Chapter 84: The Results Report (2)

Chapter 84: The Results Report (2)

“Big brother! It’s Big Brother!”

“Big sister Rinne is here too!”

“That uncle came too.”

“Bumoo~!”

“Hihin!”

As we approached the wagon we were using, children like Leo and Kelf came jumping out of the back of the wagon. Shuu and Apao were also whining excitedly. It brought me a sense of joy to know that there were people who would be relieved and happy that I had managed to survive.

While I wanted to join in their playfulness, it was more crucial to find a peaceful spot for Mika, who was still in the process of recovering. I shook my head, and Rinne told them that it was impossible to play for now.

Carefully laying Mika on the floor of the covered wagon, I entrusted him to Rinne’s care and stepped outside. The children were engrossed in their playtime with Shuu and Apao. Feeling relieved, I joined the circle of children.

“Big brother, welcome back!”

“Sniff sniff... Huh? I smell something delicious. What could it be?”

The children approached me, and Leo sniffed the scent surrounding me, tilting his head in confusion. Something delicious...? Oh, could it be this?

I retrieved the remaining dried fish that Mika had previously prepared. The children’s eyes gleamed as they fixed their gaze on the fish, particularly Leo, who had a strong carnivorous instinct.

When I moved the fish to the right, the children’s eyes followed suit. When I shifted it to the left, their gaze shifted as well. If they desired it so much, I thought, why not give them some since I had extra? I tossed a fish towards Leo.

“Big brother, are you giving it to us?”

“That’s awesome!”

“I want some too!”

I distributed one fish each to the children gathered around me. However, I only had three fish, so once I gave one each to Leo, Kelf, and Lappy, I ran out.

To make it fair, I climbed into the wagon, where the other two, who might have more fish, were located. Inside, Mika was sleeping peacefully, while Rinne diligently wiped the sweat off his forehead.

Rinne, perplexed by my arrival, seemed to grasp the situation after I took out the fish from Mika’s pocket, relying on the smell. She also retrieved a fish she had kept close to her chest and gave it to me. I accepted it, nodded once to express my gratitude, and then descended from the wagon.

I distributed fish to all the children, and the remaining pieces were torn into smaller portions with my fingers and shared among them. I had already eaten once, and currently, I didn’t feel hungry. It was more important for the little ones to have their fill.

“First of all, I want to commend you all for the successful infiltration mission that ended yesterday. Thanks to your efforts, we obtained valuable information, and we even managed to secure the enemy’s weapon—a state-of-the-art fire breathing war chariot—with minimal damage. It can be said that we achieved the best possible outcome. It is an honor for me to have been able to undertake this mission alongside all of you,” Marcellus said.

“Likewise,”

“Un.”

“....”

Mika courteously bowed, Rinne replied briefly, and I nodded in silence. Hearing each person’s distinct reaction, Marcellus chuckled, as if a weight had been lifted from him.

However, the conversation didn’t proceed to discuss the hardships of the mission. Marcellus tightened his expression, cleared his throat once, and announced that the next counterattack plan had been decided.

“Based on the information we’ve brought back, we’ve begun formulating plans for the next major counterattack operation... the plan to reclaim the Carnela Port, where we infiltrated. It’s still in the early stages of development, and nothing has been finalized yet. After I made the report yesterday, for some reason, I was immediately made to participate in the operational meeting... I haven’t slept since then,” Marcellus explained.

Ah, so that was the reason. It was unfortunate that despite returning exhausted, he wasn’t allowed to rest... Luck wasn’t on his side.

Nevertheless, I also understood the significance of reclaiming the Carnela Port. However, understanding its importance and determining its feasibility were two separate issues. Having personally seen the Carnela Port and its surroundings, I could confidently assert that it was impossible with the forces at our disposal here.

The Carnela Port was fortified with triple-layered walls, with formidable cylindrical weapons positioned on the upper levels. In a scenario where they could rain down fire upon us, entering the port would be an insurmountable task unless we managed to breach the gates three times. The sheer difficulty of capturing the city was clear.

The problem didn’t end there. On those metallic boats floating in the sea, there were also cylindrical weapons mounted. It was not hard to imagine that during the attack on the city gates, flaming projectiles or something similar would be launched from the ships. In fact, there was even the possibility of being bombarded while advancing. It was simply inconceivable that we could emerge victorious.

“I understand, I understand. All three of you think it’s impossible with only our current forces, right? However, His Excellency the Chief of Staff believes that with a well-devised plan, the capture is possible... and, above all, His Majesty the Emperor wishes to eradicate the invading forces as soon as possible. Once a glimmer of hope appears, it is our duty as soldiers of the Empire to fight,” Marcellus said.

After saying all of that, Marcellus let out a big sigh. Our freedom was restricted in many ways, but even for individuals like Marcellus who were not enslaved, it was difficult to truly claim freedom.

Still, regardless of what we thought, we had no choice but to fight. Once again, I would have to risk my life... Ah, I don’t want to die.

“From now on, we will rendezvous with Decius and carry out monitoring missions in the planted forest until the plan for capturing the Carnela Port is finalized. It may be an easier task compared to the infiltration one, but never let your guard down. Well then, get ready to leave. ...... Oh, right.”

We were about to go pick up our weapons, thinking that the conversation was over, but Marcellus seemed to have remembered something. As we were about to move, we turned our attention back to Marcellus. The words that came out of his mouth had enough impact to surprise us.

“It seems a new demon unit has been formed in the Imperial Capital. They would be your juniors, so to speak. They will be deployed to other fronts first, but they will likely join us before the Carnela Port siege. Are you looking forward to it?” Marcellus said.

A new demon unit. Without a doubt, they were the demons created by Karelvo. Rinne, who was unaware of the situation, didn’t seem to have any particular thoughts, but Mika tightened his fist without changing his expression. Deep down, he must be feeling anything but calm.

More demons, which means more unfortunate beings that have been synthesized. It was undoubtedly a sad reality. However, at the same time, I had a nagging question. It related to the performance of Karelvo’s demons.

Karelvo, who paled in comparison to Orvo, created demons using technology stolen from Orvo. It was hard to believe that they could match us. I could only hope they wouldn’t become a liability, so I was concerned.