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Bermuda Chapter 91
🕑 Added 2024-05-08 11:20:00 +0000 UTCChapter 91
"Are you leaving already?"
Cordelia, who had been wearing gauntlets on both hands and was about to put on the last remaining helmet on her head, flinched and turned her head at the man's voice coming from behind. There stood a light brown-haired man wearing a silver armor and cloak symbolizing the Parren Army.
He was the general of the Parren Army and the supreme commander of the military units participating in the subjugation of the Elder Millie Peninsula this time. Cordelia put down the helmet for a moment and said with a smile,
"Shouldn't I go quickly and cut down at least one more?"
Cordelia, who had received a request from Bruno Amos, the deputy commander of the Southern Branch, was currently at the camp of the Parren Army stationed in the western plains of the Elder Millie Peninsula.
After finishing a meeting about joint operations with them, she was preparing to immediately lead her knights back to the peninsula. At her spirited appearance, the general of Parren showed a small smile.
"You are truly amazing, Lady Cordelia. You always show a strong and courageous appearance."
Upon hearing his words, Cordelia replied with a rather bitter smile.
"I can't always be like that either. However, if I show a weak appearance, my knights will become anxious. So I have to strive to show a strong appearance."
The general's expression became a bit subtle. He seemed to have something he wanted to say. After collecting his thoughts for a moment, he spoke to Cordelia with a gentle face.
"Not being strong doesn't mean you're not powerful. Sometimes, things that seem soft and fragile can be stronger than solid things."
As Cordelia made a slightly uncomprehending expression, the general of Parren raised his hand and pointed to the sky.
The sky, which had been raining for several days, was thickly covered with clouds, and today, the weather had cleared a bit, so thin rays of sunlight were coming down where the clouds were sparsely empty. The general opened his mouth after confirming that her gaze had reached there.
"That faint sunlight hidden by the clouds cannot be touched by hand, and you can't feel it on your skin. It's not even soft enough to be called soft, so it's definitely not strong."
"..."
"However, even ice that is frozen solid and difficult to cut with a solid blade will inevitably melt into slush under that faint sunlight."
Having finished speaking, the general still gazed at Cordelia with gentle eyes. He seemed proud as if he had said something great himself, but Cordelia made a slightly strange expression rather than agreeing with his words.
'That's just compatibility... No, no. There's no end to analyzing that person's words like this.'
Cordelia had frequently seen this man making strange remarks in a figurative way, so she knew well that if she added a comment here, that strange talk would get even longer. So she tried to grasp the intention of what he wanted to say and answered,
"I see... So you mean that it's not only a strong and courageous appearance that is powerful? Even if you have a soft and fragile appearance, you can sometimes be stronger."
"Yes, that's right. As expected, Lady Cordelia understands my meaning well."
At his satisfied face, Cordelia said with an awkward smile,
"I've thought this for a long time, but General, you... say many mysterious things."
"Haha, it's a characteristic of us Parren people."
Of course, Cordelia knew that not all Parren people were like that person, so she tried hard to hide her grim expression. The general of Parren, who had been smiling broadly, gradually erased his smile and only showed a faint smile, and continued speaking with a still gentle but slightly more serious appearance.
"Even if Lady Cordelia shows a struggling and precarious appearance, your valiant knights will fight to the end to protect their lord and territory. In battle, such an appearance sometimes acts as a trigger. So there's no need to always try to show a strong appearance and hide yourself. Your Grace is strong no matter what appearance you have."
Cordelia blinked and blankly looked at him. And this time, with a sincere smile instead of an awkward one, she said to him,
"Thank you, General. You are truly a reliable support for me."
The general of Parren slightly nodded again with that gentle face.
Eventually, when she picked up the helmet again to really leave, a soldier of the Parren Army hurriedly ran up to them.
"General, Lady Hareth, there's a problem! Please come this way for a moment!"
Seeing the soldier's urgent demeanor, Cordelia and the general of Parren made eye contact. Along with Cordelia's close aides nearby, the two immediately followed the soldier to where he was leading.
The place he guided them to was a stable a bit away from the main camp, and many Parren soldiers and military officers were already gathered nearby. When they noticed the general and Cordelia and saluted, Cordelia also responded with a short nod.
Soon after, Cordelia's face was painted with shock as she looked inside.
"What... happened here?"
Originally, some of the horses of the Parren Army's cavalry and the spare horses of the Hareth Knights were tied up in this stable. However, those horses that had been full until last night were now nowhere to be seen.
Inside, only bloodstains presumed to be from the horses, broken reins, and traces of unknown sharp claws scratched all over remained.
"It seems there was an attack by monsters at dawn."
As the Parren officer who had already arrived spoke, Cordelia frowned and asked back with a face that couldn't understand.
"But why did no one know? Where are the sentries guarding the stable?"
At Cordelia's words, the soldier next to her held out the belt and broken armor he was holding.
"These belong to the soldiers who were on sentry duty. They were torn to shreds and had bloodstains. Probably..."
The general said with a heavy face,
"They were attacked by monsters."
The general of Parren looked inside the stable again with a serious face.
"Since the army has been stationed in the border zone, they have never come this boldly near the main camp..."
Then, another officer showed Cordelia and the general a broken horn trumpet and a communication tube and said,
"The sentry's horn trumpet and communication tube were broken. It seems they knew that these were used for signaling. Then wouldn't they be the ones with high intelligence?"
Cordelia answered,
"But if they have high intelligence, they would know that there is an army nearby and wouldn't even touch the horses. As you know, the higher the intelligence, the more they target civilian areas or other monster individuals rather than engaging in a full-scale battle with the military. What about the horses in the stable closer to the main camp than here? Were they also attacked?"
"The horses there are safe. It seems they attacked this place because it is the most remote from the main camp."
At the officer's words, the aide behind her opened his mouth.
"Come to think of it, there was a similar incident recently. When some knights who were scouting near the 57th peak in the western sector set up a campsite and left for a moment, a monster took only the food and tied horses. Since they were away for a very short time, it was reported that the monster seemed to have been watching them until they went somewhere else and only took the prey."
After hearing the report, the general thought about something and said to Cordelia,
"Even humans would be prey to them, so the fact that they intentionally avoided humans means that the intelligent monsters knew there was a possibility of their defeat."
Upon hearing his superior's words, the Parren officer said,
"Isn't it an unprecedented behavior to avoid a full-scale battle and come nearby to obtain food?"
"That's right. When intelligent monsters came nearby to obtain food, it was always a situation advantageous to them. If not, they wouldn't even approach. But this current situation is as if..."
"It seems they are in a hurry enough to take risks and approach."
As Cordelia spoke, everyone nodded.
Cordelia narrowed her brows and fell into deep thought. Something urgent for monsters. Is there such a thing? Is it because the intelligent ones felt the entry of the powerful troops of the Central Branch into the peninsula as a crisis? Or is there another reason?
Although she couldn't specify the reason, she had a feeling that the recent sharp increase in the frequency of attacks was strangely connected to the current situation. So she thought she should return to near the territory first and talk to Bruno, the deputy commander of the Council's Southern Branch. At that very moment,
Boom-!
A loud and heavy sound that reverberated throughout the western plains was heard. At the same time, the ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred, and the earth vibrated.
At that sound and vibration, everyone was surprised and looked at the countless peaks of the peninsula beyond the plains. Cordelia also turned her gaze there with startled, widened eyes.
Her red eyes chilled and scanned the peaks of the peninsula. Then, she managed to open her mouth.
"What was that just now...?"
***
Delua, the 6th Battalion commander leading the procession at the border between the central and western sectors of the Elder Millie Peninsula, also heard that huge sound. Her procession, which had been resting for a moment after finishing a battle, hurriedly got up again and took a defensive stance.
"Commander, what was that just now?"
Marlene, the deputy commander who had been taking care of the members from afar, ran to Delua in surprise. Delua, who had been looking at the map with the company commanders, stopped right there and sensed the air currents around her, then made a serious expression, knelt down, and placed her hand on the ground.
"Could it be... an earthquake?"
Marlene asked worriedly. Delua, who couldn't be sure yet, began to carefully gauge the cause of the sound instead of answering.
It was because she was confused whether that sound just now was due to volcanic activity or something else, as this area was an active volcanic zone. After having her hand on the ground for a long time, Delua opened her mouth with an ambiguous face.
"The crust itself isn't moving."
'The tectonic plates are still...'
Just as Delua was trying to feel something continuously, suddenly a stone rolling on the ground was seen shaking slightly. At the same time, Marlene spotted a pen placed on the table gradually moving to the side.
After a while, the vibration gradually increased, and the ground began to shake as if a real earthquake had occurred. Delua hurriedly got up and shouted,
"Everyone, go to higher ground!"
At Delua's command, the members picked up the protective gear and various luggage they had put down and hurriedly climbed up the cliff. However, Delua herself began running towards the back where there were no members. Marlene also quickly followed her.
As Delua jumped from the ground while running, rocks began to gather and clump together under her feet. They changed into the shape of a golem and became as huge as the height Delua had jumped and soared.
Delua immediately stepped and stood on the shoulder part of the towering golem. Marlene, who had been watching her, also flew up and approached Delua's side. As soon as she climbed on top of the golem, she saw the pitch-black swarm visible beyond the ridge and widened her eyes.
"Commander, could that be..."
They were rushing like crazy from between the mountain foothills, and their number seemed extraordinary. At the strange sight she had never seen before, Delua hurriedly inhaled. She raised her head and shouted towards the members who had climbed up the cliff.
"There are easily hundreds, no, thousands of them! All members of the 6th Battalion, prepare for battle!"
