Waver Velvet had such a dream.
He saw an army sweeping across the distant West, raising clouds of dust, and from the very beginning, no one dared to underestimate this invading force.
Long before this army arrived, rumors of its power had already swept across the entire Western continent like a gale.
In distant Greece, in a small country called Macedon, an unparalleled young monarch was born, and almost the moment he ascended the throne, his army swept across the entire Corinthian continent!
Iskandar—
Legend has it that his ambition even crossed the straits, attempting to lay claim to the great Persian Empire.
The brave warriors who devoted themselves to protecting their glorious homeland did not bow before the invaders.
The warriors, staking their military honor and dignity, met Iskandar's army in battle.
However, the high morale of the enemy army that appeared before them filled them with terror, making them tremble with fear.
It was not for the will of the gods, nor was it summoned by righteousness; it was merely to satisfy the conquering desires of a tyrant.
Why, then, did these soldiers possess such high morale and such magnificent fighting spirit?
Even these brave warriors, who fought to the death to protect their country, could not match them.
However, what truly shocked these defeated generals was not this.
The young Iskandar, standing before the captives, spoke like a mischievous child:
"What I want is not your country.
I will continue to advance eastward."
Did that mean his ambition even crossed the Iranian plateau, wanting to conquer distant India?
Seeing that the foreign subjects could not guess his intentions, the young king declared loudly:
"My goal is the end of the world!
My journey is to the farthest eastern frontier; I want to see Okeanos with my own eyes!
I want to leave my footprints on the sands of that endless sea!"
Naturally, not a single person believed his words, dismissing them as empty talk to conceal his true intentions.
But this man truly returned all ruling power of the occupied territories to the local nobles and continued his eastward conquest with his army.
Only then did the defeated generals, watching his retreating figure, finally understand that every word spoken by the young overlord was true.
He was merely advancing eastward, sweeping away anyone who stood in his path.
How pitiful were the soldiers who, for this sole reason, abandoned all glory and wealth, and left their homes to follow him.
At first, they also felt indignant and thought how miserable they were to have to fight for such a foolish reason.
But soon, having lost everything, they suddenly wondered: What could be seen behind that great mountain?
What could be seen beyond that sky?
Was exploring the unknown world not the dream that all men once had in their youth?
But as they aged, men who sought to consolidate their status and constantly climb higher abandoned their youthful dreams for the sake of illusory fame.
And now, this man shattered their current reason for existence overnight!
And once again ignited the dream they once yearned for in their hearts!
Finally understanding this, the men took up their weapons again.
They were no longer heroes, nor soldiers; they were merely the boys they once were, picking up their armor and weapons for the first time, chasing their eternal dream.
Their hearts, having regained courage and hope, beat violently, following the king's footsteps straight eastward towards the kingdom.
Thus, the army that embarked on the path of conquest for the king grew with each victory along the way, becoming increasingly mighty.
To others, they were an incredibly unlikely group of people: heroes who had been defeated, generals of vanquished armies, and even kings who had lost their thrones. Yet, all of them shared the same smile, their eyes gleamed with the same dream, and they walked together, shoulder to shoulder.
"Forward to Okeanos—!!!"
The men shouted in unison, pressing eastward, towards an even more distant east! Until, with their King, they would see the legendary shores.
The expedition continued endlessly, crossing scorching deserts, scaling cold snow-capped mountains, traversing raging rivers, driving away ferocious beasts, and engaging in numerous life-or-death struggles with the unknown weapons and tactics of Native they had never encountered before.
Countless soldiers died in foreign lands, their gazes fading as they watched the King's retreating back.
They vanished listening to the sound of the waves from the distant East, and even if they ultimately died on the battlefield, buried in a foreign land, their faces always bore a proud smile.
Soon, they would return to that dreamlike scene, the mist-shrouded coast they had once seen, where there was nothing but the ceaseless sound of waves crashing against the shore, an boundless, vast ocean.
They firmly believed this, a scene their King had described to them, yet one they had never seen with their own eyes in their lifetime.
Therefore, this was not a scene from their memories, but a vision they constantly yearned for in their valiant life of conquest.
As the dream of the Heroic Spirit's memory from that distant time and space ended, the sound of those waves seemed to echo in Waver's heart.
Just as Waver was still in a daze, half-asleep and half-awake, he was suddenly lifted by an irresistible large hand. A moment of earth-shattering dizziness forcefully shook away Waver's last bit of sleepiness.
"Hey, kid! Wake up quickly, someone has come to challenge us!"
The King of Conquerors' rough voice finally woke Waver from his spinning world. Still a bit disoriented, Waver mumbled distractedly:
"Who is it, Grandpa or Grandma?"
The King of Conquerors remained silent, his expression solemn, and pointed towards the window. Waver, puzzled, pulled open the curtains of the second-floor window, looked down through the transparent glass at the street below, and instantly, all of Waver's sleepiness vanished!
Her lustrous dark hair, shining in the bright sunlight, was styled into twin-tails behind her head. Her eyes were as clear as a jade lake, and her deep red attire, simple yet elegant, combined with a black knee-length skirt and stockings, added an infinite allure to the dignified, aloof flower of the high mountains. Upon seeing Waver in the window, she smiled gently at him and raised her arm to wave.
This action by Rin startled Waver, who tumbled backward with a "thump" and rolled back onto the bed.
"Ri, Rider! Berserker's Master is here to fight!"
Seeing his Master's flustered state, the King of Conquerors frowned in displeasure, then curled the corner of his mouth and said:
"Hey, I say, kid, is this all you're capable of? Since a formidable enemy has come, it's time for a full-scale battle. There's no time for you to panic. Let's go, kid:"
"Eh? Ah—!"
In a short while, the King of Conquerors, still wearing his grand strategy game T-shirt, and Waver opened the door and came out. The smiling King of Conquerors waved goodbye to the old couple on behalf of the crestfallen Waver.
"Have fun!"
The kind old couple smiled and admonished Waver. The happy King of Conquerors "gently" patted Waver's back, causing Waver to stumble and force a helpless, reluctant smile.
"Hi..."
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