389 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 389 - We Are Right Having a just cause, reasoning, or justification—this is one of the most crucial elements in war, especially in a war of aggression. No soldier in an invading army considers themselves to be an invader. Everyone wishes to be the enforcer of justice, not the villain who attacks innocent victims. A soldier forced to brandish a sword and thrust a spear at a stranger must cling to a reason to keep their own sanity. Thus, without a just cause, even the best-trained army is destined to crumble in due time. In this regard, the Empire’s cause seemed quite plausible. – Maclain thoroughly refused to cooperate in the search for the continent’s enemy, the Black Serpent, responsible for the tragedy of the Sacred Nation war. – To preserve peace on the continent and to implement justice on this land, Maclain will be made an example of. Of course, any discerning intelligence would see this as a mere pretext. However, when propaganda mixed with partial truths and went hand in hand with appropriate incitement, not to mention the overwhelming forces that seemed unbeatable, the morale of the Imperial army soared to the heavens. – Full mobilization of the 8th Eastern Corps. – Deployment of the Imperial Central Army: Three corps, amassing a force of 150,000. – Elite Imperial Guard including the Swordmaster, and the deployment of six superhumans. – The deployment of the magical forces, led by the Wind Mage and five tower masters from the Aserian's seven great mage towers. This was more than twice the scale, both in quality and quantity, than what the world anticipated. * * * "The 1st Corps is currently stationed at Kyle Fortress under the leadership of Sir Francisco. The 2nd Corps is led directly by the Sword Duke and has entered the northwest fortress of Shield, while the 3rd Corps has completely been stationed at the southeastern fortress of Armor under the command of Grand Duke Padric." "And the Allied Kingdoms?" King, young and armored, sat upon the grand throne, and Demian Nadal spoke calmly, observing him. "According to the agreement, the reinforcements from Liberty and Terronan are moving to the western border alongside the 4th and 5th Corps. From Liberty, Count Gunter, a superhuman, and from Terronan, the impregnable Latine Lawrence and the tide mage Gustav Clemens have also been deployed simultaneously." "Three of them, huh... To deploy all the superhumans, it’s more than expected." "The Empire's intentions are transparent, just as the Allied Kingdoms are now also feeling the urgent threat. There is also the agreement with us." This was pleasing news that the preparations for war were progressing well. Yet, despite this, the faces of the nobles gathered in the grand hall remained dark. Whether he was aware of these expressions or not, Logan asked again calmly. "What is the difference in power with the Imperial army?" "In terms of pure numbers, adding our forces, which consist of five corps, and the forces of the Allied Kingdoms makes it a total of seven corps. When counting the eleven corps of the Imperial army and the magical units, we are clearly short." "Does that make us at a disadvantage?" "Absolutely not." To Logan's counter-question, Demian replied firmly. The nobles cast puzzled glances at Demian. "We can sufficiently compensate for our numerical disadvantage with militia, new weaponry, and the ‘hidden card’ that His Majesty has prepared. Our kingdom is strong enough. The Empire will not be able to occupy even a single inch of Maclain's land." At Demian Nadal's words, who alongside Dwayne Pilsner could be considered the top civil representative, a glimmer of hope appeared on half of the noble's faces. However, those were merely the hopeful individuals. The rest of the nobles couldn’t help but remain skeptical despite Demian’s confident assertions. – With what hidden card could they balance this disparity in forces? And what about the superhumans? This implicit concern was shared silently among uneasy glances. The noble from a small western territory of the kingdom, Clan Roof, had a similar thought. ‘Should I prepare an asylum with the Empire?’ Compelled to attend the grand assembly by the King's wartime summons, he felt there was no chance of victory for the kingdom. ‘They probably called to demand contributions of wealth for the war.’ He valued his domain, but it was not more important than his life. For now, he would follow the king’s orders, but after that, he could take what remained of his family’s wealth and seek asylum elsewhere... While pondering this, he noticed the king rising from his seat after some words were exchanged. "I understand many are uneasy. But worry not." Ching. Suddenly, the king brandished a sword. ‘What does he intend to do with that?’ The gazes of Clan and several other nobles simultaneously focused on the king. "Behold the strength your sovereign wields!" Wooong. With a sudden flash, a dazzling golden light erupted from the sword, piercing through the ceiling of the great hall. Those with even a sliver of knowledge recognized this as the golden aura symbolizing the "Sun of Maclain." Like a red sun scattering golden rays, the golden light erupted from the hand of the red-haired king, eyed intensely by the nobles gathered. Swish. A light sound akin to a thin blade cutting through paper was heard. However, the outcome of that small sound was far too immense. Crackle. The ceiling of the throne room through to the entrance of the grand palace in Granpia, nearly 300 meters, split exactly with uniform cracks. Despite this, no pillar was touched, leaving only a masterful demonstration of swordsmanship that seemed to etch into the beautiful murals of Granpia with three-dimensional strokes. This unbelievable sight gripped the souls of the nobles assembled, thrilling them. None among the nobles present had seen or heard of such an overwhelming display of martial prowess. – Could even the Swordmaster, no, not even a divine blade, achieve such a feat? As if their jaws might detach, everyone merely gaped open-mouthed, unable to articulate even a single exclamation. Watching the scene, the king, exuding a blazing golden aura like flames from the throne, spoke in a calm voice. "None of the Empire's superhumans shall surpass me." Briefly, silence enveloped the grand hall. Clap. Clap. "Wooooah!" Beginning with a small applause, a thunderous cheer erupted. "Phew." Stepping out of the grand hall, sweat cascaded down like a waterfall. Having just used the ‘Boost’ trait, the completely depleted force within his body left him with the unpleasant sensation of being an empty shell. Yet, Logan maintained a calm expression, wary of any potential observing eyes. "Excellent work, Your Majesty." "Thanks to you, there seem to be no issues with raising funds for the war." The voices of Demian and Dwayne, who immediately joined him, brought a cynical smile to Logan's face. "…Money isn’t the real issue. I just aimed to deter any foolish attempt to cause internal discord." "Who would dare harbor other intentions after witnessing such a spectacle?" "Though the palace repair costs might be... Ah, never mind, haha." Despite Dwayne’s light jest, it seemed the performance had been effective. ‘With this, the tasks in Granpia are complete.’ Feeling his force slowly, almost imperceptibly, begin to replenish, Logan exhaled a small sigh. "What’s the movement of the Imperial forces?" "There are no deviations from the information provided by the Eastern King. The distribution of the superhumans remains unchanged as well." "Still split into three?" "Yes. The newly appointed commanders of the 1st Corps and 2nd to 4th Corps are moving north to Shield along the Hunter’s Path. The 5th to 8th Corps are heading south to Armor along the Adventurer’s Road. Meanwhile, the Imperial Central Army is near Rusfelheim, seemingly advancing straight to Kyle via the main road." At those words, Logan tapped his fingers against his head. "…Odd that the forces advancing through the open plains have fewer numbers. And the elite guards’ superhumans are spread out as well." "But there are the Swordmaster and the Wind Mage. The Central Army should be more elite than the Eastern Corps, right? They also have the magical units." "…Right. That should be the case." Information on the Imperial Central Army was top secret within the Empire, leaving no room for further speculation. Thus. ‘I’ll have to observe directly and respond accordingly.’ Logan sighed again, calming his anxious heart. "We can depart tomorrow with time to spare." "Certainly. With Your Majesty leading, the morale of the soldiers will...” “Enough. You don’t need to flatter me unnecessarily. Just focus on winning the war. And don’t forget to cross-reference the information from the Eastern Wing King and the Eye of the Flame." "…Yes. Apologies." Demian flinched slightly and bowed his head. Seeing that, Logan realized he might have overreacted and gave a soft chuckle, patting him on the shoulder. "You’re doing well. Just continue as you are." "Th-thank you, Your Majesty." "And what about me, Your Majesty?" "…You too." "Aww…" The playful grumbling from the bearded retainer relieved some of the tension. Perhaps that’s why his inner thoughts slipped out. "To those on the front lines, and to you as well. I’m always grateful and feel secure with your support. So, please, take care of things until the end." Uttering such sentimental words, Logan felt oddly embarrassed and was about to turn away when those listening jumped in surprise. “…Your Majesty, what do you mean by ‘until the end’!?” “Such ominous words…!” A dry laugh escaped him. “The end of this war, you fools!” “Oh… yes. Haha, that’s what you meant.” “I knew that’s what you intended from the start, ahem.” Feigning distraction, his retainers avoided his gaze. For them to react so sensitively to a single word, although they didn’t show it, they must have been anxious too. With that, Logan reassured them with a bold proclamation, striking his chest. "Never have I faltered in my endeavors thus far. This war will be no different. Trust in me." There must be things done. The thought of failure never crossed his mind. With a resolute gaze, he looked at his retainers, who gradually nodded in agreement. “Indeed, you’ve faced plenty of challenges from all corners and criticism as well, but ultimately, you succeeded.” “…What?” “Yes, even though there have been precarious moments, in the end, you have always succeeded.” “…What did you say?” These people… Logan's eyes widened in disbelief, but seeing their smirking faces, rather than getting angry, he found himself laughing as well. Three pairs of eyes met, and without knowing who started it, laughter erupted. “Puhahaha.” The spreading laughter dissolved the tension, and Logan felt grateful for the loyalty of his retainers as he entered the training grounds with a lighter heart. To focus on his last training before setting out. ‘Yes, I’ve prepared thoroughly.’ Entering the training grounds, Logan tried to momentarily set aside worries of war and concentrate solely on the sword. ‘Even if today’s performance spreads beyond the palace, the Empire wouldn’t believe it. I’d prefer if the Swordmaster agreed to a one-on-one duel in Kyle…’ Recalling the power of the Swordmaster as described by his wife and Viktor, Logan slowly raised his sword, imagining the duel. According to them, the Swordmaster could seamlessly wield spatial-cutting power. And as for him, although he hadn’t reached that pinnacle, he had attained a high enough level to manifest such abilities without relying on the 7th Form of the Divine Sword techniques, the Spatial Slash. However, gathering power still required a few seconds of preparation. Imbuing each strike with that power seemed like an indefinite goal. ‘If I don’t need to use my traits to defeat the Swordmaster, there’s nothing better.’ It would undoubtedly be preferable than vanquishing the Swordmaster and becoming so exhausted he had to withdraw from the battlefield. ‘Otherwise, I might end up dead myself.’ Fortunately, he had another solution. He recently found himself capable of reaching and casting the 8th Form of the Divine Sword techniques. If he could unfold that technique freely on the battlefield rather than just in the training grounds, he could overcome the Swordmaster without resorting to using his traits. Wooong. Logan concentrated intently on the tip of his raised sword. But at that moment. Ssssss. An unpleasant presence, reminiscent of something he had sensed before, began to register within his expansive perception.