Published: July 4, 2025
Five days later.
Ryo and Abel were traveling while swaying on Andalusia and Feiwan.
"It's quick to depart after just five days," Ryo remarked.
"Well, they said the emperor had informed us before the wedding. They must have made quite a lot of preparations," Abel replied.
With an army of ten thousand soldiers moving, the length would be considerable.
They weren't crossing a plain.
Since it was a road leading from the imperial capital, it was quite wide, but it wasn't overly spacious either.
And what they were approaching was a bridge.
"Is this the Southern River Bridge?" Ryo asked.
"It's impressively large," Abel replied.
The massive suspension bridge, Southern River Bridge, spans over the Southern River, one of the two major rivers flowing north of the imperial capital, Darwei.
The river's width exceeds one kilometer.
Moreover, ships from the sea navigate upstream on the Southern River.
To avoid hindering that navigation, the bridge is only the Southern River Bridge and it is quite immense.
They had come down the Southern River to the imperial capital, and at that time, they had seen this huge suspension bridge from the river surface.
They were overwhelmed then as well...
"The view from the bridge is amazing," Ryo commented.
"Yeah, it’s beautiful," Abel agreed.
On the bridge, since it was a left-hand drive, the suppressive army that Ryo was a part of was staying to the left while crossing.
This allowed them to see the western scenery, which was indeed beautiful.
The plains seemed to stretch endlessly.
In between, the Southern River continued on, also seemingly endless.
The contrast made it feel like a painting.
"Looking at this scenery makes everything seem trivial," Ryo said.
"I understand what you mean," Abel replied.
Both of them swayed on their horses while taking in the sight.
Ryo and Abel were positioned just behind the main unit where Prince Lyun was located.
They weren't in the main unit because it seemed busy.
While on the march, they were gathering various information, so messengers and scouts were coming in and out.
They thought that being in such a place would just be a nuisance...
"Do you think we'll be targeted while marching? Considering it's monsters..." Ryo asked.
"I wouldn't know. I heard that phantoms are leading them... Deceitful ambushes like yours are probably commonplace," Abel teased.
"Why am I the one who does deceitful ambushes so regularly?" Ryo retorted.
"Just a guess. Don't take it to heart," Abel said.
"I care!"
Such conversations wouldn’t be possible if they were in the main unit.
"Even so, war is truly a sad thing," Ryo said.
"What are you suddenly talking about as we head to the battlefield?" Abel questioned.
"Even if we have no choice but to save the people… conflict creates nothing," Ryo stated.
"So, what should we do?" Abel asked.
"Of course, we should talk it out," Ryo confidently proclaimed in response to Abel's question.
"Monsters can't communicate, you know?" Abel pointed out.
"In that case, you say this: 'This is pointless with you, bring out your leader!'" Ryo suggested.
"…"
"And then, when the phantom appears, you tell them eloquently about the foolishness of conflict, the terror of violence, and the absurdity of Abel," Ryo continued.
"Hey..."
"This is the third act punchline," Ryo added.
"If I chop off heads and torsos, I could probably pull off Ryo's third act," Abel joked.
"Wh-what a terrifying thing to say!"
"The absurdity of Abel, right?" Ryo asked.
"Gah... I oppose the fear of oppressive violence!" Abel declared.
If it was a third act punchline, it would have worked.
As they joked around, a messenger approached from the main unit ahead.
"Your grace Duke Rondo, Prince Lyun is calling for you."
"Your highness, I have come at your call," Ryo replied.
"Ah, Duke Rondo, thank you for your presence," Prince Lyun responded.
Both Ryo and Prince Lyun greeted each other while on horseback.
Slowly but surely, the entire main unit was gathering while moving on horseback.
Originally, Ryo would not be considered particularly skilled at riding.