Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Phegethon to the Capital
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That was the last day we had the leisure to even hold a conversation.
After spending one night in the barracks, we boarded the carriage early in the morning.
"How long until we arrive?!"
"It'll take a few more days!"
"Argh... We need to go faster!"
Over the past few days, we'd been racing almost nonstop.
We ate on the move, and sleep was kept to a bare minimum.
As if trying to shave off even that, we kept going after sunset until the path was completely invisible in the dark.
To maintain speed, a handful of lightly armored cavalrymen escorted the carriage instead of regular infantry guards.
They even swapped out the horses pulling the carriage whenever they tired, pressing on relentlessly.
All this because of a single letter brought by a messenger.
Erika read it and immediately started urging everyone on as if someone were chasing us from behind.
Since the contents weren't classified, she showed it to the puzzled soldiers and coachman too, and they reacted the same way.
Our destination was Nodenberg.
From the garrison near Zabrinsk where we'd set out, to the northernmost city in the empire—it would normally take over a week.
But thanks to constantly swapping horses and relentless prodding,
feeling the vibrations through our rears that even the finest craftsmanship in this exorbitant carriage couldn't fully suppress, our group made it to Nodenberg in just four days.
I figured Paul would handle things since Nodenberg was Josef's territory.
It's one of the regions where the Noble Faction holds the strongest sway, so a senior like Paul might carry more weight than an imperial edict.
"Who goes there! Get out of the carriage and state your identity!"
When the gate guards blocked the carriage,
Erika used a disarmingly simple approach.
She just leaned out the carriage door from the waist up and shouted,
"We're on orders from His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Ah. Sorry about that. Hey, open the gate!"
The effect was tremendous.
With the imperial crest adorning the carriage, no one doubted Erika's claim of imperial orders.
No need for lengthy explanations—just mentioning "imperial edict" did the trick.
We entered Nodenberg Castle with ease.
"We're almost there. They say Phegethon is ready, so we can head straight over."
"..."
Perhaps due to our nighttime talk, Erika kept speaking to me familiarly.
She even nodded on her own as if understanding my silence, proving it was worth approaching her at dawn.
Phegethon, huh.
Phegethon is one of the Dragonia Empire's unique buildings in the game.
Lore says it's a legacy left by the red dragon Vulkanus, who helped found the empire—a structure that can swiftly transport a single-digit number of people to another Phegethon site.
Most turn-based strategy games let generals move instantly without troops as a gameplay convenience, but 'The Great War,' which oddly emphasizes realism, makes even lone generals take multiple turns based on distance.
Phegethon is the system designed for the Dragonia Empire, which starts with vast territory but has many fronts to defend.
It's like a temporary teleportation portal linking the capital's palace to select cities. Gamers ignore it unless they're doing gimmicks or casual play.
The reason is simple.
In this world with severely limited magic, the usage conditions are brutally harsh.
Construction alone devours resources equivalent to deploying an elite legion for ages, and activation consumes a massive amount of resources plus ten mages from the departure site.
Those ten mages are out of commission for a long time, the resources vanish, and repairs cost a fortune for reuse.
And the payoff for all that?
Moving just two or three generals.
You can't send troops with them, so if you need to shuffle generals urgently in-game, players fire and rehire for free instead of building Phegethon.
"Sigh..."
A sigh escaped me naturally.
We do need to get to the capital fast.
The letter Erika received probably urged haste, and for me, meeting Luise before her attention shifts elsewhere is advantageous.
It's just... such a wasteful expenditure of resources.
I knew the Dragonia Empire's AI obsessively favored Phegethon, but...
Using it right on cue like this, maybe it was historically accurate.
As if the emperor, mad with desire to gather talent, built it just to fetch them a bit quicker.
Thinking how many more troops that money could hire makes it sting, but the best use of something already built is to use it well.
"Here we are. See that huge building over there?"
Looking where Erika pointed, I saw a fortress-like stone structure.
In-game, it was just an icon, so no impressions, but seeing it now, it looked surprisingly impressive.
Not enough to erase the pity over the cost, though.
"I'd heard it was built, but this is my first time actually using it!"
"In fact, this one's never been used before."
"Wow, really?"
That tracks.
Beyond the money, it cripples the nation's scarce strategic asset—mages—so only the emperor would dare.
"His Majesty must be quite eager for the negotiation results."
"Hm."
As Erika delicately put it, this shows the level of expectation the emperor has for me.
The problem is that expectation might not work in my favor.
There's an event called 'Disappointment.'
Linked to 'Imperial Employment,' it triggers if the hired person's performance disappoints, leading to punishment from the emperor.
Usually it's salary cuts or gear confiscation—a handy event for stripping useless hires of cash and items.
But sometimes, if the letdown is big, it goes straight to execution.
Applied to reality?
High expectations mean high potential disappointment.
In other words, fail to meet hers, and my head could roll anytime.
The pressure's mounting.
The emperor's expectations are a double-edged sword.
Meet them, and I'll soar; fail, and I'm sliced apart in an instant.
"...What's wrong?"
I shot Erika an intense look, since I needed her on my side.
I'd steeled myself, but her help would make it much easier.
-Creak.
As the carriage reached Phegethon's entrance, the inner doors swung open.
Mages clutching staves waited inside.
"Let's go!"
We disembarked and entered the building.
Maybe the outer walls were just for defense.
The structure was large, but inside was just a small room about 5 pyeong, nothing else.
"General Paul Richter, Lady Erika Bauman, Lord Victor. Three in total, correct?"
"Yes."
The lead mage verbally confirmed our identities, then briefly explained how to pass through the dimensional gate.
The gist: it opens for a very short time, so move without hesitation on command.
After the quick briefing, the lead mage and others entered the central room's door.
Once all the Phegethon mages were inside, we followed.
"...Oh."
I hadn't expected much, but the interior was stunningly ornate.
"Wow... this is..."
From the room's walls to the central dimensional gate's frame, everything glittered with multicolored gems.
Each one fist-sized, probably accounting for most of the construction cost.
"Opening it! Pass through immediately! Destination: the Imperial Palace!"
The lead mage drew our attention with a hint of urgency.
Tension filled the cramped room packed with people.
"Jump on three! One, two... three!"
As instructed, we dashed into the gate on "three."
The moment I felt piercing through something red, the scenery shifted without warning.
The arrival room was similarly gem-encrusted but four times wider.
"Kyaa!"
"...Careful."
Hearing Erika and Paul's voices meant everyone made it through fine.
Moments later, the door ahead opened.
"We've been waiting."
A dozen or so palace maids awaited beyond the door.
A lounge prepared for the Dragonia Empire's emperor.
A maid approached Luise, who lounged in a chair awaiting news.
"Your Majesty, Lady Erika Bauman and her entourage have arrived."
"Oh?"
Luise's eyes flashed as she shot to her feet at the report.
The maid, caught off-guard, accidentally met her gaze.
"Take Victor and Paul to their quarters. Erika..."
"Hup...!"
The maid's legs buckled under the immense pressure from Luise's eyes, which seemed to emanate an otherworldly aura.
"I want to see her right now. Go fetch her."
"Gasp, huff."
Instead of calming, Luise closed her eyes and issued the order.
As the pressure eased slightly, the collapsed maid exhaled raggedly and forced herself upright.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty!"
Feeling like prey before a predator, the maid hurried away.
"Hmm..."
Luise settled back into her chair, savoring her pounding heart.
Carefully containing her aura, she waited for Erika's arrival.