Return of the Unrivaled Spear Knight

Side Story Chapter 296

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“I mean exactly what I said. I want this empire to fall, just like the Flame Emperor wished.”

Arash stepped out from behind the Vaikals. However, no arrows were shot at her like before. Even Anna just stared at her, dumbfounded.

“It’s difficult to change an entire country with just a few individuals, but after the Flame Emperor’s sacrifice, everyone in Thran is ready to change history, together—”

“Shut your mouth! No matter what you say, we no longer trust any words from the empire!” Arkeith screamed at the top of his lungs, infuriated.

Arash could understand their reaction quite well. Swallow had already declared once that Thran would be an independent country, but the kingdom was still treated as an inferior colony and Swallow continued to move toward absorbing Thran into the empire. Therefore, persuading them using Arash’s past wouldn’t work; they weren’t going to believe it. Arash changed tack.

“…Despite the reality of my origins, I am still Arash bel Grace, a member of the Imperial Family of Swallow, so I will use my name to make you a proposal.”

“What?”

“After this war, the empire shall be dissolved.”

‘This is the right move,’ Arash thought

Her true goal was revealed. Yes, Swallow was savage from its very beginnings. A myriad of tribes from different origins had been forced to unite when the empire had been founded, so many of the tribes were still fighting for independence in the shadows. However, none accomplished their goal because Swallow had stopped their efforts by force.

“Should any of the tribes want it, they shall be liberated from the rule of Swallow, even if that means that the empire must be dissolved.”

“…We don’t trust—”

“If you still can’t trust me, let us have it recorded in writing,” Arash interrupted, her conviction unwavering. “I’ll write it in blood if you wish.”

Thran’s people fell silent.

‘This is the karma that Swallow must reckon with for the many sins it has committed. Grand Duke Lucifer may have led the invasions, but the other people of authority in Swallow turned a blind eye to them. They aren’t innocent.’

“Hmph. If you’re really a fake princess, a document written in your blood means nothing.” Arkeith scoffed.

He had a point, but instead of refuting, Arash turned to her side.

“I have someone who can validate it.”

“What?”

“I may be a fake, but Her Majesty Anna bel Grace has already won the nobility’s approval to become the empress.”

Anna finally pulled herself together, her lip quivering. “Wait, everything you’ve done until now was for this moment…?”

“...Yes, Your Majesty.” Arash smiled bitterly. “This was my goal from the start.”

“You…”

“Do you know why your father fell so easily despite his skill?”

This forced Anna to recall an old memory she had forgotten for a long time.

At the time, Anna had thought that it was just an excuse to kick out the prince who had lost the struggle for succession.

“…Because he’s the descendant of the Craque Tribe,” she muttered.

However, the powers behind her father’s exile must have been speaking the truth on some level.

“Yes.” Arash nodded. “The Craque Tribe used to be called the tribe of slaves, so your father was a subject of contempt even from Swallow’s nobles. The Imperial Family considered themselves more noble, so I’m sure it needn’t be said what they thought about your father. Since the purity of their blood is the most important thing to them, the last thing they would tolerate is having a brother born from a slave bloodline.”

Arash looked up at the sky. “Grand Duke Lucifer used your father’s background to his advantage and his cunning was unmatched. By urging the powerful, Lucifer was easily able to frame your father for high treason and then throw him out of Swallow. Your father possessed enough skill to be called the War God, so Grand Duke Lucifer must have considered him an eyesore.”

Both Arash and Anna knew what had happened next. Not long after Draxia bel Grace’s banishment, Lucifer had managed to take over Swallow entirely.

“After forcing the tribes to unite, Swallow has been persecuting all those who opposed them—rarely for legitimate reasons. I believe that allowing that to happen once is more than enough; an empire maintained by such methods has no meaning to its existence.

“The highest nobles of this empire implicitly agreed to frame Prince Draxia bel Grace. That is why I believe that after this war, they’ll also try to drive out Her Majesty. Your best move is to take action before them.”

After several minutes, which felt like an eternity to Arash, Anna broke her silence.

“…Hey, Flame Emperor’s son. I’m sure you heard my strategist. If you want, I’ll put my seal on a document allowing the tribes to withdraw from the empire.”

Arash’s face brightened. Even Arkeith, whose eyes had been filled with skepticism, was visibly taken aback.

“You’ll… use your seal?” he frowned. “Am I supposed to believe that?”

“Who said anything about free? This is an exchange.”

Arkeith used his chin to gesture at Anna to continue. She smiled broadly.

“You may not know about this, but the continent is in danger. I’m not talking about just Hubalt. The entire Human Realm is collapsing.”

“...The entire Human Realm?”

“I’m not making up things. I can show you the evidence right now.”

Anna’s voice was so firm that no one from Thran couldn’t even begin to doubt her.

“I’m not an idiot who would make up a lie that would fall apart so quickly. In any case, the world is collapsing, so this isn’t the time to try to fight over land. That is why…” Anna glanced at Arash. “...I—no, we would like to borrow your power. Show us the power of the Flame Emperor’s Thran.”

* * *

It wasn’t difficult to find the knight with Purion’s authority because Isaac knew all about the Martial Knights. As soon as she heard Joshua’s description, Isaac narrowed down the suspect to three people.

“…I didn’t know the person he’s been looking for was this close,” Creshua muttered to himself.

“Just tell him to keep his end of the bargain.”

“Don’t worry. He’s better than that.” Creshua slowly approached the Martial Knights, who were fighting for their life against the undead. “But… human, why do you hate your father that much?”

Isaac turned and found Creshua looking at her.

“I’m saying this just in case, but it’s my question, not Joshua Sanders’s.”

“…I don’t have a reason to tell a dragon about my personal history, do I?”

“You have a point.” Creshua simply walked away as if he didn’t care in the first place, to Isaac’s surprise.

“…But since I’m still somewhat responsible for the death of your fellow dragons…”

Creshua halted.

“Not all parents are good. They’re all humans, but they look different and have different personalities, and come from different backgrounds.”

“It sounds like your father was an ill-tempered person.”

“He wasn’t just an ill-tempered person. Would that suffice as an answer?”

“Then why are you trying to kill that guy named Bel? I heard, he’s your fiance.”

“…You’re one curious dragon, aren’t you?” Isaac chuckled quietly. Once again, she readily answered, “It’s part of my father being a bad parent. And I loathe him.”

“What do you mean?”

“My damn father set me up with a fiance I don’t even love, all because in my father’s eyes, Bel is a man who will never lose. So my father wanted to establish blood ties with him. Well, Bel can even kill supreme dragons, so my father had a point there.”

“Hmmm...”

“But…” Isaac grinned. “...if the man whom my father had complete faith in loses, that means that my father was wrong.”

After a short silence, Creshua nodded. “I understand. You’re driven by your loathing for your father.”

“Yes. I loathe my father even if it’s been decades since he died.”

“Thank you for your detailed answers.” Creshua nodded and then walked toward the Martial Knights, who had cut down most of the nearby undead. “In return, I’ll take care of those guys since they’re the vestiges of your hated father.”

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