Leave a comment

In a room within the Latel territory castle, originally intended for recreation.

“I’d rather avoid retrieval in the middle of the battlefield if possible. I mean… I’m not immortal, and neither is Mom.”
“Of course.”

Lucella and the others gathered around a map for a strategy meeting.

The former kingdom’s territory, covering about thirty percent of the vast Maltgartz Empire, looked as wide as a fairy’s lunchbox in comparison to the Setulev Kingdom at the edge of the map.

On the map, the pieces of the chess-like monarchs were placed. The white monarch represented the current location. The blue monarch depicted the rampaging Regalia advancing eastward. On the battlefield at the border, infantry clashed. On the eastern side of that battlefield, Wein planted seven pushpins.

Although they seemed like unappreciated pieces, they symbolized the Regalia on the Gufare Union’s side.

“The problem is how to bring Gufare’s Regalia behind the lines of the Maltgartz army.”
“According to my grandfather, Gufare’s reactions are generally predictable. Launching an offensive for the Regalia is challenging. We need to take advantage of the chaos caused by the Maltgartz camp’s rampage, strike, and plan for the recovery of the Regalia simultaneously. That’s the best worst-case scenario…”

Viola, conveying Duke Foster’s words, scanned the room cautiously.

She was well aware of being listened to. Despite the temporary alliance, Latel’s Lord and Crown Prince Cain were not allies in essence. And this place belonged to them.

“Will it really work out?”
“Well, there’s no other way to go about it.”

Call it a straightforward approach or, less favorably, staking everything on a bloody battle with an unclear outcome. Lucella had to dive into that.

As everyone let out a collective groan, someone interjected.

“Hey, mind if I chime in?”

It was Monica.

She shamelessly demanded local premium pastries, nibbling on a soft fox-colored treat while sitting rudely at the gaming table, listening to the conversation. Despite her seemingly indifferent demeanor, Lucella knew she was serious.

“Lucella, during your journey, you gradually extracted the power of the ‘Wisdom Eye Vortex’ from far away, right? Can’t you do the same for Gufare’s Regalia?”
“Well, in theory… it might be possible, but it’s quite a distance…”
“Even if possible, it will not work. Right now, it is stronger, and out of reach. Would need to approach the center.”

Kafal’s avatar shook her head.

Lucella had managed to halt the ‘Wisdom Eye Vortex’ during her travels. However, attempting the same across a battlefield and beyond posed significant distance challenges. Moreover, the rampage had significantly increased in intensity. According to Kafal, they needed to directly enter the central core.

“So it’s like it’s wearing armor, huh?”
“Then we wait for the storm to come to the battlefield, and everyone, enemies and allies alike, jumps into the storm for a Regalia war?”

Tim’s grim expression darkened even further.

Could they simply win by doing that? Would Lucella and Kafal return safely after diving into such a chaotic battle? Most importantly, how many people would shed blood in that battle…

It was certain that it would be a messy, unpredictable battle with no clear outcomes.

“Wait. That… I’ve come up with a usable idea.”

While Lucella was resigning herself and preparing for the worst, she simultaneously grasped the beginning of an idea.

“Maybe we should just wait, after all. If the Regalia is rampaging eastward, if we wait, we might collide with the center of the storm.”
“In that crazy storm?”
“We just have to make it possible to wait.”

The location was about midway between the Gufare front and the current location of the ‘Wisdom Eye Vortex.’

Being a land with the nature of water, it was flat yet had pristine torrents that had carved intricate rifts into the earth.

Peering into the crevice-like valleys of the land, one could see grotesque fish resembling moray eels leisurely swimming around. Perhaps that large fish might be the ruler of this place, but as soon as Kafal’s giant silhouette peered into the ravine alongside Lucella, they swiftly fled into the deep waters.

“This information is pretty thin. Seriously, the Empire’s Guild system is too weak.”

The adventurers, while checking the surroundings, cross-referenced a few sheets of parchment worth of data and information.

Maltgartz, traditionally from the kingdom era, had a style of not relying much on adventurers. The authorities kept ‘exterminators’ in their employ and utilized them as needed, providing public monster extermination services.

While there were freelancer adventurers, the lack of jobs limited their numbers, and the guilds backing them up were also small.

Hence, the culture of adventurer managers had emerged. However, apart from top-tier adventurers who could afford managers, it was a challenging environment for adventurers to make a living.

Detailed records about this land were scarce, and coaxing out information was a challenge.

If Lucella, who was accustomed to dealing with the Maltgartz Adventurer Guild, wasn’t present, it might have taken several days just to obtain a few sheets of data. That would have been too late.

“But we have the necessary information now. The anticipated path of the Regalia. A desolate land, remote, with poor transportation, abandoned for both habitation and development. We should be fine here.”

The group had reached this point riding on Kafal’s back. Upon coming here in person, Lucella judged that, at the very least, there were no immediate issues. The essential conditions were met. Here, they might be able to confront the rampaging Regalia. It was like a hunter setting traps on the path of a beast.

“I remember when I first came to Mount Kuguse. It was quiet back then, and there was nothing there.”

Surprisingly, Kafal was enthusiastic and seemed to be enjoying the situation. While she genuinely might be having fun, they would be making her push herself after this. Lucella guessed that she was acting like this to not make her worry.

Then she would give it her all. Kafal had Lucella now, and she wouldn’t let her recklessly go alone, like in the past. While not a true dragon, she was the daughter of a dragon—Kafal’s child.

“Let’s turn this into our vacation home, Mom.”

As Lucella spoke, the ground trembled, and immediately after, the sky was dyed red.

Cracks ran through the earth like a labyrinth, and amidst the flowing torrents, new fissures appeared. What gushed forth from them was not the river’s water. It was the primal flame, long forgotten and dormant in the depths of the earth, now erupting.