Chapter 905: Rain
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 905: Rain
[First Squad, first contact. We have entered the city gates. Everything is normal.]
...
[First Squad, second contact. Weather is light rain with fog. Temperature is eleven degrees. Wind is from the northwest. Everything is normal.]
...
[First Squad, third contact. We have spotted the Kingdom’s gate guards, but they show no signs of alertness. Their attitude is extremely indolent; they are currently shirking their duties in a corner of the gate area. They seem to have no awareness that they have entered a state of war. We are disguised as ordinary civilians and have not aroused any suspicion. Everything is normal.]
...
[First Squad, seventh contact. We have crossed Herakvet Avenue in the Kingdom’s capital and arrived in the West District. Pedestrians along the way appear as usual. Merchants on both sides and shops along the street are open for business. Security teams patrol at irregular intervals. Visually, there are no abnormalities. Everything is normal.]
...
[First Squad, eleventh contact. Prices within the Kingdom’s capital have increased to some extent, but they are far from the point of collapse. Currently, the price of black bread is fifteen Emiels per pound, and thirteen Emiels per pound on the black market. Everything is normal.]
...
[First Squad, fifteenth contact. We purchased a newspaper, which records the King’s achievements in purging greedy nobles within the country. In a roadside tavern, a drunken man was cursing the Empire and stating that the Kingdom would surely be victorious... They still seem to have great confidence in victory. Everything is normal.]
...
[First Squad, nineteenth contact, also the final contact before nightfall. Everything is normal...]
...
[Third Squad, first contact. Everything is normal...]
...
[Third Squad, fifth contact. Everything is normal...]
...
[Ninth Squad, thirteenth contact. Everything is normal...]
...
[Squad 23, eighteenth contact. Everything is normal...]
...
[Everything is normal...]
...
Normal, normal, normal, normal, normal, normal, normal, normal, normal...
Celicia squeezed her eyes shut, completely banishing those three words—which she had seen so many times they were giving her a headache—from her field of vision.
Normal... No, according to common logic, the word "normal" should be positive news, news that would allow one to breathe a sigh of relief, especially in the midst of such a peculiar situation.
But here, it was the opposite. Every time Celicia saw the words "everything is normal," her heart grew heavier. By now, she felt as if a mountain-sized boulder was pressing down firmly on her soul.
"Is it all like this?"
Celicia set down the intelligence documents in her hand. She didn't want to keep reading; she felt that continuing would be nothing more than a waste of time.
"It would seem... yes."
To Celicia’s left, Anna also set down the papers in her hand and sighed.
"The first half of the teams spent an entire day investigating and found absolutely no problems with that capital. It’s truly... incredible."
Arguments always come to an end.
Even the most awkward romantic shitshows eventually reach a conclusion.
Therefore, no matter how disastrous or tense the atmosphere had been before, after a period of cooling off, they ultimately chose to sit down together to handle the important matters at hand.
For everyone sitting here, the most urgent task was to figure out what on earth was going on with that city whose gates were wide open.
Thus, after a brief consultation, the Empire and the Church settled on their first plan: a joint vanguard reconnaissance team composed of personnel from both sides would enter the royal city. Based on the intelligence fed back by these teams, they would discuss their next move.
Initially, they had sent in four five-person groups. These were composed of the most elite and veteran soldiers, Church clergy, and mages or martial artists with a degree of self-defense capability. They entered through the four gates of the Kingdom’s capital with the utmost caution.
These four squads—who were essentially suicide squads prepared to sacrifice themselves before even entering—quickly sent back the following reports.
The entire Kingdom capital seemed to be living in a rear area untouched by the flames of war. The hundreds of thousands of Imperial troops outside the city walls appeared to have no effect on them whatsoever.
Everything was normal.
But neither Celicia nor the others believed this result. They felt that what those squads saw might be a facade deliberately woven by the Kingdom.
They were playing the long game to catch the big fish, using this false appearance to lure them into letting their guard down.
Feigning weakness is an extremely common tactic on the battlefield; one had to be on guard.
So, even more reconnaissance teams were sent in.
From morning until night, these makeshift reconnaissance teams eventually numbered over a hundred. They disguised themselves as ordinary civilians; some entered through the gaping gates, while others scaled the city walls directly under the cover of magic. They delved into the streets and alleys of the Kingdom’s capital, attempting to find the truth hidden behind this peaceful facade.
But so far... they had found nothing.
One "everything is normal" response followed another, almost making people feel that inside that capital... everything really was normal.
But how could that be possible?
Anyone with half a brain knew that with the Imperial army pressing down on the borders, "normalcy" was the greatest abnormality for that city right now.
"With us investigating so blatantly, have we not encountered any obstacles?"
Sitting at the end of the long table, furthest from everyone else, Lorne also frowned. "Has the Kingdom truly abandoned all resistance?"
"Whether they are resisting or not, we don't know, but our people have indeed encountered no obstacles."
Liya had also flipped through a thick stack of detailed reports. she wanted to rest her weary little face on the table for a moment, but the thought of Muen’s father being right there made her immediately straighten her back and stiffen her expression. She displayed a level of composure and professional poise that was in no way inferior to the Imperial Empress opposite her.
"Not only in terms of reconnaissance, but intelligence from within the city is also being transmitted out very easily. Whether through Voice Transmission Stones or ordinary carrier pigeons, the flow of information is completely unimpeded. Some have even run back directly to report."
"This indicates that the Great Barrier of the Kingdom’s capital is completely shut down."
Celicia’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she opened her eyes and exchanged a look with Anna.
She remembered not long ago when she and Anna had gone to investigate a place very close to the city walls. At that time, the Great Barrier of the Kingdom’s capital had been her primary concern, and it had definitely been active then.
Yet in the blink of an eye, that previously heavily guarded city had suddenly changed its tune. Not only were the gates wide open and undefended, but there was no sign of caution or danger. It was as if it had turned into a "tourist attraction" where anyone could go for a stroll.
No, even tourist attractions charge for tickets, but now, entering the Kingdom’s capital didn't even require a toll.
"Currently, it appears that the city's internal security is intact and operational. The intelligence sent out has mentioned the normal patrols of the security teams multiple times."
Lorne stroked his beard, beginning to analyze from the perspective he was most familiar with. "However, the defensive strength of this city is almost zero. It’s as if... the people in the city haven't felt the approach of danger at all. It’s as if they have no idea my Empire’s army is already at their gates. They are still going about their lives, completely unaware that peril has arrived."
"The inside and outside of the city are like two completely severed worlds."
"Yes, it’s too severed. This contrast is almost enough to make one’s hair stand on end."
"It feels more and more wrong, yet we simply cannot discover the source of this abnormality. It makes us afraid to act rashly."
Celicia rubbed her temples.
"No disguise can be perfect, let alone for a city this massive. There must be something we haven't realized, there must be..."
"..."
The temporary meeting hall suddenly fell into silence. Everyone was thinking—thinking about what kind of great power or method could, in such a short time, turn a major city with a population of over a million into a state that completely defied logic.
While everyone was lost in thought, the usually inconspicuous Judgment Archbishop turned and whispered something to a nun who had hurried in behind him, then took a document from her hand.
The Judgment Archbishop opened the document, and his thin eyebrows suddenly twitched.
"Heh, it seems the crack we were looking for has appeared."
"What?"
"New intelligence just arrived. One of our reconnaissance teams has gone missing."
"Missing?"
Everyone jolted. Celicia asked urgently, "Details."
"It’s Squad 107."
The Judgment Archbishop flicked his finger, and the intelligence—which was printed fairly so that no one would lack a copy—automatically drifted into everyone's hands.
"Their signal suddenly cut out during their last contact via Voice Transmission Stone tonight. They haven't been reachable since. They are currently designated as missing."
"They went missing during contact?"
Anna asked, "Then they must have left some information behind. What were the last words from that squad before the signal cut out?"
"It was..."
As the question was asked, everyone flipped open the intelligence in their hands. Almost simultaneously, they locked onto the final words left by that team:
[The rain has stopped.]
*
The night remained as it was. Muen stood on a rooftop, bathed in the vast, fine drizzle, watching the bright fires, the flash of blades, the roars of slaughter, and the flowing blood.
The gang warfare in the City of Art didn't seem any different from the gang warfare in Belland.
If anything, it was even more ruthless here. Because of the wildly growing dark side, if one wasn't fierce enough here, they would certainly never rise from the foul sewers to claim a place of their own.
And this kind of violent confrontation often came fast and went just as quickly.
After all, with the group leaderless, Tyren had simply displayed Raskin’s corpse. Aside from a few of Raskin’s die-hard loyalists who put up a desperate last stand, most of the others quickly chose to defect.
On the flip side of ferocity is cowardice, but in a place like this, the two were not mutually exclusive.
So, very soon, a blood-stained Tyren led his subordinates—whose strength had nearly doubled—to stand respectfully before Muen.
"Respected Dark Emperor of the Empire."
Tyren performed a noble's salute he had recently learned. He lacked all the ferocity from the slaughter just now, his face full of sycophancy.
"Welcome to your loyal West District of the capital..."