Chapter 180
After returning from meeting Albrecht, Erich summoned all his officers.
This included representatives from the lords of the south, central, and north, as well as representatives of the Order and the Mage Tower.
Erich didn't stop there.
He even summoned the three barbarian representatives—Hrung-ga, Ungrim, and the shaman Aung-ga.
In that situation, Erich relayed to them what Albrecht had told him. At this, Ungrim twisted his face and said,
"... Why didn't you tell me? That was a great chance to get rid of that bastard."
"It was a better opportunity than just killing him. Besides, getting rid of him didn't seem all that easy from the start."
Erich also conveyed to Ungrim the full extent of Albrecht's power. Ungrim cast a sidelong glance at Hrung-ga and responded,
"Interesting. So Hrung-ga got knocked out in a single blow and fainted."
"I didn't completely let him go. I already gave orders to track his movements."
"To whom?"
Erich raised the corner of his mouth without a word. Ungrim frowned at this.
"... Come to think of it, was it Krupp? Seems you sent those idiots."
As Leonor's legitimate child, Ungrim seemed to have knowledge of Krupp's shadows.
Erich, too, was aware of the long history of shadows. That Ungrim knew about it wasn't so strange.
Anyway, at that moment, Mikhail, who had been quietly listening, added,
"But this isn't the important part right now. If we are to trust what that guy said, we've found out the location of the Lord of the Dead's main camp... What will you do now?"
"That is why I am seeking everyone's opinions."
The representatives of each lord glanced at one another.
Naturally, they had no idea what kind of opinion Erich was seeking.
Then, the northern representative, Sven, spoke up.
"You want our opinion?"
"That's right. One option is to split our forces in half and launch a surprise attack on the Lord of the Dead's main camp. The rest would continue constructing the Great Wall."
"... We all know that if we eliminate the Lord of the Dead, this war will end. Wouldn't it be better to move the entire army?"
But Erich shook his head. If they led all their forces, the unfinished Great Wall would become meaningless.
'... Strategy must be consistent.'
Changing plans according to the situation was good.
But completely overturning and making void an already chosen strategy was an entirely different matter.
Moreover, he had to consider the possibility of failing the expedition with all his forces.
For Erich, who now commanded the largest army since the founding of the Empire, there would be only one chance.
To gamble that single chance fighting on the dead's home ground was far too risky.
"... Still, marching out solely based on Albrecht's word carries great risk."
Erich agreed with that, too. Of course, he didn't think the information Albrecht provided was a lie.
That fellow possessed a power he should never have had, considering he was under the Lord of the Dead's command.
Albrecht must have shown that power for a reason—a message, of sorts. That meant the information wasn't false.
Ceres soon spoke up.
"I have something I'd like to suggest to the commander..."
"Yes, speak freely."
"The Mage Tower has finished analyzing the 'tome' you mentioned earlier."
Erich nodded.
The 'tome' Ceres spoke of was the document Ungrim had brought—the one that described how to seal the power of the dead.
He had entrusted it to Ceres, her fellow mages, and the shaman Aung-ga, and now, the results were in.
"This seal itself is actually not that remarkable."
"... Are you saying it's useless?"
"No, quite the opposite. The ritual itself isn't that difficult. The real problem lies in the materials needed."
"Materials?"
"Yes, the required material is dragon power."
"... Excuse me?"
Erich's response seemed to reflect what everyone else was feeling.
Dragon power as the material for a seal?
Of course, Erich and his companions already knew dragons really once existed in this world—and had even encountered a dragon comparatively recently.
They had, in fact, destroyed that dragon.
"... Then it is useless after all. There's no way we can obtain dragon power now—"
"That's not entirely true. The tome also described where to obtain dragon power."
"... The dragon's powers?"
Erich's eyes narrowed.
At that, Ceres snapped her fingers in the air, creating orbs of light.
The lights intertwined and produced an image.
"This is the place where we destroyed the black dragon Karkas. The tome says it's where dragon power can be obtained."
"... I see."
Erich glanced over slowly. There were three locations where dragon power could be obtained.
One was Haratakan, where the already dead black dragon Karkas had dwelled.
Another one was marked with an X. That probably meant the power had already been used.
And the last one was...
"What's that?"
"Yes, that's right. It's the same place Albrecht pointed out as where the Lord of the Dead is."
Erich felt as if he had realized something—the secret of the Lord of the Dead's endless power.
'... It was said half of the Lord of the Dead's power came from the black dragon Karkas. So what about the other half?'
If one black dragon provided half, then wouldn't it make sense that the other half came from another dragon?
He arrived at this obvious conclusion.
Ceres seemed to have come to the same conclusion as Erich.
"My cautious conjecture is that the dead's power originates from those dragons. And if we could seize the last dragon..."
"Whoever seizes it could win this war."
Ceres agreed with Erich's statement.
If the Lord of the Dead could not absorb the dragon's remaining power, he would no longer be able to wield the same power as in his prime.
In that case, he would no longer be as formidable as he was in the past.
At that, Erich's thinking shifted. The most urgent priority was now to secure that dragon power.
At that moment, the central representative, Abe, spoke up.
"What if he's already absorbed the dragon's power?"
"That's not possible. If the Lord of the Dead had already absorbed it, he would have marched on us right away—especially since he knows we're building the Great Wall."
Milon replied on Erich's behalf. Soon after, Erich slowly raised the corner of his mouth.
The core of the war was right there.
"... I am amending the strategy. Our primary objective is now that location."
"But you're saying we should abandon the wall we've worked so hard to build?"
"Construction on the wall will continue. With a follow-up team already prepared, it will be finished in a month even with just a third of our forces left."
"... No, that's not the issue. What meaning does the wall have if the battlefield is over there?"
But Erich had another idea—a way to use the wall they had already built without abandoning it.
He looked at Ceres and smiled.
"That's something the Tower Master will handle."
Ceres tilted her head in puzzlement. Regardless of her thoughts, Erich's mind was made up.
The entire army would march toward the Lord of the Dead's locus, and the wall would still be used as planned.
No one at that meeting knew how Erich would employ the wall. Only Erich himself could envision that scenery.
***
The entire army was making final preparations for their march, minus the forces still needed to finish the wall.
Erich also reminded Ceres to carry out what he had requested.
Though she looked troubled, she ultimately promised to do her best.
But Erich knew well what mages were capable of.
'If you've witnessed it once, you can reproduce it again.'
Of course, that wasn't the only issue. It took a great deal of logistics for such a massive force to march.
However, the former commander, August, and watch quartermaster Konrad had both reported they would spare no effort to support him, so Erich decided to place his trust in them.
'There's no one like Konrad when it comes to feeding an army this size.'
The entire host hastened their preparations for battle.
Several mages assigned by Ceres cast protective magic over the troops.
Veteran soldiers trained new recruits on how to fight the dead.
Of course, disputes among the different factions still occurred—but each leader managed them well enough every time.
But above all, what mattered most was Erich himself.
The sword he gripped shook quietly in his hands.
'... This time, for sure.'
Because the day of beheading the Lord of the Dead was drawing near.
At least, the only ones who could challenge the hyman head-on were Erich, Mikhail, and perhaps Ungrim.
But Erich wanted more than that.
For some time now, a question had lingered in Erich's mind.
Why was it that the Lord of the Dead could manifest in the mortal world, but Incensus—a fellow god—could not, being forced instead to grant his power to Erich?
His thoughts wound on as—
Erich's eyes flashed.
From far away, a massive pillar of light rose up. Once again, the guiding pillar of light appeared before Erich.
And the place from which the light sprang—
'... It's where the Lord of the Dead is.'
The place believed to hold both the Lord of the Dead and the dragon—this would be the place where Erich's journey would reach its end.