The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

55. The Divided Continent

The war to stop the Demon King from crossing over.

To sum it up, it was practically a defeat for Ignit.

Ultimately, they couldn’t prevent the Demon King from coming over, and he crossed into the continent, albeit imperfectly.

In that process, many of the elite army met their death, and numerous Master Class forces, which were the most crucial in the upcoming war, also sustained severe injuries.

In particular, Glen received life-threatening injuries and remained unconscious, while Duke Welch hovered between life and death.

“The situation is not looking good.”

Kariel’s expression hardened at the report from the Giant’s Fortress.

The commanders present with him also bowed their heads with grim faces.

“Still, it’s not the worst.”

At Talion’s words, Kariel nodded slightly.

Although there were massive casualties among the elite troops due to the tremendous explosion, many had survived.

While many were left with missing limbs and on the brink of death, the fact that they were alive was what mattered.

“Is it possible to fully heal those who have lost arms or legs?”

At Kariel’s question, the priests shook their heads.

Reattaching one’s own lost limbs was not a huge issue.

But bringing back something that had completely disappeared was a different story.

Using a vast amount of Divine Power could restore limbs. The problem was that the newly formed limbs would be nearly nullified in terms of the sensory skills they had previously mastered.

“If we continuously treat them, they should be able to manage daily life… but…”

As the priest trailed off, everyone sighed.

For the badly injured, returning to combat was nearly impossible.

“Is there really no method?”

“…It might be possible if we use forbidden powers.”

At one priest’s statement, Kariel smiled and nodded. The other priests flinched, glaring at the one who mentioned the forbidden method.

“So there’s a possibility, then. Correct?”

“…Yes.”

The Bishop-level Priest answered reluctantly.

The forbidden power they spoke of involved reattaching the limbs of animals or recently deceased humans.

With the power of Divine Power, they could attach limbs and forcibly infuse strength to modify them to fit the body.

This method was based on the experiments conducted by the Dark Mages—experiments that the priests, who despised Dark Mages, had sealed away over time.

However, this method also had limitations; it stemmed from experiments aimed at creating chimeras, so they hadn’t considered the compatibility with the original body.

“This method also has its limitations. In fact, if it doesn’t fit well, the outcome could be worse than creating them from scratch.”

As the Bishop-level Priest detailed the issues with the forbidden method, Kariel turned his gaze to Brion, who had been listening quietly.

“Brion.”

“It seems possible. We’ll need to research which between reattaching and the forbidden method is better.”

As soon as Kariel looked back at Brion, he nodded in agreement.

Brion had long been studying techniques and treatment methods to revert individuals back to their former selves, which wasn’t particularly difficult.

“What level of recovery can we achieve?”

“I can’t guarantee recovering all their past powers, but if things go as planned, I think over 70% could be restored.”

“And the duration?”

“It will take at least two years.”

Kariel nodded, indicating that that was enough time.

In any case, even if the elite troops couldn’t be fully utilized, it was still meaningful.

“Convey my order to the main forces to withdraw from Wild.”

Everyone was taken aback by Kariel’s command.

Wild is the pivotal point responsible for the northern part of Roman. Abandoning such a place would make future battles against the demons incredibly difficult.

“Your Majesty, if we are to fight the demons…”

“I know.”

Fighting the demons required the stronghold of Wild.

From a military viewpoint, giving up Wild was a poor decision. However, for the picture Kariel was painting, surrendering Wild made sense.

“If we regroup the main forces now, can we sweep the demons away?”

“That’s…”

The commanders evaded the question.

The damage was too severe, and they needed time to recover. Above all, the main forces of Ignit were being provoked from below by Roman, taking advantage of the chaos.

“It’s problematic to have only a longer supply line when we can’t even fight the demons right now.”

“Your Majesty, there will be other issues if we withdraw to Wild.”

At one commander’s statement, the others nodded in agreement.

“The demons and Roman might be able to form a proper alliance.”

“That’s right. If the demons and Roman join forces, the current situation will become even more challenging.”

“The Eastern Allied Forces will also face difficulties.”

As the commanders spoke, Kariel nodded in understanding.

Currently, the northern part of Roman was being blocked by the Eastern Allied Forces and Ignit from joining forces with the demons.

At the moment they abandoned Wild, the Eastern Allied Forces would suffer tremendous damage.

“The Eastern Allied Forces will soon retreat to the South. They will have to give up their territories in the East as well.”

At Kariel’s words, the commanders tilted their heads in confusion.

Seeing them struggle, Kariel showed them the information sent by the Secret Guardians.

「The major tribes of Sandria are moving under the flag of Roman.

The Eastern Allied Forces are in danger.」

“This is…”

“Ugh…”

Finally, Sandria had moved.

In broad daylight, they were openly showing their alliance with Roman and marching westward.

If this continued, the Eastern Allied Forces would not only be divided, but the nomadic tribes in the north would also be decimated.

“It’s impossible to maintain this state any longer.”

With Kariel’s words, the commanders nodded heavily.

‘That’s why I wanted to finish off the demons before Sandria moved…’

To eliminate the demons and focus on Roman while letting the Eastern Allied Forces deal with Sandria.

That was the plan Kariel had laid out.

Despite willingly taking risks and plunging into war, he ultimately failed to annihilate the demons. This meant he had to adjust his original plan.

“We will proceed with the three-way division.”

So saying, Kariel placed his plan document on the table.

「 North and Northeast – Demons

↕ ↕

West and South – Human Alliance ↔ Central and East – Roman 」

The commanders looked at the plan in confusion.

“Are the demons going to become hostile towards Roman?”

At one commander’s question, Kariel presented the research he had conducted thus far.

Though they appeared to be allied, it was merely a temporary partnership driven by mutual interests.

Their main concern was the “Hell Gate.”

The area most likely to have the Hell Gate was in the desert region of Sandria.

Among them, a few areas that no one inhabits were candidates.

“What if we lock down from the West and South?”

If Ignit decided to give up on finding the Hell Gate first, the remainder would likely be a conflict between the demons and Roman.

Even so, could they maintain their alliance?

It had already been revealed during this war that Roman and the demons were not as tightly knit as they seemed.

If they truly intended to help the demons, they wouldn’t just provoke; they would have unleashed their life force to take down Ignit’s fortresses.

But Roman merely kept the demons at bay enough to avoid losing ground while watching from the sidelines, suffering massive losses.

From this, Kariel found his conviction.

‘The alliance between Roman and the demons will turn hostile the moment we fall into a disadvantage.’

Even if the alliance held, it would be impossible for them to begin engaging Ignit and the Human Alliance immediately; they’d form strong defensive lines around the key fortresses.

“What do you plan to do about the northern nomadic tribes?”

“We will have to bring them.”

Kariel responded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The Chief of Golan, who had dreamed of northern unification, was also well aware that this was currently impossible.

Having witnessed the might of the Demon King firsthand and hearing news of Sandria’s great army approaching, he would have no choice but to make a decision.

“While the Eastern Allied Forces are present, we will send the northern nomadic tribes down south.”

Since the majority were a people living on horseback, moving quickly to the south posed no significant issues.

As they retreated south, the Eastern Allied Forces would also follow suit.

“Are we just going to wait until our forces can recover?”

At Talion’s question, Kariel shook his head.

“There are tribes in Sandria that are unhappy with this decision. We must recruit them.”

With that, Kariel planted the flag of the Human Alliance in parts of Sandria on the map of the East Continent.

He marked an area with about ten oases.

All were tribes with discontent against the current Emperor of Sandria, possessing their own fortifications.

“We will rally nearby tribes around these.”

The size of the Human Alliance that encompassed the southeastern region was considerable.

With Roman and Sandria joining forces, a vast alliance emerged, matching the size of Ignit who had unified the West Continent and the alliance of southern East Continent nations.

And equally vast was the land occupied by the demons, who had secured a harsh land.

“When viewed across the continent, it’s quite similar.”

Everyone nodded at Talion’s words.

“If truly finding the Hell Gate is the main goal…”

Would the demons simply allow Roman, who aligned with Sandria, to do as they pleased?

Something would surely push forward through the north onto Sandria’s desert.

“This area is likely to become a hotbed of conflict.”

The most rugged area of Sandria’s desert.

Famous as the land of death, a contentious region between the nomadic tribes and Sandria.

Should the nomadic tribes entirely retreat south due to the current situation, it would become completely uninhabited.

It was obvious that Sandria would begin investigating this area earnestly.

And the demons wouldn’t just sit idly by.

“Still, with us involved, it seems unlikely they will clash heavily.”

“I guess so.”

Kariel nodded in agreement with Talion’s statement.

“The real fight will happen when the ‘Hell Gate’ is revealed. That’s when the Human Alliance will need to act.”

The appearance of the Hell Gate would see the demons and Roman clash with all their life force, and that moment would be the timing for the Human Alliance to mobilize.

“We need to take the long view. This has already become a long-term war.”

Kariel commanded the commanders with this statement.

“Order a retreat to Balron. The region from the Giant’s Fortress to Balron is our territory. The remaining troops will clear the southern path.”

“Yes!”

At Kariel’s command, everyone bowed their heads and withdrew.

He had painted the big picture, and now it was up to the implementers to execute.

As soon as Kariel gave the command, Ignit’s main forces began preparations for their withdrawal. At the same time, they informed each allied nation of the current situation and sought their understanding.

With Sandria siding with Roman, the other allied nations recognized that maintaining the current situation would be challenging.

The issue lay with the nomadic tribes that had banded together around Golan.

“We can’t abandon this place!”

“How can we leave our home behind!”

Those opposing Ignit’s proposal.

“But can we really hold back the demons?”

“Above all, if the Eastern Allied Forces retreat, we will be surrounded by Roman and Sandria! Will we all die isolated?”

Those in favor of Ignit’s suggestion.

As the two sides clashed fiercely, the Chief of Golan found himself in deep contemplation.