Shadapul, a strategically important location in western Filat, is about a day’s journey by swift horse from Balderra Fortress.
If this point were captured, Filat would suffer devastating economic losses. However, the Hordia army, having taken Balderra Fortress, showed no signs of advancing further.
The Filat army, led by General Yaders, made camp at a location between Balderra Fortress and Shadapul, difficult to launch a surprise attack from, and questioned the soldiers who had escaped the fortress.
“I can’t say for sure as I didn’t have the leisure to observe, but I don’t think they have the immediate capacity to advance.”
Yaders, Marius, and the others were momentarily speechless upon hearing the soldiers’ accounts, their bodies covered in blood and dust.
The strategy employed by the Hordia army was far more horrific than Filat had imagined.
“…Lord Yaders? Is that how we treat slave soldiers?”
“Preposterous. They’ve lost their minds.”
Yaders’ voice trembled as he responded to Marius.
They were marching the slaves without provisions, presumably with magic that would injure enemies upon their death, and magic to kill them if they tried to escape.
It was a series of actions that seemed to mock Yaders’ ethics. That the fortress had fallen in such a manner was a direct challenge to common sense.
“Hordia is indeed the continent’s foremost holder of slaves, capable of mobilizing millions of slave soldiers if they disregard logistics. But to just expend them like this… incorporating magic to prevent slave desertion is common, but…”
So, they wouldn’t suffer significant losses even if they exhausted around 150,000 slaves. Marius thought with disgust that they wouldn’t if their ethics didn’t get in the way.
“Are there any areas around the fortress where 150,000 soldiers can secure water and food for even a few days?”
“…It’s possible for a few meals. They could secure drinking water with magic…”
“Hm? Then wouldn’t that lead to the question of why they didn’t burn those areas first?”
Perhaps the fortress might not have fallen if the soldiers hadn’t gone three days without food. Why had they left it untouched?
“Yes. I also found it questionable and sent out scouts, but I haven’t received any reports yet.”
“…It seems the fortress diligently received scout reports…”
“Those scouts were likely Hordia spies.”
Yaders stated with a bitter expression. Were all those stationed around Hordia being eliminated?
“We haven’t heard from Lord Fleg either, so it seems Hordia meticulously prepared this operation.”
“Fleg…?”
Marius flinched at the familiar name. Wasn’t he Emma’s father and the former head of intelligence?
Yaders nodded gravely, likely seeing Marius’ reaction.
“Lady Emma took after her father. Even within the intelligence department, she had the skill to defeat two or three ordinary soldiers, and could escape from five or six.”
In other words, she was up against enemies of that caliber or greater. This was, of course, assuming she was attacked. The atmosphere wasn’t conducive to suggesting Fleg himself might be a spy, so Marius held his tongue.
“But it’s strange, isn’t it? That spies and scouts are being killed in your own country without anyone noticing…”
Marius said this not out of sarcasm, but purely out of genuine confusion. However, those around him likely didn’t interpret it that way, as they glared at Marius with stern gazes. Yaders, who understood the situation to some extent, rebuked him with a subtle movement of his eyes and face.
“It shouldn’t happen under normal circumstances. However, it’s customary not to engage in combat for a month before and after the Demonplay. We must refrain from actions that mislead other countries, and even intelligence gathering should be toned down during this period. So that we don’t notice any unusual events too quickly.”
He couldn’t suppress the thought of how incredulous he was, and looked at Yaders. Yaders offered a wry smile. That was precisely what had been exploited; their foolishness knew no bounds.
“Hordia broke that unwritten rule, leading to Hordia versus the entire continent once.”
Hordia, which controlled about a third of the continent, was defeated by the alliance of Garius, Filat, Seraeno, Ranleo, and Rahn, losing all territory except its current domain. This was before Seraeno was renowned as the strongest on the continent.
“If they dislike breaking unspoken rules, the perception was that Hordia would be the one to do so. We’ve paid the price for that mistaken assumption.”
Filat was unaware that the situation had progressed so far. This time, they had clearly exploited a psychological vulnerability. A strategy that would normally never succeed had been employed at an opportune moment when it was uniquely capable of succeeding. Those of Hordia, like Carno, had spoken of a terrifyingly cold-hearted strategist on the enemy side, and Yaders believed this to be true, but he had no idea who it was.
“The prime suspect is Queen Asteria. She has dealt with several nobles clinging to vested interests, her policies are moderately evaluated, and her behavior is considered by some to be utterly mad. However, it’s speculated that someone is manipulating her due to the extreme nature of her actions.”
The reputation of a king affects the reputation of a nation, and no wise ruler would act in a way that would allow their country to be looked down upon.
“If this is true, they will likely pin the blame for this incident on her and execute her. If they offer the head of a king and agree to reparations, both our country and others will have no choice but to stand down,” was the assessment of Bernhard III, which Marius agreed with. Yaders believed that, as someone who would ruthlessly order inhumane actions against slaves, she would do so without hesitation.
“However, what concerns me is the information that the Queen is capable but cruel, and that the nobles genuinely wish for her ouster. It’s possible this is disinformation planted by a mastermind. But considering the precedent of Seraeno being overrun due to the Demon Gerik, we cannot be complacent.”
“In the worst-case scenario, could a Demon be the mastermind?”
Yaders nodded in agreement. It would be entirely plausible for a Demon to disregard agreements between human nations. Marius wondered if his lack of vigilance stemmed from being a human born and raised in this world, despite knowing Demons were acting in the shadows. If he kept suspecting, there would be no end. In this brutal world, moving in unison was the beginning of trust.
(If that’s the case… Wait. Am I completely screwed?)
Feeling his vision blur, he hastily steered the conversation back. “Let’s retake Balderra Fortress first, and then we can discuss other matters. I have ways of investigating things.”
Marius meant for this to be a ray of hope, but Yaders’ expression grew even more serious. “Regarding that matter, the situation has changed. You must choose between either eradicating the enemy or abstaining from participation.”
“Huh…?”
Marius’ face contorted as if he’d been struck on the head with a blunt object, completely defenseless. Yaders, maintaining a composed demeanor, explained the situation. “The enemy this time possesses dreadful cold-heartedness. Even if we took prisoners, there’s an extremely high probability they would detonate themselves along with us.”
It was normally unthinkable for captured slave soldiers to be forced to commit suicide via magic. This was because, as retaliation, regular soldiers could also face abuse. However, there was a high probability that this enemy would not adhere to such “normal” impossibilities. Faced with a decision, Marius fell into thought. According to the soldiers who had somehow managed to return, the enemy’s remaining forces were around 50,000. If they were to launch a coordinated attack, everyone except Marius could be annihilated. And since Filat’s army also numbered 50,000, Marius didn’t believe they could easily retake the fortress without him. Filat could mobilize 300,000 troops without including reserves, but diplomatic considerations with other nations prevented them from deploying their entire army. Other nations would protest Hordia’s actions and potentially even wage war, but only after Filat had suffered significant damage. That was how nations operated.
(What is the best course of action…)
As Marius deliberated, a question unexpectedly came to mind. “I’d like to confirm one thing, but to activate magic, you need an external supply of magical power, right?”
“Yes, of course.” Yaders nodded emphatically to the question. While he expressed expectation, as if hoping Marius had thought of something, the others wore expressions that, to varying degrees, conveyed “What foolishness is this person asking?” Upon hearing Yaders’ reply, Marius made up his mind.
“I will attack alone first.”
Yaders nodded, but others interjected with shouts of “Wait!”
“Attacking a fortress alone… Only Melinda Guilford could do something like that.”
As if to say, do you think you can do the same, the man continued. Marius nodded. The man, irritated, pressed on. “Melinda Guilford is the greatest hero, with many legends. Do you really think you can do the same? Isn’t that exceeding your arrogance?”
“That’s enough, Yaron.” Yaders intervened as the atmosphere was about to turn hostile. Yaron belonged to Ashton’s faction and harbored animosity towards Marius. He was a symptom of the fact that the control held during Granfeldt’s time as Commander-in-Chief was weakening.
“First, we will have Lord Marius perform a task. If that fails, we will consider the next step.”
“But recapturing Balderra is urgent, can we really afford such leisure?” Yaron said sarcastically and shrugged, but he said nothing more and left the room. Yaders sighed and turned back to Marius.
“To silence people like him, we need to clearly demonstrate Lord Marius’ strength. However, as for how to handle foreign countries…” Even for Yaders, a seasoned warrior at heart, he couldn’t foresee everything. While warned that showing too much power could make enemies of all nations, Marius wished he could use mind-reading magic to gauge the acceptable limits.
“By the way, Lord Marius, what is your specific plan? As part of your position, I would like to know beforehand.” As expected, Marius nodded to the proposal, then cast the magic “Silent” to make his voice inaudible to outsiders, and then cast “Sleep” to put everyone else to sleep.
“This way, this won’t be leaked to spies within the military… unless, of course, Lord Yaders is also a traitor.”
“Indeed.” Yaders remained composed, and Marius did not suspect him. He had checked while casting “Silent” and “Sleep” and found him to be clean. As Marius explained, Yaders let out a groan.
“This will be a challenge to legend…”
“A legend? Lady Melinda Guilford’s, as that man Yaron mentioned?”
“Yes. One of her many legends is that she single-handedly captured a fortress.” She had many other tales to her name, the most famous being that she established the current magic system and was the first to create Magic Items. Even with later refinements, such as the “Lovisa Method of Incantations,” the original foundations remained unchanged even after thousands of years.
“As Lord Marius is a sorcerer, he will eventually be compared to her.” He was being recognized by a select few in Filat as someone of that caliber. Marius felt a sense of apology towards Melinda, to be compared to someone like himself. It was power gained not through diligent effort, but through fate. However, he pushed that thought aside, deeming it useless for now. He then activated the highest-tier detection magic, “Radar.” Approximately 50,000 enemies and allies, and additionally, those around the fortress.
“It seems there are observers…” Yaders, not surprised at this point, pondered, but not for long.
“Can you neutralize them? Ideally, I’d like to capture them.”
“Yes. I will neutralize them before we attack the fortress, so please handle the capture.”
“Understood.” Marius’ strength was not yet widely known. That’s why they made the mistake of ambushing him around the fortress. Yaders reasoned. And so, the night before the battle passed.
