LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 409
Chapter 410
“It’s been a while.”
Though it had been a while, that didn’t mean it was a familiar sight.
The Kingdom of Arbeloa, engulfed in turmoil, lay mostly desolate, with only the vicinity of the capital barely maintaining any semblance of a nation.
“It’s severe…”
“Indeed.”
The golden wheat fields that had stretched out during my previous visit were now completely trampled, revealing the barren flesh underneath.
How long would it take to rebuild civilization on this land turned wasteland? Yeon-woo pondered.
In any case, to hasten that long span of time even slightly, his own strength would be essential.
It might seem arrogant, but in this situation, only Yeon-woo could present such achievements.
A long, emaciated creature chewing through corpses caught Yeon-woo’s eye. Without much thought, he transformed the Doppleganger into a spear and threw it.
[Crack!!] The spear sliced through the air, piercing the heart of the monster.
‘Cleaner.’ It was named so because it always appeared in places with many corpses and seemed to devour them all as if cleaning up.
This creature was notorious in Alkeion more than on Earth, capable of cleaning up an ordinary village by itself.
Naturally, Earth didn’t create settlements without walls, so it made sense to be even more feared in Alkeion.
Moreover, the fact that these creatures roamed in packs, just like the scavengers on Earth, was probably the biggest problem.
As the Cleaner let out a pitiful scream from being impaled, its head popped up from the nearby heaps of corpses, like mushrooms sprouting. Yet, Yeon-woo didn’t care much.
“Trash ought to be cleaned up by whoever saw it.”
It was a necessity. The one who threw the trash on the ground likely had no intention of cleaning it up.
The Demon King of Alkeion had littered this beautiful continent. It referred to the ‘living beings’ he had created.
Unlike the clones produced by Toyo’s Demon King, these were creatures capable of reproducing and thinking for themselves.
Countless Cleaners were charging towards Yeon-woo, kicking up clouds of dust.
Shar punched the air a few times as if finding it amusing. Tae-oh settled down at Yeon-woo’s feet, surveying the surroundings.
Yeon-woo spun the returned Doppleganger above his head.
With the Cleaners’ limbs being excessively long, this maneuver would help him deal with them easily without losing ground in a close-quarters fight.
Well, using Aura would solve the issue too. Still, if he had to use Aura on something trivial like this, he couldn’t rightly call himself a master.
As Yeon-woo sorted out such thoughts, he watched the rushing Cleaners. His will materialized.
Should he burn the trash in an incinerator or not?
Just briefly contemplating that, a pillar of flame shot up from among the group of Cleaners.
“…I didn’t say I wouldn’t use magic?”
No one was listening, yet Yeon-woo found himself making that excuse unconsciously.
*
Yeon-woo and his companions moved at an astonishing pace.
You know that common scene in movies or games where an arrow sluggishly moves across a map?
In that sense, they were moving fast enough to leap right off the map.
The reason they could move at such speed was obvious.
Yeon-woo’s high-level ‘Eungyeonggong’ allowed for lofty jumps, but conversely, being able to jump high meant he could easily dodge anything cumbersome he encountered.
Whether it was forests or mountains. They effortlessly surpassed everything in a straight line to the capital of the Kingdom of Arbeloa, making it undeniably fast.
That said, he took care of every visible monster along the way.
If left alive, they would likely hunt down and slaughter any hidden survivors, a risk he couldn’t afford to ignore.
Yeon-woo, progressing with astonishing speed akin to a monster train, came to a halt in front of a sturdy wooden barricade.
One could question the meaning of a wooden barricade in a world where ogres uprooted logs and trolls sliced through shields, but ultimately, magic could resolve such matters.
And the presence of a mage meant that a disciplined army existed within the barricade.
Of course, Yeon-woo was aware of that.
‘Riley gathered the information for me.’
Riley was a God and invincible. With her around, there was no way Yeon-woo would end up lost in a dumb situation. My light, my guide….
But how should he enter? While pondering how to approach such a place, he felt a powerful mana drawing near.
Yeon-woo froze in place, deep in thought. The flow of mana felt familiar. He suspected he knew this person, and as he thought that, the answer came to mind.
“…Albert? Is that you?”
“Who was it? Ah, it’s Yeon-woo?”
Albert Lionel, the heir of the Lionel family. Though he hadn’t seen his face often, he had accumulated an incredibly large mana pool, seemingly reaching the Expert stage.
It wasn’t that they hadn’t interacted until graduation, but he now bore a large scar running across his face.
Noting Yeon-woo’s gaze, Albert brought his hands to his face, then said awkwardly, “Haha, I look ridiculous, don’t I?”
“What’s so ridiculous about it? It looks badass, really.”
“Ha, I didn’t expect you to say something so pleasant after seeing this!”
“Anyway, it’s nice to see you. I came to find the Lionel battalion, and it seems I was right to come since you’re here.”
“Of course. I’m glad you came.”
Reuniting with Albert months after graduation wasn’t… well, it wasn’t the worst.
Just because a handsome lad had a scar doesn’t mean his life got any harsher.
In fact, a scar like that might even make him look cooler, prompting Yeon-woo to think, ‘Maybe I should get one too?’
With that thought, Yeon-woo accepted Albert’s invitation and walked into the encampment.
Seeing how genuinely happy Albert looked made Yeon-woo feel quite good as well.
*
The encampment was bustling with soldiers. Apparently, this was the Second Battalion, and Albert was in charge.
That meant Richard Lionel was likely in the First Battalion.
Yeon-woo didn’t realize the Lionel family had that many soldiers, but it seemed they had enough to split their forces.
“Well, even if it’s a battalion, most here are just regular soldiers. The knights are mostly with my father.”
“…Ah, to evacuate the citizens?”
“You caught on quickly. Exactly. We split them to guide and protect the citizens who couldn’t escape.”
That was typical of a Lionel. They were loyal vassals above all else, watching over the kingdom’s people.
Though called ‘swordsmen,’ what they truly sought was not simply to wield strong swordsmanship, but strength to protect the people and the king.
“Seems like a tough situation.”
“That’s true.”
Albert nodded at Yeon-woo’s murmuring. A war against the Demon King was just like that.
How badly had Earth been wounded in its fight against Toyo? It seemed a long way off before healing those wounds.
Fortunately, Alkeion was always preparing for battles against the Demon King, or else Earth would have undoubtedly suffered even more.
The significant damage to Arbeloa, the front line against the Demon King, was… to be honest, close to inevitable.
“I’m just glad you’re here. It puts our minds at ease.”
“Don’t get your hopes up too high.”
“It might seem burdensome for you, but frankly, it would be too cruel to ask me not to expect anything.”
With a chuckle, Albert scanned the surroundings. Some soldiers peeked out, curious about what had happened since the commander had just stepped out, but Albert led Yeon-woo toward the barracks as if nothing were amiss.
Two soldiers standing guard in front of the barracks looked surprised upon seeing Yeon-woo. Albert quickly brought his finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet.
The two soldiers nodded silently, allowing Yeon-woo to enter the barracks safely.
“…Is this the battalion? Why does it feel like we’re sneaking in…?”
“It’s tricky since rumors of your arrival are floating around. Now, come on.”
With that, Albert headed towards a large table positioned at the center of the barracks. On it was a massive map.
A battlefield map showing the entire Kingdom of Arbeloa and reaching even to the Demon King’s realm.
Various markers and colors representing troops spread across it were in disarray.
It was easy to understand. It must be an overview of the war situation.
“Hey, is it really okay to show something like this so openly?”
“What does it matter? It’s not like it’s anyone else but you.”
Albert responded as if it was no big deal. However, it was utterly shocking for Yeon-woo.
Was he really willing to hand over such direct information? What if he’d been a spy in disguise within the Demon King’s army…?
“I know what you’re thinking; I saw Tae-oh reaching out from your shadow.”
“…When did that happen?”
“It’s perfectly fine if you both come out. I’ve taken precautions to ensure no one can eavesdrop.”
At Albert’s words, Tae-oh and Shar sighed in relief and popped out. Albert chuckled.
“See, there’s a perfect authentication process in place. Why would I doubt you? Long time no see, Tae-oh, Shar.”
“It’s been a while!”
“Good to see you.”
…That made sense. Given Tae-oh and Shar were there, there was no way that Yeon-woo wasn’t truly Yeon-woo.
That meant he wouldn’t have to put in any effort to prove he was the real Choi Yeon-woo, no matter where he went.
‘Like a replacement for a passport…!!’
“Don’t think of anything weird, just look at the map.”
At Albert’s words, Yeon-woo shifted his gaze to the map.
Most of the symbols were easy to understand. Purple indicated the Demon King’s army, red represented the Kingdom of Arbeloa, and yellow was the Empire… it seemed like that.
Just from looking at the map, he grasped the general situation. The territory of Arbeloa had been pushed almost up to the capital, while the Demon King’s army seemed to be stretching out its front lines, primarily due to overwhelming numbers.
Consequently, the support troops from various countries that could not hastily reinforce the front lines seemed to be trying to prevent any further forward movement.
“…There’s nothing decisive, huh?”
“That’s correct. Neither side has been able to strike a decisive blow. Arbeloa is a small nation, but being on the front lines means they are well-prepared.”
As Albert said this, he tapped on the table. The mana leaking from his fingertips covered the map, and at the same time, it began to change.
Colorless, transparent chess pieces. The queen stood just below the capital, heading toward the Demon King’s castle.
To Yeon-woo, Albert apologetically said, “I hate to say this, but if you’re joining, we’ll need you here, Yeon-woo.”
“…That’s straightforward enough.”
Coincidentally, it was also a tactic Yeon-woo preferred. Leaving the army behind and striking at their head was the way to go.
(To be continued in the next part)