Chapter 171 — Hero [6] - End of the War

After all, each second that passed meant that a large number of soldiers were dying on the battlefield.

Yet, Duchess showed no signs of rushing to get there, instead choosing to chat here with Liora.

"Sure enough, it deserves to be the person who sacrificed the lives of hundreds of soldiers to kill the powerful beasts."

Through the brief contact the two had, Liora was able to understand the Duchess’s personality.

In her mind, she had already regarded this woman as a person who was cruel and ruthless, despite her great reputation and her flawless smile.

"These types of people are often the most terrifying. They are willing to do and sacrifice anything in order to achieve their goals.", Liora thought.

Secretly, she felt that she should remain cautious and never let her guard down around this woman.

However, Liora completely ignored the fact that at the same time as she arrived at this conclusion, she was also chatting cheerfully with Duchess Lobelia, as if they were close friends.

If anyone didn’t know any better and witnessed this scene, they would truly believe that these women were extremely close, like sisters.

No one would ever guess that each of them regarded the other as a dangerous opponent and had already thought of countless ways to attack.

--

Although they didn’t rush to get there, the plain that Liora had selected to fight was not very far from Hope City.

Thus, it only took them a couple of minutes to arrive at the battlefield.

Just like they had expected, the war was still going on.

Lifeless corpses were scattered across the devastated land, belonging to humans and beasts alike.

Scales, sliced fur, and other body parts accompanied the shattered weapons, evidence of the battle’s extreme danger.

Surprisingly, the humans had suffered fewer casualties than the beasts despite being lower in number.

This was partly because they were more coordinated and assembled together in various battle formations, but it was mostly the result of a single person’s effort.

With long blonde hair and holding a golden sword, Eleanor had become the central point of the battle.

Following her lead, the soldiers had been able to slowly but surely overwhelm the beasts.

As soon as Liora and Duchess Lobelia arrived, this sight immediately came into view.

While Liora remained calm, a hint of surprise flashed in the Duchess’s eyes.

Since the Black Tulip Earldom was nominally under her command, the Duchess could recognize the late Black Tulip Earl’s daughter, and the two had even met a few days ago.

But it was exactly because of this that she was surprised.

She couldn’t fathom how this unassuming girl had managed to dominate the battlefield like an experienced general.

Still, the Duchess quickly recovered.

Eleanor’s abilities were the least of her concerns at the moment.

She first had to deal with the wave of beasts before her, as well as the unknown person standing beside her.

With that in mind, the Duchess didn’t hesitate. She reached behind her back and grabbed her spear before entering the battlefield.

Her strength immediately caused her to stand out.

Each of the thrusts of her spear took the life of a beast, regardless of whether they were Knight Apprentices, True Knights, or even Great Knights.

Seeing that the Duchess was in the limelight, Liora also decided to take action.

A dark blade appeared in each of her hands, and she dashed forward, swinging them at any beast that dared to block her way.

Secretly, her mind moved and controlled the dead souls, harvesting them and transforming them into Evolution Points.

--

With the addition of two powerful beings that had almost reached the apex of this world, the beasts were unable to hold on for any longer.

It only took a couple of minutes for the humans to clean them up.

When the last of them fell under Liora’s flickering blade, the soldiers of Hope City couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Some of them collapsed to the ground and began healing their injuries, while others started crying, staring silently at the corpses of their companions.

Though the battle did not last long, many lives were lost. In total, thousands of people had fallen.

Perhaps noticing the sorrow of her subordinates, Duchess Lobelia attracted everyone’s attention and spoke up:

"Everyone! The beasts have been driven back. For the next period of time, no beast will dare to approach Hope City.", the Duchess stated.

"However, this achievement didn’t come without a cost. I’m truly saddened to see that so many familiar faces have fallen."

"So, to honor the fallen soldiers’ names, I’ve decided to erect a monument at the center of the city, which will contain the names of all the martyrs."

"At the same time, the families of the fallen soldiers will be rewarded handsomely. Each one will receive..."

Duchess Lobelia soon spoke of a long list of rewards.

If any family obtained them, they would instantly take a large leap in status. From then on, they would no longer have to work hard to survive.

Hearing her promise, the soldiers of the city couldn’t help but praise the Duchess’s kindness.

Admiration flashed in their eyes as the sadness was swept away.

After all, no one here was a greenhorn. Most of them had participated in many wars and had experienced the death of their companions many times in the past.

Though they were sad initially, they soon recovered, and their will turned even firmer.

They vowed to themselves to kill a couple more beasts in the next war, to honor their dead companions.

Liora watched this happen from the side and couldn’t help but nod her head.

The Duchess’s actions and words were impeccable.

Having promised such a reward to the relatives of the fallen soldiers and having saved the city from certain destruction, her reputation was bound to spread in the northern part of the Empire.

Before long, countless people would praise her for her great strength and generosity.

"No wonder this woman holds such a reputation. Though her actions are ruthless, she knows how to navigate complicated situations very well.", Liora thought.

This realization only further increased the Duchess’s level of danger in her mind.