episode_0149

“… … .”

I broke into a cold sweat as I felt the countless weapons aimed at me and the vivid, even tingling, hostile magic power.

Not really, I was sweating because I was scared of them.

The thing that made me sweat was none other than this situation itself.

‘… What should I do?’

The reason I showed up in this situation and this place like this wasn’t because I had something in mind.

I heard news about the war and headed to the academy to meet Estelle to prevent it.

However, as soon as I could take that step, news came.

The armies of both empires are advancing towards the academy.

The moment I heard the news, a bad feeling crossed my mind, and I accelerated my pace.

To not be late. To stop it before it gets out of control.

However, despite the speed, it ended up being late.

It was for a simple reason.

The location was bad.

Darville and the forest adjacent to it are located at the left end of the continent, so to speak, and there is a huge distance from there to the academy located near the center of the continent.

No matter how much I am a warrior who has reached the level of consciousness and have skills that surpass those of ordinary Ten Sword-level warriors, I am also human in the end.

It was impossible to cover that distance in one go.

I did my best and ran at my best speed, but in the end I was late.

When I arrived at Perdion, the armies of both sides were already facing each other.

And, with Estelle and Cairn facing each other, an atmosphere that seemed ready to explode at any moment, ready to start a demonstration of war, unfolded before their eyes.

As soon as I saw that, I moved my body reflexively and stormed in.

It was literally reflexive.

My body moved before the thought reached my head.

Because I had an intuition that if I left it like this, war would really break out.

So, I was skeptical that there was any specific plan.

My mind was blank, and my vision was so dark that it was completely dark.

‘how should… … .’

My brain was spinning harder than it’s ever been, but I couldn’t come up with a solution.

It was a natural thing.

There was no way that a problem that had not been answered for days and days could suddenly be solved in this short moment.

I urgently shift my gaze and look around.

The eyes of countless soldiers on me, the weapons held in their hands.

The gaze of the residents of Perdion can be vaguely felt, looking at this place with nervous eyes.

and.

Two people radiating a different presence in this vast grassland.

Blazing blonde hair and blue eyes.

The crown prince of Elbrend, Cairn, is looking at us with his face like a work of art coldly calm.

Even in this situation and this space, his unrealistic appearance makes it seem as if he is alone and living in a different world, to the point that he inadvertently loses attention.

Estelle, the princess of Reinberg, staring blankly at the uninvited guest who suddenly barged in with her purple eyes showing no emotion.

The moment I saw Cairn, I unconsciously swallowed dry saliva, and the moment my eyes landed on Estelle, I could not help but forget the situation and just stare at her for a moment.

“… … .”

It’s a face I haven’t seen in a long time.

Just thinking about it, quite a bit of time has passed since I left the academy in a way I didn’t want.

Is it because it’s been so long since I’ve seen her face?

Even though I rarely feel this way, a clear feeling of joy suddenly rose up in my head.

There was no emotion in her eyes as she looked at me now.

That was quite different from the way she originally looked at me.

Of course, it was natural since she didn’t know my identity.

However, even though I knew that, I reflexively felt regret.

At the same time, there are also questions.

Why did she decide to go to war?

What thoughts did she have that brought her to this point?

Because I still don’t know the answer.

It was in the meantime.

“Who are you?”

Cairn asked me.

Even though he couldn’t have expected my appearance, his tone was extremely calm.

I’m not trying to force myself to pretend to be peaceful. In fact, I didn’t feel any tension from Cairn.

It wasn’t simply because Cairn’s courage was unusual.

Most of the eyes of Elbrent’s troops are focused on me, and they are ready to draw their weapons at any time.

The cold and sharp gazes felt around Cairn, presumed to be guards.

And, there are various artifacts that are probably plastered all over Cairn’s body.

In this situation, there wouldn’t be many people who could break through those and harm Cairn.

No, it would be safe to say that there is almost none.

So, there was a proper basis for that leeway.

Well, even taking that into account, it would be impossible for the average person to not change even the color of his face in this situation.

… Anyway, that’s not the point.

“… It has to stop.”

I looked straight into Cairn’s eyes and said.

“What?”

Cairn asked back with an expressionless expression.

Facing those cold eyes, I continued speaking.

“War must not occur.”

Clearly and strongly.

but.

“War should not occur… D.”

Cairn muttered what I said over and over again.

Then, he asked again.

“Why?”

“… … .”

I had somewhat expected Cairn to react like this.

So, I opened my mouth right away.

“That’s─”

“Are you going to give the stereotypical reason that so many people are dying?”

“… … .”

However, I immediately shut my mouth when Cairn interrupted me.

Although there may be differences in nuance, Cairn’s words were exactly what I was trying to say.

The reason I want to prevent war is not simply because that is what the church intended.

I am here because I believe that war itself should not occur.

War creates numerous victims.

If it also becomes a war between empires, it is not an exaggeration, corpses will create mountains, and blood will create rivers.

Even though I knew for sure that it would happen, I couldn’t watch the war unfold with my eyes open.

There are other minor reasons, but that is the biggest reason.

But looking at Cairn’s reaction, it seemed like that wasn’t enough to convince him.

However, even though I was caught off guard, I forced myself to move my mouth.

I was confident that things wouldn’t go in a positive direction if I kept my mouth shut like this.

“… Of course, there is a reason for that.”

The good news is that I still have something to say.

“War will only lead to the destruction of both empires. Even if one side wins, the rest will never be smooth.”

There are two empires that exist on the continent.

Reinberg and Elbrend.

The reason the two countries are called empires is because they have overwhelming national power compared to other countries.

And, the reason there are two empires is because the national power of the two empires is not much different.

If the national power of either Reinberg or Elbrent had overwhelmed the other, the name empire would not have been allowed in the first place.

If countries with similar national power go to war, it is impossible to win overwhelmingly and without much damage.

It’s no different in this case, either Reinberg or Elbrent will probably suffer significant damage regardless of who wins.

And if that happens, it is clear that the future of the victorious and surviving empire will not be very bright.

If one empire collapses and the remaining empire suffers great wounds and stagnates, those who were watching the two beasts until then will begin to raise their heads one by one.

Kingdoms will covet their place as new empires, and perhaps there will be more than just one such kingdom.

There will be war.

A war to become an empire and to gain hegemony over the continent.

And in the process, the one remaining empire will probably, definitely fall.

Even if you are lucky and barely survive, your previous strength will be gone.

That future seemed so clear to me.

In the end, my words were a remonstrance for Estelle and Cairn, as well as Reinberg and Elbrend.

“Yes. As you said, even if we win the war, the damage will be great.”

Cairn was the first to nod his head and affirm what I said.

However, despite this, my expression did not brighten.

Because his expression was still cold.

“However, I want to ask the question backwards. Do I look like a fool to stand here without even knowing that much?”

“… … .”

“I knew that much a long time ago.”

The crown prince, who would one day become emperor, continued speaking calmly in a voice filled with quiet dignity.

“After considering and understanding all of that, I am standing here.”

“… … .”

If you think about it, yes.

As they said, there is no way that Cairn and the people of the empire did not know that.

As he said, Cairn would have stood here knowing all that and taking it into account.

Estelle also didn’t say anything, but was looking at me with calm eyes.

In fact, it seems like she doesn’t deny that opinion either.

“Now, is that the end of what I have to say?”

Cairn asked.

Hearing that question, I gained confidence.

That you can’t convince them with words.

No matter what you say, you can’t stop the war.

Because I thought so, I… … .

“If you’re done with what you want to say, stop… … .”

Cairn’s words were interrupted.

And, for the first time, Cairn showed a change in his expression and looked at me intently.

It was a natural reaction.

Because I unlocked the magic tool that had been changing my appearance.

Because my true face was revealed to the world.

I moved my gaze.

Passing by Cairn with the cracked face, I headed towards the person who had been standing quietly next to him the whole time.

Estelle was looking this way with her mysterious purple eyes wide open.