Volume 5, Chapter 43 – A Battle of Disparate Strengths

Translator Note

I want to make an announcement for updating some formatting styles… I noticed that something is not right… It’s a bit weird. yeah and it’s already quite far so… to reformat everything again it will definitely take a long time so i give up on that idea. I’m sorry.

Here enjoy~

Amidst the rattling of the carriage, Yisi’s group arrived at the Royal Capital, Alvier.

With the fall of the Vladimir Territory, the rebel army would be directly at the gates of the Royal Capital. At such a time, even if there were people who had been preparing to welcome the Festival of Original Sin, they had to halt all their plans. The Royal Capital was the last line of defense for the entire Blood Clan. If even the capital were to fall, the royal family would be considered utterly defeated.

Thank goodness Astrid City is only a day’s journey from the Royal Capital. Otherwise, we really wouldn’t have made it in time.

Yisi inwardly rejoiced, sensing the silent atmosphere in the carriage.

Her companions, including Andrea, were all sitting in the same carriage.

As if unable to bear the dead silence, Edith, who had been frowning the whole time, finally spoke.

“Why did we only find out yesterday that the Vladimir Territory had fallen? The rebel army’s attack should have been a process, not an instant result. Even if the Vladimir Territory didn’t resist at all and surrendered directly, the Royal Capital should have known several days earlier.”

If the king had known earlier, they could have prepared to meet the rebel army, sent reinforcements to support the Vladimir Territory, or moved troops from the capital’s flanks to strike at Count Hillary’s territory in the rear. But now, it was too late. The Vladimir Territory had fallen, and the rebel army would soon arrive at the foot of the Royal Capital.

Edith’s questioning made the already downcast Andrea even more reluctant to speak.

“They say all the messengers were intercepted by the rebel army…”

“The rebels went around to their rear and they didn’t notice at all? What on earth was the administrator of the Vladimir Territory doing!” Anger made Edith’s voice rise a notch, but she quickly recovered. “Forget it. It’s useless to talk about this now. The question is, what method did the rebel army use to take down the Vladimir Territory? The territory is protected by the Vladimir Tower. Even if the soldiers couldn’t hold out, the administrator could have activated the sun-veil to buy time.”

“The intelligence in the letter says that when the administrator of the Vladimir Territory was preparing to activate the sun-veil, a large number of elite rebel troops appeared out of thin air on the Vladimir Tower. They eliminated the tower’s regent before the lord could react.”

“Appeared out of thin air? Aren’t the Alexia Towers only accessible to those who have been granted permission?”

“I don’t know the reason either…”

Andrea shook her lowered head, looking quite dispirited.

Yisi gave Edith a look, signaling her to stop her questioning, then gently patted Andrea’s shoulder. “Cheer up. If the soldiers see you like this, they’ll be bewildered, won’t they? The capital hasn’t fallen yet, has it? We still have a chance. Don’t give up too early. We will all be by your side, Andrea.”

While comforting Andrea, Yisi opened her [Omniscient Map] and searched for suspicious targets within the capital. As for the “appearing out of thin air,” it might have been the work of the fallen angel Sandra.

Although Sandra didn’t have much in the way of attack magic, she had the troublesome ability to teleport people. With her around, decapitation strikes or interception operations would become exceptionally easy.

“Th-That’s right. We’ll always stay by Your Majesty’s side.”

“You can do it.”

Rеαⅾ οո КаtRеaⅾiոɡCаfе

Mary and Tiffany each cheered Andrea on, but the responsibility she bore was not something that could be dispelled with a few simple words. Andrea just looked up and gave everyone a forced smile.

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

WUUUUUUUU—

A mournful and long horn blast.

Although the sound was clearly coming from far away, it could inspire a deep-seated unease. Apart from Yisi, everyone else in the carriage became agitated, especially Andrea, who directly pulled open the carriage window’s curtain and craned her neck to find the source of the sound.

“What happened?”

The one who answered was Camilla. Her face was not looking good.

“Onee-sama, that is the sound of a battle about to begin.”

“The battle’s beginning?”

“Yes. The rebel army has probably reached the capital.”

They’ve started to attack the Royal Castle.

Yisi quickly expanded the display range of the [Omniscient Map] beyond the city walls. Just as Camilla had said, a dense, unbroken mass of light dots was stationed outside the city, while an equally dense cluster of dots guarded the walls. The dots on both sides were disappearing almost every minute; the battle was exceptionally fierce.

“To march on the capital right after taking the Vladimir Territory, judging from the timing, they must not have rested at all. Count Hillary intended to occupy the Royal Capital directly while the Queen was in the Astrid Territory for the ancestral worship during the Festival of Original Sin, to prevent the most powerful Alvier Tower from being activated—this man is insane.”

The Festival of Original Sin was a holiday that all of the Blood Clan should respect, yet Count Hillary had violated the principles they should abide by for the sake of victory.

Without any warning, Andrea stood up and pulled open the carriage curtain.

“Boris, to the city wall.”

Boris, mounted on a horse and guarding the carriage, showed hesitation.

“But Your Majesty, the city wall is very dangerous right now. The nobles are waiting for you in the castle to discuss the upcoming war.”

“Ignore them. Take me to the city wall.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The carriage, along with the entire procession, began to turn around. At the same time, a pillar of blue light connecting heaven and earth suddenly appeared in the pitch-black night sky. The magnificent and powerful aura made one feel the urge to kneel and bow.

The Alvier Tower, which had been hidden by an illusion, stood tall in the castle.

Rеaԁ on ΚаtRеаdіոɡСαfе

Even without being close, Yisi could feel the pure magic power emanating from it. In terms of total magic power alone, the Alvier Tower surpassed her own—in fact, all of the Alexia Towers had more magic power than her. But it was only their magic volume that surpassed hers. The actual power of the Alexia Towers was much smaller than the energy they contained, like a reservoir with only one outlet; they had a lot of energy, but couldn’t release it all at once.

With the appearance of the Alvier Tower, a lower-pitched horn blast came from the distance once again.

Like a receding tide, the light dots representing the rebel army quickly dispersed.

They saw the Alvier Tower and knew Andrea had returned.

Yisi took the example of the strike from the Hermion Tower that she had faced head-on before. If Andrea were to use the same attack on the rebel army, they would suffer at least a thousand casualties. What’s more, the Alvier Tower was the strongest of all the Alexia Towers in the Blood Clan, so the casualties would only be higher.

However, at the same time, Andrea would now be in an extremely dangerous situation. Since the rebel army had deliberately chosen to attack the capital when she was away, it meant they were aware of the terror of the Alvier Tower beforehand.

Correspondingly, they must have also made preparations for her timely return. Just as they had done to the administrator of the Vladimir Territory, it was highly likely that the rebels would have Sandra lead an elite force to teleport to Andrea’s side and carry out a decapitation strike.

This meant she would have to stay by Andrea’s side every day from now on. Yisi lowered her head slightly in thought. Instead of passive defense, taking the initiative was the better choice. Of course, the “initiative” here didn’t mean capturing Count Hillary and bringing him back. That would only make Andrea more and more dependent on her in the future, and she would become like the necklace, an existence that not only hindered Andrea’s growth but also made her feel guilty.

Over time, Andrea would be caught in a dilemma of wanting her to leave yet not wanting her to leave. Yisi didn’t want to become a burden. In other words, if she were to make Andrea think, “After Yisi leaves, I won’t have to continue making mistakes,” it would be tantamount to being disliked by Andrea.

So Yisi planned to secretly capture Sandra, only protecting Andrea’s safety and not solving her problems for her. That way, Andrea wouldn’t become dependent.

Soon, the group arrived at the city wall. At Andrea’s insistence, Boris led the others up onto it.

“Your Majesty, this is not a game. If something happens to you, the Blood Clan is finished.” Boris followed anxiously behind Andrea, pleading earnestly.

“Hey! There’s another one here! Someone get him down!”

“Crossbow bolts! Bring up the spare bolts!”

“My leg… my leg… someone save me…”

The top of the wall was filled with the smell of blood and fire oil. The shouts and groans of the soldiers rose and fell, weaving a hellish tapestry that made one look away. Before Yisi’s group had arrived, the soldiers guarding the capital had already withstood the attack for nearly half a day. Although they weren’t completely exhausted, they certainly couldn’t be said to be completely fine.

Subconsciously, Yisi looked at the rebel army camp in the distance. About two kilometers from the city wall, a total of ten phalanxes were standing by, ready to move out at any time. According to Yisi’s rough estimate, each phalanx had about seven thousand men. The total number of rebels attacking the capital exceeded seventy thousand.

Given that they had been marching day and night, this was already a very large force. The soldiers guarding the capital numbered less than ten thousand. According to the royal family’s current military strength, only by mobilizing the soldiers from other territories could they face the rebel army in a frontal battle.

If it weren’t for the large number of siege weapons on the city wall, giving them a defensive advantage, the capital would have been taken long ago. A pessimistic thought couldn’t help but rise in her heart.

Andrea, who had been walking at the very front, suddenly stopped. Beside the spot where she had stopped, a soldier was slumped, groaning continuously. Having been hit by the rebels’ trebuchet, the soldier’s entire lower body was a pulpy mess. The excruciating pain had made him lose his senses, and he could only let out meaningless screams.

A look of pity appeared on her face, and her throat moved. Unable to bear such a bloody sight, Andrea covered her mouth. It took a long time for her to suppress the urge to vomit. She turned around, her face pale.

Rеаd oո KαtRеadiոɡСαfe

“Lady Yisi… can you give me some blood?”

“Mm.”

Upon seeing the soldier, Yisi had guessed that Andrea would not stand idly by. While remaining vigilant for any possible attacks, she held her arm out to Andrea. At the same time, Mary and Tiffany also cast eager gazes at Yisi.

“Master, may I go and help the medics?”

“I’ll go too. To heal.”

“Yes, but don’t go too far from us. And Tiffany, don’t use holy magic on the soldiers.”

“I know!”

“Camilla, Refina, I’m counting on you for Mary and Tiffany’s safety.”

“Understood, Onee-sama.”

“Yes, Miss Yisi.”

After acknowledging Yisi, Camilla’s group quickly ran down the city wall to help the medics heal the wounded.

Her gaze resting on the dying soldier, Andrea took a deep breath.

“In the name of the resplendent Primordial Goddess, I bestow upon you a blessing—[Blessing of Blood].”

Just like last time, a purple, cone-shaped shield of light enveloped Andrea and the soldier. But last time it had ended after about a minute; this time, there was no sign of improvement. Although the soldier’s wounds quickly scabbed over, they broke open again after just a few seconds. The huge wound repeatedly cycled between healing and breaking, and the pained expression on the soldier’s face became more and more apparent.

Perhaps it was a final burst of life before death. The soldier slowly opened his eyes. After seeing Andrea, the pained look on his face lessened slightly.

“Your Majesty…”

“Don’t speak. I will definitely heal you.”

“I… I’m already… beyond saving…”

The only answer the soldier received was an even stronger purple light, but this only made the wound hold for a few more seconds before it would eventually burst.

“Thank you…”

After speaking intermittently, the soldier closed his eyes, his lips turning white, his breath so faint it was almost gone.

After continuing for a while longer, Andrea also began to show abnormalities. As if she couldn’t hold on, her body trembled violently, and her fangs bit down hard on her lip.

Reaⅾ on ΚαtRеаԁіոɡСаfе

This can’t continue.

Andrea’s healing effect had a limit, and the soldier’s injuries were clearly beyond her capacity.

Yisi simply resorted to force, forcibly pulling Andrea out of the purple light shield. The magic was instantly dispelled. Immediately after, like a water balloon made from a burlap sack, the soldier’s wounds burst open in an instant, and blood flowed out at an exceptionally fast rate.

Andrea’s eyes, witnessing this scene, revealed a look of anger.

“Lady Yisi!”

“Andrea! Don’t force yourself anymore. You know this is futile, don’t you?” Taking out a bottle of magic potion from her storage and sprinkling it on the soldier, Yisi beckoned to Boris. “Find someone to carry him down. He’ll be fine.”

Then Yisi took the initiative to cut her own arm and place the wound by the mouth of Andrea, whose eyes had turned bright red. Like a slave who hadn’t eaten for a long time, Andrea greedily drank the blood.

The blood frenzy quickly ended.

Andrea bit her lip and lowered her head without a word.

“I’m sorry… Lady Yisi.”

“I can understand your feelings, Andrea, so I won’t blame you.”

But Andrea had reached a point where she had to make a choice.

“What are you going to do next, Andrea?”

“I—”

WUUUUUUUU—

A new horn of attack sounded again.

Clang!

With a crisp sound of metal on metal, Yisi turned her head. Edith was using Gungnir to parry an arrow aimed at her, her eyes filled with a bloodthirsty light that longed for war. Edith pouted at Yisi.

“Even if you are ridiculously strong, don’t just stand there in a daze on the battlefield. I’m staying here to punish the traitors. You take Her Majesty back to the castle first. The nobles there should be in chaos.”

“Mm.”

In a slightly forceful manner, Yisi dragged the silent Andrea, who seemed to have lost all her strength, down from the city wall.