Grimgal of Ashes and Illusion - Volume 15 - Chapter 12

12. The Trick to the Lottery Is Not to Play

The fall of Deadhead Watching Keep had hit the Frontier Army in Alterna like a bolt from the blue, though there had been ominous whisperings between the volunteer soldiers before that. They said that orcs and undead from all over had been gathering in Rhodekia, the former capital of the Kingdom of Arabakia, now apparently called Grozdendahl. That a large group, no, a horde of orcs, or perhaps undead, had been sighted marching south from Grozdendahl, or maybe not. That black smoke had risen from the Shadow Forest where the elves lived. There had been a major fire there. No, not just a fire. The Shadow Forest might have been put to the torch.

The Frontier Army sent out scouts, and tried to figure out the situation, but they were ultimately unsuccessful.

They failed to detect the Alliance of Kings’ offensive until Deadhead Watching Keep fell.

However, at that point, the commander of the Frontier Army, General Rasentra, already felt a sense of crisis. That could be seen in the way that, the moment he received a report of the keep’s fall, he ordered a request for reinforcements be sent to the mainland.

But it was too late.

Two days after the fall of Deadhead Watching Keep, the enemy’s reach extended to Alterna.

Despite their attempts to harden the defenses, Alterna’s walls were easily broken. The enemy were far greater in number than they had imagined, and incredibly fierce. It wasn’t just the Frontier Army; the volunteer soldiers who happened to be in Alterna at the time fought, too, but they couldn’t stop the enemy’s momentum.

The enemy surrounded Tenboro, the home of Margrave Garlan Vedoy, in no time.

Graham Rasentra tried to take a unit of his finest men into Tenboro, but failed to accomplish his goal and died in single combat against an orc named Jumbo.

The enemy broke into Tenboro, and everyone but the Margrave himself was killed.

It was said that brigadier generals Ian Ratty and Jord Horn died in battle as well.

There were three brigadier generals in the Frontier Army, men tasked with the authority to lead a brigade. The last of them, Wren Water, was unaccounted for, but it was presumed that he fled Alterna for fear of his life, or was slain in the attempt.

The volunteer soldiers, under the command of Volunteer Soldier Corps Office Chief Britney, fought a hard battle, and were said to have pushed the enemy back in places. The exploits of Renji, who had enlisted at the same time as Haruhiro, were incredible, and he slew a great many enemies all by himself. However, when a great horde of goblins rushed in from Damuro, the volunteer soldiers were washed away and exterminated.

It was all over in the span of one night.

Even after the battle ended, Barbara stayed in Alterna, as they had agreed. She gathered information while searching for survivors, but unfortunately she got no results.

According to Barbara, half of the enemy force left a few days after the fall of Alterna. Since then, the goblins had become masters of the city.

The goblins’ clean-up operation, the human hunt, was harsh and thorough.

There had actually been a number of people who holed up in buildings, unable to escape, or had gone into hiding with heavy wounds, like the lord of the dread knight’s guild.

That lord had been the exception. Most were found, dragged out, and massacred.

The goblins lined up piles of human corpses in the plaza outside Tenboro and held something like a festival.

The bodies of the deceased weren’t just put on display, though.

Barbara had seen them, albeit at a distance, cutting the bodies into pieces, cooking, and boiling them.

She had, of course, seen the goblins eating them, too.

However, the goblins used all corpses the same way. Or, to be more specific, the only bodies they destroyed, taking out their rage and scorn on them, were the human ones, but they made meals of their own kind, too. Therefore, this was a common everyday occurrence for the goblins. It was their culture.

She had to conclude that humans had been wiped out from Alterna.

That seemed to be what the goblins thought, too.

In the beginning, the goblins had been managed by an individual who stood about 150 centimeters tall, a giant by their standards. Barbara called him the king, and the goblins weren’t just respectful of him; they groveled in his presence. When the king ordered something, they all started to move, or all stopped and were silent. He dressed almost like a human, wore a crown made from some kind of reddish metal, and carried a staff of the same material.

Barbara had witnessed the goblins bowing before the king, repeatedly calling him Mogado. Mogado Gwagajin. That must have been his name, or title.

There were also large goblins who carried equipment made of the same red metal following the king around and giving orders to the other goblins. They were clearly his followers. Because there were about a hundred of them, Barbara called them the Hundred.

Once the human hunt and the nightmarish festivities that followed were over, the king appeared satisfied and left Alterna with about half of the Hundred.

There was another goblin who might have been his second-in-command. This one dressed like the king, but with no crown, and took over after the king left.

Barbara had seen the goblins call this individual Mod Bogg, or simply Mod.

Her guess was that mod was a title, and Bogg was the individual’s name. If this Bogg was next in rank to the king, you might call him something like a viceroy.

Alterna was ruled by Viceroy Bogg and twenty of the Hundred, with thousands of goblins living there.

Viceroy Bogg seemed to be living in Tenboro. The Hundred also stayed there, and came out when they had business to attend to.

Barbara had seen the Margrave just once, bound with chains. He was dragged around the plaza, mocked by the goblins, spat on, and then taken back inside Tenboro. She couldn’t say for sure that he was still alive, but if they were going to kill him, that would have been the time to do it. They might have been keeping him captive for a reason.

No more goblins left Alterna, but the reverse was not true. They were probably coming from Damuro. Their numbers were steadily increasing.

The goblins she saw were armed, and it seemed that essentially all of them were male.

Not many of the goblins appeared to be married. Of the goblins in Alterna, the viceroy and influential males like the members of the Hundred were, on very rare occasions, seen together with what must have been female goblins.

The female goblins had small heads, large breasts, and swollen bellies. They may have been pregnant. It was apparently standard in goblin society for an influential goblin to take multiple females as wives.

Whatever the case, the viceroy and the members of the Hundred who were ruling Alterna in place of King Mogado Gwagajin lived in Tenboro Tower, along with their wives.

If there was a crisis, a messenger would run to Tenboro, and the Hundred would generally head out to handle it.

Tenboro had fallen. The door that had been destroyed at the time was removed, and a barricade erected in its place. There were always dozens of goblins on the barricade, sometimes including members of the Hundred.

“If we go about it right, it sounds like we could take it,” General Jin Mogis muttered, a dull glimmer in his rusty eyes. “If we launch a diversion, then strike Tenboro while security is thin, and if we can manage to take the viceroy’s head, perhaps.”

Haruhiro and the others had returned to General Mogis along with Barbara.

The reason they gave was that, rather than pass along secondhand information, it was better if Barbara spoke to him directly. But, more honestly, she wanted to decide for herself just how much they should reveal to the general. From Barbara’s perspective, there was a big difference between acting with knowledge of what sort of man the general was, and not.

Deep inside the Expeditionary Force’s camp, General Mogis had a space with a table and chairs set up where he could hold a war council.

As the dark of night encroached on the camp, General Mogis, three of his closest warriors, Neal the scout, Anthony, Haruhiro, Merry, and Barbara were all there.

They were short a chair, however, so Haruhiro ended up standing.

“I want a map.” The general looked at Barbara. “A detailed map. With all the escape holes drawn in. Can you prepare one?”

“That’s possible.” Barbara smiled. “We’d have to copy our map of Alterna and give it to you. It would take some time.”

The general put his hands down on the table, and gave her a sharp look. “Hand it over as-is.”

Barbara’s smile deepened. “That will not be possible.”

“Why?” the general asked without missing a beat.

“The thing’s a mess.” Barbara licked her lips and let out a low chuckle. “I’m afraid, with the way it’s drawn, only we can understand it.”

“When we scouts draw maps, we have our own style,” Neal interjected. “If you don’t know how to read it, it’s probably meaningless. The thieves in the frontier must use similar methods. I should be able to read it.”

Barbara tut-tutted him teasingly. “No, you can’t. We have our own ways of doing things in the frontier.”

Neal shrugged. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Have the map ready in three days,” the general demanded in a monotone voice. “I cannot wait any longer.”

“Oh, my.” Barbara was still smiling. “You don’t like being kept in suspense, do you? But if you don’t wait, what will you do?”

“Anyone who does not cooperate with our army will be deemed an obstacle.”

“Forceful, aren’t we? I don’t mind that in a man.”

“Clever women like you are a favorite of mine, too. I always find myself wanting to devour them.”

Was he serious, or was that a threat? Or maybe even a joke? Whatever it was, if the general could say that with a serious look on his face, it was safe to say, at the very least, he wasn’t in possession of an average, ordinary frame of mind.

Though the way Barbara didn’t back down was extraordinary, too.

“Well, I prefer to be the one doing the devouring. Now, let’s assume I’m going to make you the map. How many people will be going into Alterna?”

“50 to one 100 at most. The rest will attack from outside.”

“What will you do once you take Alterna?”

“That is nothing you need to be concerned about.”

“We’re surrounded by enemies, General. Just north of Alterna, there’s hundreds of orcs in Deadhead Watching Keep.”

“I am aware.”

“The goblins and orcs aren’t on friendly terms, but...” Anthony hesitantly said.

“Alterna is what the Kingdom of Arabakia wants.” The general looked around at everyone there. “The Expeditionary Force must take Alterna. That is the duty we have been tasked with.”

There was no room for negotiation. No matter what anyone said, the general wasn’t likely to change his policy.

Barbara looked up to the sky and sighed. She stroked her chin and thought for a moment, then glanced back at the general.

“Making the map, bringing the soldiers into Alterna, and getting them in position. It will take ten days to prepare.”

“Five days,” said the general.

Barbara cocked her head to the side a little.

“How does eight days sound?”

“Seven days.”

“Can it be eight days, including this one, which is nearly over?”

“Very well.”

“Then we’ll prepare for eight days, including today, and act on the ninth day.”

The general silently nodded.

“Well.” Barbara gave him a sexy smile. “I think we might just barely make it in time.”

“You seem like you’d be better suited to running a brothel than working as a thief,” the general said with no emotion.

“I think sleeping with good men and women suits me.”

“For me,” the general gave her a smile so faint it might not even have been there. “Whether it’s men or women, barbarians, beasts, or monsters, trampling them is what suits me best.”

Jin Mogis was as inscrutable as ever. But that he enjoyed trampling things and stomping them into the ground might have been the truth.

Whatever the case, the discussion was at an end.

In nine days, they would carry out the operation to retake Alterna. Though it wasn’t the ten days that Barbara originally asked for, it was a fair amount of time to work with.

When Barbara went back to Alterna to prepare the map, Neal was sent to accompany her. They said it was to help with the work, but he was basically there to monitor her.

Haruhiro and Merry headed to the tent where their comrades were waiting. They had a mountain of things to talk about, but Neal wasn’t the only scout around. There might be people working for General Mogis or Neal listening in, so they had to be careful when sharing information. They didn’t have a lot of time, but they had enough. There was no need to rush.

The next day, the general made an announcement to the whole army.

“Eight days from now, our Expeditionary Force will launch a glorious and critical operation. To that end, I will be recruiting for a suicide squad that will go on a dangerous mission. Until we reach the 50 volunteers needed, I will personally execute one person who has broken regulations each day.”

It was an abnormal, even crazy announcement.

Haruhiro was sure the general must be serious, but most of the soldiers didn’t seem to be taking it that way.

There were no volunteers on the first day.

Just after the sun set, the general looked around the camp.

Though they feared the general, a good number of the soldiers were grinning or lying about as if they didn’t care.

The general suddenly stopped, and ordered one soldier who was sitting on the ground looking away from him to “Stand.”

The man didn’t hesitate. He was on his feet fairly quickly. He was a young soldier, probably around twenty years old.

“...What is it?”

“Have you ever broken regulations?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Is that true?”

“I have not.”

“Who is your superior officer?” The general looked around.

The old soldier who was sitting nearby stood up. “I am,” he said.

“Has he broken regulations?” the general asked.

“...I don’t believe he’s done anything in particular,” the old soldier responded.

“Then were you given orders that said you could sit here?”

“No,” the old soldier looked uneasy. “...We were not.”

“That’s right. I didn’t order you to sit. Doing things I didn’t order you to is against regulations.”

The general suddenly drew his sword, and decapitated the young soldier.

His head rolled, and his body slumped to the ground.

The camp fell silent.

The general calmly wiped the blood from his sword using his black fur cloak, then returned it to its scabbard. “Clean this up,” he ordered the old soldier.

“Y-Yes, sir!” The old soldier nodded repeatedly.

“Now, then.” The general looked around at the soldiers. “Is there anyone in this Expeditionary Force who has not violated regulations? I wonder how many more I will have to kill. What a bother.”

And so, the soldiers were left with a dilemma.

Jin Mogis had specifically called it a suicide squad. The mission was sure to be harsh. They had to be prepared to die in the battle to come, because they surely would. Though not all of the volunteers were guaranteed to die, there was a high likelihood of it.

If they volunteered, they might die during the mission, but they wouldn’t be executed for violating regulations. In addition, if the number of volunteers reached 50, no one would be cut down by the general until the operation started. However, if there were a thousand troops in the Expeditionary Force, there was a one in a thousand chance they might be executed by the general tomorrow. If they weren’t exceptionally unlucky, they weren’t going to win — no, in this case, perhaps lose was the better word — this particular lottery.

The soldiers thought about it on their own, talked with their friends, told those they didn’t get along with to volunteer, fought, mediated, loudly criticized others, got into fist fights, and spent the night without sleeping.

Haruhiro and his group probably wouldn’t be executed, but the murderous air in the camp was uncomfortable.

In the middle of the night, as they were talking in secret, no more able to get to sleep than the soldiers were, Anthony came to visit them.

“I told you, didn’t I? The general is no ordinary man. Though, even knowing that, I was waiting to see how he would get this army to fight, but... I never expected that.”

“Think he’ll get 50?” Kuzaku asked in a tone laced with disgust.

“I wonder,” Anthony mumbled, not giving a proper answer, and then sat down next to Kuzaku. Kuzaku was clearly annoyed by him.

It seemed, for Anthony, the distinction between who was a mainlander and who was from the frontier was the most important factor. Haruhiro and his group were people of the frontier, so he felt closer to them than the mainlanders.

“The true situation in the mainland that the general told me about...” Anthony said in a low voice. “Do you think it’s all true?”

“We couldn’t possibly say.” Setora didn’t mince words.

Anthony hung his head.

“I guess not.”

“Me, I’m just gonna do what I have to, y’know?” Kuzaku said, trying to smooth things over.

“Those are exactly the words I’d expect from someone without a thought in his head.” Setora scoffed.

“You’re always so quick to say things like that, Setora-san.”

“You guys have got it good,” Anthony said all of a sudden. “I’m jealous.”

Haruhiro wasn’t sure what he was jealous of, but if Anthony learned that all of them but Merry had lost their memories, would he still feel the same way?

Maybe he’d actually feel even more envious.

But the more things you cared about enough to fear losing them, the harder it was to act.

Since returning to Alterna, Haruhiro hadn’t had a proper conversation with Shihoru. She seemed kind of cold, like she was avoiding him.