Chapter 79
“We are all citizens of the Empire! If you treat the troubles of the North as solely their problem and look the other way, how can you hope to call for help when similar crises strike your own lands in the future?”
“We are one! If you turn your back on the North in its time of need, you are no citizen of the Empire!”
The Emperor lent his full support to Duke Rohaim, who boldly proclaimed this. And why wouldn’t he? Rohaim was taking the lead in doing what needed doing—extracting funds from the nobles’ coffers on the Emperor’s behalf.
“Did you hear? Duke Rohaim donated ten billion!”
“That’s not all. They say he’ll provide even more if the Monster Wave continues.”
“Unbelievable… But what about the other nobles? What are they doing?”
By now, rumors had spread that half of the North had already been devastated. People were on edge, fearing that the central regions might be next. Resentment toward idle nobles spread like wildfire.
With pressure from above—the Emperor and Duke Rohaim—and from below—the people—how could any noble hope to hold out?
“Our family will contribute as well!”
“We don’t have extra funds, but we can at least provide food…”
“We’ll send soldiers from our domain!”
Pooling resources in this way, the Emperor sent both material aid and manpower north without hesitation. Against all worries, evacuations went smoothly, and defensive lines around the Cernan River were quickly established.
Two days later, Lionel led a small, elite reconnaissance team across the Cernan River.
It marked the beginning of what would later be remembered as the first battle of the Monster Wave’s decisive end—a historic victory.
A group of refugees found themselves ambushed by monsters right at the edge of the Cernan River.
“Kyaaah!”
Frozen in terror, they had no chance to run. Every one of them shut their eyes tightly, sensing death approaching.
“Khrraah!”
The earth and sky trembled at the monstrous roar. Instinctive fear gripped their bodies, leaving them unable to even breathe.
Oddly enough, the monsters themselves froze in fear. Though predators by nature, they cowered like prey confronted by a carnivore.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently, and the threatening sound of pounding hooves grew louder. A massive monster was thrown through the air in a parabola, landing with a resounding thud.
Boom!
“Auuuuh!”
A colossal horse reared up like a wolf, neighing ferociously as it ran rampant. Its hooves, harder than iron, crushed monsters underfoot mercilessly. Only monsters.
“Everyone! This way, hurry!”
Knights who followed began guiding the frozen refugees to safety. Amid the paralyzing aura of the giant horse, the people barely managed to escape with their help.
“Wh-what kind of horse is that?”
The knights reassured the trembling refugees.
“Do not worry. This is His Highness, the prince’s mount. Do you see the rider?”
“Eh? …Oh, there really is a person on it?”
“That is our Commander-in-Chief, His Highness, the Second Prince.”
Though the horse was enormous and intimidating, a human indeed rode it, balancing solely with thigh strength and shooting arrows with terrifying precision. Every arrow hit its mark on the monsters’ weak points.
“Kraaah!”
One monster, a giant cobra, swelled its body and struck back, aiming its tail like a spear at the horse’s rider. From a distance, onlookers screamed as the tail nearly struck the young prince.
“Your Highness! Watch out!”
Bzziiit!
A lightning bolt struck directly onto the cobra’s tail from a clear sky, instantly scorching its massive body black.
“What… was that?”
“Where did the lightning come from?”
“Ah! It must be magic!”
Though the refugees guessed, the knights themselves were equally perplexed.
“Perhaps the daughter of Duke Rohaim gifted the prince a magical protection device, like a bow?”
“Yes, that seems likely.”
Satisfied that the refugees were safe, the knights stepped back, watching in awe as the 16-year-old Second Prince demonstrated his unmatched archery atop the rampaging horse.
“Even if we wanted to help…”
“Don’t, don’t. We’d only get ourselves killed.”
The monsters dared not approach Lionel. At the slightest motion, the massive horse stomped the ground with crushing force. It was precisely why Lionel wielded a bow, not a sword.
Thwack! Thwack!
“Another hit!”
“I’ve heard of his sword skills… but when did he even learn the bow?”
“Truly remarkable.”
Though there had been uncertainty among the knights and soldiers arriving from the capital—could they survive under a 16-year-old Commander-in-Chief?—Lionel was proving it firsthand. Unspoken, all of them thought the same:
With him here… ending the Monster Wave isn’t just a dream.
Despite witnessing a massacre, morale soared. They longed to fight alongside him, to protect his back. Lionel was no longer seen as a mere child prince but as a commanding general who could lead them to victory.
“Perfect! It’s done!”
The magical device was finally completed: the Monster Incense! Designed to repel monsters like mosquito incense, it burned continuously with replaceable magic stones, making it semi-permanent.
‘Now, I just need to test if it actually works.’
Naturally, there were no monsters near the capital. To test it, I’d need to go north.
But if I went north with it, my parents and siblings would certainly object. How could I go without worrying them?
Knock, knock, knock…
Finally! I put down the device and rushed to the window.
“Nyx!”
“Greetings, miss.”
Nyx entered the room in a blink and bowed politely. Spotting what he was searching for, I pointed to the table with the chocolate basket.
“Want some chocolate?”
“I’d be grateful.”
Now he never refused. Like a little hamster, he stuffed his cheeks and devoured chocolate while handing me an envelope.
“This is the investigation report on Bishop Nicole you requested.”
Inside the thick envelope were several folded sheets of paper, containing shocking revelations.
“…The daughter of a traitor? Is this real?”
“Yes.”
Not just any traitor—the daughter of Marquis Lacal, the man who poisoned the Empress and was hanged.
“But I heard all traitors’ families were exiled? How did she reach the capital, and even become a bishop in the temple?”
“The circumstances are complicated. Read the next page.”
I flipped it open and found something even more shocking.
“…Our parents helped smuggle Bishop Nicole out of exile?”