True History: God’s Year 1316

Although the winters of the Rakia Mountains weren’t deadly, no one in their right mind would attempt to cross them. In addition to having enough equipment, the minimum requirement for doing so was using magical power. The latter was a must, lest the climbers die.

Hence, it wasn’t difficult to imagine what kind of fate awaited ordinary people with neither equipment nor magic.

“…You did your best getting from Rave to Kratos.”

Looking at the corpse half-buried in the snow, one of the twins muttered to himself.

“This person must have been a refugee from Rave.”

“Right. Look, there are some over there, too. At a time like this… It’s as if they’re courting death.”

“Even so, I guess they had no choice but to run away.”

Andy looked up at the white slope. Across the sky was the Rave Empire, protected by the Dragon God. An enemy country that shared a border with the territory of the Saber family, the land Andy had been born.

Over the past year, there had been no shortage of people fleeing from there.

The reason was very simple: the Dragon Emperor’s purge and massacre within the Rave Empire.

According to their spies, the population of the Rave Empire had dwindled to nearly half of what it was when Hades Theos Rave ascended the throne.

Forgive me, but we don’t have the energy nor time to collect the remains and bury them.

They stepped on the snow and followed a set route.

Rick, who had caught up to him, grumbled; his breath white.

“What do we do now? Even if we send a messenger, there’s nothing we can do if he doesn’t come back. There are rumors that he’s not in a condition to talk anymore…”

“Over the past year or two, it’s as if the Dragon Emperor has become an entirely different person. Sister Jill said that he wasn’t like that before, but…”

“I don’t think we should trust Sister Jill’s evaluation of men.”

“I agree.”

After chuckling, he pondered about it seriously.

“It must’ve been painful to discover that everyone in your family has betrayed you. The purge was caused by his mistrust of humanity.”

“That’s right. I feel like he has become more and more strange since his father and others passed away…”

“That’s too much of an assumption.”

“I guess. But well, the massacre on the Egel Peninsula was on a whole different level…”

He decided to remain silent without confirming nor denying it. Neither Andy nor Rick could leave the border unattended, so they didn’t go to the scene. They couldn’t discuss something they hadn’t seen.

However, they heard that the Dragon Emperor’s onslaught at that time was frightening. Even their older siblings had been left in shock.

With neither strategy nor tactics; without distinguishing between civilians and soldiers, the Dragon Emperor killed everyone, leaving nothing behind.

The trail that the Dragon Emperor had enacted had turned the area into an empty space where not even a single blade of grass grew, let alone people. Of course, surrendering wasn’t an option.

The Dragon Emperor didn’t spare a single baby he came across, plunging not only the Kingdom of Kratos but also the Rave Empire into the depths of fear.

‘Kill all the descendants of the Goddess,’ Said the Dragon Emperor.

Does he think this is some kind of crusade?

However, the invasion abruptly halted. Although it was a good thing, it also caused confusion.

When asked why, the Dragon Emperor apparently said, ‘Because the princess isn’t 14 years old.’

Apparently, a long time ago, the Dragon Emperor was looking for a wife with the condition that she be under the age of 14.

Does that have something to do with it?

The discussion was needlessly complicated.

In any case, Kratos tried to rebuild and negotiate, to no avail. On the contrary, all the nobles and civilians of Rave who attempted to cooperate with Kratos were purged by the Dragon Emperor. As a result, refugees flooded into Kratos.

An enemy country that didn’t even hesitate to set itself on fire.

With how things are, no one can stop the Dragon Emperor.

There’s no way to stop him.

After all, they didn’t know what the Dragon Emperor was thinking, much less his end goal, so there was nothing they could do.

Some soldiers analyzed the massacre as an act of retaliation against Kratos, who had attacked Noitral, and as an example to his own country, who had betrayed him countless times, and that there would be no more attacks.

Some scholars claimed that it was a political maneuver, saying that it was a prelude to asking Princess Faelis, who was now 14 years old, to be married to him.

However, the massacre on the Egel Peninsula casted a dark shadow on the world. Most of the rumors were based on the fear the Dragon Emperor would attack again once she turned fourteen.

—And yesterday was Princess Faelis’ fourteenth birthday.

As if to make light of said rumors, her birthday concluded without any trouble.

Currently, 24 hours had already passed since her birthday party ended. Even though he knew it was just a rumor, Andy felt relieved inside.

Regardless, it was only the day after. As the princess had turned fourteen, they should be wary from now on. Even for a declaration of war, there was no guarantee that the Dragon Emperor would follow procedures.

The only time they could expect such good manners in war was in times of peace.

At the same time, continuing to be cautious would only lead to exhaustion.

Then, should we attack from here?

Even though they were being quiet for now, the above policy had been going around in circles and had yet been finalized.

In any case, the only thing they could do was remain vigilant. It would be foolish to rely on rumors, but they had to be on high alert around Princess Faelis’ birthday.

As of the present, their older sister, Jill, was in the royal capital. She was attending the social gatherings that took place before and after the princess’ birthday party as the crown prince’s fiancée.

I really wished she could have stayed here.

After all, their sister was probably better at combat than socializing.

…No. Just in case, it might be safer for Sister Jill to stay in the royal capital…

Even Prince Geraldo thought the same.

Although that prince was clumsy, Andy thought that he cared a lot about his sister. As the crown prince, his sense of duty outweighed everything else. Or maybe he was acting that way because he respected their older sister.

“As expected, I don’t think there will be another invasion. Right now, the Rave Empire should be in tatters.”

Rick continued through the white mountains, expressing his optimistic hopes.

“But the army was maintained. I heard that they get to keep their lives as long as they invade Kratos.”

“In other words, those who don’t will be cut down by the Dragon Emperor himself. Really, I wonder what goes on in his mind… If there’s only one person left, no matter how vast the land is, can that even be called a country anymore?”

“Andy, Rick.”

He heard a voice from below. Andy widened his eyes at the two familiar adults.

“Camila, Zeke? Why are you here? Aren’t you on vacation in the royal capital?”

A man with a beauty mark caught up to him and smiled wryly.

“That’s right, but we can’t return to our hometown even though we’re on vacation~ In that case, we’ll just give our greetings to our Demon Captain’s hometown~ I got permission from the captain, and Lawrence came with us~”

“But it isn’t good to rest in this situation, isn’t it? I’m here to help.”

“That’s not a vacation.”

While Rick was shocked, the two of them, fully dressed in winter gear, laughed.

The two, unfazed by the cold and the magical magnetic field, were being trained to develop their magical powers by their sister. As they hailed from the Rave Empire, they didn’t have much to begin with, yet they compensated it with their physical ability. They couldn’t be lumped with ordinary people. It was said that people often mistook them for being from the Saber family.

Perhaps because of that, he felt at ease with them, as if they were the people of his territory. To Andy, they were akin to cousins.

“Lawrence said that he wanted to cooperate with the Saber family. When we visited the main residence, we heard that the boys were patrolling around, so we came to pick you up.”

“How is it? Did something happen?”

“As of now, there’s nothing unusual.”

As he exhaled, Zeke’s breath turned white.

“I guess so. It’s just a rumor… It’s only been two days since her birthday.”

“The rumor said that it’ll be when Princess Faelis turns fourteen~ We should be well on our guard~ But how long will that be for? Being on high alert all the time is just impossible~ I hope the higher-ups realize that… I hope Jill-chan can make adjustments~”

“It’s difficult for the captain, too. Before she went to the party, she looked like she wanted to go back to the battlefield.”

That was just how their older sister was—both Andy and Rick laughed.

“Still, at Princess Faelis’ birthday party yesterday, she looked stunning in her dress. Jill-chan has a nice taste, doesn’t she~ When we first met, weren’t she about this tall?”

Camila gestured to her chest with her palm. Zeke’s jaw dropped at Andy and the others.

“That reminds me, you’ve grown too. Have you grown taller again? Are you fourteen already?”

“Yes, a while back.”

“But I still can’t tell them apart. They both grow the same way, as expected of twins~”

“No, Sister Camila, I’m expected to grow taller than Andy eventually.”

Chuckling, Camila turned on her heels. Taking that as a signal, everyone started heading back along the path they had taken.

“So, how do things look like on the Saber family’s defense line?”

“Brother Chris—the head of the family—will be in charge of the North. Sister Abby will be watching over the South.”

“Oh, by any chance, will they come invading from the North? When I was on the Egel Peninsula, it was from the South.”

“It’s Brother Chris’ hunch. But I also have a feeling that it will be from the North, somehow.”

Stunned by how nonchalant Rick was, Andy interjected.

“Sister Mathilda heard that Fairert and Leirzatz have been mostly burnt into ruins. So, I think it would be farfetched to attack from the South. The only remaining city is Veilburg, a military port under the direct control of the emperor. It’s also the closest to the royal capital. If the Dragon Emperor is going to attack in earnest, it’ll be from there, so we are keeping an eye on the North.”

“…I see, Veilburg is still safe…”

Zeke muttered with a complicated look on his face. The two, who originated from Rave, probably had a lot in their mind.

“But this year has been peaceful, hasn’t it~? With the blessing of the 14-year-old princess of the royal family of Kratos, Crown Prince Geraldo can ascend the throne, right? The wedding day will be set around the same time~”

“Captain skipped over the crown princess and became the queen?”

It was a blessing—an auspicious occasion, but rushing the occasion felt like an ill omen. Even though the new year was almost over, he couldn’t shake the sinking feeling of anxiety.

“Anyway, the Dragon Emperor is a troublesome opponent, especially with his Heavenly Sword. This is just unfair. Is there anything we can do about it? Unless we also bring out the Holy Spear of the Goddess, the battle is already lost.”

“Certainly, only the Holy Spear of the Goddess can stand up against the Heavenly Sword.”

Rick let out a sigh.

“The Southern King has fallen, has he? I wonder if the restoration is progressing.”

“I don’t think he can do anything.”

After Zeke’s candid analysis, there was a moment of silence. Luckily, the cold weather kept them from thinking too much.

“Oh,” Rick exclaimed, “Look, the sun is rising.”

‘It’s the darkest before the dawn.’

It was a sight that reminded him of those words.

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***T/N: Disclaimer again, this is true/ OG history!

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