Chapter 215 – Cabragh (1)

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Chapter 215 – Cabragh (1)

Dismas was standing in the tower housing Telgramm as he looked out the window with anxious eyes.

Imperial flags could be seen waving in the air between the rocky mountains outside Cabragh. In just less than a week, Juan’s imperial forces had managed to break through the West and were just around the corner of reaching Cabragh—the furthest point in the West.

.

While the imperial forces must be suffering from a lot of accumulated fatigue, they would still be full of morale, since they had won consecutive battles. Furthermore, all of them also wanted revenge for Hela Henna, a well-respected noble.

It was clear that the Capital Army would recover from their fatigue and that they will also get more reinforcements as time goes by. If the Imperial Army decided to just block Cabragh as it is, the Western Army would have no choice but to surrender in less than half a year.

Of course, the blockade would not succeed.

After all, Dismas’ side had the Telgramm, the Cainheryars, and the Pope.

However, the enemy’s side had the emperor. While it was unknown whether the emperor was real or not, it was true that he had enough power to make such a claim and had even successfully convinced everyone. At the same time, the fortress would be meaningless if Nienna and the dragon joined the battle as well.

At most one or two major battles will be fought, each of whose outcomes will be very critical to each other.

At such an urgent time, Dismas, the commander in chief of the Western Army, did not even show up on the wall.

Helmut stood in front of Telgramm, looking irritated. Telegramm required two people to operate—one had to be the shooter who launched the Telgramm, and one had to be the observer, who observes the target point.

While Helmut was appointed as the shooter to handle Telgramm, Dismas was appointed as the observer. Helmut could see and hear Dismas from the end of the obliquely erected cylinder in the center of Telgramm.

On the other hand, Dismas had been engaged in a heated debate with Ivy for two days straight. They constantly held conversations and voiced their opinions at every meal and stroll.

Helmut couldn’t understand Dismas’ bizarre enthusiasm to convince Ivy. Up until now, Dismas would simply torture any discredited men and burn them if they resisted.

‘But why is he making an exception for the Saintess?’

“You look nervous.”

Helmut turned his head at the voice coming from behind him.

He could see Imil slowly approaching him.

“It’s frustrating that the Doctrinal General is only focusing on this type of doctrinal dispute when the enemy is just around the corner,” Helmut answered.

“I understand your frustration, Your Holiness. The soldiers also seemed quite puzzled. While the preparation is going well because the Order of Surtr is quite competent, it would be nice for him to show up and say something to the soldiers now.”

“What’s wrong with him? As far as I remember, Doctrinal General Dismas is not the type of a person to try and persuade or convince someone.”

“Perhaps that’s the reason why it’s taking him so long. It’s probably because he respects the Saintess, don’t you think? Unlike other humble unbelievers, the Saintess is above everyone when it comes to listening to His Majesty’s noble voice.”

Helmut felt like he wanted to cry; after all, it was him who had created such an image for the Saintess.

“Don’t tell me that there’s a chance that she’ll persuade the Doctrinal General to...”

“That’s not going to happen. I overheard their conversation once, but it’s the same story every time. They are reluctant to hear each other out and keep going nonstop like squirrels running non-stop on a wheel. Doctrinal General Dismas’ faith is quite strong. But I gotta admit that I was surprised to see the Saintess have such strong faith as well.”

Imil smiled and continued to speak.

“To be honest, I think it would be more effective to torture the Saintess rather than trying to persuade her. I bet a little pinch on her arm would change her position really quickly—even if she just tells a lie.”

“Well, we at least need that right now...” Helmut bit his lips. “It would be nice to keep that bitch away from Dismas, even if it’s just for a little while. If I could spend some time with her alone, I could put some sense into her.”

“Your Holiness.”

Imil sighed and approached Helmut.

“Even if the Doctrinal General Dismas is failing to come to his senses, at least you should remain rational—you are the Pope. Please set your priorities straight. This is not the time to cause internal strife just because of one girl. Disaster is just around the corner.”

Everyone looked at Juan with surprised eyes. Although Sina did not have an official position in the Imperial Army, her exquisite fighting capabilities and performance was so famous within the Imperial Army that there were soldiers saluting her when she wasn’t even officially their superior.

However, Juan continued to speak in a calm manner.

“You’re basically a civilian since you don’t have a position in the Imperial Army. I’ve made an exception and considered you an observer until now, but not anymore. You will not be participating in this battle.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve been...”

“If not, then make up your mind. You’re the Captain of the Order of the Blue Rose. All knight orders belong to the Imperial Army, and the Imperial Army is loyal to the ruler of the empire. And I am the ruler of the empire. Sina, can you be loyal to me?”

Sina flinched. Although she was the Captain of the Order of the Blue Rose, she had not yet pledged her allegiance to Juan. Her ambiguous position as Juan's trusted comrade who is not loyal to him had already been maintained for a long time now.

Even Sina couldn’t tell how that had been possible until now. Yet the reason was quite simple—it was because Juan wanted Sina to maintain such a position. He wanted her to be the watchman rather than a subordinate.

If Juan had told her to be loyal to him, Sina would have pledged her allegiance to him a long time ago.

“I am...”

“My friend,” Juan cut Sina off and said in a firm voice. “This was what forced me to make a decision more than ever. All of my colleagues, subordinates, enemies, and family are all trying to fulfill their will through me. Yes—the emperor is always forced. And that’s why, more than ever, I need a friend to watch over me.”

Sina couldn’t open her mouth at Juan’s pleading words for a long time.

***

A flag with a hand-holding hammer flapped over the walls of Cabragh.

The western soldiers lined up atop the wall and silently looked at the Imperial flags glittering over the ridge with anxious eyes.

The Capital Army was on standby beyond the hills and rocky mountains; they were wary of Telgramm. This was the same force that went to support Barth Baltic when he issued an order to convene not long ago. Back then, they surrendered without shedding a single drop of blood, but they were attacking the West as soon as the emperor returned.

‘Is the man sitting on the throne the real emperor?’

Most of the soldiers had similar thoughts. They had already heard of the new emperor’s achievements and power. It was known that he used Sutra and was able to magically raise the walls of Torra. But even if he was the real emperor, they couldn’t understand why he drove the Pope and themselves—those who supported him most passionately—into a corner. They had no doubt that they, the Westerners, had always been the most loyal to the emperor all this time.

Then there was only one more question left for them to ask.

‘If the man who appeared is the real emperor, then who is the emperor that we served all this time?’

Then one of the soldiers suddenly began to tremble. His faint groan and anxiety quickly began to spread to the other soldiers as well.

At that moment, a thick and huge hand was placed on that soldier’s hand. The soldier flinched and turned around.

A huge man in red armor was quietly looking over the wall. With his hand placed over the soldier’s hand, Dismas opened his mouth.

“His Majesty simply wants faith.”

The soldier breathed heavily, but soon calmed down and looked ahead. There was no need to think about unnecessary things—His Majesty just wanted simple faith, and it was their duty to understand His Majesty’s will and carry it out. Otherwise, all their lives that they had spent believing the emperor would be denied completely.

As soon as Dismas appeared, the agitation and anxiety that had spread amongst the soldiers disappeared in an instant. After all, Dismas, the emperor’s own son, was on their side. Instead of pondering any further, the soldiers decided to believe in him.

Imil, who was looking ahead while standing on the wall, felt the change in the soldiers’ morale. He smiled bitterly and approached Dismas.

“As expected. Our soldiers’ anxiety reduced as soon as the Doctrinal General showed up.”

“I apologize for leaving everything to my subordinates until now.”

Dismas looked visibly tired, but it didn’t seem to be physical exhaustion.

Imil decided to test the waters.

“So? How did the debate go? Was it meaningful?”

“Not really.”

Dismas’ face was absolutely expressionless.