Chapter 112

Chapter 112

On the way to the treasure hall, Navelun kept exclaiming as if he were extremely excited, with most of his praises directed towards Secretary.

Isnt he truly remarkable? Handling the situation where his beloved son was kidnapped by rebels with such composure!

Yes.

Not once did he mention his son. To reclaim this land, in other words, to clearly grasp the strategic objective you mentioned, isnt it? Choosing the nation over his son. Truly an exemplary figure like an incarnation of pragmatism!

Yes.

Ivan nodded without much reaction. And at the same time, he thought. Well, from the perspective of a human not indoctrinated in pragmatism, the Secretarys words were quite subtle.

The issue the Secretary raised was simple.

Will you return the remaining half of this mountain range to us?

This was a highly political matter. To the dwarves, it might sound like Deal with the remnants of Abiditas and end the war.

The dwarves, being the involved party, equated remnants of Abiditas with dwarf rebels. But the situation was more complicated than that.

While it was true that the dwarf rebels were being inflated like scarecrows in the clutches of the necromancers, it was not as if the dwarf rebels would suddenly disappear if the necromancers were dealt with.

Both sides were deeply entrenched to the point where reconciliation seemed impossible. The terms of surrender were essentially no different from a surrender document leading to ones own execution.

The Secretary was aware of this fact. Killing Abiditas wouldnt bring back half of the mountain range, nor would it even enable Ivan to tidy up the remaining dwarf rebels.

His role was limited to the strike team and the rescue team. Frontal assault was not his forte.

The Secretary did not abandon his son.

Therefore, Ivans conclusion was as follows:

He acted in a way that could be perceived by his people as issuing strict orders as a great leader who sacrificed his son for the nation.

It must have been a last resort. At the point where half the nation had turned its back on him, his leadership might already have been in doubt. For the sake of strong charisma, one must be willing to make decisions even if it means sacrificing ones own child.

Furthermore, asking for assistance from humans also entails political risks. It would be difficult to shed the frame of being a dictator who clung to enemies and massacred the people immediately after the civil war ends.

So, directly requesting to rescue his son is not possible.

Return the remaining half of this mountain range.

The Secretary implied his ownership of the entire mountain range. Beyond the mere pretext of pragmatism, this great dictator was confident in his feudal authority, surpassing.

However, at the same time,

Return the remaining half.

He was also a father who acknowledged that his son was his other half.

If it seemed he would issue orders to assassinate the remnants of Abiditas and abandon his son, he would have conducted a more efficient investigation.

And he even devised a safety net.

Once the pretextual investigation clears some political implications, it will appear as an order to assassinate the remnants of Abiditas. Surely, it will be written so explicitly in formal requests.

Therefore, if Ivan rescues his son and gives up targeting the enemy leadership, he will attempt to leverage this in diplomacy with Krasilov.

His misjudgment of the support troops has led to a dilemma in the situation.

Prioritizing the assassination of the leadership also poses problems. Originally, when formally requesting support from Krasilov, the demand was for the rescue of the Secretarys son.

If I had wanted to prevent the war in the first place, I would have requested support from the Northern Command.

If Krasilovs support troops solve everything, what remains for the dwarves is nothing more or less than a vassal state. Even if it meant preparing for such a scenario, they had to strive for the independence of the nation.

Its an extremely intricate and astute political game.

Enrique.

Yeah?

Huh?!

Navelun looked startled as Enrique suddenly dropped from the ceiling. In this solemn secret passage from the Secretarys palace to the treasure hall, Enrique had clandestinely infiltrated and waited.

Before Navelun could react, Ivan looked at her and spoke.

How much did you hear?

Everything.

Do you understand the situation?

Yes.

Im counting on you.

The mature elder, who had lived for over 100 years, astutely grasped all the circumstances in the brief conversation.

As a long-time partner, Ivan felt reassured to have such a reliable ally.

The Secretarys desires encompass both the assassination of the necromancers and the rescue of his son.

Both of these objectives are impossible to achieve simultaneously.

If both are not accomplished, the Secretary will attempt to gain the upper hand in formal diplomacy with Krasilov.

Ultimately, this man was prepared to profit from every situation if the end of this civil war was not defeat.

Then, they must make a move.

Being exploited like servants by these moles and even having their wages plundered simply didnt add up.

Ivans statement, Both objectives cannot be achieved simultaneously, was correct, excluding the subject I.

And he wasnt alone in this. Here, there was a veteran who had directly overseen all his tactics, a mentor who had guided him and patrolled alongside him, and a partner who had handled reconnaissance and tactical support from the rear in the hero party.

Ivan alone could serve as a substitute for the annihilation units role as a mere strike team.

And the current force with Enrique was no less formidable than the strike team formation that assassinated the Seven Dragon Generals back in the day.

Once the dwarves realized this fact, they should have learned more than just diplomacy on the diplomatic front.

They should remember that the Tarantula and Shadow Blade always lurked at the end of the railway line leading from Frechenkaya to Andgrind.

Which way should we go then, apprentice? Rescue?

No.

Alright, figured as much. Lets do this: Ill handle the rescue, you take care of the assassination.

Damn it, the location! Is there more than one relay station in Sector 17? Its in Sector 17, Tunnel 6!! Hurry! Urgent situation!!

Understood.

With a thud, the signal was cut off.

The duty soldiers mind seemed to come back to life as if by magic. His brain, which had been paralyzed by fear, began to actively capture oxygen with a sense of relief.

He gasped for breath, and suddenly, his brain, finally starting to function rationally, managed to entertain a thought.

Wait a minute. Who is this?

Because he had been randomly pressing the relay machine, he couldnt confirm which sectors response he had received. And even if it was a response from a particular sector, there couldnt be a case where they ignored the communication procedure and jumped straight to the point.

Even if such a case existed, there was no reason to inquire about the location of the relay station.

If, by any chance, he really didnt know the location of the relay station there was no way the conversation would end like this.

Who is it? Who could it be?

Could it be the moderates? Or, perhaps, the demons who breached the outer gate from this direction? Or or.

Dont stay alone at the end of the dark tunnel.

An old adage brushed his mind.

The tarantula is coming.

The whisper, now a superstition after several years, swept through his mind.

The festival the dwarves held upon everyones death largely diluted the fear of the long-standing superstition, now just a nursery rhyme to scare children.

For those who remember that time, those who have experienced battle, it occasionally stirs up that adage.

Clomp, clomp, clomp.

Footsteps were heard from the end of the tunnel.

The dwarf jerkily raised his gun and fired in the direction of the sound.

Bang, bang! Ting The sound of casings rolling, the noise of bullets ricocheting somewhere in the tunnel. In between,

Clomp, clomp, clomp.

The footsteps didnt stop.

Reveal yourself! I demand to know your identity!!

Bang!! Bang! Clack, tick. Tick. Tick.

Even with trembling hands, unable to properly load a bullet, he just aimed down the end of the tunnel.

Regular sounds echoed in the ears of the trembling dwarf, like a beating heart, slow and quiet, squeezing the breath out of his lungs.

Clomp, clomp, clomp.

*

Deliver the message to Enrique. Successful penetration of Northern Gate 5.

Yes, sir! Successful penetration of Northern Gate 5!!

Quietly.

Yes, sir!!

Silence.

Yes, sir!!!

Glancing at the playful Lucia, Ivan quietly sighed.

Lucia chuckled and soon closed her eyes tightly.

With a flash of magic, crimson veins popped out on her pale white skin.

Vampire link, transmitting vital signals to the ancestors bloodline.

Although complex conversations werent possible, short signals could be transmitted within a certain distance regardless of terrain. Tap, tap, tap. Signals akin to the beating of a heart.

Just as Morse code proved in the early 19th century, transient signal stimulation was an excellent communication tool. Enrique didnt operate an intelligence organization for nothing.

And Lucia, Enriques immediate successor, half-vampire and half-human, successfully absorbed almost all of Enriques malice. Naturally, her level of skill far surpassed that of other vampires.

If there was a problem, it was her personality. According to Ivans thoughts, she seemed like a 200-year-younger Enrique.

Taking away the years from an old woman and leaving just the childishness. In other words, just like a child.

But itll still be a good learning experience.

Among the children of the Hero Party, she was the one who directly received the teachings of the previous Hero Party. It meant she was the most outstanding among the new Hero Party members, lacking only practical experience.

A great agent never achieves just one goal in a single operation. Always aiming for beyond the objective, Ivan deeply cherished those teachings.

Even in this operation, as someone who had graduated with excellent grades from the mature education system of the 21st century, he was planning to educate the young students as an educator.

Lucia was enough to assist as a communication soldier from a distant point. Since he could personally provide guidance, practical education was possible.

Whats the response?

Understood. Operation proceeding as planned!

Confirmed. Move out.

Yes, sir!

Quietly.

Yes, sir!!!

Is she doing this on purpose? Turning around, he found a look that seemed to confirm she was indeed doing it on purpose.

Ivan, who spent his childhood during the time of the student rights ordinance, doesnt resort to violence for discipline.

But he wanted to hit her once. He reflexively reached for his belt, then quietly withdrew his hand from the axe handle. Instead, he sighed.

Every time he thought that it wouldnt hurt to use a primitive education method in this primitive pre-modern society.

Suppressing the urge with a determination to maintain dignity as a representative of Earth civilization.

Andrugrund, The Book of Valor, Day 2 of Operation Execution. This happened just after the occupation of the first target point.

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