Chapter 15
The distance to Jeremiah Mountain remained unchanged despite the endless marching. Attempts were made to change direction or send some troops in different ways, but the result was the same. By now, it was undeniable: no matter what they did, they could not escape this place.
Eventually, the allied forces halted their march, hurriedly setting up camp and resting. After allowing the soldiers to rest, the commanders and generals gathered urgently for a meeting.
“Damn it! How is this happening? Why are we endlessly circling the same area?”
“I… I don’t know either. I’ve never encountered such a phenomenon before.”
The sorcerer, chastised by Commander Roth, could only scratch his head in confusion. Though he was known to be one of the most skilled magicians in Moabmon, he was utterly powerless against this bizarre situation.
It was not just a small number, but a massive army of 60,000. A magic that could make such a large force lose its way was unheard of even in myths.
The only conjecture they could make was:
“Could this be the work of that Seraphim or whatever it’s called?”
“There’s no other explanation. Such an outrageous scale of magic is beyond human capability.”
“Damn it! This filthy Dark God is truly making us suffer. What on earth are we going to do? If this situation continues tomorrow, it will become a serious problem.”
“…”
“Umm…”
In response to Roth’s questions, the other lords and generals remained silent. As Roth said, if this situation persisted until tomorrow, it wouldn’t end with merely being lost and wandering.
There was no water source where they were trapped. Although they still had enough food, enduring days under the scorching sun without water was absolutely impossible. They managed on the first day with the water in their canteens, but it was starting to run out.
Unless it rained from the sky suddenly, the next day would likely turn into a true hellish ordeal. A 60,000-strong army would face the possibility of dying of thirst on the road.
Given that there was no viable solution to escape this place, they could only voice their frustrations.
Meanwhile, watching their helplessness, Commander Roth began to fidget with an object in his possession.
“Damn it… I was originally going to use this after conquering the Kanan Kingdom and unifying Moabmon… But should I use it now?”
The holy relic given to him by the Pope. It was intended for dealing with formidable enemies or stubborn resistances, but Roth had planned to use it to fulfill his own ambitions. Yet, if things continued as they were, the army might be annihilated before even engaging properly with the Kanan Kingdom.
As the saying goes, “a stitch in time saves nine.” Now seemed to be the right time to use this power, but he still hesitated to make a decision. Besides not having seen the enemy’s shadow yet, there was a more practical concern.
*A stitch in time saves nine – if you sort out a problem immediately it may save a lot of extra work later.*
Even with the use of divine power, there was no guarantee that it would help them escape this illusory situation. The risk was that they might squander their divine power without achieving any results.
Amidst this indecision and repeated deliberations, Commander Roth was deep in thought. At that moment…
“…How about we try this approach instead?”
“Huh?”
“Lord Root? Do you have a plan?”
The attention of everyone present was immediately drawn to Root, the lord of Marah. In the midst of the tense atmosphere, Root spoke in a cautious tone.
“If we stay like this, we are doomed to be annihilated soon. At most, we have two days. In the worst-case scenario, we might even see our soldiers dying from dehydration starting tomorrow. If we are to meet our end, wouldn’t it be better to acknowledge the situation and try to preserve our lives?”
“Acknowledge… what do you mean?”
The suggestion seemed off from the start. And soon, Root’s words confirmed that initial unease.
“It means… surrendering. To the Kanan Kingdom, or rather… to the Seraphim who is orchestrating this situation.”
“No, surrender? Lord Root! What on earth are you saying?”
“We came here in the name of the god! How can we kneel before the false evil god of heretics?”
“Then what do you propose? Do you plan to sit idly and watch us all die? We might truly witness our soldiers’ massacre tomorrow!”
Lord Root, who was usually more reserved, spoke with unusual determination. As a result, the other lords who had been observing quietly began to voice their opinions.
“I too support Lord Root’s proposal. Before even fighting, our troops are on the brink of being wiped out. Furthermore, even if we somehow escape this predicament, our soldiers are already gripped by fear and their morale has plummeted. The battle is already lost.”
“Hmmm… I’ve heard that even today, there are those hallucinating due to fear. Tomorrow could be even worse.”
“Are these people really still following the teachings of Baal? After only a day of suffering, are they ready to turn their backs so quickly? Is that all their faith amounts to?”
“Then do you have any solutions? Stop being obstinate and offer whatever you have. If it is reasonable, I will gladly follow.”
“That… well…”
“Hmmm…”
The lords who agreed with Root’s proposal were mostly moderates. They were quick to turn towards compromise in the face of the dire situation. Although the hardliners protested, the overall mood was leaning towards surrender under the guise of compromise.
Not to mention, the fact that they couldn’t find water during this hot summer was a critical issue. Everyone present knew that repeating today’s situation even for one more day would offer no hope.
At that moment, Commander Roth, observing this, spoke in a serious tone.
“Everyone, please calm down. Let’s end this meeting for today and decide the rest in the morning. Who knows? The bizarre situation might resolve itself by then.”
“Hmmm…”
“Well… let’s do that.”
Honestly, Roth wanted to reach a definite conclusion on the spot, but the fatigue of those present, who had been awake for the meeting despite their exhaustion, made it impossible to insist on a decision right away.
With that, the lords and generals, their heavy bodies dragging, began to disperse. Meanwhile, seeing this, Commander Roth made a decision. If things continued like this, not only would the moderates but even the hardliners would turn against him.
If things continued like this, the golden opportunity he had long awaited would turn into nothing but a mere mirage. Before that could happen, Roth steeled himself to take a gamble with the last resort he had left.
“Right… it’s all or nothing now. If this situation persists tomorrow morning, then I will have no choice but to use this power…”
With that thought, Roth collapsed and lay down as if he had been struck. Like the other lords, he was utterly exhausted. As he lay down, Roth soon fell into a deep sleep, dreaming, as always, of the sweet dream of becoming the emperor of a vast empire.
*
In the pitch-black darkness of the Moabmon Alliance’s camp, the usual vigilance was absent. Normally, the sentries would have their fires lit and remain alert, but tonight, most of them were dozing off with the lights barely flickering.
The chaos of the day and the forced marches had left the soldiers both physically and mentally drained. This fatigue was shared by the sentries who were supposed to be on duty and the officers overseeing them.
As a result, both the sentries and the officers had been relegated to the back of their minds, falling into a collective stupor.
In the midst of this, a group of shadowy figures began to move among the sleeping soldiers.
Suddenly—
-Clang!!!
-Crash!
“!?!”
“Gasp! W-What’s happening? What’s going on?”
The loud clamor of clashing weapons and the screeching of metal on metal pierced through the darkness, jolting the exhausted soldiers awake.
At that moment, voices pierced through the confusion.
“Enemy!”
“Enemy attack!”
Despite their accumulated fatigue causing mental disorientation, the soldiers scrambled to their feet, fumbling for their weapons in the dark.
“Damn it! Where… where are they? Where are the enemies?”
“Shit! Light the fires first! I can’t see a thing!”
Soldiers and officers, struggling to drag their heavy bodies out of the tents, were only able to stumble around in the deep darkness. They were engulfed in a deep confusion and couldn’t think of any effective countermeasures.
“Ugh!”
“! Over here! The enemies are here!”
The only thing they could do was advance blindly, guided only by the sporadic screams of their comrades. However, moving solely based on sound in complete darkness was perilous in itself.
In a situation where hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people were entangled, it became even more dangerous.
“Ugh!”
“Stop! Stop it!”
“Everyone, stop! There… there are people!!… Aaaah!”
Obstacles they couldn’t see, fallen comrades, and entanglement with each other caused many soldiers to fall and scatter. The camp quickly descended into chaos, and anxiety and fear among the soldiers intensified.
And then…
“What… What is that… What is that thing?”
“W-What are you talking about? Why is this happening… Gasp!!”
In the midst of the extreme confusion and mental strain, the soldiers slowly began to see something.
As their mental barriers crumbled and their minds became clouded with chaos, the truth finally became visible.
It was—
The immense red eyes that had been gazing down at them from high above the sky.
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