Volume 6 Chapter 72-2 at First, We’re Just Seeing How Things Go, Right？
"Is the guard here good?"
"The Knights from Hartfield will be here soon."
Livia nodded with a "Got it" to Julius and jumped up with energy.
"Let's go. Don't be late!"
"Who are you talking to? Geez!"
Julius ran down the cliff with Livia, who was pouting.
* * *
Unlike the tense and stiff kingdom side, the battle had already begun, surprisingly with Victor... or rather, the Dukedom.
Since it was hard to send the imperial army directly, they had not appeared, but the [Pilgrim of Truth] hidden throughout the town had risen up all at once.
The simple reason for the [Pilgrim of Truth] to rise up across the Dukedom was to delay support to the kingdom and to give the empire a stronger reason to advance on the kingdom.
A cult that was active in the kingdom had infiltrated even the closely-knit Dukedom.
They could no longer ignore the source of the problem in the kingdom.
There were plenty of reasons they could think of.
If things went poorly, the Dukedom might be next... perhaps that was their intention.
In any case, the Dukedom was in chaos, just like the kingdom 2 weeks ago, facing the [Pilgrim of Truth] that had gone wild all over the country.
But in the midst of this chaos, the only one who remained calm was our Victor.
"Secure them."
"We're doing the same here."
Being a rural area with close community ties, any strange person stood out in the capital and other villages.
They must have been brainwashed in the port town or the new street.
Such people were very noticeable in the local area.
But until today, the suspicious individuals had been left alone, and at the moment of the uprising, they were caught all at once.
They chose not to crush the enemy's plan but to let it be.
If they crushed it, the enemy might go deeper or come up with another plan.
With perfect timing for the capture, even the [Pilgrim of Truth] had no way to escape.
And those who were caught, the ones with strange behavior, were...
"Get a grip!"
"What do you mean Prophet?!"
"You can only trust your own body!"
Victor's method, the brainwashing release──known as a slap──was helping many return from their brainwashed state.
By the way, it wasn't just any slap; it was a slap with gloves made by Ellie, infused with a curse-breaking Rune.
The residents of Victor and the Knights praised Ellie's invention, saying, "As expected of the future Mrs. Victor," but the correct way to use it was to touch gently, filled with a lot of magical power, not to hit.
Yes... a lot of magical power.
This meant they were just hitting with the Rune as if it were a simple curse, using a regular slap.
Both the ones hitting and the ones being hit were all Victor, which made this miracle happen.
They simply hit with something that seemed amazing, and got hit back.
So now, everything is fine.
This was a super placebo effect for breaking the curse.
Or a super strong self-suggestion to destroy the brainwashing.
Either way, if Ellie heard about this, she would be pulling her hair out, but for the [Pilgrim of Truth] and the Imperial Army, the biggest miscalculation was definitely the land of Victor.
This rapid advance would also show in the new town and port town...
"Is this the last one?"
"Probably so."
Abel tilted his head, and a Knight under him nodded.
"...What a letdown."
"Once the cleanup in the territory is done, the two Squad Leaders will head to Hartfield."
The Knight continued explaining that they would go straight to the port, and from there, Abel and Galhart would take a speedboat down the Great River to the southernmost part of Hartfield.
They would then rush down a cliff... it was a super tough march.
Such a reckless march could only be done by 2 people from the [Exploration Team].
As Abel received the explanation to meet up with Luke and a few advance team members, he tilted his head and asked, "What about the defense here?"
"This town is managed by Sir Keith, and the port is handled by Sir Volcan──"
Hearing this, Abel smiled happily and said,
"Oh, I see. If it's those masters... then I feel safe."
He never thought they'd pull out both retired people, but both of them are still strong and can fight like Randy in this Victor.
"By the way, I wonder what the future Victor's wife's family will do."
Abel's words made his subordinate glance at the newly received operation plan, which was just delivered, and he muttered, "Well, that's because..."
They skipped over defending the town, forming the Knight Brigade, mobilizing reserves──his eyes finally stopped at the part about deploying personnel.
And then, that hand started trembling.
"What?"
"It's the captain."
"Huh?"
Abel was stunned.
His subordinate, overwhelmed with surprise, cleared his throat and, trembling, spoke again.
"It's, it's the captain himself, they said."
Abel froze, staring at his subordinate.
"...Can I go with him too?"
"No, I will go."
"No, I──"
The man that all Victor Knight Brigade members admire.
The news that he might actually see real combat spread across the territory, sweeping aside all the fuss about the [Pilgrim of Truth].
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