558 CH 518: IN THE NIGHT
[Let your plans be dark and impenetrable at night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.]
Art of War – Sun Tzu.
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The night befell the encampment, bringing the darkness that was so dreaded by humans.
In this place far from the main cities, keeping every part illuminated would be a challenge hard to manage. Nevertheless, it was possible thanks to the advancement in alchemy and the like.
“Ugh. I wonder why the lieutenant told us to stay awake. Keeping this armor up is so fucking tiring.”
One of the soldiers complained and the other three who were keeping guard with him chuckled as if they understood what he meant. They were barely able to use mana so the armor they wore weighed heavily on them. Such was the plight of most normal soldiers.
“Even so guys, be serious and keep the Loukout. We never know.”
“Roger.”
They all saluted and began the round. No matter how dissatisfied they were, they had to listen to order. Furthermore, even though they weren’t too bright, they knew that the enemies would certainly not let them create those teleportation circles without intervening.
Under the order of the Lieutenant, the guard was increased and all teams were composed now of two people who had to stay awake at a certain distance from each other enough to see each other and react should danger happen.
Furthermore, there was an actual third one who would be camouflaged and receive a signal every 3 mn. If the signal was not sent then they would immediately sound the alert.
“So much for a simple guard but I believe this is necessary.”
A few grumbled but they had nothing to add to the discussion.
Like this they started their guard in the wee of the night, sharing discussions to keep themselves awake.
“So. I told this wench to not worry about me as a grunt soldier like me had a lower chance of actually dying. All she had to do was keep herself warm and wait for me when I came back.”
“Kukuh. Are you sure she won’t warm herself in the arms of some young boys while you fight here?”
“Heh. Then I will just have to remind her why she always opens her legs for me.”
The man made a vigorous move with his hips, prompting his friend to explode in laughter.
“Still, I don’t know about his ruling but King Uranus truly had good ideas.”
Uranus Luxuria, Grandfather of Mars Luxuria was known as the Tyrant king. But he was also known as a man who had an uncanny love for beastwomen who had cute animal ears.
During his era, one of the rules he established was the prostitution corner. The tyrant king said that soldiers couldn't fight at full strength with the stress and so those prostitutes were used as a stress relief.
At first, everyone thought he was crazy. But soon the results spoke for themselves and since then, it has more or less become a tradition.
“Ugh. I just need a little more achievement and I can get a first class.”
“All you think about is sex.”
“Because sex is one of the most beautiful things in this world.”
“Hahaha…”
“Ugh. I am feeling heavy now. Gotta piss.”
“Hum. Man you sure?”
“Haha obviously. Don’t tell me you still fear the Dark?”
“I don’t… It’s just…Just be careful.”
“Heh…”
The lustful man joked a little before walking while whilsting. The entire area they were surveying was a large clearing with nothing but snow in view.
It was impossible to be sneaked up unless it was from the sky or deep underground.
“Heh. I like easy missions like this.”
All he had to do was survive. Survive a little more then get discharged and enjoy life thanks to all the numerous rewards Sol had prepared for war veterans.
“This will be fun.”
Working around his extremely complicated armor, he stopped when he realized he needed a squire to help him change into something more presentable.
“Still, pissing while wearing this is a pain.
“Need some help?”
“Yeah, thanks… Huh?”
He stopped, realizing that he did not recognize the voice of his friend. He turned around, but all he was met with was claws tearing apart his neck.
Gazing at the body now devoid of life, a man clad in dark clothes grinned menacingly and gave his signal.
The orders had been clear.
This was not a fight.
This was simply pure terror. Hit and run.
—-
A few minutes later, alarm filled the camp and the higher-ups were forced to realize one thing.
More than half of all the soldiers who had been guarding the perimeters were dead. This was very jarring and puzzling as they realized that they had no way of determining how this death happened outside of knowing it was the work of the enemies.
On the corpses, drawn in blood, were a few words etched in a sentence in blood.
[This is just the beginning.]
Fear filled the minds of many as they were all worried about what would happen next.
Indeed. For the next four days, the construction of the matrice continued, unstopped, without even one attack against it.
Four days during which only one attack happened, but the results had been as devastating.
On the morning of the 5th day, as he gazed at the corpses of his subordinates, Viktor gritted his teeth.
They had increased the guards by a very huge number and he even disguised as a soldier to hide and surprise the enemy but all the spots with even relatively powerful soldiers were avoided as if they knew everything beforehand.
He breathed in deeply before leaving, barking orders at everyone while making sure the people taking care of the circles were still well protected.
In the end, he finally reached a small place where an old man was being given porridge by what looked like a maid.
It was a rather young woman with dark skin and silver hair.
Viktor ignored the maid. The encampment was filled with such civilians who helped with many little things and the maids from the Tower had been dispatched as helpers.
The maids were special in this case as they were considered above mere civilians. But he had no interest in this.
"General… I…We need your wisdom."
Gerald, who had been eating quietly with no desire to create problems, looked up.
The news about what the enemies did had been kept hidden from most but with his years of experience, it was easy to see the uneasy atmosphere that was spreading and the dwindling numbers of soldiers.
He had even overheard some soldiers joking about desertions but such jokes had been squashed fast.
"Take a seat."
Viktor's eyes shone, feeling like his backbone had been found once again, and immediately took a seat to explain the problem.
When he ended, he looked at Gerald awaiting his opinion and thankfully he was not disappointed.
"Did you know that in nature, there are different kinds of Predators?"
"Pardon?"
"Some predators usually focus on chasing after the prey. They are considered as pursuit predators. Meanwhile, others hide and camouflage before attacking. We call them ambush predators."
"Ah…"
"I would need to see the wounds to be sure but this tactic was used against us by the Tiger clans. They have an entire squad composed of ambush types and developed many skills to hide themselves in the night. I believe they call themselves ninjas in Wratharis."
"What should we do?"
Viktor knew how shameless it was but he had no choices. His shame was not worth the lives of his soldiers and comrades.
"Well…"
Gerald mused before looking at the maid who seemed to ignore them with a distant look on her face.
He knew who she was and he had seen a little of what she could do.
If it was her…
"When facing a predator, sometimes the only way to kill it is to bring an even greater predator."
Viktor followed Gerald's gaze and couldn't help but frown.
After all, he did not want to implicate someone who seemed to have never faced hardship in their life.
If not for his absolute belief in Gérald, he would have called him crazy and wondered what he meant.
Gerald smiled quietly, not bothering to explain more.
"I have given you the means of success. Whether you use it or not is up to you."
He stood up and left, leaving a very hesitating lieutenant.
In the end, the belief in Gerald surpassed his doubts and so he asked.
"Would you like to help us?"
He would bet on everything with even a remote chance of success.
—As unlikely as it seemed.
