Chapter 87: Hector's Star (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 87: Hector's Star (1)
On the border between the Cairo and Hector Kingdoms, a group of soldiers had established a camp.
It was a secret base, entirely hidden from the outside world. Even at a glance, their numbers easily exceeded several hundred.
"We just received a report. They have passed the Southern Training Camp and are heading toward the Rear Base. The operation is proceeding smoothly. The Cairo Kingdom is so focused on defending their front lines that they haven't noticed our true objective at all."
The knight delivered his report. The man receiving it maintained a perfectly calm expression.
Studying the map spread across his desk, Edwin Hector finally spoke.
"It is still too early to let our guard down. Tell the commanders attacking Cairo's defense positions to drag out the time. Keep the enemy engaged, but don't push them to the point of surrender. Tearing down the walls right in front of our eyes isn't what matters. Once the plan succeeds, the Southern Front will naturally fall into our hands."
Secrecy was paramount for this operation.
That was why they had spent an entire year analyzing the patrol patterns of the Southern Front. Before launching the main assault, they had infiltrated the Ranger unit led by Jackson into enemy territory. It was a highly perilous route that required scaling steep mountain ranges, but at dawn today, Jackson reported that his unit had reached the designated location and concealed themselves as planned.
The operation was only just beginning.
The Cairo Kingdom was likely already thrown into chaos by the surprise attack, completely blind to Hector's true objective.
The military strength of the Southern Front is incredibly weak. If we had attacked with all our might from the start, we could have collapsed all their defense lines within four hours at most. But that alone wouldn't mean we had completely conquered the Southern Front. Ultimately, the key is the Warp Gate. If Cairo's main army crosses over to the south through it, we will be forced into a grueling battle.
The Cairo Kingdom.
No matter how careless they were, they weren't entirely without options.
The Warp Gate was a masterpiece of magic. It allowed troops to traverse vast distances in an instant, and its advent had completely revolutionized the nature of warfare.
Moving troops from the south to the west.
Moving them from the west back to the south.
The Warp Gate made the physically impossible achievable in the blink of an eye.
Thus, capturing a Warp Gate on the battlefield was considered a matter of utmost importance. While the primary goal was cutting off enemy reinforcements, capturing a fully functional Warp Gate also allowed it to be used offensively. This was known as a "Connect"—a method of resetting the Warp Gate's coordinates to use it in reverse. Because of this immense risk, Warp Gates were usually rigged with explosive devices.
Cairo's Rear Base.
That was where their Warp Gate was located. It was the very reason Roman had been able to reach the south in just ten days. The Cairo Kingdom had placed the Warp Gate in the rear to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. They believed it was a safe location; even if they were attacked, they could summon reinforcements or choose to destroy the gate while the frontline defense positions held their ground.
And that was precisely what Edwin Hector was aiming for.
The Cairo Kingdom is completely off guard right now. They never expected us to attack in the first place, and they must be distracted by the visible assaults. Now is the perfect opportunity. If Jackson's Ranger unit secretly infiltrates the Rear Base and captures the Warp Gate, we can swallow the Southern Front whole in a single stroke.
It was a flawless strategy.
Without the Warp Gate, the Cairo Kingdom would be unable to quickly deploy troops to the Southern Front. In the meantime, if Hector launched simultaneous attacks from both the front and the rear, the defense positions would inevitably collapse. From then on, it would be simple. The moment they seized the Southern Front, the Hector Kingdom would hold all the cards.
In the basement of this secret base sat a Warp Gate that they had painstakingly set up over the course of a year.
The moment Jackson sent word of his success, all the forces stationed here would be transported directly to the Rear Base.
Edwin Hector spoke again.
"We must not rule out the possibility, however small, that the operation might fail. Prepare to destroy our Warp Gate in case of the worst-case scenario. If Jackson's operation fails, we will destroy it and proceed with our second plan."
"Understood."
It was a chillingly rational decision.
The knight bowed his head, thinking to himself:
The man known as Hector's Star. Under Edwin Hector, the Hector Kingdom will rise again.
It was an absolute conviction. That Edwin Hector had been born a prince was the greatest blessing the Hector Kingdom could have ever received.
* * *
McBurney woke up shortly after.
He had merely lost consciousness for a moment out of sheer relief at having survived. Once the healing effects of the potion kicked in, his senses returned.
"...Ugh."
Pain flared throughout his entire body. His stomach churned.
While the potion had rapidly closed his wounds, it could not completely ward off the aftereffects. Looking down at his abdomen, he saw that his torn flesh had been neatly knit back together. Someone had treated him while he was unconscious.
"Are you awake?"
It was Chris.
Seeing him, McBurney's final memories suddenly rushed back. Just as he was about to accept his death, Roman Dmitry—the man Chris served—had appeared and saved his life.
How could he have appeared at the Southern Training Camp?
A question arose in his mind. Roman Dmitry had been assigned to the reserve unit of the 5th Defense Line. Even before the Southern Training Camp was attacked, the five defense lines were visibly in a highly precarious state. Logically, Roman Dmitry had a duty to assist the 5th Defense Line, not come here.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind that Roman might have fled after judging the situation too dangerous. Though he knew Roman Dmitry was not that kind of person, the battlefield was a place where true natures were often unexpectedly revealed.
McBurney honestly asked what had happened.
The answer he received left him astonished.
"Upon hearing that the Hector Kingdom had attacked, we immediately headed to the 5th Defense Line. And there..."
The explanation was brief. It was the exact opposite of his worries. Far from fleeing, Roman had utterly defeated the enemy. Hearing this, McBurney was filled with genuine admiration.
"That is truly incredible."
He meant it. Hector's surprise attack had been sudden. There shouldn't have been any time to prepare, yet Roman Dmitry had made the most optimal decisions and achieved victory. The decisiveness and martial prowess he had displayed in the process—even without witnessing it firsthand, McBurney could easily grasp how extraordinary it was.
As expected.
He was the only person who had actually prepared for war. Roman had not let him down. Knowing that such a man was on the Southern Front brought McBurney immense peace of mind.
Their conversation could go no further. Roman emerged from the building.
* * *
Roman checked on McBurney's condition. Seeing that there were no major issues, he got straight to the point.
"Tell me in detail what happened at the Southern Training Camp."
"Understood."
McBurney searched his memory. Though his physical state was wretched, the events of that day remained vivid in his mind.
"We were attacked by the Hector Kingdom about two hours ago. We were preparing for the next batch of trainees as usual when Hector's soldiers suddenly ambushed us. We quickly rallied our forces to resist, but the disparity in strength was too great for us to hold out. The result is what you see. It was a one-sided slaughter, and we do not even know the fate of our commander, Viscount Veil."
Two hours.
That was a crucial detail. For them to attack so quickly meant the enemy had undoubtedly infiltrated the Southern Front beforehand.
"Was there anything unusual about the enemy's attire?"
"They were all lightly armored. And the face of the man who appeared to be their commander was covered in scars."
"Covered in scars?"
"Yes, sir."
Light armor. A face covered in scars. A specific individual came to mind.
While researching the Southern Front, Roman had also familiarized himself with the key figures of the Hector Kingdom.
"It might be the Ranger unit."
"...Ah!"
McBurney's eyes widened. He felt like he had heard of them before.
The Ranger unit of the Hector Kingdom. It was said that their leader wore the facial scars he had received from numerous battles like badges of honor. It was a piece of obscure knowledge that McBurney himself had struggled to recall, so he was astonished that Roman had identified it instantly.
However, that alone did not resolve his confusion.
McBurney asked, "If it was the Ranger unit, they could indeed have infiltrated the Southern Front beforehand. But I don't understand why they attacked the Southern Training Camp. If they had secured an advantageous position, wouldn't it make more sense to use that advantage to quickly collapse the frontline defense positions? Instead, they moved in the opposite direction. Rather than heading to the front, they attacked the Southern Training Camp, which lies on the path to the rear."
"You are correct."
"Then what does that mean...?"
"Because the Southern Training Camp lies on the path to the Rear Base, you had no choice but to be attacked."
As McBurney stood there in confusion, Roman revealed the truth to him.
"The Hector Kingdom is currently using a smokescreen. Their attacks on the frontline defense positions are merely a distraction. Their true objective is the Warp Gate located at the Rear Base."
It was a deeply shocking truth.
* * *
When he had first encountered the soldier from the Southern Training Camp, Roman had thought:
The fact that the enemy attacked the Southern Training Camp means their true destination is not the frontline defense positions. The only destination along this path is the Rear Base. What could their purpose be? If they aren't careful, they risk being surrounded from both the front and the back.
He had formulated a hypothesis.
If their reason for attacking—even while employing a smokescreen—lay in the Rear Base... Could it be the Warp Gate, which had the potential to change the entire course of the battle?
At the time, it was merely a hypothesis. But after torturing the captured Hector soldiers, his suspicion was confirmed.
The Hector Kingdom has absolute confidence in this war. A foolproof strategy that guarantees victory if it succeeds. It can only be the capture of the Warp Gate in the rear. If that operation succeeds, the Hector Kingdom will not only cut off Cairo's reinforcements but also be able to use the gate offensively.
The Warp Gate.
It was the most astonishing thing Roman had learned about this new world. This magical masterpiece that bypassed physical space showed Roman that magic was just as formidable as martial arts.
Edwin Hector.
His flawless strategy had been uncovered by an entirely unexpected existence.
McBurney sprang to his feet. His face contorted in intense pain, but that was the least of his concerns right now.
"If that is their strategy, shouldn't we head to the Rear Base immediately to help? I will lend my strength as well."
"No." Roman shook his head.
McBurney had said the Ranger unit's attack occurred two hours ago. If so, there was only one logical conclusion.
"The Hector Kingdom's Ranger unit left the Southern Training Camp an hour and a half ago. That is more than enough time for them to have carried out their plan. McBurney, did you receive any communication from the Rear Base saying they were under attack?"
"...No way."
"Exactly."
Even knowing the truth, Roman did not rush. To be precise, he had no reason to rush.
"They have prepared for this war against us for a long time, and by now, they have likely captured the Warp Gate. What we must do from here on is clear. Once the enemy appears in the rear as well, the forces on the Southern Front—including us—will be completely isolated. Without any help from the kingdom, we must fight the Hector Kingdom here and survive."
It was exactly as he expected.
At that very moment, Hector's Ranger unit had succeeded in capturing the Warp Gate.