Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Monster Provocation
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"Is the preparation going well?"
"As soon as the harvest ends, the lords and knights will assemble. Do not worry."
"With Your Excellency the Duke so confident, my mind is completely at ease."
"This is all thanks to the great benevolence of Your Excellency Yanobis."
"I will convey your loyal heart."
In the lord's castle of Duke Hanskain, located not far from the capital of the Havis Kingdom.
In the lord's office, adorned with antique furniture and famous paintings, two men were holding a secret conversation.
A man conversing with Duke Hanskain, the kingdom's highest-ranking noble, using deferential speech.
He was clearly a subordinate of Duke Yanobis of the Rabiter Empire.
"But when will the empire merge the kingdom... Our preparations are all complete. As soon as the empire gives the order, the Havis Kingdom will become the land of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor."
Hanskein spoke of treason without hesitation, his eyes gleaming as he addressed the man.
"Just wait a little longer. His Imperial Majesty will soon issue the command."
"Understood. Give the order anytime."
"By the way, I hear Princess Rosiatte has been interfering lately?"
"It's giving me a slight headache these days. Even as a nominal princess, she is first in the line of succession to the throne, so the people and some nobles support her. If I could, I'd just eliminate her."
"Please wait a little longer on that as well. Princess Rosiatte, the greatest beauty of the northern continent, has many uses."
"Heh heh, that's why I'm holding back. She's no pushover, but all military authority and royal power have long been in my hands."
"Endure just a few more years. You will be rewarded in proportion to your efforts."
"I shall repay with loyalty."
Hanskein, nominally a duke of the Havis Kingdom, but to the bone a servant of the Rabiter Empire.
Clink!
As the two men clinked their red wine glasses, dark smiles of conspiracy bloomed on their lips.
They reeked of filthy desires that would trample anything for their own gain.
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Rumble rumble rumble.
'Spirits are so useful.'
A flat plain along the coast not far from Denfos and the harbor.
The clays, who had been doing a fine job as bulldozers lately, were turning over the earth to level it flat.
The land, which had been thick with grass just moments ago, became a bare plain as if it had never been.
And soon after, the plain hardened like stone.
"Is this good enough?"
"Yes, it's perfect."
A massive rectangular plain.
It was about ten times the size of a soccer field.
"Derbal, shape it according to the blueprint."
"As you command."
Derbal, full of energy these past few days thanks to his compatible friends.
He stood firmly holding the salt pan blueprint.
"Then we'll head back for today."
"Thank you, Lady Narmias. And thank you all from the clan."
Unlike Narmias, who mingled words with me, the elves still rarely opened their mouths.
They merely nodded.
"Well then..."
She had brought Narmias and five earth spiritist elves to construct the foundation floor of the salt pan.
"I'll visit you tonight."
I whispered softly into Narmias's ear as she turned to leave.
"Yes..."
She let out a mosquito-like sound, her white nape flushing red.
'Now I need the elders' help too.'
Things were progressing faster than expected.
The elves, being thinking beings, grasped the nature of the road construction, formed teams among themselves, and increased efficiency.
At the same time, as the cement mortar hardened into a solid road, the wagons' speed increased.
'I must hide it thoroughly. The elves' existence must not be revealed to the world yet.'
Patrols of the territory were strengthened, and paths other than trade routes were restricted.
Mercenaries, except those requesting to become soldiers, were all being sent out of the territory.
Everything happening in Neruman had to proceed in utmost secrecy.
Flutter flutter flutter.
The light wingbeats of harpies, lighter than wyverns.
In an instant, the elves took flight into the sky against the sunset.
"My lord, you are truly amazing. How do you come up with such ideas..."
Derbal, handling things at the center of the recent events, withdrew his gaze from the elves and sent me a look of admiration.
'This is nothing.'
Things that were commonplace on 21st-century Earth.
Derbal didn't know about guns that could fell wyverns in one shot, cannons, airplanes, submarines—that's why he said such things.
Kuo! Kuo! Kuo!
Suddenly, Bebeto cried out as if calling me.
'Did that guy eat rat poison or something?'
Bebeto, the heavyweight wyvern who slept whenever he had the chance.
"What's wrong?"
I approached Bebeto, who was rampaging as if he'd seen a big female wyvern in his dream while dozing.
"Lord! Lord!"
'This voice!'
A urgent voice calling me came from the helmet strapped to Bebeto's saddle.
"What is it?"
I leaped onto the saddle and responded hastily.
"Lord! Big trouble!"
The word "big trouble" came from the magic communication orb attached to the helmet.
"Monsters are invading in massive numbers! Reports say tens of thousands have surrounded the area near Siaris Fortress!"
"T-Tens of thousands?"
There had been reports of suspicious monster movements lately, but I hadn't imagined they'd dare attack so boldly.
'With that number, defense should be possible.'
I thought the knight manning the communication orb was panicking at the report of the attack.
Siaris Fortress, mostly repaired with cement.
Thousands of elite soldiers were defending it.
"M-Magical beasts have appeared too! Not just one or two, but in the hundreds!"
"Wh-What!!!"
My mind flashed at the mention of magical beasts.
Magical beasts whose individual power surpassed knights wielding mana blades.
Hundreds of them meant a dire situation.
"I'm heading there now! Have all available Sky Knights stand by for sortie!"
"Understood, my lord. But there are only 10 Sky Knights available for sortie right now. They're all out on patrol flights."
The expected problem had erupted.
The territory was vast, but Sky Knights and wyverns were still woefully insufficient.
Over the past month, I'd trained promising Sky Knights and mounted them on surplus wyverns, but they weren't full combat strength yet.
Moreover, monster provocations detected throughout the territory made it hard to even see the Sky Knights' faces.
'Damn it!'
I spat curses inwardly while fastening the safety harness.
If battles broke out in two or more places, I couldn't guarantee victory.
Excluding me, the other Sky Knights were all about the same level.
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Kuaaah!
Thud thud thud!
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Concentrate fire on the trolls!"
Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh.
Trolls wielding massive iron lumps and maces clearly used by humans were smashing at the walls.
Ignoring arrows bouncing off their hides, they targeted weak spots on the walls and pounded away brutishly.
"Raise your heads! Pour the boiling oil!!!!"
Splashhhhhhh.
Splatter! Splatter!
"Kraaaagh!"
"Aaagh! My eyes! My eyes!!!!!!"
At dusk, Siaris Fortress in the Neruman Plains near the Rual Mountains.
The fortress, built during the past occupation by the Bazran Empire, had been briefly yielded to monsters but recaptured recently during a major subjugation.
However, due to time constraints, it wasn't formally repaired—only its exterior was restored with the cement substance created by the lord.
Atop the fortress walls stood about 2,000 elite soldiers.
With harvest season, around 1,000 soldiers had gone on leave, and the sudden monster attack prevented calling them back.
And so the battle unfolded.
The large fortress of Siaris, capable of holding tens of thousands, now showed vulnerabilities everywhere.
While soldier numbers were limited, monsters pouring out from the mountains in an instant completely surrounded the fortress.
As if seeking bloody revenge for the recent massacre, monsters rampaged everywhere.
Large monsters like trolls, bearwolves, and ogres smashed vulnerable wall sections with their weapons, while orcs and lizardmen hurled arrows and spears up at the walls.
The battle raged by the light of torches and the moon on the walls as twilight faded.
The growing monster numbers had already surpassed 100,000.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Boom boom boom boom boom!
Moreover, the cries of magical beasts that hadn't fully appeared yet.
Before sunset vanished, over a hundred various magical beasts appeared at the monsters' center, glaring.
Known to possess intelligence similar to humans, the magical beasts commanded the monsters like soldiers.
And soon, some monsters were climbing ladders toward the high walls.
"Has there been no word from the lord yet!"
"The lord departed not long ago!"
"Ah! At this rate, we won't hold for an hour. What do we do!"
Neruman's territory was vast to defend, but soldiers were woefully insufficient.
Harmain, chief knight and overall commander of Siaris Fortress, wiped cold sweat and sighed.
Monster movements had been suspicious, but they couldn't send search parties into the dense Rual Mountains.
They merely had Sky Knights patrol once a day and report back.
'The magical beasts are intervening systematically. It was the same in the past. The decisive reason the imperial army was routed was their involvement.'
Harmain, born in the Neruman Plains.
He knew exactly how the Bazran Empire fell.
Monsters had ghostly pinpointed supply transports and weaknesses for attacks.
Not once or twice, but dozens, hundreds of assaults— even valiant Bazran had raised hands in surrender.
'Cunning bastards! They know that if this place falls, not only the trade route but the peace taking root in Neruman will shatter!'
Grinding his teeth, Harmain stood in the command tower, glaring outside the fortress.
Only the blue-glowing murderous eyes of monsters were visible.
Even if Sky Knights sortied, they wouldn't help much in this darkness.
If the walls fell, it was over.
"What are you doing! The left wall is in danger! Deploy reserves immediately!"
Amid frustration, Harmain devoted himself to command.
He had no desire to die trembling in terror like an idiot.
If they failed here, all of Neruman would be in peril, so he gritted his teeth.
'Lord!!!'
He called the lord's name in his heart.
Kaier, lord of Neruman.
Young in age, yet a star-like hero who became hope for hundreds of thousands of Neruman's people.
Harmain—no, every soldier defending the fortress—knew only he could overcome this crisis.
"Take heart! Lord Kaier will arrive soon!"
Harmain bellowed, mana amplifying his voice.
"Waaaaah!"
"Repel the monsters! Let's protect Neruman with our own hands!!!!!!!!"
As Harmain's resounding cry ended, soldiers' cheers drowned out the monsters' roars.
The name Kaier.
To the soldiers, he was like a god.
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Splashhhhhhhhh!
Of all places, Siaris Fortress.
Orak Castle would take an hour by flight, but Siaris was on the territory's western edge.
Right up against the Rual Mountains.
With harvest leave, the fortress was fighting with critically low numbers.
'Hold on just a bit longer! My soldiers!'
Following me were five beastkin and five rookie Sky Knights freshly assigned wyverns—that was all.
Even then, excluding the gold wyvern close to Bebeto's power, the rest lagged behind.
"Ah..."
All that escaped my frustration was a long sigh.
The hot blood my soldiers would shed at this moment chilled my heart.
If I'd become an 8th-circle mage, I wouldn't panic over mere monster provocations.
I'd thought myself strong, but my power was barely enough to protect Neruman.
I'd called the elves frogs in a well, but my own skill was no different.
Flutter flutter flutter.
My cloak flapped in the wind.
And my sigh of regret rode the wind away.
Deeply inhaling the sorrow of the weak.
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"Leaving such a sinner in the world is an utter disgrace to us who live upholding the will of the gods. High Priest, we must launch a holy war. If we retreat like this, other temples will mock us!"
"I agree. Not only did he kidnap a servant of Lord Neran, but he slaughtered holy knights. If we fail to lead him to the path of repentance, we will incur the god's wrath!"
"Indeed. We must open a holy war and show Lord Neran's fury!"
In the Grand Temple of the Goddess of Mercy Neran, located in the Ofern Empire.
Dozens of priests gathered from across the nation demanded a holy war in angry voices.
The diminishing divine grace had already made holy water production—the temple's key revenue—inefficient, and now the priest with the strongest holy power had been kidnapped, exciting the priests.
They finally realized.
A mere apprentice priest from a Dafis Kingdom viscount family had received Neran's greatest blessing.
"Hed or Priest, why reveal such crucial information only now? You should have informed me of a priest who could become a saintess!"
High Priest Torfone, who served Neran.
Wearing white robes embroidered with a golden circular cross, he demanded an explanation from Priest Hed or with stern eyes.
"Bearer of Neran's love upon your whole body, agent of the god, it is all my negligence. I feared that an apprentice priest, bearing the holy grace permitted by the god, might abuse it or grow arrogant due to his status, so I did not reveal the truth. I intended to teach him doctrine and mercy matching his abundant holy spirit to the best of my ability, and this is the result."
Priest Hed or spat holy-sounding words without batting an eye.
When rumors spread that holy knights had been brutally killed at Cavalon Count's castle in the Havis Kingdom, he reported all hidden facts to his superiors.
Now beyond his control, he had no choice but to make a full confession.
"It is regrettable. Had you told me sooner, we could have spread Neran's grace further..."
High Priest Torfone sighed.
Nearing 70, his skin was as elastic as a youth's.
Thanks to daily doses of top-grade holy water.
"High Priest, permit the holy war. Word is that the Havis Kingdom will soon subjugate the Neruman heretics, servants of the evil demon. If we send holy knights with that subjugation army, we can bring back Apprentice Priest Armis to the god's bosom."
"Grant it, Your Excellency. Strictly judging those who mock divine mercy will not tarnish Neran's name."
"Permit the holy war!"
Dozens of priests from various nations bowed before the high priest, urging the holy war.
"...I permit the holy war. In the name of the high priest granted by the god, I command the immediate muster of all holy knights. Raise the banner of the sacred holy war! In the god's name, I condemn Neruman's lord who defiled Neran's name!"
"In the god's name!!!"
At the high priest's declaration, the priests crossed themselves and shouted "In the god's name."
The first holy war in decades since a dark mage destroyed the temple long ago.
Thousands of Neran holy knights would gather.
To condemn in the god's name the sinner who defiled the god's name.