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Dorgon came and went like the wind. Of course, the kind of art he displayed belonged in the depths of hell, but that didn’t change the fact that the raid by over 10,000 nomads was enough to turn the Sarei front into hell.

The nomads’ activity on the front was short.

However, becano one in the whole North and in all the continent could truly threaten him.use they caused concentrated chaos in that short time, the results were absolutely disastrous.

Their horses trampled over troops.

Their riders, fully prepared for battle, slashed with their swords and rained arrows down upon the ranks.

“We’re pulling the front line back.”

It was bad enough for Father to make such a decision, but this wasn’t simply because our side suffered heavy losses. The real problem wasn’t the troops that can be replenished from other fronts, but this damned terrain.

Honestly, most of the North was far from ideal for defense, but the Sarei tribe’s territory was especially bad.

The Sarei tribe didn’t have to worry about attacks from other tribes; rather, they were the ones beating others up.

So, they chose a territory that was easy to expand to, not one advantageous for defense.

“From now on, there won’t be small-scale battles like before. Dorgon is leading a full-scale offensive.”

The other officers nodded at these words. While the empire could gradually expand the front lines against hundreds or thousands of nomads, we needed to switch to defense now that the Khan had appeared while leading an army of over 10,000.

If we foolishly try to gain territory like before and end up annihilating our army corps, we wouldn’t be able to face the Emperor.

It might be a bit odd to be on the defensive when we came on an expedition, but we were fighting against a moving army, not fortresses and castles. As long as we destroyed Dorgon and his forces, it wouldn’t matter how much land we gained or lost in the process.

“There’s a river to the south. We’ll make that our front line.”

It was frustrating to use the very river we just crossed as a defensive wall, but there was no other choice.

Crossing a river twice was better than getting steamrolled by Dorgon twice.

“Inspector.”

“Yes, Marshal.”

I hastily responded to Father’s sudden call.

“Thanks to the Inspector, I and many soldiers were able to escape the traitor’s blade. As the commander of this front, I offer my gratitude once more.”

He kept his tone formal, likely for the sake of the other officers watching. But despite the stiffness of his words, his voice was noticeably softer.

“You’re too kind.”

So, I bowed my head with a slight smile.

This battle hadn’t ended well, but at least Father was still alive. At least I could return to headquarters knowing that.

***Due to the battle on the Sarei front, the empire pulled back its front lines and even lost the chance to take the Khan’s head, their war objective. Looking at the results alone, it was a one-sided loss for the empire.

However, looking at the flow afterward, it turned out to be beneficial for the empire.

“The tribes that maintained neutrality until the end have all surrendered at once.”

The Invincible Duke nodded at the officer’s report.

Dorgon’s offensive had been a direct attack on the heart of the Imperial forces. But in doing so, he had effectively declared to the world, ‘This is my entire army.’

Tribes that didn’t show up when the Khan himself was launching a large-scale offensive? They could no longer be called neutral. They were clearly tribes that differed in opinion from Dorgon, the Khan—and differing in opinion from the Khan during wartime meant siding with the empire.

If they don’t want to die, they have to stick with us.

From that moment on, the so-called neutral tribes abandoned all pretense. They scrambled to defect, tearing off their neutrality like a mask they no longer needed. The Empire itself hadn’t wronged them in any way, but they had insulted the Khan by refusing to fight in his campaign.

So it was a natural action, but...

Spineless bastards.

I couldn’t hide my complex feelings. Even before this mass desertion of neutral tribes, there were many justifications for the nomads to surrender to the empire, like the Kaitana tribe’s advances or the Barandiga tribe’s joining.

Despite this, they conflicted until the end and only surrendered now. Was it their pride? Or were they just that indecisive?

It’s a pity.

Of course, it wasn’t the empire that was pitiful but the tribes that surrendered last. Latecomers always suffered the same fate—they joined the winning side too late to be rewarded for it.

They weren’t like the Kaitana tribe who bowed their heads from the early stages of the war, nor did they have high symbolism like the Barandiga tribe, so there was no particular need to value them highly.

After all, the empire knew that these guys surrendered because they had no other choice. Where else would they go if they didn’t surrender to us?

They had no leverage and no bargaining power. For latecomers, this was the bitter reality.

“They’ve shown their intention to lend their strength in fighting the evil one. They claim that their experience in the plains will make them a valuable asset—“

And to overcome this reality, the latecomers scrambled to prove their worth.

Until now, most surrendered tribes had not been directly involved in combat.

It was a given that we wouldn’t push them onto the battlefield.

It would only cause unrest if we forced them to fight, and we were also uneasy about entrusting our backs to those who were our enemies until recently.

The fact that their surrender had reduced the enemy’s numbers was already enough of a contribution.

But for the latecomers who needed to prove their worth somehow, there was none of that.

“That’s a brave resolution. I’ll meet with them myself, so arrange a meeting.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Knowing this, the Invincible Duke summoned the tribal chiefs who surrendered last.

With Dorgon in full swing, securing cavalry forces that could counter him was important. And if we rejected this request, the latecomers would become anxious in a different sense. I wasn’t sure if this analogy fit, but wouldn’t it feel like being put on standby after missing a promotion?

In any case—

We can give titles to those who fight well.

It would only benefit the Empire if we set the precedent that even the latecomers could earn status through merit.

***I wasn’t sure how long it had been since I was last here. It had been three years since the war ended, so had it been three years since I had approached this place?

There were many opportunities to come in those three years, but I didn’t even approach the area just in case. Everyone knew what this place meant to me, and wandering too close would have drawn unwanted attention.

“That’s why I’m only coming now to pay my respects.”

I murmured the words to the empty air. Dashan was nearby, but he’d been acting like he was deaf and blind since the moment I came here, so I should exclude him.

He was an excessively loyal guy.

Was I like that, too?

Suddenly, that thought occurred to me. Was I no different from Dashan in His eyes—? Whenever He said He was going somewhere, I would insist on accompanying Him while saying it was dangerous to go alone even though no one in the whole North and all the continent could truly threaten him.

And yet, I couldn’t help Him when He was really in danger. When he needed someone by his side, I couldn’t be there.

It’s really pathetic.

Because of it, I had lost count of how many times I had wanted to die. What was the point of a vassal and the last heir of a fallen nation living when he couldn’t protect his lord?

Because as wretched as I was, there was still something left for me to do. Or maybe—maybe I just wanted to believe that.

At this point, it doesn’t matter which it is.

I moved forward, quietly surveying the land around me. Three years had passed. And yet, the scars of battle remained. This was the place where the spirit of the North had been broken, and this was the place where He drew his last breath.

“I met that bastard.”

I knelt and caressed the ground. I knew it was a meaningless action, but thinking that this was where He last stood, I couldn’t help myself.

“Tala, Zairug, and Ilay—they all failed to kill him. And now, he’s returned to the North.”

As I said it, I couldn’t help but laugh. Tala, who was the vanguard, Zairug, whose abilities He recognized, and Ilay, the North’s greatest sorcerer—that bastard either directly killed them or contributed to their deaths. He was a monster like no other.

I had fought that monster time and time again and survived. In his eyes, I must be a monster, too.

“But it’s strange. When I learned that bastard had come to the North, I felt relief rather than anger or despair.”

It was to the point where I think I might have been angry if he hadn’t come.

“It’s been a long, bitter feud. Two years of battle, and three years of waiting. But now, at last, I can put an end to it. I can end everything.”

I burst into laughter again.

Stubborn bastard. What the hell happened between us in our past lives? No ordinary grudge could have kept someone tied to my life for five years.

Still, I didn’t resent him. I knew it was the same for him, too. With Him and the others dead, I was the only worthy opponent left.

I casually pulled out the spell book from my coat pocket. It was an item meticulously crafted by the most skilled sorcerer who followed me.

The finale should look like one.

It was an item made for that purpose. Maybe it was just my stubbornness or my own selfish pride, but I somehow knew that He would appreciate it, too.

“It’s red because it drank your father’s blood.”

“Congratulations. Your father might be dead, but his blood still lingers in this blade. In a way, this sword is your father. It’s a family reunion after a long time.”

“Ah, come to think of it. Since I’m using your father, I could be considered your grandfather.”

Hmm.

My fighting spirit surged again as his words came to mind.

I thought I had gotten used to it enough in those two years, but it seems my immunity had dropped after not hearing it for three years. What a shame.

Damn it.

It would take quite some time to get used to it again.

Though I wonder which would come first: getting used to it, or dying?