Chapter 153. Engagement – Manubil
Lena, Leo, and the five warriors of the Albacete tribe passed through the two gates of the Astin – Aster kingdom. The borders of the two northern kingdoms were based on Antaroff’s Grand Canyon, so the gates were established between the split canyons. The borders were closely guarded. Even though they served the same Klaus royal family, the two kingdoms had fought a war over a decade ago.
Lena and Leo easily passed through the gates with the mercenary badges they received from Uncle Elson. Although they were asked the purpose of their visit, when Leo lied that they came to find work, they were not questioned further. On the other hand, the five warriors faced some difficulty. Their identities were easily verified, but when they straightforwardly said they were there to participate in the Retii competition, they were asked why they did not participate in the Maunin competition held in the Astin kingdom.
“The Astin kingdom did not hold the competition because of the war. How many times do I have to say it? If you’re suspicious, you can communicate to verify. Do you think I don’t know that there’s a priest at the gate? Despite my appearance, I am the next chieftain of the Albacete tribe.”
“Please, just wait a moment.”
The very young gate guard was flustered. After conversing with his superior, he returned and asked,
“Can you swear on the honor of a warrior?”
“What? Swear on the honor of a warrior for something like this? Just call the priest.”
“Well, the priest is currently not here. This question is for your convenience, so please answer sincerely.”
“My, goodness… Fine. I swear on the honor of a warrior. The Maunin competition wasn’t held in the Astin kingdom. Satisfied?”
The five warriors grumbled as they passed through the gate. After a few weeks, they stood before a massive fortress.
“Wow…”
It was Manubil, the capital city of the Aster kingdom. Aside from ‘Droxa Albacete’, a renowned warrior who had visited this place once, and a somehow indifferent Leo, the other five couldn’t help but express their admiration.
The city walls looked colossal even from a distance. The entire wall was made from rocks stained with Manubil, giving the impression of a cascading white waterfall. In fact, this impregnable fortress was not originally built as a capital but solely to thwart invasions from the Eisel kingdom.
The Eisel kingdom, often called the kingdom of magic, and the Aslan kingdom, the predecessor of the two northern kingdoms, did not get along well. The Eisel kingdom was established by the royal family who escaped to the eastern swamps after the fall of the Archean Empire, and naturally, the royals didn’t favor the Aslan kingdom, as they believed that a rebellion by lowly barbarians led the empire to its path of dissolution.
Likewise, the Aslan kingdom, despising the oppressive rulers of the former empire, gradually built up conflicts over decades, eventually clashing. A full-scale war broke out in the northeastern part of the continent, where the two kingdoms bordered each other. This marked the beginning of the ‘Mauritania War’, named after the region. Accustomed to the ‘Northern Independence War’ and having integrated the barbarians, the Aslan kingdom initially had the upper hand, quickly occupying the Mauritania wilderness and moving southward…
However, figures who etched the Mauritania War into history as the ‘Magical War’ obstructed the Aslan kingdom’s advance. They were the magicians. This was the first time magicians emerged as key players in a war. At that time, the term magician was still unfamiliar, with only shamans wielding mana through sheer talent, but their tricks were ineffective on the battlefield.
However, an exceptional shaman named ‘Cornius’ changed everything. Born in the eastern swamps, he invented a method to inscribe formulas in the air. By forcing direction onto free mana, making it flow at a steady rate, he essentially created the ‘Mana Road’, the foundation of modern magic.
The Aslan army, which had been advancing triumphantly southward, was stunned.
Large-scale magic illuminated the skies. Flames, lightning, storms, and earthquakes engulfed the army, overturning the conventional wisdom of warfare.
Tightly packed formations carrying long spears and archers attacking from a distance armed with shields. Cavalry charging through formations and annihilating retreating enemies. None of these could be utilized. The dense formations of soldiers were merely a delightful feast for the magicians.
The Aslan army was defeated. Retreating not only from the captured Mauritania wilderness but also from their own territory. The Eisel kingdom’s army, seizing the momentum, marched towards the Aslan kingdom’s capital, Bernoulli, per imperial orders. The Aslan kingdom’s offer to cede significant territory in exchange for peace was ignored. The Eisel imperial family aimed to annihilate the detested Claus royal family.
However, their advance halted at the Antaroff Grand Canyon. For some unknown reason, magic was rendered powerless in this canyon, filled with white mineral ‘Manubil.’ Stripped of their magical advantage, the Eisel army could not match the Aslan army, leading to a prolonged stalemate at the canyon gates.
Peace was long gone. Both sides thought they could dominate the other if not for magic or the canyon’s gate.
The Kingdom of Eisel started seeking a way to circumvent the Antaroff Grand Canyon.
Crossing the frozen sea to the north was an option, but it was too dangerous to transport heavy armaments, so they attempted to negotiate passage through the land of the Kingdom of Bellita.
However, the Aslan Kingdom’s army found a breakthrough first.
The defenders of the canyon occasionally launched sorties to gather information about magic. After devising countermeasures, the generals of the Aslan Kingdom marched their army again.
It was a peculiar advance. The forces split into thousands of divisions spread out wide, striking dozens of strongholds simultaneously.
It was a frontline-pushing war.
It was a type of war that hadn’t existed before. The traditional method, where soldiers clumped together to engage in pitched battles, had changed with the advent of wizards.
Additionally, the generals of the Aslan Kingdom disbanded their cavalry. Fearing the area-wide magical attacks of wizards, they paired up the precious knights and thrust them into the front lines.
This method proved effective. The forces of the Kingdom of Eisel gradually began to be pushed back.
Blocked by the canyon at the front with no way forward, while the forces of the Aslan Kingdom spread out and invaded all surrounding lands, the Kingdom of Eisel had no choice but to split its forces and knights.
However, the Aslan Kingdom had an overwhelming number of knights. They had twice as many as the Kingdom of Eisel, and the newly occupied territories’ inhabitants (especially barbarians) became the supply lines for the Aslan Kingdom’s knights who infiltrated the rear.
Trying desperately to maintain the front lines and supply routes, the forces of the Kingdom of Eisel couldn’t hold out as the harsh northern winter approached and proposed a peace.
The delineated border was the same as before the war in the Mauritania wilderness. It was a war that left nothing but scars.
Both kingdoms, reflecting on their shortcomings, prepared for the next time. The Kingdom of Aslan, realizing the terror of wizards and the utility of the mineral ‘Manubil,’ built a fortress called ‘Manubule’ to guard against wizard attacks.
Regrettably, they couldn’t build it in the Mauritania wilderness, their border. For some reason, the Manubil lost its effectiveness far from the Antaroff Canyon.
Lena, Leo, and the five warriors took lodging at an inn outside Manubule. With only a week left until the Retii Tournament, the inn was bustling with warriors from all across the Astin Kingdom.
“The championship of the Retii Tournament will go to my friend, the great warrior of our tribe, Droksha Albasete! Anyone who disagrees, come and receive my drink! Hahaha!”
A drunken Bahaatar Albasete shouted amicably. It was an obvious provocation, but the surrounding warriors pretended to be angry and approached, saying, “The championship is mine, so hand over the drink!” and started a drinking fest.
Leo, getting tired of it, stood up and said,
“Lena. I’m going out for a bit.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“Just… a walk.”
Lena, disappointed with the freshly commenced drinking party, tried to stand up to follow him. But Leo seated her back down.
“I’ll go alone.”
“Why? If it’s because of me, it’s alright. There isn’t just today. Let’s go together.”
“It’s okay. If I take you, I’ll feel bad for the other men. I’ll be back soon.”
“Hmm~ okay. Don’t get lost and come back early.”
– Smooch.
Lena wrapped her arms around Leo’s neck and pulled him down, then turned her head and lightly kissed him. It was so natural it wouldn’t be strange for them to be newlyweds.
Leo also gave a few more pecks to her retreating lips and left the inn amidst the playful teases of “Wow~ it’s hot!” from the warriors.
He wandered leisurely without any particular destination. But his eyes darted around ceaselessly.
Perhaps, just like Barnow, there might be traces of Asin somewhere, so he preemptively scouted the surroundings.
The capital, Manubule, had broader suburban areas than any city he had experienced before.
Since the fortress of Manubule itself wasn’t intended to function as a capital, commercial and residential districts had to be built outside the fortress.
After wandering around the city for quite some time, Leo returned to the inn, blandly, or rather fortunately, without any findings.
Upon returning to his room, Lena Einarr, who was in high spirits after drinking, embraced him, and Leo stroked her hair familiarly.
* * *
Leo continued to roam outside frequently. Lena, who had been grumbling about his frequent solo outings, suddenly went “Ah?!” with an expectant expression and then cheerfully let him go on his way, saying “Have a good time!”
Why is she acting like that again?
Puzzled, but since Lena Einarr’s antics weren’t a one-time thing, Leo diligently roamed around during the week leading up to the Retii Tournament.
Unable to cover the entire vast capital, Leo focused on exploring the east, west, south, and north directions thoroughly. He also entered the inner fortress, where the strict discipline of the guards was evident as it was a fortress.
While other capitals casually let him in, here they meticulously questioned whoever tried to enter, and Leo found his mercenary badge and the (false) documents proving his mercenary status, given by his uncle, incredibly handy.
Leo, who had explored the rather narrow inner sanctum and found nothing, felt relieved. He chuckled at himself for prematurely worrying and assuming that Asins would be everywhere. It seemed the crisis had ended. After all, he had left everything that seemed likely to be connected to an {event} back in Bernoulli, so he and Lena were safe. Now, all that was left was to live happily with Lena and get married.
Leo came out of the castle, feeling pleasantly self-critical, admiring the impressive white giant castle walls, before returning to the inn… where another crisis awaited. Lena was looking at him with sharp eyes. She clearly seemed quite peeved.
She spoke in an insinuatingly roundabout manner, unable to let go of her regrets.
“Hmm… it’s not here today either~?”
“What is?”
“Just saying it’s not good to make someone wait too long. You know, if expectations get too high, they might be disappointed, right?”
“…”
In such situations, it’s best to keep one’s mouth shut. Leo didn’t know what it was, but Lena was clearly expecting something from him.
Leo observed silently, sparing his words.
“Just how amazing must it be that you’ve been out and about for a week now?”
Sure enough, when Leo didn’t respond, Lena started dropping hints generously. Her slightly angry expression. Her eyes constantly glancing at his waist. Despite that, her tone still had a mix of expectancy…
Aha.
Leo barely managed to hold back the laughter that was welling up.
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