Chapter 63
"The most notorious swindler has appeared."
At the commander's residence, which also served as the meeting place for the Watch headquarters, a familiar voice rang out.
"Sir Mikhail. It's been a while since I saw you."
"I thought you'd be hard to kill, but I didn't know you had tricks like this up your sleeve. Tsk tsk."
Erich offered a sheepish smile at Mikhail's words. But in truth, this con was not achieved by Erich's own abilities, contrary to what Mikhail thought.
"How could such a plan have come only from my mind? The circumstances assisted me, that's all."
"The circumstances?"
Those gathered here were Commander August, the chief quartermaster Konrad, and Mikhail. Out of them, Mikhail was the only one not previously informed about the plan.
"This resurrection act, so to speak, was only possible because everyone's needs matched up."
"... Needs? Are you saying everyone wanted you to come back alive?"
"More precisely, there were more people who needed a reason to stay here."
Smiling, Erich explained to Mikhail. It was exactly what he'd said when he first convinced the commander.
Those who dispatched troops to the Great Wall fell into four categories. First was the South, directly related to Erich's supposed death.
Next were the Central nobles, who were dispatched not wanting to lose to the South, and the Northern grand duke and lords, who were worried that any powers other than their own would expand influence over the Watch.
The final faction was the Order, infamous for their mad swordsmen of Incensus — fanatics who went crazy over any heroes, and wanted to stay at the Watch to grow their influence, since their Order was weakest there anyway.
So, the South, center, north, and the Order. These four factions maintained a delicate tension. In truth, the only ones wanting to retreat were the Central's Leonor.
"For the South, the purpose was to use my death to make the name of Krupp known. Revenge for the death of a hero. The act held its own significance. For them, bringing vengeance to a close would deliver the greatest benefit."
"And the North? That old bear wouldn't want his troops exhausted, would he?"
"The North has traditionally wielded great influence over the Watch, geographically close as it is. So, no other factions should remain here but them; and if another stays behind, so must they."
A smile crept over Mikhail's wrinkled face. He nodded as if intrigued, inviting Erich to continue.
"And as you know, the Order has the least influence in the Watch within the Empire. They'll want to stay and proselytize as much as possible."
"... You haven't mentioned the Central faction yet."
"The Central...."
Erich let out a wry chuckle. Their intentions were all too predictable.
"As long as their detested rival, Krupp, stays with the Watch, they cannot leave. They're not the sort to just let that pass."
"Kehaha! Is this why, August, you insisted learned men should be put in such positions?"
"I only learned a bit, while watching my house elders."
In simple terms, it's like one of those "crossing the river with a boat" riddles. The entwined relationships among the four factions made it possible for Erich to pull off this scam.
'In reality, less than half of them probably believed in true Incensus power.'
Careful staging and a bit of plant-driven agitation. As the old saying goes, give three people a rumor and they'll conjure up a tiger from thin air.
But that was enough. If even one of them believed and stayed, the rest would lose any reason to return.
Looking at it, it wasn't that Erich fooled them, but rather that they agreed to be fooled by him. Someone must have thought it was nonsense.
However, Erich remembered the Order's mad swordsmen—the paladins. There was something unsettling about how genuinely they seemed to believe in it.
After Konrad and Mikhail had laughed for a long while, August calmed them and spoke in a deliberate tone.
"... Now, let's wrap up the chit-chat here, and focus on more important matters."
"That big head the kid brought in, you mean?"
August nodded. On the commander's desk was the massive head of a death knight that Erich had brought.
Although the Watch's chief quartermaster, albrecht, said he couldn't believe in the existence of the dead, now that tangible evidence was here, it was hard to deny.
Mikhail stroked his beard regretfully.
"It would have helped to study the creature's weaknesses if we'd brought it in whole. A shame."
"Coming back alive was miracle enough, Mikhail. Regardless, thanks to Erich's wits, we now get to use the Empire's army here as is. Ha!"
"But will they help? Earlier I saw them trying to ride out on horseback into the snowfield. Tsk tsk."
Of course, those troops still needed time to adapt. The North, with its year-round frost storms, was harsher than any battlefield they'd seen.
"But a force of ten thousand, led by battle-hardened Imperial knights, is precious indeed. Our strategy has changed significantly thanks to that. Erich, do you know the meaning of this operation?"
Erich paused, considering August's question. What did the commander hope to gain by bringing in Imperial forces here?
"A search for the barbarian forces linked to the dead, and the eradication of the dead's hidden bases, I believe."
"Good. This situation has clarified that they're no longer content to hide in the shadows. The fact that you almost fell into that trap shows this isn't some distant event."
All nodded in silent agreement. Certainly, this was no ordinary affair.
They had long suspected a connection between the barbarians and the dead.
But the fact that their combined forces backed Erich, a swordmaster, into a corner—and could have wiped out 200 troops—meant the crisis had been truly dire.
Konrad spoke up.
"Also, when we tracked the Orca-roid, we found barbarians and, at the end, a trap set by the dead. That suggests a lot."
Konrad's sharp point. What was the Orca-roid?
It had nearly crippled the Watch's strength—a real threat, especially since whoever controlled the dead had also been operating it.
Mikhail's eyes flashed.
"The forces of the dead have been trying to systematically destroy the Watch."
"Indeed. And we still haven't figured out what those suspicious goods were in Morris village. They're probably related to the dead, surely."
"... Konrad should be in charge of that, then."
Konrad nodded.
As the quartermaster in charge of all supplies to the Watch, he knew every corner of their organization; a search like this suited him perfectly.
August spoke.
"We need to connect the incidents so far with what we have to do next. And decide what must be done going forward."
Regardless, that was that. Erich noticed someone was absent from the meeting.
Previously, his absence was sudden and possibly excusable, but this was a meeting to organize the whole situation. Not being here was stranger.
"By the way, where is Chief Adjutant Albrecht?"
"Ah, he went beyond the Great Wall to coordinate with the fortresses. No one could've predicted you'd show up so suddenly...."
But August shook his head, as if he knew what Erich was about to say.
"Don't doubt Albrecht. The odds of him being a spy are slimmer than a mouse passing through a needle's eye."
"He's got a cold side at times but he's an excellent member. More than that, I personally instructed him in swordsmanship."
August and Mikhail both defended Albrecht—as expected.
'They've been together since youth.'
August, as a young outpost officer; Mikhail, newly appointed as a senior. They'd known Albrecht since then.
Even Erich, after only a short time, had come to trust Frederick and Barnes. Those who'd spent half a lifetime together would trust one another even more deeply.
But for Erich, with knowledge of the future, the only one worth suspecting in this room was Albrecht. Among the highest ranks present, he was the one with the least connection to Erich—and whose later deeds were least clear.
'... I must not let go of any suspicions, not now.'
To identify and not overlook any suspicions—that was Erich's duty. Perhaps, he thought, he should dig a little deeper into Albrecht.
There wasn't clear evidence yet, but.... Erich bowed his head slightly in response.
"Please forgive the lack of insight from a young member, commander."
"No, suspicion isn't bad. Not in times like these...."
August understood the current reality. It was an uncomfortable truth that had to be faced. Perhaps for now, Erich's sacrifice alone averted disaster.
But a greater crisis could yet come, and the commander did not disregard it.
"I'll look into any spies within the Watch myself, but in this matter, I'll give you full discretion, Erich."
"Thank you. I'll do my best."
August pointed to the map on the wall and continued.
"The Imperial forces and the Black Citadel's members will advance north of the Great Wall, meaning as far as the Taigar forest. If possible, I'd also like to thoroughly map the North this time."
At the mention of the North, silence fell over the room.
Even from the Watch's standpoint, the North was the most remote—an unknown land. Homeland of the barbarians, place of death for Imperials.
The Watch would occasionally send out search parties only to suffer losses simply to confirm barbarian activity.
"We must remain primarily prepared for the dead, but also rout any barbarians as we go. Cooperating with them would be best, but I can't think of a way to persuade them."
"You want to cooperate with barbarians? Don't be ridiculous."
Mikhail sneered in displeasure. It made sense; Mikhail in particular had a bitter history with the barbarians.
"As we face the dead, even if all the living joined forces, it may not be enough. Erich, you've faced them directly—what do you think?"
Erich thought for a moment. It was a valid point. There was no way to communicate with the barbarians...
'Wait, there is.'
He remembered the wolf talisman tucked away in his breast. While he wasn't sure about other tribes, those particular barbarians might listen to him.
Besides, Hrung-ga himself had experienced the power of the dead firsthand.
"There may be a way to speak with them. Personally, I've made some connections with the barbarians at the place I mentioned before."
"... You're saying you collaborated with the barbarians in that hell?"
"... Certainly not. We leaned on each other a bit to survive, that's all. But he seemed to be rather high-ranking among the barbarians. If we can sway his tribe, we might pull in other tribes as well."
August nodded.
"That's a good idea. Barbarians are enemies, but the undead are to be feared even more. If the legends are true, there's nothing wrong with preparing in advance."
August gestured at the map and continued.
"My main force won't advance quickly. It's best to deploy each fortress forward."
"Commander, if the supply lines grow too long, logistics will become difficult. If we want to eliminate all the barbarian remnants, the main force will have to move even slower."
August directed attention to the map again.
"A report that can't be ignored has come in. There's a barbarian, Ungrim, whose power is emerging. I fear we may be witnessing the rise of a new Mountain King."
"... Ungrim, you say?"
"Erich, have you ever heard the name?"
"No, but I'll make a note of it."
Erich swallowed quietly. Ungrim—a future Mountain King who would lead an army of a million over the Great Wall and nearly drive the Watch to total ruin.
Just the name made Erich react instinctively.
'... But there's no way I can just ignore this.'
Erich composed himself and spoke.
"In my view, we must quell the barbarian threat first if we're to face the dead as well."
"Well said. But Ungrim is based in a place no Watchmen have ever been to. Who could possibly do it?"
"I'll go."
August's eyes narrowed. He'd have rebuked any reckless hothead, but the commander didn't see Erich that way.
"It will be more dangerous than anything else. Are you really sure?"
"Yes. I'd like to try."
"Very well. Let's postpone that a bit and focus on a priority: to reach Ungrim, we must first establish an outpost in the North. One of our fortresses is already deployed there. They fight fierce battles every day."
"You mean the 6th Fortress?"
"Yes, I believe working with them is essential. We need to use that as a stepping stone to track Ungrim. However...."
A shadow fell over August's face as he considered the 6th Fortress.
"The situation there seems strange lately."
At these words, Mikhail's brow furrowed.
"If necessary, I'll go myself. The 6th Fortress is always the center of rumors."
"... Are even the regular members hearing rumors?"
"Who doesn't? That place is nothing but ill omens. The local barbarians are constantly attacking. There've been waves of large-scale raids, one after another."
Indeed, the map showed a cluster of red dots near the 6th Fortress. Unlike the other strongholds, many hostile tribes were present there.
And the red X marks? Those were sites of clashes. No matter how you looked at it, the situation around the 6th Fortress was alarming.
"I'll go."
The first to speak up was Erich. All eyes turned to him.
"Erich. You still need to rest. It's too soon for you to leave."
The commander's tone was tinged with worry. But Erich was firm.
"No. I've already rested plenty. I need a new mission. And I've always been curious about the 6th Fortress with all its rumors."
"... Is that so."
August thought for a moment, then replied.
"So be it. If you need personnel, coordinate with Konrad."
Yet as he listened to August, Erich's expression hardened. He understood better than anyone just how serious this was.
There was a reason he stepped forward now. Before his regression, and in the Watch's memory, all knew—especially in those days—of the 6th Fortress.
When the assault of the dead began, they appeared at the vanguard, wearing black cloaks and the badge of the 6th Fortress—
It was the fortress that, having become the dead itself, led the slaughter of the Watch.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】