Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Demon! Despicable and shameless! Is this how you seized Sochi?!"

As Ryusuke listened to Belloc's angry rant, he understood why the man before him was furious, but he did not regret it.

"I warned you."

The boy's tone was colder and more ruthless than the snow beneath his feet, as if he cared nothing for the more than ten thousand lives lost. But Ryuka's heart was heavy with sorrow...

This is war.

The conflict instigated by the Third Prince Clovis has already displaced countless people. Even if he does nothing, the scene will be far more inhumane when Clovis's iron cavalry marches onto Sochi. Soldiers from both sides will fight and plunder, conquered towns and villages will be looted, and the people will die tragically after suffering humiliation, all because their generals want to reward their men.

Even if this is an internal struggle among the nobles of Ottus, and even if the people on this land are also subjects of Ottus, this is how wars are in this era, as Ryuka has already learned from many historical records.

Although Ryūka was initially resistant to the plan—after all, it could take the lives of tens of thousands of people in the blink of an eye—his reason convinced him that people would still die if he didn't do it, and he simply didn't want his own people to die.

"You destroyed the Empire's regular army! This is far more serious than treason! Do you think you'll have a tomorrow?! Once this reaches His Majesty's ears, even Her Highness the Princess won't be able to protect you!!!"

Faced with Bellok's accusations, Ryusha remained unfazed, believing that he would have no future if he didn't do this. He sneered, "That's none of your concern. Prince Clovis will likely blame you, or the entire Twelfth Legion, or at least define it as an avalanche accident."

What do you mean by that?!

Belloc didn't understand why Ryusha would say that, but Quaid sighed softly and spoke slowly.

"He's right..."

If the truth of this matter were to spread, Ryūka would inevitably be condemned and scorned, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to label him a traitor. Even the emperor could not tolerate the loss of an entire army for such a reason, and the families of the soldiers would hate Ryūka. In the eyes of the nobles and people of the capital, he would become a complete madman and villain.

but……

If word got out that an entire legion had been defeated by just two men, the Empire's reputation would suffer a severe blow. Clovis himself couldn't accept such an outcome; after all, it was obvious to everyone that the Twelfth Legion wasn't one of his trusted confidants, hence its deployment to the front lines for attrition. But attrition was acceptable, losses were acceptable, but total annihilation would likely lead to accusations that Clovis was eliminating dissidents…

Meanwhile, the nobles who followed him would also be hesitant to advance due to their fear of Ryukyu. The two temporary legions were already unreliable; if they retreated, the campaign would become even more difficult.

Quaid's words shocked Bellock! He wasn't stupid as a soldier, but he struggled to grasp political concepts. Even after hearing Quaid's explanation, he still couldn't accept it.

"How is this possible... This is the lives of an entire legion..."

"What else can you do? Besides, even if you file a complaint, he can simply deny it. How many people do you think would believe him if he vehemently denies that two people wiped out an entire legion?"

Quaid is right. Without solid evidence and third-party witnesses, this will just turn into a mess.

"After all that, are you all feeling stronger? How about it, do you want to continue the attack?"

Ryuu's calm words sent a chill down Belloc and Quaid's spines! Their questioning stemmed from their anger, but their desire to buy time for adjustment and recovery was also genuine!

But now that his strength had been restored and his fighting spirit was flowing freely again, Belok was sweating profusely. Even though he was holding the longsword tightly in his hand, he felt extremely powerless under Ryūka's calm expression.

The boy knew they were stalling for time to recover their strength, but he didn't care at all! He even started chatting with them!

Doesn't this show that he doesn't even respect people like us?

How could he be so confident...? Belloc stared at Ryūka standing there, completely unguarded yet like an insurmountable mountain. This robbed him of his courage to attack; shame and humiliation tore at his dignity, yet he couldn't take a single step. "You're not here, Yonglin isn't here, I'm not here, you're here, Lin is here, you're here..."

Seeing that Belloc hesitated to make a move, Ryuka finally smiled again: "It seems that you will listen to me seriously now... Just like before, if you had listened to my warning, your subordinates would not have died here in vain."

Ryuka's words made Belloc want to grind his teeth to pieces, his eyes bloodshot, but he couldn't utter any words of rebuttal. He could only be tormented by endless self-blame as he watched Ryuka extend a finger.

"Here's what I'm thinking: First, you should stop here and no longer participate in the struggle between the thirteenth princess and the third prince."

Although it sounded like a fantasy, Ryuga understood that the Twelfth Legion was beyond rebuilding its strength, and that withdrawing now would be the wisest choice.

At the same time, Ryuka extended a second finger.

"Secondly, you must tell me the location and movements of the other two legions. If you do this, I will allow you to rescue survivors and salvage supplies, so that you don't die in this desolate wilderness."

"I have no right to make this decision! Besides, why should I believe you would really let us go? What if you take action against us after you get intelligence?"

In response to Belloc's manic and agitated state, Ryuka said the following:

"Of course you'll believe me. After all, I don't want to see so many people die either. The previous warnings prove that, otherwise I could have just taken action. Besides..."

Letting a defeated legion escape is more worthwhile than annihilating them completely. You've already lost your fighting capacity, and rescuing the wounded and requesting supplies will further weaken the other legions. Your crushing defeat will also instill fear in the other two legions, making them hesitant to advance...

Therefore, you can rest assured and tell me the movements of those two legions. I'm not one to indiscriminately kill innocent people; I just want to drag this pointless war out. In fact, you helping me is saving them. If I didn't have the relevant intelligence, we'd have no choice but to fight head-on. Believe me, that might have resulted in an even more gruesome death.”

"You..." Belloc listened to Ryusha's words and for a moment felt that it was like a fantasy, but it also seemed to make some sense.

He didn't want to believe this demon who had killed countless of his men, yet Ryūka's tone and expression were so honest. He seemed genuinely unwilling to kill meaninglessly, but Belloc immediately denied it and vehemently denounced his own thoughts.

He didn't want to believe this demon who had killed countless of his men, yet Ryūka's tone and expression were so honest. He seemed genuinely unwilling to kill meaninglessly, but Belloc immediately denied it and vehemently denounced his own thoughts.

"Believe me, the Twelfth Legion is nothing but expendable material to Clovis. If you truly care about your legion, you should accept my terms. Or rather, go and persuade your legion commander to accept my terms..."

Ryuu smiled slightly, her [Charm] ability at its maximum at this moment. Although she couldn't directly control Belloc, who was a great knight, this made every word she said incredibly convincing to Belloc.

Even now, in Belloc's eyes, Ryūka seemed like an absolutely calm and compassionate saint. For a moment, Belloc even felt that Ryūka's profound compassion and willingness to make weighty decisions made him seem more like a qualified ruler than any of the princes and princesses Belloc knew…

"Of course, you can refuse, but then I'll have to use my prepared backup plan to wipe you all out in one fell swoop."

Ryūka spoke calmly. Even though there were still a dozen or so surviving senior officers in the Twelfth Legion, he didn't take them seriously. Bellok knew this was obvious; their brief exchange had made him realize that Ryūka's combat ability and intuition far surpassed that of an average senior officer. The rest of them were still scattered throughout the long valley, frantically trying to rescue their troops.

“I…” Belloc opened his mouth, then hesitated. He looked at Quaid beside him, the supervising officer sent by Clovis. Would he agree to such an act that was almost a betrayal of Clovis?

Could it be that Ryūka means he wants to kill Quaid?

Quaid sensed Belloc's hesitation, sighed, his dark circles seeming to deepen, and shrugged at Belloc.

"Say yes..."

Now that things had come to this, Quaid felt that the war was over before it even truly began. Looking at Ryūka's figure, he felt a strong sense of oppression. This feeling of powerlessness even seemed familiar, but he was certain that this was the first time he had seen this boy.

"As for whether Your Highness should continue the advance, let's wait and see. That lord won't give up easily, but it seems we don't have a better option right now."

Quaid's words were crystal clear: he wanted to temporarily agree to Ryūka's demands and preserve a portion of his forces. At the same time, he hoped to return alive and discuss with Clovis the terrifying and unfathomable nature of their opponent, and then devise a plan to reclaim Sochi from Ryūka.

As for whether His Majesty the Emperor will issue an edict to withdraw the troops, when it will be issued, and when it will reach the front lines, that is not Quaid's concern; others in the capital will naturally take care of it.

Upon hearing Quaid's agreement, Belloc could only sigh helplessly and say in a sorrowful and powerless tone:

“I understand… I will report to the legion commander, but I can’t guarantee I can persuade him.”

Saying those words seemed to drain all of Belloc's strength, and he looked several years older in an instant.

Faced with an enemy who had just nearly wiped out his troops, he actually retreated and surrendered instead of drawing his sword to avenge them. Yet, reason told him that this was the right thing to do! This feeling of powerlessness, this internal struggle, was something Belloc had never experienced before in his life.

If he were to reveal the truth, the legion commander would likely court-martial him, wouldn't he? After all, it was his own misjudgment that led to this catastrophic avalanche, and yet he was being asked to act as an advocate for the entire Twelfth Legion's enemy...

Even if the legion commander didn't kill him, his officer career was probably over, and he would have to live the rest of his life burdened by the guilt of causing the death of his men. Bellok felt utterly hopeless, and his gaze seemed to see through the snow beneath his feet the pale faces of his men, who were blaming and cursing him.

But in order to save the lives of the remaining people, he had no choice but to take the first step.

At that moment, Belloc understood that the avalanche orchestrated by Ryūsha was not only a military victory, but also a powerful blow to his own psychological defenses as the enemy commander.

He looked at Ryūka with a lost and dejected expression, and murmured:

"Who...who are you...?"

Chapter 11: Information Obtained by a Twist of Fate

Ryusha did not answer. His silence made Belloc smile helplessly, and then he turned and left.

As for Quaid, when Belloc left him alone, Quaid looked at the boy in front of him and sat down cross-legged without any suspicion, frowning at Ryuka:

"Have we met somewhere before?"

"How perceptive! Even though his form back then was completely different from now, Quaid still sensed it. Is it a martial artist's intuition?" Ryuka thought to herself, her face expressionless, neither admitting nor denying, but directly changing the subject:

"Really? I don't remember seeing you before... By the way, you just sat down like that? Aren't you going to help them rescue the people?"

"What's the use? Even if I save them, they won't be grateful to me."

Quaid grinned, a hint of helplessness in his voice. It seemed he had some history with the Legion, but Ryuga didn't care.

Quaid, however, asked with great interest, "I know that Haifulian Alvarez joined the Linhu Territory, but breaking through to become a Grand Knight is too fast, isn't it? And her strength just now almost approached the Heavenly Rank in an instant, which is unbelievable... Also, did the Duke family really die in the siege?"

Ryūka merely smiled coldly at Quaid's probing, closing her eyes to rest. Seeing that Ryūka showed no intention of communicating with him, Quaid remained unconcerned and continued asking:

"I heard you did a deal with Hayden? The kind that's really putting him in a dilemma right now. To make him so undecided, you must be quite an impressive person."

"You know Hayden?"

Hearing Quaid say that, Ryusha slightly opened her eyes.

"It was just a tragic love affair... He had commented on you before, saying you were a very calculating person. You're quite clever for your age, but that's the least surprising thing compared to your abilities."

At this point, Quaid narrowed his eyes: "Just standing there quietly, you give me a feeling that's more dangerous than Heflian, who has just approached the Heavenly Rank. Do you know what that means?"

"It means your intuition is wrong."

Quaid chuckled. "A sixteen-year-old high-ranking official, possessing both the talent to govern a territory and outstanding military capabilities. It seems as if the heavens have bestowed their favor upon you alone. But the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Your abilities in this struggle have been too dazzling, and this will bring you a lot of trouble. Although you may have been forced into this situation, I'm sure some people have already taken notice of you..."

Ryusha frowned. Wasn't that obvious? It wasn't just some people; once the news spread from Sochi, the entire Autus Empire would probably hear about him. But Quaid's low voice was strange, as if it had something else in mind.

Quaid's next words, however, made Ryuka take them seriously.

"You should know that you're not the only one who has received divine favor, but they've all kept their talents hidden... You, on the other hand, are far too ostentatious. Perhaps others won't think of it this way yet, but they will sooner or later. So I advise you to tone it down, or you won't be able to play this game to the end."

What do you mean by that?

Ryūka was deeply shaken. Quaid seemed to have identified him solely through intuition as the heretical demon who called himself Chloeel, whom he had encountered before. But that wasn't the most important thing...

They? People favored by the gods? A game?

Although Ryūka concealed her emotions well, Quaid still caught a hint of seriousness in her eyes. He took this as evidence that he had guessed correctly and said smugly:

"As expected, it was you I encountered that day... But it's quite rare for a divine messenger to impersonate a deity's true name."

Quaid must have done some follow-up investigation. Ryuka knew that when he rescued the slaves from the Enchanted Night Pearl, he used Chloe's name, which would definitely spread. Yet Quaid, who had fought him before, identified him solely by intuition. Clearly, Quaid knew more about the gods than Ryuka did…

What exactly is his identity? A subordinate of the Third Prince Clovis, an acquaintance of Hayden... Could these two identities possibly grant him knowledge of matters of the gods?

Could Quaid's identity be more complex than he imagined? Or is it that Clovis and the Merchant Guild are allies, and both are well-versed in matters of the gods?

If he were to ask, he would only reveal more flaws, so Ryuga simply ignored him and calmly watched Quaid, letting him imagine his own thoughts.

But Quaid seemed to suddenly give up. He stood up, brushed off the snow, and said with a sigh of relief, "If that's the case, then I have nothing to be jealous of you for. Otherwise, the thought of someone becoming a high-ranking official at such a young age, and even more handsome than me, keeps me up at night. But since it's divine favor, I have nothing to say~"

Ryuka listened quietly. Quaid seemed to attribute all his abilities to his identity as 'Chloe's Messenger'. In other words... he knew other people chosen by the gods, and each of them possessed extraordinary abilities... perhaps intelligence, perhaps strength, or perhaps... beauty?

Ryuka listened quietly. Quaid seemed to attribute all his abilities to his identity as 'Chloe's Messenger'. In other words... he knew other people chosen by the gods, and each of them possessed extraordinary abilities... perhaps intelligence, perhaps strength, or perhaps... beauty?

Wait a minute, isn't the only publicly recognized God in the world the 'Goddess' of the Vatican? Shouldn't everyone else be considered heretical...?

heresy……

Liu Xia vaguely began to suspect something. "You sing of the forest, the forest is empty, but is the forest here...?"

The witch is the head of heresy, and the Ottus royal family has a witch.

Other races are also heretics, such as the Dark Elves behind the Duke family.

It is said that in ancient times, when there were various races on the continent, their beliefs were also different, and almost every race had its own gods.

Olivia once said, 'All dragons are the offspring of the dragon god'...

Chloe also said that she was not originally a god, but a kind of creature in human form, which may also be a so-called heretical race.

Are the "favored ones" mentioned by Naqua also related to other heretical races?

Melanie once said, 'Wizards don't reject heresy, because it's said that humanity's initial contact with the roots of magic was related to heresy...'

Liu Xia had a question: when the Third Prince seized upon the fact that the Duke family had heretical blood, was it really because Earl Duke himself accidentally exposed it? Or had his mixed-race dark elf shadow guards been discovered before?

What if there's a deeper reason behind this...?

Ugh... My mind is a mess. Ryuka felt like she could piece together these vague pieces of information, but it was all just guesswork. But one thing was certain: there was a much more complex story behind this world.

Is the current battle for the Sochi Plain also related to this, or is it just a simple territorial dispute?

After all, if Tipalotura didn't care about the heretical ruins east of Lake Lin, she wouldn't have sent Hetia to Lake Lin. And Clovis, who wanted to control Sochi, had a subordinate named Quaid who also knew something about 'gods'. And as an enemy, Quaid's words to him just now contained no malice, but rather a reminder.

It seems there are still many things I don't know...

Ryūka sighed. All he could do for now was protect the territory he had gained and use the people's faith to enhance his abilities. Fortunately, Quaid attributed all his power to Chloe, making his greatest trump card, the [Leader's Proof], safe. After all, Chloe claimed this power was no different from that of a god.

Putting aside her complicated thoughts, Ryuka only wanted to know why Quaid had reminded her, so she looked at him and asked:

"As the third prince's person, is it really appropriate for you to remind me like this?"

“What’s wrong with that?” Quaid grinned. “That prince himself has no connection to these things, and I didn’t find out about them through him either. As for why I helped you…”

A fleeting hint of nostalgia crossed Quaid's listless face, and even his dark circles seemed to fade a little.

"I've just seen similar people and things before..."

Chapter 12 Objective Achieved

Everyone has their own story. Looking at Quaid's face, which was subtly churning with emotions, Ryuka understood that the experience must have been unforgettable for him, and might even have made him tell his enemy about it.