Chapter 89

It was a true battlefield.

Blood dripped onto the earth, and flesh burst open. The barbaric cries of the soldiers surged around, eroding the last vestiges of sanity. Spear tips pierced through the sides, and arrows shattered skulls.

This was a battlefield. There was no mistaking it; a battlefield was right here.

Whether human or elf, their existence on the battlefield was the same. The color drained from their eyes as they moved their bodies to slaughter the enemies before them. This place had become a hell, a splendid hell, no doubt. With every step, everyone was painting the earth black with hell.

Eldis involuntarily swallowed a lump in her throat. From a distance, away from the fray, she sat on her horse, staring at the scene.

Several elves in her line of sight had just died. The soldiers who killed them were also cut down by other weapons.

Death begets death, and life cannot be tolerated. With strange, barbaric cries, the soldiers launched another assault.

This is what I have created. This is what I must bear. Eldis's chest was torn apart by a mix of fear and confusion.

It was true that the nobles around her were trying to lift her up. It was also true that someone had guided her. But, she undoubtedly held a part of the responsibility for creating this scene.

She wanted to run away. If she could, she would run away. The true nature of Princess Eldis was cowardice. She lacked the spirit to step forward and the stubbornness to persevere.

All she had was a timid heart, one that could only cower in place. She felt a dizziness that made her nauseous, and she almost fell off her horse.

From the scene before her, she was forced to understand that she was the one who had created this hell. She did not want to see it. She never wanted to see it.

But her blue eyes could not close. Eldis's eyebrows twisted in pain. Among the soldiers, there were those who died with a will for her, and there were brave men who stepped forward to die for a new world.

It was not allowed. Turning away from them was not something that could be forgiven. Eldis's heart understood this painfully.

Eldis was weak. There was no denying that she had a timid and weak heart. But as a princess, she had a sense of pride that matched her position, and that was also true.

That pride was screaming. How much easier it would be to avert her gaze and pretend to see nothing. How much lighter her heart would feel if she could claim that she was just tempted.

But Eldis understood that if she made that choice, she would never forgive herself. She would no longer be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

Eldis's gaze scanned the battlefield, searching for him, for Lugis. The green-clad figure was nowhere to be seen.

—Well then, let's each fulfill our responsibilities on the battlefield.

That's all he said before disappearing into the fray alone.

As if to say it was nothing. As if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Ah, how much she wanted to chase after that back.

How much she wanted to hold him back and stay with him on this horse. If she could, there would have been happiness even while facing this hell.

But Lugis said to fulfill her duty. The duty of a princess, the duty of one who was lifted up.

If she survived without fulfilling it, what would he say? Would he console her, saying it couldn't be helped? Or would he scold her for doing something foolish?

Or perhaps, he would abandon her, deeming her unworthy of being his lord.

No. That alone, she did not want. She had to be a lord worthy of him. She had to be a lord who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Lugis. Therefore, running away was absolutely not allowed.

Lugis's words bound Eldis more and more. They forced her timid heart to stay in place. The feeling was not as bad as she thought it would be.

—Of course, your return to me is also part of your duty.

That's what she said to his back, but she didn't know if he heard it.

That was the only regret in her heart.

*

At first, the revolutionary army led by Eldis seemed to have the upper hand.

By dividing the troops into two, they successfully used them more flexibly against the Lagias side, which continued to hold out.

This was also part of the defense mechanism. The streets of Gazaria were too narrow for the troops to advance. Even with a large army, only a small part of the troops could attack the palace.

So, the troops were divided into two, and the detachment advanced through side roads, which were even narrower but more effective. The enemy's forces were split, and the damage on our side was reduced. Indeed, if we increased our attacks, the effect would be even greater.

That's what they thought. The attackers assumed that the Lagias side would continue to hold out.

It was a reasonable assumption. The option of holding out had too many advantages for the enemy. The palace had a defensive structure, not as extensive as the walls surrounding Gazaria, but suitable for defense, backed by the mountain cliffs.

The longer they held out, the more advantageous the situation became for the enemy.

If they continued to hold out and used the troops concentrated at the city gates as an ambush from behind, our side would easily be decimated. We were just a cluster of troops.

Moreover, if time passed, the Galarist troops would eventually reach Gazaria. At that point, this small-scale war would end.

Against the well-trained regular troops, we had no means of defense.

So, they were determined. They would not come out. Lagias would hold the palace and fortify the defense.

Sighing at her own foolishness, she drew her sword. The sword, which had appeared in Galaru Maria, with a purple line, came out of her hand and was gripped by her fingers.

It was quite convenient. If only she had become an assassin as Karia suggested, she thought, twisting her lips in self-mockery.

A spear tip rushed past her. The eyes of the elf gripping the handle were exposed to the madness of the battlefield. She opened her body to dodge the spear and, with the momentum, spun half a turn, sending a purple flash. The tip of her sword cut into the hand of the enemy soldier gripping the spear.

That was enough. With this, he could no longer fight.

It was not out of mercy, but simply because she had no spare attention to deal with a threat that could no longer pose a threat. Another threat was already rushing towards her.

On the battlefield, one could not stop. Once on the battlefield, one could only stop when life was forcibly taken or the heart fell to the bottom of the earth.

Especially with the enemy in overwhelming numbers, there was no time to rest. The narrow streets were filled with soldiers, blood, and flesh.

Ah, it wasn't a bad strategy, she thought. But apparently, she was foolish. Or perhaps, Lagias was just too clever. She blinked, cutting through the shining silver light.

Perhaps, from the beginning, they had been aiming for this moment. She wished they would spare her. If she had to fight, she would rather they were foolish.

Following the initial assessment, after the enemy decided to hold out, and after we sent more troops to the side roads to increase the effectiveness of the division, the enemy suddenly opened the city gates and launched a strong assault on the weakened main force.