Chapter 134

Crossed Paths

In truth, there was no reason for the Arken Empire to be caught off guard.

According to Olivia, they had already cataloged the monsters' exact numbers and classifications.

They had long known that the colossal monster that had suddenly appeared was spawning more monsters.

Naturally, they also understood that the growing horde would eventually become a threat.

As the numbers swelled to twenty thousand, they were undoubtedly busy calculating how to exploit the situation for political gain.

But there was one thing neither the Empire nor the Grand Duchy alliance had foreseen.

Who would have imagined that, after surrounding the Grand Duchy, the monsters would march on the Empire first?

"Explain yourself! Why are those things heading toward us?!"

Ferda answered simply.

"We don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?! Use your common sense! In a situation like this, they should be attacking you, not us!"

The voice shrieking through the communication crystal sounded like a child throwing a tantrum because someone refused to buy him a toy.

Setting the crisis aside, Ferda couldn't deny how amusing it was that their fortunes had suddenly reversed.

He calmly explained their own situation.

"It may sound irresponsible, but we prepared exclusively for a defensive battle. We've drafted more than twenty different siege-defense scenarios, and Count Consilus had already resolved to lay down his life."

"What does that have to do with us?!"

"You asked why they're heading toward your side. I merely answered that we don't know."

"So you're saying you bear no responsibility?!"

Ferda honestly couldn't understand what more the Crown Prince expected.

Did he want him to bow his head and grovel until he was satisfied?

Ferda was far better at making other people bow than lowering his own head.

He was tempted to curse him outright.

But Olivia, who had been listening nearby, lightly tapped his shoulder.

When he turned, she smiled with her eyes and discreetly touched the communication crystal.

The volume increased until the conversation echoed throughout the entire strategy room.

Silently, she mouthed two words.

Go on the offensive.

***

"I don't understand why you're so angry. Weren't you already preparing reinforcements for us? Then simply use those troops to defend your territory—or launch a campaign of extermination. Why are you directing your anger at me?"

"If the Far East fails to stop the monsters pouring out of the Demonic Wasteland, isn't that a failure to secure the frontier?! And after failing in your duty, you still dare act as though you've done nothing wrong?!"

The raised voice startled the assembled officers, all of whom turned toward Ferda.

"How were we supposed to respond instantly to a colossal monster that appeared out of nowhere? That's precisely why we requested reinforcements from the Empire. Weren't we told it would take two months?"

"That's our problem! I'm talking about the Far East's duty!"

The Far East's duty was to eliminate monsters pouring out of the Demonic Wasteland.

But that only applied when they arrived by conventional means.

No one could stop monsters created through magic.

"Dealing with creatures of that size is the Grand Duke's responsibility! He had the power to eliminate them! The ones who neglected their duty weren't us—it was the Grand Duchy!"

"So you're saying we should have abandoned everything here, even if it meant watching our entire territory be destroyed?"

"I simply cannot understand abandoning your duty just to protect that worthless little village!"

A worthless little village.

Ferda unconsciously bit his lower lip.

If he opened his mouth now...

he had no idea what kind of insults would come pouring out.

Then...

he felt something soft like silk brush against his hand.

It was Olivia.

Beneath the table, she quietly squeezed his hand.

As though telling him to calm down.

Remarkably...

that single touch pulled him back from the edge of his anger.

Everyone present was listening to the conversation anyway.

Ferda looked around the room.

Judging by their expressions...

not a single one was siding with the childish voice demanding its toy.

"Tell the Grand Duke to fulfill his duty immediately! Otherwise—"

"Otherwise what?"

Alexander fell silent.

Even through the communication crystal, murderous intent could be felt.

"Then someone will have to answer for this! And not just politically! Even now, there are countless people who suspect you're collaborating with the demons!"

Collaborating with the demons.

So...

they had finally resorted to that.

Ferda was about to tell him to try it if he dared—

when Olivia suddenly interrupted.

"Brother, mind your language."

"W-Who's there?!"

"Who else calls the Crown Prince 'Brother'?"

"Olivia? Why are you...?"

Alexander was completely caught off guard by the sudden sound of her voice.

Grinning mischievously, Olivia said,

"You know what they say—walls have ears. Though in this case... it's birds by day and mice by night. You have no idea how many little birds are listening to everything you're saying."

"W-What?!"

Alexander practically screamed.

The entire staff had heard every word exchanged with the Crown Prince.

Expressions of disbelief spread across the room.

But when they heard him accuse Ferda of colluding with demons...

disbelief turned into hostility.

Alexander stammered.

"R-Regent...! You set a trap for me?!"

"I merely held a conversation. You're the one who lost your temper."

"Y-You..."

"If you'd asked to speak with me privately, I would have gladly agreed. But you began shouting from the outset, leaving me no chance to suggest it. How was I supposed to know things would turn out like this?"

The tantrum-throwing child had disappeared.

Only the strangled squeals of a pig hanging from the gallows remained.

***

Olivia decided to make matters even worse.

"Everyone gathered here has followed us because they believe in their own honor. Yet you casually imply they're all little more than accomplices of the demons. Don't you think that's rather insulting?"

"N-No, I meant Regent Ferda might be capable of something like that. I wasn't talking about everyone else..."

"Oh? Really? Because we all heard what you said. You lumped everyone together, questioned their honor, and even accused them of responding too slowly. Frankly, I think this warrants an official protest."

Smiling triumphantly, Olivia continued.

"The Empire's Crown Prince picked a pointless fight just to bring the Far East under his thumb... and this is the result."

Though Alexander couldn't see her expression through the crystal, it was as though he could.

His voice rose another octave.

"You're the Empire's Princess! What are you doing involving yourself in something like this?! What if you get hurt?! Go back to your room and think about your own safety! Regent, send that girl away immediately!"

So now that he was losing...

he simply wanted her removed from the conversation.

"That might be true if she were here merely as a princess."

"And what's different now?"

"At present, she serves as Chief Strategist of the Far Eastern Allied Command."

"W-What?! Why?!"

"Because everyone here recognized her abilities and chose her."

Silence.

Alexander's thoughts were undoubtedly in complete disarray.

If he blurted out 'Since when was that girl competent?'...

everyone would immediately ask whether he meant all the other young nobles were incompetent instead.

Cornered, Alexander chose the only option left.

He hung up.

The communication crystal dimmed.

Looking at it, Olivia calmly remarked,

"It seems the mage on the other end made a mistake."

She laughed softly and let the matter pass.

But the officers couldn't hide their troubled expressions after witnessing the uncomfortable truth.

"I'd heard the Crown Prince was an incompetent man obsessed with showing off, but I never imagined he was that bad."

"When we asked for help, he told us to wait two months. But now he expects us to move immediately? That's absurd."

The staff quickly turned their frustration toward the Crown Prince.

Olivia allowed the criticism to build morale and strengthen unity—but only enough.

Then she raised a hand.

"My brother's mistakes are his own. Regardless, we must find a new path forward. Like it or not, this Grand Duchy remains part of the Empire's territory. That means we also have a duty to respond to threats within the Empire."

"Yes."

A map of the continent lay spread across the table.

Olivia rotated every monster marker on it to face the opposite direction.

"As you can see, the monsters are advancing toward the Empire."

She smiled.

"Which means... instead of waiting for them to attack us, we've been given an opportunity to strike first."

"Are we really the ones who have to attack?"

One officer couldn't hide his disbelief.

Defending the Grand Duchy alone was already an enormous burden.

Launching an offensive instead sounded almost insane.

The other staff officers looked at him as though he had asked the most foolish question imaginable.

Olivia merely smiled.

"On the contrary, now is the perfect opportunity. You said every one of their forces is marching toward the Empire, correct?"

"That's right."

"Which means the enemy's main nest is at its weakest."

The colossal monsters they had identified possessed no means of defending themselves.

Their only ability was reproduction.

They existed solely to mass-produce monsters.

If they had already spawned their offspring and sent them away...

what would remain?

Nothing.

Moreover, reproduction itself consumed their vitality.

Even for monsters, dividing their life force among countless offspring left them in an extraordinarily weakened state.

Striking an enemy at its weakest was the most fundamental principle of warfare.

The officer who had questioned the plan withdrew his objection with an embarrassed expression.

Olivia continued.

"Why did both the Empire and we assume the monsters would attack us first?"

"Because once they established the encirclement, we were the closer target."

"Exactly. Under normal circumstances, that would have been the correct strategy."

A glance at the map made it obvious.

The distance to the Empire was nearly three times farther than the distance to Hestia Village.

"We estimated it would take them two days to reach us. That means they'll need roughly six or seven days to reach the Imperial Capital. So we'll wait two days before beginning our advance."

Their own march would also take two days.

By then, the enemy army would already be well underway.

Timing-wise, the two forces would meet slightly beyond the halfway point.

Once that happened...

the monsters would have a difficult time turning back.

"By then, we'll reach the midpoint. While they're unable to retreat quickly, we'll strike their empty nest."

"So the Empire will already be under attack."

"The Empire has nothing to worry about. If it can't even withstand an assault of this scale, then it hardly deserves to be called an empire."

The Arken Empire had concentrated virtually all of its strength around the Imperial Capital.

Compared to Count Consilus's fortress—the Far East's final stronghold—it possessed magical defenses and military forces dozens of times greater.

There was little cause for concern.

***

"Assuming we can reach the colossal monsters... how exactly do we kill them? I've heard their anatomy is completely different from ordinary monsters."

"I've read that their skin is far tougher and their muscles far denser. I doubt ordinary spells would even scratch them."

"I'll answer that."

The Platinum-ranked adventurer, Eri, stepped forward.

"Just as humans die when their hearts are destroyed, monsters die when they lose theirs. Junk Mana's greatest weakness is pure mana. In other words, if you detonate enough pure mana inside the heart to destroy it, the monster will die."

"How much mana would that require?"

"A Fifth-Tier spell—Supernova—should do the job. I... experimented with it long ago."

She quickly corrected herself.

"I mean... I read about it in some old records."

If Fourth Circle possessed Magic Blast...

then Fifth Circle possessed Supernova.

A spell devoted entirely to destructive force.

More importantly, it consisted of pure, attribute-less mana itself.

To creatures for whom pure mana was effectively poison...

it was the perfect weapon.

"I've heard their skin is as hard as stone. Can a single Supernova really finish one off?"

"That's why we'll need our elite knights. They'll use Aura to carve through the monster's flesh and create an opening. Once they've pierced deeply enough for the internal organs to be exposed, the inside becomes as fragile as a human body. Cast Supernova directly into that opening... and it'll die."

"The method makes sense... but there's another problem. Do any of our mages even know Supernova?"

"If they don't, I can teach them. If they aren't interested in learning, I can simply prepare a magic circle for them. All they'd need to do is supply mana."

Naturally...

every mage would want to learn.

Who would refuse a chance to learn a Fifth-Tier spell from a renowned Platinum-ranked adventurer and high-ranking mage?

"How many Fifth Circle mages do we have?"

"Counting Count Consilus's territory, we've identified five."

"Administrator Isabella is Fifth Circle as well."

"Then we have six."

Eri once again displayed her suspiciously thorough knowledge of another household.

There were twelve colossal monsters altogether.

With six Fifth Circle mages...

they could eliminate six simultaneously.

"So destroying them all within two days would be overly optimistic."

"Yes. Considering marching time and everything else, even under ideal conditions it'll take at least four days."

Four days...

If only there were some revolutionary way to shorten that.

Ferda quietly glanced toward Luri.

Noticing his gaze, she looked back.

Her icy stare said everything before she even spoke.

I'm not your shuttle service.

"I can't promise victory," Ferda said, "but we can't simply stand by and do nothing."

If an opportunity to eliminate them existed...

they had to seize it.

"If anyone objects, I'd like to hear your opinion."

As expected...

not a single person spoke.

Just to be certain, Ferda contacted Count Consilus and explained the operation.

The Count's answer was brief.

"As you wish, Your Highness."

And so...

the offensive was approved.

As the officers departed to relay the orders,

Ferda stopped Erika.

"Captain Eri."

She turned toward him.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble... may I ask you for one favor?"

They stood in the castle's training grounds.

Luri had already erected a barrier, sealing the area completely.

"Impressive."

After confirming every inch of the isolation barrier, Erika smiled.

"Don't tell me... you're asking me for a sparring match?"

"You're known throughout the world as the Golden Hand. I figured it was worth trying."

"Rumors always exaggerate."

She said so modestly...

yet her raised chin and proud shoulders practically touched the sky.

"Go ahead. What's the purpose of this spar? I'll adjust accordingly."

"I'd like to test something. Fight me as though this were a real battle."

"Hmm... a real battle..."

A mischievous smile spread across Erika's face.

"Then naturally... we should begin with a little provocation, shouldn't we?"

She smirked.

"So, you're the fiancé of that overgrown lizard."

"Still better than a lazy water lizard that spends all day sleeping."

"...Oh?"

She had thrown a jab—

and received a clean counterpunch instead.

"Perhaps we should stop there. At this rate, we'll end up wagering our honor in a duel to the death."

"Wouldn't that make it feel more realistic?"

"Heh... don't regret it."

Erika unfolded her magic circle and attacked first.

Unlike the classic image of mages standing still while exchanging spells,

the two constantly changed positions, darting across the field without pause.

This...

was what a real mage's battle looked like.

Constructing magic circles.

Reading them.

Breaking them apart.

Feints.

Baiting attacks.

Countermeasures.

In the span of barely one minute...

they exchanged nearly forty moves.

Erika couldn't help admiring him.

He's incredible.

Ferda was already at a disadvantage simply because their overall power wasn't comparable.

She naturally expected him to lose.

With that in mind, she gradually increased the pressure.

At first she matched him evenly.

Then little by little...

she raised the intensity, intending to overwhelm him and determine exactly where his limits lay.

What exactly is he trying to test?

Keeping that question in mind, she continued the duel.

"I concede."

Finally, after being driven completely to his limit,

Ferda raised the white flag.

Though she had won,

Erika praised him sincerely.

"That was incredible. I'm not exaggerating—you'd rank among the five best mages I've ever fought."

"You're too kind."

"Your technique is clean. There's nothing unnecessary. You're skilled enough that you don't need feedback from me. You said you wanted to test something... yet I still have no idea what you were testing."

She tilted her head.

"Did you find your answer?"

Looking at her,

Ferda understood.

She truly hadn't realized what he had been doing...

or what he had been hiding.

"Yes."

He smiled faintly.

"Thanks to you, I did."

Yes...

This just might work.

***

The Night Before the Campaign

On the eve of the expedition,

Ferda lay down as usual, intending to sleep.

But on the night before a decisive battle...

nothing remained ordinary.

Luri entered the room.

"Master has summoned you to the lair, Sir Ferda."

Ferda blinked.

People often said that when someone received too great a shock...

they became incapable of speaking.

At that moment,

that was exactly how he felt.