The Casillum Operation (2)
The meeting inside the barracks at the encampment continued for a long time.
The arguments between the two sides grew fiercer, and their voices rose higher.
It was not merely that this operation required utmost care, but also that it was a challenge to the unknown territory we had never dared to tread before, so there were many things that needed to be discussed one by one.
"How are you going to handle the enemy’s contact system? The opponent is a Loktur, after all. Even if we do a short decisive battle, they won’t fall so easily."
"The unit guarding the Loktur is different from the other two. They are already using the voice-transmitting magic we’ve fully analyzed. The mages have already prepared anti-magic on that side."
Loenel answered Luke’s question.
I offered one alternative there. I thought there was no guarantee that all the mages under the Loktur would only use ancient magic.
"It’s not certain, so instead of that, what if we throw up a barrier that blocks all mana heading east?"
"That method takes too long to prepare. Besides, even if we could prevent the voice-transmitting magic and mana we use inside from leaking out, our operation would be exposed just by the existence of the barrier."
"Loenel is right. We don’t have time to prepare that here. I know what you’re worried about, but we’ll have to take that kind of risk."
I nodded. There is never only one best move on the battlefield.
Either because of the terrain or because of time, we have no choice but to choose the next best or even the worst.
"Then it seems we’ve covered everything we needed to discuss. According to the plan, only a small number of personnel will infiltrate Casillum. If we launch a full-scale battle, the probability that the army detects us from another direction is high."
In the most important part—the eradication of the Loktur—a small force won’t help at all.
We could assign someone to buy time, but the chances of total annihilation were certain, and how long it would take was unknown.
"After suppressing the Loktur, the main force will immediately enter Casillum to finish off the remaining monsters and demon race. And the mages will throw up a protective barrier around Casillum. That’s roughly the core of this operation. Understood?"
Ultimately, the operation would rely on individual skill, but it was difficult to devise anything more ambitious within the limited time.
The core of the operation was clean. Assuming we suppress the Loktur, if the mages simply throw up the barrier properly, humanity would certainly be able to claim the region without much difficulty.
While everyone nodded, Lucas propped his chin on the table and raised his hand.
"One more thing. I have to ask something during the break. If the operation doesn’t go according to plan, what happens then? Do the kingdom troops charge into Casillum? Or do we have to make our escape on our own?"
"It depends on the timing, but if we engage in combat with the Loktur, we’ll send a signal and the kingdom troops will break into Casillum. If the plan has already gone awry before that, we’ll withdraw."
"Good."
We all imprinted the operation plan in our heads. We thought about what had to be done and anticipated every possible case that could occur in those situations.
Meanwhile, Drex slammed his palm on the table with a thud.
"The execution time is fourteen hours from now, tomorrow dawn. Everyone, finish your personal preparations and be ready for the operation. Understood?"
"Understood."
We all stood up from our seats and moved our feet outside the tent.
Everyone except Loenel were veterans who had survived the battlefield for years. Their experience was rich.
But this was the first time we were tasked with eradicating one of the enemy’s Four Heavenly Kings. Of course, we needed to prepare our minds.
Outside the barracks, looking up at the sky, we saw the sun still high in the middle of the sky.
And underneath it, the Hero with violet hair, Luke Frok, who had come out first and was looking up at the sky in a similar posture, approached and draped an arm over his shoulder.
"Why are you alone? Even if you say the Saintess went to the east, where did the mage go?"
"If you’re asking about Aila, because the mana lines were worn out too much from the last fight, I judged that I needed to rest and returned to the Royal Capital."
There was a difference between Luke and me—one a Hero and the other a knight in the knight order—but we got along comfortably, dropping formalities.
We had turned our backs on each other in battle several times, and since we were only a year or two apart in age, we were among the few people we could talk to without holding back.
"I wonder if being a Hero is worth it? It would be nice if I could have some of that grace too."
"I’ve said it many times. It wasn’t a grace I particularly wanted."
"I can’t understand that."
I couldn’t understand it either. How could someone who had the grace everyone envied not understand what being a Hero meant? Not only the title of Hero obtained from it, but also how enormous the merit was.
Every time we had a serious conversation, I couldn’t understand his thoughts, but I simply accepted them.
"Oh, one thing. I understand what you meant. You must have felt this way. Right?"
"What?"
"I’m pretty outstanding, right? So because I’m in a high position suitable for my abilities, it’s hard to deal with people."
"Your personality really isn’t suited for dealing with nobles or royalty. You’re so humble, aren’t you?"
Ugh. I furrowed my brows, but because the words were so accurate, I couldn’t offer much rebuttal.
Dealing with nobles or royalty made me uncomfortable, and it was difficult to maintain proper etiquette, so I wasn’t angry at the words either.
"So what does ‘hard to deal with people’ mean?"
"Not only my subordinates, but even seniors above me make me feel like I have to watch my tone when giving commands. Those seniors have to use honorific speech toward me in public, right?"
"Hmm... in that respect, I’m probably even worse off than you. I had no connection at all with the knight order or the mages, so it was rather fine, but you’re not like that, are you?"
"It’ll become familiar. My grandfather Blant said that I might be a candidate for the next knight commander."
A light talk. As we talked about trivial things, the long tension that had been pressing down on my heart gradually disappeared.
It seemed Luke felt the same way. His face, which had been tense just moments ago, was now quite relaxed.
"If you become the knight commander, the future of humanity looks dark. You won’t just be charging? Like that time."
"Back then, there was no choice but to retreat anyway. We ended up striking an unexpected blow. In the end, it turned out well, didn’t it?"
"If that demon hadn’t panicked and killed himself, at least the appearance of the other knights wouldn’t have been like this."
With an appropriate taunt and a playful growl, someone suddenly hugged both our shoulders at the same time.
"You two kids! Fighting again? Rigel, you’re fighting Loenel and now you’re fighting Luke too?"
"We’re not fighting. Uncle."
"I told you not to call me uncle. Do you know how miserable that makes you feel? Call me Lucas!"
The Hero with white hair around his headband. Lucas smiled at the two of us and spoke.
"As expected, the three of us are the strike team."
"What about Loenel? If it’s just the three of us who will confront the Loktur...
"
"How would that skinny guy know about infiltration? And the three of us are capable."
An uncle in his fifties with powerful strength that didn’t loosen no matter how tightly he wrapped his arms around Luke and me.
This man, who had been complaining that it was time for retirement, was incredibly energetic.
"Rigel, even you, but Luke, the one who received grace, you’re weaker than me? You’re still in the prime of your life."
"U-uuugh!!"
Whoa, from beside me, Luke was also thrashing around for a while. He maintained a relaxed expression while simultaneously holding off the strength of the two of us.
Only after a long time did we finally break free. In the end, even Lucas’s one arm was too much for Luke and me to push aside.
"Tsk tsk, we really need to postpone retirement? How are the two of you not moving an inch against an old man like me on the verge of the evening? That’s why young people these days."
Lucas, dressed only in a light shirt and leather clothes, rolled up his sleeves to reveal muscular forearms.
No, Luke and I had the same level of muscle. Why was there such a difference?
While we were lost in thought, Lucas tapped our shoulders and opened his mouth.
"Let’s go first. We need to do a reconnaissance."
"Did you say now?"
"It’s fine. We’ll just go light and take a quick look from the hill over there. Luke, you haven’t been here before, right?"
Both of us felt a bit uneasy, but we had no choice but to follow his words.
After riding for a couple of hours, we arrived at a high hill. Luke, me, and Lucas.
When we all dismounted and looked down at the scenery below the hill, we saw a vast land stretching in a straight line all the way to the horizon.
If it weren’t for the muddy color turning pitch black, it would have been worth seeing. Honestly, it was eerie.
"How is it? Thanks to this being recovered, we can look down on it. The view is nice, isn’t it?"
"Not at all."
Luke and I said it at the same time, plainly.
As we went a little deeper into the demon race’s territory, I felt mana disturb my body a little, even though I thought it had some resistance.
"It’s tough. Look, there’s the Casillum fortress over there."
The three of us crouched at the end of the hill and stared at the distant Casillum fortress.
"I guess there was a lot of consumption from the battles in this region. The number of troops is small too."
"No matter how many days or weeks, they just chopped down monsters and showered in black blood."
The number of monsters I had slain could be in the hundreds, or even close to a thousand.
Because of that, there weren’t many monsters visible outside the Casillum fortress. Inside, there were still quite a few troops.
"What are those things stuck to the wall?"
"I don’t know. They look about the size of a cannonball."
Lucas took something small from the bag he brought and began fiddling with it.
After unfolding a long cylinder made of several layers, he realized it was a telescope.
"You carry a telescope too? You pack all sorts of weird things."
"I handle things with the sense of an adventurer. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived twenty-odd years in this insane battlefield. When I was young, I was also an aspiring adventurer, but...
"
Well, this man, who didn’t even wear light armor but only leather armor, looked more like an adventurer than a Hero, let alone a knight.
When Lucas was looking through the telescope at that place, I was on guard around us.
"Ah, this...
"
Lucas suddenly spat out a curse. Luke and I looked at his face, and he handed us the telescope.
When Luke saw it too, even he, who rarely cursed, spat out a curse. But the moment I saw it, I couldn’t help but react the same way.
'That... is a human head?'
There were no horns on the head. It was the head of a human race member, not a demon race.
The three of us had no choice but to shudder at the sight of corpses of people who had died in war being hung up like that.