Chapter 560: A Whole Day

The Holy Church army’s camp. Countless tents were spread out among the 60,000 soldiers. Numerous soldiers were coming in and out of the various tents.

However, not a single person dared to approach a specific tent. Even the messenger soldier looked frightened.

The commander’s large tent…Valerie Brightness’ residence.

A torrent of rage and an overflowing fighting spirit swirled around that tent, giving enough pressure to dismay a weak-willed individual.

「Is Giluel really not coming back? 」

「….No. She won’t be causing a disturbance for a long time, but her absence might give unrest. I don’t want that sort of thing to upset the army. Just pretend I gave her the order to return home. 」

As she spoke to her adjutant, Dore, Valerie’s stern gaze remained fixed. Her breath was hot, so hot that it seemed as if she could kill the enemy with just a glance.

A day had passed since her secret conversation with Richard.

Valerie hadn’t even sipped her favorite wine, and she had barely slept. She wasted her precious time, wavering over a single decision.

…I can’t believe I’m wavering.

Valerie couldn’t help but laugh at herself.

A commander should never commit a foolish act such as “wavering”. What was required of a commander was to make “decisions”. That could mean gathering missing information or pausing to assess the situation.

But stagnation due to wavering was simply not acceptable. This was the idea Valerie valued most.

「Are you laughing at me? I’ll feel better if you don’t. 」

「Of course not. But it made me realize that Master is human, too. 」

Dore let a wry smile fall from her face and handed the parchment to Valerie. A row of black ink letters filled her field of vision.

「Based on the movements and security, the fortress’ personnel numbered 3,000. The only notable thing was the large amount of supplies being brought in. I’ve also confirmed that the main force, including the Great Evil, is heading toward the Olyn Plains. The only troops remaining in the royal capital are truly those serving as a final guards. There’s no doubt that no reinforcements or relief troops are coming to the fortress. Even if they resist, Master, you could take it in half a day. No matter how many heroes there are, the difference in military strength is obvious. There are no ambushes or signs of a surprise attack. 」

Valerie had been keeping Dore busy gathering information all day. While her abilities as an adjutant were impeccable, her true talents lie in her own hands.

She would gather a wealth of information if she were allowed to focus on intelligence gathering only.

Valerie read every sentence of the report. Her eyes contorted at the last line written on the parchment. She instantly looked at Dore’s face.

「…I’ve never heard of anything like this. Is this true? 」

「Me too, my Master. But it’s true. I think the enemy will find out soon. Either way, this just means we don’t have much time. What should we do? 」

Dore asked, implicitly urging Valerie to make a decision.

Valerie closed her eyes once again.

From a military standpoint, the best thing would be to kill Richard and force him to surrender. She could simply crush him even if he tried to resist. The difference in military strength between 60,000 and 3,000 made this possible.

That was the honest answer that Valerie Brightness gave as a general. There was nothing better.

But personally, she had an entirely different answer. Right now, Valerie’s thoughts were racing so hard that her brain felt like it might split in two.

…After all, a guardian of the Great Holy Saint was attempting to create an immortal using a technique that could be considered taboo.

If that had been the arbitrary decision of a human called Giluel, then that would’ve been fine. All she had to do was kill her. It would tarnish the Great Holy Church’s reputation, but it would be the best possible action.

「…Is that even possible? 」

Valerie muttered, as if questioning herself.

It was a well-known fact that Giluel was a blind believer of the Great Holy Church’s doctrine. To her, the doctrine was absolute, there was only one God, and salvation was the top foundation. She was a person who believed in the “salvation” that religion spoke of with all her heart.

Would a woman with nothing but faith like that ever bend that faith for her own gain and violate a taboo?

「That’s a conclusion we can’t reach even after examining her usual behavior and the stories around her. Being who she is, I can’t imagine she would do something like creating an immortal herself. 」

Dore asserted. Valerie nodded in agreement.

So what was going on?

A woman who was supposed to sacrifice herself for the religious teachings had done something that went against them. There was a clear contradiction there.

Valerie exhaled. She exhaled so hard that it felt like her lungs were empty. No, she was actually aware of it.

This wasn’t a contradiction. There was a meaning to it.

But she didn’t want to believe it. Both Dore and Valerie were a little hesitant to step into that certainty.

Would it be possible? A woman who was supposed to sacrifice herself for the religious teachings had not gone against them. In fact, it was the doctrine that had become distorted. That’s why Giluel sacrificed herself for the new one. This way, the contradiction would disappear.

Who was capable of dissuading Giluel? There were only two people.

His Holiness the Pope of the Great Holy Church, or Saint Ariene.

「Ridiculous…That’s ridiculous! 」

Valerie said quietly and then grew furious.

It was all mere speculation. There wasn’t enough information. But Valerie couldn’t see any other way forward. That’s why her heart was burning and she was beginning to feel extreme rage.

Though not as ferocious as Giluel, Valerie was confident in her obedience as a Great Holy Church believer.

She recognized that the development of knowledge like that of the Heraldic religion would bring disaster, and she even believed that only the strong and great should lead the people.

But today, Valerie was wavering.

Why was someone who was supposed to be the Saint’s guardian used forbidden magic?

Why did the Great Holy Church tolerate such a thing?

Suspicion grew. It was because Valerie believed in the Great Holy Church that she was acting like an opportunist rather than destroying Zebrililith. It was because she believed that the Great Holy Church would also clear the resentment toward the brave warriors of Suzif Fortress.

…Was it really okay for her to continue believing like this?

It was at that moment that Valerie asked herself this question.

A golden light appeared before her eyes.

—

「…That went faster than I thought. I wonder if Valerie was that certain, or if someone else is making a move. 」

Richard muttered from the walls of Fort Medraut. His breath clouded in white.

He could see the initial movements of an army of 60,000, preparing to attack Fort Medraut. They wouldn’t make that move as long as Valerie continued to waver in her position.

She had made a clear decision: accept their surrender and rush them if necessary. One day had been used.

A whole day was still missing from the time he had promised to buy.

「What should I do? I could still offer my head and surrender the fort, as promised. 」

「You’ve got to be kidding me. You said you’d fight to the death yourself. 」

Richard gave a wry smile at his lieutenant, Visia’s words, but in reality, he wasn’t joking.

Lugis might not arrive in time even after the promised time had been bought. It was a different story now that Valerie had made her decision so quickly.

No matter how hard they tried, they only had half a day left. It wouldn’t be enough no matter how fast Lugis was.

It was a crucible, losing campaign. Defeat was inevitable from the start. Still, Richard tried to buy time, hoping to find a chance for victory. But he reached his limit.

For the first time in a long time, Richard let out a sigh that really came straight from his lungs.

He tossed two or three strategies around in his head, tracing his thoughts. But they soon came to an end. The outcome was the same no matter how many times he tried.

「This is no good. 」

It was good that he’d managed to persuade Dore, drag Valerie out, and even managed to dispose of one of the demons with luck.

One could say he was walking a tightrope, but it was no use. There were just too few options left.

「Sir. 」

Richard was speechless, his eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t even hear Visia’s voice.

The old man, clad in armor, exuded a more dignified presence than usual.

「Prepare for war. 」

「Don’t be foolish. You might be good at it, but your soldiers aren’t. I can’t involve the soldiers in a war they can’t win. 」

Richard spoke, staring at the 60,000 enemy troops.

An army was an organization where orders were passed down from the top down. It was precisely because soldiers obeyed their commander’s orders without question that wars were possible.

Therefore, a commander had the obligation to always lead his men to victory. He must proudly acknowledge that their deaths were necessary sacrifices.

「You won’t last a day against Valerie. Half a day at most. It will be difficult. Any more than that is just struggling. We’re not sure if the General will arrive in time. But all we have to do is wait for him. You know that if we go to war, it will be a hopeless battle, don’t you? 」

Visia spoke with an exaggerated clang of gauntlets.

Richard gave a wry smile, and was about to interrupt Visia when…

A messenger ran toward Visia. Then, Visia nodded after a few exchanges. A small piece of parchment was then handed to Richard

Looking at it, Richard sighed once again, his eyes wide open.

「…You’re really struggling, Visia. No one wants to go home. And you seem to underestimate the veteran soldiers. Struggling is the art of life. 」

Richard cleared his throat at Visia, as usual. He poured some ale into his mouth and looked through the castle walls.

「Well, I guess I have no choice. It’s a war. I’ll make my mark in history. 」

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