Chapter: 273
– Creak.
The wooden speedboat came to a stop with the sound of the keel twisting. At the remote edge of this barren glacier, where there was neither a harbor nor a pier, the Drovian sailor turned his head towards Ivan.
“We have arrived, Your Highness.”
The Drovian people were particularly courteous to him. It was only natural since no one had survived after competing against Einar during the course of history. They held Ivan in awe.
Ivan silently surveyed his companions. Though their expressions appeared somewhat wan due to the sudden drop in temperature, there was nothing particularly unusual about them.
Even Isabelle, who knew they were heading to kill her father, had a calm demeanor.
Ivan nodded and spoke to the sailor.
“Give me a helmet and armor.”
“Pardon?”
“Put it on Einar’s tab. When we return to our homeland, Einar can let me borrow the best weapons he has.”
“…There’s no need, Your Highness.”
The Drovian sailor shook his head and ran off to fetch the military equipment. Perhaps due to his request from the sailor with the most similar physique to Ivan, the Drovian armor felt awkward but fit well.
After pressing the shoulder clasp firmly shut and taking hold of the helmet, Ivan lightly bowed his head. The sailor, with a face pale from the cold, was smiling with joy.
“If my gear helps pave the way for you, it will be an honor for me.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean it. If I were to lend weapons to a hero in battle, it would surely become a song told for generations in my bloodline.”
All Drovian men were warriors. They enjoyed tales of heroes and epics. Being able to assist Ivan, who was advancing towards the battlefield where the Demon King and the Seven Dragon Lords were rampaging, was akin to having their names inscribed in the corner of a Drovian epic.
Since military equipment wasn’t cheap, this was a great kindness. However, it was not without a price. They were likely hoping for a hero’s tale in return. A saga of heroes who saved the world.
They calculated that they would not fail, they would not be defeated, and they would ultimately not die and collapse in exchange. Ivan solemnly nodded to express his gratitude and moved forward.
– Clunk.
As he donned the helmet, the rough northern wind sounded like a rumble along the visor’s iron plate. Because of this, he didn’t prefer helmets. It limited his hearing and vision.
He spoke briefly to his companions.
“Now we depart.”
Without further ado, the companions followed him. As everyone jumped down from the bow onto the ice, the sailors on the speedboat shouted.
“Good luck!”
“Good luck to the Hero Party!!”
Eventually, the sailors did not wait for a response and set sail. The Drovian forces must also be starting their advance beyond the front lines, as they seemed eager to arrive quickly and participate in the war.
Once the sailors departed, only the companions remained on the desolate ice. Ivan walked on for a while in silence.
“Go ask him.”
“Me…?”
“You’re the closest, right?”
“Are you the ones who wanted to get close to my brother?”
Yujin replied grumpily to the comments made by Isabelle and Yuri. After glancing at Ivan’s back, who was walking without a word, Yujin sighed and moved closer to him.
“Brother, aren’t you going to give us the operation orders?”
“I will.”
From beneath his helmet came the voice of someone awakening from deep thought. Only then did Ivan stop walking and take a deep breath.
“I apologize. I had some things on my mind.”
“Is there a problem…?”
“Everything.”
Ivan turned to look back. The companions, who had been lingering in the heavy atmosphere, were now approaching Ivan a little closer.
At this rate, he would be disqualified as a scout. Who in the world could be a scout that makes the main force withdraw?
Elizaveta, and the purpose of his child Maximilian, the burnt northern Krasilov, the marching route of the demons, the chances left even if the withdrawal operation was successful, and also… the future.
The future.
He rolled that heavy word around in his mouth once. Future, a dark and ominous word. Objectively and subjectively.
What if Krasilov suffered losses in this battle? If they lost the entire northern region and over 70% of their total forces? Most of the other dynasties, although currently weak, would surely be made widely aware of Krasilov’s losses.
Krasilov’s foreign policy had always been the same. To reign through fear. Based on powerful military force and highly organized administration, it maintained its survival by seizing scarce resources.
If such a nation loses military power, would it truly be able to maintain the territories of its ancestors? While Elizaveta might devise some means, Ivan, who was nearly a novice in political diplomacy, couldn’t easily predict.
And also, what if the subjectivity gets muddled?
The emotional pain Elizaveta would have felt due to this war. She would have had to make the choice to let this country, which she has safeguarded by cutting away all her rights, luxuries, and desires, burn to nearly half.
Would she be alright? Though Elizaveta was a powerful superhuman, even a superhuman’s spirit wasn’t infinite.
And, another future.
Even if every operation succeeds, will there be a future for him? Even if he were to defeat Maximilian, the curse of the gods. The sacred would burn his soul alive.
This was merely the most optimistic scenario. In case of defeat, he would quite literally, lose everything.
He was so absorbed in these burdensome thoughts that he forgot his role. As a scout, he was close to failing.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, brother. You’re okay, right?”
“I have to be okay.”
Ivan briefly replied and turned his head towards the gathered companions.
“From now on, I will assign roles and brief the operational objectives. If you have questions, please save them until after the briefing.”
“Yes!”
Almost simultaneously with Isabelle’s response, Ivan’s words followed heavily.
“Yuri. Walk with me by my side. You will direct the direction, and if any combat occurs, I will handle it all. The remaining members will follow while minimizing losses.”
“Uh…? B-but….”
“Questions later. Again, we will head south towards the northern front. This place is on the border where the open sea meets the Demon Realm, and if we advance into the Demon Realm, we will reach Andgrind. We shall not stop until we contact the 2nd Legion of Krasilov after passing through the Grand Gate. It will be a difficult journey, but you can do it.”
Ivan carefully examined each of his companions.
You can do it. At this moment, they must attempt a breakthrough in the midst of the enemy’s territory, and for this moment, they have trained for several years.
Ivan had helped them practice combat skills a few times. However, conversely, this meant he had not taught them much beyond that.
What they needed to learn wasn’t combat techniques. The blooming of their talents was something they had to achieve themselves.
Ivan had taught them only ‘marching’ in Tylesse, Kalion, the Southern Six Nations, and Drovian. He had taught them the patience and stamina to run for days straight even when breaking through the enemy’s center in extreme situations.
That was undoubtedly the most essential virtue for this moment.
“Assuming that our situation began right after we headed towards Drovian, we are at least two weeks behind and at most 20 days late. At this point, with Krasilov’s retreat becoming certain, from now on….”
Ivan looked up at the cloudy night sky where a snowstorm was raging. The east was still distant. It was going to be a long night.
“Let’s turn the two weeks of delay into ten days, ten days into five days, and five days into one day.”
Rest is to be minimized, and combat will also be carried out solely by Ivan to preserve maximum stamina while penetrating the Demon Realm and passing through the northern front currently occupied by the demons.
They must hastily traverse the entirety of northern Krasilov and head south again, towards the vast plains spread across Krasilov’s central region.
They would have to turn Karpinsko or Zverisko, the only granaries of this country, into a battlefield. Even if Elizaveta wishes to retreat further back, that land cannot be abandoned.
No matter how precious the citizens of the northern region may be, objectively, it was hardly more than a wasteland. The yields and revenues were insignificantly low.
However, the central plains of Krasilov were the only granary in this country and the last line of defense, located just north of Frechenkaya. It was the second largest city where a vast population resided, and if it fell, Krasilov would lose its recovery capability completely.
If there is to be a last rotation, it must be here. A land that cannot be lost, and a land that, once occupied, could swallow the entirety of humanity without resistance. The gazes of the demon army and the United Kingdom would cross at this battlefield.
“How about going underground? If the main force has moved, they would surely have used the underground alleys like last time.”
“There’s no way to find a path underground.”
While it would certainly be a convenient and quick route, Ivan was not familiar with the paths of the Dwarf underground tunnels. It was a skill only dwarves could master.
He might know an ancient Dwarven city, but it was impossible to distinguish freshly dug tunnels with the naked eye. Especially if hastily excavated, how many tunnels might be blocked during the retreat?
There was no time to wander in the underground maze. However, above the surface of Krasilov, even a thin thread of a river would be clearly in his head.
He was familiar with every region of this country at the tactical map level.
“It is not a matter of whether we can or cannot. It is something that must be done. Unlike before, there won’t be the luxury of assisting those who have fallen behind.”
“That’s a relief!”
Isabelle replied with a smile.
“Honestly, I was a bit worried when you structured the party like this and crossed over to Drovian. There seems to be too much focus on military force, right?”
Isabelle, Ecdysis, Yuri, and Yujin. Among these, two were competing for the top of the Knight Department, Yujin was strong enough to face knights in close combat, and Ecdysis had always had strength that rivaled many Drovian warriors.
When structured as a party, it was a 4-member lineup lacking a mage and priest (Yujin was no longer a priest). With Ivan included, the composition of this party was bizarrely specialized for close combat.
Thus, they need not worry about setbacks during the march.
As the companions met Isabelle’s gaze and nodded in agreement, Ivan looked at them for a bit, feeling a mix of emotions.
None of these people were like the past Hero Party.
Isabelle could not be compared to Maximilian, and Ecdysis couldn’t fight like Einar. Even the ones absent, it was difficult to compare Elpheira and Veolgrin, and Lucia also fell short compared to Enrique. Even the strongest Oscar might just be a mere knight compared to Jill Ber.
However, individual strength was not important. They had to bear this burden at an overwhelmingly younger age than past heroes. They had been thrown into battle without enough time or circumstances for them to grow stronger.
So, their weaknesses were not their flaws.
The times and circumstances were pushing them forward. Among their peers, in the same generation, these were clearly the most outstanding youths with qualities and talents.
However, in Ivan’s eyes, he could see the appearance of the Hero Party once again.
Beyond strength and weakness, there was that shining determination. The image of them smiling and nodding in the face of trials and hardships. Despite facing events nearly akin to penance over the past two years, they could rise again, wield their weapons, and walk forward with confidence.
– A hero does not mean the strongest.
– But the bravest.
– It signifies one who can press on while smiling at any moment.
Ivan recalled Maximilian’s voice from those days. He remembered the smile of the young man who wrapped his bandaged arm under the campfire.
He envisioned the man who split the dark night sky to seek starlight.
“Excellent work.”
He struggled to conclude his words. Soon, he nodded and turned around. The companions resumed their pace, following Ivan’s back.
If their deficiency lay in military strength, he could resolve that. But if their deficiency lay in will, there was no way he could help. They had now proven their roles by not stopping.
Now, it was Ivan’s turn to prove his role.
An excellent scout does not find paths. He knows how to break them. Ivan gripped the axe handle and stepped into the dense forest of the Demon Realm.
Fortunately, he found that the geography of this place was as clear as the palm of his hand. It was something he had done before.
Breaking through enemy territory without allies, traversing the forces of the demons, confronting the Seven Dragon Lords.
He had done them all. Generally, an excellent operative does not struggle over experiences they’ve had once.
He had not yet encountered a hero or a demon king.
But an excellent operative is not afraid of first attempts. Fortunately, he was a trained operative, so he learned quickly.
