Ch.270270. Goden Mikhail Lihabart (2)

Bang!

The tea that filled the cup leaps into the air from the impact on the table, and the spilled liquid flows down one side of the table from the overturned cup.

“What did you just say? Say it again, Kelnur.”

Erika, who had sprung up from the table, glared as she asked again. Like someone who had heard something they shouldn’t have.

She kept her gaze fixed on Kelnur, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the just-spilled tea was soaking her beige hair.

Kelnur, flustered by this, began wiping her wet hair with a handkerchief.

“Please hold still. Your hair will be ruined like this.”

“That’s not the issue right now. What I… explain in detail what I just heard. Quickly.”

Regardless, Erika was only concerned with what she had just heard.

Kelnur sighed, moving the teacup aside, and reluctantly brought up the topic he had mentioned earlier.

“Lord Goden has led troops toward Sirah.”

When she first heard it, she thought she had misheard. But hearing it a second time confirmed it wasn’t a mistake.

“…Is that speculation, or confirmed?”

She hoped it was speculation, just a rumor.

“It’s confirmed. He’s already been gone to Sirah for quite some time.”

“That’s absurd.”

It had been that long since Goden had left Mirpark.

“Why, why did he go? Why would he go to that backwater village?”

“Officially, it seems monsters have appeared in Sirah…”

“That’s not it! We need to deal with Feltibourgos first. It’s S-rank! A monster designated as Named class, surpassing Kalpusis we met before, comparable even to Shanbereshu or Pimpert! Even if monsters appeared in Sirah, it’s not difficult to weigh which situation is more dangerous!”

Had they forgotten about the strange creature that appeared as soon as they breached Mirpark’s gates?

They couldn’t face it. From the first casualties since Tembris met the Imperial army to the enormous number of injured. The Imperial army had to choose retreat due to lack of information.

That magical abomination created by Mirpark nobles wouldn’t just stand there doing nothing. They were destined to encounter Feltibourgos, and they had taken a step back despite suffering such losses to ensure they could eliminate it properly.

But how could Goden, the commander the Imperial army relied on so heavily, who constituted the largest portion of Tembris party’s fighting power, go to Sirah?

With our forces already unstable, taking troops to Sirah would only lead to obvious death.

“If such discussions took place, the members would surely have been informed. Wasn’t there a meeting?”

“…There was a meeting, but excluding only you, Miss Erika.”

“Huh. Why? Why wasn’t I contacted at all?”

“I apologize. I don’t know much about that either. I barely found out that the conclusion of that meeting was that Lord Goden would lead troops to respond to Sirah’s request for aid…”

“I’m not blaming you. It’s strange. The moment the Imperial army is pushed back in Mirpark, Lebrant is next. What is this? Why would Goden make such a judgment…?”

“I have a guess about this part. A man named Junon sent a letter.”

“…What did you say?”

“He said Sirah was in danger, that Junon was the one who sent the request for aid. It seems people’s true nature never changes.”

“That damn bastard…!”

Now she was completely exasperated.

Not only had they held a meeting without her, but in this situation, they decided to support Sirah with Goden taking the lead?

‘How did he manage to sweet-talk everyone…!’

That silver tongue was now beyond comprehension. Just thinking about what tricks and schemes he might use to manipulate Tembris in the future made her dizzy.

Monsters appearing in Sirah? That must be a lie too.

He’s the same now as he was then. He’s someone who would use any means to preserve his own life, spreading lies and burning through others’ strength to extend his lifeline.

I should have uprooted him when we first met. It shouldn’t have been resolved with words.

“We need to stop him. Prevent that bastard from making any more moves.”

“Are you thinking of confronting him directly? If that’s the case…”

“…No. We need to find another way. By force…”

“I suppose so. If we deal with him by force, his true nature won’t be revealed. Considering Tembris’s perception, that wouldn’t be good.”

At Kelnur’s comment, Erika bit her lip secretly.

She couldn’t subdue Junon by force. She had already faced him one-on-one and suffered a miserable defeat. Even with conditions heavily in her favor.

“What will you do, Miss Erika? I’ve always been prepared to sink that bastard. If I release everything I’ve gathered so far, public opinion could always…”

“Let’s wait a little. We need to seize a more definite opportunity.”

“…Yes.”

Why was she so concerned about that insignificant commoner? Erika expressed that now wasn’t the time, but Kelnur was quite displeased.

***

“…So this is how they’ve been defending Sirah.”

Responding to Sirah’s request for aid, Goden immediately dispatched soldiers to assess the village’s condition.

He was amazed to find that there had been no casualties yet, and that they had somehow been holding back monsters under such adverse conditions.

It was incredibly poor.

Instead of palisades made with magi that could withstand attacks, crafted by blacksmiths and processors, they were using logs simply cut and tied together with rope.

Other tools showed little difference. Some were even trying to carve wooden spears, showing they had no proper weapons or armor to fight monsters, let alone artifacts.

Medical facilities and personnel were practically nonexistent. People were resorting to folk remedies, hoping to recover, to the point where they needed to be stopped.

What about food and supplies?

Even more miserable.

Algenib, which had become a battlefield due to Pimpert and Defornice III, had fertile land, and even in Shute, where Shanbereshu appeared and plague swept through, supplies were sufficient.

Conditions that allowed people to somehow survive were created.

But Sirah had neither self-sustaining food nor abundant supplies. In this winter when crops barely grew, their stored food would soon be depleted.

‘None of what Junon said was exaggerated.’

With monsters attacking daily, means to fill hungry stomachs dwindling, and inadequate medical tools and facilities to treat injuries, it was remarkable they had held out this long.

“Unpack the food supplies and set up a distribution center. Medical staff should establish a makeshift aid station.”

“Surely you don’t mean to treat and feed all these people?”

“I do. Ah, while we’re at it, let’s use some supplies to reinforce the village.”

The soldiers following Goden were horrified and objected.

“That’s unreasonable! You confirmed it with the reconnaissance team—there are colonies and caves here too!”

“If we consume this much food, we’ll be forced to retreat without other support or supplies if this becomes a prolonged battle. Just setting up a distribution center will shorten our stay by days.”

“You know that using resources on them won’t help us deal with the monsters.”

Everyone objected.

They said they came to eliminate monsters, not to volunteer.

Shouldn’t they finish this quickly and return to Mirpark to subjugate Feltibourgos?

But Goden responded with a subdued voice.

“And you still call yourselves Imperial soldiers?”

The soldiers asked “What?” with puzzled faces.

“You who rose up in arms, enraged by the nobles’ discrimination, who marched toward Mirpark claiming all human lives are equal—are you now saying their lives are worth less?!”

His calm demeanor gave way to a thunderous rebuke.

“Those people are humans just like you! They’ve taken up whatever they could to stand against monsters, protecting their families, friends, comrades, and this country!!”

The soldiers had to close their mouths as if struck dumb.

The ideals presented by Archduke Ardelion when establishing Lebrant Academy.

What they learned upon entering and graduating from Lebrant Academy.

It was about developing strength to protect the weak, not to indulge in supremacist ideologies.

Goden didn’t say anything more after that, and no soldier dared to voice opposition or refute him.

‘…That guy. He hasn’t changed at all.’

If the soldiers had refused to distribute supplies, he was prepared to do it himself.

Junon, watching Goden’s back as he ordered personnel to repair the broken village, fell into a brief reminiscence.

-‘You’re a human too, Junon.’

That single sentence came to mind.

“A human too, huh.”

Once, he believed those words and trained endlessly so as not to hold back Tembris.

-‘No matter how exceptional someone is, if they weigh human lives on a scale, I would never have accepted you into our party.’

It seems nothing has changed from then to now.

“Was that person friends with my brother too?”

“Hmm?”

“My brother’s expression is why. It looked exactly the same as back then.”

Friends, huh.

Not entirely wrong, but…

“Not anymore.”

Former friends would be more accurate.

***

According to the reconnaissance team’s findings, while monster colonies were visible, there were no signs of them digging burrows.

And perhaps because Sirah was quite far from Mirpark, these appeared to be naturally formed colonies.

“So, Junon. I need your help.”

Goden had come to me, asking to borrow my wisdom.