Chapter 411

"'Aichy's New Year's First News Summary'? So it wasn't written by the fairies? "

"It's a new journal jointly created by San Antonio, the Mage Country, and several other major countries. Just the number of copies sold in each country is astonishing. Whoever controls public opinion will have the right to speak. Nobody's an idiot these days. "

This morning, a Blue Dragon suddenly flew over the campsite. Apart from the invitation, there was also this journal in the gift bag it threw down.

Although it wasn't printed in color, the paper was excellent, the wording was exquisite, and the content was well illustrated.

"Let me see what important news it is that requires a high-speed delivery."

I immediately closed the journal the moment I flipped to the first page.

"Ultraman fighting against small monsters? Doesn't that sound a little wrong? "

The headlines already seemed ridiculous, but the silly cat scurried out from a corner.

"… Let me see, what Ultraman? It's obviously 'The Cloud Giants that vanished from the world have returned to the mortal world. In the battle between Bardi and the Holy Church, they viciously taught the dragons a lesson. Halent's army was forced to retreat after a bitter battle. 'Eh, Cloud Giants? There are actually Cloud Giants in the mortal plane. "

I had to say, that glowing giant really did seem like the legendary Ultraman, the Giant of Light. The dragons that were being beaten up by the Cloud Giants really did seem like small monsters that were shouting shameful lines.

Cloud Giants were one of the strongest subspecies of the giant species. They were known as the Titans' favored children. Cloud Giants were the tallest of all giants and had the most extravagant appearances. It was said that all of them were handsome men and beautiful women who wore extravagant clothing. They were also born with natural talent for controlling clouds and mist, and were skilled at learning Divine Arts. However, most people were known for their outstanding talent in art and music. Many majestic palaces were built by them, and bards would sing about their works and treat them as their teachers.

Of course, since the giants were also the most intelligent, they could produce mages, priests, and other combat job classes. They were also one of the few giants that were skilled at organizing and fighting in groups. Perhaps they weren't as skilled as the lava giants, who were skilled in martial arts, but a group of Cloud Giants would definitely be the scariest of all giants.

It had been a long time since anyone had seen Cloud Giants in the mortal plane. It was said that they had left the mortal plane in order to escape from the Curse of Stupidity. However, it seemed that these legendary peace-loving and art-loving giants had still made a decision under the summons of their ancestors.

"If it was a Cloud Giant, Halent's defeat would be understandable. Not only that, they were able to remotely control the outside world while sealed. We need to be even more vigilant against the Titans … "

But the most eye-catching part was a sentence written in red at the back of this article.

"PS: Legend has it that angels appeared in this battle. However, according to our investigations, they were only mercenaries from the Winged Tribe who voluntarily participated in this battle. The despicable Holy Church used these Winged Tribe members as angels in order to shake the Bardi warriors' resolve."

"Angels have appeared?"

"Yes, but didn't the higher-ups say that it's the Winged Tribe?"

Considering the political stance of this magazine — yep, since it was jointly published by the royalty, they naturally wouldn't go along with the Holy Church's wishes. If it said that the angels were the Winged Tribe, I felt that it was more likely that the angels were angels.

After all, the difference between the Winged Tribe and the angels was like the difference between a hen and a phoenix. The former were only humans that could fly, while the latter had an ancient bloodline comparable to dragons. It would be far too obvious if they fought on the battlefield.

Considering how angels had a high status in the hearts of ordinary humans in Aichy (they were extremely positive characters in all sorts of myths and legends, and also acted as the Gods' messengers), if angels really appeared on the Holy Church's side, it would naturally be a severe blow to the newly risen Church of Pure Holy Light. And if angels appeared on the Holy Church's side, it would also cause ordinary warriors to waver. Not to mention, angel warriors were generally quite strong in combat.

In that case, if the Holy Church's expeditionary army had the help of angels and Cloud Giants, Halent's defeat would be completely understandable.

"Are the enemies pure angels and art-loving Cloud Giants? We have so many undead and evil dragons on our side, as well as dark elves, evil Underground creatures, and greedy goblins. Why do I feel like we're the antagonists? "

"You just realized? The enemy faction has Cloud Giants and angels. I'm afraid that our morale will be affected. "

"… It doesn't matter. Race isn't a righteous reason, nor is it a reason to slaughter. Why should we be troubled by the opinions of those idiots?"

I wasn't worried about our side's morale. It was that a large portion of the angel tribe had already become the Order True Gods' subordinates. Since they were participating in a mortal battle, it was highly likely that some God had decided to interfere. And based on my understanding of the Holy Church's fanatics …

"When they feel that they've received the Gods' favor and feel that their actions represent the Gods' will, even the most vile actions will become holy. Even the most evil intentions will be viewed as the Gods' benevolence. Rather than believing in the logic of fanatics, it's better to believe that villains whose hands are covered in blood will voluntarily repent."

"Speak like a human."

"A great massacre and purge. Then, they'll confidently prepare to fight all the way to the Bardi capital. They'll furiously increase their troops and force other countries to join the Holy Light army. They'll escalate this small-scale battle into an Armageddon. I believe that they're capable of doing such a thing."

"… That's far too direct. But I have to say, the more I think about it, the more likely it seems. This is completely the Holy Church that we understand. If the Holy Church appears victorious and uses the name of the Holy Light to summon other major countries that believe in the Holy Light to participate in this battle, it might directly escalate into a world war. "

There were some things that Harloys didn't say out loud, but we all understood. Bardi was a mega empire, after all. Bardi had accumulated an astonishing amount of resources and wealth. It was obvious that Bardi was on the losing end of the war against Bardi. Those greedy predators now had a righteous excuse to attack Bardi. How could they possibly miss out on such a good opportunity?

I put down this journal and fell into a state of confusion. At the same time as the game's history, the entire world had entered the "Vulture of War" expansion pack. The elves and beastmen were at war, and the major countries were fighting each other for the sake of ambition. I originally thought that I had avoided the worst possible outcome, but I never expected that the game's history would be so unpredictable. I actually mysteriously returned to the beginning.

"… No, the situation has already changed. The Bardi Empire in the game's history is destined to be destroyed. No matter how it develops, the ending won't be any worse than this. Besides, it's only a local war right now. It might not come to that. I just need to hurry up … "

I opened up this journal again, intending to take a look at what else had happened recently.

* Thud! *

However, I only took a single glance before I dropped the journal on the ground. The second page of the Bardi Empire's battlefield contained even more infuriating news.

"San Antonio has declared war on the Foss Empire, Sai Wen Dukedom, and other countries. Both sides' Knight squadrons have already exchanged fire on the Sai Wen Dukedom's Yao Bear Plains. San Antonio has achieved a great victory."

I had an icy expression as I flipped to the next page. This only made me more and more annoyed.

"The Suolo Federation demands that the Kasola Kingdom hand over the Seal of the Sea God that they stole. Marshal Ben emphasizes that if the Kasola Kingdom continues to remain silent, the Suolo Federation will consider waging war to take back their national treasure."

"… New sea tribes and sea monsters have appeared on the Ottoman Empire's borders. Lady Storm's priests and priestesses have appeared on the battlefield. Organized Sea Giants have also joined the battle. The war between the Ottoman Empire and the Sea Tribe has escalated."

"… The Heen Kingdom of the Elves has announced that it will become the San Heen Empire. Moon Elf Queen Afina has declared herself the new Elven Empress. She also demands that all other Elven kingdoms submit to her. Sixteen Kingdoms of the Elves have declared their allegiance, and twenty-three kingdoms have declared war on the Elven Empire. The elven civil war has begun … Silly cat, don't tear! What am I supposed to see if you tear it?"

Boiling black mana began to boil on the silly cat's body. A screaming banshee shadow formed on the black cat's body. This was the first time I had ever seen Harloys so angry. It was evident that she was truly angry.

I wisely ignored Harloys, who was currently bristling with anger. From a certain standpoint, the reestablishment of the Gold Elf Empire would perhaps have new historical significance for ordinary elves. However, for a Gold Elf descendant like Harloys, this would be nothing more than a traitor wearing the crown that originally belonged to her. This was a deep-seated hatred that she would never forgive.

As I continued reading, I found many similar news articles. Some of them didn't seem very interesting, but if I really thought about them, they would be quite troublesome.

"Traces of gigantic insectoids have been discovered in the North Sea. These insectoids have incredibly high combat strength and are naturally resistant to magic. They are suspected to be an immemorial species."

"A large number of ogres have appeared in the San Anton Empire's Osaphilon region. There are many subspecies of ogres in the snowy plains, mountain cliffs, and forests. The San Anton Empire's government is warning all nearby residents to be on high alert. They'll be organizing a crusade soon."

So many troublesome things happened at the same time. This seemed like a coincidence, but it was actually a type of necessity. Now that the Holy War had begun, the ambitions that had been suppressed for thousands of years were finally unrestrained. Now that the winter had passed, it was time for the long-prepared plans to begin in spring. The ambitious individuals who had been prepared for this for a long time finally extended their tentacles, and the world of Aichy was now filled with many things.

I closed this magazine and glanced at the silly cat, who was still fuming with anger for no reason. Her ethereal shadow was constantly screaming while her physical body was glaring at the magazine. I shook my head. Some things seemed like I had let go of them, but they had always been in my heart. They were weaknesses that no one would be willing to touch. If anyone dared to touch the land in the Northlands, I would probably end up just like her. I would act like an injured beast, hide in a corner, and roar at everyone.

As for Harloys, perhaps the scars in her heart that she didn't want to be opened up the most was the elven crown that had originally belonged to the Gold Elves. How many generations of inheritance and how many former Gold Elves' glory had finally fallen from her hands?

The pain of losing her country? The pain of being betrayed by someone she trusted? The feeling of helplessness as she watched everything head towards Armageddon? Perhaps it was because we were both in the same boat and recalled the Mist Kingdom back in the day. Or perhaps it was because I simply didn't want to see anyone bully my pet, but I felt rather sad and displeased as I looked at this silent ethereal shadow. That was why I made this promise.

"Relax. As long as I'm here, no matter who it is, they'll never be able to easily wear this crown that belongs to the Gold Elves."