Chapter 116 – The Northern Region
The northernmost part of the continent. During the harsh winter, the oceans, lakes and even rivers would freeze over and the land would become a silvery white world. The people lived on the crops they grew during the short summer, and on the dried meat and seafood that could be preserved. The people who had been forced to live this way underwent a dramatic change during the reign of the great “Dragon Slayer” and “Sword Saint” Hero King Melvick IV.
The kingdom of Thane, which had been the poorest country in the world, launched an unprecedented national policy of investing its entire limited budget in superior human resources, and it was a great success. These people who had studied abroad and received advanced education, implemented various measures for the sake of their homeland and returned enormous wealth to the country. And life in the Kingdom of Thane became incomparably richer than before, although the winters were as harsh as ever.
However, that happy time did not last long. This was because the Demon King descended using as a vessel the body of Melvick IV, the hero king who had brought them hope.
After that, the Demon King summoned his demons, one after another, and expanded his dominion from the Kingdom of Thane outward. Although when talking about expanding his domain, one does not mean a country built by humans. It was killing all living things.
The miasma was born out of the fear, dread, grief and anger resulting from this process and enveloped the surrounding area. The miasma then distorted the existence of the creatures, plants and spirits that were exposed to it, and demons and demonic beasts were born. The demons and demonic beasts that grew in number were led by demons, who reported to the demon king directly, and quickly devoured the northern countries.
The humans did not just sit back and wait for the demon invasion, but tried to fight back with their armies. However, the miasma of the demon king and the demons turned the soldiers who had lost their lives in the battle with the demons into enemy forces, reanimating them as undead. The more the humans dispatched their troops and the more casualties they suffered, the more the number of demons increased. The battlefield was filled with miasma. No living being could survive in a place with a dense miasma. Only those whose souls had been distorted and had fallen into darkness could live. The area where creatures could no longer live became known as the Demon Territory.
“So, the demons used to be human?”
“Yes. This is knowledge that is forbidden even in the Great Temple of Emerdia.”
“So, you don’t think that one day I might suddenly become a demon?”
Leticia smiled reassuringly at Wynn, who frowned uncomfortably.
“It’s not like you’re going to suddenly become a demon today or tomorrow. The soul isn’t something that can be distorted that easily. Well…” Leticia put her index finger to her lips and searched for a good analogy. “For example, the slums in Simurgh.”
“The slums?”
“If the people who live there still resent being poor, still suffer, and don’t stop resenting the world, there is a possibility that they will give life to lesser demons. However, the negative thoughts created by people are very weak, so they need to stay there for hundreds of years before they turn into miasma. And even so, it is unlikely that a slums will remain intact for hundreds of years, so there is nothing to worry about.”
“So how did the first demons appear?”
“I don’t know much about it, but I only learned a little when I went to Emerdia. Thousands of years ago, when Anastasia, the Goddess of Creation, made this world, she created all living things. But light and shadow are opposites. At the same time, she created the living beings, she also created their counterparts, the demons. It is said that the negative thoughts created by the demons created the miasma, which distorted the created life, and the lesser demons were born.”
“So, it’s not like I’m going to suddenly become a demon one day, right?” Wynn said with a look of relief.
“Yes. But it’s a different story when it comes to the demon king or a high-ranking demon. Demons can amplify negative thoughts and distort life. Because of this, the beasts of the fields and mountains became demonic beasts during the battle against the demons. Reasoning beings such as elves and dwarves do not become demons so easily, but if they are exposed to the miasma of the Demon King or someone close to him, it is a different story. Unless you have a very strong mind, you won’t be able to resist it.”
This was the reason why Leticia did not fight the Demon King with the entire Continental Anti-Demon Alliance, but only with her limited group of friends: Raul, Tiara and Liara. It was because they were superior to the rest of humanity that they were able to resist the miasma of the high-ranking demons that were close to the Demon King.
The Demon King was destroyed, the demons disappeared and the people living on the continent were relieved for the time being.
However, the demons that were born during the war remained. Although they no longer had a unified movement, there were still many minor demons in the northern part of the continent, which had become demon territory.
“Come to think of it, Paul-san told me something like that. The Adventurers Guild has been receiving more requests to defeat the demons than before.”
The border area between the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Queenseria was the front line against demons at the end of the war. As a result, many demons had been spreading from there.
Cities and towns near the border had fortified their defenses and sometimes hired adventurers to exterminate the demons. This was part of the regular patrol missions Wynn participated in when he was a knight cadet.
“Recently, some adventurers have crossed the borders of the Empire to enter Queenseria.”
The kingdom of Queenseria was destroyed by demons. There were some who managed to escape the demonic invasion, but there were also many who stayed behind without fleeing to other countries. Rather, many of them stayed in their countries. They fought the demons with their country’s army and shared their fate with their homeland. Those who stayed in the Kingdom of Queenseria, regardless of their status as nobles or commoners, were slaughtered by the demons and their cities and towns were reduced to ruins.
If you looked at the ruined cities, you could see at a glance that the invasion of demons is different from a war between countries. Even if their country lost the war, the people would only change their rulers. Of course, when their homeland was defeated, there is no doubt that life as they knew it would change drastically. There would be hard labor, heavy taxation and, in some cases, they may be reduced to slave status and lose their freedom. However, in many cases lives would be saved. The new rulers would not continue their restrictive policies for long. In many cases, they would end up relaxing the restrictions so that the people of the land would accept them as rulers and become the people of the new country.
However, this is not the case when it came to demon invasion. If you encountered a demon, you would be attacked and killed on the spot. When a country was destroyed, the town walls were torn down and the army that was supposed to protect them fell with them, the people had no other way to survive but to flee. And so, the people of the Kingdom of Queenseria went to other countries to become refugees. When they fled, they did not take all their possessions with them. As a result, the Kingdom of Queenseria now had a great deal of abandoned wealth in uninhabited noble castles and rich mansions. Adventurers were heading to the Kingdom of Queenseria in search of these riches.
“Sounds like a risky plan to me.”
Rummaging through unoccupied houses in search of riches. When Wynn laughed, Leticia and Mito, who had been listening in on the conversation, shrugged. However, it was much more likely that there would be treasure left lying around than if they rummaged through the ruins, where it was unclear if there was any treasure. But, of course, there was a great risk. Queenseria was a country whose army was destroyed and perished.
In the Lemmrousell Empire, demons did not approach inhabited areas, such as cities and towns. Even if they did, they would be immediately defeated by the army and adventurers. For this reason, the outskirts of cities and towns were relatively safe. The only places where demons were likely to be encountered were deep in the forests and mountains, places where people rarely set foot.
In Queenseria, however, no matter whether it was the remains of a city or a town, there were bound to be demons there. And plenty of them. Only when you had the ability to get rid of them could you sneak into a ruined lord’s mansion or a rich man’s mansion and make off with the remaining riches, even if it was more than a little risky.
“I heard that quite a few of the adventurers who belonged to Simurgh went to Queenseria. But many of them didn’t make it back.”
Wynn had heard from Paul that there were a growing number of young adventurers who intended to make their fortunes by going to Queenseria without knowing their abilities. Many of them were from the slums and became adventurers because they dreamed of escaping their poverty. Many of them were used to fighting and were confident in their skills. However, to an experienced adventurer, they were not much better than ordinary people. They had little experience in life-threatening battles, and none in fighting demons. They were inexperienced in both the handling of weapons and the movement of their bodies. The students of the knight school were no different in terms of inexperience, but they received solid training from experienced instructors and knights who had preceded them. Unlike knights, however, adventurers had no choice but to acquire skills through experience and learning on their own, or by paying someone with skills to teach them. However, many young men who aspired to be adventurers were overconfident and relied too much on their own luck and skills. And so, they accepted the challenge of what seemed like a foolhardy undertaking.
The Adventurers Guild evaluated the adventurers’ abilities and presented them with jobs that were within their means, but even so, they considered the possibility that they might fail. Still, if they failed and suffered a painful experience, they would learn to be more cautious and be able to use that experience in their next job. In this way, they could gain experience, develop their skills and try again. Failure was food for thought and led to growth. If you failed, the Adventurers Guild would be there to clean up your mess. In this way, the guild encouraged the growth of young adventurers.
However, it did not get them jobs that involved an invasion of the Kingdom of Queenseria in search of fortune, which was currently a dangerous area. Although everyone was free to try as they wished. The Adventurers Guild did not know the strength of the demons that awaited them if they did so. No matter when, where or how you reach there, there was always the possibility that they could encounter a demon that rivaled the strongest creature, the dragon. Even for the most skilled adventurer this would be a foolhardy challenge. Many young and inexperienced adventurers would accept the challenge, only to lose their lives for not knowing how to accept their failure.
“But I’ve heard that some really skilled adventurers have already broken through some of the cities near the Queenseria border.”
“Since the Demon King has been destroyed, there will be no more expansion of the demon territory. If the adventurers come and destroy the demons, the remaining miasma will gradually decrease. Then, in the future…”
“Ah… then that’s why.” Wynn finally understood what Leticia meant when she said that there was a large area of empty land. “After the adventurers have ridden to Queenseria, defeated the demons, and scavenged the riches, there will be a large area of land with no one to rule it.”
“That’s right, Onii-chan. The countries north of Queenseria and beyond have all been destroyed. Naturally, there are many mines, forests, rivers, lakes, harbors and other resources left there whose sovereignty no one possesses since the countries were destroyed. And the Lemmrousell Empire is one of the countries closest to the northern land where the mountain of treasures that no one possesses anymore is located.”
For now, the land was still infested with demons, and the only visitors might be adventurers seeking to make their fortune. Eventually, however, the various countries bordering the demon territory would send their armies to investigate on a large scale. One of the countries bordering the demon territory was the Lemmrousell Empire.
After the war with the demons was over, the countries began to turn their attention to the vast northern land, where there was no one left to rule it. The countries that began to move first were those that existed from the center to the south of the continent. These were the countries that had not suffered much damage directly from the war against the demons. The first to make moves was the Kingdom of Petersia. After the war with the demons, it launched an invasion to the countries that were at the forefront of the effort to restore their devastated countries, and two countries had already been destroyed.
“So His Highness Prince Raul and King Dalis are really after the land north of the Empire?”
“Petersia probably has its own reasons, like wanting land facing the sea, perhaps. However, unlike Petersia, Lyon is not invading by force, but ingratiating himself with His Highness Alfred and proposing a joint operation to reach the north. In this way, they can interfere in the distribution of concessions to be made after the pacification of those lands. I think there is probably a promise made between His Highness Alfred and Raul regarding such terms.”
“I see.” Mito, who had been quietly listening to Wynn and Leticia, interrupted. “By accompanying you and listening to what you had to say, I was able to resolve some doubts I had.”
“Doubts?”
At Wynn’s question, Mito pushed the hilt of the halberd in his hand to the ground and looked at the tip of the blade, which was facing skyward.
“A civil war has broken out in the Empire, hasn’t it, why didn’t Lyon take the opportunity to sympathize with the Petersians and steal territories from the Empire?”
“Steal territories from the Empire?”
“It’s not so strange, is it? A neighboring country has started a civil war, and other countries are interfering. If you look back in history, it’s not uncommon for countries to take advantage of that.” Said Mito to Wynn, who had a surprised expression on his face.
The Kingdom of Lyon established diplomatic relations with the Lemmrousell Empire in the reign of King Dalis. So, people from both countries could come and go freely across the border. However, if one were to dig into the history of the two countries, one would find that the Lemmrousell Empire and the Lyon Kingdom had been involved in several major wars in the past.
Originally, the Kingdom of Lyon was founded by a group of free cities located between two great powers, the Kingdom of Carthiate, which had the oldest history on the continent, and the hegemonic Lemrousell Empire, in an attempt to create their own country to protect their freedom.
The Lemmrousell Empire had not attempted to invade the Kingdom of Lyon in recent years due to the fierce demon invasion and the fact that the current Emperor Alexei was not keen on foreign incursions, but there was no doubt that both sides had been watching each other’s every move while maintaining diplomatic relations. But….
“I suppose the reason Lyon isn’t following Petersia’s example and building an army against the Empire is because they know about you, Brave-dono.”
“From Letty?”
“Hmm. The difference between Petersia’s and Lyon’s attitude towards the Empire is reflected by their knowledge of the Brave-dono. Lyon has the Sword Saint, who in his journey was able to get to know the Brave-dono and her power, having little to no desire to turn her into his enemy. At least, if it were me, I would do nothing while the Brave-dono is alive. However, Petersia only knows the Brave-dono by hearsay, like newspapers and rumors. I guess that difference is the reason between the two countries, regarding the civil war that occurred within the empire.”
“I see.” Wynn looked at Mito with admiration.
Although he seemed to be out of touch with the world due to his seclusion in the Majil Mountains, he was able to read the situation acutely from the conversations between Wynn and Leticia. The strength to continue to hold the title of “Sword Crafter” for decades without ceding it to someone else could be seen in this.
Above all, if I were put in a position where I had to wage war on the empire, I would first target the Brave-dono’s weak point.
As Mito looked at Wynn with this thought, he suddenly felt a sidelong glance at him and a surprised expression appeared on his face. Leticia cast a meaningful glance at Mito. She must have seen through his thoughts.
Of course, you’re aware of this, aren’t you? Well, I suppose you are. Fifteen years old, huh? You’ve been through a lot of battlefields that even I can’t imagine at the young age of fifteen. I can imagine something else, though. The reason the Crown Prince of the Empire kept Wynn away was because he feared he would get involved in the whole mess that was brewing in the empire. But still… Mito shuddered. What an oppressive feeling. How could she scare me, even for a moment, just by giving me a sidelong glance? I thought that in order to get rid of the young Brave-dono, I should eliminate this young man first, but that would have been a bit shallow. It would be like removing a support in a mine. How would the Sword Saint-dono dare to fight such a monster? I wouldn’t want to do that if I were him.
“Oh, Onii-chan. Isn’t that the building?” Whether or not she realized that Mito was glaring at her, Leticia returned to her usual tone and tugged on Wynn’s hand.
Chapter 116 – The Northern Region
The northernmost part of the continent. During the harsh winter, the oceans, lakes and even rivers would freeze over and the land would become a silvery white world. The people lived on the crops they grew during the short summer, and on the dried meat and seafood that could be preserved. The people who had been forced to live this way underwent a dramatic change during the reign of the great “Dragon Slayer” and “Sword Saint” Hero King Melvick IV.
The kingdom of Thane, which had been the poorest country in the world, launched an unprecedented national policy of investing its entire limited budget in superior human resources, and it was a great success. These people who had studied abroad and received advanced education, implemented various measures for the sake of their homeland and returned enormous wealth to the country. And life in the Kingdom of Thane became incomparably richer than before, although the winters were as harsh as ever.
However, that happy time did not last long. This was because the Demon King descended using as a vessel the body of Melvick IV, the hero king who had brought them hope.
After that, the Demon King summoned his demons, one after another, and expanded his dominion from the Kingdom of Thane outward. Although when talking about expanding his domain, one does not mean a country built by humans. It was killing all living things.
The miasma was born out of the fear, dread, grief and anger resulting from this process and enveloped the surrounding area. The miasma then distorted the existence of the creatures, plants and spirits that were exposed to it, and demons and demonic beasts were born. The demons and demonic beasts that grew in number were led by demons, who reported to the demon king directly, and quickly devoured the northern countries.
The humans did not just sit back and wait for the demon invasion, but tried to fight back with their armies. However, the miasma of the demon king and the demons turned the soldiers who had lost their lives in the battle with the demons into enemy forces, reanimating them as undead. The more the humans dispatched their troops and the more casualties they suffered, the more the number of demons increased. The battlefield was filled with miasma. No living being could survive in a place with a dense miasma. Only those whose souls had been distorted and had fallen into darkness could live. The area where creatures could no longer live became known as the Demon Territory.
“So, the demons used to be human?”
“Yes. This is knowledge that is forbidden even in the Great Temple of Emerdia.”
“So, you don’t think that one day I might suddenly become a demon?”
Leticia smiled reassuringly at Wynn, who frowned uncomfortably.
“It’s not like you’re going to suddenly become a demon today or tomorrow. The soul isn’t something that can be distorted that easily. Well…” Leticia put her index finger to her lips and searched for a good analogy. “For example, the slums in Simurgh.”
“The slums?”
“If the people who live there still resent being poor, still suffer, and don’t stop resenting the world, there is a possibility that they will give life to lesser demons. However, the negative thoughts created by people are very weak, so they need to stay there for hundreds of years before they turn into miasma. And even so, it is unlikely that a slums will remain intact for hundreds of years, so there is nothing to worry about.”
“So how did the first demons appear?”
“I don’t know much about it, but I only learned a little when I went to Emerdia. Thousands of years ago, when Anastasia, the Goddess of Creation, made this world, she created all living things. But light and shadow are opposites. At the same time, she created the living beings, she also created their counterparts, the demons. It is said that the negative thoughts created by the demons created the miasma, which distorted the created life, and the lesser demons were born.”
“So, it’s not like I’m going to suddenly become a demon one day, right?” Wynn said with a look of relief.
“Yes. But it’s a different story when it comes to the demon king or a high-ranking demon. Demons can amplify negative thoughts and distort life. Because of this, the beasts of the fields and mountains became demonic beasts during the battle against the demons. Reasoning beings such as elves and dwarves do not become demons so easily, but if they are exposed to the miasma of the Demon King or someone close to him, it is a different story. Unless you have a very strong mind, you won’t be able to resist it.”
This was the reason why Leticia did not fight the Demon King with the entire Continental Anti-Demon Alliance, but only with her limited group of friends: Raul, Tiara and Liara. It was because they were superior to the rest of humanity that they were able to resist the miasma of the high-ranking demons that were close to the Demon King.
The Demon King was destroyed, the demons disappeared and the people living on the continent were relieved for the time being.
However, the demons that were born during the war remained. Although they no longer had a unified movement, there were still many minor demons in the northern part of the continent, which had become demon territory.
“Come to think of it, Paul-san told me something like that. The Adventurers Guild has been receiving more requests to defeat the demons than before.”
The border area between the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Queenseria was the front line against demons at the end of the war. As a result, many demons had been spreading from there.
Cities and towns near the border had fortified their defenses and sometimes hired adventurers to exterminate the demons. This was part of the regular patrol missions Wynn participated in when he was a knight cadet.
“Recently, some adventurers have crossed the borders of the Empire to enter Queenseria.”
The kingdom of Queenseria was destroyed by demons. There were some who managed to escape the demonic invasion, but there were also many who stayed behind without fleeing to other countries. Rather, many of them stayed in their countries. They fought the demons with their country’s army and shared their fate with their homeland. Those who stayed in the Kingdom of Queenseria, regardless of their status as nobles or commoners, were slaughtered by the demons and their cities and towns were reduced to ruins.
If you looked at the ruined cities, you could see at a glance that the invasion of demons is different from a war between countries. Even if their country lost the war, the people would only change their rulers. Of course, when their homeland was defeated, there is no doubt that life as they knew it would change drastically. There would be hard labor, heavy taxation and, in some cases, they may be reduced to slave status and lose their freedom. However, in many cases lives would be saved. The new rulers would not continue their restrictive policies for long. In many cases, they would end up relaxing the restrictions so that the people of the land would accept them as rulers and become the people of the new country.
However, this is not the case when it came to demon invasion. If you encountered a demon, you would be attacked and killed on the spot. When a country was destroyed, the town walls were torn down and the army that was supposed to protect them fell with them, the people had no other way to survive but to flee. And so, the people of the Kingdom of Queenseria went to other countries to become refugees. When they fled, they did not take all their possessions with them. As a result, the Kingdom of Queenseria now had a great deal of abandoned wealth in uninhabited noble castles and rich mansions. Adventurers were heading to the Kingdom of Queenseria in search of these riches.
“Sounds like a risky plan to me.”
Rummaging through unoccupied houses in search of riches. When Wynn laughed, Leticia and Mito, who had been listening in on the conversation, shrugged. However, it was much more likely that there would be treasure left lying around than if they rummaged through the ruins, where it was unclear if there was any treasure. But, of course, there was a great risk. Queenseria was a country whose army was destroyed and perished.
In the Lemmrousell Empire, demons did not approach inhabited areas, such as cities and towns. Even if they did, they would be immediately defeated by the army and adventurers. For this reason, the outskirts of cities and towns were relatively safe. The only places where demons were likely to be encountered were deep in the forests and mountains, places where people rarely set foot.
In Queenseria, however, no matter whether it was the remains of a city or a town, there were bound to be demons there. And plenty of them. Only when you had the ability to get rid of them could you sneak into a ruined lord’s mansion or a rich man’s mansion and make off with the remaining riches, even if it was more than a little risky.
“I heard that quite a few of the adventurers who belonged to Simurgh went to Queenseria. But many of them didn’t make it back.”
Wynn had heard from Paul that there were a growing number of young adventurers who intended to make their fortunes by going to Queenseria without knowing their abilities. Many of them were from the slums and became adventurers because they dreamed of escaping their poverty. Many of them were used to fighting and were confident in their skills. However, to an experienced adventurer, they were not much better than ordinary people. They had little experience in life-threatening battles, and none in fighting demons. They were inexperienced in both the handling of weapons and the movement of their bodies. The students of the knight school were no different in terms of inexperience, but they received solid training from experienced instructors and knights who had preceded them. Unlike knights, however, adventurers had no choice but to acquire skills through experience and learning on their own, or by paying someone with skills to teach them. However, many young men who aspired to be adventurers were overconfident and relied too much on their own luck and skills. And so, they accepted the challenge of what seemed like a foolhardy undertaking.
The Adventurers Guild evaluated the adventurers’ abilities and presented them with jobs that were within their means, but even so, they considered the possibility that they might fail. Still, if they failed and suffered a painful experience, they would learn to be more cautious and be able to use that experience in their next job. In this way, they could gain experience, develop their skills and try again. Failure was food for thought and led to growth. If you failed, the Adventurers Guild would be there to clean up your mess. In this way, the guild encouraged the growth of young adventurers.
However, it did not get them jobs that involved an invasion of the Kingdom of Queenseria in search of fortune, which was currently a dangerous area. Although everyone was free to try as they wished. The Adventurers Guild did not know the strength of the demons that awaited them if they did so. No matter when, where or how you reach there, there was always the possibility that they could encounter a demon that rivaled the strongest creature, the dragon. Even for the most skilled adventurer this would be a foolhardy challenge. Many young and inexperienced adventurers would accept the challenge, only to lose their lives for not knowing how to accept their failure.
“But I’ve heard that some really skilled adventurers have already broken through some of the cities near the Queenseria border.”
“Since the Demon King has been destroyed, there will be no more expansion of the demon territory. If the adventurers come and destroy the demons, the remaining miasma will gradually decrease. Then, in the future…”
“Ah… then that’s why.” Wynn finally understood what Leticia meant when she said that there was a large area of empty land. “After the adventurers have ridden to Queenseria, defeated the demons, and scavenged the riches, there will be a large area of land with no one to rule it.”
“That’s right, Onii-chan. The countries north of Queenseria and beyond have all been destroyed. Naturally, there are many mines, forests, rivers, lakes, harbors and other resources left there whose sovereignty no one possesses since the countries were destroyed. And the Lemmrousell Empire is one of the countries closest to the northern land where the mountain of treasures that no one possesses anymore is located.”
For now, the land was still infested with demons, and the only visitors might be adventurers seeking to make their fortune. Eventually, however, the various countries bordering the demon territory would send their armies to investigate on a large scale. One of the countries bordering the demon territory was the Lemmrousell Empire.
After the war with the demons was over, the countries began to turn their attention to the vast northern land, where there was no one left to rule it. The countries that began to move first were those that existed from the center to the south of the continent. These were the countries that had not suffered much damage directly from the war against the demons. The first to make moves was the Kingdom of Petersia. After the war with the demons, it launched an invasion to the countries that were at the forefront of the effort to restore their devastated countries, and two countries had already been destroyed.
“So His Highness Prince Raul and King Dalis are really after the land north of the Empire?”
“Petersia probably has its own reasons, like wanting land facing the sea, perhaps. However, unlike Petersia, Lyon is not invading by force, but ingratiating himself with His Highness Alfred and proposing a joint operation to reach the north. In this way, they can interfere in the distribution of concessions to be made after the pacification of those lands. I think there is probably a promise made between His Highness Alfred and Raul regarding such terms.”
“I see.” Mito, who had been quietly listening to Wynn and Leticia, interrupted. “By accompanying you and listening to what you had to say, I was able to resolve some doubts I had.”
“Doubts?”
At Wynn’s question, Mito pushed the hilt of the halberd in his hand to the ground and looked at the tip of the blade, which was facing skyward.
“A civil war has broken out in the Empire, hasn’t it, why didn’t Lyon take the opportunity to sympathize with the Petersians and steal territories from the Empire?”
“Steal territories from the Empire?”
“It’s not so strange, is it? A neighboring country has started a civil war, and other countries are interfering. If you look back in history, it’s not uncommon for countries to take advantage of that.” Said Mito to Wynn, who had a surprised expression on his face.
The Kingdom of Lyon established diplomatic relations with the Lemmrousell Empire in the reign of King Dalis. So, people from both countries could come and go freely across the border. However, if one were to dig into the history of the two countries, one would find that the Lemmrousell Empire and the Lyon Kingdom had been involved in several major wars in the past.
Originally, the Kingdom of Lyon was founded by a group of free cities located between two great powers, the Kingdom of Carthiate, which had the oldest history on the continent, and the hegemonic Lemrousell Empire, in an attempt to create their own country to protect their freedom.
The Lemmrousell Empire had not attempted to invade the Kingdom of Lyon in recent years due to the fierce demon invasion and the fact that the current Emperor Alexei was not keen on foreign incursions, but there was no doubt that both sides had been watching each other’s every move while maintaining diplomatic relations. But….
“I suppose the reason Lyon isn’t following Petersia’s example and building an army against the Empire is because they know about you, Brave-dono.”
“From Letty?”
“Hmm. The difference between Petersia’s and Lyon’s attitude towards the Empire is reflected by their knowledge of the Brave-dono. Lyon has the Sword Saint, who in his journey was able to get to know the Brave-dono and her power, having little to no desire to turn her into his enemy. At least, if it were me, I would do nothing while the Brave-dono is alive. However, Petersia only knows the Brave-dono by hearsay, like newspapers and rumors. I guess that difference is the reason between the two countries, regarding the civil war that occurred within the empire.”
“I see.” Wynn looked at Mito with admiration.
Although he seemed to be out of touch with the world due to his seclusion in the Majil Mountains, he was able to read the situation acutely from the conversations between Wynn and Leticia. The strength to continue to hold the title of “Sword Crafter” for decades without ceding it to someone else could be seen in this.
Above all, if I were put in a position where I had to wage war on the empire, I would first target the Brave-dono’s weak point.
As Mito looked at Wynn with this thought, he suddenly felt a sidelong glance at him and a surprised expression appeared on his face. Leticia cast a meaningful glance at Mito. She must have seen through his thoughts.
Of course, you’re aware of this, aren’t you? Well, I suppose you are. Fifteen years old, huh? You’ve been through a lot of battlefields that even I can’t imagine at the young age of fifteen. I can imagine something else, though. The reason the Crown Prince of the Empire kept Wynn away was because he feared he would get involved in the whole mess that was brewing in the empire. But still… Mito shuddered. What an oppressive feeling. How could she scare me, even for a moment, just by giving me a sidelong glance? I thought that in order to get rid of the young Brave-dono, I should eliminate this young man first, but that would have been a bit shallow. It would be like removing a support in a mine. How would the Sword Saint-dono dare to fight such a monster? I wouldn’t want to do that if I were him.
“Oh, Onii-chan. Isn’t that the building?” Whether or not she realized that Mito was glaring at her, Leticia returned to her usual tone and tugged on Wynn’s hand.
