Chapter 279

‘I did my best.’

But in war, such words were mere excuses. In fact, doing your best in an unwinnable battle was an act that only resulted in greater meaningless damage. Sometimes, one had to know when to give up.

“This way, Your Majesty.”

A knight, after cutting down an approaching barbarian warrior, turned around to see Emperor Yanchinus dressed like an ordinary soldier.

‘We were ambushed in the worst possible situation.’

Yanchinus accepted his defeat knowing that stubbornness never turned an unwinnable battle into a victory. While there was no strategy that could bring victory, admitting defeat opened up new possibilities.

The knights, wearing the emperor’s cloak, scattered in all directions and drew away the barbarians who blindly chased after the emperor to give the real Yanchinus a chance to escape.

“Basha’s unit is distracting them,” the knight muttered as he saw the sun banner fluttering in the distance.

“They must have come all this way because they want to capture me. There is no reason to let this defeat discourage us. In fact, if I can get away, we would be the real winners in this exchange.”

Yanchinus shrugged his shoulders and left the battlefield, blending into the retreating Imperial Army.

“We will rendezvous at Hamel.”

The emperor’s words spread throughout the Imperial Army without fail even in such a dire situation, showing how strong the military command structure was. The Imperial Army split into dozens of units, each seeking its own means of survival.

“I think we’ve gotten ourselves enough distance, Your Majesty. We should be okay to ride from here,” the knight said as he handed the reins to Yanchinus.

Since having too many guards would attract the enemy’s attention, Yanchinus kept the size of his escort unit small enough to blend in.

“We will meet in Hamel.”

“Yes, in Hamel.”

The knights nodded to each other as the retreating forces parted ways.

Yanchinus, with only ten knights, quickly left the battlefield. They snapped the reins of their horses like whips.

Grit.

Yanchinus ground his teeth as a sense of frustration that had been suppressed by the danger welled up inside him.

‘I was foolish. I should have anticipated they would attack us.’

With a little more caution, they could have been fully prepared for this battle. Yanchinus’ army wasn’t a force to be easily defeated like this.

‘First Carnius, then me. We’ve suffered yet another major defeat and lost two main forces.’

The thorough defeat was the cherry on top.

‘This is why I didn’t want to split the front lines.’

Yanchinus forced himself not to dwell on painful memories. No matter how many times he told himself that he did everything as planned, it wouldn’t change the failed past.

‘Only stragglers and the defeated dwell on their losses.’

Yanchinus opened his eyes wide.

Thwip!

A knight ahead was struck by an arrow and fell off his horse. The knights instinctively surrounded Yanchinus to protect him.

“There are enemies ambushed!”

Night was falling, and the rain and dark clouds further limited their visibility.

Squelch, squelch.

Yanchinus’ eyes widened as the mountain goat warriors emerged from the darkness.

“The dwarves from the rumors!”

“You must duck, Your Majesty! They’re dangerous!”

Knights who had already experienced the mountain goat warriors shouted with pale faces.

“The dwarves...”

Though only a few had actually seen them in the flesh, everyone in the Imperial Army knew of the Phergamon mountain goat warriors as the rumors of the dwarf demons mixed into the plunderers’ army were rampant among the knights and soldiers.

The mountain goat warriors, skilled in mobile warfare and ambushes, were another source of fear. No army could counter those who shot arrows freely while riding around on goats.

The mountain goat warriors, who were wearing wooden masks that made them seem even more terrifying, laughed and chatted among themselves.

‘There really was a group retreating before the rest of the army, just as Urich said.’

In anticipation of the emperor’s escape, Urich had positioned the mountain goat warriors along the escape routes before the battle even began.

The mountain goat warriors spread out in groups of ten to fifteen, forming a wide encirclement. They didn’t participate in the battle but hid along the escape routes to ambush the fleeing Imperial Army.

“Go first, Your Majesty. We will hold them off.”

A knight held the reins and looked at the muddy ground.

“What are you saying...!”

Yanchinus couldn’t understand why the knights were so scared. He had heard of the dwarves' infamy but didn’t think the knights could be defeated by such small bodies.

“...The combat skills we’ve honed our entire lives are utterly useless against them. Since they don’t engage in close combat, delaying them is the best we could possibly do. We cannot defeat them, Your Majesty.”

A knight who had fought the mountain goat warriors in the past spoke.

The mountain goat warriors of the Phergamo Tribe knew their size better than anyone, so they mastered the art of shooting arrows while riding mountain goats to the extreme.

“I am sorry we couldn’t escort you to the end... kaagh!” A knight screamed as an arrow struck his shoulder.

The mountain goat warriors unleashed their arrows.

“You must go, Your Majesty!”

The knights, who had most of their bodies exposed due to not having proper armor on, barely held on thanks to the rain significantly reducing the accuracy of the Phergamon warriors.

Yanchinus frowned, but he knew that on such a battlefield, the knights' judgment would be more accurate. He spurred his horse forward, leaving the knights behind.

The quick-witted mountain goat warriors tried to follow Yanchinus, but the knights desperately drove their horses to stop their pursuit.

“Die, you damn dwarves!” A knight yelled as he swung his sword.

The arrow that the mountain goat warrior shot while falling pierced the knight’s neck, showing their miraculous archery skill.

“Kugh, k-kugh.”

The knight continued to swing his sword at the mountain goat warrior despite the blood flowing down his neck.

Yanchinus did not look back. As the sky grew darker, everything around him seemed suspicious.

“This is the first time since I started growing hair down there that I’ve been afraid of the dark. Whoa, whoa.”

Yanchinus patted the mane of his horse who was breathing harshly and laboriously from exhaustion after running for a long time on the muddy ground.

‘Hamel.’

He had to reach Hamel somehow.

‘It’s not over until I die.’

With the symbol of the emperor, he could gather soldiers somehow.

‘No matter how many times I lose, all I need is a single victory to turn things around.’

The aftermath of the war was a concern for the future. Yanchinus was still young, and he would have several opportunities to recover from the crisis and leap even further forward.

‘Keep your eyes focused on what’s in front of you, Yanchinus. Think of what your grandfather and father accomplished. This is nothing compared to what they had to overcome,’ Yanchinus thought to himself.

His horse staggered for a while before eventually collapsing from the continuous retreat without sleep.

“You’ve done well. Putting you down myself would be better than letting you get eaten alive by wild beasts.”

Yanchinus drew his sword and slit the horse’s throat. He put pieces of the horse meat in his bag and chewed on them as he continued toward Hamel. At some point, he even lost track of the direction.

The dreadful night ended, and the sun finally rose.

“Phew.”

Yanchinus sat down under a tree to take a short rest, thinking he had moved enough to have earned a brief respite.

Sleep came over him the moment he closed his eyes, but he struggled to stay conscious to avoid falling into a deep sleep.

Rustle.

He opened his eyes at the sound of something moving in the bushes, unsure whether he had slept or not.

Growl.

It was the low grumbling of a beast.

“Shit.”

Yanchinus jumped up and fumbled for his sword at his waist. Still half-asleep, he barely managed to find and draw it.

A fully grown bear emerged from the bushes. Seeing the bear’s size, Yanchinus didn’t even think of fighting and started running.

‘Am I, the man called the ruler of the world, going to die to a mere bear?’

A hollow laugh escaped his mouth at the fact that the one who had the power to change the fate of the world with a single gesture was being chased by a bear.

A person couldn’t outrun a bear. Yanchinus threw a fist-sized piece of horse meat that he had dug out of his pocket behind him to distract the bear.

“Roaaar.”

The bear swallowed the horse meat in a single gulp and continued chasing Yanchinus.

Yanchinus threw everything he had at the bear, including his sword and shiny jewelry.

Gradually, the distance between the bear and Yanchinus widened as the bear hesitated, intrigued by the dropped items.

“Thank you, you goddamn Lou! I’ll give a box of silver coins as an offering when I return safely!” He shouted in joyful profanity.

The bear stopped its pursuit, attracted by the items Yanchinus had thrown. If the bear had been hungry, he would have already been dead.

‘I'm completely broke.’

All he had left was his signet ring with the engraved eagle—no sword, no jewelry, nothing.

Throb, throb.

Yanchinus frowned at the pain in his ankle after escaping the forest. He hadn’t noticed it while being chased by the bear, but it seemed he had sprained his ankle, and the pain worsened to the point where he couldn’t walk any further.

Snap.

He broke off a stick of suitable size and used it as a cane. He hobbled along, feeling as if he had aged several years overnight. The usual confident smile was also gone from his face.

‘Where even am I?’

Yanchinus frowned as he discovered a farmhouse instead of the city that he should have reached according to his planned route.

Creak.

Yanchinus opened the barn door and went inside. He sat down on the hay and removed his shoes only to be met with a swollen ankle that would make walking to Hamel impossible.

‘I’ll think later. I need to sleep first.’

Yanchinus, unable to hold on any longer, collapsed onto the haystack and fell into a deep sleep as if he were dead.

* * *

Basha opened her eyes. She, along with the other prisoners, were bound together with ropes, which made it impossible for anyone to escape.

“Lady Basha, you must steel yourself. What they are about to put you through will make you wish you were dead.”

Basha looked at the soldier beside her with dazed eyes.

“Lou...” Basha muttered. The spear wound on her cheek was still open and throbbed.

‘If you were going to give me defeat, why did you tell me to fight in the first place?’

Basha blinked several times as if she were trying to snap out of a bad dream, but the reality of their defeat did not change.

Step, step.

Barbarians, who hadn't even washed the blood off their bodies, walked toward the prisoners and stopped in front of Basha.

“You ignorant barbarians, do you even know who this woman is? She is favored by Lou! You barbarians have no right to touch her! Bring a noble from Porcana!” The soldiers who followed Basha shouted.

However, some no longer paid attention to her. “Favor, my ass. If Lou favored her, we wouldn’t have lost the war. It’s embarrassing that we let a girl fool us for so long.”

“Y-you bastard!”

The soldiers argued among themselves.

“I-I heard the King of Porcana is here! I would like to speak to him!”

Basha flinched and shouted as the barbarians approached. The barbarians chuckled and murmured in their language.

“I am Basha, the one who hears Lou’s voice! Even the emperor acknowledged me! You can't treat me like this! Don’t hand me over to the barbarians! Isn’t there anyone who wants to share Lou’s favor?” Basha shouted frantically in all directions.

Some of the civilized people of the Porcana-Alliance flinched and avoided Basha’s gaze knowing how strange it was for a young woman to be on the battlefield. They only speculated there must be some story behind it.

The barbarians cut Basha's ropes since they saw her as harmless.

Seeing the girl standing still, the barbarians gestured for her to follow them. Every time she heard their laughter, chills ran down her spine.

Basha glanced at the receding prisoners with a pale face, but there was no one to help her.

‘You will be humiliated by the barbarians, and they will make you wish you were dead.’

Basha recalled the words of the dead guard knight saying that she would have to endure things worse than death knowing the atrocities of the barbarians n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘They are not human, but beasts unworthy of Lou’s blessing.’

Rage swallowed her fear as she recalled the injustice of her violated mother and beheaded father. Basha extended her fingers and aimed for a barbarian’s eye.

Stab!

Basha’s nail dug deep into the barbarian’s eye.

“Kaagh!”

The barbarian, with his eyes stained red from the blood, drew his axe as if he were trying to kill the girl as bloody tears dripped from the deeply pierced eye.

Katagi heard the commotion as he was waiting for Basha to come and ran over to restrain the angered warrior.

“Stop, are you trying to defy the Great Chief’s orders?”

“B-but that girl stabbed my eye, Katagi! It’s only right that I gouge out one of her eyes...”

“Yeah, you let a girl do that to you. Do you not have any shame?”

Katagi pushed the warrior aside and grabbed Basha’s wrist. He slowly spoke in broken Hamelian, “If you try anything like that again, I will cut off your hands myself before bringing you to our Great Chief.”

Though broken, Basha understood his words.

“I-I have received Lou’s blessing...”

Basha repeated, but Katagi paid no attention. He believed in the Great Chief Urich who performed miracles in person. The sun god Lou meant nothing to him.

Urich always entrusted important tasks to Katagi who always prioritized his orders regardless of his own thoughts, unlike the other warriors who often disregarded hierarchy and acted on their own if things went wrong.

‘The Great Chief trusts me and that’s all that matters to me.’

Katagi’s logic was no different than that of a sun Priest. He unconditionally obeyed the order of the Great Chief, believing that there was always a greater purpose that was simply beyond his understanding. This time was no different, and Katagi did not understand why Urich wanted him to bring Basha.

“I’ve brought the woman, Great Chief,” Katagi spoke in front of Urich’s tent.

Urich lifted the entrance of the tent and revealed his face.

“Bring her in. And bring some food and water as well,” Urich spoke calmly and went back inside.

“Go in.”

Katagi gestured with his chin toward Basha, who looked around nervously and entered the tent.