"Margaret, take a break…"
"No need, Aunt… I know my own limits. Besides, the date of the tournament is getting closer."
"Don't call me Aunt. Call me Sister… Though I have to admit, I didn't expect that stubborn Młynar to actually agree to let you compete. At first, I thought he was so angry he might try to break your legs just to stop you."
"Uh… I don't think Uncle would do that. Besides, didn't he just give me some guidance?"
"I was joking… Maria, why are you rushing over like that?"
"Sister! Aunt! Look at today's newspaper!"
"Don't disturb your sister's training. Honestly, what's the big dea—what?! That Ursus duke still dares to participate in the Major?"
___
Firewatch would never forget that day.
Her homeland lay within the border forests between Kazimierz and Ursus.
The Kazimierz guerrillas she had admired as a child were utterly powerless before the Ursus Shieldguards.
Even the finest among them, firing their crossbows, could only leave the faintest marks on those massive, heavy shields.
"Quick, run! Before the Ursus army arrives!"
But where could they go after leaving the forest?
Serve as "private soldiers" for those lofty knights?
Seize land from local residents?
Or, if fortunate enough, find a way to survive without harming others?
Firewatch did not know. She had never even considered such questions.
She did not want to leave the forest, nor her homeland.
So she joined the "Forest Ranger," an armed group formed by Kazimierz guerrillas, taking up a crossbow to resist the invaders.
But…
That army was led personally by the Ursus "god," Duke Kashchey.
It was in that war that the Phidia duke, wielding his scepter, displayed his overwhelming power, turning the battlefield into something like a cruel farce.
No, it was not a war.
It was merely a minor clash, as the Ursus Shieldguard Legion pursued the retreating Silverlance Pegasi and crushed any obstacles in their path.
Even such a "minor clash" was enough to bring Firewatch's homeland to complete ruin.
[Ursus Legion Occupies Part of Kazimierz Territory]
[No Casualties]
From that moment on, the Phidia duke was placed on the blacklist of nations.
___
"You damned Ursus bastards!"
The captured members of Forest Rangers roared in fury at the fully armored Shieldguards standing before them.
"I will never betray my comrades, my homeland… Kill me if you want!"
What they could not understand was how these heavily equipped, seemingly cumbersome Shieldguards had managed to locate the hidden snipers deep within the forest with such precision.
Were their detection devices truly that advanced?
"…"
The Ursus Shieldguards remained silent.
No matter how these defeated foes—no, these insignificant vermin they had casually captured—shouted and cursed, they gave no response.
No insults, no mockery, no persuasion.
They simply knocked the guerrillas unconscious, loaded them into their military transport vehicles, and advanced steadily forward, step by step.
Nothing could halt their march.
"Mom, I'm scared…"
"Shh…"
"…Forest Rangers have been completely wiped out? How is that possible?"
"Damn it, we ran too late."
"Am I going to die today?"
Fearful whispers spread through the crowd.
Seeing Forest Ranger members bound and displayed for all to see, along with the Ursus Shieldguards standing beside them like statues, the villagers trembled in terror.
Women and children sobbed softly. The young and strong shook uncontrollably. Those who had tried to resist were suppressed with ease from the very beginning, their weapons confiscated.
Yet, for some reason, the massacre they had expected never came.
Instead, escorted by the Shieldguards, a white-haired Phidia dressed in a uniform covered in medals, a scepter in hand, stepped into the square and forcibly gathered all the villagers.
Among them was a young gray-haired Elafia woman, hiding within the crowd, waiting for her chance.
After delivering a long and grandiose speech, the Phidia duke suddenly left the protection of the Shieldguards and walked straight into the crowd.
To the Elafia woman, this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.
She did not believe a single word from this Ursus Phidia officer about sparing them if they surrendered their weapons.
Surrendering meant becoming lambs to the slaughter.
So she decided to use his life as leverage, taking hostage what appeared to be a frail, command-type officer, and threatening the Ursus Shieldguards.
In a flash, she drew the dagger hidden on her and lunged at the unguarded, slender Phidia man.
This might be her only chance to save her homeland.
But reality proved far harsher than her hopes.
Just as she thought she was about to succeed, the slightly startled Phidia man simply withdrew his hand, then threw a punch.
With sheer force, he shattered the dagger in her hand, a blade purchased from a traveling merchant that could easily cut through an Originium creature's shell.
The blow did not stop there. His fist struck her face with crushing power, sending her flying dozens of meters before she slammed into a tree, embedding into its trunk.
She lost consciousness instantly.
___
"…Grandmaster, I don't understand. Why did that Black Snake spare those villagers back then? Wasn't he afraid of hidden threats among them?"
"That is precisely where the Black Snake's brilliance lies… Lemm, he did more than just spare their lives. He gave them books. However, all of them were written in Ursus."
"…You mean he intended to slowly erode them through culture, to make them develop a sense of identification with Ursus, and eventually become part of it?"
"Exactly."
"But the time frame is too short. The cost and return simply don't match."
"Lemm, have you forgotten the question I asked you at the beginning?"
"What does a nation mean to one who is long-lived… I see now."
"Oh? Then go on."
"As a long-lived being, he has the time to wait for the seeds he planted to bear fruit. And because he may outlast any nation, his sense of belonging to one is far weaker than ours."
"Heh… but in the end, these are only our speculations. What you need to know is that although Kazimierz harbors hatred toward Ursus, they hold little real resentment toward that duke."
"…"
"The seeds planted by that Black Snake have begun to bear fruit."