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The Barandiga tribe didn’t stay for long on the front lines before making a swift exit. Honestly, even a child sneaking out of Sunday service would have been more subtle.

But Barandiga’s quick exit was enough to shock other tribes. The Barandiga tribe, previously considered a neutral tribe, left the front lines right after contact with the imperial envoy. Anyone could see this meant that even Barandiga had turned pro-empire.

In terms of sheer military strength, the Barandiga tribe was hardly enough to shift the tide of war, let alone tip a single battle. However, their symbolism as the only priest was enough to encompass the North. In terms of faith, they even had authority equal to or surpassing the Khan.

“The Kyrgia tribe has surrendered. They say they bowed their heads in fear of the evil one’s blade, but now they’ve understood the will of heaven and want to serve the empire.”

“The Birs tribe has disarmed. They’ve offered 500 horses, asking for lenient treatment.”

With the consecutive surrender of notable tribes like Kaitana, with its considerable size, and Barandiga, as the focal point of faith, other tribes quickly bowed their heads. Seeing them surrender even before the empire made contact, they were clearly desperate to secure a place before it was too late.

Until Barandiga joined, many tribes likely thought that simply maintaining neutrality or avoiding outright hostility would be enough. Honestly, even the Invincible Duke and I thought so. As long as these damned nomads stayed quiet, it was still a win for us.

But as more powerful figures kneeled before the Empire, the rules changed. The Empire no longer had to wait for tribes to surrender. There was no need to sit around until every last seat on the bus was taken—now, they could pick up only the most valuable passengers and leave the rest behind.

So, the tribes waiting for imperial envoys all rushed in at once. No one wanted to move too slowly and risk getting left behind. Because in this war, missing the bus meant death.

“The Digera tribe’s chief has made contact with Marshal Lavirge. He’s offering his own life in exchange for mercy for his tribe.”

Even the nomads actively fighting against the Empire had begun surrendering.

Faith really is powerful.

It was surprising. The Digera tribe had consistently shown their face on the front lines since the early stages of the war, and they launched an even fiercer offensive after Barandiga appeared. Seeing how the priest’s appearance acted as a catalyst, they must’ve been a pious tribe.

But that priest surrendered to the empire. It was enough to turn the faith buff that boosted their morale into a debuff of despair, and Chief Digera eventually surrendered to the empire alone. He had likely spent his entire life believing he was fighting for his god. But naturally, that faith had been embraced by the empire.

“The Digera tribe’s crimes are not small, but they’ve realized their sins and submitted to the Mandate of Heaven. We’ll end the Digera chief’s punishment by having him pass his position to his child and live in seclusion.”

“Yes, Your Grace. I will deliver the message.”

An aide bowed at the Invincible Duke’s judgment and grabbed the communication crystal. It was a very lenient punishment for someone who inflicted considerable damage on imperial forces, but Chief Digera was the first to surrender among the pro-war tribes. He’d serve as a useful living billboard of the Empire’s tolerance.

Now, it wasn’t just the neutral tribes and the surrender factions looking to the Empire. Even the deeply religious war camps would begin to hesitate. Whenever they were troubled, they’d think of the Digera tribe and hold on to that glimmer of hope.

That they could save their lives if they bowed now.

Thanks to you, things are progressing smoothly. Thank you.

I offered a silent word of gratitude to the Eternal Blue Sky. There probably would have been quite a few tribes surrendering to the empire even without the Eternal Blue Sky, like in Kaitana’s case, but it was undeniable that Barandiga’s defection greatly accelerated the scale and process.

The scar and holy relic had allowed me to win over the priest, and in turn, he had swayed the northern tribes. Although the circumstances of obtaining the holy relic and scars weren’t very pleasant, there was no denying the results.

— ...

But it was strange. Normally, this was when the Eternal Blue Sky would make some smug remark or throw out a joke.

What was going on? Did the fairies grab her hair or something? If so, then maybe she wasn’t in a position to talk.

— Something’s wrong...

Luckily, it didn’t take long for an answer to come back.

— There’s no reaction from the priest at all...

But I almost tilted my head at those words. I already knew the priest wasn’t performing his role properly, but now the priest had seen the holy relic. According to the Eternal Blue Sky’s claim, there should be some change.

— Right now, there are no temples and no relics—the priest couldn’t properly serve me because he lacked the means. But once he saw the relic, things were supposed to change! He should have realized I still exist! He should be performing rituals, making offerings, and praying fervently! That would restore my strength, and I could use it to help revive the World Tree!

Just before negotiating with the Barandiga tribe, I asked the Eternal Blue Sky what would happen if we handed over the holy relic to the priest, and she answered with a voice full of expectation and excitement.

Hearing that, I boldly revealed the holy relic to the priest and declared my intent to return it. I thought this would make the Barandiga tribe join the empire and regain true faith, helping the Eternal Blue Sky.

But sadly, it seemed that the priest only joined the empire.

— T-This can’t be right! He’s a priest! Even if he was just a figurehead, even if his faith was weak—how could he see the relic and feel nothing?!

The Eternal Blue Sky’s pitiful muttering echoed endlessly in my head.

To me, the Barandiga tribe’s surrender was already a victory. But seeing this god spiraling into a full-blown panic made it impossible to ignore. After all, the only reason their surrender had gone so smoothly was because of the Eternal Blue Sky. Running off without so much as a second thought would be ungrateful.

Hey. Maybe—

— What? What? Do you have any idea?

The Eternal Blue Sky responded desperately when I cautiously spoke up.

Seeing that reaction, I almost couldn’t continue what I was thinking, but I mustered up the courage and spoke. If nothing else, we needed to identify the cause before we could even begin thinking about a solution.

Maybe he doesn’t know it’s a holy relic?

— Huh?

The bewilderment in her voice made me second-guess myself for a moment, but it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Can a priest who can’t perform his role recognize a holy relic? The sword was locked away in its sheath for who knows how long. Even you didn’t sense it until it was drawn.

If it were a devout person, they might have discerned it as a holy relic, or at least observed it carefully.

But what did the priest do? He looked at the relic. That was it. Come to think of it, he didn’t even touch it. At the time, I thought he could grasp it with his eyes alone because he was a priest, but he just glossed over it. He wouldn’t understand even if he saw it, so he simply looked at it.

At this shocking possibility, the Eternal Blue Sky said nothing for a long time.

— ...Do you want to be the priest instead? You have the scars and the holy relic. I think you have more faith than him.

The words she finally murmured sounded quite broken somehow.

I’ll have to decline.

That day, I learned for the first time that even gods cried.

I didn’t particularly want to know that.

***By now, most of the tribes that were going to move had already moved. There was no point in waiting any longer.

“So Barandiga surrendered, too.”

I muttered, tilting my head back. The last surviving priest, the only one left after the Apostle, the High Priest, and countless others had been slaughtered.

For so long, he had done nothing but cling to his title, avoiding involvement in worldly affairs. It had been impossible to tell what kind of man he was. Would he resist the Empire as a priest? Or would he choose safety as his tribe’s chief?

That question had now been answered. The priest of the Eternal Blue Sky bowed his head to the empire’s Mandate of Heaven. Those who still held faith in their hearts were likely to follow the priest.

The sorting is done.

I finally untangled the jumbled threads. At last, I could separate the different ones.

I had hoped to weave those threads together into something greater in the past, but failed materials were nothing but trash. All that mattered now was salvaging what was still useful.

“Khan.”

“Ah, I’ll come out.”

At the voice calling from outside, I rose to my feet. The sorting was complete. Now, it was time to act.

As I went outside the tent, the Keshik who had called me bowed his head. And behind him, warriors on horseback covered the camp.

“Is everyone here?”

At those words, the warriors at the front dismounted and knelt.

“Solr Go Urema of the Chauzid tribe answers the Khan’s call with 1,300 warriors!”

“Gadan Tabudai of the Kiulaya tribe answers the Khan’s call with 800 warriors!”

“Hetja Munkhe of the Sogul tribe answers the Khan’s call with 700 warriors!”

“Mandava Tevaka of the Toorir tribe answers the Khan’s call with 1,000 warriors!”

One after another, nearly a dozen chieftains bowed their heads and cried out. Those who endured three years for this day, for the battle against the empire, shouted under the sky.

“Hakalan Dashan awaits the Khan’s order with 5,000 Keshik.”

I nodded at the final report and stepped forward.

An army of over 10,000. It was a pitiful number compared to the days when we rode the steppes under His command or even compared to the numbers I forcibly gathered, but this army was united for a single purpose.

“I won’t make a long speech.”

I drew the sword at my waist. Towards the warriors who gathered believing in me, and towards the sky above, which was watching over us.

“I, Ga’ar Udesur Dorgon, will stand before you. I will run ahead of you until the day our breath fails and our god calls us home.”

Yes, there was no need for long speeches. To speak too much now and to fill the air with flowery words would be an insult to the men who had already steeled their hearts for war.

“Let’s go. To show those southern serfs the roar of the North.”

The warriors all drew their swords at once, while the shamans raised their staffs instead.

““DORGON! DORGON! DORGON!””

A thunderous cry echoed through the camp.

These bastards. Even now, at the very end, these fools still won’t call me Khan.

Idiots.

Then again... neither would I.