Chapter 281

After a fierce battle that turned the entire city into ashes, the swarm of bugs created by the witch Isabella was completely eradicated.

It wasn’t an easy fight. The initial fire tactics worked well, significantly reducing the enemy numbers, but as time went on, more and more bugs kept pouring out. It was as if they had adapted to the flames burning their bodies. Truly, a monstrous display of vitality.

There were several heart-stopping moments when the encirclement nearly collapsed. It wasn’t a matter of the soldiers’ bravery—if anyone was to blame, it was the Elector Counts.

From the moment victory seemed certain, their top priority shifted from exterminating the enemy to preserving their elite forces. It wasn’t entirely selfish. Even if they wiped out all the bugs here, the external threats to their territories wouldn’t just disappear on their own.

The threat from Ka`har and the invasions by the beastmen remained unresolved, so they had to maintain their strength as much as possible. If they suffered heavy losses here, their future would become uncertain.

Of course, external invasions weren’t just a problem for the borderlands but for the entire Empire, so the central army would likely provide support. However, they were only meant to be “reinforcements,” not the main force of the war.

If the central army had to step in to save the Elector armies from collapsing, it would reveal to the world that the border lords no longer had the power to govern their own territories.

Their authority was built on strength. Lose that strength, and their authority wouldn’t last long. They could either be pushed aside by rising competitors or absorbed by the central power—neither outcome was desirable.

Whether it was Ludwig, dreaming of revenge, Duke Bien, seeking power, or even Duke Pailoon, who only wished for peace in the north—they were all Great Lords ruling vast territories before they were Leopold’s vassals.

Thus, the Elector Counts tightly controlled their core forces to avoid unnecessary sacrifices, leaving the gaps to be filled by others—specifically, the minor lords loyal to Leopold.

In the end, they achieved victory, but the damage was significant. The flaws of a coalition bound by mutual interests rather than shared ideals became painfully clear.

—

After the battle, the soldiers, too exhausted to even move, collapsed where they stood to rest. The knights, who should have been controlling them, were equally drained and didn’t intervene. Most knights had thrown off their sweat-soaked helmets, pouring water over their heads or gulping it down. Some of the more sensitive ones were vomiting at the sight of the battlefield, now a mountain of bugs.

Fighting enemies as grotesque as these wasn’t easy for them either. Not only were their appearances horrifying, but their attack patterns were also tricky to counter.

The waves of cockroaches couldn’t be cut down with swords, and if you got swept up in them, it was over. They would crawl into the gaps of armor, tear through flesh, and devour you alive.

The scorching air was also the worst for knights clad in metal armor. Many collapsed from suffocation and dizziness. Considering the damage that would have occurred without the fire tactics, the losses were bearable.

Leopold, looking down at the resting soldiers, turned his gaze to the still-smoldering Benes territory. He, too, was utterly exhausted, but he hadn’t forgotten what needed to be done.

“…Isabella never showed up until the end. Neither did Ernst.”

It was hard to believe that such a formidable woman would have meekly burned to death in a pit of fire.

Moreover, the movements of the monsters were utterly chaotic. If the witch had been commanding them, they would have attacked more strategically—focusing their forces to break through the encirclement or using fire-resistant monsters to protect the others.

In reality, Isabella had left a few nobles infested with bugs for that purpose, but they all died in confusion amidst the flames that consumed the city. A futile end. From the perspective of the 1st Prince’s army, they didn’t even know the enemy had commanders.

“Was she never here to begin with? Maybe she was right.”

Whether she had truly gone to the capital, as Hasalleur said, or simply gone into hiding, was still unknown. They’d likely find out after returning to the capital.

But they couldn’t just retreat immediately. The Benes territory had always been the witch’s lair. There might still be hidden shelters untouched by the flames. With the possibility that she was hiding there, waiting for Leopold’s army to withdraw, they needed to thoroughly search the entire territory as soon as the fires died down.

“The return will be delayed. The witch’s lair…”

“If the clan is all taken care of, then… I should send Pailoon and Landenburg back first.”

Even if I send them back first, it shouldn’t cause any issues.

Unless it’s Duke Bien, those two aren’t the type to take advantage of Leopold’s absence to stir up trouble or reveal any hidden ambitions.

On the contrary, they’d probably want to return to their own territories as soon as possible.

Having made up his mind, Leopold turned his horse toward the command center.

A grand victory speech to boost the soldiers’ morale wouldn’t be bad, but… it probably wouldn’t resonate much with the utterly exhausted troops.

Praising their efforts could wait. For now, it was better to let them rest and recover while waiting for the fires to die down.

—

It took a full day for Leopold’s army to regain their strength.

Considering the grueling marches they’d endured, even this short rest felt insufficient.

The next day, as planned, the private soldiers of Pailoon and Landenburg left the main force and began their journey home.

Under Leopold’s orders, the survivors of Duke Bien’s army and the minor lords, along with priests and holy knights, began investigating the burned-down Venes territory.

There were some results. They discovered an underground cavern suspected to be Isabella’s hideout.

All that remained there were countless insect husks and tens of thousands of skeletal remains.

Though half-expected… there were no survivors.

Knights and soldiers alike were filled with intense rage.

After finding a sculpture of Lilith, intentionally resembling Elpinel, engaging in depraved acts with monsters, even the priests were on the verge of frenzy.

The holy knights smashed Lilith’s statue into dust, while the soldiers diligently collected the remains.

Though the bones were so mixed up that no one could tell whose they were, a proper burial was still necessary.

Meanwhile, the witch’s research materials found during the cleanup were handed over to the priests burning the insect husks under Leopold’s orders.

Some magicians coveted the materials, but once they were in the priests’ hands, they were as good as gone.

In this atmosphere, showing interest in the wicked and blasphemous knowledge of a witch could easily get you labeled as a potential heretic and beaten to death.

Two days later, Leopold finally decided to return.

The cleanup was mostly done, and he was half-convinced Isabella wasn’t here anymore.

With so many problems piling up, there was no time to waste.

The journey back to the capital was long and tedious.

They had to return the magicians forcibly conscripted from various territories and offer condolences and compensation to the families of those who died in battle.

So, Leopold heard about Isabella’s death before even reaching the capital, while still on the return journey.

It was said to be a battle between the Bug Witch and the Red Empress.

The witch, who had hidden in the underground waterways, was captured by Count Median and met a gruesome end.

There were also stories about parts of the waterways collapsing during the battle and Leonor, who had renounced her royal status, scattering Isabella’s remains… but to Leopold, those details were just trivial.

“In the end, it’s all thanks to her again… What a headache.”

Leopold secretly let out a deep sigh.

From the battle on the Zeren Plains to the extermination of Isabella.

She had become the main figure in this civil war, claiming all the notable achievements and key contributions.

He knew she had no particular ambitions, but with this level of merit, even if she didn’t, those around her wouldn’t leave her alone.

Especially for Duke Bien, she’d be nothing but a thorn in his side.

What kind of reward should he give her? How should he handle the inevitable friction that would arise?

Just thinking about it made his head spin.

—

Leopold’s troubles didn’t end there.

A few days later, just before arriving in the capital, he received even more shocking news.

The collapse of the northern wall.

It was an event so shocking that even Leopold was momentarily stunned.

Duke Pailoon, who had heard the news earlier, was so enraged that he reportedly destroyed half of his mansion before heading north.

As Leopold struggled to suppress his growing despair, a copper coin-sized hole briefly appeared in his hair.