Chapter 30

The Arsline Empire.

After the great war disaster caused by one of the "Six Witches of Destruction" 200 years ago, the empire was the first to recover and annexed neighboring countries, becoming the dominant power in the central continent.

It was only a few years ago that the empire began to harbor the unfulfilled ambition of conquering the entire continent.

Although it was a great nation, the empire had been rather conservative in its system before that, striving to preserve its wealth rather than invade neighboring countries with military force.

After all, becoming a great nation had already created many enemies.

There were no shortage of forces threatening the empire, including the demi-human country in the southern continent and the Guild Federation in the east.

While the empire had an alliance with the Divine Emperor's country in the north, the reliability of such alliances was uncertain, as they could be broken at any time.

If the empire were to rashly start a war, it could give them an opportunity to attack and create enemies on all sides.

The catalyst that drove the Arsline Empire to aim for continental domination was the three holy swords it possessed.

The Flame Holy Sword "Durandal"

The Ice Holy Sword "Galarhorn"

The Lightning Holy Sword "Clausolas"

The bearers of these three holy swords appeared almost simultaneously.

The bearers of the holy swords usually appeared once every few decades, and in the past, bearers had appeared for each of the holy swords from time to time.

However, it was the first time in the history of the empire that bearers were chosen for all three holy swords at the same time.

The current emperor, Zacharius Van Arsline, interpreted this as a divine sign from the empire's ancestral deity and decided to unify the continent.

Following Zacharius's orders, the imperial army launched simultaneous invasions of the Guild Federation in the east, the demi-human country in the north, and the Zain Kingdom in the west.

With the power of the holy swords, the invasions were proceeding smoothly, and the imperial army had already reached the last fortress defending the capital of the Zain Kingdom.

"Quite solid, isn't it? The enemy is putting up a good fight."

"This is the last fortress of the Zain Kingdom. The kingdom's people must be desperate."

The two men, with serious expressions, were looking at the distant "Brain Fortress" located just before the capital of the Zain Kingdom.

One was an elderly man with white hair, and the other was a somewhat younger middle-aged man.

"Yes, but the fall is only a matter of time. It won't last more than a month."

The elderly man, who spoke solemnly, was General Grakos Bazen.

He was the supreme commander of the imperial army's western invasion force and a veteran general who had fought for the empire for nearly 50 years.

"Yes, once we take this fortress, the kingdom will be virtually defenseless. Let's take our time and proceed steadily."

The man who responded to the general was Colonel Dallas Safaris.

He was also a general in the imperial army's western invasion force and a trusted subordinate of Bazen.

Many soldiers were moving about in the imperial army's camp.

The empire's soldiers, known for their high level of training, were preparing for battle with efficient, purposeful movements.

A month ago, the imperial army began its invasion of the Zain Kingdom in the west.

Although the kingdom had engaged in minor skirmishes with the empire in the past, this was the first full-scale invasion.

The Zain Kingdom, though only about one-tenth the size of the empire, was by no means a weak country.

It was well-known for its defensive strategies, which made good use of the mountainous terrain, and it was estimated that the invasion would take a considerable amount of time.

However, once the battle began, the invasion proceeded more smoothly than the empire had expected.

They captured the key fortress of Balseo at the border in just two weeks and subjugated most of the nobles in the northern part of the kingdom in another two weeks.

Finally, the empire attacked the last line of defense protecting the capital, the Brain Fortress, and effectively put the kingdom in check.

"I never thought things would go so smoothly. The kingdom, our long-time enemy, is so easily..."

Safaris sighed, sounding somewhat bewildered.

About ten years ago, the empire had once invaded the Zain Kingdom, but they couldn't even capture the border fortress.

Safaris, who had participated in that invasion in his youth, still harbored bitter memories of the defeat.

"Hmm... The holy swords are truly formidable. For a single person to change the course of the battle so decisively... Truly a hero."

"Yes... Truly a hero..."

While Bazen spoke proudly, Safaris's expression was somewhat grim.

He felt a complex mix of emotions towards the holy sword bearer who had so easily captured the fortress that they had struggled to take.

Noticing his subordinate's attitude, Bazen patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't be so down. As you know, His Highness is a cheerful and straightforward person. He's not the one to bear grudges."

"That... I am aware, of course... Ugh!"

Safaris, who had lowered his eyebrows at his superior's words, suddenly tensed up as he saw a figure running towards them from a distance.

The person ran through the imperial army's camp at an incredible speed and came to a sudden stop in front of them with a whoosh.

"Hey, you two were here all along! I had to look for you!"

"Oh, it's the princess. What brings you here?"

"..."

Bazen's eyes softened at the new arrival, while Safaris's cheeks twitched.

The woman who appeared looked to be around 17 or 18 years old.

Wearing the military uniform of an imperial male officer, she fidgeted restlessly in front of the two men, her golden hair fluttering like feathers on her back, seemingly oblivious to it.

"If you were going to talk about the war, you should have called me! You're being mean, leaving me out again!"

The girl puffed out her cheeks and waved her hands, as if to say, "I'm angry!" A sword was sheathed at her waist.

Her name was Seria von Arsline.

She was the third princess of the empire and the bearer of the Lightning Holy Sword "Clausolas."

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