Book 3 Covers

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

By Ginichirō Suzuki

A Famitsu Game Bunko book

(Inside flap)

Ginichirō Suzuki
Ginichirō Suzuki was born in Tokyo in 1934. Since becoming an editor, he has primarily
worked on simulation game designs. After establishing the company Shoukikaku, he
designed the card game “Monster Maker.” He later wrote a fantasy novel series
featuring the Monster Maker characters. He also translated the book “Through
Dungeons Deep: A Fantasy Gamer’s Handbook” by Robert Plamondon.

Illustrations by Rika Suzuki

The magnificent world of FE has been turned into a novel!

Long, long ago, when the continent of Jugdral was ruled by darkness, twelve gods
descended from the heavens. They took human form, aided the Twelve Crusaders, and
vanquished the darkness, returning light to the world. Now, after much time has passed,
a wicked darkness is trying to sneak its way across the world once again… The battle
between Divine God Naga and Dark God Loptous; and the stories of love and war of the
Twelve Crusaders’ descendants, pawns in the hands of fate; are all written here in this
dramatic tale!

(Inside flap)

Books by Ginichirō Suzuki:

Magic Master: The Red-Haired Witch

Magic Master: The Dark Knights

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

Character Introductions

Seliph: The protagonist of this story. Son of Sigurd, prince of the Kingdom of
Grannvale’s House Chalphy. Inheritor to the Holy Sword Tyrfing. He rises up to liberate
the people from the oppression of the Grannvalian Empire.
Julia: The daughter of Emperor Arvis of the Grannvalian Empire. Inheritor to the Holy
Light Magic Tome, the Book of Naga. She is the only one who can defeat Julius.
Julius: Son of Emperor Arvis and Crown Prince of the Grannvalian Empire. Julia’s elder
twin brother. Possessed by the Dark God Loptous.
Lewyn: The king of Silesse and inheritor to the Holy Wind Tome Forseti. He disguises
as a bard and wanders the land, and also serves Seliph’s army as an advisor.
Arvis: The first emperor of the Grannvalian Empire. He was manipulated by Archbishop
Manfroy to establish the empire, but his true power was usurped by his possessed son.
Ishtar: Princess of House Friege and inheritor to the Holy Thunder Tome Mjölnir. Julius’
beloved.
Lana: Daughter of Princess Aideen of House Yngvi. She is a cleric and a member of
Seliph’s army. Seliph’s beloved.
Manfroy: Archbishop of the Loptr Church. He plotted Loptous’ resurrection, and
secretly controls Arvis and Julius. The mastermind behind the current holy war.
Map of Jugdral

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Battle of Belhalla 10

Chapter 2: Seliph’s Army 21

Chapter 3: Larcei, My Love 33

Chapter 4: Divine Blade Balmung 46

Chapter 5: Black Knight Ares 57

Chapter 6: The Miracle of Darna 69

Chapter 7: Earth Lance Gáe Bolg 82

Chapter 8: The Soul of Thracia 90

Chapter 9: Dragon Knight Arion 102

Chapter 10: Dark God Loptous 113

Chapter 11: The Children of Thracia

122

Chapter 12: Emperor Arvis 134

Chapter 13: Archbishop Manfroy 147

Chapter 14: The Final Battle 158

Chapter 15: Wind God Forseti 166

Afterword 175

Trigger Warning:
Chapter 3: Cousin incest and brief rape mention.
Chapter 5: Brief rape mention.
Chapter 7: Mention of likely one-sided romantic feelings between adopted siblings.

Chapter 1: The Battle of Belhalla

In this world, there are many endings that are endings in appearance only, and actually
the beginning of another story.

The Battle of Belhalla, which occurred in early spring of the Grann Year 760, was one
such ending.

The Grannvalian Empire's records only described a simple account: the Grannvalian
King's son-in-law, House Velthomer's Duke Arvis, who would afterwards become the
first emperor of the Grannvalian Empire; defeated the liberation army at Belhalla Field,
killed the ringleader, Prince Sigurd of House Chalphy; and squashed the rebellion.

Compared to the accounts left describing Arvis’ magnificent victories during the
subsequent battles that unified the lands, it was really quite short, and when those who
didn’t know the details read it, they thought the rebellion that Sigurd started was not that
big of an event in the slightest.

But what really happened?

The records list no other casualties than Prince Sigurd. However, at the Battle of
Belhalla, and in the chain of battles, schemes, and other events leading up to it; the
powerful leaders across the continent were divided into enemy and ally, bringing many
of them to their deaths.

Even more surprising, was that among the deceased were descendants of the Twelve
Crusaders of legend, including many of those who'd inherited legendary weapons:

Prince Kurth of The Kingdom of Grannvale, inheritor to The Book of Naga

Duke Byron and Prince Sigurd of House Chalphy, both inheritors to the Holy Sword,
Tyrfing

King Eldigan of The Kingdom of Nordion, inheritor to the Demon Sword, Mystletainn

Prince Quan of The Kingdom of Leonster, inheritor to the Earth Lance, Gáe Bolg

Princess Brigid of House Yngvi, inheritor to the Holy Bow, Yewfelle

Duke Lombard of House Dozel, inheritor to the Holy Axe, Helswath

Duke Reptor of House Freige, inheritor to the Holy Thunder Tome, Mjölnir
High Priest Claud of House Edda, inheritor to the Holy Staff, Valkyrie

Prince Lewyn of The Kingdom of Silesse, inheritor to the Holy Wind Tome, Forseti

and King Mananan of The Kingdom of Isaach, inheritor to the Divine Blade, Balmung.

The only two survivors were Duke Arvis of House Velthomer, inheritor to the Holy Fire
Tome, Valflame; and King Travant of the Kingdom of Thracia, inheritor to the Heavens
Lance, Gungnir.

For so many of the Crusaders to meet death… it was only common sense that
something unthinkable had happened, leading people to create all sorts of rumors.

One such rumor was that countless fireballs fell from the heavens during The Battle of
Belhalla.

"If that isn’t what happened, then how else could so many of the Crusaders have died?"
The person who started the rumor wondered.

But those rumors simply explained all that had transpired, and didn't shed light on any of
the evil plots being carried out in the background.

Because if even Duke Arvis, as a major character of those stories being kept secret
from the world, did not notice that The Battle of Belhalla was nothing more than the end
of a prologue, it was only natural that the people who started those (laughably
exaggerated) rumors did not realize it, either.

With all of the rebellious uprisings stamped out, Arvis traveled to the surrounding
countries of Silesse, located to the north; and Leonster, located to the east; and
subjugated them. They no longer had proper leaders, so conquering them was easier
than taking candy from a baby. With those final acts, the Kingdom of Grannvale
succeeded in obtaining hegemony of the entire Judgralian continent.

King Azmur of Grannvale was on death's door, leading Arvis to immediately become the
first emperor of the Grannvalian Empire, as if it had already been decided.

No one objected to his ascension. In fact, everyone overwhelmingly supported it. Arvis’
popularity among the commoners was particularly unusual, but it was because they had
long wished for a strong, intelligent leader.
As they did not know the true meaning of the Battle of Belhalla, they could not view
Arvis, who'd suppressed the rebellion, as anyone but the rightful king.

Arvis was a very ambitious man, who had long wished to unify the continent and
become the first emperor of Grannvale. And upon fulfilling that wish, he moved on to a
new ambition - etching his name into history as an extraordinarily benevolent ruler.

Arvis established laws guaranteeing the commoners their rights, while making the
nobles unable to do whatever selfish things they wished with their territories.

The Loptr Church, previously oppressed as a cult, had contributed greatly to Arvis'
victory. Arvis, in truth, had not only the blood of a Crusader flowing through his veins,
but also that of the Loptr Church's founder, Archbishop Gale. For that reason, the
church secretly supported him. For their efforts, once Arvis gained the authority to do
so, he publicly recognized them for the first time in 220 years.

However, he did not allow them anything more than that, nor did he give their current
leader, Archbishop Manfroy, a say in the government.

In the beginning of his reign, Arvis was an ideal leader for the people.

And so, seventeen years passed.

The Battle of Belhalla became just like any other historical event, and the story
appeared to be over.

However, it was still being written in silence.

Fine Grannvalian wines rest within a barrel for ten long years, slowly maturing. This
story is like one of those fine wines. It continued to mature, simply evading the eyes of
the people during those ten long years.

The first sign was that the Loptr Church slowly began to influence our story. In the
Miletos region, the church revived the rituals sacrificing children to the Dark God
Loptous, once carried out during the Loptrian Empire. This was in spite of Emperor
Arvis strongly prohibiting them...
Next, the kings of the remote regions slowly began to ignore the laws Arvis had
established. Having observed the Loptr Church’s behavior, they thought the emperor
had lost his authority.

The kings levied high taxes on the commoners and punished them without trial, all while
indulging in hedonistic lifestyles.

This marked the beginning of the end for our story. However, neither the commoners
(nor the kings) realized that yet. The commoners simply blamed the kings and Loptr
Church as the cause for their hardships, and hoped for a savior that would change it all.

Then, their previous opinions of the rebel Sigurd changed.

His image was originally that of a man who always stood as the leader of his army on
the front line, bathing his entire body in the blood of his enemies. He was known as
"Blood-Soaked Sigurd," the terrifying rebel. However, at some point, he became
"Sigurd, the man who knows no fear," and the epitome of bravery. The new stories
passed around were those of his kindness.

They told many examples of the times in-between battle when he'd shown endless
compassion towards his subordinates and the people, representing everything they
wanted from their new savior.

"That’s right! Sigurd is a man who stood up for the people, and is the true hero!" They
thought.

At the same time, a rumor circulated that Sigurd had a son named Seliph, who was
growing into a fine young man.

"Where is he?"

"In a hidden village in a remote region of Isaach!"

"He is the one who will save us! I know it!"

"Let's gather everyone who can fight, and go to Isaach to join his army!"

"I heard that Lord Seliph's army already chased the imperial army out of Isaach!"

"Then let's start our own rebellion! If we do, I bet they'll come help us!"
The rumors were indeed just rumors, and reality was quite different.

It was true that Sigurd's son Seliph was living in a small Isaachian town called Tirnanog,
and was learning how to fight in preparation for the day he knew would come. However,
he viewed it as a day that was still very far off (though he knew it would come). It was
also more accurate to say that he still wasn't prepared for a rebellion yet at all.

He had two teachers, one who taught him tactics, and another who taught him
swordsmanship.

His tactics teacher was Oifey, who was both a knight and a tactician.

The members of Oifey's family had served each generation of House Chalphy as their
tacticians. He was still only fourteen when Sigurd’s battles began, but insisted Sigurd
allow him to come along, and Sigurd agreed (under the condition that he not step foot
on the battlefield). He'd been confident that his studies would undoubtedly be helpful to
Sigurd.

Seliph’s other teacher was Prince Shannan of Isaach. Shannan was a descendant of
Sword Saint Od, one of the Twelve Crusaders, and was the next in line to inherit the
Divine Blade Balmung.
Isaach had fallen when Grannvale invaded during Shannan's childhood, and Balmung
had been lost at that time. Afterwards, his young aunt, Ayra, guided him through a
series of unfortunate events, leading them to be captured in The Kingdom of Verdane,
then saved by Sigurd.

Before The Battle of Belhalla, Sigurd had entrusted Seliph to Oifey, and ordered him,
along with Shannan, to leave the battlefield. While traveling, Oifey and Shannan learned
of Sigurd's loss at Belhalla, and after they rediscussed their plans, they changed their
destination to Isaach. Ever since then, the three of them had been avoiding the Empire's
search parties, leading them to settle in Tirnanog, located near the northern tip of
Isaach.

Sigurd suspected that he might die, and chose arguably the best teachers in the world
for his son.

They were both prodigies and had a strong sense of duty.

They believed that the only way to repay their gratitude to Sigurd, and clear Sigurd’s
regrets, was to raise Seliph to become a warrior fit to be called a descendant of
Crusader Baldur. The Holy Weapons could not be used by all of the people of the
Crusader’s bloodlines, but only by one person in each generation. Whether or not a
person was the chosen one and could wield their bloodline’s Holy Weapon, was
sometimes recognized at birth, but sometimes unknown until the moment they first
touched it. The moment they did so, they would feel warmth course through their entire
body, and be filled with a mysterious power. After that, they could display the power of
their Holy Weapon, a great power that should be feared.

House Chalphy's Holy Weapon, the Holy Sword Tyrfing, was currently lost (it had likely
fallen into the hands of Emperor Arvis). Still, both Shannan and Oifey agreed that they
should prepare a powerful enough army to take the sword back.

Seliph had inherited his bright blue hair from his father, but recently, his expressions,
gestures, and manner of speaking were also all shockingly similar to Sigurd's.

And his swordplay was improving at an incredible rate.

"Seliph, there's no question that you are the inheritor to Tyrfing." Both Shannan and
Oifey had said this to him countless times now.

In addition to those two, though he wasn't exactly a teacher, another man occasionally
visited Tirnanog, and kept Seliph updated on current events.
His name was Lewyn. He was a descendant of the Crusader Wind Mage Ced, Prince of
Silesse, and inheritor to the Holy Wind Tome Forseti.

Lewyn had fought alongside Sigurd and participated in The Battle of Belhalla, so they'd
long thought that he'd met the same fate as his other allies on that day. However,
roughly two years prior, he'd shown up at their house without any warning whatsoever..

He wore the same bard's clothing he'd had since long ago. His expression, specifically
the shape of his forehead and eyebrows, looked a bit more prudent, but otherwise, he
wasn't any different from the Lewyn Shannan and Oifey remembered.

Once they'd introduced themselves to each other, Seliph begged Lewyn to tell him
stories of his father. Lewyn stared off into space, likely picturing his bygone days with
Sigurd in his head, then started to speak.

"He always fought like a demon, and led the charge, striking fear in the hearts of his
enemies while simultaneously inspiring his allies.

“However, that didn't mean he liked fighting. He was always considering whether or not
he could solve things without fighting. Anyone who was beside him, knew very well
about those worries.

“On the other hand, once he'd made the decision to fight, he always led his army and
charged straight into the enemy lines. He would make the enemies’ blades swing
towards him. He was trying to push himself to the boundary between life and death,
where he couldn’t afford to have worries or doubts, and he was also gathering the
enemies around him to try to lessen the injuries his allies suffered, even if only just a
little.

“In summary, as I said before, he inspired his allies, struck fear in the hearts of his
enemies, and his battles always ended in victory."

"May I ask one thing?" Oifey asked nervously.

“What is it?”

"What happened at The Battle of Belhalla?"

"It was no battle.” Lewyn hissed.

"It wasn't?"

"It was a surprise attack, and a massacre."

They all gasped at Lewyn’s unexpected words.

"After our long fight was finally over, we crossed the Aed Desert, and attacked
Grannvale. Our first destination was Velthomer, as we'd received word that Reptor,
leading the Friegian Army, was waiting there for us. It was supposed to be a very
difficult battle. Instead, by the time we made it to the battlefield, Reptor's army was
already in chaos. Arvis' army had attacked them from behind.

“We didn't have any idea what was going on, but we still attacked Reptor's army. After
being betrayed by their allies, they didn't last long, and were quickly destroyed.

“Afterwards, General Aida, who had led Arvis' army during that battle, approached
Sigurd, and said, ‘Lord Sigurd, you and Duke Byron have been cleared of all accounts
of treason. We knew that everything, including Prince Kurth's assassination, was all
plotted by Duke Reptor. King Azmur said that he would like to apologize to you for the
misunderstanding, and propose a ceasefire, if you and your allies would just come to
Belhalla.’

“Anti-war Sigurd happily accepted the proposal. Because they'd watched Arvis' army
attack Reptor, the thought didn't even cross his mind that she could be lying. So much
so, that he told everyone in his army from other countries that they could return home if
they wished.

"Three days later, we reached Belhalla Field. The Grannvalian Army was lined up in
front of the castle to greet us.

“‘There's way too many people here.’ I told Sigurd.

“Sigurd nodded, stopped his horse, and turned around to face everyone.

“‘If we move towards the palace in a large unit, then we will invite another
misunderstanding. I’ve decided that the army will stay here, and only a limited number
of people will accompany me during my audience with the emperor.’

“I immediately realized that Sigurd had misunderstood the meaning of what I'd said. I
wasn't referring to the number of our allies, but the number of Grannvalian soldiers.
However, I realized later that Sigurd had already known. That’s why he had his unit stay
far behind him, so they could quickly escape when the time came.

“And so, just under twenty people proceeded between the two lines of the Grannvalian
Army. Among them, Shannan, was your Aunt Ayra. Her beloved, Lex of House Dozel,
was with her. And I was there with my beloved. Ayra and Lex walked next to each other,
and my beloved and I were looking at each other the entire time. We both knew. We
knew it was the last time we'd ever see each other.

“The other couples had known that as well - Princess Lachesis and the free knight
Beowulf, Princess Tailtiu and Prince Azelle, the dancer Silvia and High Priest Claud,
Princess Aideen and Prince Jamke, and Princess Brigid and the archer Midir… they all
tried to enjoy the little time they had left, and not spoil it with fears over what was to
come.

“At the end of the long lines of soldiers waited not King Azmur, but Arvis.

“Arvis then gave his entire army the order. ‘Capture the traitor Sigurd, and his party!
There is no need to take them in alive! Execute them on the spot!’

“The elite of Arvis' army all attacked us at once. The mages stationed on the hills
surrounding us also rained down burning meteors on us.

“You probably understand now why I said that the Battle of Belhalla was no battle."

Everything Lewyn had shared was true, however, he'd left out one detail for Seliph's
sake.

And that was that King Azmur's granddaughter had shown herself at Arvis' side for a
brief moment. She was not only the princess of Grannvale, but also Deirdre, Sigurd's
wife and Seliph’s mother, who'd gone missing two years prior. She appeared to have
lost all memory of her past for an unknown reason. Otherwise, she never would have
betrayed Sigurd. They'd met while Sigurd was fighting in the Kingdom of Verdane, and
fallen in love at first sight.

Afterwards, she and Arvis went on to have twins, a boy and a girl. The older one, the
boy, was Crown Prince Julius of the Grannvalian Empire, and Seliph's younger brother
from a different father.

Though Lewyn had finished his story, no one could speak for a long time.
Finally, Seliph declared, "I cannot forgive Arvis for what he did! I hate fighting, just as
my father did. But Arvis is the one person I cannot forgive."

"You've helped me make up my mind too, Seliph. I hate him! He killed my lord! When
you raise your army, I intend to dedicate my life to you." Oifey said.

"I can't forgive him, either! He is Lord Sigurd and my aunt's murderer, so I will kill him!"
Shannan yelled.

And so, another story began.

The writers of this new story were bathed in a light that shined so brightly, there wasn't a
person alive who wouldn't soon learn of them. Meanwhile, the writers of a hidden story
were buried deep within darkness, so that no one would learn of them…

Chapter 2: Seliph’s Army

"We're in danger! A bunch of soldiers are headed this way!" Scáthach, a young
swordfighter, gasped between words as he ran up to Seliph and the others with him.

"What? Are they really coming here?" His twin sister Larcei, also a swordfighter, asked.

They both had black hair, but otherwise hardly resembled each other. Larcei looked like
their mother, Ayra, and Scáthach took after their father, Lex.
"It's true! I saw them turn down the road leading into Tirnanog, so I hurried back! They'll
be here in ten minutes!"

"How many people are in the group?"

"I saw about ten, but I don't know if that's all of them."

"I wonder why they're here?" Seliph asked nonchalantly.

"It's obvious, isn't it, Seliph? They've come to capture you!" Larcei exclaimed.

"But why?"

"Let's run away! Neither Lord Shanan nor Lord Oifey's knights are here!" Scáthach
suggested.

"So maybe they came to attack us while everyone is away…"

"How can you be so calm!? If you don't escape soon, then it'll be too late!"

"Alright. Let's get out of here for now."

The three, together with the cleric Lana, left their hidden house, and headed straight for
the forest.

Seliph stopped just as they entered the forest, and asked, "Sorry to bother you
Scáthach, but could you climb one of the trees and see what the soldiers are doing?"

"What are you thinking!? Are you not going to escape?"

"It won't be too late if we start running after we've figured out their motive."

Seliph's voice was still as calm as it had been since the beginning. But this time, his
choice of words finally made the others relax.

Scáthach found a tree that he could easily climb, made his way to the top, and saw
about ten soldiers passing through the entrance to the village.

They were all carrying axes, and part of an axe fighter unit considered thugs even
amongst the other Isaachian soldiers.
"They're headed straight for our house!" Scáthach explained.

'I knew it.' Seliph thought. 'They've been watching us for a long time, so they must have
known Shanan and Oifey are out right now.'

"They didn't find us, so now they're scattering to search the other houses."

'Tirnanog is called a village, but there's only ten houses. They'll figure out pretty fast
that we aren't in the village. I wonder what they're planning to do after that?'

"They're gathering the villagers in the town square. The guy that looks like the leader is
waving around his axe and threatening them!"

"Do you know if he's serious?"

"I can't tell from here. Ah! A few of the soldiers are lighting torches! I think they're gonna
try to burn down the village!"

"Let's go." Seliph said.

"Go? Go where?" Larcei asked.

"Back to the village, of course."

"But there's three times more of them than there are of us, and Lord Oifey should be
back soon!"

"Larcei, if people that have nothing to do with this were to get hurt because of me, then
I'd probably regret it for my whole life. Even if I succeed in getting my revenge against
Arvis. And you don't want to run away anymore either, do you? It's written all over your
face! Those guys are animals!"

"So you understood how I really feel? I'm already way past my limit! I can't take it
anymore! If Lord Seliph will let me, I'll go back…" Larcei argued.

"Scáthach, if Shannan hadn't told you not to, you would probably run right straight back
yourself. Now let's go! We don't have any time to waste! Lana, you stay here by
yourself."

Lana responded with a strong protest, "No, Lord Seliph, I'm going too!"
She was a member of House Yngvi, a family of archers, but was a cleric like her
mother, Aideen, and couldn't use bows.

"No you're not! You aren't good at fighting!"

"Yes I am! clerics can fight too! I agree with Larcei. I can't stand to see innocent people
suffer any longer! Even if you say I can't go, I will. I have my own way of fighting."

"I understand, and you're right, Lana. This is our fight. Now let's go!"

"Wait for me!" Scáthach shouted, still halfway up the tree.

But Seliph could wait no longer, and started running. Larcei followed after him.

The moment Seliph entered the village, he yelled out, "I'm Seliph! Come and get me!"

The Isaachian soldiers all whirled around towards the source of the voice. Once they
saw Seliph and confirmed with their own eyes that he was the person they were
searching for, they all rushed towards him at once.

But fortunately for Seliph and his friends, the soldiers were scattered around the village,
so they wouldn't have to deal with the whole group at once.

Still, their victory did not come easily. The soldiers were used to fighting, and while they
had plenty of training under their belt, this was their first real battle.

'Calm down.' Seliph said to himself, and tried to remember what Shanan had taught
him. 'When up against an axe fighter, dodge their first attack.'

One of the soldiers ran up to him and swung his axe.

Woosh.

The moment he heard the axe whizz past his ear, Seliph swung upwards, slicing his
enemy from side to shoulder, just as he'd practiced in training.

As he felt resistance pull on his sword, he was bathed in a splash of blood, and the
scent filled his nose.

"Grrrrraaaaaagh!" Like a beast starving for blood, he screamed and ran towards the
next enemy.
His forcefulness made the soldier flinch. The soldier swung down his axe, but Seliph
dodged it much easier than the last one.

"Hiiiii-yah!"

The enemy's head flew through the air.

Seliph didn't even bother to see where it landed, instead seeking out his third opponent.

He ran up to the first soldier he saw, and as the man turned around, he swung his
sword...

And the fight was over in an instant.

When Seliph regained his senses, the Isaachian soldiers were already all defeated.

'I hope everyone's okay.' He looked around and searched for his friends, praying that
they were alright.

He found Larcei first. Then Scáthach. Finally, Lana came up from behind him.

Nobody seemed to be hurt, probably because Lana had a healing staff.

'Thank the gods…' With his anxiety gone, his body stopped shaking. He tried to relax
his right hand, still holding his sword, but he'd put so much strength into it that it stayed
stiff.

A moment later he heard the faint sound of horses galloping in the distance.

'Are they new enemies?' He took a deep breath and assumed a battle stance, but it
turned out that he was wrong. It was actually Oifey's calvary unit that appeared from the
dust cloud.

Oifey continued forward until he reached Seliph's side, then sighed. "We came back as
soon as we heard that the Isaachian soldiers were making a move, however, we were
still late. I apologize. But what's most important is that you're safe."

He still had some of his childish features from his time at Sigurd's side, but in ten years,
his face had changed greatly, mostly due to the thin mustache now under his nose.
"I'm the one who should be sorry. I started the fight all on my own. But I didn't want the
villagers to suffer."

"I understand. I should have been more careful. But since it's come to this, you must
prepare yourself to fight. You aren't entirely ready yet, but neither are your enemies.
They value making the first move over taking time to train their soldiers to be expert
fighters.”

“So, what should we do?"

"We saw a group of Isaachian knights on the way back to the village. We will attack
them after they have exited the forest. Then, we will take Ganeishire Castle in one fell
swoop. Once that is done, we should first think about creating a solid base of
operations.”

"Okay. Let's do as you say."

Among the members of the calvary unit was Lana's older brother, Lester. He was skilled
with a bow, a trait he'd probably inherited from his father, Jamke.

He was a bit surprised to see his little sister on the battlefield. "You fought too, Lana!?"

"Yes I did, brother! I was really worried about Lord Seliph."

Her reasoning was completely different from what she'd said before.

She only realized the meaning of her words after she'd spoken them, and it made her
cheeks turn bright red.

Lester also seemed to understand, as he didn't say anything more.

Seliph's army (if it could even be called that, as it was an extremely small group of
people, made up of only the villagers that said they wanted to fight with him) took no
time to rest before leaving the village. They decided to wait for the Isaachian soldiers in
front of a basin on the path to Ganeishire Castle. The infantry stood in front of the basin,
and the cavalry unit hid in the shade of the forest a short distance away.

“When the enemies exit the forest and enter the basin, the cavalry unit will rush them.
Once we’ve cut through their ranks and broken up their formation, the infantry unit will
strike. The cavalry will immediately turn back around, and altogether, we'll attack them
on both sides."

That was Oifey's strategy.

As the enemies appeared from the road in the forest, Seliph's infantry soldiers spread
out in a horizontal line, in plain sight.

There were about fifty people among the enemy's ranks. Most likely because Seliph’s
group was so small, they ignored the fact that they were on disadvantaged terrain, and
retained their double column formation as they continued to advance.

As Seliph watched the distance between his group and the enemy shrink, Seliph's
instincts as a warrior began to take over once again.

He suppressed the urge to attack right away, and made sure to keep his voice calm as
he called out to his allies. "Wait until Oifey's calvary attack!"

When all the Isaachian soldiers had entered the basin, the calvary estimated that their
enemies could no longer retreat back into the forest, and showed themselves.

The enemies knew that it was the disorder of their formation that caused them to lose
their composure.

Oifey's cavalier unit began their attack. Galloping down a gentle slope while assaulting
an infantry unit from the side was a formation so perfect for calvary that it was like a
dream come true.

"Now! Chaaaaarge!" Seliph yelled, and started running.

"Raaaaaagh!" Everyone shouted, and followed after him.

The power of the cavalry unit's impact was their speed. The infantry's meager
resistance had no effect in the face of that impact, and within the blink of an eye, the
enemy army was in shambles.

Once Seliph and the infantry assailed them, the enemies were no longer a single unit.
They now had to fight on their own, so the difference in numbers was no longer an
issue.

Then, Oifey's unit, which had pulled back, charged once more.
Within minutes, the enemies were decimated. Those who ran away were chased after
by the calvary.

Seliph raised his blood-soaked sword high in the sky towards the heavens, and shouted
as their victory cry, "To Ganeishire!"

Everyone raised their swords, and joined in. "To Ganeishire!"

The liberation army turned in the direction of Ganeishire and started to march.

They would continue to shout from time to time, sounding as if they were all drunk.

"To Ganeishire!"

"To Ganeishire!"

Along the way, they saved several villages being pillaged by the Isaachian soldiers.

When the villagers expressed their gratitude, the liberation army always gave the same
response. "To Ganeishire!"

And when they heard it, the villagers would join in. "To Ganeishire!"

Also, many of the young villagers joined the army.

The closer they got to Ganeishire, the more and more their numbers grew. Their new
members were not only villagers, but also people from distant countries wishing to
dedicate themselves to Seliph's army.

Among them was Fee, a pegasus knight from Silesse searching for her brother, and
Arthur, a mage from Alster who'd run into the army while looking for his sister. They'd
both heard rumors about Seliph, but actually just seen that someone was raising an
army, and decided to join because it was a liberation army. The army didn't have any
other members that could fly in the sky or use magic, so Fee and Arthur’s powers were
considered very special.

Ganeishire Castle was guarded by General Harold, who received his orders directly
from Danan, the King of Isaach. However, because he'd sent so many soldiers to attack
Tirnanog, he didn't have many left. The liberation army surrounded the remaining
soldiers at the castle, who were drained of their morale when they saw the great
numbers they were up against.

The liberation army started to attack the castle, but only task to give them any trouble
was tearing down the castle gate. The moment Oifey's calvary charged, the castle's
soldiers surrendered. General Harold was the only one to fight, but he met his end at
the tip of Oifey's lance.

Seliph was a bit behind Oifey. He tried to enter the main building, but Lewyn was
waiting for him in the entryway.

"It's nice to see you again after such a long time, Seliph."

"Yes, nice to see you too, Lewyn... I mean, King Lewyn of Silesse."

"As I've said in the past, please stop calling me king. Silesse was taken over by the
empire, and my mother went down with it, her pride still intact. I live in shame of what
happened, but I am now as I was long ago, a stupid bard. I don't know what Oifey's told
you, but don't call me a king, or anything of the sort."

"I understand, Lewyn. I’m sorry."

"It's okay to make a mistake sometimes. Anyway, the many events that we’ve been
waiting a long time for have finally begun."

"But it was not by my power. Things just happened this way…"

"Is that really true? Seliph, try looking out over the balcony."

"The balcony? What could possibly be there?"

"You'll know the moment you get there.”

Seliph nodded and climbed the stairs to the balcony.

The garden directly below him was filled with his allies. A number of them noticed him,
and shouted, "Seliph! Seliph!"

"They're cheering for you." Lewyn, who had followed behind him, said.
Seliph raised his right hand into the air in response, and everyone cheered some more.

"Seliph!"

"Seliph!"

"Long live Seliph!"

"Looong live Seliiiiiiiph!"

Each time Seliph raised his arm, they cheered for him. They didn't seem to have a limit,
so once he figured he'd been there long enough, he stepped away from the balcony.

"So, what did you think of that?" Lewyn asked with a grin on his face.

"What did I think? I’ve hardly done anything, and they all got that excited!? Shanan is
the prince of Isaach, so I think he's the one they should really be cheering for."

"Unfortunately, Shanan went to the Aed Shrine to search for the Isaachian royal family's
Divine Blade Balmung. But I want you to try really thinking about why they're cheering
for you."

"..."

"This is not a fight against King Danan of Isaach. Nor is it your fight against Arvis."

"..."

"They're rising up against the empire's tyranny. As the one who founded the liberation
army and became its central figure, they must have cheered for you because they
sensed that you are the one who did all of that work."

"But I'm still so young! The leader of the liberation army should be you, Lewyn. You
know a lot more than I do, so I think you are much more qualified."

"That's not true at all. You know too that you are the only one who can do it, don't you?
But more important than that right now, is the request I have for you."

"What is it?

Lewyn didn't answer, instead turning around. "Julia, come here."

A young woman appeared in response. She had lavender hair, and gave off a sense of
a mysterious beauty.

"I saved her as a child when the city of Belhalla fell. Tragically, she seems to have
suffered a horrible shock, and lost all of her memories. Until now, she's been taken care
of in a remote region of Silesse, but I was told that the empire somehow found her
hiding spot, so I've been taking her everywhere with me.

"I must leave for Leonster soon, and it would be too much trouble to bring her with me,
so can I leave her in your care for a while?"

"Yes, of course! I'll protect her in your absence."

"By the way, now that you've raised an army, you can't stop for long. The empire will
soon send a huge army out to get you. You should conquer every region of Isaach first.
If you do that, then the Aed Desert will provide natural protection."

"But I want you to support me through that. Please stay here and help me.”

"Don't worry. Once you've taken Isaach's main castle, Rivough, I'll come back." Lewyn
promised, then stood up and left.

'He's just like the wind.' Seliph thought.

Chapter 3: Larcei, My Love
“I don't want to fight.”

Iuchar, King Danan's middle son, said to himself over and over again as he prepared for
battle.

Iuchar was well-known as a brave axe knight, and wasn't the type to hold back in a fight.
However, this time, he found himself feeling hesitant.

He checked that none of his soldiers were near him, then muttered once more, "I don't
want to fight."

He repeated those words over and over, trying to ascertain how he really felt...

He had two reasons not to fight. The first was that he was completely against the child
hunts his father, Danan, had ordered, and the second was that Larcei was a member of
the liberation army.

Danan was every bit like his father, Lombard: cruel, arrogant, greedy, and quick to
become infuriated when others didn't agree with him.

When he received the news that Ganeishire Castle had fallen to the rebel army led by
Seliph, Danan summoned all of the commanding officers serving as castle lords to
Rivough Castle and ranted at them, as he always did.

"Ganeishire was taken by a ragtag rebel army of peasants!? What is the meaning of
this!? You should all be ashamed of yourselves! Even you, Iuchar! Your castle is the
closest one to Ganeishire! Why didn't you try to send reinforcements!?"

'I did, but by that time, the castle had already fallen!' He started to say, but stopped
himself. He knew that saying his thoughts aloud would just add fuel to the fire.

"My reputation is ruined! If the empire were to find out about this, what would His
Majesty think!? Listen up, Iuchar, Iucharba! I want you two to deploy immediately, and
fight with all you've got. Their numbers are small. If you surround them in a field, then it
should be an easy win. Don't show them any mercy! Kill them all! Especially those I am
about to call out now. They are the instigators of this rebellion. Whoever kills them will
receive a bounty. You must come back with their heads!"
After starting with the traitor Sigurd's son, Seliph, he called out seven more names:
Shanan, Oifey, Diarmuid, Lester, Scáthach, and Larcei.

'Larcei!' The moment he heard her name, Iuchar's heart skipped a beat. 'So she's part
of the rebel army?'

He'd first met her two years ago at a summer festival that he snuck out to attend.

A beautiful girl with gorgeous black eyes dancing in a circle with several others caught
his attention, so he started talking to her. While her response was blunt, it actually made
him fall in love for the very first time. Her masculine way of speaking was very fresh and
new to him.

After talking to her for a while, she finally told him her name, and they made plans for
their next meeting.

Since then, they'd met up about once every two months. But although they met, it didn't
mean that Iuchar realized how he felt about her. They simply went on a picnic when the
weather was nice, or to a restaurant in a random village when it was cold, and talked for
two or three hours.

Her behavior never once changed. Whenever his words were even a bit sweet, she was
relentless in pointing it out. Strangely, he didn't find it unpleasant.

'Whenever Father's words are harsh, he's angry, so why isn't it the same with Larcei?'

Once he thought very carefully about it, he realized the reason why.

His father only ever thought about himself. In contrast, Larcei's thoughts were never
about her own personal gain. Her words may have been sharp, but they had no ill will.
Rather, there were even times when she spoke like that for his own good.

For example, when he first learned about the child hunts, he simply thought "They're
bad!" and left it at that. He didn't feel that they concerned him. However, when talking to
Larcei, she explained that such acts would destroy society, and he came to be firmly
against them.

As the son of a king and lord of an Isaachian castle, he'd always seen the world through
that lens, but thanks to Larcei, he was now able to think from the standpoint of each and
every parent and child.
While traveling home to Rivough Castle, he was accompanied for part of the way by his
younger brother, Iucharba, lord of Sophia Castle.

"This battle is pretty serious, huh?" Iucharba muttered.

"You think so, too? I have the same feeling."

"Larcei was one of the names amongst the instigators, right? I know her, actually."

His brother's words startled Iuchar, but he didn't know how to respond right away.

"I think I have a crush on her, so please, Big Brother, don't kill her. Spare only her. I’ll
beg Father afterwards, and tell him I just want to save her life, whatever it takes.”

Iuchar missed his chance to speak his true feelings, and only responded by silently
nodding.

'Maybe Larcei likes Iucharba back. But if she does, then why did she spend time with
me?'

The two parted ways, and as Iuchar continued back to Rivough Castle, that was the
only thing he could think about.

'If she does like him…' Every time he had that thought, his chest burned with jealousy.

'Then why did she hang out with me?' That thought gave him a bit of hope.

'Or maybe she met with us to change our minds?' That last thought filled him with the
sinking feeling that he'd been led on.

'But, if she did lead me on, then what? Do I fight her?'

In the end, he decided that he didn't want to fight her.

The members of Iuchar's cavalry unit met up at the place they'd agreed upon and
prepared for battle.

As they marched, several of his soldiers broke away from the group to pillage a nearby
village, but he didn't have the energy to stop them.
Late into the afternoon, one of the soldiers rushed up to him and reported, "A person
carrying a white flag is approaching us!"

"Are they an enemy?"

"We believe so. They appear to be a woman."

'Could it be… Larcei?' He immediately thought. 'I want to meet her and see what she
has to say.'

"Alright then, I'm going to meet her. I'll be fine on my own. Stay here, everyone." Iuchar
said, and galloped ahead.

The closer he got, the faster his heart pounded in his chest.

'That silhouette… it has to be Larcei's! I knew it! It is her!'

He stopped beside her, and while still on his horse, asked, "Larcei, have you come to
surrender?"

"Don't be stupid! We would never!"

"Then what is the white flag for?"

"To try and stop the fight, so we can make a proposal."

"Why?"

"We're trying to change this world, where child hunts are carried out every day. Our final
goal is to topple the empire and the Loptr Church, but first, we must defeat your father,
Danan, here in Isaach. But I do not want to kill you, so I am requesting we call a
ceasefire."

"So you're telling me to disobey my father's orders?"

"You are half Isaachian."

Those four words dredged up the memories he'd buried deep within his mind.
His mother had not been a princess, but a woman Danan found and kidnapped from her
village.

In about three months time, he’d gotten bored of her. He would no longer look at her,
and treated her as a common maid. All Isaachian women were beneath horses to him.

She died during childbirth, so Iuchar had no memories of a mother's kindness.

Whenever he cried as a child, he was immediately told, "Your mother was always
crying! That's why you're a crybaby!"

He hated it, and learned to hold back his tears. He was even inspired to become a
soldier because he didn’t want to be used as an example proving that his mother was
weak.

'Mother was just forced to suffer a horrible fate because of Father! She wasn't weak. I
am proof of that! How am I weak!?' Iuchar had thought to himself when he once won a
horseback riding contest.

"I'm taking that as a yes. We'll continue down this path tomorrow morning.”

Larcei's words snapped him back to reality.

“W-wait. You’ve met Iucharba, haven’t you?”

“I have. I wanted to teach Danan’s sons what is right. But…”

"But what?"

"I came straight to your unit. Do you know what that means?"

Those words confused him. 'What is she trying to say?'

"I'm heading back now. See you."

"W-wait! What if I don’t agree to the ceasefire?"

"Well, I can't do anything about that. I'll come leading my soldiers tomorrow. If you say
you approve of the child hunts, then you and I will fight one on one, understand?" She
said, then turned around and went back the way she came.
-

That night, he couldn't stop thinking about what she meant.

'I've always felt refreshed after meeting with Larcei, but today was somehow different.’

After feeling lost all night long, he finally reached his conclusion.

‘That’s it, that’s what she was getting at! Larcei knows that if I was that confused, she
was able to convince me. But that doesn’t mean that I came to my own conclusion. If I
agree to a ceasefire with her, I'll be turning my back on both the empire and my father.
In other words, I'll be throwing away who I've been until now. If I threw it all away only
because I was convinced by her, I might regret it later. But if I made my choice all on
my own, then...’

With that thought, he fell asleep, though he hadn't yet decided what to do.

He woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed.

After breakfast, he saw the rebel army marching towards them in the distance.

"We still have thirty minutes until we fight! You can get ready without having to panic."
Iuchar said to his subordinates while walking between their tables.

After cleaning up from breakfast, they got into formation, and began to march.

The rebel army was marching in one big group, while Iuchar and Iucharba's units were
in "Crane Formation," a vertical line shaped formation that looked like a crane's wings
spread out wide.

'If we stay like this, we can attack by surrounding them from both sides, and claim an
easy victory.' Iuchar thought, but then realized that Larcei probably knew that's what he
would do.

Larcei was leading her unit, walking ahead of them on her own, as she'd promised.

'She must know, and that's why she's been risking her own life like this since yesterday.'
He was overwhelmed with feelings of how beautiful she was. It was a different love than
he'd ever felt for her before. He was seeing her not only as someone of the opposite
sex, but also as her own person.

Iuchar halted his soldiers, and walked ahead alone.

He and Larcei stopped about ten meters from each other.

She was clearly nervous. The sight of that expression on her face made him realize how
lovely she was all over again.

"Oh, Larcei… My love!” He called out loudly, sounding almost as if he was singing.

Larcei stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

"The day our fate is realized has finally come!"

"What are you talking about, Iuchar!? Did you eat something funny?"

"Larcei...

Your voice is like the song of a small bird

Your eyes sparkle like the stars

Ah, I think…

I can no longer live without you…"

"Stop it! You're making me sick! This is a battlefield. Have you gone mad!?"

"No, I am quite sane. I made a poem for you, though you didn't seem to like it very
much. My words are no lie, though. I will show you the proof right now." Iuchar said,
then turned around.

"Everyone, from now on, we will fight alongside the liberation army, and put an end to
the awful child hunts! Starting today, we fight for love, justice, and Larcei!”

His soldiers all cheered in unison, surprising Iuchar, as he thought he'd have to join the
liberation army on his own. However, his soldiers were mostly Isaachians, and agreed
with him.

'Just about everyone finds the child hunts unacceptable.'

Seeing Iuchar try to team up with the liberation army made Iucharba go wild with
jealousy and rage.

"Dammit! How dare Brother run ahead and ally with Larcei!? Now I can never forgive
her! I'll kill every last one of them! All soldiers! Attack!"

Iucharba led his soldiers, and ran not for the rebel army, but Iuchar's army.

The battle immediately became harsh. Both armies were made up of well trained
soldiers, so neither side was superior or inferior to the other. However, once the
liberation army joined in to support Iuchar's army, the outcome was quickly decided.
-

Afterwards, the main force of the liberation army continued to march, as they'd decided
they wanted to make it to Isaach Castle that day.

Around two in the afternoon, they saw a pillar of smoke coming from the direction of
Isaach Castle. And when they got even closer, a cloud of dust rose up ahead of them.

"What do you think that’s about, Prince Iuchar?" Oifey guided his horse next to Iuchar's
and asked.

"I think General Schmitt and his cavalry are responsible."

"Are they strong?"

"Yes, and quite so."

"Then we should probably retreat for now, I'm guessing?"

"There's a village atop the left hand side of the hill. I think we should go protect it."

The liberation army decided to take Iuchar's advice and retreated, then barricaded
themselves within the village. The town was surrounded by a steep slope, so as long as
they guarded the village's entrance, the enemy wouldn't be able to invade.

Schmidt's cavalry unit soon came to attack the village. They took turns charging the
entrance and throwing javelins inside. The cavalry seemed to be well trained in this
maneuver, as they put up a consistent, stubborn fight. If they had attacked in an area
where they could put their horses' mobility to use, they probably would have been able
to do a lot of damage.

However, Oifey's and Iuchar's units took turns protecting the entrance, and did not let
the enemy invade the village. Any of Schmidt's soldiers that traveled the village
perimeter looking for another entrance were met with Lester's arrows and Arthur's
meteors.

As the calvary took more and more damage, both the soldiers and their horses started
to look tired. When the time was right, Seliph shouted,"Okay, counterattack now!
Everyone, chaaaarge!"
With their speed greatly hampered, the cavalry no longer had any strength left. The
course of the battle changed so quickly that it was as if the two sides had never been
evenly matched at all.

While the liberation army was resting up after the battle, Seliph approached Iuchar and
said, "Prince Iuchar, thanks to you, we were able to save our allies. Thank you."

"Don't mention it! We're allies! And by the way, I'm not a prince anymore. I threw that
title away earlier today."

"I understand, Iuchar. I look forward to working with you."

"Yeah, same here!"

They spent the night at the village, and arrived at Isaach Castle the next day around
noon.

What Iuchar saw was there was a castle in ruin. The areas made of stone were left
intact, but the rest was destroyed, torn apart, or on fire. Everything of value had been
stolen.

'Father must have gotten angry and ordered this in response to my betrayal. But I
actually feel relieved.'

Rivough Castle was surrounded on three sides, so the liberation army decided to wait
for a while before carrying out a full attack on it. They were hoping that upon seeing
their numbers, the Isaachian soldiers would come to surrender. As they'd predicted,
over the course of five days, many of the soldiers snuck out of Rivough, and joined the
liberation army.

When it came time to finally start the attack, they broke down the castle gate, and
Iuchar led the front line into the castle. The remaining enemy soldiers didn't try to fight,
instead rushing towards the main building, dismounting their horses, and running inside.

Iuchar’s father was sitting on the throne, encased in a full suit of armor.

Iuchar readied his battle axe and slowly approached him.

"What is this? Are you trying to turn your blade against your own father?"
Iuchar didn't answer.

Danan stood up and grabbed his own axe.

Iuchar walked up to the staircase leading to the throne. The three sets of stairs his
father was standing atop of made him look very tall.

'In our current positions, I'd lose the fight for sure.' Iuchar thought.

His father didn't seem interested in giving up the high ground, so they glared at each
other for a while longer.

His father's gaze made him try to remember what their relationship had been like until
now. He'd been a person Iuchar couldn't possibly compare to, and tried to make him
obey every order without question.

'I must forget the past, and think of what he's done! To the children, and the villagers,
and my mother!'

However, it was hard to keep the exact same thoughts in his mind. Still, he tried his
hardest to endure, and not give up.

He didn't know how much time had passed. Sweat broke out on his forehead.

Then--

"Iuchar!"

He heard someone scream.

It was just for a moment, but he looked away from his opponent.

That was when Danan jumped.

He tried to swing his axe at Iuchar's torso, but Iuchar was a split second faster, and
dashed towards his chest.

Iuchar swung down his axe, smashing his father's helmet and lodging his weapon into
the top of Danan’s head.
Iuchar heard his father's axe fall on the floor.

"Iuchar!" Larcei rushed up to him.

He slowly turned around.

"Iuchar! Thank goodness you're safe!"

After that, she tried to avoid him. He wondered why, but the look of relief on her face
told him everything.

"I'm sorry, Iuchar. When I realized just how much you'd been forced to throw away, I
couldn't bring myself to look at you. But then, when I saw you rush into the castle…"

"Don't worry about it, Larcei. The things I threw away meant nothing to me. What I
gained is worth so much more."

A small smile lit up her face.

It was the first time Iuchar had ever seen her make such a kind expression.

Chapter 4: Divine Blade Balmung

The cave was exactly where Shannan had been told it would be: a little ways up the
east side of the rocky mountain where the Aed Shrine was located.

He walked inside, led by the light coming from outside. The cave was small, and
believed to have formed naturally. About ten meters in, he hit a wall, and could not
continue going straight.

"We've reached the end of this path, so we'll go right. Then, there will be a small gap in
the rocks at about waist height. That's the entrance to the secret shrine. When the Loptr
Church was outlawed, the church's followers lived in hiding in the underground level of
this shrine. But they probably didn't live down there all year round. When they came out,
they would use this path. But since there's no need for any of that now, no one comes
through here." The man explained to Shanan, then looked his lean, toned body up and
down. “Big people can't make it through here, but someone of your size should be fine."

Just as the man had said, when they got on their stomachs and crawled through the
hole on the right, they were able to make it to the opening. The rocks surrounding the
opening were smooth to the touch.

'It has to be here.' Shanan pushed his belongings through first, then himself.

The narrow opening was only about two meters long. At the end was a much larger
open space than he thought there'd be.

Once he'd made it through, he was surrounded by total darkness and didn't move for a
while.

He didn't hear, nor sense anything.

When he felt it was safe, he lit a small candle.

The path, wide enough for the two men to easily walk next to each other, shined in the
light.

"When we come to a fork in the road, we must turn left, as that will lead to the
underground shrine. It will be different from the path we've traveled so far, as it's made
entirely of stone. Since we have a light source, you'll know it when you see it. The
treasure room is the farthest room down that path. I saw Balmung in there. There's no
lock on the door, but there might be several mages standing guard."

The first time Shanan had heard this, he thought it was a trap.

The man had claimed he was an ex-priest of the Loptyr Church who fled because he
didn't agree with the horrible things they were doing. To avoid their pursuit, he needed
money.

'Even then, thirty gold coins is too cheap for a job like this, isn't it?'

However, after thinking it through, Shannan finally decided to try and see where the
lead took him, even if it would be to a dead end.
'If he's telling the truth, then that's the best case scenario, but even if it's a trap, that's
just one move he could make. As one of Sword Saint Od’s sayings goes, ”When one
makes a move, they always let their guard down.” Since he's trying to use Balmung as
bait, the likelihood that he either has it, or at least knows information about it, is high.
That will be when he lets his guard down, and I should attack him at that moment.’

As a descendant of Sword Saint Od, Shanan knew all of his sayings. Shannan also
believed that he understood, though the intense training he’d subjected himself to, what
most of them meant. However, he knew that he could not grasp the last saying if he did
not obtain Balmung.

This is that final saying:

"If you are within light, become the light

If you are within darkness, transform into darkness

And within nothingness, is the truth."

He intended to figure out the meaning. However, he wouldn’t know what would happen
when he obtained the holy sword, so he couldn’t understand it yet.

There was also one more reason he went with the man's movements.

And that was because Seliph had raised an army, and if they did not recruit Crusaders
with legendary weapons, they would not be able to defeat the empire.

'We might be able to take back Isaach, but chances are, we'd lose if we went any
further than that. Thracia has Heavens Lance Gungnir, House Friege has Holy Thunder
Tome Mjölnir, House Dozel has Holy Axe Helswath, and Arvis has Holy Fire Tome
Valflame.

And if someone among the enemy can wield Black Magic Loptous, then we won't stand
a chance. So even if I am risking danger here, then I should go along with the enemy's
movements and see what happens.'

They walked for about an hour, then finally reached the entrance to the shrine.

There wasn't a door, nor any people, but the path was dimly lit by a magic spell.

'This is the real trap.' Shanan sensed, but had no intention of turning back.
He walked into the shrine at his normal pace.

After taking five steps, he heard a creaking noise come from behind him.

He turned around, and a huge rock fell down between the cave and the shrine, blocking
the path.

But since he'd predicted that there might be a trap, he didn't panic.

He confirmed that the path was completely blocked off, put the lantern and his supplies
on the floor, and unsheathed a steel sword.

'If the exit is blocked, then I should continue forward.'

There were various doors on both the right and left sides of the path before him. Fearing
that he might be attacked from behind if he walked too far, he only continued forward
after he had checked each room to see if anyone was inside.

He didn’t find anyone, and finally came to the furthest door. To the right was a staircase
going up.

He took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and flew inside.

He saw a mage, sitting at a small desk, in the corner of his eye.

He took a big step and used the force to attack. The mage didn't even have enough
time to stand up.

Shanan immediately checked his surroundings. There was no one else in the room.
Next, he noticed that there were items that could be considered treasure in the room,
confirming that it was indeed the treasure room.

And so, he began to search.

There were both many valuable and rare items inside, but no swords.

'If this is a trap, then of course it wouldn't be here.'

He abandoned the treasure room and returned to the hallway.

He didn't know what he should do next, but knew that in order to attack the enemies
while they were still unguarded, he needed to move quickly.

The moment he tried to climb the stairs, he heard footsteps coming down them.

'An enemy has found me already!?’

He braced himself, but the shadow looked like that of a child's, making him decide
against attacking. It was obvious they were being chased by something and running
away.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he grabbed their arm.

"Eeeeek!" The shriek sounded feminine.

"Be quiet! I'm not your enemy!" Shanan hissed, while also noticing the item she was
clutching to her chest.

It was a sword, and not just any sword. He remembered seeing the design carved into
the handle before.

"Where did you get that sword?"

"I found it."

"Where? In that treasure room?"

"No, in a room at the top of the stairs."

"As I thought. Now hand it over."

"Hey! Are you trying to steal what I worked for? I went through a lot of trouble to get this,
so there's no way I'll just give it to you!" The girl said, slipped out of his grasp, and ran
towards the secret passage.

"W-Wait!"

She was dressed in men's clothing, and could run very quickly, making it obvious that
she was a thief…
However, she had no choice but to stop in front of the boulder blocking the way to the
cave.

Shanan caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder.

"Eeek! Stop, or else I'll never be able to be a bride!"

"Don't be stupid! I'm not going to do anything to you! I just want you to return that sword
to me."

"'Return…?' So this is yours?”

"Yes. It is the Divine Blade Balmung, that has been passed down in my family for
generations. I'm the only person who can wield it. Even if you have it, you can't do
anything with it."

"But why us a holy sword in the Aed Desert?"

"It was taken from my father when he was killed during Grannvale's military campaign in
Isaach. I was only just recently told that it's here in the Aed Desert. That's why I'm here,
to take it back."

"Wait, so does that mean you're Prince Shanan of Isaach!?"

"Yes, I am."

"Wow, really? Yay, I'm soooo lucky!"

"..."

"I've always admired Prince Shanan, and wanted to meet him, even if it's just once…
but I didn't think I actually would…"

"..."

"But it really is so cool to meet you!"

"I get it, I get it. Now, my sword, please."

"Oh, sorry. Here you go!"

Shanan took Balmung from her, and slowly unsheathed it.

As he revealed the blade, it lit up with a sparkling light. Then, he started to feel a
strange power course through his body and make him feel warm.

'Balmung is finally mine… Ah, what a magnificent power this is…'

His body overflowing with new power, Shannan kept his gaze straight ahead, and said
over his shoulder to the girl behind him, "What is your name?"

"I'm Patty! And don't forget it!"

"You're a thief, aren't you?"

"You could say that. But I only target the rich!"

"And you were found, so you ran away."

"Yeah. It was the first time ever for me, so I was surprised. But I wonder why they didn't
chase me all the way here…"

"There's no way out of here, so they aren't worried. There’s no doubt in my mind that
they are slowly gathering together more people and heading this way.”

"So what are we gonna do?"

"Keep your distance, but follow me."

Shannan gripped Balmung with both hands, held it out straight in front of him, and
slowly began to proceed.

When they reached the section of the wall lit up by a magic spell, the torch went out.

"Eeeeek! It's pitch black!"

"You can't see anything?"

"I can, but only the light coming from the sword."

That was all Shannan could see as well. He gently closed his eyes.
'If all I can see is the sword's light, then I'll be able to see any enemy that comes within
its range. In this case, I shouldn't rely on my eyes.’

"If you are within light, become the light

If you are within darkness, transform into darkness"

"Listen closely, Patty. We're going to follow the sword's light."

He abandoned his sense of sight, heightening his other senses.

'There's eight enemies. Three of them have swords.'

He pictured the hallway in his mind, and as he proceeded, he felt more and more like he
was actually looking at it.

He turned right, and started climbing the stairs.

There were several lights set throughout the stairwell, but if one looked down at the
stairs from the very top, they were shrouded in darkness.

When the leader of the mercenaries suddenly saw Balmung's light, he panicked and
froze. He knew there should be a person on the other side of the sword, but he couldn't
see them because the light was in his way.

The glowing sword slowly climbed up the stairs. It felt like someone was lying in wait for
them, but it seemed like that person wasn't concerned at all.

"Die!" The mage standing in the back shouted.

"Hiii-yah!" The lead mercenary aimed as best he could, and swung his sword.

The man's voice and the movement of the air felt as if they were flowing through
Balmung.

Shannan felt no resistance, as if he only cut through air, but he did actually slice open
the mercenary's abdomen, who then fell down the stairs.

Another mercenary tried to come around from the left, but Shannan sensed his breath,
the movement of his scent, the way he quietly stepped on the stairs, and the change in
the temperature around him, as if they were concrete items Shannan could hold in his
hands. Shannan only had to think, and Balmung moved, cutting down two more
mercenaries.

The other mercenaries above him could only see the slight movements of Balmung's
light. It returned to its original position in a split second, then started slowly moving up.
As Balmung came close to each magic light, they went out, making Balmung's light
grow stronger and stronger in the darkness.

The mages couldn't see what was behind Balmung's light, either. So even if they cast
black magic spells, all they could do was aim at the sword, which sent every spell back
at the casters. The next moment, the sword leapt into the air, and cut them both.

As he and Patty slowly climbed the stairs, Shannan defeated each and every enemy
that came near them. He had no idea how many enemies he faced in total. He only
knew he had become one with Bulmung, and the moment he sensed an enemy, he
could take them out with the slightest of movement.

Then, finally...

He no longer sensed any enemies. After climbing a few more stairs, he could see light
through his closed eyelids, so he opened his eyes.

They were already above ground, and in front of his eyes was a big door.

Shannan swung Balmung, and landed gracefully in the blood pooling beneath him.

He placed the Divine Blade in its sheath, then opened the door. It was the prayer room,
and inside was a man in bishop's robes. He was surely none other than Kutuzov,
wielder of the dark magic spell Fenrir and leader of the Aed Shrine.

'If I go any further, I'll probably be consumed by Fenrir's magic.'

"If you are within light, become the light

If you are within darkness, transform into darkness

And within nothingness, is the truth."

Shannan emptied his mind of all thoughts, then calmly stepped into the prayer room.
Kutuzov had seen Shannan the moment he opened the door, and realized the
swordsman was not wearing clothing he'd ever seen before. However, Kutuzov didn't
sense any ill intent, so he did not think he should do anything. He saw Shannan, but did
not look at him.

As Shannan came closer, Kutuzov noticed a strange scent. It was the smell of blood.
Then, he saw that the man's clothing was stained with blood.

'Why is he covered in blood…? I see, so he is Shannan!?'

Kutuzov panicked and tried to cast a spell.

In a movement so fast his eyes could not catch it, Shannan unsheathed Balmung.

Kutuzov's head went flying through the air before he was even done with his chant.

"That was so cool!!" Patty screamed from the entrance of the prayer room.

Seliph and the liberation army defeated the mages stationed throughout the rocky
mountain, and arrived at the Aed Shrine shortly after.

After they had fully seized the shrine, Seliph entered the shrine's underground with
Lewyn, who had just returned.

"The descendants of the Loptrian Empire lived here in hiding for a long, long time,
because if they went above ground, they would be persecuted and burned alive. But
even that doesn't mean they were evil from the beginning. However, many, many years
of that treatment turned them into demons."

Seliph walked into one of the rooms in the hallway lined with rooms on both sides.

On the walls was writing that looked like a child's scribbles.

'Please come back someday soon, Lord Loptous.

Please make them suffer.

If you make our wishes come true, Lord Loptous, then we will give our blood to you.'
He guessed those words had been there for over twenty years, but the hatred with
which they had been written had not faded one bit.

Seliph was overwhelmed by that hatred. He didn’t know what to say.

"Hate only begets hate." Lewyn said. "You must etch those words into your heart."

"What do you think of my hatred for Arvis?"

"I've said this before, but this fight is no longer yours alone. I understand how you feel,
but you must only hate what he has done, or what he is doing, not the man himself. If
you do, then it will cloud your judgement.

"You should hate the evil, not the person. You must never forget that."
Chapter 5: Black Knight Ares
In Leonster, located in the northern part of the Thracian Peninsula, Prince Leif, of the
Leonsterian royal family’s bloodline, aided by the knight Finn, revolted against the
empire. While he was able to recover his castle, Leonster, en route to attack the capital
city, Munster, he suffered utter defeat at the hands of Bloom, the eldest son of House
Freige, and his army.

Out of all of Leif's followers, only Finn, the troubadour Nanna, and a handful of soldiers
made it back to Leonster castle.

Bloom's army, morale high from their victory, started marching towards Leonster. Leif
took Finn's advice, gave up the castle, and fled for the border. They'd heard that
Seliph's army had just conquered the Aed Shrine and was now marching towards the
Thracian Peninsula, so their only hope was to join them.

The liberation army had indeed entered the Thracian Peninsula, but that didn't mean
they would go to Leonster right away. Along the way was Melgen Castle, where Bloom's
son Ishtor, and Ishtor's beloved, General Liza, were waiting for them.

The army at Melgen Castle was small, but their objective was to postpone the liberation
army's arrival in Leonster, even if only just a little bit, so they fought to the very last
soldier.

Both Ishtor and Liza were good people who opposed the empire's child hunts. Seliph
had doubts about killing people like them.

"They obviously aren't bad people. But what they've done until now has supported the
cruelty of the empire, making them guilty of the same sins as people like Arvis and
Bloom. If they oppose us until the very end, we must fight and defeat them. That's what
war is." Lewyn said to Seliph to help guide him.

The fall of Melgen Castle came as a huge shock to the Thracian Peninsula.

Bloom's armored infantry unit, his niece Tinny's mage unit, and the Sister Magi Squad　made
up of Vampa, Fetra, and Eliu all started marching towards the liberation army.

And then, in the northwestern oasis town of Darna, Darna Castle's lord, Bramsel,
ordered Javarro, leader of a cavalier mercenary group, to deploy.
This was done in an attempt to attack the liberation army from two sides at once.

Black Knight Ares decided to go visit his sweetheart, the dancer Lene, before leaving for
battle. But when he asked about her at the inn, he was told that she'd been summoned
by Bramsel, and had left for the castle.

'He's trying to deploy his subordinates, yet he's requesting a dancer. How carefree of
him.' Ares thought, then headed towards the castle.

The main building's guards, perhaps surprised by how calm he was, didn't try to stop
him.

There was one more reason why they didn’t stand in his way. Though Ares was
currently a mercenary, he was also the son of King Eldigan of House Nordion. As a
person born of noble blood, the way he carried himself overpowered them.

His father, Eldigan, had told King Chagall of the Dominion of Augustria to stop the war
with Grannvale. However, Chagall disagreed with him, and had him executed for it.

After Sigurd killed Chagall, he passed Eldigan's Demon Sword Mystletainn down to
Ares.

When the Dominion of Augustria fell, Ares was found and raised by Javarro. Though
Ares knew his status, he accepted his fate as a mercenary.

He entered the reception room while Lene was in the middle of dancing for Bramsel and
his men.

The contrast of her pale skin, easily visible through her thin clothes, and her bright
green hair, created a strong impression. Her dance reminded him of the graceful
movements of her body and the scent of her hair during the nights they’d spent
together.
When her dance soon ended, Bramsel's eyes were clouded with lust.

"That dance was exceptional, Lene. C-Come here for your reward."

"I've already received my payment, so I don't need anything else, thank you. If you have
business with me, then please come over here."

"Oh ho ho, your strong will makes you all the cuter. But, Lene, you must watch what you
say. And do not raise your voice against me! Hey, one of you, seize her!"

"Yes sir!" One of the soldiers lunged at her.

"Wh-what are you doing!? Unhand me, you idiot!"

At the sound of Lene's scream, Ares rushed into the middle of the room. "Stop it, you
pigs! Get your hands off her!"

"What!? How dare you?" Bramsel said, looking displeased. "You are nothing more than
a lowly mercenary! Are you really going to oppose me!?"

"I won't allow anyone to lay a hand on Lene! Even the lord of this castle!"

"Wh-what!? C-Curse you! Hey, one of you! Kill him!"

At Bramsel's order, the soldiers all unsheathed their swords at once.

Ares' laugh was full of confidence as he slowly unsheathed Mystletainn, then raised it
high above his head.

The sword emitted a strange light. Anyone could tell with just a single glance that it was
no normal sword.

"Has this sword caught your interest? Once Demon Sword Mystletainn has been
unsheathed, it craves human blood! Anyone who wishes to satisfy its hunger need not
hold back! Come at me!"

The name seemed to have a magical effect on the soldiers. Their eyes were drawn to
the sword, and none of them could move.

"D-Demon Sword Mystletainn? ...Y-You can't be…!?" Bramsel gasped.

"Oh, but I am! I am Black Knight Ares! Now, what will you do!?"

"I-I see. ...I'm so sorry, I was just joking. We won't lay a hand on her ever again, so
please forgive us this time!"

"I will, so long as you understand what will happen if you do." Ares returned Mystletainn
to its sheath. "Now let's go home, Lene."

Lene smiled and wrapped her hands around his left arm. "Thank you, Ares! I love you
so much!"

As they left the castle, Ares explained that he would have to leave for battle soon.

The moment he did so, Lene's face darkened. "Awwww! But why? I'll be so lonely
without you!"

“It's because I'm a mercenary. I have to fight to make money."

"I think it would be better if you quit!"

"What!? Don't say a foolish thing like that!"

"C'mon, don't go! Please? Can't I ask you for something, just this one time?"

"I owe it to Javarro. He took me in and raised me."

"He's just using you for your sword! Anyone would have figured that out right away, just
by looking at him! I hate him!"

"But still, Lene…"

Anger flashed through her large eyes. "Fine! If you like him that much, then do whatever
you want! I don't know what else to tell you!" She yelled, then let go of his arm and
started running back towards the busiest part of town.

"Wait, Lene…!" He called out, but she refused to turn around, and was soon out of
sight.

"Jeez, what is it with women!? If you don't do what they want, they get mad in an
instant!" Ares grumbled and headed for the place he was told to gather outside the
castle.
-

Lene stopped once she'd returned to town and turned a corner, hoping to see that her
boyfriend had chased after her.

However, he never showed up. Finally, she got impatient, and tried to go back after him,
but someone suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder from behind.

"Oh, Ares, you rasca..." She started to say, but her words were cut short when she
turned around and came face-to-face with a bearded soldier.

"Lord Bramsel has summoned you once again. Come with us quietly, or else."

Lene panicked and looked around for Ares, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Lene was taken back to Bramsel.

"You embarrassed me greatly, girl. Now that the boy is gone, it's my turn to embarrass
you. Much more than you did to me."

"What are you doing? The moment Ares disappeared, you forced me here! You're as
mean as always, Bramsel, but I won't let you do whatever you want!"

"Well, we'll see about that. Do you think you'd be able to resist forever once we hurt
you? First, you'll dance for us naked. Then, you'll comfort all of us until we are satisfied.
The battle is about to begin, so we have to leave now, but afterwards, that is exactly
what we are going to do.

"Someone throw this girl into the dungeon!"

Her screams fell on deaf ears as she was taken away.

The next morning, as the cavalry unit was lining up for battle in front of the castle,
Javarro approached Ares.

"Ares, how could a man like you fall for a girl like her?"
"..."

"Well, what's done is done, so forget about it."

"'What's done is done?' Javarro, what is that supposed to mean!?"

"Muah ha ha… Bramsel's probably having his way with her as we speak…"

"N-No way… Javarro! You knew, and didn't tell me!?"

'Lene's been kidnapped by that damn Bramsel…!' He thought, his brow furrowing with
anger. It was in that moment that he realized just how much he loved her.

"Girls should be for fun, and nothing else. Especially a dancer. She doesn't suit
someone of your status…"

'I did just think I was having fun with her at first. But then I really fell for her. That
happens sometimes, too. But he would never know what that is like. He only cares
about those who will give him money.'

"I was wrong about you, Javarro." Ares yelled. "I'm returning to the castle to take her
back!"

"Don't be stupid! I won't let you! I won't show mercy to anyone who disobeys my orders.
Not even you, Ares."

"Dammit!" Ares looked at Darna Castle, where he knew Lene should be.

'Even if I do have Mystletainn, that doesn't mean I can take on the whole mercenary
unit myself.' He thought. Plus, the castle looked so far away.

"You took me in, Javarro. But that's all over now."

"What are you going to do?"

"Whatever I want. Those who stand in my way will have to face Mystletainn." He
threatened before unsheathing the sword and ordering his horse to start galloping.
'I'll treat anyone who follows me to a bloodbath.' He thought, but no one did. 'Since
things have come to this, I'll join up with the liberation army and conquer Darna Castle. I
have business with Seliph anyway.'

His horse continued until evening, when he saw an army coming his way. He was sure
they were the liberation army. However, they were much larger than he had anticipated.

The day before, the liberation army had held a meeting at Melgen Castle about how to
handle the fact that enemies were coming at them from two directions at once.

Their key information came from Fee's report.

Bloom's unit, marching in from the east, was made up entirely of infantry. There was a
forest and some other natural obstacles in their way, so it would take them four days to
reach the border, and it would take them another day on top of that to get to Melgen
Castle.

On the other hand, the enemies coming from Darna Castle to the north were all calvary.

"Oifey, you taught me that the ironclad rule of tactics is to never, ever split your army in
two. So what are we supposed to do in a situation like this?" Seliph asked.

"Splitting into two is certainly the worst strategy of all. But if the situation calls for it, both
forces cannot be used for offense. Only the main force should be. The other should be
for sufficient defense. In our current situation, it will take five days for the enemies
coming from the east to reach here, meaning we don't need a defense unit until then.
We'll probably have more than enough time to send everyone north, defeat the army
from Darna, then return. Plus, our entering Melgen Castle seems to have interrupted the
attack on Prince Leif. I know we want to rendezvous with Prince Leif as quickly as
possible, but first, I think we should prioritize taking out the threat from the north."

And so, the entire liberation army started marching north.

While they were setting up camp, a knight wearing black armor visited Seliph’s tent.

"Are you Seliph?" The black knight asked and glared at him.
"Yes, I am. And who are you?"

"I am Black Knight Ares, though you probably know me as Eldigan's son."

"Whoa, really…!? The King Eldigan of Nordion!?"

"Yes, that's right, my father is Eldigan, the man your father killed! My mother carried her
grudge against Sigurd to her grave. Do you understand how much she suffered!?"

"I'm sorry to hear that… But our fathers were friends! They met an unfortunate end, but
they didn't hate each other or anything like that!"

"That's nonsense. Sigurd is my father's murderer. That's what I've always believed.
That's why I came here, to decide what to do based on your response.”

"Please wait!" Diarmuid cut in. "If you're King Eldigan's son, then you must be my
cousin! My mother is his sister, Lachesis.”

"Really? What do you want me to say? 'Oh, what a coincidence?'"

"My mother told me that King Eldigan and Prince Sigurd did fight, but she stepped
between them, and Eldigan agreed to her requests, withdrawing his soldiers. He then
returned to the castle and pleaded with King Chagall to end the war. Instead, Chagall
betrayed him and killed him."

"I heard that, too! My father, Sigurd, might have been connected to your father's death,
but at the very least, he is not his murderer."

"So that's the real story? Alright then. I'll assume it's true for now, but if I find out you
two lied to me, then you better be prepared. I'll take my revenge out on you, since I can't
take it out on Sigurd."

"If that time were to come, then you're allowed to do as you wish. But, Ares, I think the
fact that our paths crossed would make your father happier than anything else in the
world. I can't help but feel that way."

"I'll see what happens before I agree with you on that. For the time being, I'll fight with
you, because I have business at Darna Castle. Tomorrow, you will witness the power of
my Demon Sword Mystletainn."

-
The battle began in the afternoon.

As the mercenary unit came into view, Shanan said, "Draw them to us! Battle is the
same as swordplay. “If you cut your enemy’s flesh, then you must cut your skin. If you
cut your enemy’s bone, then you must cut your flesh.” When the first wave of enemies
comes to clash with us, counterattack after they have lost that momentum. We will take
a bit of damage during the first wave, but when you look at the big picture, this is the
best way to minimize the overall damage done to us.”

The battle began exactly as Shannan had suggested.

The first wave clashed with Shannan, Oifey, Iuchar, Ares, and the soldiers they were
leading. Then, when the enemy slowed down, everyone rushed in to counterattack.

Shannan and Ares in particular, wielding their Holy Weapons, fought remarkably. In
one-on-one combat, no one stood a chance against Balmung nor Mystletainn. They cut
through the enemies' armor like paper.

Once it was clear the liberation army would win, Ares headed straight into the enemy's
formation to search for Javarro.

Javarro was standing in the very back.

When he saw Ares galloping towards him, he shouted, "Ares, you ungrateful brat! Did
you really think I'd just let you go!?"

"You disgust me! Now die!" Ares repelled Javarro's sword with Mystletainn, then swung
the Demon Sword down.

"D-Damn you!!" Disbelief flooded Javarro's face, and he fell from his horse.

'Finally, Darna Castle.'

The cavaliers went along with Ares. The slower soldiers appeared to not be included in
the attack on Darna Castle, and were instead returning to Melgen Castle.

'Please be safe, Lene. No matter what they did to you, please, just be safe.'

Ares took out the enemy soldiers guarding the front of the castle, then rushed straight
through the castle gate. 'First, I need to find Bramsel.'
He dismounted his horse in front of the main building and ran inside.

He immediately found his target.

He rushed up to Bramsel, and brought down Mystletainn.

Though he was seriously wounded, Bramsel attacked back.

Ares blocked the attack with Mystletainn and shouted, "This is for Lene!"

The Demon Sword sliced Bramsel's armor in two.

"Lene! Where is she!?" Ares grabbed an enemy soldier by the throat and asked.

The man told him the location of the dungeon.

"Lene! Lene, where are you!?" He screamed the moment he reached the bottom of the
dungeon stairs.

"I'm in here, Ares!"

He thrust his sword in the guard's face, threatening the man to open Lene's cell.

"Oh, Ares!" Lene jumped into his arms.

"Are you okay, Lene?"

"Yeah, I am. You came back for me, Ares!"

"I'm sorry. I was really stupid. I didn't listen to you, and… you had to go through all of
this..."

"It's all okay now, because you came back! Though I always believed that you would
save me."

"I'll never yell at you like that ever again…"

"And I won't get angry like that ever again, so don't run off on me ever again…"

-
With Darna freed, the cavalry unit traveled south, towards their next battle.

Behind everyone else was Ares and Lene, staring into each other's eyes...

Lene walked as if she was dancing.

'No, she doesn't look like she is dancing, she is dancing. For me, and me alone.'

Ares matched her pace, and stared deep into her eyes...

They slowly got further and further away from the group.

'Forgive me, Seliph. Tomorrow, I'll dedicate Mystletainn to you once more. But today is
for Lene and me. Just the two of us.'

Lene danced, and Ares matched her pace, and Lene danced, and Ares...

Chapter 6: The Miracle of Darna

"Long ago, during the first holy war, the liberation army's fort was located here in
Darna." Lewyn said and looked up as if he was remembering those times like he had
experienced them himself. "They lost time and time again against the oppressive might
of the Lopyrian Empire's army, and in the end, only had a handful of soldiers left hiding
inside the fort. They were all injured, and already knew the next battle would be their
last.

“But then, a miracle occured.

“Gods came down from the heavens and granted strange weapons and powers to
twelve of the young soldiers. They were soon named the Twelve Crusaders, and led the
liberation army into battle."
"That's the Miracle of Darna of legend, isn't it?" Seliph asked.

"Yes, you're right. And another miracle is occurring now. The Crusaders are once again
rising up, this time against Loptous' resurrection."

"Huh? What are you referring to? Shannan retaking Balmung? Ares joining our army
and wielding Mystletainn? And what is Loptous' resurrection? Is that really happening?
Or are you talking about the child hunts?"

"Yes, it is happening. I think my wording was just bad. But you don't have to think too
hard about that. You'll learn in time."

'Lewyn knows things that I don't.' Seliph thought. 'I know he doesn't mean us any harm,
but he's definitely hiding something big.'

The liberation army, now further south, spread out near the border. Just as they finished
their preparations, Bloom's army arrived.

There were only two roads that lead across the border, so Bloom's armored knights and
mages chose to each go down a different path. Both roads were narrow, so the
liberation army was able to defeat each of them before they could get into proper battle
formation.

Two joyful reunions occurred during the battle. First, Arthur found his younger sister.

She'd been kidnapped when she was a child, and Arthur had suspected for a long time
that she was a member of Bloom's mage unit. His clue was that if they were siblings,
she would have the same pendant he had.

Arthur concentrated his thoughts and tried to connect himself with his pendant's
telekinetic energy. Finally, he noticed a telekinetic wave that was the same as that of his
pendant.

He went in that direction, and saw a young female mage coming towards him. Her hair
was the same lavender color as their mother, Tailtiu's. And when they got closer to each
other, he could see that she had their mother's eyes and nose as well.

'She has to be my sister!" He boldly rushed up to her and said, "W-Wait!"

She tried to cast an Elthunder spell, but could tell that he didn't want to fight her, and
canceled it.

"Look at my pendant. It's the same as yours, isn't it?"

"It is! It's exactly the same!’

"Where did you get it?"

"It's a keepsake from my mother."

"I knew it! You're Tinny, right?"

"How did you know my name…?"

"We're siblings! I'm your older brother, Arthur!"

"Really!?"

"Your mother's name is Tailtiu, right?"

"Yes!"

"Mother was a member of the liberation army during the Battle of Belhalla. After the
battle, she took me with her as she fled to Silesse, but you and her were kidnapped by
someone just after you were born, and all that she left behind for me was this pendant.
Recently, I figured out that you were taken by King Bloom of Alster, but I also heard at
that time that while Mother had already passed away, my little sister… Tinny should still
be alive. I wanted to do whatever it took to find you, so I left Silesse. Even though we're
in the middle of a battle, I wondered if you were with Bloom's army, panicked, and went
searching for you."

"So that's what happened! Mother was forced back to Friege by Uncle Bloom… I didn't
know. But your words have reminded me that she always looked sad. You're right. You
are my brother."

"Anyway, Tinny, stop fighting us. There's so much that I want to talk to you about."

"Yeah, don't really want to fight, either. I'll do as you say."

And that is how the liberation army gained one more powerful fighter.

The battle at the border ended in defeat for Bloom's army, and the liberation army took
advantage of the momentum and marched onwards. Along the way, they met with the
isolated Prince Leif.

Seliph's father Sigurd, and Leif's father Quan, had been the best of friends, and Quan's
wife Ethlyn had been Seliph's aunt. When Sigurd's army was still tiny and fighting in
Verdane, Quan and Ethlyn had rushed to his aid with reinforcements, a group that
included Finn, who'd still been just a squire at the time.

Right before the Battle of Belhalla, Quan and Ethlyn, leading Leonster's cavalier unit,
tried to join up with Sigurd's army. However, while crossing the Aed Desert, Travant, the
Thracian king, and his dragon knights surprise attacked them. Because Quan's army
had terrible footing in the desert, they couldn't put up a good fight, and no one survived.
Ever since then, the Earth Lance Gáe Bolg, which Quan had with him, was still missing,
along with Leif's older sister, whom Ethlyn had been carrying at the time.

Because he'd been ordered to be Prince Leif's guard, Finn stayed in Leonster. When he
heard that Quan's army had been annihilated, he blamed himself.

'Why wasn't I able to be in the most important place in the world? If even Lord Quan
lost, then I don't think my being there would have made a difference. But I might have at
least been able to save Lady Ethlyn. Or at maybe the princess…'

He took his Brave Lance and rushed out of the castle. Since he was usually a very
reserved man, this change in behavior surprised those around him, and made them
wonder what had happened.

Finn took his horse out of the stables, galloped out to the riding grounds, and knocked
over the training dummies one by one.

'Why couldn't this lance be of any use?'

He thought to himself countless times, then finally stopped his horse.

'Lord Quan, Lady Ethlyn, I'm so sorry I couldn't help you. In exchange, I'll protect Prince
Leif, even if it means risking my life. Then, when he comes of age, I'll help him defeat
Travant and Arvis, and avenge you both.'
-

When Bloom's army began to invade, Finn immediately took Leif and fled the castle. He
treasured his vow to Quan and Ethlyn more than his honor as a knight.

Since then, Finn had protected, raised, and educated young Leif.

After they failed to raise a powerful enough army and were surrounded by the enemy
army, Finn told Leif and Nanna to escape, and yelled towards the heavens, "Lord Quan,
with the Brave Lance you gave me, and the fighting techniques you taught me, I will
protect Lord Leif! Please watch down on us with Lady Ethlyn."

Finn then rode his horse into the enemy lines and tirelessly wielded his Brave Lance,
striking the tip into one enemy after another. Even the enemy commander's thick armor
was no match for it. With their commander gone, the remaining enemies fled.

It had been six months since then, and Finn, Leif, and Nanna had now appeared before
the liberation army.

Seliph and Leif shook hands and vowed to fight together. Finn also had a joyous
reunion with Shannan and Oifey.

After that, there was one more reunion - that of siblings Nanna and Diarmuid. He'd
always been searching for her, making this reunion yet another joyous one.

The Liberation Army first recovered Leif's homebase, Leonster, then marched towards
Bloom's main castle, Alster. Since he'd lost most of his force at the border, Bloom
couldn't put up a proper resistance, and as such gave up on Alster, instead fleeing to
Connaught Castle.

At the party celebrating the liberation of Alster, Seliph said to Lewyn, who was sitting
next to him, "Hey, Lewyn, there's something I've found strange recently."

"What is it?"

"More and more children of the people who fought with my father are joining our army,
don't you think? Some who joined earlier, like Arthur, even knew beforehand… I
realized it even when people like him joined us… And the enemy leaders are the same.
Their mothers and fathers were our mother's and father's enemies. There's also some
blood families split up into allies and enemies. We're repeating our mothers and fathers'
war, aren't we? At least, that's what I think sometimes. Is this all related to what you
said in Darna Castle?"

"Of course it's related." Lewyn answered.

"But it's not a repeat, though it may sometimes look like one. It is another side of this
war."

"What does that mean?"

"This is one of the many times that the people have risen up against the empire's
tyranny."

"This is one of many?

"What I mean is, this is the Twelve Crusader's war. So was the Battle of Belhalla. No,
you could also consider this a continuation of the Battle of Belhalla. That's why they are
so similar. But this will not be a repeat. It cannot be a repeat. We must win."

His last few words were spoken more strongly than any Seliph had ever heard him
speak before.

Alster Castle's capture at the hands of the liberation army had a huge effect on the
delicate balance of the Thracian Peninsula.

Thracia had already been split in half from the beginning.

The northern half had many rich farmlands, whereas the southern half was made up of
rugged mountains and barren wastelands, leaving it to be controlled by the powerful
Kingdom of Thracia, with its valorous dragon knights.

Each king of Thracia inherited Gungnir, and in attempts to take the rich lands of the
north, had tried to invade countless times. However, they were stopped each time by
the Leonsterian king, who inherited the Earth Lance Gáe Bolg.

Right before the Battle of Belhalla, the Thracian king, Travant, had annihilated the
Leonsterian cavalier unit, and taken Gáe Bolg. With that, Thracia's dream seemed to
have come true, but then, House Friege's Bloom entered the north with a huge army
and conquered it. Even the ambitious Travant was powerless against the might of the
empire's military, and ever since, for about a decade, northern Thracia remained a
territory of the empire's and maintained a strange sense of peace.

Now, the majority of northern Thracia was in the liberation army's grasp. Bloom now
only controlled the western regions of Connaught and Munster, but his forces were
growing stronger by the day.

And, on top of that, the liberation army would have to be wary of King Travant's
movements.

Travant received a request from Bloom to provide reinforcements, but he still had yet to
order his dragon knights to deploy.

He planned to let the liberation army and the imperial army fight and weaken each
other. Then his soldiers would swoop in and he would take over control of the entire
Thracian peninsula.

The first side to make a move was the imperial army. A unit of knights in Alster, led by
General Muhammad; and a cavalier unit and the three mage sisters, led by General
Ovo; began to march towards Leonster, which Leif was protecting.

Leif's army wasn't strong enough yet, so Seliph needed to send him reinforcements.

"I agree to sending in reinforcements, but that would mean splitting our army into two,
wouldn't it, Oifey?" Seliph asked.

"In this case, the enemy was the first to split their soldiers into two groups. If they
attacked either us or Leif as one, they'd have very good odds, so why didn't they do
that? Perhaps Bloom is panicking. He probably wants to send a good report to the
emperor.

"This is a big chance for us. We can meet both units in a place where we can most
effectively attack them. If we do so, then I think there's also a chance we can attack
Connaught all in one go."

And so, the liberation army split in two for the first time.
"We should split up based on movement speed. If different parts of an army all move at
their own speed, then the slower members won't be able to keep up, and everyone
won't be able to fight as a group. I think the fastest of us should go to Leonster.”

Soon after, two fights broke out at the same time, one at Leonster Castle, and another
in a field close to Alster.

After sending out his units, Bloom suddenly began to worry.

'Are we really sure to win? At first, we thought lightly of them as an army like Leif's
ragtag group, but this liberation army seems different somehow. If we lose again, then I
won't have any excuses left to tell His Majesty. And I won't have an army left, either.'

After thinking it over some more, he decided to send an assassin after Seliph.

'If Sigurd's brat is gone, then the whole army should fall apart.'

The first assassin he called in was a mercenary named Febail.

Febail was known as an expert bowman. He was so skilled because (though he didn't
make it known) he was a descendant of Holy Archer Ulir, and inheritor to Holy Bow
Yewfelle.

Febail did not know how to respond, so Bloom brought up his younger sister, Patty. "I
heard that you are taking care of a large group of orphans. You surely need money for
that, so your sister is stealing to make that money, isn't she? Are you really okay with
her being a thief?"

Febail was always concerned about Patty's work. Though she said she used the money
and objects for a good purpose, stealing was still bad. "She's always thinking of the
children. But she certainly wants money."

"Then you have no reason to be indecisive. If you bring me Seliph's head, I'll give you
however much money you want. It would make your little sister happy."

"I understand. I don't want to, but I'll help you, just this once." Febail agreed to the
proposal.

After that Bloom brought in his daughter, Ishtar.

Ishtar was the next in line to inherit Holy Thunder Tome Mjölnir.

"You called for me, Father? What do you need?"

"The liberation army is coming to attack us. I need you to lend me your power."

"I don't think those words are your own. A ragtag group like this liberation army would
never make you panic."

"But they've already killed your brother Ishtor, and your cousin Tinny is missing. Vampa
and her sisters also fled and returned home during the last battle. You're the only
person I have left to rely on. I want you to kill the enemy leader, Seliph."

"Understood. Then please give me Mjölnir. If I have it, then I will take out the entire
enemy army by myself."

"W-What? You want Mjölnir?" Bloom hesitated for a moment.

Handing over his Holy Weapon would mean forfeiting his authority as the head of
House Freige. But when he thought about what would happen if they lost this battle, he
had no other choice.

"Hmph, fine. You may take it. In return, you must bring me Seliph's head."

"Understood. Please leave him to me."

The battle was a grueling one for both sides.

The mage sisters were particularly threatening to the liberation army, as they vowed not
to run home again and fought even more viciously than usual.

However, Leif's army cleverly split the three apart little by little, so they couldn't fight
together, then counterattacked once the sisters were sufficiently distanced from each
other. Ares and Mystletainn, Finn and his Brave Lance, and Iuchar and his Brave Axe
were the ones to take them out. With that, the battle in Leonster was over.
The hero of the battle in Alster was Shanan. He ran deep into the enemy formation by
himself and killed the commanding officer, General Muhammad. Then, until his allies
caught up, he continued to fight and take the enemies' attacks on his own.

Once the rest of the liberation army arrived, the enemies lost their will to continue
fighting, and began to flee. Seliph chased after them and continued to advance forward.

Shannan and Patty stayed close to his side. They were both worried about the
assassins sent for Seliph (though Patty was really only worried about Fabail).

And Patty's worries were the first to be proven right when she saw an archer slowly
walking towards them among the fleeing enemies.

'That's Big Brother!’ She thought, and immediately ran towards him. "Big Brother, what
are you doing here?"

Febail was totally lost on how to respond to her question.

"No way, you aren't working for Bloom, are you?"

"P-Patty, why are you with the rebel army…?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? I'm here to save everyone. And this isn't a rebel army, it's a
liberation army! Have you forgotten? All the parents of the children we care for were
killed by Bloom. And our parents died fighting the imperial army, right? Working with
Bloom is the same as siding with the imperial army, so I won't agree to it!"

"I'm sorry. You're right. I… don't know what I was thinking."

"Anyone can reflect on their actions. If you think you're doing something wrong, then
work with us! We can defeat Bloom together!"

"Okay, Patty!"

'She's changed.' Febail thought. 'Her eyes are sparkling. I wonder why?'

"Please introduce me to Prince Seliph. I need to apologize to him.”

"Of course! Come this way!" Patty led her brother up to Seliph and introduced them to
each other.
"I may have only been lost over what to do for a moment, but I still tried to kill you. I'll do
more than just apologize for it. If you find my actions unacceptable, I want you to do
whatever you want to me."

"You said your name is Febail, right? I don't care about that. The present, and the
future, are much more important than the past. I want you to think like that, too."

"I was wrong. It was stupid of me to allow the empire to hire me. I'm very embarrassed
by it. Prince Seliph, please allow me to make up for it."

"Thank you, Febail. I'm happy you've decided to join us."

"It looks like you already have a chance to do that." Shanan said while staring straight
ahead.

A female mage was walking towards them.

"She is no ordinary person, and is probably here for you, Seliph. Stay back."

Everyone obeyed, and stepped back.

"In a battle against two people with Holy Weapons, the first person to attack has the
upper hand. In other words, it's all about judging the perfect time to strike. That's what
makes it different from a normal fight."

The female mage continued towards them with confidence in her steps.

"Now!"

Shanan and Febail both moved in a flash. Balmung's blade and Yewfelle's arrow hit her
at the same time.

"How could… this be…" She muttered, then collapsed where she stood.

At that moment, something strange happened.

A beam of light fell from the heavens, and a young nobleman appeared from within it.

The nobleman picked up the mage. "Ishtar, you will return to Belhalla with me. You
cannot die in a place like this."
Her eyes opened in response to his words.

"Now let's go."

Her wounds closed up.

The light shone once again, engulfing them.

It was all so strange to those around them, that none of them could move, and simply
stared in bewilderment.

Finally, the light disappeared, and the two were gone.

"Who were they? Does anyone know?" Seliph called out, and looked around to see if
anyone would provide an answer.

"The woman was Princess Ishtar." Tinny answered.

"You know her?"

"Yes, she adored me like a little sister."

“And what about the man?"

"He's probably… Prince Julius."

"What? Prince Julius?"

"Yes, I've seen him in Belhalla several times, so I'm pretty sure that was him. Prince
Julius and Lady Ishtar are in love, so he probably came to save her."

"What kind of person is he?"

"How can I put it? ...He has a very strange way of attracting people to him… and he's
cold, like ice. Those who meet him are both charmed and afraid all at once. It's almost
like he isn't human… "

Though that event left them feeling uneasy about the future, Seliph and Prince Leif's
units merged, then started marching towards Connaught.
Capturing Connaught Castle was no easy feat. The long-range magic users in particular
worried the members of the liberation army. But because they targeted each area with
enemies guarding the castle one at a time, they were finally able to rush the castle gate.

Febail's vow to atone for his actions were no lie. He rushed to the throne room faster
than anybody else, aimed at Bloom, and pulled back Yewfelle's bow string.

"Damn you, Febail! How dare you betray me!"

"Sorry, but after thinking long and hard about it, I decided that I cannot help you. Don't
think badly of me for it. This is all the result of the seeds you planted."

Yewfelle's arrow flew through Bloom's face.

When Bloom's soldiers learned of his death, they all surrendered.

Meanwhile, at Munster Castle to the south, a mage named Ced and his army of
commoners had risen up.

Since most of the imperial soldiers stationed at Munster had been pulled out to fight on
the front lines, there were few left. In addition, they'd lost their leader, Ishtar, so they had
no interest in putting up a serious fight. Just the news alone of the liberation army
coming to attack the castle made them flee, and Munster was freed with little
bloodshed.

When he learned of the news, Seliph thought that all of Northern Thracia was freed.
'We should go to Munster next.'

However, things were not that simple.

The Thracian king had finally begun to move.

Chapter 7: Earth Lance Gáe Bolg
Travant ordered both Coruta's dragon knight unit and Princess Altena to deploy. With
the empire's presence gone completely from the Thracian Peninsula, he considered this
to be the perfect chance.

"Start by seizing Munster. Do not hold back against anyone who turns against you, even
the citizens. Kill them all."

"Wait, Father!" Altena called out.

Altena wore the uniform of the Thracian Dragon Knights, and held her long brown hair
back with a bandana. Her almond shaped eyes gave a bit of an intimidating impression,
but when she put on her military uniform, it highlighted how brave and honorable she
looked.

"I'll happily fight if the imperial army is our enemy, but there's no meaning in killing
powerless civilians. Even if you say we'll fight with the empire, we should be happy to
work with the liberation army. Why must we fight them?"

Prince Arion, General Hannibal, and a few other people held the same opinion as her,
but she was the only one who was open about it with the king.

However, no matter what she said, Travant would not be swayed. "Altena! Are you
trying to lecture me!? Do as I say! I will not allow you to talk back to me!"

"But…"

"Altena, do as Father says." Prince Arion said. He felt that their father would only get
angrier the more they opposed him.

"Brother… I will." Altena said and bit her lip. Her dissatisfaction with her Father's orders
did not go away, but she always believed in her brother's decisions.

'Big brother said he thinks the same as I do. He must have a reason for saying that.'

Deep down, the reason why she believed him was because of her love for him (though
she did not realize it). And it was not just the love of a brother and sister, but something
much more. Her feelings were simply locked away in the subconscious of her heart, so
she did not notice them.
Travant watched her begin to leave the reception hall, and said, "Altena, have you
finally agreed to deploy? You're a very strong-willed girl. Your mother was just as tough.
Don't fight your blood."

"Altena means well, Father. Please be lenient with her." Arion interjected.

"I know that. You would speak the same words as her if you had the opportunity.
Unifying with Northern Thracia has been our deepest wish for many long years. Our
lands are barren, so the men are all hired as mercenaries, while being looked down
upon as hyenas… And the women remain here to dig into the mountains' slopes, and
must till their meager fields. If we continue to live here alone, then we will always be
forced to live in poverty. Altena grew up in the palace, so she does not know what the
people wish for."

The dragon knight unit lined up in front of Munster Castle.

"The liberation army that killed Bloom is still on the other side of the river. But only the
citizens who revolted are currently at Munster Castle. And I've received reports that they
know of our movements and are gradually running away. We should begin our attack
straight away." Courta explained to Altena.

"Wait, Coruta. There's no reason for us to attack an enemy like that. I'll go and suggest
to them that they surrender. Wait here for a bit."

"I can't do that. I was given specific orders by the king. No matter what you say to me, I
cannot go easy on them.”

"I am your commanding officer. Are you going to ignore my order?"

"This is my unit, and I received my orders from His Majesty directly. If you disagree with
that, then stay here and watch. We will attack on our own."

Coruta flew off and delivered his order to his soldiers. "All units, we will ambush the
enemy! Those who resist will be killed! Now charge!"

The dragon knights all flew into the sky at once.

As she watched them fly towards Munster Castle, all Altena could think about was the
tragedy that was about to unfold, and how infinitely powerless she felt.

'Maybe my views are wrong. ...No, they couldn't be. Brother agrees with me. Father and
Coruta are the ones in the wrong. Even in the event that they win, killing civilians will
make the people hate us, and do the exact opposite of unifying us.

But are Father and Coruta the only ones to blame? I couldn't do anything to stop either
of them. Am I just as guilty as they are?’

The first dragon knights to try to fly over the castle wall were suddenly hit by the
strongest gust of wind they'd ever experienced. Their dragons' wings twisted, and their
bones, usually able to withstand anything during flight, snapped in an instant. Without
the ability to stay in the air, they all began to drop like flies.

And it didn't end there, with another guest of wind assaulting the next group of dragons.

"Dodge! Just dodge it!" Coruta shouted, realizing this was no force of nature.

They cautiously made their way around the castle, until they found a single man
standing atop the castle tower.

'Dammit, he's using wind magic!'

Faced with an enemy stronger than he thought there'd be, Coruta decided to change
course and go after the citizens fleeing from the castle.

'If it's just that group, we can kill them all before they make it to the river.'

However, Seliph and the liberation army had just crossed the river. And to make matters
even worse for Coruta's unit, the liberation army was much larger than they'd ever
imagined, and had archers amongst their ranks, which dragon knights were weak
against.

Coruta was only lost about what to do for a second.

'If your only other option is to run away, then choose to die a glorious death.'

That was the pride of the Thracian dragon knights, and a legend that had been passed
down for generations.
'Even if our bodies should perish, our tales of bravery will live on.'

"Chaaaaaarge!" Coruta shouted, and led his unit in a dive bomb maneuver.

The enemy army grew larger and larger with each passing moment.

The moment he saw a bow, Coruta knew that an arrow had been shot at him.

As Altena watched Coruta's unit fight spectacularly yet tragically from a nearby
mountain ridge, her feelings were very complicated. The regret of losing her allies, the
blame she placed on herself for what she hadn't the chance to tell the unit, and the
justification that made her sure this was not the way to fight, all swam around in her
mind.

After watching the last dragon knight fall, Altena lightly pushed her knees into her
dragon, signaling her mount to flap her wings and fly into the air.

She flew high into the air so that she would not be attacked, and slowly circled around
the battlefield.

The liberation army had once again started marching towards Munster Castle.

'We weren't the only brave ones here.' Altena thought. 'What is the liberation army
going to do next? Since we attacked them, they must now think of Thracia as their
enemy. If they intend to march to Grannvale, then they'll travel through Thracia to get
there. So they'll most likely attack Mease Castle next.'

There were only a few soldiers, led by General Maikov, stationed there.

'Maikov is a brave general, but there's no way he can defend the castle against an army
as large as this one.' She turned her dragon towards Thracia Castle.

Meanwhile, from amongst the liberation army, Finn said to Prince Leif, "Lord Leif, please
take a good look at that dragon knight."

"That one? I've looked up at them a few times already. They appear to be a woman, but
I don't think that's uncommon in Thracia. And she seems to be bathed in light. Perhaps
she's flying in a ray of sunlight?"
"Yes, that light is what I'm referring to. It looks just like the light of Crusader Njörun,
which would also envelop your late father whenever he wielded Gáe Bolg. If I am
correct, then she is wielding that lance right now. It id the one passed down through the
Leonsterian royal family."

"What? Why would a female Thracian knight have Father's Gáe Bolg?"

"I don't know. The only thing I can think of is that she is your elder sister, who went
missing when the Thracian Army attacked. Lady Altena seemed to be unharmed, but
had gone missing with Gáe Bolg."

"But why would my older sister be with the Thracian Army?"

"My guess is that she was kidnapped by Travant, and he raised her as his own."

"I've heard that Travant is a coldhearted man, but he might have a small human heart
inside him after all."

"No, I don't think that's it. Crusader Njörun's blood was passed down from Lord Quan to
Lady Altena, so Travant must have wanted Gáe Bolg's power. It seems like something
he would do."

"So he's tricked her, hasn't he? How could Travant be so horrible…? Finn, let's help her.
I want to tell her the truth and team up to free Father and Mother of their regrets."

"You are the only one who can do that, Lord Leif. If her younger brother tries to
persuade her, then she is likely to open her heart and listen to you. Please save the
princess!"

"Of course I will! You always stop me from doing so, but when we fight with the dragon
knights, I'll go on the front line. I'll risk my life, but try my hardest to persuade Big Sister!
And if she's alive, that means…"

'That means I'm not alone anymore.’ Leif thought.

As a boy raised without any memory of his birth parents' love, he was starved to meet
someone from his blood family.

He knew full well that Finn loved him. But that love was an extension of his loyalty to
Quan and Ethlyn. Finn was a great guardian and teacher, but wasn't someone that Leif
felt he could fully open up to about his troubles and worries.
Finn had said to Leif on countless occasions in the boy's youth, "Lord Leif, you are the
next in line to become king of Leonster. You mustn't say such things."

Or sometimes it was, "You mustn't do such things." Other times it was, "You mustn't cry
over such things."

"I understand, Finn. I won't say that ever again.” Leif would answer.

But deep down in his heart, he always muttered to himself, ‘Mother, why did you die
and leave me here all alone? Why…?’

He also had that thought when he was living in hiding, and saw parents or siblings
expressing love towards one another.

'Why am I the only one who's all alone?'

When he became so sad that he couldn't bear it anymore, he would find a place where
no one else would find him, and cried.

'Mother, why did you die and leave me here all alone?'

So the news that his sister was alive (even if he couldn't confirm if it was true yet), made
him happier than anything else in the world.

As he marched together with his unit, he imagined what his sister might look like. Then,
he imagined successfully persuading her, and how they would hug each other, and be
so happy...

'I'm not alone anymore!'

Seliph lowered the gate and entered Munster Castle, then met Ced inside.

"Hero Ced, many of the citizens' lives have been saved because of you. Thank you."

"I've waited so long for this moment to come… Lord Seliph, please save not only
Thracia, but the entire world. The people are living in despair. Even in Munster, many
children have been kidnapped and taken to Miletos Shrine. I couldn't save them. I am
no hero, but a mere coward."
"No you're not! I couldn’t do anything by myself! I've made it this far because of
everyone else's power. Hero Ced, I want you to join us."

"Understood, Lord Seliph. I will follow you to the ends of the earth." Ced took a step
forward to shake Seliph's hand, but when he saw Lewyn standing behind Seliph, his
hand froze. "Lord Seliph, who is that behind you?"

"Huh? Oh, this is my advisor. His name is Lewyn. He is Silesse's King Lewyn. Oh, that's
right, I heard you're from Silesse, too!"

Ced did not answer Seliph, instead walking up to Lewyn. "Father… It's you, isn't it,
Father?"

"Ced, it's been a long time since I saw you last. How have you been?"

"'How have I been?' I've been looking for you this entire time! Do you have any idea
how many years have passed since you left!?"

"Now that you mention it, I do wonder how long it's been. How is Erinys?"

"How could you be so… Mother passed away! All she wanted was to see you one more
time, and watch you pass Forseti on to me! That's why I went on my journey, to find
you!"

"I see, so she's… How unfortunate."

"You're so cold, Father! You're finally heard that Mother died, yet you won’t shed even a
single tear!"

"Ced, I don't have a wife, nor any children. That's what I have decided. I want you to
think so from now on as well."

Ced glared at him in response.

Seliph knew very well that Lewyn was not a cold person, so he questioned his flippant
response towards finally reuniting with Ced.

-
That night, the army held a modest celebration, where Ced and Fee realized they were
brother and sister. That reunion was a happy one.

"Fee and Lewyn joined us in Isaach, so they've been face-to-face since then. Yet why
haven't they called each other father and daughter?'

Though Seliph's trust in Lewyn did not change, the suspicion within his heart slowly
began to grow.

Chapter 8: The Soul of Thracia

The moment Travant saw Altena, he yelled, "Altena! What is the meaning of this!? Why didn't
you fight in the attack on Munster Castle!?"

"Father, I…"

"I don't want to hear any excuses! If you want to say something to me, then carry out your
orders first! Just what was that!? Not only did you disobey your orders, but you also watched on
in silence as your allies fought. Then, you shamelessly ran away, an act that embarrasses all of
Thracia! Wouldn't you agree!?"

"..."

"After you ran away and came home, the rebels attacked Mease Castle, and it was captured. It
was a terrible loss, but Maikov and every single member of his unit stayed and fought honorably
until the moment they died. Meanwhile, what did you do? Do you think I'll treat you differently
because you're my daughter?"

Altena had nothing to say in response.

'If your only other option is to run away, then choose to die a glorious death.'
That was not just an idea taken from “the aesthetics of destruction.” It was also the saying that
had become known as the Soul of Thracia. While it originally praised being honorable even in
defeat, and other similar actions, it had become the standard to which mercenaries were held
when they were contracted for work. It was the only option for an entire country living in poverty.
(Though of course, no one would openly admit to such a thing.)

This "Soul of Thracia" was drilled into the soldiers' heads, and even Altena had been raised that
way.

"My next plan is to quickly attack and retake Mease. I order you to lead the unit that will attack
the castle.”

"Yes, Father. I will restore my honor."

However, they were unable to carry out the attack right away. This was because Travant
realized that the liberation army was much stronger than he'd thought.

And so, he finally signed an alliance treaty with Emperor Arvis, who then announced that he
would send reinforcements.

There were, of course, many people against that decision.

General Hannibal could not keep silent about the agreement, and sent a messenger to the king.

His message read, "It is true we haven’t fought with the empire for twenty years. However, they
would undoubtedly try to invade if they found an opening from which to do so. I cannot agree to
allying with an empire like that, no matter the circumstances. I think we should first call for a
ceasefire with the liberation army."

But Travant rejected that proposal after one mere glimpse at it.

"What a fool. Not once in the history of Thracia have we ever called for a ceasefire with an
enemy we've lost to."

A few days later, Travant went to Hannibal's Kapathogia Castle, and kidnapped Hannibal's
adopted son Coirpre to hold him hostage.

Hannibal was known as the "Shield of Thracia," and having his fighting spirit questioned was the
most insulting thing to him in the world.

'It is pathetic to be shamed like this after so many years of loyal service. And then he expects
me to fight gloriously and die?' Hannibal thought when he received orders to deploy his army,
the strongest unit of armored knights in all of Thracia.
An army led by Bishop Judah of the Loptr Church was the first of the reinforcements that arrived
from the empire.

He was granted rule over Grutia Castle, then he immediately gathered up the smart, good-
looking children from the castle town, and sent them to Miletos.

Rumor that child hunts had begun in Thracia immediately began to circulate around the country.

Travant went to Grutia Castle to confirm the truth.

"When you signed a treaty with the Grannvalian Empire, you also accepted the Loptr Church.
And our one and only god Loptous wants innocent children. If we do as he wishes, both the
empire and Thracia will receive his blessing, and prosper.

“I also come bearing good news, King Travant. I've received word that a powerful dragon knight
unit from the empire has arrived in Miletos. They'll probably enter Thracia within the week."

"Is that so?" Travant's voice was unusually gloomy. "Then let’s finally begin our attack."

"We will now attack Mease Castle, whether we succeed or die! All units, attack!"

As they flew towards Mease Castle at full speed, Altena thought, 'We're going to fail.'

She had this realization when she saw that General Hannibal, who she could see from her left,
did not move at all.

But she couldn't blame him.

'Father took his son hostage, so there's nothing he can do. He's probably looking for a place to
die as well. So we'll probably try to fight honorably all on our own.'

Altena was ready to die. And now that she felt ready, she no longer worried.

Even as she watched the members of her unit fall one by one, she was completely calm.

'I'll follow them shortly.'

Her dragon dived, and as she skimmed the ground, a soldier with a very small build jumped out
in front of her.

They weren't holding a weapon, but waving their arms and shouting, "Please wait, Lady Altena!"
She landed her dragon in front of the soldier, and realized that she was about to raise her lance.

'What am I doing? He must still be just a child.'

He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, and through the nervousness in his
expression, she could see some childishness left in his face.

'Killing a boy like this would bring no honor.' She thought, and lowered her lance.

"Yes, I am indeed Princess Altena, daughter of Travant."

"I am Leif of Leonster."

"Leif? Oh, that's right, you must be the son of Quan, whom my father killed. Are you going to tell
me you want to take your revenge out on me?"

"No, Lady Altena. You are my sister."

"What!? Don't be stupid! Have you lost your mind because this is your first battle?"

"No, I'm serious. The proof is that lance."

"What? What about this lance?"

"It is the Earth Lance Gáe Bolg, which passed down through the Leonsterian Royal Family."

"This is Gáe Bolg? If it really is the legendary weapon you speak of, then how can I, a member
of the Thracian Royal Family, wield it?"

Just then, she saw a cavalier rush up to them.

She started to raise her lance, but saw that he wasn't carrying a weapon, either. Then she
realized that all the other dragon knights had disappeared already.

"My name is Finn. I am a knight that served Prince Quan." He dismounted his horse and
greeted her.
"Eighteen years ago, Prince Quan and Princess Ethlyn were leading the Leonsterian cavalier
unit through the Aed Desert when King Travant attacked and killed all of them. At the time, you
were two years old, and the princess had taken you with her, but you went missing. Gáe Bolg,
which Prince Quan had with him, was also lost. But there it is, in your hand, right now! I often
saw it right next to me, so I'm sure that is the Gáe Bolg. And, if I may say so…" The knight
started to say, with tears shining in his eyes. He saw Quan's features very clearly in Altena's
face. "I apologize for losing my composure. But your eyes and mouth look so much like Lord
Quan's… Princess, it is so good to see you safe…"

She couldn't imagine this knight before her was lying. Though the memories were fuzzy, she
had a feeling she remembered hearing the name Finn before.

However, there was no way she could believe a story that turned her entire world upside down
right away.

"I can't believe you. The person I believed to be my father, you're saying he's my true father's
killer? ...There's no way… it can't be…"

"It's the truth. Please, look straight at me. Then you should know whether my words are a lie or
not. Please, Sister."

There certainly wasn't any sign on the boy's serious face that he was lying.

"Sister, please…"

"Princess…"

"Wait. I'm going to go confirm this with Father. I'll decide everything after that."

She interrupted their words, then ordered her dragon to take off into the sky.

As Altena stormed into the reception room, Travant glared at her.

"Altena, what are you doing? Did you abandon your unit and run home again?"

"Father! I have a question that I want to ask you. Is it true that I'm not your child? Am I Prince
Quan's daughter?"

"Hmph… So you finally figured it out. ...But that is fine. I knew this day would come.
“Yes, you are Quan's daughter. But what of it? Warriors are taught that it is kill, or be killed. I
thought about killing you back then, but did not make any attempts on your life. The one who
raised you instead of killing you was me. There is no changing that fact."

"Then… Father… you… killed… my real parents…"

"I did. I am the one who killed Quan and Ethlyn."

"Grrr… I won't forgive you! You tricked me… Father! No, Travant!"

Arion saw her reach for her sword, and cut in. "Stop, Altena!"

"Do not stop me, Brother! I will kill this man. I won't let anyone get in my way."

"I won't let you. If you will turn your blade against Father, then I will fight you."

"W-Wait! I can't fight you!"

"You're too late!" Arion swung his sword.

"No, Brother!"

Altena leaned against Arion as she fell and collapsed on the floor, then did not move again.

"Did you kill her?" Travant asked quietly. "You didn't have to go that far. …Though this too may
have be fate…
“Arion, since things have come to this, I will go. There is nothing more that I can do. I leave
everything to you."

"Understood. You can rely on me, Father."

Travant stood, picked up the lance that had been leaning against the throne, and handed it to
Arion. "I give this lance to you."

"This… This is Gungnir, isn't it? You said you're going to deploy soon, so why give it to
me? ...No… Father…"

Travant did not answer, instead looking far off into the distance. But before long, he began to tell
a story, still looking away.

"Our country was founded by Dragon Knight Dáinn. Dáinn brandished the Heavens Lance
Gungnir, and fought the dark emperor. And it has been told that the founder of the Kingdom of
Leonster, Lance Knight Njörun, was Dáinn's younger sister…"

Arion had no idea why his father had begun telling such a legend, but knew he was serious, and
listened quietly.

"I often dreamed for a very long time that I was flying slowly in the skies above Leonster. You
were to my right, holding Gungnir. And Altena was to my left, holding Gáe Bolg…"

Travant turned towards his son, and continued on in his normal tone of voice. "But that dream is
gone. And not just that dream. For twenty years, we did not allow any other countries to invade
Thracia. Now look what's become of us. The rebel army is in Mease, and the empire is stationed
in Grutia. You will decide what will become of this country from now on. They do not hate you."

"Are you telling me to call for a ceasefire with them? I too am a warrior of Thracia. I would also
find it difficult to agree to a ceasefire."

"I'm telling you to do as you wish. Since you always think first of the people, I would just get in
your way. Please take everything into account, and do as you wish. I am happy that someone
worthy of Gungnir will inherit it. Farewell, Arion."

"Father!"

Travant did not look back.

Arion was frozen in shock, but the voices of the soldiers shouting from far off reached his ears.

"To battle!"
"To battle, King Travant!"

Travant only led the senior dragon knights, who had fought with him for a very long time.

"Show them the bravery of Thracia’s soldiers!!"

Everyone knew what he really meant from those words alone. However, they did not feel sad
about it. They all deployed looking as if they were only going out on reconnaissance.

Once they were close to the enemy army, they each chose a target, and attacked.

"I am King Travant of Thracia! Out of my way, you insignificant fools!" He yelled, then advanced
towards the enemy army. Those who carelessly approached him immediately fell prey to his
lance.

"You won't win in head-to-head combat! Defeat them with bows and magic!"

In response to Lewyn's words, Ced cast a wind magic spell.

Travant’s dragon fell to the ground, but he got up. He readied his lance, and shouted once
more, "I am King Travant of Thracia!"

The other dragon knights had already each achieved their own glorious death.

"I'll stop him!" Febail yelled, and drew back Yewfelle's string.

His aim did not falter, and the arrow shot straight through the Thracian King's heart.

"I am Thracia…" Those were Travant's final words.

"Altena! Altena!"

She could hear a voice in the distance.

'Brother is looking for me.'

She didn't know why, but she was recalling a memory of them playing hide-and-seek when they
were kids. She thought he would never find her, but at the same time, she wanted him to find
her right away, grab her hand, and pull her out of her hiding spot.

'I'm here! Hurry and find me, and laugh when you see me.'
"Altena! Altena!"

The moment the voice got closer, Altena snapped back to reality.

"Are you awake? I'm sorry about earlier. I pretended to cut you and cause a vital injury. It was
the only choice I had."

"I know that. But, Brother, where is Father… no, King Travant?"

"He can never come back."

"..."

"He's probably attacking the rebel army right around now."

"What… What does that mean?"

"You shouldn't ask. You are already Prince Quan's princess. You don't know the feelings of the
Thracian King."

"Brother, what should I do?"

"There are people waiting for the new you. Return to them."

"But then I won't see you ever again…"

"That is also fate. You are already the descendant of a Crusader. You gave no choice but to
fulfill your duty."

"Brother, let's request a ceasefire! If King Travant is gone, you shouldn't have any obstacles
standing in the way of that anymore. I can't fight you."

"If I hadn't heard Father's last words, that might have been true. However, it's too late. Go,
Altena."

"I'm going to go talk to the liberation army and come back. Please at least wait until I'm done."

Altena started to hurry out of the reception room, but Arion called out to her.

“Altena!”

"Yes, Brother?"
"The next time we meet will be on the battlefield. And I will not hold back. Prepare yourself,
Altena."

Chapter 9: Dragon Knight Arion

Ever since the child hunt was carried out at Grutia Castle, many of the citizens had
come to see Seliph and his soldiers as a liberation army.
The same people also spread the news that General Hannibal's son had been taken
hostage. His name was Coirpre, and he'd been entrusted to Luthecia Castle's General
Disler.

"Let's save the hostage!" Seliph said. "If we do that, the general may respond with a
ceasefire."

It was the liberation army's fundamental policy to avoid pointless battles as much as
possible, and Hannibal's army was also very powerful, so reaching a conclusion without
fighting him was the best possible option.

But to get to Luthecia Castle, they would have to get past Hannibal's army, which was
stationed in front of Kapathogia Castle.

"Does anyone know of a road we can take that will allow us to avoid being seen by
Hannibal's army?” Seliph asked.

The villagers took him into the mountains behind Kapathogia Castle, where hunters
were using the land as their hunting grounds.

According to the hunters, if they avoided General Hannibal's army and traveled on the
foot to the base of the mountains, there was a road that circumvented the castle.

"Alright, let's take that road!" Seliph exclaimed.

Since the rescue mission was to be a surprise attack from beginning to end, it was best
to only let a few people go, so they narrowed the group down to Seliph, Ares, and
finally, Fee, who would act as a flying column.

The problem was the countermeasure in case of Hannibal's army attacking before the
rescue had been completed.

"I have a Sleep Staff. Whoever I use it on will sleep for four to five days straight." Lana
said.

"I didn't know there was such a useful spell! Why haven't you used it until now?"

"The staff will break after one use, so I didn’t want to use it until we were in a desperate
situation…"

Shanan was chosen to lead the army while they were gone.
-

With the hunters as their guides, Seliph and the others headed out.

They traveled west in a straight line, then turned south at the foot of the mountains. That
area was wooded, so they didn't have to worry about being seen by enemies.

The forest cleared when they neared the castle.

"Starting from here, we'll have to climb into the mountains a bit."

The path was steep, and they couldn't make much progress on foot.

Fee gave a report every day on what she observed from the skies.

On the evening of the fourth day since they'd set out, they made it to the backside of the
castle.

"Up until this point, we haven't run into any enemies at all. But tomorrow, I suspect
some will be flying around in this area, so I will go ahead to Luthecia Castle." Fee said,
then turned west and flew away.

"What should we do? It may take a toll on our bodies, but it would be safest to travel
behind the castle tonight because we'd be able to get past it very quickly."

They of course thought it best to follow the hunters' suggestion, and started moving
again without taking time to rest.

The hunters were right. Because they were following right along a steep mountain, there
were areas where they had to walk almost right against the castle wall. However, the
soldiers didn't think anyone would ever pass through such an area, so they were able to
safely make it through.

"For the last stretch, we should travel south. We'll soon come out to the main road that
leads to Luthecia."

"Thank you. You might have saved a lot of lives by helping us. How can we repay you?"

"We don't need repayment. But…"

"But?"

"If you can, please save the children that were taken away to Miletos."

"Understood. We'll try as hard as we can. ...No way, are those children…"

"No, none of them are mine. But my sister's son was taken. He's a smart, cute kid, yet
they had the gall to do something so terrible to him!"

When they arrived at the main road, they could see that Hannibal's army, located to the
north, had begun to move. Though Seliph and the others did not know it, Hannibal knew
that King Travant had deployed, and ordered his own army to attack.

"If the king himself has gone to battle, then we have no choice. All units, attack!"

However, Hannibal's army was made up entirely of infantry units, so they didn't make it
in time to fight alongside Travant. By the time they neared Meath Castle, the dragon
knight unit the king led was already completely destroyed.

Lana turned towards Hannibal's army and waved the Sleep Staff.

Hannibal, marching in the center of his army's formation, was enveloped by a white,
heavy cloud. However, that didn't mean that the sleep magic affected everyone. The
soldiers outside of its range remained loyal to their orders and continued their attack.
Shannan and the rest of the liberation army had no choice but to fight them without
stopping.

"Lana said that the sleep spell will last for four to five days. The others must come back
with the rescued hostage by then."

Because they'd heard that the distance between Kapathogia Castle and Luthecia Castle
would take two days to travel, they only had a small margin of leeway.

Seliph and Ares did not take any breaks aside from allowing their horses time to rest,
continuing onward.
In the evening two days later, they'd come so far that they could see Luthecia Castle.
Fee had arrived earlier, and came to report on the situation at the castle.

"There's hardly any soldiers here. I'm pretty sure there's just a front line and those
rounded up to protect the main building."

"Then let's attack tomorrow at dawn. Fee, you fly over the castle wall, and open the
gate. After that, we'll storm the castle."

With the plan for their surprise attack decided, Seliph and Ares got a full night's sleep for
the first time in a long time.

The surprise attack was a success. General Disler was killed by Ares and Mystletainn
the moment he came out of his bedroom in a panic.

The other soldiers were mostly still in bed. By the time they woke up, the general was
already dead, and upon hearing that news, they surrendered.

They found Coirpre in the dungeon. He'd been treated more like a prisoner than a
hostage. From what they'd heard the villagers say, they'd gotten the feeling that General
Disler had a bad reputation.

Coirpre was still young, but already very proper and polite.

"I am Coirpre, General Hannibal's son. My father stated that he wanted a ceasefire with
the liberation army, but King Travant misunderstood that, and took me as a hostage. So
I beg of you! Please take me to my father! I want to convince him to stop fighting!"

Of course, that had been the reason for their surprise attack in Luthecia Castle. Seliph
entrusted Ares to keep watch over the castle, and immediately left with Fee, taking
Coirpre towards Kapathogia Castle.

Along the way, they saw a single dragon knight flying towards them. Fee readied a
counterattack, but the dragon knight did not try to start a fight.

"You are Prince Seliph, yes? I am Altena, daughter of Quan of Leonster."

The dragon knight landed next to Seliph, dismounted her dragon, and greeted him.

"Oh, so you're Prince Leif's sister! He told me about you."

"My brother's story was true. Since I have learned the truth, I can't fight against you any
longer. I too am a descendant of a Crusader. Please allow me to join the liberation
army."

"Of course, with pleasure! Prince Leif will probably be happy as well when he hears the
news.”

"I just have one request. Arion… No, Prince Arion. I don't want you to fight him. His way
of thinking is completely different from the empire's."

"Even if you ask, I can't stop that from happening, though I don't want to fight Prince
Arion, either. If only he'd made you the mediator of a ceasefire. Nothing would be better
than that."

The liberation army met General Hannibal near Kapathogia Castle. He'd just woken up,
and had left the battlefield to return to the castle and order all the soldiers there to
deploy.

The moment he saw his son, he was surprised. But when he heard everything from
Coirpre, he approached Seliph, and said, "I'd like to thank you for saving my son."

"General Hannibal, we are only fighting those who agree with the ideas of the empire.
I've heard that you are also against the child hunts, and that King Travant is already
dead. Why would we fight against each other any longer? Please end this battle. And, if
possible, I want you to fight the empire with us. You are called "The Shield of Thracia."
We are still young, so please be beside us to guide us."

"If you insist, then I have no choice but to accept. So long as you don’t mind fighting
with an old man like me, then I will devote my strength to you. I'd also like you to add my
son to your army. He probably told you this already, but I took him in and raised him.
When I found him, he had a staff that seemed to have a long history. When he's old
enough, we will learn the meaning of it. Seliph, I happily entrust him to you."

General Hannibal's remaining soldiers also joined them.

The liberation army, now even stronger, gathered in Luthecia Castle to capture Bishop
Judah's Gruthia Castle.
At the same time, they received word that a large imperial cavalier unit had crossed the
Miletos-Thracian border.

At the strategy meeting, Altena suggested that it would be the best course of action to
settle that fight first.

"I know the terrain of that area very well. The road leading from the border to Luthecia
Castle that the cavalier unit can take is a thin mountain path. How about Fee and I meet
the enemies halfway, and reduce their numbers? If we swoop down to attack, then use
that force to fly over the mountains, they won't be able to counterattack at all."

"That's a great idea, Lady Altena!" Hannibal agreed to the plan right away.

"Because the enemies are calvary, they'll attack by taking turns. If we reduce their
numbers by even just a little bit, it will make things that much easier for the rest of the
army."

When she’d joined the liberation army in Isaach, Fee was still just a trainee pegasus
knight. However, after fighting in battle over the span of a year, she'd evolved into a
seasoned falcon knight. She couldn't compete with Altena, who wielded a Holy Weapon,
but her flying and combat skills certainly weren't inferior to Altena's.

The enemy cavaliers were worried by the two flying soldier's attacks. Because they
didn't know when they would be attacked, their paranoia grew stronger and stronger
without end. And even when they were attacked, they only had a split second to react,
so there was no way for them to counterattack. No matter how well-trained they were,
all they could do was take damage in a one-sided battle, causing their morale to drop.

Once they were off the mountain road, the spirited imperial soldiers were no more. It
wasn't just their numbers that had decreased. Their exhaustion and drop in morale was
even greater.

The battle was as good as decided the moment they saw the main force of the liberation
army spreading out and waiting for their arrival.

While the liberation army was marching towards Grutia Castle, Arion was in Thracia
Castle, proposing a ceasefire over and over again. However, not a single soul agreed
with him.
Several powerful iron ballistae were set up at Grutia Castle, however, the unit that was
supposed to protect them was not there.

The liberation army's calvary entered the edge of the ballistae's range, then charged at
full speed ahead. Their goal was to move as quickly as possible and lower their
chances of getting hit by the ballistae's bolts.

Within the blink of an eye, they trampled the ballisticians, and captured Grutia Castle.

As if they had been waiting for that to happen, three dragon knight units flew from
Thracia Castle and towards them all at once.

When Hannibal saw them, he turned pale. "That is the Three-Headed Dragon
formation."

"What is that? This 'Three-Headed Dragon.'"

"Those units are each targeting Meath, Kapathogia, and Luthecia, a formation they call
the 'Three-Headed Dragon.' They utilize it when an enemy is targeting Thracia and has
gathered together too many of their troops in one place, and they wish to launch a
counterattack all at once. Prince Arion practiced it many times."

"I'll defend Meath!" Altena said. "Lana should have a Warp Staff. I want to get to Meath
as soon as possible."

"Will you be okay on your own?"

"If we divide our numbers up too much, the main army will probably come attack us
here. For now, I will protect Meath!"

"Let's do as Princess Altena says." Hannibal agreed. "I'll protect Kapathogia. I want
those remaining to head for Luthecia and intercept the enemy unit headed there. When
we do, that's where the real battle should begin. If we take out their commander, the
subordinates will surely change course. In other words, they won't continue moving
towards Luthecia. And if we defeat them entirely, they'll want the others to come
reinforce them. Until then, Lady Altena and I will take care of those other enemies."

The fight went exactly as Hannibal had predicted. When the dragon knight unit headed
for Luthecia saw Fee trying to intercept them, they turned towards Grutia Castle to fight
the liberation army.
-

Once she'd lured the dragon knight unit a good distance away and defeated them, Fee
and several cavaliers turned towards Kapathogia to provide reinforcements there.

Hannibal wielded a flame sword and fought the oncoming dragon knights. Though he
suffered several wounds, he did not lose even the slightest bit of energy. He was able to
hold out until reinforcements came, just as he'd promised.

The day had come for Arion and his dragon knight unit to fight.

This was his response to Altena's final letter:

"As a warrior of Thracia, I cannot consider a ceasefire after you've killed this many of
my soldiers. You too should know that very well. Now, I wait for the day of our final
battle. From the beginning, I have thought not about whether we will win or lose, but
that, as a warrior, my acts are not an embarrassment. Still, do not hold back. Tell Lord
Seliph to come at us with everything he’s got."

Seliph said in response, "Thank you. Tomorrow, the last battle will finally begin. It may
be difficult for you to fight, so you should stay on the rear line."

Altena did as Seliph suggested, and did not go out to the front line, instead flying high in
the sky from the rear.

Even though the liberation army was fighting against the once great Thracian Dragon
Knights, their numbers had already been so greatly reduced that the battle proceeded to
go in the liberation army's favor.

Then, she saw a single dragon flying towards her.

"It's Big Brother." She realized it in an instant. "He's going to try to fight me."

Though she had Gáe Bolg, she knew that she was no match for Arion and Gungnir. At
best, the fight would end in a tie.

'I will die by his hand.'

A sweet memory filled her heart.

When she'd stood up to Travant, she'd pictured her ideals in her mind, but never
thought things would end up like this. For a moment, she worried that it was all her fault.

'What will become of Thracia now?'

She had no memory of Leonster. Thracia was her one and only home.

'Perhaps dying by his hand is the greatest end for me.’

She raised Gáe Bolg and yelled, "Let's do this, Brother!"

The two dragons flew towards each other in a straight line, with their opponent on their
right side, as if they were in a jousting match.

As the distance between them shrank, Altena could see clearly the face of the man she
loved. She could also see the sparkling tip of Gungnir, aiming straight for her.

'Watch my final attack!'

When they crossed paths, she thrust Gáe Bolg forward.

She felt resistance ripple through her arm.

However...

What about the attack aimed for her? Where was the blow from her beloved that was
supposed to lead her to a sweet death?

She was in a state of total shock, but her eyes moved and laid upon her beloved's
dragon, hurtling towards the ground.

"Brother!"

His dragon fell into a forest, and she lost sight of them.

"Brother!"

She burst into tears.

The battle was already over, but Altena did not return to land. She continued to fly
through the skies, thinking of Arion.

No matter how many tears fell, they did not cease, continuing to stream down her face.

But, eventually, the time came for her tears to dry up.

And it was then that she understood the reason why her beloved did not strike her with
Gungnir.

'Brother, you ordered me to live, right? I understand. I will live. I will fulfill my duty as the
inheritor to Gáe Bolg. If that is what you wish, then that is what I will do. But, my life is
terrible. All of my dreams have been crushed… The moment you were gone, I knew for
sure. That for a long, long time, deep within the bottom of my heart, I've wanted you to
hold me in your arms. Why did you give me that dream, and then go so nobly all by
yourself…?'

Altena soon landed at Thracia Castle.

Her tear stains had already vanished.

In their place was nothing but the face of Lance Knight Njörun's descendant.
Chapter 10: Dark God Loptous
After the battle at Thracia Castle ended, Seliph gathered his entire army and said, "With this
battle over, all of Thracia is free! But that does not mean the war is over here, because the
children taken from here are still missing. When we safely save them, that will be the beginning
of the end of the war in Thracia.

"We didn't come here to fight and defeat the Thracian dragon knights. We came to fight and
save the people from the Loptr Church's oppression, as well as save the children from being
sacrificed.

"Just because we've liberated Thracia, does not mean we can party, or rest. We must begin to
march soon. To Miletos, to rescue the children. Then, we will go to Grannvale next, and topple
the empire!"

After fighting one battle after another, the soldiers were all tired, but Seliph's speech put them in
high spirits.

"To Miletos!" One person shouted, which soon turned into everyone shouting.

"To Miletos!"

Seliph had also grown over the past year. His position as the leader of the liberation army made
him experience many times more worries, decisions, and orders than one living a normal life,
but it had also outfitted him with charisma befitting of a leader.

The liberation army left Thracia Castle without taking much time to rest, then started marching
towards the Miletos region right away.

The Miletos region (sandwiched between a portion of the sea surrounded by land) was located
south of the empire, and was home to many cities that had built a great amount of wealth
through trade. Those trade cities used the power of their wealth to avoid interference from the
surrounding nations, and each possessed self governing rights like that of independent
countries.
Peruluke was one such city. It was a northern port city located near the Thracian border. The
land bridge that connected Grannvale and the Thracian Peninsula was extremely inconvenient
for transporting goods, so Peruluke took advantage of that geographical situation and prided
itself on how it flourished as a relay base for trade.

However, when the liberation army reached Peruluke after fighting a harsh battle, they couldn't
believe their eyes. What lay before them was a far cry from a prosperous city. Instead, it looked
like it was about to die. After just a few years of the empire and Loptr Church's rule, the most
beautiful city on the isthmus had changed into a town that reeked of death.

The Thracian children were nowhere to be found. As they were the first children to be taken
from Thracia, they were said by the Loptrian priests to all be "the finest treasures." Because of
that, they were quickly taken to Queen Hilda's Chronos Castle.

Hilda was from Velthomer, the same house as the emperor, but she'd married Bloom of Friege
and had two children with him. One was Ishtor, who'd been killed at Melgan Castle, and the
other was Ishtar, Julius' beloved.

Hilda was so cruel by nature that it could be considered insanity. And it was only doubled when
her husband and son were killed by the liberation army.

When the liberation army thought of what kind of fate awaited the Thracian children, they
couldn't afford to relax in Peruluke. They quickly prepared for their next attack.

During their preparations, Julia went missing.

'Did she have some kind of premonition?' Seliph wondered.

As soon as they'd gained control of Peruluke, she had approached Seliph to talk to him, and he
did not know the reason why, so he’d felt uneasy ever since.

'It's really unusual for her to be the one to start a conversation with me.'

Ever since Lewyn had entrusted Julia to him, as her guardian, he'd always taken special care of
her. However, she did not take advantage of that. Especially ever since she'd learned that Lana
loved him, it was apparent that she was always avoiding him on purpose.

But on the battlefield, she told a different story. Though she'd previously been a shaman, she
could also use light magic. Seliph had given her an Aura spellbook he’d obtained during the
battle in Isaach, and used it to fight bravely, killing countless enemies.

Seliph talked to Lewyn about what to do.

"Julia's gone missing!"

The always calm Lewyn looked unusually shaken up. "I see, that is a huge error on our part. We
needed to be more careful. It seems we underestimated the enemy a bit."

"What's become of her?"

"She was kidnapped by the enemy. That's the only thing I can think of."

"But why?"

"I don't know why yet. But your mother Deirdre also went missing once. It was during the fight
with King Chagall in Augustria. She'd just given birth to you, so she didn't participate in the
battle. However, during a break in the fighting, she left the castle to meet with Sigurd. That was
when she went missing.

"The next time I saw her was during the Battle of Belhalla. She appeared before us as King
Azmur's granddaughter and Arvis' newly wedded wife. That makes you and Crown Prince Julius
brothers from different fathers."

"Lewyn, I've always had this feeling. This feeling that you're hiding a lot from me. Please tell it
me. Don't worry about my feelings. I want you to tell me everything you know."

"Yes, I was thinking that the time would soon come for me to tell you. It seems like this is perfect
timing.

"Until now, I have emphasised the aspect of this war that is the people standing up against the
tyranny of the empire and Loptr Church. That was because I wanted you, as the leader of this
army, to think about the people. No matter how many Crusaders wielding Holy Weapons rise
up, if you are not an ally to the people, you have no chance of winning.

“But when I heard your speech in Thracia recently, I felt that you now have all the qualities of a
leader. So I think it's finally time for me to tell you about one more aspect of this: the Crusader's
battle.

“I have traveled the world for over ten years in search of the truth about the Battle of Belhalla.
What really caused it? I met more people that I could count, and scrutinized each and every
record of the event I could find. I thought the profession of bard fit in perfectly with that goal, but
I also occasionally changed my appearance. I have even disguised myself as a priest of the
Loptr Church.

“That was how I discovered a huge secret."

And so, Lewyn began to tell a long story.

"This happened about three hundred fifty years ago.

“Galle, who would go on to become the founder of the Loptrian Empire, crossed the sea and
traveled the world when he was young. His goal was to drink the blood of an ancient dragon of
legend and gain power that humans could not possibly match.

"Nowadays, ancient dragons have become the products of our imaginations. No one has ever
seen one. However, when Galle returned home from his journey, he possessed a mysterious
power.

“Galle had been ambitious from the very beginning, and in Year 440 of the Gran Calendar, he
said that he was the arrival of the one and only god Loptous, then founded the Loptr Church.
After that, he used his mysterious powers to reform many young people, and created an evil
army that did exactly as he told them to.

"Seven years later, his army caused a civil war within the Gran Republic. The world called it
"The Rebellion of the Twelve Deadlords." In just half a year, the republic fell. And in the next
year, they established the Loptrian Empire, with Archbishop Galle as its emperor. That was
when Loptous transformed into a dark god.

"Loptous wanted the fresh blood of children. Those who resisted were killed without mercy. The
"Tragedy of Miletos" and "Massacre of Edda" that we still pass down stories of now, are nothing
more than particularly striking examples from that time.

"To the people, every single day was a living hell.

"Finally, they were unable to put up with it any longer, and in Year 535, Maira, of the imperial
family, started a rebellion. Maria's rebellion was quickly suppressed, but after that, a liberation
army rose up in every region, revolting to overthrow the empire.

“The liberation armies were defeated by the mighty imperial army, but where one was defeated,
another rose up in its place, and the fighting continued on for a long time. Only the fighting itself
could not be stopped. Then, the Miracle of Darna, which you've spoken of before, occurred.

"The gods that descended at that time knew that the chaos occurring on the Jugdralian
continent was caused by powers those of the dragon tribes possess, and if they left things as
they were, then the entire world would one day be controlled by dragons. To prevent that, they
came from their other world.

“The gods took on human forms. For example, Light God Naga appeared as a young girl, and
Fire God Salamander appeared as an old man. Next, they exchanged a blood pact with twelve
warriors, meaning that they pricked their fingers, and gave their blood to the warriors. It was the
same way that Galle hand received the ancient dragon's power. The twelve gods were actually
dragons as well.

"The dragons gave the warriors their blood, as well as twelve weapons that had their powers
sealed inside them. That is how the Twelve Crusaders were born.

"Loptous was the most evil of his tribe, one that possessed terrifying power. Only the Dragon
King Naga could oppose him. And so, Naga gave Saint Heim, the leader of the liberation army,
her blood, and the Book of Naga.

“After that, they passed on several warnings to the Crusaders, then left. The Twelve Crusaders
combined their powers and finally defeated the emperor of the Loptrian Empire, who was
Loptous current incarnation. Some were against the efforts to eradicate Loptous’ bloodline, as
they questioned whether or not it was necessary to go so far as killing the children. However,
they had no other options. One of Naga's warnings explained to them that Loptous could be
revived.

“If a woman who'd inherited Loptous' blood birthed a boy and a girl with one of the descendants
of the Twelve Crusaders, and their children then had a child of their own, Loptous would be
reborn in that child. Fearing that possibility, the Crusaders killed every member of Loptous'
family. However, one person managed to go undetected by the Crusaders.

“That person was a descendant of Maira, the one to start the rebellions. The emperor who
suppressed the rebellion had massacred Maira's family, but a child he'd had with a commoner
when he was young escaped. Maira had only spent one night with the mother, so he didn't know
they'd had a child together. Because of that, the child was not treated as a member of the
imperial family.

"One hundred years passed.

"Naga's warning was the "Hope of Resurrection" to the surviving followers of Loptous. Any of
them that were found were burned at the stake. However, the priests could use magic, so some
hid their identities, and served royals and the wealthy.

"Those mages searched tirelessly for a survivor of Loptous's family, and, in the end, they found
a descendant of Maira. That lineage had birthed a daughter, whom the priests educated in the
behavior and speech of a high-class woman, dressed in fine clothes, and sent to a place where
she would be noticed by a man who'd descended from one of the Twelve Crusaders.

"Eventually, the woman, named Cigyun, caught the eye of Duke Velthomer. Though she did not
wish to marry him, she had no choice but to do exactly as the mages told her to.

"That marriage resulted in the birth of Arvis.

"But later on, Grannvale's Prince Kurth sympathized with her plight, and the two developed a
secret love. As soon Duke Velthomer discovered it, he felt he could not bear such a disgrace,
and committed suicide.

"Meanwhile, Cigyun was terrified of the weight of her sins, and fled Velthomer. She was
pregnant with Prince Kurth's child at that time. After returning to her home, the Verdane Forest,
she gave birth to a daughter, who was your mother, Deirdre.

"The Loptrian priests searched frantically for Cigyun. However, by the time they figured out
where she had been, she had already passed. That was when Deirdre and Sigurd were
married, and had even already had you.

"However, the priests didn't give up there. Their only hope was in Loptous' revival.

“For that reason, they kidnapped Deirdre and erased her memory. The one to do that was
probably Archbishop Manfroy. He had appeared when Arvis came of age. This is also just a
guess, but Manfroy probably told Arvis that he has both Mage Warrior Fjalar and Loptous'
blood, and once Arvis knew that, he likely feared that he would be burned at the stake. Of
course, Manfroy undoubtedly also whispered in his ear sweet words of making him emperor if
he'd cooperate with the Loptr Church.

“And so, Arvis fell in love with Deirdre at first sight. Then, he introduced her to King Azmur as
his betrothed. The king took one look at her, and suspected that she might be a member of his
family. When he had Deirdre take off her circlet, he saw the Holy Mark of a descendant of Saint
Heim. He recognized her as his late son's daughter, and entrusted the country to them.

"That happened right before the Battle of Belhalla. Since three years prior to that, battles had
occurred here and there across the continent, but it’s believed that those were also orchestrated
by Manfroy from behind the scenes. There's no question that Manfroy's target was Arvis and
Deirdre's child, and to end the bloodlines of the Crusaders before Loptous was reborn. And
things went as he'd planned. When the Battle of Belhalla was over, the only surviving
descendants were Arvis and Travant.

"Then, Julius, the child who was supposed to eventually become Loptous in the future, was
born. The first half of Arvis rule was not a bad one, but recently, the Loptr Church's tyranny has
become obvious, and I'm certain this is because Julius has grown and become powerful.

"Arvis and Deirdre had one more child, a daughter and Julius' twin. She should be, of course,
Saint Heim's descendant, but no one has seen her at the palace in years, meaning she has
gone missing. But she is actually Julia.

"She is your sister from another father.

"The only thing is, I do not know the reason why she was kidnapped.
“I know it has something to do with Loptous' rebirth, but how is Julia connected to that? She
may be a descendant of a Crusader, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she was born with one
of their powers. Julius should be the same. Has Loptous already been reborn within Julius, or
has that not happened yet, and they need Julia for it? Or perhaps they are trying to round up all
the Crusader’s descendants fighting with the liberation army, for something like the Battle of
Belhalla. Is that why they kidnapped Julia, because their goal is simply to recreate that?

"That is what I do not know."

Lewyn's long story was finally finished.

There was so much to it, that Seliph didn't know what to say right away.

Just then, Lana walked into the room. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, you're okay. Do you need something?" Seliph asked.

"A bard has asked if you'd like to listen to a poem about the Crusaders."

"I don't really want to hear it right now, but…"

"No, a bard is a person that always tells the truth. If he's come from afar, we absolutely should
listen.” Lewyn said.

Lana led them to the bard, a blind old man. His clothing was not at all stylish like Lewyn's, and
he had nothing but a kithara with him, making him easily mistakable for a beggar.

He clumsily bowed his head, then raised his kithara.

However, from the moment his fingers strummed the strings, and the first sound echoed into the
air, the proof of his skill was undeniable. The first measure was powerful, the second was like
something from a dream, and from the third onwards, he strummed a string of complex chords.

When the short prelude ended, he recited with a clear voice,

'Black Knight Hezul

Cut through the darkness with Demon Sword Mystletainn

Sword Saint Od

Swept away the darkness with Divine Blade Bulmung

Holy Warrior Baldr

Lit up the darkness with Holy Sword Tyrfing

And lastly, Saint Heim

Prayed to the heavens with the Book of Naga

The prayer turned into a light

Which turned into a white dragon

That challenged the black dragon to battle

The white dragon and the black dragon,

Light and darkness,

Fight a long battle that might never end

Will it end in victory?

Or in death?

I am not afraid

For even if our battle

Ends in defeat

The light we seek

Will never be lost

I believe

In those who will inherit our hearts

I believe

In those who will inherit our light.'

Seliph gave a huge round of applause for the bard's magnificent recitation of the poem.
The bard winked at Lewyn, then left the room.

"What's the matter, Lewyn? That was an amazing performance, wasn't it?"

Seliph looked at and asked Lewyn, who hadn't clapped, and spoke not a word, because he was
lost in thought.

"I was a fool."

"Why? Why were you a fool?"

"The reason why Julia was kidnapped. It was obvious. She isn't necessary for Loptous’ revival.
She's the opposite - she's an obstacle in their way, because she is the inheritor to the Book of
Naga. Meaning she is the one who possesses the power to defeat Loptous. I fear that Loptous
has already been revived, and he intends to kill her. Why did I not realize it sooner!?"

"What did you just say!? Then we must go save her right away!"

'Julia, please stay alive.' Seliph prayed. 'We'll come save you. Until then, please stay alive.'

Chapter 11: The Children of Thracia

The next day, the liberation army began to march. Their destination was Queen Hilda's Chronos
Castle.

Along their path was a wooded region, where a mage unit was waiting for them.
"Rout the enemy, then press onward!" Seliph yelled, then led the charge into the enemy
formation.

His image vividly resembled that of "Blood-Soaked Sigurd," the great hero who'd made his
enemies tremble in fear, and inspired his allies.

The liberation army cut down the enemy in the blink of an eye, then trudged through the forest.

After that, no one else interrupted them until they reached Chronos Castle.

"To Chronos!"

In response to his words, all units charged.

Hilda fled, fearing their power.

Right after that, they traveled west to Lados Castle, where they were met by a cavalier unit led
by General Ridel.

Ridel had only been carrying out the child hunts, so the sight of the liberation army made him
overjoyed.

"It looks like we'll be able to fight our first decent fight in a long time! All units, chaaaarge!"

Ridel's cavalier unit was powerful. However, after fighting so many successive battles, the
liberation army had mastered the best strategy to use against cavalier units - endure the first
wave, then shift the tide of battle with a counterattack.

It was a difficult fight, but once it was over, it was clear that the liberation army had claimed an
overwhelming victory.

There was a large group of children being held at Chronos Castle, but none of them were from
Thracia. The Thracian children had been taken to Grannvale the day before.

"Then we must hurry after them!"

"Please wait. There is still Lados Castle to the west. If we ignore it and all march onwards, the
soldiers there will come to threaten us from behind.”
Seliph nodded at Oifey's proposal. "Oifey, you're right. Alright then, just the cavalier unit will
attack Lados Castle. The infantry will all head towards Miletos Castle. When we take Miletos,
next will finally be Grannvale."

The person who took the Thracian children to Miletos was Crown Prince Julius' beloved, Ishtar.

She loved him from the very bottom of her heart, and wished to make him happy, so she did
whatever he said, no matter what it was. However, that did not mean that she gladly executed
all of his orders. She questioned his orders relating to the child hunts in particular.

They arrived in Miletos at around three in the afternoon. The children were all given a simple
meal, then ushered into a room. Afterwards, she went in to check on them, and, probably
because they'd been so tired, they were all nestled within a pile of straw and fast asleep.

Ishtar saw nearly twenty children's sleeping faces. They looked completely innocent, as if they
hadn't seen any of what they’d experienced on this trip. Some had tear stains on their faces,
and every time she saw them, she felt a pain in her chest.

'What if it were my child?'

She had that thought because she'd recently started to suspect that she may be carrying Julius'
child.

'If I told him we're going to have a baby, I wonder what he would say?'

When she returned to the castle's main building, Julius was unexpectedly there to see her.
"It's been so long since we last saw each other, Ishtar. I heard you brought the Thracian
children here."

"Yes."

"How are they?"

"They are tired, but none of them are ill. They are all smart, cute little children."

"Excellent. I want you to send them to Belhalla straight away."

"I will."

"No, wait. It appears that someone else will take them to Belhalla. I've thought of a better idea
for us." A mischievous smile, like that of a child's, crept upon his face. "Would you like to play a
game here with me?"

"What kind of game are you thinking of?"

"Tomorrow, the rebel army will come this way. Let's see who can kill one of their soldiers first."

"I understand. If it's a fight, then it will be fun."

"Oh, so it wouldn't be fun if it were some other game."

Julius glared at her, and it felt as if he could see right through her and at her heart, making her
panic. "Of course… I didn't mean it that way…"

"Well, it’s fine, then. But random soldiers won't count. It must be someone with some fame to
their name. Someone with the blood of a royal family is best. Look at their weapons and armor,
and choose your enemy wisely."

"Yes, Milord."

The next morning, as the two ate breakfast, Bishop Zagam appeared before them.

"The rebel army has broken the barrier and invaded this territory. "

"Don't get yourself worked up. There's still two hours left before they get here. Until then, leave
things to the front line."

"Y-Yes, Your Highness!"

Julius glared at him, then Zagam walked away, looking confused.

When they finished their meal, Julius said with a smirk on his face, "There's still some time left.
Shall we go to the bedroom and rest for a bit?"

As he made love to her, Ishtar thought, 'Should I say it? ...I'm still not entirely sure. ...If he finds
out later that I was mistaken, he might get angry. If I wait another two weeks, then I'll know for
certain…'

Just before noon, the two lined up and walked out of the Miletos Castle gate.

The rebel army still had not gotten close yet.

"Do not leave here. The fools will probably come to us.”

"Understood, Milord."

As a descendant of one of the Crusaders, Ishtar did not dislike fighting. 'I have Mjölnir. There
should be no one who can match me.'

While they waited, the battleground moved closer and closer to Miletos Castle.

'That's it, come closer, so I can show Lord Julius my power.' At that moment, she saw a mage
running towards them.

"Lord Julius, I've won, yes?" She said, then gasped.

The mage was running unnaturally fast.

'He's wearing a Leg Ring!' She thought as he rushed up to her.

Ishtar panicked and tried to cast a Mjölnir spell, but her opponent was a split second faster.

He hit her with a strong gust of wind, sending her flying to the ground.

Even upon watching that occur, Julius' expression did not change. He cast a spell on her limp
body that revived her.

"You lost." Was all he said. He did not even extend a hand.

'He does not know what death is,’ Ishtar thought, 'so his heart is not moved by the deaths of
others.' She felt the area around her chest become cold.
A second later, she was suspended in the air. 'He's warping me.’

When she regained her senses, she was in the reception room of Grannvale's Chalphy Castle.

Emperor Arvis was sitting on the throne.

She walked up to him, then bowed to him in a manner worthy of the emperor. "It's been a long
time since I saw you last, your Majesty. I hope you have been well…"

"Ishtar, about the twenty children arrived a short time ago. I heard that they were brought here
by your order. Is that incorrect?" He sounded as if he was blaming her.

"Y-Yes, it is.."

"Was it ordered by those who normally carry out the child hunts?"

"Yes. It was by Lord Julius' orders that I do it…"

"Please return the children to their parents. Tell Julius that I said to do so. I think that even you
do not truly wish to do this job.”

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."

Just then, Julius appeared between the two of them.

"Father, your selfish actions are causing trouble. Ishtar is my subordinate!"

"Julius! You…"

"You still do no't seem to understand, Father. You just recently promised not to speak out about
what I do, did you not? Or are you planning to try to banish me again?"

"No…" Though he denied it, Arvis glared at Julius.

Julius calmly glared back. Their eyes were locked in a battle all it's own.

Finally, the one to look away first was the father. "I know it would amount to nothing even if I did
oppose you. I won't say anything further." There was no power in his voice. It was the voice of a
man who knew all of his hopes and dreams in the world had been destroyed.

"So long as you understand. Miletos Castle will fall any moment now. The rebels will target this
castle next. Of course, Father, I believe I asked you to guard this castle. Have you sufficiently
prepared to do so?"
"I have, but I will go check the unit's deployment status once more." The betrayed father said
before walking out of the room.

"Now then, Ishtar, you look tired. Shall we rest for a bit?"

"N-No… It is my duty as well to protect the capital. I must prepare, and…"

"What's wrong? Do you want to run away from me now?"

"No… not at all! I love you."

Julius chuckled. "It's fine, you know. I won't stop you. I never lose, but you should prepare
yourself until you feel at ease.”

"Thank you. Excuse me.. "

Julius, now alone, sat on the throne, and relaxed.

Archbishop Manfroy soon appeared from behind him.

"Is that you, Manfroy?" Julius asked, not moving an inch.

"Yes… Arvis is now only the emperor in name alone. What a miserable man."

"Don't speak of other people's affairs. Nobody else sticks their nose in your business, do they?
By the way, how is Julia doing?"

"I moved her from here to Velthomer yesterday."

"Oh, really? Has her memory returned yet?"

"Yes, completely."

"Then I shall go to Velthomer as well. She is my blood sister, after all. I should speak with her at
least once before she's killed. You're coming too, Manfroy."

“As you wish, Your Highness."

Julius' body was bathed in a beam of light, and Manfroy followed soon after.

Arvis, upon returning to the castle, called the priest of Chalphy, Palmark, into his room.
"How are the children who arrived today doing?”

"The Loptrian priests put them in the dungeon." Palmark answered vaguely.

"I see." Arvis muttered with a grim look on his face, then sat in front of a small desk. He wrote a
few words on a piece of the emperor’s stationary. Then he lit a red candle and pressed the
melted wax atop the paper. Finally, while the wax was still soft, he pressed his ring on it to make
his seal.

"Tonight, while the members of the Loptr Church are asleep, show this to the guard, and have
him unlock the children. Then, take them and run. If you cross the bridge over the strait before
dawn, then the rebel army will be just beyond there. No, I suppose I should call them the
liberation army. If you are found by any soldiers along the way, you should definitely show them
this. But it has no effect on Loptrian priests, so be careful. If you’re alone with children, chances
are, they won’t overlook the fact that you are taking them somewhere.”

The message on the stationary read, “Palmark's word is my word. Emperor Arvis.”

Palmark took the letter from Arvis. "I will follow my heart, no matter what.”

"There's one more thing I want you to take." Arvis said, then walked up to the wall and opened a
hidden cabinet. He took out a single sword and gave it to Palmark.

The scabbard’s design was simple and made of silver, but the guard and hilt were finely carved,
and the tip of the hilt was inset with a glittering blue gem.

"Th-This is..."

"You served Duke Byron, correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Then you should know very well what this is."

"I-I do."

"Then go. Take care of the children."

"Yes, I will. I will, Your Majesty."

When night fell, Palmark went down into the dungeon.

The guard didn't give him any trouble, but it was difficult to awaken the children. And some of
them screamed the moment they woke up, making Palmark's heart skip a beat every time. It
took much more time for the children to understand the situation and silently follow his orders
than he'd thought it would.

They otherwise had no choice but to open the castle gate, so he decided they'd go out the
emergency exit instead. The soldiers guarding it also silently let them through at the sight of the
emperor's stationary.

Luckily for them, the moon was full, and they didn't need any torches.

Once they were a short distance away from the castle, they reached an area where some
soldiers had set up camp.

'There's Loptrian priests among them, so it's too dangerous.’ Palmark thought, and decided to
take a detour.

He distanced himself far from the campsite without being noticed by anyone.

'Now no one will be able to hear the children, even if they raise their voices.' Freed from his
nerves, Palmark shouted out without thinking, "Children, we're safe now! All we need to do is
head straight south and cross the strait."

"Really?"

"He said we're safe!"

"Yaaaaay!"

"He said we should go south!"

"I know which way south is! We should follow that star!"

"Let's go! Hurry, let's go!"

The children started to run away. Some even skipped.

Palmark followed after the children as his breath became ragged. "Hey, hold up! Not so fast! I
can't keep up!"

However, the children were so happy that his words had no effect on them.

"He said we should go to the sea!"

"We're almost there! I can smell the saltwater!"

"Let's hurry!"

"Wait! Please, wait!" Palmark finally yelled very loudly.

And the children finally stopped running.

But when he caught up, he realized the real reason why they had stopped.

They were at the edge of a steep cliff. Beyond it was nothing but dark sea waters.

The children all made scared faces and looked up at Palmark.

'The bridge! Where is the bridge?' He strained his eyes and looked left to right, but couldn't see
anything nearby that even resembled a bridge.

Finally, he realized that they'd gone the wrong way. 'Oh gods, what we should do?'

"So what are we gonna do now?"

"Are the dragon knights gonna come get us?"

'Gods, I don't care what happens to me. But please save the children.'

"I'm tired!"

"Me too!"

Palmark was completely exhausted, too. "There, there, we can rest here. We'll wait until
sunrise."

At his words, everyone sat down. One child even put their head on his lap and started to fall
asleep.

'Maybe we'll be able to see a bridge that will lead us over the strait once it is light out.'

However, knowing where a bridge was didn't necessarily mean they'd know where to go. And
there might even be a mage somewhere along the way.

'If there's a mage, I'll think of what to do then. For now, all we can do is wait until daybreak.'

The next time he opened his eyes, he felt terribly drowsy.

"Mister? Hey, Mister!"

A little girl's voice woke him up. Before he'd realized it, the night had ended.

"Some guys are coming this way!" The girl's voice trembled with fear.

"What?"

He looked towards where she was pointing, and saw five or six mages coming towards them in
the distance.

And the bridge over the strait was past them. If they ran from the mages, they would be
distancing themselves from the bridge.

"What should we do, Mister?"

"They're gonna kill us!"

"How do you know that?"

"Cause that's what happened to the last children who ran away!"

It was indeed the way of the Loptr Church to kill to set an example for others.

"Come on, let's run away!" Palmark said, and started running.

He was moving in the opposite direction of the bridge, but right now, the childrens' lives were at
stake.

The mages were moving slowly, so Palmark and the children were able to widen the gap
between them, and soon, they were unable to see their enemies.

'Maybe, just maybe, they might not notice us here.'

However, that hope was soon crushed.

Ahead of where they'd run to was the tip of a small cape, with a steep cliff on all three other
sides.

'The mages knew the road ended here. That's why they didn't panic.'

Mere moments later, they could see the mages’ heads on the horizon, and their whole bodies
soon after.
"What are we gonna do, Mister?"

"Are they gonna kill us?"

"Everyone, close your eyes and pray." Palmark said.

"Um, to who?"

"To the Crusaders?"

"Yes, pray to whoever comes to mind. Ask them to please save us." And so, Palmark began to
pray. 'Gods, please save these children.'

Chapter 12: Emperor Arvis

Fee, who'd been flying behind Altena, guided her pegasus up next to Altena's dragon.
She had something she wanted to say.

When Altena looked at her, Fee signaled, 'look ahead and to the left.'

Altena nodded and looked left, where she saw the figures of about twenty people that
looked like little specks in the distance. They seemed to be running.
'Is something chasing them?' Altena wondered, then signaled, 'let’s go that way.'

Whenever the liberation army began to march, the two of them would always fly up and
gather reconnaissance. This day was no exception, and they had traveled towards the
strait to investigate the empire's position.

They changed directions, and after flying a short distance, the pursuers appeared - a
unit of dark bishops.

'They're about to attack!' Altena signaled, to which Fee replied, 'Understood.'

As they moved towards their destination, they also gained altitude.

When the time was right, Altena, who'd flown ahead, dive bombed.

The enemies noticed them, but because they were surrounded by grassy plains, there
was nowhere for them to hide.

First, Altena thrust and delivered a killing blow with Gáe Bolg. Fee followed up and
attacked another enemy with a silver lance. When they u-turned, one of the remaining
enemies cast a black magic spell, and Fee's pegasus took the impact.

'A wound this small is nothing!’

Once Fee had flown high enough into the air again, she aimed at the enemy and dive
bombed.

"Look Mister, dragon knights are beating up the enemies!"

"They're not dragon knights! They're Crusaders!"

"Nuh-uh! They're Thracian dragon knights!"

'Our prayers have been answered.' When Palmark opened his eyes, he saw a pure
white pegasus swooping down.

"Yaaaay!"

"That's a Crusader! They're white, see? So they aren't dragon knights!"

Next, a blue dragon performed a divebomb.

The two aerial warriors defeated the dark mages, then once again gained altitude, and
flew away.

"Huh? The dragon knights flew away!"

"Nuh-uh! I told you, they're Crusaders!"

"Hey, Mister, why didn't they come save us?"

"Just wait, everyone. The Crusaders still have enemies that they must fight. If we wait,
they'll come save us for sure. Until then, we must be patient."

At that same time, a grueling battle was unfolding on the bridge over the strait.

The first able to cross the bridge and charge were the imperial armored knights.
However, because they started on the bridge, it was impossible for them to spread out,
and they were quickly pushed back.

'At this rate, should we switch to a swift counterattack, or wait until after we've
weakened the enemy forces a little more?' Seliph needed to make a decision right
away. 'This is the beginning of our fight in Grannvalian territory. Even if the enemy is
risking their honor, they're probably trying to wait it out and gauge our abilities. There's
no question that a calvary unit is very likely waiting behind the knights. If we go too far,
we'll surely take a terrible counterattack.'

"Listen up, everyone, only the calvary will fight! But do not fully cross the bridge! Once
you've finished your attack, lower the bridge, and stand by on the sands of the opposite
shore.”

At Seliph's orders, the calvary attacked in turns, crushing the enemy's initial charge.
But, just like Seliph had suggested, they did not fully cross the bridge, instead getting off
half way, then went on standby at the beach on the left side of the strait.

Soon after, the second wave of enemies started their attack, and sure enough, there
were calvary among them, just as Seliph had thought there would be.
Seliph waited in front of the bridge and defeated each incoming enemy one by one.

Before long, the enemy army tired out.

"All units, attack!!" Seliph shouted, stood as leader of the charge, and crossed the
bridge, slicing through the enemy's formation.

Next, sword fighters and mages rushed towards them, and in response, the cavalier unit
on standby finally went in to finish the fight.

At the same time, Altena returned and reported, "There's about twenty children on the
edge of a cape to the east! Fee and I eliminated a group of dark mages that was
chasing them. Because the fight near the bridge was about to start, we came back
without confirming this, but there's a chance they may be the children taken from
Thracia."

"Then let's go and see if we can confirm that’s true!" Seliph said without a moment's
hesitation.

"Shannan, please take command and surround Chalphy Castle. But I want you to wait
until I return to attack."

Seliph ordered his horse to gallop as his thoughts continued to race. 'I really want them
to be the Thracian children.'

A large group of children turned towards Seliph and waved.

He jumped off his horse and asked, "Are you okay, everyone?"

They all cheered in unison, then rushed towards him.

"You're all okay? Thank the gods. Thank the gods…"

"I thank you for saving the children. I am Palmark, the bishop of Chalphy. The children
told me they were taken from Thracia."

"Really? So you've been taking care of them? We hurried here to try and rescue them,
so I'm happy they're safe. It is me who should be thanking you."
"No, I was merely following Emperor Arvis' orders."

"Arvis' orders?"

"Yes, His Majesty has been against the child hunts since the very beginning."

"Really?" Seliph asked. 'Lewyn was right. Julius… no, Loptous, really was the one to
order the child hunts.'

"By the way, I heard that Lord Sigurd's son is a member of the liberation army."

"Ah, yes! I apologize for not introducing myself right away. I am Sigurd's son, Seliph."

"There is no doubt in my mind that this is yet another reason you were led to me. I
actually have something to give you." Palmark said, and handed over the sword Arvis
had given him.

"This-This is…!" It was the first time he'd ever see the sword, yet he felt as if he
remembered it. And not just that he'd seen it before, but also held it, and knew how it
felt to swing it.

"It is. It is Holy Sword Tyrfing, the sword passed down through your family.”

"I knew it…" Seliph took the sword, then grabbed the hilt and unsheathed it.

A dazzling light enveloped both the sword and its wielder as Seliph felt warmth flow
through his body.

'This is the moment I become a Crusader.'

Once his entire body felt warm, Seliph resheathed Tyrfing.

"Why did you have this sword…?"

"There are many reasons… But I made a promise with a certain someone, so I cannot
share them. All I can say is, they do wish for you to have it."

'Impossible, Arvis wanted me to have this…?' Seliph thought.

The person he thought would be most likely to have Tyrfing was indeed Arvis, and it
made sense that Arvis would want to give him Tyrfing if he also freed the children. But,
if it really was Arvis who did those things, Seliph questioned why.

'Who in the world would give the person trying to kill them their Holy Weapon? Arvis
shouldn't be the one wanting to give it to me. Maybe he has a special reason of some
kind?’ No matter how much Seliph thought about it, he couldn't come up with one.

"I understand. Then I won't ask their name. By the way, where is Emperor Arvis right
now?"

"He is in Chalphy Castle."

'So it really was Arvis? Still, why is the emperor protecting Chalphy Castle? No, it
doesn't matter if that is suspicious or not. I can finally kill my father's murderer. What a
turn of events this is… for the showdown between my father’s murderer and me to
happen at my father’s castle, and at the same moment I obtain Tyrfing, ’

Seliph felt that fate was working in a strange, big way.

Seliph returned to his army, then ordered everyone to protect the castle.

He left the fight with the castle soldiers to the rest of the army, then waited for the castle
gate to be destroyed.

Finally, the time came.

Seliph unsheathed Tyrfing and passed through the castle gate.

In the large reception hall at the entrance of the main building was Arvis.

"Arvis! I am Seliph, son of Sigurd!"

"So you are Seliph?"

Arvis said and closely looked him up and down, evaluating him. 'Is this young man the
one? His voice and demeanor is the same as Sigurd's was back then, aren't they? He
just might be the one to do it. He could make happen what I thought only I could do…'
Arvis recalled the first time he met Manfroy.

He'd come on the night that Arvis had turned fifteen, and inherited Valflame.

Manfroy appeared from a shadow that had formed on Arvis' bedroom wall. He then
explained that Arvis' mother, Cigyun, had inherited Loptous' blood.

"And what of it?"

"Lord Arvis, that means that you inherited Loptous' blood as well. If that information
were ever to be made public, you would be sentenced to execution by being burned at
the stake…" Manfroy said with a quiet cackle.

"Did you come to threaten me?"

"No, not at all! I am the archbishop of the Loptr Church. How could I threaten as sacred
a person as one who has Loptous' blood? I came to promise you control over the entire
continent of Jugdral."

"Impossible. Such a thing is but a dream…"

"Oh, it is no dream. Though the Loptr Church is publically banned, we've recently come
to be very powerful in the shadows of the world. We will give all of that power to you.
Once it is yours, then anything you can think of will become reality. There's just one
thing we want…"

"And what is that one thing?"

"That when you become ruler of the world, you must promise to officially recognize the
Loptr Church."

"I cannot promise such a thing. Go away, shadow man. Or else…"

"I understand. Tonight, I will leave it at that. But please think it all over. Think about
becoming the emperor, and creating your own ideal empire…" Manfroy said, then
disappeared back into the shadow.

Since then, Arvis had begun to take an interest in topics such as the Loptrian Empire's
history, and the current affairs of the Loptr Church.
'The Loptrian Empire was undoubtedly bad. But I cannot fathom the idea that it is right
to persecute the followers of Loptous after it fell. Just because they believe in Loptous,
even those who’d done nothing wrong were burned alive…'

About three years later, members of the Loptr Church were executed in the imperial
capital of Belhalla.

The victims were a young mother and her daughter, who looked to be only about three
years old.

The girl's crying made Arvis cover his ears and run away.

That night, even after he went to bed, the memory of her cries kept him from being able
to sleep.

‘If people knew the secret of my birth, then the exact same fate would be waiting for me.
And if I had a child, then they too would be…'

Arvis rose from his bed, and said aloud, "I must put an end to this."

Not even a second later, Manfroy appeared once again.

After promising that he would officially recognize the Loptr Church, Arvis said, "But that
is all I will do, Manfroy. I will not rebuild the Loptrian Empire. I will recognize your
existence, but I will not entrust this world to the dark god, or any such thing. Do not
forget that. Even if the blood of Loptous' family courses through my veins, it is the blood
of Maira, who rose up against the empire. As the inheritor to both Fire Knight Fjalar and
Crusader Maira's blood, I will change this world into one without discrimination, that
anyone can easily live their lives in. I am the only one who can make that ideal a reality.
It is for that reason alone that I am borrowing your power."

And so, for those reasons...

War and rebellion occurred all across Jugdral, killing many people.

'It was all for the purpose of building my ideal kingdom. Killing this young man's father
was also for that purpose.'
After a long war, Jugdral unified, and Arvis worked as hard as he could to make his
ideal a reality. At first, it went very well.

However, on that fated day...

Manfroy appeared carrying a black spellbook, and all of his ideals began to move in the
opposite direction.

Arvis knew he had been betrayed, and tried to do something to change what was
happening. However, his opponent's power was far greater, and all of his attempts
failed.

There was only one path left: to entrust everything to the young man before him. He'd
already given him Tyrfing. Now, he just had to give to Julia her birthright...

The youth raised the Holy Sword and slowly came closer.

In his face, Arvis saw Deirdre's features.

'So there really was something between Deirdre and Sigurd…'

At the Battle of Belhalla, when Sigurd had seen Deirdre, his face changed color.

'This man knows Deirdre.' Arvis had realized it right away. Deirdre also appeared to be
searching her mind for her lost memories.

Arvis panicked and forced Deirdre to stand down before ordering the attack on the rebel
army.

Because he'd loved Deirdre with all his heart, her memories had made Arvis suffer for a
long time.

'What kind of relationship did they have?'

But Deirdre did not have her memories and could not confirm anything with him, so he’d
succumbed to feelings of excessive jealousy at the time.

However, now, he strangely did not feel jealous.

'My ideals will live on in Deirdre and Sigurd's son. That is probably one more twist of
fate. No matter the paths I could have taken, I can no longer turn back. The only path I
have left is the one I chose.'

Purposefully seeping hatred into his voice, Arvis said "You've done well to make it this
far. I praise you for your bravery. However, just wielding Tyrfing does not make you
invincible. Long ago, my Valflame still set fire to your father, even though he had Tyrfing
at the time. Your fate will be the same. You are both pitiful creatures. Now, come face
me!"

While he spoke, Arvis prayed, 'Fire God Salamander, grant this young man power.'

The moment Arvis finished his words, Seliph lept in the air, aiming at his foe's chest.

Seliph was engulfed in a scorching fire, but he still managed to swing Tyrfing one time,
two times, then once more.

Suddenly, the fire vanished.

"Deirdre… Julia…" Arvis whispered, then collapsed on the floor.

-

When the townspeople heard the news that the emperor had been killed and Chalphy
Castle was returned to Sigurd's orphaned son, they all crowded around the castle, one
after the other.

When Seliph raised the castle gate, both the townspeople and the soldiers of the
liberation army all yelled in unison, "Long live Prince Seliph!"

They repeated it over and over again so many times that he thought they would never
stop.

"How do you feel? Has avenging your father satisfied you?" Lewyn asked that night at
the dinner table.

"To be honest, I don't feel very satisfied. Until now, I thought that killing Arvis myself and
clearing my father's regrets would make me happier than anything else in the world. But
now that it's finally happened, I don't feel as satisfied as I'd imagine. Rather, I feel a bit
empty…"

"That's because your heart has overcome its hatred.You also recognize that Arvis was
another pawn of fate. I didn't plan on telling you this, but now, I sympathize with him.
That's how I knew that you had overcome your hatred, and I'm happy for you.

“This also means one more important thing. By overcoming your hatred, you have
gained the qualities of a king."

"What does that mean?"

"You remember how happy the townspeople were today, correct? That's not just their
happiness over their oppressor's death. Even if it was through rumors, stories of your
words and deeds until now have spread, and the people have accepted them. And the
way everyone talks to you has changed recently, right? They've begun to respect you."

"You praise me too much. I cannot allow myself to be happy right now, can I? Julia is
still missing, and the war is not over yet."

"Yes, of course, that is true. Especially because you could say that the real battle has
yet to begin…"
Chapter 13: Archbishop Manfroy
Julia was taken by Archbishop Manfroy to the "duke's room," which referred to the office
where the previous Dukes of Velthomer had carried out their confidential duties. Though
it was not very big, it was decorated with fine furniture.
Julius stretched his legs and sat down in the armchair in the corner of the room. He had
a wine glass in his hand, but the scent that wafted from it was not the aroma of wine,
but that of blood.

"Long time no see, Julia. My, how you’ve grown! I'm surprised to see you've become so
sexy."

"Julius…!"

"Oh ho, you seem to have regained your memories. It's already been seven years since
you disappeared. So, what do you think? I've changed too, haven't I?"

"You haven't changed a bit."

“Hmm... maybe I have, maybe I haven’t.”

"You changed once, on that day. If I compare you to then, now, you're simply taller. And
your face has become even more despicable…"

Since they were twins, Julia and Julius always played together as children. Back then,
Julius had been an innocent little mischief maker. Whenever he had a devious thought,
something interesting would come to him, and he would giggle. Then, he would make
that unbearably cute smile of his, and everyone would immediately know that he was
plotting some kind of mischief.

However, on that fateful day, all of that cuteness disappeared. The boy that appeared in
his place had a red "mark" on his forehead, and was heartless and arrogant, with an
expression full of hate.

"Aw, don't be so harsh."

"Just who are you? You aren't my cute big brother Julius. On that day… Archbishop
Manfroy came carrying a black tome, and ever since he handed it to you, you haven't
been my big brother. The boy who appeared in his place was a demon child with
terrifying power. If that isn’t what happened, then how could you have attempted to kill
the mother who birthed you?"

"Your eyes have not deceived you, Julia. I was most certainly reborn. No, the person I
am now would put it this way: I borrowed Julius' body, was resurrected."

"..."
"I am the one who inherited the power of the Loptrian family line, and am the ruler of this
world. Loptous is resurrected in my body. And you, Julia, are the one who inherited the
power of my arch enemy, Naga. What a cruel twist of fate it is, isn’t it? We are twin
brother and sister, yet the fate we've carried since birth is one where we must kill each
other. And, that means, I'm sorry to say, that you must die before you fall in love with
someone and leave behind a child." Julius said, then an awful smile appeared on his
face, and he laughed.

"I tried to kill you once before. However, that time, Mother became desperate and fought
against me, so I couldn't finish the job. My powers were still developing. I had to kill that
woman before killing you. And so... I killed her. She knew that she was no match for me,
and warped you away right before she died. In other words, you were able to keep your
life because of your mother's death. After hearing that, are you not aware of your sins?"

Julius laughed once again. "And now, you have appeared before me once more. We've
put this off for years, but we cannot change fate! You probably know now the reason
why you must die. I really am rather kind, Julia. I was concerned that I might regret it if
my blood sister died without knowing the reason why she had to, so I made sure to tell
you. So? Do you have any last words?"

"Wait, Lord Julius!" Manfroy interjected.

"What is it? Do you object to something?"

"Not at all. I just want you to leave killing her to me. I thought of the most cruel way to
kill her, one that will crush all of her hope…"

"I see. I shall leave her to you, then. You're the one who likes such cruelty more than I
do, after all. I will be returning home to Belhalla. Tell me afterwards in explicit detail how
she died. I'm looking forward to it. Just do not let your guard down."

And so…

The final battle began.

Chalphy, Edda, Dozel, Yngvi, and Friege, five of the previous six dutchies of Belhalla,
became the next battlegrounds, one after the other.
The empire's losses piled up, but there was never an easy battle for the liberation army,
either. There were even painful victories that involved soldiers killing their own family
members. The heroes of these battles inspired the birth of countless epic poems.

One such example occurred during the battle in Dozel, where the liberation army was
suddenly attacked by a large axe knight army, and were unable to equip themselves
properly.

At that time, Larcei had said, "Leave this to me!" and stood in the middle of the road,
waiting for the enemy.

The axe knights came one after the other, swinging their killer axes at her. But not one
attack hit her. The moment after she nimbly dodged an attack, she would swing her
Brave Sword faster than the eye could see, and annihilated the Dozel unit.

The person to strike down the commander, Brian, was his very own younger brother,
Iuchar.

When Brian saw Iuchar running towards him, he yelled, "Iuchar, my stupid little brother!
Are you trying to destroy House Dozel?

"Don't worry, Brother. I will protect our duchy. It's what the people wish for as well."

Under normal circumstances, Iuchar would likely be no match for his brother, who
wielded Helswath. But on that day, his beloved Larcei was by his side. He was filled to
overflowing with a mysterious power, and when he swung his axe, it sliced Brian's head
clean off.

And that is how Iuchar obtained Helswath. He did not have the ability to wield the holy
axe, but if he and Larcei were to have a son, he might be able to inherit it someday.

The imperial army had another chance at the battle of Friege. The Yngvi bow knights
came from the south to ambush the liberation army, who had just entered Friegian
territory.

At the same time, a unit of barons, led by queen Hilda, assaulted them from the north,
making it highly likely that the liberation army would suffer heavy damage.
However, Altena and Fee teamed up and immediately created a diversion, taking out
Hilda's unit.

The enemies meant to bait them, ended up becoming bait themselves. Thanks to that
maneuver, the liberation army was able to put all of their power into their counterattack
against the bow knights.

The person leading the bow knights was Febail's cousin, Scorpio.

Febail stood before Scorpio, and gave his name.

"Oh, so you're the traitor Brigid's son? That's perfect, then. You will die here!"

"Ha! That's my line!" Febail said, and drew Yewfelle's string. His aim did not falter. The
arrow shot straight at Scorpio's face.

The one to take down Queen Hilda was her niece, Tinny.

"Oh ho ho, so you made it this far, Tinny! I've been waiting for you. I decided that you
will be the only one I kill."

"You won't stand a chance against us! Please watch me now, Mother. I'm going to kill
Hilda."

Next to Tinny was her brother. She and Arthur cast an Elthunder spell that combined
both of their feelings for their aunt, and it struck through her body.

Afterwards, when they heard that Friege had fallen, Ishtar said goodbye to Julius and
deployed.

Julius pulled her back to him, but her resolve was firm.

"I am a mage warrior of Friege, and my parents and brother were killed. I will not live in
disgrace. Please grant me the opportunity to fight."

The crown prince stepped down, and Ishtar moved the children gathered at Belhalla
Castle to a monastery in the outskirts of the city. There were some who questioned this
act, but because their opponent was Ishtar, who had Julius' favor, no one expressed
their dissent.
"Do not hand the children over to anyone until battle is over, no matter who comes for
them." She said to the leader of the monastery, then headed for Friege.

Ishtar and the three falcon knights that fought under her were extremely powerful. The
liberation army fell back further and further, making it extremely difficult for them to
capture Friege Castle.

Seliph called Ced over to him. "If we don't defeat Ishtar, we'll lose. The calvary unit and I
will charge and clear a path, so I want you to follow behind us and defeat Ishtar."

"I understand. I will stop her."

The calvary took turns charging and defeated the enemy soldiers protecting Ishtar one
by one. Finally, they created a path from which they could attack Ishtar, and Ced,
wearing the Leg Ring, rushed towards her.

Ishtar saw the mage coming towards her once again, and yelled, "I will show you
Thunder God Ishtar's final fight!"

Mjölnir and Forseti's magic collided. Neither of their wielders took lethal damage, but
Ced's second attack was a split second faster, and Ishtar took the blow directly.

"Lord Julius… I am… your…" She said, then welcomed her third, and final death.

The news of the liberation army's victories had a huge impact on the surrounding
countries.

In Ced's homeland of Silesse, the citizens rose up and chased the imperial army outside
the border. Next, in Ares' homeland of Augustria, a liberation army was formed, and a
war started there.

When Archbishop Manfroy heard of Friege's downfall, he called in Julia.

She had once again lost her memories to Manfroy's dark magic.

"Julia, it's finally your time to shine. You know what you should do, yes?"
"Yes, Lord Manfroy… kill… kill all the traitors…" She chucked quietly, then transitioned
into a gleeful laugh.

"Good. You may go."

"Yes… Lord Manfroy…"

Manfroy did not think Julia was as dangerous as Julius did. This was because, for Julia
to inherit her power, she needed the Book of Naga, but that was sealed away in
Velthomer's dungeon.

'Julius ordered for her to be killed, so it must be done. But the best way possible would
be for them to be the ones to do it!'

If Julia saw the liberation army, she would attack anyone, no matter who it was. No one
other than Manfroy could break that spell. So if they wanted to block her attacks, they
would have to defeat her. However, doing so would end the life of the inheritor to Naga's
power.

If they didn't kill her, they would be killed, but if they killed her, their chance of victory
would vanish.

'So, which will they choose?’ Manfroy gleefully imagined the dilemma the liberation
army would be in when they were attacked by Julia.

'Though it would be best if they killed her. Then, they would have to wait in despair for
what will come next.' He thought, and a chuckle that sounded just like Julia's escaped
from his throat.

After staving off Ishtar's counterattack, the liberation army once again began to march.
Their next destination was Belhalla.

At last, they'd made it to the final battle. The soldiers' morale was at an all-time high.

"The Twelve Deadlords are guarding Belhalla, but just how powerful could they be?"

"We've had to fight some difficult battles up until now, but in the end, we always won!"

"Yeah! And it's all because Lord Seliph is with us!"

Only Seliph was concerned about Julia, and the matter of her safety weighed heavily
upon him.

All he knew of her whereabouts was that she'd been taken from Chalphy Castle by
Manfroy.

'If their goal is to kill her like Lewyn said, they had plenty of time to do that. If she was
killed, we’d have to fight without Naga's power. If that ends up being the case, I wonder
if we could win in the end. Would it not end in a second coming of Father's Battle of
Belhalla?'

But Lewyn said with confidence that Julia was still alive.

"Don't worry. We're doing everything we can. Everyone is watching you, their leader. If
you lose confidence, even if we can win, we'll lose the ability to."

Seliph didn't know if Lewyn was telling the truth, or trying to cheer him up.

When they were two days away from Belhalla, they noticed a female mage approaching
them from far away.

'That's Julia, isn't it?' Seliph thought, and went out on his horse alone.

Though she was wearing a uniform of the Loptr Church, there was no doubt that the
woman was indeed Julia.

He rode up to her, got off his horse, and started to talk to her. "Thank the gods, Julia,
you're safe!"

The moment he spoke, she cast an Aura spell on him.

Because his guard was down, he took the brunt of the attack, and was injured.

"What's the matter, Julia? It's me, Seliph!

"Kyah ha ha… I will kill… everyone… who defies… Archbishop Manfroy…" She cast
another Aura spell.

This time, Seliph was on guard, so he was able to dodge it.

She tried to attack him once more.

Seliph ran back to where his allies were and searched for Lewyn. "Lewyn, Julia attacked
me! What is going on!?"

"I see, so she's being controlled by Manfroy's dark magic."

"Isn't there a spell to break his control?"

"No. But if we kill Manfroy, that might do it."

"Then let's kill Manfroy first! The cavalry unit will go to Velthomer at top speed.
Everyone left will surround Julia, so she won't be able to go anywhere. But they
absolutely must not counterattack, even if she attacks them. Keeping her alive is more
important than anything else!"

For the soldiers, it was difficult to do nothing if they were attacked. Matters of life and
death were decided in a split second on the battlefield, so when they were attacked,
their hands moved reflexively.

First, they crowded around Julia from a distance. When she found someone open to
attack, she would rush towards them while cackling gleefully. Then, every time,
everyone would run away.

She did not rest even when night fell. Everyone took turns surrounding her, but still, they
were all completely exhausted.

During that time, the cavalry unit galloped around Belhalla and traveled towards
Velthomer Castle, which was protected by a large force of dark bishops.

When Seliph got close to them, the dark bishops all moved away from the castle and
rushed in to attack.

"Hey, this saves us some trouble!" Seliph lured them towards him, then led them over to
where his allies were waiting.

Even if they had powerful magic, they weren't used to fighting, so they all fell for Seliph's
strategy and suffered total defeat.
When Manfroy saw Seliph rushing towards him, he said, "So you are the great Seliph.
Kyah ha ha! Did you like my present?"

"What do you mean, 'your present!?'"

"Julia, of course! Who killed her? I must report to Lord Julius after this, so tell me!"

"Don't be stupid! She's still alive!"

"What!?" In that moment, Manfroy realized his blunder.

'Impossible, this group has strong enough hearts to silently endure, even when under
attack… Who was smart enough to tell them to do that!?'

To hide how rattled his heart was, Manfroy acted calm, and said, "I see. So that means
Julia is still playing, yes? Kyah ha ha! That must be so difficult for you! But even if she is
still alive, she will never inherit Naga's power! The Book of Naga is sealed away, and
only three people know where it is! ...No, Arvis is dead, so now, only Julius and I know.
And would I ever tell you where that place is? Or would Julius? I don't think so, no
matter how charismatic you might be! So long as you do not know the book's location,
or how to break the seal, you will all die in the end, by the hands of Lord Loptous!"

Hearing those words filled Seliph with a deep sense of hopelessness. 'Lewyn said too
that so long as Julia does not inherit Naga's power, she cannot win against Loptous. If
that's true, then what have we done all of this for? So many people died. We even killed
people we didn't want to kill, like Arion. If Loptous wins in the end like this man says,
then what was it all for?’

"So you seem to have finally noticed it! There's no way you can win! Not against Lord
Loptous' power, nor my intelligence!"

"That's right, you plotted all of this, didn't you?" Overwhelming hatred filled Seliph's
heart.

"That's right! Kyah ha ha! Everything went according to my plan! What a magnificent
story it is, don't you think? The only one who could come up with the idea is me! No one
else could manipulate all those fools. This is the one thing us followers of Loptous have
been trying to accomplish ever since the beginning of Jugdral’s history! Kya ha ha! I
wanted to reveal everything to someone, and what a perfect opportunity you have given
me to do so! Hate me! Hate me, hate me, hate me as you die! In your final moments,
your heart will already be in hell!"
'So he's trying to fill me with hatred.' Seliph realized, and miraculously, the hatred in his
heart vanished.

Then, he remembered the bard's poem he'd heard in Peruluke.

‘I am not afraid

For even if our battle

Ends in defeat

The light we seek

Will never be lost

I believe

In those who will inherit our hearts

I believe

In those who will inherit our light.'

'Yes, I believe. That even if we lose, if we believe and fight until the end, someone else
will inherit our fight. I should believe in that, and fight.'

"The great dark god has already been resurrected within Lord Julius. The world will
finally be shrouded in darkness! There is no longer anything you can do to stop it…"

"Manfroy, I don't hate you. But I cannot forgive your existence, nor any of your actions.”
Seliph said while running towards him, then he swung Tyrfing.

The Holy Sword cleaved Manfroy's body in two.

"Lord Loptous, my soul is yours…" Those were Manfroy’s last words.

Chapter 14: The Final Battle
The moment Manfroy died, Julia's curse was lifted. "What… happened to me?"

"Manfroy cast a spell on you to control you." Lewyn explained.

"Manfroy? ...That's right, he captured me… I wonder what I did. What if I…"

"It's all okay now. Some of the soldiers have some minor wounds, but no one died.
More importantly, let's go to Velthomer. Seliph should be waiting for us there."

The two traveled towards Velthomer Castle, and along the way, they ran into Seliph and
the cavalry unit, returning from their fight.

Seliph was happy that Julia was safe, but then his expression darkened.

"What's the matter, Seliph? Did something bad happen?"

"Lewyn, we cannot obtain the Book of Naga."

"Why not?"

"Only Julius knows where it was sealed. Manfroy and Arvis knew, but I killed them both
and squandered our chances of victory."

"Um…" Julia said nervously. "I… might know where it is…"

"What did you say!?"

"Father told me. When I was being held in Chalphy, he snuck in to see me during the
night and gave me this circlet, then said, 'This is the key that will open Velthomer's
underground treasure room. There is an item in there that is very important to you.'”

Julia remembered how lonely her father's face looked at that time.

"Julia, I've done something inexcusable to you. You must hate me for it. Please forgive
me…"

"I don’t hate you! I've never hated you! You’ve always been kind to me."

"It brings me a bit of peace to hear you say that. …I don't have the power to protect you
now. It's embarrassing as a father to admit that, but I don't think there's anything that
can be done about it. Take this circlet. It's a keepsake from your mother. It's praying to
keep you safe. Your mother is surely praying for you, too."

In the memories of her childhood, her father was always full of confidence.

'Yet now, he has no power, like a person on death’s doorstep…’ Julia thought, and her
eyes filled with tears.

"There!" Lewyn said. "That's where the Book of Naga is! Come on, everyone, let's go to
Velthomer!"

The existence of the underground storeroom was by no means a secret in Velthomer, it

was just how to open it, and what was inside, that no one knew.

Within the door was a long, thin indent that seemed to match the shape of the circlet.
Julia put the circlet in the indent, and the door opened with a loud creak.

Inside was the Book of Naga.

Julia picked the tome up with both hands and pressed it against her chest. "Ah, what a
strange feeling this is. It’s so nostalgic… and warm…"
And now, it was clear to her what her purpose was.

It was not her brother Julius that she would kill, but the Dark God Loptous.

At a monastery on the route to Belhalla, Lana discovered that a large group of children
was hiding there.

The owner explained that Ishtar had taken care of them.

"Huh? Ishtar, the thunder mage warrior?"

"Yes. She said not to hand them over to anyone, no matter who came, until all of the
fighting was over."

The moment they heard that, their image of the mage who'd given the liberation army
such a difficult fight vanished. Ishtar was a woman who'd worried greatly about the
contradictions between her love and her reality.

"Poor girl." Lana whispered.

"Huh? Who are you talking about?" Seliph asked.

"Ishtar."

"Yes, that's true. She was killed in battle…”

'It is a death she was prepared for.' Lana thought. 'She, as Julius' beloved, chose to
fight, and, as a human being, also chose to save the children. If the Imperial Army had
won, Julius probably wouldn't have allowed her to get away with letting the children
escape. So either of the paths she chose would have ended in death. I wonder how
much she worried until she made up her mind.'

Comparing Ishtar's situation to her own made her realize just how happy she was. 'I
should love Lord Seliph as much as I can. And surely Lord Seliph feels the same way
towards me…'

The liberation army surrounded the perimeter of Belhalla Castle.

The soldiers all wished to attack right away, but Seliph did not allow it.

"If you all attack at once, that might end the battle quickly, but it will make us suffer a
large number of casualties. We've finally made it here. I don't want even one more
person to die."

The only people guarding the castle were the Twelve Deadlords and their soldiers.

At Seliph's order, Altena and Fee flew in from the south and attacked using their
signature "attack and retreat" maneuver. In the east, the cavalry unit was carrying out a
similar attack, and working as a group to defeat any enemy that came at them. And in
the west, Seliph was with the infantry unit, baiting the enemies, then defeating them one
by one.

They continued attacking like so until they finally defeated the entire defense unit.

"Only Julia and I will storm the castle. Anyone weak to magic cannot go near the
building!" Seliph said, then the two passed through the castle gate.

There weren't any enemy soldiers on the castle courtyard, so they were able to rush
straight into the main building, where Julius was sitting on the throne.

When he saw them, he stood up and said, "Hmph, so you're Seliph. …To the world, you
are known as the Scion of Light. Hmph. Don't make me laugh! No matter how much you
struggle, you are no match for me! Come at me whenever you want. Just be prepared
to die when you do so…"

"Loptous, I will never forgive you for your tyranny!" Seliph screamed, then rushed up to
him and swung Tyrfing. He put all of the strength in his body into that one attack, but
Julius still repelled it.

"Do you understand now, Crusader Baldur? This time, I'll go first!"Julius said, then a
black dragon appeared from within his body and attacked Seliph.

Seliph dodged the dragon's fangs and claws. However, a moment later, with a swing of
its tail that he did not predict, he was slammed against the floor. He quickly stood up,
but the dragon had vanished, and in its place stood Julius, sitting on the throne with a
cold smile spread across his face.

Seliph retreated while shielding his wounded body.

"I'll take it from here!" Julia said with confidence, and went ahead.

"J-Julia… how are you here!?" Julius asked in complete shock.

"Julius, we have been led to the fate you spoke of. Though we are twins, we must fight.
The time has come."

Her voice was filled with a strong will. And it was not just her voice, but also the look on
her face that reflected that strong will as well.

'It's as if she's not Julia at all.' Seliph sensed.

"I see. So Manfroy failed."

Julia did not answer, but clasped her hands together as if she was praying.

A white dragon appeared from within her body.

In response, the black dragon appeared from within Julius once again.

The two dragons intertwined, then flew up into the sky.

At some point, the palace ceiling, and even the walls had disappeared. The black
dragon and the white dragon were flying around in an empty void while fighting. Their
teeth cut into each other, their claws raked each other, their bodies constricted around
each other, and their tails slapped each other… The moment they would fly into the air,
they would drop back down, then fly back up just as quickly...

It was a long battle that felt like it might never end. Seliph couldn't tell who would win.
The only thing he clearly felt was their will not to lose, no matter what.

Finally, the two dragons fell, still wrapped around each other. The moment they crashed
on the ground, Seliph saw that the white dragon was just barely on top.

Then, he realized they'd returned to the palace reception hall.

Julia retook her previous prayer stance. And Julius…

“Graaaaaaaah!”
Seliph heard him howl in pain.

"So, Naga… Are you going to stand in my way… again?" Julius said, then his body
slowly crumpled in front of the throne.

The moment he fell, the castle shook violently.

The head of the black dragon appeared from within Julius' collapsed body.

'Are they going to start fighting again?'

It seemed like everything was already over, but it actually wasn’t, not quite yet.

The black dragon's body appeared little by little, but Seliph did not sense that it was
coming towards him like before. Instead, this time, the body was transparent, so much
so that he could see the wall behind it.

The black dragon slowly rose, until it shot through the ceiling and vanished. The
moment it disappeared completely, the shaking stopped.

"Loptous, the dark god, will return home." Julia said. "He knew that there no longer
exists a body in this world that can host him…. So he can never be reborn again."

The voice returned to Julia's own. And it was not just her voice that returned. Her facial
features were also once again that of the girl who was quiet, reserved, and seemed a bit
lonely.

She walked up to the throne, got down on her knees, and cradled Julius' head.
"Julius!"

The red mark on his forehead vanished, along with his arrogance and cruelty, the other
characteristics of the dark god.

"Julius, you've come back!" Julia said as she hugged him.

When the angles of his face changed, it was just for a split second, but she could see
him light up with the smile of a cute little boy who'd just thought up something naughty.
Chapter 15: Wind God Forseti
The war was over.

However, the storms of conflict had ravaged Jugdral twice in just twenty years, leaving
huge scars across the continent. Reconstruction would probably take many times the
amount of power needed to win the war.

Those who fought alongside Seliph, as well as those who now needed to bear the
burden of reconstruction, said their goodbyes, and parted ways.

Shannan, who was next in line to become king, returned home.

By his side was the future queen, Patty. As the Sword Saint, Shannan was nearly
always scowling, but that front cracked whenever he was talking to her. Even before the
final battle, he was shy when he accepted the lunch she packed for him. The two will
undoubtedly become a good husband and wife to each other.

Leif inherited the title of King of Leonster, but at the same time, many wished he would
also take on the role of unifying the Thracian peninsula.

Those who went with him to Leonster were Finn, the knight who'd vowed to protect him
ever since he was orphaned until the very end, and Nanna.

Nanna was in love with him, but because she was from Augustria, she'd told herself that
she must part with her beloved when the war was over. However, when the time finally
came, Leif took her hands in his, and passionately shared his desires for her to come
with him. They too decided to marry one day.

Though Altena was of the Leonsterian Royal Family's bloodline, she returned to
southern Thracia, where her memories of her beloved remained. There, it was decided
that she would work with Leif to unite the peninsula.

-
Ares, together with the dancer Lene and his cousin Diarmuid, decided to go to
Augustria, where the battle between the imperial army and the local liberation army still
raged on. Ending that war and unifying Augustria was the next duty bestowed upon him.

After he married Lene, he mellowed out. So long as they have the aid of the calm and
collected Diarmuid, they will likely be able to carry out even the most difficult of their
duties.

After the kingdom fell in Verdane, it had been taken over by bandits. The bow knight
Lester traveled to those remote lands to establish a new government. By his side was
the falcoknight Fee.

The six dutchies of Grannvale were inherited by their next in line.

The tactician and paladin Oifey succeeded Chalphy,

The wielder of Holy Bow Yewfelle, Febail, succeded Jungby,

The axe knight Iuchar succeeded Dozel,

The mage knight Arthur succeeded Velthomer,

High Priest Coirpre succeeded Edda,

And the thunder mage Tinny succeeded Friege.

(Iuchar's beloved, Larcei, went with him as his perfect match; and it went without saying
that Coirpre was accompanied by his adoptive father, Hannibal.)

And, of course, Belhalla was succeeded by Seliph, and he was crowned King of
Grannvale at the same time. Lana, who'd fought alongside him from the very beginning,
became his queen.

The inheritors of the duchies, and even the inheritors of the surrounding countries, all
walked up to the new king, raised their swords, and swore their loyalty to him before
leaving Belhalla. From that day forward, the Jugdralian continent would change from a
land of power and fear, to one connected by a new bond of trust.
-

The last person they said goodbye to was wind mage Ced.

"Seliph, I will return home to Silesse with Father. Thank you for everything."

"Yeah, you helped us out a lot! We'll never forget you!” Then, he turned to Lewyn. “And
Lewyn, I don't know how I could ever thank you…"

"There's no need to, Seliph. Everything we accomplished was because of all your hard
work."

"Now, Father, let’s…"

"No, Ced. I will not go to Silesse. You are the only one who can rule Silesse."

His father's unexpected words pushed Ced to put pressure on him to change his mind.
"But why, Father!? The war is over. Please return home with me."

"No, I have played my part. Just like the other countries, Silesse must also be reborn.
For that to happen, she needs a power of youth like yours."

"I don't understand. Silesse needs you, Father! Please, please, come back home."

"You've said more than enough. I don't want you to speak another word. Fee realized
everything from the very beginning. You should have already as well. Isn't that right,
Ced?"

"Father!"

"I won't say anything more. Now go! Silesse is counting on you!"

Ced bit his lip and stared at his father for a long while.

But when he realized that Lewyn's resolve was firm, he turned towards Seliph and
bowed his head. "Then this means goodbye, Lord Seliph. Good luck. You too, Lady
Lana… and you as well, Father…" With that said, Ced bowed his head deeply, then left.

"Seliph, Lana, though it pains me to leave, I am going to go on a journey."

"Where will you be going?" Lana asked.

"A bard has no set destination. I will travel wherever the wind may take me."

"Lewyn, thank you so much. You watched over me and guided me when I knew nothing.
I am so grateful to you from the very bottom of my heart."

"I was merely fulfilling my duty. Silesse's royal family is one of wind mages. Wherever I
am, I am there simply because the wind took me there. And you humbly took that wind
in."

"I know that, Lewyn. And I also know that your true identity… is not really Lewyn."

"..."

"The Lewyn my father fought with really did die during the Battle of Belhalla. Some of
the female soldiers survived, but all of the men died during that battle. So I wondered,
then, why you are the only one they failed to find.

"You are actually one of the dragon tribes, most likely the god who made the pact with
Crusader Ced at Darna Castle, and granted him the powers of wind magic. You knew
that the path leading to Loptous' revival was opened at the Battle of Belhalla, and took
Lewyn's form to try to stop it."

Lewyn did not deny Seliph's words, nor did he affirm them.

"I've heard that the dragon tribes fear participating in the human world. But you went so
far as to break that rule to guide us. So long as this land exists, we will never forget all
you've done for us. Lewyn… no… Forseti of the wind, and warrior of a distant land."

Lewyn raised an eyebrow and smirked. Then, he bowed in a manner fitting of a bard,
and tried to leave the room.

"Wait, Lewyn!"

When Lewyn turned around, it was only just a little bit, but he looked uncomfortable.

"I want you to tell me one thing, Lewyn. Did you know that Arvis had given Julia the
circlet? And were you trying to tell us that Manfroy hadn't killed Julia?"
The bard paused for a minute, then said, "No, there was no way that I could have
known. I knew what the darkness' goal was, but none of the intricate details. All I knew
was that even they had a weakness."

"And that weakness was?"

"That they do not sympathize with the human heart. And that you would have become
proud of your own power."

"..."

"That if we did our best, then one day, that weakness would be revealed. I only believed
in that. You did not win with power. You won because you are considerate and humble.
That is why everyone stayed with you until the very end, despite how harsh the battles
were. That will also be important for your future rule. You two should remember that."

The bard said, then waved his right hand to say goodbye. His gesture also conjured up
a light breeze.

“One more thing, Lewyn! The bard in Peruluke, was he a dragon? Or…"

But the bard had already begun to fade away, little by little. He disappeared without
giving an answer.
-

The Thracian Peninsula was unified.

The region, made up of many small countries and plagued by perpetual war, finally
welcomed peace with the restoration of the Leonsterian Royal Family’s power and the
death of the Kingdom of Thracia.

The first king of this new country was Leif, chosen by the people and their passionate
hopes for him.

Leif entrusted Altena with the reconstruction of the territory that previously belonged to
the Kingdom of Thracia.

Altena never left Thracia ever again. For the rest of her days, she protected the land
she was raised in, as well as her memories of Arion, with a love so strong it would last
her entire life.

The Kingdom of Isaach had been the first nation to be freed from the empire's
oppression, but the inheritor to the throne was not there at the time, so the peoples'
days were filled with uncertainty.

Because of that, they welcomed Shannan's return home. Once he was crowned, he
worked tirelessly to rebuild his country, and proceeded to implement trade with the other
nations. Isaach was previously called the barbarian land of the east, but the latter half of
his rule achieved unprecedented development, and Isaach transformed into a rich land
that rivaled the other countries.

After the civil war ended in Augustria and the country was annexed by Grannvale, it had
been put under a strict, tyrannical rule.

Because of that, all of the people had wished for their own liberation army and the
establishment of a new, unified country, and those wishes were directed towards the
hero Eldigan and the Nordion Royal Family. They were wildly excited to welcome Ares
home, because he reminded them of Eldigan in his youth.
Under Ares' rule, Augustria's reconstruction progressed quickly. After that was done, the
country continued to develop as Grannvale's greatest ally.

Because Verdane was a remote country, the empire did not meddle into their affairs
very much. However, after the death of their king, each tribe had gotten into disputes
time and time again, public order was in distress, and thieves went around looting as if
they owned the place.

Amidst all of that, Lester's homecoming, as one of the hero Prince Jamke's bloodline,
gave the people courage, and many young people gathered around him. The war to
unify Verdane ended in less than a year, and Lester was crowned king. He earned the
cooperation of both Grannvale and Augustria, restored the lands, and returned Verdane
to the country his grandfather Batu had created.

Verdane, the forested land of the lake… Where Sigurd’s prayers are granted in the
beautiful greenery, and the clear water is made up of Deirdre's tears. Or so the people
believe…

Silesse, which had long been under the empire's control, crowned Ced once he
returned home, and poured its energy into restoring the country's utterly destroyed
lands.

The people loved their beautiful land and peace that had returned to it. The kingdom
that Lewyn had given his life trying to protect was finally trying to finish his work.

And so, Seliph, as the new king of Grannvale, poured his energy into restoring the
country, bringing peace to the continent, and creating a rich world without discrimination
or oppression.

Through it all, he was always accompanied by his queen, Lana, who was always
snuggled up next to him and smiling; and Princess Julia, who always watched over him
with a kind, warm gaze.

-
Many years afterwards, the people would say.

"Within Jugdral's history, there was a holy king.

His name was Seliph."

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War - End

Afterword
In general, it’s probably best to entrust game novelizations to young writers.

However, “Fire Emblem” is my favorite game series, so when Ascii Corporation*

approached us about a Fire Emblem novelization, it was quickly decided that I would be
the one to write it.
My involvement in the gaming industry started with a position as a designer for a
simulation war game. It is from that point of view that I understand how to turn a war
scenario from a game into a novelization, and where I can put my own spin on things.
One such thing I do is consider what would be the best strategy and tactics to respond
to the enemy’s movements, and how to incorporate that. (For example, I discovered on
my own the strategy to go behind Kapathogia Castle to save Coirpre, which allows
Seliph to conquer the castle three turns faster. This method is not written in any of the
currently published strategy guides.)

During my first playthrough of the game, in the beginning, I was confused by the skill
that the cavalry units have that allows them to move again, as well as the
implementation of the arena. In the previous games on the Famicom,** I completed the
game without ever once entering the arena. This time, I made it all the way to chapter 4
without entering the arena, but the game became so difficult that I had to start over from
the very beginning with a new save file (Wasting forty hours of my life in the process!).

On my first playthrough, I prioritized speed, so I didn’t put much thought into the
romance system. Because of that, Aideen ended up marrying Dew. But, on my second
run, I realized the importance of the romance system, so on my third playthrough, I
made a plan (?) from the start detailing who would marry who.

I say this because I based the story of this novelization on my third playthrough.

The ways in which games and novels present stories is very different. So to utilize the
unique features of a novel, I didn’t follow the same progression of the story as the
game, instead resolving to omit some things, while also placing an importance on
explaining some scenes and situations that were not detailed in the game (Shannan
and Patty’s story at the Aed Shrine is one such example.). As a result, because I had a
page limit, I had no choice but to cut out a lot of the story’s first half. I hope those who
were wishing for the characters in the first half to play an active role in this novelization
will forgive me (And if the opportunity arises, I want to try writing about them some
day.).

I intended to be as faithful to the original story as possible, but there is one part I
changed on purpose. That is the plot where Arion is revived by Julius, and makes a
second appearance. If he could play an active role after being revived, that would be
great, but it’s a shame that he’s treated as a neutral party, and doesn’t leave Altena’s
side. So I ended his story with his glorious death. (The scene I wrote in which Arion and
Altena confront each other received positive feedback, and it is a favorite of mine, too...
so I hope the creators can forgive me!).
I hope those who have played the game once will read this book and think “Of course,
so that’s what the meaning behind those lines and actions were!” and will want to play
the game again. That was my ideal goal for this novelization, but how did I do?

I can’t wait to hear the opinions those crazy about Fire Emblem have of this book!

Lastly, I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to Kyōko Takase, my head editor, who
shared countless helpful suggestions with me; and the illustrator, Rika Suzuki.

July 1996

Ginichirō Suzuki

*T/N: The publisher.

**T/N: Japanese version of the NES.