Balthasar von Wurtemberg.
The boy destined to become the sixth emperor of the empire faced a turning point in his life at the age of five.
“Oh my, Your Highness!”
“A demon has kidnapped His Highness!”
A gigantic griffin snatched him away with its colossal claws. It was during an exploration of the western campaign.
The boy, who briefly lost consciousness from the high-altitude flight, acted simply upon waking.
Swish!
He drew his sword from his waist and sliced at the griffin.
The fierce battle occurring at an altitude of 6000 meters lasted for several days.
“How dare you treat me as prey!”
The boy, with a fierce glare, awakened his talent. The spirit to dominate all.
Finally defeating the griffin and crashing down to the peak of a high mountain, the boy looked around in awe.
“What a vast world this is.”
He had fallen in the middle of the continent, in the unexplored land that both humans and demon tribes avoided.
Seeing the endlessly shining horizon from every direction, the boy realized the beauty of the land.
After suppressing all kinds of demons and returning to the human realm, the boy was welcomed back to the imperial palace.
Yet, he was not pleased with the palace.
“It’s wall after wall.”
No matter where he went, he was always blocked by walls within just a few steps.
The boy was not fond of this fact.
In the year when he turned thirteen, the prince embarked on his first expedition.
The lord of a small territory threatening the empire finally lit the signal fire.
To the northeast and central region where the empire resided, there were many small countries, independent territories, lawless zones, and demon dens scattered around.
They were a constant threat to the safety of the empire’s citizens.
Riding alongside knights, the prince swiftly suppressed the territory and energetically planted the flag while gazing at the distant view.
Not toward the west, where his empire lay, but to the east, where the plains spread out.
“I will continue the expedition.”
If he started running, all the way to the horizon.
The land the prince stepped on soon became imperial territory. The anxious people became citizens of the empire and were guaranteed safety.
All of that was merely a process.
At the eastern edge of the human realm, his expedition ended, blocked by a magical mountain range that no human could traverse.
There were legends of an unknown eastern region beyond that, but they were merely tales of old.
The prince was not an adventurer chasing fantasies or treasures. He had reached the end of his conquest, halted by walls.
“So this is the edge of the east. Next, I will head north.”
When he returned to the empire, a victory report awaited him.
The envy of his brothers, who were potential heirs.
All of that was trivial obstacles in the face of conquest, easily brushed aside as he continued his expedition.
Before long, the knight order following him grew from two hundred to a million.
Beside him were the greatest warriors, including the Swordmaster.
The expedition was called a conquering war, and the prince became the emperor.
When the war concluded, the emperor was already fifty years old.
Though he welcomed wives, not a single day had he rested his body.
He had realized long ago that his heart was not what it used to be.
After desperately running for that long period.
“I couldn’t even reach the end of the human realm, let alone that land I saw when I was young.”
Signing the armistice agreement with the kingdom at the stronghold of the principality, the emperor did something he had never done in his life.
He looked back.
He saw the lands he had already acquired, the lands he had to protect going forward.
Wasn’t it too vast for just one human to contain?
Perhaps it was fortunate that he hadn’t pushed further. Even if he claimed the entire human realm, it would surely tear apart after his death.
From now on, he must protect the empire.
For that, he must raise an heir.
With that thought, the emperor for the first time in his life followed the footprints he had made.
*
“Imperial Guard, advance.”
The emperor directly issued his command from the frontlines, breaking through the wall of undead.
The Duke’s castle was close. They had held out for a week. Soon, they could regroup with the main force and reorganize to annihilate the enemy.
If the issue was the teleport gate, they had the third princess here to help activate it.
“Sigmund, can you see the enemy commander?”
“No, Your Majesty. Only soldiers are rushing in.”
“Be cautious of infection. Do not remove your masks.”
The stench of rotting corpses filled the air. The undead were tricky demons to deal with. They caused morale to plummet as the soldiers had to confront human corpses.
“Your Majesty!”
Ambrosia, casting purification spells, shouted urgently. A large skeleton was swinging a bone sword at him from behind.
Creak!
For a moment of crisis, the emperor swiftly swung his sword, clad in heavy armor, slicing the skeletal soldier in half despite his frail body.
“Never let your guard down when facing demons. Fight while keeping your eyes forward.”
“Yes, yes…!”
As Ambrosia wrapped herself in divine power.
The emperor assessed the situation.
The four palace heirs he commanded were diligently fulfilling their roles in the formations he had ordered.
None had failed to nurture their knight orders splendidly. There were no shortcomings even in this sudden crisis.
At that moment, the emperor felt satisfied.
Boom!!
The outer wall of the Duke’s castle collapsed as a huge brick tumbled down.
A sinister magic surged like a dragon.
“What is that…!”
The undead army, retreating, merged into one and was forming a gigantic single entity.
It became a giant corpse, large enough to effortlessly surmount the castle wall, gripping with its hand.
“Aaah!”
“Run away!”
The Duke’s forces, stationed in the watchtower, panicked and fled.
“It’s magic.”
The emperor realized immediately. There was a spell triggered when the number of troops diminished.
Smash!
As the giant swung its fist, the castle wall crumbled further.
The Duke’s territory was the entry point to the empire’s far west. It was the land that had confronted the kingdom for years even during the conquest war. If it crumbled, the empire would lose a sturdy barrier.
He could not allow that to happen.
The emperor commanded.
“Imperial Guard, we will slay the giant.”
The imperial guard of the royal palace, comprised of the empire’s finest knights, including Swordmaster Sigmund, formed a perfect formation, following the emperor without needing a signal.
Flash.
The emperor glared at the undead and commanded.
“Kneel!”
*
“Oh dear.”
As I entered the makeshift barricade made of furniture into a damaged residence, an undead swung its rotten claws at me.
When I sprinkled holy water, it ignited aflame. I kicked it away and rushed inside with the knights to rescue the civilians.
“Help me, please!”
A mother was on the floor, cradling her child in her arms. It looked like they had just been attacked.
“Let me see. Ma’am has a fracture. The child is in a rush. They are infected with necrosis. I will treat them, so please hold still.”
The nurse opened the first aid kit and handed me the necessary tools.
I started with the child’s affected area, spraying medication and disinfecting to stop the infection. If you were unfortunate enough to be injured by an undead, you could end up with this disease.
“Ma’am, show me your side. Let me stop the bleeding. The anti-inflammatory will sting a bit, but just hold on.”
“Ouch!”
I finished with the injection. The expression on the mother’s face eased as she looked at her child.
“Is it really possible for the child to feel better this quickly? I thought they were going to die.”
“Are there any other houses? Is there anyone left in any places?”
“Yes, over there across the street!”
“Let’s go.”
I entrusted the civilians to a knight and returned to the street, where chaos ensued as we fought skeletons all around.
Crash!
Suddenly, a loud noise left my ears ringing.
It was towards the fortress, our destination.
“Wow, it’s coming out!”
A giant undead larger than the castle walls.
[No. 091: Abyss of Bones 13% → 21%]
A lich had used magic to gather corpses and skeletons to create a gigantic skeleton.
It possessed battle power equivalent to that of an average demon officer—a large legendary demon.
Defeating that thing made the chance of a bad ending soar. The hero party had struggled against it due to its size.
“The probability of other endings hasn’t increased. The lich isn’t here. If we can take down that one, this battle will be over.”
There wasn’t much holy water prepared from the arduous march.
Could I defeat it?
“Teacher!”
A familiar voice called me. It was Lishe.
“What should we do about that?”
“We need a large amount of holy water. We’ll break through the wall with the mobile unit and reactivate the teleport gate to connect with the system.”
“I’ll try to buy some time.”
Lishe’s eyes, grasping the holy sword, were determined. Just as I nodded and was about to move to join Acella.
Boom!!
Suddenly, an explosion erupted from the skeleton being engulfed in magic.
“What…?”
Lishe and I were entranced by the sight.
Crack, crack. The giant body burst open from the inside.
It wasn’t magic or a holy spell. It was purely brute force.
There had to be a warrior digging from within and attacking.
“Could it be a Swordmaster?”
If someone could wield a sword while breaking through a body that size, they must be an incredible skillful person.
Since Tanya was here, it made me think it might be Sigmund from the royal palace.
Boom!!
Finally, the skeleton’s skull was fractured, revealing the warrior.
Clad in sturdy and dazzling heavy armor, it melted away under the magical storm, revealing a set of blackened teeth.
The figure seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Yet, the aura of spirit overflowed from the movements, creating an illusion of a halo surrounding him.
The emperor of the empire raised his sword.
Swish!
He delivered the final blow, and the gigantic skeleton could not muster resistance and perished.
With no magic or mystery, through the pure human form, a miracle was performed.
“Long live the empire!”
On the battlefield, no one missed witnessing his dramatic stance.
“I will issue an imperial decree!”
The old man who had burned all life when I examined him was nowhere to be found; instead, a transcendental figure leading the era shouted.
“Victory!!”
As the magic dissipated, the skeleton collapsed.
[No. 091: Abyss of Bones 21% → 0%]
[Ending has been deleted.]
The knights cheered loudly. Their pace quickened as they elegantly proceeded to eliminate the remaining forces.
The final imperial decree, as if etched in their veins, spread the heated atmosphere of the battlefield.
Thus, the defense of the Duke’s territory ended in a perfect victory for the empire.
*
“We won, Teacher.”
After finishing off the remnants, Lishe declared as the knights entered through the gates.
“I see. Are you injured?”
“Thanks to you. But the town… has taken quite a hit.”
The aftermath of the long siege had left the city outside the castle in ruins.
Flames flickered all around, buildings crumbled into debris, and dirty fluids flowed from the corpses of zombies.
“Will we continue to fight in such places from now on?”
“Not continually. We’ve been attacked now, but we’ll have to strike back. Isn’t it victory by an offensive?”
Lishe laughed softly, wiping her forehead at my words. In the process, she smeared her face with soot.
“If you hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t have fought as well as I did.”
“What are you talking about? The hero would do just fine on their own.”
“No, so far, my sister has helped….”
Lishe took a deep breath.
Her legs trembled slightly.
“Teacher, I’ve thought a lot about it. I want to become a hero like my sister.”
“You two are the same person. I believe you can do that, even if you don’t want to.”
“I heard from my sister.”
Lishe made eye contact with me.
“For that, I need you, Teacher.”
She extended her hand toward me.
“Teacher Gothberg.”
With a mix of earnestness and anxiety on her face.
“Please come with me.”
―――――――――――
Warning
– You stand at a crossroads.
– This choice is irreversible.
Good Ending List
[The Path of Hua Tuo]
– ■■ years later, again in ■■ 61%
[The Hero’s Path]
– Hero and Saint 76% → 85%
– There is only one ending.
―――――――――――
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