Future Knight [EN]: Chapter 99

퓨쳐나이트 99

If he hadn’t been wearing the Stealth Cloak, he would never have been able to approach without being detected.

Mase ra, having safely reached the rear of the building, successfully planted the Mana Bullet [a magical explosive] behind the building.

“Mission complete, returning, over.”

“Roger.”

Mase ra, cloaked once more, vanished like a ghost.

He quickly moved away from the target.

However, the Green Elf, with senses as sharp as any of her kind, felt a disturbance and halted.

Whoosh.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I think something just passed by!”

“Where?”

As the Green Elves drew near, Mase ra froze, minimizing his presence.

“What? There’s nothing here.”

“That’s strange, I definitely felt something wriggling.”

“You’re imagining things. This is the rear, dozens of kilometers from the front lines. No way those heavy-footed guys would come all the way here, right? They’re probably too busy dealing with the Dark Elves, aren’t they? Hehehe.”

“Hehe, you’re right. We’re so lucky we’re not enemies with those guys. Kah, ack?!”

The phlegm spat out by the Green Elf stuck to Mase ra’s cloak, suspended in mid-air.

Mase ra was momentarily taken aback.

‘Damn it, is this a failed mission already?’

Mase ra braced himself to silently eliminate the Green Elves if necessary.

Fortunately, the Green Elves turned their attention to the approaching relief personnel.

“Oh? Shift change already? Hey!”

“Haaam, anything happen?”

“Of course not! I was guarding this place, so nothing happened. We’re going to get some sleep now, so good luck.”

“Okay, sleep well and dream of me.”

“If that unfortunate event occurs, I’ll find you tomorrow and beat you up.”

“Hehehe.”

“Don’t laugh, I’ll get attached. I’m going!”

“Okay, go in.”

Having been relieved, they headed to the barracks, oblivious to Mase ra’s presence.

Mase ra let out a long sigh of relief.

‘Hoo…’

Mase ra didn’t rush this time, slowly leaving the area undetected.

However, he couldn’t avoid Kang Chan’s sharp reprimand.

“Mase ra, be more careful in the future. Got it?”

Mase ra tapped his helmet instead of answering.

“Now, there are eight more enemy supply warehouses where we need to plant Mana Bullets. Let’s move quickly.”

Kang Chan and the squad moved towards the next target.

While Kang Chan and the Wyvern squad diligently planted explosives in the Green Elf base, Green was reading the damage report from the day’s battle with a heavy heart.

Nearly 300,000 of her children had perished in the day’s fighting.

With massive armies, reaching 2 million on both sides, clashing with the survival of the race at stake, casualties were inevitable.

However, they were like grandchildren to her, amplifying Green’s sorrow.

“I have no words to comfort you.”

Nemitz, who was watching, placed a hand on her shoulder in sympathy.

“I fought so hard to protect them…”

“Green, you did your best. Rather, I am the one who is sorry. Our forces suffered greatly because I failed to contain them properly.”

In today’s battle, the enemy Sword Masters inflicted the most damage on the Green Elves.

Nemitz and his disciples should have held them back longer, but that was the cause.

Once Nemitz and his disciples withdrew, the enemy Sword Masters, unrestrained, joined the Gigantes [giant warriors] and inflicted enormous damage on the Green Elves.

But he couldn’t be blamed.

That’s how formidable the enemy Sword Masters were.

“No, don’t say that. The enemies were all Sword Masters. I know they can’t be overcome by numbers alone.”

“Green…”

As Green wiped away her tears and forced a smile, Nemitz took her hand.

Flinch!

Nemitz’s sudden gesture startled Green, but she didn’t pull away.

Instead, Green leaned against Nemitz’s chest.

Nemitz was her only pillar of support, as she had been carrying an overwhelming burden alone.

Green felt a strange sense of peace leaning against Nemitz’s chest.

His embrace was surprisingly warm.

But then, a tremendous shockwave rocked the earth.

Kugugugugung!!

“Kyaa!”

“No! What?”

A tremendous explosion, like an earthquake, shook the ground.

Nemitz regained his senses and rushed out of the barracks. An unbelievable sight greeted him.

“H, how did this happen?”

Nine giant pillars of fire blazed across the landscape, black smoke billowing into the sky.

“Kuk!”

Nemitz, squinting against the glare, summoned Keremion, his escort.

“Keremion, what the hell is going on?”

“I, I don’t know. Suddenly, explosions erupted everywhere simultaneously.”

“All troops on emergency alert! Summon the Arc Shadows [elite stealth unit]!”

“Yes! Master.”

Keremion acknowledged Nemitz’s order and vanished into the darkness.

Kang Chan and the squad, having planted all the Mana Bullets, retreated to a safe distance and detonated them simultaneously.

A tremendous shockwave followed, and giant pillars of fire erupted, turning the night sky crimson.

Kugugugung!

The power of the special Mana Bullets, imbued with 7-circle magic [high-level spell] by Zikyon, was truly devastating. The massive warehouses, filled with food, instantly turned to dust.

“Wow! What a spectacle!”

“Hoo~ What amazing power.”

The squad members watched the distant pillars of fire with awe and pride.

They had turned the enemy’s three-day food supply for a million people into puffed rice.

“I feel a little sorry for the Green Elves who will be starving tomorrow, don’t you think?”

Hollis, the eldest of the Black Wyverns, feigned pity, and Anais, a female knight of the same age, patted his shoulder.

“If you feel so bad, why don’t you share your emergency rations?”

“If they quietly disappear from this land, I’d be happy to share them. Crunch! Crunch!”

Hollis grinned at Anais, chewing on a thick jerky, a portable combat ration.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Okay, everyone, pay attention!”

At Kang Chan’s call, the Black Wyvern squad members, who had been watching the fire, turned their attention to him.

“Attention!”

“The first mission was a resounding success. Tonight, we neutralized all nine enemy food warehouses. Everyone worked hard. We’re returning to base now.”

The squad members wanted to cheer at Kang Chan’s words, but they suppressed their joy until they were safely back.

“Hollis, save the emergency rations for later, okay?”

“Ah, yes! I understand.”

“Okay, everyone, let’s go.”

The Black Wyvern squad swiftly moved towards the extraction point.

Kang Chan glanced back at the burning Green Elf base as he ran.

He thought of the Green Witch, despairing as she watched the flames.

He considered sneaking in alone to slit her throat, but decided it would be more satisfying to corner her slowly.

Kang Chan wanted her to suffer.

Green nearly fainted when she received the damage report in the morning.

Hundreds of thousands of tons of wheat, stored in ten locations, had been reduced to ashes.

Losing that much food when supplies were already scarce was a devastating blow.

It was impossible to extract more food from the occupied territories.

The food requisitioned for this war had been almost entirely confiscated.

They couldn’t afford to lose any more.

Any further losses meant defeat without a fight.

She had reinforced security at the rear food warehouses and tasked Nemitz with eliminating the enemy infiltrators.

Guerrilla warfare in the dark was their specialty.

“How did they infiltrate?”

“Judging by their ability to bypass detection magic, they likely used Wyverns.”

“I can’t believe it. Wyverns…”

Green, who had never considered a Wyvern infiltration, felt stunned.

She knew that even a few Wyverns would be quickly detected and surrounded.

Yet, they had carried out the operation undetected.

She couldn’t fathom their methods.

Furthermore, the firepower required to incinerate that much food required a powerful mage.

“Anyway, the loss is in the past. We must focus on the present.”

Green nodded silently at Nemitz’s words and turned her gaze forward.

Before her, enemies filled the horizon, swarming forward as they had the day before.

“I will never forgive you!”

Unlike yesterday, she resolved to fight with everything she had from the start.

It was the only way to save as many of her children as possible.

“Today, you will taste my wrath! Come out! Phoenix!”

Duke Sachsen, reading Kang Chan’s morning report, smiled.

The achievements from the previous night’s infiltration were significant.

He had held some expectations, but this exceeded them.

The success was a green light for the Continental Allied Forces’ victory.

Of course, the Dark Elves had also caused considerable damage the previous night.

They had inflicted a thousand large and small attacks overnight.

However, none of that compared to Kang Chan’s accomplishments.

Food was that crucial in war.

The Allied soldiers, dragged to the battlefield without sleep thanks to the Dark Elves, had bloodshot eyes.

However, the Green Elves on the opposite side clutched their empty stomachs.

They had missed breakfast because the food warehouses had burned down.

A battle between fatigue and hunger.

It was difficult to say who was more disadvantaged, but the two massive armies clashed once more.

“Hiyahyayayat! Today, I’m going to kill you all and sleep soundly!”

The Allied soldier thrust his halberd at the Green Elf with venom.

Clang!

“No way! I’ll rip out your liver and eat it raw!”