Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Hero of the Border (4)
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"Your Highness the 5th Prince, preparations are complete."
The Imperial Army commander, Cassias, came to the training grounds to report. There was no longer any sign of agitation in his eyes.
He had witnessed Raymond's overwhelming talent, but he decided to brush it off lightly, thinking there were still many things in the world he didn't know.
"How's the prisoner's condition?"
"We've restored him. He's fit for interrogation right away."
"Let's go."
"Yes, Your Highness the 5th Prince."
Cassias guided Raymond and his retinue to the tent where the Ghost agent was bound.
The tent's windows were all covered, and the area was under strict Imperial Army control.
"All the tools are ready. Please use them as you wish."
Raymond had told both the border army and the Imperial Army that he would personally handle the interrogation.
Since his contributions to this operation had been the greatest, everyone acknowledged him and accepted his request.
"Keep the perimeter tightly secured."
"Not even a single ant will slip past our feet."
Leaving the confident Cassias behind, Raymond entered the small tent holding the Ghost agent.
The interior was dim. There was a magic lantern, but its light was intentionally dimmed to create a gloomy atmosphere.
The Ghost agent was bound to a chair firmly fixed to the floor. His head hung low without the slightest movement—he had clearly lost consciousness. Though they had restored his body, it seemed his mental fatigue had overwhelmed him.
"Wake up, Ghost."
"Kuh... guh!"
Raymond spat coldly and cast a shock spell. Though he had adjusted the output, it wasn't at the minimum, so the Ghost agent awoke screaming in agony as if his brain were being rattled.
"D-Damn it... Where the hell...?"
"That's not important."
As the Ghost agent frantically scanned his surroundings the moment he regained consciousness, Raymond spoke in a cold voice. Only then did the agent's gaze turn to Raymond.
"The Philius Empire's... 5th Prince..."
He recognized at a glance the imperial ring on Raymond's finger.
"Good that you know who I am. This should make things quicker."
"Ghosts don't negotiate with enemies. Just kill me."
"That's the plan."
"W-What?"
The Ghost agent faltered at Raymond's impassive attitude. Raymond smirked and opened his mouth.
"Were you expecting torture? Sorry to disappoint, but that's for extracting information."
"No way..."
The Ghost agent bit his lip as Raymond displayed a relaxed demeanor, as if he already knew everything without needing torture.
As a Ghost, he could tell bravado from true confidence.
'That's no bluff.'
What did the 5th Prince know, exactly?
"How much do you know...?"
"I know enough—like the spot where you're planning to execute Marquis Kreier."
The Ghost fell silent, thinking it was leading questioning and holding back his words.
Raymond could easily see through that intent. Such pointless resistance only brought a smile to his lips.
The Ghost agent's skin crawled at Raymond's utterly composed air, as if he truly knew it all.
How far did he know? The agent decided to test him.
"There's no way you know that."
"The jagged rock right next to the Jet-Black Orc village."
The Ghost's eyes widened at the casual remark. His pupils shook, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
He tried to hide his emotions, but it was futile. Still, he had no intention of giving up yet.
"An execution in the Jet-Black Orcs' territory, infamous for its ferocity? That's nonsense."
"I know your Ghost unit has a mage who can partially control monsters. With that one's secret magic, you could slip in near the village, right?"
"Y-You bastard! How much do you know?!"
His voice rose uncharacteristically for a Ghost. His composure had shattered.
And for good reason—the information Raymond had just revealed was known only within the Ghost unit. But Raymond, having read the author's setting notes and the novel up to volume 3, knew it all.
"Only a Ghost would know that..."
"I know everything."
Raymond curled his lip. The Ghost before him had no chance of leaving alive anyway.
Knowing that, he toyed with him. Sending him to hell gripped by fear seemed fitting.
Before he knew it, a sharp dagger was in his left hand. Verification complete—it was time to end it. He slashed the Ghost's throat.
Red blood sprayed, and the Ghost's head lolled limply. Raymond wiped the blood from the dagger and exited the tent, where Gestain and Cassias waited.
"Imperial Army commander."
"Yes, Your Highness the 5th Prince. What are your orders?"
"Inform the border army command and Sir Kron that we've located Marquis Kreier."
It had taken less than ten minutes. Even the empire's skilled torturers couldn't have extracted that so quickly.
Cassias was once again awed by Raymond and dispatched a messenger. Soon, Kron and the commanders gathered at the command tent.
"Is it true you've found the lord's location?"
The moment Raymond entered the command tent, Kron rushed over and asked. Raymond nodded, and Kron bowed his head, his face on the verge of tears.
"Thank you!"
Despite his father being kidnapped, the complicated politics and interests of the Philius Empire had left him powerless and frustrated.
When he heard the Ghosts might be involved amid all his fretting, he had all but given up hope.
But Raymond had reignited that spark, so excitement was inevitable.
"Where is he?"
One of the border army's high commanders asked cautiously. Raymond sat in a stiff wooden chair and spoke.
"Near the Jet-Black Orc village."
"That explains why we couldn't find him."
It was a monster-infested area—even the Ghosts couldn't easily enter.
Thanks to Raymond's apt performance and the trust he'd built so far, the commanders didn't suspect much despite the location.
They nodded in understanding and began devising plans. But after thirty minutes, they were still going in circles with no good ideas.
"We need to move the border army now."
"That'll spark all-out war with the Jet-Black Orc tribe. Massive losses on our side—that's exactly what the Free Isirian Kingdom wants. And don't forget the non-aggression pact."
"We're not stationing troops, so the pact doesn't apply. We should request reinforcements from the Northern Central Army and advance north immediately!"
"House Kreier and our domain forces will gladly join this glorious northern advance!"
The excited Kron Kreier drew his sword and raised it high. The heir of a renowned northern knightly house had bared his blade.
Several high commanders drew theirs or stood, voicing agreement.
"In the presence of the 5th Prince! Sheathe your swords at once!"
As Raymond frowned, Imperial Army commander Cassias bellowed. Since he wasn't wrong, they all bowed in apology and sheathed their blades.
It could have been a major issue, but Raymond understood their frustration and let it slide.
"No choice, then. I'll go myself."
"Your Highness the 5th Prince!"
"That's impossible!"
"The Jet-Black Orc village is in the heart of the Black Mountains, overrun by monsters!"
"Please reconsider!"
The high commanders leaped to their feet in horror at Raymond's bombshell declaration.
Despite their fervent pleas, Raymond's mind was set. He had planned to go personally from the start.
"Since when has the Philius imperial bloodline been branded cowards?"
The sharp question silenced everyone in the command tent.
"Our forebears, His late Majesties the emperors, always led from the vanguard on the battlefield. The other royals did the same. The Philius bloodline never showed their backs."
They always stood with the soldiers on the field of battle. That was the honor of the Philius imperial family, those burdened with the fate of the Colossal Divine Soldiers.
"You must not forget the glory of the past."
The empire was in decline now, but long ago, it had shone brilliantly. Tales of ancient days when it dominated were passed down like legends.
Though no one there had lived it, every Philius citizen dreamed of it: rebuilding the crumbling empire and reclaiming its lost glory.
"If my life is needed to revive the empire, I offer it gladly."
He spoke with resolute expression. The key was the performance—the commanders' faces showed most were hooked. Reason had faltered the moment past glories were invoked.
"Glory and victory to the Philius Empire."
He slowly raised his right hand, declaring solemnly. That brief statement ignited the commanders' swelling zeal.
"Long live the 5th Prince!"
They drew their swords in unison and thrust them toward the ceiling.
Morale soared sky-high. Now was the time for the real agenda.
"On that note, I want to select those who will lead this glorious war's vanguard. We need elite forces, so discuss among your units and knight orders and select about thirty of your best."
A small elite team was necessary, but taking only the Imperial Guard was too risky. To survive the "Bloody Funeral," he needed to minimize Guard losses in the Black Mountains.
"The Helix Knight Order offers three senior knights!"
"The Black Wind Lion Knight Order's elites will stand with the 5th Prince on the battlefield as well."
"The Illian Magic Corps will send two senior mages."
The fervor-swept commanders offered their top elites without hesitation, and Raymond barely suppressed a grin.
"I will go with the 5th Prince!"
"I too shall lead the vanguard in this great war!"
The thirty spots filled quickly. Their morale was piercing the heavens, and with time short, unit assignments wrapped up in moments.
The border army and Kreier domain forces trained together often, so coordination was no issue.
The Imperial Guard was a slight concern, but having undergone standard Philius training, they would manage.
The suicide squad—comprising part of the 5th Prince's Imperial Guard, border army and Kreier domain forces, and fifty Imperial Army elites—was ready in a single day.
With such a small group, assembly and arming didn't take long.
Fifty heavily armed squad members assembled at the outpost entrance, with the 5th Prince at their center.
"The entire force, advance."
Unlike the excited soldiers, his calm, steady voice dispersed into the chill air. The fifty-strong force marched deep into the Black Mountains.
The border army knights, familiar with the Black Mountains' terrain, took point. This minimized clashes with monsters, and they reached the Jet-Black Orc village outskirts in two days. But the problem arose here.
"There are too many orcs."
A knight reported back from scouting. The area within a 1km radius was swarming with Jet-Black Orcs. It had taken five swift, lightly armored senior knights to obtain this intel.
"This isn't good..."
Raymond muttered to himself, frowning. Unlike the Ghost unit, which had a monster-controlling mage and members specialized in stealth, the squad had no way to avoid combat.
"Should we break through head-on?"
Surprisingly, it was Cassias, the Imperial Army commander, who posed the reckless question. Raymond shook his head with a short sigh.
"No. The Ghosts will notice."
Their Hashashin allies had been confirmed. Not getting caught by their scouts on the way here was a miracle.
'They must've thought hiding among monsters meant no need for heavy patrols.'
Or perhaps even the Ghosts couldn't scout freely due to the monsters. With only one body for the secret magic user who controlled them, wide-area reconnaissance was impractical.
"Crimson Tower Lord."
But there was a way. In such cases, adapt the method the protagonist used to subjugate the Black Mountains' orc horde in the novel.
Raymond grinned and called for Crimson Tower Lord Berenus Kyle. The red-robed elder nodded slightly and approached.
"Can you start a fire?"
"Planning to set the mountain ablaze?"
"Exactly."
Azure Tower Lord Risefield Dior wailed and beat the ground at Raymond's emotionless voice proposing yet another shocking plan.
"Oh no! Your Highness the 5th Prince! If the Crimson Tower Lord starts a wildfire with his firepower, we'll be in danger too!"
"That won't happen, old timer."
He replied indifferently and turned to Berenus.
"Right, Crimson Tower Lord?"
"You know quite a bit about Flame Shower."
Raymond nodded with a grin instead of answering. The true power of the unique magic artifact Flame Shower, unknown even to the Azure Tower Lord: absolute dominion over flames.