chsdbacks Chapter 242
Chapter 242
Chapter 242
To simplify the problems currently faced by Frechenkaya, it can be stated as follows.
Daylight has vanished. In fact, both the moon and stars have also disappeared, making it problematic to refer to this as an aurora. The entire sky is shrouded in darkness.
Citizens are going missing. It’s unclear whether they are simply lost amid the confusion in the darkness or if criminals are taking advantage of the situation.
The entire city is in chaos. Crime rates have surged, and the citizens have become highly sensitive. In such circumstances, the administration has become ineffective, and the city’s defensive forces are focused on perimeter security.
Someone had to restore the administration or persuade the army. Of course, the remaining forces in the city cannot cover the entire area, as most of them have embarked on expeditions.
The same applies to the administration. The young legal nobility appointed to the administration since last year do not have enough experience to manage various departments effectively. Most of those who would have built this experience were killed during the recent coup.
Therefore, this situation inevitably places some responsibility on Elizaveta, though not intentionally. Reflecting once more, absolute power means holding decision-making authority solely.
The reason she has had to spend every night in vigil is to seize all authority over the administration to its maximum. In a precarious situation where rebellion could happen at any moment, it was an unavoidable choice.
Thus, it is also inevitable that the administration collapsed as soon as she became absent. After all, wasn’t it right after she purged most of the senior officials in the administration during the coup?
She pressured the military to pledge loyalty and aggressively utilized the domestic intelligence capabilities of the Counterintelligence Command to attempt to seize military control, turning the Krasilov military into a puppet of the queen.
It is a rational choice in that there is no driving force to incite rebellion. However, the fact that no officers are left to undertake unilateral operations without the queen’s approval has become the fate of a puppet military.
The queen’s reign has just passed a year, and she ascended the throne on a carpet stained with blood after executing her father and brother and purging the officials from various departments. This implies that she has covered a lack of justification and authority with fear.
Fear politics may be the hallmark of the Krasilov royal family, but in such circumstances, it hardly proves useful.
...Such discussions were taking place among the Hero Party.
“Let’s sum it up then: We don’t know who did it, how they did it, or how many they are, and the military has no will to assist, and the citizens are on the brink of riot, right?”
“Exactly.”
“Then let’s retreat for now and reconsider later.”
Ecdysis’s bright idea was quickly dismissed. Oscar banged the table as he spoke.
“I don’t even know where to start. Anyone have any ideas?”
“I think Professor Enrique might understand this situation best....”
“We can’t go to our teacher. He’s been expelled.”
Lucia shook her head and continued.
“This means that a vampire strong enough to deter our teacher is hiding. If we storm in, it would only reveal our teacher’s hiding place to them.”
“Yeah, if Professor Enrique is on that side, then there’s no answer. He must be from the Demon Realm, right?”
“That’s likely. Our teacher said there are no elders left in Krasilov.”
Elpheira cautiously raised her hand.
“If the kidnapping is true, how about using bait?”
“Bait?”
“Since elves are a very rare and valuable race compared to humans... What if I were to act as bait and get kidnapped? We could also use tracking magic, and if I were kidnapped, at least it would mean I was being drawn to their stronghold.”
“Rejected.”
Oscar shook his head.
“The risk is too high. If the enemy is a vampire that would scare Professor Enrique, I would definitely die. And we don’t seem to have the luxury of just waiting with bait.”
“I have an opinion too...”
Oscar looked at Yuri, who was hesitating in the corner of the table. For someone who usually was shy and quiet, she had a surprisingly resolute expression on her face.
As all eyes turned to her, Yuri flushed and continued speaking.
“I think I have an idea.”
“What?”
“Um, even if we don’t know where the enemy is, what they are doing, what their intentions are, or how many there are... I sort of have a hunch about what we should do.”
Ivan once said that Yuri never loses in a place where there is a ‘possibility of victory.’
She cannot face the Seven Dragon Lords alone. She cannot defeat an entire army by herself. That is an ‘impossible’ situation.
Conversely, this means that if there is even the slightest chance of victory, not losing means she can always ‘instinctively’ recognize the strategy needed to overcome it.
If this situation is a type of [quest] with [victory potential]. Yes, then there must exist [optimal strategies].
Regardless of who the opponent is, what purpose they have, how many there are, or even understanding ‘why this is a strategy’ does not seem important.
A compass pointing north does so not because the needle understands magnetism. It just does.
“Um... so...”
Yuri spoke words she herself did not fully understand, but with conviction. She reached out and placed her finger on a map depicting downtown Frechenkaya.
“Uh-huh.”
“Could there be a vampire stronger than Professor Enrique? Stronger than the Hero Party’s rogue?”
“There exists no elder that can guarantee a solo victory over Enrique.”
Ivan kicked at the mud engulfing his ankles as he spoke.
“However, even a super being can be pierced by a blade. It is not impossible to contend with a vampire. Even in times when superhumans were rare, people used to hunt vampires.”
In an era when superhuman were not ‘trained’ but ‘born. Long ago, people survived against vampires. If vampires were an impossible foe to confront, that immortal race would have reigned over humanity long ago.
However, that was not the case. No matter how powerful, there must be weaknesses. And if there exists even the slightest possibility of defeat, would Enrique dare confront another ‘vampire’?
It is a realm of uncertainty, but if it’s the Enrique he knows, then surely... he could never do such a thing.
Unlike other foes where defeat means death, vampires’ struggles take the form of conquest war. The victor takes everything from the defeated, thus demanding a price worse than death.
She could potentially set Frechenkaya ablaze with her own hands. The great legacy of the Hero Party could drink the blood of the citizens who admire her and burn the city.
Such an act would serve as a symbol that could plunge the entire civilized society into fear. So, if Ivan finds himself in the position of having to oppose civilized society, he would surely aim for something like that.
From the standpoint of preparing for the worst while executing the best, one could deduce the enemy’s tactical objectives as such.
They must have commenced their attack because they have means capable of capturing Enrique. Whatever it may be, it must be fatal to her.
Isabelle, who listened to that statement, let out a deep sigh.
*
-Grahhh....
-Kwajik!!
Elpheira screamed as she shattered the head of an approaching zombie.
“Why are there so many undead?!”
“Vampires... haah! Can control the dead!”
“Is it necromancy? A spell?”
“It’s blood sorcery. I can do it too, as long as I have enough blood—!!”
At Lucia’s shout, Elpheira replied bitterly.
“In this case, it would be great to use a sacred spell like [Ashes are Ashes], but that’s difficult, right?”
“It’s not difficult; it’s impossible! The Saint can’t use the sacred spells in this situation!”
“Don’t they have to die if you burst their heads? They are zombies!”
Oscar sliced through the arms of the approaching zombie with a single blow and kicked it over.
“They’re not just made to fill numbers.”
“That’s right.”
“What do you mean by that?”
When Ecdysis asked, unable to follow Lucia and Oscar’s conversation, Lucia answered in her stead.
“Zombies can’t suck blood. In blood sorcery, the one with greater dominion wins, so if a vampire has greater power than our teacher, our teacher can’t gain the upper hand.”
“Uh, uh.”
“So this means they were prepared as a trap to catch our teacher.”
Creating beings that cannot drain blood to extract power or usurp dominion, unless completely destroyed, they do not die.
To counter this, if Enrique were to oppose it, she would have no choice but to produce her own kin. If she personally wipes out the zombies, she would stand out to any hiding enemy elder, therefore, if Enrique wishes to avoid such a situation, she would not be able to take such actions.
Thus, this is a trap and a net of encirclement.
Not just randomly littered in front of this party, but rather deployed across the entire city at this very moment.
As five days of absolute darkness pass, the missing citizens join the legion of the dead, growing in numbers. While they are not too threatening yet, they still become a sufficiently large crowd.
If this situation were to persist for even another week, and if the terrified citizens were to incite a riot, there would be no way to respond. In the chaos, the vampires would exploit the situation even more easily.
At least if Ivan had been around.
To confront the ‘unknown vampire’ that was attempting the worst tactical options available following Enrique’s disablement.
Similarly, a man capable of replicating every tactic Enrique could employ would surely be needed.
As they advanced through the darkness of the city, crushing the zombies that sporadically emerged, the party moved towards their objective.
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