Chapter 649
Clatter.

Eldert slowly moved the wooden piece that had been resting on the map. Then, he hesitated, pausing midair.

“…”

From the royal palace, if you head north through the Mage’s Forest, you reach Hielo; if you go west, you pass through the city of Karenna and enter the inland directly.

But Karenna had once suffered from rampant banditry, making its security unstable, so it likely had more soldiers than other cities.

‘No need to bother with empty Hielo then.’

Thud.

The wooden piece was placed on Hielo. At the same time, the piece standing on Hwan moved into Merelop.

Merelop. A truly crucial region. It’s completely cut off from the central area by the Denba mountain range and borders the great desert. If we can secure this place, there will be no worries about counterattacks from behind.

Knock knock.

“Your Majesty.”

“Enter.”

At that moment, a retainer gently opened the closed door, bringing a faint blue light through the crack. Dawn was breaking.

The departure for war was only hours away. Preparations were already complete, so the news the retainer brought was probably about the puppeteers. Eldert gestured for a quick report. Having stayed up all night, his cheeks were pale.

“Lady Darsi is here.”

“Let her in.”

Creak.

The door fully opened, and Lady Darsi hurried into the room. Wearing arm sleeves to keep her sleeves clean, she proudly held up a pile of puppets strung together.

One, two, three, four… Eldert counted with his eyes, then recalled the number of mages and nodded with satisfaction.

“You’ve done it all.”

“This much is easy. Maybe because the mages come from different backgrounds, there’s hardly any bond between them. Hoho.”

Most didn’t even know there was a puppeteer from Toalrun. Even those who did were clueless about what her presence meant.

Lady Darsi lightly manipulated the strings with both hands, controlling the puppets. From a distance, it looked like a scene from a children’s puppet show.

“Even the forbidden mage?”

“Yes, this one here. She was the hardest. Very sharp-tempered and sensitive. Well, isn’t everyone like that when they’re in pain?”

Tap tap. Lady Darsi smiled gently and held up one puppet marked with an X in the center.

Only then did Eldert relax and slowly sit down. They had succeeded in weaponizing all the mages. Now, there was no need to worry about paying gold or the palace falling. He unconsciously rubbed his brow and let out a relieved breath.

“…Thank you. Well done.”

“Not at all. It’s all for the greater good. Hoho!”

“What about the mages’ will?”

“Completely gone. It would be disastrous if problems arose before such an important mission. It’s best to cut off any latent risks from the start.”

Eldert nodded, and Lady Darsi smiled as she gathered the puppets back. Checking the clock, it was already seven in the morning. She had hoped to catch a quick nap but decided against it. Stretching happily, she made a request.

“By the way, if possible, please arrange for my personal carriage to be the largest and most spacious. To move the puppets effectively, I need a proper backdrop. They take up quite a bit of space.”

“I’ll make sure of it.”

“Thank you. Your Majesty, you won’t be departing immediately, right?”

“I will form the main force after capturing Hielo. We’ll meet there again.”

Since time was tight, the Minister of Defense, Martin, would be sent ahead first. After assessing the situation there, it would be best to enter Bariel.

“Understood. Then, I’ll be going.”

Lady Darsi bowed lightly and hurried out of the room. At that moment, sunlight poured over her face. The sun had fully risen.

The view of the royal palace outside the window was lush and radiant. Brick patterns mimicking wood grain, reeds swaying gently in the morning breeze… In autumn, the world would be bathed in golden hues, truly beautiful.

“How magnificent! This is why I love visiting other countries. Oh ho ho!”

She clasped her chubby cheeks with both hands, exclaiming in awe. Her stomping feet made her seem like a pure-hearted girl.

The attendants watching from a few steps behind clicked their tongues.

‘…Crazy.’

They had seen it all clearly: the puppeteer stitching the mages’ flesh together while humming, cutting them up like objects, dominating them, then mocking and playing with them.

The attendants lowered their heads, hiding their contempt. They didn’t know where Toalrun was, but it was clearly a disgusting place.

“Oh! Minister Martin!”

At the end of the corridor, Lady Darsi spotted the minister and waved enthusiastically. He bowed slightly in return and approached.

“How many mages are you taking to Hielo?”

“His Majesty said to take only half. Why? Hoho.”

“I just wanted to confirm if all the mages present are accounted for. Please come this way.”

Leaving the palace, Lady Darsi was moved by the scene before her and clasped her hands again.

Yellow-armored soldiers reminiscent of the golden reeds she had seen earlier, and heavily armored black-plate soldiers. The Ruswena flag fluttered majestically. And—

“Oh my!”

A dragon, just like in the books!

She squealed excitedly, giggling. Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing! And my beloved puppets!

“Good morning—!”

The mages received Lady Darsi’s cheerful greeting. Their pale, lifeless eyes failed to reflect the bright morning light.

They stood in a line beside the carriage like scarecrows, staring blankly into space without responding.

“Ugh, the smell. We need to do something about this one. Minister! Can we put him at the back of the carriage?”

That was Vitor, a mage melting away from using forbidden magic. In the bright light, his condition was horrifying.

Lady Darsi pinched her nose and grimaced. The minister gestured to clear space. She quickly moved her fingers like playing the piano, then shifted Vitor out of sight.

“If things go wrong, he’ll be the first to be used. He won’t last long in this state.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, madam, and follow your lead.”

“Well, I’m the owner of the puppets after all.”

The minister hesitated briefly at her words but said nothing further. It was a sensitive topic, and without their lord present, he dared not add more.

Bwooo— Bwooo—

The sound of water buffalo horns signaled the time to depart. Soldiers lined up on both sides drew their swords and pointed them skyward, while the vanguard stepped forward, holding flags.

Behind them, the inner city gates began to slowly open. Though not fully, the vast plains beyond were visible from the high ground.

Rustle. Rustle.

Deer, bison, rabbits—wildlife freely roamed the royal hunting grounds. Startled by the sudden noise, they lifted their heads and dashed away. The military band gradually raised the volume of their instruments.

Boom! Boom!

To one side stretched endless golden farmland. The grass swayed like waves in the wind. Below the hills, villages where commoners lived came into view.

Before the four gates—north, south, east, and west—soldiers from various barracks gathered to bless the departing troops.

“Advance!”

“Advance!”

The citizens, too, flocked to the streets to watch the disciplined soldiers. Though they sensed the looming war clouds, just yesterday they had lived peaceful lives. Yet now, they were marching toward Bariel.

Whispering among themselves, they cheered on the soldiers heading to the battlefield for the first time since the Clipford War.

“Come back safely! Please survive and bring victory!”

“Wishing for a complete victory! Let’s avenge the humiliation from the Clipford War! This time, Bariel will kneel before us!”

“That’s right! Revenge for the late king!”

“Let’s retaliate for the trade sanctions!”

As the crowd waved flags and cheered, Lady Darsi responded with a bow.

“Oh ho ho! Everyone, don’t worry! Victory is ours!”

“Who’s that woman?”

“No idea. Judging by her accent, she’s a foreigner.”

“Who cares? Just make sure we win!”

Creak! Thud!

At last, the massive inner city gates groaned open. At a signal from the black-armored soldiers, dragons took to the sky swiftly.

Soldiers on the outer walls, arranged in concentric circles with wide spacing, waved their flags as the dragons rose. Then, the outer city gates opened.

‘Looks like they felt some threat during the Clipford-Burgos War. The walls have multiple layers.’

Lady Darsi rested her chin on her hand inside the rattling carriage, thinking this, then lovingly gazed at the puppets moving with creaks and groans.

“Oh, Minister! What’s the route?”

“After passing through the Mage’s Forest, we can enter Hielo directly.”

“How long will that take?”

“Dragons will get there in a day, but foot soldiers will take over a week. The vanguard will send black-armored troops and dragons first.”

“I see. Just in case, bring a mage along. Whatever the mage sees, I can see too, so it’ll help us get a better read on the situation.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

At her words, the minister glanced at the dispirited mage. When Lady Darcy gave a slight nod, the mages playfully stuck out their tongues and tilted their heads back.

Lady Darcy chuckled, clutching her stomach, but the minister only offered a polite smile and moved the conversation forward. She was an unsettling woman. No matter how you looked at it.

---

“It looks like a forest has sprouted in the middle of the desert.”

Beric muttered, staring at the dense greenery in the distance.

Where they stood was truly strange. To their right, grass grew on moderately damp soil; to their left, an endless expanse of dry sand dunes. And straight ahead, a forest. It felt like standing at the boundary where the land was split into three distinct parts.

“But this is the border, right? Why aren’t there any border guards around?”

“You’ll find the guards if you head east. This side borders the desert and used to be home to mages. No ordinary person would dare cross here. And more importantly—”

Ziiing. Ziiing.

Ian raised his fingertips and traced the air. An invisible barrier shimmered into existence. Since the mages had all gone to the palace, it didn’t seem to be maintained by magic power…

“It’s a mana stone.”

“Right. With something like this, ordinary folks wouldn’t even get close. Definitely more effective than barbed wire.”

Beric tapped the unseen wall with his knuckles. “So, what now, Ian? Do we take out the border guards first? Or maybe dig a tunnel here? Wait, can this thing even be broken?”

Rolling up his sleeve, Beric swung his fist with all his might. Boom! The air exploded with a sharp crack, and the vibration in the barrier became visible. But that was all.

Beric rubbed his sore knuckles, scowling at the wall. “Not even a scratch, damn it! Ow, that hurts like hell!”

He started banging his head against the barrier, punching and kicking it furiously. The transparent shield wavered a few times, then only grew stronger.

“Step aside.”

“No, wait. I think I can break it.”

“The more impact it takes, the tougher it gets.”

“So you’re saying we just have to break it in one hit?”

KRAAAASH!

“AAARGH!”

Beric twisted his torso and threw a powerful punch, but all that came out was a frustrated yell.

Ian crouched down behind the flailing Beric and placed his hand on the ground.

Ziiing! Zing!

Was he trying to break the wall? Beric watched quietly from his prone position. But the flow of mana felt off. It wasn’t coming from the wall—it was coming from beneath the ground…

“Huh? Uh, uh?”

“I said, step aside.”

“Ian, wait a minute!”

KRAAAASH! Boom! Bang!

An explosion erupted right before Beric’s eyes. The ground cracked open, shaking everything around, and dirt and rocks rained down like a storm. Ian was clearing out the mana stones buried underground.

Ziiing—Zing!

Chaang!

Several sharp bursts followed.

…Is it over?

Beric peeked out cautiously, glanced around, then dusted off his hands. He saw Ian casually stepping into Luswena territory.