Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: 38. Black Mountains Bloodbath (2)
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“Something feels off...”
Debea, the top-grade commander attached to the Philius Empire's border army, shuddered with a sense of foreboding. The chill wind sweeping through the Black Mountains rustled her short golden blonde hair.
“Lady Debea. Preparations for the northern advance are complete.”
Her adjutant approached and gave his report. Two infantry battalions—a total of a thousand troops—stood arrayed in formation behind them.
Debea shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel the nagging unease, but it clung stubbornly. The ominous aura unique to the Black Mountains seemed to bear down on her from every direction.
Was it because this was her first time pushing so deep into the heart of the Black Mountains? Though she was the border army's top-grade commander, Debea had never ventured beyond the outer fringes before.
She had only recently transferred from the Northern Central Army to the border forces, leaving her with few opportunities to do so.
“It'll be fine... It'll be okay...”
Debea muttered to herself like a mantra, lifting her right hand. Spotting the signal, the flag bearer shook the Philius Empire's banner with vigor.
“Entire army, advance!”
“Forward!”
The vanguard took the lead. As Debea moved alongside the border army's other commanders, she analyzed the latest reconnaissance reports and double-checked their tactics.
“We'll reach the confirmed enemy outpost in another four kilometers.”
The adjutant reported. They had been marching for roughly six hours from their starting point, shaving off rest time along the way. This deep into the Black Mountains' core, they had steeled themselves for clashes with monster packs, yet the journey had passed in eerie, unbroken peace.
“That's exactly what makes me uneasy...”
True to the adjutant's word, the enemy position loomed nearby. Debea called a halt for one final rest, allowing the troops to catch their breath. She folded her map and climbed a nearby hill to scan the surroundings. Silence like this didn't belong in the Black Mountains—and that only amplified her anxiety.
“Adjutant.”
“Yes, Lady Debea.”
“Select thirty scouts and have them recon the area.”
“Understood.”
This was the Black Mountains; caution was non-negotiable. At Debea's order, the adjutant promptly picked out thirty scouts and sent them to probe the vicinity—but not one returned by the appointed time.
“Lady Debea. This doesn't bode well.”
A mid-level commander from the unit spoke up, his face etched with tension. Until moments ago, he had dismissed Debea's concerns as overblown, but the scouts' total silence forced him to reconsider.
“Lady Debea. The troops await your orders.”
“Please, issue the command.”
The unit stood ready for orders. Debea wrestled with her decision. The scouts had likely been wiped out, but enemy forces were confirmed nearby, and it was her duty to annihilate them. She had no choice but to commit now.
“Advance in full combat formation.”
“There could be an ambush.”
“Send the vanguard ahead first.”
Her subordinate commanders offered cautious input, but Debea's resolve held firm. There was no real pushback.
The scouts might have been slaughtered, but deploying the vanguard first offered a solid chance of detecting any traps early.
It didn't take long for the troops to form up in battle readiness. Soon, a messenger arrived from the rear to confirm all was set, and Debea gave the order to move out.
“Entire army, advance!”
“Forward!”
Debea's unit resumed its march.
“The vanguard reports spotting the enemy's banners!”
The messenger arrived moments after the vanguard crested a high ridge. The moment of battle was nearly upon them. Debea nodded with a grim expression and inspected the unit's formation before pressing onward.
The banners of the Free Isirian Kingdom Army came into view—the ones spotted by the vanguard. Their numbers hovered around five hundred. Absent any ambushes and with unwavering vigilance, Debea's current strength could easily overwhelm them.
No ambush alerts had come from the vanguard. It was time for a ferocious assault. Debea drew her sword with authority.
“Entire army! Charge!”
The unit surged forward. But something was wrong. Even as they closed in, the Free Isirian camp showed no signs of stirring. They were moments from entering long-range attack distance.
Dust clouds billowed from the left flank as a large pack emerged. And they were...
“Monsters! Orc wolf riders!”
“What? Why are orc wolf riders blocking our path?”
The commanders fell into disarray. To anyone watching, the orc wolf riders were plainly interposing themselves to shield the Free Isirian Kingdom Army.
“Why would the monsters...?”
Debea was just as baffled. In her hesitation, the troops gradually slowed. The orc wolf riders, however, did not.
No sooner had they confirmed the slowdown than the orcs launched a reckless charge, closing the gap in an instant.
“Spearmen, shieldmen! Forward!”
“Brace for impact! Steady the front line!”
Shouts erupted from all sides. Spearmen and shieldmen rushed ahead to meet the orc wolf riders.
Even as the two forces collided, Debea still had no inkling why the monsters were protecting the Free Isirians. Of course, she never would.
The only one who knew everything was smirking down upon the battlefield. Her name was Elpis.
One legion from the Northern Central Army—six thousand strong—linked up with four thousand from Marquis Crayer's domain forces and plunged into the Black Mountains.
From the capital, Raymond led one legion of the Imperial Army and one brigade of elves toward the Black Mountains.
A combined force nearing twenty thousand.
“How long do you think the Knight Brigade's reorganization will take?”
“I spoke with Sir Billiang yesterday. He confirmed they'd be ready within a week and marching for the Black Mountains.”
Count Reinitz dipped his head slightly in response to Raymond's question. The two sat inside a carriage, a military map spread across the table as they assessed the situation.
“That said, is this wise? If word gets out that the entire Knight Brigade is moving to the Black Mountains, the Haipel Empire might make a move—Monster Forest or no.”
It wasn't an exaggeration to call the Knight Brigade the Philius Empire's last remaining elite force.
The Monster Forest served as the primary barrier against a Haipel incursion from the south, but the Knight Brigade provided the crucial secondary line of defense.
“No need to worry. According to Count Potas's report, the Monster Forest's threat level has spiked even higher.”
“Don't tell me the Reverse Heaven Dragon has awakened?”
“Unconfirmed, but we're keeping that possibility open.”
The thought of the Reverse Heaven Dragon stirring was one Raymond desperately wanted to dismiss. In the original Empire of the Dead novel, it hadn't awakened even in the latest installments—but with the Apocalypse Society running rampant in this world, anything was possible.
“Central Intelligence reports that even the Haipel Empire's rangers stationed in the Monster Forest have pulled back.”
“The ranger legions withdrew? Those elite hunters?”
Count Reinitz's eyes widened. The Haipel Empire's rangers were a force unmatched in forests and mountains, their reputation well-earned.
For them to abandon the Monster Forest meant the situation was gravely serious.
“That's right. We won't have to fret about a southern push from them anytime soon.”
“Understood. I won't raise any further objections to the Knight Brigade's deployment.”
“No, it was a perfectly valid concern.”
Count Reinitz now held the rank of Grand Marshal, overseeing the entire Philius Empire military. He had every right to voice doubts.
Raymond was no petty lord who would take umbrage at a subordinate's pushback.
“Scattered clashes are breaking out across the Black Mountains between our border forces and the Free Isirian Kingdom Army.”
Count Reinitz said. It was a report from a Central Intelligence courier just three hours earlier, right before boarding the Emperor's carriage.
“Who's got the upper hand?”
“We haven't pinned it down precisely yet, but our side's at a disadvantage.”
“Damn it.”
Raymond muttered a quiet curse.
“And there's one report that's hard to credit.”
“Out with it.”
“Monsters in the Black Mountains are showing organized movements in support of the Free Isirian Kingdom Army.”
To anyone versed in conventional wisdom about monsters, it would sound utterly preposterous—enough to berate Count Reinitz outright. But Raymond knew of Elpis, the mage who wielded domination magic, so he couldn't dismiss it.
That purple-haired sorceress he had encountered before. Raymond still remembered her vividly.
“Count Reinitz.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do you believe these organized monster movements are mere coincidence?”
“Controlling and directing monsters would be extraordinarily difficult for any human. That said, I don't rule it out as impossible—so we should investigate with utmost care.”
A prudent response.
“I'll have to instruct Count Potas to bolster our surveillance agents in the Monster Forest.”
At the same time, Raymond resolved to reinforce Central Intelligence under Count Potas, even if it strained resources.
Victory in war demanded not just raw military might, but superior intelligence capabilities as well. For the Philius Empire, locked in conflict with the Tripartite Alliance while needing to monitor the Haipel Empire, top-tier intel was more vital than ever.
“Your Majesty. We're approaching the Black Mountains.”
A knock sounded, the carriage's small window slid open, and a familiar voice drifted in from the driver's seat. It was Gestain, the one-armed captain of the Imperial Guard.
“Guess it's time to ride out.”
Raymond murmured under his breath as he opened the carriage door. He had never been one to favor being coddled inside a carriage under heavy escort.
Had there been no discussions with Count Reinitz, he wouldn't have boarded at all.
After switching to horseback and riding another three hours or so, the nearly twenty-thousand-strong force under Emperor Raymond reached the Black Mountains' outskirts.
“Marquis Crayer's banners!”
A thousand cavalry appeared ahead. Marquis Crayer's lord banner flew among them as well.
The domain cavalry slowed to a disciplined halt, forming ranks to salute the Emperor. The marquis himself approached with a handful of knights, dismounted, and bowed his head.
“Your Majesty.”
“Rise, Marquis Crayer.”
“Yes.”
Marquis Crayer lifted his head. Exhaustion was plain on his face. It was unavoidable. Ever since leading his domain forces into the Black Mountains, they had faced relentless monster assaults around the clock.
The casualties had been so dire that troops who had pushed near the core retreated all the way back to the fringes just to recover their accumulated fatigue.
While the border army advanced in their stead, Marquis Crayer had received orders from Count Reinitz to construct a forward fortress at the outskirts—and he was carrying them out.
“What's the status of the forward fortress?”
Raymond asked in a measured tone. But Marquis Crayer's expression remained shadowed.
“Construction isn't complete yet. I apologize for the disappointment, Your Majesty.”
He offered no excuses, but the reason was obvious.
The monsters, no doubt.
Raymond bit his lip lightly. It seemed Elpis's mastery of that forbidden domination magic had grown even stronger.
Has she ascended to a higher realm...?
The situation looked bleak—or so he was thinking when...
“Your Majesty.”
A gruff voice from behind drew his attention. There stood the diminutive dwarf, Rockle Bronze.
“Ironhammer's chief commander, speak.”
“If it's an issue with fortress construction, we can handle it.”
Raymond had momentarily forgotten. Ironhammer leaned more toward engineering than frontline combat. Composed entirely of dwarves, they could finish a fortress in the blink of an eye.
“The forward fortress is critical. It'll safeguard the gold mines soon to be established and play a pivotal role in securing our rear supply lines. Give it everything you've got.”
“No need for concern, Your Majesty.”
Rockle thumped his chest with his fist, brimming with confidence. Raymond couldn't help but grin at the sight.
In ancient times, the Philius Empire's walls had towered higher and stronger than any others. No foe dared contemplate breaching the borders of the grand empire that had proclaimed a radiant age of glory.
Raymond knew this well—his lips curled upward involuntarily.
The real war begins now, you fools.
The Tripartite Alliance. It was time to plunge a sharp blade into their heart.
From this decayed empire, a phoenix shall rise.
Raymond's eyes gleamed.