A track made of magic circles was projected about thirty metres forwards, and nature was twisted according to their established effect. The wildlife, overgrown from the interference of dryads and trents was made into a tunnel. The surrounding trees were avoided by warping them.
The magic circles continued ahead, bringing light. They didn’t just interfere with nature to make space, they produced a floating force-field rail that made movement easy.
On top of them, moving via a repulsive force were steel vehicles. They were eight metre large box-like vehicles. With boorish armour and glass inlays for windows, those were tinted and you couldn’t see inside.
In the fourth back, a two floor construction that had a canopy that could open, there was a woman.
Her proportions brought to mind a carnivore and she wore a military uniform, Mizufa Trude.
She was a highly ranked general for the Holy Empire of Westelande.
The general had a cynical smile on her face that brought together stubbornness and shallowness as she gazed out through the glass. One beautiful leg rested over the other, showing her relaxation, her left index finger caressed circles on her sword’s hilt.
Mizufa was satisfied with the vehicle’s performance.
The vehicle had enough mass that it wouldn’t move without the chained rail but thanks to the magic circles, it could even navigate uneven terrain like within these mountains. Even the hard to deal with mass, when its defensive properties were taken into account, it wasn’t only a flaw.
The adventurers desired flight, this steel vehicle had failed mid-development and been discarded as an unusable toy. But to Mizufa and other people of the land, even this discarded toy was worth more than gold. That overwhelming difference in technological strength made Mizufa smile.
It wasn’t just technology; magic, stamina, inventiveness, adventurers had many times more of these than people of the land.
It was as if someone had decided they would play the lead role in the world.
And Mizufa and the others would be the supporting role.
Mizufa suppressed her amusement in the back of her throat.
She didn’t know who, but it was a cruel comedy.
“Our progress is good.”
“Our location?”
“As before, the eastern part of the Forest of Deep Sorrow.”
As Mizufa sat in the the centre of the steel vehicle, her soldiers were currently carrying out a top secret mission, Operation Red Night. There were only a few involved. However, it was an important mission involving the cutting edge technology of the steel vehicle, Summon Orb and EXP pots.
Even the Ten-Seat Council confirmed its importance, but Mizufa thought it wasn’t there yet. The adventurers didn’t even slightly understand the meaning of this operation.
At the same time as allowing the council’s whimsical leader to escape the castle, it encouraged the soldiers. Mizufa herself had been greatly effected by the scheme. Here, the soldiers would give their life and soul and wage war at Mizufa’s orders. Nureha was a princess that inspired blind devotion and wild enthusiasm in the Holy Empire of Westelande. Her charisma was beyond words.
“Though — Nureha-sama is capricious.”
However, despite all the devotion she had, Nureha was still an adventurer.
She may have gotten tired of progressing through the Forest of Deep Sorrow and had unexpectedly disappeared. The chamberlains and maids were frantic, but her disappearance was not a rare occurrence. Mizufa was calm.
Besides, her aim of encouraging and inspecting the troupes was accomplished, once that was over she wasn’t needed anymore. Rather, her being nearby and meddling would be a nuisance. Leaving her be might be in and of itself a problem but one of the Ten-Seat Council, Roreil Dawn was pursuing her. It was already five days since she had disappeared. They would probably have joined up by now. This was preferable to Mizufa.
The only thing left that could be called an issue was Kazuhiko, also part of the Ten-Seat Council.
The arrogant, stubborn person was the leader of the Mibu Wolves, a private army, and stuck his nose into many of the happenings of Minami, he was an eyesore to Mizufa. They even undermined her military authority using the name of the Ten-Seat Council as a shield and acted like a secret police. Their leader, Kazuhiko had remained, insisting it was to confirm the safety of the Summon Orb.
However, that too, she had taken into account.
Red Night had worth. No, strengthening this company was a process that couldn’t help but further her ambitions.
Mizufa laughed in her throat.
The steel vehicle wasn’t particularly fast, it could do about thirty percent of the speed of one of the latest four-horse carriages on a highway. However, that speed didn’t drop on unfavourable terrain. Naturally, it slowed through the forests and valleys, but it was faster than marching.
It was certainly inferior to the machine the adventurers wanted, something that would get from Minami to Ezzo in ten hours, but it was useful in its own right. Compared to the sky, where visibility was unobstructed, moving hidden like this could be said to be better. In the first place, even the adventurers hadn’t completed an aircraft. To Mizufa, this steel vehicle was treasure enough.
Zeldys developed Mana Breeder and it was made useful on a large scale as Jered Gan’s Mana Furnace, an ancient technique passed down the Kunie line. The magic technology that their children were born into was the nucleus of the adventurer’s fortune but the leftovers went to the people of the land. This steel vehicle was the same.
It was simple to say “It can travel over uneven terrain.” but that wasn’t limited to the wilderness.
The Circled Rail guaranteed their course and had the power to distort the trees from their path. In other words, although it was slow, they could secretly move troops through the entirety of Yamato, with its many mountain forests.
Mizufa currently had ten of these armoured vehicles under her command. Among them, four were particularly large. The lack of numbers was a worry, and Mizufa preferred more standardised equipment but there was no helping it.
Adventurers were capricious and liked new things. They held no interest in mass producing things that were already practically complete. Always moving to the next, new, different, stronger, better thing. Of course, that was beneficial for innovation, but it was irritating for military people like Mizufa. Despite its use and application in the current location and circumstances, standardised equipment was much preferred.
Despite this, as she was taking their unwanted inventions, she had no intention of requesting such luxuries. She could only request a minimum of maintenance and if push came to shove, she knew various bribes would be needed too.
Adventurers were childish, and weak to greed.
“Report, the Nighshade Servants status?”
“Squad 1 has returned, Squads 2 and 3 are progressing from Boxurt to Redstone, 4 is backup, Squad 5 is currently guarding our surroundings, Squads 6 and 7 stand relieved.”
“Understood. That’s fine. Onwards, remain on guard.”
Mizufa ordered the two Arcane Mancers in the cockpit, two floors down.
“The Nighshade Servants on reconnaissance appear to have hit upon the upper parts of the Fevael River.”
“Hmm.”
Mizufa turned her gaze to the topographic map stuck to the wall.
The vehicle didn’t shake much so there were various maps, documents and files around. Mizufa was currently in command, and despite her love of soaking her sabre in blood, she was still a highly ranked general and knew her weapons well.
“Fevael River hmm, this map…”
Whilst scanning over the small notes, she licked her well formed lips and narrowed her eyes. The black mark of three claws marked it as a wyvern habitat.
They were at the perfect level, and the neighbouring residential areas kept just the right amount of check on them.
Mizufa’s head was filled with bustling strategies.
A dream of the scent of blood, the red of a red spider lily.
However kind adventurers were, Mizufa felt no sense of duty to follow that. No matter Yamato was facing chaos. The Holy Empire of Westelande was the only ruling organisation that had a blood connection with the Westelande Imperial Dynasty to this day.
The League of Freedom Cities Eastal were traitors.
Of course, Mizufa didn’t believe this, a just cause was good to have. Military personnel like Mizufa rose in the world on their exploits. So originally, in the nobility of Westelande, prone towards elegance and entertainment, their rank was low. They had to take the chances they got.
And Mizufa knew bloomed above her blood, thanks to her merits.
No, she was drunk on blood. Whether she was searching for merits, or the scent of blood, Mizufa herself didn’t know anymore.
“Wyverns then… It’s a lot for just the servants but hmm. Ku ku ku, The Odysseia Knights should be close by.”
Silence reigned within the vehicle.
“Give subjugation orders to the Nightshade Servants, notify the Sergeants.”
That communication was passed immediately with the command crystal to the following vehicles.
In those vehicles lay over a hundred people of the land, in cramped, coffin like beds with black masks on and in a false sleep. Connected to the beds by sockets, the summoners orb glittered ominously.
This orb would summon projections of the users will as Nightshade Servants.
It was equivalent to giving the people of the land another body. Whilst their bodies lay in these beds, they obtained bodies of monsters they could move freely. Nightshade Servants were summoned at the same level as their summoner but the maximum limit of 45 hadn’t been broken.
To adventurers, it was worthless for fighting, in fact, the adventurers who had handed it over had done so easily, as if it were a joke item.
But Mizufa said differently.
This item gave people of the land temporary immortality.
Even if they were destroyed, the person lying in the bed wouldn’t be damaged. And the experience went to the summoner, that is to say, the people of the land could receive it.
It was a joke like, earth shattering magic item, that you couldn’t enter without humour.
“After ten minutes, begin administering the EXP Pots.”
The potions doubled the rate experience was gained. Taking them orally was inefficient, a direct injection gave a greater burden on the recipient but their effectiveness rose markedly.
“Lord Kazuhiko has requested we stop the inhumane treatment?”
“Do I care? What a hypocrite, he’s an adventurer, we’re people of the land. What do the deathless know about war, those who scatter life do, right?”
Mizufa laughed, a dark laugh.
Mizufa’s life didn’t cause the scattering, but weapons needed to harvest even more flowers.
“The vanguard squad has encountered enemies.”
A strained operator reported in a low voice.
Without panicking, Mizufa had waited for the follow up report confirming wyverns.
Unconsciously, her lips twitched upwards and she gently stroked the hilt of her sword.
“Vanguard squad, attack! Drive the wyverns from the mountains! Keep for ranged magic attacks in mind and herd them into the town. Do that and those death-seekers from Odysseia will help! It’s time to make a profit.”
They’d found a good hunting ground. The adventurers might call it power levelling, but to Mizufa, it was a drill. To temper weapons, they needed to get hot and fired up, then be sharpened in blood.
“We’re in full battle, 6, 7 and five of the area defence, do not enter the battlefield!”
“How is the surrounding guard?”
“Tell Londark to arrange our defences. Ah, no, better make it a request.”
“Contacting Lord Londark, the speaking tube.”
Instructions were relayed to the adventurer following them, drawn be phantom steeds.
“…Do you attach ‘Lord’ to Londark as well because he’s an adventurer?”
The operator turned to Mizufa’s murmuring.
The female general whet her throat with wine and curved her lips.
“It doesn’t matter, I was talking to myself.”
A dirty job on the extremities of the operation was suitable for the defeated man who’d washed in from Susukino, she could even think of it as gratitude.
Everyone had their roles.
Under Mizufa’s good humoured smile and command, The Holy Empire of Westelande’s secret force moved speedily to the centre of Yamato.
Mizufa’s dream Red Night would oddly include where Minori and the others were headed, the town of Safil but Mizufa herself didn’t know the meaning of that yet.