Ch.152Chapter 152

Just as Manheimr regarded Wendigo’s commands as heavenly, Dencan’s clan also treated his orders as divine.

The difference was that while Wendigo had subordinates like Geron and Skadi who freely offered advice and opinions, Dencan had no such figures.

Dencan summoned his clan and looked down at them with a faint smile.

“Not only did you act independently without reporting to me, but your performance was truly disappointing. As for the results… well, there’s no need to rub salt in the wound, so I won’t mention them.”

His casually tossed words struck like daggers. There were no fools here who would attempt to escape responsibility by making excuses.

What could they possibly say after their catastrophic handling had resulted in the fall of not just one, but more than three fortresses?

As Dencan’s gaze swept past them, his subordinates bowed their heads as if they had eyes on the backs of their necks.

They knew from experience that Dencan’s patience had worsened since the grand plan had been accelerated ahead of schedule.

Everyone in the clan knew about the knight who had lost his head for disciplining a prisoner who had spoken impertinently without permission, and the daughter of a noble family who had met the same fate—events uncommon even within the clan.

The subordinates dared not even swallow dry saliva for fear that even the sound might be found fault with, while Dencan was greatly satisfied with the confirmation of his power.

After all, the clan’s power existed solely for “Dencan.”

‘So as Dario said, I must cut out the rotten parts.’

Dencan’s gaze turned toward the clan elders in the front row of his subordinates.

Though normally it would be difficult to find any trace of servility in these figures respected as the clan’s elders, this time the situation was different.

The loudmouth who had boasted was probably unconscious by now after taking incorrectly prescribed medicine, but the elders couldn’t completely escape responsibility either.

After all, it was the elders who had given weight to the nonsense spouted by a senile old man.

After glaring sharply at the elders for a moment, Dencan commanded in a solemn voice:

“I will overlook this matter, but even now the King of Manheimr is advancing, plundering our clan’s lands to find us. Elders, take command of the army stationed in the rear and stop his advance.”

“!”

The subordinates couldn’t raise their heads and were thrown into confusion.

Despite his words about not assigning blame, Dencan’s order was essentially telling the elders to choose their own scapegoats.

Though they had initially acted with prejudice, they had long since abandoned those biases after hearing that the king’s army was advancing and attacking fortresses in unison.

Searching through the entire history of the clan, no such being had ever existed. In the worst case, all his avatars might be comparable to high-level Djin…

The elders glanced sideways while sweating coldly. Though they wouldn’t hesitate to give their lives for the clan’s glory, they didn’t want to lose them over something like this.

Yet even in moments of crisis, humans still try to gain advantage.

“Lord Dencan’s words are absolutely right. If you send me, I will stop the king’s army with unwavering determination, even if it means breaking my bones and crushing my body.”

The large bald elder, Darius, rose abruptly from his seat as if he had been waiting for this moment, requesting to appoint himself as the commander of the army.

Impressed by his seemingly courageous attitude, the other elders who had been watching each other’s reactions brightened and praised Darius.

“Oh, Lord Darius!”

“Lord Darius was such a great warrior that Lord Dencan’s father bestowed upon him the title of ‘The Pious.’ If we entrust him with command, he will surely be able to stop the King of Manheimr!”

“I agree as well. Lord Darius has hunted more than twenty Djin and beasts, and his achievements in the Empire’s wars, both large and small, are without shortage.”

Being alive in old age meant surviving the same period of time.

Following their survival instincts, the elders began pulling out everything related to Darius from the corners of their memories to gild him. They were practically praying to their ancestors that Darius would take this dangerous and thankless army.

Dencan, mocking the elders who were acting as expected, asked Darius:

“With such thick support from the elders, I cannot refuse. Are you confident?”

“A knight always shows his loyalty through actions, not words. If you entrust me with this task, you will not be disappointed.”

“Hmm…”

Dencan pretended to contemplate while beckoning to his attendant with a finger.

He ordered the attendant to bring one of the clan’s sacred swords, and the attendant, understanding the gravity of the task, rushed to fetch it.

The perceptive attendant brought the Golden Sword, the lowest-ranked among the clan’s sacred swords, and presented it to Dencan with a respectful posture.

‘A sword made from the bones of a two-headed bear with the power of lightning and stone. Flashy and not weak in power… but not too precious.’

Dencan raised the sword and called Darius.

Darius walked to Dencan’s side and knelt on one knee, and Dencan tapped his shoulders with the Golden Sword and proclaimed:

“Your determination has moved my heart. I bestow upon Lord Darius one of the clan’s sacred swords, and the clan shall spare no effort in reorganizing the army he will lead. Lord Darius, receive this sword.”

Darius bowed his head and accepted the Golden Sword that Dencan bestowed. His face was solemn, but his inner thoughts were somewhat different…

‘Things are proceeding smoothly, just as Lord Dencan said. Clearly, he also supports my thinking!’

Darius barely managed to suppress the laughter that threatened to burst out. From the beginning, all of this had been prearranged between him and Dencan.

In a private audience with Darius, Dencan had inflated his vanity with sweet words.

Darius had always been boasting about wanting to be revered like his ancestors, so his vanity was enormous, and when Dencan, the clan’s leader, scratched that itch, it reached astronomical levels.

In that situation, Dencan had casually suggested to Darius:

‘Until the grand plan is completed, wouldn’t the young members of the clan respect the elders if they could destroy even part of the King of Manheimr’s army?’

This might seem like an ordinary conversation, but a private discussion with an old man couldn’t be ordinary. Darius immediately understood Dencan’s hidden meaning.

‘Indeed, Lord Dencan is known for his filial piety, and he too believes that the clan’s elders should be more respected!’

Once the grand plan was completed, the King of Manheimr would no longer be a problem. At least, that’s what Dencan’s clan believed.

Having taken the bait, Darius dispelled his doubts when Dencan himself emphasized that the army’s purpose was to “stop” rather than “annihilate,” and wholeheartedly accepted Dencan’s proposal.

With Dencan’s will aligned with his own, what was there to fear?

Holding the Golden Sword, Darius slightly raised his head and offered a smile to Dencan. Dencan, recognizing Darius’s thoughts, smiled back.

Only Dencan knew the meaning behind that smile.

* * *

The advantage of absolute power is that things can be processed quickly according to the will of the leader, or rather, the monarch.

When a monarch’s command is issued, it’s “common sense” to put aside all personal matters and break bones and crush flesh to realize that sacred will in reality.

Darius, having received his mission from Dencan, wielded this convenience of absolute power, gradually making room for elders who would share his cause and knights and mages who knew how to respect their elders.

Those who initially thought they were joining a suicide mission changed their minds after Darius carefully explained the private conversation he had with Dencan, and they gladly joined Darius’s army.

Darius sat at the head of a spacious tent, looking around at his subordinates who followed him, and was very satisfied.

“Leading an army with you all reminds me of the old days. When the previous Dencan waved his finger, we became his sword and struck down enemies.”

“Hahaha, this man has become sentimental with age. The young folks might think we can’t do that anymore.”

“Come now… Darius is no ordinary knight. He’s still vigorously working for the clan, so let’s not talk nonsense.”

As Darius and the elders exchanged jokes with chuckles, the young talents attending the meeting sweated profusely. Darius seemed pleased with this and waved his hand with a smile.

“You old folks are just making the young ones uncomfortable. Let’s save the old stories for when we have good news to report to Lord Dencan… Has the reconnaissance team been organized?”

“Yes. As you instructed, we’ve selected the swiftest riders from the cavalry for reconnaissance. And as you mentioned, we’ve also conscripted hunters and serfs familiar with the local geography from the villages.”

“Good, well done.”

Darius nodded with a satisfied expression.

While Dencan had sent Darius to die, he hadn’t sent him to be pathetically defeated.

What Dencan wanted was for Darius to adequately hinder Wendigo’s advance and then “unfortunately” be defeated and die in battle. And to be “unfortunately” defeated, his military capabilities couldn’t be too poor.

Darius ordered his knights while spreading out a map.

“You will scout the area with the reconnaissance team. The enemy won’t advance quickly because of their plunder, so if you spread out like waves from this point, you should be able to find their position quickly.”

War always began with reconnaissance. If you know the enemy’s position and secure a location to strike their weakness, you’ve already won half the battle.

After assigning each area to the knights, Darius next commanded the mages:

“Based on the compiled reports, it’s highly likely that each army is accompanied by avatars that have received a portion of the king’s power. Mages, prepare incantations and barriers to sever the connection between the avatars and the main body.”

“Would a Djin really do such a thing?”

To a mage’s question, Darius answered without the slightest hesitation:

“Don’t assume that a Djin won’t do something that consumes its own existence. Having had its authority directly denied, it wouldn’t be strange for it to push itself to restore its pride.”

Darius had lived his entire life assuming spirits were madmen, and because of that, when strange things happened, he made the most unconventional judgments.

If asked about the results, the fact that Darius was still alive was sufficient answer.

The mages, believing that this elderly spirit hunter’s orders all had reasons behind them, bowed their heads.

Darius continued to issue orders down to the minutest details of the army’s advance preparations. His experienced demeanor naturally inspired awe in the knights and mages under his command.

With him, they might not just stop the King of Manheimr’s army but even annihilate it…?

“The meeting is adjourned. Carry out your assigned duties.”

“Yes!”

As soon as the meeting ended, the knights rushed out to lead their respective reconnaissance teams out of the camp.

Hundreds of cavalry thundered across the ground, startling birds that took flight, covering the sky. The knights smiled at the fluttering wings filling the heavens.

Like those birds, the enemies they encountered would also flee in fear!

* * *

Darius’s scouts roamed the territory tirelessly, saving on rest time to conduct reconnaissance.

Their enthusiasm was hot enough to find and crush Wendigo’s army at any moment, but…

“Two days have passed and not a single enemy army has been discovered! Do you think this makes any sense?!”

“We-we’ve scouted meticulously like a tight net, but we simply couldn’t find the enemy…”

“And you call that an excuse!”

Darius swung his fist, smashing the mouth that was making excuses. The knights bowed their heads like criminals and kept silent.

They had failed to complete even the simple task of finding the enemy, so the term “criminal” wasn’t entirely wrong. However, the knights were genuinely aggrieved.

They had coordinated closely for reconnaissance but truly couldn’t find even a shadow of the enemy.

Honestly, they suspected the enemy might have retreated. Darius, as if reading the knights’ thoughts, waved a letter delivered to him in front of them.

“Due to your incompetence, two more fortresses have fallen in just two days. If you have anything to say, say it now!”

The knights checked the seal on the letter and bowed their heads even lower. Judging by the seal’s pattern, it belonged to a family within their reconnaissance range.

They had definitely scouted properly, but they had no idea where the enemies had appeared from to attack the fortress.

Frustrated by their helplessness, Darius threw the letter in a knight’s face and shouted:

“Go out right now and find the enemy’s position! Right now!!!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Fearing that a sword might follow the letter, the knights hastily fled.

Left alone to quell his anger, Darius noticed a pair of birds watching him from the corner of the tent. As the birds looked at him and chirped, he felt a strange surge of anger.

Unable to contain his rage, Darius aimed his bow at the birds and drew an arrow. The birds, startled, took flight into the sky.

He was truly a petty old man, taking out his frustration on innocent birds.

* * *

There’s an old saying that daytime words are heard by birds, and nighttime words by mice.

Whether day or night, if there are creatures around, Wendigo’s eyes and ears can survey the surroundings at any time.

Using the eyes of animals roaming around the army, Wendigo tracked the positions of nearby reconnaissance teams and alerted each of his armies. Wendigo’s avatars clattered their mouths as they relayed his words:

[ The enemy’s reconnaissance team is heading this way, so retreat north and detour east— ]

“Ohhh! His Majesty is giving us divine guidance!!!”

“Shut up for a bit. I need to record His Majesty’s words. Let’s see, head north and then detour east…”

“Hehehe, it would be nice if His Majesty also gave us guidance about which fortress would be good to plunder.”

The warriors continued to be grateful for Wendigo’s capabilities—no, his grace—as they evaded the detection net of the reconnaissance teams and roamed through Dencan’s territory as if it were their own home.

Of course, the probability of being detected would increase each time the army headed south, but…

‘The clan’s leadership, helplessly watching their domain being ravaged, will want to impeach that bald-headed commander.’

The bald commander, witnessing fortresses and strongholds being plundered in real-time, would surely make desperate moves, if only to avoid being reprimanded by Dencan.

In war, victory always goes to the side that makes fewer mistakes.

Wendigo decided to thoroughly torment Darius until his patience reached rock bottom. The only pity was that Darius had no hair left to lose from stress.