SWNOVELXO Chapter 520
Chapter 520: The Civil War is Over. (4)
Even in Ghislaine’s previous life, the seven strong nations of the continent didn’t have a particularly good relationship. They were all so capable that there was nothing to fear; it was only natural.
Parniel shook his head left and right, while Ereness started to flex and unclench her fingers.
Under the rising tension, those around them couldn’t approach, only exchanging glances.
Except for one person.
“Ah! Are you two about to fight? What’s bothering you now? We need to wrap this up and go save the Lord!”
“……”
“……”
While staying in the Territory of Penris, Piote had become quicker to catch on than before. You could say it was all thanks to Alfoy.
As he dashed over and shouted, the two simply turned their heads and walked away in opposite directions.
Piote shook his head at the sight of them.
“Geez, why is everyone trying to solve everything with violence, including the Lord?”
If it were about hitting Claude and Alfoy, it would be one thing, but Piote just hoped they wouldn’t fight each other.
It didn’t take long to clean up the remaining Delphine Army. With their formation completely shattered and no superhumans left, it was impossible for them to hold out against the Northern Army.
Upon discovering that Gathros had fled, the commanders of the Delphine Army shouted out.
“Surrender!”
That cry echoed everywhere. There was no point in fighting since even the chief commander had run away.
Soon, all the remaining soldiers of the Delphine Army dropped their weapons and lay face down on the ground.
A cheer erupted on the battlefield louder than any before.
“Waaaaah!”
“We finally won!”
“The Duke’s end has come!”
This battle was different from the others. The remaining elite troops of the Duke’s faction were fully deployed.
Thus, this victory also signified the end of the civil war.
Once the battle concluded, Amelia rode out on a white horse to survey the battlefield. She had splendidly repelled the enemy in place of Ghislaine.
Although it was all part of a contract between the two.
“Waaaaah! Long live Count Raybold!”
The soldiers cheered for Amelia as well. Although they were a bit anxious about her suddenly taking command, she ultimately led them to a great victory.
The visiting lords, while somewhat reluctant, clapped their hands at the unexpected outcome.
“Hmm, I didn’t expect Count Raybold to perform this well.”
“I thought he was just someone who targeted empty land.”
“Looks like Count Penris is trustworthy after all.”
Thanks to the proper tactics, they won without much damage, so it felt a bit wrong to gossip about it.
In the midst of the cheering soldiers, Kaor was being carried away, drenched in blood.
In a severe state of mana exhaustion, he couldn’t even rise properly despite being poured potions.
Eventually, it fell to Vanessa to infuse him with mana to prevent his condition from worsening.
“You overdid it. You’ve drawn on your life force to this extent. You need to stabilize yourself.”
“Ugh… Vanessa, listen to me. I briefly became a superhuman… It’s not a dream… It’s real… I used the Aura Blade to sever the arm of the Salvation Society’s judge.”
“Oh, really? Well done. Now stop talking and rest. You might even be seeing hallucinations right now.”
“Damn… it’s true.”
Even as he was being carried away, Kaor kept muttering to himself, his eyes glimmering with tears.
No one believed him no matter how often he said it. They all thought the Priest of Salvation just got exhausted and lost an arm.
In fact, later on, the knights’ swords had indeed cut through quite easily.
“I’m telling you, why doesn’t anyone believe me!”
He wanted to dash around the battlefield magnificently as a superhuman, but the wall seemed too high. After testing the waters a bit, he felt more like losing his mind.
While the Northern Army tended to the injured and cleaned up the battlefield, Gillian spoke to Amelia.
“I will go see the Lord right away.”
“If Count Valzac won, it might be dangerous. It’s safest for us to march together like this.”
“It doesn’t matter. Just let me take some troops now.”
There was no reason to stop someone who wanted to assist their lord. The duty of guarding this place was now over as promised.
“Understood. Take as many as you need.”
Gillian gathered the knights and cavalry, as well as the ranged troops who were in relatively good condition.
“We should go together.”
Ereness, Parniel, Vanessa, and Tenet also finished their preparations.
Count Penris is an important figure. And Count Valzac must be killed.
That’s why even the superhumans of the Northern Army moved along.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
With the battle over, they moved without taking a rest. Everyone was exhausted, but saving Ghislaine took priority.
As the advance party left, Amelia issued a new command.
“Follow as soon as the cleanup is finished.”
Since the outcome of the battle between Ghislaine and Count Valzac had yet to emerge, the remaining troops had no choice but to follow.
Gillian fought to suppress his unease and rode his horse diligently. The troops trailing behind were getting tired and falling behind.
If they met Count Valzac’s army in this state, they would suffer greatly.
‘My Lord!’
Nonetheless, he did not stop. The title of Kingdom’s Greatest Sword weighed heavily on him.
Until he encountered something in the sky that screamed.
“Gillian!”
“Dark?”
Dark, who was quickly flying to deliver news, spotted Gillian and landed.
“Ahahaha! What? Did you win? Were you coming to rescue us just now?”
Bam!
In his eagerness, Gillian grabbed Dark tightly and asked.
“What about the Lord? What happened to the Lord?”
“Cough! You rude brat! Can’t you see I’m moving well? We won! We won!”
“W-Won?”
“Yeah! Now the master is the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword!”
That declaration echoed throughout. The soldiers and knights behind Gillian erupted in loud cheers.
“Waaaaah!”
Their lord had discarded the title of ‘Northern Strongest’ and finally grasped the crown of the strongest in the kingdom.
Indeed, a true lord. It was a sin to have had any moments of doubt. He nearly lost his faith.
‘My Lord!’
With a look of elation, Gillian gazed off into the distance.
—I will surely end the poverty of this territory. Not just a drop of water but a deluge.
The young lord who had once boldly declared that even when he had nothing in hand.
Truly, he had become a rain pouring over the North and now a tempest engulfing the kingdom.
Not merely ending poverty, he had raised his father to the most exalted position in the kingdom.
‘You really did it.’
Despite facing ridicule and distrust, he ultimately succeeded.
How could one not respect such a person?
Gillian smiled and continued to ride. He no longer rushed like he did at first.
The slowly moving party paused upon seeing a dust cloud rising in the distance.
Thud thud thud thud!
Waving atop it was a banner they recognized well.
Finally, Ghislaine appeared, leading the Penris Mobile Army.
“Gillian!”
Ghislaine called out Gillian’s name warmly. His presence here signified that the Northern Army had triumphed in the war.
“Lord.”
“You’ve really had a tough time. Looks like Amelia won decisively. I knew she could handle that much.”
“You’ve had a tough time too, my Lord.”
The two didn’t immediately elaborate. They simply looked at one another and smiled.
Soon, Ghislaine surveyed the troops that had come with Gillian and spoke.
“Everyone has worked hard. I’m sorry I couldn’t let you rest, but we must quickly relay the news to the Kingdom Army and the capital.”
Ghislaine opened his mouth, donning a proud expression like never before, atop the Black King’s seat.
“The civil war is over.”
And…
“It’s time to prepare for the next phase.”
Now, only the thorough defeat of the remaining enemies remained.
*
“Waaaaah!”
“Count Penris! Look here!”
“A new Kingdom’s Greatest Sword has been born!”
As news reached the capital that the Northern Army was entering, countless people flooded the streets, cheering.
The civil war had ended, and the Salvation Society of the Ruthania Kingdom was eradicated. People could once again harbor hope. Hope that things could improve even more than before.
And the one who made all this possible was none other than Ghislaine. He was now the hero of this kingdom. Everyone had no choice but to cheer.
Though rifts still remained, it would take time for them to grow and become active again. Until then, the kingdom would unite to prepare.
“Come here. You’ve finally done it.”
Zvalter came out with his retainers and greeted Ghislaine warmly.
He had stayed behind to stabilize the capital with the kingdom’s army and could do nothing more than worry about his son.
But now that his son had returned victorious, he couldn’t help but be extremely happy.
Ghislaine smiled lightly and said.
“Your Majesty, we must conduct the coronation ceremony soon.”
“Ahem, that’s quite embarrassing.”
Zvalter chuckled awkwardly. He still couldn’t grasp what it meant to become king.
Most nobles supported Zvalter. They needed someone to unify the Ruthania Kingdom immediately.
With the war over, the coronation was conducted right away. The sole ‘Archbishop’ and ‘Saint’ of the capital, Bishop Porisco, presided over it.
Through this opportunity, he solidified his position. He even excommunicated the fleeing archbishop by his authority.
“Uh, I’ve picked the right side. Partnering with Count Penris was a wise choice.”
It wasn’t that he partnered willingly; he was dragged along, but the good outcome made it all worthwhile. He was immensely satisfied.
Immediately after the coronation, Zvalter awarded merits to his achievements. The first was undoubtedly Ghislaine.
“…Thus, for the achievement of ending the civil war, to the royal heir Ghislaine goes the title of Duke and the Territory of Perdium…”
Ghislaine received the title of Duke and Territory of Perdium. He had now become the master of a vast territory that included Perdium, Penris, Cabaldy, and Desmond.
However, there was a bit of a tussle regarding the title. Belinda had strongly insisted that she must receive the title of Duke.
Though Ghislaine tried to soothe Belinda, she remained adamant.
“Why does it have to be Duke? Isn’t it fine to just get the title of Count?”
“Northern. Duke. That’s all there is to it.”
Zvalter couldn’t ignore Belinda’s opinion and gave Ghislaine the Duke title. After all, it didn’t matter what name he held since he would wield independent power anyway.
Regardless of the name, Ghislaine had now risen to be the kingdom’s most influential figure.
“Congratulations, Your Grace.”
Claude smiled brightly and bowed his head. The other retainers were all delighted.
Those who had been with Ghislaine were also awarded. Key figures like Belinda, Gillian, Kaor, and Vanessa received the title of Count.
Though not immediately, it was decided that they would receive expansive territories once the rifts were eliminated and the kingdom stabilized.
Unfortunately, it was decided that Claude and Alfoy would receive theirs only after their period of servitude ended.
Claude asked with a blank expression.
“…Isn’t the period over 300 years now?”
“There’s no choice. If I release you immediately, there won’t be any point in the wager, right?”
“……”
Claude and Alfoy realized their reality and fell into a deep gloom. In truth, Ghislaine had intended to free them once the Salvation Society’s eradication was over, but he didn’t say so.
Those two simply couldn’t be left to bask in their arrogance.
Following this, several policies were implemented urgently. One of them was something promised to Ereness.
Ereness sincerely bowed her head to Ghislaine.
“Thank you for keeping your ‘promise.’ I, too, will continue to uphold our ‘pact.’”
As promised, all elves were emancipated from slavery within the Ruthania Kingdom.
The same went for the dwarfs. They would now live as free people.
However, elves and dwarfs belonging to the Penris Army were temporarily barred from discharge due to the circumstances.
Most of the Knights of Penris also received noble status, and appropriate rewards were given to soldiers who participated in the war and made notable contributions.
To raise morale, they hastily carried out commendations, but since proper organization wasn’t complete yet, they had to settle for a reasonable level.
After that, Ghislaine returned the western region he had been managing to the royal family. It was necessary to collect a lot of taxes to run the kingdom.
Then, astonishing news surfaced.
“What? The Witch of the Flag turned over all eastern territories to the royal family?”
“I heard she even gifted her northern territories, which were her base, to His Grace the Duke.”
“She apparently only took away one small territory at the end of the western edge. Is she crazy? What suddenly brought this on?”
This was due to a new contract formed between the two, which Ghislaine had laid bare at that time.
“Do you want to be king? If you want to be king in this kingdom, we will inevitably clash. And once the civil war is over, it will be clear who will win.”
Amelia couldn’t argue with that. She had tried to cut back the forces on both sides, but ultimately failed.
Just like the Duke faction, she hadn’t fully grasped Ghislaine’s potential.
Now cornered, she had only two options left.
Follow the new king or fight until the end.
Neither appealed to her. She hadn’t raised an army just to settle for such minor territorial gains.
Yet, it didn’t suit her character to engage in an unfavorable fight.
As she pondered, Ghislaine offered a fresh idea.