Chapter 164: Northward Advance
“The East, huh…”
Inside a tent on the outskirts of the Royal Capital, General Altmeier’s murmur escaped his lips. Reports were coming in to him from soldiers possessing the rare Telepath Gift, stationed in various parts of the kingdom.
According to them, the enemy’s pressure seemed to be strongest in the East. That alone wasn’t enough to conclude that the Evil God had revived in the East. Still, the prophecy spoken by his beloved granddaughter’s husband clung to General Altmeier’s mind.
‘The Evil God will undoubtedly revive in the East. I request the swift deployment of the National Army to the East.’
Normally, it would be a prophecy not even worth considering. However, Margrave Baumgarten had even predicted the annular solar eclipse that, even now, hung above General Altmeier and his men.
Perhaps the Evil God truly had revived in the East.
However, it was also possible that this was a deceptive maneuver by the Evil God.
“General, what are your orders?”
“General Altmeier.”
General Altmeier closed his eyes and thought for about a minute, finally reaching a decision.
“We will divide the army. The First, Second, and Seventh Armies to the East. The Third Army to the South. The Fourth Army to the West. The Fifth Army to the North.”
“What about the Sixth Army?”
“Position them in the center as a strategic reserve. Move out!”
“””””Yes, sir!”””””
It was a formation clearly weighted towards the East. General Altmeier had chosen to believe Margrave Baumgarten’s prophecy, yet he had also carefully determined the absolute limit that would allow them to recover even if it proved false.
“Now, what will happen… I’m counting on you, my son-in-law…”
◇
Inside a luxurious room within the palace. About twenty people were on standby there. They were all adventurers, clad in their preferred gear.
The atmosphere was stern and imposing, unbefitting of the Royal Palace.
Just then, the room’s door was violently thrown open without a knock.
“A message from the National Army! Enemy pressure in the East is strong! Possibility of the Evil God’s revival in the East! Furthermore, be wary of enemy deception!”
The three National Selection Parties awaiting information in the Royal Palace: ‘Crimson Wings,’ ‘Mirror Moon,’ and ‘Swift Lightning.’ These were the three parties that had not heard the information from Dietfried. What they valued was not Dietfried’s prophecy, but the communication network of the National Army’s Telepath Gift users.
“Yeah! We’re heading East!”
No sooner had the messenger finished speaking than the leader of ‘Crimson Wings’ stood up.
“It’s still just a possibility, though?”
“My gut is telling me it’s the East!”
Saying only that, he led the members of ‘Crimson Wings’ and ran off.
“What an impetuous man, like a wild boar.”
“Totally.”
The leader of ‘Swift Lightning’ agreed with the exasperated words of ‘Mirror Moon’s’ leader.
However, the leader of ‘Swift Lightning’ was also standing up.
“Are you heading out as well?”
“Yep. We’re going North.”
“To the North?”
“Uh-huh. There’ll probably be a ton of monsters in the East, you see. We plan to head North for a bit, then aim for the East from there.”
With just those words, the leader of ‘Swift Lightning’ started walking away, waving his hand.
“Good grief, everyone’s so impatient…”
The remaining leader of ‘Mirror Moon’ let out a sigh.
“But Leader, if the Evil God has truly revived in the East, won’t we have gotten a late start?”
The leader of ‘Mirror Moon’ replied to his party member’s words with a smile.
“A late start is perfectly fine. I can’t imagine something like an Evil God can be defeated so easily. We just need to swoop in and take the best part at the very end. Besides, didn’t they say there’s a possibility of deception? If the Evil God appears anywhere other than the East, it’ll be all ours for the taking.”
“I see…”
Time flowed on, carrying with it their respective speculations.
◇
I was maneuvering a large, six-horse armored carriage, heading straight North.
Truthfully, I wanted to immediately head straight East and join the defense of the Baumgarten Territory, but someone needed to slay the Evil God as quickly as possible.
That’s why I first had to aim North, to bypass the massive horde of monsters likely attacking the East.
Incidentally, this was the same course of action the protagonist took in the original game. In other words, it was nothing less than proof that there was a detour route to the North.
Suppressing my impatient feelings, I carefully advanced northward, making sure not to overwork the horses and taking appropriate breaks.
Right now, we were taking a break as there happened to be a small stream.
Horses drink an incredible amount of water, enough to make you wonder where it all goes. I had brought water in barrels just in case, but if there was water from a river or pond available, I wanted to use it proactively.
While I was at it, I decided to feed the horses too, so I unloaded hay from the carriage and scattered it on the ground. The horses, having finished drinking, then began to heartily munch on the hay.
They’re kinda cute when you watch them. Their eyes look so gentle.
Well, they’re huge, so they’re a bit scary though.
Hearing a clattering sound, I turned around to see Cornelia-san and the others disembarking from the carriage.
“Thank you for your hard work, Onii-sama.”
“Mm. You too.”
“Good work, Dee. May I help as well?”
“No, no, it’s fine. I’ve somehow started to find them cute, so taking care of them isn’t a bother.”
“That, in itself, makes my heart feel a bit… unsettled.”
“Does it?”
Um, well, Cornelia-san? I’d be troubled if you were jealous of the horses, you know?
“Well, it’s a different kind of cute, after all.”
“It would indeed be troubling if it were the same.”
“That’s true.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Eleonore’s retort.