"…!"
"…!"
"…!"
In the spot where General Winter had disappeared, the beastmen of the Fury tribe, Herman and the Blue Hawks, who had helped capture the Blood Wolf King with Elric—everyone, without exception—were stunned by the miracle Elric had brought about.
Even the God of Camellias and Mephisto stared in astonishment, as if they couldn't believe what had happened.
The sight of General Winter vanishing was simply too shocking.
Especially for the beastmen.
The disaster that had ruled over the Black Snowfield as a symbol of terror for hundreds of years had completely vanished?
To them, it was as if an undeniable fact of life had been erased. For generations, since the time of their grandfathers' grandfathers, they had lived with the fixed belief in General Winter's existence, and now that belief had been shattered, shaking their entire worldview.
Of course, they couldn't be certain that everything was truly over yet.
The cold and darkness that General Winter had unleashed still lingered, covering Fury.
No one knew how that untamed power would act. In fact, because it was so unpredictable, it could lead to an even greater catastrophe. There was no way to foresee the extent of the potential disaster.
However, they all believed it would be temporary.
Once all of that had faded away, warm sunlight might finally shine down on the Black Snowfield. That thought seeped into everyone's minds.
They no longer had to live in constant fear, wondering when General Winter might appear again.
And...
Just as he had taken General Winter away, Elric had no intention of letting the untamed power roam unchecked.
After all, wasn't that power a part of General Winter? There was no reason to waste it.
"[Disperse]."
Elric then invoked a new command, the opposite of the word he had used to take in General Winter and her cold.
At that moment, the scent of winter flowers, which had been absorbed into the ice crystal within the flower temple, spread out all at once.
As the Seal of the Winter Wind activated, a breeze arose and scattered the fragrance in all directions.
Whoosh—
Whir! Whir! Whir!
The scent of the flowers spread not only throughout every corner of Fury, where the Blood Wolf King and General Winter had ravaged the land, but also far beyond its borders.
Then, as if it were a lie, the cold wind dissolved into a gentle breeze, and the darkness that had covered the world began to thin, cracking apart.
Through the cracks, sunlight seeped in, striking the ground.
The snow that had covered the ground quickly melted. It all turned to water, soaking the previously parched earth, and slowly, streams began to form, trickling through the land and intertwining like a web until they joined into small rivers.
The air was still chilly, but mixed with the floral scent, it no longer felt harsh or painful.
Instead, it was a refreshing coolness.
Spring Frost.
Winter had passed, and soon, spring would come.
As the last remnants of darkness shattered and disappeared, the Black Snowfield was finally bathed in clear, bright skies.
[Aah…!]
The God of Camellias gazed up at the blue sky, entranced for a long time.
It was the first time she had seen the sky since leaving the Winter Palace. The scent of flowers spreading everywhere filled her with joy and excitement.
Perhaps that was why.
Her eyes grew moist.
[Spring... has come.]
It felt as though the voice of Usdun Melvinger, who had once told her that his grandson would take away winter and bring spring, was echoing in her ears.
Back then, she had been skeptical, but she had tried it anyway, thinking there was nothing to lose.
Who would have thought it would actually work?
Drip.
A single tear rolled down her cheek. It was like dew on a flower.
Elric, noticing this, turned his head slightly to the side, pretending he hadn't seen it.
***
"L-Lord, the sky...!"
Neterre, who had been trying to secretly slip out of Fury with a small group of his most loyal subordinates, including the Spirit Fox Tribe, instinctively looked up at the sky when one of his men cried out.
Since the moment the Blood Wolf King fell, he had suspected that Fury had lost the battle.
That was why he had been trying to flee in hopes of finding a way to survive...!
"This… This can't be real!"
To Neterre, the fact that General Winter had been stopped was even more shocking than the fall of the Blood Wolf King.
Like the rest of his tribe, who had lived in the Black Snowfield for generations, he had always believed General Winter was an unstoppable disaster.
'If this is true, Fury is doomed...!'
Neterre concluded that the fall of General Winter would inevitably lead to the rise of Anthromorph.
He already knew that Melvinger and the humans had formed an alliance with Anthromorph.
In that case, he needed to flee even faster...!
"It seems like the Chieftain of the Spirit Fox Tribe is quite busy."
But just as Neterre was about to urge his men to hurry, he stopped in his tracks.
The people he least wanted to meet were standing in his way, smirking coldly.
King Velence stood before him, smiling, with many familiar faces around him.
These were the leaders of cities who had long shown hostility to Fury or had been biding their time to escape from its control.
It was clear that the rebellious forces had already united!
'They've already gathered...!'
For Neterre, this was an unwelcome situation.
He had expected it to take some time for Anthromorph to unite the cities, and his miscalculation had come back to bite him.
Was the young Tiger King that skilled, or was Fury's rule simply that unpopular?
Whatever the reason, it was certainly not a situation Neterre welcomed.
"I didn't expect such important people to come all this way in person."
Neterre, outwardly calm, quickly scanned his surroundings.
But every possible escape route had already been blocked by soldiers.
'Damn it! If only General Winter were still here...!'
His subordinates, looking at the enemy forces, seemed equally disheartened. They glanced nervously at Neterre, hoping for a solution.
But was there anything Neterre could do?
Even if they tried to fight their way out, the enemy outnumbered them by far.
For a moment, he considered taking the young Tiger King hostage, but with Prime Minister Norus standing right beside him, that seemed impossible.
"Your Highness, there's no need for this. I'm sure we can resolve many things through dialogue...!"
Realizing that the tide had completely turned, Neterre tried to express his intent to surrender.
"The ones who need that conversation are not me, but others."
King Velence cut him off mid-sentence.
He understood that many cities, which had long held grudges against Fury, needed a scapegoat to satisfy their anger.
And King Velence knew that to appease them, he needed to offer up a sacrifice right now.
So, he stepped back and nodded to the 21 city leaders who had been watching.
Swoosh!
The leaders, waiting for this moment, leaped toward Neterre and his group.
"Ah, no...!"
Neterre screamed in desperation, but his voice was soon drowned out.
Aaah!
Aaaah! Save me!
Their screams of agony echoed through the forest.
***
"Stay strong, Your Highness."
Prime Minister Norus patted King Velence on the shoulder as he turned away, unable to bear watching Neterre and his men die so gruesomely.
King Velence let out a deep sigh.
"Being a king... is not easy."
"You've done well, Your Highness. Don't worry too much."
Prime Minister Norus's words were not empty.
From the moment he began negotiating with the 21 city leaders, King Velence was no longer the naïve, inexperienced king he had once been.
The Tiger King.
He had shown the spirit of a ruler, with the fierce disposition of a tiger.
He had openly threatened the cities that hesitated to join the dispute with Fury, warning them they would face consequences in the new order.
When necessary, he had even ceded some of Anthromorph's economic interests to win their favor.
It was as if...
'He reminded me of Elric Melvinger.'
Seeing that side of the king made Prime Minister Norus feel proud.
Although it wasn't ideal for a king to admire or worship someone else, Prime Minister Norus considered Elric to be an exception.
'He is born to be a king.'
There were times when Elric's sharp judgment and keen insight had surprised even Prime Minister Norus, who had served as prime minister for many years.
Because of that...
Prime Minister Norus hoped that Anthromorph's revival would lead to a strong relationship with Melvinger in the future.
'Within the next five years, the fate of the continent and the Empire will likely be influenced by the actions of the Melvinger family. We must align ourselves with them.'
Even if Anthromorph managed to reestablish the Beastmen Alliance, the process of integration would take a considerable amount of time. King Velence also needed time to mature into adulthood.
'And even if time wasn't an issue, we can't afford to confront the modern Empire with just the Beastmen Alliance.'
Although Elric alone was already considered one of the top fighters in beastman society, Norus understood that relying solely on him would be dangerous.
–My level? Oh, I'm still far off. You'll find plenty of people in the magic academia who could outclass me. If you search through the Lion Duchy, the Inspection Bureau, and even beyond the Empire… Ugh, just thinking about it annoys me.
That was what Elric had said when Prime Minister Norus asked about his standing in the Empire.
At first, Norus thought it was an exaggeration, but now he knew there was not a single false word in what Elric had said.
–My master alone, even if my grandfather returned from the dead, wouldn't be able to guarantee a victory against him.
When Elric had said this, referring to Augustine, Norus had nearly fainted.
Up until then, Norus had regarded Augustine as little more than a sidekick to Elric, since he hadn't shown any remarkable feats. But hearing that had sent chills down his spine.
And even Augustine, Elric claimed, could not call himself the best in the current era.
To long for the past and challenge the great wall, as in the time of the Tiger King Yul, would surely lead to disaster.
'Back then, the gap wasn't this wide. But while we were isolated and fighting amongst ourselves in this small pond, the world developed rapidly… No, we regressed. If we are to close that gap in one leap, we must rise.'
For that, they needed Elric. And Elric, in turn, needed them.
That was the only way to establish a win-win relationship.
[The scent of flowers! Our fragrance is spreading!]
[Wow! General Winter is gone!]
[Elric did it!]
[Spring is here! Spring is coming!]
[It's so warm!]
While Prime Minister Norus had been lost in thought, the winter flower gods soared into the sky, shouting with joy.
With General Winter, who had suppressed the flowers, gone, the doors of the temple had opened, and the gods now spread blessings over the Black Snowfield.
The fragrance, which had begun to fade, grew stronger and more fragrant, and as the Spring Frost subsided, a gentle spring breeze began to blow.
Wildflowers bloomed one by one across the parched land, and as Prime Minister Norus watched the grass grow, he thought:
Just as spring had come to Anthromorph and the beastmen, it would come for them too.
[T/L: You can read ahead chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]