SHK CH 539: CLOSING THE NET (Patreon)

Still at Wratharis, but on the side of the temple, Kuki watched somberly as people came and prayed for the souls of the dead soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the war and glory of Wratharis.

Kiku was old. Not as old as some of the other supreme daughters but she had lived a very long life. Her heritage as a half-divine beast helped tremendously.

She had seen many wars and observed many such processions. Listened to the heart-wrenching cries of the family and friends who were left behind again, again and again, giving promise that the dead would have a better life in the Kingdoms of the goddesses even though she knew that only a very small percentage would actually be chosen while the rest of the soul would simply enter back the cycle of reincarnation.

Some of them may even be unlucky and fall into Anubis’ territory.

Despite all those years and all the experience she obtained, it never became easier.

“Am I too sentimatale?”

She stopped looking down below and gazed at her old friend who was quietly drinking alcohol with a bowl nearly as large as her head.

“It’s only now you notice this?”

Shuten Douji gave a sneer as she put the bowl back. She knew her friend was uneasy. This was understandable. Kiku had a fierce loyalty and love toward this country and its citizens.

She was a woman who had always been firmly against war and the arguments she gave were not simply filled with idealism.

Wratharis was a republic composed of one mainland and many small islands all around surrounded by the sea. It could be said that the economy of this country, outside of some metallurgy was very efficient and rich in resources.

Wratharis was nearly self-sufficient with more than enough lands, low populations, and booming technology.

In the past, she had drafted a self-isolation plan with the previous King of Wratharis that would have allowed Wratharis to grow exponentially in a few years rather than constantly wasting resources while fighting against Invidia and Southern Pride.

Now though. She could feel that the country was facing its greatest tide yet.

“I hope the next Queen will not be a warmonger.”

Kiku lamented. She was already sure that Setsuna would take the throne. Not because of this war. But because this would be destiny.

She could see the signs and those signs were telling her that Lupus’ luck was slowly dying out and being absorbed by his successor.

In all the history of the seven Kingdoms, Whenever a new Blessed defied an old one for Power — 8 out of 10, the newcomer would win. The same thing happened to the previous King.

He has more power. More support and he even fought alongside his wife. Yet he still lost. This was destiny. This was Fate.

Would Lupus manage to be part of the 20% who did not lose? She did not know. But she seriously doubted it.

‘Well, this is for the future.’

“What do you think of the current situation.”

“A trap.”

Shuten snorted disdainfully. She didn’t even need to make her brain work. Looking at a floating holographic map, she pointed at the different battlefronts and chuckled,

“All our so-called wins were at the price of much death and we only managed to occupy technically good but not really useful. Meanwhile, in the main battlefront, while Lustburg shows signs of weakness, the situation is more of a stalemate.”

She spoke with admiration,

“The young girl in charge. Was her name Athena? Even though she is not a Duke yet, I won’t be surprised if she becomes one. She is a genius from the reports I have seen and she is one of the reasons this subtle balance exists.”

Kiku looked up. In her mind, she didn’t really see how it was obvious that it was a trap. Lustburg had never really won against Wratharis without the help of the powerhouse.

When it came to ground soldiers, defeat was always a given for humans and this trend would continue until higher-ranked Dukes would take the field.

The current situation was not that different in her eyes. But she did not contradict Shouten.

Her friend was professional when it came to intrigue and if she said that there was a trap then she would believe her one hundred percent.

“I guess I should be happy. I was starting to think that our secret alliance would be a joke if Lustburg ended up losing.”

“Heh…”

Shuten did not bother commenting and simply looked at the map. In her eyes, the whole situation was indeed normal. As normal as any war.

But this was because of this normality that she was all the more sure it was a trap. Everything was too uniform. Too clean.

There was no unexpected chaos. The situation flowed as it should with absolutely no deviations. It was as if a maestro was conducting a symphony and directing everyone to move to his tune.

‘How insidious.’

She didn’t know who on Lustburg was making this plan but that person was very insidious. Not necessarily smart but had a vision of the battlefield that was unmatched.

‘A seer?’

This was dubious. Lustburg had never brought a seer up in history. But who knew? This wasn’t impossible.

“Leader”

Her musing was interrupted and her ears twitched, she was receiving and decyphering a coded message.

She immediately recognized it as a message from her liaison with Lustburg. It seemed to be quite important as it was sent on the highest level with code only known by two people.

In the end — The more she deciphered, the more complicated her gaze became.

[Make your subordinate Leave. Soon, blood will truly fall.]

It was a simple yet domineering message. But She did not look down on it.

If her previous deduction had been right and it had indeed been a trap that was being organized, it seemed that —

“ — The hunter is ready to pull the trigger.”

She sighed and stood up.

“Shuten?”

“The war is about to climb a crescendo.”

Her voice was grim. Now serious things were starting.