Chapter 120. To the East (5)

The Four Great Magic Towers.

The pioneers of Imperial magic, represented by White, Black, Blue, and Red.

Typically, a prosperous territory would have a branch of a magic tower.

Our territory has the Black and Blue Magic Towers.

Among them, the White Magic Tower is a group mainly composed of mages from the School of Light and the School of Wind.

They specialize in the materialization of light, wind, sound, and mana itself.

Perhaps because the main school of the tower is the School of Light.

It is also the only magic tower that has strong ties with the Church, whereas mages and priests are usually on awkward terms.

For reference, their current main area of research is said to be communication crystal spheres.

As I sat at my desk and waited for a moment, the long-range communication crystal sphere began to emit a voice with a blinking light.

[Ah, can you hear me well?]

I almost instinctively said ‘hello,’ but I managed to hold it back.

“I can hear you clearly, Your Majesty.”

[That’s a relief. It seems it’s not a faulty product. It’s hot in the south, isn’t it? Where did you say you are now?]

“Karnburk Fortress, Your Majesty.”

[Ah, that strategic point with the swamp?]

“That is correct.”

The owner of the voice is the Emperor.

The one in the distant Imperial Capital in the central part of the Empire.

This was the moment that proved the long-range communication crystal sphere included in Archduke Gabir’s ‘expedition commemoration gift set’ was real.

It was a device that focused solely on communication range, excluding all additional functions.

For reference, the short-range communication crystal sphere gifted as a set has various functions added.

Like sound quality improvement, or delay minimization.

[There’s some noise. I’ll have to tell the Tower Master. So, I heard from Archduke Gabir. You’re retaking Duke Zarhill’s land?]

The Emperor’s voice was cheerful.

I summarized and reported briefly.

Which fortresses were captured, and how much territory was secured.

The Emperor, unlike his usual self, hummed as he listened to my report.

Is even a psychopathic monarch interested in land grabs?

[Right, I was just talking to Gabir about it… The territory you captured this time is pioneer land, isn’t it? I will exclude it from taxation, just as we did with the recapture of Wolfskrig.]

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

[The area is large, so pioneering will take a long time. Let’s extend the period. Five years should be appropriate, right?]

I take back the psychopathic monarch comment.

Loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor.

[Anyway, keep up the good work. I’ve also sent a long-range communication crystal sphere to Viscount Pewin, who went out to subjugate the orcs. I hope you can cooperate and help our allies, the dwarves.]

We talked about various other things after that.

There were one or two important points, but nothing I needed to worry about right away.

The call was not long.

Because the Emperor hung up first, saying he was busy with many things to attend to.

I wanted to ask what those things were, but I gave up.

That psychopathic iron-blooded emperor… no, our gracious Emperor would not answer meekly, and I have no grounds to force an answer.

‘…It’s not the Ratmen, is it?’

Though I have a slight sense of unease.

The Ratmen are the ones I am personally most wary of.

Among the three major final boss-level factions in this game, they are particularly vicious.

During the civil war, they turned Duntown Fortress into an empty ghost fortress.

They gradually started their activities in the Imperial Capital, and as soon as the civil war ended, they vanished as if they had never been there.

The pissed-off Emperor was about to start a war, but I managed to stop him with great effort….

Now that the aftermath of the civil war has been dealt with, he might be preparing for another subjugation.

‘Or perhaps, due to the Inferno difficulty correction, the Ratmen’s holy war preparations are already complete.’

To grasp the full story, I need information from the Imperial Capital.

This part is still not easy.

Old man Brol’s information network was spreading to all parts of the country, but the network in the Imperial Capital would be cut off soon after being established.

This is because the underworld of the Imperial Capital is completely in the hands of the ‘Shadow Merchant Guild,’ which is unofficially employed by the Imperial Army.

For reference, the Shadow Merchant Guild is an organization led by the named hero of the secret knight order, ‘Barum of the Black.’

‘Should I have just asked Archduke Gabir?’

As the Emperor’s closest aide, the Archduke would probably have a rough idea.

I’ll have to ask him the next time we communicate.

For now, let’s focus on the expedition.

There are too many things to worry about on this front alone.

Vampires, orcs, and dwarves.

It is a journey that breaks through the territories of the races that hold sway over the region.

Anyway, with this expedition, I have already gained three fortresses and one city.

Randel Fortress.

Bemington Fortress.

Othfeldt City.

Karnburk Fortress.

Each one is a strategic key point with a large river, swamp, or valley.

Especially here, near Karnburk Fortress, there is a lot of the precious resource, peat.

The entire swamp-like river flowing right next to it is practically a peat bog.

Until now, the nearby farmers had only used it as a substitute for firewood, but to me, these blackish clumps look like gold.

This is because coal and peat are necessary preparations for me, who dreams of a steam engine revolution.

The magic stones used to run the Imperial Army and dwarven factories are the most efficient, but since magic stones themselves are rare, they cannot be used everywhere.

Alternative fuel is essential to achieve economies of scale.

“Viscount, the rear echelon has arrived. They’ve unpacked and started preparing for construction.”

Old man Brol came in, opening the creaking door.

The rear echelon has arrived at Karnburk Fortress, where we were temporarily stationed.

It was about time to set off again.

* * *

In the army, I had a senior who had worked in construction.

He was a clean-cut guy, surprisingly smart, but he would say nonsensical things from time to time.

I was indebted to him in many ways even after his discharge, and once I heard a story about manual labor.

According to his claim, a construction site is like a concert hall where an orchestra performance is taking place.

To borrow his exact expression, it was ‘a harmony of rhythm and pitch performed by workers and technicians instead of musicians.’

At the time, when I thought of construction sites as just a source of noise, it was a claim I couldn't understand at all, but….

Now that many construction sites are my property, I think I might understand what he meant.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of a hammer is like a cheerfully struck piano.

Swish-swish-

The sawing of wood is like a violin performance.

Thump!

William's modified dwarven-made insensitive explosive is, well.

The drums that occasionally appear in an orchestra….

It could be called a bass drum, several times larger than a timpani.

Thump-

Kwarururu…!

A building collapsed before my eyes.

The power of the bass drum.

The rubble of the demolished building is carried away by workers on carts.

In the cleared lot, priests pour out purification miracles, and other workers come and put up temporary buildings.

That’s right.

We are building a supply base.

We are building supply bases like this in all the cities and fortresses we have captured so far.

When the main force, the expeditionary force, captures a castle or city, the rear echelon, consisting of Imperial soldiers, artisans, workers, and merchant guilds, comes and turns it into a base.

It’s a bit cumbersome, but securing the supply line is essential.

Our expedition is scheduled to continue through the distant wasteland to the Everlasting Mountains Hold of the dwarves.

It goes without saying that the great commanders of history, including Alexander the Great of ancient times, all emphasized logistics.

The failure of the Sui and Tang dynasties’ invasions of Goguryeo, which I learned about in my Korean history textbook as a child, was also due to logistical problems, not a difference in size.

This was something I had in mind from the beginning when selecting the fortresses and cities to capture in the Vampire Archduchy.

“It’ll be over soon. They’ve handled tools so much that they say their tools are like their wives… Oops, this story is a secret from my wife. Hahaha!”

Fortunately, the artisans of Wolfskrig are skilled.

Is it because they were put into construction sites day and night in Wolfskrig for the past two years?

Thanks to finishing the construction twice as fast as planned, the pace of our advance is also getting faster.

The influence of William’s insensitive explosives being used not only in mining but also in construction sites would also be a factor.

“By the way, Viscount, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“It’s presumptuous of me, but as someone who once ran a mercenary band… I’m actually a bit worried about building a supply base here. It’s like building it in the middle of enemy territory….”

Old man Poodle asked, carefully looking around.

“Don’t worry. I have already received a promise of support from the Church through Bishop Alina.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Just as they did in Wolfskrig, the priests will purify the castle and its surroundings, and the paladins will guard it.”

“Haha, now I’m relieved. As you know, my wife is obsessed with safety. She just had our second child recently….”

Old man Poodle let out a sigh of relief.

I listened absently to old man Poodle’s long-unheard chatter and inspected the construction site.

Well, the paladins will come.

It's just that besides the wandering undead, they won't see a single vampire.

Who was the Vampire Duke?

My loyal, that is, Tribus’s loyal subordinate.

It is the path that I, His Majesty the Emperor, am personally taking to conquer the orcs of the east.

Far from obstructing the supply base, he would rather become a reliable shield.

In fact, he is also a breakwater against the Lumer Legion from the far south, whose awakening has become a confirmed fact.

The Vampire Duke knows them as the ‘traitors who drove out the Emperor.’

‘There’s probably an emperor there too, though….’

Actually, that emperor is the real one.

It probably doesn't matter.

I had already branded him as a ‘fake emperor’ in advance.

I don’t know for sure, but the situation in the south also seems to be developing rapidly.

During the call with the Emperor earlier, I heard the news that the capital of Indika had fallen.

The fall of that great city would mean that Indika has fallen.

From various testimonies and circumstantial evidence, the culprit is clearly the Lumer Legion.

I must prepare for the coming wave.

To do that, it would be advantageous to obtain the dwarven steam engine technology, and above all, the legacy left by William’s uncle.

“What remains are Tubon Fortress, and Kalisto.”

I gathered the commanders and entered a meeting.

There are two strongholds left before advancing into the eastern wasteland.

One fortress and one city.

“We will strike Tubon Fortress first, and then stay in Kalisto for a fortnight to regroup.”

The distance is not that far.

It’s a four-day journey to Tubon Fortress.

From there, we can reach Kalisto in a week.

“I will go on a reconnaissance mission.”

I entrusted the reconnaissance to Karen.

The departure date is about three days from now, after confirming the progress of the construction.

It is enough time to go on a reconnaissance mission if we send the fast-footed rangers mixed with the 4th Battalion’s light cavalry.

In fact, two days later, as the rear echelons arrived one after another and supplies began to pile up, Karen returned from her reconnaissance.

“It’s clean. There are enemy forces inside the fortress, but not to a threatening degree. However, I found a few wandering undead… I think you should see them for yourself.”

I followed her out.

Outside the fortress walls.

A zombie with its head crushed had been moved there.

“It looks like a zombie, but it’s a type I’ve never seen before.”

Karen said.

I immediately summoned the commanders.

While the commanders were gathering, I observed the corpse more closely.

The skin, which had mummified abruptly during decomposition, and the state of the internal organs, were clearly those of a zombie.

‘Oh, Master. This is….’

‘Yes.’

But the race is different.

It’s not a human zombie.

Even with half its head blown off, there’s no mistaking it.

It’s a Ratman.