As the commander was replaced in an instant, rumors spread rapidly.
The Banneret Knights commanding other banners openly criticized the 3rd Prince.
The reason was that he had suddenly appeared to replace a legitimate commander and seized that position,
But the fact that most of those appointed as Banneret Knights belonged to the Queen's faction also played a major role.
Conversely, the soldiers were simply amazed.
It was surprising enough that the 3rd Prince, whom they had only heard about, had come in person,
But they never dreamed he would bring companions who could defeat the black bugs that couldn't be scratched no matter what they did to them.
The fact that such strong people were neither conscripts nor regular army,
Moreover, the 3rd Prince was...
"Abandoning duties assigned on the battlefield and deserting. Neglecting duties as a commander without just cause."
"Y-Your Highness."
"You haven't failed to memorize Aquilonia's military law revised 7 years ago by now, have you? Is there room for excuse?"
"Your Highness, that is!"
Inside the Banneret Knight's tent.
It took only half a day to track down and capture the Banneret Knight who had abandoned his subordinates and fled,
But in the meantime, Yurik had thoroughly arranged the tent he would now occupy in a businesslike manner.
Things unsuitable for wartime situations like alcohol, luxurious clothing, oils used for armor polish, and ribbons were all thrown away.
Inside the tent were only a desk for maps, a modest mat, a few chairs, and a few boxes for storing supplies.
The tent, which seemed to permit not even a trace of waste, was even desolate.
Yurik sat at the desk placed in the center.
The knight, now stripped of his commander qualifications, had to kneel on the floor and look up at him.
He tried to protest to Yurik as if he felt wronged,
But somehow whenever their eyes met, he felt his legs go numb and couldn't manage it well.
Yurik asked again.
"While the command post should properly be located in the rear, being this far from the main force would make it impossible to issue urgent orders."
"That was just for the co-commander's safety-"
"How far is the distance between the main force and command post?"
The 3rd Prince, now the commander of the 3rd and 4th banners, addressed the messenger.
The messenger, who hadn't been able to follow all the rapidly unfolding events since being rescued by Cellinne, quickly raised his head.
"O-on horseback, it takes about four flips of an hourglass."
"On foot?"
"More than ten flips would be needed."
The knight who had been listening to the answer cursed the messenger inwardly.
He was telling this straight? He would beat that guy to death with a scabbard later.
But whether Yurik knew the knight's thoughts or not, he only glanced once at the fairly large hourglass that had been in the commander's tent.
"This is also inappropriate. Even setting up the command post in a location outside the deployment zone."
"But with demons rampaging in the wasteland, how could knights like us go to such a dangerous place just by approaching!"
"Yes, knights like you would have wanted to be safe from the demons. Then answer why the main force composed of conscripts and regular soldiers should be near the wasteland boundary."
Naturally, the knight couldn't answer.
To him, this was natural. Important talents like himself who had titles and would take on key roles in Aquilonia shouldn't die easily.
That's why he had set up the command post in an area where the wasteland demons' influence couldn't easily reach.
Orders to deliver to the main force? The messenger had perfectly good legs, so couldn't orders be issued through the messenger?
Those individual soldiers rolling around in the mud could be conscripted in any number,
But Banneret Knights produced by noble families were rare. So he should rightfully be in a safe place.
To the knight himself, this was an all too natural conclusion,
But the gazes of those looking at him in the tent now contained nothing but contempt.
Cellinne, who had been guarding behind to prevent the knight from escaping, muttered quietly.
"Bastard."
The knight's shoulders flinched. He had definitely heard her muttering.
Yurik waved his hand.
"Confine him. When the situation ends, send him back to the royal castle for court-martial."
"Your Highness, no, please listen to me for a moment. Your Highness! Your Highness!"
The knight, whose face had turned pale at Yurik's judgment, crawled over trying to grab Yurik's legs,
But Valter quickly made a wise decision.
-Clang!
"This young fool has already been corrupted by strange things. I'll take this lad with me."
Valter, who had struck the knight's head with his axe handle, dragged the limp knight out.
Dardin, who had been watching the scene from beside Yurik, said.
"He's the third son of Count Schulter. He shouldn't have achievements worthy of coming to such a place yet, but the Count's influence must have worked strongly."
"They tried hard to sell their son to curry favor with the Queen, so it must be disappointing that it fell through."
Yurik replied expressionlessly and looked down at the map spread out nicely.
Beside the map stood small pieces that could be used when planning military tactics.
From figurines representing soldier types like archers, spearmen, infantry, and cavalry to tokens symbolizing enemies.
Dardin began placing pieces on the map one by one.
"First, from what I've heard, a total of 7 banners are stationed at the border, and the expected personnel exceeds eight hundred. The total personnel of the 3rd and 4th banners that Your Highness commands is 230. I'll assess the current situation and deliver detailed figures later."
"Not many."
"The personnel who can actually participate in combat is much fewer. Including all those staying near the command post, perhaps about thirty."
"Since I didn't include them in calculations, it doesn't matter. Prioritize treatment of those unable to act, and make them into available forces."
"Yes."
Before Yurik's watching eyes, Dardin completed the organization of the 3rd and 4th banners and the estimated enemy positions.
On the vast wasteland side, the largest red piece sat squarely in the center.
Yurik lightly pressed it with his index finger.
"They say it causes tremendous mental repercussions. Are you all still fine?"
"Yes. We're still at a distance from the wasteland. We'll need to go closer to be certain."
"Pay attention to ensuring smooth supply of materials to my banners. Looking at the previous commander's state, it's obvious how things have been running on site."
"I'll be careful."
"Eva, we head to the main force now. Assess the patients' situations and make them as mobile as possible. Afterward, we'll consult with other banner commanders to change the garrison."
Hearing this, Eva bowed her head slightly.
"I'll do my best."
"Cellinne, serve as Eva's escort. If an emergency arises, resolve it under your own judgment. Of course, within limits that don't affect other banners."
"Of course!"
"Messenger, deliver a meeting summons request to the commanders of the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 7th banners. Since the commander of the 3rd and 4th banners has changed, shouldn't we at least see each other's faces?"
"Y-yes! I'll do as ordered, Your Highness!"
At the messenger's stammering response, Yurik pointed out without even looking at him.
"Address me as commander. Titles are useless in war."
The messenger thought about why that would be useless. The former Banneret Knight who had been dragged away earlier had freely wielded that title while using his subordinate soldiers like servants.
In the messenger's opinion, though he didn't know well yet, the former Banneret Knight and the 3rd Prince were vastly different.
The 3rd Prince was very straightforward and prioritized practicality and business.
Though his face was very young, it was peculiar how he rattled off military law and punishments,
And his familiar deployment of personnel seemed contrary to his apparent age.
Rather than a noble prince, he seemed to exude the atmosphere of a veteran who had experienced dozens of wars...
The messenger, who had been thinking blankly like this, felt Dardin's gaze piercing his face and made a "huh" sound.
"Y-yes! Commander! I'll go right now!"
The messenger, who let out something that might have been a shout or a battle cry, immediately shot out of the tent.
Somehow, if he got marked as incompetent by the new commander, his future didn't seem like it would be very comfortable either.
* * *
Eva and Cellinne also quickly headed to the main force.
As the messenger had said, there was quite a distance between the main force and the command post and commander's garrison.
The two, who had borrowed horses to hurry, were flustered when the horses suddenly stopped.
"They were going fine, why are they doing this? Eva, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Why did they suddenly stop?"
Cellinne tugged at the reins and struggled, but the horses were also stubborn and wouldn't move at all.
Eva got down with her luggage. The path ahead was ordinary. There was no reason for the horses to suddenly stop.
Then what that meant was.
"Cellinne. It looks like we'll have to walk from here."
"From here? But it'll take quite a while to reach the main force."
"I have that feeling somehow. They say animals have more sensitive senses than us. This must be where the wasteland's sphere of influence begins."
In the end, the two had no choice but to tie the horses to a nearby tree and travel on foot themselves.
While walking, Cellinne kept thinking about whether she felt something strange, but it didn't seem to be of much use.
"How do you feel? I don't notice any change so I can't tell."
"I'm okay. It's a bit stuffy like it's hard to breathe, but other than that I'm fine."
"Is Yesung's blood having an effect?"
"I don't know. We haven't directly seen the situation yet."
Eva recalled when she had drunk Yesung's blood.
Being a medical scholar, she had chosen a hygienic method, and Yesung had to cut his finger with a blade heated and sterilized in fire under Eva's supervision.
It was just a few drops of liquid with a salty taste.
Of course, it did spread a cool sensation in her stomach that made her shudder.
Yesung had looked at the finger Eva had treated and said.
-I did say the effect gets stronger the more you believe, but belief is ultimately an unmeasurable part of the heart.
-Right?
-So I think I'd understand if Eva couldn't have trust in my blood.
-Why are you suddenly saying that?
-Eva is rational, and you never know. Still, later if such a situation arises and it becomes dangerous, then...
Eva recalled Yesung's words while pressing her slightly stuffy chest.
What did he mean that only she might have less effect?
Did he mean that Dardin, Cellinne, Valter, and Yurik, excluding herself, were different?
But still, Eva thought that the blood they had drunk, even though it was said to help them perform amazing magic,
Didn't seem likely to have effects beyond this.
Eva and Cellinne somehow pushed through the strangely heavy air.
Then,
Suddenly their destination appeared in a completely open view without beginning or end.
There, identical messy tents were set up.
Outside, traces of fires remained, and stacks of supply boxes could be seen.
But why was there such a strong sense of unease?
Cellinne and Eva slowly entered the camp. Normally, guards protecting the camp should have asked for identification, but there was none of that now.
"There are... no people."
Cellinne looked back at Eva in confusion.
But Eva put down her medical bag and walked boldly toward the nearest tent.
"Wait, Eva!"
-Flutter.
With a whoosh sound, Eva opened the tent entrance before Cellinne could stop her.
Cellinne, who ended up looking inside together, drew in a short breath.
The only light source was what came through the thin gap at the entrance.
Inside the tent, dark as night even though it was day,
More than five people were crammed into the narrow space.
People lying down, collapsed, sitting, and leaning made not a single sound of breathing.
It was the same even though strangers had barged in.
Eva knelt on one knee and checked the condition of the person right in front of the entrance.
The heart was beating. Though weak, breathing could be felt too.
But what was this reaction?
Eva, who had been checking by turning back the soldier's eyelids, made a diagnosis.
"There's no special conscious activity."
"Wh-what? Are all these people dead? Here like this? How? Who-"
"They're not dead. Their hearts are beating. They're breathing too. But they can't do anything beyond that. It's strange. It's exactly like."
As if their souls had been drained.
Eva immediately left the tent and began checking other places.
But no matter where she looked, the situation didn't change.
At most, there was only the difference of whether they could move their eyes or not.
Cellinne, not knowing what to do, followed Eva around and asked.
"What about all these people? I heard they couldn't move, but this is too serious. Is this all because of the wasteland demons?"
"Yes. Though it's not well known, there are similar cases even if not necessarily demons. Cases where people can't move due to psychological shock."
"Is that possible?"
"People are complex. Is it because body and mind can't be separated? Sometimes the invisible mind acts more powerfully than the substantial body. Sadness or pain completely destroying a person is more common than you'd think."
"Then how do you treat people who are destroyed like that?"
"According to cases I've encountered, they force hard labor. They force physical movement to make them forget psychological problems."
"H-hard labor?"
"If not that, they repeatedly dip them in water and pull them out, or there's also a method of burying them in dirt and then digging them up. 'Physically strong shock' therapy is also quite utilized."
"Isn't there anything other than that?"
"Something else."
Eva stopped and thought for a moment.
"Ah. There's also a method of inserting a long thin rod through the eye to destroy part of the brain. Then they can't feel depression, fear, or pain for life. It's quite an innovative treatment method."
"There's really such a method? Are you going to do that? No, right? You're not, right Eva?"
Cellinne looked at Eva, who was now starting to roll up her sleeves, in terror.
Should she let her favorite friend mess up the inside of someone's head? Should she strongly stop her right now?
Eva chuckled while watching Cellinne who couldn't decide.
"The time for performing such procedures has passed. It's a story from rather old-fashioned times."
"Then? What are you going to do now?"
"It's obvious, Cellinne."
Eva opened her heavy bag.
The bag opened wide on both sides, and compartments divided into layers automatically rose up.
Inside were silver scales and thin spoons, measuring cups made of glass, and dried medicinal ingredients packed tight.
Eva raised her head.
"Let's first check what condition these people are in."
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