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After taking their final rest in Duke Havlem’s territory, the Central forces moved to the border area and merged with the two parts waiting at the border to form a complete unit. Let’s not dwell on how much money was spent just to assemble this 250,000-strong army at the border. War was a money-eating abyss, after all.

Still, it was a bit terrifying to think about. If this much was spent just on moving the troops, how much more would be burned like trash once the real war began?

Is this a side effect of my job?

In the past, I never would have worried about war expenses. I guess my time in the Ministry of Finance had left its mark.

Thinking about the Minister of Finance coughing up blood while trying to balance this budget almost made me laugh. A warrior who was on the field during the last war was now the Finance Minister doing the budget allocations. You really never knew what life had in store.

“Executive Manager. His Grace has summoned you.”

“Understood. I’ll go right away.”

I got up at the voice from outside the tent.

One more step and we’d cross into the North, which was beyond imperial territory. With all the expeditionary force’s top brass gathering in one place, this meeting would likely be the last one held on imperial soil.

Hopefully, the next meeting will be about organizing the victory banquet when we return.

***

Unlike the previous meeting, the Invincible Duke’s tent felt cramped since the Northern and Western Commanders were also participating. I was worried some might have to stand due to the lack of space.

Of course, the Duke’s aides weren’t incompetent enough to miscalculate the headcount, so everyone was seated.

“Thank you all for waiting. I’m sure many of our eager soldiers are itching to cross the border, but you’ve kept them in line well.”

“You flatter us, Your Grace.”

The Invincible Duke, seated at the head, praised the efforts of the Northern and Western forces who had been waiting at the border, and the Northern forces’s Commander answered as their representative.

One might think merely waiting wasn’t a big deal, but—in a situation where nomad hit-and-runs could start at any time and where commanders and soldiers were excited by thoughts of military achievements and spoils, maintaining control without any disturbances was praiseworthy.

Of course, imperial military law was strict. But there was a saying that one out of every five people was trash. In the real world, there were always a few who let their excitement get the better of them and do something stupid. The fact that nothing of the sort happened this time was a relief.

“The nomads did not launch a preemptive strike, and discipline has been maintained. The army is in peak condition and ready to cross the border.”

At the Invincible Duke’s words, the Northern forces’s Commander who had been bowing his head and the officers looking at the map on the table all turned their attention to the Duke.

“According to reconnaissance, no nomad movements were seen in the Muskar tribe’s territory. Once we cross the border, we’ll move directly into their area.”

The commanders and staff all nodded at these words. The Muskar tribe’s territory was located in the southernmost part of the North, the closest to the empire. It was the land of the tribe that was subjugated first by the empire in the last Great Northern War and also a base that the imperial army used effectively for two years.

The plains were large enough for a large army, and the nearby rivers and hills made it easy to defend and secure water. It was such an ideal location that not using it as a base would almost be an insult to strategic planning.

“Deploy purification magic as before once we secure the Muskar tribe’s territory.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The Platinum Mage Unit Commander, representing the mages, bowed at the Invincible Duke’s instruction.

If we knew this land was a good base, then the nomads definitely knew it too. There was a chance they had tainted the land or poisoned the water, so it was important to purify immediately upon arrival.

Shit.

A bad memory surfaced, making me frown. I once drank cursed water, and I still remember how miserable those next few days were.

“After establishing the base, we’ll occupy the territories of the Sutio tribe to the east, the Bakira tribe to the north, and the Hitra tribe to the northwest.”

“What about the Narlan tribe to the west?”

“We’ll exclude them. Rather than spreading our forces too thin, we will secure only a minimal area and prioritize reconnaissance.”

The Invincible Duke spoke quickly, pointing at the map while one of his aides took notes.

The tribes mentioned by the Invincible Duke and the 2nd Corps’s Commander were also tribes that were subjugated during the last war, like the Muskar tribe. They were vacant areas that the imperial army could comfortably control. Even if another tribe had taken residence there, their numbers would be too small to pose a serious threat.

“Conflict with the nomads is unavoidable, but there’s no need to fight them on their terms.”

It meant that we would operate outward from our fortified base rather than wandering the open plains and getting picked apart by cavalry.

It was the commonly called ‘come at me’ strategy, but it wasn’t a bad method. After all, it was better to fight from a base that was somewhat fortified than to face tens of thousands of cavalry on the open plains.

Moreover, the Northern conquest the Emperor wanted wasn’t one achieved by grinding down troops and accomplishing it with blood. It was about assimilating tribes that would follow imperial order to some extent and resolving things as peacefully as possible. Considering this, the Invincible Duke’s waiting game was appropriate.

“For now, our priority is to accurately grasp each tribe’s location and balance of power. By mobilizing the Special Service Agency’s forces for reconnaissance—“

“Even if we avoid conflict, wouldn’t a show of force be worth trying? If the mage corps fire magic towards the sky or mountains—“

Several more opinions were raised, but I honestly let them go in one ear and out the other.

Strategy wasn’t my area of expertise. And as an inspector, I wasn’t supposed to interfere in it anyway.

I would have taken this discussion seriously if I had joined the military, but the Crown Prince had blocked me from enlisting. So, ultimately, this was that bastard’s fault.

***

The moment we arrived in the Muskar Tribe’s former territory, something unusual happened.

Knights returned with reports that no nomads were lurking nearby, while mages spread purification spells throughout the area. Soldiers set up tents and dug drainage trenches, and officers gathered in the Invincible Duke’s tent, which was erected first.

As everyone was performing their different tasks, they all simultaneously sensed the anomaly and looked up at the sky.

“We’re seeing that again.”

The Invincible Duke spoke with irritation. Some of the veterans sighed in agreement, while others who didn’t participate in the last war stood dumbfounded.

Still, that level of shock wasn’t too bad. Last time, people had witnessed it in the middle of battle, and many completely lost their minds. At least now, we were in a stable military camp where the impact wasn’t as devastating.

Of course, less devastating didn’t mean it wasn’t devastating at all.

“Sky Cleaver…”

I saw a relatively young staff member flinch as the Northern Forces’s Commander muttered. Well, seeing a disaster you’d only read about in reports with your own eyes would be enough to make anyone tremble.

Like the others, I looked up at the sky, though I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. There were only two people left in this world who could do something like that.

That bastard.

Putting on airs like he was this land’s master, greeting us so flashily.

At least he’s not nearby.

The guest should greet back after the host’s welcome, but—judging by the size of the tear in the sky, he had sent his message from quite a distance. Responding in kind wasn’t feasible.

Well, it’d be stranger if the so-called Khan came close when not even a single nomad soldier was in sight.

So it really is you.

Looking at the torn sky, I finally couldn’t help but smile.

Honestly, I was a bit worried before coming to the North. Judging by the way the shattered nomadic forces had somehow rallied again, it seemed likely to be him, but there had been a small part of me that worried that perhaps some ambitious nomad had merely borrowed his name and that he was already dead or locked away in some far corner of the world while an imposter carried his banner.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. After all, no pathetic fraud borrowing someone else’s name could possibly split the sky. Only he and I were crazy enough to pull off a stunt like this.

Thank you.

For still being alive and for crawling back to face me.

Now, everything will be resolved if I just kill you.

With those feelings, I drew the sword at my waist. People nearby flinched when I suddenly drew my sword, but soon they seemed to guess what I was about to do and quietly stepped back.

I should return the greeting since I received one.

Even if it was a faint reply that the host could barely see from afar.

I let my mana explode outward—not through the makeshift method I used at the academy, but in the raw, violent way I had wielded it in the North.

The mana that violently surged from my heart spread to every corner of my body. Soon, a large amount of mana gathered in my right arm which was holding the sword.

Good.

There was no need to hold back and no need to worry about injuries. I could finally distribute the recoil throughout my entire body.

And so, I swung the sword. From bottom to top, in a simple upward slash motion.

—■■■■■■■■■■■──!!!!

And thus, I cleaved the sky.

***

Not long after I split the sky, it was torn apart once more.

“As expected.”

Even from this distance, I could see the scar left behind. A deep, brutal gash across the heavens.

It’s a sight that should have been terrifying. But instead, I felt something closer to satisfaction.

“So you’ve come, too.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Under this sky, there are only two people who can dare to cut it.

One of them is me. And since I didn’t cut the sky just now, it’s obvious who did.

“Carl Krasius.”

The one who broke the North’s unity, and the one who ended the great one’s charge.

“Yes… I knew you’d come.”

Just as I wanted him, he must have wanted me too. That’s why I knew he would return to the North.

It was a relief, really. Now, we can finally end this tiresome relationship.

Only you can bring about my end.

And the same is true the other way around.

That’s what I believe, Carl Krasius.

***

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