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It was undeniable that the empire had barely crawled its way through the Great Northern War. It was also true that they suffered to the point of having their souls threshed by Kagan.

Thanks to that tearful process, the empire’s vigilance against nomads reached its peak. Even the mere rumor of a new Khan emerging had sent them into a frenzy, making them mobilize an army of 250,000. Even though the empire won the last war, the scars ran so deep that they had developed a full-blown case of nomad PTSD.

But if the victorious empire was in this state, then what about the defeated nomads?

Total collapse.

Honestly, the empire didn’t gain anything from the war, but they protected what they had. Didn’t they show the dignity of the continent’s strongest nation and the firmness of the Mandate of Heaven? Although they were beaten like crazy by Kagan, a win was still a win. If anyone had a problem with it, they were welcome to come back from hell and complain.

However, the nomads lost everything—honor, hope, and their future.

The higher you rise, the harder you fall.

A great army of 100,000 gathered, and an outstanding hero called Kagan appeared. For the first time in history, they formed a single force. But in the end, even with every advantage, they lost.

So, just as the empire had a phobia of nomads, the nomads had enough reason to fear the empire. Until now, they could console themselves while thinking, ‘Of course we’re one-sidedly beaten because we’re scattered.’ But if they lost even after uniting under Kagan, they wouldn’t be able to help but think, ‘Are we trash?’

Of course, the nomads weren’t trash but monsters. The empire facing Kagan seriously came close to losing, thinking that a terrifying nation called the Kagan State might be born.

But it all fell apart in the end.

Fortunately for the empire and regrettably for the nomads, the nomads failed to cash out when the Kagan Coin hit its peak.

They drove the empire to crisis? Victory was within their reach?

War was a winner-took-all structure with no consolation prize, not even for those in second place. No matter how brilliant the process, that was that if they lost in the end. The nomads who failed to sell their Kagan coins in time were instantly plunged into the abyss. The symbol of hope, Kagan, became the despair that died along with the nomads.

In that situation, Kagan’s blood relative declared himself Khan.

It must be rough.

To use an extreme analogy, Kagan was an investor who had gathered money from everyone, dumped it all into coins, and then died. From the perspective of the suddenly bankrupt nomads, it was like the child of that dead guy came while shouting, ‘It’s real this time!’

The average person would have told him to get lost, but how could they say that when the Khan’s spicy fist was within arm’s reach? It’d be better to bow down even if it was degrading than to die from one wrong word.

Because at this point, the only thing the nomads had left was their lives.

“Maintain the standoff. There’s no need to approach first.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

As I finished organizing my thoughts and turned to look around, I saw the Invincible Duke breaking the silence and ordering the officers to maintain the status quo.

At that moment, I finally understood the subtle emotion hidden behind his unreadable expression.

He’s noticed.

This bizarre standoff and the flashy display of the nomads. If I had pieced it together, then there was no way the Invincible Duke hadn’t seen it too. He probably knew that this was a kind of display and interview rather than a battle and was calmly letting it pass.

An interview, huh.

The seal in my chest pocket felt heavy.

***Whether the Kaitana tribe flaunted their crazy presence or not, the war still continued. After all, we came to fight the Khan and not a single tribe.

The frontlines stretched wider as time passed, and more nomads appeared. Moreover, tribes mobilizing thousands of troops on their own started appearing one by one, naturally intensifying the battles.

However, we weren’t getting into scuffles with every tribe.

“The Kirgia tribe is roaming on the Chagara front. They number around 2,000, but no clashes so far.”

“The Birs tribe occupying the Keruta tribe’s territory has withdrawn. They used spells during their retreat, but our forces took minimal damage.”

After the Kaitana tribe set the trend, various tribes had been acting like second and third Kaitanas. They just showed up on the front lines without fighting, or pretended to scuffle a bit and then withdrew their forces. They were showing with their whole bodies that they had no intention to fight us.

“The Kaitana tribe has turned their horses around. They’re leaving the frontlines, heading northwest.”

The original instigators even left the room entirely. They didn’t even bother keeping up appearances anymore.

You could tell just how little effort they were putting in by the way the officer phrased his report—not retreating, not withdrawing, but simply turning around. No matter how you looked at it, these weren’t guys who came to fight.

“Also, unlike the other tribes, they’re not scattering. They’re moving together in one large unit, and at a relatively slow pace.”

I almost laughed blankly at those words. Nomads were like ghosts when they appeared, but even more so when they retreated.

The only place they could return to was their own territory. It could put the elderly and children left behind in their lands at risk if the empire tracked their movements too closely, and that was why retreating tribes had desperately tried to disappear during the last war.

But the Kaitana tribe was moving as if to show off. As if begging to be seen, as if saying, ‘This is where we live.’

These bastards, what on earth...?

It was so blatant that it was actually suspicious. Were they trying to bait an imperial envoy into visiting them only to ambush them the moment they arrived?

Of course, that possibility was very low. It would be insane to gamble their entire homeland just to trap a single envoy. That would be like a country setting its own capital on fire just to lure in a few enemy scouts.

“...Keep watching them. We can’t ignore the possibility of them joining other tribes and returning to the front lines.”

The Invincible Duke, perhaps culture-shocked by this crazy behavior, gave a somewhat delayed response.

I understood. It would be stranger for him to be fine when the common sense he’d known until now was being shattered every day. Maybe even that last suggestion about them regrouping with other tribes was just a stubborn refusal to admit that our understanding of this war was already shattered.

“Inspector.”

“Ah, yes, Your Grace.”

“Let’s step out for a moment.”

I quietly rose at the Invincible Duke’s words. The reports were conveniently in a lull, so there was time to leave for a short while. And he must have something important to say since he specifically asked us both to leave.

And given the timing, I already had a pretty good idea of what it was about.

“You’ll have to move soon.”

Once we reached a secluded spot, the Invincible Duke spoke with a voice filled with various emotions. It was probably not much different from the emotions I was feeling.

“I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly.”

I answered, trying to suppress those emotions. We both knew exactly what we were talking about even without saying it outright.

The Emperor’s true objective was the absorption of the northern tribes. And now, a tribe had volunteered to be absorbed. There was no way I could sit back and do nothing as the military inspector the Emperor had appointed.

And from the Invincible Duke’s perspective, securing a 3,000-strong force without fighting would only make his job easier.

I didn’t think we’d make contact this soon.

However, I didn’t expect a tribe ripe for assimilation to appear so soon. I expected the first defectors to appear after we delivered a crushing blow, not immediately after crossing the border. And there were several of them, at that.

Had the weaker tribes just been waiting for an excuse to run? Or was the North itself already in total disarray? Or was it... both? That’d be scary in its own way.

“We still haven’t pinpointed the exact location of the Kaitana tribe’s territory, but we’ll find out soon enough.”

I couldn’t find an appropriate reply to his voice, which was tinged with complex emotions.

After all, this was information obtained not through our reconnaissance but through the enemy’s voluntary disclosure. How frustrating and empty must it feel for someone who was leading an army?

“So far, the Kaitana tribe is the largest among those showing a willingness to surrender, and they were the first to show signs. The empire must show sincerity in proportion.”

“I’ll move as soon as their location is confirmed.”

The Invincible Duke nodded at my quick response.

As he said, the Kaitana tribe was the first to show intention to defect and was currently the strongest among them. Bypassing such a tribe and contacting others first could cause displeasure and anxiety for the Kaitana tribe.

That would be troublesome. We couldn’t waste the opportunity of taking 3,000 soldiers off the battlefield without shedding a drop of blood.

“Take as much escort as you need.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

A considerate gesture—ensuring I had a solid escort since I’d be heading straight into enemy territory.

Of course, it wasn’t necessary. With the Masked Unit already by my side, adding more escorts would be overkill.

***The Kaitana tribe withdrew from the front lines.

“They’re quick, aren’t they?”

I slightly raised the corner of my mouth as I listened to the report. The Keshik delivering the news bowed his head, as if the tribe’s withdrawal were somehow his responsibility.

“Raise your head. This was expected.”

I spoke gently to the Keshik. Who could blame a warrior for fighting bravely, and who could resent a chieftain for doing whatever it took to keep his people alive?

If anyone bore responsibility for this situation, it was the fool who had failed to unite the north and yet still had the audacity to be standing here, alive.

“How are the other areas?”

“So far, Kaitana is the only tribe that has defected.”

“Huh, really. Is this the same tribe that dawdled during the last war? They’re overwhelmingly fast.”

I made a light joke, but the Keshik bowed his head even lower.

Damn, was I getting old? Was my sense of humor getting worse?

They’re enthusiastic now that their value has increased.

I sighed after dismissing the Keshik who bowed like a sinner. The Kaitana tribe, who lived quietly during the last war and after the defeat, rushed south like mad as soon as they realized their own value as if they couldn’t let anyone else be first.

I expected this. But still, I couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed. If only they had shown half this enthusiasm before...

Damned opportunists.

But what could I say?

People who move based on price and self-preservation weren’t to blame. The real failure lay with the one who failed to offer them the right price and the one who failed to give them a reason to stay.

Complaining about sellers when you haven’t even put a proper offer on the table? That would just be pathetic.

I just hope they don’t get too far ahead.

Suddenly, another worry struck me. These bastards were fast, too fast. They weren’t just first, they were leaving before any other tribes had even begun to move.

At this rate, the other tribes would start feeling pressured. Would their value even hold if that happened?

I’ll have to push harder.

As always, managing people was the toughest job.