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A young man stood atop the still-smoldering fortress wall, facing the spring breeze as he surveyed the landscape.

“I can’t believe I’m standing here….”

His golden hair fluttered in the wind like the wheat fields, while his green eyes roamed the fortress with an expression of deep emotion.

A large man in robes, standing beside him, spoke softly.

“I told you it wouldn’t disappoint, Prince Yubel.”

Prince Yubel shook his head, looking at Repenhardt.

“Truly… When I heard the news last night, I couldn’t believe it.”

The news of Sinai Fortress’s fall reached Prince Yubel’s army immediately.

Before dispatching his troops, Repenhardt had sent messengers to other nobles, instructing them to send inspectors to verify their battle. He knew they wouldn’t believe the victory without their trusted subordinates witnessing it firsthand.

Though Repenhardt expected his request to be dismissed as unnecessary, the nobles surprisingly complied, each discreetly placing a few of their men around the fortress. They didn’t trust in Repenhardt’s victory but intended to gather evidence to claim the supplies if he failed and fled.

Their expectations were brutally shattered. That evening, all inspectors returned to Baron Delphina’s territory with dazed expressions. They would have dismissed Repenhardt’s message as nonsense, but their own loyal subordinates unanimously confirmed the fall of Sinai Fortress, leaving no room for doubt.

With faces like they had seen ghosts, Prince Yubel and the nobles departed Baron Delphina’s territory with their entire forces. The strategic value of Sinai Fortress was incomparable to Delphina’s territory. Controlling it was akin to holding a knife to the throat of the royal capital, Krotin. If the fall was true, relocating the main force was imperative. Despite their disbelief, they marched their entire army, and at dawn, they triumphantly entered the now-conquered Sinai Fortress.

“Even standing here, it still feels like a dream,” Yubel muttered, gazing at his banners fluttering atop the fortress towers. Around the fortress, soldiers were busy with post-battle clean-up.

Upon their entry, the first task for Prince Yubel’s army was ‘cleaning’. Corpses of Carsus’s soldiers lay strewn across the fortress, and with only two hundred allied troops, clearing them all was a daunting task. Repenhardt scratched his head and gave a wry smile.

“Sorry for the unkempt appearance. Managing and housing the prisoners with just two hundred people is quite overwhelming.”

Yubel burst into laughter.

“Haha, how could we make such valiant warriors handle the aftermath? Have they all been well-fed and rested?”

“They are all resting comfortably, Prince Yubel.”

Currently, the allied forces of different races were each taking rooms and recovering from their fatigue inside the large central building of the fortress. Yubel asked about this.

“What’s the reaction of the nobles?”

The building was originally used by the Knights of Fernando. The concern was that the nobles might not take well to having slave races occupying the luxurious rooms once used by knights.

Repenhardt shrugged his shoulders.

“They might be furious inside, but what can they do? They’ve done nothing, and the rooms were already assigned by the time we arrived at the fortress.”

Regardless of merit, the nobles who entered Sinai Fortress were not in a position to say anything to the different races.

They had been horrified upon entering the fortress and seeing the countless piles of corpses. Moreover, according to their subordinates, there were as many as five Aura Users among them. No matter how deep-seated their prejudices against slave races were, the reality was undeniable.

“Well, having witnessed their battle firsthand, they can’t really say anything.”

Yubel smirked. He spoke as if he had seen the battle of Sinai Fortress in person, which was indeed true.

Repenhardt had no intention of ending his ‘different races publicity strategy’ with just sending inspectors to the nobles. He knew well that humans only hear what they want to hear. So, he had recorded the entire battle using a relic from the Age of Silver.

The reason he stayed at the main camp was not only to avoid revealing himself but also because he needed to be in a position where he could see the entire battlefield. Using a video recording crystal, an artifact from the Age of Silver, he had recorded the battle from start to finish and showed it to the nobles as soon as Prince Yubel’s army arrived.

‘If you’re going to publicize, you must do it thoroughly.’

In that ‘screening’, all the nobles saw clearly.

The formidable power of the Dwarves, Orcs, and Elves, and the five streams of Aura soaring across the battlefield. Repenhardt didn’t forget to zoom in on the moment Kadamyte and Tetsvalt decided the victory. The vivid, magnified replay of the strongest knight of the Crovence Kingdom being beheaded was enough to terrify the nobles.

“By the way…”

Suddenly, Yubel glanced at the building where the different races were staying and continued to speak.

“It’s good to revel in the glory of victory, but for them to engage in such a battle with that number, their casualties must have been significant. What were the losses?”

“Seventeen Dwarven warriors and nine Orc warriors died. Fortunately, there were no casualties among the Elves, but they were all seriously injured. If you ask about the number of wounded, I would have to say all of them are injured.”

As it was, Sillan and the clerics of Redanti from Prince Yubel’s army were sweating profusely as they healed the wounded of the different races. The battle had been so brutal that many had sustained injuries beyond immediate recovery. Without the immense holy power of Sillan, the number of fatalities might have been much higher.

‘Ah, deciding to bring him along was the best decision of this life.’

At that moment, Yubel wore a bitter expression.

“Considering the enemy’s numbers, one might say it’s minor, but given their numbers, it’s indeed a significant loss.”

Watching Yubel lament earnestly, Repenhardt was impressed internally.

‘Oh? This guy is a much more competent prince than I thought?’

An ordinary prince wouldn’t have cared about such losses. It wasn’t just that he was soft-hearted and lamenting over a single life. Yubel was accurately assessing the strength of the different races, mourning the loss of renowned knights.

‘Honestly, I felt a bit guilty about backing him instead of Carsus…’

In the previous life, after becoming king, Carsus had ruled Crovence Kingdom as a wise and renowned ruler. Under his reign, the kingdom prospered, and the people lived in peace and wealth, praising him highly.

Replacing such a Carsus and attempting to enthrone the debauched Prince Yubel had pricked Repenhardt’s conscience. But seeing Yubel now, if not for his love for Finia, he seemed to have no reason to be slandered. Yubel was also wise, quick in judgment, and possessed the dignity of a prince who faced reality without arrogance.

‘Hmm, if both have the qualifications of a king, then supporting the one who matches my preference is the right choice.’

With a much lighter heart, Repenhardt bowed his head.

“Then, Prince Yubel, I will take my leave. There is much to be done.”

“Ah, indeed. I’ve kept a weary man for too long, go and rest.”

Repenhardt hadn’t done anything during the battle except commentate and record it. What fatigue? Smiling wryly, he descended from the wall.

* * *

The attitudes of the nobles had clearly changed. Repenhardt had kindly shown them the video, and since all that they saw matched the reports of their subordinates, how could they not believe?

Although the responses varied from person to person, at least among Prince Yubel’s forces, there were no longer any who called the different races incompetent.

The only problem was…

‘Even so, there are still some who talk nonsense like this.’

Repenhardt sighed inwardly as he looked at the thin man before him, Viscount Damon. The man was rubbing his hands together, speaking in a sly voice.

“Our family’s wealth is considerable. We can afford whatever price you name.”

Viscount Damon was currently proposing to buy the Dwarven Aura Users, Kadamyte and Malroid, from him. Despite witnessing the remarkable prowess of the different races, he remained stuck in his prejudices. He believed that their strength wasn’t due to their own capabilities but rather to Repenhardt’s extraordinary ability to command them.

“You are mistaken. They are not slaves. They are proud allies of ours. I have told you this repeatedly.”

“Sigh, you refuse again. Well, I suppose I wouldn’t want to exchange such beings for money either…”

Despite the repeated explanations, Viscount Damon still didn’t understand and thought Repenhardt was just being reluctant to part with valuable assets. Ending the conversation with him in the nicest way possible, Repenhardt heaved a deep sigh.

‘Ugh, I’d like to shut his mouth with a punch, but I can’t do that.’

Currently, Repenhardt was busy meeting with Yubel’s nobles. Having showcased the power of the different races, the next step was to strengthen relations with the humans to minimize any future betrayals.

Most of the nobles had attitudes similar to that of Viscount Damon. Although they praised Repenhardt’s skills, few genuinely acknowledged the different races. Some, upon hearing they were free, interpreted it as ‘wild’ and secretly attempted to capture and tame the warriors of the Dahnhaim tribe and the Blue Bear tribe. Of course, Repenhardt had anticipated this and prepared in advance, so these attempts ended with the nobles getting beaten up.

However, there were some nobles who sensed that something was different.

Inside the corridors of Sinai Fortress, two middle-aged men were walking together amiably. They were Baron Haron and Baron Galin. These two were merchant-turned-nobles from the Feonin family, and unlike the others, they were among the more enlightened ones.

“If he can interact with them, there’s no reason we can’t, is there?”

“But what kind of interaction can we have with mere slaves…”

“Even with the same material, a coarse item can be a chamber pot, while a masterpiece crafted by a skilled artisan can be a priceless porcelain.”

“That’s true. I still can’t fully accept that slave races can be like that, but we can’t ignore the reality before us.”

“For now, let’s observe a bit more. Anyway, the power they demonstrated is undeniably real.”

“Agreed.”

With that, the two men, reserving their judgment, headed to their quarters. As their footsteps faded down the corridor, a massive shadow emerged from the darkness on the opposite side. It was Repenhardt, who had been using detection magic to gauge the reactions of the nobles.

“At least, it wasn’t all in vain. Thankfully, there are some who understand.”

The war had just begun.

The exploits of the different races were only starting.

From now on, humans would fight shoulder to shoulder with them. Together, they would wield their swords as comrades.

“If that happens, my dream will come one step closer to reality.”