Chapter 604
Chapter 604: That’s Enough Caught. (3)
Ghislaine, who had been staring blankly for a long time, asked in disbelief.
“How on earth did Alfoy catch that many?”
It wasn’t just anyone; Alfoy had an impressive record. He’d caught even more than Ghislaine, the master of pursuit.
— Only a slave knows the heart of a slave, and only a fugitive knows the heart of a fugitive.
“……”
Now that I think about it, Ghislaine had never been a slave and hadn’t necessarily been scared enough to run away.
Throughout his past life, he had hardly ever retreated unless it was in a strategic manner. Even if he had to flee due to unfavorable circumstances, he only ever considered how to kill the enemy afterward.
Unlike Alfoy and his friends, he had never purely aimed for the goal of simply ‘running away.’
“S-so what method did he use?”
Even Ghislaine, who usually didn’t get surprised easily, stuttered in shock at Alfoy’s achievements.
Dark also spoke incredulously.
— At first, they just played around and spread rumors.
“What rumors?”
— That Vanessa, the 7th Circle mage from Penris, was also running away. They aimed to create their own mage tower centered around her to resist Duke Penris’s tyranny.
“……”
— And they spread rumors here and there, saying to come to where they were. Under the pretext of uniting forces.
“……You mean mages believed that?”
— Alfoy and Vanessa gave speeches in the plaza, showing a bit of magic. Anyway, the rumor spread rapidly that what Alfoy said was true.
“Can’t they realize that… that’s a lie?”
— Vanessa did it at Alfoy’s request, but Alfoy was serious. Aaaah!
“What? Why are you acting like that? What happened?”
Suddenly, Dark urgently conveyed the current situation in real-time.
— Just now, Alfoy started a real rebellion with the mages!
“……”
— Vanessa and the knights successfully suppressed the rebellion! Alfoy is now tied up with the mages!
“……”
— The mages are gathering so much that it’s hard for just Vanessa and the knights to keep watch. They’re receiving support from the city guards and knights to oversee all the mages.
“……”
— Alfoy is continuing to incite them! A second rebellion has broken out!
“……”
— They’ve succeeded in suppressing it again, but the third one seems tough! Anyway, Vanessa has shut Alfoy up!
“……What about the other pursuers closest by?”
— It’s Yulien.
“Tell them to hurry there.”
With 200 mages of the 5th Circle, even Vanessa would struggle alone. That was a force strong enough to match a nation.
Of course, not all of them would be 5th Circle mages; it would include their apprentices too.
Still, it was an incredible force. Yulien and the knights needed to go help quickly.
— Ah! Another mage has arrived. They’ve caught exactly 229.
“……”
— This place has become rumored as a holy land for mages. Several come every day.
“……”
It seemed like they needed to send more personnel. No matter how good Yulien was, he wouldn’t be able to suppress that many mages without injuries.
Ghislaine pressed her eyelids tightly with a weary expression. Catching many was great, but things were progressing in a very strange way.
“Isn’t it odd that Alfoy came up with such a method?”
Alfoy wasn’t actually stupid. If he were, he wouldn’t have been able to become the successor of the mage tower in the first place.
In fact, he was quite cunning. The issue was being with people who didn’t think that way.
However, after only working hard in Penris, he had become somewhat dull… simple, it was true. There was no way that he would catch the mages in such a manner.
Dark knew the reason.
— Vanessa urged him, so he let it slip. Claude had provided a hint before he went to Norvagen.
“……”
— He said only Alfoy could carry out this operation genuinely. Others wouldn’t be able to mask their insincerity.
“……”
— It’s strange, but anyway, the result is successful.
“……”
It was undeniable. Claude’s scheme had worked this time as well.
He had probably just thrown it out there without much thought, thinking, “Well, if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t.” The fact that he only told Alfoy was proof of that.
And Alfoy executed that scheme splendidly.
“……Alright. Anyway, catching a lot is what matters.”
Even if it was frustrating and hurt his pride, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the good outcome.
Ghislaine decided to allocate more personnel toward Alfoy. It seemed like mages would continue gathering over there.
Yulien and Gillian were the closest, so they moved toward Alfoy right away.
“Geez, they could’ve just caught them quietly and come back.”
If they had, they would have caught even more. What a hassle of a guy he was.
Still, thanks to Alfoy’s efforts, they had managed to capture quite a few fleeing mages.
While the other pursuers had only brought back those fleeing from neighboring kingdoms, the mages flocked in due to Alfoy’s rumor, allowing them to catch more than expected.
After that, they were running around for about a month. After nearly two months of nonstop movement, everyone with Ghislaine was utterly exhausted.
“We should head back.”
Though they still felt something was missing, there was no longer any time to delay.
The scattered pursuers gathered again in the Sardina Kingdom. In the meantime, the mages captured from each kingdom were also being brought along.
As expected, the kingdoms were slow to respond and hadn’t captured very many. Some kingdoms had only managed to bring back two or so.
And there were still mages who got caught late and hadn’t arrived yet.
Upon returning, Ghislaine first surveyed the situation in the Kingdom of Turian.
“What’s going on now?”
“Monsters have begun to appear sporadically.”
“I see, it’s not long now.”
The Monster Wave hadn’t started yet. But the monsters were showing abnormal behavior.
Monsters from the Shadow Mountain Range had been annihilated fighting against the rifts during the last wave.
Now they were beginning to emerge again after being absent for a while.
“Let’s quickly organize the mages. We must head to the Kingdom of Turian immediately.”
The captured mages numbered about 800. Among those, around 300 were 5th Circle mages. The rest were their apprentices.
Alfoy’s pursuing troupe had brought back the most people.
Dressed in a tattered white robe, Alfoy was dragged in with unkempt hair.
“Let me go! This is all part of the plan! Why can’t you understand the operation! You fools!”
“……”
“This is all because Claude told me to! I’m not at fault! The rebellion was just an act!”
“……”
“I swear, it’s true! The operation ended, so let me go! I incited them on purpose to keep luring the mages!”
Alfoy continued to babble nonsensical excuses.
They said that if Yulien hadn’t appeared during the third rebellion, they would have genuinely failed to suppress it. Just before he succeeded in the rebellion, Alfoy had confidently shouted at everyone.
— I am now free! You bastards!
“Lord! You have to believe me! I’m Alfoy! I brought the most like I promised!”
The problem was that he was caught alongside the ones he was supposed to catch.
Seeing Alfoy, who was almost teary-eyed, Ghislaine shook her head.
“Just release him. We need every 5th Circle mage we can get. He’s always been like that. Let’s punish him after the battle with the dragon ends.”
At her words, Alfoy’s face filled with glee.
People threw him looks of contempt. Vanessa’s expression, filled with disappointment, was enough to break anyone’s heart.
Yet, Alfoy stood tall among the crowd. He looked as if he had done nothing wrong and was only claiming credit.
Maybe it was thanks to that shamelessness that Alfoy was still alive.
There were also a considerable number of other mages who had arrived before them.
“Your Grace, how have you been?”
The one who appeared with an awkward smile was none other than Hubert.
He cast a sidelong glance at Alfoy, furrowing his brow. He had already heard the rumors.
“Oh my, why is that guy in such a state? I’m embarrassed to death, really.”
When he saw Alfoy, who he thought was doing well before, now seemed so strange, he thought he should swiftly strip him of his position as heir.
In any case, Hubert had received a support request from Ghislaine and had brought all the elders and apprentices from the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
Not only them. All the tower masters and apprentices from other mage towers in Ruthania had joined as well.
They couldn’t defy Ghislaine’s absolute authority.
Ghislaine smiled warmly upon seeing them.
“Welcome. As I thought, no matter what, people from home are the best. You’ve all heard what we’re fighting against, right?”
“Ah, yes……”
Hubert and the other tower masters wore awkward smiles. To be honest, they really didn’t want to be here.
“Yet, there’s nowhere else to go…”
“I never thought the whole continent would be under control…”
“Right, you wouldn’t stay still… a nuisance…”
Through the civil war in Ruthania, they had learned plenty about what kind of person Ghislaine was.
At this rate, rebelling would only lead to them being relentlessly tormented until Ghislaine got her way. So it was better to obey from the start.
Unlike mages from other kingdoms, mages from the Ruthania Kingdom were all submissive to Ghislaine, making them easy to manage.
“Let’s see……. With this number, we can fight without too many regrets.”
In the end, they couldn’t fill the ranks with 1,000 mages of the 5th Circle or higher. But since they had also captured or mobilized the apprentices, they had a considerable number of lower Circle mages.
In addition, there were hundreds of mages already part of the Allied Forces. Some mages had arrived in advance without fleeing.
So when they all gathered, they might manage to reach their target in magic power.
Of course, there was still some regret. If all the mages on the continent had gathered, it would have been easier to face the dragon.
“It can’t be helped. We’ll just have to catch those who fled and punish them after everything is done.”
There had been quite a few mages who had successfully fled from distant kingdoms.
After having eaten their fill while fleeing and doing nothing? That was something they couldn’t overlook.
If they felt safe enough, they would surely flaunt their necessity and slink back out again. Those mages wouldn’t be able to bear living like beggars.
At that point, they would have to catch them all and make them pay.
Mages caught in far-off kingdoms were still on their way. They could only hope they would arrive before the dragon appeared.
“Then let’s go now. We took too long already.”
Ghislaine felt a sense of urgency.
In the various fortresses of the Kingdom of Turian, sporadic battles against monsters were taking place. A large-scale wave would soon break out.
They had sent troops in advance to prepare, but they had wasted too much time catching mages. They needed to move swiftly to the Kingdom of Turian.
Those who had been part of the pursuing troop moved without even a moment to rest.
And numerous mages followed behind them.
Fearing that they might run away alone, they kept a close watch on each other.
*
In a deep cave within the Shadow Mountain Range, Arterion had his eyes closed.
This was a place trapped in a distortion of time. Hence, unless he invited someone, no one could find or approach it.
In a way, it was the most safe and comfortable place in the world, where Arterion was repeating an old dream.
“……The adversary.”
Despite the many sacrifices, they could not halt the resurrection of the adversary.
Rather, their race had perished because of the adversary’s curse.
The goddesses had failed to protect them from that curse. No, it was clear that they had not protected them.
They had risked their lives to protect humanity, but all that returned was a painful death.
The anger filled Arterion’s heart to the brim, and he could not endure it.
Revenge!
The only thing that filled Arterion’s mind and spirit was that single word.
“I will definitely… definitely find you… and obliterate you…”
His power had significantly weakened compared to its peak. But Arterion had no intention of waiting to regain his strength.
The longer he delayed, the stronger the adversary would become. The fact that the adversary still had not properly revealed itself was evidence of that.
It was better to settle things when they both lacked power. A complete adversary would be hard to defeat even if its peak strength returned.
Arterion slowly opened his eyes. His eyes, now devoid of their radiant blue glow, flickered with a dark crimson hue.
Growwwww……
His low growl spread throughout the mountain range. Within it flowed strange magical power.
The monsters in the mountain range, hearing Arterion’s roar, began to go wild.
Kaaaaaak!
Kraaaaang!
Kwwwwrrr……
All the monsters looked in one direction. That place was the Kingdom of Turian.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Red-eyed monsters began to drool, walking in one direction.
Goblins, orcs, ogres, trolls, and a variety of monsters moved as one.
They no longer showed hostility toward one another. The fact that they were different races was no longer a problem.
All the monsters’ hostility was directed toward the Kingdom of Turian.
Arterion closed his eyes once more. He had spent immense magical power to mobilize the monsters. Thus, he needed to rest again.
But it was okay. There was not much time left.
Until then, he would aim to send as many monsters as possible to weaken human forces.
Sssssss……
Before long, a black chain that had bound his body began to vanish like scattered dust.
Soon after, another chain slowly splintered, showing signs of instability.
Arterion’s mutterings echoed within the cave.
“Sad… our destiny…”
