From far above, the capital of Andras, Belfor, resembled a well-refined sword. Straight buildings were laid out in efficiently straight lines. It didn’t really fit an architect’s aesthetic, but there was no one who could dismiss the grandeur of the city.
The towering spire in the center of the city tied it all together. Seven swordmasters guarded the empire, so there were seven towers in the image of a crown that surrounded the imperial palace. A bright light that befitted a master’s aura illuminated the structure both night and day, proving the empire’s greatness.
Unlike Meltor, there was no meeting room in Andras’ imperial palace. The emperor determined everything. It was an absolute monarchy that moved only according to his decisions. If there was one facility, it was an audience room.
“Dammit, when can I get out of here?” A man shoved two knights aside, moving with a deep anger and nervousness.
As soon as the man had returned to Belfort, he asked for an audience with the emperor and entered the imperial palace before there was a reply. Usually, this wasn’t possible, but the man had a special identity.
He was Fermut el Andras, the heir to the throne. There were no knights in the imperial palace who could block the crown prince.
Kuk, come on. If I don’t hurry, my body won’t last… ｂ𝚍𝚘𝚟ｌ.ｎｔ
He seemed fine, but his body was starting to fall apart. The injuries Orta had inflicted had been healed by the regenerative powers of the magic sword, but his lost aura hadn’t returned. He no longer had the raw physical strength to bend an iron rod, and his right leg was significantly weaker after being grown back. Fermut’s heart had been destroyed and his aura eaten by the magic sword, so now Fermut wasn’t even a sword master.
However, he still had a string of hope. He believed that his father, who was the emperor of Andras and had been an almighty being since Fermut’s childhood, could heal his wounds.
Finally, Fermut’s steps reached the audience room.
“Your Majesty!” Fermut called out. He didn’t enter the room carelessly. Rather, he raised his voice and cried out longingly, “The 3rd Sword, Prince Fermut is here! Please excuse me!”
A sonorous voice came the other side of the door as the emperor of Andras replied, “Come in.”
The green-tinged Fermut hurriedly opened the door. In his experience, his father, Emperor Kether, wouldn’t meet anyone if he wasn’t willing to talk. So Fermut absolutely couldn’t miss this opportunity.
As the two luxurious doors opened, the throne which was made of dozens of broken swords came into view. If their history was right, the throne had been made by collecting the swords of the past Seven Swords who died.
Someday, I will sit on that throne!
Fermut couldn’t abandon his ambitions despite his ragged body. He bowed to the old man sitting on the throne. This was Andras’ sun, Emperor Kether.
“… You are a disgrace, my son.” Kether’s voice weighed heavily on Fermut’s shoulders and chilled his heart.
Kether had white hair, white eyebrows, and a white beard. It was an appearance appropriate for his age. He had a sturdy build that towered over the average person, and the tendons of his hands stood out clearly as he grasped the throne. It almost seemed like he could crush the throne’s armrests.
“You said with your own mouth that you would win. Now, you are begging me for mercy after losing? This isn’t like you.”
“I don’t dare make excuses, Father.” In a rare display of politeness and humility, Fermut kneeled. “Just one more chance! This time I will be more vigilant and crush Meltor’s cowardly army!”
“Hrmm… I don’t know about the words of a loser.”
“Father! Please! Father, if you want to be in charge, then I will unconditionally obey you! No, if Father takes up the baton, this war will be easy to win!”
The winner takes all. Eating the weak was part and parcel of life in the Andras Empire. Fermut might be a prince, but he wasn’t exempt from this food chain. Fermut had only come to hold the position of the crown prince by killing all his other brothers and sisters.
This person who had aggressively gobbled up the weak… He wanted another chance? It was a laughable story.
“… You are really stupid, my son.”
But what type of person was Kether, the emperor of Andras?
“But I forgive you. You are my child and Andras’ 3rd Sword. I gave you that sword in order to protect your life from the pit of death.”
“O-Ohhh…! T-That means!”
“Your life is Andras’ and mine.”
Fermut felt a familiar and fierce joy at the words. Fermut’s life had been declared as the emperor’s possession, so only one person could ever kill Fermut. That damn Witch of Heat and Sage of Water was no problem at all. From now on, Fermut’s era was coming. Even the emperor of the iron throne held affection for his flesh and blood.
“Then I will take it directly with this hand.”
“… Huh?”
What did that mean?
Puk.
A coin-sized hole appeared in Fermut’s skull.
“K-Kuaaah…. Kuheook…” Fermut screamed as something entered his body, draining it.
To be precise, he tried to scream. The moment that Kether’s finger penetrated Fermut’s brow, Fermut’s flesh was no longer his. The connection between the body and the soul had been forcibly severed, and he could feel the horrifying sensation of his soul being pulled into the abyss.
T-This monster… is he, really, my father?
Fermut could only gape as he was dragged across the threshold of life and death.
Jjikeok.
Kether looked down at his dead son with a bored expression. The 3rd Sword had died an ignoble death in front of him. Fermut had completed his duties, but now he was useless.
The emperor muttered, “It hasn’t even been a thousand years since I started ruling Andras and the balance is already collapsing. The mortals, who are useless except for causing chaos, are bothering me again… Do I have to move directly with this incomplete body…?”
The emperor’s eyes were empty and his voice casual as he discussed the passing of a thousand years. Kether thought about it before deciding. He couldn’t leave this situation alone. It was a matter where he needed to move personally.
“It can’t be helped.” He addressed Crowd, who had appeared in the audience room, “Gather the remaining Seven Swords. I will make this war simpler.”
Crowd asked, “Are you going to end the empire?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it yet.”
It was an absurd topic, but the two of them seemed perfectly serene.
“Don’t waste effort on needless work, Crowd. Remember that you might be a little exceptional, but you are still part of me. You will have to join them someday.”
“Of course, I always keep that in mind.”
“As always, you’re good at speaking. Well, okay. Go now. I must end this endless war game.”
The emperor, whose empire was in a desperate situation, called their war a game. Nevertheless, the 1st Sword didn’t contradict his words. It wasn’t because he didn’t have the authority, but because he knew it was correct. The moment Kether moved, this war would end. It would end in a way that nobody expected or wished for.
“War is just the struggle of insects.”
He would finish it in one go.
***
After the battle on Nagma River, Meltor’s troops gathered once again to reorganize. They needed to see how Andras would react to the blow they had inflicted, so they were joined by a new face. Blue Tower Master Blundell had come to fill the void Veronica had left.
“Hahaha! I am glad to see your happy faces!” Blundell laughed, causing his bulging muscles to swell. His staff was no different than usual. There was no tension as the leaders laughed.
“I would like to raise a glass in celebration, but I’ll have to put it off until after our victory. I’ve been waiting at the capital for so long! I am so happy to be able to fight with you, despite it being late!”
“Yes, we think so too. Blue Tower Master.”
Benedict coughed a few times before asking, “The war is going well, but how is the situation back in the kingdom?”
Blundell grinned. “It isn’t bad! The economy shrunk a little bit due to the war, but it is still good. The situation with the supply unit is good, so we can sustain it for half a year without difficulty.”
.
Benedict chuckled. “Hoh, that is good news.”
The soldiers were risking their lives fighting on the front lines, but the support people in the rear also shared their pain. Food was being shipped at a cheap price to the front as merchants placed the supplies before their own interests. It wasn’t uncommon for them to go bankrupt from the burden. However, Meltor’s economy endured that burden. The patriotism, accumulated finances, and sympathetic elements allowed them to do it. The merchants couldn’t help feeling pride as citizens of this kingdom.
“Okay, now it’s my turn,” Blundell said, his expression becoming serious. “How is the current situation? I heard there was a big win at Nagma River, but nothing since. Don’t tell me that nothing happened…”
“That’s right,” Orta immediately replied to Blundell. “The enemy troops haven’t moved since. There have been no movements, apart from a defensive formation. Therefore, we were worried about how we should respond.”
“Huh? They really aren’t moving? Those warmongers?” Blundell had a lot of experience, but even he shook his head as he looked at the models on the map.
Meltor might have the upper hand, but this advantage wasn’t absolute. Andras still had more troops than Meltor, as well as a lot of hidden strength. There was no reason for them to act passively.
“What are their intentions?”
Orta shrugged. “I’m not sure. I can’t get a sense of their actions. The secret agents I sent didn’t get any results, and I am reluctant to poke at the gaps.”
Blundell murmured, “Don’t tell me… Perhaps they are planning a truce?”
“Perhaps. For the first time, Meltor is dominating in the war. We absolutely can’t step back, and they know that.”
There was a moment of silence in the control barracks. They each had their own thoughts and guesses about what Andras’ actions meant. Then a messenger ran into the barracks.
“C-Commander!” The messenger’s fear-filled face was enough for Benedict to realize that it wasn’t good news. “A small unit is making its way past the western border! Four magic soldier units and twenty six war magicians tried to delay them, but they are all dead or in a serious condition!”
“What, the defense line?”
“It was broken in an instant! The speed is insanely fast!”
Even Blundell and Benedict were shocked. The soldiers at the defense line were elites, yet they had been broken through in an instant? Moreover, it had been done by a small number of elites with overwhelming force.
Benedict recovered his composure enough to ask, “The power of the enemy? Surely you know that?”
“T-That…”
“What is it?!” In the end, Benedict lost his patience.
The messenger hiccupped before opening his mouth, “A-According to the report, it is the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Swords…”
“… What?”
“Is that true?”
“A-And one more thing.”
Apart from three of the Seven Swords crossing the border, there was more to report? The messenger wilted under the eyes of the commanders. If they hadn’t controlled their magic power, the innocent messenger might’ve had a heart attack.
However, he spoke despite the pressure, “I’m not sure, but… one of the surviving war magicians said he saw it.”
Before they could ask, the messenger continued, “He said the emperor’s flag was flying above the unit that crossed the border…!”
The flag that expressed the emperor himself was only ever seen in Andras. If they really were carrying that flag, it meant that three of the Seven Swords and the emperor had personally crossed the border.
This is crazy!
It was a surprise raid that would never happen again in the future.
“What did these bastards eat?” Blundell’s murmur resonated through the barracks, voicing everyone’s thoughts.