The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 68

59. BiGung Clan (2)

Whooooong—!

Whoa—!!

A wind arose as if a sudden gust had swept across the calm sky. Soldiers on guard duty on the ramparts hastily shielded their faces with their arms from the unexpected wind.

“What, what is it?”

“Be careful the flags don’t blow away!!”

Clang- Clang- Clang-

The sentry quickly rang the bell.

The alarm bell echoed in all directions as they watched the black shadow that suddenly appeared in the sky.

Dada dada…….

Dada……!

In response to the bell, the soldiers below were deployed in perfect order.

The same pattern as the white dragon on the flag was also engraved on their chests. Only imperial soldiers in the continent could wear that emblem on their chests.

The glint in each soldier’s eyes was sharp, and even the ordinary soldiers seemed well-trained and on edge.

“Everyone to your positions!!”

“Hold your ground!! Archer units, stand by!”

“Shieldbearers, forward!!”

At the centurions’ shouts, the soldiers once again formed a massive tower shield wall on the ramparts.

Thud–!!

Small holes were pierced in the slanted shields, and archers skillfully inserted arrows and drew their bows.

Crackle crackle crackle…….

Hundreds of arrows were drawn taut.

Looking down from above, the sight was enough to make one’s knees buckle.

“…….”

“…….”

The soldiers, who had been moving busily, forgot their initial confusion and stared at the huge airship passing overhead.

“That should do it.”

Unlike the silent ramparts, the garrison commander standing in the watchtower spoke to his adjutant as if he had been waiting.

“Report to the Imperial Palace immediately.”

“Yes?”

“You know who it is. Tell them that His Majesty has personally summoned them, so they should lower their guard and prepare the gates.”

Even a three-year-old would know who possessed the only aircraft capable of flying in the skies of the continent.

The Kyo-do Mercenary Corps.

But no matter how powerful they were, they would not have come to target the Empire recklessly.

The garrison commander, who had already received the report, knew they were coming soon, yet he mustered the soldiers as if it were a state of war when the airship appeared within range.

The reason was simple.

Because he had to.

No matter how friendly they were, they were ultimately just a mercenary corps.

Coo grrr grrr grrr…….

Coo grrr…….

The airship not only entered the Empire’s territory but was also flying over their heads.

They were probably looking for a landing spot, but simply condoning their actions would tarnish the Empire’s prestige.

The bell rang, and the number of soldiers gathered on the ramparts was over 800. Behind the ramparts were 500 cavalrymen and 1,700 infantrymen ready to march.

A total of 3,000 men.

It might seem like a small number, but they had gathered in less than 30 minutes.

“The airship can see the soldiers below the ramparts. It’s good to show them this much.”

The Imperial Knights and the soldiers stationed outside the Imperial Capital did not move.

Even the pressure of leaving reserves.

Everything was a calculated move.

It might seem like unnecessary pomp, but this appearance might be what protected the Empire’s prestige.

‘Just as the Prime Minister said. The problem won’t be the audience with His Majesty. Should we say the First Prince is ahead? Indeed…….’

The garrison commander thought as he watched the airship attempting to land.

‘How will Prince Oliver react……? Whoever can first establish a connection with the Kyo-do Mercenary Corps will gain another advantage in the struggle for the throne.’

He said in a low voice.

“The Empire will become turbulent.”

* * *

“Are you out of your mind?”

Aidan covered his mouth at Mihail’s glare, but soon his lips twitched again as he spoke.

“These tribes have been fighting over the Great Plains for decades. Yet it remains the same. Why is that? Because there’s no real resolution. They know that if one side loses balance, they’ll be devoured by the others.”

Cahill listened to him and said.

“You know a lot. Are you interested in this kind of thing?”

“No, it’s just…….”

Aidan scratched his head, feeling like he had been asked a similar question before.

He felt like he was being tested.

But even putting aside such suspicions, he thought he should say what needed to be said.

“Among the remaining three tribes, the Tu Tribe, in particular, is known to be very violent. Rumor has it that they even eat human flesh.”

“Really? Not much is known about the southern region. Did you even look it up?”

“…….”

Knowing that he would be embarrassed, Cahill teased him as if he found it amusing.

“Don’t worry. The rumor that the Tu Tribe eats human flesh is just a rumor. Well……. Cutting off and eating their own thigh flesh is a unique coming-of-age ceremony for the tribe, though.”

“Yes?”

Mihail asked back with a surprised expression at Cahill’s words.

“There are many similar customs in the north, so it’s not a big deal.”

“I see…….”

Mihail nodded with a sullen expression. Cahill smiled faintly as he watched him.

“Aidan, as you said, the reason why the four tribes haven’t settled things on the Great Plains is that it’s difficult for any one of them to move rashly. Why is that? If you know about the geography, the answer is easy.”

“Umm…….”

Cahill spoke to the two of them as if they were taking a test. Mihail opened his mouth before Aidan, who was pondering the question.

“It’s because of the monsters.”

He spoke confidently, unlike usual.

“The monsters pouring out of the large and small monster lairs behind the Great Plains are a significant burden for the tribes. Completely eliminating them would cause too much damage, and it’s difficult to wage war with monsters at your back.”

“That’s right.”

“Moreover, the Rahu Tribe has less territory on the Great Plains compared to the other three tribes, so they make a living by hunting monsters. So it’s difficult to completely subjugate them.”

“Have you ever been to the southern region? How do you know so much?”

Aidan asked back with a slightly surprised expression at Mihail’s fluent answer.

“I remember because I was briefly in the southern region to replenish the airship’s food supply.”

“Excellent.”

Mihail, feeling inexplicably pleased with Cahill’s praise, even gave an unnecessary explanation.

“The Empire probably left the southern region more free than the northern region for that reason. Because it’s difficult for them to unite easily even if left alone.”

“That’s right. That’s why this is a golden opportunity to determine the master of the Great Plains.”

“Umm…….”

Cahill looked at Aidan as if waiting for an answer. He, who had been lost in thought, carefully opened his mouth.

“Are you referring to us as the variable……?”

“Correct.”

“Are you saying that we’ll target each of the tribes that can’t move because of the monster lairs?”

No matter how great Cahill was, they were only three people at best.

Even the Rahu Tribe, the weakest of the Great Plains tribes, had nearly 800 members.

Gulp-

Aidan swallowed hard without realizing it as he said that.

It was no exaggeration to say that all the members of the southern mounted tribes were warriors, so defeating hundreds of enemies with just three people was literally risking their lives.

“If you add up the numbers of the other two tribes, it’s easily 2,000 people……. Then the number we have to defeat per person is…….”

Mihail moved his fingers a few times with a face that he couldn’t fathom, then shook his head and gave up.

It wasn’t because he couldn’t calculate it, but because it was impossible.

Cahill chuckled at his expression.

“Don’t worry. We won’t have to fight them.”

“Yes? Then…….”

“The variable I mentioned meant that we are here, capable of resolving the monster issue without them having to move.”

“Are you saying that we’ll be subjugating the monster lairs instead of the tribes?”

“That’s right.”

Aidan said as if he didn’t understand.

“Wouldn’t that just create an opportunity for the tribes to freely focus on the Great Plains? Wouldn’t that be bad for the BiGung Clan……?”

“Don’t worry. Even if we clear the monster lairs, they won’t be able to move easily. We’re catching the monsters, but not really catching them.”

“Umm…….”

Their faces were still full of questions.

Cahill smiled meaningfully.

* * *

Monster Lair (Dungeon).

On the continent, there are monsters that live in the mountains and fields, just like humans such as orcs and lizardmen, but unlike them, the monsters in the monster lairs are more special.

Unlike the monsters in the naturally generated fields, there is a core inside the monster lairs, and that core creates a distorted space.

The monsters in the monster lairs are created there.

An artificial birth that goes against nature.

‘Now that I think about it, this monster lair might be a kind of Parel [a type of magical artifact or location]. Of course, the difference in the monsters that are created is drastic.’

Things that he had taken for granted in the past looked new as he went back in time.

Until now, no kingdom had properly subjugated the monster lairs.

Because, unlike the monster lairs in the south, most of the monster lairs in the north had stopped functioning.

‘Originally, monster lairs alternate between dormant and active periods like volcanoes. Most of the monster lairs in the north have been inactive for hundreds of years, so they thought they were mostly dead monster lairs.’

In fact, the Emperor had ordered several times to investigate the monster lairs.

The expedition led by Baron Isaac confirmed the monster lairs on the continent five times and reported that there was nothing inside.

‘It wasn’t wrong.’

Cahill smiled bitterly and slightly hardened his face.

Certainly, there were no monsters at that time.

However, when the oracle was given and the monsters poured out of Parel and entered the human realm, they used the empty monster lairs as passages.

‘The Fallen Ones who instantly destroyed 1/3 of the north and charged into the Empire…….’

The largest monster lair on the continent is the Blood Cave (鮮血洞窟) [Xianxue Dongku] west of Tramel, an ancient ruin in the north.

That place would later become the first base of the Fallen.

‘Well, that’s something to be solved later.’

In this life, Cahill decided to block all the entrances to the monster lairs in the north.

* * *

Aidan and Mihail’s faces darkened as they got closer to the monster lair.

There were several monster lairs in the Great Plains, but the place Cahill was heading to was well known to both of them.

“Does anyone know about this monster lair?”

“I’ve never seen it in person, but I’ve heard the name many times. Judging from the two rocks facing each other, isn’t that the Nest of the Two-Headed Eagle?”

Cahill nodded at Mihail’s words.

“That’s right.”

And at his words, the two let out a low sigh with a predictable expression.

Because it was the second most difficult place among the monster lairs in the Great Plains.

“The place with the strongest monster is the Wedge Vine Hills a little further away from here, but…….”

One of the two monster lairs that even the tribes that fight monsters can’t touch.

The monsters that live inside were that powerful.

“In the current situation, the head of the Two-Headed Eagle will be a more valuable trade item than the Sand Serpent, the master of the hills.”

“Ah……!”

Only then could Aidan understand the meaning of what Cahill had said a little while ago.

“Catching the monsters but not really catching them means leaving behind something stronger to trade with them.”

“That’s right. And the Two-Headed Eagle is also a monster that they can’t handle. If we capture this place and take its head, we can prove our strength.”

“……I see.”

Capturing the Nest of the Two-Headed Eagle.

It was a kind of warning.

Even if the deal didn’t go through, the fact that someone skilled enough to catch the Two-Headed Eagle was on the side of the BiGung Clan would completely change the landscape of the Great Plains.

The pressure that the sword that had been aimed at the monsters might turn against them.

‘To think that we might be able to gain the Great Plains by conquering one monster lair…….’

Of course.

It’s not an easy task.

But it was a much more possible task compared to fighting thousands of enemies.

Even with just three people.

‘Why haven’t we thought of this until now?’

Aidan couldn’t help but be amazed again at Cahill’s brilliance.

Cahill, unaware of his thoughts, said in a calm voice at the entrance of the monster lair.

“Let’s go in.”