Translator: CinderTL
East of the Aldor Kingdom's Watchers Fortress, stretching to the northwestern frontier of the Gabella Empire, lay a vast desert.
For centuries, humans had relied on underground water veins to establish several oasis city-states here, forming a crucial trade route between north and south.
These city-states varied in size and primarily relied on agriculture, animal husbandry, and providing supplies to caravans. During peacetime, their political affiliations were roughly divided by geography: those closer to Gabella often fell under the empire's influence, accepting its protection or nominal suzerainty, while those near Watchers Fortress and the Neron Corridor maintained vassal relations with the Aldor Kingdom, relying on its military protection and trade.
However, in recent decades, as the Aldor Kingdom's power gradually waned due to internal strife and military weakness, its control over the east steadily eroded. Meanwhile, the Orc clans of the Grassland, unified under the strong leadership of Abal, rapidly rose to power, establishing a chieftain's tent government and repeatedly launching southward incursions.
Against this backdrop, the oasis city-states east of Watchers Fortress fell one after another. Some were forced to submit to the Orc army's intimidation, while others, abandoned by Aldor support, were left isolated and vulnerable, eventually conquered one by one. These regions gradually fell under the Grassland's sphere of influence, becoming a forward base for Orc incursions into the Human World.
Unable to counterattack, the Aldor Kingdom was forced to contract its defenses, retreating to the line of Watchers Fortress and the Neron Corridor. The once-continuous oasis city-state system was severed, and the central desert region became a lawless wasteland, trade routes disrupted and human settlements sparse.
Today, travelers journeying north from Gabella's northwestern frontier to Aldor must traverse this politically fragmented desert. Only a few powerful merchant caravans or official envoys, escorted by armed guards, dare to venture through cautiously.
Marianna, a high-ranking member of the Arcane Order, recently departed from the Imperial Capital and is currently crossing this region, passing through these small oasis city-states as she heads northwest. Her journey is a testament to the power shifts and territorial changes that have occurred over the past few decades.
On the edge of the desert near Watchers Fortress lies Sandwell, an oasis city-state. Once a vital stopover on the east-west trade route, it now serves the Grassland Chieftain's Tent. Though the city has submitted to Orc rule, its inhabitants remain predominantly human, living under the shadow of the Orc garrison.
As night fell, the dim lamplight of a low-ceilinged tavern in Sandwell cast long shadows. The air was thick with the stale scent of cheap ale and dried meat.
Travelers, local residents, and a few daring merchants sat around rough wooden tables, their voices hushed in conversation.
A woman in a dark robe entered quietly, her face veiled by a thin veil that revealed only her calm eyes.
She found a seat in a corner, ordered a glass of water, and sat with an unassuming posture that couldn't quite conceal her aloof aura. It was Marianna, on her journey north. The veil served not only to shield her from the wind and sand but also to conceal her beauty, preventing unwanted attention and harassment.
Before she could take a sip of water, the conversation at the neighboring table drifted into her ears.
"Have you heard?" a weathered caravan worker whispered, his voice low. "The Orcs took a major beating in Aldor! They've been driven back to the Grassland!"
Another man scoffed. "Serves them right! Those hairy-faced monsters have been running roughshod over us, seizing our grain, levying taxes, even charging for well water! It's about time someone put them in their place."
"The news came from the west," a third man added. "They say Aldor's army, led by Marquis of Alden, has won several victories in a row, even recapturing Watchers Fortress. The Orc remnants are in full retreat, even abandoning their Chieftain's Tent."
"Ha! Serves them right!" The first man slammed his fist on the table. "I knew it! No matter how fierce they are, they're still savages! How can they compare to our human armies?"
The others chimed in, their voices brimming with long-suppressed relief and satisfaction. Someone raised their glass and whispered, "To Aldor! To Marquis Alden!"
Marianna listened quietly, her fingertips tracing the rim of her glass, her gaze flickering.
The conversation at the next table continued, the words "Orc defeat," "Windbreath Fortress recaptured," and "Grassland retreat" like pebbles tossed into the still lake of her heart, sending ripples across its surface.
Her gaze narrowed slightly, her fingertips unconsciously stilling on the glass rim.
She knew Paul had been building his forces in Alden Town for years, training his army into something far beyond its former state. She believed his talent was more than enough to defend his territory and ensure his own safety.
But she had never imagined he could drive the Orcs completely out of Aldor.
In her mind, this war was meant to be a brutal stalemate, with merely preventing the Orcs from advancing west already considered a stroke of luck. Yet the rumors now spoke of Aldor's army turning the tide, reclaiming lost territory one after another, even recapturing the symbolic Watchers Fortress.
This was no mere victory to hold the border; it was a strategic reversal.
Marianna's first thought was: the Crystal Glare Royal Family had deployed a hidden trump card.
After all, a ruling dynasty that had endured for centuries couldn't possibly have no backup plans... otherwise, how could a Marquis from a remote frontier region have turned the entire tide of the war?
Paul, trusted by the Royal Family and backed by their all-or-nothing support, had ultimately achieved victory.
Marianna's fingertips still rested on the rim of her cup, but her mind was churning restlessly.
She knew nothing about the modern army's organization, the tactical application of gunpowder fortifications, or the burgeoning industrial production capabilities of Alden Town. In her understanding, the outcome of a war still depended on a general's bravery, the number and morale of the soldiers, and whether one side possessed some hidden, powerful force—ancient relics, arcane weaponry, or a long-concealed elite unit.
Precisely because of this, she was even more convinced that Paul's victory couldn't have been achieved solely through his own efforts. It must have been the Aldor Royal Family, in their moment of crisis, who had deployed some never-before-seen "trump card" to turn the tide.
At that moment, the conversation at the neighboring table resumed, solidifying her suspicions.
"Have you heard? In the battle at Windbreath Fortress, Prince Yuriko himself led the charge!" a merchant-looking man said in a hushed voice. "He led the Royal Knights into the fortress, immediately subduing over a hundred Orc warriors. Even the Centurions of the Grassland Orcs knelt in submission!"
"No wonder the battle ended so quickly!" another man exclaimed. "The Royal Knights are Aldor's most elite force, aren't they? I've barely heard of them. It seems they're never deployed lightly. Now that even the prince has joined the fray, it shows the Royal Family is truly determined!"
"Indeed. The Aldor Royal Family has been hiding their true strength well. Even Greedy Wolf Giles couldn't force them to reveal this Knight Order!"
"Hey, what do you know? Giles is, after all, a vassal of Aldor. In a civil war, you can't just casually unleash your ultimate weapon! Those Grassland barbarians didn't know their place. Now they've bitten off more than they can chew!"
When Marianna heard the term "Royal Knights," her heart skipped a beat.
So, it's true, after all?
TL/N: If it was any other novel, I would have been furious at people stealing MC's credit. But here, I fully approve of this misunderstanding.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (FF) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c954. [+1]
🔑Early Access at $5.
✍Translated (6) Series, (4.1K+) Chapters, (5.8M+) Words.