Under the raging battle between Dragonians and Dragons in the sky, I, accompanied by my wives, advanced through the Linea Valley, which was to be the battlefield.
Sandwiched between the Mylight Mountains to the west and the Apismo Mountains to the east, there were also a few streams. However, the only path to Retisencia was through this Linea Valley, and its width was about 300 meters. During the war with Retisencia, this place was designated as the battlefield.
“Everyone else said the same thing, but do our customs apply to the Demon Race?”
“I don’t know. But even though we’re far from the main camp, it’s only a few hundred meters. If we all run at full speed, we can reach it in a few seconds.”
“Besides, this battle with Abaricia might not be the end of it. If they have the same customs as us, then it’s good, and if they don’t, it will be easier to deal with.”
MUSE and Marie answered Saya’s question.
The reason we were walking through the battlefield was to confirm their intention to fight after announcing ourselves and to deliver a surrender demand.
However, with the fierce battle raging above, there was no doubt they intended to fight. And even if, by some chance, they accepted our surrender, we had to eliminate every single demon, so I didn’t think it was meaningful.
But it was also an opportunity to learn about the customs of war on the Gradia Continent, and with four Ancient Classes present, regardless of what the Demon Race did, a worst-case scenario was unlikely.
The only concern was the existence of the Divine Emperor, but from what I could see from a distance, there was no one who seemed to fit the description. Moreover, the luxurious container that the Divine Emperor was presumably riding in seemed to be out of our line of sight, so he probably wouldn’t appear.
Yamato and Mako had predicted that the Divine Emperor was a dubious character who absolutely believed in Engravers and looked down on the Helios Orb, which had no Engravers. Perhaps they were underestimating us.
“It seems a few people are coming from their side too.”
“Indeed. But it’s still hard to say for sure if they have the same customs.”
“But since they are coming, the possibility is not zero.”
There was movement from the Demon Race side as well, and about five individuals were walking towards us.
Naturally, they were armed, as it was a battlefield, but their composed gait gave them the aura of seasoned warriors.
It was difficult to gauge the magic power of demons, but they were definitely High Demons.
This looked like it was going to be tough to deal with.
After waiting for a while, they arrived directly in front of us.
Although the distance was about 5 meters, if both sides intended to fight, this distance was negligible.
Especially since they were demons, we maintained our composure.
“It seems that the Philia Continent also has the same customs as us.”
“It would appear so. In our customs, the side that arrives first makes the declaration, but what about on the Gradia Continent?”
“It’s the same as your side.”
The customs of war on the Philia Continent and the Gradia Continent were not greatly different, in fact, they were almost identical.
Then, in accordance with custom, let us make the first declaration.
“Then I shall make my declaration first. Do you have any objections?”
“None.”
“Thank you. I am Rex Fallheight, Grand Order’s Master, belonging to the Order’s Guild of the Amister-Philias Federation Heavenly Empire.”
“Hoh, as I heard, the country’s name has changed. And I believe Grand Order’s Master means the Grand Master of the Amister Knight Order. I saw the previous one, and to be chosen as his successor at such a young age, this is quite a formidable opponent. Oh, forgive me. I am Arthur von Scharfrichter, Commander of the Chi You Army of Abaricia.”
So this man was Arthur von Scharfrichter.
I had heard about the Chi You Army, said to be the strongest in Abaricia, from the previous Grand Order’s Master, Lord Tolman. I never thought such a prominent figure would actually appear.
I heard that Lord Tolman had fought in the naval battle with Abaricia about 30 years ago, leading the Order’s Guild, and he had told me that Arthur von Scharfrichter was the commander on the Abaricia side during that time.
Although they did not formally declare themselves due to it being a naval battle, it is recorded that as their flagship vessels clashed, they somehow sensed something in each other, and after one of them initiated the declaration, they disengaged.
In the war with Solemne, it was done perfunctorily, but that was because we didn’t believe we could reason with Solemne, and they didn’t doubt their own righteousness. Thus, both sides likely intended to minimize the exchange.
Still, I declared myself according to custom, but the Solemne side not only skipped that but even launched a surprise attack. It seems they didn’t think much of breaking customs.
Considering that, perhaps the demons are more rational.
“So you were Lord Arthur. I have heard about you from the late Lord Tolman.”
“So you are the successor to Lord Tolman. I didn’t expect to meet you here. But that’s precisely why this battle is becoming interesting.”
He smiled ferociously, exuding an air of composure, but at the same time, he no longer concealed the malevolent magical power peculiar to demons.
This man was undoubtedly a High Demon, possibly on par with, or even surpassing, an Ancient Class.
My level has risen to 78, but even so, I would be lucky to be considered an equal.
“Don’t be so wary. A surprise attack or a sneak attack in a situation like this would be nothing short of disgracing the name of our great Divine Emperor. Besides, even if you attempted such a maneuver, I don’t believe you could defeat us.”
Your murmurs reached my ears, saying that even if you succeeded in a surprise attack, you didn’t think you could defeat a single one of us.
It’s not surprising that Lord Arthur would know that I am an Ancient Human, as it has been made public.
However, even so, I didn’t expect Lord Arthur, who had transformed into a High Demon, to say such a thing.
In my mind, Abaricia was a country as arrogant as, or even more so than, Retisencia, and their soldiers were the same. I may need to revise my opinion.
“The same applies to us. I have many things I want to ask, but I must ask this one thing. Is the Divine Emperor present here?”
“He is. His Majesty intends to bring the Philia Continent under his dominion with this personal campaign. Originally, the schedule was for a little later, but that country proved more useless than expected, and who would have thought they’d destroy themselves? And Solemne, was it? That country was also caught up in the information about steamships that we deliberately leaked, so if things had gone smoothly, conquest should have been easy.”
He told me more than I had asked, but it was mostly as I had expected.
Of course, I wouldn’t believe everything he said, but it was information that would be difficult to verify, so Arthur’s testimony would remain on record.
“I see, so you obtained that information about two months ago, and that led to this personal campaign.”
“That’s right. Ah, I have something I want to ask as well.”
“If it’s something I can answer.”
Naturally, I cannot and do not intend to divulge classified information, but a certain degree of exchange is also customary. While not exactly reciprocation with sincerity, I will answer what I can.
“You mentioned the ‘Heavenly Empire’ earlier, didn’t you? By any chance, is the current King of Amister declaring himself the Celestial Emperor?”
“Precisely. All countries except Retisencia have gathered under His Celestial Emperor. Therefore, the current Philia Continent is unified under His Celestial Emperor’s name.”
There are the Three Kingdoms and smaller countries, but the fact that His Celestial Emperor is at the apex remains unchanged.
“I see. What His Imperial Majesty, the Imperial King, was saying was incoherent, so I didn’t quite grasp some parts. But if it’s unified, then things will be faster for us.”
I wonder about that.
Even if His Celestial Emperor were to fall, at least the Three Kingdoms would revolt against Abaricia, and some countries would likely follow the Three Duchies.
I don’t intend to go into too much detail, however.
“One more thing, is that Celestial Emperor not present on this battlefield?”
“We didn’t know if you would pass through here. If it were certain, His Majesty would have come.”
“In other words, the Celestial Emperor is waiting at the Royal Capital.”
“Yes. It will take some time, but would you like me to summon him if you wish?”
Traveling would get us to Float in no time, and His Majesty would surely come to the battlefield if he heard that the other party desired it.
I wish he would exercise more restraint, but with the Divine Emperor present, summoning His Majesty would not cause any major issues, which is a headache.
“It would likely take too much time. Unfortunately, I will have to see His Majesty in the Royal Capital.”
This statement of conquering this battlefield is something we cannot tolerate.
“I see, so you are giving up on an audience with His Majesty. However, that cannot be helped.”
“You are indeed confident. Though, you must be. Well then, for the last time, allow me to make a surrender demand.”
“We also know it’s futile, but we will similarly make a surrender demand.”
Naturally, neither side has any intention of surrendering.
It is merely a matter of conveying it to each other because it is customary, but the actual surrendering is unthinkable.
“Finally, though it may be bothersome, it was a more meaningful time than I anticipated. Then, Lord Rex, the battle will commence as soon as we return to our lines.”
“Including the final surrender demand, the same applies to me. The battle is still ongoing in the sky, but I believe we can disregard that for now. However, we will have to let go of that Dragon.”
In the sky, the battle between the Burning Dragon and an Ancient Dragonian is still continuing.
Saya mentioned that she was O-rank, but even so, the Burning Dragon is covered in wounds, yet Athena and Eos show no signs of injury.
About three demons were riding on the Burning Dragon’s back and occasionally unleashed magic, but Yamato was riding on Athena’s back, and Mako was riding on Eos’s back, so their magic was being negated or offset.
I suspect they are waiting for us to return to our lines.
“That Burning Dragon is one of the highest-ranking individuals on the Gradia Continent. And the ones riding on its back are also elites, yet they are not even a challenge.”
Since she was O-rank, I thought she was high-ranking even on the Gradia Continent, but it turns out to be a near-top-tier individual.
It goes without saying that the demons riding on that Burning Dragon are also elites.
However, not only are Athena and Eos controlling the Burning Dragon, but they are also pushing it back. And Yamato and Mako are precisely supporting them, restricting their movements.
Furthermore, neither Yamato nor Mako are engaging in aerial combat, meaning they are not fighting seriously.
Rather than not posing a challenge, it might be more accurate to say they are being careful not to reveal their full strength.
That is why Lord Arthur will have to give up the Burning Dragon and its elite riders.
“They are not fighting seriously yet, are they? The war hasn’t even begun, so it’s natural not to reveal their full capabilities. Most likely, the Burning Dragon will be shot down the moment we return to our lines. In that case, regrettably, we have no choice but to give up.”
He is truly an unpredictable person.
To discern that Yamato and Mako are not fighting seriously is one thing, but to so readily give up on the Burning Dragon and three elite demons is another.
There are likely others of equal strength, yet he shows no sign of trying to rescue them, and he appears genuinely resigned, which makes one overthink if he has some hidden agenda.
In reality, that is likely the case.
“You seem surprised, but in the current Abarisian army, only the strong have the right to live. The Burning Dragon is a pity, but it is not impossible to replace it once we return to Abaricia. That being the case, wouldn’t it be more interesting to make the downing of the Burning Dragon the signal for the start of the battle?”
These are words that cause me, the enemy, to sweat.
From what Lord Tolman told me, Arthur is a commander loved by his subordinates and would never commit acts of abandonment.
In fact, in the previous war, Arthur’s flagship successfully retreated without a single casualty.
Lord Tolman himself had witnessed Arthur rescuing his injured subordinates.
However, the Arthur before me is not only readily abandoning his elite subordinates but also the Burning Dragon, one of their greatest assets, and even suggesting it as a signal to start the battle.
Could it be that becoming a demon has altered his personality?
No, this is not the time for such considerations.
Whether or not it would be a good signal to start the battle, the current priority is to protect the Philia Continent from the Demon Race.
“I don’t know if it will go that smoothly, so it will be decided after we return to our lines.”
“That’s only natural. If it falls before we return to our lines, there’s no problem, but otherwise, it would be safer to stick to custom.”
That seems to be the case.
I don’t think Yamato and the others can hear our conversation, so I don’t know for sure at what point the Burning Dragon will be shot down.
Yamato might make it the signal for the start of the battle, but I can’t say for absolute certainty, so an agreement sticking to custom, to commence the battle upon returning to our lines, is necessary.
“Then we shall return. That’s right, let’s set the start of the battle as either the Dragon falling, or in 10 minutes.”
“No objections. Then, until we meet on the battlefield.”
We gained much.
Now, it’s time to clash head-on.
The battle will commence in 10 minutes at the latest.
They are a formidable enemy, incomparable to Solemne, but we cannot afford to lose.
I urged my wives on, bowed to Lord Arthur, and turned my heel, striding towards our lines.
