SWNOVELXO Chapter 544
Chapter 544: I Think You Need to Get to Work. (2)
“Is this a delusion?”
Ghislaine recalled the words the Saint had said to her at the end.
“Don’t come.” What on earth does that mean?
She thought it was just a dream, but could it be that she was actually interacting with that?
Was the necklace really trying to tell her something, or was it just a dream? She couldn’t tell.
— Master…
Dark spoke up. Ghislaine turned to Dark and asked, “Did you see it?”
— I saw… It’s strange…
“What’s strange?”
— I feel strange… I feel unwell…
“Do you not know why it’s bad?”
— I don’t know. The more I see, the worse it gets…
Dark was sharing consciousness with Ghislaine. She couldn’t tell if it was feeling bad because of her influence or for some other reason.
“Hmm…”
It was still hard to understand what it all meant. If this wasn’t just a wild dream, then the necklace must be trying to tell her something.
Still, there was more content than last time. If she had a few more dreams, perhaps she could figure out the situation?
She wasn’t sure how exactly it related to the current predicament.
“Phew, it just keeps getting more complicated in my head.”
She was the type who couldn’t resist curiosity, but there was nothing to be done about it. All she could do was observe over time.
Right now, she had to focus on eliminating the Salvation Society. She couldn’t let these dreams disrupt her concentration.
“Well, at least I handled one big issue.”
Helgenik had been quite a thorn in her side in her previous life. It had been tough, but eliminating him was a significant achievement.
Having rested, Ghislaine and the Mobile Army began to move towards the Kingdom of Atrode.
“Those guys must be well-prepared.”
The forces of the Salvation Society and the Kingdom of Atrode had already been combined. Meanwhile, the Allied Forces were only just beginning to gather.
She had no doubt the Allied Forces would win, but it was sure to be an arduous fight.
“Having bought time with Helgenik, there’s bound to be some trick I can pull.”
The options left for the Salvation Society were twofold.
“As expected, we could strike another kingdom to disperse their forces, or… First, hit the gathered Allied Forces.”
The information that they had lost their main forces to take care of Helgenik must have reached them as well.
Thus, Ghislaine instructed the Allied Forces to surround the area around the Kingdom of Atrode. They couldn’t handle both the Kingdom of Atrode and the Salvation Society at once.
She had considered facing off with the Kingdom of Atrode, but wars don’t simply end with a single battle.
With this level of forces clashing, it was bound to take time.
Before long, it became clear which choice the Salvation Society had made.
“The Kingdom of Atrode is invading the Kingdom of Grimwell! It is said that the rumored Revolutionary Group is with them as well!”
“Revolutionary Group, huh… They’ve certainly bolstered their forces.”
Upon hearing the news, Ghislaine fell into thought for a moment.
“Why over there?”
The Kingdom of Grimwell was somewhat distanced from the Kingdom of Atrode.
The kingdoms in between had already been shattered, so passing through wasn’t difficult, but the problem was that the Kingdom of Grimwell was quite a strong nation.
“They were quite capable of dealing with rifts and rebels…”
If the Salvation Society set their mind to it, they could occupy many lands. There was no reason to push too hard in this situation.
“Could it be that?”
Gathros had a considerable obsession with sacred relics. He had mentioned something about getting sacred relics from elsewhere.
It was clear that the relic was in the Kingdom of Grimwell.
Ghislaine asked the messenger who brought the news, “Have you checked how many troops remain in the Kingdom of Atrode?”
“I can’t determine accurately, but it seems that over half have gone to the Kingdom of Grimwell.”
While it was said to be over half, their force would be substantial.
The main forces of the Salvation Society and the Kingdom of Atrode, along with the surrounding rebels and the Revolutionary Group, were all gathered. No matter how strong a nation, one kingdom couldn’t hold them all back.
The Ruthania Kingdom hadn’t come at them like that either.
“Well… it’s because of me that their plans have been completely messed up.”
If they had acted from the start, the Ruthania Kingdom would have fallen in no time. Of course, at that time, they probably wouldn’t have been able to send that kind of force.
Gillian asked Ghislaine, “What should we do?”
Though he asked, the answer was already decided. There was no need to get dragged around by the enemy.
Ghislaine quickly made her decision.
“As planned, we will occupy the Kingdom of Atrode first. We need to smash their stronghold.”
Of course, they would continue resistance from the Kingdom of Grimwell. But fighting from their own base would inevitably put them at a disadvantage.
“I will send a message to the Kingdom of Grimwell. Tell them to avoid confrontation as much as possible. If they refuse, they should at least bring the king to seek refuge with us.”
Even as Ghislaine spoke, she didn’t really believe it would happen.
“The stubbornness of the king and nobles was no ordinary matter.”
The Kingdom of Grimwell was a powerful nation with vast territory. Their pride about it was incredibly strong.
In fact, they had been the first to send the Allied Forces to Ruthania and had been quite successful at dealing with rifts and rebels as well.
That made it even more problematic. Fuelled by confidence, they would surely boast about being able to hold back the main forces of the Salvation Society.
In her previous life, the Kingdom of Grimwell acted similarly. When it came time to determine the Allied Forces, didn’t they try to take the initiative themselves?
Recalling that memory, Ghislaine shook her head.
“There are just too many who hold power.”
The troops dispatched as reinforcements would listen to her to some degree, but the main force of the kingdom would not be so easily swayed. They wouldn’t comply until their country was almost destroyed.
That’s why things had always progressed sluggishly in her previous life.
“Indeed, we’ll have to strike as we meet.”
She truly wished to establish peaceful exchanges, but with time pressing, she had to rein in discipline every time new troops joined.
Ghislaine steeled her resolve. She couldn’t let others exploit her tender(?) heart.
While Ghislaine was gathering her thoughts, the Mobile Army encountered a group of soldiers.
“O, Lord is here!”
Galbarik and the dwarfs from the main force greeted Ghislaine. Many wizards were with them too.
Behind them were several immense wagons. Wagons pulled by dozens of horses were nearly the size of small houses.
They had been waiting at the crossroads where the Mobile Army was to move, following Ghislaine’s orders.
Galbarik approached and secretly asked Ghislaine, “Where’s that wizard?”
“He’s here.”
“Hehe, I heard he’s an 8th Circle wizard. Our Lord is truly amazing. How did you manage to catch someone like him?”
“I didn’t catch him; he came on his own. It seems the heavens are always on my side.”
Ghislaine grinned. Meeting Jerome this quickly was truly a stroke of luck. They were in an incredibly busy situation.
Galbarik chuckled and said, “So can we deploy him now?”
“That’s right. We are always pressed for time, aren’t we?”
“Indeed. Having a high-level wizard join us at a time like this is truly a great boon.”
The two grinned maliciously. The wizard Galbarik referred to was, of course, Jerome.
As the army took a moment to rest, Jerome began to engage in elegant conversation with the wizards at the rear.
This gathering happened intermittently whenever they paused after Jerome had joined.
“So, since teleportation can be quite unstable, we need to take additional magical measures… After creating a protective barrier, then using highly advanced coordinates…”
Jerome wholeheartedly answered the wizards’ questions. He had no qualms about sharing what he knew.
The wizards all listened carefully to Jerome’s words.
After all, knowledge given by an 8th Circle wizard was something they couldn’t afford to miss, so they kept asking questions in their spare moments without breaks.
The only problem was that Jerome’s words were only comprehensible to Vanessa.
“Oh! So it acts as a shortcut that connects two points by bending time and space using a considerable amount of mana…”
“Wow, you understood that all at once? You’re a genius!”
“Oh, no. It’s because Jerome-nim explained it easily.”
Vanessa answered humbly, but truthfully, Jerome was shocked every time he spoke with her.
He didn’t need to explain anything more than once.
“I realized these things after years of training in the conceptual world!”
She claimed to have reached the 7th Circle in a few years, which he found hard to believe.
“Am I the fool here? Is that normal? My master definitely said I was clever! Was that just the same as a mother saying her child is beautiful no matter what?”
Jerome, who had never spoken to any wizard for long besides his master, fell into a brief confusion.
He thought he was quite excellent, but seeing Vanessa was starting to mix things up in his mind.
However, looking at the other wizards besides Vanessa, they all just had blank expressions. Alfoy was even drooling.
Even so, in terms of mana, Alfoy seemed to be a truly high-level practitioner. Jerome subtly asked him.
“Alfoy, do you understand what I’m saying?”
“……”
Alfoy didn’t want to admit he didn’t know. It would be too humiliating for a newcomer.
He was a man who lived by his pride and self-esteem. He also held the historical glory of being the first to defeat a god.
He didn’t want to be treated as a fool by some mere human wizard.
So he merely bit his tongue.
“Kyah! I know it all! I’m just being polite! Ouch! Blood! No! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”
“……”
Jerome realized that Vanessa was simply exceptionally bright.
In any case, having a talent like Vanessa would be a significant help at this time. Jerome generously shared his magical knowledge with her.
Vanessa also admired him while harboring deep respect.
“I never expected there to be someone like this among wizards.”
Jerome was completely different from the wizards she had encountered before.
Wizards didn’t readily share their knowledge. Even if they did, they would only throw one out after milking them for all they were worth.
But Jerome did not act that way. He seemed to want every wizard to become stronger, not holding back on his knowledge.
Anyone could recognize the reason for that.
“He must have a kind heart to want to help others.”
Vanessa was well aware of Jerome’s efforts. He seemed to be sharing his knowledge freely out of pure intentions.
Therefore, beyond the realm of magic, she couldn’t help but respect his character.
Thus, their conversation, filled with mutual admiration, continued, while the other wizards weren’t worried.
“Vanessa will explain it clearly later.”
“Vanessa will handle the explanations, as always.”
“There’s a reason she’s the head of the Magic Research Institute.”
“How dare you try to embarrass me, rookie! Just you wait!”
If you exclude one person harboring a grudge, the elegant conversation among the wizards flowed smoothly.
Jerome felt a lump in his throat watching the wizards focus on his words.
“Everyone looks so worn out even during the war. It’s incredible that they’re so dedicated to studying. But why does everyone look so tired? Have they been through a lot?”
Though the war was tough, all the wizards looked too drained. That was slightly surprising.
At that moment, Ghislaine approached the area where the wizards were gathered with Galbarik.
“Jerome, this is Galbarik, who is responsible for ‘production’ in our Penris. You’ll see him often, so be friendly.”
“Oh? I look forward to working with you!”
Jerome greeted Galbarik enthusiastically. Seeing that, Galbarik also smiled brightly.
“Ahem, nice to meet you. Though it feels strange to say it myself, I’m known as the ‘Great Blacksmith.’ By the way, I hear you’re an 8th Circle wizard…”
“Yes!”
“Wow, that’s truly impressive. The ‘production’ will surely be faster… uh, anyway, that’s truly impressive.”
Galbarik confirmed Jerome’s circle once more and grinned widely. Jerome thought he was simply glad about it.
But then, Ghislaine suddenly grabbed Jerome’s shoulder and said.
“I think we need to separate from each other here for a bit.”
“Huh? Why? Aren’t we going to the battlefield?”
“That’s right, we are heading to the battlefield. But you can part from us for now. Take your time.”
Jerome tilted his head in confusion.
Though he had only just joined, he was one of the strongest in the Allied Forces. Especially as a wizard, he could wield tremendous power on the battlefield.
Leaving someone like himself behind just didn’t make sense to Jerome’s comprehension.
As Jerome wore a puzzled expression, Ghislaine gave him a gentle smile and said.
“I think you need to get to work. There’s something you need to do, along with those dwarfs and wizards here.”
Jerome still wore a baffled expression.
Vanessa turned her gaze elsewhere, and the other wizards nodded with gloomy expressions.