Chapter 602
"Catching Enough Should Be Fine." (1)
Numerous supplies, weapons, and mages poured in from each kingdom that had received the call for aid.
While other resources were manageable, securing mages of the 5th Circle or higher was proving to be the biggest challenge.
A series of troubling reports were delivered to Ghislain.
“They’re all reluctant to send their mages.”
“……”
It was frustrating, but he could understand the perspective of the other nations.
The war had ended, and now, out of nowhere, they were being asked to fight a dragon. It was only natural for them to doubt whether it was even real.
Moreover, even though they were all part of the United Human Army, the Kingdom of Turian was still a foreign land. There was no reason for them to deplete their own forces just to stop a Monster Wave happening elsewhere.
Even if the dragon did appear, they likely believed that the combined forces already assembled would be enough to handle the threat.
Ghislain ran a weary hand through his hair.
“I gave them so much leeway during the war… And this is how they repay me?”
Mages above the 5th Circle were key military assets. Even during the war, each kingdom had hoarded its own superhumans and mages, using the excuse that they needed to protect their own territory.
To gather even a thousand mages now, they would have to scrape together every single one they had been holding back. But instead, they were trying to minimize their contributions by any means necessary.
While he could understand their reasoning, there was only so much patience he could afford them.
When the recruitment of mages hit a deadlock, Ghislain issued a threat to all involved.
“If we don’t gather the necessary number of mages, we will abandon the Kingdom of Turian.”
His words sent a ripple of shock through the room. If a dragon truly appeared, Turian’s destruction would be inevitable.
No, even without a dragon, they could barely fend off the Monster Wave with their current forces. The long, grueling war had already pushed the kingdom’s finances and military strength to the brink of collapse.
Marquis Gideon shouted in alarm.
“What do you mean by that?! We’ve fought together all this time, and now you’re saying you’ll abandon us?!”
To him, it was an earth-shattering declaration.
He had joined the United Human Army and endured an endless campaign to protect Turian and now, they were simply being discarded?
No one could be certain if a Monster Wave of this scale would truly occur or if a dragon would really appear. But from Turian’s perspective, they couldn’t afford to ignore even the slightest possibility.
Ghislain answered indifferently.
“None of you are cooperating properly.”
A noble let out an awkward cough before speaking hesitantly.
“Ahem… It’s not that we’re refusing to cooperate. We also need to request aid from the Magic Towers, and… negotiations within our kingdoms are taking longer than expected…”
In truth, they weren’t deliberately delaying.
The nobles currently stationed in the Kingdom of Sardina had no choice but to support the United Human Army their own positions depended on it.
However, since the aristocrats back home weren’t fully cooperating, their hands were tied as well.
Another noble let out a sigh and spoke.
“There is skepticism about the claim that a dragon will appear.”
“Discussions are still ongoing within the kingdom.”
“It also feels like they are trying to keep us in check.”
At the last remark, everyone nodded.
As commanders of the United Human Army, they led formidable military forces.
Having won the war, they had risen to positions of significant influence within their respective kingdoms. And now, their own nobles were wary of them.
Ghislain nodded.
“Of course, of course. I understand that you’re all doing your best. But if we fail to gather enough mages within the preparation period, we will have no choice but to abandon the Kingdom of Turian.”
“Ahem… The Monster Wave is one thing, but… what if a dragon really does appear…?”
“Then there’s nothing we can do. We’ll just have to leave them to their fate, whether they survive or perish.”
“Hrm…”
Everyone’s expressions darkened. It wasn’t as if they felt at ease abandoning Turian, a kingdom they had fought alongside.
Now that the Salvation Church had fallen and the war had ended, everyone was trying to quietly step away, minimizing their losses as much as possible.
They had already shared the spoils of war, so it made more sense for them to focus on stabilizing their own territories.
Besides, the claim that a dragon would appear was more akin to a prophecy, something difficult to believe.
This kind of political maneuvering was an age-old tradition in international affairs, but the commanders gathered here couldn’t help but feel a twinge of shame.
Ghislain glanced around the room before continuing.
“In that case, I won’t concern myself with Turian’s downfall, even if another kingdom takes over its lands.”
“……”
“No, in fact, I’ll make sure to ‘personally’ lure the dragon toward the most uncooperative kingdom.”
“W-What?”
“W-What are you saying…?”
“You’re going to lure the dragon?”
The entire United Human Army leadership was thrown into turmoil. No matter how extreme things had become, the idea of intentionally leading a dragon toward a kingdom was unthinkable.
Standing beside Ghislain, Claude closed his eyes and nodded.
‘Here we go again. He just has to get his way, no matter what.’
Claude clicked his tongue, but for Ghislain, this was the obvious course of action. He had already been through too many dire situations to hesitate now.
Looking at the nobles who were reeling from shock, Ghislain spoke confidently.
“Yes, I will keep luring it.”
“……”
“Until when? Until we have gathered one thousand mages of the 5th Circle or higher.”
“……”
“And once a kingdom is destroyed by the dragon, the surviving members of the United Human Army will divide its lands among themselves. Sounds good, doesn’t it? The rewards will be even greater than they are now.”
Everyone swallowed dryly as they stared at Ghislain.
‘I-Is he insane? Ah, right. He is insane.’
‘His way of handling things is way too extreme!’
‘This is bad! He’s actually capable of going through with this!’
They had always known he was ruthless, but this was on another level.
It was clear if things didn’t go his way, he was prepared to destroy everything.
Ghislain looked at Claude and spoke.
“Claude, contact the homeland immediately and have all our forces put on standby. If we don’t get as many mages as we need, we’ll keep luring the dragon toward different kingdoms, and in the end, we’ll hunt it near the Kingdom of Ritania. Start preparing for withdrawal as well.”
“Yes, sir~!”
Claude responded playfully and dashed outside without hesitation.
Turning to the nobles, who still looked utterly dazed, Ghislain spoke coldly.
“Let’s all just die together, then. But I won’t be dying. I’ll take this opportunity to conquer the entire continent.”
His declaration snapped everyone back to their senses.
“W-Wait a minute!”
“Understood! We’ll do whatever it takes to pressure our homeland! I’ll even stage a rebellion if I have to!”
“Please, just give us a little time! You know we share the same goal!”
The nobles had no choice but to panic. Ghislain wasn’t someone who merely spoke, he acted.
Having fought alongside him for so long, they had seen firsthand how relentless and decisive the Duke of Fenris was.
Seeing the nobles fluster, Ghislain clicked his tongue.
“So let’s hurry up, shall we? You all know I’m not a patient man.”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
“It seems we’ve been far too complacent.”
“Our homeland simply doesn’t grasp the severity of the situation. This time, we’ll make sure they understand. Hahaha…”
They laughed awkwardly, wiping cold sweat from their brows.
Honestly, this was downright humiliating.
They wanted nothing more than to quit the United Human Army altogether, but they couldn’t.
The Duke of Fenris had always led from the front lines. To be frank, he was the one who had kept them alive.
So, no matter how much they disliked him, they had no choice but to follow.
After all, if they kept bickering and scheming like typical nobles, they would all be doomed together.
Ghislain’s closest aides struggled to suppress their laughter as they watched the scene unfold.
"Ahh, this is so satisfying."
"It was frustrating when we were on the receiving end, but now it’s actually quite nice."
"If they won’t listen, just force them."
They were all too familiar with how agonizingly slow and inefficient the nobles could be when handling affairs.
That was precisely why Ghislain always bulldozed his way through obstacles instead of waiting.
By now, they had grown accustomed to it, his way was simply more effective.
With his threat hanging over them, the United Human Army's leadership quickly sprang into action.
They had to send a clear and unmistakable warning to the nobles back home, who were still dragging their feet.
Returning to his office, Ghislain leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh.
“Hah… They really have no idea how serious this is.”
It couldn’t be helped.
After all, he was the only one who had faced Arterion before.
As always, there was no time for persuasion or diplomacy. He needed to prepare as quickly as possible, no matter what it took.
And whether they liked it or not, his threats were working.
Though they cursed him under their breath, the kingdoms had started moving a little faster than before.
By now, Ghislain was infamous across the continent as a madman who disregarded noble customs and traditions entirely.
Everyone knew that a man who had ignored their rules for so long wouldn’t suddenly start playing nice now.
Each kingdom began conscripting even mages from the Magic Towers as an exception. The wails of those being forcibly drafted echoed across the continent.
A 5th Circle mage could live comfortably and be treated with elegance anywhere. Accustomed to such privileges, they struggled to endure the current forced mobilization.
Naturally, this led to a new problem.
As reports flooded in, Ghislain pressed his fingers against his forehead.
“Mages from the Magic Towers have fled.”
“They said, ‘Give me liberty, or give me death.’”
“Rumors are spreading that anyone dragged into this battle is as good as dead.”
Even the nobles, who had once resisted but eventually caved to Ghislain's threats, were now facing a new issue: mages were fleeing en masse.
It was a testament to how terrified they were of fighting a dragon.
After all, a dragon stood at the pinnacle of magic itself.
“Tsk… I didn’t expect this kind of problem.”
Receiving the reports, Ghislain let out a hollow chuckle.
This situation was completely different from his previous life.
Back then, there had been nowhere to run, destruction was imminent no matter where one went. Those who didn’t want to die had no choice but to fight together.
But now, things were different.
Ghislain had eradicated the plague.
He had sealed the rifts.
He had toppled the Salvation Church and ended the war that had engulfed the continent.
As a result, mages now felt like they could afford to run away, thinking, "What difference will one person make?"
Being forced to fight in their own kingdom was one thing. Being dragged off to war in a foreign land was another.
It was a perfect reflection of their inherently self-serving nature.
Even the United Human Army’s leadership found this situation troubling.
“We’ve tightened surveillance as much as possible, but a significant number have already escaped.”
“Damn, I didn’t think they’d be this shameless.”
“They didn’t even participate in the last war, either…”
Most of the mages recruited into the United Human Army had already belonged to royal courts or noble estates. Since they had joined early on, there was no issue with them.
The real problem was the mages from the Magic Towers.
To reach one thousand mages of the 5th Circle and above, the Magic Towers had to contribute.
Unless they were like Ritania, where the towers voluntarily participated in the war, there was no choice but to plead for their cooperation.
But now that many of their core mages had fled, it was impossible to reach the required number.
The nobles were visibly outraged.
“What did those bastards even do during the war?! They sent a few apprentices and just sat back and watched!”
“Honestly, they only survived because of us! And now they have the audacity to act all high and mighty?”
“Exactly! We saved them, and this is how they repay us? Ungrateful wretches!”
For the longest time, mages had been granted immense power and freedom.
The Magic Towers were an essential military asset to the kingdoms, and as a result, their independence had been respected.
However, seeing them act so selfishly even in a crisis like this it was only natural that resentment had finally boiled over.
Despite their frustration, none of the nobles dared to take decisive action.
What if they tried to crack down on the Magic Towers, only for them to abandon their kingdom and relocate elsewhere?
‘That would only hurt us… We’d just end up being blamed.’
‘What if the mages never return to our kingdom?’
‘If another kingdom secretly stays out of this, all the mages will flock there instead.’
Mages weren’t just necessary for war they were essential for maintaining civilization itself.
In fact, cities that housed a Magic Tower were far more developed than ordinary cities. They also generated enormous tax revenue.
Because of this, lords who governed such cities had no choice but to tread carefully around the towers.
And since the mages understood how crucial they were, they had always carried themselves with an air of superiority.
The nobles all turned to Ghislain. None of them wanted to take responsibility for this situation.
One noble boldly spoke up.
“So, what do we do?”
“……”
Ghislain closed his eyes and tilted his head back.
Because of the tangled web of political interests and long-standing traditions, none of them could act decisively.
He didn’t blame them, it had been the same in the Kingdom of Ritania as well.
Which meant he would have to make the decision for them.
Thud!
Ghislain placed his sword on the conference table.
The nobles flinched as he swept his gaze over them before speaking in a calm, unwavering tone.
“We bring them back.”
“Pardon?”
“We capture every single one of them and drag them back. Is that so difficult?”
“Uhm… But they’re mages? And most of them are from the Magic Towers, where their rights and freedom are protected…”
“So what? No matter how vital they are to the nation, if they aren’t available when they’re needed, what good are they? Their so-called ‘rights’ exist because they have a duty to protect the kingdom.”
“W-Well, that’s true…”
“They’ve been living in luxury all this time, yet now, when the people who sustained that luxury are in danger, they choose to abandon them and run? Does that make any sense?”
“……”
With an icy expression, Ghislain spoke with finality.
“Apparently, some mages shouted something interesting while they were fleeing. ‘Give me liberty, or give me death,’ was it? That’s quite a nice phrase.”
“Ahem…”
“Then we should grant them their wish.”
“……”
“From now on, send word to every kingdom.”
“A-About what…?”
“Capture the runaway mages. If they resist, bring them back as corpses.”
“……”
“The United Human Army will also dispatch pursuit units immediately. We will begin hunting down the mages who have fled to neighboring kingdoms.”
At Ghislain’s chilling decree, the nobles could only break out into a cold sweat, unable to say a single word in protest.