Reorganizing Formation (1)

Military Camp of the Kainzel Kingdom.

Wolfran, the Commander-In-Chief of this war and the third prince of the Kainzel Kingdom, was not in a good mood.

He had tried to use the enemy’s surprise attack in reverse to annihilate their main forces, but had ended up failing.

“Marquis Aldin, speak. Who on earth are you saying killed him?”

“W-well, suddenly, some kind of unidentified monster…”

“And that’s supposed to be your excuse?”

Marquis Aldin felt genuinely wronged by Wolfran’s sharp rebuke.

He’d simply told the plain truth, but Wolfran absolutely refused to believe him, leaving Aldin feeling only more frustrated.

“Prince Wolfran, that’s enough. Anyway, the fact remains that Kalio is dead.”

“Hmph. If Lord Veil says so, there’s nothing I can do.”

As the man who had been standing quietly behind him finally spoke up, wolfran glanced over to read the mood.

The person standing behind him now was an intermediate-rank demonkin, a being on an entirely different level from someone like the low-rank demonkin Kalio.

A monster that even a Swordmaster could not confidently claim victory over.

Though a blood pact prevented any reckless behavior, it never hurt to be careful.

“But something is bothering me. According to Marquis Aldin, there was a priest of Altair among the Talua Kingdom’s army. And by chance, from information I’ve recently acquired, priests conducting the Saint’s Pilgrimage have gone to the Talua army’s camp nearby.”

“Are you saying that priest is one of the priests of the Saint’s Pilgrimage?”

“The odds are high. It’s well known that a descendant of Saint Grancesia is among those on the pilgrimage.”

Saint Grancesia was very famous among demonkin. Back when she was alive, the rumor had even spread:

『If you encounter the saint, shove your head into the dirt and crawl.』

Even demonkin of noble rank had been beaten countless times; to the common demonkin, she was like the Grim Reaper.

The Demon King of that era had only begun moving ten years after the rumor of the saint’s death started circulating, thinking, ‘What if it’s just nonsense?’

That’s how terrifyingly renowned the saint was among demonkin.

Even if it was known that her descendants had no special powers, nobody dared to oppose them easily.

‘Dealing with the saint’s descendant while I have the chance wouldn’t be bad at all.’

As for Veil, he was a relatively young demonkin, so he didn’t have as much fear of the saint. She had already disappeared by the time he was born.

Having become an intermediate-rank demonkin at a young age, veil was confident and eager to prove his abilities to the higher demonkin.

The fact that the opponent was a descendant of the saint made for a great prey in Veil’s eyes.

* * *

“Ah, I’m all stiff.”

I sat up and stretched lightly.

Having spent over a week lying in the infirmary, my body was in rough shape.

‘Still, it’s a relief it turned out without any major trouble.’

Honestly, what I did this time was something that should have gotten me in serious trouble.

It was only natural, since I’d acted against the orders of our commander, Duke Gale.

However, Duke Gale seemed to believe I had volunteered as a decoy to evacuate our allies, and so I was lucky to have my breach of military discipline overlooked.

“But am I really allowed to keep this?”

I stared blankly at the ring on my finger.

The Eye of Shimosha—relic and keepsake of the saint.

I’d come to realize just how extraordinary this ring was through the recent incident.

Its performance was on an entirely different level compared to ordinary magic equipment.

Especially, the ability to borrow Grancesia’s vision was outright broken.

[Michelle told you, right? Once you’re chosen as the ring’s owner, you become my successor.]

“I don’t really plan on being your successor.”

[I never chose you either! But you put it on, even lying in the process!]

“Well, there’s that.”

It was a rather noisy ring, but it was worth every decibel.

“But why is this called the Eye of Shimosha, anyway? You said you made it, right? What is ‘Shimosha’? I’ve never even heard of—And you’re what, seventy years old? That sense of naming…”

[It’s my mother’s name, you know.]

“No wonder it has such a dignified, old-fashioned touch. I’ve never heard such a wonderful name before.”

Embarrassed, I quickly cleared my throat and changed the subject.

“Ahem. Anyway, shouldn’t we at least report something about the calamity?”

In my report to Duke Gale about the recent incident, I’d left out any mention of Riya Asktalin and the calamity of the dragon.

That was because I’d followed Grancesia’s advice that it was better to keep that hidden.

[No, keeping it secret is best. Just trust my instincts.]

I wanted to ask exactly what kind of ‘instincts’ those were, but Grancesia spoke with such conviction that it was obvious she had her reasons.

“Well, I don’t really care if it gets out or not.”

I finished stretching and rose from my bed.

Now that I was better, I decided it was time to check over, one by one, all the things I’d only thought about in my head until now.

‘Baian is dead, and the calamity of the dragon has disappeared. The story’s completely changed from how it was supposed to go.’

Now, there were no other Synopsis events remaining in the area.

Originally, the war would have ended with the Talua Kingdom’s forces being annihilated by the calamity of the dragon.

‘However, the war isn’t over yet.’

There was no time to idle.

Now that I knew the Kainzel Kingdom had sided with the demonkin, I had to make preparations for that.

‘Their surprise operation failed, and most of their forces were wiped out by the princess, so the Kainzel army must have suffered a serious blow.’

Normally, Duke Gale would have seized this opportunity to lead a full advance.

The only reason he didn’t do so was because of the unpredictable variable—the ‘demonkin’.

But that wouldn’t last long. Once he collected enough information, he would definitely act.

Whether Duke Gale moved or the demonkin made the next move—

The war would soon come to an end.

* * *

“Let’s see…”

I opened the Setting Addition tab and reviewed the abilities I’d seen recently—from those of Duke Gale down to the knights and ordinary soldiers.

There were some useful ones in there, but most were of little use to me.

‘King of the Battlefield is one thing, but I really should get Appraisal Eye as soon as possible.’

Fortunately, it didn’t seem too difficult to fulfill the narrative justification for acquiring that skill.

Just a little time and effort would suffice.

King of the Battlefield, on the other hand, had requirements as grand as its name. It looked impossible to learn for now.

‘Most of the other options aren’t really worth mentioning…’

Maybe because I’d seen so many new things lately, the list looked long.

As I scanned through, my attention was drawn by the abilities of Princess Riya Asktalin and the demonkin Kalio.

First, the princess’s abilities were truly dazzling. Only Grancesia had ever boasted better settings.

‘Abilities of the dragon, and magic…’

The magic was impressive, but it was the dragon’s powers that I most coveted.

After personally experiencing just how strong the princess, who wielded those powers, was, my desire only grew.

However, the requirements to obtain any of them were absurdly high.

To qualify, I would need to reach the level of the kingdom’s top mages.

‘If anything, maybe Dragon Eyes is within reach.’

Other abilities, like Dragon Tongue, seemed utterly out of reach, but for Dragon Eyes, there was a faint glimmer of hope.

Although even with that, it was impossible to learn it right away.

‘Tsk.’

Clicking my tongue, I switched over to examining the abilities of the demonkin Kalio.

Even if he was only a low-rank demonkin, a demonkin’s abilities were not to be underestimated—I was bound to find something useful.

After sifting through for a while, one skill stood out to me.

“Blood Magic?”

[Oh, you’re looking at that demonkin’s abilities? He was part of the Shadow Clan, so it’s not surprising he had Blood Magic. The Shadow Clan has plenty of vampires.]

“Really? But the level isn’t that high. He only had four or five spells available.”

[If he’d been good at using them, he would have used them back in that fight. After all, a low-rank demonkin’s skills center around his clan’s innate ability.]

Nodding along to Grancesia’s words, I spoke up slowly.

“But what if I used this ability?”

[Huh?]

“My blood is Divine Blood, right? What would happen if I used Blood Magic with it?”

[W-wait a minute…]

Finally realizing what I meant, Grancesia seemed flustered.

Who would be crazy enough to use the Divine Blood with demonkin magic?

No one had probably even thought of such an idea. In the first place, it was impossible to possess both at the same time until now.

Not unless someone with the mysterious power to learn any ability appeared.

[Wow, my god. This is totally broken!]

“Didn’t you call me a cheat before? Isn’t that what this makes me?”

[Damn it. You’re really starting to get on my nerves. Doesn’t it seem a bit much to cross from ‘race’ straight into the realm of a divine-demon hybrid?]

Blood Magic was a demonkin’s power; Divine Blood, a saint’s.

Abilities that could never coexist were now united within me.

Her reaction made it clear—

I had to learn it.

“Hey.”

[What now.]

“I’m going to be fighting more demonkin from now on, but right now even a low-rank demonkin is a close call for me.”

I had even managed to fight the princess who killed a low-rank demonkin in one blow, but that was because I’d made several preparations beforehand.

If it were just a straight fight, I’d easily lose my life even against a low-rank demonkin.

[…]

“I’d really prefer to play things safe. Is there anything else I can learn?”

Blood Magic was great as a trump card.

But it alone wasn’t enough to stand up to demonkin.

“You’ve got lots of abilities, right? Especially…”

[Haaa. Fine, take whatever you want. It’s not like it’s bad for me if you get stronger…]

If I died, the ring would be destroyed.

From Grancesia’s point of view, it was her duty to keep me alive at all costs.

“I didn’t realize before, but I think you and I could make great friends.”

[People don’t usually call this kind of relationship ‘friends’, you rotten jerk.]

Despite Grancesia’s grumbling, I grinned widely.

I meant every word.

* * *

“Oh! Welcome, sir Vanhart. It looks like you’ve fully recovered now.”

As soon as I entered Duke Gale’s tent, his previously furrowed brow brightened.

“Yes, I’m mostly healed now.”

“That’s good to hear. I wish I could let you rest longer, but I’m afraid we’re out of time.”

He sighed and pointed to a large map spread out on the table. On it, several places were marked in glaring red.

“The enemy’s movements are suspicious.”

“Suspicious, you say…?”

“They’re moving too obviously.”

Glancing over the map at his words, my eyes narrowed.

Looking at the sites of recent clashes, I could see something was definitely strange about the Kainzel Kingdom’s maneuvers.

“The engagement zones are scattered.”

“And they’ve left the center wide open—as though inviting us in.”

The ‘center’ meant the Ritma Plateau, the location of the latest conflict, and also the current camp of the Kainzel army.

Ritma Plateau sat on the border between the Kainzel and Talua Kingdoms, originally known for its barren land.

But since the discovery of huge quantities of magic stones buried there, the current standoff had resulted.

‘It certainly is odd…’

I’d been surprised by Duke Gale’s sudden summons, but the upside was that I was getting up-to-date information quickly.

It probably meant he trusted me, given my performance in previous incidents.

For me, it was a golden opportunity.

Still, I had to remain on guard.

“So, what do you think, sir Vanhart? With your insight, I feel sure you must have noticed something?”

Duke Gale’s tone was subtle, but he was expecting an answer—especially after Clay Vanhart had resolved several previous incidents so admirably.

‘But it’s not like I actually know anything.’

I’d learned some strategy and tactics, but at a very superficial level. If even Duke Gale, called the hope of the kingdom, didn’t know the answer, how would I?

But then again, if I admitted that, I might stain the trust I’d painstakingly built up.

‘Damn it, what am I even supposed to say… Wait a second.’

As I wracked my brain for a plausible answer, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

‘Could it be this?’

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