Chapter 148
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 148
At that same moment, in the Noble Alliance camp.
"Enemy attack!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sentries’ shouts pierced the night, accompanied by the frantic tolling of a bell.
Tensions were already at a breaking point after their allies in Teon’s team had been ambushed. Now, someone was raiding the Noble Alliance’s own base in the dead of night.
"Dammit, the main force has already moved out!"
Charlotte had been ordered to defend the camp while the bulk of their forces went to "rescue" Teon’s team. She gritted her teeth, watching the torches of the approaching enemy draw closer.
The Noble Alliance’s main force had mobilized under the pretext of saving Teon from Roen’s assault. Whether it was a genuine rescue mission or a blatant attempt to capitalize on the chaos, she didn't know. But for the enemy to strike while most of their combatants were away… how could this happen?
Watching the enemy advance, Charlotte screamed at the students under her command.
"Hey! Get moving!"
"O-Okay!"
A girl with snow-white hair and rabbit-like red eyes stammered, clearly intimidated by Charlotte’s screeching. It was Bell.
Charlotte looked at Bell and quietly clenched her fist.
Still, if I use that commoner’s power, I should be able to fend off this attack.
Recently, she hadn’t been able to boss Bell around because of Beatrice’s watchful eye, but in an emergency like this, she could command her as she pleased.
Tsk, acting all high and mighty just because she caught the Princess’s eye.
The girl who couldn’t even meet her gaze before was now living it up with her new friends.
"Everyone, this way! Enemy torches spotted!"
Charlotte led Bell and the other combat mages to intercept the raiders. There, at the head of the enemy party, stood a male student with a very familiar face.
"Oh, fancy meeting you here. Good to see you, Bell."
Bell’s eyes widened. "Roen?"
*
"So you were on this team? What a shame."
I waved at the familiar face. It was nice to run into someone I knew in such an unexpected place. While Bell and I were exchanging greetings, the noble girl standing next to her shouted at me.
"Roen! I thought you were attacking Teon’s team…!"
Her name tag read Charlotte. I recognized her as one of the nobles who used to bully Bell.
I replied in a cold voice, "That’s correct. Ciel’s detachment should be engaging them as we speak."
Ciel and Hildegard, plus Karon and Handol—essentially, the core strength of our team had been sent to crush Teon. The only ones who had followed me here were Chepesi and a few other combatants.
Charlotte clicked her tongue and pointed a finger at me.
"Tch! Bell! Blast him with your magic, now!"
"U-Ugh."
Bell hesitated, clearly finding it difficult to bring herself to cast a spell at me. Charlotte shrieked at her again.
"What are you doing? Do you want to fail the exam?!"
"I’m… I’m sorry, Roen!"
Flash—!
With Bell’s cry, a massive fireball surged toward me, painting the world in shades of crimson. It wasn't much of an exaggeration to say the fireball looked like a miniature sun, its brilliance cutting through the midnight gloom.
Whoa.
I marveled at the sheer scale of Bell’s magic, but I didn't freeze. I immediately shifted my elemental affinity to Water, flipped open the canteen at my waist, and splashed the liquid into the air.
Swoosh—!
Simultaneously, I used the Azoth Sword to manifest a barrier of water, intercepting Bell’s flame.
Tssssss—!
Bell’s fireball instantly began evaporating my defense. As expected of magic imbued with the [Extreme Flame] property, even a water barrier reinforced with alchemy wasn't enough to stop it completely.
Watching the barrier turn to steam, I shouted to my allies behind me.
"Chepesi, get clear!"
"Everyone, dive to the side!"
"Yes, sir!"
Booooom—!
As the water barrier was vaporized by the intense heat, Chepesi and the other combatants threw themselves out of the way to escape the blast. Having blocked the initial strike, I left the front line to Chepesi.
"Chepesi, keep Bell busy for a moment. I’m going to raid the food storage."
"Hey! You want me to fight that human flamethrower? Are you trying to get me roasted?"
"…Here. Borrow this for a bit."
I tossed the Aegis Shield to her.
Snatch—!
Chepesi caught it with one hand and grinned. "Alright, this should hold up for a few hits."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
With the Aegis in hand, Chepesi boldly drew her steel bat and charged toward Bell and the other defenders.
"Hi-yah!"
Craaash—!
While Chepesi and the others bought me time, I slipped away from the battlefield to locate the Noble Alliance’s supplies.
"This must be it."
The camp was quite large, so it took some searching, but I soon found the warehouse where their rations were stockpiled.
"Who’s there?!"
The students guarding the warehouse spotted me and prepared to charge.
Pssshhh—.
"Uh, uhh…"
I neutralized them effortlessly with a spray of sleeping gas. Once the guards were down, I entered the warehouse to find a mountain of supplies. There was salt-cured meat from hunted animals, edible fruits gathered from the forest, and preserved rations that the Union had scattered across the island for the students.
It looked like enough to feed several hundred people for a week.
Vwooom—.
I opened my Subspace Pouch and began sweeping the portable preserved foods into it. It would be a waste to simply burn it all, especially since we would need more food as we absorbed more team members. I filled the Subspace Pouch to its absolute limit before heading back outside.
Outside the warehouse, a weary-looking Chepesi and the others had gathered. The ends of her hair were slightly singed, and she was panting heavily.
"Haah, haah. Did you get the food?"
"Yeah. Thanks to you holding them off, I got plenty. It’s enough to last our original group for months."
"I have zero desire to stay on this island for months."
"…I agree."
I signaled for the retreat. We had achieved our primary objective; now we just had to escape safely.
"Get them!"
"The enemy is over there!"
The voices of a pursuit squad echoed from the distance. I plunged the Azoth Sword into the earth, alchemizing the ground to raise a massive barrier.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!
Expending about half of my remaining mana, I created a great wall several meters high, completely cutting off the pursuers.
"They took the food!"
"After them!"
"After them? How the hell are we supposed to get over this wall?!"
With the massive earthen wall blocking their path, the enemy couldn't give chase. We calmly exited the Noble Alliance camp and vanished into the night.
"Let’s go."
*
When we returned to our base, it was bustling with activity. A large crowd had gathered in the central area. Ciel was waiting for us, flanked by the now-surrendered members of Teon’s team.
Ciel bowed her head as I approached. "Did you accomplish your task, sir?"
"Yes, though I wish my Subspace Pouch was bigger."
Even though I had crammed the 500-liter pouch to the brim, I still felt like we could have taken more. I turned my attention to Teon, who had surrendered his team to us.
"It’s been a while, Teon. Is this the first time we've spoken since the headquarters in Ishtal?"
"I suppose it is, Lord Roen." He scratched his head, looking sheepish.
"You made a wise decision. The sooner you surrender, the more points you’ll earn. Plus, we can treat your injured students."
In truth, even with Teon’s surrender, his team still vastly outnumbered mine. My team had about 50 members, while Teon had brought nearly 150—three times our size. The reason he had surrendered despite the numbers was that he had almost no combat-ready allies left. Most of his fighting force was groaning in pain after being systematically dismantled by Ciel’s fists, and having a large number of non-combatant followers wasn't helpful in a real fight.
Teon asked cautiously, "Aren’t you going to ask about my attempt to betray you?"
"Why would I bother with that? Don’t worry about it. That’s just how war is."
"…"
This faction war was a microcosm of real conflict. Backstabbing was commonplace, and alliances bound only by paper treaties were meaningless. What mattered was building a core of trustworthy people and solidifying those bonds—like Silphiette, whom I had saved, and Elena, who had the guts to visit an enemy camp alone.
A leader needed steadfast allies who wouldn’t betray them and had to be someone even their enemies could respect. Although this faction war was just a test prepared by the Union, it was fascinating to experience these dynamics firsthand.
Finishing my thoughts, I asked Ciel, "How many cubes did we secure?"
"We acquired a total of 157." Ciel pointed to a large pile of cubes on the side.
"Good. I’ll absorb them."
I walked over to the mountain of cubes and began merging them into my own. Once the process was complete, a notification rang out.
[Current Base Level: 8]
• The space will be expanded.
• Cost recovery rate will increase.
• Maximum cost will increase: 70 → 80
• The basement, storage area, outer tower, and inner tower will be activated.
• A castle wall will be generated.
The Cube had now expanded into the shape of a proper fortress. The base level had jumped to 8 in one go, meaning level 9 was within reach. The number of members registered to my team had also surged to about 200. It was incredible growth, though still not quite on par with Elena’s team.
Once we finished off the Noble Alliance and eventually absorbed Silphiette’s team, we would finally be able to stand against Elena.
After finishing the cube absorption and follower registration, I asked Ciel, "By the way, what happened with the Noble Alliance?"
The Noble Alliance’s main force had been dispatched to take advantage of the situation while Ciel was clashing with Teon. While they were away, I had raided their food, but I didn't know the outcome of their primary movement.
Ciel explained, "I quickly persuaded Lord Teon and returned here before the Noble Alliance’s main force arrived. We did not encounter them directly."
"So they marched all that way for nothing. Well done, Ciel."
Ciel had avoided unnecessary casualties and successfully brought Teon’s forces over intact. Her performance was flawless.
In any case, the Noble Alliance had failed to absorb Teon’s team, their base had been raided, and most of their food was gone. They had to be in a total panic. In war, food is everything. If soldiers are starving, morale plummets. Who fights hard on an empty stomach?
Troops that have lost the will to fight are no longer an army; they are just a mob. Before things reached that breaking point, the Noble Alliance would be forced to act.
Ciel spoke up. "They will attack us soon."
"Yes. With their food stolen, they can’t hold out for long. They’ll come for us in a desperate, decisive battle. And they’ll bring Silphiette’s team, whom they still believe to be their allies."
At my words, Teon’s eyes went wide. "Don’t tell me…?"
I gave him a thin smile and a nod.
"That’s right. Silphiette is actually on our side. She’s our hidden blade, ready to strike the Noble Alliance where it hurts most."