An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

She was probably around twenty-five years old.

She possesses dignity, grace, and intelligence, a dreamlike beauty. Anyone would agree that the term "peerless beauty" was coined for her.

But──

"..."

Now, a shadow of melancholy covered that beautiful face. Her slender fingers frequently touched the necklace on her chest, as if to hide her uneasy heart.

"You are here indeed."

Suddenly a man's voice was heard.

The beauty was not particularly surprised and turned back gracefully.

"Lord Vachas."

"I told you there's no need to call a nobody like me an 'admirer'. Please just call me Bart."

The man shrugged with a wry smile. This carefree, even frivolous man was Bart Wachas, the deputy leader of the Liberator organization.

Yes, he was the man who, months ago, had received a regular email from the organization's leader, Meredith, and (mistakenly) believed that Meredith was showing off her boyfriend, so he angrily left a note and ran away! This top-ranking "Liberator" official, a man over 40, was truly jealous of a 14-year-old girl and embarked on a journey to find a partner! What a bad uncle.

The beautiful woman smiled at Bart.

The original impression of an icy beauty immediately collapsed, and she suddenly became more approachable.

Bart let out a "woosh," seeming quite shaken. A closer look revealed the tips of his ears were slightly red.

"Isn't it okay to show respect to the 'Knight Hunter'? Besides, we are currently at war with the Church."

"Ah~ How should I put it... I've defeated many knights, but none of them were great figures. I don't deserve this title..."

"You are also a cadre of the organization fighting against the Church."

"Well, that's exactly what's going on."

This vicious heretic, high on the wanted list and impossible even for the Church to ignore, now finds himself in a state of embarrassment and shame.

If Miley was there, she would definitely laugh and say, "No one wants to see a blushing and shy old man."

Perhaps he was aware of it, Bart coughed and tried to change the subject early on.

"Have you recovered from your fatigue?"

"Yes, that's all right."

"Then it's about time you return. The guards have been troubled lately by your disappearances, to the point where even outsiders like me are forced to search for you."

"Ah, it was Master Wachas who taught me the 'clever method of disappearance'. You should be praising my progress instead."

"...But every time you disappear, the people around me look at me more and more harshly."

The beautiful woman chuckled. In reality, she had almost no time to be alone, due to her background, her responsibilities, and her position.

Especially now, during wartime, she shoulders a heavy responsibility and a heavy burden. One could even say that when she falls, thousands and tens of thousands of lives will be lost.

Who is she? The answer is...

"I understand how you feel. You sometimes want to spend some time alone and relax—Her Majesty, the Queen of the Republic, Her Majesty Lutilis Hartrina."

The Great White Sea of ​​Trees, covering the eastern part of the continent, is always shrouded in a thick, pure white fog. It is both the homeland of the orcs and a sacred area, inviolable to both humans and demons.

She — Lutilis Hartena is the guardian of this sanctuary and the current King of Hartena.

"...Bart-sama can be quite mean sometimes."

Bart bowed respectfully, deliberately mentioning her title. Lutilis understood that Bart was deliberately retaliating against her because she refused to address him by name, and even used a nickname that even he himself was embarrassed about. Lutilis pouted in dissatisfaction. However, seeing the slight blush on her cheeks and the twitching of her ears, she might have been enjoying this conversation. Perhaps, for a queen, Bart's approachable demeanor was refreshing.

"Sorry, this seems to be a bad habit of mine."

Despite this, Bart showed no signs of remorse. Lutilis gave him a faint smile this time, then turned and left briskly.

Lutilis' bare feet made no sound as she stepped on the grass. It felt as if the forest vegetation remained silent for the queen, rather than silence. Or perhaps, to avoid hurting her feet, the vegetation pliantly absorbed her weight.

──She is like a forest spirit.

Bart followed behind like a bodyguard, holding such thoughts in his heart.

The queen is so mysterious and dreamy that just walking through the forest can make people think they are daydreaming.

Bart was originally a priest who worshipped the spirits that inhabited a vast lake in the Principality of Urdia. Although his entire clan and homeland were burned down by the church, he still cherishes and respects nature.

Perhaps it was because of this that Bart couldn't help but be drawn to Lutilis, a spirit-like being who seemed like the embodiment of nature in his heritage.

Just when he thought this...

"Master Bart, what are your thoughts on the future?"

Bart snapped back to his senses. Lutilis, walking ahead, simply stared straight ahead. No, she was looking toward the future. She was asking Bart what he thought of the upcoming war with the Church.

(Illustration 007)

Bart exerted force in his dantian, put on the expression of an organization cadre, and answered her from behind:

"As long as our leader arrives in time, we should be able to win."

"...You mean the Republic alone can't win? But as long as I'm here, the barrier of the sea of ​​trees is unbreakable. Previous battles and history have proven this."

"Your Majesty, do not underestimate the Church. Once they get serious..."

Lutilis stopped, turned around, and looked at Bart with a melancholy look.

"Besides Meredith and the others, there is no force that can stand against the Church. You will definitely be taken away."

“In that case—”

Lutilis was about to speak when she was interrupted by Bart.

"Don't be foolish. Surrendering is meaningless. No, surrendering will only make the situation worse."

"If we form an alliance with the Church, my power will be of benefit to the Church. Can't we also hope to end the war?"

"You will lose yourself then. In the name of God, you will easily abandon the things you should protect."

"...I won't lose myself so easily."

"Yes, of course you won't. You are powerful, so you will definitely be able to hold on for a long time. But you don't understand how despicable the church's methods are, and you don't know how dark those people are."

Lutilis turned her head away, her thin shoulders trembling slightly.

So Barth says it more forcefully:

"Please trust us, the Liberators."

"... Bart-sama."

"Our leader may be an annoying little brat, but she is our sun. She will surely illuminate your future, too."

"..."

Lutilis looked at Bart for a moment, then a weak smile appeared on her face.

Lutilis continued walking forward, and suddenly she asked:

"By the way, what does 'annoying little brat' mean?"

"She naturally pricks people's hearts and fan the flames with calculation."

"Oh, what a good leader."

Bart paused with a "Huh?" Lutilis also paused, asking, "What's wrong?"

The two looked at each other, feeling that the conversation had suddenly diverged...

"Your Majesty!! The Knights have appeared on the front lines! Please return!"

The young leopard man who was in charge of delivering the message jumped out from the thick fog.

Lutilis and Bart exchanged a glance, then immediately set off at full speed.

To go and resist the brutal Church of Holy Light.

Prequel 4 Chapter 1: War and Unexpected Reunion

──White battlefield plains.

Official documents clearly state that it is the territory of the Odion Federation, but in reality everyone knows that it is not the territory under the control of that country.

why?

The answer is simple. This is because the "White Battlefield Plains" refers to the border area running north and south of the "White Sea of ​​Trees."

To the west of the sea of ​​trees lies a vast plain, normally shrouded only by a thin layer of white mist that escapes from the trees, preventing particularly poor visibility. However, what's striking is that when the sea of ​​trees is engulfed in flames, the mist suddenly thickens, instantly coating the entire plain—for several kilometers to the north, south, and west—in white. This means that anyone attempting to attack the sea of ​​trees would first have to use this misty plain as their battlefield.

In the forest, visibility is only a few meters; in comparison, the visibility on the plains, which can barely reach 50 meters, is relatively good.

That being said, the white fog was clearly artificially created, so it couldn't simply be impairing the enemy's visibility within the sea of ​​trees.

“Fufu… Damn it!”

──White Battlefield Plains, South Side, Odion Federal Army 4th Division's area of ​​responsibility.

The young soldier cursed loudly.

From the other side of the white mist rang out angry roars and wails. The sounds of battle pounded against his ears like drums at close range. The soldier's heartbeat quickened involuntarily, and a cold sweat streamed down his face. The sweat threatened to flow into his eyes, forcing him to let go of his sword with one hand and roughly wipe it away. In that instant, the thief was gone.

"Kill!"

“Guaaaa!”

Facing the incoming sword, he was able to block it with his sword, probably thanks to his training, and thus narrowly avoided the tragedy of being beheaded. However, the impact of the sword was extremely strong...

The sword broke, an ominous sound echoed through his arm. Though he was still in midair, the young soldier knew for sure—his shoulder was dislocated. Before he could even see the revolving lantern, his body had already hit the ground. He felt the unpleasant sensation of his consciousness being shaken, and hearing the cries of his comrades, he spurred himself on.

“—Flame Bullet!”

The young man fell to the ground, extending his unharmed arm and firing a spell. His target was the enemy who, like a grotesque comedy, had now chopped his companion in half—an orc with tiger ears and a tiger tail, also a soldier of the Hartrina Republic Warrior Regiment.

Perhaps because they heard the young soldier's almost shouting chant, the tiger warrior's eyes met with the young soldier's for a moment.

The Khajiit warrior did not raise his sword to block, as if he was sure there was no need to do so.

"Asshole!"

The young soldier was still the one cursing. The fire bomb was indeed aimed at the tiger warrior, but it missed the mark significantly, passing right beside him. Just as the tiger warrior had predicted.

This is precisely the nature of the white fog, and it's also why the [White Great Forest] has long been an impenetrable sanctuary. It's the cognitive anomaly caused by the [Mist Barrier].

It's not just disorienting, but also deflecting long- and medium-range magic and arrows. As the fog thickens, the effect intensifies. Even in close combat, the moment a clear will intervenes, perception becomes distorted, rendering combat impossible.

However, only the residents of the forest are not affected at any time. Not only that, with the sharp five senses unique to the orcs, poor vision is not a problem for them at all.

It wasn't just the geographical advantage; anyone who crossed the sea of ​​trees would face a huge disadvantage. Furthermore, they had to face another nightmare-like anomaly.

"Damn invaders."

The tiger warrior cursed fiercely and rushed towards the young soldier, ready to give him the final blow. The young soldier had already prepared for death, but at this moment, help came.

"Don't underestimate us, bastard!"

"Captain!"

The leader of the young soldiers swung his battle axe, his huge body no less than that of the tiger warrior.

This commander was skilled in body-strengthening magic, and even in the Federation, where strength was paramount, he was a formidable figure nicknamed "Iron Arm." Furthermore, the moment before the Tigermen launched their attack was the moment when they were most vulnerable.

Thus, a powerful blow delivered with perfect timing threatened to split the tiger warrior in two, but...

"You owe me one!"

"how is this possible!"

Someone suddenly stepped between the tiger warrior and the squad leader, deftly taking the fatal blow. Surprisingly, it was a slender young cat-person girl.

The cat-girl crossed her swords and took the attack perfectly. Her slender body didn't waver, nor did she show any signs of bending under the opponent's force.

Although the Beastmen generally possessed greater physical capabilities than humans, even so, the Catmen were still considered to be nearly as strong as humans, so it was no wonder the team leader sounded so surprised.

And not only that…

"Drink!"

「!?」

A roar like a cannon blast echoed, and the plate armor plus her weight—a total weight exceeding 120 kilograms—easily floated in the air. The cat-man warrior sent the squad leader flying with a single kick.

"...No, that's impossible. What's going on? When did the beastmen become so strong?"