Chapter 442 – Chapter 45
“Honey.”
“Huh?”
“Those… Those words are dangerous… But don’t get angry and listen to me.”
Brick, who had a strong body thanks to hard training, sensed that his wife’s expression was serious.
“This war… Can we avoid it somehow?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“It’s because I have a really bad feeling.”
The wife hurriedly continued her words as her husband’s face turned grim.
“I wasn’t this anxious even when you went to war as soon as you joined the army.”
“…”
To be honest, Brick felt the same way as his wife.
He was told that in one week he would march west and fight the foreign alliance.
The Foreign Press Alliance is an external enemy that attacked the kingdom for no reason.
Therefore, it is natural for them to launch a counterattack this time.
In fact, the officers said that they would counterattack once the soldiers’ training was over.
But every time the date got closer, I felt a strange sense of tension.
“It’s impossible. It’s already been decided.”
“Then take only what you need…”
“Let’s run away? Do you think it’s possible?”
As a soldier in the kingdom’s army, when you handle various objects, you learn even if you don’t like them.
Even if you try to run away with your bare body, you won’t be able to get far.
“Let’s say you somehow succeed and settle down somewhere else. Do you think you’ll be able to live the same life as you do now? Haven’t you heard the rumor that most merchants coming from outside are worried about food shortages?”
Brik had just had his coming-of-age ceremony when the kingdom fell.
Therefore, he had all the memories before the fall of the kingdom and after the rebuilding.
Nowadays, we live without worrying about food in the winter due to the abundance of food, but in the past, if the entire family did not sell their wages, they had to suffer because they could not buy firewood and food.
“This kingdom is special because it provides abundant support even to lowly soldiers like us.”
“I know… I know… But if you die…”
“Don’t worry, the kingdom will help you then.”
The families of fallen soldiers are paid a certain amount of compensation and food every month, so they can survive without having to sell their wages.
In fact, I was tasked with delivering food a few times.
“We have to think about our children too. They got high grades in school and their teacher praised them. If they have brains like this, are you going to make them work as hard and poorly paid laborers or farmworkers?”
“… I’m sorry for saying something unnecessary.”
A kingdom that began teaching commoners knowledge that would have been completely taboo in the past.
The desire as parents for their children to live a better life overwhelmed the wife’s dissatisfaction.
“Don’t worry. They said that the Guardian Corps, which resolved the misunderstanding, would also provide support for this war.”
Guardian Corps.
To commoners, they are like legends, and they are the people you least want to meet.
It wouldn’t be a good story if they came to punish those who misuse the knowledge of different species or other worlds.
‘That’s why I’m more anxious…’
The support from those people only amplified my anxiety, but my wife, who was persuaded, just kept quiet.
* * * * * *
With a week left until the invasion, the Guardian Legion gathered all its resources and joined the kingdom.
Even if there was a misunderstanding, a fight broke out because there were still bad feelings toward the other person,
“Huh…!”
“Ugh!”
The battle of wits ended in a one-sided defeat for the Guardian Corps.
‘W-what… !’
‘Are they monsters…? … !’
‘Surely it wasn’t like this before!?’
Lillian and the others, who had been training tirelessly at Jinga’s training center for a year, had become much stronger than before the war.
In particular, I felt an energy comparable to Akina from Lillian and Priscilla.
‘The Grand Master assured me that the Kingdom of LucyArcanel would not invade other kingdoms. Is this true?’
If you have strong power, it is natural to want to use it.
In time, you will become stronger than you are now, but will you still keep your promise?
All you have to do is just press down with all your force, and you’re done, right?
The point is that Kaicent is the real power in this kingdom.
And for those who don’t know that he hates war, pursues peace, and wants to live honestly with his family rather than his greed for power, it is natural to be wary.
“I’m sorry. I’m not used to storing up energy yet.”
“…”
“Why are you doing this, Grand Master?”
Lillian had put her life on the line in this war, so she tilted her head when Rick, who came armed in person, made a dumbfounded look.
“… How did you do this…?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Gyeongji! Clearly, both of them had just reached Origin! But now, they have jumped a few levels and are at a similar level to Akina!”
It is common sense that if you absorb a crystal, you will go up one level like a staircase.
However, Lillian and Priscilla jumped three levels and reached the same level as Akina.
“Let’s just say it’s our secret. Don’t worry. It’s a technology that can’t be leaked even if you want to.”
After becoming full of Kaicent’s semen, you have to absorb the crystals. How can others follow suit?
‘If I had this kind of power…’
Kaicent clearly had no intention of invading another country.
But will it remain the same even after the foreign media alliance is established and stabilization occurs?
“Rick.”
At that time, Lillian, who noticed his strange aura, opened her mouth.
“We plan to use this power solely for defense. Don’t worry, we won’t break our promise.”
“Whoa. I’m sorry.”
Deciding to trust the Queen’s unchanging eyes, Rick shook off his distracting thoughts.
“Then let’s have a strategy meeting. To be honest, there isn’t much to talk about.”
When variables arise in war, a basic manual must be drawn up on how to respond.
And based on that manual, you have to apply it to various variables.
A conference room where commanders from both sides gathered.
Lillian pointed to the table where an elaborate map appeared as if drawn from the sky.
“The concentration of contamination is spreading starting from this place. I think they probably checked it there too.”
As Lilian said, the Guardian Corps also confirmed that the concentration of contamination was spreading in one location.
That’s why everyone couldn’t show their uncomfortable faces.
“Damn you guys!”
“You’re polluting this place!”
The Guardian Corps also came to the same conclusion as the location Lilian pointed to, but they could not hold back their anger.
‘Because it is Gjorben Cathedral where the remains of Saint Demora are enshrined.’
If you were to rank the great people of the Western Continent, Saint Demora would definitely be ranked at the top.
Noble character.
A life devoted to the helpless.
A saint who sacrificed himself for humanity’s victory in the fight against the demon world, which was the greatest crisis at a time when there was no problem with the dimensional wall.
Gjorben Cathedral, where the saint’s remains are placed in the catacombs, is a must-visit for all pilgrims.
However, the Foreign Press Association polluted the Gjorben Cathedral and used the sacred power that had been gathered for a long time as land to strengthen their own power.
“Concentrate all your firepower to attack Gjorben Cathedral. It would be best if you could purify it with the relics you have, but if not, we will destroy the cathedral itself to prevent the enemy from becoming stronger. If you have any disagreements, speak up now.”
Lillian is also a human from the West Continent, but she calmly said that she would destroy Gjorben Cathedral.
The others felt uncomfortable, but they knew that there was nothing they could do since the survival of this world was at stake, so they sent a tacit agreement.
“Aren’t we short on troops?”
At that time, a middle-aged man on the guardian side was worried that his allies were few.
“Besides, the kingdom’s soldiers don’t know that this is a fight for the survival of the world. Shouldn’t we inform them in advance now and increase their will to fight?”
Lillian shook her head at the middle-aged man’s suggestion.
“The soldiers do not have the same mental strength as you. Even if we tell them that the world will be in danger if they lose this fight, it will only increase their tension excessively. Or, they will express their dissatisfaction by asking why only we have to fight.”
“Your Majesty is right. Counterattacking against the country that invaded them is just right to raise the soldiers’ fighting spirit. Any further sense of duty will only be suppressed.”
Rick also agreed with Lillian’s argument.
But there was something else he was worried about.
“But I also agree that we don’t have enough troops.”
It would be an act of suicide to attack the main camp with this force.
Lillian responded with a relaxed smile to Rick’s claim.
“Our plan is this. It takes three days to move to the cathedral, then join reinforcements at the cathedral and destroy the source in a short war.”
Naturally, the Guardians were astonished by this strategy.
“To end the war in four days…”
“No, this might be the right answer. We shouldn’t give the Foreign Alliance any time, and we can’t expect support from other kingdoms, so it’s better to settle the matter once and for all.”
There were people who sympathized with this strategy even on the guardian side.
Therefore, the next discussion was about support troops.
“But where are the reinforcements… Hmmm, are they vampires?”
“There are them, but their numbers have decreased so much that they are no longer a meaningful force.”
“Ah, if it’s a sacred tree…”
“The divine tree Neledriel fights with us, but her servants do not participate.”
If it’s neither this nor that, then what does it mean?
“You will find out when you get to the cathedral.”
“Your Majesty. We must join forces.”
Of course, the guardian side also requested information because it was a life-threatening issue.
However, Lillian answered immediately because she had discussed this with everyone.
“These things are meaningful only when they are unknown.”
“Are we going to inform the enemy?”
“I don’t think the Guardian Corps is that bad of a group. I’m just saying to be careful because some of the enemies might notice.”
Since then, I have repeatedly requested to know the identity of the additional troops, but the refusal has been repeated each time.
In the end, Rick had to step in before this pointless argument turned into an emotional battle.
“Just tell me how much power it has.”
If you don’t tell us this much, we will prepare separate measures for this as well.
“The cathedral is the enemy’s base, so all the elites must have been mobilized. The force is strong enough to fight them all.”
Lillian’s face was full of confidence.
“Fine. We will follow the kingdom’s plan. However, if the reinforcements do not meet our expectations, we will find our own way.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of facial expression they will make when those expectations are breached.”
After her speech, both sides filled in the details of their strategy, figuring out how to deal with various variables.
* * * * * *
Gulp
A huge gateway built on the road leading to the Kingdom of LucyArcanel.
Inside the command room, a heterogeneous man with skin like tree bark was drinking high-quality wine from a bottle.
Hehe, any world’s alcohol is good as long as it’s high-quality.”
“Are you drunk today again in broad daylight?”
“What do you think? Anyway, whether you eat or not is the same thing.”
“Then what are you going to do if the enemy attacks?”
“Fuha! That would actually be fun!”
The man who appeared to be a lieutenant complained, but the two exchanged words comfortably, as if they had been together for a long time.
“The castle wall was covered with multiple sacred defense barriers and a regeneration blessing, and the moat was covered with an acidic blessing that melted anything in 10 seconds the moment it fell in.”
In addition, there are about a thousand soldiers on the castle wall.
Armed with a crossbow blessed with the blessing of instantly rotting the enemy’s flesh if it digs into it.
“We can even deal with enemies that are dozens of times more numerous than us. I’m just so bored that I hope they attack.”
“Don’t you know that words become seeds?”
“Oh, that’s a proverb from Earth, right? Our species doesn’t have a proverb like that either, but it’s a really fun neighborhood.”
That’s how we spent our time today, telling jokes.
Kangkangkangkang!
“It’s an enemy attack! It’s an enemy attack!”
At that time, the sound of the bell ringing that really made words ring.
Then, the commander, who had been drunk until now, immediately changed his complexion and headed up the castle wall.
A group of troops is approaching this way.
Haha! You’re really here! I guess it’ll be fun now… Huh?”
A giant whose entire body is red jumps out and runs towards the castle wall.
“You must be confident in your strength. I like a guy like that the best.”
The commander raised both his arms as the red giant approached.
Then, the green acidic liquid bubbling in the moat spurted out and attacked the giant’s body.
“If you just trust in your strength and attack you, you’ll be the first to fall! Haha… Ha?”
You have to scream as your skin melts, but the giant, who has peeled off the acid with a shock wave, headbutts you.
Quaddud!!
“Uh, huh? Uh huh!?”
The castle wall, which clearly had multiple sacred defense barriers, was crushed like tofu and collapsed without even being able to regenerate.
“Krraaaaa!”
The giant who destroyed the castle wall begins swinging a great sword that does not dissolve even in acid.
“Big!!”
As shock waves poured out from the great sword, the commander was shattered along with the castle wall, turning into dozens of pieces of debris.
The front-line fortress, which was designed to inflict maximum damage when the Kingdom of LuceArcanel attacked, collapsed without being able to withstand even a minute due to overwhelming violence.
