Chapter 124

“Hear me— soldiers!”

At Priegoss’s shout, the gazes of the soldiers and prisoners, who were at a standoff with each other, all gathered towards Priegoss.

“From now on, we will fight to defend this land we have painstakingly created, to help the great elves who have come from the great land, and to battle the giants.”

Some soldiers expressed a firm resolve, as if they had guessed what was going to happen.

Some felt fear at the thought of stepping into a battlefield where even those elves would perish.

Some felt pride in being part of a battle that would go down in history, while others suppressed their fear to protect their families living in the city.

However, unlike the soldiers who had been with Priegoss for a long time, the prisoners laughed at his words.

“Well. Our thoughts differ from yours, my King.”

“What is different?”

“Should I speak it out loud? Don’t you think so?”

As a particularly large prisoner stepped forward to mock Priegoss’s words, the other prisoners chuckled while glancing at the surrounding soldiers.

It was a face familiar to Priegoss.

The lieutenant of Mutuk, who had fought like a beast.

Seeing this, a belligerent soldier narrowed his eyes and tried to step forward, but Priegoss restrained him with a gesture.

“What is your name?”

“What do you want with the name of a defeated prisoner?”

“You know me, but if I do not know you, we cannot have a proper conversation, can we?”

“…Nomhon.”

“Nomhon. Yes, speak. I am foolish and cannot comprehend your thoughts.”

Nomhon scoffed at Priegoss’s devious demeanor and opened his mouth.

“Well, even if you draw your sword dramatically and speak, everything you said is wrong from the beginning; this is not our land, and we have no obligation to help those big-eared elves. Rather, we might resent them.”

“The elves did not ensnare you directly in the last war. They only slaughtered the evil beings from the east known as Orcus.”

“…To us, it is all the same. Thanks to that, we were captured by you. Perhaps you welcome those pointy-eared creatures, but they are terrifying to us.”

The pious soldiers glared at the prisoners as if fire were spewing from their eyes.

“I see. Then what will you do now?”

“…I wish to leave.”

“You wish to leave?”

“Yes. This is neither our land, nor is there any reason to risk our lives for it.”

“Then how do you plan to leave? Even if you say you’ll leave, there are giants wandering outside, and while the inner city may be safe, the outside is filled with all sorts of dangerous beasts and monsters. Is there even enough food for you? What will you do about that?”

Nomhon fell silent.

“You have no words. But I understand. You are skilled in raiding, are you not? You might resort to pillaging the food supplies of the citizens of this city, Pohelrn, just to last a while. In the meantime, some of you will lose your lives.”

“…What do you intend? Does that mean you plan to kill us all?”

“If I thought that, would I have armed you with such precious weapons and armor?”

Although it was actually Alia’s unilateral decision, Priegoss spoke cunningly.

“Nomhon. I do not know the rules of the south. But I am curious— in the south, do the unworthy take the land and lord over slaves while enjoying wealth?”

“You may see us as barbarians, but do not speak carelessly, Priegoss. The men from the south beyond the desert do not spare even their lives to prove themselves. Only those who defeat many enemies threatening their tribe and fight for broader territory are recognized and possess more.”

“That may be so. In truth, whether here or in your lands, places where people live are all similar, are they not? This world is not indulgent enough to allow one to do nothing while being fed. Yet, why do you not step forward?”

“…What nonsense are you spouting?”

“It is not easy for humans to establish themselves in this harsh world, is it? Is it not? Nearby, there must be flowing water to drink, and at least one grain of barley must yield three or four kernels from the soil. Moreover, how about considering the terrain to fend off the beasts and monsters that scent us and watch for opportunities in the darkness? At least dozens of humans must risk their lives in the plains, striving their best, before a human village can be founded. Is that not so? Though the places were different, the footprints of life were probably similar.”

“…”

“But even if countless such villages arise in this land, few will survive through the years. Many fell to the attacks of beasts and monsters, sometimes due to harsh nature, sometimes due to pandemics, and sometimes due to the whims of some transcendent being. Humanity is truly weak in this world. Half can be toppled by one person, and half cannot be. The reason we can survive with such an extent of territory in this world is that, unlike beasts that live separately and abandon their territory the moment danger looms, humans have fought desperately together to protect that territory. All of us, united as one.”

“Hah, are you suggesting we fight together as one?”

“Why not?”

“I understand your words fully. Our life in the south has been similar. But did I not say? This is not the land we should stake our lives for.”

“Why is that?”

“What?”

“Why should you not protect this place?”

Nomhon laughed in disbelief and replied.

“I said it before. What we should protect is our homeland, Batar, beyond the desert.”

“Yes, the Batar people have no reason to protect this Pohelrn.”

“…Are you trying to play word games with me?”

A glimmer of anger flickered in the eyes of Nomhon and the surrounding prisoners.

“But our identity here is neither Pohelrnian nor Batarian.”

Priegoss’s demeanor changed.

Nomhon saw a momentary silver glimmer of energy shine in Priegoss’s eyes before it vanished.

At the same moment, Priegoss seemed to hear an auditory illusion, as if a voice was calling out to him from somewhere.

“Here, our identity is human. Humanity. Right here in Pohelrn, a great war is being waged to safeguard the colossal cause of humanity’s future across races, regions, and classes. Nomhon, and Batar people. Do you not have this too? From the transcendent beings called Algul that your Mutuk relied upon, to the ones who have ruled over you for hundreds of years. Or perhaps the presence of monsters, disasters which humans cannot contend with. And countless villages crumbled away in the whims of fate. This land, too, long before it was known as Pohelrn, underwent such occurrences far too frequently, and even as it is called Pohelrn and enjoys glory under the protection of our great father and mother, the giants rise against it. They are foes of Pohelrn, Batar, and all humanity who live upon this land.”

“…It is not a given that the giants will invade beyond the south.”

“Foolish! Foolish! Nomhon!”

From Priegoss, smaller than Nomhon by a head, a voice like a lion’s roar erupted.

“Look at that giant, which reaches the sky and seems powerful enough to push the mountains aside. That giant has declared it will rule this world. It spoke to submit to it and belong to its power. Do you know? They already possess a bountiful land in the north where they reside. Yet they descend south, trampling many humans, and now even threaten the greatest human city. What will happen if this place collapses? What if our gods are toyed with by those shameless giants? Where will we run against giants who could overtake fifty of our steps with just one of their own? There is no safe place left in this world at the end of this war. Right here! The conclusion of this great war, where the representatives of humanity gather, is the only turning point for humanity to preserve its dignity as humans!”

As Priegoss passionately unleashed his words, he was no longer looking at Nomhon.

Priegoss raised his sword, looking upwards.

The reason was unknown.

It was merely an instinct driven by emotion.

“Uh…?”

A murmur of disbelief arose around him.

In the eyes of all present, a faint vision of a beautiful winged woman seemed to embrace Priegoss.

However, even while everyone felt that way, Priegoss, perhaps not realizing it, cried out as if to howl.

“Soldiers! Pohelrnians! Great elves! Batar people! All humans living upon this land.

Hear me— and see.

Behold the giant standing against the golden divine beast bestowed upon us by our mother and father gods.

The giant Terato, rising like a mountain peak, and the giants following him possess grains that are as large as a child’s head, and they come to ruin all that we and our ancestors have built!

They are insulting our father god who watches over us from the sky and our mother god who nurtures us with abundance from the earth.

Yet, this is not a rare occurrence since ancient times.

Beyond these majestic city walls, even one seemingly insignificant small village on that harshly spread vast plain was built by our neighbor risking their life.

But the fate of this world is a harsh rule.

Of the ten villages established with firm resolve, only five struggle to survive after ten years.

Sometimes due to beasts and monsters, sometimes due to cruel nature, sometimes due to the chains of the gods who ruled over humanity for hundreds of years, resulting in the 72 wicked demons’ downfall.

This Pohelrn, which is the cornerstone of Pohelrnian civilization, was once merely one of those tiny villages.

But the gods cared for it, caused milk and honey to flow in this land, and made it the rock upon which humanity’s millennia is built.

Now, upon this Pohelrn as a foundation, human villages and cities have emerged in every sight in the vicinity.

How could that be possible?

Humans still find it hard to confront even a wild dog wandering outside these city walls.

I know.

And you all know.

The reason is simple.

It is because they never back down.

Against foes many times more threatening than us, we have fought together and negated them! We have struggled!

And at the end, we enjoyed this short peace and prosperity.

But we have been placed upon the test once more.

Once again, fate forces us into submission.

It demands that we surrender our dignity and pride in exchange for our lives.

It urges us to lead a life of mere livestock, satisfied with what is given under the giants’ rule.

But that cannot be.

Because we already know.

We can never return to the past.

We have already tasted the sweetness of being able to live freely as rational beings on this land.

We have learned that we could be masters rather than livestock and slaves.

Humanity—! This is, so to speak, the great war for us to exist as humanity.

It is the turning point of the human species to be proud before our descendants.

Raise your weapons!

Do not be ashamed for the land you will return to and for your descendants who will live eternally upon it.

Fight!

Do not be broken by those who would turn you into gentle livestock.

Even if it is a gigantic being that could overthrow the earth with a mere gesture, or redirect the river with a single kick!

The father god Ul Kanadiel, who watches over us from the sky, and the mother goddess El Prigion, who enriches us from the earth, shall bless humanity!!

To genuinely live as masters on this land, just as we did yesterday!

Humanity! Fight!”

When the fervent oration of Priegoss ended, the dark skies of Pohelrn, filled with dust and lightning clouds, split open, and a pillar of light poured down upon Priegoss.