Chapter 250
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 250
Chapter Title: An Artificial Fog
The name of the town was Grayhill.
A hilly town protruding above the gray fog, it was a place only those in the know could intentionally visit.
In the past, Loan and Lucas had headed straight for the Bridge District, unaware of its existence.
For a similar reason, Grayhill had been safe from the Graves' attacks.
Penetrating the fog and climbing the steep hill was a chore in itself, and it left one defenseless against an attack.
Moreover, Grayhill wasn't appealing enough to warrant the risk of conquering it.
Due to these circumstances, Grayhill served as a branch of the Union's Practical Division, sending regional information to headquarters.
Irene, a Runner from the Practical Division, greeted Loan and his party.
“It would be accurate to say that everything beyond this point has been seized by the Graves. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to enter the Bridge District.”
They looked down from the top of the hill together, but there was nothing to see but a hazy, white fog.
Werner marveled at the suffocating view.
He mentioned this was his first visit. His only knowledge of the Bridge District came from old books he’d read.
“The Bridge District is larger than you can imagine. East of the entrance, a steep mountainous region makes travel impossible. To the west, a swamp stretches so far you couldn't cross it in a full day.”
After her brief explanation, Irene brought the topic back to the present.
“From the messages, it seems the Harmony Division is also unable to re-enter the Bridge District. The Torchbearers do not welcome the district becoming a battlefield. The Harmony Division and Bartino, Le Tell and Maligno are in a standoff with the Bridge District between them.”
That was about to change.
According to Bella's dream, the Graves were planning a surprise attack to completely annihilate the Bridge District.
Their goal wasn't to enter and strike Bartino, but to completely isolate it.
If the Bridge District disappeared, Bartino would lose its land route. Their only way to Versa would be through the southern sea. Helping Bartino or borrowing its strength would become incredibly difficult.
It had to be stopped.
Loan tried to estimate the date of their surprise attack.
There had been a mobilization order, so their forces must have been steadily increasing without anyone noticing.
Due to the fog, even Irene couldn't grasp how large the enemy's numbers had grown.
“According to our intelligence, the attack will happen within two days.”
Loan shared the information he had gathered with everyone.
He explained that their target was not only Bartino, but the Bridge District itself.
They intended to annihilate it.
Irene and the other soldiers stationed in Grayhill let out low groans.
If the Bridge District were lost, Grayhill's survival couldn't be guaranteed.
It meant they could no longer carry out the tasks they performed by traveling between Bartino and Grafton.
Looking at the somber faces, Bertlou spoke up.
“You don’t need to worry too much. I’m sure he has a plan.”
He had seen and felt enough of what Loan had accomplished on their journey here.
He didn't know how dire the situation here was, but the one he had experienced in Versa had also seemed impossible to resolve.
Bertlou believed Loan must have a plan this time as well, and he looked at Loan with a pleased expression.
Loan did his best to avoid the somewhat burdensome gaze as he pondered.
'Our core forces are all in Bartino.'
We don't have enough power to overwhelm them from the rear.
If possible, we should threaten them from behind, while relying on the Harmony Division's breakthrough power via the Bridge District for the actual attack.
If only it were possible.
We could achieve an effect similar to the last battle in Bartino, where we surrounded and annihilated Libertha from both front and back.
If Werner could threaten them from the rear with powerful magic, it would be worth a try.
But that was a strategy only possible after grasping the situation.
Loan addressed everyone.
“Since we don't fully understand the situation below, we first need to check on the Bridge District and the Harmony Division. Then we need to find out the enemy's strength, and what strategy they'll use to destroy the district. We must confirm these things one by one.”
Loan descended the hill alone.
The fog made it difficult to perceive mana. Darkness and light made no difference to seeing mana.
But the fog scattered the aura of mana.
Loan had to concentrate intentionally to avoid any unforeseen incidents.
He awakened his synesthesia to its fullest and examined the mana.
The closer he got to the Bridge District, the thicker the fog became.
Only when he drew near could he tell that a large amount of dark mana was positioned within it.
'They intend to block entry itself.'
Loan surveyed how far their forces stretched. They seemed to form a long ribbon, surrounding the entire Bridge District.
He walked for a long while, gauging their numbers and strength.
Suddenly, Loan discovered a place where a large number of them were gathered.
The eastern end of the Bridge District. There was a space where the air was relatively clear.
As he cautiously approached, he found a dense concentration of dark mana there.
It was a bay where the swamp curved inward toward the land. The place where the mountainous region began. The fog couldn't penetrate this area.
That was their gathering point.
Loan stopped at the edge of the fog and observed their numbers.
At a rough estimate, there were several hundred.
He was too far to assess their individual abilities, but he judged they would not be easy opponents.
When the operation began, that number could swarm into the Bridge District all at once.
The method for annihilating the Bridge District was actually simple. Eliminate the Torchbearers and extinguish the torches.
That alone would cause the Bridge District to be lost.
Inside the fog, Loan enveloped himself in the [Sphere of the Void] to conceal his presence and sound.
The sphere rotated, drawing an even thicker fog around Loan.
They wouldn't be able to see him even if he got close.
He boldly closed the distance and observed the ones standing like sentries in front of the swamp.
There was something he could confirm through mana without getting close enough for them to sense him.
The arrows they carried.
In the small vials attached below the arrowheads, a dark green substance was contained.
It was plague poison, as expected.
Even the Torchbearers wouldn't be able to withstand the plague poison.
'Still, they wouldn't just fire indiscriminately.'
From their perspective, it would be most efficient to fire the plague poison when the Bridge District was crowded with as many people as possible—in other words, when the armies of the Union and Bartino had entered.
The Torchbearers were holding them back for now, but when the time came, they would force their way in.
If the Harmony Division realized this, Commander Lidia would have no choice but to push in to secure the Bridge District, even if it meant clashing with the Torchbearers.
The plague poison would spread, and a scene from hell would unfold in an instant.
He had to inform the Torchbearers, the Duke of Bartino, and Commander Lidia of what he anticipated.
But first, he had to cross.
'Do I have to break through them to get to the Bridge District?'
That wasn't a good option.
It was best to keep their attention focused solely on the front.
A rear attack should be reserved for when the battle starts, to throw them into confusion.
As Loan, hidden in the fog, pondered this and was about to turn back the way he came, he suddenly realized something.
He realized that the flow of wind in the Bridge District was strange.
'Come to think of it, why was there no fog only in this area?'
It was something he hadn't noticed at all when he came here before.
Compared to then, he had grown exponentially, allowing him to perceive a strange incongruity in the air.
In truth, fog is like a cloud.
From a magical perspective, it's water-attribute mana clumping together at low temperatures.
If it floats in the sky, it's a cloud. If it settles on the ground, it's fog.
But how could the Bridge District be filled with fog all year round, all day long?
That had been the extent of his question before, but now he could see a peculiar flow that immediately felt strange.
It wasn't a special phenomenon caused by its proximity to the mountainous region.
He sent his consciousness high into the sky and surveyed the area below as if looking down at a glance.
Everything he saw, heard, smelled, and felt came together, building information and meaning.
As he harbored his questions.
Maintaining a precarious distance from the Graves, he spent a long time sensing the flow of air that gently guided the fog.
The flow of the fog, felt with his body and seen with his three eyes, formed a mental image in his mind.
Once he pictured the whole thing, it felt strongly artificial.
'What is this...'
And its origin was at the eastern end, deep in the swamp adjacent to the mountainous region.
He couldn't walk in to confirm it, but he realized the flow of fog definitely started from there.
'No. This can't be the only spot.'
Following his intuition, he went back the way he came.
He passed the area where the Graves were blocking the entrance and went much further.
Once he grew accustomed to the flow, he extended the Narrow Path to increase his speed.
In the distance, a faint blue flame.
Centering on where the Torchbearers would be, he moved west, and further west. He dashed along the edge of the swamp.
There were no more Graves here.
Just half a step away from a swamp that would suck in any ordinary person who made a single misstep.
A few hours later, still sensing the gentle flow of air guiding the fog.
'There's one here, too.'
Loan discovered another point here where the flow began.
Deep within the swamp.
Similarly, he couldn't enter to confirm, but it resembled the point at the eastern end.
He organized the mental image that had formed in his mind.
Based on the terrain and the flow, he speculated there were more such points.
It was by no means ordinary or natural.
'An artificial fog...'
If so, how was that possible?
Magic?
Is such a massive and permanent magic circle possible?
No... considering the magic circle carved into the Schwerin continent, it wasn't impossible.
'I have to find out.'
Loan immediately shook his wrist lightly, preparing to head to Bartino.
The bracelet resonated, beginning to overlay his entire body with a film of magical power.
A pillar of light shot up from within the fog, but no one noticed.
Loan entered the spirit realm without difficulty.
He accurately perceived his own form, made of spirit and mana.
In this place, one could instantly forget their physical body, but he created a virtual circle within his spiritual form to maintain that awareness.
*Vwoooom?*
Even without a heart, the ring of magical power that flowed along with it existed in the same location.
Using this as a guide, he kept his physical existence anchored in his consciousness. Thus, his spiritual form was also wholly himself.
He then surveyed the spirit realm.
Amidst the countless auras of light, he focused on the gravitational pull that drew him in.
There were many specific beings.
Among them, Loan stretched out like a line toward the being that pulled him with a powerful force.
Next to the Duke of Bartino, who was personally on the battlefield presiding over a meeting.
*Shwaaa?*
A line of light descended.
The light, which felt incredibly sacred and was hard to see as an enemy attack, soon...
“Loan?”
...materialized into a handsome young man.
Not only the Duke of Bartino but also Commander Lidia of the Harmony Division, who was attending the meeting, stared at Loan with bewildered expressions.
Loan immediately looked at all the eyes fixed on him and offered a polite greeting.
The badges on his chest gleamed with residual light.
Lidia immediately recalled the recent incident of Loan's appearance, which had become a hot topic due to the messenger pigeon itself.
“So, they said you were using some kind of magic to appear here and there. It’s true.”
“Yes, I apologize for arriving so suddenly without notice. The situation seemed a bit urgent.”
“The situation is urgent?”
The Duke of Bartino repeated the question, then added.
“It’s very good to see you after so long… but let’s save the greetings for later. So, what is so urgent?”
Before explaining the intelligence from the Union and the situation he had assessed by observing the enemy himself to the siblings.
He first voiced an out-of-the-blue question.
“Duke of Bartino, when was this Bridge District created?”
It was a question about the very existence of the Bridge District.