Ferdinand:
"General Leona, I am grateful for the assistance you provided."
Leona:
"First of all, I am no longer a general. Secondly, I did not do this to help the Empire. I did it to cleanse my homeland, Caelmor, of filth."
Ferdinand:
"I understand, General. But whether you wish it or not, you will always be the general I admire. I will recognize you as a general regardless. Once again, thank you for your help."
Leona:
"Call me as you wish, Ferdinand. It is nothing. Thank you as well for assisting us in this victory."
Ferdinand:
"It is our duty, General. Every inch of the Chaos Empire will be cleansed of this evil, just as it was done here—and in Eryndor."
Leona:
"What!? Eryndor!? So you truly were in a hurry to go there. But you would be wise to abandon any thoughts of attacking it."
Ferdinand (smiling):
"Do not worry, General. We are merely heading to defeat Ralden. As for Eryndor… it has already been conquered."
Leona (astonished):
"Eryndor has been conquered!? Are you serious!? That is impossible!"
Leona (thinking):
So the hero truly exists. But even with a hero, conquering Eryndor is something beyond imagination.
Ferdinand:
"Yes, General. Emperor Aeth has conquered Eryndor. And now, we are heading to ambush Ralden."
Leona:
"Do you even realize what you are saying!? It is impossible not only for that emperor to conquer a land, but even to step onto a battlefield. So your hero must be powerful enough to pull the emperor out of his palace and bring him to Eryndor. I would like to meet him."
Ferdinand:
"You misunderstand. The hero is our Emperor himself. Since awakening his Aura, he has changed greatly. If someone had told me this, I would not have believed it. But I have witnessed everything myself. Believe me, General—the Emperor is extremely powerful. He is no longer the man you once knew."
Leona (thinking):
I know Ferdinand through Fredrin. Like his brother, he is an honest man. He never lies. If what he says is truly correct, a single mistake on my part could endanger my entire people.
Leona:
"Then I wish you success, Ferdinand. I will remain here in Caelmor with my people. We have just come out of war, and the wounded must be tended to."
Ferdinand:
"Very well, General. I will also leave my wounded here, along with a unit of ten thousand warriors, to defend this place in case of an attack."
Leona:
"That will do, Ferdinand. Rest assured, I will care for the wounded. I wish you success."
Ferdinand:
"My gratitude, General Leona."
Ferdinand departed Caelmor with his army and marched toward Eryndor. According to the intelligence he received from Leona, Ralden had left Caelmor with ten thousand cavalry, ten thousand warriors, and ten thousand armored soldiers. With a total force of thirty thousand, Ralden was considered equal in strength to Ferdinand. However, Ralden's ten thousand cavalry units posed a significant threat. For this reason, Ferdinand had to arrive in time and unite his forces with Aeth.
Caelmor Castle…
Cedric:
"Leader, I do not question your decisions, but I am curious. Why did you allow these units to remain here? We had no intention of handing Caelmor over to the Empire."
Leona:
"You heard everything yourself, Cedric. An army capable of conquering Eryndor would leave no stone standing in Caelmor. Act wisely. Let us simply wait and see what happens."
Cedric:
"So the Empire has gathered a massive army."
Leona:
"To be honest, I cannot reach a clear decision right now. If conquering Eryndor were merely a matter of military strength, I would have made that decision long ago. That is precisely why I did not wish to act recklessly. Conquering Eryndor is not solely a matter of armies. For now, we will wait and observe."
Cedric:
"Understood, Leader."
Eryndor City — Three Weeks Later…
Aeth:
"What is the situation in the areas affected by the destruction, Bren?"
Bren:
"The remains of the walls have been completely cleared. Our workforce is more than sufficient. Moreover, the people are making great efforts to assist us, which allowed us to complete the work quickly."
Tharic:
"Our conquest has brought joy to the people. That is why everyone is helping to the best of their ability. They see our Emperor as a hero."
Aeth:
"Tharic, the people are not working so fervently merely because of a hero. When I immediately executed the nobles who oppressed them, a spark of hope was born within them. That is why they are doing everything they can—to ensure the new ruler does not oppress them. Think of it as an attempt to make themselves likable. However, this works greatly in our favor. Furthermore, we were the original owners of these lands. Our current laws are far more lenient than the previous ones. This deliberate display of loyalty will eventually turn into unbreakable allegiance. Never forget—everyone is loyal to their own interests."
At that moment, Skarn entered the throne room and bowed before speaking.