Chapter 182: Let’s See How Long You Can Avoid It (2)
Come to think of it, it had been a while since I last saw Namia-nim. She had been constantly in her room praying, making herself scarce.
Her prayers finally ended today, and she came to me first, but unfortunately, the timing was bad.
Levidian, her face as red as Namia-nim’s hair, fidgeted in embarrassment before muttering something about preparing tea and leaving the room. She’s a cute woman.
Just when I started to wonder if she had gone to pick tea leaves instead of fetching tea, Aila also came looking for me. By the time Levidian returned, Joey had joined us, making a total of five people gathered.
Namia-nim first spoke about the divine message she had finally received, and Aila expressed great interest in the oracle that rarely descended. With sparkling eyes, she said,
“So, in the end, they’re saying it’s up to you. Wow, even the gods can be irresponsible sometimes. Hmm.”
“Nuna, please don’t be so blunt.”
“Why? The divine message we received after two months is just ‘Do as you please.’ I think there’s enough reason to complain.”
“Perhaps Lynin is implying that this matter can be resolved by human hands. He tends to give clear answers regarding matters beyond human control.”
Namia-nim spoke in a slightly admonishing tone, but in the end, it only proved that the so-called will of God was, in fact, at the level of ‘Do as you please.’ I’m glad I don’t believe in Lynin.
At least it’s a relief to hear that it can be resolved by human hands.
Thanks to Brandiego’s gift, dealing with Artshever will be slightly easier, but that doesn’t mean the difficulties will disappear. And difficulty and anxiety are close friends. When one grows, the other grows as well.
Stroking my chin, I said,
“In the end, we have to handle it ourselves…… Al is late.”
“Hyung-nim, could something have happened? Like being attacked by Artshever’s companions……”
“No, that won’t happen. Have you ever seen a clown perform without advertising? He would have at least sent a letter with a nerve-wracking tone.”
“Agreed. Although it’s annoying, it’s better than nothing.”
Aila, who could be considered an authority on Artshever studies, agreed with me. However, unlike usual, her voice was somewhat dry.
She asked me,
“Risel, are you planning to head towards the Imperial Capital this year?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. The government’s thoughts are narrowing down to that as well. The Grand General’s opinion is the same. This year, we’ll descend towards the Imperial Capital and finish things as quickly as possible.”
“Then, can it be over within this year?”
“Well, if we try hard enough, it should be, right?”
“Hmm……”
She nodded absentmindedly, lost in thought.
Lately, Aila has been spending more time lost in thought like this.
She’s as cheerful as ever, but sometimes she gets lost in her own thoughts. Perhaps she’s thinking about Artshever.
Stirring her tea with a teaspoon, Levidian spoke,
“How do you think the war will unfold?”
“Actually, the Herduke Kingdom Army is larger than the Imperial Capital Army. Unless something unexpected happens, it’s highly likely that it will turn into a suppression operation. We’ll push through with an overwhelming difference in numbers. It’s a battle tactic that requires a lot of funding, but it’s definitely effective.”
The total number of summoned soldiers and the Imperial Capital Army is estimated to be around 250,000.
Currently, the total strength of the Herduke Kingdom Army is three times that.
This is because we absorbed a significant number of troops while capturing Narvilt. If we decide to take 500,000 troops and push south, there’s nothing the 250,000 troops can do.
The troop ratio is about 1:2, which isn’t an insurmountable ratio. Rather, it’s a ratio that allows for a decent fight, but when the difference increases to around 250,000, you have to give up regardless of the ratio.
In fact, since these are the troops I’m using to deal with Artshever, I don’t want to make them a comparable size. Also, to counter his various schemes, it’s better to push through with a brute force that renders schemes ineffective.
It might make the clown a bit bored, but this is the path to the final battle anyway. I don’t have the luxury of considering his entertainment.
“But, Aila, what brings you here?”
“Huh? Ah, me?”
“Is there another Aila? There might be one somewhere in a parallel dimension…… Right?”
“Yes, you understand well. Ah, I came to deliver the latest news from the Imperial Capital. I almost forgot because Namia-nim was here.”
Aila grinned, but that smile bothered me a little. Why has she become so absentminded lately?
“Now, listen. Everyone knows that the Empire, which is now barely an empire with its reduced territory, is planning to attack this place, right? During the Narvilt conquest, the Imperial Capital Army tried to infiltrate the Herduke Kingdom, but they were blocked at Baron Hiltenpens’ territory and other locations, failing to achieve their goal. It seems they’re trying to make up for that this time.”
“How?”
“First, if the Herduke Kingdom tries to move its troops deep into the Imperial territory, they’ll inevitably have to split their forces. They seem to be aiming for that. They’re planning to gain the upper hand in the early stages through divide and conquer tactics.”
“Impel Road is on our side, will that work?”
I tilted my head.
Two years ago, before becoming the Herduke Kingdom, the Eastern Army of Orknesia also seized Impel Road to secure a path to the Imperial Capital.
After that, the government put a lot of effort into turning Impel Road into a strategic location. There was no difficulty in gathering troops there.
And even if they disperse, it’ll only be a little from Narvilt and a little down from Western Orknesia along Narvilt. Most of them will advance through Baron Hiltenpens’ territory and Impel Road.
No matter how I look at it, divide and conquer tactics seem difficult.
Aila nodded as if agreeing with my thoughts. However, there was a wrinkle between her eyebrows.
“I think so too, but I’m worried about that mage, Referndi. Risel said she easily breaks the Magnolia Oath, right?”
“Ugh. That’s right.”
That’s right. I had forgotten about her because she appeared not long ago.
If it’s Referndi, she will definitely ignore the oath that states one should not harm innocent people without cause and should use magic for the benefit of the world. Even in my memory, she treated it as if it were nonexistent.
In fact, the Magnolia Oath is not legally binding. It’s just a kind of declaration of conscience. Unless there’s a special reason, mages try to keep the words of their great predecessors, but in Referndi’s case, she’s likely to treat Magnolia Beming’s name as if it were a dog’s name.
“Certainly, she could potentially crush one of those locations. Hmm. Then we have to be prepared for some damage…… I don’t like that.”
“We desperately need Lucy. You said he captured and confined Referndi in your previous life, right?”
“Well, if he heard that we desperately need him, he would probably jump for joy. However, magical research isn’t something you can easily stop like physical training…… Aila, do you have any means to nullify magic?”
“Are you talking about Magic Skip?”
“Yes, that.”
I’ve only seen it once, but she easily nullified Lucy’s magic before. Aila nodded.
“Of course, it’s possible. However, that’s to dispel magic that has already been activated, so it’s impossible to prevent it beforehand.”
“To what extent can you dispel it?”
“Large-scale magic that can wipe out an entire legion is impossible. That bastard would also find it difficult. And it’s hard to determine the scale that can be dispelled because, in the case of Magic Skip, you assess the possibility of skipping after seeing the activated magic and then set the level. In other words, I don’t know until I see what kind of magic it is.”
“What about the Lightning Bolt that Lucy used?”
“That would be level 3. Basic magic can all be dispelled at level 3, but…… Ah, come to think of it, it would be difficult to block that person’s magic.”
Eh? What? Why the sudden change of words?
Not only me, but everyone present looked at her. Aila leisurely picked up her teacup and took a sip with an elegant gesture.
We, who were waiting for her explanation, were all focused on her movements.
After putting down her teacup, Aila tilted her head.
“Huh? What’s wrong with everyone? Did I drink tea too elegantly?”
“Explain.”
“Oh? Ah, why it’s difficult to block? Well, that red-haired lady said it before. ‘Lindy who holds the Prime.’ That’s why it’s difficult.”
“I think that’s a prime example of the inappropriate use of ‘that’s why.’ What does that even mean?”
Aila pressed her lips with her finger for a moment, lost in thought. Soon, she opened her mouth.
“It seems that person is a mage specializing in Prime magic.”
“Prime magic?”
“Yes. You know, right? There are 24 categories of magic, but the magic system established after the first year of the Imperial calendar only has 9 categories.”
“I know that much as common knowledge. The other 15 categories have been lost, right?”
“Yes. Among those lost 15 categories, to be precise, the most difficult magic category among the 24 categories of magic is the ‘Prime’ category. At least, that’s what I know from the world I lived in.”
“Ah, so that’s why Lucy was surprised.”
I recalled the time when Referndi introduced herself.
I was so focused on the fact that she had reset that I forgot about Lucy’s reaction. Moreover, Lucy left immediately after, so there was no time to hear the story.
A mage who inherits a forgotten category, it’s no wonder he was surprised.
But what does that have to do with Aila’s superpower not being able to block magic?
“Prime magic is only theoretical even in the world I lived in. Perhaps only the outline remains in this world. No, that’s what I thought. I don’t know how, but that lady Referndi seems to have mastered it. Anyway, if the opponent is a Prime mage, you won’t be able to block it with superpowers or any other power.”
“Why?”
“Because that category deals with the ‘Prime.’ Sigh. I only know the theory, so bear with me if you don’t understand.”
According to Aila’s explanation, Prime magic is a category of magic that manipulates the fundamental elements that exist in everything in the world.
Everything in the world, including humans, possesses various fundamental elements. This fundamental element is said to be quite abstract and treated as a kind of concept.
“Risel, you’re a man. Unfortunately, you might not have realized your gender identity, and therefore, there might be a situation where Ibi-unni feels betrayed in the future, but let’s just say you’re a man for now.”
“I am a man.”
“Okay. Let’s just say that. From the perspective of gender, your fundamental element is ‘man.’ A Prime mage can manipulate that and change it to ‘woman.’ Or they can even create a third gender that is neither male nor female.”
“Then wouldn’t that be Transformation magic?”
“No, it’s different. Transformation doesn’t change the root. For example, let’s say you’re transformed by a Transformation magic, a representative type of Transformation magic. Let’s say you become a beauty that would make every woman in the world, except for me, cry and feel humiliated. Even then, the fundamental element of ‘man’ within the entity ‘Risel’ doesn’t change. Even if your appearance becomes female, your ego remains male.”
There was something a little strange in the example, but I could understand it. The others also nodded with slightly awkward expressions. The self-proclaimed most beautiful woman in the world lifted her teacup with a satisfied expression.
“Other cases are the same. Even if you’re affected by a Transformation magic that turns you into a dog, you can maintain your human ego, even if your actions are restricted. All kinds of Transformation magic are like that. However, if you manipulate the fundamental element, you will act as if you were a woman from the beginning, or as if you were born a dog from the beginning. Literally, your very foundation is distorted.”
“Isn’t that like mind control?”
“No. The scariest thing about Prime magic is that it changes you as if you were ‘always’ like that from the beginning. Unless it’s also Prime magic, you can’t revert the fundamental element manipulated by Prime magic.”
“Well, it still seems similar to Transformation magic.”
Aila took a sip of tea with a knowing look. She explained triumphantly,
“The biggest difference from Transformation magic is this. Transformation magic changes something that exists in this world into something else that exists in this world. It transforms or changes you into an entity that follows the laws of nature. For example, if you use Transformation magic on this tea water and turn it into fire, it will become fire and burn brightly for a moment before disappearing, right?”
“That’s right. Because there’s nothing left to burn.”
“Yes. That’s the difference from Prime magic. If you use Prime magic to change the ‘water’ among the fundamental elements of this tea into ‘fire,’ it will happen just like Transformation magic. However, the other fundamental elements won’t disappear.”
“What do you mean?”
Her golden eyes gleamed. I instinctively felt that this was the most important part. I focused on her voice.
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