Trenches, Guns, and Magic

The moment Blackwood spoke the word, the other five reacted.

The female mage sitting second to Blackwood's right stopped playing with the crystal ball in her hand.

Anne Hathaway, an Archmage of the Highland Mage Order's 9th-circle Conjuration school, possessed a face beneath her hood that looked no older than her early thirties. However, everyone present knew this was merely maintained through some "secret art"... Her actual age was even older than the Eternal Queen sitting on the throne in Buckingham Palace.

"The 【Heart】..." she repeated the word.

She placed the crystal ball into a groove on her chair's armrest, interlacing her fingers and resting them on her lap.

Sitting first on Blackwood's left, Norton, an Enchantment Master known for his reticence in the Council, broke his silence unprecedentedly.

"If we can truly obtain the 【Heart】... then we can complete the final puzzle piece of the 'Blood of the Griffin'..."

'Blood of the Griffin'.

This keyword stirred another silent commotion in the hall.

Although the remaining Archmages did not speak, subtle changes appeared on their faces. Some leaned forward slightly; others tightened their grip on their armrests.

The 'Blood of the Griffin'—the Holy Britannia Empire's own "breakthrough human enhancement" or "super soldier" project.

Strictly speaking, this project was proposed very early on.

Looking at it chronologically, it was initiated around the same time as the Gauls' 'Sentinel Project'. However, because the Holy Britannia Empire maintained an overwhelming advantage in magical prowess and comprehensive national strength, the development priority of the 'super soldier' was pushed down the list.

Coupled with a bottleneck in the core phase of the research, the entire project was ultimately shelved.

The formation of the 'Spell Jägers' unit was, to some extent, a derivative of the 'Blood of the Griffin'.

Since they couldn't mass-produce super soldiers, they decided to use existing methods to blend mages and soldiers together and see if it could tide them over...

This makeshift approach continued until the Gauls' 'Sentinel' units demonstrated combat value far exceeding expectations on the Western Front.

Although they failed to reverse their country's defeat in the war, it was undeniable that these special units caused real pressure on their opponents across several front lines.

And when the Saxon Empire's 'Mage Killer'—who was clearly not an ordinary human—emerged out of nowhere, the situation became even more urgent.

The Highland Mage Order and the military brass of the Holy Britannia Empire finally realized that in an era where new technologies, concepts, and tactics were constantly emerging, the value of a 'super soldier' might be vastly higher than they previously imagined.

If those Saxon barbarians, who had always been despised in the field of magic, could create one, there was no reason the Holy Britannia Empire, with its centuries of profound heritage, couldn't do the same.

Therefore, with the approval of Eternal Queen Victoria, the Highland Mage Order quickly restarted comprehensive research on the 'Blood of the Griffin'.

The Highland Mage Order had spent considerable time studying the data retrieved from the Paris underground laboratory, despite its missing information.

Most of what the Gauls were brewing in that underground facility had indeed been taken by the Saxons during the operation, but the two surviving Highland Mages managed to scavenge some scraps from the ruins.

These surviving research materials regarding the 'Sentinel Project' filled many gaps in the Britannians' knowledge of 'human enhancement'.

But simultaneously, it made the Highland Mages realize a thorny issue—certain key components in their plan could not be synthesized using all the alchemy and enchantment techniques currently known to the Empire.

This was the fundamental reason the Highland Mage Order targeted the 【Heart】.

After a few seconds of silence, Master Graham, sitting on the other side of Blackwood, broke the quiet.

As the Council member primarily responsible for representing the Highland Mage Order at various high-level Imperial meetings, Graham possessed the sharpest political instincts among the six Archmages.

Often, while the others were still debating technical details, he was already calculating the political consequences from the Empire's perspective.

"If we actually do this..." Graham weighed his words carefully, "how do you plan to handle our relationship with the Papal State, Speaker?"

Hearing his words, Master Hathaway leaned back against her chair, tapping the armrest lightly.

"Master Graham's concerns are valid... The Vatican has sealed that 【Heart】 for four hundred and forty years, and who knows how many times the sealing array beneath the Santa Maria la Nova Church has been reinforced..."

"This isn't just stealing a random magical artifact. This is digging out Fenlake IV's prized possession right from under his nose."

She paused.

"You know the current Pope's temper. If I recall correctly, the last time someone touched an item in his church, he nearly pushed through a transnational excommunication..."

Master Graham picked up the thread, taking it a step further.

"So if we really do this, it equals telling the Vatican we are completely severing ties with them."

The other Archmages reacted differently. Some frowned in thought, while others looked indifferent.

The indifferent one was another Evocation Archmage sitting at the far end. Known for his fiery temper, he was a prominent radical within the Highland Mage Order.

"The Holy See has been our enemy for a long time."

He leaned back carelessly, speaking dismissively:

"A war between the Imperial State Church and Catholicism is bound to happen sooner or later. We've clashed enough over religious issues these past few years; a conflict breaking out now merely moves the timeline up a bit."

"But at least we aren't enemies in name right now," Graham corrected him. "Cold relations and open hostility are entirely different matters."

"Enough..."

Victor Blackwood spoke. His moderate voice brought all discussions in the hall to an abrupt halt.

He looked at Graham and nodded slightly.

"Your concerns are reasonable, Master Graham... I appreciate that you consider the political consequences before every decision. The Council needs a voice like yours."

Graham bowed his head slightly and waited quietly for Blackwood to continue.

"However,"

Blackwood's tone didn't rise. It remained flat and calm, much like when they discussed academic issues daily.

"Once the 'Blood of the Griffin' project is complete, it will bring more than just a leap in individual mage power... it means the Empire can mass-produce a combat force far exceeding traditional mages... Notice the word: 'mass-produce'."

The hall fell quiet again.

"Everyone here knows the Saxon Empire has carved a path in conventional military power that we cannot replicate, or rather, catch up to in the short term... Those new equipments, weapons... technical reserves cannot be bridged overnight."

Blackwood paused, sweeping his gaze over the five people present.

"Not to mention they have the 'Mage Killer'."

The atmosphere in the hall grew heavier at the mention of this title.

"I believe everyone here previously treated this title as a joke... but none of us expected the 'Mage Killer' to grow so fast... continuously growing stronger, and significantly so."

Blackwood raised his right hand and tapped his index finger twice on the stone armrest.

"I have reason to believe this is inextricably linked to what the Saxons took from the Paris underground laboratory."

After letting the group digest his words, the Chief Archmage continued:

"Since these barbarians, who fall far behind us in magical attainments, can produce results in 'human enhancement', what reason does the Highland Mage Order have to fail? We can even secure a 'latecomer advantage'."

Hearing the Speaker's words, everyone, including Master Graham, had to admit he made sense.

But even so, Master Graham raised one final crucial question.

"This 【Heart】 sealed in Naples 440 years ago—after all these years, does it truly retain its original power?"

He leaned forward.

"Every nation is advancing rapidly in magitech and technological development. The battlefield environment has undergone earth-shattering changes... Taking an antique that dominated the cold-weapon battlefield 440 years ago into the present... is it really usable?"

Speaking to this point, Master Graham swept a serious gaze over the others and reminded them earnestly:

"Forget this 400-year-old antique; even we spellcasters are actually beginning to struggle to adapt to this new war."

"Everyone sitting here is a leading figure in the Mage Order and might not feel it, but simply looking at the performance of low- and mid-circle mages on the battlefield since the war broke out makes the issues clear."

"Think carefully about what they were like on the battlefield before, and what they have become now."

Hearing this question, the corners of Blackwood's mouth twitched slightly.

It was the closest expression to a "smile" he showed during the entire discussion.

"Patience, Master Graham... Once our mole successfully acquires it, we will naturally know if it adapts."

He stood up, the hem of his council robe brushing the base of the stone chair.

"Furthermore, the 【Heart】 is just a piece of the puzzle. What truly dictates how far the 'Blood of the Griffin' goes is how we use this piece."

Blackwood walked to the wall at the edge of the Council Hall. As he approached, the stone wall turned transparent, overlooking a fog-shrouded London.

The River Thames snaked under the gray canopy, moving just like the Empire's power over the past four centuries—slow, heavy, but never truly halting.

With things laid out clearly, stances had been taken, and risks had been raised.

Blackwood scanned the room. Seeing no one had further input, the magical light source above the hall's dome slowly began to dim—the signal that the Council meeting was adjourned.

The figures in the six high-backed chairs rose sequentially, leaving through different passages.

Only Hathaway slowed her steps slightly as she passed Blackwood.

"Victor, a question I couldn't conveniently ask during the meeting."

Blackwood turned his head to look at her.

"The mole in Naples... did you arrange them personally?"

"How deep is their access?"

"Intel says the 【Heart】's seal fluctuated. If no accidents occur, the mole will follow the Vatican team directly into the Santa Maria la Nova Church in Naples."

Kingdom of Romania, Prahova River Valley Exit.

The Romanian Army's 3rd Reserve Infantry Division finally completed its assembly after dawdling on the march for the better part of a day.

When the commanders of the follow-up units heard about the preceding offensive and defensive battle from the vanguard regiment's old colonel, their reactions varied.

Some gasped, some cursed, and others simply stared silently through their binoculars for a long time at the high ground that had severely bloodied the vanguard regiment.

The commander of the 3rd Reserve Infantry Division was a fifty-six-year-old major general leaning on a cane. He had fought in the two Balkan Wars, and to this day, an Ottoman shrapnel shard remained lodged in his knee.

He pondered for a long time after hearing the old colonel's report.

"Are you sure the enemy on the high ground received reinforcements during your third attack?"

"Yes, Division Commander... their firepower increased significantly. This clearly cannot be explained by them holding back earlier," the old colonel said slowly, his voice still hoarse.

"Moreover, the speed of their reinforcement was abnormally fast... Based on the last telegram sent by the river valley defenders, their road was clearly blocked by a landslide."

Hearing this, the 3rd Reserve Infantry Division commander frowned and turned to his chief of staff.

"What do you think?"

The chief of staff of the 3rd Reserve Infantry Division was a middle-aged officer with glasses. He pushed up his frames and considered his words for a few seconds.

"Division Commander, if the enemy could deploy reinforcements so quickly while the road was cut off, unless they grew wings and flew, there's only one possibility... they force-marched on foot."

The division commander fell silent again. After a long while, he made his decision.

"The entire division halts the attack plan and constructs defensive positions right here outside the river valley... Since we can't push in, we won't let them come out."

Once this order was issued, the entire 3rd Reserve Infantry Division immediately got busy.

The soldiers set down their rifles and picked up shovels and pickaxes. Starting from the front of the river valley exit and extending to both flanks, a dense mass of Romanian infantry began digging trenches in their assigned sectors.

The prototype of hasty fortifications quickly emerged—unprofessional firing trenches, machine-gun emplacements, communication trenches, and simple breastworks stacked with rocks.

The remaining functional mountain guns were redeployed to the rear of the position, muzzles pointed toward the river valley exit.

The old colonel watched all this from horseback, feeling a complex mix of emotions.

The high ground he failed to take after expending a third of his troop strength was now abandoned with a single sentence from the division commander.

But reason told him the division commander's decision was not wrong.

The combat power of this Saxon unit before them far exceeded what a reserve infantry division could handle.

Rather than continuing to throw lives at the high ground, it was better to use their numerical superiority to block the river valley exit and wait for superiors to dispatch more troops and artillery.

The problem was... would the Saxons opposite them obediently wait to be trapped?