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Chapter 114: The Mage of Ashes (4)
A barren desert stretched out before the red fortress.
The atmosphere in the encampnt, lined with endless rows of orc-style tents, was far too relaxed to resemble a battlefield.
It was no surprise—wherever one looked, there were only their own kin.
With numbers like these, it seed impossible to lose any war against any enemy.
“……”
Of course, that was rely the naive thinking of the orc soldiers who knew nothing.
At the center of the camp, inside a massive tent, a pair of eyes were fixed on the enemy positions marked on a map.
Those eyes belonged to Ulgur, the great chieftain who had unified the orc tribes of the desert for the first ti in centuries.
‘Humans….’
Within that red fortress lurked two humans, both so formidable that even Ulgur couldn’t guarantee victory against them.
In fact, hadn’t he barely escaped with his life in their last encounter?
Throb.
The long scar slashing diagonally across his face ached more than ever today.
‘But that knight must surely be dead.’
It was impossible for him to still be alive.
After all, Ulgur had forcibly infused his unprepared body with the purest grace, ensuring his demise.
Yet, even as he convinced himself of this, a simple truth held him back from launching a full-scale assault.
“……”
It was fear.
The unease that whispered—what if the knight was still alive?—kept Ulgur hesitating.
Then, sensing movent behind him, he quickly turned around.
“……!”
Standing there was a human pair, a man and a woman.
Even in the heart of the enemy camp, within the great chieftain’s tent, they exuded an air of unshaken composure.
What was even more shocking was Ulgur’s attitude toward them.
“You’ve co.”
At his words, the woman crossed her arms and remained silent, while the man responded.
“How have you been? Ul... what was your na again?”
“It’s Ulgur.”
“Ah, right. Anyway.”
The man smiled lazily before asking,
“Why haven’t you started the war yet?”
“……The preparations aren’t complete.”
“No, that’s not it.”
Shaking his head, the man glanced at the map spread out on the central table of the tent.
“Even if you’re just lowly monsters, you’ve gathered 80,000 troops. What more preparation could you need?”
“War isn’t that simple.”
“Hah.”
A soft, deep smile spread across the man’s face.
“You’ve grown, haven’t you? Now you’re even trying to lecture .”
“……That wasn’t my intention. I apologize if I offended you.”
“No need to apologize. Just don’t forget who helped you unify this desert.”
“I’m always grateful.”
“Good. But you know, this world operates on a give-and-take system. If you’ve received, you need to give in return.”
The man tapped his fingers on the map, right over the red fortress.
“Attack the fortress within three days.”
“But the detailed strategy is not yet—”
“This is a direct order from the Fifth Finger.”
Though the man smiled, his eyes were cold.
Feeling an inexplicable unease under that gaze, Ulgur had no choice but to nod.
“……Understood.”
* * *
The previous project researching the Seed of Corruption had been terminated, and a new one had begun.
Its sole purpose: to restore Commander Theodore to his human form.
“Hmm. Is it impossible to completely uproot the demonic energy from the commander’s body?”
“If you’re asking about possibility, it’s doable. The success rate is high too. But he wouldn’t live long afterward.”
“……Because he wouldn’t have even the minimum mana needed to sustain life?”
The research mainly progressed with Lloyd presenting possibilities and Oscar responding to them.
“Then there’s only one option left.”
Having eliminated other possibilities, Lloyd spoke.
“The way the Seed of Corruption transforms a being into a demon—that process must be reversed.”
“I think so too.”
The thod involved converting all the demonic energy within the subject into pure mana.
Of course, such a solution wouldn’t just fall from the sky.
“…To be honest, I don’t think I can figure this out. Alchemy isn’t even my field.”
“That’s fine. Deconstructing and analyzing magic is my specialty.”
Displaying strong confidence, Oscar worried about sothing else.
“The important thing is whether the commander can endure the process.”
While magic was pure energy, demonic energy was entirely destructive and corrosive.
Turning a blackened canvas back to white was infinitely harder than staining it in the first place.
“Moreover, the pain would be… several tis worse than becoming a demon.”
“The commander is the strongest soldier and knight I’ve ever known. He’ll endure it.”
“You seem to trust him a lot.”
“……Not really. I’m just stating what I’ve seen with my own eyes.”
Oscar rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
It was rare for Lloyd, who harbored deep distrust of humanity, to place such faith in soone.
While it was heartening, what Oscar needed now wasn’t ambiguous positivity but certainty.
‘Certainty that Theodore Bale can endure the process.’
To confirm this, Oscar decided to speak with the commander directly.
“Answer honestly. Can you endure pain worse than when you accepted the Seed?”
“It’s not a matter of whether I can or can’t, is it?”
Restrained by enchanted chains, Theodore weakly smiled.
“If it’s impossible, I’ll make it possible. A true soldier’s spirit is about perseverance. Don’t worry—I can endure it.”
“Then let ask a few more questions. Compared to when you were human, how does your current body feel?”
“……I don’t really know. Honestly, if it weren’t for the demonic energy and regenerative power, I’d still believe I was human.”
Though obvious in hindsight, his body—infused with demonic energy—bore significant resemblance to a demon’s.
After asking a few more questions, Oscar nodded.
“Thank you for your help. Your responses have provided valuable research material.”
“Huh? Research material? Wait, who are you—”
“……What?”
Suddenly, Theodore’s eyes turned completely red, and he glared at Oscar as though to kill him.
“The number of soldiers in the red fortress is chicken. The desert orcs are as nurous as cockroaches, in autumn and winter. But the sword I wield is enchanted, making it perfect for a ladle.”
“……”
The nonsensical and utterly bizarre phrases left Oscar turning to Lloyd with a questioning look.
It seed that he was quite accustod to the commander spouting nonsense, as he quietly left the room with him.
"The ti we can have a normal conversation is getting shorter and shorter. It must an his mind is collapsing."
"Even so, for him to deteriorate to this extent... This isn't good. It feels like he doesn’t have much ti left."
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"We’d better hurry. Do you think we can finish the research in ti?"
Oscar shrugged.
"Didn’t the commander say it? If it’s impossible, make it possible. I’ll try to create sothing with that determination."
"…I’ll tell you in advance, I won’t be of much help."
Before the reason for that could even be asked, a tremor strong enough to shake the entire underground lab was felt.
It was a vibration that had been sporadically occurring for a few days now.
Lloyd, silently staring at the ceiling, finally spoke.
"The orcs finished their maintenance five days ago. It doesn’t seem like any more tribes will be joining them."
"That ans..."
"Yes, they’re itching for a fight. A full-scale war will break out soon."
War.
A word that, with just its two syllables, could make the air feel suffocating.
"How many enemies have gathered so far?"
"80,000."
"Wow."
Just hearing the number was enough to make one’s head spin.
Considering that the soldiers stationed in the Red Citadel numbered only 20,000, it was a four-to-one disadvantage.
"Will we be alright?"
"Orcs, except for special entities like chieftains or generals, are only about level 3. Thinking about individual strength, it’s not entirely disadvantageous for us. It’ll be a fight of quantity versus quality."
"Objectively speaking, which side has the upper hand?"
"…A single hand can’t fend off two or three others."
The mont Theodore Bale, the level 7 knight, fell, the scales had already tipped.
Even so, under normal circumstances, they could have held the fortress for several years.
The Red Citadel, boasting a history of undefeated legend, had always managed to do so.
"…But with the appearance of the King Sandworm as a variable, that’s unlikely now."
"Indeed, if that massive body rams into the walls, they’ll crumble with little resistance. Do you think the main force can hold out until my research is complete?"
"You don’t need to ask to know the answer."
"Make the impossible possible."
Recalling those words, Oscar chuckled faintly.
* * *
Lloyd’s prediction was accurate.
Three days after their conversation, the resounding thud, thud, thump! of giant drums shook their ears from the early morning hours.
It was a kind of ritual perford by the orcs before setting out to battle.
"..."
"..."
The mages lined up atop the Red Citadel gripped their staffs tighter as they watched the advancing orc army.
Fear and determination coexisted on their faces, their breaths shallow.
The orc forces slowly approaching the citadel resembled an endless wave of ash-gray, surging forward.
‘We’re supposed to kill all of them?’
‘Damn orcs, there are so damn many.’
Unable to endure the pressure, so mages felt the urge to unleash fireballs, but Lloyd, with his hands behind his back, remained silent.
"Commander, give us the order anyti."
"Hold your position."
Ultimately, the orcs made the first move.
Spears they hurled darkened the sky, forming an arc as they fell.
Glancing at them briefly, Lloyd gave the order.
"Deploy shields."
"Deploy shields!"
At the mages’ cries, a barrier of flas spread in midair.
Whoosh!
The fiery barrier, painting the Red Citadel even redder, burned and blocked the incoming spears, minimizing damage.
"Commander! They’re closing in on the walls!"
"Give the command, sir!"
Lloyd held back and held back again.
Finally, as the leading orcs began climbing the walls, their massive muscles rippling, his lips moved.
"Full bloom."
At that mont, unnad flowers blossod on the dry desert ground in front of the walls.
The flowers extended like a pathway, cutting through the massive orc army.
"Grurk."
"Flowers…?"
They could never know.
The flowers were Fire Lotuses, found only in deep volcanic zones, and they had an explosive nature when ignited.
Looking down at the orcs staring blankly at the flowers, Lloyd snapped his fingers lightly.
"Floral Carnage."
Boom!
The flowers simultaneously emitted a dazzling light and set off a series of explosions.
Caught in the massive blasts, the orcs’ flesh scattered, and their formation collapsed in an instant.
‘Incredible.’
The army’s morale surged, as it naturally would, witnessing a miracle perford by a single mage.
‘Finding those flowers was impressive, but to bloom so many of them all at once…’
By rough estimate, there were thousands of them.
With a single explosion, the tide of the battle shifted decisively.
"..."
Lloyd, watching the advancing orcs, glanced briefly toward the tent housing the research lab.
How many more hours could they hold against that army?
‘Please succeed in there.’
――――!!!
The deafening roar of the charging King Sandworm tore through the air, and one side of the fortress wall crumbled.
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