Cherreads

Chapter 606 - Chapter 603: It’s Enough If We Caught Many (2)

Nobles generally avoided antagonizing mages. While mages were selfish and individualistic, they had a peculiar tendency to unite firmly when oppressed. 

This was, of course, to protect their own rights. Their method had worked excellently in safeguarding their privileges so far. 

The most the kingdom could do was prevent the magic towers from interfering in political struggles or colluding with lords. 

But this time, the situation was different. If a dragon truly appeared, countless lives would be lost. Traditions and customs wouldn't matter—mages might have to be killed, and the magic towers subdued by force. 

In such cases, nobles were quick to think. While mages had unmatched power, they couldn't compete with the political cunning of the nobility. 

'Hmm, we have the justification on our side…'

'If Duke Fenris says so, who's going to oppose it?'

'This is the perfect chance to suppress the power of the magic towers once and for all.'

Even with strong military power and a justification, the nobles couldn't help but find the very existence of magic towers uncomfortable. That was how formidable mages were. 

In territorial disputes or wars between kingdoms, suppressing enemy mages was always the highest priority. There was a reason every kingdom protected their mages as key assets. 

But if all kingdoms united in their cause, the story changed. Mages acted arrogantly because they believed they could flee to any kingdom of their choosing. 

'The era of mage suppression begins now. Let's crush them so thoroughly they never rise again.'

The nobles smirked to themselves. 

It wasn't that they had been foolish, failing to resolve the mage issue until now. It was simply beyond their capability. 

However, with Duke Fenris taking charge, the story was different. 

No kingdom would dare oppose an initiative decided by the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, especially when that commander was a war hero with a reputation for madness. 

Until now, kingdoms had treated mages well, fearing they might defect to another country. 

But if they had nowhere to flee, the runaway mages would be left with only two options: live in hiding forever or join the remnants of the Salvation Church. 

One noble stood up abruptly and shouted. 

"The commander-in-chief is right! Such selfish behavior is unacceptable in the face of humanity's survival!" 

"This situation arose because they take the sacrifices of others for granted! It's clear they only care about their rights and benefits!" 

"This is our chance to correct their rotten mindset for good." 

Watching the nobles boldly voice their opinions, Ghislain clicked his tongue. The moment they were given power, they revealed their true motives—it was all too transparent. 

But for now, that kind of determination was necessary. 

"Let's get started right away. We don't have much time," Ghislain said. 

According to Erenes, there was still some time left before the Artherion's seal was undone. 

But they couldn't afford to be complacent. Preparations to stop the monster wave also had to proceed.

Delays caused by distractions would only make things worse. Even if it required extreme measures, they had to push forward. 

"All commanders, move your troops and equipment to the Turian Fortresses for standby. The pursuit teams will consist of superhumans, a few mages, and some knights to escort them." 

They couldn't organize a large-scale pursuit team. To move quickly, they needed multiple small units. 

The rest of the forces were to start moving to the Turian Kingdom to prepare for battle. 

At Ghislain's command, pursuit teams were rapidly formed. Each was led by a superhuman; in teams without a superhuman, strong knights and mages were assigned. 

Messengers were sent to every kingdom with orders that left no room for negotiation: capture the mages by any means necessary. 

As preparations neared completion and the search for nearby kingdoms began, Alpoi stepped forward. 

"Put me in charge of one team! I can do it! Let me handle this!" 

"…" 

Ghislain looked at Alpoi silently for a moment. 

Alpoi's appearance was absurd. He wore a pristine white robe that matched his elegant white horse and carried an elaborate staff that looked like something out of a storybook. 

Judging by his appearance alone, he looked every bit the grand mage. 

Narrowing his eyes, Ghislain asked, "Wasn't the robe supposed to be delivered later?" 

Standing beside him, Belinda shook her head. 

"He kept pestering us, so the Sardina Kingdom made him one early." 

Regardless, Alpoi was now a recognized figure, with a growing reputation and even rumors of being Fenris's secret weapon.

Given the request to craft his robe, the Sardina Kingdom used only the finest materials. 

Alpoi raised his chin proudly, his white horse "Koko" mimicking his posture. 

"That's not the point! Just let me lead a pursuit team. I'll bring those mages back myself." 

"But that area is assigned to Vanessa…" 

"Come on, don't you know me? Catching runaways is my specialty! Vanessa just needs to back me up if I'm in trouble!" 

"Hmm…"

Ghislain folded his arms, lost in thought. 

To be fair, Alpoi had excelled at catching runaway slaves back in the estate. 

Vanessa chimed in from the side, "I don't mind. He's done it before and done it well."

Though his instincts said otherwise, Ghislain eventually nodded. 

"Fine. But don't slack off and make sure you bring them back. Understood?" 

"Don't worry! I'll bend over backward to make it happen!" Alpoi exclaimed enthusiastically.

He was the type who couldn't rest easy unless he was in charge. 

Once the teams were formed, the pursuit units scattered in all directions. 

Meanwhile, the allied forces led by their commanders began moving to the Turian Kingdom. A 20,000-strong army led by Claude headed toward Norvagen Kingdom. 

The Lutania forces, excluding the pursuit teams, marched toward the Turian fortress under Parniel and Tenant's leadership. 

Thundering hooves echoed across the land. 

Ghislain, accompanied by a few knights, crossed into the neighboring kingdom. 

In this kingdom, the number of escaped mages was around a dozen. 

With few mages above the 5th-circle, there weren't many who fled. 

But the smaller the number, the harder it was to find them across the vast continent. Now, it has become a game of patience and information. 

Starting near the local magic tower, Ghislain ordered, "Establish the direction. Search thoroughly and gather intelligence." 

The knights moved swiftly, joined by the city's soldiers under a cooperation mandate. 

Before long, reports started coming in. 

"They moved south. Three of them left the tower together." 

"They took a few disciples with them." 

"They packed quite a bit of luggage. They can't have gotten far." 

Hearing this, Ghislain chuckled. 

Typical mages. Even when fleeing, they couldn't bear the thought of hardship. Their priorities were so transparent. 

"Completely clueless about how the world works," Ghislain muttered. 

If they wanted to escape, they should have done so properly. Instead, they traveled wearing luxurious robes that drew attention. 

Moving by night couldn't save them from prying eyes, especially since they brought disciples along. That only made tracking easier. 

The soldiers and knights, seasoned from years of war, found the task of chasing untrained fugitives surprisingly easy. 

"Dark, move ahead." 

Dark soared into the sky. Each pursuit team was accompanied by one of Dark's fragments, aiding in communication until their energy was exhausted. 

Thunderous galloping resumed as Ghislain's team advanced rapidly. 

By sunset, Dark spoke to Ghislain telepathically. 

— Master, I've found them. They're camping in the mountains. 

The mages had no hope of escaping Dark's watchful eyes. 

Leading his knights, Ghislain ascended the mountain. 

The fleeing mages had left traces of mana, evidence of spells used along the way. Following these residues made tracking them straightforward. 

At the campsite, the mages huddled around a campfire. Their relaxed demeanor made Ghislain question if they even understood they were fugitives. 

Spotting the knights, the mages sprang to their feet. 

"Wh-Who are you!?" 

Three 5th-circle mages stood before them—mages powerful enough to overturn a small estate on their own. Facing ordinary bandits would never have frightened them. 

Yet their voices trembled. They were well aware that every kingdom was now forcibly conscripting mages.

Ghislain tilted his head slightly, left and right, and spoke. 

"I am Duke Fenris, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces. You know why I've come, don't you?" 

At his words, the mages' faces went pale. 

They knew the situation was dire, but for the Commander-in-Chief himself to come and capture them? 

And so quickly? Their hesitation and late decision to flee now filled them with regret. 

One mage, who appeared to be their leader, spoke nervously. 

"W-We will not participate in this war." 

"…" 

"Mages have the right to determine their own course of action. This is a right protected by law!" 

"…" 

"We do not intend to interfere with the allied forces. We will live on our own. Please, leave us be." 

"…" 

Ghislain said nothing, staring at them intently. The mages squirmed under his gaze, visibly uneasy. 

After a long pause, Ghislain finally opened his mouth. 

"Are you done talking? Then let's go." 

"No! Didn't we just say we refuse? What law allows you to force us into this? We are not slaves!" 

"Then become slaves." 

"W-What?" 

"The only reason mages have been treated so well is because your power is needed in times of crisis. If you demand rights and privileges, you must also fulfill your obligations. If you won't, I'll make you slaves." 

"Stop this! We've already done our share!" 

The mage furrowed his brows and began drawing mana. 

The mages knew Duke Fenris was strong, and they were aware they couldn't defeat him. 

Even so, they prepared to fight, determined to assert their will. They believed their value would protect them from harsh treatment. 

"If you oppress us, do you think other mages will just stand by? None of them will cooperate with you!" 

Ghislain let out a weary sigh. 

"Good grief…" 

"If you accept our terms, we'll send our disciples. But taking every 5th-circle mage will leave the magic towers unable to function!" 

The mage gave a subtle glance to his comrades, who immediately began drawing mana. 

Three 5th-circle mages. They weren't superhumans, but they were at least elder-level members of the magic towers. 

Rumble… 

As all three mages unleashed their mana, the atmosphere rippled, growing heavy. 

Even their disciples stepped back, beginning to gather mana as well. 

They weren't giving up without a fight. Hope flickered in their minds—maybe, just maybe, if the three of them attacked together, they could win. 

They had never seen Ghislain's power firsthand, after all. 

Seeing their resolve, Ghislain let out a faint chuckle. 

"Empathy, dialogue, persuasion—they're all unnecessary here." 

He raised his fist. In situations like this, actions spoke louder than words. 

In an instant, his figure blurred and vanished. 

Crack! 

Ghislain reappeared behind one of the mages and moved his hand slightly. The mage's arms and legs twisted at unnatural angles. 

"Wha—? Ahhhhhh!" 

The mage screamed in agony as the pain overwhelmed him. 

He had no chance to cast a spell. The mana he had gathered dissipated in an instant. 

"Ahhhhhh!" 

The crippled mage collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. 

The other mages froze in shock, but as they prepared to cast their spells, Ghislain's icy voice rang out. 

"Attack, and you die." 

Snap. 

The mages were paralyzed with fear, their spells dissipating. 

They had never experienced anything like this before. Ghislain's cold, piercing gaze utterly crushed their will to resist. 

One mage stammered, "I-If you force us to come, do you think it will go your way? What if we refuse to fight after being dragged there?" 

Ghislain laughed, almost pityingly. 

"Are you fools? What choice will you have when facing a dragon? Do you think you'll be able to run? The moment you meet it, your survival instincts will compel you to fight with everything you have." 

"…" 

"If you stubbornly refuse and die there, that's on you. As for me? I can run away just fine—I have the skills for it. If you don't believe me, feel free to test it." 

"…" 

The mages hung their heads in defeat. 

If they were truly ready to die, they could do so here and now. If not, they had no choice but to give their all on the battlefield. 

Their spirits crushed, the mages obediently followed Ghislain. 

They cursed their own bad luck, believing they'd simply been caught because they fled too late. They hoped fervently that others had managed to escape. After all, rumors suggested that unless a thousand mages were gathered, there would be no battle. 

But Ghislain moved with lightning speed, relentlessly capturing runaway mages across the continent. 

"Stop!" 

Smack! 

"Just kill me here!" 

Smack! 

"I don't want to fight the dragon!" 

Smack! 

The mages, one by one, fell to Ghislain's unrelenting pursuit. 

Lacking the skills to evade capture, they stood no chance against a master tracker like him. 

Even so, there were limits to how much one man could do. Ghislain couldn't scour the entire continent alone. 

"Phew… This is harder than I thought." 

Despite ceaselessly moving between kingdoms, Ghislain had only managed to capture a little over a hundred mages. 

It was an impressive feat, but time was slipping away—it had already been a month. Physical limitations could not be ignored. 

Ghislain frequently created new clones of Dark to assist other pursuit teams, receiving updates through their reports. 

— Gillian's team caught 32.

— Kaor's group got 17.

— Belinda captured over 50. She's an assassin, after all. Tracking people is her forte.

— Jerome got 43, and Yulian… Wow, over 70. As expected, he's adept at following mana traces.

Ghislain nodded in approval. Yulian, like himself, could sense the flow of the world. Though his tracking skills were slightly weaker, he excelled at following mana trails. 

— And Gordon and Lucas.

The other teams also reported success, capturing a fair number of mages. 

Yet even with all their efforts, they were far from their target. Many of the captured were disciples rather than full-fledged 5th-circle mages. 

Other kingdoms were also rounding up mages, but given the nobles' sluggish pace, Ghislain was doubtful of their effectiveness. 

As time passed, their situation grew more precarious. Even if they couldn't gather a thousand mages, they needed to get as close as possible. 

Ghislain scowled and asked, "What about Alpoi? He didn't catch anyone during the last rotation either, right?" 

Despite his earlier confidence, Alpoi had yet to capture a single mage. Ghislain was beginning to regret assigning him the task. 

Dark hesitated before responding. 

— Master, you might be surprised…

"Why? Has he still caught no one? It's been a month!" 

Dark took a deep breath before delivering the news. 

— He's captured over 200.

"What?" 

— Alpoi's team has captured more than 200 mages.

"…" 

Stunned, Ghislain could only blink in disbelief. 

[T/L: I need your support, dear readers. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]

More Chapters