An oppressive silence hung in the air.

Before me sat Dusk Bringar, her body wrapped in layers of bandages.

Her raven-black hair, which had once cascaded like flowing silk, was now singed and curled from the blast’s aftermath. Her once radiant alabaster skin and her gleaming silver crown were both stained with soot.

Only her pumpkin-colored eyes still shimmered with their usual luster, now filled with a resentful glow.

I, drenched in cold sweat, tried to explain nervously, "Look, I set up those traps to deal with the monsters. I didn’t expect you to march straight into them. It’s... risky, naturally."

"..."

"I never imagined you wouldn’t detect the mines..."

At this, Dusk Bringar leaned in, her pointed teeth bared in annoyance. "It wasn’t a magic-operated artifact! It wasn’t something that would shoot out malice! It was just a mechanical device! Of course I might not detect it!"

Well, she was just caught off guard...

Anyway, despite stepping on the landmine, her dragon-steed only sustained a minor scrape on its leg. The Dragon Lady herself only suffered light burns. She truly had a formidable resilience.

However, the problem wasn’t the physical injuries, but the scratch on her pride. Dusk Bringar gritted her teeth, seething.

"How could this... How could this happen... I used Magic Materialization to make a grand entrance... and then stepped on a landmine at the very end, exploding spectacularly...!"

I nodded in agreement, "I didn’t expect you to soar like a scene straight out of an anime. I bet no one will ever forget that sight."

"Arghhh! AHHHHHHHH!"

Dusk Bringar covered her ears and screamed.

"Now that it’s come to this... I’ll have to use magic to make everyone forget!"

"You can use such magic?"

In the game, Dusk Bringar was a warrior class. Born with overwhelming magic power and physical prowess, she was in the front lines, battering foes. Magic wasn’t her strong suit.

To this, Dusk Bringar laughed weakly and raised her fist, "If I give a strong blow to the head, one could forget about a day’s memory, right?"

"No, if we’re hit by your punch, it wouldn’t be just a day’s memory; we’d probably lose our lives."

Not just memories, we’d be dead!

I swallowed nervously and glanced outside.

We were inside the commander’s tent at the forward base. Dusk Bringar’s four elite knights stood outside, waiting. My heroes, part of my entourage, also waited outside.

Zing.

A palpable tension...

All of Dusk Bringar’s four knights were men. An elderly man with white hair and beard, wielding a longsword. A middle-aged man with long dark hair holding a long blade. And two young men, each carrying a lance.

They watched my party with cold, calculating eyes. Standing tall, exuding an air of silent authority.

"Ahem!"

Facing them, Kuilan made a show of puffing out his chest, flexing his muscles for all they were worth. Was this really the time for a muscle showdown?

"Uh-huh!"

"Hmm!"

The oppressive silence continued.

Next to Kuilan, Evangeline and Damien also tried to puff out their non-existent chests, mimicking his posture. What were they doing? Pretending to be frilled lizards?

"Ugh..."

A short distance away, Junior hid her face in apparent embarrassment. Don’t feel shy, either stop them or join in!

Shuffling feet announced Lucas’s approach from the southern wall. I had entrusted him with taking care of the remnants of the Scorpion Legion. Seems he was done.

"...?"

Lucas, taken aback by the odd standoff outside the commander’s tent, hesitated for a moment.

"Inhale!"

He too straightened his posture, chest out, and with deliberate steps, headed inside. Oh great, another ’frilled lizard’ to the party.

Entering the tent, Lucas reported in an exaggerated, forceful tone, "We’ve dealt with all the remaining Scorpion monsters, my Lord."

After a quick glance at Dusk Bringar seated in front of me, he added, "Thanks to the Grand Duchess’s assistance, we encountered no issues. None of our allies were harmed."

"Well done. Ensure the disposal of the monster corpses and collect any spoils."

"Understood."

Lucas, after a crisp salute, turned and with the same exaggerated steps, left the tent. Adorable bunch...

I pulled my attention back to the scene inside, facing Dusk Bringar with her now explosive hairdo.

"So, after you’ve actively helped us fend off these monsters... should we take it that you’re joining our frontline?"

"Hmph, absolutely not!"

Dusk Bringar smirked threateningly, "Didn’t we agree beforehand? We will compete for control of this frontline with a 5v5 showdown!"

With her small fist clenched, she wagged it in front of me, "Ready for a showdown with the rebels, Ash?"

"...Fight is a fight."

I snorted, "But there was no need for you to grandly assist us in this monster defense. Not if you planned to compete."

"Heh, didn’t I say it? I wanted to make a grand impression, to break your momentum..."

"Just be straightforward, Grand Duchess."

Upon my blunt remark, her expression hardened."It was a bit strange. Why would the Grand Duchess take so long to escape from the empire..."

Murmuring, I counted on my fingers.

"With the strength of the Grand Duchess and her knights, no matter how tight the empire’s siege, it shouldn’t be hard or take long to break through."

"..."

"I found it odd during the last festival too. If it was only the Grand Duchess and her knights, or maybe that servant, there was no need for the Grand Duchess to scout alone. Their mobility is unmatched; they could have come together."

"..."

"Now, I understand why."

Back in Stage 10, when facing the werewolves, I opted not to select the [Map Creation] trait, which limited me to only three traits. Deprived of the mini-map, I suffered significant losses.

An oppressive silence hung between us.

After that incident, I always wore the [Map Creation] trait. So, during this defense, I could use my mini-map to survey my surroundings.

Though the mini-map had limited use, just a few minutes a day, it was more than enough to locate what I needed.

The monsters to the south.

The allies at the advance base.

And then, crouching in the west... a group of NPCs.

"You brought the citizens with you, didn’t you?"

"..."

"They took time to protect while escaping. You had to sell every last possession to feed and shelter them."

"..."

"You overextended in this battle to prove your might alongside the citizens, right?"

Dusk Bringar’s trembling lips parted, "There were less than a thousand."

Her amber eyes looked away, uncharacteristically downcast. Deep within those usually fierce dragon eyes, a profound regret and sorrow could be seen.

"The rebels told their followers to stay. Remaining in the empire would give them a chance to beg the imperial forces for mercy. But leaving with the rebels would only bring hardship and death."

"..."

"But, despite most staying behind, a thousand chose to follow the incompetent king who let the nation fall and failed to protect its citizens."

Dusk Bringar clutched her chest over her heart.

"Because I couldn’t let go of this measly dragon bloodline, I let centuries of history burn, and let the entire nation be trampled by the enemy."magic

With sharp teeth biting her lips, Dusk Bringar looked me straight in the eyes.

"They followed me to the death, Ash. Do you understand the weight of that?"

How could I?

The despair of a fallen king, the thirst for revenge, and the overwhelming responsibility for those who chose to follow, how could I understand?

"Accept them."

"..."

"Protect the citizens of the rebels."

I remained silent, lost in thought.

Accommodating Dusk Bringar and her knights might be manageable. I could hide them from the Imperial First Army on the western front.

But a thousand refugees? That’s a different scale.

Accepting them here would alert the Imperial First Army on the western front, and its commander, Crown Prince Lark, instantly.

They would know Dusk Bringar is here.

That the owner of the dragon bloodline has joined the southern front.

The flames of war ignited in the west would spread to the south. And that would happen now!

Seeing my hesitation, Dusk Bringar urgently implored, "I have to protect them. So, I have a proposal."

"A proposal?"

"The 5v5 war we agreed upon. Let’s do it now."

"..."

"I need control of this frontline to ensure my people’s safety. So, immediately..."

I sighed softly.

"...While we did agree to compete for control here, we didn’t set a date."

I pointed to the wheelchair I sat in and the blanket draped over me.

"As you can see, I’m not in the best condition right now. It’s not possible at the moment."

"My people!"

Dusk Bringar’s voice was filled with desperation.

"If not now, they’ll die! If we don’t act now...!"

Dusk Bringar, desperate, quickly stood in front of me with a pained expression.

"Fight me."

"..."

"If that’s too hard, Ash."Trembling, Dusk Bringar reached up and grasped her silver crown. The emblem of her rule over the Bringar Duchy.

She slowly removed the crown she had never before taken off.

"Let’s consider the rebels defeated."

"...Duchess."

"You’ve won. I’ll respect your authority. If you wish, I’ll become your loyal knight, as I swore during the tournament...!"

"..."

"My people are starving. They are sick. They’ve exhausted all their strength escaping to the southern front. And winter is coming."

Holding the worn-out crown stained with blood, Dusk Bringar closed her eyes and extended it to me.

"They’re at their limit. For every day you hesitate, half of the rebel’s citizens will die."

"..."

I didn’t take the crown.

I just stared at the desperate girl in front of me, who bore the weight of a fallen kingdom.

"Please save them, Ash... Save my people..."

As Dusk Bringar was about to kneel,

Thud!

I quickly stood up, grabbed her arm, preventing her from kneeling. Taking the crown from her, I placed it back on her head.

Though old and stained, in my hands, the crown seemed unremarkable. But atop its rightful owner, it exuded an unmatched dignity.

Dusk Bringar, surprised, looked up at me. I smiled bitterly.

"Your efforts during this defense were clearly evident."

Possibly, Dusk Bringar’s reason for fighting so fiercely was to secure any chance, however small, in such a situation.

"The monster frontline accepts anyone who is willing to fight against the monsters. And Duchess, you’ve already proven yourself."

I grinned.

"So, I am more than happy to accommodate the guests from the Bringar Duchy."

"..."

"You’ve come a long way... Welcome."

Holding back tears, Dusk Bringar looked at me, gratitude in her eyes. I made a welcoming gesture.

"This southern fortress city, Crossroad, is exclusively for those who fight monsters."

"..."

With a faint smile, Dusk Bringar whispered, "I warn you, Ash. You’ll regret this decision."

"Perhaps."

"But I will make this promise. I’ll do my best to erase that regret."

I smiled back.

Though unsaid, I made a silent vow to her.

I wouldn’t regret this decision.

Whatever the future held, this was my chosen path.

(TL Note: Yes, Dusk Bringar as a weird way of talking.)

***

[STAGE 12 - CLEAR!]

[STAGE MVP - Dusk Bringar(SSR)]

[Level-up Character]

- None

[Injured or Deceased Character]

- None

[New Ally Characters]

- Dusk Bringar(SSR)

- Andimion(SSR)

- Berlin(SSR)

- Shien(SSR)

- Jet(SSR)

[Acquired Items]

- Scorpion Legion Magic Stones: 274

- Scorpion Warrior Magic Core(R): 5

- Scorpion King Magic Core(SR): 1

[Stage clear rewards have been distributed. Please check your inventory.]

- R-grade Reward Box: 5

Get Ready For The Next STAGE

[STAGE 13: Winter is Coming (2)]

--TL Notes--

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading