Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 36 (Part 1)

That night, the entire first squad received their mission and departed from the special forces training facility.

After confirming the quiet departure of the 22 members, the committee gathered.

“Do you think they will do well?”

“Commissioner Keline is a seasoned veteran with plenty of experience. He will lead them well.”

To guide the 22 members of the first squad, Commissioner Keline moved with them. Two experienced swordsmanship instructors also accompanied them.

“The situation is not good. This is not going well.”

“How did the 7th Division end up in such a state?”

The northern army was composed of 13 divisions. It was the highest and largest military organization in the Riyaz Kingdom.

Among them, nine divisions guarded the border directly in contact with the Ingram Empire. The remaining divisions supported the frontline divisions from behind.

Although the Ingram Empire launched a surprise attack, the divisions belonging to the northern army did not suffer significant damage.

Although they retreated considerably from their original positions, it was a tactic to build a defensive line in the highlands.

When the war broke out, the decision to retreat had already been made. Since it was a planned move, the damage was not substantial.

But only one division, the 7th Division, was different. It suffered a near-annihilating blow, rendering it irrecoverable.

“The division commander and all the centurions were absent, which is why this happened.”

“Why were they absent? It’s not like they didn’t know the war was imminent.”

“They claimed to be on patrol, but we all know that wasn’t the case.”

On the night of the Ingram Empire’s attack, the division commander and ten centurions of the 7th Division were absent. They were partying in a tavern in the rear city, accompanied by women.

The 7th Division consisted of one division commander, ten centurions, and a hundred Squad Leaders. With a full force of 10,000 troops, it was one of the best-supported units in the northern army.

Yet all the commanding officers, including the division commander, were absent.

The remaining centurions ran around trying to gather the troops, but it was futile. The problem was the conflicting orders.

Some centurions insisted on calling for reinforcements. Others insisted on fighting back, while some argued for retreat.

With orders split, the squad leaders and lower-ranked soldiers were at a loss.

Some stayed, some fought, and it was chaotic.

“What about the casualties?”

“There seemed to be a few competent centurions. It appears about half of the troops survived. There are many injured, though.”

The troops that retreated safely to the rear were only about 4,600. More than half of the troops lost their lives in a single night.

“Sigh, half of the 10,000 troops. And with so many injured among the survivors. Who is that division commander?”

“Duke Loreal, apparently.”

“Oh!”

“Damn.”

“How could that happen?”

Originally, the Riyaz Kingdom had four tier 6 knights and one 6th circle magician. Even among the 13-nation alliance, it was an average force.

However, the only 6th circle magician, Chairman Kreate, died. Around the same time, one of Tier 6 knights also died, significantly reducing their power.

Now, the Riyaz Kingdom’s top experts were only three Tier 6 knights. Duke Loreal was among them.

He reached the 6th rank about 30 years ago, making him the oldest.

“At that age, that’s what he’s doing.”

“He’s wasting his years.”

“Ahem.”

The magician commissioners, Elrov and Kser, openly criticized Duke Loreal with unrestrained language.

But the knight commissioners, Commissioner Habinon and Commissioner Albrecht, could not bring themselves to criticize Duke Loreal.

They were fellow knights and had personal connections with him.

“What does the royal family planning to do?”

“It seems they plan to solidify the defensive line.”

“They always intended to give up the frontlines. The problem is their magical forces. We’ve received word from the Kingdom of Aslan that hundreds of magicians wiped out an entire unit and disappeared. It seems they plan to gather their firepower for piecemeal destruction.”

“Well, defense alone is not enough.”

“That’s why we sent the first squad, isn’t it?”

The first squad’s objective was to locate the magical unit’s position and their future targets. If discovered early, the elite forces of the 13-nation alliance would intercept them mid-way.

“I wonder if they can even find those who are intentionally hiding.”

“We’re not the only ones moving, are we? Other allied nations are also searching with their eyes wide open, so there should be good results.”

It was not an easy task. The Ingram Empire’s magical unit was not only numerically superior but also qualitatively better than the magical corps operated by the 13-nation alliance.

With many high-level magicians keeping watch, they would be detected before getting close.

“Finding them is one thing. I can’t imagine how many troops we need to mobilize to defeat them.”

“It won’t be easy. There are too many magicians. Roughly 500 magicians are gathered, so the number of knights protecting them would be similar.”

“Sigh, 500 magicians. The Ingram Empire is playing a strong hand from the start.”

“It would have been better if the chairman was still alive.”

With Chairman Kreate’s death, the magical strength of the Riyaz Kingdom significantly weakened. The entire 13-nation alliance was clearly at a disadvantage in terms of magical power.

“Well, well. The first squad’s job is to diligently search the border area. There’s no need to worry about what happens afterward.”

“That’s right. We just need to do our job.”

“By the way, what are we going to do with the second squad? It’s too valuable to leave them be.”

“We can’t help it. Even if we issue a recall order, the frontline unit commanders won’t let them go easily.”

The second squad was out of the committee’s hands. They couldn’t force them to return, so they could only hope they survived on their own.

“Is there any way to make more potions?”

“108 is making them alone, so there’s a limit. But the price of potions has risen significantly, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. Recently, it went up to 20 gold. It seems it will go up to 30 gold soon.”

“A big windfall at the end of the year. Hahaha.”

They were laughing, but the commissioners’ eyes were serious.

Unlike the soldiers, the commissioners regularly received information from each country. So they guessed that the direction of the war was not favorable, not just the current situation.

The strength of the Ingram Empire was not beyond their expectations.

They didn’t expect them to gather magicians and attack piecemeal, but it wasn’t an unbeatable force.

The problem was within the 13-nation alliance.

There was severe disunity. Even in the midst of the war, they couldn’t unite due to mutual checks.

There was no information sharing, so they had to hear about the magical corps through unofficial channels.

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