Magic Caster of Destroy

On the other hand, he did not feel like he had any chance at all of defeating Ainz Ooal Gown.

He could not even imagine the possibility.

No matter how hard he tried to be optimistic, to think of how he might triumph, the only thought that came to mind was of himself being instantly annihilated by the mysterious magic caster.

“What’s wrong?”

“No-nothing…”

He knew he was the greatest warrior in the Kingdom. Allowing himself to appear weak would only lower the army’s morale.

“Ah, no… I was just thinking about poor Prince Barbro…”

“Poor Prince… could it be… I see. Is that so? Gazef-dono also feels… I see.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I mean, don’t tell me Gazef-dono feels that the King sent the prince to Carne Village so he could not distinguish himself…?”

“Is that not the case?”

Raeven smiled thinly.

“Mhm, well, I disagree. I feel that his Majesty has truly placed his trust in Gazef-dono.”

Marquis Raeven decided to explain when he saw Gazef’s completely clueless face.

“The King has acknowledged the power of Ainz Ooal Gown, the opponent that his most trusted vassal, the Warrior-Captain, is wary of. Rather than risk his beloved son in battle with an unknown quantity like that, he instead sent him to a safer place where he could accomplish something in relative safety... Although, to be honest, the old me would have been upset by the way one man his his son in a safe place while everyone else was sending their offspring to the battlefield.”

Raeven smiled in a fatherly manner.

“Of course, now I understand why he would do such a thing. I’d have done the same to ensure my son’s well-being.”

“Ah, Marquis. That’s a very fatherly thing to say.”

Raeven smiled. It was a smile that was equal parts gentle, happy and proud, a smile that Gazef felt was quite uncharacteristic of the man.

“Well, I am a father, after all. I promised my son that, after this battle’s over, I’m going to play with him as much as he wants, like a normal father. Ah — we’ve gone off topic. Let’s leave things at that. Although… it seems Prince Barbro doesn’t quite understand the King’s point of view. It feels a little sad how the father can’t get his feelings across to his son.”

Gazef agonized about how to answer him. It was hard for him, who had no children of his own, to put himself into that mindset.

“Right, right. By the way, is it possible that they might launch a sneak attack on E-Rantel with a separate force? Although it would be frowned upon, we can’t rule that possibility out.”

Gazef felt the topic change was incredibly forced from the moment he spoke, but to his surprise, Raeven ran with it.

“It’s not an easy matter to attack E-Rantel, defended as it is by its three layers of curtain walls. Even if the remaining two armies of the Empire mobilized in full, it would be a difficult task for them. My strategist says it’s not possible.”

“Is it? What if they had flying beasts, or a secret army of some kind?”

“Still not likely. It’s very difficult to take control of a city with a small number of men… Speaking of which, Gazef-dono. Do you know the condition required to successfully conquer E-Rantel?”

Gazef shook his head.

“One needs to face the Kingdom in open battle and gain an overwhelming victory. If the aggressors barely manage to triumph, governing the conquered populace will be difficult, to say the least. The citizens won’t respond well to the invaders and will rise up in revolt whenever possible. So even if the Empire used a separate force to attack E-Rantel, as long as our soldiers have their strength, they would immediately fight tooth and nail to take back their city. As such, the Empire needs a total victory. With that, the citizens will be frightened into abject submission, and the soldiers won’t be able to take action.”

In other words, the Empire had to win here. In addition, they had to achieve a victory so complete and absolute, that the Kingdom would not risk trying to take back E-Rantel.

Suddenly, Gazef had the feeling that he had all the pieces of the puzzle. However, putting them together was beyond him.

A dull annoyance tormented Gazef.

“What’s wrong, Gazef-dono?

“No...”

Gazef wanted to tell Raeven about the scattered pieces of the puzzle that he’d managed to sweep together in his head. He believed that Raeven, with his superior intellect, could extract insights from them that he could not. However, at that moment, the Marquis’ eye turned back to the Imperial formation.

“Gazef-dono. It seems they’re making their move.”

The Imperial army parted in two. As Gazef was wondering if they were planning to attack the left and right wings of the Kingdom’s army, he saw an unfamiliar flag rising into the air.

It was a flag that Gazef had never seen before, adorned with a bizarre crest that belonged to neither the Kingdom or the Empire. The company raising the flag advanced.

All eyes were on that company.