༺ Advance Party (1) ༻
The morale of the army soared to the sky.
It was a phenomenon created by the story of the woman who shone brightly by herself even as the whole world sank into darkness.
To put it in Vera’s terms, the army was filled with the confidence that they could overcome whatever malicious tricks Alaysia had in store for them.
‘This is an opportunity.’
The crisis that came with the corruption turned into an opportunity.
Vera couldn’t stand still.
While everyone was happily witnessing the miracle unfolding before their eyes, the virtue of a commander was the ability to confront reality. Vera remained faithful to that principle.
‘We can never be sure how many more will be corrupted.’
Alaysia was clever.
She was calculated and malicious.
There was no way she would have planted only one corruption and stopped there.
If it happened to someone else again, there was no guarantee that the outcome would be positive, so it was now their turn to make a move.
‘I’m moving up the schedule.’
Three days would be too late.
They had to launch an attack while the army’s morale was still soaring and before another corruption could shake them again.
“Is everything ready?”
The atmosphere by the lake was solemn.
They were also determined.
In front of Vera, hundreds of spellcasters were hoisting an enormous outpost of indescribable size while elite soldiers from various countries were escorting the perimeter.
Albrecht’s troops were on standby behind them.
They were the ones who would first enter as soon as the castle emerged to scout its interior.
The leader of the wizards, El Claire, answered Vera’s question.
“It’s done. When the Saint performs her miracle, the castle down there will rise.”
“Yes.”
Renee stepped forward.
She bore a stern expression.
However, it wasn’t from being nervous.
What she wore was ease and confidence, and her current appearance made those who saw her feel relief and assurance.
This was an atmosphere intentionally created by Renee.
Knowing well that the morale of the army would drop and that their confidence would waver if she showed fear and worry, she only showed them a confident appearance.
“Activate it.”
At Renee’s words, Miller shouted.
“We’re starting!!!”
Upon Miller’s signal, the sorcerers began chanting their spells.
It was a spell that broke down the boundary between reality and illusion through the realm of cognition.
That started to unfold.
Above the spell, blue and red lights rose.
Along with that, a translucent world overlapped the scenery.
It was as if two identical paintings had been stacked on top of each other.
Miller realized that the fictional dimension had properly manifested, and he continued to shout.
“Activate it!”
Smack—!
As Miller clapped his hands, the sorcerers followed suit.
A horizontal line was formed above the circle.
Immediately after, the intertwined lights began to move.
Blue lights started to gather at the top, and red lights started to gather at the bottom.
The manifestation of the enormous spell was overwhelming just by looking at it.
Miller grinned wickedly.
He then intentionally continued his positive thoughts.
What was necessary for the success of the spell was strong conviction and belief, so Miller had to maintain this mindset.
‘This is going to be a thesis topic.’
His heroic endeavors.
The unprecedented scale of sorcery that had never been publicly manifested before.
And the victories that would follow.
‘With this…!’
The next Head of the Academy was as good as secured.
Clap—!
With another clap, the translucent landscape began to distort.
Rumble—!
There was a tremor that felt like an earthquake.
Translucent waves flickered and churned along with it.
As the lake in the fictional dimension parted, a gloomy castle rose up.
The once inconspicuous flagpole now towered over a castle so enormous that it could not be captured in a single glance.
And in front of the massive castle gate was a menacing inverted cross.
Flinch—!
The moment he saw the inverted cross, Miller’s body trembled for a moment.
Miller gritted his teeth and shook off the rising dread.
‘I can do this…!’
Sorcery was about belief.
And it was completed with conviction.
“Turn it upside down!!!”
At Miller’s shout, dozens of sorcerers clenched their fists simultaneously.
The continuously flowing incantations had now solidified into a form resembling a battle cry.
Hwaaaaaa—!
The spell was reversed.
Following that, the positions of the blue and red lights switched.
The blue lights fell counterclockwise to the bottom, and the red lights rose to the top.
As the phenomenon flipped the boundary between illusion and reality, the hue of the rising landscape began to change.
El Claire, having confirmed this, shouted in a delighted voice.
“It’s a success! The fictional dimension is overlaying reality!”
“Woah!!!”
Miller’s shout had now transformed into a howl.
As the overseer of a spell on an unprecedented scale, he had no energy left to maintain any formalities.
“Saint!”
At El Claire’s cry, Renee released her divinity.
The pure white divinity hovered above the spell, heading towards the boundary that divided the blue and red lights.
Then, it engraved a wish into the spell.
Everyone gathered there wished for one thing.
The success of the spell.
“It’s aligning well! Elementalists, start moving!”
What remained was to fill the empty space created below the castle, and to maintain that spell until the end of the war.
Maintaining the spell was the role of the wizards.
El Claire already felt weary of the long, drawn-out endurance battle that was about to follow as he looked at the corrupted castle.
‘We can’t let that thing go wild.’
He had no grand sense of justice.
He didn’t wish for a heroic life, either.
He simply wanted to live as a scholar and die as a scholar, but even in such a life, El Claire knew there were things that could not be ignored according to human ethics.
A symbol of corruption lay before him.
If he didn’t stop it, the history of this land would be lost.
Turning away and running from it was something he could not tolerate, neither as a wizard nor as a human.
“Get ready.”
At El Claire’s soft words, the wizards moved.
They lifted their staffs, forming a large circle around him. What they had to do now was to lay down their souls. By linking their souls to the completed spell, they could maintain it until the war ended.
“Those who are unsure, leave.”
He said it in case some were afraid, but no one fled.
El Claire smiled in satisfaction.
“Excellent. You have maintained your dignity as wizards.”
The wizards smiled back.
They recalled the wizard’s creed at El Claire’s words.
Live in pursuit of the truth.
Do not seek unholy knowledge.
And use what you have learned for the good of this land.
They thought about what they had to memorize before studying beginner magic.
It was the foundation of all magic.
El Claire opened his mouth once more, speaking to Vera and the army behind him.
“Once the spell is complete, we will all lose consciousness. Well, it will be a state similar to losing consciousness, where we won’t respond to any external stimuli.”
He concluded the request-like explanation with the words.
“Please keep us safe.”
A smile appeared at the corners of El Claire’s lips.
“And when we wake up, tell us the news of our victory first.”
Vera’s expression hardened.
It wasn’t just Vera; the faces of all those in the army made a firm expression.
At the front lines of the army, Vera nodded.
El Claire confirmed this before shifting his gaze forward.
The spell was complete.
The castle, brought forth from a fictional dimension, now existed in reality before them.
Now, warriors would rush into that place.
El Claire gripped his staff with both hands and struck the ground.
Crack—!
With a sound like shattering glass, a blue line appeared on the ground.
Mana flowed from that line, wrapping around the wizards.
Thus, El Claire and the wizards plunged into a world where they could feel nothing.
***
Vera looked at the landscape spread out before him.
The ominous castle had a giant inverted cross engraved on it, and the lake in front lit by a spell. It was a sight that signaled the beginning of a war and also a baton passed on by those who had already fulfilled their mission.
“Let’s get started,” Vargo said.
Vera nodded his head and turned around.
There, waiting for his command, were hundreds of the advance party.
Vera now knew what he had to do.
“…Not everyone will be able to return alive.”
He felt deep down that rather than commanding from behind, he was more suited for directly taking part in the action.
However, as a commander, he had to look at the bigger picture and not do things he shouldn’t do.
“What lies beyond is a threat unknown to us. What we do know is that it is a threat unlike any we have ever faced.”
All he could do was to encourage those who were facing the threat from this position.
“However, I dare to ask you. Please come back alive, and be the rightful first flagbearers of victory in this war.”
In the silence, only Vera’s voice echoed for a long time.
“There is nothing to fear. No corruption, no blasphemy, and no pain can harm you. Everyone here has the blessing of the heavens.”
Vera’s hand moved toward his waist, drawing a sword reminiscent of a pure, white winter.
“The only thing I can do is to fulfill my duty.”
A golden light of a holy fire arose on Vera’s forearm.
It blazed, engraving a vow into the pure white blade.
“On the day this war ends, I vow to place your names in the most honorable position. I make this vow on my authority, in the name of Lushan, and on my soul.”
The eight-stroked stigma burned, its light as stubborn and solid as its nature.
“My vow will be guaranteed by this sword, and all of you will avoid corruption under the name of Lushan.”
Hwaaaaaa—!
His divinity exploded, permeating the bodies of hundreds of the advance party.
This was a way of using his power that Vera had never used before.
An oath made for the sake of others.
“You must return within half a day, at the latest.”
The continued murmurs of the advance party ceased.
At the forefront, Albrecht responded with a confident smile.
“We’ll be back on time. Please prepare the meal accordingly.”
At the cheeky words, a similar smile appeared on Vera’s lips.
“Exactly 200 servings will be prepared.”
As Vera lifted his sword, the advance party also drew theirs.
Clang!
They were perfectly synchronized.
In their demeanor that seemed to prove that they were the continent’s top elites, Vera felt a bit more at ease.
“In the name of the Lord.”
[For the blessing of this land!]
“In the name of eternal glory.”
[For a glorious victory!]
“Go forth and show the way.”
Vera’s sword descended downwards.
Thump!
The advance party started marching.
It was a brief and simple ceremony.
However, none of them minded it.
Even if their start was this simple, they believed that their victory upon returning would be glorious. They had been promised the most honorable position for that day.
The bravest knights, with short but strong cries, headed toward the rising castle.
