NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 78
Chapter 78: The Annexation of Gildolq (5)
The Zabeiru Military began to form a semi-encirclement.
Panic spread among the remnants who noticed this. Until now, the remnants had believed they held an overwhelming advantage, thinking the Zabeiru Military was too weak to counterattack.
But with the sudden flank attack and the destruction of their rear units, they were abruptly made aware of their mistake.
As they looked around, fear began to fill their hearts as they realized the Zabeiru Military was starting to surround them completely.
“It’s about time! Let’s teach those fools from Gildolq what real battle is!”
At Baron Hartos’s words, the Hartos unit, which had been retreating, launched a fierce counterattack.
“Woooooooh!!”
The remnants, already shaken by the Hartos unit’s sudden reversal, were quickly overwhelmed.
“Waaaaah!!”
“Hiiii!!”
The remnants’ cries of fear quickly turned into screams. The clash soon turned into a massacre.
The Zabeiru Military cut down the remnants one after another, showing no mercy as they swung their weapons. Blood and screams scattered everywhere, and lives were lost.
“Now!! Hunt them down!!”
The commanders of the Zabeiru Military rallied their troops, and the soldiers responded by slaughtering the remnants.
“Gyaaaaaah!!”
Screams echoed across the battlefield, overwhelmingly from the remnants. No, the Zabeiru Military wasn’t screaming at all. The only sounds they made were roars of dominance.
“T-this can’t be… No way!!”
Reos’s cry echoed across the battlefield, but it was quickly drowned out by the roars.
“He’s a commander too!! Kill him!!”
The Zabeiru Military charged at Reos. When Reos saw the expressions of the soldiers rushing toward him, he was confronted with the reality that he was now the prey.
“Hiiiiii!!”
Reos let out a high-pitched scream and fled in a panic, abandoning his troops. If he had at least given a retreat order, some lives might have been spared. But Reos fled without fulfilling even the most basic duties of a commander.
“After him!! Don’t let him escape!!”
With murderous intent in their voices, the soldiers chased after Reos as he fled.
With Reos’s escape, his soldiers also scattered in all directions. The remnants of the army were no longer a cohesive force.
The Remnant Army was utterly destroyed. Out of 5,000 soldiers, only about 2,000 managed to return to Rekuryaku Castle. It was a record-breaking defeat, with a casualty rate of 60%.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
(As expected… this is how it ends.)
Sosua, witnessing this defeat, realized the time had come.
“Ahhh, finally~”
Those around her looked puzzled at her words. Sosua wore a strangely refreshed expression, in stark contrast to the pale faces of those around her.
“Y-Your Majesty?”
“What?”
Her subordinates cautiously addressed her, and Sosua responded as if nothing was wrong.
“U-um… what do you mean by ‘finally’?”
“Ah, I mentioned it before. There’s no chance of winning, so I’ll surrender myself to see how many lives I can save.”
“N-no, you can’t!!”
“Why not? There’s no chance of winning. Or rather, there never was. The best I can do is offer my life to increase the chances of saving yours.”
Sosua looked her subordinates straight in the eye and spoke calmly. Her demeanor showed she had fully accepted death, leaving those around her speechless. It was the first time they truly understood what she had been thinking.
“Well then, let’s go. Someone, step forward as the envoy of surrender.”
Everyone exchanged glances at Sosua’s words. In this situation, even an envoy was likely to be killed on the spot. With that in mind, no one dared to speak up.
“If I may… I will go.”
Ryoshua stepped forward.
“Yes, you’re the right person for the job. And Junoak, Neis, and Reok as well.”
“…Understood.”
The named individuals gulped and bowed. They were the ones sent by Zabeiru, and Sosua’s naming of them was proof that she had known their true identities all along.
Realizing this, Ryoshua and the others couldn’t help but shudder. Sosua was far from foolish—she was, in fact, remarkably intelligent.
Bam!!
The door was thrown open, and Reos, followed by about ten men, barged in.
“Lord Markein!! This is beyond disrespectful!”
“Silence!!”
Reos, his eyes bloodshot, shouted at Ryoshua.
“Lord Markein, this is the end. I will save everyone with my life. You must order the soldiers to disarm.”
“I refuse.”
Reos smirked nastily at Sosua’s command.
“Then what will you do? There’s no way to turn the tide now.”
“I know that!!”
“Then why are you here? If you want to survive, your only option is to plead for my mercy.”
“No, if we do that, we’ll lose our standing in Zabeiru.”
“Huh?”
Sosua couldn’t help but give a flat response to Reos’s words. To her, the idea that Zabeiru would value those who had sided with the Gildolq royal family was absurd. Having felt Zabeiru’s hatred firsthand, Sosua knew that being valued by them was nothing but a pipe dream. Surviving as a commoner would be more than enough.
“Zabeiru would never value you. Fine, even if you offer my head, your future is bleak. You’ll almost certainly be executed. If you don’t want that, let me go to Zabeiru and have Yuan-Zabeiru kill me. That way, at least your lives might be spared.”
Reos and his men faltered at Sosua’s resolute words. Seeing this, Ryoshua and the others prepared to pounce on Reos.
“No. I won’t allow any killing here.”
“Tch…”
But at Sosua’s command, Ryoshua bit his lip and held back. Even he was surprised by his own obedience. Sosua wasn’t his master—she was his enemy. Yet, for some reason, he had followed her order without question.
(Why did I obey Sosua so readily…?)
Ryoshua’s confusion was shared by the others who had been named earlier. They couldn’t understand why they had obeyed her so easily.
Perhaps it was respect for someone who had accepted death and was willing to sacrifice herself for her subordinates.
“Hah, what are you talking about? If we take you, we’ll definitely be valued by Zabeiru. We’ll live as nobles in Zabeiru!!”
Unlike Ryoshua and the others, Reos and his men couldn’t understand Sosua’s resolve. For them, it wasn’t about saving the country—it was about ambition and the desire for power. They were completely driven by their own greed.
“Fine. Then you choose the path of killing me and being executed.”
Sosua stood up and walked toward Reos and his men without showing any fear.
“Your Majesty!!”
“Don’t move!!”
“Tch…”
As Ryoshua and the others moved to protect Sosua, her command stopped them in their tracks.
“Go ahead, kill me quickly.”
Sosua stepped into Reos’s range and stared him straight in the eye.
“Tch…”
Perhaps intimidated by Sosua’s presence, a cold sweat ran down Reos’s cheek. No, not just Reos—everyone in the room was completely overwhelmed by her aura.
“What’s wrong?”
Sosua took another step forward.
Whack!!
Reos struck Sosua’s right cheek with all his might. She staggered but steadied herself, glaring at Reos. The force of the blow had likely cut the inside of her mouth, as blood began to trickle from her lips.
“You’re choosing to beat me to death? What a waste of time. Is that sword just for show?”
Reos gulped at Sosua’s words. Her complete lack of fear made him uneasy.
“Tch, capture her!! Take her to Zabeiru!!”
In the end, Reos gave up on killing Sosua. While her attitude had intimidated him, he also realized that if her words were true, they would be executed. Handing her over might at least avoid the worst outcome.
The men bound Sosua under Reos’s orders.
(Well, whatever. Zabeiru’s swordsmanship is probably more reliable than hers anyway.)
Even bound, Sosua’s spirit remained unbroken.
And so, Sosua, the last queen of the Gildolq Kingdom, found herself face-to-face with Zabeiru once more.
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