Overwhelming Firepower

In Ironhold, Duke Vardon was frowning as he read the various reports. He could smell it as strongly as ever: the scent of war.

Unlike the skirmishes they had, which ended with only a few back-and-forth exchanges, this one seemed like it would be a truly long one.

’A storm is approaching... I hope we can weather this storm.’

If the people of Norvaegard could hear Vardon’s thoughts, they might start to panic. The unbreakable shield of Norvaegard was actually thinking of not overcoming the storm, but instead of hoping to simply survive it.

Vardon and the other nobles were already preparing for war, but Vardon felt like that was not enough.

The King had already ordered them to prepare for war, knowing that the Rocton Empire was most likely thinking of starting to once again conquer, and the kingdom of Inevir was most likely part of their plans.

The border fortresses had been reinforced. Soldiers on temporary leave were being recalled, while the noble houses inspected their forces and prepared them for mobilization. Of course, these were all done with utmost secrecy, but it would not last long.

There was no possible way for preparations of that scale to remain hidden forever. Orders could be concealed, but their effects could not.

Merchants would notice the noble houses purchasing greater quantities of grain, medicine, metal, and alchemical materials. Blacksmiths were working longer hours, soldiers who were supposed to be resting had suddenly returned to their posts, and more caravans than usual were traveling toward the border fortresses.

Eventually, rumors would spread among the citizens. The spies from other kingdoms would also realize what Norvaegard was preparing for.

The secrecy was only meant to hide how far those preparations had progressed. Vardon looked at one of the reports on his desk. Inevir was doing the same thing.

Its soldiers were gathering near several fortresses. Roads leading toward the Norvaegardian border were being repaired and widened, while food and weapons were transported into nearby towns.

None of those actions alone proved that Inevir intended to invade. Together, however, they painted an unmistakable picture. Not to mention the reports of their own spies.

’I already knew that we wouldn’t be able to keep the rifles our own forever, but to think they were able to steal a few, and now they want to kidnap Robert and Durik... They should also be aiming to get Lucen, but I’m sure that child wouldn’t get kidnapped that easily. Not to mention, I don’t know where he is.’

Vardon was not particularly concerned that someone might successfully kidnap Lucen. If anything, he felt more inclined to worry about the people foolish enough to attempt it.

Thornehart children were never raised to rely upon someone else for protection. They were expected to confront danger, survive it, and become stronger from the experience.

Lucen had already survived monsters, assassins, ancient ruins, and enemies who should have been far beyond his ability to confront.

What bothered Vardon was not the possibility of Lucen being captured. It was the fact that he had no idea where his son had gone or what kind of situation he had managed to involve himself in this time.

Every time he returned from these unknown trips of his, he got something incredible, or he did something new.

’It could also be that he has foreseen a more chaotic battlefield, which is why he’s preparing on his own terms...’ Vardon looked out his window, the skies now filled with military airships. ’Then I too will do my best for the future of Norvaegard.’

Norvaegard’s strength no longer depended solely upon a handful of powerful individuals. Its advancing technology had begun to make even its weakest soldiers more dangerous.

A common soldier armed with a rifle could kill an enemy who had trained with a sword for years.

An airship could carry hundreds of soldiers over mountains, rivers, and defensive walls. Neither invention could replace powerful warriors, but they gave ordinary soldiers a chance to influence battles that would have once been beyond them.

At present, Norvaegard possessed a clear technological advantage over Inevir. If the two kingdoms fought without outside interference, Vardon had little doubt that Norvaegard would emerge victorious.

Unfortunately, the approaching conflict would never be that simple.

Inevir had the support of the Rocton Empire, a hegemon that had nearly conquered the entire continent several centuries ago. Only the combined pressure of its many enemies had prevented it from continuing its expansion.

Now, the empire was moving again. That meant it had either found a way to break the stalemate or was confident that its enemies would be unable to interfere with its plans.

Inevir did not need to defeat Norvaegard by itself. It only needed to keep the war going.

Every battle would consume soldiers, ammunition, mana crystals, medicine, and replacement parts. Meanwhile, Norvaegard could not abandon its settlements or strip every fortress of defenders. The monsters surrounding the kingdom would not stop attacking simply because a war had begun.

The Rocton Empire could continue supplying Inevir while waiting for Norvaegard to weaken.

Once enough soldiers had died, enough ammunition had been expended, and enough airships had been destroyed, the empire could finally make its move.

That was the storm Vardon feared. More importantly, Norvaegard’s technological advantage would not remain theirs forever.

Rifles could be dismantled and studied. Airships could be observed, damaged, and eventually copied. Even inferior imitations would allow Inevir to gradually narrow the difference between them.

The only way for Norvaegard to preserve its advantage was to advance faster than its enemies could follow.

’Not to mention, the rifles they stole were older models... As my son likes to say, the moment they attack Norvaegard, we will rain fire down upon them.’

If they were the defenders, Vardon was sure that they could endure for a long time, but considering how powerful the Rocton Empire was, it was unclear if they could endure until the end.

Still, whenever he thought of his son Lucen taking command, he felt oddly calm about the situation. He didn’t know when it started, but like many people, he thought that if it was Lucen, victory could be achieved no matter how low the odds were.

’As his father, I should do my best as well.’

While Vardon was strengthening his resolve, someone knocked on his door.

”Enter.”

A knight assigned to Ironhold’s communications division entered the office and bowed. ”Your Grace, we have received several urgent reports through the communication orbs.”

Vardon turned away from the window. ”What happened?”

”Several workshops were attacked during the night. The incidents occurred in three different towns, but we believe they may be connected.”

”Which workshops?”

”One manufactured farming equipment. Another produced glass containers for alchemists, while the third created enchanted tools used by miners.”

None of them contributed to the production of rifles or airships or even the trains. They were not even connected to one another through their owners, workers, or suppliers.

”What was stolen?”

”There appears to be no consistent target. Alchemical ingredients were taken from the first workshop. Several workers disappeared from the second. The third was burned without anything being stolen.”

”Then robbery was not their objective.”

”At first, some investigators believed the attacks were unrelated and had merely been carried out by criminals taking advantage of the growing unrest.”

”That explanation would have been reasonable if not for one detail,” the knight continued. ”Dark mages were spotted during all three attacks.”

Vardon’s expression hardened. ”Are the witnesses certain?”

”The descriptions differ, but investigators discovered traces of corrupted mana at every workshop. At least one survivor from each town also reported seeing magic involving curses or creatures formed from shadows.”

Dark mages were not to be confused with the mages of the Black Tower. The Black Tower was a recognized institution whose members studied runes, souls, contracts, and other forbidden truths under the supervision of its Tower Master.

Dark mages answered to no Tower and obeyed no restrictions. The difference was not necessarily the magic they used, but whether anyone existed to restrain them.

They would sacrifice entire towns and many innocents if it meant gaining more power.

”Was anything discovered that could identify the attackers?”

”Inevirian weapons and coins were recovered from every location. Several witnesses also claimed that the dark mages wore pieces of armor commonly used by Inevirian soldiers.”

Vardon’s eyes narrowed. ”How blatant. Do they truly take us for fools?”

The knight remained silent as Vardon continued.

”No agent attempting to conceal his allegiance would carry that much evidence. Those weapons and coins were meant to be discovered. Since we don’t have any other evidence to track down the ones who truly did this, we can only treat Inevir as the leading suspect.”

It was entirely possible that Inevir was doing this to mock them, but Vardon felt like there was a third party involved.

”Send copies of every report to the King and the Tower Masters. Since Dark Mages are involved no matter what their affiliation, they need to be hunted down.”

”As you command, my lord.” The knight gave a salute and left the room.

After the knight departed, Vardon returned his attention to the reports. The workshops had never been the true targets.

Their attackers wanted to spread fear, divide the kingdom’s attention, and ensure that every act of violence was blamed upon Inevir. Vardon could not help but sigh as he considered the events unfolding before him.

”These are truly turbulent times.” Vardon looked at the snowy white sky of Ironhold, thinking of what was to come.