As soon as the rainy season ended, intense heat arrived.

Since winter follows after this heat ends, most were busy trying to time their harvest with the end of the rainy season.

Ludmila also spent peaceful days examining the state of what she had planted and checking the contents to be harvested soon.

They say nature and time are the best places of rest.

For several days after Aden left, Ludmila wandered unable to collect her complicated feelings, but that too eventually ended.

As usual, she returned to peaceful daily life, farming and helping with village work.

However, whenever she was asked if her fiancé was doing well in between, she remembered Aden had been here.

She recalled that he had stayed by her side and left, but she was able to overcome it with composure.

In fact, it was all thanks to Aden.

Ludmila did not bother to deny that it was possible because he pushed her away at that final moment.

In the end, Aden had made the right choice this time too.

Although traces Aden left behind remained here, someday these too would disappear and fade away.

Ludmila awaited such days.

“What are you all thinking of doing after the harvest is over?”

Mrs. Meribold’s voice was heard as they were gathered in front of the mill waiting their turn, each holding the grains they had harvested.

As Ludmila, who had been quietly listening without joining the conversation from behind, raised her head, Mrs. Meribold’s gaze rolled over.

The lady smiled gently at Ludmila, who gave an awkward smile, and adjusted her load.

“I guess Ludmila doesn’t know well. Here, since winters are long, after the harvest, people tend to go to warmer places for a month or two to recuperate. It happens to coincide with the children’s vacation time too.”

“Ah, is that so.”

“Some people don’t go, but since most leave, it gets quiet here too.”

Ludmila made an interested expression at hearing this for the first time, but soon lost interest as it was followed by talk of where to go together this time.

As if they had been waiting, questions poured towards her asking if she didn’t want to go together, to which Ludmila conveyed her intention to decline with appropriate words she had prepared in advance.

The ladies showed signs of disappointment at her sociable smile and refusal, but soon withdrew their attention from Ludmila and continued their own conversation.

Listening to those noisy stories, Ludmila turned her gaze out the window and stared with dry eyes at the wheat field swaying in the wind far away.

As she raised her gaze, clouds were flowing along the path Aden had left on.

The man who left without looking back until the very end.

Was the lingering sight of that back, which seemed to have no regrets, due to the regret of not being able to hold him back?

“Ah, not there.”

It was when she was smiling wryly, lost in absurd thoughts and musings.

Ludmila turned her head at the sight of one of the ladies crying out in shock. It was the lady whose husband worked as a reporter in the kingdom’s capital.

“You can’t go there, why?”

“It seems the news hasn’t reached here yet, so I guess you all don’t know, but it’s very dangerous there.”

“What do you mean? Explain so we can understand.”

Other women’s attention was drawn to the lady’s serious expression as she continued speaking.

With her nose held high at the sudden attention, the reporter’s wife raised her chin quite proudly.

“There’s a war going on there now.”

“War?”

“A sudden war? You’re lying, right?”

“Why would I lie about something like this? My husband came back two days ago and told me. He said absolutely not to set foot near the highlands this year. Even the kingdom’s army is reinforcing defense units at the Sand Highlands border now, so how could it be a lie?”

“Oh my. War at a time like this…”

Most had disbelieving faces, but they recited trivial stories as if finding such a topic interesting.

However, Ludmila alone could not do so.

Quietly listening to the conversation from behind, Ludmila quickly came forward and approached the reporter’s wife.

“Excuse me, when you say war broke out, do you mean between the Empire and the Khan tribe?”

“Huh? Ah, that’s right. What was it? I heard some problem arose during the last Founding Day celebration and discord grew. I don’t know the details either.”

“…Discord.”

What kind of discord could there be to escalate into war? Moreover, what kind of things could be done ignoring the information she had given to Aden?

“Do you happen to know what kind of discord it was?”

“Why is your expression so serious, Ludmila? Ah, is it because of your fiancé?”

“Pardon?”

“You said your fiancé is a soldier in a faraway place, right? I naturally thought he was in the kingdom’s army, but I guess not. Well, there’s more than one or two people with fiancés in the Khan tribe.”

Other ladies nodded at Mrs. Meribold’s words.

Ludmila was about to say no to their reaction, but closed her mouth thinking it wasn’t a lie.

“Ah, come to think of it, you asked what the discord was about? I don’t know the details either, but someone died or something. Anyway, they say a very high-ranking person died during the Founding Day celebration. An incident arose from there.”

“…Do you know who died by any chance?”

“I don’t know the name, but they said it was a minister. The Minister of Commerce.”

As soon as her words ended, Ludmila felt as if a hammer had fallen on her head.

Though she asked again, Ludmila felt strength draining from her body at the lady’s words accurately reciting the title of Minister of Commerce.

After finishing preparations in the early afternoon, they were able to reach the 3rd gate by early evening with the march that began.

The morning battle followed immediately by the march.

Though fatigue colored the soldiers’ expressions from not resting even for a moment, it couldn’t be helped. They had to cross that wall.

The commander sighed and formed ranks. The 3,000 troops of the advance guard lined up and prepared the cannons.

Cross that gate before the rear guard arrives.

With that thought, while busily moving about, the commander who led the advance guard to arrive felt something was strange.

The 3rd gate was quiet unlike usual.

In previous gates, catapult stones or cannon balls had flown to prevent breaching, but not now.

It was as if they had abandoned the gate, with silence lingering.

“…Something is strange.”

At the commander’s words, others also looked at the gate. Late evening.

The gate standing tall in the darkness felt particularly higher than in the morning.

Torches were lit on top of the wall, but no troops waiting to defend the city were seen beside them.

“Where did they all go?”

As the staff officer cautiously opened his mouth, the commander narrowed his eyes.

Did they abandon this place out of fear upon hearing the 1st and 2nd gates were breached?

It would be a wise decision if wise, but these were barbarians who had never retreated even once. It was unthinkable for them to give up like this.

Creak—

It was then that the sound of the tightly closed gate opening was heard.

A shadow on horseback slowly revealed itself through the gate parting the eerie darkness.

The commander, narrowing his eyes, blankly stared at the sight, not knowing what was happening.

The shadow on horseback, as if not satisfied with just revealing itself, slowly approached their direction and then increased speed.

Some spearmen took position as if to block him, but even so, the mounted figure did not stop and rather increased speed.

The silhouette growing larger as it approached. The commander, noticing something was amiss, hurriedly shouted.

“Shoot! Kill that guy!”

At his shout ringing through the darkness, the soldiers who suddenly came to their senses hastily drew their bowstrings.

At that moment, something huge illuminating the surroundings seemed to cross the sky and then rolled, crushing the soldiers.

It was a catapult with a huge rock wrapped in straw and set on fire.

Something was wrong. As that thought occurred, through the sight brightened by the fire, the face of the man rushing towards them was seen.

A large man with eyes shining red in the firelight.

“Du-Duke…”

At the sight of Aden, the commander cried out in alarm and gave the order to fire, but before that, hundreds of arrows and catapult stones crossing the sky were seen, and screams rang out from behind.

It was the moment the enemy troops lying in ambush struck their rear.

The commander looked around with a dismayed face. The sky was filled with flaming arrows and stones, troops behind, and a man charging alone from the front.

The commander squeezed his eyes shut at the astonishment brought by this unbelievable scene.

Jeffrey, who had been silently staring at the collapsed wall, narrowed his eyes.

As the rising sun in the distance scattered golden light, revealing the devastation that occurred between last night and dawn, his mood became increasingly unsettled.

His order to breach the 3rd gate was carried out safely, but the problem was the casualties.

Unlike the commander’s words that they would suffer about 2,000 casualties, the advance guard was annihilated.

The commander was killed in action, and as the rear guard followed to pound on the wall, thousands of troops were sacrificed.

In just one day, no, in just one night, over 5,000 soldiers lost their lives in front of this gate.

“The Duke has returned… is that it.”

The story of Aden rushing out alone and slaughtering soldiers was not much different from that of a war god one might hear in legends.

It was clearly a war they could win, should win. Losing was unimaginable.

But for the first time, Jeffrey thought they might lose this war.

The overwhelming difference in military strength and number of soldiers.

Despite having all of this, a small spark of anxiety was lit at the prowess Aden showed at dawn.

“Your Majesty. After finishing preparations here in three days…”

“I’ll give you one day.”

“Pardon?”

As Becks looked up in surprise with wide eyes, Jeffrey stared at him with cold eyes.

“Two days later, prepare to breach the outer walls of Habertz.”

We must hurry to capture Aden. Everything must be ended before they can properly regroup.

Feeling anxious and impatient, Jeffrey turned his head and silently gazed far away at the Sand Highlands.