Chapter 629: Volume Seventeen: Dark Descends on Earth - One: Seizing the City (1)
Viscount Saliman only felt a splitting headache, as the dispute between Carl Libukneisi and Bronin had reached a boiling point. The two were locked in fierce debate over what strategy to adopt to deal with the Half-beast Army lying in wait to the south of the Floating Bridge. In truth, there was only one Mage left, namely the recently promoted Mejernov, who had just advanced from Magician to Mage. The Mage Corps, originally composed of nine Mages, was now down to a single individual. No wonder Bronin was firmly opposed to marching out from Bruce Fortress onto the land of Leon.
"Viscount Saliman, you should be well aware of the losses my knights suffered on the Greenland Forest Plank Road. We were not afraid, however; knights hold fast to valor and the readiness to sacrifice when facing the enemy. But this does not mean that we knights are brainless fools. It’s clear that the Caucasians were fully prepared, even plotting how to strike at us to weaken our forces before we had even set foot out of Cyprus. And indeed, they used despicable means to slaughter a great number of our brave knights on the Greenland Forest Plank Road. Moreover, they obviously possess a formidable Mage power, launching horrific attacks with magic, and that is of primary concern. As for us, we are left with but a single Mage in the Mage Corps, to expose these innocent knights and soldiers to Mages who can summon unlimited magic power, without any significant Mage of our own to offer protection, is a crime, a massacre, it’s a squandering of the lives of Homer’s people! I will not agree to such a course of action!"
Bronin, his face flushed red, was close to losing the composure of a knight. Although he constantly reminded himself to maintain a calm demeanor, on this critical issue, he found it impossible to stay cool.
"Mr. Bronin, please stay calm; there’s no need to get so worked up, alright? The enemy may have magical strength, but we all know that the outcome of a war will never be decided by Mages, otherwise, an army would be meaningless and without purpose. The Caucasians merely have a three-thousand-strong, barely trained Army. We still have over ten thousand Regular Army troops. With just one battle, we could send them fleeing in hasty retreat, shedding their gear along the way. Even if they are assisted by Mages, all our troops have undergone Anti-magic training. Ordinary magic spells cannot inflict significant harm on my soldiers. And if we just sit here meekly waiting for news from Cyprus, it’ll only demoralize the Army. Sir Duke is already out of magical might, where do you expect him to recruit Mages in such urgency? What are we supposed to do if Homer can’t provide us with Mages to bolster our ranks? Are we supposed to turn tail and go home, or even give up Bruce Fortress to those Half-beasts?"
By comparison, Carl Libukneisi was a lot calmer, but his words clearly communicated to the other party that this war must go on, and that this decision could not be changed.
"Mr. Libukneisi, no matter how eloquently you speak, I will not agree. The soldiers of the Storm Infantry Corps are children of Homer, not your private property. You may not care for their lives, but as a person of Homer, I must be responsible for them. Just like Viscount Saliman would. You lowly Nebuchadnezzar, I don’t know why the Duke would let you rule over the lives of our noble Homer people!"
With some venom, Bronin squeezed out a few sentences filled with an icy chill from between his teeth, his reasoning all too well-founded and confident. Libukneisi’s muscles began to twitch slightly; no one dared insult him like this, even though the man before him was a so-called noble, but he knew that this noble was nothing of the sort!
"Enough, Bronin, be mindful of your station and words. Carl is the Corps Commander of the Storm Infantry Corps, personally appointed by the Duke himself. He certainly has the right to make suggestions to me. This is war, not a leisurely sightseeing trip. Since it is war, there will inevitably be sacrifices. There is no need for complaints here. Knights are born to fight for their faith. Would you have them shrink back in the face of difficulty?" Saliman’s words, though seemingly harsh, took on a different taste in Carl’s ears; the man appeared to side with him, but the reality was quite the opposite. He was laying the groundwork for what was to come.
"Of course, we also need to carefully assess the situation between us and the enemy. Mr. Bronin also has a point; we have lost our Mage power while the enemy possesses it. This change was unexpected. Leon is those Half-beasts’ territory. What if we rashly intrude and they use hit-and-run tactics against us? Moreover, their Mages could unabashedly take advantage of their home ground to launch attacks on us. Carl, do you think we stand a chance of victory?"
As expected, Saliman’s latter words took a turn, stirring a bitter anger within Carl Libukneisi. It was torture to campaign with these fools, who despite their appointment, spoke with such an even-handed, eloquent assertiveness. Breathing heavily, just as Carl Libukneisi was about to respond, a wave of panicked cries came from outside the room.