The Undefeated Flag

One of the symbols of the Imperial Emperor, and one of the three divine treasures possessed by humanity.

It was created in the early days of Arcadia, when it was still a confederation of tribal nations.

The flag, with its mixture of silver and black, is said to bear the image of the saber-toothed tiger, the symbol of Makairodous, the founding king who laid the foundations of the Empire and was known as the first ruler of Arcadia.

Originally a prince of the country of Arcad, he witnessed the devastation of his homeland by the Goddess of Life, and is said to have confided his sorrow to the Dragon's Priestess, the Goddess's representative.

What he wished for was for the Goddess to lift the curse, but once the Goddess's curse was cast, it could not be easily undone. And so, the Undefeated Flag was created.

……

Under the shimmering silver flag, the army led by its commander will never be broken, and will be reborn as a strong force that does not weaken in any situation.

And the entire army is said to move as smoothly as the commander's own limbs.

If the Crown of Immortality is the symbol of the ruler, this flag is the symbol of the commander who leads the army. Armies defeated under the Undefeated Flag are said to exist only in the ancient defeat of the Elf-Dwarf allied forces against the Darkness Army.

Of course, there are also those who mockingly call it the "Defeated Flag", but this is only a minority opinion.

The fact that it has experienced dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of battles, with only a single defeat, is evidence of its power.

In the long history of humanity, the Undefeated Flag, like the Crown of Immortality, has briefly disappeared from history. This is suspected to be the period when the Demon King, leading the Demon Clan, invaded the world, and the Demon King considered this flag a threat and stole it.

For the Demon King, who nearly subjugated all living beings on the planet, to consider it a threat, the power of this banner is not to be underestimated.

Humanity, the human army, will never be broken under this banner.

- From the Encyclopedia of Legendary Weapons

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The King of Makai grasped the banner and gave it a light swing.

The length of the spear-like shaft was lighter than he had expected, and a surprised expression crossed his face.

"This..."

"I made the shaft itself usable as a spear. And the banner itself is quite sturdy, so it should be able to block ordinary arrows."

Wrapping the banner around oneself could block arrows, though it would still hurt a bit.

"This strange aura... It's like the aura of a crown?"

"Crown?"

Could he be talking about the crown I had once given to humans?

"It's a hard-to-describe aura, but it feels familiar, like the crown I once held."

Ah, so he is talking about that crown. Since he was the prince of the country where that crown was passed down, it's natural for him to recognize it.

"You can sense the aura?"

"It's hard to explain, but it's a faint sensation, like a vague awareness. It's really difficult to describe..."

Hmm, he can sense the aura even though he's not a Mage or an elf or dragon born with innate magical powers. How curious.

"Are you sensing the mana?"

"Mana? You mean the power used by Mages?"

"Yes. If the crown you mentioned is the same as the one I know, it was created by a Dragon's Priestess like myself, so it may have a similar aura."

At my words, a hint of bewilderment flashed across the King of Makai's eyes.

"Excuse me, but... your age...are you perhaps..."

"Why are you suddenly asking about my age?!"

"No, it's just that... the crown has been passed down in my family for generations. So I find it hard to believe that a Dragon's Priestess created it."

What, he thinks this Dragon's Priestess created that crown? No, that's not quite right! I did create it, but it was in the distant past, when humans had just emerged from their primitive state!

"There are many Dragon's Priestesses, not just me. We are the representatives the Goddess sends to watch over the world, so there have been countless Dragon's Priestesses throughout history."

At my words, the King of Makai nodded slightly.

"Certainly. She is the one who appeared to choose the hero, so that can't be the case."

At those words, the hero gave a slightly awkward smile.

This guy... He knows my identity, so he's giving an ambiguous response...!

"Ahem. I shall also give you this along with the flag."

I cleared my throat lightly and then produced several books.

The Art of War, 36 Stratagems. A military treatise that explains 6 different strategies that can be used in 6 different situations, along with stories.

It was the military classic commonly known as the 36 Stratagems of Retreat.

Of course, I had modified the contents to suit this side a bit. I had also rewritten the idioms in plain language.

"This book contains the principles of moving armies. It would be good to refer to it when maneuvering troops."

"Ooh..."

The King of Makai looked at the book I had handed him with great interest.

In this era that doesn't even have the concept of military tactics, a book that explains strategies through various stories would be a valuable treasure.

And lastly,

"Take this as well."

"What is this...?"

I handed the King of Makai a large leather pouch.

Inside the pouch, which was about the size of a child, was,

"It's called a potato. It grows well even in barren land."

It was a sack full of the ultimate emergency food crop.

Of course, it has many downsides as well! But the potatoes I had modified grew faster and were more resistant to pests and diseases!

"Since it grows well even in poor soil, it will thrive in this land as well. If you utilize these potatoes properly, there will be no problem feeding your people."

"It's a peculiar fruit."

"It's not a fruit, but the root part of a plant. A shoot grows from the eye of the potato, and if you remove those and plant them, new roots will grow. But be sure to remove the sprouts, as they contain toxins."

There are also other issues, such as the high water content making them bulky and heavy to transport, and the labor-intensive harvesting process since they grow underground.

But, wouldn't it be better than having nothing to eat in this barren land?

And since you're a nomadic tribe, you can just plant them in sunny spots here and there, and harvest them as you move around!

"Anyway, I present you with this flag, the military treatise, and the potatoes. I hope they will help alleviate the sorrow of Arcad."

Hmm, maybe I should just go find that second prince who's still running around and suffering, and force him to apologize...?

Lately, it seems he's been getting thoroughly tormented, as if rejected by nature itself... Hmm...

I'll try to find an opportunity to go look for him with the hero later.

"Thank you. So The Goddess of Life was not just a cruel deity."

"Uh huh, that was the fool's fault first."

And I didn't know he would be wandering for decades!

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"Hmm? What are those?"

"Oh, you're back. Did you bring a lot of meat?"

The retainer who entered the tent showed the large piece of meat he was holding to the King of Makai.

"I paid a good price for it. Phillio chose the best cuts."

"What? Then where's my money?!"

"Who cares, it's the king's pocket money. Anyway, what's with the flag?"

At the retainer's words, the King of Makai laughed like a child and said,

"Isn't it magnificent? The Dragon's Priestess made it for me."

"Indeed... You're still like a child. The Dragon's Priestess shouldn't just indulge all the tantrums of this grown-up. If you keep giving in, the demands will never end. Your mind is still that of a child, you know..."

"Aha ha."

I could only chuckle softly.

Is he also hiding his true nature from this close retainer? Or does he become childlike in front of this elderly retainer?

Either way, it was intriguing.

"Alright. Give the meat to the lady. Also tell her to prepare to receive an honored guest."

"Wouldn't it be better if you told her that directly?"

At the retainer's words, the King of Makai's face hardened slightly.

"But... the lady is secretly quite scary. Maybe because she's half-human... Especially at night..."

"I don't want to know about your personal affairs. And please call her the queen, not some strange title like 'lady'. The children are using 'lady' instead of 'queen' because you keep calling her that."

"Isn't it fun?"

"It's not fun."

Hmm. Is the queen a beastman?

Well, she did use the crown as collateral to save this land, but it couldn't have been easy to have good relations with the tribes that were already living here.

In such a situation, the simplest solution would be a marriage alliance.

"My wife is pretty, kind, and good at housework, but the problem is that she is scary. Ugh..."

"What are you saying in front of our guest?!"

As the retainer shouted, the hero covered my ear.

"Then I shall guide the guests to the visitors' tent and convey the message to the queen. Don't get too absorbed in work and come at the proper time."

"Un. I'll leave it to you."

"Well then, this way, you two."

And so we were guided by the retainer to another tent.

With that, we were escorted to another tent by the retainer.

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"What a surprise, being able to meet the renowned hero. How surprising."

The wife of the King of Makai was, as expected, a beastman with the features of a horse, with only horse-like ears and a tail.

Hmm, there are centaur-like horse beastmen and horse-girl type beastmen as well... The range is quite broad.

"And the hero is such a cute person. I heard he was a huge monster who could defeat anything with a single blow. My, my."

But why is she mistaking me for the hero?

"I'm sorry, but the hero is over there. I am the Dragon's Priestess."

"Eh? This one is the hero? Hmm, well. But he seems much weaker than you?"

Hm?

"Doesn't the Dragon's Priestess seem much stronger than the hero? Is that just my imagination?"

Ah, well... It's not an imagination. I am indeed stronger than the hero.

But to see through it so quickly, is this some kind of animal instinct?

"And... you have such a cute companion as well. My, my. But my hands are not for eating, so you can't lick them even if you want to eat them."

A horse beastman being licked by the beast god, where has the dignity of a god gone? Even though you are a beast.