The entire Rinse Kingdom was engulfed in war.
The First Prince Simon Rinse.
The Second Prince Tommy Rinse.
The Third Prince Kallum Rinse.
The three princes pointed their swords at each other.
A tragedy of kindred feud.
The three camps, with the capital, Miller, at the center, repeated fierce battles.
And at the kingdom’s northeastern region slightly afar from there.
At that place, a battle of completely different character was unfolding.
“Kuk!”
“Uak!”
Bitter and gruesome throes of death echoed the battlefield.
Bloodred steel swords bisecting the heads and the chests.
Solid horse hooves trampling the chests of barely breathing soldiers.
The fiercest battle under the sky.
But the most one-sided battle was unfolding on a riverside field.
“Damn it! This is ridiculous! Ridiculous!”
A middle-aged man wearing a brilliant armor was shouting as he swung a longsword.
A rage-filled roar.
He simply couldn’t accept the situation unfolding in front of his eyes.
Two kingdoms against one kingdom.
Even still, the situation of that one kingdom was not even sound.
He thought that it was a war with an obvious result.
“I thought it would be different at least this time……”
The light in his eyes were hollow.
The rage disappeared and a despondent look floated up.
Brutally falling allied soldiers.
Beyond them, soldiers wearing crimson armors were running riot like evil spirits.
“So even the soldiers are ghosts in the Crimson Legion.”
Sage Celuman, one of the Istel Kingdom Army’s generals and one who held the status of a baron, tightly clenched his teeth.
“Even if I die when I die, I’ll die after cutting one more of you bastards’ throats.”
Sound spat out like gnawing each and every letter.
At that moment.
“That would be problematic.”
From the edge of his ears, a quiet and soft but powerful voice was heard.
Sage instinctively turned his head and swung his sword.
Clang!
A spark flew together with a metallic sound.
“Hgh.”
Suddenly, an incredible presence choked his breath.
‘Just what……’
Between the arduousness, he forcefully clenched his teeth and glaringly opened his eyes.
“Ah……”
A dispiriting feeling.
“You, you are……”
At the place his sight stuck.
At the place his horse’s head led towards, a young man suited with a crimson armor and a crimson cloak stood.
The vanguard of the crimson wave and the owner of the Crimson Legion.
The man who anyone would tremble at if one was of the Istel Kingdom Army.
Roan Lancephil the Crimson Ghost.
He, while slantly holding the black Travias Spear, was pouring out an incredible presence.
“Uuuuh.”
Sage trembled while clenching his teeth.
His heart wanted to immediately swing his sword and cut Roan’s neck.
However, his hands and feet froze and couldn’t do anything.
‘A, are you telling me that I, Sage Celuman, got scared?’
A situation he didn’t wish to believe.
He was not such a coward.
He was a fierce warrior who would unhesitantly go out to the final duel even if his neck got cut from lack of his skill.
Sage, clenching his teeth, glared at Roan with bloody eyes.
That was the only thing he could do.
Roan, calmly looking at Sage’s such gaze, formed a faint smile.
‘The binding hex is being quite a help.’
A satisfying and proud feeling.
In truth, there was a reason why Sage couldn’t move his body that he couldn’t know of.
Roan had performed the hex he effortfully trained and honed for the last one year as a surprise attack.
A thing categorized as basic binding hex, it had the effect of momentarily paralyzing the body.
And when Roan’s pressure and presence was added here, even a heavyweight of Sage’s level could only be caught by the spell unless one defended oneself in advance.
‘Since there is no one who knows that I’m using hexes.’
Preparing for hexes in advance was illogical.
Roan lightly swung the spear he held.
Ssskuk!
The sharp spearhead cut Sage’s neck.
A hollow death.
One Taemusa who was following along at this side stabbed Sage’s neck with the tip of his spear and then raised it up high.
“The lord has cut the enemy general’s head!”
“Waaaaaah!”
Instantly, cheers exploded out from every direction.
“Uuuuh.”
“Ru, run!”
“Run!”
“They’re ghosts! Ghosts!”
The Celuman Troop fell apart into pieces and began retreating in defeat.
Roan, without hesitating, gave the order for chase.
“Chase them! Do not send back the invaders sound!”
Only when they indisputably trampled and crush them could they not come and attack again.
Roan personally led the soldiers on the front line.
It was different than the carefree commanding of his rank and file soldier time that Clay worried so much of.
It was the commanding of a great general that raised up the morale and the spirits of the soldiers below him.
Already, there was no one on this battlefield who could endure Roan’s skills.
He was the sole predator of this expansive battlefield.
The Istel’s small and frail deers ran and ran again dodging Roan.
Of course, even though they would be swallowed by the tsunami-like crimson wave even so.
*****
“Die!”
“You die instead!”
Bloody roars rode the wind and flowed.
On an afternoon that hot southern winds blew, the plain that shone with emerald light began to be colored blood red.
< Simon Rinse. >
< Tommy Rinse. >
The two princes’ armies clashed at Stellon Castle located at the southwest of the capital, Miller.
The Stellon Castle was a place that supported Tommy since long before.
Tommy was confident that he could employ the sturdy Stellon Castle as a shield and repel Simon.
But when the battle actually began, the war situation flowed differently than he had though.
“Damn it! To think Simon’s skills were this good.”
Tommy harshly emptied his wine cup together with a curse.
“Kuugh.”
A pungent fragrance rode his throat and climbed up.
“P, prince. Even so, drinking on the battlefield is……”
One amongst the commanders stepped up to remonstrate.
The faces of nearby nobles bleached white.
As expected.
“This bitch dares!”
Tommy pulled out a longsword just like that and slashed the neck of the commander who raised protest.
“Gurruk.”
An absurd death.
It was a dog’s death.
‘He’s doing it again.’
‘Just who would want to stay at his side like this……’
Few nobles lowered their heads and exhaled short sighs.
In fact, the nobles who followed Tommy, after the three princes began the war over the throne, began to slowly hold their swords backwards as time passed.
Putting aside the fact that his abilities were deficient compared to his ambition, it was because Tommy’s personality was cruel and supercilious.
‘I should also rethink once more around now.’
‘Prince Tommy is hopeless.’
‘He’s already started to be pushed back even by Prince Kallum.’
Schism.
Cracks were forming in Tommy’s camp from the very bottom.
“What happened with Duke Voisa?”
Tommy, knowing or perhaps not knowing such mood, looked for his maternal grandfather Duke Edwin Voisa.
The nobles reacted timorously and couldn’t easily answer.
“I asked if he’s here yet!”
In the end, Tommy exploded once more.
“N, not yet, your highness.”
“Duke Voisa is still on standby at his fief, your highness.”
“He is waiting for his firstborn Mills Voisa.”
The nobles flinched and quickly poured out words.
Tommy huffed and breathed deeply, then once again emptied his cup.
“Kuugh. I see. So he is still waiting. Still waiting……”
He didn’t like it.
If he could, he wanted to immediately throw him onto his knees and cut his neck whether maternal grandfather or not.
But to flip the current unfavorable war situation, he was absolutely needed.
No, to be exact, his firstborn, Mills Voisa, was needed.
“Kuku. Simon, Kallum. They must be laughing at me right now, no? Alright, laugh and curse to your heart’s content. Since there isn’t even much time left to do so.”
Only Mills, who was out in the Estia Empire, needed to come back.
“The moment Mills return together with the Imperial Army, the Rinse Kingdom will become mine. Kukuku.”
Together with a crazed laughter, Tommy shone horrifying light from his eyes.
He once again emptied his wine cup, then stood up from his seat.
The wide plain that spread outside the castle wall was seen.
“Uaaak!”
“Kuuk!”
“Die!”
The sight of his soldiers one-sidedly falling down.
Tommy looked at Simon’s forces that approached as if to immediately capture the Stellon Castle and threw his cup.
“Hii.”
Few nobles shrank back with completely scared expressions.
Tommy for a moment looked back with disinterested eyes at the nobles, then curtly spoke.
“Let’s go. We will abandon Stellon Castle.”
A truly simple and light decision.
The Stellon Castle, the strategic points amongst strategic point, the fortress amongst fortresses, wasn’t a place that should be easily abandoned like so or easily conquered.
But with the slightly unfavorable war situation as an excuse, Tommy made an idiotic decision.
The nobles, without the heart to dare remonstrate, only lowered their heads.
Even to them, there was only one life and was greatly precious.
“Yes, your highness. We will follow as you command.”
An absurd situation.
A situation of the entire command group retreating in a situation where thousands of soldiers were fighting with their lives had arose.
The news inside the castle soon was passed to the outside.
“We’re already retreating?”
“Then what about us?!”
“Damn it!”
Tommy’s soldiers, who were fighting against Simon’s forces, panicked with half dazed expressions.
Simon immediately noticed Tommy’s forces’ change.
“So the idiotic little brother has ordered an even more idiotic command.”
Simon, who was watching the situation, bloodily smiled and pulled out his sword.
Viscount Tio Ruin and so on, who were at the side, took up their own weapons with tense expressions.
Simon glared at the Stellon Castle of firm walls and kicked his horse.
“We are conquering the castle in a single breath!”
A sonorous voice.
Tio and numerous warriors followed his back.
“Attack!”
“Attack! Capture the castle!”
A force of thousands, tens of thousands charged towards the Stellon Castle at once.
The Stellon Castle, where the command group had already left, was no different than a candle before a wind.
“Su, surrender! We surrender!”
“We were wrong, sir!”
“We’ll throw our weapons away, sir!”
Tommy’s soldiers quickly threw down their weapons and lay down on the ground.
A situation where the entire command group including Tommy had already left.
In the middle of this, there was nothing they, common soldiers, could do.
Boom!
Together with an deafening boom, even the tightly closed castle gate widely opened.
The defending soldiers who were left inside all ran up and lay down on the ground.
“Waaaah!”
“The enemy has surrendered!”
“It’s our victory!”
Simon’s soldiers shouted cheers and reveled in the joy of victory.
Simon and the numerous nobles stared at the Stellon Castle in front of the drawbridge.
Smiles floated up on their faces.
“I didn’t know that we will capture the Stellon Castle that is famed to be impregnable so easily like this, sirs.”
“This is all thanks to your highness the prince’s outstanding abilities.”
“You are truly amazing, your highness.”
The nobles’ flattery and sycophancy poured down.
Tio looked at the thousands of soldiers who were lying down on the ground and made delighted expression.
“We will reform the surrendered to each troop, your highness.”
A situation where a single soldier was regrettable.
Thousands of surrendered soldiers were a great military strength.
At that moment, Simon, who had been quietly watching the situation, gave an order with calm voice.
“We will kill every surrendered soldiers.”
Because it was such as calm order, even Tio unknowingly nodded his head.
“Yes, your highness. Under…… eh?! Wha, what did you just say, your highness?”
But he soon grasp the order’s meaning and formed startled expression.
That was also the same for the other nobles.
“P, prince. Even the surrendered are our kingdom’s people.”
“Those guys are also the same Rinse people, your highness.”
Flustered voices.
But Simon, as if to say what did that matter, widely opened his eyes.
“Are you telling me to forgive the bastards who pointed their swords at me for merely such reason?”
“Tha, that is……”
The nobles, with panicked expressions, quibbled their words.
Simon soon burst out a laughter.
“Furthermore, there are still many who follow Tommy and Kallum within the kingdom. I plan to clearly show them. Of what happens if they raise their swords at me……”
A killing intent reflected on his eyes.
‘The evil mana again……”
Tio clenched his teeth.
He stepped up to raise a protest to Simon.
But.
‘Even though it is a truly vicious and cruel order, prince’s word is not wrong……’
What if they could sacrifice the surrendered soldiers in front of their eyes and save many more people’s lives?
Gulp.
Tio dryly swallowed.
His gaze went towards Simon.
Simon was already looking at Tio.
A light in his eyes that said “you understand me, right?”.
“Huu.”
Tio spat out a long sigh and stepped back.
The faces of nobles, who were at least putting their hopes on Tio, turned pitch dark.
On the other hand, an odd smile floated up on Simon’s face.
He looked at the surrendered soldiers prostrating on the ground and once again gave the order.
“Kill them all without leaving a single one left.”
A cold voice.
The answer did not easily come out.
However, they couldn’t disobey the order either.
“Yes. Understood.”
Finally, numerous nobles lowered their heads.
Simultaneously, numerous commanders led the troops and moved.
“Eh? Eh?”
“Wha, what are you doing?”
“We, we are also Rinse people, you know?”
“I came out to the battlefield for the first time yesterday.”
“I only came because they said they’ll give flour. Really.”
“Let me live. Let me live!”
The surrendered soldiers falteringly stepped back and shouted.
“So you should’ve chosen your master wisely.”
“It’s all you bastards’ fault.”
The hearts of Simon’s soldiers who had to execute the order were also uneasy.
They shifted the blame of the current situation onto the surrendered.
Since they could only lessen the guilt even a little bit by doing so.
“We are also Rinse people!”
“You sons of bitches!”
“Uaak!”
“Kuuk!”
Curses and screams.
Wailing cries filled the battlefield.
Simon and the nobles watched that sight for a moment, then soon turned their horses and disappeared.
They moved to find the next prey.
Screams, without ending, kept continuing on at the Stellon Castle.
Simon’s vicious and cruel order seemed to radiate with light.
Because few commanders and nobles who followed Tommy and Kallum became afraid in advance and surrendered one after another.
“Hahaha! All of you look! Were my words not correct? Yes? Hahaha!”
Simon bursted out a crazed laughter.
Numerous nobles effortfully smiled and nodded their heads.
However, a corner in their hearts still felt heavy like lead.
“Hahahaha!”
Simon’s laughter pierced the sky and spread out in every direction.
It was a crazed laughter of a true sense.
But he did not quite know.
That a black flower sculpted by his wretched order was growing in the shade.
The black flower soundlessly and dolefully cried.
The people who inscribed a black flower symbol on their chests.
They all gathered their mouths as one and whispered.
“We are no longer Rinse Kingdom’s citizens.”
< Sudden Change (3) > End.
Translator : CSV
Proofreader: Sai101