The battlefield looked like rising tides of frozen water. Paths snaking through the skies, almost akin to flood dragons rising out of the earth. It was a scene that one would likely not forget in their lifetimes… if it wasn’t so commonplace in a world like this one.
Sylas took deep breaths, looking off into the far-off distance with a calm gaze.
—
[Leg 001 Cleared]
—
[Leg 002]
>[Stabilize the city]
—
Sylas looked at this notification calmly. His thoughts were still on the individual hiding in the city, and seeing this notification, he realized that it just might be related.
On the surface, it seemed like his only task was to clean up the battlefield and fix the gate, but now he had a feeling that this Leg 002 had a much deeper meaning to it.
However, he still knew far too little about the situation here to make an assessment. He didn’t even know who to start commanding to get things done.
‘There are still some clues. The fact this person controlling the Golems wasn’t here personally means that they’re unlikely part of the army.’
Luckily, he would have an excuse to summon these sorts of logistical people very soon.
And if this was a case where the person in question wasn’t part of their government at all, even easier. That way, Sylas would face no issues with killing them directly.
Since he had been drafted into a kingly role, the only way out of this was to keep playing that role until the very end. Until he figured out exactly what he was dealing with, he couldn’t go off script.
What he didn’t expect was to meet the person he was looking for so soon.
…
“This Great Priest has seen the Great King,” an older man half bowed to Sylas.
He wore minimalistic grey robes and a crown of thorns on his head. Judging by the dried blood on his face, they were no doubt real thorns. But what was most interesting to Sylas was the fact that this crown of thorns was laced with what looked like miniature pinecones.
This man was none other than the individual controlling the army. Sylas was sure.
It was just his luck too. Because this man, other than himself, wielded the greatest power in the city. In fact, just from the feeling that Sylas had picked up in his short stay here, this man’s prestige was by far and away beyond his help.
Although his battle feats were strong, it seemed that Sylas was seen as caught somewhere between incompetent and a figurehead. Originally, the reason why he was in that basement room rather than on the battlefield was because he wasn’t expected to participate. The fact he had was a surprise.
The runner had only come to inform him of the situation, and then Sylas went on to act on his own. And, obviously, a mere runner wasn’t going to tell the Great King what he should and shouldn’t do.
It had only been half a day or so, but Sylas had managed to scrounge up quite a bit of information to this effect. But that left him realizing that he might have been too eager.
He wasn’t used to Dungeons needing a soft touch. All of the ones he had been in mostly required strength to get through.
If he had known this ahead of time, he definitely would have at least hidden his identity before he went to the battlefield and only stepped on if it was absolutely necessary.
This time, he had overextended himself, and it couldn’t be helped.
Now, this Great Priest, who wielded a great deal of power and influence, was on guard against him. He was probably wondering if Sylas had seen through him already or not.
“Have a seat, please, Great Priest. I would like to have a correspondence with you about how we might bolster public morale. I am not the best at these things.”
Sylas had the Great Priest sit at the other end of a very long dining room table. The two sat, sipped their wine, and ate their food while having idle chatter.
Most of the things Sylas talked about were matters that he had only learned about in the last day, before he finally spoke on this topic.
“Oh? What does the Great King ask of me?”
“Today is the first time in our great history that our gates have been breached. I’ve had no choice but to show my power today to stabilize the hope of the people, but I never planned to do so this early. Now our enemies will come more prepared.
“I have several thoughts in mind. But the main two are related to the Golems, and the second is related to a more general state of public morale.”
“The Golems?” the Great Priest asked.
“Yes.” Sylas nodded, gazing at the Great Priest calmly. “I noticed during the battle that they were under the control of someone’s Will. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find this person, and I also lack the skill to control the Golems. But I have heard all my life that the Great Priest is adept at sorcery. I would like to see if you can commandeer these Golems and make them work for us instead.
“If the people could see that we’ve taken control of such powerful weapons of war, they would surely feel much more at ease, don’t you think?”
The Great Priest seemed to be surprised, and then hesitated.
“I… cannot say that I am confident in this matter, Great King.”
“If not you, then it can be no one else,” Sylas said firmly.
“I see… I can only say that I will do my best. The realms of sorcery are deep and fathomless. It is difficult to say what paths our enemies have delved into.”
Sylas nodded in understanding. “That is of course not a problem. I only ask that you do your best.”
“And the topic of a general morale boost?”
“Yes. The Star Festival is coming up. I would like your help to do something big.”
Sylas said calmly in his seat. Just because he had made a mistake originally… didn’t mean that he couldn’t turn it into a sweeping victory.
