Chapter 129
Three days had passed since the departure of the Caion unit.
They were moving at a fairly fast pace, but since they were traveling with the main force, they had only made it halfway to their destination.
During a brief pause in the march, Jerka approached Dianal, who was resting.
“Deputy Commander, do you really think the Empire will come all the way down to the capital again? It could just be a maneuver.”
“Even if that’s the case, we have to move. The Kingdom of Spanian and our kingdom are currently bound by an alliance.”
“Ah, I wish we could pick up the pace. Looks like we’ll be camping out for another three days.”
“Complaining won’t change anything.”
As they were moving with the main force, speeding up on their own was not an option.
With Dianal’s words, Jerka grumbled and returned to his spot.
Just then—
“Are you the commander of the Caion unit?”
A man approached and asked Dianal.
Dianal shook his head.
“Deputy Commander Dianal, Sergeant. May I ask your name and rank?”
“A sergeant as deputy commander?”
The man didn’t answer Dianal’s question, instead looking at him with a perplexed expression.
After scanning Dianal from head to toe, he spoke again.
“They say your unit has quite the reputation, but it seems the rumors are exaggerated.”
“...Excuse me?”
“I am Captain Ikilus of the 3rd Company, 2nd Division of the 6th Corps. Where is your commander?”
“He is currently on his way back.”
“Tch, in the middle of a war, the commander leaves his unit? What could he possibly be doing?”
Ikilus frowned openly, expressing his disapproval.
His rude behavior caused Dianal’s gaze to grow sharp.
Dianal spoke.
“I understand your rank is higher, but I must ask you to be mindful of your words. We are an independent unit of the 6th Corps and follow the orders of our commander alone. Please refrain from speaking or acting disrespectfully, as if we were your subordinates.”
“...What?”
Captain Ikilus’ eyes flashed with anger.
A mere sergeant dared to talk back to him. It was outrageous.
Ikilus sneered and said,
“You’ve gotten a bit cocky because of your recent fame, I see. Fine, let’s see your performance on the battlefield. Though I suspect the rumors are just exaggerated.”
With that, he turned and headed back to his unit.
As Dianal watched him leave, he felt a surge of anger rise within him.
“What’s up with that guy?”
“The way he talked was really annoying. Did something happen?”
Dianal shook his head at Kyle and Jerka, who had come over.
“Nothing, just a barking dog.”
He then turned his gaze forward.
Soon, Damian would rejoin them.
But...
‘What is this uneasy feeling...?’
Dianal felt a vague sense of foreboding and found himself absentmindedly fiddling with the hilt of his sword.
* * *
Shrrrk!
A piece of indigo fabric fluttered in the air, slowly descending to the ground.
As the scrap of cloth finally landed on the ground, carried by the wind—
“Hahaha...”
Hainel couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore.
“To think he’d manage this in such a short time...”
From the beginning, the wager Hainel had presented to Damian was something he thought impossible for Damian to achieve.
To put it bluntly, Damian, who hadn’t yet grasped the concept of “level,” should not have been able to even touch his cloak.
But with that last strike...
Hainel glanced at the piece of his cloak that had been sliced off.
“That was a rather expensive outfit, what a shame.”
“...”
But Damian didn’t hear Hainel’s murmuring.
The sensation of his last strike, delivered through his hand and through the spear, still lingered in his body.
Galveron, having completely broken through the borders of the Kingdom of Tirkan and now advancing toward the capital, began moving his troops westward.
Their goal was to cross the western border into the Kingdom of Spanian.
“Is the Baroque Kingdom’s reinforcement army on the move?”
“We’ve received word from the advance scouting party that General Estevan’s 3rd Corps has mobilized, and in response, the Baroque Kingdom’s forces are also on the move.”
“...Just as he predicted.”
Galveron felt a chill run down his spine.
It was as if every event on the continent was unfolding according to that man’s plan, as if it were all within the palm of his hand.
Galveron glanced at his troops.
It had been three days since they left the Kingdom of Tirkan and began marching toward the Kingdom of Spanian.
Though their pace wasn’t exceptionally fast, it was appropriate for the circumstances.
“So, in about three days... we’ll be able to hit their rear?”
“If everything goes according to plan, yes. However, just in case, I will send out a reconnaissance team ahead.”
Galveron nodded at his lieutenant’s suggestion. Whoever their opponent might be, they wouldn’t be able to stop their advance. But it was important to follow the strategist’s plan as closely as possible.
“Send out the scouts immediately. Order the troops to prepare to move in an hour. It’s time to get going.”
“Understood!”
As the lieutenant departed, Galveron turned to face the direction of the capital of the Kingdom of Spanian.
“In three days.”
If they could cut off the rear of the Baroque Kingdom’s advancing reinforcements and wipe them out, then...
“This time, we’ll fully absorb the Kingdom of Spanian.”
The Kingdom of Spanian barely had the strength to defend its own capital, let alone the rest of its territory.
The only reason the Baroque Kingdom was supporting them was that they sought to claim the southern regions of Spanian for themselves.
But their plan would never succeed.
“In the end, everything on this continent belongs to the Empire.”
And now, since they had decided to make it so...
“Hahaha... this is going to be fun.”
Galveron chuckled quietly to himself.
Although the initial stages of the plan had faltered a bit due to the clumsy Piaren, the situation had now aligned perfectly for him to shine.
“The fools who dare defy the Empire will get the lesson they deserve.”
As he imagined the coming confrontation with the Baroque Kingdom, a dark smile spread across Galveron’s face.
* * *
In response to the southward movement of the Empire’s forces, the reinforcements from the Baroque Kingdom were marching toward the capital of the Kingdom of Spanian.
They had entered Spanian’s territory several times before and were somewhat familiar with the terrain, but...
“It feels like our corps is constantly running in circles.”
“Well, we’re responsible for the northern region, so it can’t be helped. But I heard rumors that after this mission, there will be a big reward for everyone.”
“Really? Well, I suppose we have been pushing ourselves hard recently, right?”
Amid complaints and dissatisfaction, there was also some small talk about hope for rewards.
“...But something feels off these days,” one soldier muttered.
“What do you mean?”
“Since when have we been deployed into real combat so often? It used to happen maybe once a year, if that.”
“...”
The atmosphere grew cold at his words, as if he wasn’t wrong.
Even in actual combat, it used to be rare—perhaps once a year at most.
But recently, due to the Empire’s movements, they had been thrown into battle repeatedly.
“I heard the unit that went to support Spanian last time lost almost half its soldiers. My friend’s in the 1st Division, and he told me it was pure hell.”
“...You think it’ll be the same this time?”
“At least there’s no talk of an Aura Master this time.”
“Yeah, apparently the Aura Master went to the Kingdom of Tirkan.”
For them, an Aura Master was practically like a ghost.
But there had been no reports of an Aura Master appearing on this battlefield.
That alone should make this situation much less dangerous.
As the soldiers marched along, discussing their thoughts...
Bwooooooo!
Suddenly, the sound of a horn rang out.
The soldiers’ expressions immediately stiffened.
“What’s happening?”
“Hey, what’s going on?!”
The entire army was instantly abuzz with confusion, and then a shout erupted from the front.
“Enemy forces spotted! We’re under attack!”