Chapter 468
Chapter 468 Something Feels Off (2)
Ghislaine didn’t feel like moving hastily.
After hearing about her mother, she had a hunch that the Salvation Society would focus on overthrowing the royal family first, regardless of what happened in the south.
She had suspected this for a while now based on the movements of the Duke Faction, but now she was nearly certain.
“It would be quicker for the Duke Faction to wipe out the kingdom forces we’ve left behind than for us to sweep through the south. We need to tidy things up first.”
“Tidy up…?”
“We need to annihilate the Delphine Army heading toward the capital, and I need to meet with the king. Send a messenger to tell him to vacate the capital if possible.”
If the Duke Faction’s target was the king, their strategy would shift somewhat once the king went into hiding. She wanted to confirm that part.
But realistically, it was an impractical approach. Claude responded incredulously.
“Isn’t His Majesty in a precarious situation right now? Is he in any state to escape? No, out of pride, he wouldn’t run away. If he flees, it would change the hearts of all the lords.”
“Let’s at least send the message, and if that doesn’t go well, we can meet and talk about it.”
Ghislaine wasn’t planning to take any immediate action. This time, she was depending largely on her instincts since she had no prior information from her past life.
She intended to ask about the Salvation Society, the Shadow Knight Group, and her mother, checking for any unknown information she might not possess.
Claude scratched his head and asked, “So, where do you plan to help first?”
“Hmm…”
News about the remaining two legions of the Delphine Army and the kingdom forces guarding the pass hadn’t come in yet.
If one of those forces lost, they would soon push toward the capital. Losing both would make things even more troublesome.
There was also the issue of the army advancing toward the capital by maneuvering from the east. They had set up a defensive line, but who knew how that would turn out?
“They should be engaged by now, right?”
“Of course. We should hear back soon.”
The Northern Army was stationed a bit farther north to receive the Allied Forces. The kingdom forces near the southern front had likely come into contact and were battling earlier than the Northern Army.
Although they had sent Dark to find out the situation, the reports on the outcome of the war might arrive before Dark even gets there.
“They’ll be sending messengers from their side too, and since we’ve sent Dark, let’s just wait a few days. We’ll decide once the news comes in.”
With war raging all around, they couldn’t afford to act recklessly. They needed to gather information quickly and formulate a strategy.
While the Northern Army was blocking the pathway intentionally, the other kingdom forces were waging battles around each fortress of the southern front.
Moreover, with the Allied Forces continuing to join in, they could hold out for quite some time.
“Be ready to move at any time. Whether to help elsewhere or head to the capital, we’ll move as soon as we have information.”
“Understood.”
“Then in the meantime, I’ll need to train Elena and Rachel a bit.”
Claude shrugged his shoulders at the thought of the two coming along together. It was obvious they would both be completely worn out, given how intense the lord’s training was.
*
Elena, pulled over to the Northern Army, was furious.
She wanted to be an elegant noble lady, yet here she found herself in a bloody battlefield. There was no way to go back alone.
Once it was just her and Rachel left in the tent, Elena began to grumble.
“Ugh, it’s my fate. I suspected something was off when things were going too smoothly with the fortress.”
Now that her territory had finally become somewhat self-sufficient, rather than enjoying those benefits, she was going to be worn out instead.
She wanted to vent her frustrations, but knowing the Northern Army was fighting to protect the kingdom and territory, she bit her tongue.
Rachel smiled and said, “You’ll be fine. You have divine power, right? I’m the one more worried.”
“Hmph, what use is divine power to a noble lady? It doesn’t suit me at all.”
“Let’s just think of it as training for self-defense.”
“Ugh, alright, alright. But are you really okay? Aren’t you scared?”
Seeing Elena’s surly expression, Rachel smiled and nodded.
Having suffered from illness since childhood and lived without friends, she had a maturity beyond her years.
She lost her mother early and her father, Gillian, was quite taciturn, which added to her seriousness.
“I’m fine as long as I’m with you.”
Therefore, she didn’t mind being dragged to the Northern Army.
The one who cured her illness was Ghislaine. Because of that, she was able to meet her precious friend, Elena.
Every day was a day of gratitude for her. Although she was a little scared, she felt she could overcome any hardships with Elena by her side.
“First, we need to protect ourselves, and besides, you said we’d be dealing with creatures like Cracked Beings in combat. Aside from any special circumstances, we shouldn’t have to kill people.”
“Hmph, you can’t believe everything your brother says. Huh? What if we really need to kill someone? Then we’d just be thrown into that situation. He lives as he pleases.”
Elena grumbled. She had seen Ghislaine’s temper tantrums since she was a child.
While the two were chatting like that, Ghislaine appeared.
“Elena, Rachel. Starting today, I’ll teach you combat techniques whenever time permits.”
Elena glared at Ghislaine before turning away with a huff.
“Got it. But I’m choosing the weapon.”
“Hmm? Weapon? What weapon?”
“I want to use a rapier.”
Since she was learning, Elena decided to change her goal.
She wanted to be an elegant knight wielding a single rapier.
She would become the beautiful and noble flower of the battlefield, one that everyone would admire. An aloof knight that no one could help but be enchanted by.
“Hmph, that’s pretty cool too. What? You want me to rampage like an angry bull? Don’t make me laugh. I’ll fight like that.”
In her mind, she envisioned an elegant knight shining brightly on the battlefield.
A beautiful and noble knight that would go down in the history of the kingdom! How wonderful!
“Later, I’ll become a noble lady… But it should be fine to take a scenic route for now.”
Thinking that way, she felt it might be nice to give training a shot.
However, Ghislaine tilted her head and asked,
“What? A r… rapier?”
“Yes, a rapier. Isn’t that the most elegant choice?”
Pffft!
Ghislaine covered her mouth with her fist, trying to stifle her laughter. She looked like she had never heard something so ridiculous in her life.
“What! Why are you laughing? What’s wrong with a rapier?”
“No, you would use such a flimsy skewer? That doesn’t suit you at all. It would break as soon as you poke something with it!”
“Ugh… Then how about a sword?”
A sword was a basic necessity for knights, so she naturally thought it would be included. While it was less than a rapier, it wasn’t bad either.
She could always switch to a rapier once she improved her skills.
However, Ghislaine shook her head again.
“A sword doesn’t suit you either.”
“Then what! What are you going to teach me? Fist-fighting? Huh?”
Fuming, Elena raised her fists, and Ghislaine turned to shout outside the tent.
“Hey, bring that over!”
Soon, two knights shuffled in, grunting as they carried something massive.
Thud!
What they set down was a colossal and grotesque-looking two-bladed axe.
It was so large it exceeded the size of an average adult man. The blades glowed with an ominous, blood-red hue.
Not only that, but there was a horrifying skull design etched in the center of the axe. The inscription beneath it was even more absurd.
[Death is the path to my glory, and my enemies dwell in hell.]
Seeing the axe, Elena trembled.
“W-What is this? This is my weapon?”
“Ah, yes. This axe is called ‘Harbinger of Destruction.’ It’s the perfect weapon for you. We took it from a hard-headed lord who didn’t listen before, and Gillian specially approved it for you.”
“G-get lost.”
To be told to use such a grotesque axe… Carrying this would make her look like a human butcher instead of an elegant knight.
Unaware of Elena’s sentiments, Ghislaine smiled brightly.
“This is a weapon that only a select few can wield! It was truly made just for you!”
‘Harbinger of Destruction’ was unapologetically heavy, making its practicality quite low. If you mastered mana, you could handle it, but the mana consumption was considerable.
However, with Elena’s divine power, she should be able to wield it without difficulty.
With her fists clenched, Elena shouted, “I can’t wield this kind of thing!”
How could she possibly handle the huge axe that those knights had brought with great difficulty?
Even so, Ghislaine urged her with a gesture.
“Just try lifting it. Pick it up once and then we can talk. You can lift it. It’s a weapon born for you.”
“Ugh… You really…”
Just as Elena was about to explode, Rachel intervened from the side.
“Don’t do that. If they’re going this far, at least give it a try.”
“Grrr…”
Reluctantly, Elena grabbed the axe handle and exerted her strength.
It was truly heavy, putting strain on her arms. But…
It was surprisingly easy to lift?
She felt a significant weight, but nevertheless, she was able to lift it. She thought she might be able to swing it too.
If she learned how to manage mana, she could probably use it with less power than she did now.
Ghislaine cheered, clapping excitedly.
“Wow! Look! Isn’t it amazing? You lifted it alone without mana! Belinda! Belinda, come and see! That’s totally a monster!”
Belinda peeked in through the tent entrance and said, “Um, Young Lady, th-that looks good on you.”
There was not a shred of sincerity in her tone. Even the knights next to her smiled awkwardly and said, “That does seem like it’s made for you, Young Lady. It really suits you.”
Their tone clearly indicated that Ghislaine had forced them to say that.
Finally hearing the praise of being a monster, Elena could no longer contain herself.
“What looks good on me! How could this kind of weapon be fitting for someone who’s going to be a noble lady!”
Vwoom!
“Wah!”
As Elena swung the ‘Harbinger of Destruction,’ Ghislaine jumped back in shock.
Just wielding it generated a strong gust of wind. This truly felt like a weapon meant for Elena.
The knights also hesitated, stepping back.
Elena’s eyes sparkled with a wicked grin that closely resembled her brother’s.
“Isn’t this just perfect? Well then, why don’t you all get a taste of my axe?”
Vwoom! Vwoom! Vwoom!
As Elena swung the axe wildly, Ghislaine and the knights fled the tent.
Despite not having learned anything, the swinging alone started to demolish everything around her. The tent quickly turned into a ragged mess and collapsed.
“Hey! You said you were going to teach me combat techniques! Are you not coming? Come on, you bastard!”
Elena yelled, gripping the axe with both hands, swinging it wildly while everyone watched her from a distance, astounded.
Ghislaine muttered as she watched her sister, who was rampaging like a mad bull.
“Hmm, I hoped she would become an enraged bull in battle, but… now that I see her… she looks more like an angry stag beetle.”
Swinging an axe larger than her own body, it certainly resembled that.
After a considerable amount of rampaging, it was only after Rachel calmed her down that Elena finally quelled her anger. The crowd that gathered to watch only added to her embarrassment.
Eventually, under the condition that she would change her weapon later, Elena accepted the training.
Right after that, Ghislaine’s lecture began, but regrettably, it ended with only teaching the basic stance.
This was because Dark, sent to the battlefield, reported back on the situation.
— Master… The situation is dire. The battlefield is filled with corpses… I’m still surveying the area.
Soon, blood-soaked messengers started streaming in one after another.
“The eastern defensive line has been shattered and the commander of the Eastern Army is dead! The Delphine Army has begun its advance toward the capital again!”
“The 3rd and 8th legions of the kingdom forces have been defeated! The Delphine Army is making its way towards the capital!”
“The 6th legion of the kingdom and the Allied Forces, sent to support the 3rd and 8th legions, have also been defeated!”
“Some of the Allied Forces have been completely wiped out. The Seiron Kingdom, Moltona Kingdom, and Lombars Kingdom.”
“The lords gathered their armies to reorganize a barrier line, but they are woefully outnumbered!”
Including the east, there were now a total of three routes for the advancing Delphine Army. Two of those places had resulted in total annihilation of both the kingdom and Allied Forces.
No confirmed news had arrived about the remaining legion yet.
— Master… it seems…
Even after hearing Dark’s report, Ghislaine didn’t act immediately.
Dark relayed only what he saw in that area. He didn’t know how the kingdom forces were faring, what they were thinking, and how they would act.
To get a precise grasp of the overall situation, Ghislaine entrusted further reconnaissance to Dark and decided to wait just a bit longer.
News about the last legion soon came in.
“The southern front has been completely annihilated! The current commander of the kingdom forces, Marquis Maurice McQuarry, is retreating with only a small number of troops!”
Ghislaine held her forehead. She hadn’t realized the gap in power was this vast.
While superhumans had a significant impact on the battlefield, winning or losing wasn’t merely determined by the presence of one or two superhumans. If it were, superhumans would simply fight amongst themselves and settle the matter.
The fact that they had suffered such a catastrophic defeat implied that the capabilities of the knights, soldiers, and commanders were simply no match for the Delphine Army.
Ascon clicked his tongue, commenting, “Ugh, these idiots. Not a single one knows how to fight properly.”
He was absolutely correct. It was hard to believe that they all suffered a complete defeat. Not even one unit managed to execute a strategic retreat.
This was dangerous. If the nobles who had defected from the Duke Faction heard this news, they would be struck with fear. If they sensed the shift, they would return to the Duke Faction, making things even more troublesome.
The close associates of Ghislaine, upon hearing the news, all wore solemn expressions. They had no clue where to start to rectify the situation.
While the Northern Army remained, the war could continue, but if the capital fell and the king was captured, it wouldn’t mean a thing.
In the midst of the somber atmosphere, Ghislaine quickly issued her orders.
“Tell the troops gathered in the west not to join the kingdom’s and lords’ forces but to go straight to the capital. For now, instruct them to defend Cardenia. Also, tell Perdium to send all troops to the Forward Fortress, fortifying their defenses.”
“What shall we do?”
After a moment of contemplation at Claude’s question, Ghislaine reached a decision.
“The Northern Army will split in two.”
Given the current situation, it was far too precarious to move as one.
