Academy’s Barbarian

“My prediction was spot on. Or-han seems to be planning to head south.”

The next morning, Ludwig summoned me and declared in a grave voice. Or-han would bypass the barrier and attack the Empire’s mainland.

“Those guys, could they have already started moving?”

“Quite the opposite. It’s precisely because they showed no movement that I’m certain they’ll head south.”

I was left bewildered, unable to grasp the meaning, as Ludwig continued to elaborate.

“If they intended to target the barrier again, they would have launched a night raid last night. They know that the longer time passes, the more advantageous our position becomes.”

Hmm… now that I think about it, that makes sense.

Thanks to the Healing Priests, even the severely wounded from Ka`har, who would normally take weeks to recover, are back on their feet in just a few days. Plus, our supply capabilities are overwhelmingly superior.

As time goes on, the defenses around the collapsed sections of the barrier will only strengthen.

If Or-han were to target the barrier again, a swift and decisive strike would be their only option. Even considering that, attempting a night raid immediately seems too hasty.

“It feels a bit early to draw conclusions. Shouldn’t we wait a few more days to be sure? Maybe they were just tired last night.”

“Our fatigue was several times worse. Unlike the grassland forces, who had at least half a day to rest, our soldiers had no time to rest after the battle, busy recovering the dead. They must have seen this and considered it the perfect opportunity for a night raid.”

Ludwig countered my reasoning.

“Ah.”

I nodded lightly, a cigarette dangling from my lips.

The massive fire we lit, visible even beyond the barrier, must have been to see how Ka`har would react.

“A partially collapsed barrier. We’ll recover faster than them, but for now, the Imperial Army is utterly exhausted. Given their mobility, the dispersed forces would have rejoined the main army by evening. If Or-han hadn’t given up on breaching the barrier, they would have had to launch a night raid last night. Before their chances grew even slimmer.”

“…I see. I’m convinced.”

In short, we’re screwed. I sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

Even with the barrier and infantry tactics, we suffered this much damage. If we fought on an open plain, we’d be torn apart. Even if Hersela holds off Or-han.

“So, should we head south immediately? To stop Ka`har from crossing the Dane border, we’d need to prepare something in advance.”

Building a fortress or defensive positions would be difficult, but we could at least dig moats or set up stake barriers.

“What if they attack us first, before heading south, while we’ve left the barrier undefended?”

Ludwig shook his head.

“It won’t be too late to move once they start heading south. Breaking through Dane’s resistance won’t be done in a day.”

“Dane… I’m not sure if we can trust them.”

I’ve heard they’ve been mass-producing magic warriors with rune engraving, but I’ve never seen them in action, so it’s hard to gauge their strength.

Besides, Dane hates the Empire as much as Ka`har does. It’s unlikely they’d go all out to stop Ka`har from attacking the Empire. That would only benefit the Empire.

“Wouldn’t they just open their borders? Let Ka`har through and say, ‘Go attack the Empire, leave us alone.'”

“Unlikely, unless Dane has gone mad. The moment they open their borders, Ka`har’s forces would devastate Dane first.”

That sounds about right. Instead of thanking Dane for opening their borders, Ka`har would see it as a stroke of luck and plunder every city along their march.

“Ka`har, especially on a large-scale long-distance campaign, relies mostly on plunder for supplies. Their own supply capacity can’t sustain such a massive army, and marching at the speed of supply wagons would negate their greatest strength: mobility. You know this better than anyone, don’t you?”

“What if Dane provides the supplies? Then they wouldn’t need to plunder, right?”

“They’d start plundering after receiving them. Seeing such a large supply, they’d assume Dane’s cities must have even more.”

I briefly considered countering but gave up. The Ka`har I’ve seen would do just that. A bunch of ruthless bandits. They’d laugh as they slit throats and wrists, then rummage through the corpses for more loot.

“If you say so, then it must be true. Got it.”

I tapped the ash off my cigarette and nodded.

“So, is that all you called me for?”

“There are a couple more questions.”

“Questions?”

Ludwig tapped his desk with his finger and asked.

“The Blood Fog that turned the Ka`har on the wreckage into mincemeat in an instant—was that your doing?”

Are you talking about the World of Mortality?

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t my doing, but…

“…I heard a few unfortunate heavy infantry got caught in it. If you’re going to interrogate me about it, all I can say is it wasn’t intentional, but I’m sorry.”

“I’m not interrogating you. It’s not uncommon for allies to get caught in attacks during chaotic battles. Whether it’s magic, arrows, or something else.”

Ludwig chuckled and waved his hand. It was hard to tell if he was trying to comfort me or if he genuinely believed that.

“What I want to know is the utility and limits of that power. How wide a range can it cover, and how many times can it be used? That’s what I want to know.”

Ludwig looked at me with the eager eyes of a military commander expecting a new weapon’s specs. You’re only going to be disappointed.

“You look so hopeful, but it’s not that convenient a power. It can instantly kill thousands of densely packed enemies, but it can’t distinguish friend from foe, and even at full power, I can’t use it more than three times. After that, I can’t use it at all for a while.”

A hint of disappointment flickered across Ludwig’s face.

“Hmm… then we’ll have to scrap the counterattack plan.”

Counterattack plan?

“What were you planning to make me do?”

“I was thinking of asking you to unleash that power in a night raid on Ka`har’s camp, then retreat while they’re in chaos. Unlike fire, fog is harder to detect and respond to immediately.”

So, you wanted me to be a guerrilla bomber.

From Ludwig’s perspective as a commander, it wasn’t a bad strategy. But from my view, the plan was fundamentally flawed. Not because of the World of Mortality’s limits, but for a completely different reason.

“The moment it activates, Or-han and the War Chiefs will come rushing out. Even if they don’t see the fog, they’ll feel its presence.”

Unless it’s a Heroic Tale specifically designed for ambushes, all Heroic Tales emit a powerful aura the moment they activate.

Unless they’re in the middle of a fierce battle and can’t focus elsewhere, they’ll sense it from hundreds of meters away, even if they’re just resting.

Especially the World of Mortality, which emits an especially ominous aura among Heroic Tales.

From my perspective, the moment Hersela infiltrates the enemy camp and unleashes the World of Mortality, there’s a 90% chance Or-han will burst out before the fog even kills anyone.

“An aura…? I see, I hadn’t considered that.”

Ludwig’s eyes widened slightly as if he finally understood, and he nodded repeatedly. Ludwig isn’t even a Master, let alone a Hero, so he probably didn’t even think about the unique aura Heroes emit.

“Seems like we’ve got our answer. Then, shall we move on to the second question?”

Ludwig stroked his beard, which had grown long from lack of grooming, and spoke.

“If you fight Or-han again, can you kill him? Just to clarify, I’m not asking about your resolve, but the feasibility.”

“Hmm…”

Can I kill Or-han?

Well, it depends on the timing and situation.

“Under two conditions, it’s possible.”

I held up two fingers to Ludwig as I answered.

Unless Or-han suddenly becomes as strong as a shonen manga protagonist, those two conditions should be enough to kill him. Probably.

“…That’s an insult.”

Ludwig looked at my fingers with a very awkward expression.

Ah, right, in Europe, that’s considered an insult. Who knew it’d be the same in this world.

“I didn’t know that.”

I subtly lowered my middle finger and raised the index finger on my other hand, continuing.

“First, I need enough time to recover the Life Force Technique I exhausted in yesterday’s battle. I need that power to break through his Indestructible Body.”

Fortunately, it’s not like last time where my recovery completely stopped, so it shouldn’t take too long.

“Second, I need a weapon on par with or surpassing the Reverse Scale of the Fire Dragon. Not Jin’s Silver Sword.”

Given that the Red Blade shattered into the Red Top after just one strike, even a weapon made from a dragon’s reverse scale would only allow me to unleash the Thunderous Rend five times at most.

If those two slashes don’t finish Or-han, it’ll turn into a war of attrition.

“Where would we find such a weapon…?”

Ludwig slumped his shoulders in defeat.

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