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A startled Proton drew his sword.
Thud.
Something heavy landed in front of him.
"Are you that monster-eye's partner?"
Monster-eye?
A witness who saw Solvere!
Proton rushed forward quickly.
Swish!
Thud.
Proton's eyes widened.
Thud?
Espin caught Proton's sword with her bare hands.
The sword, caught in her thick hands, didn't budge as if it were stuck in a rock.
'Damn. I was too hasty.'
A huge enemy suddenly appeared.
He was so eager to quickly deal with her before she could prepare to fight.
He didn't infuse enough aura into the sword.
Hmph!
Proton pulled the sword back with all his might.
Barely escaping Espin's grip, Proton stepped back and took a stance.
"Who are you!"
"I am Espin Ellaina, the Marchioness guarding the border of the Alkancia Kingdom."
Only then could Proton examine Espin closely.
From her voice and hair length, she was clearly a woman.
But her face was more rugged than any male warrior's.
Below that, a thick neck and huge trapezius muscles continued.
Her wide shoulders and writhing muscles made one doubt her gender.
Above all.
She had just caught the sword with her bare hands.
Not a single drop of blood fell.
'Even though I didn't infuse the aura properly. Not even a scratch.'
She is strong.
"Surround her!"
At Proton's shout, three of his subordinates flew to Espin's left, right, and behind.
Espin just stared at them.
"Attack! Give it your all!"
Four swords simultaneously stretched towards Espin Ellaina's body.
Whoosh.
Espin pulled a huge longsword from her back.
A blade as thick as an adult man's torso.
A huge sword that most swordsmen wouldn't even be able to swing properly.
She began to swing it with one hand.
"Why are you so late?"
"Your Excellency is just too fast."
The Witch of the Battlefield, Espin Ellaina.
She had neatly laid down the four people she had beaten to a pulp and was sitting on top of them.
The faces of those under Espin were swollen, their shoulders dislocated, and their legs bent.
But there were no sword wounds anywhere.
"What are you standing there gawking at? Tie them up quickly."
"Yes, Marchioness."
The adjutant Colin took out rope and began to tie up each of the four men.
Meanwhile, Davian looked at the traces of battle on the ground.
'The biggest footprint in the middle is Espin's...'
Four footprints surrounding it.
The battle scene was drawn on the tangled footprints.
Just once.
Those four had only attacked Espin once.
It was probably the first stabbing attack.
The attacks came from all directions at the same time.
And that was their last attack.
After that, there were only footprints of being beaten, bursting, and stepping back.
He had seen Proton's sword in the previous turn.
He wasn't among the strongest, but.
He was a man who had cut down a company commander who had reached a fairly high level with a dagger.
He was by no means capable of being beaten up so unilaterally.
But.
The Witch of the Battlefield, Espin Ellaina, didn't cut the four of them with her sword, but beat them to a pulp.
Espin approached Solvere.
"Hey, monster-eye. Is this all? Are there any more?"
Solvere nodded.
Espin stared at Solvere's eyes.
"I guess that's true. Colin! Let's go back."
"Yes!"
Espin Ellaina's private office.
"Open a passage to the Demon Realm? Is that true?"
"Yes. That's their plan."
"Those crazy bastards."
"Maybe our Alkancia, just getting beaten without doing anything, is even more crazy."
Espin clapped the armrest and laughed loudly.
"Yeah, that's right. Our Alkancia is the crazy one."
Espin, who had stopped laughing, stared at Davian.
"So. You're going to stop that, Davian Naone."
"No. I probably can't stop it. Instead..."
"Attract stronger and stronger guys to weaken the Marino Empire's power? Use their plan in reverse?"
"Yes."
Espin nodded.
"If they have a job started, they'll have to send stronger and stronger people to finish it."
"Yes. Little by little, their power will gradually weaken. Meanwhile, we'll gather our strength together."
"Nice expression?"
"What is?"
"Clothes getting wet in the drizzle. Nice expression."
Ah, he was just saying a common proverb.
It must be the first time they've heard it here.
"Anyway. So what you're saying, Davian, is... I should join your alliance?"
"I'm not forcing you. I'm just doing this for our kingdom, so I thought Your Excellency would gladly accept."
Espin laughed heartily again.
"Force? Force me? Who dares to force me, Espin Ellaina?"
"That's true."
"However. I have never broken a promise I made with my own mouth. As I said before. I, Espin Ellaina, am ready to give my life for you, Davian Naone. You saved my daughter's life."
"Thank you."
"Tell me anytime. When you need my strength, my army, my money. Even if you want me to mobilize all my ships and attack the Marino Empire, I will do it."
Espin put her right fist to her chest.
"I, Marchioness Espin Ellaina, join the Davian Alliance."
"Davian Alliance? That's too grand."
"What's so grand? You're the center, and it's the alliance you're gathering."
"At this rate, I'll be dragged into the royal family."
"Davian? Are you going to protect our continent's people and fight alone like this? If the royal family drags you away, I'll take the army and get you out."
"You don't have to do that."
It's reassuring.
But that's what the Marino Empire wants.
"Then we need to make a mark now?"
"A mark?"
"Yeah. A mark that you belong to the Davian Alliance. We need to recognize each other when we see each other."
"Then things will really get too big?"
"If you want to unite the alliance, that's obviously necessary. Didn't the Specula head tell you?"
"That was when I first brought in the Specula family."
Espin nodded.
"The Specula head will probably start preparing soon. Go and tell the Marchioness Espin Ellaina that she's joining the alliance. No. I'll send someone."
"Thank you."
"No. I also fully agree that the current royal family cannot stop the Marino Empire. I'm rather ashamed as an adult. While you're working so hard, I didn't know anything and was just catching pirates. Who will you recruit next?"
Davian nodded slowly.
"I have a place in mind."
"Where?"
"The Meridiem family."
Espin asked with a surprised expression.
"The Meridiem family? Is that possible? Bringing that noble and haughty family into your alliance?"
"It's difficult to bring in Marchioness Espin Ellaina, a border count whom even the royal family can't touch easily."
"Well, you saved my daughter's life... Ah! You helped the Meridiem family too."
"I saved the head of the family's life."
"Ha."
Espin raised her thick hand and touched her forehead.
"Save the head of the Meridiem family?"
"Yes."
"Amazing, amazing. Davian Naone. Davian Alliance... It's already surpassed the power of the royal family. Is there anyone else besides that?"
"The Arond Barony?"
"Oh, I know. They have a fairly large army for a barony."
"They've always had territorial disputes with the Visant Barony."
"That's right. Good strength. And?"
"The Amandria family and the Naone family? I need to slowly recruit others besides that."
"The Amandria family? That's right. If you want to unite the continent's power, you need a large merchant group. But the Naone family? Isn't that your family? You talk about it like it's someone else's family."
The Naone Barony.
Davian Naone's family.
A place Davian had only been to once in the 3rd playthrough.
Honestly, it's an awkward place.
But.
As a result of going there once.
They have a lot of power.
Since they're connected by blood, it's a force that should be brought in.
"It's been a while since I've been there."
"I see... Yeah. Because you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, you can't rely on your parents like other kids."
Davian changed the subject.
"What are you planning to do with Solvere and Proton?"
"I'm going to hold a public trial. So that the Marino Empire guys far away can hear it too. The result of the trial is obvious, death penalty. They annihilated the quarry workers."
"You could become their target."
"Isn't that your plan, Davian? Let any guy come and try it."
A small village in the western part of the Manum Continent, where the Marino Empire is located.
On the surface, it's known as an ordinary village in the mountains with little traffic.
But the entire village is base X-4 of the Alkancia spy organization.
The main mission is to open a passage to the Demon Realm on the Pax Continent, where the Alkancia Kingdom is located.
The village hall.
A man with snow-white hair is sitting at the head of the table, receiving reports.
The man's name is Elias Vernin.
He comes from a historically important family in the Marino Empire and is the branch manager of base X-4.
On the long table, there are five chairs on each side of Elias.
"Proton was executed? Solvere, that monster, too?"
"Yes, that's right."
"When was the last report?"
"Four days ago."
"What's the progress?"
"25% complete."
"But. He wasn't killed in battle, but captured and executed?"
"Surprisingly, yes."
"Was his body crippled?"
"I received a call from another branch colleague, and he said there were no major external injuries."
A man sitting in the first chair on the left opened his mouth.
He had a sword at his side, and his posture was as upright as wood.
The man's name is Manuel Iger.
He is the deputy branch manager of base X-4 and also the strongest force.
"No, who captured Proton and Solvere so easily?"
"It's Border Count Espin Ellaina of Fortus City."
The man nodded.
"That's right. There must have been intervention from someone like that. Now it makes sense."
Branch Manager Elias Vernin asked.
"Border Count Espin? Is she a great person?"
"She made a great contribution to suppressing the nobles who caused the rebellion and became the Border Count of the port city of Fortus. It's been a long time since she took the Alkancia swordsman grade test, so I don't know her current grade. The last known grade is a 5-star swordsman."
"When was that?"
"15 years ago."
"If she hasn't been neglecting her training, she's probably at the end of 7-star now."
Manuel Iger, who was explaining Espin to the branch manager, Elias Vernin, frowned slightly.
'Annoying old man. I've explained so many times that the skill of a swordsman can never be divided by such a useless grading system...'
Manuel Iger, who had held a sword all his life, knew well.
The size of internal and external power or the perfection of swordsmanship.
The true skill of a swordsman cannot be judged by these things.
You can't know his true skill until you face him with a sword.
Branch Manager Elias opened his mouth again.
"Then send the twins. We have to show them what happens when you touch the people of our Marino Empire."
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