Chapter 257

Small-scale ambushes repeated every few hours.

As Hersela pointed out, there must have been a reason why Isabella was resorting to such petty tactics to buy time.

There was speculation that it was to exhaust the soldiers with fatigue and tension, weakening their strength… but it didn’t quite add up that she’d go this far just for that.

What could the reason be?

Leaving Nigel and Rene to their own conversation, I pondered until an answer came.

I had plenty of time. Since I hadn’t fully recovered yet, my daily routine lately consisted of sitting on the bed and chatting.

I had to figure it out. Among the many people gathered in this camp, I probably knew Isabella the best.

While Leonor… Rene might know more about her personality and personal preferences, even Rene wouldn’t know the exact details of Isabella’s goals or movements.

…Not that I knew everything perfectly either.

In a novel, maybe, but in a game, it’s rare for the enemy to spill all their secrets.

At best, I knew her identity, the skills she used, and her ultimate fate. Still, I had to rack my brain as much as possible.

—

Let’s think.

Episode 4’s boss, Isabella.

What kind of woman was she in the original story?

A witch who dyed her body and soul with evil, offering sacrifices to a dark god to gain all sorts of powers.

The sole priestess serving the dark goddess Lilith. Essentially, she was Lilith’s proxy.

What did that woman do?

She rose to become the Empress Dowager, weakened the empire, resurrected the skeletal Nidhogg, turned the capital into a land of death, slaughtered countless lives, corrupted many, and was eventually defeated.

So, her goal in becoming the Empress Dowager must have been one of four things.

Either to resurrect Nidhogg, to offer countless sacrifices to Lilith… or perhaps to destroy the empire itself.

Or maybe she just wanted to sit in a high position, toy with those beneath her, and indulge in luxury and pleasure.

Anyway, what about now?

The witch’s identity has been exposed to the world, so even if she wins now, becoming the Empress Dowager would be impossible.

Unless the empire and the holy kingdom completely collapse, everyone will try to kill her until the very end. Luxury and pleasure are out of the question.

Destroying the empire… wouldn’t be easy either.

The plan to bring in other races to attack the empire would have been dangerous if it had worked, but Leopold managed to block the north and west, and thanks to Amin, who wiped out five thousand troops in a single day, the east was somehow stabilized.

Thanks, Amin. You’re the empire’s hero…!

Though I don’t know if you’re alive or dead.

Maybe you got beaten to death by Orhan?

Of course, if Orhan’s main force reaches the barrier, the situation in the east could change, but there’s still some time before that.

For Isabella to win the civil war with her own power or to hold out until Orhan arrives… with her army already shattered, it’s nearly impossible.

How many days could she buy with these ambushes?

Moreover, while it’s predicted that she’ll fill the Benes territory with monsters and hold out, is that really possible?

It’s too passive for her, and without certainty, she wouldn’t dare try it. If those monsters are wiped out and she’s left alone, that’s the end.

There are twenty masters. One warrior who’s stepped into the realm of heroes. Hundreds of knights and tens of thousands of soldiers.

Even with all her tricks, there’s no way she could face this army head-on and win.

Even if she can resurrect from death, that power isn’t infinite.

She’d just keep getting beaten until she dies.

In short, even if she chooses to defend quietly, Isabella’s chances of survival are slim.

The only way to counter all this force… at least as far as I know, is one thing.

A dragon.

Resurrecting the ancient dragon, Nidhogg, would make it possible.

I don’t know if it’s possible at this point… but if it succeeds, it could turn the tide in an instant.

A dragon’s power far surpasses even that of a hero.

Yes. That’s the only way.

I couldn’t be sure, but my intuition was screaming at me.

If Isabella Benes isn’t planning to die like this and is aiming for a reversal, the answer is Nidhogg.

And… that means…

“Ah,”

A sigh-like utterance.

Instead of a scream, a groan escaped, and Nigel and Rene’s gazes turned toward me.

“Lady Hashelle…? Is something wrong? Your complexion…!”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, are you okay?”

Nigel and Rene asked, startled by my pale face, but I wasn’t in the mood to answer their concerns.

It was just a guess, but I had realized why Isabella was buying time.

Nidhogg.

An ancient dragon slain by Carolus long ago, now just bones.

And the place where its remains are…!

[Benes Territory, Four Days Ago]

After the humiliating defeat on the Zeren Plains, the nobles and archers in charge of command returned to the Benes Territory.

Their appearance was so pitiful that calling them “defeated soldiers” felt like an understatement.

Even though they had witnessed an army of thirty thousand being overwhelmed by a single person, none of them had any fighting spirit left. But they had no other choice.

Once branded as the minions of a witch, if they gave up the fight and scattered, they would eventually be captured, tortured, and executed unless they hid deep in the mountains.

But they were nobles, accustomed to a life of luxury, and had no ability to survive alone in the wilderness.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just run away than fight that monster again…?”

“Yeah. We couldn’t win with thirty thousand, and now we don’t even have three thousand left. Looks like we won’t even get paid. Why should we risk our lives for the nobles’ fights?”

“Run away? Do you really think you can escape without getting caught, you idiots? We’re already finished…!”

The archers, who were just ordinary soldiers, wanted to desert at the first opportunity… but it was impossible.

Prince Ernst and the two masters of the Royal Guard seemed to never sleep, watching them day and night.

In fact, some soldiers who tried to desert were caught before they could even get far, skinned alive as an example.

“Even if you manage to escape, the Church Order won’t let you go. It’s better to die fighting—it’ll hurt less.”

Yeah. Even if they ran away, they had no future.

The chance to surrender was already gone. The Church’s holy knights wouldn’t spare those who fought under a witch, just because they were mere soldiers.

They would hunt down every last one of them and drag them to the purification chambers.

The only hope they had left was that Isabella had some means to deal with that monster, Princess Ha-shal-leur Ai-shan Gi-or.

Honestly, it seemed impossible to defeat that monster by any means.

But… it turned out there was a way.

Something they could never have imagined.

—-

“W-what is this…!”

“Good heavens, is this some kind of demonic realm?”

The nobles were horrified as they looked at the state of the Benes Territory. Some were so shocked they almost fell off their horses.

It was a scene beyond description. The once-prosperous territory now looked like a piece of hell had been cut out and placed there.

Thick miasma covered the sky, and even though it was still afternoon, the surroundings were shrouded in darkness.

The city was cloaked in an early night’s shadow. Every visible surface was crawling with insects.

Thousands of centipedes swarmed the walls of buildings, and winged insects covered the roofs like a living blanket.

A black, glossy river of insects slithered across the ground, and swarms of flying bugs scattered black powder like sandstorms through the alleys.

The buzzing sounds mixed and echoed like a cacophony of nightmares.

Just looking at it made their skin crawl and sent shivers down their spines.

Every time giant insects stomped through the streets, the crushed remains of smaller bugs pooled into puddles, emitting a foul stench.

“Ugh, ughhh…”

“Gods above… how could this…?”

The soldiers also wore expressions of utter despair.

Even though all the priests had turned into enemies, they instinctively called out the name of God and made the sign of the cross.

“Bleeeeh!”

Those with weak stomachs couldn’t hold back and vomited, covering the ground with thin, sour liquid.

The only thought in their minds was clear:

They should have run away sooner.

No, they should never have joined this civil war in the first place. Even if it meant becoming deserters and fleeing the territory.

When they first heard that their commander was a witch, they thought it was just a joke. But now, it was clear—this was an army of demons crawled up from the depths of hell.

Except for the insects, there were no living creatures left.

The livestock had all been devoured, not even bones remaining. Naturally, the tens of thousands of hostages were nowhere to be seen.

Only bugs remained.