“They look like a swarm of ants.”
Khan clicked his tongue, making this observation as he watched the only passage leading to the canyon gate at the entrance of the Dureng Canyon.
It had been the seventh morning since news of the revolutionary army’s massive advance had spread. A battalion of soldiers appeared, shaking the entire canyon, waving flags adorned with an inverted crown.
“They said at least a thousand troops would come. It seems there are more than that.”
As Leo observed, the forces of the revolutionary army gathered in Dureng Canyon numbered about 1,500.
Of course, it was easy to tell that most of them were untrained militiamen just by looking at their disorganized armament and sloppy formations. In reality, their exchange ratio with properly trained elite soldiers would be barely one to three—a motley crew, indeed.
‘Still, there are a lot of them…’
1,500.
According to the information conveyed by the self-defense forces scattered throughout the Principality, the current forces stationed at the canyon gate included nine knights and three hundred standing soldiers. Simple math meant that each soldier at the gate would have to take down five to balance the exchange ratio.
“Slaughter.”
Despite the overwhelming wave of numbers, Aries opined that the revolutionary side would be massacred unilaterally. Leo and Khan shared the same sentiment. Strategies like human wave tactics were hardly feasible in Midland.
A single knight could easily show an exchange ratio of one to a hundred, even up to one to two hundred. And knights can certainly push beyond even that. Moreover, when considering the advantages of defending, the number 1,500 might simply become a flock of scarecrows.
“Now I’m more convinced. Without the help of a demon or similar entity, they couldn’t even dream of such a frontal assault.”
With Leo’s sharp reaction as he placed his hand on the Demon Crusher, Khan’s gaze naturally shifted to Aries.
“Dark energy?”
“It’s still faint due to the distance, but I can feel it. And it’s getting closer.”
“No more doubt then.”
“Sir, if that’s the case?”
“Yes, we’ll intervene. But not immediately.”
Khan’s gaze remained indifferent as he looked down at the revolutionary army beginning to pass through the passage one by one.
The original plan of Welt was to use the battle at the gate as a distraction to approach Prince Raul, who had left his headquarters.
‘It was the same in the final battle of the second act.’
Just as the revolutionary army, who should have been agents of justice, colluded with demons, the grand narrative seemed unwavering even in this world line where Welt, who was supposed to become the new leader of the Republic, was struggling in an unexpected place.
In this world too, Welt aimed to secure Prince Raul, the ruler of the Principality and the main instigator, to resolve the situation. It was a method that matched his belief that the only ones hurt in a full-scale war would be the citizens of the Principality.
‘The biggest problem will be Ehram the Great Sword.’
Ehram, the final boss of the second act, possessed strength that was unmatched by those who had not reached the pinnacle of superhuman capabilities. However, they had Ludmilla on their side.
‘Alejandro and Eson… I’m not sure how much help they’ll be.’
There was also Maya, now equipped with legendary gear and capable of holding her own against knights. And Welt, who would be the key figure in the battle against Ehram.
As long as no one as strong as Ehram suddenly appeared and attacked the party, there shouldn’t be any unexpected variables.
“…The moment the revolutionary army draws on the demons’ power, we make our move.”
*
‘Damn, is she human or a ghost?’
Alejandro, who led the second team, acted as a sort of guide.
Specifically, he was to use his specialty in ‘thievery’ to bypass the canyon gate and infiltrate the fortress city situated behind it.
Naturally, this was an almost impossible task. Dureng Canyon was one of the largest canyons in Midland, so rugged that traversing it was impossible without following the established path. It was said that one would need superhuman physical abilities to even attempt it.
Conversely, those with superhuman abilities could bypass Dureng Canyon. That was why one of the party’s most significant assets, Ludmilla, was assigned to the second team.
“Stay still. If you struggle, you might fall.”
Despite Ludmilla’s gentle warning, Alejandro couldn’t quite calm down. Who could blame him?
‘We’re in the air…! We’re flying!’
Humans cannot fly. It’s a basic, unchanging fact. At least for ordinary people. Some mages from the Tower had created flying spells, and the elite empire’s knights were known to use aura to create footholds in the air, overcoming spatial restrictions.
However, Ludmilla’s method seemed fundamentally different from these.
“Is this a spell too, Ludmilla-nim?”
“What else would it be? Ah, but it’s not like the dusty old spells from the Tower. I was inspired by the magical gems of the sorceress.”
Maya Eldred, the lance of Palam, couldn’t hide her astonishment and asked. Ludmilla, revealing her pride unabashedly, lifted the corners of her mouth in a smile.
Even to Alejandro, who had little knowledge of magic, Ludmilla’s method appeared extraordinarily special, making it impossible for him to feel any enmity. He could only marvel.
‘You can create something like this with a spell…’
Shortly after leaving the entrance of the canyon where Khan had been, Ludmilla took out a rectangular stone from her bosom.
No sooner had she whispered into it than the stone turned into a chick about the size of a person.
“Why a chick of all things…?”
“Because it’s cute.”
Ludmilla, having brushed off Alejandro’s trivial question, recited the incantation once again. The golem chick flapped its wings and began to gradually lower its altitude.
“It seems we’ve already passed the gate. Look down there, do you see those dots, young lady?”
“Yes, those are probably… reinforcements from the Principality.”
Before they could even marvel at the fact that they had covered a distance that would take a day or two on foot in just a few hours, their attention was drawn to the procession of dots moving below them.
“Old man Welt, do they really stand a chance?”
“…They probably wouldn’t have started this if they didn’t think they could win. If the revolutionary army’s leadership were all idiots, the revolution would have failed a long time ago. I haven’t seen this so-called demon power myself, though.”
“If they’ve truly borrowed the power of demons, surviving will be more of an issue than winning.”
Maya Eldred had indirectly experienced the immense power of a Transcendent through the Golden Dragon Areolus. She recalled the moment when that incomplete, mindless monster swatted aside Khan—a symbol of superhuman—with a single blow.
“Well, it’s unlikely the demon itself will directly manifest. Even if it does, there will be various restrictions in place. Those three should be able to handle it. We need to prioritize our task here.”
Soon, we should be able to see the fortress city, right?
Indeed, as Ludmilla had said, the golem chick had flown past the reinforcements sent by Prince Raul and was now nearing the fortress city. They could see the city’s stronghold in the distance.
“Um, it would be best to just pass by the fortress city for now.”
“Alright.”
“Aren’t you going to ask why, witch-nim?”
“There must be a reason your leader chose you as the guide, right? And they say you’ve got a knack for thievery.”
“Hehe, indeed I do.”
What man wouldn’t be pleased with praise from a beautiful woman? Alejandro’s wide grin still didn’t inspire much confidence, but his subsequent explanation justified Khan’s decision to choose him as the guide.
“From my experience robbing noble houses, it’s often safer to exit proudly through the front gate than to sneak out.”
“Hmm… That’s an interesting notion. Why is that?”
“Imagine it. Who would expect a thief who has stolen something to brazenly walk out the front gate? Especially in a place like a noble’s mansion, where many people come and go. They’ll just assume you’re a servant or a worker sent by a guild and dismiss any suspicion.”
Alejandro’s suggestion to disembark after passing the fortress city was based on the same logic.
“Right now, the fortress city is preoccupied with receiving and deploying the troops sent by Prince Raul. Anyone approaching from the opposite direction would be accepted without much scrutiny. There’s no one else expected to be coming to the fortress city from the regular army’s territory at this time.”
“And if we get caught at a checkpoint… have you thought of a way to handle that?”
“Well, something will come up.”
“Something will come up….”
Eson grumbled with a sullen face. This operation was crucial to determining the fate of the Georges Principality. Moving forward with such a plan based on ‘something will come up’?
‘Is it because it’s a foreign matter?’
Of course, Eson knew this dissatisfaction wasn’t entirely justified. Welt had chosen to leverage their help because they couldn’t resolve it on their own, and Eson had agreed to that.
But emotionally, he couldn’t help but feel discontent. Alejandro’s appearance—this lanky, bald-headed figure—was fundamentally untrustworthy.
If not for the incredible flying display by the so-called “witch”, Ludmilla, he might have voiced his dissatisfaction.
‘Let’s see if he really pulls this off….’
Eson swallowed his frustration and grit his teeth, awaiting the success of Alejandro’s plan. And much to Eson’s chagrin, the soldiers of the fortress city let them inside with hardly any trouble.
“I thought it was over, and now even mercenaries are crawling in? Isn’t this overkill just to catch a revolutionary army? Tch. Next!”
The garrison commander guarding the city gate complained about Prince Raul’s excessive troop deployments instead of thoroughly checking them.
“Hehe. It’s challenging, I know. We came because we heard about the money, but it seems many have gathered. I wonder if they’ll even hire mercenaries after all this.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. The prince seems determined to crush the revolutionary army overwhelmingly. He hired quite a few other mercenary groups besides yours. In fact, you’re late. More than ten mercenary groups have already passed through this gate.”
You should hurry up.
The commander even offered advice to the suspicious mercenary group and gladly accepted the silver coin Alejandro handed him.
“Take care!”
“Right. Be careful not to get hit by a stray sword.”
Leaving behind the garrison commander, with whom they exchanged pleasantries and had come to kidnap the prince, Alejandro grinned widely.
“See? I told you it’d work.”
“… Why did that actually work.”