The stronghold of the Sacred Empire’s army.
In that place where an army of 50,000 was stationed, a flurry of activity was underway with soldiers preparing for battle and merchants bustling about trying to make deals.
“Here! I’ve got sharpening stones! Stones that can refine weapons perfectly. I’ll sell them cheap so take a chunk with you!”
“I’ve got rat jerky for sale! Perfect for a quick snack when you’re feeling peckish!”
Merchants selling everything from random tools to snacks.
In this place that felt more like a market than a military camp, Vicer Andreas’s group was cautiously gathering information disguised as merchants.
They were casually asking light questions while pretending to sell wares, or slipping into drinking sessions to listen to stories as they bought drinks.
“We’re doing this in our own way to collect information,” they thought.
“Valenshtein? He’s not someone whose name is widely known, but from what I know personally, he’s definitely someone great destined for success. Just look at how a guy like me follows him.”
“I hear that when Valenshtein swings his sword, the earth splits apart. Wasn’t he called a High Mage? Anyway, he’s rumored to be really strong.”
“He’s strong, but even more impressive are the two generals under him. Paladin Otto Kaiser and High Mage Hestia Playmer. I’ve never seen them, but I’ve heard they possess tremendous military strength.”
“I’ve also heard that General Tilly and Valenshtein don’t get along well; I heard they quarreled not long ago over command of the army.”
While there were exaggerated parts in the stories from soldiers, some filtering was necessary.
However, regardless of that point, one undeniable fact remained.
The combat power of Valenshtein leading them was at least at High Mage level, and the strength of the two subordinates underneath him was no joke either.
“With General Tilly, that’s at least three High Mage levels…”
“Is this truly the Emperor’s Army? Even before coming here, I felt it, but this is really not going to be an easy fight.”
Vicer Andreas knew how powerful a High Mage could be from the recent Battle of Baeksan.
Even she, an upper-grade mage, understood the overwhelming strength of those monstrous beings.
At least her father, Count Turun, was a 7th-grade Mage who could match the High Mage, but despite that, it was impossible to win in a direct one-on-one confrontation.
Yet, despite this strategic disadvantage, Vicer Andreas firmly believed that there would be a decent chance of victory for Bohemia in this war.
The emperor’s army, showcasing tremendous might while equipped with 50,000 strong and powerful magicians.
At first glance, it seemed they had enough power to smash anything in front of them, and for those facing them, it could certainly feel despair.
However, that was only the view from a distance. Having seen the army up close, Vicer Andreas realized their situation was not as good as it appeared.
“Just looking at them, more than half of the soldiers look in terrible condition. They are emaciated from lack of food… some are sick and coughing…”
The Bohemian and Heretic Alliance had brought in food on a large scale from the Dragona Empire through a treaty.
Thanks to that, Vicer Andreas and the others casually brushed off the rumors about the terrible famine affecting the continent, thinking, “Is that so?”
However, after having come here from Bohemia, she could clearly feel the seriousness of the situation.
The soldiers were starving, and the merchants dealing with them didn’t seem to be faring much better either.
Basic prices were three to four times more than in Bohemia, and particularly for food, the prices were so high that they couldn’t purchase any even with money.
So much so that they couldn’t even find rat meat, which used to be in abundance.
Yet, it seemed Valenshtein managed the troops fairly well, as his soldiers looked a bit healthier and seemed to possess some loyalty.
But the condition of General Tilly’s troops made her doubt whether they were indeed the same group that had invaded Bohemia.
Moreover, there were rumors that an epidemic was beginning to spread within the camp, and on top of that, she heard that Tilly and Valenshtein weren’t managing to unite properly despite the situation.
Thus, contrary to appearances, many small fractures and weaknesses existed within the emperor’s army, and Vicer Andreas carefully noted these facts in her mind as she continued to observe the situation.
“If I inform Santana of this, maybe we can devise a good strategy? He’s the smartest among us siblings…”
She thought so as she finished gathering information related to the army.
Next, she began subtly changing her conversation script to find out information about her sister.
“An aristocrat lady? Well, I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“Are there any captives taken from Bohemia? What era are you talking about? Don’t even mention the war from years ago at Baeksan.”
The responses from the soldiers to Vicer Andreas’s questions indicated they mostly didn’t know.
Given that the information from low-ranking soldiers would typically be predictable, Vicer Andreas didn’t have high expectations on this matter.
Unless it was about the general atmosphere or situation of the army…
If any common soldier knew something about capturing an aristocratic lady secretly, that would be quite a unique situation.
Ultimately, Vicer Andreas felt a sense of half resignation and began showing a slightly bitter expression.
“Well, I guess that’s to be expected. It’s not easy to hear news of my sister here, after all. Over a year has passed since then…”
With that thought, she began to think it would be better to head back and relay this information to Santana.
At that moment…
“Damn it… that bastard Santana Andreas… if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have ended up like this…”
“…?”
Somewhere, she heard someone cursing her brother.
As she turned to leave, Vicer Andreas felt a hint of curiosity and started turning her gaze towards the source.
There stood two female Paladins dressed in armor.
Both were tipsy and swaying, clearly not in good shape.
As such, Vicer Andreas became curious as to why they were talking about Santana and began to subtly eavesdrop on their conversation.
“Enough already. It’s been several years. This girl just turns like this when she drinks.”
“Shut up! Do you have any idea how disgusted I am right now? Santana… if it weren’t for that bastard, I would have been comfortably sipping honey in Milano by now… Argh! I’m so furious! That damn Santana! When I see him next time, I’ll definitely make him pay!”
“Sigh… Soon His Majesty will sweep all those heretics away. When that time comes, we’ll have our chance to take down Santana and his family too, so just hold on until then.”
“I don’t want to! I will kill him! That bastard Santana!… I need my sword right now…”
Though they were drunkenly rambling, the words pouring out of these two were making Vicer Andreas quite displeased.
Ever since her sister went missing, she had been especially on edge.
Hearing these people openly speaking about harming her family was enough to ignite a deep anger within her.
“…Right… in this mission, capturing a couple of hostages wouldn’t be a bad idea…”
As the two began to doze off, filled with alcohol and spilling curses against Santana.
Moreover, being high-ranked Paladins, they likely had quite valuable information.
Coincidentally, their positioning was perfect, hidden by nearby bushes.
With personal feelings backed by realistic reasons, Vicer Andreas summoned her subordinates nearby and began to take action.
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