Volume 9, Chapter 64 – The Empire’s Predicament

A tent heavy with gloom, as if water could drip from it.

Several officers and soldiers of the Norta Empire were gathered within the main command tent. However, in this vast space, these men weren’t seated around the central round table. Instead, apart from General Gore Harile, who held full responsibility for the war against the Duchy of Chloe, and Bayldes, one of the Empire’s three powerhouses beyond the hero’s domain, all other officers could only stand at the tent’s edge.

Such a grand display would easily lead one to assume that a high-ranking Imperial dignitary, at least of chancellor or grand marshal level, was about to arrive. Yet, everyone within the tent knew exactly who was coming—she was neither an Imperial dignitary nor Emperor Adonis himself, but an unknown woman, never before seen on the Empire’s lists.

Under normal circumstances, holding such a grand ceremony to welcome an unknown person would make the officers and soldiers think their superiors had gone mad. The Empire’s military discipline was strict, and its review system thorough. If an officer wasted military resources without reason, even the commander-in-chief could face penalties ranging from demotion at minimum to hanging at maximum.

However, no one present, not even the ordinary soldiers outside the tent, dared to criticize this arrangement. This wasn’t because they feared defying their superiors, but because everyone, from top to bottom, understood the power wielded by the person coming today. An existence capable of instantly stripping soldiers of their resistance with a mere gesture, someone even Bayldes could only look up to, even fear… any sane person wouldn’t want to provoke her.

The long wait filled Gore with simmering anger. His fingers tapped incessantly on the table, the thump-thump sound echoing in the tent, each beat seeming to strike the hearts of the grim-faced officers.

Clutching his staff tightly as if it were a lifeline, Bayldes frowned. Ever since being slapped back several kilometers from above the Ducal Capital into the Imperial camp by Yisi a few days ago, Bayldes’s already thin frame had become even more gaunt. His deeply sunken eye sockets were so dark they looked like he’d just emerged from a coal mine, and his lips held an unhealthy pallor. He hadn’t slept well for days.

“Gore, can you stop tapping the table? You’re not the only one who’s anxious.”

Reαⅾ оո ΚαtRеаԁіոɡСаfe

After Yisi rescued Lin from the battlefield, the Empire hadn’t immediately retaliated—not because they didn’t want to pursue, but because they lacked the ability. Due to Yisi forcibly draining the soldiers’ magic power before leaving, they fell into a daze caused by mana depletion, losing all combat capability. Those who were magic casters and had undergone mana depletion training could barely support themselves with their staves, avoiding the unseemly sight of collapsing. But the ordinary soldiers, who had never experienced magic or the sensation of mana depletion, couldn’t even stand steadily. They lay in their tents for a full day before gradually recovering.

To avenge this humiliation, Gore organized the army the moment the soldiers recovered. The plan was for Bayldes to first use a Tier 6 wide-area annihilation spell on the Ducal Capital, destroying the city’s living forces, followed by a soldier charge. Given the Duchy of Chloe’s size, facing such overwhelming force left no room for resistance. At most, Lin could emerge to disrupt Bayldes’s spell casting as a delaying tactic. Before setting out, to prevent the soldiers’ magic from being drained again, Gore even had them consume herbs that resisted dizziness. For ordinary soldiers, they could fight even without magic.

However, the battle method that had always worked before met with defeat this time. At the start of the siege, to everyone’s surprise, only one woman came out to meet the attack, claiming to be the current Pope of the Divine Religion. Even though she was the one who had rescued Lin the day before, no one, including Bayldes, took her seriously.

After all, even General Carl, ranked among the top tier beyond the hero’s domain, couldn’t possibly face such a vast army alone, especially with Bayldes and the court magic caster legions providing support. Rescuing someone from amidst an army was easy, but stopping all siege soldiers single-handedly was a task of ludicrous difficulty. In Bayldes’s eyes, this unknown woman, merely possessing some strange magic, was nothing to fear.

Then, when Bayldes uttered some contemptuous words to the silver-haired woman, all the soldiers witnessed a terrifying scene unfold in the sky.

The silver-haired woman, in front of soldiers from both nations, defeated Bayldes with a single blow—and a rather humiliating one at that, touching his face with her hand.

And then there was no ‘then.’

Everyone realized this woman was not to be trifled with, likely even stronger than someone beyond the hero’s domain. Thus, the Imperial army hastily retreated that day and had not launched another offensive against the Duchy of Chloe since.

Rеαd on ΚαtRеаԁіոgСαfe

As for now, it was the time agreed upon for negotiations.

Gore stopped tapping the table, sat up straight from his slumped posture, rested his arms on the table, leaned forward towards Bayldes, and spoke after a moment’s hesitation.

“Bayldes, I’ve been thinking about something these past few days.”

“Speak.”

“You said… that silver-haired woman, just how strong is she? Even you couldn’t last a single round against her. Could that be power rivaling a Demon Lord? If so, our offensive against the Duchy of Chloe must be put on hold. His Majesty initiated the war under the premise of the Duchy’s weakness. If something like a Demon Lord is involved, it must be reconsidered.”

“Isn’t that ob—Urgh!”

Due to his agitation, Bayldes’s facial muscles stretched too much, aggravating his wound again. He immediately clutched his cheek.

Despite using the best magic potions in the entire Empire, Bayldes’s right cheek still throbbed faintly. If that terrifying powerhouse hadn’t shown mercy, applying a layer of defensive magic while slapping him, he would have been a corpse by the time he landed back in the camp. This was a secret Bayldes intended to take to his grave; he was utterly disgraced.

Reaԁ οn КαtRеаdіոɡCаfе

Bayldes’s reaction brought a bitter look to Gore’s face.

Negotiations could only occur when both sides had some need for the leverage held by the other. If one side held an overwhelming advantage, negotiation was impossible. Honestly, given the current state of the Imperial army, Gore couldn’t find anything that could be considered leverage. If the other side demanded a withdrawal, he could only retreat obediently to preserve his forces. Now, Gore only hoped the envoy sent by the other side would grant the Empire some face, allowing them to publicly claim a voluntary withdrawal rather than being driven away by the Duchy of Chloe.

The topic fell silent again. A deathly quiet flowed through the tent.

Fifteen minutes later.

“Lord Gore, the envoy from the Duchy of Chloe has arrived.”

“Quickly invite her in!”

“Yes.”

Shortly after the words fell, Gore finally saw the anticipated envoy. Due to the bright light outside the tent flap, Gore could only see three dark silhouettes, unable to discern their features. Considering his side’s position in this negotiation, Gore exchanged a glance with Bayldes, and both rose to greet them. The officers in the tent immediately craned their necks, jostling each other, creating a low buzz. Everyone wanted to see for themselves what this woman, who had single-handedly repelled tens of thousands of Imperial troops, looked like.

Rеad οո КαtRеαԁіոɡСαfе

Soon, they got their wish. Upon seeing the visitors clearly, Gore and the officers in the tent subconsciously gaped, stunned.

Setting aside the last figure, a black-haired girl with scales on her face, the remaining blonde and silver-haired women were unbelievably beautiful, making one wonder if gods and angels had descended to the mortal realm. Especially the blonde girl—perfectly proportioned, ample where she should be, slender where she should be, from her full bosom to the flawless curve from waist to leg. Although her skin exposure was minimal, it still made one swallow hard. Even the universally admired Imperial princess was likely no match.

However, Gore’s attention lingered on the blonde girl for only a fleeting moment. He was focused on the girl walking in the middle, her silver hair, streaked blue at the ends, tied into twin tails—the girl he had spoken with before.

Yisi Enya, Cardinal of the Ymir Church.

His mouth fell open in astonishment.

“C… Cardinal Yisi?”

Walking into the tent with Camilla and Lin, Yisi offered a confident smile to everyone inside.

“General Gore, it’s been a few days. I trust you’ve been well?”