The Age Of Arrogance

Asha, who had been protecting Carlyle, doubted her ears at the words the fleeing Igrams muttered to each other.

 

“Damn it! This wasn’t what was supposed to happen!”

 

“Those lying bastards! They used us!”

 

“I’ll curse those bastards to the end!”

 

It was clear evidence that someone had used them to start a war in Pervaz.

 

Asha spoke to Carlyle, facing his back and guarding the surroundings.

 

“As Your Highness predicted, it seems this is not a war that the Igrams started on their own.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Carlyle, who was wiping the sweat from the tip of his chin with the back of his hand, snickered.

 

The barbarians around the empire all spoke a language that was a slightly modified form of the imperial language, so he could also roughly understand what the Igram tribe was saying.

 

“They probably didn’t expect to win. Instead, they’re probably trying to keep me busy by continuing to fight like this.”

 

“In that case, we need to finish them off this time so they can never crawl back up again.”

 

“I really like that fiery side of you.”

 

Asha and Carlyle decided to go all out and crush the Igrams this time.

 

If they let the retreating bastards go like last time, it was clear that the Empress would support them with supplies and make Pervaz suffer again and again.

 

“Do not let the barbarians look down on the Imperial territory again! Show them today exactly who protects the Imperial border!”

 

“Uwhaaaa!”

 

Carlyle’s cry raised the morale of the soldiers who were gasping for breath.

 

The front line gradually moved towards the border, and the bodies of the Igrams littered the ground where they passed.

 

“3rd Legion! Blockade the border! The graves of these bastards will be Pervaz!”

 

With the will to end it all, the Pervaz army cut off the Igrams’ retreat, and the Igrams trapped in Pervaz territory fought desperately.

 

The Igrams tried to break the morale of the Pervaz army by killing Carlyle.

 

“Your efforts are admirable.”

 

Carlyle raised his blood-soaked sword and cut down the moths that flew at him.

 

His whole body was soaked in sweat as the battle continued without rest, but the enemies were just as tired, so he was not at a disadvantage.

 

However, it was certainly different from when he was fighting in the southern part of the Empire.

 

‘The barbarians in the southern part of the Empire or the soldiers of other countries didn’t risk their lives like this…….’

 

The barbarians of the abandoned land were like an endless swarm of bees. They didn’t care about their own lives, as if they only needed to protect the ‘queen bee’ that controlled them.

 

“Loom tika tavra!”

 

They would also charge to their deaths, shouting unintelligible words with their eyes wide open.

 

As strong as they were, burning their last lives, the sword did not reach Carlyle.

 

“There!”

 

Because his back was guarded by Asha Pervaz.

 

“What did he just say?”

 

“It was the first time I heard it too. I’ve never heard that the barbarians of the abandoned land speak their own language…”

 

Carlyle felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

 

When he was young, he had visited a branch family of the Gould family and witnessed a shaman performing some kind of ritual.

 

[What the hell is that human muttering to himself?]

 

[That is an ancient language used in magic. It’s natural that ordinary people can’t understand it.]

 

That was all he could remember.

 

But why did he think of that now?

 

As Carlyle tried to retrace his memory, Asha nonchalantly blurted out.

 

“I guess he’s just praying to his god one last time. What does it matter? They’re all going to be cut down.”

 

“…Your words have been strangely stimulating to me lately. Is this okay?”

 

Asha, even in this situation, replied calmly to Carlyle, who was joking, with a face that said ‘here we go again’.

 

“No one can be in their right mind during a battle. You should understand that.”

 

“You’re the only one who would dare to tell a royal that he’s crazy.”

 

Carlyle chuckled and grabbed his sword again.

 

As Asha said, he wondered if he wasn’t going crazy from killing too many people for the first time in a long time.

 

Otherwise, there was no explanation for why Asha, covered in sweat, dirt, and blood, looked like a beast.

 

“Let’s go, milady.”

 

“I’ll be willing to follow.”

 

The two kicked the ground again with heavy feet, as if possessed by ghosts.

 

As Carlyle swung his greatsword with tremendous force, the sound of wind and the screams of the enemy were heard.

 

Asha’s quick and erratic sword parried the surprise attack from the right while fending off the enemy on the left.

 

They cut down the enemies that came before them one by one. Like people who don’t know what else to do.

 

And by the time the blood-red sunset dyed the Kicker Plains, they realized that there were no more enemies charging at them.

 

There was no one standing within a radius of several meters except for them.

 

“Ha, ha… .”

 

“Huuk, huuk… .”

 

Although the sound of swords clashing could still be heard from all directions, the victory was as good as decided.

 

Asha and Carlyle slowly lowered their swords and looked at each other.

 

It was a strange feeling.

 

It was as if another version of themselves was staring through them from across the way.

 

“It’s over.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Muttering facts that they already knew and exhaling roughly, the two of them, without a word, suddenly grabbed each other’s necks and kissed.

 

It was a deep kiss that was a little salty, a little bitter, but also sweet.

 

As their lips parted with a pop, someone nearby shouted loudly.

 

“Hooray! Pervaz, hooray!”

 

It seemed that there were no more Igrams left to be seen.

 

The cheers that started from one person soon spread throughout the Kicker Plain.

 

“Hooray! Hooray!”

 

Even as everyone rejoiced in another perfect victory, Asha and Carlyle were lost in an unknown heat, staring into each other’s eyes.

 

* * *

 

“Ugh!”

 

Gabriel opened his eyes with a start, startled by the unexpected shallow shock.

 

In the hexagonal room, he was standing across from a much larger and darker magic circle than before.

 

“Incompetent fools.”

 

He clicked his tongue, shaking off the unpleasant sensation of the shock.

 

“Even with this much help, they should have at least been able to scratch that Carlyle guy!”

 

Gabriel snapped. No wonder, because he had told the Igrams not only the spell that connected them to his black magic circle and allowed them to gain strength, but also the spell that gave them two or three times their original strength.

 

Loom Tikka Tavra.

 

A spell that burns all of one’s remaining life force in exchange for making one temporarily much stronger.

 

He thought it would be quite useful for the barbarians who were said to be loyal, but they all just burned their own lives away like they were committing suicide.

 

In fact, there was even one who was fighting Carlyle, and a sharp pain was transmitted to Gabriel through the Igrams who were absorbing life force.

 

‘This is the kind of shock you feel when you clash with the power of God.’

 

Every time that happened, he felt very disgusted because he thought he was a demon and Carlyle was an angel.

 

‘That guy is just a demon with the power of God, and I’m just using the power of a demon to fulfill my duty as a servant of God.’

 

He frowned and then focused again.

 

The Igrams winning the war would be nice, but it didn’t matter to him either way.

 

After all, they were nothing but fuel to be sacrificed to this black magic circle connected to the spell, whether by their own death or by killing their opponents.

 

‘It’s not as good as I expected, but it’s not bad.’

 

Gabriel was grateful for this opportunity that he had unexpectedly gained.

 

The price of using black magic is life force.

 

He offered sacrifices by bewitching humans who deserved to die and taking the lives of spies planted around Beatrice.

 

When even that was difficult, he barely maintained the magic circle by offering his own blood.

 

But that alone was not enough.

 

‘I need more power to build the Kingdom of God! I need to find and offer sacrifices without being noticed…….’

 

As a priest who was being watched by people, it was too difficult to find sacrifices to offer to the black magic circle.

 

Then he heard the news that the Igrams were targeting Pervaz. It was very welcome news.

 

[It seems that one of the tribes of the Abandoned Land has invaded Pervaz. We have sent some support there this time.]

 

As soon as he heard the story from Beatrice, Gabriel thought.

 

‘God is watching over me! Just believe, and the path will open!’

 

He also decided to bless them and give them strength, and sent a priest of the Golden Branch Brotherhood who had become his subordinate to Beatrice’s supply unit.

 

The priest, who had been corrupted by the power of black magic and was no different from Gabriel’s puppet, spread the black magic spell instead of giving the Igrams a blessing of victory.

 

It was an ‘exchange spell’ that connected to Gabriel’s black magic circle and borrowed its power in exchange for offering the life force of enemies killed in battle. If they failed to kill the enemy, it would take their own life.

 

‘It was fortunate that the barbarians didn’t have the intelligence to think deeply about that spell.’

 

Thanks to that, he was able to offer a lot of life force to the black magic circle in this war.

 

The black aura swirling around the magic circle was the life force absorbed by that spell.

 

However, it was strange and disappointing that the amount of life force filled was small compared to the number of people who died.