NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 600
Chapter 600: We Have to Fight the Dragon (1)
The high command of the Allied Forces felt rather pleased. Everyone had their necks and jaws all tensed up.
The distribution of spoils was nearly complete. They all gained considerable territory and wealth.
The kingdoms that heard the news sent messengers to commend their commanders. Now they would return as war heroes wielding great authority.
“Ahem, now there’s only the matter of returning,” one of them said.
“With the kingdom’s territory expanded, the results are indeed satisfactory.”
“There are very few remnants of the Salvation Society left.”
“Of course, we must crush them thoroughly so they can never rise again.”
They now truly understood how terrifying the Salvation Society was. Despite the good mood, a deep-seated fear lingered within.
Thus, the four great sects and all the kingdoms united in their determination to stamp out the remaining foes.
They wouldn’t allow such beings to raise their heads again.
“I hear the reorganized legions will depart soon.”
“Well, since they’re composed entirely of powerful individuals, wiping out those remnants shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Those guys probably think their lives are all but over by now. Hahaha.”
The term “remnants” only referred to small rebel factions in minor kingdoms. Scattered here and there, operations had already been devised, so it would all be over soon.
The Sardina Kingdom would continue to serve as the headquarters for the Allied Forces for the time being. A central location was necessary until the continent’s chaos and rifts were completely resolved.
Just as they were feeling relieved thinking it was all over, Ghislaine convened a meeting.
Those gathered in the Sardina Royal Castle smiled at Ghislaine.
“Haha, what urgent matter has the Supreme Commander summoned us for?”
“Is there even better news?”
“Are you thinking of holding a feast?”
With worries dissipated, everyone felt at ease. They even hoped there might be some additional reward.
Ghislaine looked around at them, then spoke with a serious expression.
“It seems we cannot return just yet. We have to prepare for a new fight.”
The commanders of the Allied Forces nodded with soft smiles.
“We know there are a few remnants left. That’s why the extermination force is departing soon, right?”
“Haha, I didn’t realize the Duke was so cautious. The remaining foes are just the rebels of minor nations.”
“Oh, it’s because of that cautious personality that the Duke has won the wars, right?”
“Of course. We’ll take our time returning once we see the results, so don’t worry too much.”
Everyone laughed heartily. Although they privately thought the meeting was a trivial matter, hearing a noble like Duke Penris say so made them feel good inside.
Ghislaine observed their reactions with a blank expression before bluntly interjecting.
“We have to fight a dragon.”
“Hahaha, who could possibly defeat us, dragon or not?”
“Of course, it’s just a lizard….”
“Haha….”
“Ha…?”
“Pardon? What are we fighting?”
The people who had been laughing suddenly stared at Ghislaine in shock.
An utterly unexpected entity had emerged. They looked as if they couldn’t believe their ears.
“A dragon? Why is one here?”
“Did we hear that wrong?”
“Are you perhaps joking because you’re too bored?”
Seeing their incredulous expressions, Ghislaine shook his head.
“No, we really must fight a dragon. Its name is Arterion. It’s a white dragon living in the Shadow Mountain Range.”
Ghislaine explained only about the dragon, excluding details about the foes, based on the information he received from Ereness.
After hearing the tale, the people were left in a daze. Particularly dazed was Marquis Gideon of the Turian Kingdom.
“Then, all those monster attacks on our kingdom were…?”
“Exactly. It was because of the dragon.”
Marquis Gideon looked at Yulien, who nodded in agreement.
“There’s a high probability of that.”
Marquis Gideon was left reeling. To think such a terrifying existence was living so close. Moreover, that crazy dragon had involved the entire kingdom in its antics.
It was such a far-fetched story that no one could believe it at once. What dragon would come after announcing its arrival?
“No, why would a dragon suddenly show up…?”
“Is this information reliable?”
“The anomalies in the Shadow Mountain Range have yet to be explained,” Ghislaine replied, nodding.
“Indeed. It’s the news brought by the Elf Great Chief. It’s reliable information; we must trust and prepare.”
They were already aware that the Elf Great Chief was among the Ruthania Army.
With Ghislaine’s insistence, everyone could only nod in agreement, still bewildered.
A noble cautiously asked Ghislaine.
“Uh, then how should we prepare?”
The war against the Salvation Society was, after all, a battle among humans, and they could handle it in their usual way. The rift was a separate issue.
But how did one deal with a dragon? No one had a clue.
Dragons hadn’t appeared for hundreds of years. The last corpse found had been over two hundred years ago.
Since no one had ever fought a dragon, confusion was inevitable.
Ghislaine looked around the high command of the Allied Forces.
“First, we need to block the monster wave from the Turian Kingdom.”
Strong monsters beyond compare will come rushing in. That will be a sign of the dragon’s appearance.
A similar situation had occurred in his past life, but he hadn’t known the reason. The monster wave was a common occurrence in the Turian Kingdom.
And since the dragons had appeared some time after the monster waves, he hadn’t made the connection between the two.
Rather, it could be said they hadn’t even considered researching it. At that time, the Human Alliance was too busy fighting the growing rifts.
But now things were different. Ghislaine had accumulated knowledge from his past life and received information from Ereness.
“It will be different this time. We need to prepare thoroughly.”
The people began to murmur. They had all heard of monster waves, but they thought Ghislaine was exaggerating. After all, the Turian Kingdom had successfully built numerous fortifications to fend off monsters.
Only Marquis Gideon looked anxious and asked.
“What makes it different?”
“Think of it as all the monsters of the Shadow Mountain Range appearing at once.”
This statement shocked everyone greatly.
The Shadow Mountain Range was said to contain endless monsters. If all those that had never ceased to exist suddenly surged forth, they couldn’t even begin to imagine the number.
Ghislaine continued in a resolute voice.
“This is unlike any war we’ve fought so far. Think of it as a full-scale attack happening in a single battle.”
When the monster wave erupted in his past life, the entire Turian Kingdom had been left in ruins.
At that time, Yulien had led the Human Alliance, and as soon as the incident occurred, they had formed an allied force and set out. Yet the Turian Kingdom had suffered greatly.
Before they could recover from that damage, a dragon had unexpectedly appeared and driven the Turian Kingdom to the brink of destruction.
But now it was different. The Allied Forces were gathered, and there was ample time to prepare.
“All combat troops will be deployed to the fortresses of the Turian Kingdom. Please bring all siege weapons like catapults and ballistae from home.”
The people gulped nervously.
If all the monsters from the Shadow Mountain Range poured out, their numbers could reach at least several hundred thousand.
The Allied Forces had grown accustomed to large-scale battles while combating the rifts, but monsters were far stronger than cracked beings.
There were also unique entities among them. If hundreds of strong monsters like ogres came out, knocking down a fortress would be a trivial matter.
Now they had to face such beings head-on. The more large weaponry they had, the better.
One noble raised another issue.
“If we divert all forces and weapons to the Turian Kingdom, what about the remnants?”
“We can’t pull out too many troops. I will only send one legion to deal with the remnants.”
“It could take a long time. What if they regroup while we’re dealing with them?”
The body of Duke Lainster had been discovered, but Gathros was still missing. He should still be considered alive.
Even if the remnants were small fries, if they gathered in one place, they could be quite a headache. It would take too long and be too difficult to deal with them using just one legion.
Ghislaine agreed with that sentiment, but he had another plan in mind.
“If we stop the monster wave, we can redirect our troops back to dealing with the remnants. After all, only elites can take on the dragon anyway. Still, it’s true that it will take time, so I’m thinking of asking for help from elsewhere.”
“Who are you going to ask?”
“Count Raybold, who is engaged in battle in another region right now. He’ll probably soon be crowned as the king of the Norvagen Kingdom.”
At those words, Claude’s eyes widened in surprise, and he whispered to Ghislaine.
“Really?”
“He probably will. Amelia has to tidy up the surroundings, after all.”
“What if he refuses?”
“He’ll have to do it. I’m busy, so you go persuade him. By either threatening or negotiating him, whatever works.”
“…Are you telling me to go risk my life?”
“Oh, what can I do? We can’t go right now. Just leave the remnants be?”
“…”
“Who expects something for free? I said negotiate, negotiate. If that doesn’t work, then threaten.”
Ghislaine had never once asked someone to do something for free. He always provided appropriate compensation in return.
That being said, the issue lay in how to handle it—because in the end, the result would be favorable for both sides.
“There’s no one capable of handling this other than Amelia right now. We need to provide troops and supplies, so let’s pair her with someone suitable.”
“…Who would that be?”
“You.”
“…”
“Go.”
Claude broke out in a cold sweat.
He had heard that Amelia was waiting to scold him for pilfering a gold coin from the Actium Merchant Group.
He was terribly anxious thinking about what that gold coin could mean.
Eventually, it all came down to him realizing he had essentially received a bribe, and he was extremely agitated about it.
Before Claude could even respond, Ghislaine looked around at the others and stated.
“Claude will lead a legion to begin dealing with the remnants. Along with the king of the Norvagen Kingdom.”
“…”
Everyone could only blink silently, unable to say a word. No matter how they looked at it, this was a decision made solely by Ghislaine. The negotiations with the king of Norvagen hadn’t even taken place.
Yet, just as he always did, Ghislaine pressed forward recklessly, leaving them no room for objections.
Dealing with the remnants could be delayed a bit, but the dragon was a different problem.
“Although we can handle the monsters if we all gather, how do we contend with the dragon? Even if the elites engage… is it even possible?”
Ghislaine nodded confidently. He had already faced a dragon in his past life.
“There’s no need to worry about the dragon. If we prepare thoroughly, there’s nothing we can’t catch. There are many strong people here, after all.”
“Hmm…”
The high command of the Allied Forces nodded in agreement for now.
They believed in that confidence, at least. Though there was some anxiety, they had no alternative but to accept it.
Ghislaine continued, looking around them.
“However, besides the large weaponry, there’s something else we need. We have to contact the home country for maximum support.”
“What is it?”
“We must gather at least a thousand mages of the 6th Circle or higher.”
“Huh…”
“We cannot win if we cannot seal the dragon’s magic. We absolutely need that many people.”
The high command of the Allied Forces nodded with somber expressions.
It was tough to find even fifty mages of the 6th Circle in a single kingdom. In small kingdoms, a 6th Circle mage sometimes served as the royal mage.
If they needed to gather a thousand, they would have to scrape together from all the kingdoms.
“Both weaponry and mages are absolutely necessary. We will also have all the mages that were studying the rifts prepare for battle against the dragon.”
With that, the meeting came to an end. It was closer to a notification than a discussion.
In any case, the Allied Forces had followed Ghislaine’s decisions from the beginning. There were certainly those who harbored doubts or complaints, but they had all grown accustomed to rolling with Ghislaine’s dictatorship.
The Allied Forces quickly got back to work. They needed to request support from the home country and prepare for another battle.
And around this time, Ghislaine began to have dreams more frequently.
*
“Hmm.”
Ghislaine surveyed the battlefield in his dreams.
Since divine power had penetrated his body, he had dreamt a couple of times, but nothing special ever happened.
He only saw scenes of the Human Alliance fighting against the Salvation Society.
Since that day, the saint had stopped speaking with him.
Without any interaction, Ghislaine could only watch the battles and take from them whatever insights he could.
“Tsk, you can’t fight like that.”
“Who the heck is the commander?”
“Wow, this is really impressive this time!”
Now that he had some leisure time, Ghislaine would often click his tongue or express admiration while watching the fights.
It seemed the commander varied with each battle; at times, it was frustrating, and at other times, it was extraordinary to the point of being mystifying.
Thus, he revisited his studies of strategy and tactics, gaining realizations as he observed the battles between heroes and foes.
Suddenly, the scenery changed.
“Oh…”
The largest army he had ever seen was gathered. In front of them stood the saint and a hero, along with several strong figures exuding equal vigor.
All were wearing tense expressions. This conflict seemed truly important.
KWA-AAA!
Hearing a sound that seemed to tear through the air, Ghislaine looked up at the sky.
Turning toward the source of the noise, he saw something huge soaring from afar. Ghislaine recognized those creatures all too well.
“Dragons.”
The strongest beings, referred to as supreme existences, appeared behind the Human Alliance.
At the forefront of the dragons was a beautiful dragon with white scales.
“Arterion.”
The dragon lord who had once helped the Human Alliance drive away the Salvation Society.
And now, a dragon who would become an enemy to humanity.