Trinitas Mundus

Over Acree Chain, an ancient battlefield, the Toa streets - the streets connecting Barbezy and Fort Toa, the accomodation towns of Ars Street - gradually become tighter upward gradients. The weather, which had been stumbling around for a few days, had deteriorated in earnest, and the snow of the beatings had started to blow along with the chilly wind that cut through his cheeks.

Snow, cold temperatures, and high altitudes take your strength away from the Demonic Pursuit Team led by Hamish Markat. The morale of the famous Mercenary Corps of Mercenaries (Red Arms), which is just as disciplined, has been maintained, but the morale of other mercenaries and adventurers has fallen and was exhausted enough to stop opening their mouths even after a break.

January 6th.

Nine days after leaving Pericritle.

The Rays arrived at Fort Toa, the land of the demons, on the border with Kwaedam Tenebre.

The Demon Pursuit team trampled the great distance of 500 km in a short period of only nine days. Although there were factors such as the failure of heavy troops to accompany them, the agreement of the Demonic Crusade - an agreement arranged for countries to jointly hit under any circumstances at the time of the invasion of the Demonic Nation - the speed of their movement was well beyond the common sense of this world.

But at that price, both humans and horses were exhausted, and the exhilaration at departure, including the Marcut Mercenary Corps, had fogged away.

Around Fort Toa, the environment was too harsh for organisms to survive.

There are only cleaved and rugged cliffs like sharpened by strong winds and slightly growing hippocampus trees, with constant strong winds from west to east in narrow valleys.

Especially at this time of winter, blizzard-like heavy snowstorms continue, repainting the vision with a white monochrome.

The weather also collapsed the day the Pursuit arrived, and the mercenaries were coated in white by snow.

Fort Toa was a castle fort like China's "Kan", built to block a chopped valley. The walls are huge, about 500 m in both wings and 50 m in height, making the surrounding rough nature feel unbeatable in strength. The walls were lined with cylindrical view towers at equal intervals, and soldiers with bows and crossbows prepared for raids from the east.

Overlooking the entire fort from above, it would look convex flying out to the west. Its protruding part had a square of about 300 m on one side and was surrounded by a wall about five m high.

It is the quarters where the castle soldiers live, but also the civilians.

The number of soldiers permanently stationed at Fort Toa is approximately three thousand. Nineteen years ago, before the Great Invasion, there were a thousand, but as a reflection on the fall of the fort, it was tripled. As a result, the barracks part was also added, becoming a convex castle fort as it is today.

Upon arrival at the fort, the commander of the Pursuit Squad, Hamish Markat, immediately applied to see Viscount Benjamin Plummer, commander of the fort.

A visit to Viscount Plummer is immediately allowed when he shows a request for a formal demonic pursuit issued by the City of Periclitle, a member of the Union of Urban States.

Hamish took his deputy, Alberic Auger, and his military mentor, Ray Arklight, to the command room with Viscount Plummer, under the leadership of a defensive corps officer.

The Commander's Office was not on the side of the barracks that had been built, but on the side of the main fort.

On both sides of the street, stretching straight from the main gate, there were several three-story stone buildings lined up. Some of them are made like cafeterias and stores, with a view of life like a city. Initially, the part-time soldiers are relaxing down the road, but because of the raw and hateful sky, there's hardly a crowd.

The boulevard is about ten metres wide and allows you to enter the interior of the fort immediately upon ambush. Also, for flying demons or on the roof of the building, a place was created for archers.

Ray looked up at the frontier fort and looked up at the huge walls in front.

(Awesome walls...... I don't know how many years it took...... but I don't think that makes much sense for a flying demon like a wing demon......)

Ray tried to hit the Alberic walking next door with the question. Alberic laughed and answered Ray's question.

"I sure am, but I've hardly had a wingman before. Exquisite, about the Imp. When it comes to demons, they're ghosts, so it feels like orgasms, orcs, goblins."

"But there were wing demons, both in Chulock and in Periclitle. And the Winged Demons."

Alberic nods small and replies, "You really are".

"He said there was only a little wing demon even during the great invasion nineteen years ago, but what I saw was almost a little demon. The number of little demons was surprising then, so maybe it just wasn't noticeable. But if you're a demon, you're not a big fighter. You don't have to panic so much when they pull out of the fort..."

In Alberic's story, Winged Demons rarely participate in previous Demon invasions, usually only using a small number of demons to scout. That is what is confirmed in this series of fights, dozens of units of little demons and more than five wing demons, even in the fortress east of the Kingdom of Lax, Turok.

"I guess I can't summon a wingman that way. Instead, if you're easily recalled, we'll lose in no time."

Ray snorted at the words, but wasn't very convinced.

(This time it was definitely special. Son of the Moon, because Luna was the purpose. But you should know the usefulness of the Wingman if you think about it a little bit. Yet I barely used it before that... I'm not sure what the Devil Clan's situation is, but suddenly there seems to be a reason I can use Wing Demon...)

Once inside the walls, passages continued like cellars illuminated by lighted demonic props. Whether it's a wing demon remedy or an opening that could be penetrated is designed to be as reduced as possible, so there are no windows on the walls of the castle, and the doors that go out onto the roof are also made of steel sturdy.

Go up the stairs for about five floors and get to the door guarded by a strong guard.

As soon as the officer who guided Hamish and the others confirms, they will be granted a visit.

Follow the officer into the room. It was thoughtfully wide inside, bright enough not to seem like it was in a fortress because of its plethora of lighted demonic props.

I thought I was in my fifties at the big executive desk in the back of the room and a slightly obese man with thinner hair sat down.

When the man stood up, he uttered a welcome word, "Well attended, Lord Markat," but Ray seemed to have no emotions in his expression or tone.

Viscount Plummer sat on the couch for the reception,

"What can I do for you? They're asking you to crusade the demons of Pericritle?

Plummer has asked that with a slightly sleepy face.

Hamish gets right to the point.

"We have been asked by Lord Reginald Warbeck, head of the Periclittle and Adventurer Guild, to crusade the Runaway Demons. Our research has shown that there is a way out north of Fort Bentoa used by the demons..."

In about five minutes I will finish my explanation, but Viscount Plummer meditates his eyes in silence. After about a minute,

"So what do we do? You expect me to send troops, believing in that vague information on the way out?

"There are more than fifty big ghosts and orgasms. Plus, hundreds of little ghost warriors are escaping. Are you going to let all that threat go and be put down?

"But isn't it not necessarily coming to this land? Maybe I'm still lurking near Periclitle. Your lord will know by the time he gets here. I wonder how dangerous it is to send out troops at this time."

Hamish will also have the look of crushing the bitter bug. Because he also understood the danger of moving a large army in this weather. But still, he ate down.

"This is an official Demon Crusade request under the agreement. If they refuse without good reason, the Kaum kingdom will be in distress."

Plummer argues without changing his expression to a word that could also be a threat to Hamish.

"There are as many legitimate reasons as there are. If your lord is right, how can you make this Toa thin? If they attack us from the front and back of the fort, it doesn't necessarily mean we can't fall, even though it's an iron-walled Toa."

The two claims were following parallel lines.

It was Hamish who broke it first.

"Okay. Let's do a search on our own. But if you spot an enemy, just make sure you're ready to deploy immediately..."

Plummer nodded at it and then went into practical stories, such as the allocation of food and quarters.

Alberic was speaking to Hamish on his way back from the Command Office to the Pursuit Squad after the discussion.

"Why didn't you let Ray negotiate with you? Ray, I think you're a better negotiator, huh?

Hamish shook his head "Wearing" small,

"Negotiations will have just broken down in Ray now. It's like helping a girl named Luna makes her head full. Well, once the negotiations were completely broken, it could have been Ray's turn."

Hamish smiles slightly when he says so.

Ray said, "Right. If I were you, I might have cracked just to bump an honest theory," he admitted honestly.

(You're looking closely, Mr. Hamish. I don't think I could have done anything to interrupt the conversation. Because I'm just in a hurry as soon as possible......)

He then returns to his given quarters to work out plans for the future with those who were the Lord.

The gathering is attended by a level-IV mercenary named Hamish, the commander, Deputy Alberic, each captain from the most squad to the fifth squad, and Dusty Cobbett, who, in addition to the three Rays, Ashley and Stella, has a roundup of mercenaries who have volunteered.

Dusty was a veteran mercenary forty years ago and was on his way to Hamish's Periclitle rescue. He was working solo without being part of a mercenary regiment, someone who was a mercenary regiment helper and adventurer hunting demons, etc., but despite the strong side with a big wound to his face, the mercenaries' strong reputation made him treat like a captain without knowing.

Because he doesn't like trouble, he doesn't like it and does it, so he's not very actively involved in the consultation. He is a weirdo who is bragging that "the battle is worth living," but he is going to leave it all to me because of his respect for Hamish, who is said to be the strongest mercenary.

"... depending on the weather, we must first look for a way out for the Demons to use"

Everyone nods at Hamish's opinion.

"But the enemy should also be on guard. If you poorly explore, you can't deny the possibility of a snake. Ray, let me hear your opinion."

Hamish asked for Ray's opinion.

"As for the way out, I've heard the general location from the captives of the Little Ghost Clan, so I think we'll find them soon. The question is when will the Great Ghost Clan appear to retreat..."

Ray was going to use Derve and Lauri, the little ghost warriors he himself puppeted, to find a way out. The fact that the two of them are using a way out during an invasion operation doesn't make it that hard to find them if they keep going northwards nearby.

Ray's concern was with Varma, the Moon Demon with Luna, and the trend of her escort, the Great Ghost Troop.

"... if nothing happens, we should be around here in a few days... in the mountains of Aquila, so what happens..."

Dusty the newcomer teases Ray for his badly toothed words.

"You don't seem confident if you make it a white warrior. Thousands of eyes, rumors say the future is foreseeable, but still?

After Ray stumbled upon the words, "I can't believe I have a thousand eyes..."

"It's five hundred km from Periclitle anyway. Even if the distance traveled in a day is just five km different, it can change for more than ten days. I have another concern…"

Confirm that Hamish is "behind the wheel" on the words.

"Yes, according to the information we got from the Derves, they were going to invade the Kingdom of Kaum through the way out after attacking Periclitle. There are a thousand or so of them, but they are still in our hands..."

Hamish also has a bad toothpick when he says, "If I can get soldiers out of Toa, I can fight some..."

Dusty couldn't figure out Hamish and Ray's concerns,

"We're two hundred. Three thousand for Toa. There are more than 2,000 fighters left to defend the fort. I think it's a lot more advantageous than Periclitle?

On Ray's behalf, Hamish answers that question.

"I don't think the commander here, Viscount Plummer, will send out soldiers. I don't think we're going to accept that we're going to diminish our protection here."

Ray agrees with that, too.

"Right. He felt so conservative about what he was doing... and it felt like he could live up to his responsibilities if he only protected him here."

Dusty shakes his head like a boy.

"I mean, it is. You mean there won't be a big battle here... I don't know what else to do, but you guys are going to sound weak right away except for the Mercenary Corps of Markats (Red Arms). In addition to all this cold, it's in the mountains of Aquila. I didn't know what kind of demons were coming out."

Hamish and the others will have a sinister face to his words.

"Worst case scenario, we'll just have to do something about it. If you give me a backpacking unit, it won't be a battle if the hundred is two hundred. You just have to cut it off."

We then had brief squad splitting and other meetings and went back to our respective rooms.

And the next day.

It had been a fierce snowstorm that morning, and we weren't talking about where we were going.

I wanted to rescue Luna quickly, Ray, but I just give up that I can't get into the mountains in this situation. But the expression of impatience had not disappeared.

Ashley placed her hand on Ray's shoulder,

"I can't help but be in a hurry. In this blizzard, the Great Ghost Clan also moves. You'd better think you had a forcible army rest."

Ray said, "Right. Sure..." he nodded, still looking resentfully outside.