Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Cave Outpost
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The advance base for subjugating the devil worshipers had been established in a remote cave.
The most crucial element in this operation was speed.
They had to wipe them out in one fell swoop. Failure to do so would allow these vermin to scatter across the Empire, causing far greater problems.
“I heard the Mage Tower was providing support, but I didn’t expect this much.”
Though called a cave, the interior—bolstered by the Mage Tower’s aid—rivaled any fortress. It was the work of the dispatched mages.
“A commission from the Imperial Family, huh? It’s been ages since we landed something this lucrative.”
“Think about who’s participating here. Snag a good connection, and we’re set for life.”
The hired mercenaries chatted idly. Even as Damian and Agnes entered, they offered only casual greetings. That was the nature of their kind.
“Come on in, Damian~. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Erewin waved with a syrupy voice. It was still hard on the ears.
“Everyone, stand! Salute to the Third Prince Boris and Princess Erewin!”
As Boris stepped out behind her, the entire subjugation force rose to their feet.
The private soldiers were loyal to them from the start, and the mercenaries had been hired with Boris and Erewin’s funds.
For mercenaries, status meant nothing. Even if hiring the descendants of traitors, they would stake their lives for the pay.
“Heh heh heh.”
“Let’s get to it.”
The mercenaries’ faces lit up with excitement at the rare job. In this era of peace, opportunities to show their skills were scarce.
“That one is…”
Agnes’s eyes sparkled. It was the woman emerging from behind Boris.
Admiration and rivalry surged within her like crashing waves.
“It’s been two years, Miss Agnes.”
“Yes. It’s an honor to see you again, Lady Ciel.”
Ciel, the Empress’s sword.
Among active knights, she was one of the top talents and the idol of girls like Agnes who aspired to the blade.
“You’ve… changed a bit.”
“A lot has happened.”
Agnes’s gaze briefly flicked to Damian. The change she meant wasn’t just in swordsmanship—it was a shift in mindset.
“You shone brilliantly back then, but what you show now is incomparable. Surely…”
Ciel’s eyes turned toward Damian.
“…a meaningful encounter made it possible.”
It was a sizing-up look. Though allies now, it said she could turn blade on him in an instant if circumstances changed.
“I didn’t expect you here, Lady Ciel.”
“With three from the Imperial Family undertaking such a noble task, I couldn’t sit idle as the Empress’s servant.”
More precisely, it was the Empress’s intent. Ciel moved only with Abigail’s permission.
She had been trained that way and lived her life that way. Until her final moments.
“Lady Ciel, if it’s alright, could we cross swords once this mission ends?”
“Of course. It would be my greatest honor to spar with someone like you, Miss Agnes.”
“Thank you.”
Agnes’s face bloomed with smiles the whole way to the private barracks. It was pure emotion, untainted by pretense.
“It’s all thanks to you, Damian. Without you, I’d never have come to the Mage Tower or joined Lady Ciel on this mission.”
“…”
Damian offered only a wry smile, saying nothing.
Before his regression, Ciel’s presence had surely influenced Agnes joining the orthodox faction.
“She must have been disappointed.”
Ciel wasn’t the ideal knight Agnes envisioned. She only appeared so in this peaceful age.
To her, knightly morals or ideals meant nothing. She simply struck down those her lord commanded.
No matter how dirty or ugly the act. She followed orders.
All that had pressured Agnes before the regression, leading her to the desperate gamble of a deathmatch with Michael.
“You’re still below Lady Ciel, right?”
“What’s that out of nowhere? …W-Well, yes. B-But someday, I’ll surpass her. Ah… sorry. I got excited and said something rude…”
Agnes bowed her head, reacting emotionally.
“I was just teasing. And I believe in you.”
“Believe in what?”
“That you’ll surpass Lady Ciel.”
“…Th-Thank you.”
She tilted her head at the sudden declaration.
But Damian was sincere.
“She has to surpass her.”
He truly hoped Agnes would eclipse Ciel—and believed she must.
Agnes was upright. Before the regression, belonging to the orthodox faction had kept her from actively stopping their misdeeds.
This time would be different. Once she saw their ugly true faces, Agnes’s Sword Dance would judge them.
* * *
“Uhahaha. What a rare gathering of heavy hitters.”
“No kidding. Gonna brag to the kids later.”
“…Both of you, restrain yourselves.”
As they unpacked and stepped outside the barracks, thunderous laughter shook the cave. Rubia de Clarent and her group had arrived.
“…”
Erewin had come to greet them, but her expression soured. It was due to the two mercenaries Rubia had hired.
“I’m a bit late. Traveling with these two held us up—please forgive me.”
“The Red Bear. Anthony and Lien.”
As Damian named them, Rubia’s brows arched like crescent moons.
“You know them well.”
Uhahaha! Anthony burst into laughter again.
“Who’da thunk it? The continent’s rising star knows the names of lowly mercs like us. Truly an honor, uhahaha!”
“My husband’s a bit rough around the edges. Please excuse him.”
They were among the Empire’s top mercenaries. Even before Imperial Family members and grand nobles, they showed no deference.
“Mercenary Anthony, at your service, Damian Renekht. Man, that body—hard to believe it’s a mage’s.”
“It’s nothing compared to yours.”
“Puhahaha! Grateful for the compliment.”
Anthony, with a massive axe on his back, towered a head over Damian. His chiseled muscles and scars spoke of vast experience.
Paradoxically, in this peaceful era, any mercenary who stood out had unquestionable skill.
“They say there’s a mage with an impressive build down south, Eric Hilton or something, but he can’t compare to you, Damian.”
Lien smiled with her eyes. Though a woman, her build matched Damian’s.
“You hired these two… Miss Rubia?”
“Yes. I’m serious about this subjugation.”
Erewin’s face twitched faintly. She had approached the Red Bear herself, after all.
“Circumstances at the time, Princess Erewin.”
“But Miss Rubia made it possible. Plus, we owe the Clarents a debt. Couldn’t refuse her request.”
“W-Well, anyway, thrilled to have the Empire’s best mercs with us.”
Erewin forced a smile and turned away. For a split second, her sharp gaze bored into Rubia like daggers.
“I’ll rest in my barracks. You all chat freely.”
Rubia gave Damian and Agnes light greetings before brushing past. No apparent hostility.
“Is the ancient ruin really her goal this time?”
Even so, he couldn’t let her investigate freely. It could become a dagger aimed at him later.
“You must be Agnes Schubert. I fought alongside the previous Schubert family head. His death still saddens me.”
“I’ve heard tales of the Red Bear’s fame from my father. It’s an honor to fight together.”
“No need for a noble lady like you to use honorifics with us.”
Agnes shook her head at Lien’s words.
“It’s respect for my seniors, beyond status. This feels right.”
She used formal speech with anyone who wasn’t an enemy, by default.
“Ahaha.”
As they conversed, Boris approached with arms spread wide.
“Mind if I join in?”
It was an awkward smile.
This operation was his and Erewin’s brainchild, after all—they wanted to be the stars.
“Honored to have the Red Bear with us.”
“The honor’s ours, Prince Boris.”
“With three siblings stepping up for the Empire like this.”
“Exactly. Only possible because of our sibling bond.”
Boris clapped Damian’s shoulder. Forcing an image of closeness.
“How will they play this?”
On the surface, this subjugation seemed for the Empire’s stability.
But there was surely more to it. Boris and Erewin, and Empress Abigail—they were that sort.
* * *
The next day, a briefing for the subjugation was held.
Boris and Erewin had devised the plan, but aside from their magic, they lacked command experience.
Thus, they planned to leave tactical details to Ciel.
Rubia didn’t even attend, appointing Anthony and Lien as proxies.
Her true aim wasn’t the devil worshipers, but an ancient ruin.
“Among the devil worshiper groups in the east, these are the ones to watch. They cooperate and clash repeatedly, so hit them sequentially without leaks.”
Contrary to expectations, however, Damian led the briefing.
“Our first target: the so-called ‘Children of Lidocaine.’ Considering the terrain, divide into five teams.”
“Individually, they’re no match for us, but their numbers overwhelm. Maintain formation to avoid encirclement.”
“Most are aura users, but plenty of mages too. These madmen won’t hesitate to sacrifice allies—keep that in mind.”
At first, expecting him to falter from inexperience, even veterans like Ciel and the Red Bear couple now listened intently to Damian’s plan.
“That’s my proposal. Any objections or better ideas?”
Those gathered exchanged glances. Damian’s plan was too flawless for alternatives.
Boris and Erewin were speechless. They’d never imagined his talent here.
“Hmm…”
Ciel reviewed her prepared materials for flaws.
“Nothing.”
No superior plan came to mind.
“Hm, hm… like this…”
Agnes mentally reviewed her assigned role. The soldiers and mercenaries did the same.
“One moment.”
Then, Red Bear Anthony raised his hand. Eyes turned to him.
“Have you worked with mercenaries before?”
An out-of-left-field question.
Most tilted their heads, but Agnes tensed slightly, shooting Damian a worried look.
Fearing it tied to the Iron Wolf Derek.
Damian signaled her to relax.
“No. I’ve just read strategy books since I’ve always been interested in tactics.”
“Is that so? It’s just… some parts feel off for that.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Your planning style matches us mercenaries. Not something from a book or two. Takes real battlefield experience.”
Some mercenaries nodded in agreement. But Boris and Erewin’s soldiers frowned.
Illegitimate or not, he was Imperial blood. Comparing to Imperial strategy was one thing—mercenary ways was rude.
If not from Red Bear Anthony, a reprimand wouldn’t be amiss.
“My husband misspoke. Please forgive him. Once he latches on, he can’t let go…”
“Still seems fishy…”
“You!!”
“Eek!!”
Lien finally ended it by grinding her foot on Anthony’s.
Since Damian didn’t object, the meeting wrapped up.
Now, just refine Damian’s plan into specifics. Memorize roles and launch tomorrow.
“Um, Damian. Did you learn tactics from the Iron Wolf too?”
Agnes asked in the private barracks. Even she found Anthony’s point valid.
“Something like that.”
He said no more.
He had learned strategy and tactics from Derek, but today’s plan wasn’t from that.
-No, no. Not like this. Forces are too concentrated.
-Right, Damian. Too hasty.
Not just Anthony—Lien must have sensed it too.
Damian’s style wasn’t just mercenary-like. It mirrored the Red Bear’s.
‘Didn’t expect to meet here.’
Red Bear, Anthony and Lien. Damian’s tactical experience came from them.
Before the regression, they were his guerrilla squad comrades.