sharpened their blades with thoughts of taking each other down.
However, they now found themselves in a position where they had to engage in conversation instead.
The Allied Races had suffered an unprecedented defeat, losing 40,000 main troops and over 70% of their occupied territories in an instant.
Before they could even begin to recover from the losses in Rob, they faced devastating damage.
Due to this war, they lost significant territories including Antioch, Galatia, Timotheus, Ephesus, and Philippi, and their troop numbers dwindled drastically.
This was truly the worst situation imaginable, where years of hard work had been reduced to nothing in an instant.
Consequently, the Falcon Empire and the Elf Church, which had been divided into two factions, were forced to resume discussions urgently.
However, since they had already drawn their swords against each other, there was no longer any sign of their past bonds.
Only a ‘foe’ remained to negotiate due to circumstance.
In this tense standoff,
It was the Elf Church that spoke first since they were at a geographical and military disadvantage.
“Well then, let’s start discussing things. Since we’ve come this far, it’s best to resolve our issues quickly.”
“…Indeed. You must be aware of how things are going on your side as well. Let’s get straight to the point.”
Achilles responded calmly to Scipio’s words.
At this moment, despite knowing they might clash again in the future, they understood the need to extinguish the most pressing fire first.
The Allied Races were currently in a precarious state where their very existence was threatened due to their previous defeat.
Although they hadn’t lost all their occupied territories, the severity of their loss made it nearly impossible for them to maintain a front line on their own.
In this context,
The Falcon Empire and the Elf Church—essentially the biggest investors in this war—needed to make swift decisions to prevent further losses.
Should they receive massive support from their home countries to stabilize and continue fighting?
Or should they abandon what they had achieved so far and retreat to salvage whatever remaining troops and resources they could?
‘In normal circumstances, it would be obvious that we should choose the first option… Losing a foothold gained at such great cost would be too painful.’
‘Under usual conditions, His Holiness would also choose to continue the war. The price our elves have paid has been far too high.’
From a strategic standpoint in warfare, the value of a landing point is immense.
Therefore, ordinarily it would be wise to at least provide support sufficient to protect their occupied territories even if large-scale invasions weren’t resumed.
However, at this moment, both leaders—the Emperor and the Pope—had already made their decisions.
“We will retreat.”
“I agree. Let’s immediately set sail and bring our troops back from the Demon King’s territory.”
The declaration from both representatives that they would abandon everything they had built over several years seemed foolish at first glance.
The damage from a single defeat was great, but to throw away everything and return to square one seemed ridiculous.
However…
At this moment, they understood what was truly urgent: not the Demon Kingdom that had been ravaged by years of war and needed time for internal recovery.
It was about recognizing the ‘enemy’ right in front of them.
‘After all, the country that has suffered most from this war is the Demon Kingdom. They won’t have the resources to launch another attack for some time.’
‘As a result of forming an alliance against them, the Demon Kingdom is no longer as powerful as it once was. Moreover, having turned them into an actual axis of evil means they are no longer a threat to us.’
The main reason they had branded the Demon King’s kingdom and its monsters as evil and formed the Allied Races was to shift their own people’s dissatisfaction outward.
To rectify public discontent caused by consecutive famines, diseases, and corruption among nobles, they declared what is referred to as a holy war and have continued it until now.
However, in recent times, the domestic situation had stabilized, and their national strength had returned to a more balanced state, meaning the need for such a crusade had decreased significantly.
In a situation where there was no longer a need to continue the war from a political standpoint, they had even incurred losses.
In this context,
What they needed was not a half-hearted attempt at damage control but a quick severance of ties.
And crucially,
What lay before them was not the weakened Demon Kingdom, which posed no threat, but a larger, more powerful, and real danger.
‘If we try to continue the war and send reinforcements, those elves will surely take advantage of the situation…’
‘The real enemy we face is not the illusion of the Demon Kingdom but the Falcon Empire standing right in front of us. As soon as we send reinforcements, they will surely launch a major offensive.’
Both factions had already drawn their swords against each other.
Particularly, the Emperor of the Falcon Empire had decided to eliminate his long-time rival, the Elf Church, once and for all.
With a large-scale war looming before them, there was no reason to cling to a useless alliance and incur further losses.
“Then, since we’ve already received permission from the Magic Kingdom and Beastman Nation, let’s proceed immediately.”
“I agree. Let’s send our weary soldiers back to their families as soon as possible.”
With their minds focused on their blades aimed at each other,
Achilles and Scipio shook hands with smiles on their faces.
They both thought that if given the chance, they would personally take each other’s heads…
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A few days after stabilizing the situation in Antioch,
The 30,000 troops of the Demon Army had to make a decision.
“Shouldn’t we wipe out the remaining enemy forces while we have the chance?”
“I agree. Our morale is through the roof, and the enemy is utterly demoralized. We should take advantage of this momentum and eliminate every enemy soldier in this country.”
Samson and his group insisted on continuing the battle with firm voices.
On the other hand, Elias and Belzebuth maintained that caution was necessary.
“Your Majesty, although we have achieved a great victory, our soldiers are still quite exhausted from fighting.”
“Moreover, the enemy is cornered and filled with rage. If we attack recklessly now, we could end up in trouble. It would be better to induce their carelessness and allow our troops some rest; retreating for now would be wise.”
“Elias, what are you saying? War is about momentum! If we don’t finish things off now while we have this advantage, who knows how things will unfold in the future!”
“Don’t you realize that getting swept away by that momentum could lead us to fall over a waterfall?”
Samson and Elias were displaying a scene similar to one Rebecca had seen before.
As this unfolded, she began to feel an ominous sense that something undesirable might happen again…
“Hero! What are your thoughts on this?”
Unfortunately, this unsettling feeling did not deviate from her expectations.
“You must have something you want to say; please share it.”
‘No… I don’t really have anything I want to say.’
“You’re a Hero who has achieved remarkable feats before. Surely you must have some good ideas this time as well.”
‘I don’t have anything like that. Don’t deflect questions like this.’
Not only Samson but Elias too was pressing me for an answer.
At the same time, even the Demon King was looking at me as if urging me to say something…
In light of this,
I sighed inwardly and had no choice but to think hard for an appropriate response.
I felt a significant burden realizing that I had become someone who naturally decided situations…
“Your Majesty, in my humble opinion…”
