Chapter 134 - Crossed Paths

In truth, there was no reason for the Arken Empire's side to panic.

According to Olivia, they would have identified and recorded every last exact number and type.

They must have known perfectly well that the colossal demonic creature that had suddenly appeared was giving birth to other demonic creatures.

And naturally, they already knew they would be at a disadvantage if the numbers increased.

They were recording the number that had swelled by as many as twenty thousand while wracking their brains over how to use it politically.

But there was one thing neither they nor the alliance of Valdrova's Grand Duchy's territory had expected.

Who would ever think they would go to strike the Empire first while they had the Grand Duchy's territory surrounded?

-Tell me! Why are those things coming toward us?!

Ferda answered the situation like this.

"We don't know either."

-What do you mean, you don't know?! Common sense! In this situation! It makes no sense for them not to attack your side!!

The way he screeched made him look like a little brat whose toy hadn't been bought for him.

Leaving the situation aside, Ferda could not begin to describe how enjoyable this moment was, with their fortunes reversed.

Ferda stated their current circumstances.

"This may sound irresponsible, but we were preparing purely for defense. We already had more than twenty defensive scenarios, and Count Concillus was prepared to die."

-What does that have to do with us?!

"Did you not ask why they were going your way? We merely answered why we did not know."

-So you're saying you bear no responsibility?!

Ferda could not understand what exactly the man wanted him to do here.

Was he supposed to slam his head into the floor to make the man feel better?

Ferda was better at slamming other people's heads into the floor than his own.

He was tempted to curse him out properly, but Olivia, who had been listening in, lightly touched Ferda's shoulder.

When he turned his head, she smiled with her eyes and quietly touched the crystal ball.

She had raised the volume so the sound from the crystal ball could be heard throughout the entire staff room.

She mouthed the words to him.

Go on the attack.

"I cannot understand why you are so angry. You were going to send reinforcements here anyway, so you must be preparing them. You can use those prepared forces to fight a defensive battle or a subjugation battle, so why are you angry at me?"

-If the far east cannot stop the demonic creatures in the Land of Demons, is that not a failure of border defense?! You failed, and yet you dare hold your head high and say you did nothing wrong?!

The staff officers, startled by the suddenly increased volume, turned their heads and looked this way.

"How are we supposed to respond instantly to a colossal demonic creature that was suddenly summoned? That is why we requested reinforcements from within the Empire, and you told us it would take two months, did you not?"

-That is our situation! I am speaking now about the duty of the far east!

The duty of the far east was to eliminate the demonic creatures swarming in from the Land of Demons.

But that only applied when they came physically; if it was by magic, there was nothing they could do.

-Dealing with such enormous demonic creatures is Her Grace the Grand Duchess's duty, is it not?! She had more than enough ability to resolve this! The ones who neglected it were not us, but the Grand Duchy's territory!

"Then are you saying she should have moved even if it meant allowing this place to be completely destroyed?"

-I am saying I cannot understand her abandoning her duty just to protect that useless village!

That useless village.

Ferda unconsciously bit his lower lip.

He had no idea what kind of curse would come flying out once his mouth opened.

At that moment, Ferda felt a soft, silken touch against his hand.

It was Olivia's hand.

She had lightly touched Ferda's hand beneath the table.

As if telling him to calm down.

Surprisingly, thanks to her touch, Ferda was able to pull himself out of his anger.

Everyone here was listening to this conversation anyway.

He read their expressions.

At the very least, they were not on the side of that brat whining to have a toy bought for him.

-Tell Her Grace the Grand Duchess to perform her duty at once! Otherwise...

"What will you do?"

At Ferda's question, Alexander's voice choked off.

Ferda felt killing intent from beyond the telepathic message.

-Responsibility will be demanded for this situation! Not merely responsibility! Even now, more than a few people suspect that you are colluding with Demons!

Colluding with Demons.

That logic had really gone all the way to the end.

Just as Ferda was about to tell him to go ahead and try, Olivia cut in.

"Oppa. Watch your language, please~."

-Wha, what? Who is that?!

"Who else? Who else would call the Crown Prince oppa?"

-Olivia? Why are you...?

Alexander was thrown off by Olivia's voice, which had suddenly come through.

She grinned as she spoke.

"Words spoken by day are heard by birds, and words spoken by night are heard by mice. Do you know how many birds are listening to Your Highness's words here?"

-Wha, what?!

Alexander was worked up and throwing a fit.

The staff officers who had heard the entire conversation with the Crown Prince looked dumbfounded.

After hearing the remark that they had joined hands with Demons, hostility surged up in them.

Alexander stammered as he asked Ferda.

-R-Regent! Did you set a trap for me?!

"I merely had a conversation. The one who got worked up and lost his temper all by himself was Your Highness the Crown Prince."

-Y-You...

"If you had told me that only the two of us should speak, I would gladly have accepted, but you began by getting excited, so I simply could not bring it up. But who could have known you would act like this?"

The screaming child was gone, and all that came through was a strangled sound like a pig hanging from the gallows.

Olivia began picking at the wound in an infuriatingly smug way.

"Everyone here followed us because they believed in their own honor. Isn't it too cruel to treat such people as Demon filth?"

-No, what I meant was that Regent Ferda might do something like that, not that I was saying that to the others...

"Oh my, what do you mean, no? We all heard the whole thing just now. You lumped them together and condemned them as people without honor, and you were slow to respond as well. I think all of this is grounds for a formal protest."

Olivia continued with a triumphant look on her face.

"We can say this happened because the Crown Prince of the Empire picked a pointless fight to tame the far east."

Only sound would be coming through the crystal ball, and he should not have been able to see her expression, but as if he had seen that expression anyway, he shouted in a voice full of agitation.

-What is someone who calls herself a Princess of the Empire doing interfering in a matter like this?! What if you get hurt?! Return to your room at once and protect yourself! Regent, send that child back immediately!!

Now that he was at a disadvantage, he was telling her to leave.

"If I were only here as a Princess, that would be possible, but things are different now."

-What is so different now?

"She is here as the chief of staff of this temporary alliance of the far east."

-Wha, what?! Why?

"What do you mean, why? I am standing here because everyone recognized me, no?"

No words came from the crystal ball.

Alexander's mind must have become a mess.

Because if he said, "Why the hell are you so capable, you bitch?" she would surely snap back, "Are you saying the other young lords are incompetent?"

In that situation, Alexander did the best he could.

CLICK.

He simply cut the connection.

The crystal ball lost its light, and Olivia, seeing that, said calmly,

"It seems the mage on that side made a mistake."

She laughed softly and simply let it pass.

But the staff officers could not hide their bewildered faces after facing the uncomfortable truth.

"I have often heard that the Crown Prince is a hopeless man who loves showing off, but I did not know he was that bad."

"When we are in a hurry, he tells us to wait two months, but when it is his turn, he demands we send help immediately? Does that make any sense?"

The staff officers were busy cursing the Crown Prince.

Olivia let it go on just long enough to raise morale and solidarity appropriately, then cut them off.

"Oppa's wrongdoing is his wrongdoing, and in any case, we should look for a new way forward. This Grand Duchy's territory is, for now, unavoidably one of the Empire's territories. Therefore, we need to respond to threats within the Empire."

"Yes."

A map of the continent lay on the table.

She turned all the demonic creature pieces on that map in the opposite direction.

"As you can see, the demonic creatures are heading toward the Empire. That means we, who were supposed to defend, are now in a situation where we can strike first instead."

"Must we strike?"

They were already hard-pressed just defending, and now they were supposed to strike instead.

But the other staff officers glanced at the person who said it as though he were pathetic.

Just as they looked as if to say, "What kind of pathetic nonsense is that?" Olivia smiled gently.

"Rather, now is the right time. According to the report, all enemy forces are moving toward the Empire. Correct?"

"That is correct."

"That means the enemy's main base is at its most vulnerable."

The colossal demonic creatures they had identified did not have the ability to protect themselves.

They had only the ability to reproduce, and with that, they mass-produced demonic creatures.

If they mass-produced those demonic creatures and even sent them away, what would remain?

Nothing.

Moreover, reproduction was an act of dividing up the vitality in one's own body.

Even for demonic creatures, that meant they would be in an absurdly vulnerable state.

Targeting an enemy when it was most vulnerable was basic among basics.

The man who had raised the question withdrew his words with an embarrassed expression.

Olivia continued explaining.

"What was the reason both the Empire and we thought the demonic creatures would come after us?"

"Because when they formed the encirclement line, we were closer."

"Yes. Under normal circumstances, that would be the standard move."

Just looking at the positions of the pieces on the map made it clear.

The distance to the Empire was a full three times longer than the distance to Hestia village.

"We judged that it would take them two days to come to our side, so if they head toward the Empire, we can estimate six to seven days. Therefore, we wait about two days, then begin our advance."

The time needed to march was also two days.

If the enemy continued marching, they would have advanced three days' worth of distance.

In terms of time, they would be a little past the halfway point.

If that happened, it would be difficult for the enemy to turn back.

"Then they will reach the midpoint, yes? While they are in a state where it is difficult to turn back, we will strike their empty main base."

"Then the Empire will already be under attack."

"There is no need to worry about the Empire. If it cannot stop an offensive of that level, it cannot be called an Empire."

The Arken Empire had concentrated everything in the capital.

It possessed magic and armies dozens of times stronger than Count Concillus's castle, which would serve as the final bastion of the far east, so there was no problem there.

"Assuming we approach the demonic creatures, how do we kill them? I have heard that small demonic creatures and colossal demonic creatures have different body structures..."

"When I looked into it, it said their skin is more durable and their muscles are stronger, so I believe ordinary magic will not work."

"I will speak on that part."

Eri, the Platinum adventurer, stepped forward.

"Just as we die if we lose our hearts, demonic creatures also die if they lose their hearts. The perfect counter to junk mana is pure mana. In other words, if we cause an explosion inside them with pure mana powerful enough to shatter the heart, they can be killed."

"How much mana is needed for that explosion?"

"A 5th-tier magic spell, Supernova, should do it. I did it a long time ago... no, I read some documents."

If the 4th Circle had Magic Blast, the 5th Circle had Supernova.

It was strong in terms of pure destructive power, and above all, it was mana itself with no attribute.

For demonic creatures, to whom pure mana was no different from poison, it was the most perfect technique possible.

"I heard their skin is as hard as rock. Can one Supernova really take care of them?"

"That is why we need the elite knights to distinguish themselves. Elite knights must manifest aura, cut into the demonic creature's flesh, and approach the inside. If they pierce it enough to expose the organs, the inside becomes as infinitely vulnerable as a human body. If Supernova is cast there, it will die on the spot."

"Let us say that is the method... but whether anyone knows Supernova is another problem, is it not?"

"If they do not know it, I can teach them. If they do not want to learn, I can simply draw a magic circle, and they can just inject mana into it."

Naturally, the mages would try to learn it.

A renowned adventurer and high-ranking mage was offering to teach them high-tier magic; no one would be stupid enough to refuse that.

"How many 5th Circle mages are there?"

"According to what we have identified, including Count Concillus's domain, there are five in total."

"Administrator Isabella should be 5th Circle as well. Then that makes six."

Eri, the Platinum adventurer, knew an oddly suspicious amount about someone else's household.

There were twelve colossal demonic creatures, and the number they could destroy at once was six.

"Destroying them all in two days... would be too naive a thought, I suppose?"

"Yes. Considering marching speed and everything else, even if we set the schedule tightly, it will take four days."

Four days.

It would be nice if there were a way to reduce that dramatically.

After hearing that situation, Ferda glanced at Luri.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, she looked toward Ferda.

Luri insisted strongly with a cold look in her eyes.

'I am not your personal transport.'

"We cannot guarantee victory, but our side cannot simply sit here in a daze either."

If there was an opportunity to eliminate them, they had to eliminate them.

"If anyone is opposed, I will hear that opinion as well."

As if it were only natural, no one opened their mouth.

Just in case, Ferda contacted Concillus as well and explained the operation.

Concillus's answer was obvious and truly simple.

-As you will, Regent.

And so the departure for battle was decided.

As the staff officers moved to relay the contents of the meeting,

Ferda made one request of Erica.

"Captain Eri."

Erica turned her head.

"If it is not too rude, may I ask you for one favor?"

It was an area used as an open ground inside the castle.

Luri had placed a barrier there and turned it into an isolated space.

"How surprising."

After carefully confirming that it had been completely cut off, Erica opened her mouth.

"To think the Regent would request a sparring match."

"You are known to the world as Goldie Hand, are you not? Is it not only natural that I would want to try?"

"Rumors are always exaggerated."

Even as she said that, her shoulders and nose looked ready to pierce the sky.

"Tell me. What is the purpose of this sparring match? I will adjust accordingly."

"There is something I want to test. Please fight me under the assumption that this is real combat."

"Hmm, if this is real combat..."

Erica smiled slightly.

"Then we should start with provocation after all, should we not? You fiancé of a stupid dragon?"

"I am far better than a water lizard that does nothing but sleep as if dead."

"... Oh?"

She threw a jab and got hit with a clean counter.

"Let us stop there. If we are not careful, we may have to fight a duel to the death with our honor on the line."

"Would it not only count as real combat if we went that far?"

"Hehe... do not regret this!"

Erica unfolded a magic circle and launched the first attack.

Unlike the classic sort of battle where both sides held their ground and fought, the two fought while chaotically changing positions.

That was practical combat between mages.

Creating magic circles, seeing through them, breaking them, feints, lures...

In the short span of one minute, as many as forty moves were exchanged, and Erica inwardly exclaimed in admiration.

'Impressive.'

Ferda, already outmatched in raw power from the start, could not help being at a disadvantage, so she had naturally expected him to lose.

Taking that into account, Erica gradually increased her power in order to gauge his skill.

At first, she would compete on equal footing, then make things progressively harder until she overwhelmed him, testing what sort of limits Ferda possessed.

'What in the world is he trying to test?'

Erica continued the sparring match while keeping in mind that she needed to uncover his intent.

"I lost."

In the end, after being pushed to his limit, Ferda raised the white flag.

She had won, but Erica praised him sincerely.

"That was impressive. Without exaggeration, you are among the top five mages I have ever fought."

"You flatter me."

"There is no waste in your movements, and you are not so low-level that you would need to ask me for feedback. You said there was something you wanted to test, but I still do not know what experiment you were conducting. Did you get your answer?"

Seeing her reaction, Ferda knew.

She truly had not noticed what he was doing or what he was hiding.

"Yes. Thanks to you, I did."

Yes, this might work.

The night before the departure.

Ferda was about to lie down and fall asleep as usual.

However, because it was such a solemn day, it was not like usual.

Luri came to him and said this.

"Master has summoned you to her lair, Lord Ferda."

Ferda blinked.

Did they not say that when you received too great a shock, you could not say anything at all?

It was exactly that bad.