Chapter 165: Chapter 34: The War Begins!

The atmosphere was extremely oppressive. On the border area between the Empire and the Duchy, in this small town that served as the border line between the two nations, every patrol by the troops of both countries could potentially be the trigger for the start of a war at any time.

Although the Duchy had delivered the declaration of war, Isabella had already personally signed it… This time she indeed *personally* signed it.

“Ah, I’m back~”

Shara said this as he pushed open the door of the inn and casually sat on Heidlin’s bed. The young Governor reeked of alcohol, causing Heidlin, who was lying on the bed, to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

“Shara Elkaras! You went drinking again?!”

Heidlin scolded him. She had just removed her bandages a few days ago and was now lying in bed in plain clothes… The Governor should have a strong ability to recover, so it shouldn’t have taken her until now to recover.

However… she had taken a direct hit from the former Chief Governor, the strongest Governor, Yila Elkaras, with a move called “Wing Shattering,” and it was already quite good that she was able to recover at all, although Yila unleashed a torrential flood afterward.

“I thought you had already gotten used to it… First Wing Pillar*Demon Lord*Wing Spread!”

Shara said this as he yawned, the smell of alcohol disappearing instantly as flames ignited with his words… It was pretty hard for a Governor to get drunk, but alcohol made them more prone to emotional fluctuations.

Though it didn’t make them irritable, it certainly made them angrier than their usual calm and collected state, which was why most Governors didn’t have the habit of drinking.

“It’s really hard to imagine someone like you being a Governor.”

Heidlin, who had indeed started to get used to it, said this as she observed the state of the small town from the window. Bored, she said, “But this kind of life is really dull. Every day, besides three meals and reading, it’s just waiting quietly for the war to start.”

Shara indeed often went out of the inn to have some fun and brought back some books for Heidlin, while Heidlin had almost stayed in the inn since they received the mission and assembled here.

“Sigh~ I really want to kill monsters, no… I want to kill people…”

Heidlin said this as she leaned against the wall, looking at Shara’s pouting attitude. She shook her head and said calmly, “There’s no need for this attitude. Killing is the very meaning of a Governor’s existence, right?”

This statement was true. If a warrior sought to strengthen their body and pursued the ultimate strength, if a druid strived to communicate with nature to eventually converse with the World Tree, if a mage sought the mysteries of magic to understand the truths of the world, then a Governor…

…was purely for killing. Their sole reason for existence was to kill! Kill, kill, kill! They had no specific goal other than ensuring others couldn’t complete theirs.

“Indeed, compared to other professions, the reason for a Governor’s existence is killing, but you shouldn’t think that way…”

Shara Elkaras responded affirmatively, as he cracked his knuckles and said, “Didn’t Uncle Yila say? Getting too focused can lead to mutation.”

Yes, Yila did say that, but what else could a Governor do? Emotionally detached Governors were incredibly powerful war machines… Aside from killing, very few Governors could do anything else.

In terms of hobbies, there were quite a few, like cooking and reading…

“Yila himself didn’t manage that. He probably didn’t have any particular hobbies either, right?”

Heidlin said this as she recalled the chase that day, “But it was my fault for making Yila angry. I shouldn’t have pursued him that time… I wonder if he has shown any signs of mutation.”

In response, Shara shrugged, indicating he didn’t know either. He said, “Strictly speaking, Uncle Yila did have a personal hobby… like little girls.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Heidlin nodded in agreement.

Clearly, the people of the Empire had a significant misunderstanding about Yila’s hobbies, as they knew nothing about Yila’s *dreams* or aspirations. Not many had heard Yila’s stories.

Moreover, Yila had never formally refuted this with something like, “I don’t like little girls, grr grr grr, yea yea yea!” which helped spread the misunderstanding widely.

As the two of them engaged in this sporadic conversation, the sky suddenly darkened… No, it didn’t darken but instead a very bright light appeared in the distance.

“Swish~”

“Boom!”

A beam of light that illuminated the streets passed through the alleys, accompanied by a loud explosion… It was an Unnamed Fireball Technique, a spell most commonly mastered by mages. Even many non-mage magic profession practitioners might use it.

Clearly, if someone ignited this fuse at such a tense moment, the situation would become uncontrollable… and irreversible.

“It’s starting!”

Heidlin said, as she and Shara, who nodded in agreement, looked out the window. She stood up…

In their view, the streets outside suddenly became chaotic. Arrows and magic began to fly all over the place, and soldiers from both sides who quickly assembled started to clash.

The noise carried through, whether it was the sound of swords clashing or arrows flying, the sound of flames and frost cutting through the sky, or the quick cries of pain from the injured…

The once peaceful small town quickly turned into a battlefield…

“First Wing Pillar*Demon Lord*Wing Spread!”

“First Wing Pillar*Feathered Serpent*Wing Spread!”

With the voices of the two, different wings appeared behind them. They burst through the window and flew outside the inn. Their abrupt appearance caused a great commotion, making them the targets of many Duchy soldiers.

However, the arrows flying at them were blown away by a storm, and the magic was easily dodged…

“Shara, they are all humans…”

Responding to Heidlin’s words, Shara nodded as he looked down at the soldiers, saying, “Of course, the Duchy isn’t foolish. They wouldn’t send non-human troops to die, so…”

“So…”

Heidlin continued, her body surrounded by the storm symbolizing the *Feathered Serpent.* She said casually, “We might want to save our Wing Pillars; even so, I still want to say…”

Her subsequent words were drowned out by the sound of storms and flames.

…

Even so, Governors with *Seats* could still move freely. Although they couldn’t rely on their own might to change the entire battlefield’s situation, the long war had already made Governors a symbol–

“It’s Lord Shara and Lord Heidlin!!!”

“Ohhhhhhhh!!!!!!!”

“Awoooooooo!!!!!”