SON OF THE HERO KING

Chapter 540-541: Escalation

It had only been nearly three weeks since the war started but the casualties were sky-high and while Wratharis was the one mainly bearing the losses, Lustburg wasn’t spared either.

It had been nearly 16 years since the last truly great war. Children were now adults and adults were middle-aged or old.

This was a world used to war and skirmishes.

This was a world where people were used to losing those dears to them at any moment for any reason.

Even so. This did not mean that they were desensitized to death and the feeling of loss.

Looking at the report of all the people who died, Sol once again felt that being a king was something bothersome.

It was painful to know that all those people died because of him.

Children were orphaned, parents lost their children, and so on.

Death and death. All around all those deaths were on him without a shadow of a doubt. Even though Lupus was the one who started the war, Sol was the one who decided to change this war into his own play, manipulating everything for his own advantage even if it would cost the lives of many innocent people.

It would be hypocritical of him to act as if his hands were clean and free from stains.

“Do you regret it?”

“No. I am not hypocritical enough to start bawling and shaking and I realize the weight of my folly or whatever.”

He placed the document aside. He seemed like he was spending his life in the office nowadays but there was not much he could do about that.

“Prepare the documents for the noble title conferment of the White Knight’s descendant. Same for the soldiers who made great merits.”

Obviously, not everyone would receive a reward as big as the Knight. But they wouldn’t be left with nothing either. After all — Soon there would be much land of lustburg that would be free.

“How is the advancement of the armies?”

Clara, who was standing next to Milia, passed him a new document. We managed to steer the army of Wratahris toward a few noble territories that refused to comply and did not send all the soldiers required for diverse reasons.

“Hum… So they are currently besieged, right?”

“Yes. Our soldiers are giving support. But soon, a few of the olds nobles will face an accident and die honorably on the battlefield.”

“How magnificent. I guess they will be remembered as heroes.”

He let out a harsh laugh. Some of those nobles were bastards acting like kings in their own territories. Those at least were slightly acceptable but some others were literally traitors. They had allegiance with Wratharis and were promised some rewards.

Now though…They would die soon and new blood would be injected into the system of his country.

Using war to wipe out one own political opponent was a timeless strategy that worked 9/10. This was even more so since in this case, they had absolutely no chance of escaping.

“Milia, make sure the civilians are not affected too much.”

It was one thing for soldiers to die. This was war after all. But he had to be careful about civilian losses. Once this happened, the hatred between the two kingdoms would climb in crescendo and this would be detrimental to his future plans of unification.

He knew this was a cold way of looking at things. But if did not do so, he would never be able to rise.

Looking at his tired face, Clara and Milia hesitated about what to say. Sol was a Half Dragon. A powerful being with matchless stamina. Even fighting for a week would not be a problem for him.

It was clear that the current situation was more mental anguish than anything else. There were many things Milia wanted to say to comfort him.

But they would all sound hollow.

Sol was the King and in the future, he would become an Emperor.

His decisions affect millions of people and might affect billions later on. This was the burden of the crown.

Only Tyrants or Idiots admired the power that was given without dreading the weight and responsibilities that followed it.

Sol though was not as afflicted as they were thinking.

The main reason for his tiredness was the way the world was slowly changing in his eyes.

He was not just looking at the world but something beyond. He was observing the rules of the world.

As if he was trying to gaze at the codes behind the functioning of a software. The stronger he grew, the closer he became to a King, the more detailed those visions became.

It seemed like he would soon find the secret of the world and if he had to be honest. This both scared and excited him.

Fighting a headache, Sol tapped his fingers on the table,

“Setsuna and Lilin can now step on the field. It’s time to start the main act. Once they play their roles, close the nets. Kill the nobles and pacify the battlefield. Christmas is approaching and I wish to be at the gate of Wratharis’ capital by the time new Year starts.”

“Yes!”

“Once more than 60% of Wratharis’ territory was taken, the King will be able to act. By then the true war will start. All the arrangements have already been made. But just in case, I will take the witches with me.”

“Understood.”

“Finally…Prepare a reward for Aurora. She may be the Holy Daughter but she still has the right to be rewarded for her hard work like anyone else.”

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Aurora was still moving on the battlefield. While she was an unexpected asset, she was one of the reasons why the losses on Lustburg were so small. Not only was her blessing powerful but it seemed that she was able to share a small part of it with the other nuns.

Sol was seriously starting to wonder if Aurora was truly a demigod in her last life or something more.

Speaking of it. He had been the one to deduce and decide that she was one. He had never really received a straight answer from her.

“Well…I think it’s good enough. Remind Setsuna that we do not want war. We want peace. Her goal isn’t to fight. Even if indeed she has to show her might. Her goal is to show them all the difference between her and Lupus.”

His finger traced the map until it stopped at a certain point, “As for Lilin. The place she is in charge of is filled with loyal fighters of Lupus who cannot be won over. As such they are useless to us. I want her to take complete control of the battlefield and annihilate any Dukes and higher-ups. Ground soldiers can be spared or killed at her discretion.”

Sol was not too worried. As long as a King didn’t somehow come out, there was no way in hell a Duke outside of him and those from the Astral realm could actually hope to even wound them.

***

Out of all the battlefronts, the one that showed the largest amount of casualties was none other than the southern one.

Blood and dismembered bodies littered the ground, wyvern did not dare to fly as they might get shot down at any moment and the horse stepped on the bodies of allies and enemies alike.

In this place, there was no healer on either side. No particular support nor was there any kind of strategy put in place to bring victory or retreat in case of defeat.

The Valley of Godfall. Also known as the Eternal Battlefield. A place situated southwest of Lustburg, near the border that was shared between Lustburg, Wratharis, and Envilya

A hell that could only be seen as hell on earth where life had no more value than a few gold coins.

This was the most chaotic battlefield out of all. Ironically, this made this place the most authentic battlefield out of all those currently in action.

The reasons for this chaotic atmosphere were multiple.

For one, this place was not known as the Eternal Battlefield for laughter. Most of the skirmishes that happened between the three Kingdoms over the years were fought in this place constantly.

Thanks to this, all the soldiers stationed in this place were super veterans who had seen their fair share of blood.

But this wasn’t all. Most criminals who were judged worthy of death would be sent to the Eternal battlefield. This was a rule that had been established by Queen Lilith.

All criminals who managed to kill a certain number of enemies could be acquitted and forgiven for their crimes.

This was a suicide camp and chance of escaping this place where very small as all the members of the suicide camp were considered slaves of the states and had the colars that befitted their situation.

In this place, prisoners only had two outcomes.

Survive and pay for your freedom by using the blood of the enemies.

—Or die.

[Ever Victorious Fortress.]

The victorious Fortress was the place that had been slowly built and developed over the years by the soldiers. Like weeds who refused to die, they had slowly created their own society in this place that followed their own rules.

The woman in charge of this place had a simple name.

Rose Oscar. Countess Rose Oscar. A woman of steel who should have been elevated to the level of Marchioness more than 16 years ago but who refused the promotion as this would have taken her away from the battlefield.

“How is the performance of the traitors?”

The Marchioness was someone of little words and great dignity. But this situation was not something she could afford to slack on.

“Relatively good. A few Gorfad managed to survive but the vast majority died on their first day. As for the rest of the children, they are slowly adapting.”

The Countess nodded. Not long ago, there was a large-scale attack in the capital which resulted in the addition of much-needed blood.

After all, few soldiers wished to be transferred to this place. They all knew how high the mortality rate was.

Thankfully, all generations of King had been wise and the rewards given were more than proportional to the level of risk. Thanks to this, Daredevil mercenaries who didn’t cherish their lives were a common sight.

“Do not forget. She will come soon. I want everything to be perfect. You hear me? Clean the blood, hide the prostitute and the alcohol as well as the casino. Hide everything. I want to make it clear that if there are any complaints, I will not take full responsibility.”

A few of the soldiers who were present, all people very close to her, chuckled and some of them even whistled at the mention of a brothel.

“Who is coming?”

“The daughter of the Queen.”

“Oh…”

The man seemed unfazed at first. But soon his eyes cleared up and he realized that this was indeed a shit solution.

“Holy fuck! Seriously? The Daughter of the Legend?”

For the citizens of Lustburg, Mars Luxuria was without a doubt the Hero and legend they worshiped. After all, he had done so much good for them;

In the case of the veteran soldiers though, Lilith had an overwhelming superiority in terms of popularity and recognition as well as admiration.

They all knew her story and they all knew how she, despite her origin, had to trudge from the lowest position in the army and slowly rise.

“Speaking of. Countess, you were a soldier under the command of the Queen back then, right? Will the Black Knight come? What about the queen herself?”

“You guys are thinking too much. If I had the skills and power I have now, I would have joined back then. But sadly, I did not and I am old now.”

She touched her face, she was not that advanced in age but already, small wrinkles were forming and her hair were graying. She had long since passed her prime and while she was now a Duke Rank in terms of power, she knew very well that she was at the very bottom when it came to raw power.

“The countess will be eternally the charming beauty of the eternal battlefield.”

She smiled and stood up. “Anyway, I called all of you guys for one simple reason. Since Her Highness is coming we need to protect her.”

It wasn’t as if members of the royal family never died on the battlefield. In fact, this was quite common.

But currently, there were only three members in the royal family and all the loyalists refused to let anything happen to those three members.

“From the reports I received, the princess should be close. So it’s time for us to welcome her. Make sure her stay in this place goes well.”

Some of the men frowned, “Did she come to rack in achievements?”

This was a common practice among nobles. Bring a kid, surround him with powerful soldiers, go to a few battlefields, get the kill and achievement, and finally leave the battlefield.

Such a thing happened so regularly in this place that it became one of the businesses supporting the economy. The Countess made use of the desire of a young noble who wished to brag about having ‘fought’ in the Eternal Battlefield.

This alone supported nearly 20% of the full funds. Which was quite astronomical.

“No. I do not think so. No matter how the princess never really made a name for herself, there is no way the Queen would do such a thing.”

Lilith might be younger than Rose, but for Rose, Lilith was akin to an Idol. A person she admired greatly.

“Then…Do you think she will be the second coming of the Sword Saint?”

Rose laughed and walked out, “The existence of her majesty is a miracle. Something that breaks all limits and all known facts. It is not the kind of thing that can be reproduced.”

She spoke with conviction and a clear-cut voice. But at the same time,

“But — If this girl really has the skill and potential to become a Second Sword Saint then — Lustburg will usher in a new age of Glory and it’s our duty to make sure this potential does not die on the battlefield. Do you understand? Be it your or my life, even if all of us were to be sacrificed, it still wouldn’t be as important as the life of one sword saint. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“Then, let’s meet the princess.”

She grinned and walked out.

This meeting would decide what she would do with her old bones.