When they were still known as the Aegis Special Forces Team 8, and were part of the empires covert operations, they were dispatched to the Bringar Duchy. There, they assassinated Everblack Empires diplomatic envoy and created a casus belli.
The mission was a success. The Everblack Empire covered their tracks skillfully, pinning the bla on the Bringar Duchy.
Relations between the two nations deteriorated, eventually leading to war. The Bringar Duchy was reduced to ashes.
And so, Aegis Special Forces Team 8 were disposed of after their mission was completed. They were sent to Crossroad as death-row inmates.
It was Ash, the imperial prince, who took them in and gave them a new na: Shadow Squad.
Giving us a mission to infiltrate Bringar Duchy again?
Chained and bloodied, Godhand sneered.
You are cruel, Your Highness Prince Ash.
Godhand, Bodybag, and Burnoutthis was the mission Shadow Squad had received from Ash:
- Infiltrate the Bringar Duchy discreetly, make contact with the Duchess of Bringar, and deliver my letter and ssage.
Having carried out a secret mission in the Bringar Duchy before, the Shadow Squad was well-acquainted with the territory and situation. Even though it was a battlefront, engulfed in the flas of war, occupied by Imperial forces and swarming with rebel guerrillas.
Even if the place had beco a field of corpses, littered with refugees, deserters, death, starvation, murder, and arson.
Even if this horrific scene was, perhaps, a disaster they themselves had created.
Shadow Squad accomplished their mission in this hellish landscape.
After about a month of searching, they finally located the Duchess of Bringars hideout and successfully made contact.
But the Duchess was not so naive as to simply receive the letter and send them back.
Her country was ablaze. The Bringar Duchy was on the brink of destruction.
In such circumstances, a letter from the enemy prince, delivered by enemy special forces who were already suspected of triggering the war and were currently wanted, was not going to be received kindly.
Godhand, Bodybag, and Burnout were imdiately captured by the Duchesss subordinates and severely tortured.
But even after days of near-fatal torture, none of them uttered a single word.
Finally, the Duchess of Bringar decided to interrogate them personally.
"So, how do you wish to die?"
With jet-black hair like ebony, a dark dress, and pumpkin-colored eyes, she looked like a young girl. But in reality, she was a transcendental being of 120 years, harboring a malevolent dragon within her.
The Duchess of Bringar snarled, her mouth revealing sharp, shark-like teeth.
"The sin of underestimating adults is grave. Im already low on magic power; perhaps it wouldnt be so bad to chew you all up alive."
"..."
"No, that would be too easy for you. To make you feel the pain that my people have felt, it would be better to slowly rip you apart, starting from your fingertips and toes."
The Duchess took a step forward and gently pressed Godhands toes with the heel of her shoe.
The force coming from her petite fra was unbelievably oppressive, as if a giant rock was crushing Godhands toes.
The pain was unbearable, but Godhand barely managed to stifle a moan.
"No, its still not enough! Physical pain alone wont do."
When Godhand managed to endure, the Duchess of Bringar chuckled and lifted her foot. Then, she pushed her sparkling dragon eyes into Godhands face.
"Let burn your souls in the realm of flas. Even the most valiant warriors have crumbled in the face of a soul-burning agony."
"..."
"You will soon follow suit."
She genuinely had the capability to do so. She was from the dragon-blooded lineage of the Bringar Duchy, the sole possessor of dragons blood in her generation.
And that was none other than the Duchess of Bringar standing before him, Dusk Bringar.
Yet, Godhand remained unfazed.
His mouth slowly opened as he looked intently at the small Duchess who was threatening him.
"First, Id like to clear up a misunderstanding."
"Hmm? Misunderstanding?"
"Weve never ambushed the you. We just conveyed the ssage and letter from our master."
"Ha!"
Sneering, the Duchess of Bringar took a letter from her bosom.
"Do you take for a fool, elf?"
With that, she slapped Godhands cheek with the letter. Despite being hit with a piece of paper, the impact was imnse enough to make blood spurt from Godhands lips.
The Duchess read the contents of the letter aloud.
"The third prince of the Everblack Imperial Family, who is currently in charge of the southern front of the empire, says hell provide refuge and assist in rebuilding if I escape there?"
"..."
"Isnt the most useless rascal in your imperial family the third prince? And such a person suddenly sends a secret letter, leading to a monster-infested battlefield. And the one who delivers this letter just happens to be the very people who killed my diplomatic ambassador?"
"..."
"How can I possibly trust this letter! Its much more believable that its a trap to kill !"
"If it were a trap, itd be too cumberso."
As Godhand spat out those words, the Duchesss pumpkin-colored eyes widened.
"What did you say?"
"If we intended to ambush you, our imperial forces would have surrounded this place a few days ago when we discovered your hideout."
The Duchesss eyes narrowed. Godhand continued.
"At this point, theres no chance of winning in this region. Your best option is to pull out. If you are captured, the Bringar Duchy will truly be finished."
"So youre telling ... to abandon my country and run away?"
"Isnt that already under consideration?"
The Duchess didnt counter. Because it was true.
The tide of the war had tilted too far for guerrilla tactics to work. There was no doubt that the Bringar Duchy had lost this war.
"If the you escape, there are multiple options. There are allies in the west and nations in the north with whom youve built long-term relationships. Thats why imperial forces are already stationed at the northern and western borders of your duchy."
"..."
"But the southern border is relatively weakly guarded. Theres no country to the south that could rebel against the empire, and going further south only leads to the monster-infested lands you ntioned. Even if you escape there, you would lack a foundation to plan for the future."
Strength filled Godhands voice.
"Everyone thinks that way, which is why you are planning to escape south," said Godhand.
The Duchess, who had initially dismissed the idea as nonsense, now listened intently to Godhands words.
"The southern front is vast. Its a monster-infested area, just like you said. Hiding there would make it practically impossible for the Imperial forces to track you down."
"Hmm."
"Moreover, rcenaries from around the world are gathering on the southern front. Theres no better place to rebuild your military power. Plus, youd be close to the kingdom, allowing you to exert influence."
The Duchess chuckled.
"Quite a compelling argunt. Did your master instruct you to say this?"
"Yes."
"You were sent here knowing you could die?"
"Yes," Godhand responded without hesitation.
"And we were sent with the understanding that you wouldnt kill us."
"What?"
"We serve as evidence."
Godhand nodded gravely.
"Evidence that Everblack Empire initiated the war."
"!"
"By sparing us, youll have witnesses for the future. To prove that the Everblack Empire deliberately caused this war by assassinating their own ambassador."
"So you, the executioners, are offering to testify?"
"Yes."
For a mont, the Duchesss youthful face was tinged with the stern visage of a ruler.
In international politics, the logic of power often prevails. Debating the trivialities of an ongoing war may not be particularly aningful.
However, the Duchess was in a position where he had to gather even the smallest ans for a counterattack.
How this testimony could be used later was unknown to anyone.
"Interesting. So Everblack is as cunning as it appears. The third prince isnt a simple fool after all."
The Duchess smiled briefly, collecting his thoughts.
"Quite entertaining. But Elf, you havent ntioned the most crucial part... What does Everblacks third prince aim to accomplish by involving ?"
Godhand answered calmly.
"He asks for your support."
"Support?"
"Yes. In the war against the monsters, he requests your support while you stay at the southern front."
Astonished, the Duchess furrowed his brows.
"So youre saying, just to deal with re monsters, he wishes to summon , the Dusk Dragon of the Bringar Duchy?"
"Yes."
"Hahahaha! To think hes aiming to use a big fish only to get devoured himself! That third prince is quite fearless!"
With a sneering laugh, the Duchesss eyes soon narrowed dangerously.
"Id love to et him and size him up, but that wont happen."
Standing tall with his small fra, straightening his back, the Duchess declared,
"I will not flee, nor seek asylum, nor escape. I will fight and die in this land till the last mont."
"Why?"
"Isnt it obvious? Because I am the Queen of this land."
At this, Godhand chuckled.
"My forr king said the sa thing."
"Your king? Who are you talking about?"
"Im referring to the previous Elf King, the ruler of the elves."
Recalling the distant past, Godhand muttered with a bitter smile.
"He valued his honor more than his life, and in doing so lost his life... As a result, we elves who lost our leader had to scatter in all directions. Now, weve lost our nation and live lives worse than slaves."
"..."
"If you are truly a queen, should you not prioritize the future of your people over preserving your honor through death?"
The young face of the Duchess contorted in rage.
"How dare this pointy-eared wretch offer advice to--"
Just then.
"Your Grace!"
A knight who had been waiting outside burst hurriedly into the prison. The Duchesss eyes narrowed.
"Whats going on?"
"The Imperial Army has located us. Theyve started the bombardnt!"
Boom! Thud-thud-thud...!
Almost as the words left the knights mouth, the building shook violently, and accumulated dust fell to the ground.
"The encirclent is tightening. Moreover... Lark has been confird to be leading their forces."
Lark Avalanche Everblack, the First Prince and the strongest knight of the empire. It appeared he had personally co. The Duchess gritted her teeth.
"That arrogant brat, if it werent for the disparity in troops, Id tear him apart in a heartbeat."
"Your Grace! You must evacuate imdiately. The retreat path to the next hideout is secure; please, this way!"
"...Fine, understood."
Reluctantly nodding, the Duchess gestured towards Godhand.
"And bring these people as well."
A cruel mischief flickered in the Duchesss eyes as she looked at Godhand.
"But theres no need to keep all three alive. One will suffice for our purposes."
"..."
"So, lets see..."
The Duchess casually swept his gaze over Godhand, Bodybag, and Burnout.
"Who should live and who should die?"
***
The next day.
Crossroad. The Lords mansion. The Lords bedroom.
"..."
Having woken up, I lay blankly on the bed.
Staring vacantly at the ceiling of my newly restored room, adorned with antique interior, I did nothing but lie down.
Stage 9 already, huh.
Just yesterday, Stage 8 had ended, and we celebrated late into the night with a victory banquet.
Now, Stage 9.
And after that ends...
Stage 10 is coming up fast.
The next boss stage was rapidly approaching.
During the last boss stage, Stage 5, a legion of vampires had appeared.
At that ti, I had lost nine heroes and as many as a hundred and forty-six soldiers.
I cant afford such losses again. I need to prepare more thoroughly this ti.
Boss stages are incomparable to normal stages. The quality of the enemy forces is on a different level.
I also need to prepare the best equipnt possible and train well-prepared heroes. Even though its just Stage 9, better to prepare in advance.
...Still no word from Shadow Squad.
The three mbers of the Shadow Squad I had sent to Bringar Duchy have yet to return.
I had decided to accept the Duchess of Bringar and her party in this ga iteration.
Since I was going to accept them, I sent the Shadow Squad ahead to scout, aiming to integrate them into Crossroad as quickly as possible.
Will they return before Stage 10...
Whether the recruitnt by the Shadow Squad succeeded or failed, I hoped they would return before the start of Stage 10. Their abilities would be incredibly useful in the defensive battle.
Lying in bed, I also organized thoughts about utilizing the support troops from the Imperial Capital and training plans for the Penal Squad.
The main party is doing incredibly well, so for now, the focus should be on effectively managing the other party that has multiple issues...
Just as I was engrossed in ntally arranging and experinting with various hero combinations, it happened.
Bam!
"Lord! We have a major crisis!"
Aider burst into my room, flinging the door open. I languidly opened my eyes and looked in his direction.
"What is it? Whats the matter? Your poor Lord was just taking a break after last nights defense mission. This had better be important."
"Da, da, da, Damien has..."
Aider was tearing at his hair, shouting in agony.
"Damien got into troubleeeeee!"
What now, Damien? What have you done this ti?!
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