Chapter 386: The Winner Doesn’t Pay The Price (3) |
“It’s definitely tricky…” Jin Cheong commented.
“Yes, sir. It’s even trickier because the castle walls are made to defend against magic. It’s the same for the barrier the shaman of the Sacred Democratic Country has cast…” I[1] started.
“Conquering it won’t be easy,” he said.
“A siege war is the only way. It will be a different story if we can give a strong physical impact, but breaking down a castle wall without a dragon will be difficult. It’ll take even longer if they have enough supplies within Castle Rock,” I explained.
“I see. How are the allied troops doing?” he asked.
“Despite attempts to break down the wall a few times, the damage is very small. They’re trying to save their arrows in the meantime…” I replied.
“Castle Rock is important,” he emphasized.
“...”
“However, it’s not to the point that we need to use all our resources. The Eastern Front isn’t the only way to get to Lindel or the capital. The Celia Front was completely pushed back yesterday, and it’s the same for the Dawan Front,” he informed.
The outcome of our current situation depended on whether we would be able to break through Castle Rock’s defenses or not. Of course, Castle Rock was more than a symbol. It was the most important base between the Sacred Democratic Country and the Republic, so we would have a huge advantage if we managed to capture it. We placed soldiers at the eastern front, and we also received reports that there were members of the Eight Seats protecting Castle Rock. In addition, the main forces of the Sacred Democratic Country were protecting Castle Rock. They had invested a lot in Castle Rock, which made the other regions of the Sacred Democratic Country follow in their footsteps. Sure, it made Castle Rock even stronger, but the other regions became a bit weaker as a result.
The commander’s plan involved discreet reconnaissance, cutting off the enemies’ supply lines, and preventing enemy reinforcements from entering Castle Rock. The other regions of the Sacred Democratic Country rushed to support Castle Rock by following the Republic’s footsteps because they knew that if we broke through Castle Rock, Lindel would be the next and then the capital.
The ability to manipulate the overall flow of the war so that it would go according to one’s plan was an incredible ability to have, and I was pretty confident that things would continue to go smoothly from now on as long as no other variables popped up.
‘Yeah, as long as there aren’t any other variables.’
However, I couldn’t help but recall the situation in Everia. We received news from our forces there before the war started, but we couldn’t reach them anymore afterward. As such, the headquarters decided to send a reconnaissance team. I knew they were reacting sensitively because our communication technology wasn’t that great, so we couldn’t communicate effectively. Of course, we could still receive reports about a certain detachment’s current situation, but there was a limit due to the distance.
‘The signalman could have been captured, or perhaps they’re just too busy. I’m sure it’s nothing serious.’
I told myself that, but I was actually nervous as well.
I shook my head and looked sideways to see a man with the same expression as me. Upon seeing that, I couldn’t help but talk cautiously, “Y-You don’t need to worry, sir. Even if he’s at the Everia Front, nothing will change.”
I was actually telling that to myself.
“I’m not worried, Katia,” said the Commander.
“You don’t look so good, sir. The command center believes that they won’t be able to break through Everia’s front so easily, and I agree with them as well. Father Lee Ki-young, he’s nothing but a fraud. You said that he can’t do anything other than instigate and deceive people. Of course, I expect things to somewhat change, but unnie won’t be defeated so easily,” I assured him.
“Yes, I’m aware of that, and I’m trying to think that way,” he said.
“I’m… worried as well. I’d be lying if I said I’m not worried. I did try to stop her because of that, but still—I’m sure! I’m sure she understands what you’re thinking because she decided to do it on her own. All you need to do is trust her and wait. I’m sure we’ll receive good news sooner or later,” I continued.
“I should do that. How about you, Katia? How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m fine. I’m doing okay because I believe my sister will overcome this,” I replied.
I was feeling anxious, but…
‘I’m sure she’ll persevere.’
I knew her better than anyone else, and based on the formation of the troops, it would be difficult for the soldiers of Everia to break through our detachment in the next few days. The Republic had a decent amount of priests, and Father Bishop was with them as well. My sister has always been a kind person, so she couldn’t really do cruel things, but I knew my sister better than anyone else, so it wouldn’t make sense for her to get defeated so easily. Therefore, it was childish of me to get worried and restless for her.
Our soldiers were still fighting at many different fronts, so I couldn’t give special attention to our Everia Front. Everyone was suffering, so I had to be as objective as possible.
‘The only thing the Everia Front needs to do is buy us time. Right now, I have to focus on the eastern front more.’
The Western Front requested mage reinforcements, and the Northern Front requested priests. The supply depots were working without any issues, but it was too much to control all the fronts because many troops would inevitably die each day. I was also pretty sure that the Everia Front had to be in chaos right now.
I nodded to myself, but then a member of the command center suddenly entered the room.
“Commander,” they said.
“Please speak,” Jin Cheong ordered.
“E-Everia…” they started.
“Yes?”
“The Everia Front has fallen. The damages are unknown, but we have received news that the majority of the soldiers have been captured as prisoners, and the enemies are preparing to head over to Castle Rock right now,” they answered.
“...”
“...”
“W-What did you just say?” I asked.
“I-It’s just as I said, Miss Katia,” they replied.
“H-How… It hasn’t been that long…” I commented.
“I don’t know, but the soldiers who retreated got captured as well, s-so…” they stuttered.
“No way. There’s no way! I’m sure there has been a mistake,” I yelled.
A sense of foreboding immediately filled my head. I tried to remain calm, but I couldn’t because the Everia Front was supposed to be a siege war for the enemies. The wall we had created was made hastily using magic, but it still wasn’t the type of wall that could have fallen so easily. In addition to the number of troops as well as their skill levels, the battle on the Everia Front shouldn’t have ended so fast.
“The battle there has already ended? It can’t be. I’m sure there has been a mistake. Who delivered the news? Where’s the reconnaissance unit who reported the news?” I asked.
“Right now—”
“Bring them here—no, I’ll go to them myself. I have to hear from them exactly what they saw for them to say something so ridiculous,” I said.
“Miss Katia!”
Naturally, I hurriedly opened the door and saw the surprised looks on the soldiers. However, I didn’t have the time to greet them. I hurriedly went over to where the reconnaissance unit was located and saw people gathered around them.
“Where are the rangers? I must hear from them,” I asked.
“Please don’t come close, Miss Katia.”
“What are you talking about?!” I yelled.
“We’re currently examining the item we received from the Everia Front. It could be dangerous, so please wait—”
“Move! Right now!” I ordered.
“It could be a cursed artifact. Please—” they warned.
“No! I’ll check it myself,” I told them.
It was chaotic, and the sense of foreboding in my head intensified. I couldn’t think rationally, and my hands were even trembling.
All of a sudden, someone approached me quietly. I noticed them and turned my head to see Commander Jin Cheong next to me. He started talking, and for some reason, his placid voice started to calm my heart down.
“If it’s an artifact, I’ll check it. It’s an order. Please step back.”
“But…!”
“I said it’s an order,” Jin Cheong repeated.
The rangers and mages who could disable traps immediately stepped back. I saw a letter inside the envelope and an unknown device shaped like a stick.
“Commander, this is…”
“It’s not an artifact that can bring harm. This is probably the device they call the goddess’ mirror or magic hologram. It looks like it’s a consumable artifact, so once we activate it, it’ll probably self-destruct once it has served its purpose. I don’t think there are traps or any other magic on it, so don’t worry,” Jin Cheong explained.
I see. If this is a magic hologram, can’t we make use of it as well?” I asked.
“No. We don’t have a control tower that can transmit images. All we can do is simply receive one-sided information. By the way, are you sure this came from the Everia Front?” he asked.
“Yes. To be exact, it was attached to the leg of our messenger. Based on the situation, we believed it was a message sent from Everia…” they replied.
“It’s probably a message. If we use a bit of mana, it should…”
The commander slowly used infused his mana into the device, and a semi-transparent screen appeared above the stick. I saw my sister, Yevkarina, sitting on a bed, and an unfamiliar voice echoed soon afterward.
- Ahhh. Can we start now? Are you watching? Are you sure you’re watching?
The man walked slowly and sat next to my sister, and my sister was trembling with her head down while the man playfully smacked her shoulder.
- I hope it reaches them safely. Ah… I think we should start off with an introduction. Don’t you agree? How about a simple introduction?
- 33 years old… Yev… Karina.
At that, my mind went blank.
1. Katia’s POV ☜
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