Free Web NovelChapter 443: Chapter 440: The Empire Army’s Empty Fort Strategy?
"Super Tier?" For a moment, no one understood. Unfortunately, Master Poincare quickly dismissed most of the mages and apprentices, leaving only Snow, Caroline, and Rorschach, who claimed he had just swum over from the Seine River.
After casting "Mirror Flower Water Moon" for an extended period, he was indeed soaking wet.
"It’s Tenth Ring Magic! I counted twice—even the eleventh ring of the Tree of Truth is lit!"
Rorschach and Caroline knew that the "Tree of Truth" the master spoke of was actually the Tree of Law. Poincare’s expression changed after a moment of thought. Only Snow, who was drinking his fifth Concentrated Purple Potion, let out a bewildered burp.
"You reached the Original Layer? You saw the inverted, giant tree? The legends are true?"
Kano ignored the other Great Mage’s three questions. "The point is! Tenth Ring! Super Tier! Magic!" He calmed himself. "Although the nodes on the last two rings are still very weak, they’ve begun to flicker. Even if it requires a large-scale ritual, it’s likely already in the preparation stage and could be activated at any moment."
A chill ran down the spine of everyone present. Even if the possibility of a long-extinct, legendary Super Tier Spell reappearing was minuscule, they couldn’t ignore it—because Kano insisted with absolute certainty that it was a Necromancy spell.
The last time a suspected Super Ninth Ring Necromancy spell appeared in the historical record was at the end of the second Divine War, before the great extinction in the Symbolic Realm. It birthed a death plague that swept the continent, claiming even more lives than the collateral damage from the war between the Divine Spirits.
Not even this slight possibility could be overlooked.
"Are there any methods of detection? Should we report it to the Guild and then begin Divination?" Poincare’s mind raced. However, Kano cut his proposal short.
"We can’t report it to the Guild. The information might leak, alerting the caster and causing them to go into hiding..." Kano, who understood the current state of the Magic Guild better than Poincare with his singular focus on research and teaching at the Tower of Stars, opted for a more cautious approach. "Let the Tower of Time try, since they have divination methods. Then notify the Tower of the Forest, the Tower of the Storm, the Tower of Light, and the Tower of Darkness."
"And the Tower of Secret Techniques," Caroline reminded him.
The Great Mage shot it down. "No. Right now... Feuerbach’s mages probably can’t be trusted. Inform the other Mage Towers first, and make sure they swear to secrecy. We should even inform the Order Church... no, wait for my order before you tell those god-botherers."
Besides sending out notifications, the existing forces of the Tower of Stars also needed to take action. However, the only clue they had was "suspected Necromancy." It could even be a resurgence of the Mother Earth Sect, as Her Authority also encompasses the cycle of life, death, and reincarnation.
The next most likely suspect was the renowned Necromancy Great Mage, the chief mage attached to the Empire Army. The Holy Kingdom and the Empire were currently at war. If he could truly cast a Tenth Ring Spell, ignoring the deterrence and countermeasures of the Holy Kingdom’s Great Mages, he could potentially overturn the current state of the war in an instant.
"Utterly insane!" Kano was still cursing under his breath on the speedboat ride to the Starlight Torch Tower. The first priority was to protect Valuva, which was naturally the most likely target for the enemy’s Super Tier Magic.
Since they didn’t know what kind of spell this "Sharp Sword" hanging over their heads was, their defense was extremely passive. Fortunately, Valuva had a glorious history of withstanding an attack from the Rebel Archangel, and the combination of the Starlight Torch Tower’s amplifier and Rorschach was something they could rely on.
But what if the heart of the Republic wasn’t the primary target?
As they neared their destination, the speedboat slowed. Only then could Rorschach see clearly that Prairie Avenue, where the Nobility and the Chief Justice once strolled, was now lined with gallows. The passersby were all dressed in rags, rushing about and heedlessly stepping through the bloodstains that flowed across the cobblestones.
Caroline was deeply shocked by the sight.
"Good news! Good news!" A newsboy’s clear cry cut through the street. The pedestrians perked up, eagerly waiting for the boy to announce what kind of victory it was.
The child, waving a newspaper, answered their anticipation. "The main force of the National Guard has taken Moncado Fortress and recaptured the Kongdi Capital! The restoration of our homeland is at hand!"
The common people cheered, but the same news struck the mages like a thunderbolt. Kano, who had been following the war closely, knew that even if the National Guard had scraped by with "victories" in the two previous battles, there was no way this hastily assembled army could have so easily taken a major fortress from the Empire Army.
Now, the main force of the National Guard was concentrated in a single city, and a Tenth Ring Necromancy spell was in preparation... and the last time the Empire Army’s chief mage had been seen was when the Empire Army crushed the Church’s crusade forces. He had been showing signs of heading south.
A terrible thought began to form in Kano’s mind. It wasn’t the spell itself he feared, but the choice now facing him—should he concentrate their forces to defend Valuva, or go to Moncado Fortress?
Many clues pointed to the latter, but what if—just what if—he chose wrong? Kano was the head of the Tower of Stars. He and he alone would have to be responsible for this choice, both now and in the future.
The wind from the river rushed against his face. Kano, who had just glimpsed the secrets of the stars, took a deep breath and placed a hand on Rorschach’s shoulder. "Without the amplification from the Starlight Torch Tower, could you stop a Tenth Ring Spell?"
"I’d like to know that myself. So, let me try."
"Rorschach Mage," Kano said. In the young man’s eyes, his teacher rarely wore such a serious expression. "This isn’t the time to casually say, ’let me try.’ I don’t know where you stand, which country or what system of government you support."
"I have to tell you, if a Tenth Ring Necromancy spell is truly unleashed, with one mage slaughtering tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even more civilians, it will cause grievous harm to both casters and ordinary people alike, with irreversible consequences."
"Things are different now. Everyone will remember this tragedy, and this is a wound that no magic can heal."
"So you must do everything in your power to stop it, alright? I’m begging you."
"I understand. I will."
...
On the far outskirts of the Kongdi Capital, two officers stood on the last high ground with a view of Moncado Fortress.
"I don’t understand. We’re just handing over the fortress we worked so damn hard to repair!" "Major Turtle" said indignantly, lowering his telescope. Thanks to his outstanding performance in the second battle, Hench had been promoted. There were now two officers named Colonel Richard in the Empire Army.
Yet, after completing his second masterpiece—repairing and reinforcing Moncado Fortress—the only thing that awaited him was the order for the army to withdraw from the Kongdi Capital. Faced with the National Guard’s pathetic siege attempt, the Empire Army was merely ordered to put on a show, fighting as they retreated, practically fleeing the region.
"The Richard Duo" was in the rear guard, witnessing the Valois people take back their fortress and their city.
"It was an order from on high."
"The general’s an idiot!" Hench cursed, then coughed twice, agitated.
The Empire Army seemed to be suffering from a widespread inability to acclimate to the local environment. During their time garrisoned at Moncado Fortress, the number of sick soldiers increased daily, and Hench himself had caught a lingering cold that wouldn’t go away.
Meanwhile, the other Richard, who shared his quarters, had remained perfectly healthy. He shook his head. "The order came from even higher up."
"Command is full of idiots too, especially that blockhead Marshal. Everyone knows his best friend’s ’occupation’ is being the Crown Prince."
Richard just shook his head again. "Word is, it came from... even higher."
"..." Hench lit a cigarette. "I’ve suddenly realized His Majesty’s decision is truly brilliant. This is a ploy to lure the enemy in deep, to foster their arrogance and make them think they can win even a siege battle with ease."
"Once they rashly charge out of the city in pursuit, we can launch a surprise counterattack." It was a pity he’d never read *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, otherwise he could have found even more ways to praise the decision from afar.
Too bad the rear guard never saw the National Guard leave the city.
"Sirs, the troops are moving out!" A third horse arrived on the summit, its rider a junior officer reminding the two it was time to depart. The junior officer hesitated for a moment, then decided to report something. "Major Schmidt has not rejoined the unit."
Richard the mage and Schmidt had both distinguished themselves during the capture of the fortress. He and Schmidt both knew there was a secret chamber belonging to an Ancient Mage beneath Moncado Fortress.
’Is he exploring the secret chamber? Or did he get caught in a trap?’ Before the other two could react, Richard left them with, "I know where he is. You two go on ahead," and spurred his horse, leaping down the mountainside.
"Tsk, tsk. Jumping from that high up." Hench watched Richard race full-tilt towards the fortress, then told the junior officer to return to the main force with him. "Don’t waste your energy worrying about two mages. At that speed, the Colonel can rejoin the unit whenever he wants."
What Richard didn’t know was that, in addition to his comrade-in-arms, his own teacher—His Excellency, the chief mage of the army—was also in that secret chamber within Moncado Fortress.
