Chapter 70
With grim resolve, the Subjugation Force and Valaris regular army blocked the enemy's invasion.
Added to that was Yuwon’s dazzling performance, and as one reinforcent after another joined, the final awaited reinforcents at last entered the battlefield.
Kugugugu―
“All forces—! Charge! Charge forth! Aid our allies who risked their lives to protect Valaris and annihilate the enemies!”
“Uwooooh―!”
The reinforcents that stord onto the battlefield with fierce montum gave fresh courage to the allies who had already been fighting.
“All reinforcents have arrived!”
The morale of the united forces could not rise any higher—it soared as if piercing the heavens.
From the walls of Valaris’s Inner Fortress, over the Outer Fortress, and all the way to the broad path leading toward the Southern Great Jungle—everywhere, the united forces’ efforts shone.
The coalition encircled the enemy from east, west, south, and north, destroying the beasts from their respective positions.
The number of the monsters, which had sward like ants, diminished rapidly at a visible speed.
“Victory is right before us! Don’t stop—press on!”
With the arrival of reinforcents, the monster horde—already split at its center—quickly fell apart and began to be crushed in isolated groups.
“Fire—!”
Chwarururuk―
Arrows rained down and pierced through the beasts.
“Kill every last one of them―!”
Spears and swords severed their necks and burst their hearts.
Kkeuruk―!
Across the vast battlefield echoed only the dying screams of the monsters. Yuwon, of course, did not remain idle.
“Terrien, leave the rear to .”
“Yes! You may entrust it to !”
Mounted atop the Red Hare, Yuwon cut through enemies at a terrifying speed, slicing as he advanced.
Terrien followed behind, finishing off the beasts Yuwon knocked down.
Until now, when alone, Yuwon had always made sure to crush the enemy’s throat completely before moving to the next. But now, trusting the two following him, he focused on disabling as many enemies as possible in the shortest ti.
Seogeok―!
Whenever Yuwon’s White Dragon Sword carved an arc—up to down, left to right—any beast caught in its path toppled to the ground without fail.
Puk―!
Terrien trailed behind, carefully taking the monsters’ lives.
After retrieving his sword from a beast’s body, Terrien paused to catch his breath.
‘Hoo… I simply can’t keep up. Just how strong is His Highness?’
Terrien worked tirelessly without rest, yet perfectly matching Yuwon’s pace was impossible.
Still, Terrien had his own reassurance—the one guarding the very back was Bernid.
“So the cleanup is my job, huh… These damned things just won’t end no matter how many I burn.”
Bernid, with fire in one hand and wind in the other, followed after the two, burning both the wounded enemies and even the corpses.
Hwarureuk―
A raging blaze trailed the path Yuwon, Terrien, and Bernid carved through the battlefield, born from burning every last enemy.
Even amid a battlefield filled with flying arrows and flashing blades, Yuwon’s presence stood out naturally. And many gazes took notice of him.
‘So… the rumors that the Fifth Prince was exceptional were actually true. He isn’t just competing with those of his age—he’s beyond them. But where is the Second Prince…? He’s nowhere on the battlefield. Did sothing happen?’
The knights of the Imperial Knight Order, who had used teleportation magic from the capital to reach Valaris in crisis, observed Yuwon closely.
Those who ca as reinforcents from nearby territories were equally astonished.
‘Hoh, to think the Fifth Prince—famous for being a wastrel—had this much real ability. The recent stories were all true, then. Still, losing such a Fifth Prince must be quite painful for Count Valaris.’
Even those who had dismissed the rumors swirling around the Fifth Prince now saw him in a new light.
And once they returned ho and spoke of what they saw today, interest in Yuwon would only grow.
Victory was all but certain.
As people stood side by side on this battlefield, countless emotions crossed their hearts.
‘This Subjugation Mission is a huge failure. It’s not even like preparing a al for soone else to eat—Yurion is devouring everything for himself.’
The Crown Prince felt jealous at Yuwon’s achievents, while the Fourth Prince swallowed rage as his carefully woven plans fell apart.
‘Damn it…! I trusted that so-called elite assassin and he ruined everything…! And that poison—why was it so absurdly effective…? I almost didn’t just fail—I nearly died here. I can’t do this alone. That second brat is already useless. I’ll have to find a way to win over the Crown Prince.’
There were others who set their sights on Yuwon—though for different reasons.
“Marquis, forgive my insistence, but I will say this out of caution—the Prince Yurion is soone I have already marked as the future son-in-law of Valaris.”
“Why are you telling this, Count?”
“Just… out of caution.”
Though he said so lightly, Marquis Carson was also paying close attention to Yuwon.
A subtle atmosphere drifted between the two old commanders who had led the battle toward victory.
Thus the battle neared its end.
Once the battlefield was mostly cleared, Yuwon drove away the snakes that had been following behind him.
Although the newly arrived reinforcents, under Count Valaris’s strict orders, did not attack the snakes, it would cause needless trouble if the creatures lingered until the end.
“Return to the jungle now. If you remain here any longer, nothing good will co to you.”
He had worried about what to do if they didn’t understand him and refused to leave, but fortunately, they obeyed Yuwon’s command and returned to their original nest.
‘Wait… can I talk to snakes?’
Until now, he had believed only the Dragon-Scaled Serpent understood him—but even these serpent-shaped beasts were following his words, leaving Yuwon puzzled.
Piii―
The Dragon-Scaled Serpent hatchling peeked its head out from the pocket and saw them off.
Seogeok―
The head of the last remaining monster fell off, scattering bright crimson blood.
Not only the one who swung the sword, but everyone standing on the battlefield watched this scene.
Tuk―
At last, when not a single living monster remained on the battlefield, the battle ca to an end.
It was a victory for the united forces.
The battle that had inflicted great damage upon Valaris finally ended in victory for the united forces. Life returned once more to Valaris.
“Hey, you there—move faster! There’s more than one or two things I need you to carry.”
“Ah, co on, let’s take it slower. The battle’s all over now—we can work at an easier pace, can’t we?”
“Bah! You fool, what will you do if the enemy cos rushing back at a ti like this! Do you want to abandon the Outer Fortress again and cram yourselves into that cramped Inner Fortress? The stones you’re carrying right now could end up inside your own ho, you hear ? Stop complaining and carry them quickly.”
“Aaagh, I’m going, I’m going!”
Valaris imdiately began repairing the damaged Outer Fortress, and the Subjugation Force—exhausted from the aftermath of battle—decided to take three more days of rest before departing for the capital.
Having spent a day that felt like an entire month, the Subjugation Force enjoyed the rest granted to them and thoroughly prepared for their return to the capital.
“This ti… we really can return, right? They’re not going to invade again, are they?”
“No way. They say the number we fought yesterday was equal to what Valaris usually faces across three whole years. Those things will stay quiet for a while. People mocked us for calling ourselves a Subjugation Force when we went back after just one fight, yet we ended up having a huge battle anyway.”
“That’s true. Really… we’re doing everything we never thought we’d do in our entire lives during this Subjugation Mission.”
From the relaxed conversation of the resting Subjugation Soldiers, one could feel the composure and vigor of warriors.
Those arrogant little noble brats who looked as if they were heading out on a picnic when they first departed were gone.
Having survived two battlefields and countless brushes with death, the Subjugation Soldiers had grown into people capable of standing tall anywhere.
“Co to think of it… once we reach the capital, the whole place will be in an uproar. Stories of His Highness the Fifth Prince’s individual strength or how His Highness completely took hold of the South won’t just fade away.”
“And there’s also the matter of His Highness the Second Prince’s arm going numb. Sothing definitely must have happened. I just hope it doesn’t escalate and is resolved smoothly.”
After the battle, the balance among the Aphahiel princes shifted.
The forr structure had been: the Crown Prince and the Second Prince as the strong pair; the Fourth Prince and Yuwon as the weak pair.
The princes’ factions had been in a 2-strong-2-weak arrangent.
Now it was 1-strong-2-dium-1-weak. The Crown Prince’s faction remained firmly the strongest.
The Second Prince, having lost his right-hand n and key subordinates, was demoted to a mid-tier faction.
Yuwon, who gathered great power around the South, beca the other mid-tier. And with no notable achievents, the Fourth Prince held the final weak position.
The influence of Marquis Carson and Count Valaris played a major role in the general public elevating Yuwon as one of the mid-tier factions.
Although they had not made any official declarations, people already spoke as though the two veteran commanders would support Yuwon in the upcoming struggle for the imperial throne.
And indeed, the way the Marquis and Count treated Yuwon was distinctly different from how they treated the other princes.
The public’s intuition was sharp.
“Your Highness, once we return to the capital, I would like to treat you to a al. Would you happen to have so ti?”
“A al? Well, certainly. Sharing a al isn’t difficult, and since we forged a strong bond during this Subjugation Mission, I would be glad to accept your invitation.”
“Excellent. Please do visit. Although it might be difficult to host you at my family estate due to distance, I have a villa I use whenever I stay in the capital that’s quite suitable. Ah, and there is soone I would like to introduce to you…”
“Did you say introduce?”
“Yes. It may be a bold question, but may I ask what Your Highness thinks of marriage? As I understand, since the engagent with Valaris was annulled, you have not had any notable connections…”
The Marquis cautiously asked about Yuwon’s marriage.
Having seen Yuwon’s true capabilities during this mission, the Marquis now considered Yuwon as a potential grandson-in-law.
“It is as you know. Relationships between people are never easy.”
“Ah, then that is fortunate. Among my grandchildren, there is one who has reached marriageable age—smart, refined, and truly admirable. If Your Highness is willing, I would very much like to introduce…”
“I must refuse such an introduction. There are still far too many matters I must consider. But sharing a simple al with you is always welco.”
“Oh… I see. Yes, these days must indeed be full of heavy thoughts for you. I understand. Then let us dine together, just the two of us. I’ve no intention of making Your Highness uncomfortable.”
“Yes, that will be fine.”
At that mont, Count Valaris—so busy with reconstruction that he hardly had ti to open his eyes—appeared abruptly.
He seed sleep-deprived, having likely worked nonstop.
“Ah, so the two of you were here. What were you discussing so delightfully?”
“Well… we were…”
Yuwon glanced at Marquis Carson.
The Marquis wore the expression of a child caught stealing honey.
Seeing that face stirred a playful urge in Yuwon.
‘Hmm… yes. Before the orcs attacked the first ti, when I delivered the news to the Marquis, his reaction was quite amusing.’
Yuwon gave a faint smile.
The Marquis, watching only Yuwon’s lips, felt chills run down his back.
“Marquis Carson was just telling about soone he wished to introduce to . Isn’t that right, Marquis?”
“H-ha ha ha. Yes. Indeed.”
At the Marquis’s suspicious smile, Count Valaris’s eyes sharpened.
“By any chance… this introduction is not related to marriage, is it?”
“…!”
The Marquis cleared his throat as though startled.
“Kh-hm. Well, His Highness is no longer young… and it is about ti he considered marriage, and since he currently has no connections, I wondered if perhaps it might be a good opportunity…”
“Marquis. I believe I told you last ti. Of all matters, this is the one the enemy will never let pass quietly.”
“You speak too harshly. It’s not as if simply ntioning the idea will make it happen. Surely I can at least bring it up? What matters most is His Highness’s intention.”
“And I, too, am disappointed. To think you were speaking of such matters with His Highness behind my back. I shall be watching closely from now on. Marquis.”
The word “Marquis,” spoken so crisply, felt distinctly heavier than usual.
“It seems you two still have much to discuss. I have sothing to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
“Ah—Your Highness!”
The two n tried belatedly to stop Yuwon, but it was useless.
“Count, because you brought up such a thing, His Highness felt uncomfortable and left…”
“How is this my fault?”
Once Yuwon left, only the Marquis and Count remained.
In a blink, the two n who had trusted each other on the battlefield had beco adversaries.
Thus, in peaceful days, the ti remaining before parting with the South grew short.
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