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Logically speaking, no matter how outstanding an individual’s martial prowess might be, a single person cannot fight against an army.

Even if one person is incredibly strong, if surrounded by countless enemies, they will inevitably fall.

However, there have been those who overcame such unfavorable battles and repelled armies.

The great Hegemon of the Chu-Han Contention, Xiang Yu.

The legendary warrior Lu Bu, known for his unmatched strength, and the loyal general Guan Yu who was worshipped as a god due to his steadfast dedication and martial power, along with Zhang Fei who defended Changbanpo single-handedly to save his lord’s son.

Just like the valiant King Richard I of England or the Swordmaster Cheok Jun-gyeong from Goryeo.

It was indeed rare, but instances exist where a lone warrior, or a small handful of warriors, managed to repel much larger forces.

There were instances, indeed.

“What on earth is that…?”

A lone rider galloping straight ahead. The flag in hand symbolized the Emperor, marked by the invincible banner.

The sight of the Emperor, charging with a weapon-like banner in hand, certainly did not inspire confidence in his ability to single-handedly carve a path through enemies.

He looked more like a fool rushing out like a lone goofball while the other soldiers remained still.

That was Emperor Commodus of North Romania.

Truly a fool.

“Hmm… Is that the Emperor?”

“How ridiculous! The Emperor, who should be safe in command, charging ahead like that!”

Well, killing that Emperor would be quite easy. In fact, it was very simple. Any one of the Elves here could just shoot an arrow and hit him.

But that wouldn’t do.

It would be troublesome, really troublesome… Hmmm…

“If we hit him with just one arrow, we could capture him…”

“Don’t kill him.”

I stopped the Elf representative from issuing an immediate command to shoot.

It was extremely annoying and frustrating, but if we killed the Emperor, it would lead to irreversible consequences.

If it weren’t such a troublesome situation, I wouldn’t mind killing him. Hmm.

“For now, let’s capture him.”

I had no idea why the other soldiers were blankly staring at the Emperor… Hmm. There must be various circumstances at play.

So for now, let’s capture the Emperor. Capturing him would reveal a way forward.

We could either use him as a hostage to disband the soldiers or gain advantageous leverage in negotiations with North Romania; there would be many ways to turn this to our advantage.

Surely, no one would actually throw away the Emperor, right?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The plan of the North Romanian nobles who resolved to rebel against the Emperor was as follows.

Using those planted within the Imperial Guards to incite the troops, they would lead the guards to betray the Emperor at the most critical moment.

If, amid all this, the Emperor happened to be killed by the Elves or Dwarves of Betelgeuse, they could take advantage of that, and if he were captured alive, they could use it as an excuse to oust him and place someone else on the throne.

If neither happened… they would have their planted agents directly kill the Emperor, but that came with significant risks…. Therefore, using Betelgeuse to erase the Emperor was the safest way.

Thus, the noble agents embedded within the Imperial Guards began to recruit other guards with all their might.

They argued that it was a war without justification, claiming that once they occupied Betelgeuse, they would be turning the Elves and Dwarves against them.

In a situation where the harsh cold from the north set in and enemies surrounded them, they suggested that there wouldn’t even be proper meals to sustain them.

They even aimed their plots at the Dragon Priestess, the Saint of the Church of Life.

They urged the Imperial Guards to witness firsthand what atrocities their army would face as a consequence of their evil deeds.

Witness the diseases spreading, the food rotting, the inability to camp properly, losing all fighting spirit.

The only person who should die in this war was that foolish Emperor Commodus.

As a result of the noble agents recruiting the neighboring Imperial Guards…

Every guard arriving near Betelgeuse turned their backs on the Emperor.

It was very rare…. Even so, there were those still loyal to the Emperor, but they either succumbed to illness and were left in the nearby territories or changed their minds due to starvation.

On the battlefield, there were no allies of the Emperor.

Under the invincible banner, no one fought alongside him.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

I lightly jumped down from the walls of Betelgeuse and took a step forward.

I heard the Elf and Dwarf representatives calling out to me in surprise from behind, but I didn’t look back and continued on.

The ground was solidly frozen. A horse galloped roughly toward me.

And atop it rode a fool charging ahead without a care.

Ignorant, foolish, and reckless.

Much would change because of him.

Whether it turns out for better or for worse…

No, it can’t turn for the worse. I came here to prevent any bad changes despite the annoyance.

So…

“Stop.”

I tapped the ground gently with my staff, Sephiroth.

“Hihihing!!!”

Suddenly, thornbushes sprang up blocking the path of the Emperor’s horse.

The horse startled at the unexpected thorns and raised its front legs, but since it was a remarkable steed capable of carrying the Emperor, despite the commotion, it did not throw him off.

Well, if the Emperor had been a bit more skilled at riding and could control his horse like his own body, he might have been able to leap over the thorns. But evidently, that wasn’t the case.

The horse danced about to avoid the thorns, with the Emperor clinging desperately to its back.

It was quite a pathetic sight. But if he fell off, that would be a huge problem.

So…

“Don’t move.”

As I tapped the ground again with Sephiroth, something vine-like began wrapping around the Emperor and the horse.

The horse panicked and began bucking wildly at feeling the tendrils, yet the vine, fueled by the power of life, wouldn’t break easily.

After a brief moment, the Emperor and the horse were caught and unable to move, wrapped tightly in the green vines.

“What a silly sight.”

“Ugh! Ugh!!”

“I don’t really care to hear your horse, so keep that mouth shut.”

“Ugh ugh ugh!!!”

Ignoring the Emperor’s attempt to speak, I untangled part of the vine and led the horse away, slowly stroking its head.

“You must have been very startled. Come, let’s go together.”

“Purr…”

After calming it down by gently stroking its nose, the horse, now free from the vines, knelt down before me.

As if it were the most natural thing to do.

“Hm? Do you want me to ride you?”

“Hihing!”

“You’re a clever one.”

What a steed far too good for that foolish Emperor. Hmm.

Well… then shall I head back to Betelgeuse? Oh, I can’t forget the invincible banner dropped by the Emperor.

Gripping Sephiroth and the invincible banner, I mounted the horse that had offered its back to me.

Although my skirt was quite long, preventing me from sitting properly on a horse… well, that shouldn’t matter. A clever horse like this should handle it fine.

Lifting the Emperor, bound by vines, with my magical power, I gently stroked the horse’s mane, and it began to move slowly towards the gates of Betelgeuse.

Why the Emperor’s army hadn’t moved, why he had dashed out alone… there were many mysteries to unravel.

But I could gradually uncover those details while negotiating with them. Yeah.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“What’s this statue?”

“It’s a statue made to commemorate events during the foolish Emperor’s reign.”

The hero party that arrived in Betelgeuse marveled at the white marble statue erected in the square.

A beautiful girl with horns sitting gracefully on a pure white horse, holding a flag and staff, her hands resting on her knees in marble.

Behind it, there was a human entangled in thorns, being dragged from behind the horse, but no one was particularly interested in that part.

“Sure enough, it’s the Dragon Priestess.”

The hero remarked and then glanced back at the Dragon Priestess behind him.

Her beauty and slightly youthful appearance seemed to be a hallmark of the Dragon Priestess.

Both the girl in the statue and the Dragon Priestess, a companion of his, radiated a youthful beauty.

“Betelgeuse was safeguarded in its independence thanks to the help of the Dragon Priestess when it faced threats from the Empire. The Dwarves carved this from top-notch marble as a token of gratitude for that time.”

“Wow…”

One of the Dwarf girls in the hero party began to glimmer with excitement upon seeing the statue.

The intricately carved statue was evidently created long ago, yet it showed no signs of wear, a flawless depiction.

The craftsmanship of the ancestors had not dulled even after so much time.

“Speaking of which, how did that foolish Emperor’s story end…?”

The beastman with fox ears asked, prompting a response from the Elf.

“Well, in the fairy tale I read, he got beaten up badly and was chased away.”

“Some records from that time mention the Emperor going missing and vanishing…”

The Dwarf girl chimed in.

“I read that record too, but its veracity is unclear. It was written by nobles who opposed the Emperor.”

The Lizardman replied.

“If that’s the case… he was killed by someone?”

“Who knows? Hmmm… the Dragon Priestess was involved back then; perhaps she knows something about it?”

At those words, the eyes of the hero party quickly focused on one person.

The Dragon Priestess, gazing blankly at the statue without any particular thought.

– Records of a certain hero party’s adventures.

 

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