Chapter 130 : Chapter 130
Chapter 130. In Other Fronts (6)
Roden and Michael immediately changed their destination and headed for the area near Tizren Castle where Laura had fought the Black Bell Corps.
When they arrived, the 1st Corps' main battalion was collecting the bodies.
At a glance, there were more Allied Forces bodies than Imperial Army bodies.
“Another company has been shattered like this…”
Michael muttered from beside me as he watched the scene.
I, too, gazed at the same scene with a bitter expression before speaking.
“Let's begin the on-site investigation.”
And so, I started the on-site investigation with Michael.
The 1st Corps tried to stop us for a moment, but a soldier who had been present when we met Laura last time recognized our faces.
Thanks to that, we were able to quickly resolve the issue and begin the investigation.
However, as expected, we couldn't find much evidence that would be of help.
The reason was simple.
The Black Bell Corps, which used the mobility-type crystal orb, didn't leave many traces on the battlefield in the first place.
Also, the nature of the battlefield, where it was difficult to distinguish between the traces of allies and enemies, made the on-site investigation difficult.
“This isn't going to work. We should move on to questioning right away.”
Since Michael’s words were right, I asked one of the soldiers who was collecting the bodies.
“Is there anyone here who participated in this battle?”
The soldier thought for a moment before answering.
“Most of the soldiers who survived the battle have returned to Tizren Castle, but Bilbo, who is moving the bodies over there, volunteered to stay. If you have any questions, you should ask Bilbo. Hey, Bilbo!”
And so, Roden and Michael were able to meet a man named Bilbo.
“I heard you volunteered to move the bodies yourself instead of returning to Tizren Castle, is that correct?”
“I just felt that if I returned as is, I wouldn't be able to rest easy, so I made a special request to my platoon leader. I couldn't stand seeing the guys I knew, the guys I was close to, growing cold on the ground.”
“...I understand. We won't dwell on your bad memories for long and will keep our questions brief. How did they activate the mobility-type crystal orb? Did you happen to see?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure. It was all too chaotic.”
Bilbo seemed to have no recollection even after searching his memory for a long time.
It was not a surprising reaction.
The other soldiers we had met during our on-site investigations so far had shown similar reactions.
“Alright. Then let me ask a different question. How did the 1st Corps' main battalion try to stop the Black Bell Corps' teleportation?”
Fortunately, he remembered this part.
Bilbo answered.
“The first part of the operation was to make the surroundings incredibly noisy so that the Black Bell Corps couldn’t escape. So the entire company beat drums, blew trumpets, and shouted. In the meantime, the Red Wolf Unit fired ropes using crossbows.”
“The Red Wolf Unit?”
When Roden asked, Michael, who was beside him, explained.
“It’s the name of an elite private army that Laura has been raising since before the war. Composed of Glockner knights.”
“Ah. So, for what purpose did the Red Wolf Unit shoot the ropes?”
After briefly grasping the identity of the Red Wolf Unit, Roden asked, and Bilbo spoke.
He was curious about the Red Wolf Unit, but he could ask Michael about it later.
“The Red Wolf Unit tried to control the movements of the Black Bell Corps using the ropes.”
“Using ropes? Is that possible?”
“I had my doubts too, but the Red Wolf Unit's attempt was partially successful. They succeeded in capturing a few enemy soldiers by firing multiple trident-shaped ropes at one person.”
I could roughly picture the scene.
It seemed they had formulated a plan to capture at least a portion of the Black Bell Corps, even if they couldn't wipe them out at once, to identify their hideout and raid it.
“So, roughly how many enemy soldiers were captured?”
“I remember about five or six of them were tied up tightly with ropes and couldn't move a finger.”
“Then did the operation go as planned?”
“No. In conclusion, the operation failed. The Black Bell Corps succeeded in escaping this place by using the mobility-type crystal orb once again.”
“Even the ones who were tied up tightly with ropes?”
“Yes. Moreover, in the process, the Black Bell Corps threw a large number of explosive-type crystal orbs, and our forces couldn't help but suffer a severe blow. This is the result.”
At this point, it was no exaggeration to say that we had heard everything we needed to hear.
For that reason, Roden bid farewell to Bilbo.
“I see. And thank you for talking to us, even though it must have been difficult. This is for your trouble.”
What Roden gave Bilbo was one of the copper brooches he had received as a reward before.
Despite receiving a considerable reward, Bilbo looked at it with a gloomy expression before bowing his head.
“Thank you.”
After Bilbo left, I had a conversation with Michael.
It was Michael who spoke first.
“In the end, Laura took a similar approach to us. She tried to prevent the activation of the mobility-type crystal orb by preventing them from speaking and moving.”
“It seems so.”
“In that case, aren't both methods useless?”
“Perhaps. But it's possible that the method they used didn't work.”
“It was certainly an operation with some flaws. But as Bilbo testified, I think the Red Wolf Unit succeeded in preventing them from moving. Not all five or six of them were completely immobilized, but at least one of them must have been.”
“I also think that was the case on their side. But for an activation word, it's useless no matter how much you beat drums, blow trumpets, or shout. The magic artifact doesn't have ears, after all.”
“So, unless you completely silence them, you couldn't have stopped them from activating the mobility-type crystal orb with an activation word? Are you certain?”
“At least, that's what I think.”
Although he said he thought so, he was actually certain.
As a former magic theorist, Roden knew better than anyone that an activation word was simply a way of expressing one's will.
And as long as this will could be read, the magic artifact could be activated.
For that reason, the method Laura had tried was useless.
However, the reason he didn't say this for certain was that he had no way of providing evidence for it.
Naturally, Michael didn't know that Roden had been a magic theorist.
“Alright. In that case, your method still has a chance of working.”
“Probably.”
“Then the problem now is whether the Black Bell Corps will appear again after this battle. What do you think?”
“I think the Black Bell Corps will appear again. Having already shattered a transport battalion once, the Black Bell Corps won't be satisfied with inflicting damage on just a company-sized unit.”
Humans were beings who could only be satisfied by tasting an achievement greater than the one they had tasted before.
For that reason, Roden was convinced that the Black Bell Corps would attack the 1st Corps' transport battalion.
Michael, after hearing Roden's story, came to a similar conclusion.
“I think so too. In that case, all that's left is to wait for the transport battalion to be normalized. What about Laura? Should we go meet her?”
“No. We've already confirmed what the 1st Corps' main battalion's operation was, and through that, we can guess to some extent how the mobility-type crystal orb is activated, so there seems to be no reason to do so.”
If we hadn't gotten information from Bilbo, we probably would have had to go find Laura.
But since we had obtained sufficient information, there was no reason to go out of our way to find her.
“It’s true that even if we did go, we don’t know if she would obediently share information. Above all, she’s probably furious right now. I understand. Let’s go back.”
And so, Roden returned to Biluk with Michael.
***
Meanwhile.
The atmosphere in Tizren Castle was extremely grim.
“I apologize.”
The commander of the Red Wolf Unit prostrating himself before Laura was proof of that.
“……”
Laura said nothing in response to the Red Wolf Unit commander's apology.
The reason was not that she had no intention of forgiving him.
Rather, it was because she couldn't figure out how to navigate the current situation.
To think that both of the operations she had prepared to catch the Black Bell Corps by any means necessary would fail.
It was something she had never imagined.
‘And it wasn't just that the operation failed. I lost a company's worth of troops during the operation. The family head will surely be disappointed in me.’
Thinking this, Laura bit her lower lip.
'Is it impossible for me to ever catch up to Malena like this?'
In fact, what Laura was most worried about was not failing to become the successor of the Glockner family.
It was falling out of favor and receiving less attention than Malena.
[Malena, play with me!]
[Why should I play with someone who has no skill?]
[That’s…]
[Stop being annoying and get lost. While I'm dealing with you, Leon is getting stronger and stronger.]
A memory from the past flashed in Laura's mind, and she felt a wave of dizziness.
It was then.
A thought suddenly occurred to her.
“...Why did he ask when the transport battalion would be back to normal back then?”
“Pardon?”
The prostrating commander of the Red Wolf Unit, thinking she was talking to him, asked back, but Laura paid him no mind and continued to talk to herself.
“Could it be that he thought the Black Bell Corps would launch another operation when the transport battalion is back to normal?”
“……”
“If so, he must have a plan to capture the Black Bell Corps. What is it?”
“……”
“His plan must have a higher chance of success than mine. It's a plan that Michael, who was crazy with his elitist ideology, agreed to.”
“……”
“Good. I’ll use this as well. Then I’ll be able to make up for the current situation.”
After organizing her thoughts while talking to herself, Laura looked down at the commander of the Red Wolf Unit.
“We need to find out what kind of plan the 3rd Corps' main battalion is preparing. Let's go to Biluk.”