ALL NOVEL Chapter 331
Logically speaking, no matter how outstanding an individual’s combat power may be, a single person cannot fight against an army.
No matter how strong one person is, if they are surrounded by countless enemies, they would inevitably fall.
However, there have been those who surpassed such unfavorable battles and repelled entire armies.
Like the great Huai of the Chu-Han Contention.
Or the mighty warrior, Lu Bu, known for his three fathers.
Or the revered general Guan Yu, who was worshipped as a god for his unwavering loyalty and strength, as well as the valiant Zhang Fei who defended Changban with his sheer will, and Zhao Yun who breached a great army to rescue his lord’s son.
Or like the brave Lionheart King Richard I of the Crusades, or the sword master, Cheok Jun-gyeong, of Goryeo.
It is indeed a rare occurrence for a single person or a small group to repel a much larger army.
But it has happened.
“What on earth is that…?”
A single person on horseback galloping forward. The flag they carry is a symbol of the emperor, the undefeated standard.
The sight of the emperor charging with an indestructible flag in hand looked… well, it certainly didn’t seem like someone capable of single-handedly dominating the battlefield.
He looked like a fool who popped out alone while the other soldiers stood frozen in place.
That fool was the emperor of North Romania.
Truly, a simpleton.
“Hmm… Is that the emperor…?”
“How ridiculous! The emperor should be in a safe place, yet here he is, leading the charge!”
Well, taking out that emperor would be easy. Very easy. One of the elves here could shoot an arrow and take him down.
But, that would cause problems.
It would be troublesome… sigh…
“If we hit him with just one arrow, we can capture him…”
“Killing him is out of the question.”
I stopped the Elf Representative who wanted to immediately order an arrow to be shot.
It’s exceedingly troubling and annoying, but if we kill the emperor, there’s no going back.
If it weren’t for this nagging situation, I wouldn’t mind taking him down. Hmm. Well…
“First, let’s capture him.”
I don’t know why the other soldiers are just staring blankly at the emperor… Hmm. Surely there are various circumstances at play.
So for now, let’s capture the emperor. Once we have him, a way will surely present itself.
We could use the emperor as a hostage to disband the soldiers or gain an advantage in negotiations with North Romania. There are many ways to benefit from it.
Surely, no one would just chuck the emperor away, would they?
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The plan of the nobles of North Romania, who conspired to betray the emperor, was as follows.
Using the people they had planted in the Imperial Guards to incite rebellion and at the most critical moment, inducing the Guards to betray the emperor.
If the emperor were to die at the hands of the elves or dwarves of Betelgeuse during this process, they could take advantage of that. If he didn’t die and became a prisoner, they would have a reason to depose him and place someone else on the throne.
If it came to a neither-here-nor-there situation… well, a planted agent would directly kill the emperor, but that carried considerable risk… hence using Betelgeuse to eliminate the emperor seemed the safest method.
Thus, the noble’s agents within the Imperial Guards began to tirelessly recruit other guards.
After all, it was a war without justification, and occupying Betelgeuse would inevitably pit them against the elves and dwarves.
In the harsh northern cold, if they found themselves surrounded, they would soon be in a situation where they couldn’t even have a proper meal.
They were even trying to extend their influence to the Dragon Priestess of the Church of Life.
“See for yourself what kind of suffering the Guards marching under this evil deed are experiencing.”
“Diseases are spreading, food is rotting, they can’t even camp properly, and the will to fight has completely vanished.”
“The only person who should die in this war is that stupid emperor, Commodus.”
Thus, as the noble agents succeeded in recruiting surrounding guards…
All of the Imperial Guards arriving near Betelgeuse turned their backs on the emperor.
Very rarely… there were still a few who remained loyal to the emperor, but they either succumbed to illness and were left behind in nearby territories, or changed their minds out of hunger.
On that battlefield, there were no allies for the emperor.
Under the undefeated flag, no one was fighting.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
I lightly jumped off the walls of Betelgeuse and moved on.
I heard the Elf and Dwarf representatives behind me calling out in surprise, but I didn’t look back as I pressed forward.
The ground was frozen solid. A horse was charging wildly.
And atop it was a fool, racing without a care.
Ignorant, foolish, and reckless.
So much would change because of this person.
Whether it would be for better or worse…
No, it mustn’t be for the worse. It can’t be. I came all the way here to prevent a negative change.
So…
“Stop!”
I lightly tapped the ground with my staff, Sephiroth.
“Hi-hee-hing!!!”
Suddenly sprouting thorns blocked the path of the horse the emperor was riding.
The horse startled at the sudden thorns and reared up, but it was indeed a noble steed, as it didn’t throw off the emperor amidst the commotion.
Well, if the emperor were a better horseman who could handle his mount like a part of himself, he might have jumped over the thorns. But it doesn’t seem to be that way.
The horse was frantically trying to avoid being pricked by the thorns, all while the emperor was merely clinging on to his back.
It was a rather pathetic sight. But if it fell off, that would be a huge problem.
So…
“Don’t move.”
Once more, I tapped the ground with Sephiroth, and this time, vine-like tendrils sprouted and began to envelop the emperor and the horse.
The horse panicked, bucking in fear of the tendrils, but they were grown with the power of life, so they wouldn’t snap easily.
After a brief moment, the emperor and horse were completely immobilized by the green vines.
“What a ridiculous sight.”
“Uhh! Uhh!”
“I don’t wish to hear your words, so keep quiet.”
“Uhh uhh uhh!!!”
Ignoring the emperor’s attempts to speak, I untangled part of the tendril to free the horse and gently began to stroke its head.
“You must have been very startled. Alright, let’s go together.”
“Prurrr…”
After calming the horse down by softly stroking its nose, it knelt in front of me.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Hmmm? Do you wish for me to ride you?”
“Hi-hing!”
“You’re quite smart.”
Such a remarkable horse for that stupid emperor. Hm.
Alright… then I suppose it’s time to return to Betelgeuse. Oh, and I mustn’t forget to grab the undefeated banner that the emperor dropped.
I took hold of Sephiroth and the undefeated banner and mounted the horse that had offered its back.
The skirt I wore was quite long, so I ended up sitting on the horse awkwardly… but I suppose it’ll be fine. A clever horse like this should have no issues.
As I magically lifted the emperor, who was bound by vines, I gently stroked the horse’s mane, and it seemed to understand my intentions as it slowly started moving towards the gates of Betelgeuse.
I couldn’t explain why the emperor’s army stood still or why he had rushed out alone. There were many mysteries involved…
But I’d slowly uncover the answers while negotiating with them. Yes.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“What is this statue?”
“It’s a statue created to commemorate the events that transpired during the foolish emperor’s reign.”
The hero’s party arrived at Betelgeuse and marveled at the white statue standing in the square.
It depicted a beautiful girl with horns sitting atop a white horse, holding a flag and a staff, her hands resting on her knees made of marble.
Behind her, a human was depicted, entangled in thorns, being dragged behind the horse, but no one seemed particularly interested in that part.
“Indeed, it is the Dragon Priestess.”
The hero remarked this, casting a quick glance at the Dragon Priestess behind him.
Her beautiful yet slightly youthful appearance was likely a characteristic of the Dragon Priestess.
Both the statue girl and the Dragon Priestess, who was their companion, possessed youthful and beautiful looks.
“Betelgeuse ensured its independence thanks to the aid of the Dragon Priestess when it was threatened by the empire. The dwarves carved this statue in gratitude using the finest marble.”
“Heh…”
One of the dwarf girls in the hero’s party began to shine with excitement at the sight of the statue.
The intricacies of the carving could be seen clearly. Despite its ancient creation, it showed no signs of wear, a perfect statue.
The craftsmanship of the ancestors held a level of delicacy that still rivaled the ages.
“By the way, what happened to that foolish emperor… how did it end?”
The beastman with fox ears asked, prompting a response from the elf.
“Well, in the fairy tale I read, it said he was beaten up and chased away.”
“Some records from that time suggest the emperor went missing and vanished.”
The dwarf girl chimed in.
“I read that record too, but its truthfulness is uncertain. It was left by the nobles who opposed the emperor.”
The lizardman replied.
“In that case… was he killed by someone?”
“Maybe? Hmmm… Considering the Dragon Priestess was involved back then, she might know something about it.”
At that, the gaze of the hero’s party swiftly focused on one individual.
The Dragon Priestess, gazing blankly at the statue, seemingly devoid of thoughts.
– A certain hero party’s adventure record.