Ch.296Something Seems a Bit Strange.

If Valdemar’s Northern Army returns in time, it would be a great help.

I’m not sure how many remain now, but the Northern Army I saw was a powerful legion with over 5,000 troops, three hundred knights, and even seven Masters. Being northerners, they’re all experts at dealing with Werebeasts.

However, nothing is more meaningless than relying on forces that may never arrive.

What we need to do now is not wait and trust in reinforcements, but consider how to deal with Rurik’s Werebeast legion with the forces remaining here, assuming they attack before help arrives.

Not just me, but Frider and Leonore thought the same.

We discussed this throughout our meal while filling our stomachs with bread and meat on the table.

—-

The forces remaining at Faelrun Castle were an ambiguous number, neither large nor small.

The Imperial Army, which once numbered thirty thousand, lost most of their lives in endless wars of attrition and the Northern Wall battle.

Only eight thousand remained… no, excluding the wounded, barely six thousand troops. The losses were truly enormous.

Though they’ve been armed with silver-plated weapons from the storehouse reserves, in a full-scale battle, it would take about seven men to barely handle one half-blood Werebeast.

In other words, unless we plan to sacrifice all our soldiers, our strategy is limited to fighting while relying on the castle walls.

The number of knights is two hundred. They’re a diverse group in both age and skill.

While some can easily cut down pureblooded Werebeasts, there are many weaker ones who need to group in threes just to face a single pureblood.

It’s probably due to differences in experience.

Knights who have served for a long time have frequently faced Werebeasts, but younger knights have mostly just hunted monsters.

And there were only the three of us gathered here who had the power of Masters or above who could face a Champion.

Though they say Demian and Millia working together could somehow take down one Champion.

“Speaking of which… why hasn’t Demian even become a Master yet?”

Considering his growth rate, he should have easily reached Master level by now.

During our duel earlier, I was too focused to think about it, but reflecting now, it was truly strange.

Swordsmanship, Karma, physical abilities.

Every aspect was more than sufficient to reach Master level, yet despite achieving all that, he still hadn’t attained the title.

“‘Even’ a Master…? You’re the strange one. It’s not a realm most people can aspire to at that age. Many knights don’t reach it even after passing forty.”

Says the one who became a Master at nineteen. That’s not even gilding your own face.

“No, when I fought… battled with him earlier, everything except his Karma was at Master level. It’s strange no matter how I think about it.”

“Hmm… perhaps he needs some kind of mental catalyst? That’s how it was for me.”

Leonore tilted her head and shared the story of when she became a Master.

A catalyst, come to think of it, that could be it.

—-

A mental catalyst. Looking back, it was the same when I became a Master.

It’s not a memory I particularly want to recall, but at that time, I was undoubtedly overwhelmed by intense emotions that felt like my head would explode. Self-reproach, anger, and a sense of responsibility, was it?

For Leonore, it was sadness, compassion, and familial love.

Even when Ophelia reached High Mage, it was in a moment when humiliation from Isabella made her blood boil to the tips of her hair.

“What about you, Frider?”

“Well… desperation and a sense of duty, perhaps? I became a Master during the Sky Mountains battle when the special unit I commanded encountered two Champions. Certainly, I was so desperate then that I couldn’t think of anything else.”

Frider also nodded as if Leonore’s guess made sense.

So, to become a Master, you need not only sufficient Karma but also a situation where you’re emotionally pushed to the extreme?

[ …That’s a reasonable theory. ]

Hersella, who had been listening, seemed to agree.

‘What about you?’

[ …It was when a drunkard desecrated my mother’s grave. I searched all of Ordos to find the culprit, then flayed him alive over ten days. ]

Um… what should I say?

That’s certainly a fitting catalyst for this woman.

Anyway, if Demian hasn’t become a Master because he’s never been emotionally pushed to the limit…

That seems strange, doesn’t it?

From what Frider said, it sounds like he went through all kinds of hardships in the Sky Mountains. Many people died too.

In such a situation, could someone with a hero’s mindset really have remained unmoved?

That can’t be right.

…I don’t know.

I think it can’t be right, but… looking at the results, that’s how it appears.

I discussed this with Frider and Leonore, but didn’t gain much insight.

Leonore had no interest in Demian to begin with, and Frider just shook his head saying, “Now that you mention it, it is strange, but I don’t really know what he’s thinking either.”

Come to think of it, I don’t know much about Demian either. Not Demian as the game protagonist, but who the real Demian is.

I’ve never had a long conversation with him except when dueling.

I’ve only made assumptions based on Millia’s old stories and Demian’s behavior, without even trying to get to know him.

The fact that there’s a significant difference between what I knew and the reality of this world is something I’ve experienced several times.

Lacy, who seemed simply devout in the game, turned out to be like Teresa and Adolf combined and divided by two when I actually met her.

Ophelia, who in the game was haughty and love-starved, obsessing over the protagonist and craving love… had the shocking sexual tendency to violate her own sister, and as a mage was enthusiastically heading in some sinister direction.

Even Frider wasn’t the cold, proud noble lady from the game, but rather had a pitiful personality that showed she had no friends.

Millia hadn’t changed much… but what about Demian?

Thinking about it now, I shouldn’t have lightly assumed he’d have a heroic personality just because he’s the protagonist.

…I need to talk with Demian.

—-

After that, we returned to discussing the Werebeasts.

How many there were, and how to stop them if they attacked.

At least, due to the long war of attrition, their numbers have also been greatly reduced from what they were initially.

Excluding Rurik, only seventeen or eighteen Champions remain, and about four hundred pureblooded warriors. Though thousands of half-blood warriors are still alive.

“If we fight relying on the castle walls, we might manage somehow… but the problem is definitely Rurik. At the Northern Wall, he swept across the top of the wall and we collapsed without being able to properly respond. This time, we’d actually be grateful if he came flying in via catapult. We’ve prepared ways to deal with that.”

As Frider said, such a surprise attack only works once and won’t succeed a second time.

If we prepare in advance, it wouldn’t be difficult to shoot down a large mass flying in from a catapult.

We could have mages create headwinds, or throw spears with nets attached to slow down their flight, causing them to fall before reaching the wall.

Even if they break through and reach the top of the wall, they’d be immobile for a moment while regenerating their bodies. I could rush in and cut them down during that opening.

The real problem would be if they charged with a frontal assault.

While Faelrun Castle was also a solid defensive position, it wasn’t comparable to the Northern Wall.

Even if they simply climbed the walls in the standard way, it would be incredibly difficult. Once they get on the walls, we’d ultimately have to fight a frontal battle in narrow passages.

We put our heads together throughout the meal to discuss countermeasures, but in the end, we reached only the obvious conclusion that we needed to win the battle of strength. No clever solutions came to mind.

“Let’s stop here for now. I don’t think we’ll come up with any other solutions even if we think more. If something comes to mind, we can discuss it again then.”

Frider, who had finished eating, stood up.

She seemed to have too many things to do to continue this circular conversation any further.

Leonore and I felt the same way, so the discussion ended there for the day.

—-

Demian woke up a little after noon.

After thanking Florence who brought me the news, I asked a maid in the hallway for directions and headed to Demian’s room.

Though she answered me, her slightly blushing cheeks clearly showed what she was imagining.

It seemed Frider’s threats had only managed to keep people quiet, not dispel the misunderstanding itself.

If everyone is in this state, visiting Demian’s room now might be like hammering in the final nail…

Perhaps I should talk with him somewhere other than his private room.