Chapter 264

(264)

“It was impressive, wasn’t it? I was nearly driven mad because mana wasn’t moving well, even for me. And yet, you who barely had a chance to practice, managed to use the Touch of Currents. We truly are exceptional, even in our souls.”

Sererassie smiled in satisfaction.

Her voice was genuinely praising.

Eric shook his head as if feeling embarrassed.

“No, not at all. In fact, as someone who has made long incantations, seals, and reagents part of my daily routine, the situation of maintaining seals for a long time didn’t feel particularly alien to me.”

Sererassie shook her head dismissively.

“Still, greatness is greatness. You should accept the praise of your predecessors. Aren’t you also a seeker of truth?”

That was the commendation of a mage who had used high-level spells twice while surrounded by mana expellers and a powerful soundproofing barrier.

It was the kind of praise any mage would swoon to hear.

However, Eric furrowed his brow as if deep in thought before shaking his head.

On his handsome face lingered a hint of regret for a path not taken, but also the conviction that it was the right choice.

“No, not at all, Master Mage. I’m not a mage—I’m a legislator who seeks answers that change with every election season, not eternal truths or unchanging answers.”

Sererassie’s expression turned as if she’d been struck.

“But… aren’t our souls of a higher tier? We are special. In the end, a needle can’t remain concealed forever, and an eagle hatchling can never truly live in a chicken coop, can it?”

Eric gently shook his head, calmly opening and closing his clear blue eyes.

“Master Mage, you worked to become special and succeeded. But that’s not something I desire for myself.”

“That’s not true… From the moment of birth—”

“I believe the profession of mage or the title of Chief Court Mage could indeed be considered noble and special. But regardless of what profession one is born into or what position one occupies, I think each person is equally precious. Correct? While professions may have distinctions, people themselves do not.”

“….”

“I am a person chosen by those equally precious individuals. While the aristocracy and royalty of the Empire may seek to draw lines, I must value as equally precious even those outside those lines.”

Sererassie let out a low sigh.

“They’ve chosen you, haven’t they?”

Eric nodded brightly.

“Yes, Master Mage.”

Sererassie questioned, her voice chilly.

“Does it hold any meaning?”

Does it hold any meaning for things that change, things that fade, things that vanish?

If you give your heart to something bound to change and eventually disappear, won’t you ultimately be betrayed?

To the solitary mage’s question, the legislator standing alongside many others nodded with a slight smile.

“Yes, Master Mage. Because I too am evolving.”

“!”

Now it was the turn for me and Sererassie to be lost for words.

Eric said decisively.

“The world changes, and people change. If I am to remain the same person, I too must change accordingly.”

“If my younger brother were here… he might have said that it’s their duty to think about how to lead, regardless of whether others change or not.”

Sererassie hesitated slightly as she spoke.

“Eric? Did you call me ‘younger brother’? Forgive my presumption, Lord Duke.”

“He might have forgiven you if you called him ‘elder.’”

She teased for a moment, but Eric responded gently.

“Perhaps it’s appropriate for the dukes to speak that way. But I’m not a noble; I am a legislator. I didn’t ascend to the heavens by birthright but through the people’s choice. It’s something I must never forget.”

Sererassie sighed in disappointment and forced a wry smile.

Eric approached me after passing Sererassie.

“Your Highness Valencius.”

His voice carried an unmistakable sense of urgency.

“Could you explain this situation to me?”

I slowly began a lengthy explanation.

“…I needed a justification to keep Duke Helena. I thought Brnoa would retreat if we did this.”

Eric’s face turned as if the heavens had collapsed.

“How can you do something like this? You’ve used countless people as hostages! No… I thought His Grace Duke Valencius cherished human life. I admired how much effort you put into feeding the citizens of the capital during the state of emergency!”

I remained impassive.

“There was no other way. It wasn’t my personal task anyway. Wasn’t Duke Helena involved as well? You can rest assured. If Brnoa doesn’t advance further, Helena won’t attack either.”

“Could it be that you intend to use me to strike both the army and civilians of the Republic? Wait, does that mean Duke Helena is currently in a position to attack the encampment?”

“I won’t confirm nor deny that. I dislike lies.”

Eric began tearing his hair out in frustration.

“Brnoa is not preparing to retreat! As things stand, Duke Helena will attack the soldiers and citizens of Lanzo and the Republic, and Lord Valen will unleash monsters that will devastate the Republic’s borders!”

I felt a chill down my spine.

This wasn’t right.

“…I regret it.”

“Uuuuugh!”

The night was steadily passing.

* * *

Like most border towns, the Agar village of Lanzo and the Republic lay in quiet tranquility.

Cattle and sheep roamed in the meadows, water mills turned on the river, and green shoots of barley rippled in the fields. The village youths formed militias and fought off goblins.

Though occasionally orcs would appear, causing at least one or two injuries or deaths, they could rely on soldiers from Lanzo to patrol the area promptly after a quick report.

The usually serene Agar village recently buzzed with excitement.

The parliament had approved an attack on the Empire, and an army of 100,000 troops was assembling along the border step by step.

“Goodness, what is all this fuss about?”

“I hope everyone comes back safe and sound.”

“I’ve heard the imperial knights are incredibly strong.”

Of course, not all of the 100,000 troops passed through Agar village, but the reconnaissance teams and wine merchants were enough to liven up the place.

Thanks to a group of soldiers responsible for messenger birds who had set up camp in the village, the threat of orcs was no longer a concern.

The soldiers of Lanzo and the Republic were not unruly mercenaries and thus were careful not to molest the villagers.

Agar village was peaceful, and the villagers believed it would continue to be so.

That was, until the evacuation order was suddenly issued late at night.

“There are an overwhelming number of monsters approaching from the Empire. Clear out the village immediately and head toward the nearest city!”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“But this is the dead of winter, sir.”

“Isn’t there a troop of soldiers stationed nearby?”

The soldier sighed in frustration, patting his chest.

“We don’t know the situation either. All we know is that the commander has given us a marching order, not a defense order!”

“!”

That night, dozens of homing birds took flight across the skies.

Like all homing birds, these ones were more robust than their wild counterparts thanks to breeding improvements, and the officers had infused divine energy into them to hasten their journey.

The homing birds split the wind faster than arrows and delivered the alarm to the legislators of Lanzo in the dead of night.

“Prepare for evacuation immediately. Gather money and jewels.”

Some only cared for their profits.

“Evacuate the citizens immediately! Spread them across nearby cities, prepare food supplies, and order General Brnoa to handle the monsters.”

Others diligently fulfilled their duties.

The long winter night was fortunate for the people of Lanzo.

The orders that the diligent ones gave had reached the front lines before the night was over.

Naturally, the tent reserved for meetings in the encampment had its lights blazing all night.

* * *

“Now! Immediately! We must retreat!”

Daniel shouted loudly.

Even in such a dire situation, the reason Daniel dared to shout before the Supreme Commander was that the mood had shifted enough for many junior officers to prepare for the retreat.

“If we proceed like this, our western border will be utterly destroyed! Then the Empire will begin its propaganda campaign to claim that the republic abandoned its people, and the banner of republicanism and universal equality will be dragged through the mud!”

“I don’t need to delve into the moral obligation part. Even considering the costs and benefits, retreating immediately is clearly the right move.”

“Don’t bring up whether Erik the legislator is a traitor or not. Does it matter now? The people we need to protect right now are the citizens!”

Put another way, the reason a number of junior officers had their retreat preparations ready yet no official retreat order had come was this.

Brnoa stroked his auburn beard.

“I understand your thoughts. I will consider it carefully before making a decision. Right now, we are completely cutting off the south and west of the Empire, demonstrating the strength of the republic to the continent—”

Daniel kicked his chair and roared like his skull was opening.

“Supreme Commander! Just issue the retreat order, damn it! Right Now! People are dying out there! Can we really talk about the superiority of the system like some kind of sane thing? Is this our Republic?”

Shouting ensued among the officers behind him.

“Is some legislator threatening you, Supreme Commander? Promising to retire you a few years down the line if you don’t build a victory? Just tell us, and I’ll skewer all those bastards!”

“No! What on earth are you hesitating about? What?”

Brnoa wiped his mustache as he stood up and headed to his private tent, muttering something about cooling his head.

Daniel and the junior officers were wild with rage, and a few even went so far as to try forging retreat orders and tried to recruit the bird handler officer before being caught by the military police officer.

When the military police tried to process them according to military law, enraged lower-ranked soldiers beat him up and threw him into a manure bucket, around the time Brnoa unlocked a certain bag in his personal tent.

His strong hands trembled as he opened it. A tiny thorn popped out and pricked his skin.

It was a magical bag that recognized its master through blood.

Tstststst.

The bag opened wide like a monster’s mouth.

Though there was no candlelit light in the tent, when the bag opened, it filled with eerie blue light.

Inside the bag was a magical artifact made from shards of Kuiz Az’s crystal, crafted into the form of a crystal orb.

And to this artifact Brnoa prayed.

It was utterly incomprehensible that this could be the same man who had just spoken about the republic’s system so pompously.

“Isn’t this enough? Please allow us to retreat! Our people are dying!”

“….”

“Haven’t we done everything you asked? Why do you push us this far? Isn’t taking my son enough for you?”

Woooonng!

The crystal faintly glowed blue, and a black mist began to seep out.

Ssseeeettt…

The mist spread across the tent floor, gradually rose, and coalesced.

When the mist dissipated, a figure cloaked in black robes with a hood remained.

Sleeves hung so long that the hands could not be seen, and the face was filled with dense darkness, offering no hint of any features.

The hood was flat on top like a tower, far too tall to imagine as containing a human head.

It reached so high that it touched the top of the tent, forming a lump beneath the canvas.

“Did you claim you followed my orders?”

The voice seemed to resonate directly in the mind, a terrifying aura that would make any living thing shiver.

“P, please forgive me.”

Brnoa shook uncontrollably in his spot, unable to even speak.

The eyes of the strong, middle-aged soldier contracted, and soon tears began to stream down his face.

It was remarkable that he hadn’t wet himself.

“Without causing any damage to the Empire, in what way can it be said that you followed orders?”

“!”

“Did I not instruct you to bathe the land in the blood of the innocent?”

Brnoa did not issue any advance orders until dawn, despite the situation.