I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 201 Drill, Immorality, 'Hero,' Mistake
"Whoosh!"

Around 7 a.m., in the central and western region of the Golden Lion Territory.

The black tires suddenly rolled over the messy grass, kicking up yellow dust that flew in the wind.

"..."

Inside the gray jeep in the center of the unit, watching the scenery rushing past, Davis Bachter, the commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 501st Division of the Allied Forces, couldn't help but frown slightly as he recalled the mission he had been given.

He had thought that he would lead the 2nd Combined Arms Brigade to advance on the enemy city in this surprise attack, but in fact, General Roxie made adjustments to the soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, and the number of troops has now been reduced from the original 5000 to 3000.

Although the crucial heavy artillery battalion was not downgraded, the heavy combined arms battalion was reduced from four to two, resulting in a direct halving of firepower.

Currently, due to the fact that all of our spies have been eliminated by the enemy, we do not yet know how many soldiers the Imperial Army has stationed in Mad Fang City.

But Davis expects the number to be no less than two thousand.

Furthermore, given the city's defensive advantages, even if the Independent 3rd Division is weak, it would likely require a considerable cost for our side to complete the siege with our current forces.

"That being said, as long as we can cut off the enemy's retreat, disrupt their supply lines, and complete the final encirclement, then all the sacrifices will be worthwhile."

Davis sighed inwardly. Just as he was about to take out the map to re-examine it in order to try to find the enemy's supply depots and treatment points and see if he could take down more of the enemy's forces, he realized that...

With the static ringing from his communication device, he then received a message that stunned him:

"Report to the brigade commander: Our reconnaissance troops obtained intelligence three minutes ago at a civilian orc village that the enemy has a battalion-sized force stationed 30 kilometers to our northwest."

"According to intelligence, the enemy force numbers around one thousand, and their highest-ranking officer is suspected to be a lieutenant general. In addition..."

Seemingly startled by the intelligence report, the communications soldier swallowed hard before uttering a statement that made Davis's eyes widen in shock:

"Furthermore, according to that orc civilian, the enemy seems to be recruiting orcs at high prices to mine the veins, and they have been mining for more than a few months."

"And all of them are precious metal ores and mithril ore, with a quantity of no less than 6 tons. Conservatively speaking, the total value of this batch of raw ore should not be less than 3 million gold pounds."

"What did you say!?"

……

"Sergeant Hawke, is it really okay for us to spread this kind of information?"

Meanwhile, in the skies above the Silverstone Mine, Mia, who was also on a reconnaissance mission disseminating intelligence and conducting intelligence gathering, watched Hawke directing ground support troops to rapidly distribute recruitment notices for miners to the surrounding villages. She couldn't help but shrink back, then spoke with a worried expression:

"If the inspection team finds out about this, we're afraid we'll be in trouble afterwards..."

"If we're found out, we will indeed go to court for treason, but the problem is, who can prove that we did it?"

Hawke glanced at Mia, who looked astonished, and then explained calmly:
"The job posting is in Orcish. As everyone knows, Magus Soldiers don't understand Orcish, let alone write it. And logically speaking, we have no reason to do this. These two points are enough to dispel any suspicion against us."

"Moreover, I had the aid troops write the recruitment information in squid ink. Given the temperature of the Faucon, the writing will completely disappear in just one week. By the time our side wins and the surveillance troops come to check the details, this evidence will have long since vanished. In this situation where there is no way to verify the facts, what reason would they have to suspect us?"

"So, Sergeant Mia, your worries are completely unnecessary. Instead of wasting your energy on this, you'd better prepare for the ambush later."

"After all, triggering a two-kilometer-long explosion spell should be quite difficult for you to achieve with your current magical power."

"You're right, I was overthinking it."

Upon hearing this, Mia immediately lowered her head in dejection, feeling somewhat ashamed.

As a communications soldier, her forte is naturally telepathy. Although she is also skilled in explosive magic, she is only slightly better than an ordinary magic soldier.

Under extreme conditions, it can achieve blasting within a range of 1.5 kilometers.

However, Hawke, who enlisted in the same year as her and was also a functional mage, not only had a mastery of the Magic Eye technique, but could also easily achieve an explosion effect of more than 2 kilometers with his blast magic.

Despite being a member of the 14th Magic Squad, and a direct subordinate unit that had fought under the command of Commander John since his first appearance on the battlefield.

As a result, his abilities are now inferior to those of Hawke, who came later.

This behavior is a disgrace to Major John.

No, I must work hard no matter what, and I absolutely cannot let the major down!
As for the person to learn from, it is none other than Lieutenant Wendy, who is an all-rounder in terms of skill mastery and has become the ideological instructor of the 1st Battalion!

After all, Hawke became so powerful only after learning Maslow's hierarchy of needs from Lieutenant Wendy!

"So, if I could get guidance from Lieutenant Wendy, I'm sure I could become a Maslowist fighter, just like Sergeant Hawke, who is highly regarded by Major John!"

Mia murmured to herself, her blue eyes instantly filled with boundless fighting spirit.

Very good, very energetic!
They dare to face their own shortcomings and humbly accept advice, while becoming increasingly indomitable.

As a Maslowist fighter, one should have this kind of awareness!

No wonder the battalion commander sent you to assist me; it seems you are indeed worth cultivating!
Seeing Mia regain her fighting spirit after her initial frustration, Hawke nodded subtly.

As a staunch Maslowist fighter and the leader of several spiritual exploration and practice groups, Hawke believed he was qualified to serve as the deputy instructor of the 1st Battalion.

Therefore, he placed great importance on providing spiritual guidance to his soldiers.

After learning about Commander John's true ambitions, he knew very well that the current 1st Battalion was just the beginning. Once the Maslowian spirit spread, the entire empire would be united in the struggle of these true people's warriors.

Although countless setbacks and difficulties are inevitable, Hawke believes that as long as they work together, the light will eventually illuminate all the lands of the empire!

"And that time will definitely not be too long!"

Hawke murmured to himself, but soon after, he heard from his earpiece that the enemy was marching toward their location, seemingly planning a strong attack on the Silverstone Mine.

Knowing that everything was proceeding according to plan, a slow smile crept onto his lips. Without hesitation, he ordered all the elite ground support troops to retreat to the designated ambush zone, while simultaneously issuing new instructions to Siegfried, who was still in the Silverstone mine at the rear:

"The enemy has arrived. We can begin the decoy operation, Corporal Siegfried!"

"Siegfried Fafner, received!"

……

"Military exercises? Why bother with that?"

At the Silverstone Mine, Dolan, who was sitting in his villa eating watermelon, frowned immediately upon hearing his subordinate's request, and his tone turned cold and stern.
"Who brought this up? Toby? Didn't I tell him to just focus on mining and not cause any trouble? Drills? What a load of crap! What if we attract the enemy?"

"I think that idiot is just too comfortable being a foreman. He's only been in the mine for a few days and he's already causing trouble. When I was doing mine tunnel practice, I stayed in those suffocating mine tunnels for a full five months. What the hell did I say?"

"That bastard is just asking for a beating. If it weren't for the fact that he's related to my family, I would have kicked him out of the Independent 3rd Division long ago."

Already troubled by Siegfried's retort yesterday, Dolan ate much less for breakfast this morning, only managing three bowls of rice, five pounds of steak, and ten pounds of watermelon. He barely managed to eat three-tenths of his fill before casually tossing the watermelon rind, which was the size of his head, out the window.

He wiped his mouth somewhat irritably, then waved his hand at the other person and gave the order:

"Alright, I understand the situation. Later, send a few people to the mine to inform them to transfer that idiot directly from the foreman to the mining team. Also, give him a pickaxe and have him go to the mine tunnel to dig. Just say that I arranged it."

"Practice? What a load of crap! I think he's more like a pig who deserves to be stabbed by a steel pipe."

"You do nothing all day but give me terrible ideas!"

"We'll see if I show him what real underhanded tactics are, and that'll be it!"

Dolan was grumbling and cursing, but before he could turn his frustration into appetite and ask the cooks to make him another pot of chicken soup, a voice that had haunted his dreams slowly reached his ears:

“Um, Lieutenant General Dolan, this exercise has nothing to do with Lieutenant Colonel Toby, because I was the one who brought it up.”

"!"

Upon hearing the voice of the powerful general in his dream, Dolan immediately turned to look at the door and saw the figure he regarded as a super general.

Upon recognizing that the other person was Siegfried, Dolan's heart was filled with countless joys, and even the resentment from yesterday vanished after the other person took the initiative to approach him.

At the same time, his brain began to think rapidly:
Logically speaking, after yesterday's unpleasant incident, Siegfried should never have taken the initiative to visit today.

But now the other side has appeared, and even offered to help train my soldiers.

what does this mean?
Does this mean the other party is obsessed with the power they previously acquired?
Have they become prisoners of power?

No, no, no, that's wrong!
Big mistake!

The other party was clearly moved by the sincerity he had shown yesterday.

Moved by their kindness, they took the initiative to visit me!

Haha, I knew it! Sincerity will always be reciprocated.

See, this works!

Dolan, having 'seen everything,' was overjoyed; he had already anticipated this.

In the future, with a wave of his hand, Siegfried, his strongest subordinate, will lead troops to fight on the battlefield in his place, winning victory after victory for him, and finally returning to the Empire as a marshal.

More than a decade later, in the presence of a hero in his twilight years, amidst the respectful gazes of countless high-ranking officials of the empire, he voluntarily offered to the Emperor the position of Marshal to the truly suitable Siegfried, and retired to his hometown amidst countless praises, devoting the rest of his life to the pursuit of art.

Truly, what glory, what art, what a moving sight!

Just thinking about it made Dolan feel excited and even wanted to burst out laughing on the spot.

However, on the surface, Dolan still pretended to be reserved and said:

"I see. But when I think about it carefully, there is some truth to it."

"After all, the 3rd Independent Division has been lacking in training since arriving at Faoken Bay. If this continues, the soldiers will become rusty. What will we do if we really face the enemy?"

"So we still need to practice."

"Yes, that's right. This exercise proposal is indeed excellent. After all, soldiers need to practice more to develop combat effectiveness. Siegfried, your proposal is very constructive. As a lieutenant general, I approve your application!"

Facing the guard's astonished expression and Siegfried's strange gaze, Dolan, who had instantly contradicted himself, straightened his back without changing his expression. Then, deliberately adopting a dignified posture, he calmly addressed Siegfried:

"However, considering that Commander Toby is currently recovering and unable to perform command duties, we will probably have to find someone else to take over the exercise."

"So, Acting Commander Siegfried, I'm leaving the arrangements for this exercise to you, is that alright?"

"..."

Seemingly surprised that he could so easily seize military power from Dolan, Siegfried's eyes became particularly complicated, especially as he thought about how he would later, under Hawke's arrangement, deliberately act as if he had suffered a defeat and was powerless to resist, and then use the image of a brave man cutting off his own arm to persuade the other party.

This forced the general, who, despite being a nobleman, had treated him exceptionally well, to flee, and made him believe that it was all true, not false, and that he had no choice but to board a ship and escape the battlefield of Faoken due to the fear of death.

This shock from what he called a sense of morality immediately filled him with mixed feelings.

But when you think about how all of this is done to win this war and to benefit more people, you feel a sense of relief.

Despite feeling somewhat guilty, Siegfried forcibly suppressed the complex emotions in his heart, and instead, under Dolan's eager gaze, gave him a military salute, then responded in a deep voice:
"Siegfried obeys, and thanks Lieutenant General Dolan for his trust!"

……

"This is wonderful, coming to Faoken Bay is truly wonderful!"

Three hours later, outside the mine, Lieutenant General Dolan, convinced he had won Siegfried's friendship, was lying on a beach chair under a parasol.

Enjoying the cool breeze brought by Toby's fawning smile beside him, he kept fanning himself vigorously.

Humming a little tune, he puffed on a pipe made of corn stalks, occasionally blowing out a smoke ring, his angular face full of smugness.

Since realizing yesterday that the mighty general Siegfried seemed to despise extravagance, Dolan, after much agonizing thought, threw his art pipe and the rest of his non-magical collection into the river overnight.

On Toby's advice, he then commissioned himself to make this ordinary pipe.

He intended to use this to demonstrate his approachable nature in an attempt to regain the respect and admiration of this fierce general.

Although the recent unforeseen events caused his plan to win people over by promoting the "approachable nature of his corn stalk pipe" to fall apart before it could even be implemented.

And this stuff does burn your throat when you smoke it.

However, after taking a couple of puffs and getting used to it, Dolan actually started to like the unique flavor.

Thinking of this, Dolan couldn't help but glance at Toby, who was frantically fanning him, and began to ponder:
Although this idiot's suggestion didn't work, considering that the pipe did smell really good, I'll just have Toby, that idiot, go back to the guard regiment.

After all, it's not good to shower a subordinate with excessive favors, especially if that subordinate has no competitors.

Such exclusive favor can easily lead the other party to take it for granted and lose their loyalty.

As for Toby, although he's mostly stupid and always comes up with some suicidal ideas, he occasionally comes up with some useful ones.

Compared to the other idiots in the army, he was still somewhat clever.

It would also be a good opportunity to use the other party to provoke Siegfried, making the other party realize even more how great he was.

After all, I was able to reward Toby, who betrayed me, with hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I don't need to elaborate on how a person who is both intelligent and loyal will be treated, right?

Understand the applause!

In this way, how could people's hearts not be won over?
How could Siegfried, a fierce general, not swear allegiance to himself?

"A genius indeed! I, Dolan Beate, am a true genius!"

Dolan puffed on his corn pipe with a smug look on his face. At that moment, he could already foresee the scene where Siegfried would be moved by his amazing sincerity and choose to join his ranks.

Before he could continue his daydreaming, a deafening roar and a sudden gust of wind instantly threw him off the beach chair.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Dolan, who had fallen flat on his face, stood up cursing and looking around in shock and anger, but before he could send Toby outside the mine to check what had happened...

Immediately afterward, accompanied by a series of hurried footsteps, Siegfried, covered in blood, rushed in to his disbelief, and then uttered news that made his vision go black:

"General Dolan, something terrible has happened! Just now, the Allied forces attacked! There are too many of them, at least 30,000, and our soldiers are no match for them!"

"what!"

Dolan's eyes widened, his ears rang, and his face was filled with horror.

Thirty thousand people?
Wasn't John Maslow leading his troops in battle against that monster, Roxie?
How could the other side still send 30,000 men to attack the silver mine?
What a joke!
I had clearly taken precautions to stay hidden and had never revealed any information to anyone, so how did the other party know my location?
For a moment, Dolan's mind was racing, and his head was almost turning into mush.

But looking at Siegfried covered in blood and hearing the deafening roar of heavy artillery fire from afar, which nearly made his liver and gallbladder tremble, Dolan felt that the other party didn't seem to be lying.

So, the Allied forces have really attacked?

Damn it, why did it have to be now?

Let's at least give ourselves time to transport the ore to Mad Fang City first!

Damn it, if I had known the Allies were coming, I would never have stockpiled all the mined ore in this shit warehouse.

Furthermore, why was John Maslow defeated so quickly? Why couldn't he have held on a little longer?
Despite having taken control of his own troops, he couldn't even hold off the enemy, allowing them to advance all the way to his own base. He's utterly useless!
A bunch of trash!
Dolan cursed inwardly.

However, his thoughts did not stop there; instead, he kept frantically agonizing over his own life and the mineral resources.

But under the influence of the increasingly approaching sound of artillery bombardment, and the urging of Siegfried and Toby, they continued their work.

After closing his eyes, he quickly made a decision that would break his heart:
"Retreat! We must retreat to Mad Fang City immediately!"

After all, you can earn money back, but if you lose your life, you really have nothing left.

As the only direct descendant of the Beyate family and a senior mining scholar, he knew that as long as he survived, he would eventually earn back the money!
Although it's truly quite disheartening to give away so much of what I've gained, it's still a very difficult decision.

However, before Dolan could even suppress his grief and call out to the petrified Toby, intending to run away with Siegfried, the other party's next words instantly plunged Dolan into an icy abyss:

"Unfortunately, Lieutenant General Dolan, just now, I learned from intelligence regarding the ground support forces responsible for liaising with Mad Fang City that half an hour ago, another force, suspected to be around 1 enemy troops, launched a surprise attack towards Mad Fang City." "Furthermore, no matter how we try to contact Mad Fang City, we haven't received a response. Therefore, I suspect Mad Fang City may have already..."

"What?! There are enemy troops too?!"

Seeing Siegfried's 'heavy' face, Dolan panicked. He took out his communication device and tried to call the guards of Mad Fang City.

However, thanks to Hawke and the others' prior arrangements, Dolan and the others' communicators had been secretly tampered with by the ground support forces under the illusion spell last night. Therefore, even if Dolan tried a thousand times, he would never receive any messages.

This guilty conscience, stemming from his desire to secretly plot, made Siegfried lower his head.

"Hello? Hello... Damn it!"

Dolan, preoccupied with the unprecedented 'desperate situation,' failed to notice Siegfried's unusual behavior, assuming that the other was feeling guilty because of his defeat. Despite his persistent attempts to respond, he received no reply whatsoever.

Dolan immediately flew into a rage, slammed the communication device in his hand to the ground, and then smashed it in extreme anger.

An unprecedented despair immediately welled up in my heart.

There are 30,000 enemy troops outside, and our own 1,000 troops probably won't last even ten minutes. Mad Fang City has also most likely been captured by the allied forces.

This is clearly a dead end, isn't it?

So, are we going to surrender?

Just as Dolan hesitated about whether to invoke his status as the heir of the Beatrice family and surrender to those damned Allied troops outside, Siegfried's firm words reached his ears the next second:

"Lieutenant General Dolan, the enemy outnumbers us and we have no hope of victory. But rather than surrendering in humiliation, let Lieutenant Colonel Toby escort you to Lionheart Pier, where our warships will land, and try to evacuate by ship!"

Meeting Dolan's astonished gaze, Siegfried, following the lines Hawke had given him beforehand, spoke in a deep voice:

"Lionheart Wharf is a full 67 kilometers away from Mad Fang City. Even if the enemy has already completed the siege, they are unlikely to go elsewhere until they are sure they have cleared out our soldiers."

"Therefore, if you two drive to the dock immediately, you still have a good chance of evading the enemy's search and safely evacuating Faoken Bay by boat!"

Evacuate?

Yes, Mad Fang City has only just fallen. The enemy is probably still inside Mad Fang City searching for me, their nominal commander, and has no idea that I'm out there. I can take this opportunity to retreat!
Moreover, although it would be easy for the commander to be held accountable for retreating with only two soldiers.

But now that the Allied forces have already reached our base, and I just tried to contact John Maslow but couldn't get through, doesn't that mean he's probably dead?
You could easily shift the blame onto the other party!
How could he avoid being court-martialed?
feasible!

Absolutely feasible!

As expected of you, Siegfried! You discovered the real way out so quickly. You truly are my most trustworthy and valiant general!
It's decided. I'll do whatever it takes to get my father to adopt you as his godson and make you my true brother!
Dolan, whose life had been enlightened by Siegfried, was filled with gratitude and trust, but he quickly sensed the unusual tone in Siegfried's words, and stared at him in astonishment:
"Wait, why is Toby escorting me? Siegfried, could it be that you..."

“General Dolan, the enemy numbers 30,000. A thousand soldiers can’t hold them off for long. Someone has to cover your retreat, don’t they?”

Siegfried suppressed his unease and tried hard not to look Dolan in the eye, afraid that his immature acting would make the other party notice his guilt.

"!"

However, in Dolan's eyes, his behavior was interpreted as a reluctant farewell, which made Dolan's heart tremble and his eyes gradually redden.

Before this, he had never imagined that Siegfried would go to such lengths for him!
In other people's eyes, I am just a good-for-nothing who is greedy for food and money and has no leadership skills.

Even I myself think that someone like me doesn't deserve your following and love at all.

But for that joking kindness and the friendship that lasted only half a month, you were willing to die to cover my retreat?
Just because of the promise you made last night that you would do everything in your power to save me if I were caught in a trap?

We will never break our promise, even at the cost of our lives!

Is this the real you?

Siegfried Fafner!

You bastard, how can you be so great!
How could I possibly be worthy of you going to such lengths!
It's simply, it's practically art!

And it is the greatest art!
Overwhelmed with emotion, Dolan's voice trembled uncontrollably as he thought about it.
"No, I won't agree! We'll go together, Siegfried. No one has ever treated me like this before. You're my true brother, and as a brother, how can I abandon you to die alone? I absolutely cannot agree to this!"

"Lieutenant General Dolan, in the face of a life-or-death crisis, sentimentality will only harm you. Don't you understand that yet?"

Fearing that Dolan would see through his act, Siegfried could only feign anger and look at Toby, who had a complicated expression, standing to the side.

Then, suppressing his sense of guilt, he stepped forward, patted the other person on the shoulder, and, in the manner of the farewell between the fallen and the hero in a chivalric novel, made his final 'request':
"Lieutenant Colonel Toby, I entrust Lieutenant General Dolan to you. Please, you must bring Lieutenant General Dolan back to the Empire safely. Don't let my sacrifice be in vain, okay?"

"...I will, Commander Siegfried!"

Faced with the Warrior's final request, Toby felt a deep sense of respect. The resentment he had felt in the past, caused by Lieutenant General Dolan's favoritism towards this man, which led to his loss of his position as commander, vanished in an instant.

They even felt an unprecedented sense of shame and awe.

Heroes who are selfless and willing to sacrifice themselves to save the weak.

What right does this despicable man, who fled to survive, have to resent the other party? How could he possibly resent the other party?

Ah, Siegfried Fafner!

My friend, you are a true hero!

Someone like you is more deserving of the position of battalion commander than a greedy and selfish coward like me.

They deserve a brighter future.

I only regret that I was blinded by my own foolishness and jealousy in the past, and that I failed to recognize your true nature sooner, and that I failed to have a long talk with you.

All that I have missed and lost will become an indelible regret for the rest of my life after I and Admiral Dolan return to the Empire!

Overwhelmed with emotion, Toby found himself in tears without even realizing it.

After gazing deeply at Siegfried, who was 'sacrificing himself' before him, with an unprecedented look of regret, he raised his hand to wipe away the tears on his face, and then his eyes became exceptionally firm.

Ignoring the furious struggles of Lieutenant General Dolan, he dragged Dolan into the jeep beside him amidst the increasingly close roar of artillery fire.

He then rolled down the car window, leaned out with respect to gaze at Siegfried, and gave him a military salute.

Immediately, amidst the angry rebukes of Lieutenant General Dolan, he gritted his teeth and floored the accelerator to its limit, his eyes red with fury.

Then, under the full-speed operation of the magic engine, it transformed into a streak of black lightning.

We sped along the 'perilous' avenue towards Lionheart Wharf.

Soon, amidst the swirling yellow sand and General Dolan's grief-stricken and desperate cries, he transformed into a black shadow and vanished completely at the end of the road.

"No!"

"Wow!"

"..."

Watching the jeep completely disappear from sight, Siegfried, who was standing in the same spot with a salute and covered in blood, seemed to have all his strength drained away, and his whole body became limp.

His once brave and fearless face was now replaced by an expression of indescribable frustration and inner turmoil.

An unprecedented sense of unease arose in my heart.

The thought that he, an honest man, would one day resort to such despicable means to deceive others filled him with shame.

He let out a long sigh.

"Ugh……"

"Da da da!"

Before he could clear his mind of all distractions, a series of hurried footsteps sounded, followed by a miniature magical device in his hand that amplified the sound of artillery fire.

In the same 'drama of 'cutting off one's arm' designed by Hawke, Leia, who served as the special effects artist, stood in front of him with a blank expression.

The other person first glanced at the direction the jeep had left in, then looked again at Siegfried, whose face was inexplicably flushed red, and said calmly:
"The mission is complete?"

“It’s done, Captain. But could you please tell Sergeant Hawke not to let me play this kind of role again…”

Siegfried smiled wryly; his feelings were quite complicated.

Especially after imagining herself being 'resurrected' again and returning to the capital victorious with Commander John, and the astonished and incredulous expression on Lieutenant General Dolan's face when they met.

He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

For an honest man like him, this was hell!

Speaking of which, Sergeant Hawke, isn't he second only to Lieutenant Wendy in his Maslowism? How could he come up with such a despicable trick?
It's not honorable or aboveboard at all!
"?"

Leia looked at Siegfried with a puzzled expression. She really didn't understand why Siegfried would say such a thing.

A task is just a task; as long as it's completed properly, isn't that enough?
Why does Siegfried look dissatisfied even though he's already seen the person off?

What a strange guy!

Leia frowned slightly, but didn't blame the other person. After confirming the mission was complete, she immediately put the amplifying magic tool back into her pouch and strode towards the battlefield outside, where the fighting had already begun. At the same time, she calmly reminded the other person:
"We should head to the mission location."

"Hoo... Yes, Captain, Siegfried Fafner, received!"

"Tap, tap!"

……

"Hmm? Something seems off..."

On the battlefield five kilometers away from the Silverstone Mine, they watched as an enemy force inexplicably appeared in their path, completely unaware of the approaching enemy troops on the periphery.

After being successfully ambushed by their own side, the Imperial troops not only failed to organize an effective counterattack under the command of their superiors, but also scattered and fled in panic like a swarm of headless flies.

Davis, who was watching this scene from the earthen slope behind the troops with binoculars, couldn't help but narrow his eyes, feeling a little surprised and uncertain.

In fact, ever since he heard that the Silverstone Mine contained resources worth hundreds of millions of gold pounds, and that the information came from job application forms, he had begun to suspect that it was a trap deliberately set by the enemy.

The enemy intends to lure you into launching an offensive by exploiting your greed, while simultaneously launching ambushes at various points along the way.

However, considering that our side is stronger and more disciplined than the enemy, we should take into account that our own combat strength is greater than that of the enemy.

If the local authorities have indeed set a trap, he can turn the tables and try to defeat the imperial garrison.

Therefore, with this goal in mind, he did not continue his march toward Mad Fang City as originally planned, but instead changed his target and came to the Silverstone Mine.

They planned to eliminate the ambush here first, and then head towards Mad Fang City.

This prevents our side from being attacked from both sides during a siege, thus avoiding unexpected losses.

To Davis's surprise, despite his orders to slow the march, exercise caution, and send engineers to check for mines and traps, he did not encounter any ambushes as he had anticipated.

Under these heavy instructions, the journey that should have taken half an hour ended up taking a full three hours.

Then, in this open area where the enemy should not have been, they encountered this seemingly unprepared enemy force.

So he deployed two artillery carriages from the heavy artillery regiment to launch a probing attack, trying to force out the enemy's main force.

"But the current situation seems to prove that my judgment was wrong?"

Gazing through his binoculars at the enemy troops ahead, who appeared to be in complete disarray, a flicker of frustration crossed Davis's eyes, but he quickly made a decision:

"All troops, listen to my command! Immediately assemble your forces, pursue with all your might, and annihilate that enemy army completely!"

"Yes, Brigadier!"

With Davis's order, the members of the 2nd Brigade, who had been excitedly rubbing their hands together, quickly assembled and prepared on the spot. Their originally scattered formations were quickly transformed into densely packed square formations.

The infantry of the two combined arms battalions advanced steadily in groups of one hundred, under the cover of armored heavy artillery vehicles.

Soon, the distance between the two sides was reduced, and it seemed that they would be able to catch up with the fleeing enemy troops completely.

However, at this moment, Davis, who was observing the main battlefield through binoculars under the protection of the guards, suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.

This feeling was like when he stepped into a forest teeming with magical beasts and was stared at by a terrifying venomous snake-like magical beast.

The chilling and oppressive feeling of death, the fear and trembling that came from the depths of his soul, are things he still finds hard to forget.

What is this...

Davis was filled with confusion, but soon he sensed that the magic in the air was becoming uncontrollably thick and heavy.

It was as if some terrifying behemoth was awakening from the sky, absorbing and transforming the surrounding magic at an alarming rate with every breath.

It created an aura of destruction that sent chills down his spine.

And then, they coalesced into two dazzling red beams in the sky, almost blindingly bright.

Oops!

At this moment, as if finally realizing the opponent's backup plan, Davis immediately opened his eyes wide in fury, intending to use the communication device to have the officers at the front line activate the anti-magic device to fight back.

However, the moment he took out his communication device, he seemed to sense something and immediately pushed off with his foot, dodging to the side without hesitation.

Almost the instant he dodged, a terrifying white light fell from where he had been standing, followed by a muffled explosion that blasted a horrifying crater into the ground.

"Boom!"

"!"

After dodging the attack, he looked at Davis beside him and was shocked to find...

The soldiers who had been guarding him had all fallen to the ground, turning into mangled corpses with wide-open, angry eyes.

It was as if they were not assassinated by a skillful killer, but executed by some extremely powerful monster, for none of their corpses retained a complete human form.

Compared to the brutal reality of his guards being inexplicably slaughtered and his own troops about to be destroyed in an instant by a terrifying attack from the sky, what terrified Davis even more was another scene.

At that moment, directly in front of him in his field of vision, stood a man covered in blood, wielding a long knife.

Despite having long, beautiful silver hair and mesmerizing emerald eyes, she looked no older than his daughter.

However, in Davis's perception spell, the intensity of the opponent's magic was almost suffocating.

Although both were in the higher ranks, the opponent displayed an almost overwhelming level of power, whether in terms of magical power or the pressure emanating from that unique spell.

It was as if he was not facing a child who looked to be only a teenager and not fully developed.

Instead, it was a monster capable of devouring him and tearing him into countless fragments in an instant.

At that moment, the monstrous girl was staring at him indifferently.

"Buzz!"

In Davis's trembling eyes, the other party slowly raised the long sword that was originally covered in blood, but which, under the eerie surge of white mist, quickly returned to a sharp, almost blinding edge.

The blade was pointed directly at his head.

Then, as if it were a machine devoid of any emotion, under that terrifying pressure, it uttered a sentence that instantly made Davis break out in a cold sweat:

"Surrender, or have your limbs cut off?"

"Choose one."

……

(End of this chapter)