Ch.9090. Evaporation

I never thought this could end without bloodshed.

“…If we attack together, we can win!”

As soon as the battle began, I decided to take out the mages first. I couldn’t risk any of our knights getting hurt by stray magic.

With a casual swing of my sword, a crescent-shaped aura shot out with an eerie sound.

Three mages died without even screaming as their flesh and blood scattered through the air.

“…You bastard!”

It was strange. Despite witnessing this scene right before their eyes, the people from the allied nations still charged at me without hesitation.

I didn’t mind obliging them.

With a sword strike devoid of even aura, I cut down two opponents in a single slash. When a spear lunged for my throat, I simply dodged it, seized it, and returned it—by thrusting its tip into the owner’s solar plexus.

Only after I had playfully killed several people did fear finally appear in their eyes.

‘Our knights would have expected this.’

But many faces from the allied nations showed shock. They likely had never encountered someone so far beyond standard strength. Of course, they had squandered their opportunity.

Besides, avoiding me alone wouldn’t save them. The Empire had over fifty more knights present.

“Don’t let a single one escape!”

“Damn… ARGH-!”

Screams echoed from all directions. The number of corpses littering the ground increased rapidly.

‘This will end soon.’

As I stood with my sword lowered, thinking this,

“You son of a bitch!”

A knight from the allied nations charged at me in rage. He had seaweed-like hair similar to my former colleague Ramsey.

I couldn’t be certain he was actually a knight. He wore a sailor’s outfit, more like a laborer’s. I only guessed he was a knight because he wielded a sword with a thin layer of aura.

‘He disguised himself thoroughly.’

This thought crossed my mind as I casually parried his weak attack. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be someone who had planned to infiltrate the Empire when the opportunity arose.

Had he kept quiet, his attempt might have succeeded. With his shaggy hair and the burn marks on his forearms, he truly looked like someone who had spent his life at sea. His mediocre skill made it difficult to identify him as an aura user.

If his attempt had succeeded, what then?

He could have posed as a refugee from the allied nations, wandered through the eastern coastal territories, and gradually transformed into an adventurer.

Eventually, he might have been knighted in some rural territory. There were still plenty of territories untouched by Cordana.

But now he had ruined his chance at a second life by failing to control his anger for a moment. Actually, before worrying about a second life, his current one was about to end.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Despite my using only physical strength without aura, he kept staggering.

I could have ended his life with a single strike if I wanted.

However, I continued engaging with the seaweed-haired man without taking his life. Not to toy with him, but to calmly assess the battlefield.

‘There’s been quite a lot of bloodshed.’

About four hundred people had actively resisted, with another hundred or so who had joined spontaneously.

Today’s battle would eliminate the ruling class of the allied nations. What few knights and mages remained would also disappear.

I expected some skilled fighters to cross over, but not to this extent.

It gave me a glimpse of how desperate the situation in the allied nations had become.

If their countries were only moderately damaged, those with some military power would be treated as valuable and act as authority figures. The fact that they abandoned those benefits to enter our country meant the situation was beyond salvaging.

Now, how should we manage the lands that were once the allied nations?

‘There are options.’

We couldn’t leave them as independent countries anyway. Either annexation or making them vassal states. To minimize the burden in that process…

Just then.

Clang!

“You bastard, there’s a limit to treating people like garbage…!”

The seaweed-haired man’s muffled curse reminded me that I was still engaged with him.

Most of the resistance forces had already died, and the Empire’s knights were shaking the blood off their swords. Only a few dozen remained, including the man facing me.

My junior Katie’s face seemed to say, “Why are you playing with him instead of finishing this?” Even if they were from the allied nations, this seemed wrong…

“…Huff, huff.”

The seaweed-haired man appeared exhausted, barely able to hold his sword.

It was time to end this.

I adjusted my grip on my sword and slowly approached him.

“I wasn’t deliberately toying with you. Let’s end this.”

“…Wait.”

Despite charging at me in rage just moments ago, his spirit had visibly broken. Perhaps after seeing the corpses scattered around, or maybe he simply didn’t want to continue fighting someone who could neutralize him without even using aura.

But I had no intention of offering surrender.

He had already rejected the opportunity to surrender. Such a man couldn’t even be sent to a penal unit. He would desert or kill his superior officer before long.

Did he realize he had no chance for surrender?

Looking at me with empty eyes, he clutched his sword to his chest and charged with an unstable stance, as if determined to leave at least one scratch before dying.

I watched him approach—

And finally unleashed my aura at full power.

Not just a thin coating, but dense, powerful aura that could slice an ogre or minotaur into pieces with a single strike. Though it wasn’t dark yet, everything around seemed to brighten, drawing everyone’s attention.

“…Huh?”

The blood drained from the seaweed-haired man’s face. It was remarkable that he still staggered toward me despite this.

I timed my strike and swung my sword downward.

With minimal resistance, his body was bisected, blood splashing everywhere. A moment of silence fell over the area.

That ended the battle.

***

The entire engagement lasted less than 10 minutes.

In that brief time, the small harbor had been completely stained with blood. I felt sorry for the fishermen who made their living here.

Had we invaded the allied nations, there would have been dozens of times more casualties, but that didn’t make today’s bloodshed insignificant. Considering that several “kings” were among the dead, it was an even more serious situation.

But there was no time for reflection. And honestly, there wasn’t much to reflect on. These weren’t people who deserved guilt or regret.

“…Um, Lord Wellesley?”

A man nervously hovered beside me. It was former Count Neize. His distinctive pink hair made him unmistakable.

He seemed shocked to be suddenly handling such grim business after managing a peaceful rural territory, but from his perspective, this might be an opportunity. As a steward without a title, he was now carrying out a mission directly from the Emperor.

“Speak.”

“Well, Lord Wellesley. What should we do with the survivors?”

There were indeed survivors. Mostly women and the elderly. There was one able-bodied man, but that was Enrique.

“Enrique will be taken to the capital. Have you prepared detention facilities for the rest?”

“Yes, we have.”

The prisoners from the allied nations would be temporarily detained and investigated by the intelligence department.

‘We need to find out if they know anything about the demon race.’

It would be good if there were demons among the frozen people from the allied nations, but any intelligent specimen wouldn’t have come here. Still, we needed to gather information about recent activities or any clues. After the investigation, they would all be sent to isolated locations.

However, there was one prisoner who was an exception.

An elderly retired dragon hunter who had said only briefly that he hadn’t come of his own will, then remained silent. His body showed signs of restraint and torture. Just seeing this made it clear why he was here.

‘He’s probably Rodrigo’s master or relative. Were they planning to use him for favorable testimony by threatening him?’

They seemed to have been quite clever. If only they had used such intelligence when facing the Tetrad.

I instructed that the old dragon hunter be separated from the others for protection and investigation. I also ordered that he be treated well.

“…Oh, and Lord Neize. Collect the supplies as well.”

“I’ll check on that right away.”

Former Count Neize promptly responded and gave orders to the soldiers.

Honestly, it couldn’t be a pleasant task. It wasn’t just about unloading boxes of valuables from ships; they also had to handle the bodies of those who had died so futilely.

But what choice did we have? Valuables were valuables. We weren’t in a position to refuse blood-stained gold.

A quick check revealed that there was surprisingly little gold, but plenty of jewels and treasures instead. Among them was a dragonbone spear lying on the blood-soaked ground.

If used well, these might help extract gold coins from the stuffy vaults of the wealthy. That would be good in its own way.

‘Is that everything?’

The handling of the now-ownerless allied nations was an issue, but that would be addressed over time. For now, it was time to return to the capital.

As I prepared to leave,

“We-Wellesley! Wellesley!”

One prisoner being dragged away called out to me desperately. It was Enrique, who was scheduled for public execution in the capital. Curious about his audacity in calling me, I spared him a glance. He stumbled over his words several times before finally managing to speak.

“Um, if I hadn’t betrayed Rodrigo…”

I cut him off, already knowing what he was going to ask.

“You’re wondering what would have happened if you hadn’t informed on him?”

“Uh, yes.”

“Perhaps we would be discussing cooperation between the Empire and the allied nations right now. I would be several times more exhausted, but in exchange, the allied nations might have preserved their countries. They could have received support from the Empire too, probably.”

“…So it really was because of me alone.”

Seeing his blank expression, he seemed to want to express his miserable feelings, but I had no intention of listening and immediately gestured for him to be taken away.

“Wait…!”

While I had freshly realized how an individual’s choice could determine a nation’s fate, honestly, I felt no particular emotion about it. Even in my case, if I had sold Cordana earlier or later, I might not be standing here now.

“Let’s return to the capital.”

I looked around the scene once more before turning away.

Some of the knights who had bloodied their hands today followed behind me. Despite taking so many lives, I didn’t feel particularly burdened.