Chapter 147
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 147
“It isn’t much, but please, help yourself.”
We were in a reception room inside the Cube—or rather, my personal quarters.
I served refreshments to Elena, who had traveled all this way just to see me. Of course, all I had to offer were some hard, preserved cookies and black tea brewed from a cheap teabag.
“Not at all. For being in the middle of a jungle, this is quite splendid. Did you pack your own supplies?”
“Something like that.”
I shrugged and turned my gaze toward Elena, who was daintily sipping her tea.
“What gives you the audacity to come all this way alone? Aren't you afraid?”
Elena had entered my base entirely by herself, without a single guard in tow. To put it mildly, it was an incredibly reckless act.
But Elena just shrugged as if it were nothing.
“Oh, come on. You wouldn’t actually attack me, would you, Roen? I came because I trust you.”
“There’s no reason I couldn’t.”
If I took Elena down right here and now, victory in this Faction War would be guaranteed. Having come here alone, even someone of her caliber wouldn't be able to escape unscathed if I decided to get serious.
Yet, despite my warning, Elena kept smiling brightly, showing no signs of tension. She seemed certain that I wouldn't lift a finger against her.
…This leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
While it was true I had no intention of attacking her yet, I didn’t like how clearly she had read my mind. Of course, the only reason I was holding back was because the fallout of getting on her bad side would be far greater than the gain of taking first place in the Faction War.
It wasn't because I was a "good person."
“See? I knew you wouldn’t. You’re just trying to scare me.”
“…”
I took a long gulp of cold water and changed the subject.
“So, why did you come all this way?”
“I didn’t have much else to do, so I thought I’d have a look around. My faction seems to grow all on its own, even without my input.”
“…”
What a humblebrag.
“Since I had some spare time, I wanted to see how you were living, Roen. And this place is amazing, isn’t it? It’s smaller than our base, but it has air conditioning. The layout is quite efficient, too.”
“If you like it that much, I can take you under my command. I’ll give you the royal treatment—delicious meals and air conditioning included.”
Elena chuckled at my playful suggestion and shook her head.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass. A lot of people surrendered to me because they trust me. I can’t exactly guarantee their scores if I defect, can I?”
That sounded like a formal declaration that she intended to take first place. Was a clash between us inevitable, then?
Elena drained her teacup and spoke again.
“Roen, you’re planning to take care of the other factions before challenging me, right?”
“That’s right. It would be difficult to attack your faction as things stand.”
The difference in scale between Elena’s faction and mine was nearly tenfold. My team, including my subordinates, numbered just over fifty, while Elena’s was already approaching five hundred.
“I see. Well, this might not be enough to repay you for the delicious snacks, but I promise I won’t interfere in any of your battles until then.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
My eyes widened. She wouldn't intervene until I had dealt with and absorbed the other factions? That was incredible news. When evenly matched groups were fighting for their lives, having the strongest player suddenly jump into the fray was a nightmare scenario.
“Yes. Though, I won’t be helping you either. In return, you have to survive and come challenge me.”
“Of course. I’ll be coming for your head, so be ready.”
“Oh my, you’re going to take my head?”
“It’s just an expression.”
Elena smiled faintly and rose from her seat. Even as she stood, her eyes remained fixed on the leftover refreshments.
“Ah, could I take some of these for the road? I want to give some to Adler, too.”
“Sure.”
The food available on this island alone wouldn't be enough to sustain everyone. Seven thousand outsiders had been suddenly dropped into the jungle island's ecosystem; natural hunting and gathering wouldn't solve the food crisis. The Union had scattered rations around the island, but they were just preserved goods that likely tasted like cardboard.
“Thank you. And, um… you couldn’t possibly lend me the air conditioner, could you? I’d only need it for about a week.”
“Absolutely not.”
That air conditioner was the only thing keeping morale high in my faction.
“Or maybe that temperature and humidity-regulating artifact you’re wearing…”
“Stop talking nonsense and get out.”
And so, Elena’s visit came to an end.
*
That evening, at the Noble Alliance camp.
A single letter arrived at their gates.
[I shall arrive to declare war at noon, the day after tomorrow. - Roen Devalis]
Esetra Lorebaker, the representative of the Noble Alliance team on the island, sneered and crumpled the parchment.
“A declaration of war? Don’t make me laugh. Who’s stupid enough to fight him head-on?”
“If he says noon two days from now, we should strike before then. We’ll hit him while he's vulnerable,” Yurkov Westcott, another member of the Noble Alliance, chimed in.
“Exactly. We have to attack before they’re prepared. Tomorrow night should be perfect. A cunning bastard like Roen is almost certainly planning to move before the time he stated.”
“We should read his move and strike first. We absolutely have to knock him down a peg this time.”
“I agree. We already look like fools because Meyer lost to him. And that bitch Hildegard actually went and joined his side. It’s a disgrace to the nobility. A total disgrace.”
Crack—.
Esetra clenched her fist, recalling Roen from her days studying abroad in the Empire. The bastard had run wild all over the intermediate school, acting as if he owned the place. For the sake of the "animals" sacrificed in his experiments, she felt she had to make him pay.
“He must be punished. You agree, don’t you?”
At Esetra’s question, Yurkov nodded firmly.
“Yes. I cannot let that bastard Roen, who harassed my fiancée, go unpunished.”
Most members of the Noble Alliance held some sort of grudge against Roen. Meyer and Hildegard, who didn't harbor strong negative feelings toward him, were the exceptions. Those two might react lukewarmly, but the others were different. They would gladly endure any hardship if it meant they could land a blow on him.
This Faction War was the perfect opportunity to humble the arrogant bastard.
“Let’s prepare a plan to crush him.”
The two leaders of the Noble Alliance spent hours poring over a map, planning the upcoming slaughter. All of it was designed to completely annihilate Roen’s faction.
But that night…
A report from a subordinate reached Esetra while she was sound asleep.
“L-Lady Esetra, we have a huge problem!”
“Huh? What is it?”
Woken from a deep sleep, she was still rubbing her eyes when she heard the unbelievable news.
“Roen is attacking Teon’s faction!”
*
In the dead of night, at Teon’s camp.
The camp was a chaotic mess of blazing torches, the clash of steel, and the desperate screams of students.
“H-Hold them back!”
“How are we supposed to stop that?!”
CRASH—!
“Aaargh!”
With the sound of a protective barrier shattering, students were sent flying. It was a completely unexpected night raid. The combatants from Teon’s side, roused from their sleep, were hastily deployed to the front lines, but no one could stop Ciel’s advance.
Wooooosh—.
An overwhelming flow of mana emanated from Ciel. She was currently enhanced by a [Blessing] temporarily granted to her by Hildegard.
“Die!”
Warriors from Ishtal rushed forward, intending to pin her down.
Thwack—.
“Keuk!”
But with a single punch from Ciel, they coughed up blood and were sent tumbling back.
Crrunch—.
“M-My sword! It's crumpled!”
Witnessing the impossible sight of their blades turning into scrap metal in Ciel’s bare hands, the defenders lost their will to fight.
“Thunder Bolt!”
Flash—!
An attack came from one of the few mages on Teon’s swordsman-heavy team. A magical attack, unlike a physical one, might have actually stood a chance against Ciel.
Fwoom—.
“What?!”
But the spell was nullified instantly, blocked by a magic barrier cast by Hildegard. Ciel advanced smoothly, smashing everything in her path like an unstoppable juggernaut.
To stop her, the elite fighters of Teon’s team finally stepped forward. They were Freya’s subordinates—members of Ishtal’s Steel Knights.
Shing—.
They drew their swords in a systematic formation, blocking Ciel’s path.
“…”
Even Ciel, who had been tearing through the camp until now, had no choice but to halt. Unlike the rabble she had dealt with so far, these were troublesome opponents.
As Ciel paused, Teon shouted at her from behind his knights.
“Why this cowardly act?! How could you launch a night raid after we formed an alliance?”
Teon’s side had never anticipated this. For one, Roen’s side had already declared war on the Noble Alliance, and secondly, Roen and Teon’s teams were nominally allies.
At Teon’s cry, Ciel opened her mouth.
“A message from Lord Roen. Ahem.”
Ciel cleared her throat, doing her best to imitate Roen’s dry tone.
“‘You have a lot of nerve for someone who was conspiring with the Noble Alliance behind my back. If you have any conscience left, you can’t blame me for this.’ That is what he said.”
“…!”
Teon silently gritted his teeth. He already knew?
But the die was cast. In a situation like this, he had no choice but to be shameless. If he showed any sign of panic, his subordinates would break. Teon composed himself and glared at Ciel.
“I admit it was a cowardly act. But that doesn’t change anything. Surrender now, Miss Ciel. No matter how strong you are, your small detachment cannot defeat all of us.”
Although they had been caught off guard, there was still a massive disparity in numbers. Roen’s raiding party consisted of only about ten people. In contrast, Teon’s camp still had over thirty combatants ready to fight, even if half of them were staggering from Ciel’s opening assault.
“And reinforcements from the Noble Alliance will be here soon. We will join them and launch an immediate counterattack. You have no chance of winning.”
Ciel, who had been listening silently, spoke again.
“Another message from Lord Roen. Ahem.”
After clearing her throat, Ciel continued.
“‘Of course, the Noble Alliance will hear you’re under attack and rush over. Whether they’re truly coming as reinforcements, however… I can’t say.’”
“…!”
In that moment, Teon felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck his brain.
Roen is right. It’s naive to think the Noble Alliance will send reinforcements to help us.
It was far more likely they would take advantage of Teon's weakened state to swallow his team members and seize their Cube. That would be much more profitable for them. Besides, considering the character of Esetra, the leader of the Noble Alliance, that scenario was much more plausible. She was the type to push for a backstabbing plan in the first place.
“What does that mean?! We’re allies!” one of Teon's comrades shouted, but it was a hollow protest.
An alliance in name only was a fragile thing. Realizing this, Teon gritted his teeth.
“Dammit.”
Confirming Teon’s reaction, Ciel delivered the final blow.
“What you’re thinking is probably correct. Your team will likely be shattered tonight—by the very people you trusted.”
“…”
“And here is Lord Roen’s final message.”
Ciel cleared her throat once more.
“‘Why not surrender to us instead? Wouldn’t it be better to side with the one who wisely struck first before you could betray them, rather than with those who would prey on your misfortune like a pack of wolves? It would also serve to clear your debt for trying to deceive me.’”
“…”
“Also, Lord Roen said that the Noble Alliance will soon self-destruct.”
“What do you mean by that?”
At Teon’s question, Ciel answered with a sharp smile.
“Because Lord Roen is currently leading a separate detachment to the Noble Alliance’s food supply.”
That was the truth. Ciel’s attack on Teon’s side was a feint—a diversionary tactic to lure the Noble Alliance’s main force away.
Roen’s true objective had been elsewhere all along.