Chapter 258
Chapter 258
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 258
>Chapter Title: I, I, I Fly
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I raced nonstop from the Lortel main force.
‘Let’s sort this out again.’
The joint operation between Lortel and the Magic Tower had two phases total.
One: rescue.
Two: advance.
Rescue was straightforward.
Lortel would provide troops to save the stragglers.
My job was to link up with them and guide them to the rendezvous point.
‘After handing the stragglers over to Lortel…’
That’s when the advance would begin.
Some troops would regroup the stragglers, while the bulk pushed straight toward Decullan.
Speed was key here.
The goal was to strike before Decullan could mount a proper defense.
That’s why the Young Patriarch had planned the vanguard with knights and cavalry—small in number, but each one a match for a hundred elite soldiers.
‘Two knight orders and five hundred cavalry? Yeah, that’s formidable.’
Once the vanguard broke through and secured position, the main force would join them.
At that point, the battle was as good as won.
No matter how skilled Decullan’s mages were, they couldn’t stop a knightly charge across open plains.
It sounded simple on paper, but it wasn’t.
Sneaking the vanguard past Decullan to the plains was one issue, holding the position until the main force arrived another.
‘And that’s where I come in to solve it.’
Once that was done, my role in this war was effectively over.
So why…
Did this ominous feeling creep up on me?
“Tch, something just feels off.”
It was too easy.
Way too easy.
Unlike the search, which I’d expected to be the hardest part, the Life Gems had made it a breeze.
And Lortel’s unexpectedly proactive cooperation.
…Well, the Life Gems and Lortel’s help could be chalked up to things falling into place.
‘…Or maybe that’s exactly the problem?’
It reminded me of Baharmut.
No omens at all until we headed to Amera.
Despite the bad vibes that something was about to blow up, the days had been calm.
But what’s this?
Suddenly, Mysern sunbae shows up, then Baharmut’s Infernal—and looking back, it was a miracle I survived.
My thoughts trailed off, and my gaze landed on the wyvern floating idly in front of me.
“You really not coming?”
[World, cruel. Nothing, free.]
No, come on…
It was a spirit—no effort needed, just flap those wings. And it couldn’t even do that?
The thing flapped fine on its own before.
“…Tch, fine.”
Time to break that habit.
Truth be told, I didn’t desperately need the wyvern’s flight anyway.
Why?
‘No variables.’
I’d entered the Torres mountain region.
My senses, spread wide, picked up every Decullan mage and soldier hunting the stragglers.
‘Even better.’
Exactly the numbers I’d anticipated.
More would be trouble; fewer, even worse.
So what was left?
‘First, rescue Kallia Mercenary Captain. Then find Extra.’
They’d been together last sighted, so with the captain’s help, tracking Extra should be easy.
With that in mind, I dashed up the steep mountainside.
Following the Life Gem signal, I pushed through the brush—and spotted the stragglers huddled in a cave.
But hold on.
It wasn’t just Kallia Mercenary Captain inside.
“…T-Tower Lord?”
Captain Extra too.
I tilted my head at Extra’s dumbfounded expression.
“Hm.”
Translation: ‘Behold my entrance.’
X-factor charisma.
No wonder people swoon.
…Wait a sec.
“How’s the Tower Lord here…? Don’t tell me you’ve joined the war? No, could this be a dream…?”
Ignoring Extra’s muttering in disbelief, I calmly counted the people in the cave.
Something was off.
‘Two, four, six…’
White Shield Knights: twenty-one.
Kallia mercenaries: thirty-two.
‘…Does this add up?’
This many survivors?
* * *
Extra couldn’t hide his shock at the Tower Lord’s sudden appearance.
But the shock was fleeting. Joy welled up next—only to fade just as quickly.
“Tower Lord, something wrong?”
“Hold on.”
Face hidden by the mask, but the Tower Lord’s vibe was dead serious.
Extra and even Kallia Mercenary Captain Britra—who hadn’t grasped the situation—held their breath.
Aster calmly pieced it together.
‘…Let’s see.’
Fifty-three survivors total.
Good news.
Escape would be trickier with so many, but better than all dead.
Still, the doubt lingered.
‘Decullan really missed this many?’
“Any scouts here?”
Extra answered.
“Two scouts.”
As if on cue, two mercenaries subtly signaled their presence.
Aster glanced at them, then continued thinking.
‘…Just two.’
Scouts were essential for mercenaries.
Spot the enemy; in a pinch, erase retreat trails.
So.
‘Can two scouts erase traces for fifty?’
Not impossible. Aster could do it solo.
Though he doubted the mercenaries matched his skill—still, possible.
Change the question.
‘Can two scouts erase fifty traces and survive?’
Easy answer.
…Impossible.
No way around it.
Erasing trails meant lagging behind, and Decullan wasn’t that sloppy.
That’s when.
“Tower Lord, what’s up?”
“What’s up?”
A captain asking that?
‘…Nah, he might genuinely not know.’
Status didn’t guarantee savvy.
Commanders kept aides to fill such gaps with experience.
Fine for Extra, but…
I eyed Kallia Mercenary Captain staring from the cave corner.
Britra, was it?
Extra, sure—a knight’s got his role.
But a bottom-rung mercenary captain who clawed his way up, unaware?
‘That make sense?’
Crystal clear now.
I scanned the space.
Knights beaming at my arrival; mercenaries still stone-faced, watchful.
‘At first, thought they were tense ’cause backup was just me…’
Wrong.
The mercenaries had clocked it long before I did.
“Damn, no wonder it felt too smooth.”
“…Tower Lord?”
Brushing past Extra, I fixed on Britra.
“Mercenary Captain.”
“…Speak.”
“No matter how I slice it, I can’t buy how this many survived. You feel the same, right?”
“…”
Britra’s clamped lips.
That silence screamed agreement louder than words.
So, what’s that mean?
Simple.
‘This could all be a Decullan trap.’
Bait? These stragglers.
Or precisely, White Shield Captain Extra.
…Son of a bitch.
* * *
Situation urgent, so introductions were brief.
Britra explained his suspicions to Captain Extra and the knights. Core points:
‘You only just noticed?’
They’d been too busy regrouping post-escape. And even after spotting it…
“…No certainty. Or rather, maybe I didn’t want to believe it…”
Why?
Simple.
‘If not dumb luck, means Decullan let the stragglers go on purpose.’
Worst-case scenario for them.
Britra laid out the unspoken facts calmly. When he finished, Extra asked:
“Why keep it quiet?”
“No proof, and saying it changes nothing. Morale drops, nothing gained.”
“…Hm.”
Extra grunted, unable to deny it.
Not just him—the knights, just realizing, were equally gutted.
A thin silence settled in the cave. Extra spoke up soon after.
“Could Tower Lord and Mercenary Captain be wrong? Logical, sure, but oddities abound.”
“Like what?”
Extra laid out his thoughts.
“If they’re using me as bait, no house moves troops for one knight captain. My rank’s minor compared to war’s outcome.”
True.
Without me, Lortel would’ve abandoned Extra.
Rescuing meant big forces or one of the Ten Blades—neither cost-effective.
Extra’s point held water.
…If not Decullan.
“Worst case, they break even.”
“Break even?”
I nodded.
“Think. They couldn’t be sure Lortel would come for the captain. But if they did? That’s the angle.”
“…”
“Decullan loses nothing either way. Lortel bites? Jackpot. If not, they mop up a battered knight order easy.”
Twenty knights. Plus captain.
Capturing them would bleed Decullan’s mages dry—but this saved it.
Extra finally got it, eyes twitching, fist clenched.
I watched a moment, then refocused.
Truth: I was speculating too—no certainties.
‘How far ahead is Decullan thinking?’
First case.
Targeting Lortel’s main force.
‘That’s manageable.’
No nearby troops yet—break through fast.
Real issue.
‘…What if they anticipated even the Ten Blades?’
Slim chance.
Lortel sane? No sending Ten Blades here.
But if Decullan did…
‘…Then shit really hits the fan.’
I’m screwed; they hit unexpected jackpot.
‘Please, not that obsessive.’
That’s when I sensed it.
My wide senses, at the edge.
Kugug… Kugugugugu—
A violent presence tore across space at blinding speed. Straight toward our cave.
‘Wyvern, really not coming?’
[I, I, I fly.]
Wyvern, grasping the gravity, flapped furiously.
Damn thing—fly faster.
We were done for.