Chapter 124
Chapter 124
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 124
Because the encirclement stretched so broadly across the plain that even an army of eighty thousand could not launch a decisive attack, welcome news reached the North Roselin camp.
"Connect the communication."
Marquis Malain Ferguson, supreme commander of the North Roselin army, watched as the wizard unfolded the communication screen, and a familiar figure appeared within it.
"No magical transmutation. Count Mac Dinerd, identity confirmed."
The voice of the wizard managing the link came through.
This procedure—verifying the absence of magical transmutation over communication magic—had been adopted because of past surprises, including an assault that had exploited transformation magic.
After listening to the wizard's confirmation report, Marquis Ferguson nodded and greeted the man with a pleased expression.
"You've had a long journey. My thanks for your efforts."
[Efforts? I only regret I could not arrive sooner.]
Count Dinerd waved a hand with a slightly exaggerated gesture at Marquis Ferguson's greeting. Watching him, Marquis Ferguson chuckled continuously before continuing.
"Well then, when do you expect to arrive?"
[It seems we will reach you around tomorrow morning.]
In answer to Count Dinerd, Marquis Ferguson nodded.
"Your color does not look good, by the way."
Just as Marquis Ferguson said, Count Dinerd's cheeks had hollowed compared to before. Because the two commands had been maintaining magical communication at set intervals, such changes were noticeable.
[This is embarrassing. Truth be told, my stomach has been a little unsettled for a few days now...]
At Count Dinerd's trailing words, Marquis Ferguson, worry plain on his face, pressed him.
"Oh, that won't do. For you to be unwell on the eve of an important battle. This is serious."
[I am only sorry to have caused you worry.]
At Count Dinerd's polite reply, Marquis Ferguson shook his head and continued.
"None of that. See that you take care of yourself."
[Have no concern. Our soldiers are hale enough to join the battle the moment we arrive tomorrow morning.]
"Hahaha, if it is the Hawk Corps, I would expect nothing less."
At Marquis Ferguson's praise, a smile spread across Count Dinerd's face.
[For now, I will rest and reorganize the unit here.]
"Do so. Better that you come charging in when the battle is upon us, rather than joining early and sharpening the enemy's alertness."
Marquis Ferguson nodded to show his agreement with Count Dinerd.
[Understood. Then I will see to reorganizing the force and ready ourselves to join the battle.]
"In that case, I will stay mindful of your force here and draw up a plan to collapse this tedious battlefront in a single stroke."
[Hohoho. I look forward to it.]
Marquis Ferguson's communication with Count Dinerd ended with final pleasantries.
* * *
Go Jin-cheon lowered the bow he had aimed at Count Mac Dinerd and spoke.
"A touch theatrical, but relatively excellent."
"Does that mean you will let me live?"
Count Dinerd wiped the sweat from his brow and broached the question cautiously in response to Jin-cheon's remark.
"For now."
At Jin-cheon's noncommittal answer, Count Dinerd swallowed his disappointment and was led away again by soldiers. Risel, who had established the magical communication, approached Jin-cheon.
"Your Majesty. I shall now go out and construct the teleport array."
"Mm."
Once Jin-cheon gave a quiet nod, Risel departed the command tent.
Outside the tent, Risel threw all his strength into drawing the magic circle. It was not a single array—a full twenty of them were being drawn.
"Hoo."
A sigh laced with worry escaped Risel's mouth as he worked.
"Is something troubling you?"
"Ah, Hwi-garam."
The one who had approached, voicing a question at that worried sigh, was Hwi-garam.
"There are too few wizards."
"Hm."
Risel was not the only wizard drawing the teleportation circles. The sole wizard who had survived at Vihanen Fortress was here, along with more than ten wizards attached to the Hawk Corps.
Risel could somehow handle entering the formula after the circles were drawn, but once the mana required to activate the spell was poured in, the number of wizards who could actually participate in the battle was a mere five at most.
Worse, it was certain that Risel himself would be too exhausted even to join the attack.
"This battle will be different from those before. I do not know what to do..."
Worry clouded the corners of Risel's eyes.
"Heh."
When Hwi-garam let out a brief laugh, Risel tilted his head and asked.
"Why are you laughing?"
"No. You've become a true Gauri man now."
"Haha, well of course I have."
He did not voice the rest, but Gauri, which had granted enormous enlightenment to someone destined to die stuck at the 2nd Circle his entire life, was a presence for which his gratitude could not be expressed in words.
As Risel watched Hwi-garam, who only smiled in the face of his concerns, he carefully ventured a question.
"Is there, perhaps, another wizard, or some alternative method?"
At Risel's question, mingling curiosity and worry, Hwi-garam nodded in confirmation. Risel's eyes went wide.
"Truly!"
"There is no other wizard, but there is a way to substitute, to a certain degree, at least."
When Hwi-garam reiterated to reassure him, Risel, relieved yet curious, opened his mouth.
"Then could I ask what this substitute method might be..."
To his trailing question, Hwi-garam lifted one arm as if it were nothing.
"Well, that is..."
At the end of that arm, the finger pointed at himself. In other words, the answer was that Hwi-garam himself was the substitute. When Risel stared at him somewhat bewildered, Hwi-garam answered briefly.
"It is not magic, but do I not use sorcery?"
"But you can't cover such a broad front!"
"I'll serve as bait."
At Hwi-garam's reply, Risel's expression grew even more worried.
When they had first met, Risel had even mistaken Hwi-garam for a Dragon after seeing his sorcery conjure flame without an activation word. But later, upon learning it was not that but simply sorcery similar to this continent's magic, he had felt a hollow letdown.
"The sorcery is only a method for suppressing my other power."
"What?"
Risel stared at Hwi-garam, his face full of shock.
Hwi-garam's sorcery held a strangeness that he could not even gauge. In practical effect, one Hwi-garam wielding quick sorcery posed more might than five or six wizards reciting lengthy incantations.
And now Hwi-garam was saying that such sorcery was merely a means to suppress the backlash of some different power.
Risel thought to himself that he truly still knew nothing about these people.
Morning came.
The last blue tints of the departing night still lingered as the sun advanced, and from all around, the smells of cooking roused an appetite even in those who had none.
"Whew, looks like they're going all-out today."
"Yeah, I've been feeling like the portions have been a bit short lately."
"You think we'll get rice today?"
"Who knows. Personally, not a fan of soup."
All around, interest buzzed about the morning meal soon to appear. They seemed more concerned with the type of breakfast than with the battle to follow.
Shortly, the morning meal that had so thoroughly seized the soldiers' attention was underway. The atmosphere was like any mealtime, but one thing was different: they were chewing each bite more thoroughly than ever.
Whether because they didn't want to forget the taste, or out of worry that undigested food would cause stomachaches during battle, they worked their jaws with unusual diligence.
Just as the soldiers were finishing their feast, Risel and the wizards stood under an escort of roughly five hundred troops.
"Then I will proceed with the final coordinate input and formula activation."
So saying, Risel stepped forward and circled around, activating coordinates and formulas one by one. The faces of the wizards watching him closely filled with appalled horror.
"Th-then those coordinates are directly over the North Roselin main camp—fifty mir above!"
"Ah!"
It was what they concluded one after another as they roughly calculated the positions.
When it became apparent that every coordinate engraved into the teleport arrays was situated over the North Roselin main camp, the wizards rushed toward Risel with astonished eyes.
"You must suspend this at once, Archwizard!"
"No matter how high you set the arrival point, they'll still be torn to shreds!"
"I know."
Even with the wizards hurriedly remonstrating him, Risel's reply remained calm. The more they saw of his composure, the more frustrated the wizards became, and they strove to stop him.
"If you know, how can you do this? Even if it were not an Archwizard but an Archmage who appeared, it would be impossible!"
"Hohoho."
Because Risel was known to employ magic up to the 6th Circle, he stood as an object of reverence among these wizards. Thus, regarding his present actions, they could only give voice to their worry.
Once the final magic circle was installed, Risel issued orders to the troops around him.
"Move onto the circles."
"At once!"
As five hundred soldiers answered and stepped forward, the wizards' jaws fell open.
"That kind of method..."
"Huh, then these magic circles are—!"
Gazing at the busily moving soldiers, the wizards' mouths remained agape in astonishment.
"Your Majesty! Reporting that preparations on the magic circle side are complete!"
Hailon ran over and made his report in a loud voice to Go Jin-cheon, who was being fitted into his plate armor.
"Mm."
Arms crossed, Jin-cheon gave a nod, then seized Gangsoe's reins and mounted in one agile motion. As Gangsoe's great whinny rang out, the commanders too swung themselves onto their own horses.
When Jin-cheon lifted one arm, Hailon's voice shouted the order.
"March out!"
"March out!"
In response to Hailon's cry, answering voices resounded from all directions. At the same time, except for the ten-thousand-odd soldiers tasked with moving the supply train, the great host of thirty thousand began to surge forward like a wave.
* * *
"Looks like reinforcements are coming. Get to the command tent and report at once."
"Yes!"
A soldier stationed in a temporary watchtower of North Roselin gave the order to the young soldier waiting below. Then he returned his gaze to the broad swell of the approaching tide.
"They're many, that's for sure."
The soldier's head tilted left and right as he tracked the oncoming wave of troops. According to what they had heard, it should be about twenty thousand combat troops and an eight-thousand-man supply unit. The total numbers were similar, but he could not see any carts laden with supplies.
Sensing something off, the soldier looked back down from the tower and shouted.
"Sir Schumann!"
"What is it!"
The knight responsible for the watchtower lifted his head and answered the call from atop the tower. The soldier then called him in an urgent voice.
"Come up and see this!"
"What's happening!"
At the knight's returned question, the soldier stared again at the approaching force and shouted, still more urgently.
"Something's suspicious! The number of troops matches the reinforcement report, but there isn't a single supply wagon in sight! And their approach speed is a bit fast!"
"What?"
Alarmed by the soldier's report, the knight climbed atop the watchtower and gazed toward the oncoming force. Just then, from the direction of that approaching reinforcement group, the sound of a whistle cut through the air.
FWEEEE!
WHIRRR.
"What!"
Before the whistle's echo in the empty air had faded, from the direction of the main camp came a burst of bright light and the sound of a magic circle activating.
"A—a teleport disruption array? No, what kind of lunatics would—!"
Recognizing it as a disruption array meant to block enemy teleport incursion, the knight's face hardened in disbelief. Though baffled, a seed of deep unease was sprouting inside him. There was a difference between knowing something in theory and being subjected to it in reality.
For the soldiers, the matter was worse. They were already panicking at the sudden cluster of light. It made sense—for even their immediate commanders, an absurd experience like this had not occurred since eight hundred years ago, when a young king had teleported in a state where his entire body had been torn apart.
Amid the soldiers' confusion, the disruption array's light soared into the air.
FWOOSH!
"Huk!"
What appeared in the sky the moment the array's light ascended was not mangled flesh—the result of a failed teleport—but a rain of fire, bursting outward in every direction.