“The magic wand [Gravity]. Its effective range is about 30 meters square, and it can apply 3 times the normal gravity. Since the jewel is 10th rank, this is the limit of its output, but by intensely concentrating the range, it can apply up to 30 times the gravity. This required some charging time, so I made myself disappear from your sight.”
” …… “
Until then, Hazen had stubbornly confined himself to planar movements front, back, left and right in order to make Gizal mistakenly think that he could not move to the air. The meticulous calculations that this magician Hazen-Heim had carried out were impressive.
Gizal’s expression was serene.
“Impressive…I have lost.”
“Well then, you are mine now, General Gizal.”
Hazen laughed.
Gizal also closed his eyes with a smile and nodded.
“…Yes. What a terrifying monster you are. I am utterly defeated.”
“Alright, break time is over.”
Hazen immediately stood up and stretched.
“Are you going to attack the Diode Duchy?”
“Of course. It’s a war, you know.”
“…Even if I become your subordinate, will you not stop the attack on the Diode Duchy?”
” No, I won’t.”
“What are you saying? With this difference in military power, even if the Diode Duchy’s troops have been depleted, General Landa and General Zonan are still there. They are strong, you know?”
Even for Hazen, he must have been considerably worn down by this battle.
“Heh. Then I’ll tell them to take you as a prisoner.”
“…What do you mean?”
Before answering General Gizal’s question, Adjutant Bazz rushed over to Hazen.
“This one is a prisoner. Treat him respectfully.”
“Understood. Ah, by the way. The enemy forces did not retreat and have begun advancing towards us.”
“……”
Just as General Gizal had predicted, Hazen’s calculations were off. However, the black-haired youth showed no sign of frustration.
“I see…a slight miscalculation. Well, I’m not a god. From here on, it will be a simple war of attrition. Can you hold out for a few more hours?”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
Lieutenant Bazz replied while lending his shoulder to General Gizal.
“This attack won’t stop for days, you know? Since I’ve only recently arrived at this fortress, the shock to the soldiers was minimal.”
“…You’ll understand eventually.”
As Hazen muttered this, at that moment another messenger rushed over.
“Hah…hah…Lieutenant Hazen. The Diode Duchy’s troops are retreating entirely!”
“…Ridiculous.”
General Gizal muttered involuntarily.
“I see. A bit late, but it worked out. Send out a pursuit squad to turn them back.”
“…A diversion force?”
Gizal had an incredulous look on his face. Of course, he was no fool. The existence of a diversion force must have been considered by the Diode Duchy as well.
However, Hazen had predicted they would “definitely miss it.”
“Lieutenant Bazz…cover your ears for a bit.”
“Yes sir!”
He answered energetically and covered his ears with both hands. From here, it would be inconvenient for imperial soldiers to overhear. If they were caught eavesdropping later, they would be executed, but Lieutenant Bazz was dutiful. There would be no problem for now.
Gizal noticed this as well, and spoke in a voice only audible to Hazen.
“We have over 5,000 troops stationed at this fortress. Does the Empire really have enough forces to threaten that?”
“No, the Empire didn’t. So instead they asked for help elsewhere.”
“…The Kumin tribe.”
“You’ve guessed correctly.”
“But the Kumin tribe is not an ally of the Empire, I heard it was merely a ceasefire agreement.”
“That’s what I expected you to think.”
“…Disinformation?”
“No way. Lieutenant Mospitza couldn’t act that well.”
“You knew?”
“We’re not such fools to be fooled by that level of incompetence either.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
They intentionally let Hazen and Lei-fa’s conversation be overheard, though it took some effort. If done too subtly it would be overlooked, so they had to speak in exaggeratedly loud voices like bad actors.
“But then, doesn’t that still mean there’s no change to the ceasefire agreement? How did you convince the Kumin tribe?”
“We didn’t convince them of anything. We simply leaked information that this fortress would be underdefended during this battle.”
“…Meaning you let the Kumin tribe occupy it, not the Empire forces themselves?”
Hazen nodded at the question.
“Still, I can’t comprehend why the Kumin would act on that. They’re a mountain tribe. Even if they took this lowland fortress, they couldn’t defend it.”
“True. An object’s value is not fixed. What is strategically important land for the Empire or Diode Duchy may not be for them. But the reverse is also true.”
“…A territorial exchange!”
Gizal had a look of surprise.
“Correct. The Empire controls much of the mountainous regions that were the Kumin tribe’s territory. But for us, those lands have little value.”
“……”
In this land of extreme winter cold, developing the mountains is an immensely difficult task. Much of the land seized is barely utilized.
“With the current ceasefire agreement in place, an outright invasion of Diode by the Empire has become difficult. So the only option left for the Empire’s side is to exchange those territories.”
“You’re saying you calculated all of this?”
“Not at all. Gizal, your presence here made the situation considerably more complex.”
“…I don’t understand. Why would you risk leaking information?”
Gizal likely wouldn’t understand. If the Diode Duchy was kept completely in the dark, the fortress would probably have fallen. Even with great general Mishil and Hazen, they couldn’t have held out in that defensive battle.
But the black-haired youth answered nonchalantly:
“I wasn’t acting for the Empire’s interests. I prioritize my own personal interests above all else. Put simply, I don’t want my achievements stolen by others.”
“…I’m baffled that you would make such a brazen, unsoldierly statement.”
“I can’t help it. I have my own circumstances. Well, as a result I was able to claim the greatest profit in the end.”
Hazen said this as he handed over a piece of parchment paper.
“What’s this?”
“A contract to formalize our master-servant relationship through magic here. As promised.”
Gizal was a powerful mage. To prevent betrayal, he would be magically bound to obedience. Fundamentally, Hazen did not trust concepts like loyalty.
“I have no objections to that, but are you sure? I had thought you make me betraying Diode to become an Imperial soldier.”
“Then I could not have you as my subordinate, could I? As I said before, I don’t want to act in the Empire’s interests if it doesn’t benefit me.”
“Hahaha! The more I’m baffled, the more I laugh.”
“So after you’re captured, I’ll have you promptly disappear.”
“You want me to escape?”
Hazen nodded at the question.
“Within a few days, Lieutenant Mospitza will bring the prison key to let you out.”
“But…are you sure? He’ll be punished.”
“It can’t be helped. He’ll be doing it of his own will. If he doesn’t want to, then he doesn’t have to.”
Well, he probably will, the black-haired youth grinned confidently.
“…May I ask one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Hazen, how old are you? You have a remarkably youthful face.”
“…Why?”
“Late teens…no, you couldn’t possibly be more than early 20s looking at you. Yet your every action defies your apparent age. Just who are you?”
“……”
“Geniuses do exist, to be sure. Prodigies like the the four great general Mishil. But even compared to them, you are in an entirely different league.”
“Gizal. A warning. Don’t try to learn about me. You will definitely regret the outcome.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
Gizal nodded and accepted the parchment paper.
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