Chapter 467: Something Feels Off (1)

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The catapult barrage continued without end. It was impossible to even guess how many stones they had prepared.

Despite being crushed and buried under the relentless rain of stones, the Delphine army charged relentlessly at Erenes.

"Waaaah! Kill her!"

"If we can just kill the elf, that's all that matters!"

"Don't back down!"

The Delphine army had abandoned any thought of pushing toward the Northern Army. All their focus was on killing Erenes.

"Hm."

Erenes repelled the charging enemies and surveyed her surroundings.

She had already used up significant energy summoning high-ranking spirits and deflecting the Northern Army's catapult attacks. The heavy falling stones were even more destructive than most knights' strikes.

Though it was exhausting, she was used to this. In wars of the past, she had fought at the forefront alongside her comrades.

Looking at the pile of corpses surrounding her, she muttered.

"This should be enough."

She had done far more than Claude had requested. No one could complain about her performance.

The Delphine army, abandoning their charge, turned all their attention to her, but Erenes began to retreat, riding the wind.

"Catch her! Don't let her escape!"

Count Matthes shouted desperately. After suffering such heavy losses, letting the elf escape was unthinkable.

Delphine archers fired volleys of arrows, but they were far from enough to stop her.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The catapult attacks showed no sign of stopping, raining destruction on the Delphine army. The soldiers who had charged at the forefront were all dead.

The formation had long since fallen into chaos. Without a clear target, the soldiers didn't know what to do.

Count Matthes, too, seemed paralyzed by disbelief at the situation.

A bloodied aide shouted urgently.

"Corps Commander! The elf has escaped!"

"…"

"You must give an order!"

"…"

"Corps Commander!"

"… Retreat."

It was too late to mount another charge. Morale was in shambles, and there was no way to counter the enemy superhuman.

Charging now would only result in needless death.

At a glance, more than half of them had been killed. And for what? They had achieved nothing but being pummeled mercilessly.

'To think an army of 100,000 strong could crumble so easily…'

Despite all their preparations and intelligence, no one had truly understood the Northern Army's power.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The relentless catapult fire made even retreat difficult. The Delphine army scattered in disarray, desperately dodging the falling stones.

Watching them flee, Claude gestured to someone nearby.

"Ascon, it's your time to shine. Show them the true power of an elf! Let them hear the curse of nature from your foul mouth!"

With a resolute expression, Ascon stepped forward, amplified by a mage's magic, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Hey! You bastards! The Delphine army fights like shit! Acting all tough, pretending to be the best in the kingdom, but what? You're not the kingdom's strongest, you're the kingdom's punching bag! All you did was march in and get your asses kicked! What can you even do? Useless pieces of trash! If you're so mad, why don't you come back and try again, huh?"

Taunting after a victory was always the most satisfying. It was an eternal truth.

Hearing Ascon's jeers, the Northern Army cheered gleefully, while the retreating Delphine army looked utterly humiliated.

As she returned to the camp, Erenes heard Ascon's words, closed her eyes, and turned away.

It was mortifying to share the same race as him.

***

The battle ended in a complete victory for the Northern Army.

Everyone had been confident in their victory; the only question was how few casualties they could achieve.

Thanks to Erenes' unexpectedly brilliant performance, they won far more easily than anticipated.

As the bloodied Erenes dismissed her armor, it unraveled into vines and sank into the earth. The armor would now recover on its own, nourished by the energy of the land.

Turning to Claude, Erenes said.

"Things turned out as you planned. I'll give you some credit."

"…"

Claude had nothing to say. In truth, all he had hoped for was to confirm the number of enemy superhumans and, if lucky, take down one before retreating.

His original plan had been to reduce the enemy numbers with catapults and have Tenant deal with the rest inside their defenses.

But it hadn't come to that.

'This wasn't how it was supposed to go… It's almost like when the lord goes berserk alone.'

Come to think of it, the feeling was quite similar. When Ghislain was around, there hadn't been much for Claude to do either.

Everyone was staring at Erenes as if she were some kind of monster. The awkward silence was finally broken by Alpoi.

"Grand Chieftain! It's me, Alpoi! You remember, right? A 5th-circle mage, the man who defeated a goddess."

Alpoi eagerly introduced himself, presenting her with a glass of cool, purified water. It was water he had personally cleansed and chilled with his magic.

"…"

Erenes accepted the glass with a visibly uneasy expression. She wasn't the type to fall victim to poison, but something about this man just didn't inspire trust.

Still, she couldn't outright refuse his gesture, so she drank it. Alpoi clasped his hands together and said.

"Would you like me to massage your shoulders?"

"… No, thank you."

"Well, if you ever need anything, just call me!"

Grinning like a fly, Alpoi scuttled away, unable to hide the glee on his face.

'I'll win over the Grand Chieftain and escape this slave contract!'

She looked far stronger than the lord. If he played his cards right, he might be able to nullify his slave contract.

Even with Alpoi's antics, the awkward atmosphere persisted.

Tenant repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists nervously.

'The world is truly vast. To think there's someone like this besides Count Fenris…'

Though he himself was a superhuman, he couldn't imagine fighting like Erenes had.

At best, he would have barely managed to fight one opponent and been left battered. While he might excel in technique, the raw power of the Church's high priests was superior.

Claude, who had been sitting smugly on the upper seat, quickly climbed down and said.

"Would you like to sit here instead?"

"… No."

"Oh, come on, you should take the seat."

Unlike Claude and Alpoi, who were fawning over her, Kaor turned his head away and muttered.

"Hmph… Just wait. I'll challenge her again someday."

Though he wanted to train more and attempt a rematch, he now doubted even becoming a superhuman would make him strong enough.

His pride burned, but fear kept him from acting. Yet, admitting admiration felt unbearable.

Ascon, who had openly clashed with Erenes, couldn't even meet her eyes now. He turned his body completely away, grumbling.

"Damn it, she's scary strong. Has she been hunting in the forest her whole life? She might as well go and conquer the world."

Watching all of this, Erenes shook her head in disbelief.

'It feels like this place has gathered all the shallowest people in the world.'

What kind of person was Count Fenris? How had he managed to gather such individuals? It must have taken effort to find such a group.

And yet, despite them all, the Count had achieved remarkable feats with this band of misfits. Truly remarkable.

Unlike the tense leadership, the Northern Army's soldiers couldn't contain their joy at such a decisive victory.

"Waaaaaah! We won!"

"The Delphine army wasn't such a big deal after all!"

"The Grand Chieftain is incredible!"

The elves who had followed Erenes into battle wore expressions brimming with pride.

To them, Erenes was akin to a deity. Just as Ghislain inspired confidence among the Northern Army, Erenes did the same for the elves.

Erenes smiled slightly and waved at the cheering soldiers.

Even someone who had lived in the forest for so long possessed at least this much social grace.

"I think I'll rest now."

"Oh, then let me help you recover! I can be of assistance."

As Piote approached, Erenes shook her head.

"It's fine. I just need to rest for a while."

Erenes had no major injuries. She had only expended too much energy.

Receiving holy power would undoubtedly speed up her recovery, but she declined.

Erenes had always been uncomfortable with holy power, even though it wasn't an inherently conflicting force.

'I don't want to feel that energy any longer.'

Every time she came into contact with holy power, it left her feeling uneasy.

It was the power once used by a comrade long gone, and the energy that had contributed to the current chaos.

'No, I shouldn't dwell on the past any longer.'

Shaking her head sharply to clear her rising thoughts, Erenes turned away from Piote, who stood awkwardly after her refusal, and made her way toward her tent. Today, she wanted to rest without thinking about anything.

Her face looked more tired and somber than usual, and it was clear it wasn't just the strain of battle.

Claude watched her retreating back and chuckled quietly to himself.

When Wendy glanced at him, Claude held up three fingers and mouthed the words silently.

"Thirty years."

"…."

Claude was overjoyed at the thought of having such a powerful asset at his disposal for thirty years.

Then he suddenly remembered Erenes was an elf.

"Oh… I should have made it 300 years."

Realizing his mistake, Claude frowned. Thirty years was a time frame he might very well live to see, meaning Erenes would surely still be alive.

In thirty years, wouldn't she come for him, furious, and turn him into a part of nature?

"Well, whatever. I'll worry about it then."

Claude's optimism kept him from fretting over what might happen thirty years from now.

After all, who could say when he might die in the middle of the war? That was a problem for the post-war future.

'I just need to figure out how to extend the contract. Maybe I should turn her into a gambling addict?'

While Claude was lost in his ambitious scheming, the Northern Army was busy reorganizing their supplies and strengthening their defenses.

Victory wasn't an excuse to let their guard down. The Delphine forces were still moving across the kingdom, and the overall situation remained dire.

"Hm, I can't predict how things are going to turn out."

Scratching his head as he studied a map, Claude frowned.

This battle had only blocked one of the Delphine forces' routes. He had no information on the outcomes at the other two fronts.

Those battles had yet to conclude.

The Eastern forces, after suffering repeated defeats, had managed to establish a defensive line thanks to hastily assembled allied reinforcements.

Even if they wanted to send reinforcements to the other fronts, they needed more information about the situation. But communication had been scarce.

It was several days later when Dark visited Claude.

"Hey, Claude! Another great defense, huh? I knew you had it in you!"

"… You're here. Where's the lord?"

"He'll be here soon. He sent me ahead to assess the situation."

"And Perdium?"

"Handled it flawlessly, thanks to me, of course."

Dark proudly credited himself for conveying Erenes' words to Perdium, patting himself on the back for what he considered a significant contribution.

"Alright… The rest will be handled when the lord arrives."

Before long, Ghislain and his entourage arrived. Receiving the battle report, Ghislain was highly satisfied.

As expected, even in his absence, his forces had done an excellent job repelling the enemy's attack. Erenes, in particular, had made a massive impact.

"As I said, she's incredible."

The figures who were once called the Continent's Seven Strongest were indeed beings of another realm. Erenes had proven herself worthy of that title.

The Delphine forces would now have to reconsider their strategies, their heads spinning over how to deal with her. What they didn't realize, however, was that the Northern Army still had untapped potential.

Ghislain himself would soon create five mana cores and regain his past strength.

'Of course, it's not yet the right time for that.'

Uncertainty over when he might face an intense battle prevented him from expanding his cores recklessly.

This war could likely be managed with three cores. He could briefly tap into the strength of nearly five cores by using Dark's amplification ability.

Still, he planned to try when the opportunity arose.

"What about the allied forces?"

"They've been sent to support the kingdom's forces in the East, but… no decisive results have been achieved yet."

The primary forces from the allied kingdoms were unlikely to have been deployed, so expecting significant military strength would be unrealistic.

But numbers were power in their own right. With the allies, they had managed to establish multiple defensive lines.

Claude cautiously offered his opinion.

"The Delphine forces advancing east have been halted by the kingdom's army and allied troops. The other two army corps should also be facing resistance from the kingdom's forces."

"Hmm, I see. We should send Dark to assess the situation. If we've received no news by now, something must have gone wrong."

One hand couldn't hold off ten. Even if the Northern Army had won here, if every other front fell, it would become a major problem.

If they went to support one front, the other might be breached, leading to the loss of the capital.

"We should strike south into the Delphine heartlands. That was the original plan, wasn't it?"

Claude's suggestion was valid. Ghislain had intended for the Northern Army to launch a swift counteroffensive into the south after repelling the initial attack.

At least, that had been the plan before meeting Melkir.

Ghislain tapped his temple as he pondered and said.

"No, I changed my mind. Originally, I planned to do that, but something feels… off."

"Off? What do you mean?"

"I don't know, it just feels wrong."

"…"

Ghislain had formulated a broad strategy.

As soon as the opportunity arose, the Northern Army would launch a surprise attack into the south, targeting the Delphine forces directly. This would force the remaining Delphine troops to return, at which point the kingdom's forces, the allies, and the Northern Army would work together to encircle and crush them.

To that end, they had even convinced Count Mowbray to lend them a passage.

But now, Ghislain was questioning that strategy.

"I don't think they'll retreat. In fact, I feel like they might just capture the capital instead."

"That would be the end of the Delphine forces, wouldn't it? Why would they risk that?"

"They must believe their final defenses are unbreachable. After all, the Kingdom's Finest Sword and the 7th-circle mage haven't moved."

Those two were the ultimate bulwark protecting the Delphine forces. So far, the Salvation Church's superhumans had been the only ones participating in the war.

That was what was troubling Ghislain.

Each of the Delphine army corps likely included at least one superhuman from the Salvation Church. The kingdom's forces and allies, without their own superhuman, would struggle to counter them.

"It'll be hard for the kingdom's army or the allies to deal with their superhumans. In the end, it'll come down to us… But the main Delphine forces are still in the south, protecting the Duke."

"If we move south and the situation stagnates or the occupation takes too long… the other fronts could collapse."

"Exactly. Honestly, at first, I thought it wouldn't matter. I believed that once we killed the Duke Delphine, it would all be over. I figured we could deal with the rest afterward."

Ghislain paused for a moment before continuing.

"But now… I'm not so sure."

Perhaps the Delphine forces and the Salvation Church wanted the Northern Army to attack the south. That way, their other corps could survive and capture the capital.

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