novelWar of the Empire (Conclusion)
| ← Ch.143 | Ch.145 → |
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In Year 45 of the San Calendar, the kingdoms of Engido and Misea sent troops to invade the Duchy of Schinlas. In the crisis, the Duchy joined forces with the various large clans that were scattered on the eastern lands of the orcs, raising an army of 120, 000 to face the Engido and Misea allied army.
Nearly 300, 000 troops from both sides met and fought in Ramun. The Misea army, which had arrived first, began attacking the city immediately. The hasty Misea army was dealt a severe blow by the Grand Duke of Schinlas, when it was driven out to the Valley of Ramun in tatters.
The Schinlas coalition was chasing them down. At that time, Engido's King Verthandi divided her forces into two sections. She led one section to rescue the besieged army of Misea in the Valley of Ramun, while Allen lead the other section, detouring to the rear of the Schinlas forces to cut off their escape route and supply chain.
The Schinlas coalition, which had surrounded the Misea army, immediately reversed its course. It fell into a heavy encirclement itself, trapped within the Valley of Ramun. The army of 100, 000 was trapped for an entire month, before their supplies ran out. The Grand Duke committed suicide, and the army surrendered to Engido.
After that defeat, of the five orc nations of Menkaure, Engido, Beira, Misea and Schinlas, only the kingdoms of Engido and Beira remained. The Kingdom of Engido occupied most of the orc lands.
Other than the lands belonging to the Kingdom of Beira, there were only some scattered lands that were unclaimed by the nations, which were inhabited by a few isolated orc clans. They lived alone, removed from the world, and rarely communicated with outsiders.
In the same year, the King of Beira died from an illness. A month after the prince succeeded him, Beira surrendered to the Kingdom of Engido. From then on, all of the orc lands were unified by the Kingdom of Engido. This was an unprecedented affair.
Many empires had occupied up to half of the orc lands, before halting. The halting was due to the age of the founding monarchs, the internal rebellions, and the increasing pressures from within. As such, they lost the chance to unify the land.
Verthandi relied on the combination of her divine authority and leadership as a ruler to take advantage of the orcs' strong desires for peace, after so many wars. All of the orc lands finally fell under her control as one unified empire.
Sarga City, the thousand-year holy land of the orcs and the birthplace of the first King, had lain abandoned since the Twelfth Orc King, Wolf King Costa, had perished in battle against the human Golden King Ahenaten. It had been rebuilt as a teeming metropolis.
The magnificent city now stood as a strong fortress. According to Verthandi's old strategy, the Tribal Reform Program was implemented in the orc lands. A large number of landless poor were relocated to the south, with the goal of having them inhabit the lands that used to form the Kingdom of Menkaure, while forming new cities and villages.
More than 100, 000 people were relocated to the city of Sarga, set to begin rebuilding the new royal capital. Perhaps it should not be called a royal capital, but rather an imperial capital, which eventually became a huge metropolis. Many people wished to live here, but even more people gathered to seek the lucrative potential that was available within the capital.
Gradually, merchants arrived, as markets and shops began popping up. People from all walks of life began to settle there. Throughout its construction, little by little, it really became a large city with a diverse population.
Verthandi had led a large army through the Ayers Mountains, arriving at the sacred city of the orcs, which had slept for a millennium, as its next master. The city's towering walls, its hefty majesty, and its gate that could allow ten carriages to enter at once, was now all hers.
All of the people in the city came out to look at the legendary Orc King, the master of the Sword of the King, and God's chosen messenger. A large number of soldiers kneeled by the city gate, waiting for Verthandi to enter her new capital.
But, Verthandi was looking elsewhere. Her gaze rested at the foot of the Ayers Mountains.
There once was a small town called Ayer there, which was a sparsely populated town, filled with simple and kind people. There had been many cat-people and dog-people living there at one time.
In fact, it had been her childhood home. She closed her eyes, as many wonderful memories appeared vividly in her mind...
Daddy! Daddy! What are you looking at?
Daddy! Daddy! It's raining outside.
Daddy! I'm hungry!
Daddy, where are we going?
Verthandi could almost see the tall, handsome man before her, with his usual calm and gentle smile, only for her.
Little trouble, you again...
Dad!
Verdanty discovered that she had never really understood the man called Randir Eranbell. He was full of mysteries.
What's his real identity? Was that his real name?
He had profound knowledge that was far beyond anyone else's on the continent. He would smile that faint smile of his, while effortlessly completing tasks far beyond what others could ever hope to accomplish.
Over the years, no matter how hard Verthandi had tried to track him down, he had left absolutely no traces. It was as if he had completely vanished.
At this time, Queen April broke into her reverie, giving her a push on her shoulders, gesturing that she should enter the city. Unlike before, there was a motherly glow on April's face.
A few months ago, she had secretly sought out a boar-man wizard named Uruk, agreeing to some of his conditions. In exchange, the wizard agreed to let her birth a child for Verthandi.
To Verthandi, wizards were extraordinarily evil. Their sort of witchcraft, which went against the natural laws of life, felt extremely sinister to her. Yet, April was her Queen and her greatest pillar of support. This fact alone resulted in Verthandi's having extremely complicated feelings about the child in April's belly.
However, in the eyes of the people, now that their king finally had his own child, it seemed as if the empire, which they had fought so hard for, was truly stabilizing. The birth of an heir to her legacy was indeed something to celebrate.
Verthandi's thoughts had traveled a thousand miles within a split second. Now back in reality and fully alert, she immediately led her knights toward the capital. A large number of soldiers stood at attention, while the streets overflowed with people, cheering and welcoming their King.
"Welcome, our beloved Emperor!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
"Praise be!"
Flower girls sprinkled their petals over the crowd. Verthandi straightened her back and walked forward in a pure white-skirted armor with a gorgeous cloak. She waved at the crowds, who received her with adoration all the way to the palace.
Within the palace, a large number of Faith of the Sun clergy members awaited. Dressed in their white robes, they formed two rows on both sides. Patriarch Cory stood at the top of the steps, while a large audience watched within the plaza. Above them, many nobles and aristocrats, who were knighted for their loyalty to Verthandi throughout her conquest, were seated.
Verthandi finally dismounted. She then approached the summit, moving towards Patriarch Cory. A sudden silence descended upon the scene, as all the cheers died down at once. Everyone held their breaths, waiting to witness this sacred moment.
"In the name of God, I crown Will Eranbell as the Emperor of the Holy Seville Empire!"
The Patriarch of the Faith of the Sun personally crowned Verthandi. Verthandi turned to face her people, showing them her visage. Instantly, all of the knights and nobles fell to the ground. All of the civilians cheered in unison.
"Long live the Holy Seville Emperor!"
"Long live Your Majesty!"
The cheers grew louder and louder. The entire city was cheering, their hands waving in the air. Wave after wave of people surged forward. All of the orcs were excited to welcome the first common king, the first emperor to end a thousand years of conflict. She was the ruler that would be the light to all of the orcs!
Verthandi had unified all of the orc lands at the age of twenty-seven. She had established the Holy Seville Empire, as its first emperor. From then on, the orcs began to walk towards true unification under a centralized power.
| ← Ch. 143 | Ch. 145 → |