Chapter 271 — Defensive Strength
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 3
Suojilin looked at the dozen or so Typhonian warriors in the cell. Not long ago these men had been his subordinates. As a mercenary he had held no fixed rank in the Ansell army, but as a high-ranking ranger he had often had a standing body of soldiers at his disposal, and the men before him now were among those who had followed him longest, the ones he knew best. Meeting his own men again in a situation like this—he could not help feeling a little awkward.
The conversation he had had with Gao Yang before coming here surfaced in the high ranger's mind.
At the time Gao Yang had said: "Take those Typhonians with you. I want them to help defend the southern wall."
Suojilin had of course been startled: "You intend to have Typhonian soldiers guard a wall for you, the Duke of Ansell? Do you not know what the situation between Ansell and Typhon is right now?"
"I know those men certainly won't want to risk their lives for Ansell. But I want them to see with their own eyes the situation between the civilized world and the Gondor Wasteland."
"Just let them up on the wall for a look at the truth... that is an idea, I'll grant you. But aren't you afraid that once they're let out they'll seize the chance to run, or worse, use the confusion to do damage? That's an enormous risk."
"That's why I'm sending you. I trust you to keep them under control. And even if you can't, you won't let them stir up trouble right under your nose."
At that, Suojilin could not help but laugh. "And what if I really can't keep them under control?"
Gao Yang laughed too. "Then I'll pull your wig off in front of everybody."
And so Suojilin had come here, to stare, wide-eyed, at a dozen of his old subordinates.
"My lord," one Typhonian knight finally spoke, his expression thoroughly embarrassed, "you're safe and sound..."
"Better off than the rest of you," Suojilin sighed. The wig on his head seemed heavier than usual. "There is now a chance for you to take up sword and staff again—but not to fight the people of Ansell. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not asking you to help Ansell fight Typhon. I'm asking you to see for yourselves what the real threat is."
...
Later that day, Amber, who had gone deep into the Dark Mountains to scout, returned to Gao Yang's side with the latest intelligence on the mutants.
After gulping down the tea on Gao Yang's desk, the half-elf thief began describing what she had seen. "There really are more and more of them. By the time they reach the edge of the territory there'll be at least three thousand—maybe even four! Where the magic tide's corruption has passed, nothing grows at all. Those monsters have plowed a trail of corruption behind them on a scale bigger than the last 'invasion,' and their route this time is different from last time too. I studied the terrain along the way. I'm afraid we won't be able to bring the cliffs down on them the way we did before."
It was plain that Amber had come back from her scouting weighed down with worry.
"Collapsing the mountain worked, but it was only ever a trick—good for one use at most," Gao Yang said, showing no regret. "At least the landmines still work. Byron is having soldiers and laborers lay a minefield right now. Used properly, that stuff is no worse than a mountain collapse."
Then Amber reported the monsters' latest heading and their speed of march. When she had finished and saw Gao Yang's untroubled face, she finally could not hold back. "Honestly—do you feel no sense of tension at all?"
"Why should I feel tense?" Gao Yang smiled faintly. "You think we can't stop them?"
"You haven't seen it with your own eyes! It's a whole vast swarm! Wherever they pass, even the rocks turn to black sand!"