Chapter 37

The uninteresting side story ends here.

The capital of the Persian Empire, Jamshid.

"Haa..."

The Emperor of the Persian Empire, Xerxes III, was troubled.

His current worry was the Cilicians.

His grandfather and father both went on expeditions to Cilicia and were defeated.

Cilicia and Persia have a very poor relationship.

It's not that he wanted Cilicia.

In fact, if it were offered to him, he would politely decline, as it is not needed.

Cilicia is not a particularly prosperous land.

It is dry with little rainfall, so wheat does not grow well.

While it sounds good to say that olive and grape cultivation are thriving, it actually means that there is nothing else to produce.

Conquering such a place would be meaningless.

Then why did the emperors of the past go on expeditions to Cilicia?

Because Cilicia provokes the Persian Empire.

There is a region in the Persian Empire where Cilicians live.

The Cilicians living there often rebel.

These rebels are supported by the Cilicians on the Cilician Peninsula, mainly the Alts.

No matter how many times they are suppressed, they quickly regain strength with the aid of weapons.

The rebellion cannot be resolved without eliminating the root cause.

He could let them be independent, but if he did, rebellions would break out all over the empire. The empire is a melting pot of diverse ethnic groups.

He doesn't really want to go to war.

It costs money and ruins the farmland within the country.

There are a hundred disadvantages and no benefits. But there is no choice.

Whether he does it or not, it's hell.

"How can we conquer Cilicia... They usually fight among themselves, but they unite when our country attacks..."

Cilicia's total military strength is about 50,000.

On the other hand, the Persian Empire can dispatch up to 400,000 troops to Cilicia.

The difference in military strength is overwhelming.

But they lose.

The reason is low morale.

The Persian Empire is a multi-ethnic state, and the soldiers are composed of various races.

Their patriotism towards the Persian Empire is ambiguous.

Moreover, the language difference means that orders do not reach quickly.

On the other hand, the Cilicians fight to protect their homeland, so their morale is very high.

Moreover, they are accustomed to war, so their training is very high.

That's why they lose every time.

"The Alt heavy infantry is highly trained. The mobility of the Germanic cavalry hired by Claris cannot be underestimated. The soldiers of Rhyme are invincible, and the tacticians of Telbay and the Holy Squad are troublesome."

And the naval power.

Cilicia's ship-handling skills are higher than Persia's.

No matter how many ships Persia prepares, they always lose to Cilicia.

"Your Majesty, the construction of the 600 target warships is complete."

"Is that so... Warships made of Lebanese cedar. I don't think they will lose so easily..."

Naval battles are greatly influenced by training.

It remains to be seen how much the gap with Cilicia can be closed by the number and quality of ships.

"Your Majesty, I have a proposal regarding Cilicia."

"What is it? Speak."

The prime minister smiled and made his proposal.

"As they say, 'Bread to the baker.' There are people who are as skilled, if not more skilled, in ship-handling as the Cilicians. We should form an alliance with them."

"Phoenicia... Not bad. What about the land?"

"Cilician soldiers are strong. But they are still human. They cannot surpass humans."

Xerxes looked at the prime minister.

The prime minister opened his mouth.

"Let's send the desert monsters. If they lose, it's good that their numbers decrease. If they win, it's good that they win."

"Indeed... That's a good plan. Then, let's write a letter immediately."

"♪～♪～♬"

From the capital of the Persian Empire, Jamshid, to the west desert.

A vast desert just south of the border between Cilicia and the Persian Empire.

There, a woman was singing a tune.

She had brown skin and golden hair that shone like gold.

In her hand was a spear disproportionately large.

The tip of the spear was made of black, shiny Dragon Damascus steel.

Actually, it might be a bit misleading to say she was alone.

To be precise, she was with one and one.

With a giant salamander.

Although the salamander was not singing a tune, but screaming...

The salamander, with its tail cut off, horns broken, and one of its six legs severed, screamed while trying to wipe the flames at the woman in front of it.

"♪～♬～♪～♩"

The woman, singing a tune, dodged the flames by diving into the salamander's chest and stabbed its jaw with the spear.

"■■■■■!!"

The salamander screamed and retreated, spewing fresh blood.

The woman leaped up and stabbed the spear into the salamander's back.

"■■■■■■!!"

The woman's body was dyed red with blood like a flame.

She licked the blood from her lips and smiled.

"Oops!"

The salamander rolled on the ground, and the woman was thrown off its back.

The spear remained embedded in its back.

The salamander, not missing this chance, bared its fangs and attacked the woman.

"Aha"

The woman kicked the salamander's nose as it charged.

With a crack, the salamander's scales cracked.

"This is a Dragon Damascus steel shoe~"

The salamander was blown away like a ball.

The salamander, in too much pain to stand, had the spear pulled from its back.

"Then, goodbye~"

She stabbed it into the heart.

"Clan Leader!!"

"Hm? What is it?"

As the woman was dismembering the salamander, a man on a camel came running.

"Clan Leader, a letter from the emperor."

"Thank you. You can call me Aisha, more affectionately, not just Clan Leader."

Aisha winked at the man.

"By the way, this salamander. Did you do it alone?"

"Yes. I heard it was strong, but it wasn't much."

"From its size, it looks like a lower-level monster... As always, you are very strong."

The man looked at Aisha with a mixture of respect and fear.

The desert people are a tribe that lives in the desert region extending southeast from the Cilician Peninsula.

One in a hundred of them has the blessing of the 'Hunter's Blessing,' and they possess high ironworking skills.

They travel the desert on camels, herd animals, trade, and if negotiations break down, they raid with weapons.

They are blacksmiths, nomads, merchants, and thieves.

That is the desert people.

They lived centered around the many oases in the desert, so they were never unified.

In name, all the tribes were subordinate to the Persian Empire, but in reality, they were semi-independent states, competing for water sources and trade routes, and constantly bickering.

This was a headache for the emperors of the Persian Empire.

But eight years ago, all the tribes were unified by force.

The one who accomplished this feat was the leader of the Zahab tribe.

Aisha Zahab.

In addition to the 'Hunter's Blessing' that the desert people possess, she had two other blessings.

One was the 'Blessing of the War God.'

The other was the 'Blessing of the Mad Warrior.'

All three are physical enhancement blessings.

When her father died, she overpowered her brothers and took the position of tribal leader.

She then ingratiated herself with the newly enthroned Xerxes III and formed a physical relationship with him.

With her overwhelming military power and the influence of the Persian Empire, she quickly brought all the tribes under her control.

"Well, well, what does Xerxes want from me?"

Aisha broke the seal and read the letter.

Then she smiled.

"What is the emperor demanding?"

"He says he's going to send troops to Cilicia and wants us to participate."

The man frowned upon hearing this.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"The emperor is treating us like tools. Is that okay?"

"Ahaha. We are using each other, so what are you talking about?"

The desert people are allowed to trade freely within the Persian Empire.

In return, the empire taxes the desert people.

Trade is essential for the desert people, and the commercial tax is a significant source of revenue for the empire's huge military expenses.

At least Aisha and Xerxes III had a very good relationship.

However, many of the desert people, who have a strong sense of independence, dislike being under the rule of a foreign emperor, even if it is only in name.

"Besides, we can raid as we please. We can make a fortune? I've always found the Cilicians annoying. They have a condescending attitude and start their own businesses. Let's reduce their numbers by killing them."

The desert people and the Cilicians are both commercial peoples.

Originally, they lived separately on land and sea, but in recent years, the merchants of Claris have started to expand into inland trade.

As a result, the relationship between the desert people and the Cilicians is currently very hostile.

"Besides..."

Aisha grabbed the only remaining horn of the salamander.

"Recently, they've been quiet. It's time to make a big fuss and show Xerxes what we're capable of. So he doesn't underestimate us."

The horn shattered into pieces.

Aisha Zahab is currently the strongest person in the world.

The monster level is a rank of the strength of living beings. From top to bottom, it is Divine Beast, Holy (Demon) Beast, and ordinary beast.

I will explain it in detail in another story, so you can just let it go for now.