Chapter 262: Ignition (4)
Chapter 262: Ignition (4)
Translation: Godtl
"In order to assign personnel to the right places, we must first distinguish in which situations each individual can perform at their best."
As Frondier spoke, he manipulated Black Heaven.
Above the 3D map depicting Tyburn's Barrier, a single name was inscribed—Aster Evans.
"I will first send Aster Evans to Tyburn. Since Hector Dewtoit is already stationed there, the combat strength should be sufficient."
At the unfamiliar name, the people in the conference room tilted their heads in confusion before soon recalling who it was and speaking up.
"Aster... You mean the student from Constelle?"
"The kid rumored to be Baldur's son?"
Indeed, even if Aster Evans wasn't present in the conference room, everyone there knew who he was.
Frondier nodded and continued.
"Aster is an all-weather swordsman who can excel in any phase or situation. He is likely the most suitable candidate for Tyburn, where variables are expected to be the greatest."
"...But he's still a student."
"I can confidently say that in terms of skill, he stands shoulder to shoulder with everyone here. Regarding this, Osprey, the Chancellor of Constelle—"
"—can vouch for him."
Osprey seamlessly took over Frondier's words and testified.
Though the concerned gazes of the attendees didn't completely vanish, no further objections were raised.
Of course, there was another crucial reason for sending Aster to Tyburn—one left unspoken.
Aster needed to obtain Excalibur.
Frondier had already informed Aster of this beforehand. If the opportunity arose, he was to head to the 'Sacred Forest.'
Naturally, upon hearing this, Aster had responded with an uneasy expression,
—'If I can go, I will... but will I even have the chance?'
Still, Aster would undoubtedly fulfill the request.
Then, someone spoke up.
"Tyburn is a harsh place—so much so that it's used to exile criminals who've committed grave offenses. Won't we need more personnel there?"
Frondier shook his head in response.
"I believe Aster alone will be sufficient, but that's not the only reason. No matter which part of the barrier you consider, we are short on personnel."
At this chilling remark, everyone fell silent. It was the truth. In terms of sheer numbers, the Empire was woefully understaffed.
This was evident when considering the Empire's past—whenever the barrier was in danger, they had resorted to summoning knights and mercenaries as makeshift solutions.
"However, finding someone as versatile and without weaknesses as Aster is difficult. Even those present here have preferred situations and easier opponents to face. Since it's hard to distinguish each case individually, I'll first divide them into two broad categories."
With that, Frondier raised two fingers.
"Strong against monsters, or strong against humans."
Everyone easily understood his meaning. Frondier then shifted his gaze to Angper and Aitze.
"To give a simple example, my father, Lord Roah, is accustomed to fighting monsters. Brother Aitze, on the other hand, has a far greater advantage in battles against humans."
Incidentally, the original martial arts of the Roah family were designed to combat monsters.
Aitze was the one who developed his own unique martial arts, adapting them to be more suitable for human opponents.
"No matter where you are stationed along the barrier, those strong in human combat and those strong in monster combat must pair up.
I will arrange the placements accordingly from the start, but should an unexpected situation or phase arise, please remember this: While you are fighting monsters, a hidden human's dagger may stab you in the back, and while you are distracted by the Manggot, monsters may breach the barrier."
As the description grew more realistic, the tension in the room heightened further.
"And from here, we divide again into two."
"Again?"
"Depending on where the barrier is located, there may be cases where I organize into four groups. This is a standard based on that assumption."
Frondier raised two fingers on his other hand.
"Are you stronger against many, or against few?"
"......?"
At those words, several people tilted their heads in confusion. The question had arisen naturally.
"Who's strong against many? Fewer is obviously better."
"There's a slight omission in that statement. To put it simply—a hundred goblins or one ogre. Assuming you have to face them alone, which would you prefer?"
At that, a few people instinctively opened their mouths.
"Obviously the ogre—"
"No, the goblins—"
They stopped mid-sentence and looked at each other. This disagreement wasn't just a matter of mages versus warriors—it varied individually. Frondier smiled.
"As you can see, opinions differ quite a bit."
"......Indeed, they do."
These were people with plenty of combat experience, but they had always fought based on their own standards, so their assumptions about situations were tailored to themselves.
Of course, they were all strong enough to handle either scenario, but when it came to preference, the answers varied significantly.
"On the battlefield, it will inevitably be a fight against many, so this distinction matters less than the previous one. However, Manggot has warriors on par with the Zodiac. Someone must be designated to fight them first."
Everyone nodded in understanding at Frondier's words.
Confirming this, Frondier waved his hand again. This time, a larger amount of Black Heaven gathered from all directions, etching names onto the Barrier.
"Then, this is the formation I've arranged based on those criteria. Check the map."
At his words, everyone examined the map, confirming where they would be stationed.
Osprey, who had been checking the map alongside them, furrowed his brow. He subtly moved closer to Frondier and relayed his words—not with his voice, but with magical speech.
[Frondier. At a glance, there seem to be many gaps in the Barrier.]
[That's correct.]
Frondier responded with the same skill. While the other person was using the skill, Frondier could replicate it.
Of course, Osprey had no way of knowing that—his eyes widened in surprise. But soon, his expression softened.
[Do you believe this is the optimal arrangement for the Barrier's personnel?]
It seemed he had decided to set aside his questions about how Frondier used magic for later. Or perhaps he had come to his own understanding.
Frondier appeared to choose his words carefully before responding.
[Manggot has greed.]
[Greed?]
[The greed to burn the entire Empire to ashes.]
To the Empire, Manggot's overwhelming flames were a source of immense terror. The uncertainty of Manggot's full strength, their true nature, and what lay at the end of it all only magnified that fear.
Thus, from the Empire's perspective, Manggot's plans might seem driven by terrifying vengeance—but it wasn't something they could carry out with vengeance alone.
[Can you really call that greed?]
[They are prepared to sacrifice, but they fear their sacrifices being rendered meaningless. Ironically, their resolve to sacrifice coexists with that fear.]
A past remark from Selena surfaced in Frondier's mind.
—No matter how noble terrorists believe their cause to be, they seek meaning in their actions.
—'Being helplessly victimized' is not an option they can choose.
Manggot wasn't mere terrorists, but the words still applied well.
Even in Selena's absence, there were lessons to be learned from her words.
[So, they won't do anything half-hearted. They'll carefully select strategies that can deal significant damage to the Empire. Therefore, if we flip that around, we can make rough deductions ourselves.]
Just as Frondier finished explaining this to Osprey—
"Hey, Frondier."
Someone's voice cut in.
Ludovic de Fabre, one of the Zodiac.
"My name isn't on the map."
Ludovic had the most similar combat style to Aster among the Zodiac—a true all-rounder. The most balanced powerhouse among them, and his loyalty to the Empire was exceptional.
Therefore, Frondier spoke.
"Lord Ludovic, you will not be going to the Barrier."
"What did you say?"
"Please guard the Imperial Palace."
At those words, Ludovic blinked his eyes for a moment. Then he soon realized what Frondier meant.
"......Are you saying the Imperial Palace is in danger?"
"If I were Manggot, I would consider every possible method to directly target the Emperor. Especially since we have 'Shadow Teleportation.'"
Hearing this, Ludovic closed his mouth as if holding back many words.
Ludovic is more loyal to the Empire than anyone else in the Zodiac. Knowing this, Frondier placed Ludovic at the Imperial Palace.
The loss of combat power from excluding a Zodiac member from the Barrier is painful, but with Ludovic at the Imperial Palace, Frondier could ease his worries about the palace considerably.
And in the meantime.
'......It's not just Ludovic whose name is missing from the map.'
Philly's sunken eyes scanned the map once before looking around the room.
Aside from Ludovic, no one had any complaints about the deployment Frondier had arranged.
In truth, it was impossible to complain—everyone knew the situation was one of insufficient forces. Even calling it "doing their best in every position" would be an understatement.
Yet there was one fact no one voiced but everyone knew.
'Frondier's name isn't there either.'
Frondier's name was nowhere to be seen on the map.
Frondier had left himself out of the personnel deployment.
But no one raised any objections. This was the difference between how Philly perceived Frondier and how the others did.
Most here didn't know who Frondier was. But based on his explanations so far, the Emperor's trust in him, and the appropriate deployment of personnel, most had drawn similar conclusions.
—Frondier is not a combatant.
Frondier is not someone who fights. He is here as an advisor or strategist. Naturally, he would remain in the Imperial Palace, monitoring the situation and continuing to direct operations from within.
This was the common assumption, and thus, the absence of Frondier's name on the map seemed natural.
......But for the few who knew what kind of person Frondier truly was.
The eyes of those studying the map slowly turned toward Frondier.
Empress Philly and Princess Aten.
The Roah siblings, Angper and Aitze.
Zodiac members who had witnessed Frondier's power firsthand—Liri and Monty. Osprey and Ludwig.
Shroud Captain Sanders.
To them, Frondier's name being conspicuously absent was deeply suspicious.
"......."
Of course, Frondier simply remained silent.
In moments like these, Frondier's shamelessness and nonchalance shone all the brighter.
After the meeting, Frondier carefully slipped out of the conference room and walked away.
Thinking he had left naturally enough, he opened the exit leading outside the Imperial Palace,
'......Again.'
Only to find himself staring at an entirely unrelated room.
It was the spatial teleportation Osprey had used earlier.
Likely an empty room somewhere in the palace, but it was already occupied by several people.
Those who had sensed Frondier's suspicious behavior.
"Mr. Frondier."
The first to approach him was Aten.
She took Frondier's hand and spoke.
"Tell me you're running away."
"......."
The unexpected words made Frondier's eyes widen slightly.
Aten looked at him with a face contorted in pain, as if cut by a blade.
"The reason your name isn't on the map."
"......."
"Tell me you're fleeing because you're afraid of the war."
As Aten spoke, everyone in the room watched Frondier with faces darkened by shadows.
"If that's the case, I'll help you however I can."
Aten's hand trembled violently as she held Frondier's.
"Please......."
"Aten."
"I'll make sure you go somewhere safer than anywhere else. I'll help you,"
"You should know as well."
Frondier's cold voice cut off Aten's words.
"Why my name isn't on the map."
"......"
Philly, who had been silently observing, finally spoke.
"Frondier has maintained consistent directionality since the meeting. Minimizing the Empire's losses from Manggot's attacks."
Frondier's troop deployment might seem greedy at first glance.
He's operating under the mindset of defending everything without abandoning any position. From a strategist's perspective, it's not an ideal approach.
If enemy attacks exceed what your forces can handle, you must be prepared to sacrifice some areas.
Yet Frondier refused to do so. He stationed troops at the Barrier's key positions, appearing to abandon certain areas while ultimately protecting them all.
The result is that every region is slightly understaffed. A situation where the Empire's entire Barrier could collapse if mishandled.
"Minimizing losses can't be achieved through defense alone. When war breaks out, no one wants to be the fool fighting only on their own land."
At Philly's words, Osprey let out a deep sigh. His eyes opened slowly, heavy and low, as he spoke.
"...Are you going, Frondier? Into enemy territory."
"Yes."
An immediate answer without even a second's hesitation. Aten's body flinched at this.
Ludwig commented.
"That bastard was like this in Tyburn too. All the knights called him a madman back then, and I thought he'd truly lost it."
"According to Silvain, he was the same in Yeranhes."
Sanders picked up Ludwig's words, and Angper nodded in agreement.
Philly turned her gaze sideways as if thinking before speaking.
"While all other forces hold the Barrier, a single spear thrusting into the enemy's stronghold... Positively speaking, it's ideal. Neutrally speaking, it's reckless. Negatively speaking—"
"Irrelevant, Frondier."
Angper interjected.
"Frondier, after seeing your fight in Yeranhes, I decided to acknowledge you. But that doesn't mean you should walk into certain death."
To this, Frondier responded.
"Right now, I'm the least suspected person by Manggot. I can strike them from outside their sight."
"...Frondier, this is too low-probability a gamble."
This time it was Aitze who spoke.
Frondier briefly looked at Angper and Aitze.
Seeing these two worrying about him and trying to dissuade him felt both unfamiliar and painfully touching each time.
Yet Frondier took a deep, steadying breath. Forcing an air of detachment, he continued.
"...Even if I fail."
The words felt like chewing glass.
"Is there any reason not to attempt this operation?"
"Frondier...!"
Aitze's voice rose with unprecedented intensity.
Seemingly indifferent to it, Frondier pressed on.
"This operation is a no-risk, high-return scenario for the Empire. No loss if it fails, complete victory if it succeeds."
As he spoke, Frondier looked at Philly. His gaze drained the color from her face. Understanding his unspoken meaning, her lips parted slightly.
'...Are you asking me to agree? To say that?'
If Frondier fails, he dies. That much is obvious.
But that wouldn't be a loss for the Empire?
From the Empire's grand perspective, one death is utterly insignificant?
Is that what you want me to say?
'Frondier, Frondier!'
Frondier's gaze was unbearably cruel.
The weight of always expecting him to make cold, rational judgments was heavy.
Because she was Philly Terst.
Frondier believed she would say it.
Because she was Philly.
"......"
Yet.
No words came from Philly.
Her lips wouldn't part. Even she was shocked by her own hesitation. Frondier seemed briefly surprised but quickly schooled his expression.
"Don't worry."
Frondier turned to Angper.
"I am my father's son."