Chapter 668

“So… you’re asking us to die protecting those people of Dane? The people your own country abandoned?”

I crushed the cigarette I had just finished with my fingertips and asked.

I understand why you came to me.

The Dane Army wouldn’t defy the king’s orders, and all the opposition factions like yours must have been suppressed. So, you’re asking me and the Imperial Army to do what the Dane Army should have done—to fight and die protecting the people of the Kingdom of Dane.

…What a ridiculous request.

To protect the people of the Kingdom of Dane, we’d have to abandon the border fortress, which is being reinforced to face Ka`har, and rush headlong into an unfavorable battlefield.

That alone would be a massive loss. On top of that, we’d have to engage in an all-out war against Ka`har, who has preserved their full strength by avoiding conflict with the Dane Army. Even if we miraculously win, we’d immediately have to face the Dane Army, who would attack us right after.

The only benefit from such a reckless battle would be the survival of tens of thousands of Dane citizens. Unless they all pledge allegiance to the Empire, there’s no real gain.

“It’s a request I can’t accept. Even if I did, failure is almost certain, and even if we succeed, it’s nothing but a loss. Right?”

Before even considering my beliefs, as a commander, this is a request I simply can’t agree to.

“…I know it’s an unreasonable request. But I can’t just stand by and watch so many people be sacrificed as offerings!”

“Emotional appeals are meaningless to me. The one who moves the army isn’t me, but Lord Ludwig of the Borderlands. He’s not the type to be swayed by sentimental arguments and lead his entire force to their deaths.”

I cut off Knut’s protest and shook my head.

The Ludwig I know wouldn’t sacrifice the Imperial Army to protect the people of the Kingdom of Dane. If anything, he’d use the time Ka`har spends pillaging the Dane citizens to further reinforce the border fortress’s defenses.

It’s not something you can call cruel. The duty of the Empire’s Border Lord is to protect the Empire by any means necessary, not to sacrifice Imperial soldiers for civilians who have no ties to the Empire.

You think it’s pitiful that innocent Dane citizens are being pillaged? That’s a joke.

Then what about the Imperial soldiers who would be slaughtered because of a commander’s sympathy? Aren’t they pitiful?

No, it’s not just the Imperial Army.

If the Imperial Army is wiped out in a reckless battle, Ka`har’s forces would sweep through the Empire’s heartland. In that case, it would just be innocent Imperial citizens being pillaged instead of innocent Dane citizens.

“……”

Perhaps understanding my point, Knut hung his head in despair.

By now, he must have realized it too. His request was something we couldn’t accept from the start—it was nothing but empty words with no value.

So—

“If you want to persuade Ludwig, you’ll need to present a benefit that would make the Imperial Army willing to take on such a disadvantageous fight. Not some emotional appeal about ‘innocent citizens.’ I don’t know if such a benefit exists, though.”

I lit a new cigarette, stood up from my chair, and gave Knut what sounded like advice.

“…So if there’s a benefit, you’ll help?”

“Well, that’s for Ludwig to decide.”

If it were something I could solve perfectly on my own, I’d gladly help. But it’s Ludwig, not me, who decides the Imperial Army’s movements.

—

After asking Rana to treat the two, I took them to Ludwig’s command tent once they were stabilized.

I needed to deliver the news to Ludwig, who had been up all night strategizing against Ka`har, that he might have to scrap all the plans he’d made so far.

“Good heavens…!”

As expected, Ludwig was shocked by the news that Dane had avoided battle with Ka`har.

It must have been unexpected for him too. The strategy chosen by the Dane royal family was nothing short of insane by any reasonable standard.

Sacrificing tens of thousands of their own citizens to the enemy. For any normal nation, that alone would be a devastating loss that would shake the very foundation of the country.

But the world had already changed beyond the point where it could be judged by conventional wisdom.

“An ancient magic strengthened through human sacrifice… I never imagined such a variable existed…!”

Ludwig let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair. His shock and despair were palpable.

Rune Magic. An ancient magic that grows stronger through human sacrifice, turning an irrational decision into an efficient strategy.

The premise of a clash between Dane and Ka`har had been completely overturned by a single variable emerging from ancient ruins.

“…So, what do you think? If this continues, we’ll have to face Ka`har, who has preserved their full strength, and then Dane, who has gained immense power by sacrificing tens of thousands.”

“Give me a moment to think…”

Ludwig lit a magical cigarette with trembling hands and exhaled deeply.

I waited for him to gather his thoughts while finishing my cigarette. Knut, looking anxious, glanced at Ludwig and then began whispering quietly with Frigg.

They must be discussing ways to persuade Ludwig in case he refuses the request.

As Knut muttered something, Frigg shook her head. Then Frigg whispered something, and Knut made a troubled face, furrowing his brow.

From the occasional words like “rebellion” and “assassination,” it seemed they were discussing some rather extreme measures.

Well, it’s not like we’re in a position to be picky.

—

Ludwig spoke again after about five minutes.

“Before I make a decision, I have a few questions for you. Can you answer them truthfully?”

“Yes. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Knut bowed his head and answered.

This guy, who had been nothing but confrontational with me, was now being all polite and respectful in front of Ludwig. It was honestly ridiculous.

“First, about this Rune Magic. If the Dane royal family sacrifices tens of thousands as planned, how powerful would it become?”

“Powerful, you say…”

Knut glanced at me.

What, why?

“I heard that Ai-shan Gi-or Ha-shal-leur—”

“Call her Sir Median. Unless you’re trying to disrespect my successor in front of me.”

“…My apologies. Sir Median… reportedly destroyed part of the barrier with a gesture. While I can’t confirm the truth of the rumor, if the Dane royal family’s plan succeeds, something like that would become possible.”

I glanced at the Rune of Collapse engraved on the inside of my left wrist.

If sacrificing over a hundred thousand people could create a rune with similar output, then the engraving on my wrist must have cost at least that many lives.

[ Sacrificing over a hundred thousand just for that? What an incredibly inefficient sorcery. If I were to slaughter them all myself, I could turn the barrier into flat ground and still have power to spare. ]

Hersela sneered with disdain. She said that slaughtering over a hundred thousand to accumulate life force would grant power far beyond what any rune could achieve.

‘Well, unless the Heavenly Barrier is completely destroyed, it would probably just get stuck halfway, like the Ghost Sword.’

[ Ah, now that you mention it, that’s true… ]

As long as the Heavenly Barrier created by Carolus remains, it’s impossible to grow stronger beyond the limits it imposes.

In gaming terms, it’s like a level cap blocking further growth.

Like Valenstein, once you reach the limit imposed by the barrier, unless another layer of the barrier is destroyed, no matter how many you kill, it would be meaningless.

It’s just my intuition, but I feel like I’m teetering on the edge of that limit right now.

In other words, instead of focusing on accumulating my own feats, I need to nurture others of similar strength. Though that would only be possible after defeating Or-han’s army.

“A mage capable of destroying the barrier… That would indeed be a threat…”

Ludwig sighed. If it were a one-time-use magic, it wouldn’t be a big problem. Unfortunately, Rune Engravings are semi-permanent magic that can be used repeatedly by consuming ambient mana.

If we leave the Dane royal family alone, they’ll create a mage capable of wielding power surpassing even high-level magicians.

If such a being were to hide and repeatedly cast spells before fleeing, it would undoubtedly cause immense damage to the Empire.

Well, that’s a problem to worry about after we deal with Ka`har, though.