Chapter 20
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Riding the Flow (1)
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Philip Polsen stared at the man walking ahead with a gaze full of incomprehension.
‘Clay Banheart…… So he’s not just a sword user?’
The image of his own sword being knocked away in a single strike was still vivid in his mind. It was impossible for him, a sword expert, to accept that he had lost in just one exchange to a mere sword user.
‘What in the world is Duke Gail thinking?’
The detachment was composed solely of knights personally selected by Duke Gail himself.
Being chosen for it was as good as receiving the duke’s personal recognition.
Philip’s spirits had soared at the news. That is, until he learned that the detachment’s commander was Clay Banheart.
‘And why is Gelvin Ribina listening to that guy?’
He was truly an incomprehensible man.
On top of that, why had they come to this valley?
It would be nice if he’d at least explain the reason, but under the pretext of utmost secrecy, Clay hadn’t said a word about anything.
“You must be wondering why we’ve suddenly come to this valley.”
As if reading his thoughts, Clay spoke up.
“From now on, we’ll be standing by in this valley.”
“Yes?”
Philip inadvertently blurted out a retort and hastily covered his mouth. Gelvin was glaring at him sharply from the side.
But Clay continued nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.
“A secret passage was recently discovered beneath the cliffs here. And it’s been confirmed that the enemy dug it.”
“I-Is that true?”
At one knight’s question, Clay nodded lightly.
“Soon, our main force will launch a full assault on the enemy’s headquarters. And I’m certain that at that moment, the enemy will use that passage to raid our main camp.”
“Then our role is to stop that raid?”
“That’s right.”
Hearing the outline of the plan, Philip inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had expected some grueling mission given that it was a special detachment, but this seemed surprisingly straightforward.
‘If we know about the enemy raid in advance, stopping it shouldn’t be hard.’
The passage was located below sheer cliffs. For the enemy to infiltrate, they’d have to climb those cliffs first.
Even if their numbers were somewhat greater, they could repel them easily by exploiting the terrain advantage.
‘To rack up achievements with such a simple operation.’
Just as Philip and a few other knights were cheering inwardly, Clay’s words followed.
“But the key is what comes after we repel the raid.”
After repelling the raid?
As everyone stared at him with puzzled expressions, he spoke in an utterly matter-of-fact tone.
“They’ve so kindly cleared the path for us. Wouldn’t it be polite to use it ourselves?”
Only then did Philip realize what he meant.
He planned to turn the tables and infiltrate the enemy headquarters via that passage.
‘He’s insane! Did Duke Gail approve this?!’
At the thought of such a perilous operation, Philip felt like he might faint on the spot.
* * *
The Kainzel Kingdom army’s camp.
Prince Wolfran looked around at his retainers with a relaxed expression.
“What’s the current movement of the Talua forces?”
“As expected, they’re advancing toward the center of Rakmes Ridge.”
“Heh heh heh. I see. Then keep luring them in. The enemy is most off-guard when they think they’ve won.”
“As shrewd as ever, Your Highness!”
Satisfied with his retainer’s flattery, Wolfran smiled and gazed at the map marking the battlefield situation.
As anticipated, the Talua Kingdom army, believing they had seized the advantage, was committing their full forces for a total assault.
The moment the enemy moved as predicted, they would sweep through their main camp via the secret passage.
This was Wolfran’s strategy.
‘Kukuku. They’d never imagine a passage cutting straight through between our camps.’
Wolfran could barely contain his laughter.
Who would even think to create a passage that crossed between the two camps in one go?
Even Wolfran had laughed in disbelief when Veil first proposed digging it.
But when Veil actually pulled it off, he had no choice but to acknowledge it. Demons were beings beyond human measure.
‘We can’t lose.’
Even though the battle situation was still unfavorable, Wolfran was convinced.
The Talua Kingdom’s knights were certainly strong, and they had the numerical superiority in soldiers as well. Even if they razed their main camp via the secret passage, their main force would still remain.
But Wolfran had no worries. Guarding their headquarters was the mid-level demon Veil, who possessed immense power.
‘The lower demon’s death actually worked in our favor.’
Veil had stayed out of it so far, leaving things to the lower demons.
But after the lower demon Kario died in the Artuha Mountains, he finally stepped forward, declaring he’d handle it himself.
With him intervening personally, the war’s outcome was all but decided.
‘But what exactly is their goal?’
The demons had suddenly appeared in the Kainzel Kingdom one day and proposed a deal.
Lend them power, and in return, help them access the ancient ruins that only Kainzel royalty could enter.
As far as he knew, the ruins held only historical value, nothing particularly remarkable. So why did they want in there?
‘Focus on winning the war for now.’
Wolfran shook his head after a moment’s contemplation.
Winning the war came first right now.
And once this war ended and he returned, the crown prince’s seat would be his.
* * *
[You hid Michel properly, right?]
“I’ll be moving with Duke Gail, so no need to worry.”
I repeated the reassurance I’d given her several times already to calm Gransesia.
But Gransesia still seemed uneasy, fidgeting restlessly.
“You’re surprisingly attentive to your descendants, huh?”
[They’re my sister’s descendants, so of course. Unlike me, my sister wasn’t sturdy…… Her descendants are all fragile too.]
“……Your sister is fragile?”
From what I knew, her sister had lived past a hundred without so much as a cold.
‘Well, by her standards, everything’s probably fragile.’
I took a slow deep breath and gradually unclenched my fist.
Only then did the mana coursing through my body slowly dissipate from my hand.
“Phew. Isn’t this good enough?”
[Still a ways to go. But the form is perfect. Your talent is just ridiculous.]
Despite her words, Gransesia looked rather pleased.
From her perspective, seeing me perfectly execute a technique she considered battle-ready must have been satisfying.
“Commander, a letter from His Grace the Duke has arrived.”
I slowly turned at the voice from behind me.
Gelvin stood there, holding a white envelope.
“Thanks as always.”
“Not at all. It’s an honor to be of help.”
Gelvin’s eyes shone with admiration toward me as he spoke.
‘Why?’
Curiosity welled up, but checking the letter came first.
I quickly scanned the contents and tucked it into my pocket.
“Looks like the operation starts tomorrow morning.”
“Yes. I’ll inform the other knights right away.”
“Thanks for that, but……”
I gazed at Gelvin for a moment before speaking.
“Why do you trust my words so much?”
The operation we were about to undertake was extremely difficult. Infiltrating right into the heart of the enemy camp meant our lives weren’t guaranteed.
So it was natural for the knights’ faces to stiffen upon hearing it.
But Gelvin nodded along without the slightest hesitation. We had no prior close connection, so his attitude was a bit hard to understand.
Yet his answer to my question only deepened the mystery.
“I’ve already witnessed the commander in battle twice.”
“Twice?”
Wondering what he meant, I pressed, and Gelvin continued calmly.
“I was the first to pursue Byan, so I saw it. The sight of you taking down Byan Deolic.”
“What?”
I hadn’t imagined anyone witnessing that scene.
“Then there was the battle in the Artuha Mountains. The way you felled that monster who even overwhelmed the demon in an instant…… I can’t get it out of my head.”
I had considered that someone might have seen it. There were too many people present to account for everyone.
But to think he’d not only seen that but also my fight with Byan? That was unexpected.
“The sight of you, cloaked in silver light, defeating the enemy! I’m certain Sir Banheart is a chosen hero!”
Unaware of my frozen expression, Gelvin spoke in an excited tone. His usually stoic eyes now sparkled brightly.
Seeing that gaze, I couldn’t bring myself to deny it.
“How could I not trust a hero’s words? It’s an honor to fight by your side!”
Ah, I’d seen that reaction somewhere before.
It was just like the kids by the roadside watching gypsy troupes perform hero tales.
‘Well, better than them thinking it’s weird……’
Having a witness to my fights wasn’t a problem. If anything, it was welcome proof of my feats.
But a hero?
His fervent enthusiasm was a bit burdensome.
‘Come to think of it, there was that rumor.’
Ribina’s little lion loved hero tales……
I’d dismissed it as a joke, but it turned out to be true.
Gaining Gelvin Ribina’s trust was great, but maintaining it meant I’d have to play the hero role.
[Whoa, you’ve got a fan now? I’m jealous.]
‘Don’t tease.’
Ignoring Gransesia’s snickering, I steadied my breath and spoke to Gelvin, who was composing himself.
“……Understood. Then tell the other knights to prepare for the operation.”
“Yes, sir!”
As Gelvin saluted energetically and departed, I let out a soft sigh.
It was absurd, but securing Gelvin Ribina’s trust was a huge gain. Especially for rallying the other knights.
“Well, fine.”
I clenched my fist, staring toward the valley.
It was still imperfect, but my trump card was somewhat ready.
“Gransesia, you said I can handle up to mid-level, right?”
[Yep! With me here, mid-level is no problem.]
“What if there’s a high-level one?”
[We run. But if there was a high-level demon, we’d feel its power from here, so no worries.]
The distance from the Kainzel Kingdom army’s camp to this valley was considerable.
If its power had to reach this far to be normal, then high-level demons possessed utterly transcendent strength.
I swallowed dryly and clenched and unclenched my fist.
Up until now, I’d foreseen the future via synopsis and prepared accordingly, but this time, everything was unknown.
But that was normal.
The future was inherently unknowable.
‘And once I overcome this.’
I was certain I’d grow to the next level.
That conviction filled me.