Godfather's System

146. Interlude - Zolast

Zolast couldn't help but sigh as the crimson mana wall in front of him dispersed, the way it folded to nothingness suggesting the caster had lost control of the spell completely for some reason.

Knowing Edward, the reason in question was likely to be terminal in nature.

Confirmation of the mage's death came a moment later, using the simple code Edward had given him, while asking him to observe the enemy. Followed by another message. Prepare for a counterattack. Then, another order arrived. Prepare for a retreat.

From anyone else, such an order would imply a sudden change, but Zolast worked with Edward long enough to read his meaning easily. He was asking him to be prepared for both cases, signaling that he didn't know how the cultists would react.

Zolast didn't blame him. Based on what he could derive from their short-lived conflict, the mage Edward had just assassinated was not a joke. Enough to rival him before he managed to awaken his Intelligence. Even with that, a victory would have required his full attention, costing significantly for their army.

The loss of such a figure was not trivial for anyone. Not for the cultists, not for the nobles, not even for the kingdom. Meaning that, their enemy would either do their best to retreat … or try to pin them down until even more of their forces arrive and make them pay.

Zolast could see Edward at a distance, cutting through the army, still wearing that ridiculous golden armor with a fake glow.

Around him, the army cheered, their battle intent renewed, showing that they didn't share Zolast's opinion about the ridiculousness of the view. Not that Zolast blamed them. Even without the showmanship, Edward was cutting through the army like a demigod, each blow taking down an armored soldier, maybe even two.

For all his claims that he was inferior to proper knights like Artmiss when it came to battle, Edward was doing an excellent job of taking an army on alone. His awakened Speed made him a true monster on the battlefield.

Was he invincible? Not even close. Even watching him approach, Zolast could come up with a dozen magical ways that would remove that advantage, some tactical, some magical. But, Edward had just taken down their leaders, leaving the rest a mess.

Zolast wasn't idling as he thought about Edward's achievements and strategic impacts. The biggest advantage of his awakened intelligence was multitasking, allowing him to cast twelve different detection spells at the same time, spreading them around. Some, he targeted at the sky. Some, he used for the surface.

Mostly, he targeted the tunnels, trying to see if there was another counter-attack in the process. He was more forceful than before. With the losses of the cultists mounting, they were past the point of hiding their abilities.

His spells penetrated through the tunnel — helped by the destabilized ritual of the dead mage weakening the defenses — as he explored the insides of the beast, doing his best to find the presence of reinforcements.

There were none.

"Excellent," he said as he communicated the situation to Edward, and received a request back. Counter-attack.

"Showtime," Zolast murmured to himself, using a phrase Edward seemed to be a fan of even as he raised his hand, glowing with an intense blue glow. "In the name of the sun god!" he shouted, doing his best to ignore the unnatural way those words felt.

After spending his life in the service of a god who had betrayed him in the end, worshiping another felt weird. Even if it was a fake one.

He let that blue glow on his hand spread along the wards, triggering several spells he had embedded in the wards, distracting himself from the sudden existential crisis with some more productive activities.

The blue glow triggered one of his contingencies, turning the whole ward structure into an attack spell. In a way, it was similar to the explosive ward the cultists had embedded in their wards … just not as pathetically amateurish.

The defensive structure turned into a single mana arrow, glowing brightly enough to blind people. Then, Zolast added another little trick, a simple light spell that added a golden hue to the glow, playing his role as the mysterious priest.

No matter how much it irked him.

Luckily, he had an army to unleash his frustrations upon. The arrow landed at the center of their formation, exploding in a devastating inferno. Zolast felt a sense of pain hit him … even with the help of the wards, such a spell was not exactly trivial.

Healing the devastation that mana left behind took a significant chunk out of his reserves.

[-192 Health]

It was not in vain, as not only did it take down hundreds of cultists at once, but also destroyed their formation completely. "Attack!" he ordered. "Leave no worshiper of evil behind."

The baron and his hundred soldiers rushed forward immediately, not even waiting for Zolast's arrangement. For a moment, Zolast wanted to order him to stop and call him back. It was what he would have done back when he was the Holy Guide.

Therefore costing his army the best chance to destroy the enemy forces.

However, working with Edward as they danced at both sides of the law taught him an important lesson: adapt to the circumstances rather than chasing absolute control.

The direct charges of the Baron were one such case. Baron Maell was a bullheaded commander who thought everything could be solved with a dedicated assault, and his newfound faith in the sun god only made him more enthusiastic.

Unfortunately, both his spell and Edward's spectacular show of single-handedly destroying the rear of the army only enhanced his zealotry.

"Now, what to do," Zolast murmured as he examined the battlefield and the desperate charges. If they were fighting against another army, they would have already started retreating … but as the defeat drew close, cultists only got crazier and crazier.

Luckily, they didn't spontaneously turn into monsters, showing Edward's experience was not a common one. Some of them tried to use their crystals for summoning, but Zolast was quick to destroy those portals before they could be stabilized.

With their other options removed, the cultists decided to attack the most obvious targets as their last stand. Edward and the Baron.

Edward recognized the problem immediately. He could have run back, but instead, he rushed toward the forces of the Baron, creating one big target for the cultists, who surrounded and attacked them. Zolast had to admit, as they surrounded the small force as a giant half-circle, still numbering in thousands, the cultists made an impressive sight.

"Attack! For the sun god!" Zolast shouted again, enhancing his voice with magic.

"For the sun god!" the squads answered, but luckily, unlike the Baron, they still followed his constant orders. Zolast stayed at the top, splitting his attention between casting detection spells and blocking summons, leaving the task of killing the cultists to the army, occasionally using his healing spells to prevent death.

Pity that, even he couldn't save all of them. Occasionally, there was a lucky hit that destroyed the brain, a devastating cut to the neck, killing the target before he could intervene. Another life lost… Another future snuffed.

The truth about their enemies didn't make the tragedy any less potent.

What followed was a weird, deadly dullness as their motley army cut down the crazed cultists again and again, occasionally losing another of their numbers. Barely ten percent, a great military victory.

But as the army cheered around him, Zolast still felt empty, wishing that he could do more.

He didn't give an order to the army immediately, despite their current lack of formation creating a vulnerability. With his magic and Edward's Perception, an ambush was impossible…

And, regardless of the circumstances, they had earned their rest.

Edward clearly thought so too as he walked next to him rather than intervening. Zolast cast a spell to block the sound.

"I need a drink," Edward called.

"You and me both," Zolast answered, glad that he wasn't the only one feeling empty despite their victory. "What a waste."

"Yes, what a waste. It makes you think—" Edward started, only to freeze. Even with his helmet on, Zolast was able to read his shock.

It made Zolast tense as well. Edward was not an easy man to be startled.

"Damn it," he growled in shock. "It was a message from Limenta. Apparently, the cultists started to siege Town Maell."

That would do, Zolast decided. "But that doesn't make sense. They have just lost here. Why would they wait until we won here before they started the siege? With their army gone, they lost an important asset in the process. We can return back to the town in half a day at most. Even with its defenses weakened, can they take the town in such a short time?"

"They can if we were fighting against only a fraction of their armies," Edward answered. "This is why the situation was bothering me. The whole thing felt like a setup. They didn't want to just take down Town Maell. They wanted to make its fall a consequence of an overextension by the Baron."

"But why?"

"Bait. What would happen if Town Maell fell?"

Zolast felt his insides freeze. "The military would send reinforcements."

"Exactly. And, they would be waiting for it."

"But how?"

"I don't know. Maybe they used the tunnel to bring a bigger army to this side. Maybe they just want to distract the military before they launch an attack on the walls. Maybe they have a completely different plan in mind. We can't predict it."

"We can only make sure Town Maell doesn't fall," Zolast said, knowing Edward thought exactly the same. Even ignoring all the strategic dangers of having a cultist base right next door, neither of them would allow such a tragedy to occur. Edward just nodded. "What's the plan?"josei

"You're going to make sure the army here marches back to town as fast as possible, even if you have to exhaust them in the process. At the same time, send a message to Jertann. Ask him to arrange a small team to transport more mana stones to you. Ask him to add half of the magic ballista bolts as well. I have a feeling that they'll be useful."

"Should we call them to join the siege? Additional forces might help."

"No. They don't have the training to handle it. And, Mahruss and Karak are already at Town Maell. Jertann has to stay back to keep the guild in line."

"How about the Duke?"

"That, I don't know," Edward admitted readily. "I feel it'll be safer if he joined us even though I doubt cultists plan to attack multiple towns at once. However, I have no idea about all the political implications the presence of a Duke would create. It's better if you make that call."

"And you?" Zolast asked.

"Well, I'll take my new friend and go to town in advance," he said. Zolast nodded. There was no point in wasting any more time strategizing when they knew almost nothing about the situation.

Zolast started giving orders even as Edward walked towards the Baron. They talked a bit, then, much to the shock of the army, Edward grabbed the Baron from the neck of his armor, lifting him like a small puppy, and started to run…

"Stop gawking and start moving!" Zolast ordered, once again enhancing his voice with magic to a deafening degree.

The faster they started marching, the sooner they would be at Town Maell.

Zolast had a feeling that every second would count.