Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 89

EP.89 It Was There, Now It’s Gone

“….”

It’s over. For a battle between the strong, it ended rather quickly.

Grand Duke Schrelitz, who had been observing the situation from atop a hill, thought this as he stood up.

As he rose, the surrounding knights immediately followed, and soon the commanders gathered around.

“Your Grace.”

“What happened?”

What do you mean what happened? It’s all over. The Grand Duke muttered inwardly.

The reason the Imperial Army, poised for battle, was suddenly lingering in such a place.

They had received a strong request from the three siblings of Jonathan to pull back the legion.

They had asked this to avoid putting pressure on the alliance and to prevent it from being seen as a provocation.

In fact, calling it a request was putting it mildly; it was almost a demand.

To think that someone would dare demand the Grand Duke Schrelitz to pull back his legion.

It was something unimaginable unless it came from the Emperor or another Grand Duke.

The core forces of the Ministry of War were all from Schrelitz, and the Grand Duke himself was one of the top commanders.

For a noble to try to influence military authority in front of such a person, could you believe it?

However, the Grand Duke Schrelitz had complied with their wishes and pulled the legion back as far as possible.

While he held the Emperor’s command authority, it was more about showing respect to the strong.

Additionally, he was concerned about what discomfort they might express if he didn’t comply.

‘Because of that, I couldn’t observe closely….’

Seeing it from a distance was enough. He read their momentum, felt the flow of mana, and that was sufficient.

Ordinary soldiers and mid-level commanders wouldn’t have noticed anything.

But for himself and the Knights of the Sword Brotherhood, from the moment their battle began to the moment it ended,

they had to break out in cold sweat and marvel at something indescribable.

The word “strong” doesn’t suffice. “Not human” would be more fitting.

The first of the Three Heroes who stepped forward was one thing, but the other two definitely used something.

He clearly felt the flow of mana and the momentum stronger than the Empire’s Top Ten.

How much damage would be inflicted if they faced them, and could the safety of the Top Ten be guaranteed?

Considering those factors, even the Grand Duke Schrelitz couldn’t give a definitive answer.

Yet, the three siblings of Jonathan had beaten those three to a pulp with a smile.

“Let’s start preparing.”

“Do you mean preparing for battle?”

“No. The alliance will soon express their intention to surrender.”

“…What?”

If they don’t surrender after seeing that, they’re insane. No, they’re not just insane; they’re suicidal.

What’s the logic of the hardliners? Even if we can’t win, let’s inflict as much damage as possible.

Let’s show that the Empire will have to endure significant losses to wipe us out.

Let’s engrain the alliance’s desperation so that war-skeptical voices arise within the Empire, causing internal strife.

The alliance has suffered too much from the Empire in the past. They’ve lost a lot.

That’s why the hardliner faction within the alliance can never disappear.

But that’s only something they can shout about if they can handle it to some extent.

In front of those who can just laugh and smash everything, there’s no point in resisting.

Those monsters would just say “Good!” and charge even harder if told to fight to the death.

For them, the blood shed in battle isn’t painful but a fruitful outcome they’re satisfied with!

“Your Grace. Will the alliance really surrender?”

“They’re the ones who dared to show hostility by launching a surprise attack on the Empire. Knowing what kind of treatment the Empire will decide, will they really do that?”

“They’ve lost their three sharpest swords. Who would want to keep fighting?”

Even though they could have broken those swords, they just damaged them enough.

It’s like telling them to sharpen their blades again and come at them once more.

Jonathan was in the midst of making that request to the alliance. No, it wasn’t a request, but a demand.

“I’ll leave the decision of how to tie up the matter to you. Just don’t be too harsh.”

“It’s not about the mercy or magnanimity of the victor. I too would like to take this opportunity to eliminate the alliance.”

“But then I thought, doing it this way might not be so bad after all.”

Initially, the Emperor wondered why such a letter had been sent.

He had hated the alliance so much and had wanted to erase it from the map.

Why was he now leaving instructions not to be too harsh?

‘Is the benefit of preserving the alliance a little longer greater than the benefit of erasing it?’

That was the question Grand Duke Schrelitz had been pondering until just recently.

The answer to that question would soon become clear.

“There are some decent people in the alliance, even if it is a mess!”

Lea Jonathan, her face covered in blood yet beaming with a bright smile.

Leo Jonathan, standing behind her, also wore a faint smile as he spoke.

“There are more people who can fight besides the Top Ten. It was truly enjoyable.”

With an astounded sigh, Grand Duke Schrelitz turned his head.

There were the siblings of Jonathan, covered in blood and laughing merrily.

It wasn’t the typical boasting of military exploits. They were just happy to have found another worthy opponent to fight.

And honestly, the Grand Duke found them, in their mirth, a little bit terrifying.

“Brother, sister. Go clean up the blood first. And check your wounds.”

“Oh, Kyle. Are you worried about your sister? Afraid she might collapse?”

“No. It just looks unsightly.”

Fortunately, Kyle of the Jonathan family could be considered somewhat normal.

Looking at him, the Grand Duke thought that perhaps this young man was their only hope.

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***

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Before the appointed time, Mathieu, as promised, led the high command to them.

And before Grand Duke Schrelitz, he knelt down and formally requested surrender.

The original number of high command members should have been much larger than the group Mathieu brought.

The problem was that more than half of the high command were hardliners who vehemently opposed surrender.

They were people who, without any solid basis, loudly calculated the lives of fifty thousand as if they were mere numbers.

It was no wonder Mathieu’s anger exploded, given the constant ruckus from these hardliners.

Whether it was power or a loud voice, ultimately, what mattered was ‘strength’ itself.

Though he had been utterly defeated by Kyle, the fact remained that Mathieu was one of the Three Heroes, an unbeatable force.

After subduing all the hardliners in the high command and their followers who opposed surrender,

Mathieu led the remaining members to fulfill the promise made to Jonathan.

“Come on in.”

Grand Duke Schrelitz gave a proper reception to the alliance’s representatives.

Despite the alliance having struck first, he treated them well, leaving the moderates who followed Mathieu bewildered.

They had expected the Empire to demand the disarmament and humiliating surrender of the alliance with gritted teeth.

“You planned this, didn’t you?”

Slurp-.

Kyle muttered as he sipped the beneficial tea personally served by the Grand Duke in the command tent.

“What do you mean, Kyle?”

“The Emperor. He knows that taking everything by force would be troublesome. It wasn’t even the Imperial Army that crushed them; it was just me, my brother, and my sister. If the Empire took over the alliance in such a situation, internal strife would soon arise.”

Instead, it was better to create a significant rift within the alliance.

Jonathan, the ultimate hammer and chisel, had stepped in.

By creating a crack and giving it time, it would naturally widen and eventually split.

At that moment, the Empire could step in and smoothly, firmly take over everything.

Kyle thought that was probably what the Emperor had in mind.

“Why not just have the Empire crush everything?”

Nod, nod-.

Of course, Lea and Leo seemed to have different thoughts.

“Hmm.”

Kyle, after a moment of thought, presented a reason that his brother and sister could immediately accept.

“Because the Empire is weaker than we think?”

“Aha. Indeed.”

“I understand. They are still weak.”

If the Emperor, the Grand Dukes, and the Top Ten heard this, they might have jumped up in protest.

Many nations and powerful individuals who had suffered at the hands of the Empire might also have been outraged.

But if Jonathan nodded in agreement, then it was considered the truth. Everyone had to nod along.

Otherwise, there were plenty of people who might personally remove those heads.

“So, what will you do now? It seems like everything is over.”

“They promised never to make or even think about creating that vile thing again. So, trusting that, we should return home.”

“…They could be lying. To be sure, shouldn’t we inspect the entire alliance ourselves? That’s what I think we should do.”

At Kyle’s suggestion, Leo shook his head.

“If they said they wouldn’t, we should trust them. If they are following through, that’s good.”

“And if they aren’t?”

“If they aren’t, then we can go back and overturn everything, right, Kyle?”

At that, Kyle thought.

Maybe these people were leaving room to cause trouble legally if they wanted to.

Perhaps they just wanted to come down occasionally to relieve their bodies from the constant training.

“Of course, we will thoroughly verify it. We will also demand that they do so. This matter cannot be overlooked by Jonathan. Father, Mother, and the people back home would think the same.”

“Sister is right. If something happens again, more people from Jonathan will come down.”

…The Empire and the alliance would likely be on high alert, eradicating anything related to amplification or berserk potions.

If they couldn’t handle it now, imagine more people from Jonathan coming down? It would be a nightmare beyond nightmares.

“Kyle.”

“Yes, brother.”

“That’s a relief.”

“…What?”

What was this sudden statement about?

As Kyle blinked and waited for the next words, Lea patted his head.

“Brother has been secretly worrying about you a lot. Wondering if our youngest would really be okay. I pretended not to worry, but honestly, I was concerned too. But seeing you today, I don’t think we need to worry anymore.”

“Sister is right. Kyle, you were truly amazing today. You fought exceptionally well. We’ll definitely tell our parents.”

Only in Jonathan would people boast to their parents about fighting against an extraordinary opponent.

Feeling a bit incredulous, Kyle couldn’t help but laugh at his brother and sister’s words.

This was the way of Jonathan, and it was how the people there showed their love for him.