Chapter 359: Towards Independence ② (1/2)

But don’t worry, I will make sure next release will be a double! Do look forward to that.

Enjoy the chapter~!

Maxon Riny was praising his decision yesterday with all he had.

His whole platoon is currently running away at full speed.

“Captain! It really is okay to be running away like this I hope!”

“If you wanna go back, I won’t stop you! At the very least, what he has said until now hasn’t been a lie! It was nice knowing you, Ura!”

“What would it even achieve with just small splinters like us running away?!!”

“Don’t know! If you wanna ask, try asking the guys at our side that are also running away, Amilla!”

“If I survive today…”

“Shut up! Don’t say anymore than that! Rush to the wall in front with your mouth shut! That’s the only thinking you need to do, Dendo!”

Even when completely armed and running at full speed, they can converse.

If they had been slacking in their training, it wouldn’t have been possible.

While thinking ‘are you all combat virgin greenhorns?’, Maxon responded to every comment of his platoon members.

The ritual spells, that were shot matching the theatrical movements of Rembrandt’s projection, should have disappeared…but they landed instead.

These people, who had already heard the codes and signals within the speech of Rembrandt, were running at full speed to the location of the wall that they got a grasp on.

It looked like they were rushing in, but that was the sprint of deserters.

Maxon, who received a letter from Tsige, was at a loss in the middle of the march and at the ends of it, and even when seeing the wall.

Aion was leading a fearsome amount of soldiers to crush Tsige.

Putting it bluntly, this scale isn’t one you would dispatch to seize one city.

It is on the level where you would have to say it is for the decisive battle against demons, in order to finally sound believable.

Even if there’s the chance it is because they are fighting both Tsige and the revolutionary army, the platoon captain Maxon couldn’t understand.

However…he was okay till the last night before the battle.

The reality of the situation made him resolve himself to desert.

Being specialized the most in information battles, they would strip the plans of their enemies and conquer them with numbers; that’s the invincible strategy of Aion.

And yet, Maxon had been suggested to desert, and he led his platoon without being blamed or interrogated.

(He really had something set up! If he can shoot ritual magic as he wishes, it won’t even be a fight!!) (Maxon)

Maxon had seen how the cavalry that charged to the giant walls from the forefront had disappeared.

And then, one of his subordinates reported to him screaming that the mages that were readying to reflect the next volley of ritual spells had been slain.

Even though the mages had begun chanting their arias in order to fulfill their duties, the people that were supposed to be protecting them swung their assassin daggers.

It is easy to understand what happened.

Maxon also understood by just thinking for a bit.

If they can’t buy off the mages, they can buy off their guards and have them kill the mages.

It is simple.

It is a truly simple and good idea.

(But how are they going to protect themselves against ritual magic if they kill our mages?! Accepting a deal to betray us even though they themselves are going to die…is that even possible?!!) (Maxon)

There’s no strange point about the wall of Tsige aside from its scale.

It is hard to believe that the cavalry and the foot soldiers managed to slip through it, but at the very least, it looks normal.

There’re pillars that look like towers at a set distance and, between those pillars, there’re walls as if covering those spaces.

And Rembrandt must have mixed code words within his speech.

(…He must have set up things while we were marching, before we departed, and even in the response at the war council. I could only decipher a part of today’s speech! If I got it wrong, that would be so stupid! 12th wall, blue flag; I already have no choice but to go!) (Maxon)

Trump cards being revealed in the battlefield is something common.

Aion didn’t let those trump cards be flipped, and that’s how they have made it this far.

Right now Maxon is running to the Tsige side before their next card is opened.

Chanting desperately: Hurry hurry hurry!

Before they shoot the next one, before he dies, for the sake of surviving.

At the very least, their betrayal most likely hasn’t been discovered yet, so there was no need to worry about their back.

Maxon’s platoon is running away from the battlefield, but in the eyes of their allies, it looks as if they are bravely charging forth.

However, there’s no knowing what will happen once the confusion within the Aion army calms down.

“Captain!!”

“What, Amilla?!” (Maxon)

“There’s movement in the outer wall! Looks like the defense unit has come out!”

“Damn it!” (Maxon)

Actually, when Amilla asked the question ‘what would it even achieve with just a small wood chip like us running away’ just a while ago, he noticed one of the reasons.

Basically, they are not an important component that would affect their plans. They were selected simply because they are part of the battlefield.

If they survive, they are welcomed with open arms; if they die, that’s a shame. That’s all the worth they are being seen with.

Such an unimportant factor in fact…that they didn’t even contact them at all and stretched the decision till the actual day.

How Tsige was acting even with the difference in power did make him feel vexed, but it is now that Maxon was biting his lips.

(‘You guys are a bit diligent and practice hard, so we will at least send a letter to you guys’, is the kind of feeling you had, right?! Aah, damn it damn it damn it! …? Oi oi oi oi oi! Is there no strategist with a heart in Tsige?!) (Maxon)

If he had responded to the letter a bit faster while considering the risk of still having doubts, the treatment they received might have been a bit different.

While holding this regret in his heart and cursing it, what Maxon saw was…Aion soldiers that have prepared equipment for long range attacks.

They are standing on the outer wall and looking over here.

“?! On occasions like this, what happens to the Blessing?!”

“…That thing normally doesn’t disappear till the time runs out. In other words…”

“Fighting between Blessing holders then?!”

“And our goal is visible now. Looks like the personality of our new home is several times worse than our higher ups!”

There’s no doubt that the soldiers who can do long range attacks are being ordered to deal damage to the Aion army from there till their Blessing runs out.

Maxon felt a chill from the very depths of his body.

Bad personality and underhanded were the words that surfaced, but they were cheap words that were far from describing the true nature of all this.

It is as if they are saying ‘whether it is things or people, we will use them effectively despite the means’.

Methods that one can’t feel emotions from, counting the plan of making the guards of the ritual mages turn.

‘I don’t want to make an enemy out of them’.

The true feelings in Maxon’s heart leaked out.

“If they begin attacking now, it will be a gamble to even try to reach them!”

“What are you talking about?! It has been like that since the very beginning! We talked about that last night! Even if we get out of this safely, there’s the possibility of us getting assassinated by Aion spies! We were putting our lives on the line the moment we made our decision, so don’t think about gambling or whatever!”

‘It is okay. If we can get through the first volley, we will make it in time. Just one last push’.

He says this as if trying to encourage himself, and increases his speed.

It is the last push.

““!””

Arrows and spells passed right overhead the many groups that were running parallel to them and the ones coming after.