Haroon

After Hersh used the Imperial Intelligence Guild to move the five forces back and forth for a few days, they were able to hold a meeting. The desperation to deal with Darkness, which has been confirmed to have enormous power, moved the hearts of the hostiles.

The meeting location was designated as the underground branch office of the Imperial Intelligence Guild that tripled the security seal.

The realities of the three empires were reluctant to look at each other, but there was nothing they could do.

The invitees were only able to accompany one person and enter the meeting room. The other attendants had to wait outside the door.

Emperors Ibelin and Illum were present in the Pyrin Empire, Emperors Landrel and Horton were present in the Shin Theron Empire, and the Dukes of Minos and Totlan were present in the Mino Empire. The Mart Union included Huberon of Pacochu Mart and Artist of the Mart of Illusion; the Temple of Light and the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit of La Shrine attended.

The awkward static is broken by Hersh, who stood up a moment before everyone felt awkward.

"Thank you for being here today. Now that you know each other well, I'll skip the introductions. We understand that getting here was not an easy decision. But everyone in this room has a common enemy. So I hope for a better outcome."

Hersh is neutral, so of course he presided over the meeting.

"I'm going to brief you on the situation. Captain Haroon!"

Harun, stared at by Hersh, comes to the table.

"Harun, of the gale mercenaries. I attended this meeting because I was asked by the Tower and the Fijian Imperial Court to be deeply involved in this matter. I'm going to brief you on the current situation with a video first."

The attendees' gaze at Harun was mostly friendly. Everyone knew Harun had investigated the Darkness. That's why I was able to attend as a mercenary.

Pot!

Harun injects Mana, and the crystal bead on the table illuminates. The video begins to play over the black cloth pre-placed on one side.

The people's gaze was drawn to the video as a whole.

"Most of you know this, but let's look again at the current situation in the Devil Mountains. The static screen you're seeing here is a zoomed out view of the Devil Mountains based on data collected by secret members of this mercenary about two months ago."

Images of the Devil Mountains above the cloth appear reduced.

"The Deval Mountains are high in the north, low in the south and long in the east and west, with 20 active volcanoes still active. The Hookran Mountains to the west, Matsu Plain to the north and the expansive Dark Forest to the east. It is also home to the Sin Theron Empire to the south-west and the Mino Empire to the south-east, along the Dar River, which runs through the mountains from north to south."

Harun looks at the people and continues to report back.

"The next thing you'll notice is the dotted spot. That's the last name you're familiar with. The total number is 72, and if you look at it like this, it's three layers of massive inverse mesh. As you can imagine, the Magic Department of this mercenary believes that the inverse mesh is a giant black magic circle, and the 72 castles are sure to be the core point of powering the magic circle."

The attendees' eyes start to shine. Other reports than what they were used to know were that their torso was directed toward the video.

"Oh! This is definitely the Black Magic Clan of the Invisible Ocean!"

Hooverun slams his knees and shouts. Others nod at his words. The videos they got and saw were edited, but they didn't shrink the entire Devil Mountains to show them all at once. He had doubts about the existence of sex, but he had no idea what the role was.

"Overlapping Black Magic Cube!"

Einstein Madosa of the Illusion Horse clapped her fist and cried out.

"Where the hell have they been hiding? For 300 years, the suspected Black Wizards have come from empires and castles and our temples to capture and kill them all!"

The general of La Shrine said with an unbelievable expression.

"I see. I've heard reports of estramorwn mixing, but their abilities won't generate this kind of power, and I'm sure the Black Wizards of our world will be the masters of it."

"Probably hiding in each of those towers."

"What? Are you questioning our towers?"

"Haven't you done that before?"

There was a small commotion between the Temple and the Martyrs, but the participants soon regained their minds and looked back at Harun through Hersh's mediation.

"The castles, presumed to be the core point of the Black Magic Group, had a unique architecture at the heart called Etemenanki, known as the legacy of the ancient civilization. The power of the castle that we experienced was substantial. Magic included one six-circle black wizard, four five-circle wizards, and 30 seemingly subdued black wizards, more than a dozen Expert mid-level warriors, 50 before and about 200 after Expert, and ordinary warriors. But there was a change in the power of the other castles that I experienced coming here. The castle grew to about 1,500 men in total, and two of them were Black Wizards, but six were so-called Black Knights and Sword users who had mastered the art and craftsmanship of Earl Otzwald."

"Phew!"

The temple figures were appalled, and those who had already heard this information from Harun had their faces hardened to a much more powerful power than they expected.

"And their power, more importantly, is the underlings and the horses. In the case of mountain tribes living in the mountains, it's hard to see the Undead until now, not for burial, but in the case of numerous casualties due to Darkness' exclusion. We've seen the black wizard's tamed horses and the skeleton horses. As you all know, even the lesser horsemen of the Devil Mountains can only be fought by Wizards of the Four Circle Master or Knights of the Expert Beginners or above. Let's wrap up the briefing."

Harun bores the faces of the people, then returns to their rightful place.

"Phew! I can only imagine."

"Ordinary soldiers are of little use here."

The people who heard the briefing were more serious about the situation than they thought.

The people who were talking with the escort for a moment just got up and focused on Hersh.

"Whatever their identity, whatever they appear to be, today's meeting should be a place for discussion, as it is clear that their purpose is to activate a massive Black Magic Group that encompasses the Devil Mountains."

Hersch makes such a fuss, but the attendees have not spoken for a while. In their heads, they were filled with doubts as to why Darkness would want to drive such a massive black magic group.

After a while, Huberon opened his mouth first.

"Hooray! As a lifelong researcher of magic, I don't know if I want to run a magic cult of this magnitude. It is clear that their intentions will never bring good results to all of us. I don't know what the reasons are for the appearance of Black Knights and Black Warriors who have mastered the Dark Magic of Takinin and the swordsmanship of the late Otzwald, but I am confident that if I let them do this, they will hit the ground and regret it."

"That's right. We can't predict what would happen if a giant Black Magic Squad was fully operational, but at least it would have a negative impact on the continent." Ultimately, the five of us who have a direct understanding will have to make every effort to prevent the Black Mage's core point, Castle, from being completed, while ensuring that the main force is cleaned up. "

Following Landrell's remarks, the crowd gives you a hot look of agreement.

"But there's not much power left in this empire."

The Minos officials of the Mino Empire have frankly expressed their position.

"It is the same for our empire. Just maintaining a healthy turf and repelling monsters is all it takes. However, it is not uncommon to mobilize territorial troops adjacent to the Devil Mountains. I already tried, but the difference was so big that I couldn't hit it at all."

Landrell, to be honest, acknowledged the reality of the new Theon Empire. All three empires had the same situation, without having to hide it. All three empires were just at the beginning of their reign, and they are now barely ruling the peoples.

The Wizards, however, found it difficult to use their abilities in rugged mountain terrain, rather than flat terrain, for the Knights, which are the core forces of the Territory. In addition, the Devil Mountains are infested with horses that are hard to handle even knights. Territorial troops who have not been trained properly can only hit rocks with eggs.

Forced recruits are nearly impossible to maneuver properly into a rugged place called the Devil Mountains, let alone fight for a month or two in training.

"What if we could raise money and mobilize mercenaries?"

Ibelin, who was guarding the silence all along, shakes her head while attendees from the other two empires speak. The Pyrin Empire, which took control of each and every permanent residence at the same time as eliminating the aristocracy, may be rich in funds, but the position of the other two emerging empires who freed only slaves while maintaining the aristocracy was different.

It is a reality to not only finance the empire to stabilize it, but also to sell the various administrations it has.

"How's the temple?"

The saint who was silent in Hersh's question opened her mouth.

"I've already dealt with the Black Mages and the undead they summoned in Mats Plain."

Attendees' attention and attention was drawn to her. They hoped that the words of the saint might give more insight into the power of the Darkness, who might have emerged as a common enemy.

"The Black Mages have created an environment in which the undead can move optimally during the day. We feel like we're dealing with an enemy while we're underwater. Moreover, somehow, the undead were struggling with the Divine Power to some degree. In the Black Magic Division, sacred healing did not recover, and sacred power was rapidly depleted."

In the words of the saint, people's faces were stiff. I couldn't believe what she said. There was no one who did not know that the reign of the people was divine power. Among them were even the patriarchs of La Shrine.

Harun interrupts as he tries to open his mouth.

"It's true. Not only have we experienced the gale mercenaries, but we've also confirmed those dispatched from the tower and imperial court." "

In Harun's words, Ibelin and Huberon nod.

"Above the Black Magic Cube, clouds floated and it was as dark as evening. And as I got into it, I felt like I was moving around in this heavy fog, full of strange energy. Not only that, in some cases, the magic was automatically sealed or released."

"Is that true, Commander Harun? I didn't see anything like that..."

Huberon asked with a surprised face. I was surprised that the Divine Power didn't work properly, but I was surprised to hear that I couldn't spread my magic properly.

"I didn't know when I was traveling with the horses. However, it was clear that a village of one of the mountain tribes called Kar had released the spell barrier that had been opened to avoid access to demons and monsters once the dark magic had been completed on the outside. The shaman of their tribe said they had a strange experience of weakening or forcibly releasing its power within the Black Magic Clan, like magic spells."

Harun's words distort the wizards' faces.

"Whoa! This is really bad. Does that mean that our wizards will not be able to wield their power properly once the Great Black Magic Legion is complete?"

As Huberon said, it was no ordinary thing.

Just until the beginning of the meeting, people who had a mild reaction gradually expressed their feelings and began to discuss the situation actively.

Attendees discussed it late in the afternoon, but did not come up with a realistic and usable solution that was acceptable to all.

"That's enough for today. Let's meet again tomorrow and discuss it."

Since we had heated discussions but didn't get anything, the faces of people showed tiredness. Now I had to go back and report to my superiors and get instructions. Attendees return to the fortress with their faces full.

"Is there something effective to respond to, commander?"

"I see. I don't think anything else will come out except the plan that came out today...."

Harun had the same idea as Hersh. All the strategies that can be thought of from attacking in all directions at once to dividing into a few elite factions have been poured out, but their effectiveness has greatly fallen due to the limitations that each force cannot fully mobilize.

"I think so, but wouldn't they go back and report it to their superiors and go through more people's discussions and come down with instructions? We'll look forward to it tomorrow."

As Harun, who had never been to school properly or had a discussion lecture with little time in class, he knew the seriousness of the matter, but he could hardly bear the whole body. I was blinded by the fact that I have to spend this time again tomorrow.

"Hehe! It must have been so hard for you to see the captain's face." "

Could it be that Gigg's face was revealed? Hersh bursts a smile at Harun's face.

"Haha! You're not getting used to it. If I don't think of it right away, it's convenient to break through..."

"This is a mercenary without merit, but if you look at the results later, it's suspicious because you seem to have acted in advance."

Harun nods at Hersh.

"Anyway, Hersh has a good idea by tomorrow. I'm just gonna have a cup of tea while I watch it go."

"How about setting up a perimeter to deal with the Darkness?"

The next day, when we got together, Evelyn offered us an offer.

"Whether you're looking for mercenaries or using available power, you're responsible for your own territory for the autonomy of each force."

"Mmmm!"

It was a better opinion than I thought. Since the nationalities and colors are so different, it may be best to stick together to conduct as well as to conduct effective battles.

"But our tower lacks the strength to engage in melee warfare. Those mercenaries are strong enough to handle the Shamans, but even if they all sign a contract, the proximity force to support the Wizards will be too short."

"So is our temple. Even if all the combat priests and paladins of each temple gather, there is not enough money to hire mercenaries that are short of power. As you know, my donations have recently declined...."

Most of the temples were located near the Imperial Palace, so the temples were suffering from severe shortages of funds as the main members of the aristocratic order disappeared. The Bible says that the income has decreased by more than 9 years, so it is difficult to withstand the money stored up.

So was the mercenary problem. The fundamental question of whether mercenaries can be trusted is that the mercenary guild has been launched and has built up trust for a long time, but there are not many mercenaries of class B or higher with minimal skill to deal with them as a collaborator. Moreover, many of them are already contracting somewhere and carrying out their quests.

It was the only way we could find out through long distance communication with the Empire's top brass until late at night. I was going to hire mercenaries for the Pyrin Empire, but if everyone's thinking the same thing, it won't work either.

"Phew!"

A long sigh came out of someone's mouth. I've been trying to find all these routes all night, but no one could think of a sharp plan.

"How about this?"

Harun, who was guarding the silence, was fortunate, and the eyes of the people began to shine again. Harun, who handled the quest with a clever mind in the land of tranquility, hoped that he might have some useful ideas.

"We're using the estramorwn."

"Strangers?"

At that moment, eyes poured out to him that he couldn't understand.

"There are a lot of them, but few of them are good enough to do this kind of work. The commander knows that."

Evelyn said so, but still did not give up on her expectations.

"You can only think that way if you consider your individual abilities. But foreigners are resurrectable beings. They have grown their ability to party naturally, share roles, and deal with powerful enemies while hunting monsters. Among the foreigners, there are dozens of guilds with more than 50,000 guild members."

None here knows the estramorwn like Evelyn. It was exactly what Harun said. Strangers who experienced various virtual reality games were also naturally forming a guild here to compete with each other to take advantage of their interests.

"If you reward them appropriately, the estramorwn will face the Darkness as a guild unit or as an individual."

"Is it true?"

It was a good opinion as long as I could. If even mercenaries and foreigners are harsh, they will lack enough power immediately.

"If the reward is appropriate, I don't think it means money, but what does the commander think?"

While conferring on the legitimacy of others, Ibelin had a clear understanding of Harun's story.

"I thought this land was actually not the land of any empire at the moment."

"Does that mean...?"

"I think it would be an appropriate reward to give the foreigners who have properly targeted the castle ownership and control of the nearby land."

Harun says that the eyes of the people are busy moving.

"In fact, even if the castle is stolen or destroyed by the Darkness, it is not easy for missing people to go home or where they want to go. It's an effective way to let them live there, to give them the proper land, or to give them the right things to do. As you know, castles in the New Theon Empire or in the Mino Empire have many mined areas. Also, the castles on the Pyrin Empire have oily octopus like Matsu Plain, or they have very rare herbs that grow there. As long as we can get rid of the beasts and monsters, it would be better for the disappearances without their land to settle here than for them to return home."

At first, the eyes of the attendees who had never understood it were getting stronger as Harun continued to speak.

"We should investigate further, but if the castles are greedy enough for foreigners, we can leave them to the foreigners and the only way to attack the remaining castles can be effective."

"So we just have to acknowledge the monarchy and its territory in the three empires?"

"Yes. The Pyrin Empire will have control of the castle and certain realms, and the remaining aristocratic Minos and the new Theon Empire will need to acknowledge their claim to the foreigners who hold the castle, along with their nobility." If permanently difficult, you can set a deadline of 30 or 50 years. If you can collect enough money to run a guild with tax, foreigners will surely gather here. "

"I like it! Let's discuss Captain Harun's opinion in detail on the premise."

Landrell votes first.

"I agree. I think it's the best thing to do in a situation like this. We just need to take care of castles that are too burdensome to leave to strangers or that they don't greed, so I think we can make the most of them with as little power as possible."

After agreeing with Harun's words even to Ibelin, the rest of the group is ready to discuss the details.