Episode 388
: “Hmm….” When
the old man with pure white hair and even white eyebrows, full of wrinkles, moaned, the servants who were guarding him stood up in surprise.
“You’re awake!”
“Tell me quickly!”
The surroundings become noisy in an instant.
The old man, who seemed to have just regained consciousness, stood up like lightning.
No, I tried to wake him up.
“Ugh!”
When the old man groaned as he half-raised his upper body due to the exhilarating pain, the one-eyed knight next to him hurriedly helped him up.
“Master, you shouldn’t overdo it yet.”
“…Where am I?”
“We are in the camp on our way back to the island. You have just woken up after three weeks. Please rest a little more, Your Excellency.”
“…regime? 3 weeks?”
Old man Tris had no choice but to react to the sensitive word even while grimacing from the pain spreading throughout her body.
“Due to the circumstances, we were unable to seek the cooperation of the priests. I am so glad that you have awakened now. Galen and the wizards of the magic corps are making efforts…”
Jerome, who was next to him, tried to explain something, but Tris held his hand. He lifted it up and prevented the explanation from becoming verbose.
“What about the war situation? If we return to the system, no way…”
“Yes. The war with the Holy Kingdom is over. His Majesty the Emperor himself declared so.”
“Huh…”
Jerome couldn’t say anything as he sighed with a complicated expression.
When the barracks was locked in silence.
A commotion was heard outside, and soon a sober-looking wizard entered the barracks.
“You’re awake, Your Excellency.”
“…Galen.”
“I was very worried. I was worried that I might lose His Excellency if things got this far….”
“Things got messed up? Please explain.”
“Yes. That is…”
A calm voice briefly explained the changed situation on the continent after the war.
“…That is how the Great Precepts began. So, put off your lingering regrets about the Holy Kingdom until later.”
It was only after Galen’s explanation was over that Tris’s eyes, which had been shaking, returned to their proper place.
“…I see. That’s better.”
“yes?”
“Galen, leave alone, and let the rest go out. I have a pressing matter to discuss.”
Jerome’s eyes wavered slightly at those words.
But the body has sins committed.
“Yes Master.”
He sighed inwardly at his teacher’s indifferent gaze, but quickly gathered up his servants and walked out of the barracks.
After everyone went outside, Tris drew a circle with her finger towards Galen.
Galen’s face hardened at that, and in an instant, he created a curtain of wind around him that controlled his voice.
“It looks like my lifespan is not long.”
Galen’s face hardened at Tris’s words.
“What do you mean…?”
“I guess the blow I got this time was too big. It could take about a year at most.”
“that…!”
Those words were a shock to Galen as well.
Of course, since he was seriously injured and unconscious for three weeks, it was understandable that he had suffered a great blow.
But isn’t it a sword spirit?
Triss smiled bitterly as she saw Galen unable to speak in shock.
“Yes. It’s a shame. Even then, we couldn’t occupy Noviense, so we don’t have the honor of seeing His Majesty.”
what a waste?
‘You…’
Do you think of your own life as just a tool for His Majesty?
Galen was unable to hide his stern expression in bewilderment, but Triss, who saw it, smiled.
“For now, keep this fact to yourself. I will report it directly to Your Majesty.”
“Your Excellency. What the hell…!”
Why are you doing this?
The mage, known for his arrogance, could never understand Tris. He could only wonder why one of the only two people in the world he recognized as his superior was so cruel to himself.
But those words could not come out of my mouth.
“Stop! Even if I hadn’t overexerted myself, I wouldn’t have lasted more than 10 years. It just went a little faster. Fortunately, I can burn the last flame.”
“….”
That’s not what I meant.
Galen could only put aside his frustration and sigh.
Seeing that, Tris calmly changed the topic.
“Where do you think the first target will be? Is it as planned?”
Galen nodded with a little difficulty at that calm voice.
“…Yes that’s right.”
“Yes, that’s right. Grandi… No, it’s McLane now. The country that that guy became king at that time…” ”
That’s right. It’s a kingdom that is presumptuously showing hostility to our empire. Well, what’s wrong with that? “I don’t know how meaningful it is.”
Galen’s words clearly reflected the way the nobles of the empire viewed McLane.
Tris also unconsciously nodded.
The only thing the emperor highly values is a talent named Logan McLane, known as the Sun of McLane. That was because of future possibilities, not because of current capabilities.
“I guess so. There are limits to what a small kingdom can do… No, just wait.”
Suddenly, the scene I saw in the last battle came to mind.
When that scene was added to the information he had previously known, it became something important that could not be overlooked.
“…Didn’t you say that there was a unique school of magic in that kingdom? One whose main weapon was a golem? I kept it in my memory because it was such an unusual story.”
“Ah yes. That’s right. It’s a transformation of earth magic. What was just a branch of applied magic has become a major school in a kingdom, so the magic power of McLane is…”
Galen didn’t feel the weight of those words. Lee answered with a grin.
On the contrary, Tris’ complexion became more serious.
“Could it be that the mage there is a young girl with blue hair and different eye colors?”
“…What do you mean?”
Galen tilted his head at the strange remark.
“One of the superhumans who suddenly appeared in the last battle used golem magic. It was not a magic doll that was created and given spells, but rather a golem magic that gave combat power by molding the bottom of the castle wall as is. Moreover, it was a girl who did not look like she was even an adult. ”
At those words, Galen’s eyes widened momentarily.
But soon he laughed.
It was that much nonsense.
“A girl? Not even an adult? What kind of nonsense is that? You must have seen it wrong…”
“Am I in battle?”
Tris’s eyes flashed sharply.
Words of common sense and swordsmanship.
Galen’s mind tilted toward the latter, and his expression also became serious.
“…I guess not. Even in this era, it was possible to reach the level of a mage before coming of age. Haha, what kind of monster is that…”
Galen muttered something completely different from the point he had made.
After that, incomprehensible words continued for a while, but Tris waited without complaining.
Soon, Galen, like a mage, quickly recovered from his surprise.
“…If you look at the uniqueness of magic, it seems that the kingdom’s school is correct, but I think we need to investigate just in case. No matter what your Excellency says, other people will have a hard time believing it.”
“Your Majesty will believe it. That is enough.”
“Yes. That’s true, but we need to confirm. Underestimating the enemy is dangerous, but overestimating it will also result in a waste of national power.”
“Yes. Let’s do that. However, we will have to make sure we investigate. All the new superhumans who appeared in Noviens seemed to be part of the group.”
“What do you mean…?”
“If that girl is from MacLine, it means that there are at least five more unknown superhumans in MacLine.”
“Hah… How on earth could that tiny kingdom…”
“If that’s really the case, you’ll have to completely re-evaluate McLane’s power. You don’t want to stumble over a rock in your first step toward rebellion.”
“I will report immediately.”
“Yes. And… what did His Majesty say he would do with the black snake? He’s not the kind of person who would just leave it alone just because he used it as an excuse.”
“That’s from the Special Investigation Department…”
A superhuman who stood up from his seat three weeks after the fierce battle between the Saints. The sword spirit, which had given itself a one-year life sentence, passionately began to burn its last days.
* * * Shield, a fortress built at the main point of the ‘Hunter’s Road’ in the northwest of McLane.
It was built for the purpose of stabilizing the security of the northern highway and protecting merchants, but in reality, the interior of the huge fortress contained only warehouses for storing food and weapons and lodgings for soldiers. The walls were also much thicker than regular castles, and the internal roads were designed to lead straight to the walls and gates.
Anyone who has entered the fortress can immediately tell that it was a castle built for war.
The elites of McLane’s 2nd Corps gathered at the fort for the war.
“insect!”
When Louis entered the commander’s office in the center of the fortress and saluted, the swordsman simply nodded and looked out the window.
The weapons installed and busy movements all over the wide walls of the castle were visible in a dizzying manner.
“How are the soldiers?”
“It’s inevitable to feel nervous as the current situation is current, but it’s not as bad as you think.”
“okay?”
“Yes. My condition has improved since I entered the fortress, so there are no major problems except for a few soldiers with a lot of energy causing an accident. Thanks to that, the atmosphere has actually gotten better.”
“Ah… I see. Hehe.”
A smile spread across the swordsman’s face.
The magic circle installed in the fortress is secret from the outside world.
The increase in vitality and stamina recovery rate of about 30% was an ambiguous figure that could be dismissed as a ‘condition’ issue unless the knights were quite confident in their body control.
“Morale goes up thanks to keeping the secret weapon secret. This is another unexpected result.”
“It’s a good thing for us.”
“Okay, whatever. What about the other side?”
“There’s nothing wrong. For now…”
There was no hesitation in Lewis’ answer.
War had already been planned for several years, and preparations were proceeding smoothly.
The 2nd and 3rd Corps will block Shield Fortress in the north and Armor Fortress in the south, and the 4th and 5th Corps will support the 1st Corps gathered around Kyle Castle in the center, which will be the largest battlefield, and send support to the north and south in case of emergency. One batch is basic.
When the signal for war goes up in earnest, more than 500,000 vigilantes will gather at key locations in various places with repeating crossbows.
Of course, the vigilantes could not be compared to regular soldiers, but it was assumed that the firepower derived from their numbers would be comparable to the power of one or two legions. In addition, it was a reliable weapon that could be expected to have even more power in a water-based battle where the crossbow’s effectiveness could be maximized.
“Good.”
“yes.”
“Keep training to a minimum, but maintain discipline. A war with the fate of the country is just around the corner.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And there is information from His Majesty, but for now, keep it to yourself.”
“Yes? What else is going on?”
“Even His Majesty said it was unexpected this time.”
“??”
“When the war begins, the temple priests will heal the soldiers in the fortress. For now, they will disguise themselves as a healer guild.”
“yes!?”
It was definitely an amazing story.
Under the pretense of not interfering in worldly conflicts, the temple did not provide assistance to any country or territory during times of war. However, he has conveyed his intention to break the unwritten rule that has been in place for hundreds of years for the sake of McLane.
They disguise themselves as a healer’s guild, but unless they only treat a select few, word will inevitably leak out. And it was certain that it would greatly shake the status of the temple, which had so far maintained its political neutrality.
“…why?”
It was a good thing, but Lewis, who didn’t know the reason, couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“They said it was because of a debt I owed earlier.”
“yes?”
“There is such a thing. Anyway, since that is the case, let’s leave the center of the barracks empty and conduct formation training. We will also select troops for security.”
A situation where an action to spoil the empire has come back as another major defeat.
There was no choice but a smile on the swordsman’s face.
And then.
– Your Excellency, this is an urgent report!
An urgent voice rang outside the door announcing the start of war.
