A sturdy barrack, located close to the fortress walls, was heavily guarded by several mercenaries. Ghislain entered without hesitation, swinging the door open. Inside, a group of people lay sprawled across the floor, their eyes hollow and exhausted.

“Good job, Alfoy and your friends,” Ghislain said.

It was none other than Alfoy and the other mages.

The reason Ghislain had been able to track the enemy’s movements lay with them.

“Ugh... damn it...” Alfoy tried to raise his hand in protest, but he collapsed again, too exhausted from overexerting himself.

Ghislain smiled warmly at them. “Thanks to you, we held them off well. It was excellent work. I’ll count on you again.”

“When will this war end...?” Alfoy groaned.

In truth, the mages had hoped to simply launch a few fireballs from the walls and flee when the war broke out. After all, if Peridium were destroyed, their contract would become null and void. As long as they concealed their presence in Peridium, the Magic Tower would suffer no consequences.

Since the war had started, they had constantly been looking for an opportunity to escape. However, mercenaries stationed by their side thwarted every attempt.

And today, at Ghislain’s request, they had suffered through an especially grueling task.

“I can’t do this anymore... I feel like my head is going to explode...” Alfoy whimpered in a dying voice. Ghislain nodded understandingly.

“Don’t worry. You probably won’t have to use that spell again. Next time, I’ll ask for something else.”

“Thank goodness...” Alfoy sighed in relief, his voice weak.

The magic they had used was a large-scale detection spell. Six mages had spread their spell to cover all areas beyond the reach of the gate’s defenses. It was, theoretically, the best strategy, but the problem lay in the fact that there was a limit to how much information a person could process at once. It wasn’t surprising that they had collapsed, nosebleeds and all, from trying to force multiple viewpoints into their minds at once.

Still, thanks to them, Ghislain had been able to pinpoint the enemy’s approach and their target with precision.

“Vanessa, can we talk for a moment?”

“Y-Yes, of course!” Vanessa, who had been tending to the mages, followed Ghislain quickly. She had been assisting the mages as they rested, but she was still wary of Alfoy. Despite not being a mage herself, she had received a scolding for being in their way.

Ghislain climbed the watchtower beside the barracks, gazing out at the dark fortress walls.

“You must feel uncomfortable staying with those guys, huh? I know it’s tough, but we have to move together when it’s urgent. Bear with it for a while longer.”

“...It’s fine.”

His words were far from comforting, but Vanessa was still grateful for the gesture, even if it was just for show.

After a brief silence, Vanessa, gathering her courage, asked the question that had been bothering her the most.

“How did you know the enemy would attack today?”

There was nothing particularly unusual about the plan to use detection magic to locate the enemy. Since the enemy didn’t know that they had mages on their side, they were likely unprepared. It wasn’t a strategy that anyone with mages would overlook. But Vanessa couldn’t understand how Ghislain had known for sure that the enemy would attack today.

Ghislain chuckled before answering.

“I’ve seen that signal before. The fireworks.”

“You’ve fought them before?”

“Yeah.”

Each territory had its own preferred signals. In his previous life, Harold often used fireworks as signals. Each time, it caused confusion within his forces, but before they could react, Harold’s overwhelming power had crushed them all.

“Even if I hadn’t fought them before, it’s a predictable trick.”

Even if he hadn’t faced them directly, his vast experience in countless wars allowed him to easily anticipate their intentions.

“Still, without the mages, we wouldn’t have handled it this smoothly.”

Even if you could predict the enemy’s plan, it wasn’t easy to catch their movements precisely. Thanks to the mages, they had been able to thwart the ambush and even prepare a counterattack.

“By the way, how do you feel about experiencing war for the first time? Are you getting used to it now?”

Ghislain had stationed the mages in the watchtower to observe the battle. Vanessa’s expression darkened slightly. The memory of people dying right in front of her was still vivid in her mind.

“I-It was terrifying.”

Though Ghislain had told her to get used to it, Vanessa couldn’t see herself ever adjusting to such things. On the first day, her face had turned pale, and she couldn’t stop retching. The sight had been too gruesome to endure. The soldiers falling helplessly in agony as they died made her momentarily forget the burdens of her own misfortune. She could only wonder what sin they had committed to die such a miserable death.

“How can you fight like that?” Vanessa asked, her voice trembling.

She had watched Ghislain fight from afar, witnessing him kill enemies without hesitation. It had shocked her deeply. He had shown her kindness, saving her life and giving her guidance. She admired him, but seeing that brutal side of him had been a shock.

Though her question could have sounded accusatory, Ghislain responded calmly.

“The people of this land, my family, my vassals, the knights and soldiers, the mercenaries who follow me... I love them all. No matter what, I will protect them.”

Vanessa didn’t know how to respond. She had only been in Peridium for two months. She hadn’t had time to form bonds with its people, as she had been busy training and carrying out Ghislain’s orders. While she deeply admired Ghislain, she didn’t yet feel a connection to Peridium. To her, the people on both sides of the war were just poor souls dying on the battlefield.

Sensing her thoughts, Ghislain continued.

“But that’s not the case for you, is it? That’s why I have to push you.”

“...”

“They are people you must kill.”

His tone was firm. Vanessa’s voice shook as she asked, “Is there no other way to win?”

Ghislain had a terrifying trap prepared. If his plan succeeded, not a single enemy would leave the battlefield alive. At first, Vanessa had wanted to help Ghislain without overthinking things. But after witnessing the massacre firsthand, she realized the gravity of what she was being asked to do.

After a brief silence, Ghislain spoke again.

“If the enemy were to spread out and attack all three gates, we could win without you. I could take them down one by one. We’d suffer some losses, but we’d be fine because we know the terrain.”

If the enemy split their forces, there was a good chance of victory.

“But the enemy isn’t foolish. If they remain cautious and move as one, we’d suffer catastrophic losses, even if we win.”

“...”

“If one side must be annihilated for the war to end, wouldn’t you rather it be them?”

Vanessa nodded silently. Ghislain’s logic was sound. Though she hadn’t formed close relationships in Peridium, the short time she had spent there had been one of the few happy periods in her life. If Ghislain lost the war, he would be killed, whether by the enemy or in surrender. The only way to save him was to win the war.

Ghislain looked into her eyes and smiled.

The smile, illuminated by the moonlight, wasn’t the pure and gentle one she had grown accustomed to. It was filled with an unsettling bloodlust and madness. His eyes conveyed an unwavering resolve to kill anyone who stood in his way.

“You can do it, right?”

It wasn’t a question—it was an order. An absolute command she could not refuse.

It was only then that Vanessa began to truly understand his nature.

“Master...”

To say she had been completely unaware of his true nature would be a lie.

Vanessa hadn’t forgotten the threats Ghislain made when they first met at the Magic Tower. But she still wanted to be of use to him. Whether it was out of pity, necessity, or caprice, Ghislain had saved her from despair. She wanted to repay him in any way she could. But it wasn’t out of blind loyalty to a savior.

‘I...’

She remembered the despair that had crushed her spirit, the mocking words that told her she could achieve nothing, and the frustration of repeated failure.

‘I don’t want that anymore.’

She couldn’t hide behind others and watch from the shadows forever. She needed to step forward, to face the world head-on, and to conquer her pain and despair.

To live a life of her own choosing.

Helping Ghislain was the first decision Vanessa had made for herself. For this place where she would live, for the person who had recognized her worth, and for herself, she no longer wanted to run away.

“I’ll do it,” she said, her voice resolute.

Victor sat inside his barrack, deep in thought, his face twisted in frustration.

‘I can’t stand this.’

He didn’t believe they would lose the war. Conquering Peridium was just a matter of throwing more troops at it. However, it wounded his pride to have been thwarted repeatedly by such a small force.

‘Should I just go and kill them all myself?’

If he led the charge, his overwhelming power would be more than enough. After all, he was an exceptionally strong knight.

‘No, then I wouldn’t get the recognition I deserve.’

Although he could use brute force if necessary, knights were most effective in open-field battles rather than sieges. Victor didn’t aspire to be just another knight with exceptional combat prowess; his ambition was to rise to a high-ranking commander in the kingdom.

To be recognized for his leadership, he needed to take the fortress with minimal losses. The growing headache caused him to sigh deeply.

‘How did they figure out we had a spy? Could someone have betrayed us?’

That seemed unlikely. Desmond would never fail to control his spies.

‘Could Peridium have such a brilliant tactician?’

Victor ground his teeth. It felt as if someone was toying with him, laughing from above.

His plan had failed, and worse yet, it had backfired. The humiliation was unbearable.

“I have no choice.”

Though furious, he realized there was no point in dragging this tactical game out any longer. With supplies running low, he couldn’t afford to take his time. If they didn’t capture Peridium soon, he would be labeled incompetent.

As Victor resolved to launch an all-out assault, two middle-aged men entered his barrack. They wore smug expressions as they looked down at him.

“The Count expected Peridium to fall within two days. It’s already been two.”

“We can’t understand your strategy, Sir Victor.”

Victor didn’t bother hiding his displeasure as he responded.

“I have a plan. The war will end soon.”

These two were the mages Harold had assigned to assist him. In anticipation of trouble, Harold had sent not one but two 4th-circle mages. However, their relationship with Victor, a knight, had not been a friendly one.

“If taking this little fortress comes at great cost, the Count will be disappointed, won’t he? Surely you know the Count’s temperament well.”

“Why don’t we divide the troops and attack all three gates simultaneously? Even then, we’ll still outnumber them, and they’ll have fewer soldiers to defend.”

Despite the mages’ suggestions, Victor frowned and shook his head.

“Splitting our forces won’t help much. It won’t change anything. We’d need to split into at least three groups for their forces to be significantly reduced.”

“Then why not do that?”

“The enemy has a rather impressive unit. If even one of our groups is defeated, we’ll lose the advantage of our larger numbers. Even if we take the gates, we’ll be forced into street fighting.”

Victor couldn’t deny the black-armored unit’s strength. They had proven themselves formidable today.

There were enemies one could fight head-on and enemies one couldn’t. The black-armored unit was the latter. If they divided their forces, the enemy would seize the opportunity to strike back. That was the only chance Peridium had to win.

“If we had more troops, I would have surrounded the city and attacked from three sides. But right now, it’s better to stick together.”

Victor couldn’t be everywhere at once to oversee the entire battlefield.

Though Victor’s reasoning was sound, the mages weren’t convinced. They thought he was just making excuses out of fear. Silently mocking him for his caution, one of the mages asked again.

“So, are you planning to just let us sit idly by? The enemy doesn’t even have mages.”

“If they don’t have mages, the two of us could kill hundreds easily.”

Irritated by their constant nagging, Victor replied sharply.

“We’ll go into battle soon. Prepare yourselves. Your magic will be used in the final assault.”

“The final battle?”

Hearing his plan, the mages finally became interested.

“Indeed, I’d heard your strategies were as sharp as your sword skills.”

“With a plan like that, I’ll support it. It’s clear now why the Count favors you, Sir Victor.”

Though they praised him, Victor was not pleased. He knew they looked down on him. They saw him as nothing more than a novice commander. But Victor thought to himself, ‘Just wait. After this war, I’ll rise even higher.’

Although this was his first time commanding such a large army, he didn’t doubt for a second that he would win. Harold’s trust was the same as faith in his own abilities.

Victor had never met anyone as meticulous or cautious as Count Desmond. And Victor had been trained by Harold himself, almost like his shadow.

Harold had provided him with elite troops, mages, and siege weapons—an overwhelming force.

Before Victor set out, Harold had told him that his sword skills alone would be enough to ensure victory, even if unexpected challenges arose.

“We’ll begin tomorrow. With supplies running low, the battle will soon come to an end.”

The mages nodded and left the barrack.

Left alone, Victor stared at the map, his expression turning cold.

“I’ll win with minimal losses.”

As the enemy had given their best effort, he would now give his. Victory was assured.