196: You know, wars are unpredictable, huh.
Before the Mizoho Shrine Nation, which had finally driven back the monsters that had covered the horizon, another threat surged forward.
Hanbee sprinted up the city wall.
"Novuna! Kitsutsune! It's Kitsutsune!"
"I know, I know! I call upon you! Come forth from the underworld! Kitsutsune Child!"
The familiar summoned by Nobuna was a fox no bigger than a squirrel. The fox landed on Hanbee's shoulder.
This familiar had the ability to grant千里眼—the power of seeing far—onto whoever it touched.
Hanbee used the distant sight, staring out across the horizon.
"Idiots… How the hell did the Empire bring such a massive army here!?!"
The army, flag waving with the Imperial banner, easily surpassed three hundred thousand by sight.
Hanbee’s shoulders went stiff. The fox tube shifted onto Nobuna, and she widened her eyes too.
“Seriously? You’re saying they built a teleport gate?”
Hanbee shook his head.
“Teleport gates are a technique revived recently by Craft. That’s impossible.”
“So you’re telling me they marched through that vast, monster-infested forest with that whole army?”
Between the Mizoho Shrine Nation and the Dubatten Empire lay mountain ranges and a vast, dangerous forest teeming with monsters.
Even skilled adventurers could cut through it in a single swift push—but even then, they often dropped dead along the way. Trying to push a slow-moving army through would take months. And no one could even guess how many soldiers would fall to monsters before they reached the other side.
Sure, we’re an army—could probably take down monsters. But spending months in their territory? Total annihilation wouldn’t be surprising. That’s how dangerous those deep woods are.
Worst of all, there’s no safe road between the Empire and the Mizoho Shrine Nation. Just a trail barely better than a beast path.
They knew that. So the sudden appearance of a massive army? They couldn’t make sense of it.
The Empire hasn’t had much contact with other nations. Definitely not here to make friends.
I can’t believe it… but could they really be starting an invasion war? In a time when monster territories still far outstrip human lands? Hanbee shuddered.
Hanbee had been staring at what looked like an enemy army from the Empire—then suddenly, a translucent woman appeared in midair. Some kind of magic. Or an artifact’s power.
Her dress, all black and extravagantly detailed, was shockingly out of place on a battlefield. But the way she held a lace fan to her lips—real beauty. She was the very definition of allure.
‘Mizoho Shrine Nation. We are the Duvatten Empire.’
Her voice echoed across the land. Smooth. Seductive. Like fingers tracing the back of your mind.
Hanbee scowled at the noblewoman who didn’t belong here.
‘Hasten your surrender to our Duvatten Empire. Acknowledge us as your rulers. This is the edict of Emperor Gadrack Yulius Caesar Duvattius—our mercy.’
No prior warning. Just an abrupt surrender demand. Pure, unyielding. But they’ve got the force to back it up. Hanbee and Nobuna couldn’t hide their grinding teeth.
‘Hand over Muten Ingaram and Kyle Gandar von Bairoroad as proof of submission. On His Imperial Majesty’s behalf, I’ll promise you’ll be treated with proper care.’
‘Calling Muten-sama by his first name? Unthinkable disrespect!’
‘We don’t understand why Kyle-sama is being demanded. And why his name’s still old-fashioned…’
The people of Mizuho erupted in fury. The very earth shook. All the exhaustion from the brutal fighting? Forgotten.
“If you do not hand over the two of them by the time the sun reaches its zenith tomorrow, I shall have no choice but to use force—unwillingly, of course. I will not entertain any negotiations. Even if you send envoys, they won’t be coming back. I’ll be waiting for your wise decision.”
With that, the woman’s ghostly form faded away slowly.
The sheer one-sidedness of it—warriors, commoners, everyone—roared with fury. The ground trembled. All the exhaustion from the brutal fighting? Gone. The noise now was louder than during the war against the monsters.
Amidst the uproar, a single warrior sprinted toward Hanbee and Nobuna. Motonari O'Brien, head of one of the Five Great Houses.
“Did you hear that, Hanbee?”
“If it’s nonsense, then so be it.”
“Kukuku… demanding our Lord Muten as a hostage? That’s nothing short of a declaration of war.”
Then Nobuna was the first to snap.
"Even killing all of them wouldn’t be enough!"
"Kukuku… demanding our Lord Muten as a hostage? That’s nothing short of a declaration of war." Then Nobuna was the first to snap.
"Is that fear?! Motonari! Where did the pride of the O'Brien family go?!"
"Stop it, Nobuna. Motonari’s right."
"But…!"
"Kukuku. If victory were possible through sheer willpower, then my Mizoho Shrine Nation would be invincible."
Nobuna kicked the nearby wall, fury blazing.
"Motonari, you didn’t come here just to mock me, did you?"
"I didn’t mean to, but as heir apparent, you’re a bit lacking in judgment."
"The heir apparent isn’t me. It’s my brother Kanetsugu."
"Kukuku. How rude. Still, you’d do better marrying into a good family."
Even now, Motonari stared at Nobuna with an unnervingly lingering gaze.
"Fine. At least I’m not planning to marry you off to some second wife. Now then, Motonari. What’s your hurry? Spill it already?"
"Ah, yes. The heads of the Three Houses are to gather at the palace without delay."
"Speak faster! Come on, Motonari!"
"Kukuku. Of course."
And so, General Shingen, the Living God Muten, and the senior lords—including the Three Houses—began their brief meeting.
The conclusion came swiftly.
"People of the nation! Total resistance!"
"“““OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”””"
Of course, unconditional surrender was out of the question. Worst of all, handing over the Living God Muten? Unthinkable.
Besides, if they held the city, they could probably withstand the Empire’s siege—until the enemy ran out of supplies.
Of course, that assumed they could keep getting food and weapons through the large teleportation gate.
But the Empire’s siege was fiercer than expected.
Not just the usual problems with the warriors they’d faced in long battles with monsters—no, the Empire was different. They attacked the fortress with cold, efficient precision.
They’d swarm the walls with hundreds of ladders at once. Dig under the foundations. Set fire to the gates. Cut off the water supply.
Even the Mizuho warriors were pushed to their limits.
Still, they resolved to keep fighting, no matter the cost—just as long as the enemy ran out of food.
Five days after the war began, the same woman appeared in the sky again.
‘You wretched Mizuho scum, who trampled the Emperor’s mercy. You’re wasting your lives in futile resistance. You’re slaughtering loyal Empire citizens.’
What a load of nonsense. Who’s the one slaughtering whom, the Mizuho warriors shouted back, all at once.
You’re not worthy of a normal death. Let me give you something sharper than despair.
A new figure rose beside the phantom that had shown only women until now. Not quite a person, though. Better to say—
It was a bee with limbs like a human. Striped yellow and black across its body, revolting to look at. Not like any outsider I’d seen before.
Nobuna had seen lizardfolk during her time with the Golden Dune, and even then, she’d known they were outsiders.
But this bee thing… no way she could think of it as just another outsider.
The monstrous bee pulled some kind of magical device from nowhere, raised it to the sky. It glowed dark, then shattered into dust.
Nobuna and Hanbee tensed, bracing for some kind of spell attack. Nothing happened.
But the woman couldn’t hide the nasty smirk behind her fan, waving her arm dramatically.
‘Well then, die regretting your own foolishness.’
The illusion vanished. Nobuna muttered aloud, caught off guard by the bizarre display.
“…What the hell was that?”
She didn’t respond. Then, moments later, the kunoichi-cat-beast woman, Chiyome, stepped into view.
“Imperial forces are moving, you know.”
“How’re they moving?”
“Keeping a set distance from the walls.”
“So they’re pulling their siege lines back? What’s the meaning of this?”
The answer came less than an hour later.
A lookout cried out.
“M-magic beasts! A huge number of them are gathering!”
“Another stampede?!”
Motonari, who happened to be standing nearby, chimed in.
“Kukuku. Perfect, isn’t it? Let the beasts and the Imperial army crush each other. Wouldn’t that be just splendid?”
"That's true, isn't it?"
But their hopes were shattered.
Between the horde of monsters and the Imperial army, a monstrous bee stood, striped yellow and black.
The beast slowly raised its arms, parallel to the ground. It pointed straight at the Mizoho Shrine Nation. In that instant, the scattered monsters surged together as one, charging toward the city.
Not a glance at the Imperial army.
In response, the Imperial forces resumed their long-range siege attacks.
At that moment, the fall of the Mizoho Shrine Nation was sealed.