Book Eater

Chapter 221: All-out War (5)

The empire’s Seven Swords were the only swordmasters who would emerge at this point.

The swords which represented the empire, Andras’ Seven Swords... Hyde and Lloyd had died, so two seats were empty. However, considering the size of the empire, they could easily fill those seats. Additionally, there were five swordmasters remaining, so it wouldn’t be difficult for them to infiltrate Soldun.

Theo tensed as he thought about it.

Let’s say the person is one of the empire’s Seven Swords. Then... which one is he?

It might seem like a trivial question, but it was the most serious problem. As far he knew, the Seven Swords possessed a power equivalent to their number. In that case, the 7th Sword Lloyd and the 6th Sword Hyde were considered the weakest among them.

Theo decided to eliminate them one by one.

It isn’t the 4th Sword.

Pan Helliones was so impressive that Theo wouldn’t forget his presence. However, even compared to Pan Helliones, the 1st and 2nd Swords were much greater. In that case, this sword master could be anyone except the 4th, 6th, or 7th Swords.

Theo recalled Veronica’s words about them

- Ah, kid. You shouldn’t worry about the 1st?or 2nd. The two of them might be the strongest in Andras, but they shouldn’t affect you.

Theo had looked at her askance back then until she explained further.

- Both of them don’t leave Belfort, the capital of Andras. Even in the last war, they never crossed the border until the emperor ordered them.

If it happened in the past, they could act now...

- No way. Well, if it does happen, you will be in big trouble. You won’t be able to survive an encounter with them.

Veronica’s advice was ruthless and decisive.

It was cold, but she made a lot of sense.

He would definitely die against an opponent who was on her or Blundell’s level. Theo had only just awakened his Sorcery, so he wasn’t ready to face them. They were complete monsters when it came to battle. As such, the peak swordsmen of Andras were too powerful for the present Theo to face.

Then this meant the only ones remaining were the 3rd or 5th Swords. Either way, Theo’s artificially raised senses could catch even a grain of dust. He would attack if the sword master took even one step further. Battle intent roiled around his determined body.

As he sharpened his senses like a tightly wound string, the mysterious swordmaster did something rather unexpected.

Huh?

The swordmaster placed his hands at the swords hanging from his waist...

Ching!

…and unbuckled them. The two swords fell to the ground, clanging loudly. Theo had no idea what he intended, but he had just disarmed himself.

Even if he was a swordmaster, trying to battle after dropping his swords would involve unnecessary movements. A magician with exceptional mobility like Theo would be able to attack him freely before he could pick the swords back up.

As such, Theo was completely befuddled.

Is this a trick?

His opponent’s strange actions didn’t end here. The knight in black armor raised a hand to the faceguard wrapped around his face. Theo didn’t feel any hostility, so he watched while maintaining a cautious distance.

Snap.

The faceguard fell away.

“Ah!” Theo let out a cry of amazement. He sported a new, patchy beard, but Theo recognized the face instantly.

“Randolph?”

“It has been a while, Young Master.” Randolph shrugged with a familiar smile. “There are many things I want to share, but I can’t afford to. Still, there is some time to explain. How about it?”

“... Please be as detailed as possible.” Theo didn’t doubt Randolph as he calmed his Circles. His extremely sensitive senses were telling him that Randolph was innocent. They had traveled together for a long time, so he could tell when Randolph was lying.

“Okay, where should I start?” Randolph dropped down on a nearby tree stump and frowned as he struggled to choose his words. He sighed and started talking, “I will start from when we went our separate ways in Sipoto.”

Shortly after leaving Theo, Randolph had crossed Andras’ border. The border guards of the Empire weren’t weak, but a swordmaster could easily sneak past mere soldiers. As such, he only met his first real obstacle when he infiltrated the capital, Belfort, where he encountered the empire’s 4th Sword, Pan Helliones.

“I was supposed to secretly sneak my sister out... but he is extremely sensitive. As his disciple, she was always near him, and it seemed impossible to bring her out without a fight.”

Randolph had been forced to choose. Should he cause trouble and try to pull his sister out, or wait for a chance to appear in the long-term? He had secretly hidden on the roof of the knights’ area and found a reason to make his decision.

“I saw the empire’s 2nd Sword, Zest Speitem.” Randolph’s voice trembled involuntarily. He had only seen Zest from a distance. However, before Randolph had even been able to blink, Zest’s sword had already arrived at his throat.

If Rebecca hadn’t been there to prove his identity, Randolph would’ve died that night. There was that much of a difference between their skills. They were in a metropolitan area, but he would’ve died no matter what he did.

“So, I decided to wait. I became Andras’ knight and waited for an opportunity to escape with Rebecca. That was the only option I could make in that situation.”

Theo murmured. “... You have gone through a lot of trouble.”

“Well, I didn’t know that chance would come so soon!”

Theo was confused when Randolph’s depressed voice suddenly became cheerful. “Huh? Opportunity?”

“I met Young Master again! I wanted to, but I really didn’t know we could meet,” Randolph said. Before Theo could reply, Randolph continued speaking, “Listen, I’m not the only one here from Andras. Pan Helliones, who is trying to test my loyalty, and Rebecca, are also here.”

“Are you serious? Is it because she is his disciple?”

“I guess so. I can’t do this alone. But the story is different if both of us work together.”

The directive from the Andras Empire was simple: intervene in the Soldun civil war to prevent Meltor from taking advantage, and don’t allow them to take any further action. Randolph’s persistently passive attitude was also due to this order.

However, what if there was a variable which could force Pan Helliones to move? A paladin and Randolph should have been sufficient, but what if the situation turned disadvantageous?

Pan will have to get off that heavy butt of his.

The emperor’s orders were the highest priority, so Pan Helliones would place intervening in Soldun’s civil war above watching Rebecca. Meanwhile, Randolph could use that chance to free his sister from the empire.

Theo looked at the basic premise of the operation and nodded. “It’s possible. Do you have any means of communication?”

“No, that...”

“Take this.” Theo tossed an earring imbued with communication magic to Randolph. “You can just hold it in your palm without wearing it.”

“Oh, is that so? I will use it well.”

“Let’s talk longer next time.”

Randolph said goodbye before putting on his faceguard again. When he picked up his swords again, he looked exactly like a knight once again. He didn’t hesitate, but quickly sped off into the distance. As he watched the black armor disappear, Theo sighed deeply.

The serious situation had resolved itself so quickly that his breath was taken away.

“Ah, my body is very exhausted.”

However, this wasn’t the end. Theo now had to enter the Atron Estate and liaise with the prince. He sighed heavily and flew toward the estate. It was a complex and tiring day.

***

“Ohh, Sir Ted! No, now it is Sir Theo!”

“Are those trees from you? Thank you in the name of the king.”

Theo was warmly greeted by Baek Jongmyung and Prince Elsid once he arrived at Atron Manor. It seemed Marquis Piris had already contacted them about Meltor’s reinforcements, so they had more questions about these new trees than Theo’s appearance.

In particular, Prince Elsid’s attitude was very different from before. Was it because Theo’s identity was clear? He was treating Theo with a friendly attitude, which was much different from when Theo had been an uninvited guest.

“Sir Theo, I would like to ask one thing if it isn’t impolite.”

“Speak.”

“There are a lot of strategies that can be developed when looking at the forest that you created. What is the limit of that power?”

“It is difficult to say in detail but...” Theo thought for a moment before replying with a half-truth, “Except for the trees that fit the ecosystem of the land, everything else will soon wither away. My elemental has also consumed too much power today, so I can’t use the same technique for a while.”

It wasn’t a lie. Mitra had a limit in controlling the power of life, no matter her divinity. The forest, which was still growing at present, was just a temporary measure and probably wouldn’t last for more than a few days. Additionally, Mitra had fallen asleep, and Theo’s magic power was quite exhausted. It was too risky to use it again when he may have to engage the empire’s Seven Swords.

Regret flashed over Elsid’s face when he heard the decisive answer. “Umm, it is too bad.”

“I\'m sorry that I can’t meet your expectations, Your Majesty. What about your wound, Marquis Baek?”

Baek Jongmyung looked at his bandaged left arm with a grim expression and sighed. “It... Isn’t it obvious without needing to speak?”

“I understand.” Theo understood from Baek Jongmyung’s heavy tone and entered the manor. It was difficult to speak about it in front of the troops. A swordmaster was a force which could control the morale of the entire army. If such a person were known to be seriously injured, morale would fall instantly.

Unsurprisingly, the wound underneath Baek Jongmyung’s bandage was terrible.

“... This is serious.”

Ruben’s blow had broken bone and torn muscles and ligaments. The divine power had also wreaked havoc on the nervous system. It was a wound which seemed to have been caused by the hammer of an ogre, rather than a human swordsman. Proper treatment from a magician would take more than a month, and there would still be aftereffects.

He could still fight, but he wouldn’t be able to last ten minutes against Ruben with this body. Theo’s expression hardened at the sight. Meanwhile, Baek Jongmyung sighed. “This is my fault, Your Highness. I knew my opponent was an expert in the sword but...”

“Don’t blame yourself, Marquis. It was my decision that sent you there, so I must bear the burden.”

“Your Highness!”

The two people were being melodramatic, which Theo wasn’t too fond of. But they weren’t paying attention to him, so he quietly took something out of Inventory.

Appraisal.

[+16 New Advanced Recovery Potion (Medicine)]

[-This is a new potion made by the hands of the alchemist, Paracelsus. It is possible to rejoin limbs or revive a nervous system which experienced necrosis. It will restore all injuries, except for brain damage and central nervous system defects. Currently, there is no way to produce it.

* The rating of this potion is Treasure.

* When consumed, the body will greatly recover from any damage.

* When applied, the damage at that site will heal rapidly.

* In order to create this potion, the Alchemy (Best) skill and Paracelsus’ Research Laboratory is needed.]

This was a potion Paracelsus had made. It had been common in the Age of Mythology, but it was impossible to determine its value in this age. The potion was rated Treasure and could be compared to an elixir.

Nevertheless, Theo handed the potion to Baek Jongmyung without any hesitation and said, “Drink half and sprinkle the other half on your wounds. It will be effective in a minute.”

“... This is clearly not an ordinary potion!” As a swordmaster, Baek Jongmyung could tell the value of the liquid that Theo handed him and wondered if he could drink this. However, Theo had more in his inventory, so he just waved his hands like it was nothing.

Right now, a swordmaster was more important than a potion.

“You can pay me back later. Right now, Lord Baek’s power is needed.”

“Well, it will be awkward to keep refusing. I will receive Sir Theo’s grace.”

Baek Jongmyung bowed his head and focused on healing his left arm, while Prince Elsid and Theo continued talking about the battlefield. Theo’s original mission had been to pass information about Orta’s movements from here on to the Atron Estate and protect Prince Elsid.

Theo delivered Orta’s words, “The White Tower Master is planning to start at the three captured estates and will move to deal massive damage to Duke Cornwall’s forces. Atron simply needs to hold out until then.”

“Will the duke’s forces before us really retreat?” Elsid was skeptical. He knew his value. The civil war would end instantly if he was captured. So, the duke would try to catch him here, even if he had to sacrifice a great deal of his forces. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to have dragged a large army to Atron in the first place.

Theo would’ve made the same judgment, but this time was different.

“The troops will definitely retreat.”

“I’m curious. How are you so sure?”

“Wait a few more days. In any case, the duke’s troops won’t be able to approach until the trees disappear.”

Theo could understand Elsid’s doubts, but he could answer with conviction because he realized something. After awakening his Sorcery, Theo realized that he had only ever seen half of what White Tower Master Orta, the leader of the White Tower, could do.

***

It only took seven days for Theo’s prediction to come true. Duke Cornwall’s forces had mobilized as the forest withered away, but they had suddenly turned around. The soldiers in Atron sighed in relief, but it was a huge loss for Duke Cornwall. He hadn’t lost many troops, but there was an enormous cost associated with moving such a big army.

This battle shifted from checkmate to an ordinary check.

It took exactly six days. In that time, eleven estates around the three estates on the border had fallen. Orta and the magic troops had struck their vulnerabilities with pinpoint precision and eradicated the knights at each estate.

Orta had made use of his superior mobility to attack the next estate before they received news that the one before them had fallen. Then he left troops at the rear to consolidate his defenses and moved onward to repeat the same process.

It was Orta’s unique military style.

The duke had been furious. If this continued, he would lose his entire power base before he could capture the prince. As such, he was forced to retreat to Marquis Fergana’s estate.

Both camps were quiet in the immediate aftermath. As a result, the first full-scale battle of Soldun’s civil war entered a short stalemate after the royal faction revealed a few surprises.