Chapter 401 – 401. Flowers Bloom Even at Graves (9)

– One –

Piririk.

A communication connection request comes in to one communication magic tool.

Tup.

The communications officer picks it up and immediately accepts the communications.

It was not the time for the regular report to come in, so there was no choice but to be nervous on his face.

It was because there was no way such a sudden report would come up unless there was an incident.

– The 1st Infantry Regiment reports that an emergency has occurred! Caught in a trap laid by the enemy, most of the regiment’s troops, including the commander, were killed!

“What?! Report the situation in detail!”

– Yes! As I marched in the lead,

The soldier candidly reveals what he went through.

Because he posted the report without any packaging, even the parts that could be interpreted as his negligence are fully included in the report.

But no one will be able to reprimand him.

Even those at the command center could not have predicted that the enemy would set up a trap of such a gigantic scale.

Moreover, judging from the soldier’s testimony, it seemed clear that it would have been impossible for foot soldiers who were not out of the ordinary to escape from such a catastrophe.

On the contrary, the commanders and Regal deserved to praise the fact that he survived and reported.

“I understood the situation. I will report to His Majesty, so return immediately. Report the details later!”

– Yes!

Piririk.

Terribly close to terminating communications with the survivors of the 1st Infantry Regiment,

Piririk.

A communication connection request comes in from another place.

As expected, it was still a long time before the regular report, so he had to tremble at the ominous this time.

Rumble.

His back began to get wet with a cold sweat.

Piririk.

As soon as he receives the communication,

– Y-Y-Y-This is the 2nd Infantry Regiment! Headquarters, Headquarters, answer!

Someone’s urgent voice bursts through the audio output device.

As soon as he hears the voice coming out of the communication magic tool, he is sure that his ominous premonition has hit.

“What’s going on?!”

– Surprise, surprise!

“Calmly report how much damage your allies suffered and by whom and by what means!”

– Haha… Many wooden spears sprouted from the floor,

The moment he calmed down and was about to continue his explanation,

– Kwajik! Whoops!

There is a sound as if something is being torn apart.

At the same time,

– Aaaaagh!

“Hey?!”

Someone from the 2nd Infantry Regiment, who had been communicating, let out a tearing scream.

The spear that sprouted from the floor must have pierced his body this time.

It’s not like there’s only one window.

– Whoop, whoop! Fuhuak, Fuhuaaak!

One after another, the sound of spears tearing flesh can be heard.

With that subtle sound that seems to evoke fear instinctively,

– Aaaaa!

“Ah…!”

The desperate screams continued several times in a row.

“Hey! Are you all right?! Respond!”

– Turn it off, turn it off…

The soldier’s moans fade.

Fade away

– Tung, tut. Each and every

As if a soldier had dropped the communication magic tool from his hand, a muddy collision sound was output from the communication magic tool.

“Hey?”

– …

No answer is heard.

No screams, no fuss, no more.

Despite repeated questions, only emptiness returns.

“This…”

The communications officer’s uneasiness rises.

He hesitated for a moment,

Tat tat tat!

In order to immediately report to Luxardo, I ran vigorously toward the bridge.

He was well aware that this was the time when Regal and Luxardo were conducting a strategy meeting, but the information they had received was worth reporting directly to them.

No, if he didn’t, it was a situation where he might be reprimanded by Regal.

– 2 –

“Hmm… Both sides are destroyed…”

Squeak.
Tok, tok, tok.

Regal crosses her legs and knocks on the table.

At the same time, he looks down at the report that came up during the strategy meeting as an urgent matter with disapproving eyes.

“Anyway, I thought it was too easy, so I kept having doubts, but it blows up a shot so that I can live properly like this.”

Widely.

Hit the table lightly with your fist.

Swoop.
Shit.

Regal raises her head.

Suddenly, a bright smile crept across his lips.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty… For being unsure of your convictions,”

“No. Certainly this one was completely unexpected.”

Regal stops Luxardo from humiliating self-reproach.

It was because I knew his true intentions and his competence, so I decided that there was no need to discourage him.

“Honestly, I was only concerned about the cliff, but who would have imagined that they would set a trap near the cliff?”

“I’m sorry to inform you, but your Majesty’s words are correct. Judging from the fact that the traps were triggered so hard to bypass, it’s clear that apart from the cliffs, countless traps have been laid in this area beforehand.”

“That’s right. So far, Chungryeoldae must have been busy restoring the link inside the cliff that was damaged, so how could they have laid additional traps in the meantime? It must be a goddess, or a transcendent being equivalent to it. But I don’t want to make such a gloomy assumption.”

As if he felt the same way as Regal, Luxardo nodded with a tired expression on his face.

Since I had assumed from the beginning that the enemies might be half-transcended beings, I knew that the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments would suffer significant sacrifices.

However, when the result of annihilation and destruction occurred at a completely unexpected point, they all had no choice but to feel sick.

“And the bigger problem is, it’s not a trap built on mana.”

“You’re right. Even though wizards and shamans have detected the entire area, no one has found any sign that a trap has been laid.”

“It is so. Above all, what I am most concerned about is that there may be a trap buried somewhere on the cliff.”

“Umm… It would be a big deal if a large-scale trap were to be activated when the main unit crossed the cliff…”

Regal’s brow furrowed.

At that time,

Swoop.

“Your majesty.”

One of those still listening to him and Luxardo quietly raises a hand and asks Regal to speak.

Regal’s gaze turns to him.

He was a somewhat older, middle-aged special operations agent.

“Hmm.”

“Can I suggest a strategy to your majesty?”

“As much as you like.”

“It’s no different, weren’t there civilians who were listed for disposal due to lack of perfection or side effects when manufacturing rebels?”

“It was.”

Regal searches for memories.

However, what became of them did not remain in Regal’s memory.

After turning civilians into rebels through his brainwashing, he tried to prove his innocence by using their existence as an excuse.

However, things went seriously wrong in the process, and now the efforts made so far have been in vain.

There is no imperial army to prove that the rebels existed and that they had nothing to do with the Regal.

It was because of coincidence and misunderstanding that Regal had killed him by hand.

“But I didn’t care after the second expedition failed, so I don’t know what happened now.”

“Is that so?”

It was a completely failed plan.

They had long since been annihilated, but their presence was still useful as a justification for Regal to advance north.

The Emperor was also aware of that cause, so he tolerated the gathering of the Regal soldiers in the north.

At that time, the abducted civilians had all the uses with it, so Regal had entrusted all of the cleanup to a staff member such as the butler.

“Aren’t they still discarded?”

“That’s right. We delayed the scrapping while analyzing the side effects and problems that occurred during the brainwashing process. However, after His Majesty issued the family mobilization order, even the personnel in charge of the research left the site. Thanks to that, the scrapping has been postponed indefinitely. It is becoming.”

“Hmm. I see. Were you in charge of the disposal related work?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s how it is.”

Swoop.
Chuck.

He gets up from his seat and leans deeply toward Regal.

Regardless of the facts, we apologize for not being able to carry out the order given by Regal in time.

Wink, wink.

Regal shakes his hand as if nothing is wrong.

However, as if to get to the point quickly, a slight annoyance leaked out from his gestures.

As if noticing that, the special operations agent hurriedly continued.

“Just before entering this operation, didn’t you suddenly strengthen the brainwashing applied to some soldiers with the intention of organizing the Chungryeoldae? Due to such rapid and strong coordination, the intelligence of the soldiers also deteriorated, which I was researching. The field and its conditions are very similar.”

“Is it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. However, since they are civilians who have been scrapped, it is impossible to show outstanding combat skills. Still, they can perfectly carry out the orders given to them. So, why don’t we lead them to search for traps?” ? If you can’t detect traps through mana, then putting the creature directly into it would be a reasonable choice.”

“Um…”

Regal nods her head with a satisfied look.

It must be because his proposal was much better than expected.

No, it was more than that.

“Moreover, as your Majesty knows, weren’t they manufactured in this area from the beginning to be put into the unexplored lands in the northern part? They haven’t been specially moved to another place to investigate, so if you use Strass Eila to transport them, within four days. It will be able to be deployed on the front lines.”

“A very good suggestion.”

Regal nodded.

But he doesn’t approve right away.

Swoop.

I turned my head away from him and looked at Luxardo.

“How many meters have you dug into the cliff now?”

“I dug in about 100m.”

“I see. Has there ever been a case where a trap has been activated inside a cliff?”

“So it is.”

“Hmm…”

Regal crosses his arms.

Luxardo waits for Regal to clear his mind.

In the meantime, Luxardo looks away for a moment and thanks the special operations agent for the good suggestion with a wink.

The special operations agent looks at him very unexpectedly.

Recently, as it has almost monopolized Regal’s favor, Luxardo has been checked by many people.

The same was true for the elderly special operations agent.

Although he set out with the purpose of keeping his solo in check and at the same time diverting Regal’s favor, he expresses his gratitude for the subtle restraint.

If Regal hadn’t been here, the special operations agent would surely have asked what Luxardo meant.

“Is there any sign that the cliff will be restored?”

“It is not so. To prevent the broken connection from regenerating, we are firmly filling the cracks with obstacles. No plant stems or roots have ever been able to break through them.”

“Is that so? Then it’s safe to say that we have enough time to spare for about four days.”

“It is so, Your Majesty.”

With Luxardo confirming that, there was no reason for Regal to hesitate any longer.

Regal smiles brightly.

“I’ll allow the operation of Stras-Ayla. Move as quickly as possible, and bring all the objects to be scrapped by air.”

“Insect!”

From right after Regal gave the order, the time it took for the huge mass to move was really only a moment.

– 2 –

‘Oh, my God…’ …’

Flurry… !
Poodle, Poodle!
Rocking, rocking.

A tall old man trembles as he looks to the north.

It was Vladnok, the man who was the head of a civic group called ‘Awake Citizen’.

He had lost a lot of weight because he couldn’t eat too much, but it made his wrinkles deep and made him look older, but he was still huge.

Slap!
Rocking!

He turns his head to the left.

Watch the supply train heading north.

‘Compared to the number of people put into the battlefield, the amount of food and supplies is too small. This means only one thing. The vast majority of the troops deployed are being used as consumables, and the leadership is clearly aware of that… !’

He was a man who rose to the position with his senses and tact, so he was always quick to calculate.

He stayed at the Regal’s supply fort, making a realistic estimate of the number of supplies and the number of troops to be deployed by eye only.

The first time I did it, I didn’t do it for a specific purpose.

It was a place where he could not enjoy food, nor could he harbor or destroy a woman, so it was simply an act he reluctantly chose to soothe his boredom.

In the meantime, his keen eye caught something extremely suspicious and alien.

From then on, he carefully observed the supply trains and the marches of the soldiers, and soon came to a terrifying conclusion.

‘These are lunatics… ? How could he replace ten thousand units of subordinates, especially elite soldiers who had been raised with great care… !’

Tumbling!
Rocking, rocking, rocking, rocking!

An even greater vibration shakes his body,

He was also a man with a cruel temper that was hard to imagine for ordinary people, such as playing with people and killing them, using their corpses for alcohol, or enjoying cannibalism.

But to the extent that he was terrified, Regal’s madness was on a different level.

‘For a moment…’

Tall.

His expression suddenly hardens, and the trembling that dominated his body disappears in an instant.

Instead, the reddish aura disappears from his face in an instant.

The stiff, stiff and white appearance reminded me of a corpse.

‘Only at first, only siege weapons, wizards, and sorcerers were visible, but now their supplies, soldiers in battle, and rebels were invisible even after washing their eyes.’

Rumble.

A cold sweat reminiscent of broth flows down.

In an instant, his whole body becomes covered with sweat.

‘It is certain that large-scale rebels and forts, although there may have been in the past, do not exist now… ! If I had those things, I wouldn’t be able to do something crazy pushing only infantry… What they are dealing with is someone who is an absolute minority compared to them. And it must be Ada and her henchmen.’

When I think about it,

“Hee-i-ik…!”

Thump!
Whoops!
Rocking, rocking, rocking!

He buried his head in the corner of his room and began to tremble again.

‘Mi, crazy… ! Are you saying we’re going to replace these countless troops just to catch her and a few people around us… ? What kind of monsters are lurking around her? … !’

Finally, the fear of Ada and the people around her comes to him.

Her confidence that she will be able to occupy her and eat her flesh gradually fades.

‘I, I… ! Why the hell did you come here… !’

Only then will the regret set in.

It is only when he finds himself in a situation where he cannot escape, that he realizes his delusion.

‘Now wait…’

He was quick-witted.

That’s why, even if no one taught him, he knew how to quickly see through the situation he was in.

It was the same this time too.

‘And the duke rarely brought up a matter that could be a flaw externally, and never left it as it is. That, and this… If the fact that he committed such crazy things is revealed to the outside world, his morality will be severely damaged.’

Rattle rattle.
Rumbling rumbling.

His body begins to tremble gradually and rapidly.

Whoops, whoops, whoops, whoops.
Rumble.

Breathing becomes more rapid

Cold sweat starts pouring down like a waterfall.

‘My, I can’t get out of here… Since he is an outsider who saw something that could be shameful, it is clear that he is trying to silence him by killing him in the end… !’

Hey hey hey.
Squeak.

He pees

His fears were justified.

As soon as he sensed that reality was seriously different from imagination, he often asked to be taken to the city outside the fortress.

However, his requests were not always met.

All that came back was ignorance and ridicule.

If his worries were unfounded, the men carrying supplies to the fort from the south would have taken him long ago.

‘Ta, we have to escape… ! If you stay here, you will have no choice but to be slaughtered at any time!’

He made up his mind

‘Ha, but how… ! Me, I’m just a frail old man…’

He only hardened his heart.

“Huh…”

Again.

Suddenly he burst into tears.

It was miserable.