+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

Astelia City

June 14, 1539 CE

"So these are new anti-demon wards?" asked Hans, confused as he looked at a bunch of crystals in front of him.

"Well, that might be nothing but a marketing label," Ebert said, as he inspected them. "But I imagine, these might be useful for the two of you."

"Hmm…what does it do?"

"It detects hostile mana. Once it does, a spell engraved using those runes you see will activate a powerful shield around you. I believe that you can perhaps…place it on your mechs?" the Colonel laughed. "Though, I did hear you already have a skill for this."

"I do have one. It's an upgrade called 'Smooth Response', but…it's fairly limited at the moment."

"Is that so?"

Hans picked up two of the crystals, wondering where he would even place these things anyway. He imagined he could perhaps use it, but…

"How is this usually used?" Hans asked.

"Considering how it's a crystal, those warding crystals are usually worn around the neck. I should say, considering it's essentially concentrated mana with a spell on it, once used, it shatters."

"So it's a glorified jewelry?"

"...You can say that."

"How much does it cost?"

"About a hundred Imperial Marks each."

Hans nearly vomited upon hearing that. Sure, all the bounty money and everything else they earned by hunting literal nightmares to mankind made them technically obscenely rich by now, but that was ridiculous.

"I mean," Ebert shrugged. "It's usually used by nobles. It's why when you attack them by surprise, they usually have something to protect themselves and buy them time. That barrier, whichever object or creature it imparts its effect on, will have the most powerful barrier spell known to man cast on it once activated, so that hundred Imperial Marks essentially ensure that whatever attack hits you will fail."

"Well…I already have 'Smooth Response' in my upgrades, so my mechs probably won't need it."

"Right…"

"But I think I'd need it for myself," Hans nodded to himself. "Procure me…five. No, ten. No twenty of these—"

"Are you planning on taking on a dozen demons at once, you crazed maniac?!"

"Well, you never know."

Suddenly, the two's bickering was interrupted when Adelyn suddenly barged into their conference room, which was messy because they had just worked on the combat manuals that they were developing, and they had conducted a wargame earlier and a front analysis so there were maps with wooden pieces on top of the main table.

Of course, including alcohol, both bottles and glass cups.

Adelyn immediately pinched her nose.

"Do you two need booze whenever you strategize? Hans, you reek. Consider caffeine instead!" Adelyn angrily chastised.

"It was Ebert here who goaded me into it," Hans defensively stepped back while raising his hands.

"Woah, you're fast at passing the blame. I feel backstabbed here," Ebert on the other hand staggered. "I can't believe this."

"In any case, you two, Jonas is searching for you both. He said he now has the information you asked for."

"Oh," Hans smiled. "That's good to hear."

Adelyn turned back to the door.

"I'll leave now. I need to get Alizée into bed," she yawned. "And I'm tired practicing magic too, so have a good evening, you two."

"Goodnight too," Hans said, as Adelyn waved her hand and left.

He turned back to the crystals on the table, then back to Ebert. Hans' hands suddenly found the officer's shoulders, and he shook Ebert vigorously with a blank expression.

"Get me the best-looking one of these things too," Hans demanded. "Something that'd look beautiful as a necklace."

"What the hell, stop shaking me, asshole!"

"Make sure it's able to withstand a full shot from even a calamity."

"A calamity? Testing that thing on a demon is hard in the first place, how can you even envision an enchanter doing the same to a calamity?"

"I want it to be emerald green too."

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"Now you want it to match the color of Captain Wittenstein's eyes too? Disgusting."

"Then make it gold instead."

"Now you just matched it with her hair, dumbass!"

+++

"Forty-three thousand?" Hans asked, surprised. No, stupefied even. "That much?"

"It ain't much when you consider that it's a hundred twenty mages," Jonas added.

"Ah, I see…" Hans nodded. When he averaged it down, it was definitely below a thousand. Now that he thought about it, he alone might have more AP than multiple mages. He didn't know he was that individually strong.

Then again, even if I can't cast magic, I use my magic for my mech anyway, and my mech guzzles through AP like crazy.

"Hey," Hans called out to Ebert on the side, who was analyzing the papers in front of him. "What do you think about this?"

"To be honest, there's not much I can tell. I'm not a mage. In combat, I use my skills quite exclusively to boost my gun attacks, or my sword…Though, I think it's been ages since I ever used my rapier."

"I know a few things where battlemages can be useful," Jonas said, frowning. "If you're asking about area spells too, we might have to train our mages to cast things together."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. While truly powerful individuals like Adelyn, Lady Emilia, or even Lady Valeria can probably cast a powerful area of effect spell they studied, your average battlemage cannot, unless multiple mages pool their AP together."

"Okay…"

"And they'd all have to be capable of not just resonating with each other's magic so that they'd cast it together, they also need to study and practice the spell on a small scale before making a bigger one."

"I see. I see. Do you have any experts about how to cast area spells?" Hans asked, as he presented the grimoire he was using to envision new tactics. "I've marked three critical spells here, and less critical ones, that I'd like to see used in the battlefield."

He then gave Jonas another paper, which contained requirements for the spells he marked in the grimoire. They were, essentially, the numbers he needed like the size of areas he'd like affected by the spells, down to requirements about specific terrain conditions.

Practically, he was treating these spells like a defense procurement officer would. He first saw the raw resources or AP available from his unit, then, he checked the capabilities available to them, which were the spells, then he had requirements that he wanted met.

Essentially, what he wanted now from Jonas, was a feasibility study to meet these requirements.

Jonas checked it, and he seemed to understand it, but the man winced.

"To be honest, I doubt our mages would like this," Jonas said, shaking his head.

"Why not?"

"They're going to feel like they're being used as glorified heavy weapons."

Hans' eyes widened.

"Haven't they realized that exactly is the point of their existence since we hired them?"

Ebert laughed.

"He's from another land," Ebert said, as he took a tobacco pipe. "Of course, he won't understand that mages trying to climb with their tier and levels are going to have a measure of pride."

"Well, they're in the military now," Hans said, his tone cold. "I'd like to squeeze every capability they have as a unit, so they better fall in line."

+++

June 16, 1539 CE

"The Empress is visiting Astelia soon," General Kohler declared in front of Hans.

He was alone in his office, with the general of the Ygeian Expeditionary Corps sitting behind his desk, while Hans stood in front of him. He stiffened from those words.

That damned woman. Only now?!

"You look quite angry," General Kohler said.

"Of course I'm angry," Hans made his displeasure known clearly. "With all due respect, her absence has now caused millions of deaths, and the breakdown of mankind's coordination. I fear what could have happened if Adelyn didn't choose to intervene."

General Kohler nodded along.

"Most of all, why now? And why is she coming here?"

"The Imperial Capital is not under the control of the Empire at the moment. It's also not under the control of demons."

"What?"

"You heard that correctly. It seems that there was a reason why the Imperial Core has been eerily silent for a while now. They've been trying to hide something from us."

Hans felt himself turning cold. Hide something?

"But then why wouldn't it leak?"

"Because barely anyone can move from the three western principalities and the Imperial Core. Hell, barely anyone can move between the principalities with demons and monsters everywhere."

"..."

"It appears that there has been a power struggle for the past few years since the demons appeared. I assume that's why the Empress is moving to the west. The authorities that informed us didn't mention anything outside of her moving to 'visit affected areas', but that's obviously obfuscation."

"Tsk. What proof do we have that there's anything like that, General? What's your source on this?"

"Under the orders of the IYC, I sent an expedition to the Principality of Armonia, the center of the Imperium itself. On the journey there, they've noted that all principalities already fell to alternative administrations, just like here, and Armonia itself seemed to be under the control of the Holy Church."

"...And what about the Empress?"

"The church refused to even let the people we sent a chance to see her. The atmosphere in Armonia was different too. It seemed that nobles and clergymen had been feuding for months over control of the Imperial Army. The Imperial Army itself is under the control of the current pope."

"...That doesn't sound good."

"They told my men that the Empress is sick. By that point, they were forced to turn back on an arduous journey to report back to me. By the time I received the report three days ago, in just a day, I received a letter from a nearly dead Imperial Messenger who reached our defense lines. That's how I know the Empress is visiting here."

Hans placed his hand on his chin.

"So they gave you a letter that's trying to act all normal and business-like, but the guy who sent it was barely alive, and the only actual source you have of what's happening in the east tells that things are suspiciously bad…"

"I can only infer clearly that the church is trying to take over the Empire. Most likely, they must have imprisoned or kept the Empress locked in her palace, and only now has she escaped. Notice that immediately, she's trying to get to the west."

"I've heard enough," Hans nodded. "Enough to know that the east in this case is fully compromised. I wonder though, what use will the Empress have if she comes here? She seems like someone who lost the power struggle over there anyway. And I think even locals here hate her for her absence."

"We'll confirm things once she arrives," General Kohler said. "That's why, our next mission is to get her here. To retrieve her. Because if the condition of her messenger is of any indication—she might not make it here."

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