Chapter 239 – 239. Struggle, And, You, Me, We (1)
– One –
“Dismissal.”
“Hmm…? Are you here, McKellen?”
Swoop, Swoop.
Viscount Uwevol rubs his eyes and stretches.
He looked very tired.
“Did you sleep all night?”
“Hmm…?”
Viscount Uweboll looks into the watch magic tool.
It was around dawn.
“Oh my… Since I was in the basement with no windows, I didn’t notice the passage of time at all.”
“… I’m afraid that I’ll get seriously hurt, Your Excellency.”
“Hmm…”
Viscount Uweboll washes his face dry.
Because he hadn’t washed, his hair was greasy and tangled.
If the word “Dead person” Was to be embodied as a person, it seemed that it would be Viscount Uweboll.
“I had so many worries, I couldn’t fall asleep.”
“The Imperial Army has already arrived at the northern garrison, and they are in the middle of construction on the base. Now there is no turning back, so what are you still worrying about?”
Dump.
McKellen sat down across from him.
He also looked quite tired.
Whoa…
Viscount Uweboll let out a long sigh.
He spat out a single word as if bleeding.
“To be honest, I’ve been regretting the things I’ve done in the past few months…”
“What… Are you talking about?”
“It seems like I’ve been failing again and again since the beginning of this year.”
“What’s the failure? It’s just bad luck, how are you holding up so that there are no problems with the big flow?”
Viscount Uwe Boll shakes his head.
“I was so desperate, but I couldn’t drive Regal into a corner. The hearing, and the instigation of his actions through the press, all ended in vain.”
“…”
McKellen found it difficult to refute that.
“What would Regal do if he was silent and flustered? Didn’t he always get out of the way without leading to the next attack?”
“Still, since we’ve pushed Regal that much, things will change a lot after he returns from the away trip. Until then, if we work behind the scenes and prepare a counterattack while Regal is away, we will be able to effectively reverse public opinion. No see.”
“It could be, but… No, no. Just think I was whining at you a little because I lost my confidence.”
“…”
McKellen just nodded his head in silence.
It was evident that he was tired, and there was nothing McKellen could do to help him, other than to continue to encourage Viscount Uweboll to rest.
“And they too…”
Viscount Uwebol swallows back his words.
McKellen didn’t know who they were referring to.
“Your Excellency. The saintess is an irreplaceable force, but aren’t the others? There is no reason to regret not being able to capture those who can be replaced.”
“It’s impossible to replace. No, it’s possible to replace it, but it would be more appropriate to say that it’s impossible for us at this point.”
“…”
McKellen was speechless.
“To be honest, even if they were hiding something greater than what they showed me, I could reproduce anything they showed me if I had enough capital. Individual strength can be met by a group. That’s the replacement.” But, except for the saintess.”
“Then, it’s a bit too much to discuss the impossible…”
Viscount Uwevol shook his head.
“Compared to the input resources, there is never a way to achieve that effect. And there is no greater reason than that.”
“Ah…”
McKellen nodded in agreement.
“Our best efforts were to subjugate them and bring them under the control of the imperial family. We had to inspire them with a sincere heart from the beginning. But for those who can’t pay enough money or claim their loyalty, our offer is Nothing could be attractive. So I had no choice but to resort to coercion and deceit, but in the end, even a loose alliance became a sensitive situation. It was my mistake.”
“Dismissal…”
Viscount Uwevol’s face is stained with gloom.
Blurring aimlessly
“Still, if I had held onto that relationship with sincerity, I would have been able to build a much stronger relationship than now.
“Then why did you throw them away?”
“…”
Swoop.
Took.
Viscount Uwevol leaned back.
I look up at the ceiling.
Maybe he just wanted to cast his gaze aimlessly into the void.
“They’re too good. Too much.”
“…You didn’t have the confidence to control them?”
“Yes, you are right.”
Viscount Uwevol still did not look away from McKellen.
“Didn’t you say that there was no suitable price to give them, neither money, nor honor, nor love, nor loyalty?”
“Yes.”
“They’re not worn-out scum like me, so I’m pretty sure they won’t harm us in general. But what if their survival and our interests conflict? They will surely impose damage on us. Survival beyond damage Even if it’s a related issue, they won’t give in. They put their own survival above all else. At that time, if there’s no party to patronize and persuade, the only way out is force.”
“Isn’t it probably so?”
“However, the force is so strong that even coercion does not work. With less than 10 people. If certain conditions are met, we can subdue them, but if they make up their mind and run away and disappear, there is nothing we can do about it. .It’s fortunate if you just go into hiding. If you’re determined and carry out guerrilla tactics or terrorism against the imperial palace, we’ll be defeated. Even if we’ve been thinking about the odds for a long time, we can’t come up with an answer…”
“…”
When Viscount Uweboll spoke categorically, his melancholy shifted to McKellen.
He too shakes his head.
“In addition, it is unclear whether they are running an intelligence organization or using their abilities, but their information power far exceeds ours. The request for the deployment of the Imperial Army and enlisted soldiers a while back is now too difficult to open our hearts. It seems highly likely that this was a deception for them. Perhaps, they may already know that we demanded a speech from them, then fanned the wrath of the Imperials and incited them to join the war. They are excessive asymmetric forces.”
“Is that so…”
“So how can I not be afraid of them?”
Burrrr
He trembles
In the empty heart, an overwhelming fear dwells in place of the existing one.
“So we chose to eliminate it, but now we’re not sure if it was a good thing. If they obey us, they’re more reliable than anyone else…”
“… If we had maintained our relationship with them, perhaps we, the imperial family and the empire, would have been used as breakwaters to block the waves of Regal, and then abandoned.”
McKellen chose to console his boss rather than rebuke the past.
Still, Viscount Uwevol did not lower his gaze.
“It’s nothing more than speculation. But…”
Viscount Uweboll lowered his gaze to meet McKellen’s eyes.
His eyes were burning red.
“Now I just hope that my anxiety is not wrong. If possible, I earnestly hope that they will be overwhelmingly defeated by the imperial army and noble soldiers, and that my worries will be unfounded. With that,”
His eyes are wide open
Eyelids come down.
“I wish I could remain a wise man who found out and weeded out incompetent scum beforehand, rather than an idiot who missed a good comrade.”
McKellen did not know how he felt, whether he had been able to relieve some of the burden on his heart by confiding in others, or whether he had reached the limit of enduring sleepiness.
But it was a relief that he fell asleep.
“At the same time, if you want the Imperial Army to suffer less damage, hmmm… It might be too selfish…”
“…”
“But… That’s the only way I’ll be able to see His Majesty…”
Viscount Uwevol exhaled an even breath.
He dropped his head at some point and fell asleep in a standing position.
Rurrrr
McKellen left the room carefully, not to wake him.
It was time to start the day’s work.
– 2 –
“Brother. I see enemies.”
“That’s right. I’m guessing you’re really planning to siege without leaking?”
Monohorn and Jose look down from high in the sky.
It is an extremely high place, so the feeling of experiencing the altitude is unrealistic.
So no one feels fear.
“Wow… How many times have they come?”
“A rough glance~ I think it’s over 150,000~?”
Margarita and Estrus, who were by her side, used their transcendent cognitive abilities to estimate the number of enemies that had swarmed.
“For 150,000 coins… Hee hee…! Buy one, two, three, four…”
“Estrus… Benison has never seen so many people…”
Urmama and Benison also watch the dust their enemies smoke.
They lay face down on the tent Jose had created, each expressing their feelings.
None of them felt fear.
“Sister Margarita, haven’t they all arrived yet?”
“Yes. Considering the speed of advance of the second group, I think it should take about a week more.”
“Heh heh heh heh.”
Monohorn laughs sinisterly.
Everyone turns to him.
“I think it would be meaningful to hit from a distance now, but not yet.”
“As expected~ Are you constantly harassing me and going crazy in the middle of the night~?”
“Yes. We have to make a mess before we even fight. We have to actively use the advantage we have, and the advantage we have created. Why would you fight stupidly?”
“Hihi~♡ Just thinking about it~ I think I’ll get drenched with anticipation~♡”
Estrus replied as the representative, but the expressions of the others were not that different.
All of them were expressing a sense of anticipation rather than a sense of fear caused by the war.
“But, can’t we just go and pick out the tallest ones and chop them up and come back~? I think it’ll be easier to defend then~?”
“Absolutely not, Estrus. We’re not professional soldiers, and we’ve never been in combat, so we can’t be sure we’re mentally armed. Veteran soldiers who’ve spent decades on the battlefield are mentally stressed, and neither can we.” It’s obvious.”
“But~ Me and my self have already killed people before~?”
Monohorn shook his head resolutely.
“If Estrus and Benison are isolated during the operation, do you think we won’t step in? It was okay, but the mental damage that accumulated each time exploded all at once. There is no guarantee that other people, or even the two of you, won’t do that until the end.”
“Huh~ I’m sorry about something…”
Estrus whines.
It seemed that she was already heated up with the excitement of war.
“You can see Estrus well from a distance. Even if it’s dark, it’s not like you can’t see it. If you want to feel the taste of affection, I’ll bring you out every time you hit from a distance, so watch it then.”
“Is that okay?”
“Actually, I don’t really like it, but…”
Monohorn looks back at Jose.
She then looks at Benison.
They shook their heads.
The two left the decision to Monohorn.
“If you want it that way, there’s nothing you can do about it. If you’re not willing to do anything on the contrary, please tell me without delay.”
“Yeah~♬ That’s not going to happen~ I’m not hiding anything from Monohorn~♬”
She smiles brightly
Seeing her laugh, Monohorn had to feel something creepy.
“The nest I barely got~ My love I barely got~ My companions I barely got~”
Estrus’ eyes turn to the enemies.
Her smile fades
Her eyes seemed to glow bright blue.
“What are you dare to take my happiness here to take my happiness? I’m going to kill everything.”
Monohorn, no, everyone else, could understand her excitement.
It was the fury of a carnivorous beast that had invaded its realm.
Swoop.
Koo Woo-wook.
Mono Horn reached out to her and held her hand tightly.
“It will be, Estrus.”
“Yeah~♡”
Estrus hides his anger.
But she wouldn’t have disappeared.
“Let’s go back. I think I’ll be a bit busy today.”
“Yes, warrior!”
It heats up.
– 3 –
A dark and dirty narrow alleyway.
In the back alleys of small towns far away from Jedo Island,
“…Yes. There seemed to be no single base, and there seemed to be no need to worry about food or supplies. Contrary to the perception that the northern unexplored land was barren, their meals were plentiful, and the quality of life was poor for the nobility and wealthy class of the islands. It was no less than.”
Hooch talks to the man in the black leather suit.
The person wearing the black leather suit was deeply pressed down on the hood, so it was impossible to recognize the appearance, but judging from the curves that were revealed, there was no doubt that it was a woman.
“…”
A woman in leather shuts her mouth.
The voice was so low that only Huchi could barely hear it.
“There is one who is so great that he can animate giants made of plant stems, or even plant a single species of plant in the plain itself. Being a black-haired yellow race, it should not be difficult to recognize. His wife appears to have the same ability.”
“…?”
“For a shaman, it would have taken dozens of high shamans to rush in and do it in a week. As for the plant stem giants, I honestly don’t know. I haven’t seen them fight. But, alone, I can easily slaughter hundreds of elite soldiers. There will be. It has such a huge size and weight, it doesn’t make sense that it is not even that much.”
Feelings of distrust emanate from the gestures of the woman in leather.
But she didn’t judge.
“…?”
“There were also men and women who moved so fast that I couldn’t even see the afterimages. Their fighting ability rivaled or exceeded that of the leader of the Marunarae mercenary corps. Their ability to sustain combat was unknown, but the speed at which they moved in front of my eyes was beyond common sense. It’s that fast.”
“…?”
“Perhaps the two of them can be compared to Sword Emperor. It is unknown whether they emit sword auras like Sword Emperor, but their transcendent speed alone seems to put them at the top of the empire in terms of their ability to perform in person-to-person combat. Ah, And although I don’t know to what level, the females of the sexes seem to be capable of clairvoyance as well.”
“…”
“Yes. If it’s not a head-to-head fight, but an assassination, then I don’t know who the hell will be able to stop them. If they don’t have magic defenses, it’s hard to find out that they’ve infiltrated. To be honest, in my prime, even if I and 30 of my direct subordinates were firmly defended, the safety of the escort could not be guaranteed.”
“…”
She shook her head, clutching her temples with her thumb and forefinger.
It seemed that Hooch’s words could not be believed.
“It could be. I couldn’t believe it either.”
“…?”
“I know the information I’ve given you sounds like bullshit, but what if it’s true?”
“…”
She is silent
“Just in case, can’t you entrust the verification to the imperial army without sharing the information with the imperial army? I recommend that you leave the vanguard to the imperial army as a concession of merit and watch it. Anyway, there are no rebels there, Don’t you know too?”
“…?”
“Ah. Didn’t you know that? But, the leadership is sure to know that the ultimate and true goal of this war is by no means the overthrow of the rebels. Even though I went there and reported what I saw to the superiors, the superiors expressed no opinion. Didn’t you? They only secretly expressed their opinion that the saintess’ speech was unreliable, and even though they were allies, they did not defend their claims.”
“…”
“They are also abandoned on this side, so there is nothing to be offended about on the other side, right?”
“…”
“I know it’s presumptuous, but if you listen to me and pay a little attention, won’t you suffer any loss? I’m not loyal to you, so you’ll suffer a devastating blow and suffer a big blow.” Even if I lose money, it has nothing to do with me.”
“…?”
Heh heh heh heh.
José bursts into a low laugh at her question.
His face darkens
“I will be satisfied as long as you win against them and kill them all. Since the only reason for this is to avenge a personal grudge, what could be a simpler and clearer reason?”
“…?”
“Yes. I don’t have the ability to do that. So, I’m putting my hopes in you, who has a much greater chance of making it happen. Oh, of course, I didn’t report this detail to the superiors. Anyway, the superiors can’t infer that fact to some extent. Because you didn’t even ask me to report the details.”
“…”
She finally nods her head.
Huchi’s face was stained with satisfaction.
“I hope my advice will help you. Then,”
Whoops, snaps!
Hooch pulls out a crossbow.
The moment she tensed up and was wary of the hook,
Pooh!
Whee-ae-ae-ae-ae-aek!
Hooked!
He fires a bolt at her back.
“I think we’ll have to catch the rat first.”
Huchi’s eyes glow coldly.
Let her quickly look behind her,
“Turn it off…!”
A small moan comes from around the corner.
Near there, fine traces of blood were peeping out.
“You must be busy, but leave the garbage cleaning to me and go first.”
Clap.
Hooch looks back at her, loading her bolts into her crossbow.
She nods her head and disappears towards another alley.
Beat, beat, beat, beat.
Hooch walks towards the corner where her bloodstains have been left.
It was a dead end, so Huchi thought there was no need to be in too much of a hurry.
That buck
“Hmm?”
But no one was there.
Huchi’s brow furrowed.
Look around.
I could only see the back door of the house, which was blocked off by a high fence and a wooden block.
There were no windows to get in, no pipes to ride through, not even bloodstains.
“…Did I miss it…”
Pak!
Rrrr.
Tangrang, tung, tung.
Hooch kicks her trash pile.
No traces were found there either.
She lifts her head and looks up at the top of the fence.
There was a small bloodstain there.
Fast.
“I crossed over there.”
Hutch grinds his teeth.
There was no way to chase it right away, but I won’t chase it.
“Heh… Try to run hard, Slammer.”
Again, he smiled softly.
Slurleung, clap.
He removes the loaded bolt from his crossbow.
The tip of the bolt he pulled out was glistening with purple slime.
“The place I’m going back to isn’t where I belong…”
Jerk, jerk.
“There’s no reason to go back there…”
Jerk, jerk.
“There’s no point in going back there…”
Jerk, jerk.
“Wandering here and there, begging for ears…”
Jerk, jerk.
“It should be over like that…”
Jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk.
He melts into the shadows
Disappear
Has disappeared.