A Man Caught In A Whirlpool Of Desire (4)

Duke Balsen received the report that the second bombardment had targeted supplies, not troops. It felt as if his blood was rushing backward.

“Th… This!!”

He trembled with rage and looked around, but everyone in the leadership was avoiding his gaze. However, Duke Balsen was also in a position where he could not easily lose his temper.

How were they supposed to defend against attacks falling from the sky?

On top of that, the people he had brought along as magic forces were all in a situation where they were using their magic power to protect the troops.

Supplies were important, but even so, losses among the troops were something that had to be avoided. But Duke Balsen was not unaware that losing the supplies was no light matter, so rage surged up inside him.

However, remembering that getting angry at random would not undo what had already happened, he said.

“What would be best for us to do…?”
“Right now… Viscount Muriel has gone out to open the fortress gate.”

At Marquis Islant Bransch’s words, he barely swallowed his anger and asked.

“Did he send him alone?”

“No. He went out with the knight order and some troops he brought from his domain. It seems he intends to enter at the same time as he opens the entrance.”

“….I heard that even the supposedly great Agnes could not withstand the beastkin numbers there and was captured, and Marquis Giltian must be the same. Therefore, make sure to support him properly. And tell the mages… not to spare their strength… and to bring… that fortress… down…”

It was a decision Duke Balsen had made with great resolve, and at the order he gave while vowing to vent his anger even through that, the nobles around him began moving one after another to claim credit.

At that time, Marquis Giltian, who had been dragged in, realized why he had been brought up onto the fortress and began screaming.

“Do not mind me and go back!! I told you to think only about inheriting the domain! Do not do anything foolish and go back!! Muriel!! Hurryyyyy!!”

I deliberately did not gag him and let him say everything he wanted to say, and what was quite amusing was that the more Marquis Giltian’s words spread, the more the troops who had come with Muriel fell into confusion.

Even Viscount Muriel could not readily step forward either, and merely stared over here awkwardly from atop his horse.

Then Marquis Giltian, who sensed that something was strange, looked at me.

“Say anything else you want to say. I will not stop you.”

“Why… Why…?”

“I intend to use you to capture Viscount Muriel.”

“…You. You…”

Viscount Giltian clenched his teeth and began to stay silent, so I looked at Aenia beside me as the signal we had prepared in advance, and she shot an arrow with a note tied to it near Viscount Muriel, conveying my intent. At just the right timing, Wijel lifted a huge axe that could be seen from outside with one hand, then grabbed the back of Marquis Giltian’s neck and began pressing him down.

He treated Marquis Giltian as if he were about to execute him, and at that moment, Viscount Muriel dismounted, glared at me as if he would kill me, picked up the note that had fallen in front of his horse, and began checking its contents.

Then he shouted something toward those around him, and I saw him begin walking toward the fortress entrance.

I let out a faint laugh, used Construction to create a space large enough for one person to enter, showed consideration so Viscount Muriel could come in, and then immediately used Construction again to block the entrance.

At that moment, fighting broke out below, and before long, Marquis Giltian’s voice, groaning and struggling painfully, could be heard.

“What in the world… are you aiming for?”

“To be honest, it would be troublesome for me if the Empire collapsed like this. I am in the middle of setting up a few arrangements.”

“….The Empire will not collapse even if it loses a war like this.”

“Ah, by collapse, what I mean is… not some simple picture like the fall of the Empire. I am someone who thinks a few things need to be done first because I want the Imperial Family’s cards to be reduced one by one until, in the end, it slowly collapses in a form where it is torn to pieces.”

“….Do you think that will happen?”

“There is a possibility. First, I intend to dry up every Master the Imperial Family possesses. No, I suppose it would be fair to say I already have. Is it not quiet down below?”

The personnel I had placed to subdue Viscount Muriel were Debik, Gamung, and Demina. If the three of them attacked with determination, there was no way Viscount Muriel would have any miraculous trick to escape.

Only then did Marquis Giltian sense that something was strange, and I spoke to him as he stared at me without even being able to open his mouth.

“By now, Viscount Muriel may be having a pleasant dream. I have no intention of killing him, so even if he is hurt, he will be treated with the utmost care.”

“….What is there for you to gain from this…?”

“I will seek stability in exchange for the price of your lives. Besides, you know from the news you have heard, do you not? The fact that Princess Riana came to see me as well means this war may not even have needed to happen.”

I spoke as I watched Marquis Giltian clench his teeth and curse me with his eyes.

“I did not intend to go this far either. But look over there. Is that pig, driven by malice, not going berserk?”

When Marquis Giltian turned his gaze at my words, what reflected in his eyes was the sight of Duke Balsen excitedly pointing fingers at Viscount Muriel’s independent action.

Marquis Giltian thought he could roughly guess what he was saying. A languid, bored voice came to his ears.

“What in the world were they thinking when they appointed that sort of human as commander-in-chief? Does the Empire have that few capable people?”

Marquis Giltian almost said, ‘You are the one capturing them all, bastard!’ at Viscount Ingrad’s words, but whether he knew that or not, the same voice began briefly explaining the situation.

“This war, you see. We intend to end it while suffering almost no damage. About half of the Imperial Army that has invaded will die and return home. And the other half will tell the world what they saw, experienced, and felt in our domain. As a result, we will gain attention through various routes… and in the end, I believe the Imperial Family will make us an offer.”

“What… offer?”

“An end to the war, or a ceasefire.”

“Nonsense. The Empire’s capacity is not merely one million troops!”

“I know. But three hundred thousand troops returned without being able to kill even a single person… So even if they mobilized one million, even if they shoved two million at us… what kind of result do you think they could create?”

“….Do not ignore the strength of the navy, the mages, and the knights. The Empire’s long history cannot be judged by your standards!”

At Marquis Giltian’s words, shouted in anger, the man before him smiled faintly and spoke.

“In the end, the reality of the Empire is that that pig bastard is somehow a duke. What more are you hoping for?”

At Viscount Ingrad’s words, spoken with an expression of disbelief… it was a moment when Marquis Giltian could only agree.

“Now, it seems Viscount Muriel has also been secured… Please prepare to fire the mana cannons. The location will be the point where we expect the magic forces to be. Please be careful not to kill Duke Balsen if possible. We win only if he lives. For our Ingrad… he will become something like a patriot.”

They were tragic words.

A short while later.

The mana cannons, having finished lining up, had completed loading and were waiting for the signal. The flames caused by the bombardment shells were also being brought under control fairly well, so the Imperial Army began to come forward little by little. After sending them a pitying gaze, the moment I raised my hand and then lowered it, sounds of ‘boom!’ rang out from everywhere, and immediately afterward, something that flew into the Imperial Army formation with a sharp tearing sound through the air began causing tremendous explosions.

It was power that could not be compared to mere bombardment shells, and I had no choice but to watch thousands of people be swept up in flames and burned to death by a single shelling.

It was too powerful, far too powerful. But this too was not something that would end after firing only one shot.

“This time, load freezing shells and aim for the front of the enemy formation.”

“….You are using them in succession?”

“After showing them a hot taste once and a cold taste once, I intend to move the mana cannons to the rear.”

“The reason you will not use them anymore is…?”

“They are excessive. Too excessive to fire in volleys at them.”

I thought their power was far too strong. Right now, even conservatively, it felt like more than fifty thousand had been burned by the bombardment and the mana cannons. Perhaps even greater damage had occurred.

“We need to give them the feeling that we are squeezing ourselves dry so that they come in deeper. Please take Marquis Giltian with you, turn the cannons to the rear, and stand by. You know the operation location, yes?”

“Understood. But will it truly be all right without me?”

“Demina will remain, so please withdraw without worrying. And we have as many as six thousand troops too, so what is there to worry about?”

Viscount Muriel had also been dealt with. To put it bluntly, it meant there was no powerhouse in the Empire who could directly threaten me.

No, to be precise, it would be correct to say there was no one skilled enough to get past Demina and reach me.

I knew what Wijel was worried about. Perhaps he was worried about magic and the like.

However, since I could make a panic room in an emergency, I had to make Wijel understand the fact that there was no need to worry about my life itself.

“Even when you struck with all your might, you could not break through the wall I hastily made, could you? So go. You must prepare for the second battle. We must use that to plant the worst possible memory in them… so please prepare thoroughly.”

“Understood.”

Wijel withdrew while holding Marquis Giltian, and immediately afterward, Demina, who had been waiting below, climbed up onto the fortress wall and stood beside me.

I asked Demina.

“How was Viscount Muriel?”

“He made many frequent mistakes because of impatience, and he could not concentrate. It seems he was a filial son who thought dearly of his father.”

“That is why he stepped forward. Even though I merely informed him by note that if he did not come alone, I would execute his father.”

If he had been a greedy person, he might not have stepped forward and might have let his father die. After all, I had literally only delivered an unofficial letter. But that worked quite well, and even Viscount Muriel ended up being captured.

Things were proceeding smoothly.

At that moment, Aenia came to me and reported that the freezing shells had finished being loaded.

“Now, this time, we need to show them a cold taste, so get ready…”

I raised my hand. I felt as if gazes gathered on the tip of my hand. I clearly thought that once this hand fell, a great number of humans would freeze to death again.

A battlefield where those burning to death and those freezing to death coexisted. I thought such a bizarre sight would certainly affect the morale of the entire Imperial Army as well.

To state only the conclusion, my hand came down, and with a ‘boom!’ the shells cut through the air, fell onto the targeted location, and began freezing the entire area solid.

Unlike fire shells, freezing shells were ammunition with a fairly long duration, so I judged that we had gained some leeway and said.

“I hope they do not get scared and run away so anticlimactically…”

At those words, a few vassals beside me merely smiled bitterly.