Chapter 571

Disasters always come without warning.

What humans can do is only deal with and clean up afterward. Since we can’t read the signs and prepare, we call it a disaster.

=====[Panam and Dane]=====

In the Gelein Territory, located in the eastern part of Panam, the clash of spears, swords, arrows, roars, and flames was creating a storm of blood.

It was a war between the warriors of Dane, who had broken their secret alliance and invaded following the death of Panam’s King Danon, and the defending forces trying to stop them.

“Glory of Bølberg!”

“The Warrior God is watching over us!”

The collision of defensive formations. The clash of warriors and knights.

And the torrential streams of magical light.

The difference in strength was clear.

Dane’s cavalry, charging relentlessly through the rain of arrows, activated protective runes to shield themselves and their horses as they trampled the enemy. Every swing of the axes and swords by the infantry, armed with round shields and axes, unleashed fire and lightning.

“Damn Dane bastards!”

“How is this possible? Even their soldiers are using magic! Are they mass-producing mages or something?”

Panam’s forces, true to their reputation as a wealthy nation, had equipment of superior quality compared to any other country. However, that alone wasn’t enough to overwhelm the Dane warriors, who had been trained as fighters since childhood.

With the addition of hundreds of magical forces, the advantage of equipment became meaningless.

Panam’s defenders fought desperately, piling up hills of corpses, but they couldn’t turn the tide and were inevitably crushed.

“This is insane! How are we supposed to stop them?!”

“Ahhh! My arm! My arm!!!”

The front line of the infantry formation was shattered along with their shields, and the warriors’ relentless axe strikes melted the second and third lines like butter.

Axes buried into the backs of fleeing soldiers, and dozens of fiery streaks flew toward knights trying to reorganize the ranks, burning their flesh inside their armor.

“Haha! The Heavenly Palace awaits me!”

Dane’s cavalry abandoned their spears and swung axes and swords, harvesting the enemy soldiers’ heads like crops in harvest season.

The archers and knights who were supposed to stop them were either dead or had fled long ago, so Panam’s soldiers became nothing more than fertilizer for the Gelein Territory without putting up any real resistance.

—

“We’ve won.”

“Of course. Panam doesn’t have the strength left to stop us.”

In the rear of the Dane army, the commanders and nobles gathered at the command post smiled with satisfaction, savoring the now-routine cries of victory.

In truth, this victory was almost predetermined. After losing King Danon, Queen Eleonora, and three masters in a single night, Panam’s national power had greatly declined.

Nobles, ambitious to wield power as regents, tried to install Danon’s third son, still a child, as the next king. However, the other two princes rebelled, gathering supporters and sparking a civil war.

Both had the weakness of being born from concubines, but the first prince leveraged his status as Danon’s eldest son to gain support, while the second prince, Evian, gathered forces with the Empire’s backing.

After the bloody civil war that split Panam into three, Evian emerged victorious.

The first prince died suddenly during the campaign, and the nobles supporting the third prince were divided by someone’s scheming and were defeated one by one by Evian’s forces.

After seizing the palace, Evian took the throne from his trembling younger brother and imprisoned him, promising that his younger brother would succeed him since he had no intention of having children.

This was to persuade and appease the nobles and knights who valued the royal lineage and had pledged loyalty to the third prince.

Though Evian had finally ascended to the throne he so desired, his reign was far from peaceful from the start.

The lucrative intermediary trade that had brought immense wealth to Panam was halted as Himell entered a wartime state, and it was unclear how many years it would take to recover the national strength drained by the civil war.

Even so, such problems could be gradually resolved over time…

But the sudden declaration of war and the invasion of Dane’s forces across the border was a disaster he had no way to handle.

Dane’s invasion, stronger than ever, came at a time when Panam’s military power was weaker than ever.

Even the Empire, facing unstable situations in various countries, had no desire to engage in a full-scale war with Dane and provided no support, unlike during the civil war.

In the end, the Panam Kingdom, forced to face Dane’s forces alone, retreated repeatedly, helplessly surrendering nearly a third of its territory.

—

Even if they were confident of victory, the joy of it actually happening never fades. The Dane commanders raised a toast in their hearts and smiled.

Except for one person—the one-eyed holy warrior, Knut, who glared at the battlefield with a dissatisfied expression.

“You look grim, Knut. The power you discovered led our country to victory. Shouldn’t you be happy?”

The female warrior, Frigg, standing beside Knut as if guarding him, tilted her head slightly and whispered to him, her voice filled with concern.

“…How can I be happy? Why are we even here? With this much power, we should be targeting our long-time enemy, Ka`har. Instead of attacking Ka`har, we betray and attack Panam, who was briefly our ally, the moment they fall into chaos. How is this any different from looting a burning house?”

Thanks to the rune magic Knut discovered deep within the Mimisbrunn Ruins, Dane’s national power had dramatically improved, allowing them to achieve overwhelming victories against Panam…

But Knut, who could be considered the greatest contributor to this war, had been skeptical about attacking Panam from the beginning.

Even if they could gain vast territories and immense wealth, if they couldn’t fully subjugate Panam, it would only turn an ally into an enemy.

To him, this war was a waste of time and manpower.

“If we had attacked Ka`har’s lands during the winter when their cavalry was weakened, we could have achieved a victory worth several times more. We wasted that opportunity. How can I be happy?”

“Hmm… That’s hard to say. If we had lost, Panam might have invaded us instead. Anyway, you should at least put on a better face in front of others. Your face is already scary enough as it is.”

Frigg patted Knut’s shoulder, trying to soothe him.

Knut, still deeply dissatisfied with his country’s actions, nodded in acknowledgment of Frigg’s concerned advice.

‘…Regardless, we’ll have to fight Ka`har someday. We just have to wait for the right time.’

And that time wasn’t far off. Knut was certain of it.

Except for the inexplicably powerful Ai-shan Gi-or Ha-shal-leur, the Empire’s national power had significantly weakened compared to a year ago. Ka`har had also suffered a defeat, but compared to the Empire’s losses, it was a drop in the bucket.

If Ka`har’s king, Or-han, hadn’t given up his ambitions in the west, now was the perfect opportunity to gamble on the fate of the east.

And if the Empire and Ka`har went to war, Dane would inevitably be drawn into it, just as it had been nine years ago.

Knut suppressed the frustration gnawing at his chest, waiting for that moment to come.

The disaster struck at that moment.

—

– Rumble!

It started with a slight tremor.

A small earthquake, barely noticeable to the warriors immersed in the heat of battle. Only a few sensitive warriors glanced down at the ground with puzzled expressions, while most paid no attention to the shaking.

Until then.

– Rumbleeeee!

A thunderous roar, starting from the ground and reaching the sky. The deafening noise drowned out even the sounds of the battlefield, forcing the warriors to stop and look down.

The ground was shaking.

“What’s going on?”

“Is it an earthquake?”

And then, the disaster unfolded before their eyes.

– Craaaack!

Like dried, cracked farmland, the ground beneath them split open, revealing deep fissures.

The ground rose and fell, creating hills and valleys where there had once been plains. The tremors grew stronger, making it difficult to even stand on two feet.

“Run! The ground is collapsing!”

“By Bølberg, what is this…?!”

“Has Keres been angered?!”

Startled warriors staggered, trying to maintain their balance and escape the cracks in the ground. The sudden natural disaster was so overwhelming that even the excitement of battle faded from their minds.

“What is this? What’s happening?!”

The nobles gathered at the command post also clung to desks and chairs, shouting in confusion as they struggled to keep their balance.

The world was changing before their eyes.

– Rumbleeeee…!

As the deafening noise over the Gelein Plains subsided, their surroundings had transformed from plains into a massive canyon.

– Screeeech!

A canyon that spewed monsters from caves on both sides.

—

Dane’s forces, which had been rapidly conquering Panam, halted their advance after the Battle of Gelein Plains.

Their objective had shifted from war to exploration.