Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Three: Burn the Boats and Break the Cauldrons (Part Two)
In the Order Royal City, inside the Queen’s bedroom.
Having finished a long day of council meetings, Queen Elizabeth sat at her massive desk, rubbing her temples with a slightly fatigued expression.
The ever-stoic Head Maid—who might now be better referred to as the Captain of the Royal Guard—Sharman, having recovered from her injuries, placed a pile of documents onto the table and announced, “The progress of the war is going smoothly. The thirty thousand troops of the Royal City, personally led by Little Reikmon, have nearly reached the southwestern border.”
“On the Empire’s side, the Shanter Army in Winter City, the Red Cavalry of Erin Castle, and the Heavy Cavalry of New City of Kaliye, alongside the new coalition forces from the southern towns, amount to nearly one hundred thousand soldiers. With the full support of the Royal City’s currency exchange and the Kanli Merchant Association, our supply lines have extended to the southwestern territories of Ethanbel… Some people are worried we’re inviting disaster, but their voices have been silenced by the council.”
“…Hmm, got it.”
With a hand on her forehead, golden tendrils of hair slipped down and framed her stunning profile.
She seemed a bit distracted.
Since Sharman had returned with news and evidence, the council had convened three consecutive days in a unified debate about military mobilization. However, just as actions were about to officially start, Carlos had brought back the results of the battle in the Holy City—ever since, the Queen had been a bit scatterbrained.
Though she maintained a composed facade while handling state affairs during the day, in private, some things were never hidden from her trusted aides.
Sharman, of course, understood the reason.
Two months ago, the battle in the Holy City was deemed a “victory”—at least, that’s what Carlos had said. They had managed to curb the rapid expansion of the Mad God after his awakening, suppressing the chaotic forces that were as devastating as a disaster within the Holy City—though humanity had, quite frankly, paid the most horrific price for it.
There was the fall of the Sword Saint, the countless Pope Knights who perished, and those devoted yet powerful Saints.
The Queen hadn’t dared to mention any of this too much in the council.
Currently, the situation was that the Abyss demons inside the Holy City had been suppressed thanks to the efforts of Sword Saint Ryan and others. The injuries they sustained had forced them back underground to recuperate, leaving human heroes in an absolutely advantageous position. Without this, that chaotic power would have spread all the way to Order Royal City long ago.
However, completely exterminating the demons wasn’t an easy feat; it would require a lengthy period—long, but not exceedingly so—during which both kingdoms needed to secure their territories and protect their people.
The disaster was coming from the southwest, having devoured nearly the entire Silgaria Republic. Everyone knew the nature of the Abyss; if they allowed it to continue consuming everything, the losses would only escalate. The two kingdoms had to unite, and no one could harbor any false hopes, or they’d end up just like the Church.
For the elite, this was a grand opportunity for a reshuffle—previously they saw no chance of success and had pinned all their hopes on the Church, believing it was the duty of those holy figures. Now, with the Holy City in ruins, the four cardinals either dead, gone mad, or missing, and Pope Angel’s whereabouts unknown, what was once a certain dark outcome had surprisingly been illuminated by the Sword Saint’s sword.
So…
If I don’t step up and someone else does, and they actually win, just imagine how tragic my fate would be!
Thus, the war finally moved forward in earnest.
Yet the Queen didn’t feel jubilant about it—after making several stirring war mobilization speeches, the momentum of the Ethanbel army was unprecedented. The nation recently promoted their battle against the Abyss disaster, pledging to d*e defending their citizens; anyone who dared to go to war would be revered. It was the best start, but the Queen’s mood only grew more melancholic.
Because two months had passed without a word from that young girl.
Whether she was alive or dead, she had no idea.
Now the Holy City was teeming with spies from various factions. While no one dared to approach that deathly city, news trickled back day after day, monotonously echoing the same message: dead smoke had not spread, the status of those inside was completely unclear, only flickers of white light could sometimes be seen in the swirling black mist.
Including Ethanbel and the Valen Empire, what those elites didn’t know was that Sword Saint Ryan had fallen in the battle against the Abyss demons, and now, the one suppressing the chaos was none other than Peilo, the little girl. Just her alone.
Humanity wasn’t about to defeat the Abyss; they were betting every glimmer of hope on that little girl.
Many were unaware of this; otherwise, they might choose to turn tail and run.
Among those who did know, it was only the Queen of Ethanbel, Sharman, Rect, and Little Reikmon, while on the Imperial side, perhaps only those few at Shanter Castle were in the loop.
Did Erin Castle and New City of Kaliye know? The Queen was uncertain. As for the others, surely Emperor Skarlij wouldn’t be talking about it.
His thoughts were aligned with hers.
Putting everything on the line, burning the boats and breaking the cauldrons; if they couldn’t achieve victory, then they would seek glory in d*ath alongside everyone.
Both the Queen and the Emperor shared intelligence; neither was pessimistic. At this point, they could only have faith in that young girl, the Empire’s princess, if they had any hope of winning the war—or at least, they needed to hold their ground until the girl could defeat the Mad God.
From Carlos’ reports, the Queen and Emperor Skarlij understood the sequence of events in the Holy City battle; they were aware of the conditions everyone was striving to create, the best possible scenario.
Originally, before the girl set off, the Queen had mentally prepared herself for her loss. That night’s conversation was never directly addressed, but it was a farewell nonetheless.
She had already envisioned the worst-case scenario, but now the reality was that the girl seemed to possess a considerable chance of winning. She might truly pull through. Every time the Queen thought about it, she felt both fortunate and as if her heart were perched on a kn*fe’s edge.
She believed she could win, believed in her victory, but why was it taking so long?
Why was the affliction dragging on for such an eternity? Just how powerful was that monster?
How much longer would it take?
How long could the border defenses hold out? How much longer could she endure? Was she suffering?
What could I do?
All I can do is fend off those monsters from the southwest. Is there anything else I can do?
This was perhaps the very first time in her life that the Queen truly realized that she couldn’t solve everything. Her own abilities were, in fact, quite limited.
Feeling powerless and utterly helpless was such an unsettling and disconcerting sensation.
“…Your Majesty?”
Sharman, sensing the Queen’s distraction, wavered between staying silent and speaking up for a moment before finally whispering something she felt was important to mention.
When the Queen’s vacant gaze returned to her, Sharman lowered her head and said, “Regarding the southwestern border… besides our troops and those from the Empire, there’s also a group of volunteer soldiers, some… poorly armed citizen militias, that have also been trickling over recently.”
Volunteer soldiers? Citizen militias?
“What’s going on?” the Queen asked, her expression turning serious.
“Uh…”
After a moment of consideration, Sharman continued, “Your Majesty, it’s Saint Margaret.”
“Margaret?”
“Yeah, the Saint has been traveling around various towns in the kingdom; in those towns where people were reluctant to join the defense, she and her Saintess Class have given numerous speeches… Some folks have been swayed by her words. Little Reikmon sent this information; they’ve already made contact with those disorganized troops—they’re indeed a grassroots force going to fight against the Abyss, with support from both kingdoms.”
