Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Harvest Operation
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To General Bel.
It seems the Demon King is only pretending to descend from the northern lands again, with no real intention of making a move.
If we can just find and kill four or five more high-ranking Mazoku, I think we’ll have some breathing room on our end.
I should be fine leaving my post for about thirty minutes.
I’ll take a moment to come down in two weeks.
See you then.
***
As Bel read the letter, he could almost hear the man’s light, leisurely voice. The handwriting itself was so casual, scrawled so hastily, that much of it would have been illegible to anyone seeing the Sword Saint’s letters for the first time.
Bel folded the short letter twice, compressed it, and flicked his fingers. In an instant, the letter was engulfed in flames and turned to ash.
The enemy could not be allowed to discover that the Sword Saint would be arriving in Vellaland in two weeks.
It was unlikely, but… this was a precaution in case the letter’s contents were leaked. If the Overlords learned of the Sword Saint’s appearance in Vellaland, they wouldn’t dare to attack; they would surely tuck their tails and flee as they always did.
He absolutely could not let them escape.
He had to kill all four Overlords on this battlefield. Every single one, without fail.
That was the least he could do to atone for the subordinates who had followed his orders and died bravely.
His left arm throbbed.
Bel blew the ashes that had settled inside the tent outside and quietly extinguished the lamp.
A deep, low darkness descended upon the general’s tent earlier than usual.
He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had a proper night's sleep.
***
“Ad deserted?”
“Yes.”
I waited until the next morning to report Ad’s desertion. There wasn’t any grand reason for waiting until morning instead of reporting it that same night.
I was just scared Bel would find and kill Ad.
It wasn’t my business whether he lived or died, but… if I ratted him out to Bel and he got caught, I’d feel a bit guilty.
Bel would undoubtedly deal with a deserter according to military law. And during wartime, desertion was punishable by death.
…If Ad died, the thought that I had provided the pretext would never leave my mind.
The bed was already uncomfortable enough; I had no desire to make my nights any more restless.
“He deserted last night? When did you find out?”
“The moment he did.”
“…Then why are you only telling me now?”
“You were sleeping, sir.”
This was true for anyone, but for mages in particular, rest and deep sleep were as crucial as grueling study or training.
Among those who completed the same studies and training, the quality of magic between one who maintained a clear and sharp mind through proper sleep and rest, and one who abused their brain by pulling all-nighters every day, was bound to be different.
Disturbing a mage’s sleep was an act that degraded the quality of their magic. Therefore, unless it was a major emergency, one should never wake a sleeping mage.
…Or so I added as a lame excuse to Bel.
“That’s what I was taught.”
Bel didn’t let go of his murderous gaze.
“Concealing a desertion is the same as aiding it.”
…Does he mean to kill me?
I kept my mouth shut and simply stared at him.
“Tch.”
Bel clicked his tongue in annoyance, shrugging on the robe he had tossed on his bed with a rough motion, and retracted his sharp gaze.
His wine-colored robe was caked in mud, but he showed no intention of changing into a spare set of clothes.
“For now, follow me. I will brief you in detail on the operation I mentioned before.”
After putting on his robe and carelessly sweeping his jet-black hair back, Bel led Grisha and me out of the tent.
It was only about nine in the morning, but there was no sunlight in the sky. The dark clouds that had briefly parted yesterday had once again completely covered the heavens.
We walked past the officers’ tents and headed towards the Akilliptus Forest Zone.
The farther we got from the battlefield, the lighter my shoulders felt. The clumps of mud were free of poison or blood, and soon, I could see flowers blooming between the patches of dirt.
Before long, a hill with a huge, solitary tree came into view. It was a living tree, neither rotten nor dead.
It had a different feel from the hill where Ad had escaped last night.
“…Can’t we, uh, take a short break before we go?”
I asked Bel and Grisha cautiously as we neared the hill.
“No.”
The reply was so firm that I couldn’t even ask why.
“…”
I grit my teeth, swallowing the curse that threatened to escape my lips, and started walking diagonally up the hill.
I was out of breath, and my vision swam. The two who had been walking ahead turned to look at me, their pace unusually slow, and then furrowed their brows as they saw me ascending the hill at an angle.
“…What are you doing?”
“Don’t… talk… to me.”
I managed to answer through my strained throat.
I’m dying here, and you’re trying to make small talk?
If I didn’t know what kind of person Bel was, I would have let loose a stream of curses right then and there.
“…”
Bel and Grisha, who were ahead of me, exchanged looks of incomprehension before continuing up the hill.
Because they went straight up, it took them less than five minutes. For me, it took a whole twenty.
…And that was subtracting a ten-minute break in the middle.
“Hah, shii… haah.”
Atop the hill stood a small cabin. Made of wood, it looked recently built, without a single worn spot. I opened the cabin door and stepped inside.
Since no one was waiting on the hill, Bel and Grisha had to be in here.
“You’ve arrived.”
A bright lamp illuminated the cabin’s interior. Bel, standing beneath it with his face cast in shadow, greeted me with a sigh.
On the cabin wall hung a large map. It was a detailed topographical map of Vellaland, on which various shapes had been drawn with a quill. Next to each shape were small labels: ‘High-Ranking Mazoku,’ ‘Mutant Archer Pack,’ ‘Overlord Garrison.’
“You’re late.”
Inside the cabin were not only Bel and Grisha, but also Rex, Rireu, and Alter.
“Here.”
Rireu handed me a cup of cold water. It seemed she had it ready for me before I even arrived.
I had no time to be moved by Rireu’s thoughtful gesture; I immediately brought the cup to my lips.
I feel alive… was not quite it. My arms and legs were still aching, but at least I felt like I wasn’t going to die.
“Sit. We’re late.”
Rireu gently took my arm while I was still drinking and guided me to a chair. Alter gave me a slight bow, and Rex stood up to salute.
I returned the salute casually with the hand not holding the cup and followed Rireu’s lead to my seat.
“Here, sit here.”
Rireu used her finger to emphasize that I should sit in the spot to her left.
Well, I suppose she wouldn’t want to sit next to a stranger.
Considering her personality, it wasn’t that surprising.
After all, Alter was sitting to her right.
I sat in the seat she indicated.
“Everything that happens here from this moment on is classified. The moment you leave this cabin, no one is to speak of what was discussed here.”
As soon as everyone was seated, Bel adjusted the lamp on the ceiling to focus its light on himself and the map.
Bathed directly in the light, Bel was, I hated to admit, quite handsome. His deep, dark eyes and slicked-back black hair retained their grace, even though he clearly hadn’t washed in days.
…We had shared a tent for days, but this was the first time I had focused on his face like this.
“If you all agree, nod your heads.”
His deep-set dark circles and slightly hoarse voice were far from reassuring, but… we all had no choice but to nod heavily.
When Bel put it like that, who would be crazy enough to say, ‘I’m going to go blab about this outside’?
…No, even if it wasn’t Bel standing there, no idiot would shake their head in an atmosphere like this.
“Good. I will now explain the 'Harvest' operation, which will take place in two weeks.”
Bel picked up a quill from the desk and drew four triangles on the far-right side of the map.
“The enemy has a total of four Overlords. Maltiel, Raguel, Ariel, and Mikael.”
Bel then moved the quill to the far-left side of the map and drew two circles.
“Our army has only two forces capable of facing an Overlord one-on-one. Myself and Grisha.”
Alter, an 8th-circle mage and former Master of the Magic Tower, was here, but… it seemed even he wasn’t considered strong enough to fight an Overlord on equal footing.
“We are short by half on general-class combatants. Our troops are continuously dying, and those Mazoku are using the dead to increase the number of Mutants.”
As he said, the situation was overwhelmingly disadvantageous, and defeat was a foregone conclusion.
“Even if we try to force our way into the enemy camp, defeat is certain due to the imbalance in general-class power. And dragging this out won’t change the fact that our numbers are dwindling while the enemy’s are growing.”
“Isn’t there one more general-class fighter?”
Grisha raised her hand, looking puzzled. Her eyes… for some reason, were fixed on me.
“…Me?”
I’m general-class… meaning, on the same level as Bel standing over there?
Capable of fighting an Overlord one-on-one?
This Saintess must have finally lost her mind from the long war.
“Bin is an exception. His current skill level may not be that different from ours, but… his potential for growth is far greater. If he were to be injured clashing with an Overlord, it would be a great loss for the continent.”
…On what basis are these people judging me to be general-class?
I’ve only read up to page 80 of ‘The Standard of Intermediate Magic.’ I’ve just started the second chapter of ‘The History and Understanding of Lightning Magic.’
“Heh heh…”
I couldn’t very well confess my secret now. This was driving me crazy.