Ch.282282. Six Clock Hands (2)

“Everyone, retreat from the outpost!!”

The one who has ascended to the top position of the new command tower shouts as he accepts the seal.

Somehow, his arm now bears not only the command authority of the Tembris Party but also the armband given only to those entrusted with the position of Imperial Army Commander.

Clearly, he is not someone who inspires confidence.

His combat record isn’t particularly outstanding, his abilities lean toward defensive tactics with many ambiguous aspects, and he occupies a position beyond his qualifications, which has led to malicious rumors following him.

However, the former commander said to trust and follow him. That he was the only hope for survival in this hellish reality.

Following his orders might be the wrong choice. But no one could specifically say that Professor Muniher, who had devoted himself to protecting Levrant, had made a wrong judgment. Similarly, no one could point out Professor Jake’s contradictions either.

But this was no time for hesitation.

“Are you going to waste the time the professors are buying for us?!”

The two professors who had been leading and guiding the faculty and students are now throwing themselves into battle.

The fact that there is no other answer. The fact that they need to buy time so the rest can escape.

That was the miserable reality given to the Imperial Army.

Let’s move first. Let’s not waste the time the professors have bought for us.

With such thoughts, everyone followed the orders of that incompetent commander, just this once.

Just two people.

There was no respite for the two professors, each single-handedly taking on one Named Beast without even time to maintain their pace.

Muniher exposed to Feltibourgos’s poison. Jake blocking Ashpern and the beasts following it.

No matter how hard they try, these opponents are too overwhelming to gain the upper hand.

“Kugh…! Disgustingly many…!”

Had Feltibourgos devoured all the humans at the Mirpark outpost? It unleashed dozens of spells, absorbing their power.

Countless fragments flew in, and the spells contaminated with Feltibourgos’s poison corroded and pressed against Muniher.

But the magic they used was crude. The number was burdensome, but it wasn’t that they couldn’t handle it properly.

“…Should I assist? Stopping that thing would be most important.”

“No. Dealing with it isn’t difficult. But if I face it half-heartedly, it will break free quickly… I don’t think I have enough time to firmly hold it down here.”

“Hmm. I agree that stopping Feltibourgos is crucial. Then how long do I need to hold out here?”

“…Five minutes. Can you manage?”

“Huh.”

Jake gives a hollow laugh at the unreasonable request.

“That’s quite a demanding favor.”

But what can he do when he knows it must be done?

.

.

.

Soldiers return to Levrant, gasping for breath.

Levrant has already been devastated by a sudden attack of beasts. Seven out of seven wings and seventy percent of the sixteen districts have collapsed, and the remaining buildings are not functioning properly.

“Begin the briefing, please.”

“…”

“The briefing. Are you not going to do it?”

Though they’ve escaped immediate danger, the looks suggest they still don’t trust the new commander.

-Slap!

A red-ponytailed girl approaches the man and strikes his cheek fiercely.

“You’re in front of the commander. Don’t you know this is insubordination?”

“B-But…”

The stunned soldier tries to make excuses, but the blue eyes are filled with anger.

“Insubordination is punishable by immediate execution on the battlefield according to Imperial law. Commander, your orders.”

“…!”

“Michel. That’s enough.”

As the soldier draws a sharp breath at the mention of execution, Junon quickly grabs Michel’s shoulder and shakes his head.

Though Michel wanted to make an example of him by burning him for disobeying the commander’s orders, he steps back at Junon’s attitude of drawing the line, saying they shouldn’t spread more fear here.

“There won’t be a second time. Remember that.”

“…Y-Yes, I understand.”

“The briefing. Begin.”

***

According to the briefing, the current state of the Empire was miserable.

The massive beast army invading from Schütt was all under Ashpern’s control, and Feltibourgos was advancing from Algenib toward the Mirpark outpost.

Schütt, Algenib, Mirpark.

Three provinces completely shattered simultaneously.

It was hard to understand how he was supposed to govern the Empire in such a situation.

What Goden had sacrificed his life to save, why he had handed over the armband and delegated the party leader position, why Professor Muniher had transferred the command of the Imperial Army.

Junon couldn’t understand any of it.

But even if he didn’t understand, there were things that had to be done. Just like those who faced the beasts knowing they would die.

The boy who has risen to the position of commander agonizes.

Why the two professors didn’t flee but faced the two Named Beasts head-on. Why they said they needed to buy time.

The answer came quickly.

“…One might be possible.”

Ashpern, Feltibourgos.

It’s impossible to face two formidable Named Beasts simultaneously. That’s how the Mirpark outpost was destroyed, and it was the battle with the greatest casualties.

But what if they could target just one?

There might be a possibility. That’s why Professor Muniher and Professor Jake didn’t flee from the Mirpark outpost but stood their ground.

To reduce the number of Named Beasts the Imperial Army would face to one if possible. To hold back Feltibourgos, even if Ashpern was difficult, to buy time for the Imperial Army to reach them.

The two professors had thrown themselves into the fray.

He didn’t want to imagine it, but the calculations didn’t lie. By exploiting Feltibourgos’s weakness to create a recovery period, and facing the remaining beasts, the two professors would die heroically at the hands of Ashpern’s power, just like all those who had fallen before.

Junon couldn’t waste this time.

“The meeting will now begin.”

“…?”

Everyone looked puzzled. A map was spread out, but it wasn’t a detailed map of Levrant.

One official immediately questioned with a perplexed expression.

“Why are you spreading out a map of Sirach instead of Levrant?”

Though not spoken aloud, everyone must have been thinking the same thing.

“Because we need to abandon Levrant.”

“”What?!””

Officials who couldn’t maintain composure rose from their seats in the meeting hall. Even those who hadn’t yet spoken seemed displeased, wearing sour expressions at what they considered an incomprehensible strategy.

“Abandon Levrant? What nonsense is that!”

“After the two professors bought us time, you want to flee without even forming a strategy?”

“And Sirach of all places… it’s hard to accept that we’d face the beasts in that barren countryside.”

It made sense, as Levrant was not only the capital but also home to the Levrant Academy, a core institution containing the Empire’s military power.

It wasn’t just because it was the capital. It had structures that could respond to emergencies, geographical advantages that made it easier to form strategies, and since the Alcaide Wing hadn’t collapsed yet, they could still use some defensive objects.

From the officials’ perspective, abandoning Levrant for Sirach was absurd.

But Junon didn’t back down.

“Most buildings have collapsed and are only useful as cover, and even if we use the defensive objects, we won’t last more than a few days. We don’t have much time.”

At the mention of limited time, they now began to shake their heads and shout in unified opposition.

The chaotic meeting hall was now busy denouncing the convener, with everyone saying that if he tried to execute them for insubordination, he might as well kill them all.

‘At this rate, the meeting won’t progress at all.’

Wondering if there was a clever solution.

He decides to take a gamble.

“You’re questioning my qualifications as commander, right?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Then would you say the same if I told you this opinion comes from me as the leader of the Tembris Party?”

While they might doubt Junon as a person, they couldn’t doubt the Tembris Party.

With this, the capital relocation is set in motion.

In the name of Tembris.

All that remained was to face the consequences of casually using the Tembris name.

***

“…”

“Senia!”

“Ah… did you call me?”

Whether lost in thought or not, Senia was uncharacteristically unfocused.

“I called you five times. What are you thinking about during a strategy meeting?”

“…Sorry. I must be tired.”

It couldn’t just be fatigue.

That cool-headed Senia, who rarely showed openings, had recently been pausing during conversations or getting lost in thought.

‘And she’s seemed rushed in battle too.’

She even made mistakes. Her insight and magical vision would never allow for errors.

Something was definitely wrong. The only times her emotions had been this disturbed were when she was forced to sacrifice someone’s life.

But Junon didn’t want to provoke Senia, who was already troubled, nor did he want to threaten her. He would only wait until she came to him and opened up herself.

“Sigh, alright. Let me continue explaining. We’re not fighting in Levrant anymore. We’re completely abandoning it and moving.”

“…So you’re talking about a recapture operation? Are we going to Mirpark?”

“No, we’re going to relocate the capital from Levrant to Alperatz in Sirach. For that, we’ll first regroup in the Los region.”

Was something appealing about this? Unusually, Senia’s eyes wavered. But,

Bang!

Aris slams the table and stands up, exclaiming.

“Don’t talk nonsense! What’s left in Sirach? Levrant still has the Academy!”

Followed by Erika.

“I agree with Aris. There’s no merit in Sirach. If we were prepared for a Mirpark recapture operation, we could at least target the port there, but this is just a meaningless capital change.”

“Guys… listen to Junon…”

“Michel. You need to be a bit more rational too. Do you think this kind of commander, one who abandoned his comrades and ran away, can make proper judgments?”

“Maybe he’s just looking for a place where he alone can escape and survive in Sirach.”

“…”

Words that were more than stinging poured into his ears.

He couldn’t say anything. Because they didn’t believe that Goden had personally handed over the armband to find a way for Tembris and the Imperial Army to survive.

But just one person.

“Erika, you’re being too harsh! This is a task Goden entrusted to him, and the professors trusted Junon too. How can we, his comrades, not trust him?!”

Only Michel was taking his side.

As the meeting room became noisy again with opposing views on the Sirach relocation, this confrontation was surprisingly resolved by Senia.

“Why? I think it’s fine.”

“Senia…”

“Ha, really… you too?”

Surprisingly, she sided with the strategy he had proposed.