Chapter 160 - Ill-fated Relationship or Destiny (2)

Orcs have short lifespans.

This was because their allotted lifespans were shorter compared to other races, and simultaneously because their lives were harsh ones filled with struggle and war.

Being a king made no difference.

Their kings were also short-lived.

However, there was an exception among them, and that was the Overlord.

As far as I remembered, he was a being older than any other Orc, and one who had reigned longer than any other king.

Even when countless Orc monarchs died off in the Great War, he firmly maintained his position.

If he hadn't let greed take over, he would have remained the Overlord for a long time after that.

But a conceit that had grown as massive as the years he had reigned led him to ruin.

He coveted the divine status of a being he never should have dared to look upon. Thus, he desired to become the god of the Orcs.

How absurd it was when I heard that a massive army of two hundred thousand Orcs and ten Warlords were marching toward the Fire Dragon's nest.

Not long after, I heard the news that the Orcs had been annihilated.

It was the expected result; though I hadn't seen it myself, I thought he too must have met his end there alongside his legion.

Because the Fire Dragon was never a being to show mercy to those who invaded its territory.

But apparently, that wasn't the case.

『The master of the Furious Flame Legion, Overlord Bul-daan. That is the name of the enemy you wish to know.』

He was perfectly alive, and now, after an unfathomable amount of time had passed since the Great War, he had descended upon the world once more.

"How? How on earth did he survive?"

She shook her head at my words.

Saying that wasn't what was important right now.

She was right.

What was important right now wasn't how he survived the battle with the Fire Dragon.

The only thing that mattered was the fact that the dark green flame that once swept the world was dreaming of a revival.

I had to stop him.

Winter Castle wasn't the issue. His greed wasn't small enough to be satisfied by merely destroying a single castle or a single kingdom.

I turned my head.

I focused my entire mind on the Blade Mountains covered in eternal snow, specifically on the solitary mountain peak dyed in red.

My heart throbbed sharply at the fierce and ferocious Fighting Spirit unique to the Orcs.

As I continued to peer into it, I felt a strand of ominous energy writhing within.

A blind fury that could not be felt from an ordinary Orc.

It was the deep, deep fury of a king who had desired to reach a myth on his own, yet ultimately failed and lost everything.

I blamed myself.

His energy was this clear. I possessed the poem of a pitiful avenger who had died fighting to annihilate him. The desires and karma contained within it had been constantly whispering of his existence to me.

To think I was only realizing it now.

It seemed I had been far too excited by my long-awaited return. Or perhaps my vision had narrowed due to the rapidly unfolding situation.

I organized my thoughts.

Regardless of the reason, what I had to do was clear.

To annihilate the invader who dared to covet my territory—that was the only thing I had to do.

"An Overlord after a Warlord, huh."

The saying 'mountains beyond mountains' must be used for times like this.

Having gathered my thoughts, I tried to head down the spire to prepare countermeasures.

『This is only the beginning.』

But Ophelia's dry voice stopped me.

『The world is always moving one step ahead of your thoughts, so what you can see is only a fragment of the imminent truth.』

I looked back.

The dreary gaze unique to a High Lich was staring straight at me.

"I'll keep that in mind."

At her warning, I simply replied that I understood.

The moment I stepped out of the spire, Agnes spoke to me.

[She is strong.]

"It's only natural she's strong. She was an Archmage counted among the best even when she was alive, and after becoming a Lich, she must have delved solely into magic for hundreds of years."

[I am not speaking only of the High Lich.]

She said her words did not refer solely to the Mage of the White Night.

[I am speaking of this entire castle.]

A fresh sense of admiration laced her tone as she spoke.

[Among those I have encountered so far, not a single one feared death. Furthermore, not one among them was ignorant of the weight of death.]

She said.

That there are many who are brave, but those who remain steadfast even knowing the weight of death are rare.

That courage born from ignorance is not true courage.

[Every single one of them is upright and steadfast in heart, and their Sword Aura is not dull either; the phrase 'dragon's gall and tiger's den' (龍膽虎穴) must be meant for a place like this.]

At the unexpected praise, my mood quickly improved.

"How do they compare to the iron-blooded legion of House Bayern?"

[They fall short in terms of scale and strength, but they are not lacking in their spirit and steadfastness.]

Having said that, she added one more thing.

[They are an excellent army.]

Considering her nature of being stingy with praise, this was practically the highest of compliments.

It was quite a pleasant thing for me.

Because Winter Castle was an incredibly precious place to me as well.

* * *

The moment I came down from the spire, Vincent came looking for me.

It seemed he had come up with rough countermeasures while I was gone.

I quietly listened to his report before shaking my head.

"Draft it again from the beginning."

Vincent suddenly crumpled his face.

Anyone would be in a bad mood to hear such an answer after going through the trouble of preparing countermeasures.

I felt somewhat sorry, but I had no other choice.

The strategy and tactics formulated by Winter Castle's command staff were all devised assuming the enemy was an entity on par with a Warlord.

But the enemy was not a Warlord.

He was just as fierce and strong as a Warlord, and simultaneously, more insidious than one.

It was different from the time with the previous Warlord.

That one was nothing more than a young warrior running wild, entirely excited about building his own kingdom, simply fighting, trampling, and advancing.

But the Overlord was a hardened veteran who had fought countless battles in the Great War.

Unlike the Warlord who had been slaughtered without even leaving a name, he was a monster who had spread his infamy across the whole world.

I couldn't even remember how many fairy cities or human fortresses had been trampled by the Furious Flame Legion he led.

Such a bastard was now targeting Winter Castle.

Merely fortifying the walls and barricading the gates, like we did during the Warlord's attack, wouldn't be enough.

"What kind of Orc in the world..."

Vincent, who had furrowed his brow heavily at my words, let out a sigh mid-sentence.

"Ugh. I've never lost out by listening to Your Highness's words. I understand for now."

He continued to grumble that it looked like he'd be stuck in strategy meetings all day today too.

"Yeah. Keep up the hard work."

I gave him a passing glance and turned to leave, but then stopped in my tracks.

"Vincent."

"Why are you calling me?"

He looked at me as he kept grumbling.

The image of the man, who resembled his father more and more as time passed, overlapped with the face of the old knight who had perished in an unnamed wasteland.

I couldn't judge.

Whether he was truly the avenger's reincarnation, or if they merely shared the same name.

If he really was the avenger's reincarnation, was it merely a coincidence that the leader of the current enemy happened to be the Overlord who had ruined his past life?

Or was it destined to be this way from the very beginning?

I couldn't be certain.

"Be careful."

I just hoped that he wouldn't perish as futilely as he did in his past life.

"It's not like I've only been at war for a day or two, bringing this up now."

Vincent, who had replied in a cynical tone, flinched and stiffened when he saw my expression.

"Why do you have such a serious look on your face? It makes a person feel weird."

Speaking as if it were no big deal, he strode over and lightly patted my shoulder.

"Don't worry. Thanks to someone, I've been so busy working that it's been a long time since I let go of my sword. Even if you told me to go to the front lines and fight, I wouldn't be able to anymore."

Vincent's face drew closer.

"So don't make such an anxious face. Unlike my father, I have no intention of dying before seeing Your Highness ascend to the throne."

Having said that, he chuckled and backed away.

"You've only grown on the outside, but inside you're still the same kid. Just a kid."

Leaving behind that irreverent yet highly affectionate remark, he disappeared into the distance.

"Please, may you fulfill your unfinished desires this time."

I wished.

The avenger who died fighting Orcs in his past life, and the lord of a fortress blocking an Orc legion in his current life.

Please, may the karma and desires of the man, carried over from his past life, finally be completed.

* * *

That evening was peaceful.

The monsters that had retreated into the mountain range did not show themselves again.

However, the Overlord's energy felt from beyond the red-dyed mountain peak was still directed toward Winter Castle.

A day passed in a tension resembling the calm before a storm.

And the reinforcement troops sent from The Capital arrived at Winter Castle.

"Huh."

"How did they come all the way to this northern region..."

The Rangers and the knights of Winter Castle murmured in surprise upon seeing the troops.

It was to be expected.

Because the dazzling golden armor passing through the South Gate belonged to the royal knights, who rarely ever left the royal palace.

And what about the soldiers following the royal knights?

The flags they held high were the military standards of the 2nd Central Army, the kingdom's elite forces that defended The Capital.

And at the very front was a white-haired old knight.

It was the Commander of the Royal Knights and the King's Royal Guard, Count Sturmhilde Stuttgart.

"You have suffered a great deal traveling such a long distance."

Vincent hadn't dared to use work as an excuse and ran out to greet the old knight.

"My respects to the blood and sweat of the Ballorhard people that have seeped into this land."

The old knight elegantly raised his sword and returned the courtesy.

"When my late father was alive, he spoke of you so often that my ears nearly bled."

"He was the greatest knight in the kingdom, as far as I knew. Duties being what they are, I could not even attend the funeral of my old sword-comrade, but please understand the circumstances and do not fault me."

"Those words are entirely unjustified. I am merely grateful that you did not refuse to come all this way during such difficult times."

I had thought his attitude was overly polite for someone with the rank of Margrave, but it seemed my uncle and the old knight had a fairly close relationship when he was alive.

As I chuckled while watching him act so deferentially, the old knight approached me.

Then, stopping before me, he let out a sigh and spoke.

"Your Highness. Please be considerate so that this humble servant can fulfill his calling."

The veteran Rangers and a few knights giggled quietly.

Saying that he had undoubtedly run off alone and dashed all the way to the castle while traveling with the troops.

However, their laughter did not last long.

CLACK!

The old knight suddenly knelt before me.

CLACK, CLACK.

A hundred royal knights followed the old knight and knelt.

"Commander of the Royal Knights, Sturmhilde Stuttgart. I have just arrived with one hundred members of the 1st Royal Knights!"

The royal knights knelt before me in unison.

"Uh? Uh."

Frowning at the sudden and excessive courtesy, I looked around.

Vincent's mouth dropped wide open. The Rangers froze in place. The knights wore dumbfounded expressions.

It seemed they finally realized.

The old knight was the King's First Royal Guard, and the 1st Royal Knights were also knights who served only the King.

The only target they would lower themselves and bow to was the King.

Or the one who would become the King in the future.