Chapter 290

“Are you leaving?”

Nazar, the brown fox beastman and advisor to Ryurik, turned his head towards his king.

“Yes. It seems the famous Beastman Devourer is hungry, so we should give them a grand welcome.”

“…It might be a trap.”

Ryurik was in high spirits, ready for battle, but Nazar couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling. The fact that they arrived with just a single carriage and openly revealed their identity made it seem like a trap to lure their allies.

‘It’s too blatant. It’s as if they’re shouting, “The only reinforcements we have are the Beastman Devourer, so come attack us now!”‘

In the worst-case scenario, the Empire’s reinforcements might already be here, lying in wait for Varyakrus’s army to approach Failun Castle. Attacking the rear of a besieging force could cause significant damage.

“What, are you scared you might become prey, Nazar? Typical fox cubs.”

A white-furred tiger beastman with black stripes, Oleg, looked down at Nazar with a sneer on his fierce face. Despite being a pure-blooded warrior, his massive frame and the equally large axe slung over his shoulder made him an imposing figure.

“Stupid creatures don’t live long, do they, Oleg? Your kin have proven that saying true, haven’t they?”

Nazar bared his teeth and shot back sharply.

“How many of those snowy tigers are left now? Five? Four? Isn’t it a miracle you’re still alive?”

This was unusually harsh for Nazar, who was known for his mild demeanor among the great warriors… but he didn’t particularly like this young and reckless warrior. Oleg had caused trouble several times with his thoughtless actions and often acted without following orders.

He doesn’t listen to those weaker than him.

The only reason he hadn’t been exiled or executed was because he obeyed Ryurik’s commands. To Nazar, Oleg was nothing but an uncontrollable nuisance.

“…There are enough of us left to kill all you fox cubs.”

Oleg quietly lifted his axe, as if ready to strike if Nazar said one more word. Nazar, snorting, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Both of you, stop there. Always looking for a fight. Did I permit you to cause discord before a battle?”

Ryurik growled at the two great warriors.

“Tch. You’re too lenient with your kin.”

“My apologies.”

Oleg clicked his tongue and relaxed his right arm, while Nazar bowed his head apologetically towards Ryurik.

“Eventually, you’ll stop anyway, so why do you always growl like that?”

A woman lying leisurely on the rubble chuckled. She was a striped hyena beastwoman with gray fur and black stripes—Lyudmila.

“Didn’t you know, Lyudmila? When Oleg was young…”

“Abigail!”

Oleg growled at Abigail, the snow leopard beastwoman, who was grinning mischievously. Abigail twitched her ears and smiled slyly, as if to say she’d continue the story later.

The other great warriors, uninterested, didn’t even bother to listen, instead chewing on the remaining food. Their carefree demeanor, seemingly devoid of discipline, was quintessentially beastman-like.

Ryurik respected their wildness and autonomy. He believed that freedom and ferocity were the essence of a warrior—as long as they followed his commands.

“A trap… it might be. Or it might not. At least the scouts didn’t see any other forces. If they were planning an ambush, it would have to be a large force. Hiding such numbers wouldn’t be easy. So… even if there’s an ambush, the numbers won’t be large.”

“…That’s true.”

Nazar had to nod in agreement. It was a valid point. Unless they were Failun’s hunters, it was hard to believe that ordinary soldiers could hide their presence from them.

“Alright, we’ll find out when we get there! If it’s not a trap, we’ll crush them. If it is, we’ll break through with force!”

After all, Ryurik was also a beastman warrior. Unless it was a fight with no chance of winning, he welcomed the challenge.

Ryurik stood up and let out a long howl. The winter wolf’s howl echoed through the night sky, and the scattered gazes of the beastmen turned towards their king.

“Everyone, rise! The moment you’ve been waiting for has come—it’s time to resume the hunt! Teach those who stole our land and enslaved our kin! Show them that they are nothing but prey, no matter how numerous they are!”

The beastmen’s war cries filled the air, covering the collapsed northern wall.

======[Capital]======

Leopold, having settled the affairs of the Venes territory, finally returned to the capital. The civil war caused by Isabella, which had plunged the entire capital into chaos, was officially over.

The citizens, anxious about the collapse of the northern wall, warmly welcomed their future emperor, who had defeated the witch’s forces. Failun and Landenburg, who had arrived earlier, had already returned to their territories without even holding a welcome ceremony. In fact, the Failun army had clearly shown their discomfort.

After ordering his tired troops to rest, Leopold immediately headed to the cathedral, where he was formally crowned in the presence of the Archbishop.

It was a bold and hurried coronation, with half the procedures skipped, but with the border regions still in chaos, no one opposed the need to fill the vacant throne as quickly as possible.

After all, there was only one qualified heir left, so there was no need for the votes of the lords.

With the witch defeated…

The birth of the brave emperor who restored order to the old empire, ‘Emperor Guanghui’ Leopold.

Leopold tried to refuse, saying the title was too much for him, but the Archbishop smiled so brightly and insisted so many times that he had no choice but to accept it.

It seemed like a heartwarming story that proved the new emperor’s humble character, outstanding achievements, and close friendship with the church… but the truth was something only those involved knew.

And so, Leopold became emperor.

However, what greeted Leopold, who ascended the throne unwillingly, was not peace but a new headache.

“If I had known it would be like this, I should have just let Ernst take it…”

He was so annoyed that he even forgot his dignity and grumbled to Persval, who had taken on the role of his guard.

The rewards for key contributors were stuck in limbo, and Duke Bien, who was supposed to mediate, was instead stirring up conflict and causing divisions.

‘He probably wants to expand his influence as much as possible with this opportunity.’

Although he was only engaged to Adelaide, he was already acting like he was the emperor’s in-law.

It wasn’t a pleasant situation for Leopold… but he had no justification to stop him. If Duke Bien had crossed the line to the point of breaking imperial law, it would be different, but he wasn’t foolish enough to do that.

Especially since Duke Bien’s contribution to the victory in the civil war was as significant as Count Median’s.

Unlike Pailoon and Landenburg, who kept some reserves even while cooperating, Duke Bien had supported Leopold by mobilizing almost his entire army, as if he were gambling his life.

Excluding the private armies of minor lords, Duke Bien’s forces had suffered the most casualties.

For Leopold, who was popular but still politically unstable, trying to check Duke Bien right after ascending the throne would mean taking on a huge political burden.

The other two electors wouldn’t look kindly on it either.

His relationship with Duke Pailoon had deteriorated due to the fall of the northern wall, and Landenburg was more concerned with the empire’s fundamental order than loyalty to the emperor.

The balance between the emperor’s authority and the electors’ power.

‘And that’s not all…’

To make matters worse, Duke Bien’s issues were just one of many problems that were piling up.

First and foremost, the reconstruction of the Imperial Army was the most urgent issue.

The Imperial Army had suffered massive losses due to civil war and foreign invasions.

The number of seasoned veterans over fifty had dwindled to those under thirty, and the central army, which had numbered sixty thousand, had been reduced by nearly half.

There weren’t even enough troops left to support Duke Pailoon, who had rushed to the north.

The electors’ armies were still somewhat intact, but the losses among the local lords who had split and fought in the civil war were also severe.

The empire’s peace, which had been maintained by a combined force of nearly a hundred thousand, was on the verge of collapse.

Perhaps they would even have to consider switching from the existing standing army system to conscription.

Even the situation outside the empire was in complete chaos.

Not just the north and east, but other regions as well.

—

The Holy Kingdom was sending letters daily demanding the immediate dissolution of the archdiocese, but Leopold, after consulting with Lacey, couldn’t comply with such a request.

At least, thanks to the fact that they were both human nations, they weren’t openly hostile, which was something to be grateful for.

The Kingdom of Panam, seeing this as an opportunity, was demanding a renegotiation of tariffs on export items.

Specifically targeting the goods the empire needed most—food and metals.

They made excuses about monster uprisings, Himmell’s sudden isolation, and international instability, but it was clear they were trying to take advantage of the empire’s weakened state.

Of course, they also expressed regret about the empire’s troubles and offered an alternative.

If the empire would establish deeper friendly relations, they would be willing to bear the losses as a friendly nation.

In short, they were demanding a second union between the imperial family and the Panam royal family.

They suggested marrying the son of Panam’s king and Leopold’s sister, Eleonora, to the empire’s princess, Leonor.

‘What a shameless move…!’

Leopold frowned as he read the letter and tore it up.

The proposal was transparent. Panam’s prince was only three years old, and the king’s reputation for womanizing was well-known.

The marriage to the prince was just a facade. In reality, it was a ploy to make Leonor his concubine.

‘They’re taking the empire for fools, but this is going too far, daring to send such a letter…!’

Leopold couldn’t help but be furious.

He had no intention of accepting such terms, and in fact, he couldn’t unless he wanted to completely alienate Count Median.

And it wasn’t just Panam.

Dane’s movements were suspicious, and there were rumors of small-scale skirmishes between Albheim and Himmell.

What would become of the empire, of the continent?

Leopold’s worries only grew, as did the amount of hair he was losing.