The battle had ended.

It wasn't until a week had passed that the defensive battle finally concluded.

The goblins in the southern plains were quickly dealt with thanks to the reinforcements, but it took some time to completely clear out the goblins that had burrowed into Crossroad City.

Brutal street fighting unfolded within the city, and it took three days to mostly wrap things up.

An additional four days were required to hunt down and kill every last goblin hiding in every nook and cranny, triggering the system message announcing the end of the defensive battle. In total, it took a week.

"..."

Standing atop the city walls, I quietly surveyed the chaos that had become of the city.

Thousands of goblin corpses still littered the city. The destruction they had caused to the city's infrastructure was immeasurable.

As I looked over the city, stained with ash and greenish blood, my teeth clenched in devastation.

Could this damage ever be repaired?

"People are resilient," Evangeline, who had come to stand beside me, said.

"The people of Crossroad are stubbornly tenacious."

"..."

"They'll overcome this too, just like they always have."

Rumors of the battle's end must have spread, as citizens we had evacuated began to return one by one.

And without being asked, these returning people began clearing away the goblin corpses and cleaning the city, stained with their blood.

From one corner of the city, people silently started sweating as they began the reconstruction. I watched this scene in a daze.

The broken city can be fixed.

But the lost lives... can never be returned.

"Lucas."

"Yes, my Lord."

Lucas, who had come with Evangeline, responded. I asked quietly.

"How goes the compilation of the casualty list?"

"We've just finished it, my Lord. Would you like to see it?"

"...Yes."

Lucas handed me a thick file with a formal posture. I took it and began flipping through the pages, scanning the names.

The only sound atop the silent city walls was the rustling of paper as I turned the pages.

My knights waited patiently as I reviewed each name.

Having finished verifying all the names, I closed the file.

heroes.

soldiers.

That was the count of the dead, and the number of wounded was far greater. It would be quicker to count those who weren't injured.

How many of the injured could return to the front lines?

"We've lost... so much."

I raised my hand to cover my eyes.

Monsters are considered annihilated only when the last one is killed.

But Crossroad is different. We must continue to fight and therefore must approach this from a military perspective.

In military terms, a unit is considered annihilated when it loses 20% of its strength.

We lost 500 out of 2,500. Moreover, the casualty rate among key hero characters far exceeded 20%.

The city walls have collapsed, the soldiers are severely depleted, and the city itself is in shambles.

Militarily, we might as well have been annihilated in this battle. The damage is that extensive.

"If the reinforcements hadn't arrived, it would have been the end for us."magic

We barely managed to win because the reinforcements, whose arrival was uncertain, eventually came.

Had they not arrived, the losses would have been far greater.

In other words, this victory was almost a stroke of luck.

Strategies should be executed with certainty. But the measures I had prepared failed to deal a fatal blow to the enemy, and we nearly faced defeat.

"This victory... it's just due to luck. Just luck..."

As I muttered, a refreshing voice reached my ears.

"Do you need to blame yourself so, Commander of the Monster Front?"

I looked up to see a girl with ivory skin approaching along the city wall.

She was leading warriors from the Northern Kingdom, clad in leather armor adorned with white animal fur.

"Wasn't it none other than you who summoned that relief force?"

"..."

"Your efforts have led to this outcome. It's too clear to simply attribute to luck, the chain of cause and effect you've built up, isn't it?"

I called out her name.

"Princess Yun."

"In the Imperial Capital, you strutted around like a confident tiger, but now you're more like a wounded wildcat, Prince Ash."

Ariane Kingdom's second princess, Yun Ariane, shouldering a large axe and showcasing well-muscled arms, came to a stop before me.

"This side of you has its charm, but the you who smiled arrogantly as if you knew everything... was more impressive."

"You look better now than you did at the party."

She had swapped her party dress for a leather armor that clearly revealed her abs.

Her distinctive Northern fair skin was splattered with green goblin blood.

She had stood out among the relief forces, both for her ferocity in battle and her high status, naturally taking on the role of their representative.

That must be why she had come to see me now.

"Do you have some business?"

"Now that the battle is over, it's time for the relief forces to disband."Right. The relief forces were only a temporary alliance for a common cause, and now they must return to their original places.

The 1,800-strong relief force ultimately suffered about a hundred fatalities and around two hundred wounded.

We need to take care of these casualties and express our gratitude to those who came to our aid.

"Everyone is waiting. You're not planning to leave me hanging again, are you?"

"..."

I stood up silently. Yun, smiling, led the way, and I followed beside her. Lucas and Evangeline trailed behind us.

I repeated my thanks to Yun.

"I can't thank the relief forces enough. Thanks to them, Crossroad has survived."

"Well, to be honest, not everyone came purely for the cause. No need to be too grateful."

Yun shrugged playfully, and I looked at her curiously.

"Are you saying everyone had other reasons for coming here?"

"Reasons or, let's say, a few motivations."

Yun continued fluently.

"Firstly, the greenskins are a threat to everyone."

"..."

"They're different from other monsters. They're not just remnants of the past, but a present-day disaster. If tens of thousands of them emerge, the entire southern part of the continent would be devastated if Crossroad fell."

That's why people from the south, southwest, and southeast actively came to help.

If Crossroad fell, they would be next.

"Next, the active lobbying by the Silver Winter Merchant Guild."

"Did the Silver Winter Merchant Guild lobby?"

"That's what they say. They apparently nudged for participation while requesting military supplies from Crossroad. For small city-states and peripheral nobilities, it's hard to refuse a lobby from the empire's top guild."

I opened my mouth slightly in surprise.

Serenade... She went to such lengths...

"And the last reason... actually, this is the most crucial."

Yun, her footsteps tapping ahead, turned to face me, her bright yellow eyes narrowing.

"It's because of the imperial succession."

I closed my mouth and furrowed my eyebrows. Yun continued.

"The Everblack Empire is a superpower that holds world hegemony. For the surrounding small nations, they have no choice but to try to impress the next emperor."

"..."

"But in the current situation, where the First and Second Princes are engaged in a civil war, it's difficult to choose sides. It's uncertain who will become the emperor."

Yun extended her index finger and lightly tapped my chest.

"But what if they support you, the Third Prince, who took a step back from the succession war? It's a way to score points with the Imperial Family without any risk."

"..."

"Especially for the smaller bordering nations, it's more feasible to align with you than the inaccessible First and Second Princes. That's why they all rushed to help."

So, was this movement underlaid with political calculations?

Everyone judged the benefits to outweigh the costs and thus brought their troops here.

"...Well, that's what I think. Among them, there are definitely those who came with a pure intention! Really, to help Crossroad!"

Yun tapped her head with her index finger.

"But certainly, many came after weighing the pros and cons in their minds! Prince Ash, you should keep this in mind."

"...Did you also come for that reason, Yun?"

"Well, I won't deny it."

We reached the bottom of the city walls and headed towards the barracks. Yun continued chattering.

"The agreement between our kingdom and the empire isn't being respected due to the First and Second Princes' conflict. I understand that the empire's administration has come to a halt, but..."

"..."

"So I came to urge the implementation of the agreement, but seeing I couldn't even approach the Imperial Capital, I decided to see your face since I had already come this far... and then I joined the battle after learning about the situation."

We stopped in front of the conference room at the barracks.

Yun's smile faded, and she faced me with a serious expression.

"The whole world is watching Everblack. And as the internal conflict between the First and Second Princes becomes protracted without a clear outcome, everyone's attention is slowly shifting."

Her finger lightly pressed against my chest.

"Towards you."

"..."

I removed her finger and spoke bluntly.

"I have no interest in who takes the throne. I just want to protect this frontline."

"If you wish to protect your small front, Prince Ash, you should graciously accept the world's attention. And..."

Opening the door to the conference room, Yun smiled slyly.

"Didn't you calculate this would happen?"

"..."

I didn't respond and followed her inside.

Inside the conference room, leaders of each group from the relief forces were seated.

As Yun and I entered, they all rose to their feet.

I took a light breath and smiled warmly.

"I truly appreciate your coming to aid as relief forces, everyone!"

Regardless of their individual motives for coming to this city, it didn't matter.

"Your sacrifice and dedication will be clearly remembered by Ash 'Born Hater' Everblack, the Third Prince of Everblack."

What difference does it make from hiring mercenaries with money? If they have desires, I'm willing to pay.

As long as it sustains this frontline, at any cost...!

"Before disbanding, I would like to offer appropriate rewards from Crossroad for the courage you have shown..."***

After promising suitable rewards to the leaders of each relief force and generously distributing the goblin magic stones extracted this time based on their contributions, I liberally issued promissory notes in the name of the Third Prince for the favors rendered.

Those with this as their main objective beamed and shook hands with me repeatedly.

It was decided to bury the bodies of the relief force members who died in battle here. The wounded would also be treated here before being sent back.

After enduring such tedious and ritualistic conversations and meetings, it was almost night before I could finally leave the conference room.

'Politics is a nauseating affair.'

I exhaled a tired sigh.

But, dreadful as politics may be, it's better than war.

"..."

I stepped out to the west side of the city.

At the western burial grounds, the bodies of the deceased were still being laid to rest in coffins.

Since there was no time for formal funerals, the bodies were being collected for each to perform their rites.

On the hill dyed with the red sunset, the living silently placed the dead beneath the ground.

And someone else was watching this scene, apart from me.

"..."

It was Lilly.

Seated in a wheelchair, wrapped in a blanket, Lilly was staring with empty eyes at the newly made graves.

I didn't want to move forward. Nor did I have the courage to speak.

But, I am a commander.

And also her comrade.

Therefore, I slowly approached Lilly.

Even though I made my footsteps heard on purpose, Lilly didn’t look at me, continuing to gaze at the graves.

We silently watched the growing graves together.

After a while, Lilly spoke.

"Don't make a grave for Godhand."

"...What?"

"Treat him as missing."

Lilly’s thin hand gripped the blanket on her shoulder tightly.

"We never found his body."

"..."

"We searched the forward base thoroughly, but we couldn’t recover his body. So."

She was right.

We had deployed forces to the forward base to recover the bodies of the dead heroes, but while we found others, we never found Godhand’s body.

"He promised."

Lilly murmured with a dry, parched voice.

"That he would return before the end of winter."

"..."

"It's still winter. So, the promise is still valid."

The snow had already stopped.

Once this dry cold ends, spring will come.

But Lilly seemed unwilling to let go of this winter. She buried herself deep in the wheelchair, murmuring faintly.

"I'll wait... until this winter ends..."

"..."

I didn’t offer her any consolation.

I couldn’t even if I wanted to.

After acknowledging her, I silently turned around and walked back into the city. Lilly remained still on the western hill until I returned to the city.

Until the sunset faded away and even the biting wind ceased.

Continuously...

***

[STAGE 15 - CLEAR!]

[STAGE MVP - Ash (EX)]

[Level Up Characters]

- Ash (EX) plus 45 others ;Expand List

[Deceased Characters]

- Saintess Margarita (R) plus 20 others ;Expand List

[Missing Characters]

- Godhand (SR)

[Injured Characters]

- Ash (EX) plus 45 others ;Expand List

[Acquired Items]

- Goblin Legion Magic Stones: 8270

- Goblin God-King Magic Core (SSR): 1

[Stage Clear Rewards Have Been Distributed. Please Check Your Inventory.]

- SR Grade Reward Box: 3

- SSR Grade Reward Box: 1

Get Ready For The Next STAGE

[Next STAGE: Shattered]

--TL Notes--

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