Chapter 25..
Time is something that can feel long or short, depending on how you use it.
In that sense, eight months had passed far too quickly for Dante.
It had been half a year since he arrived in the Principality.
During that time, he hadn’t wasted a single moment.
Except for when he slept, every bit of his time had been poured into training.
From Milleon, he learned not only how to sense and control mana, but also how to use his traits in an organic way.
Through sparring with Isabella, which was no different from real combat, he fully absorbed everything.
At times, he explored the depths of his inner self through meditation.
At other times, he pushed his body to its absolute limits.
And so, Dante gradually adapted to his new powers, becoming stronger and stronger.
So much so that those who watched him were left speechless.
The Dante of the capital, and the Dante of now—
He had changed so much, one could hardly believe they were the same person.
Only eight months.
That short time was all it took.
“…What on earth are you made of?”
Isabella looked at Dante, who was effortlessly parrying her blade, her expression dumbfounded.
“Isn’t that a bit harsh, My Lady?”
“Harsh? No—the only harsh thing here is your talent.”
Because they had grown close, the two now spoke much more casually than before.
“Perfectly mastering your trait in just eight months? I’ve never even heard of such a thing. Not even your father, Lord Xenon, managed that.”
From the very start, there had never been anyone whose talent could truly compare to Dante’s—not in any era.
Ever since the day he awakened his stigmata at the age of ten.
Even Isabella, a genius often compared to Xenon, had only awakened hers at fourteen.
And yet Dante not only awakened early, but mastered the use of his trait completely.
It was something that transcended common sense—an utterly unprecedented event.
But Dante only shook his head.
“I still have a long way to go.”
“Do you plan to become a God of War or something?”
The Four Martial Gods—
They were beings who had transcended humanity itself.
Observers of the world, each from their own corner of the continent.
Their level could not be reached by talent alone.
Dante smiled.
‘A God of War, huh…’
He was sorry, but his dream was far greater than that.
He wanted to go beyond them, to reach the true end of the sword.
To set foot in a place where no one had ever stood before.
And with the way he was now—
‘I can do it.’
That was what he believed.
Though, of course, he never said that out loud to anyone.
“In any case, you really need to see yourself more objectively. If you keep pretending to be humble like that, people will just resent you.”
They’ll say you’re insufferable.
Isabella whispered the last part quietly.
“I don’t care what others say.”
Whether praise or criticism—
Dante knew very well that neither held any value.
He had experienced both.
No matter what people said about him, his worth would never change.
He would simply keep swinging his sword. Again and again, until death.
“Fine, fine. Live however you want. It’s not such a bad way, I suppose.”
They’d had conversations like this countless times over the past eight months.
As if unwilling to repeat herself yet again, Isabella sighed and shook her head.
“You’re more stubborn than the thickest wall.”
“Your Highness!”
Just then, as the two took a short break and chatted, someone called Isabella urgently.
It was Arthur.
Normally sly and laid-back, he was now running toward them at full speed, even using mana.
Seeing him like that, Dante and Isabella’s faces hardened.
They didn’t even need to ask what was wrong.
The time had come.
“So, our training ends here.”
“It seems so.”
The two rose to their feet, brushing dirt from their clothes.
Arthur arrived, panting heavily.
Despite using mana, sweat poured from him, and his face was pale.
Seeing his panic, Isabella raised her hand and placed it on his shoulder.
Wooooom—
Mana flowed, and Arthur’s condition calmed at once.
His ragged breathing eased, and color returned to his cheeks.
But…
The fear of the disaster approaching could not be erased.
Even so, Arthur began his report as steadily as he could.
“In the southern plains of Derkan, a dust cloud has been spotted. Our scouts confirm it’s the vanguard of a monster army. Their numbers are estimated between one hundred and one hundred twenty thousand, divided into three main forces, advancing toward the southern border.”
One hundred to one hundred twenty thousand.
And that was only the vanguard.
The sheer absurdity of it made Dante chuckle bitterly.
‘I knew it was serious, but not like this…’
The Principality’s entire standing force didn’t even number fifty thousand.
Even with the Empire’s reinforcements, they’d barely managed to gather a defensive force of two hundred thousand.
That showed just how outrageous the enemy’s numbers were.
“How is the evacuation going?”
“Thanks to the order issued last month, all southern cities have been cleared.”
That was a relief.
Had they not prepared in advance, the civilian casualties would’ve been catastrophic.
“Then it’s time to move the troops.”
“Before coming here, I already sent word to the Imperial army. They should be preparing to march as we speak.”
“And our men?”
“They’ve been on full alert for the past ten days.”
No one knew when the monsters would strike, so Dante had ordered them to stay ready.
It was hard, but better than being late.
“Good. You should get ready as well. We’ll follow shortly.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Arthur saluted with unusual formality, then hurried back.
“So, it’s finally here…”
Isabella sighed.
No matter how long they had prepared, the best outcome would always have been for the wave never to come.
But as always, the world did not grant such prayers.
The very calamity they had dreaded was now at the Principality’s doorstep.
“It’ll be fine.”
Dante tried to reassure her.
Though he knew such words would not truly ease her heart.
Still, it was all he could offer.
“Yes. Or rather, I’ll make sure it is.”
Isabella was the Sword Empress.
One of the most powerful beings alive, save for the Martial Gods.
Though Dante had crossed swords with her countless times, he had never once seen her true power.
He was still too inexperienced.
What he had faced was only a fraction—a tenth, perhaps less.
If she revealed her full strength, it would be no different from a calamity descending upon the world.
And yet…
‘Even she couldn’t stop it in five years.’
The nightmare of the monster waves had not bowed even to Isabella’s might.
If anything, the monsters had forced them back.
They had lost vast territory in the end.
‘This time… I hope it will be different.’
Dante’s current strength was nowhere near enough to turn the tide.
He was still lacking.
But he would do everything he could.
For his own growth.
And to protect the people of the Principality.
“Let’s go.”
The two left the training grounds.
For a long while afterward, no one else stepped foot there.
Milleon accompanied Dante with Elaine at his side, both wearing grim expressions.
Truthfully, Milleon wanted nothing more than to leave the Principality at once.
Not for his own sake—but for Dante’s.
Yet he no longer suggested retreat.
Dante had already awakened his stigmata, and even unlocked his trait.
And his level was not shallow.
The world called such a person a knight.
Dante was already a fine knight.
No longer a child to be blindly protected just because of his age.
So Milleon could only respect his will.
Clip-clop, clip-clop—
The sound of hooves weighed heavily on the dusky dawn air.
The southern forward base of the Principality was packed with soldiers.
Imperial reinforcements and Principality troops mingled, but their faces showed tension—and a looming fear.
“Wouldn’t it be better to return to camp for now?”
Milleon asked Dante, who rode ahead.
In the distance, the silhouettes of monsters had begun to appear.
In just a short while—
When the morning sun rose, the war would begin.
If Dante didn’t wish to face the vanguard head-on, he had to fall back now.
But Dante only shook his head.
He continued circling the fortress walls, observing the monster army and the soldiers alike.
Then suddenly—
“What about Eina?”
“She is in a safe location.”
Having followed them this far, she now remained in the rearmost, most secure place.
Unless every soldier was wiped out and the base destroyed, she would not be in danger.
And even then, she would already have been evacuated.
“Check on her from time to time.”
“I will.”
Milleon answered, suppressing the unease building inside him.
“Sir Dante.”
Elaine, usually silent, spoke up.
“Yes?”
“May I ask why you’re circling the base like this?”
It seemed not only Milleon failed to understand Dante’s actions.
“I’m reading the battlefield’s atmosphere.”
“…Atmosphere?”
“Yes.”
Dante’s eyes saw what others could not.
The flow of the air.
The subtle tremors of the earth.
The morale and formation of the soldiers.
The layout of the base and its surrounding terrain.
And even the vast movement of over a hundred thousand monsters.
All of that information was steadily building up in his mind.
It wasn’t some special ability.
It was simply a survival skill he had picked up during his days as a mercenary.
Even the smallest scraps of information could become a lifeline in desperate moments.
And now, facing the largest war he had ever known, he needed as much as he could gather.
Bwoooooo—!
Suddenly, a great horn echoed across the base.
“What’s that?!”
Milleon’s eyes widened.
That sound meant only one thing—the monsters were on the move.
Bwoooooo—!
The horn blared again.
That meant they were accelerating.
Bwoooooo—!
The third horn meant…
“Sir Dante!”
Milleon called urgently.
His expression was firm—it was time to move, no more delay.
Seeing this, Dante gave a reluctant nod.
“Let’s return to our post.”
As the drawn-out horn continued to echo, Dante turned his horse around.
At that same moment, the bright light of the rising sun spilled over the horizon, chasing away the darkness and dyeing the Derkan plains red.
The war had begun.
