Chapter 380

Our warrior sure knew a lot.

For a mere warrior from the enemy forces, it was surprising he even knew such things.

And among those stories, there was information that could be considered top-tier.

“Or-han won’t come? Why not?”

We’ve been stuck here for half a month waiting for that guy, and now you’re saying he won’t come?

Does that even make sense? Then my fifteen days were a complete waste.

“Well… the situation in Ai-shan is a bit complicated. Targhien’s subordinate, Sahalyan, captured Amin, and now Amin is spouting nonsense…”

“What kind of nonsense did that idiot say?”

I didn’t care about the idiot who couldn’t even catch one disabled person despite mobilizing thousands of troops, but I was curious about what Amin had said.

“…He’s a sorcerer. Amin, dragged before Or-han with a pig-like appearance, screamed that he was controlled by an evil sorcerer. They even found traces of sorcery in his hideout.”

The warrior muttered with disdain.

It was a natural reaction. For some reason, the Ka`har tribe absolutely despised sorcerers—those who use magic.

This warrior especially so.

Not long ago, he had been zapped by the magician next to me.

[To be involved with a sorcerer… I knew Amin was foolish, but to this extent…]

‘If you think about it, aren’t you involved too? Ophelia is a sorceress by your standards.’

And not just any sorceress, but one who manipulates human souls.

[I’m already frustrated enough, so shut up.]

Hersela’s voice was icy.

I don’t get why they hate sorcerers so much.

Did their entire race get beaten up or something?

“So… what does Amin being involved with a sorcerer have to do with Or-han?”

“Amin, who rarely leaves Or-dos, being involved with a sorcerer means that sorcerers are hiding somewhere in Ai-shan.”

Well, they’re probably hiding.

“Moreover, inciting Amin to attack the Empire at such a critical time… means those sorcerers are enemies obstructing the conquest of Ai-shan’s plains. They must be found and eradicated. That’s why Or-han declared he would delay the barrier attack until the sorcerers’ traces are found.”

So that’s why they said the Ka`har attack wouldn’t happen.

They can’t mobilize their entire force to attack the Empire when unknown enemies are hiding in their base.

…But isn’t that just a waste of effort?

If they were easy to find, they wouldn’t have snuck into Or-dos in the first place.

—-

The rest of the information was all trivial.

Conflicts between Targhien and Sahalyan, or the punishment Or-han inflicted on Amin.

Targhien, who lost credit, hurled all sorts of insults at Sahalyan.

How did you find Amin when no trace of him could be found? Maybe you were in cahoots from the start and just cut ties.

Sahalyan retaliated, saying Targhien was violent and incompetent, now even slandering his own brother to steal credit.

Their warriors even dueled in the middle of Or-dos, showing just how bad their relationship was.

‘How come there’s not a single sane person among your brothers?’

Seriously, it’s like they all have anger management issues.

[With parents like that, how could the children be sane?]

Hersela sneered sharply.

Wait, wasn’t their father your father too? That’s like spitting while lying down.

Though, come to think of it, she’s got anger issues too.

—-

Amin’s end was more pathetic than expected.

Or-han showed Amin the gruesome state of his mother, Dahamei, and gave him a choice.

Admit all your crimes, and we’ll execute you but spare Dahamei.

Refuse, and we’ll spare your life, but Dahamei will remain like this forever.

If he had chosen the former, both Amin and Dahamei would have been spared, but Amin hesitated and chose the latter.

True to his pathetic nature until the end.

Or-han called Amin a pig, cut out his tongue, and threw him into a pigsty.

There, he would live a filthy life, eating scraps and excrement.

Dahamei, on the other hand, was freed from her wretched state.

Since Amin never truly existed, punishing her for his crimes was unjust.

Returning home, Dahamei hanged herself two days later.

—-

After finishing the interrogation, I went to Ludwig and shared the information I had gathered.

After listening quietly for a while, Ludwig sighed in relief and brushed off the ashes of a magic herb.

“…If that information is true, it seems Or-han doesn’t know about the northern front.”

“Well, probably…?”

Originally, the Empire and Ai-shan had difficulty obtaining information from each other.

There were no people crossing the border, and with different races, sending spies was tricky.

We were lucky to capture a prisoner; otherwise, we wouldn’t have known about Or-han’s movements.

“If he knew, he wouldn’t have made such a decision. Not knowing that the 1st and 2nd legions were annihilated, he concluded that attacking the barrier with his current forces was futile.”

This is why information is crucial.

If Or-han knew the barrier was defended by only 5,000 troops, he would have charged in with his full force.

“So he’s delaying the barrier attack until he finds the sorcerers?”

“Exactly. Normally, after such a defeat, even if the chance of victory was low, he would have sought revenge. Even if the battle was caused by his son’s actions, not retaliating after a loss would greatly damage the Khan’s prestige.”

“Well, that makes sense…?”

“That’s why the excuse of finding sorcerers was so convenient. Instead of attacking the barrier at great cost, he can continue the conquest war under the pretext of finding the sorcerers.”

It was a reasonable explanation.

Finding the sorcerers was just an excuse; in reality, he was delaying the barrier attack until he had enough troops.

From Or-han’s perspective, it was the best decision, but for me, who wasted half a month waiting here, it was an annoying outcome.

“So, if news of the two legions’ annihilation reaches the east, will he attack immediately?”

“No, he won’t. The issue of sorcerers in the east is too significant to reverse.”

Ludwig shook his head in denial.

“We’ve bought quite a bit of time. Amin, was it? I feel like awarding him the Empire’s Medal of Honor.”

Well, I don’t think he’d appreciate that.

I briefly imagined a pig adorned with a shiny medal and chuckled.

[How disappointing. The time for revenge, which was so close, has slipped away again…]

Hersela sighed deeply, filled with regret.

For me, it was fortunate, but for her, it must have been hard to bear.

She seemed to have been immersed in the expectation of finally avenging her enemies.

Maybe I should try to cheer her up a bit.

‘Even if you don’t do it yourself, won’t they all just kill each other? Targhien and Sahalyan seem like they’ll eventually have a showdown.’

[Foolish. What meaning is there in such an ending? Revenge must be carried out by my own hands to have meaning. If I can’t act in this situation, I at least need to see it happen before my eyes.]

Our views on revenge differed, so my words didn’t seem to comfort her much.

‘Well, then there’s nothing to be done. There’ll be another chance someday.’

…Will there? Honestly, I’m not sure.

The east is such a remote area in the game that I don’t have much information about it.

Hersela’s campaign was also an invasion from outside the map.

—-

“Then, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

After a brief farewell to Ludwig, I left the office.

If the enemy soldier’s confession was true, there was no need to waste more time here, but its authenticity was still unclear.

He might have lied under torture.

To confirm, we needed to cross-verify.

In other words, it was finally time for our warrior to undergo brainwashing.

According to Ludwig, the results should be out by tomorrow evening.

If it turns out to be true, I plan to leave Landenburg and return to the City of Exra-shapel immediately.

—-

[……Still, you’ve become quite impressive.]

‘Huh? What did you say?’

On my way back to my room, Hersela muttered softly.

Her voice was too quiet to make out what she said.

[It’s nothing. Just talking to myself.]

No matter how many times I asked, Hersela refused to answer.

What was that? Did she insult me or something?