Chapter 26 – King Of The Grassland

“Vilgard-sama! We have brought the enemy commander!”

When the imperial soldiers realised their defeat, they discarded their weapons and fled in disarray.

We had captured or killed more than half of them, while suffering almost no casualties ourselves. It could be called a complete victory.

However, there was also a sense of dissonance. When we had fought the imperial army in the imperial country, the enemy was very formidable, strong and well-commanded. In comparison, this time the imperial army seemed too weak.

They were hardly commanded at all, and soldiers started fleeing early on. But the reason for this became clear as we interrogated the commander.

“I see. They were almost all new recruits.”

“……..”

Alfred, the enemy commander, looked at me with a measuring gaze.

“So you’re the one leading these nomads? Who are you? You look like you might have some of our blood though…”

His gaze fell on my left eye. Perfect timing. Perhaps I should use this to issue a declaration of war against the empire.

“My name is Vilgard Zeltreich. About 10 years ago, I was the prince who was nearly killed by the current Emperor Creyval.”

“Eh……”

“Until now, I have lived peacefully on the plains. But not only did the Emperor kill my mother, he has now also set his sights on the plains. Even 10 years after his coronation, he has failed to unify the empire and only sows chaos across the continent. Such a tyrant cannot be left alone. Here, under the name of Vilgard Zeltreich, I declare that I will unify the empire. All imperial nobles must fulfil their duty…convey this to the Emperor in the capital.”

I gave the signal and Alfred’s ropes were untied.

“Get going quickly. If you linger here too long, I may change my mind.”

“…!”

Alfred ran out of the tent at a sprint.

“…Will that be alright?”

The voice belonged to Garcene, a man of the Ruto tribe. He was the son of the Ruto chief, still young but excelling in personal bravery and leadership.

…Well, speaking of youth, I suppose I’m the same.

“It’s fine. Making my existence known to the empire is necessary. …Shamia, report.”

“Yes sir!”

Shamia was from the Utt tribe and had led a separate squad this time. She too was young.

“We rescued the Para tribe without any problems~. Oh, and there was also lots of money and food the imperial soldiers left behind!”

“Shamia. Give your report to Vilgard-sama properly.”

“Ehh. I am though.”

It seems the nomadic tribes only share knowledge of the Contract within the chiefly families. However, even those outside those families who don’t know the details of the Contract still continually hone their skills daily.

The reason…they seem to vaguely sense that their power can only be unleashed when a qualified person appears and they prepare for that inevitable day.

And when the chieftains explained that I was the qualified one, the nomads rejoiced. The techniques honed over generations would finally see the light of day.

Additionally, it was I who commanded them in that first battle. They seemed emboldened, realising the one qualified to lead could fully utilise their strength.

‘Did some kind of mind’s eye open during that world of darkness…?’

I’m not sure myself. There were pages like battle strategy guides in the book I found in that underground cavern but if one could just read and immediately put it into practice, no one would struggle.

However, I could scrutinise information and discern what emotions my actions would provoke in the enemy. By reading those emotions, I could predict how they would move.

I had gained the ability to perceive the flow of the battlefield.

“Have the Kyamura tribe catalogue everything later. What about the prisoners?”

“About a thousand or so. We’ll check now if any bear the Mark.”

“What are we gonna do with the prisoners~?”

Apparently there were also mercenaries among the prisoners. Frankly, mercenaries are little different from bandits without an employer. But I considered why they had come all this way from the capital.

‘They likely included some seasoned fighters in case anything happened with the new recruits.’

While they cannot be fully trusted, incorporating them might be an option depending on the situation…?

The numbers are not that large, so I should try to find time to have a discussion with them once.

!As for the mercenaries, hold off on them for now. For the imperial soldiers, separate out any nobles or those bearing the Mark. As for the commoners, provide them with some provisions and release them.”

“Release them…is that wise?”

“Yeah. Once our name spreads a bit more, we can try negotiating to have them join us outright, but…”

Honestly, taking on too many fresh recruits is more likely to be a burden. For now, I want to task the release with spreading word of us.

“The Mark soldiers are valuable assets for the empire, and if any nobles are mixed in, it opens the possibility of negotiating a prisoner exchange. There are other preparations needed for the time being as well… In any case, by picking this fight with the empire, they’re sure to make a move. We too will proceed with preparations to push into imperial territory.”

■

On the day the imperial army was driven out from the plains, representatives of the various tribes were gathered again for a discussion.

Even now, people are continuing to flock in from all over the plains. A summons has been issued by the qualified person, and eventually all will gather to this place.

“Vilgard-sama. First, please allow us to express our gratitude for rescuing our brethren.”

“How many times now have our kinsmen’s lives been saved?”

Not just the chieftains, but many people have now assembled. I organised the available information once more.

‘The combat forces number close to 50,000…Honestly, it’s considerably more than expected…but this is still insufficient to unify the entire empire.’

While undoubtedly a formidable force, their combat techniques are too specialised. A slight misstep in command could quickly lead to a dire situation.

There should still be a bit of time before the empire, having suffered defeat on the plains and learned of my existence, makes their move. In that interval, we must not only conduct joint training exercises, but simultaneously make preparations to deploy across the continent.

Incorporating everyone’s opinions, I began planning our future schedule, including those points.

“Well then…”

“Yes. First, I will issue orders for the lords in imperial territories, the Lord’s Alliance and across the lands to join me.”

The content is simple. The current Emperor is an usurper who harmed the previous Emperor to obtain that position. An unqualified Emperor rules through selfishness and greed, and remains the root cause sowing chaos across the continent.

I have risen up to avenge my father and restore the empire to its proper form. As imperial nobles, the lords must follow me…It is roughly of this content.

“I wonder how many supporters will emerge?”

“It’s unclear for the Lord’s Alliance, but…there will be almost none from imperial territories.”

But it doesn’t matter. I didn’t expect the nobles to obey with just this.

The purpose is to assert that our cause is just and that a man carrying the true bloodline of the previous Emperor has risen up.

And when invading the empire, if the tide shifts in our favour along the way, nobles may join our side at that point.

However, their initial refusal to rally to me immediately will create an opening to exploit. Issuing these orders now is necessary to create such openings from the start.

“I want the Muga tribe to gather information on the adjacent imperial territories and the Lord’s Alliance.”

“Understood. We shall infiltrate numerous spies posing as merchants. We already have personnel operating over there. Various information should be collected swiftly.”

The Muga tribe’s merchants originally travelled across the continent. Intelligence gathering in this area should not be too laborious.

“Then next. Our next objective is the imperial territory of…”

■

‘…..Amazing’

Rina stood before the chieftains, her heart pounding as she watched Vyril confidently issuing instructions.

She had spent less than a year with Vyril but he always played with her back then – every day was fun.

When she heard Vyril had died, she hated the empire from the depths of her heart. And at the same time, she realised just how much she had liked Vyril.

It was likely her first love. Just a childhood memory, or so she thought…but the Vyril she reunited with immediately remembered her grown-up self. More than that…

‘I sense…the aura of a sovereign…’

From Vyril, she felt a unique presence unlike ordinary people. When he rescued her, Vyril swung his sword and cut down many enemies.

Normally in armed combat there is tension. The fear of having to kill or be killed. But Rina could not sense any such emotions from Vyril at all.

No matter how many opponents, none could halt his advance. With a sweep of his arm, enemies collapsed, vitals struck precisely. His unwavering stride was truly that of a sovereign.

She also heard that during the Para rescue, upon grasping their forces, Vyril immediately proposed tactics. In reality, they achieved great results with only minor injuries on their side.

Only a qualified individual can command these eight tribes. While the details were unclear, one thing was understood:

‘We have…continued honing our techniques to aid the new sovereign.’

It was evident. Everyone yearned to showcase their abilities…to have Vyril witness them. A desire passed down over generations – 『This is the power we have cultivated for you』.

From now on, they would commit themselves to a great conflict to guide the chaotic continent to peace. The sense of exhilaration, though felt by all, could scarcely be put into words.

Rina too wanted to support Vyril. It was then that her father, the chieftain Roban, spoke up.

“Then…to symbolise the bond between the plains people and Vilgard-sama, I offer my daughter Rina to become your wife.”

“Ah. Rina, from now on I would like you to support me as my wife. Is that alright?”

“Eh………..Ehhhhhhhhh!?”