Chapter 136
Erich, who shot to stardom overnight.
Everyone reacted to him differently.
Richter, the commander of Fortress 5, wore a subtle smile, as if he had known this would happen.
The lords of the central and northern regions kept a close eye on Erich.
This was especially true for the lords of Leonor, who had been busy keeping Krupp in check.
Meanwhile, the Church, which supported Erich, felt emboldened.
Along with them, Ceres of the Magic Tower, now in a supportive relationship with him, felt the same.
She was currently under examination to become the new Tower Master, as Erich had suggested in his letter. Unless there was a big upset, it seemed highly likely that she would claim the position.
On top of that, at the meeting place, the barbarian Hrung-ga took a prominent seat.
Considering that the original reason for this gathering was to wipe out the barbarians, it was certainly a curious sight.
In any case.
As many gathered and the hall buzzed with chatter, it was the solemn voice of Grant, the 1st Fortress Commander, that silenced the crowd.
"...... Thus, since the lord commander remains in recovery, by the certification of myself and Chief Mikhail, we invite Erich von Krupp as the 97th Lord Commander of the Watch. May the Great Wall last forever."
—May the Great Wall last forever.
The Watchmen echoed the slogan. Among them, however, it was Günter who mumbled the words the most half-heartedly.
Just as in Erich's previous life, Günter seemed decidedly displeased with Erich's sudden ascension to Lord Commander.
Soon, Erich spoke.
"I'm sure everyone was surprised by my sudden appointment as Lord Commander. But this position is only temporary. Should the Lord Commander awake, I am ready to step down at any time."
"Is this for the purpose of suppressing the rebellion?"
Günter's voice rang sharply, though unlike before, he now used honorifics. Regardless of his personal feelings, the authority Erich now possessed was undeniable.
To this, Erich replied.
"Yes. Commander Günter. I believe we must apprehend the two fortress commanders who are at the core of this rebellion and hold them accountable."
"... Accountability is important. But there are also fundamental problems behind why any of this happened."
Günter quickly broached a sensitive topic—the relationship between the authority of the fortress commanders and the command structure.
Günter opposed the tradition of a commander-centric Watch.
Rather, he desired a horizontal structure, much like the relationship between the imperial lords and the grand duke.
However, that did not mean he condoned the rebellion. Perhaps because of his past—perhaps because he was of royal descent—he held a merciless view regarding revolt.
Thus, his point was simple: suppress the rebellion, but also address the power dynamics that had sparked it.
"Do you mean you want the fortress commanders to have more independent authority?"
"That is correct. Otherwise, who can say when something like this will happen again?"
Of course, Erich didn't believe this to be a simple rebellion. The whole situation was too sudden and radical. As much as there had been discontent among the commanders, why had it erupted just now?
Erich's forces had only separated from the main unit and engaged the First Research Facility a week ago at best. It hadn't been that long.
In that time, could four fortress commanders have colluded and planned to attack the Commander?
Erich continued.
"This incident is very different from any rebellion we've faced before. None of us could have predicted their insurrection. Everything happened unusually quickly."
"I was aware of that as well, Lord Commander. But what if they had been meticulously preparing for a long time...?"
"If that were the case, they wouldn't have failed."
Erich spoke firmly. Something unknown was working behind the scenes.
When something happens that no one can comprehend, there must be a reason that makes sense.
'But what could it be?'
The position of a Watch fortress commander wasn't one you could attain after just a few days of hardship.
Each one of them was exceptional, yet they concocted a coup doomed to fail? It didn't seem plausible. Erich could not accept it.
So, as Günter suggested, rather than treat this as a typical rebellion and debate its problems, Erich believed the first order of business was to uncover the true cause.
After an extended exchange, Günter bit his lip.
"I understand, Lord Commander. You believe something strange is happening behind the scenes."
"That's correct. Furthermore, Lord Commander Augustus must have had a clear reason to appoint me as Lord Commander. There are others here more suitable than myself."
Erich looked slowly at Grant, Richter, and Günter.
By rights, it should have been one of them. At the very least, it should have been Grant— that would have been the natural order.
But if Augustus ignored such order...
'There must be a reason.'
Unlike his past life, it wasn't that Erich was the only possible candidate.
Grant was there, and even Richter was an outstanding leader.
Yet, as in the previous life, Augustus appointed Erich as the next Commander.
'If so, searching for that reason comes first. There must be a clear explanation.'
Erich slowly nodded.
***
The first thing Erich prepared as Commander was to restore the main army. The damage caused by the rebellion of the four fortress commanders was not insignificant.
Even though they had been beaten back, the rebels still maintained considerable forces, and the matter had to be concluded swiftly.
Especially considering how Ungrim could cross the valley and threaten the main force at any time.
The very fortress commanders guarding against them had revolted.
Nevertheless, preparations for war after Augustus' death were proceeding rapidly. Erich was not as rigid as Augustus.
Though it was an internal conflict, Erich utilized Imperial resources to prepare the main force.
He equipped the troops with new armor and weapons, and summoned priests and paladins to heal the wounded.
These were advantages the rebels couldn't enjoy.
Yet, as he prepared for this war, Erich felt the presence of hostile glares.
In particular, many aides from the Black Citadel who had once followed the previous commander now openly expressed dissatisfaction at Erich's appointment.
'He may be talented, but is he really that special...?'
It wasn't an unfair point. Even Erich himself held a lower position now than in his previous life, which meant he had even less justification to become Lord Commander.
But such discontent could be addressed later. For now, Erich focused on the immediate problems, especially restructuring the formation.
'The current Watch uses formations effective against barbarians.'
Close-packed defensive formations work against barbarians, but are unsuited for fighting fellow Watch soldiers.
Here, using spears, even without prior experience, is far more effective.
Especially if shields are not used, thrown weapons become even deadlier.
Thus, Erich obtained Imperial spears and javelins. Bows were an option, but most men had never used them before.
It's easy to train archers as swordsmen, but nearly impossible to train swordsmen as archers. It required too much skill.
On top of that, imperial nobles and knights taught simple tactics for fighting other Imperials to junior officers. Though everyone grumbled, Erich enforced this by his will.
In this, Grant, 1st Fortress Commander, was of great help. Without his support, Erich would have faced even more resistance.
Still, the more this went on, the more Erich wondered. Grant was a perfect candidate for the successor—wise, upright, and trusted by his subordinates.
Why had Augustus chosen to appoint Erich, only a unit commander, over such a man?
Erich was determined to uncover this secret once he put down the rebellion.
—Knock knock.
Just then, someone knocked on the door of the temporary commander's quarters. It was Ceres, who had holed up for days to study Laurenti's remains.
"Come in."
"Congratulations on becoming Lord Commander, sir Erich."
"It's not such a big deal. Not as grand as being Tower Master, I suppose."
Erich smirked. Thanks to his new role as Lord Commander, his influence had swayed the Magic Tower, which officially acknowledged Ceres' discovery of the 'Eye' as a great achievement and approved her as interim Tower Master.
With the upcoming vote in the mage council, she would soon formalize her position.
So great was the impact of Ceres's discovery regarding the opening and use of the 'Eye' that it caused a huge commotion among mages.
Ceres got straight to the point.
"I am here to tell you what I've discovered."
"... Let's hear it."
Erich clasped his hands and listened as Ceres continued.
"There's a spell among Laurenti's magic that I can't read."
"Is it in some ancient language or script?"
"If that were all, I wouldn't have come here. It's not that it's just incomprehensible; it feels like I am being denied the interpretation itself."
"... What does that mean?"
Ceres explained carefully to Erich. Every magic spell is built on basic formulas, but in the magic Erich found with Laurenti, there were previously unseen formulas.
Usually, when a mage finds a new formula, all you need to do is read it. But this time, something was different.
Every time she tried to decode it, it felt like her head would split open—as though she glimpsed something vastly beyond her comprehension. That was how Ceres described it.
Erich pondered, then asked,
"So, you're saying, it's something humans can't read?"
"... Surprisingly, yes. It might be safe to think of it as divine territory."
Divine territory...
—Creak.
Erich leaned back in his chair. Indeed, what the Lord of the Dead did exceeded what any single being could do.
Raising the dead, changing the course of rivers across vast lands, and causing disasters.
It was a power on a whole other level from mere manipulative magic. And Erich knew only one other being like this.
'Incensus.'
The only divine entity Erich knew; one whom he not only knew about but had actually met.
If the Lord of the Dead were a divine being like Incensus, wouldn't it be natural that no human could understand his power?
Erich's thoughts went that far.
"If that is indeed a divine spell, is there any way to interpret it?"
"... I've never been a god, so I can't say. But maybe, if someone possessed the power of a god?"
Erich gave a wry smile. There was someone who already possessed godly power, wasn't there?
—Creak.
Erich stood up and donned a black cloak bearing a gold brooch. Grabbing his sword from the table, he said,
"Let's try seeing for myself."
"... Excuse me?"
"I feel like I'd know if I saw it."
Ceres blinked at him. Was he joking? Did he really believe himself a Apostle of Incensus?
But since Erich strode forward with utter confidence, Ceres followed him without another word.
Thus, they left the barracks and headed for Laurenti's remains—
—determined to find out for themselves whether this truly was the realm of a god.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
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