Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior - Chapter 170

Northern Front (2)

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Inside the quiet drawing room. The sound of a teacup being set down broke the silence.

Dallen turned his gaze from staring out the window and looked at the head of the round table.

A seat embroidered with the most colorful patterns at the round table.

An elderly man sitting on a chair decorated with sparkling precious metals opened his mouth, holding a half-empty teacup with his trembling hands.

“…I guess I was late to say hello. “Welcome, heroes who saved the fortress.”

This was the greeting I heard 10 minutes after I was led into the reception room by the hand of Craig, who was said to be the executive officer of the royal special unit and the commander of the guards at this castle.

“It’s okay, Seongju. “No one would have expected a demonic invasion at the eastern end of the front.”

“Thank you, Elgaia tower owner. “I wasn’t like this when I was young, but as I get older, I feel physically and mentally weakened by even small incidents.”

“Isn’t it difficult to say that the devil’s invasion is a minor incident? “You are doing well enough.”

Felber comforted the old man in a soft voice. Seongju then let out a deep sigh and sank into the chair.

The voice, cracked by the ravages of time, trembled faintly.

The appearance of an old man with gray hair covered with fine wrinkles did not seem suitable to lead the defense line, let alone be on the front line of the battlefield.

The fact that such an old nobleman was appointed as the castle lord of the northern front would mean that the Tsardom was lacking in human resources.

Jinryong, who was quietly observing the situation, asked Dallan as if he did not understand.

[I don’t know for sure because I don’t have any basic memories, but… didn’t you say that the Tsardom is in the ranks of empires in its own way?]

‘That’s right. In terms of territory, it is larger than the Southern Empire.’

[Then how can a commander like this sit at the forefront of such an empire? It is said that the current Tsarina was also a powerful monarch with both civil and military skills.]

‘Because the current Tsarina was the only strong monarch for hundreds of years.’

[…I see.]

Jeokchang nodded as if he finally understood.

It was true that the tsarina of the time was an outstanding monarch who only came along once in hundreds of years.

Even though it had only been 10 years since she came to the throne, voices were often heard comparing her to Tsar Vyzlov, who had led the revival of the Tsarist kingdom four hundred years ago.

However, even such a powerful monarch inevitably faces limitations.

In the case of the Tsardom, it was human resources.

‘They say that if you recruit and train a low-level soldier, you can make one person do his job in a matter of weeks…but that’s not the case for the position of commander.’

Unless the innate qualities and understanding are exceptional, it takes at least five to ten years of time and experience to become a skilled commander.

And due to the endless enjoyment of the previous tsars over the past hundreds of years, most of the nobility of the tsardom were also addicted to alcohol and women.

Among the misfortunes, the fortunate thing was that there were several loyal families who continued to do their duty without hesitation despite hundreds of years of chaos.

With those families at the center, the current tsarina was quickly restoring national power and training capable commanders.

However, no matter how many talented commanders we had trained over the past ten years, the problem was that the current numbers were not enough to protect the royal capital of Eklahim and the central part of the northern front.

‘In the end, this nobleman is also a person who ripped off the backbone of the people until the previous tsar ruled. Since there were not enough people on the northern front, they were placed at the edge of the outskirts. As I get older, at least I won’t have any foolish thoughts.’

In short, he was an incompetent commander with no answers, but he didn’t even have the power to betray, so he used it to temporarily close the manpower hole.

Seongju continued his story with a confused expression, whether he knew how he was being treated or not.

“Actually, I still don’t know. Why did Sun bring two demons here? I heard that there are as many as 20 demons summoned beyond the Frost Highlands, but is it still worth investing more than 10% of the power into the defense line of such a borderland?…” A

deep sigh causes his beard to flutter.

It was a truly pathetic statement for the owner of the castle, but it was still mostly true.

Originally, there would never have been two devils attacking this outskirts.

This fortress is the very edge of the long northern defense line.

In addition, since the terrain behind it is so rough, a new defense line has no choice but to be built before the defense line can be bypassed if it is captured by a large army.

What is the reason why two demons invaded this literally pitiful fortress?

The answer was already there. Countermeasures against that too.

However, instead of answering right away, Dallen put his hand into the subspace inside his chest and snatched the essence fragment that Arbor was sucking on.

‘Spit it out.’

[Yes?]

‘I’ll give it to you again, so spit it out.’

[Ugh! evil! They say even a dog won’t touch it when it’s eating, but if you take what it’s eating…Ahh!!]

After shutting the protesting devil’s mouth with a single blow of honey, he wiped it clean and placed it on the table.

Seaaaa….

Even if it is only a fragment, it is a concentration of hell’s magic power, so a strange energy flows out and attracts attention on the table.

The eyes of the castle lord, which had been half-closed helplessly, widened by almost half, and the rest of the subjects of the round table also faintly twitched their faces.

Rather than being possessed by evil magic, the reactions were closer to fear.

The fear of almost being killed by the devil, the owner of that essence. And the fear of the being that cut that demon to pieces with a single sword.

Unlike Felber, Dallan did not offer any consolation to Seongju.

Sometimes, an appropriate amount of fear is needed for effective conversation to take place.

At the right moment, he opened his mouth after suppressing the hellish magic using a technique using Fields’ wind barrier.

“It’s a fragment of Orobas’ essence. “He is just a low-level devil and not a prince, but he is still not a nameless devil.”

***

It’s only for a moment, but the castle lord and his subjects remain silent as if the aftereffects of the hellish magic that swept the round table remain.

Dallen added one more word.

“The name of the five-headed lizard demon slain by Inquisitor Castachald is Riplops. After all, he is a low-level devil who has earned a name. “I sent two demons like this.”

“I know. But…why on earth?”

“It’s simple. That means a lot of power.”

It was close to Enaxagus’s style of action to seize the far end of the defense line instead of the well-defended center and then somehow find an advantageous breakthrough with the sly benefits he gained in that way.

Shun was not an evil spirit who would turn his head like that. He was far from a strategist who could plan the battlefield.

If he was that evil spirit who was crazy about fighting, he would be so excited to see the central part of the front line where the Tsarina had concentrated all his power that he would throw most of his troops there too.

Meanwhile, the fact that two demons were flowing out to this outskirt meant that the overall power itself far exceeded previous observations.

“The demon that Sun summoned is not around twenty. Even if you can’t do it, it’s double. Probably more than that. “Soon there will be a big fight in the center of the front.”

Words spoken almost like a prophet. However, it is by no means an unfounded claim.

This is because, except for cases where it was destroyed due to internal strife, the times in which the Tsardom was destroyed by Sun’s forces were always the same.

Sun’s offensives were always concentrated on one of the thickest defensive lines.

No matter how strong the Tsarist Empire is, it is not easy to stop a major offensive involving dozens of demons.

Even after the defense line collapsed, they would hold out to a certain extent, but this only bought them time, and nine times out of ten they would eventually be destroyed.

“What is important now is not the safety of this frontier fortress. “We must leave only the minimum number of troops in the fortress and go immediately to the center of the front for support.”

“for a moment. Are you thinking that you can control the defense line with just one word? No matter how high your reputation is, I hope you don’t forget that you are only a mercenary.”

Is it because they say the troops need to be taken out of the fortress?

One of the subjects who had remained silent until now became angry.

“And more than fifty demons were summoned. That’s nonsense! Our Tsardom has been fighting the evil of the North for hundreds of years! So even though I’m not a warlock, I know at least some common sense. “It’s like saying you need a sacrifice to summon a demon.”

“Tsk tsk. Don’t be foolish. “There is more evil lurking in the shadows of the continent than you think.”

It was Felber, not Dallon, who answered the subject. The old man spoke slowly, his golden eyes sparkling.

“It’s the bare minimum of common sense… let’s check how well you know about demons. From what I can see, the only experience you have in fighting against demons is secretly discarding the black magic spell book left behind by your maternal grandmother after a conflict.”

“What is that…!”

“Of course, resisting the devil’s temptation is a great thing, but there are limits to what you can experience in a narrow well.”

Laughing while gently stroking his brown beard. The subject who discovered the family’s secret lowered his head with a pale face.

Felber took his gaze away from the subject and glanced at the round table. One by one, the subjects turned their heads to avoid their gaze.

No one wanted to face the old man’s golden eyes. Felber nodded with satisfaction and spoke to the castle owner.

“You probably know that evil spirits have been hostile to each other since ancient times. However, this was not the case during the ancient war that has been erased from history.”

“…….”

“The Southern Holy Knights have been attacked by Laphilem, and Enaxagus is targeting the entire continent, including the Labyrinth City. “You know very well that Temomron has been eyeing human territory in the eastern part of the empire for a long time.”

Eyes sparkling with a deeper golden light. The voice is still gentle only for Seongju.

However, behind the softness that flowed from the wizard’s mouth, there was a strange sound that was difficult to detect.

A golden sound taking over the air above the round table.

The magical power of a transcendent person that shakes a person’s mind and body.

「Realm Opening: The Hand of Earth Rewinding the Spring」

The power to look into and manipulate other people’s timelines is secretly opened, and the moment in each person’s life when they were most psychologically weak is dug into and fixed on this moment.

It may not work for superhumans with a certain degree of heightened senses, but it is a supernatural ability that those who are close to ordinary people cannot even notice, let alone resist, as they only have the power in their hands from birth.

In a situation that was closer to group brainwashing than persuasion, Dallon quietly folded his arms and leaned back.

“I heard that Enaxagus and Laphilem collaborated in the Labyrinth City not long ago. There’s no law saying you shouldn’t do that this time either. “It is safe to say that the reason Sun has projected this much power to the north is that an alliance of evil gods is being formed.”

“Then…what should I do…?”

“By the time the request for support came from the center of the front, it was already too late. We must send reinforcements immediately.”

“Okay… I understand.”

Seongju nods his head heavily.

The subjects sitting at the round table were no different.

He just nodded his head up and down and repeated words of agreement as if he were possessed by something.

Even if you look stupid right now, once you are free from the power, you will return to your completely awkward self.

Of course, I will not have any doubts about the matter that I have now been ‘convinced’ of.

“…….”

Dallen was filled with strange feelings as he watched Felber wiping off cold sweat with his collar, as if he was a little tired.

It was not responsibility for moving the army without the monarch’s orders or remorse for shaking the minds and guiding the commanders’ decisions in a way that bordered on brainwashing.

Rather, it is a much more simple and short summary.

‘Why couldn’t my spellcaster characters do something like that?’

It was a lament for the past, when every time a similar attempt was made in the previous episode, an unintentional fight had to be fought with the castle lords’ guards.

Rotten. It seems like an unfair world.

***

Preparations for departure were quick. The soldiers packed their belongings and left the castle gate within half a day.

The soldiers did not say that the commander was incompetent.

The soldiers recruited and trained in the manner of the Iron and Blood Army reorganized by the Czarina were superior to the armies of any other country in terms of ability and discipline.

With only the minimum number of troops left to operate and guard the fortress, a force of about a thousand troops marched in line with Wu along the narrow valley road.

“I don’t know if there will be enough time.”

On a sleigh pulled by trained hunting dogs in the middle of the formation.

Lucia, who was sitting next to Dallon, suddenly spoke.

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