Published at 18th of December 2022 3:42 pm

Volume 10, Chapter 3 – Creeping Darkness, Part 4

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Meanwhile, the encampment of the Great Grantz Empire was also a bit noisy as alcohol was served.

The soldiers were drinking with their comrades, and their faces were relaxed. They did not seem sad or fearful of death, even though they had fought many battles up to this point.

Perhaps it was their confidence in their ability to win, or perhaps it was because they had complete trust in their commander.

They seem to be having a good time tonight, despite the occasional beastman who came in from the “Raven Army” encampment.

Their commanders, however, were not playing around.

They are busy with various tasks, such as discussing future operations with the commanders of the various units, checking armaments, procuring supplies, and communicating with the home country.

These reports were compiled by the staff members and delivered to the Chief of General Staff, who then passed the final decision to the sixth princess, the commander-in-chief.

In such a command center, the bureaucrats were hurriedly moving about.

In the superior seat, Aura is holding a large number of reports in her hands and checking the documents together with Liz.

“Liz… are you listening?”

Aura said to Liz, who was in a distracted state in the middle of her conversation.

She was acting somewhat strange today. When she smiled, her mouth curved into a crooked line; when she wrinkled her brow, she suddenly exuded an air of affection; and now, incidentally, she was emitting a deep, lamenting sigh.

“Are you in a bad mood?”

When Aura looked into her face, Liz’s back arched up as if she was about to burst.

Aura was surprised by the easy-to-understand expression, but her eccentricities did not stop there. Liz began to rub her eyelids deliberately with a deceptive laugh.

“No, it’s nothing. I just got a little dust in my eye.”

It was obvious that she was acting, even though she said so.

Normally, Aura would have been able to let the situation slide, but today, she was feeling a little mean.

“Are you mad at me?”

Liz’s eyes widened in surprise when she said it in a slightly mischievous way, but she immediately smiled a mended smile and brushed her sideburns away in a big sweep.

“Ara, why do you think that?”

“I feel like――”

“Ara, why do you think so?”

The same response came before Aura could finish her sentence, and when she checked Liz’s face, she felt a chill and shook her body.

“…..It’s nothing.”

There was no light in her eyes. And yet, she gave a tremendous smile with a halo shining on it.

Aura’s dexterous… but at the same time, she doesn’t know what’s gotten on Liz’s nerves, and she’s confused.

The people around them who were silently watching the exchange between the two were mesmerized by Liz’s smile and let out sighs of admiration.

However, Aura, who looked directly at Liz’s expression, noticed that her earlier smile was laced with murderous intent.

If she poked at it any further, who knew what might come out?

Aura decided to go back to work, cleared her throat, and picked up one of the reports in a renewed mood.

“I have received a warning from the country of Azel that we must leave their territory immediately.”

“No need to answer that.”

Aura, relieved that her change of subject did not arouse suspicion, expressed her approval of Liz’s quick decision.

“Yeah, but we need to find a way to drop the matter.”

If the stability of the country of Azel was disrupted, the Grantz’s plan would fall apart. If they did not maintain a certain level of order, they would not be able to function as a bulwark in the future war against the Six Kingdoms.

“We need to drag them to the negotiating table somehow.”

Liz instructed one of the staff members to spread out a map on the desk.

Marked on the map were the cities, villages, and forts in the country of Azel.

Liz traced the roads with her slender fingers.

“Let’s take down some of the forts. We need to send out a surrender notice to the cities, and if they refuse to surrender… it depends on the strength of the army, but we need to take them down to prevent them from getting behind us.”

It was difficult to determine how many troops were in the city.

However, for the past three years, the Grantz Empire had been investigating the Six Kingdoms by sending their best spies to various locations in order to obtain information about the Six Kingdoms.

From the past to the present, a vast number of investigation reports exist. They were scrutinized by the staff and utilized in the current invasion operation.

“I understand. I will try to change the content of the proposal depending on the opponent so that they will accept the surrender as much as possible. If the spy reports are accurate, some of the lords are likely to fall easily.”

“I’m counting on you. There are probably some lords who will put conditions on it, so as long as it is not a reckless request, I will accept it.”

It was very dangerous to be deeply entrenched in the west while leaving the mainland of Grantz short-handed.

The Six Kingdoms were probably aware of this. From this point on, it was a race against time. They might have to fight a hard battle, but the soldiers of Grantz must fight hard.

“Yes. That’s fine. But if there are any lords who look down on us, I’m sorry to say, but we will attack them, sending a warning to the rest of the city.”

Aura conveyed with a serious expression. Her leaden eyes held a ruthless light.

In war, naivete was fatal. If you want to avoid defeat and seize victory, you have to be very careful. Above all, if the plan was to proceed without delay, it was necessary to be prepared to put reason before emotion.

It was a decision that would result in the deaths of many people―a decision that you would question yourself about for the rest of your life, carrying the guilt of whether or not it was the right decision and whether or not you made the right choice.

“Don’t worry. I’m already prepared for that.”

Liz nodded back emphatically, then looked down at the map and asked Aura.

“So, how are the other countries faring?”

“The three countries that stayed in Azel until just before we entered the Six Kingdoms―Urpeth, Scorpius, and Tigris―seem to have already crossed the border and returned to their respective countries.”

“Could it be a trap? If it were me, I’d leave some ambush troops behind on the pretense that a retreat was underway.”

“The scouts reported that they did not see any suspicious shadows. They may not intend to save the human’s country.”

It’s a difficult thing to judge. Aura had a complicated expression on her face, as if she was somewhat unconvinced, even though she had said so herself.

The silver-haired girl, who had been pondering for a while, turned her determined face toward Liz.

“I’m not sure yet, but there is one thing that concerns me. Can I take care of this matter?”

“Yes, of course. But don’t think too much. It might be their plan, too.”

“Yes. I’ll let you know when I have a better idea.”

Sometimes it was dangerous to read too much into things. If you were too preoccupied, it would interfere with the operation.

Aura must be very aware of this, so her reporting―and by that, she meant that she would leave the final decision to Liz.

However, from observation of Aura’s condition, she did not seem to be preoccupied, nor did she lack composure. Although she sometimes forgot that she was older than Liz because of her appearance, she had been on the battlefield for more years than Liz and was sure to come up with the right answer on her own.

“I’ll leave that one to you, then, but what about Greif, Anguis?”

“The country of Greif is not in a position to send out troops due to the defeat in the Felzen region. In this respect, Azel may be more serious. Azel is one or two of the smallest of the Six Kingdoms and was overwhelmed in the battle at Felzen. Therefore, it does not have many troops left. So I don’t think the upcoming invasion operation will be that hard.”

In the initial forecast, Grantz was prepared for a long battle to retake Felzen.

However, as it turned out, only two countries, Greif and Azel, fought desperately to keep Felzen from being taken, and they were able to recapture Felzen earlier than they had expected.

“But only one country…, Anguis, was unreadable.”

After abandoning Sandinal, the new royal capital of the Felzen, Anguis abandoned the soldiers of Greif and Azel, who had been defending it together, and returned to their home country.

According to the captured soldiers, Anguis’ army was divided into several units and escaped from the new royal capital Sandinal disguised as merchants.

Therefore, the damage to Anguis was very small compared to the others, and it could be said that Anguis was the country with the most remaining strength among the Six Kingdoms.

Therefore, there was one thing that could not be solved.

Although Anguis was nearly unharmed, it had not sent reinforcements to Azel and had remained confined to its own territory, making no move at all.

It was eerily silent.

“There is no doubt that Anguis is up to something.”

Three years ago, the western part of the Great Grantz Empire was tormented by the Queen of Anguis.

Bakish, one of the Five Great Generals, was defeated by her, and the Third Prince Blutar was also executed by her. Taking into account what she has accomplished, she must have realized that the Great Grantz Empire was trying to divide the Six Kingdoms, using the country of Azel as a buffer zone. Just because there was no sign of movement did not mean that they could relax. It was necessary to keep a watchful eye on them at all times.

“Let’s release scouts to the north and pay attention to Anguis’s movements. Other than that, we will proceed as planned.”

“Yes, all we have to do is get Azel to the negotiating table in the shortest possible time, and we’ll be in a race against time.”

“Yes, we are also concerned about the letters from my sister.”

Several letters from Rosa have reached Liz.

With the growing tension in the north, the suspicious signs in the Vanir Three Kingdoms, the suspicious movements of the southern nobles led by the Muzuk family, and the fact that the main force of the Grantz is out in the Six Kingdoms, it seems that things accumulated over the past thousand years have started to move together.

“I knew it… but how we get through this crisis will depend on our fight against the Azel.”

In the north, there are reports that the Levering Kingdom is also rallying its troops.

The Grand Duchy of Drall is also said to be planning something, and the duke is sending out messages to all parts of the country.

The Republic of Steichen and the Principality of Lichtine are in the same boat.

They were not allied with each other, they were just fighting each other, and if they saw any sign of the collapse of the Grantz, they would try to chip away at their territory.

“We are being surrounded on all sides.”

Because of their vast territory, they could not reach out or even look at all of it.

History, which had been built up in a distorted way, was beginning to tilt.

It takes a long time to build up but only a moment to break down.

In the blink of an eye, it would all be over.

The flow of time, its tremendous rapidity, was undeniably felt.

The time that had been stagnant, began to move.

But that doesn’t mean they will give up.

Even if what awaits them lies ahead in the darkness, they would push forward, believing in the light.

“We will fight through.”

Liz sensed that the dawn of a chaotic world was approaching before her eyes.

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