The Place Where He Was Reincarnated Was Hell - The 300-Year-Old Frontier Defense Line of the Margrave Family - Episode 36

The strategic meeting room was the heart of Middle Line Fort. The room was surrounded by sturdy stone walls, and with the dim light of early morning streaming in through the windows, an eerie atmosphere of tension enveloped it.

A detailed military map was spread out on a huge round table in the center.

Looking down at them were the Vanguard Knights’ highest-ranking officials – Darius’s right-hand man, Knight Commander Royce, his vice-commander Lynel, and the unit commanders Georg, Wilhelm, and Elias. The vice-commanders of each unit were also present, and the atmosphere in the room was tense.

Of course, Reporter Garcia, who continues to provide information from the front lines, is not present.

And at the round table, there were two faces that were unfamiliar to the Vanguard meetings so far. One was a young man in his mid-twenties, with the handsome features of an aristocrat and impressive eyes that lit up with intelligence.

His name was Julius von Muriel.

He is the eldest son of Marquis Muriel, the Minister of Magic of the Kingdom of Adriana, and a young genius magician who graduated at the top of his class from the royal capital’s magic academy with overwhelming grades.

His rare talent has earned him the title of “the brains of the kingdom”, and he has just been dispatched to Middle Line Fortress by royal command as a researcher into mental pollution and anti-Eclipse magic.

Next to him was a solidly built, middle-aged knight with the air of a veteran, his arms crossed as he glared at the map.

Gustave von Craig, commander-in-chief of the Royal Army.

He is the current head of the prestigious military house of Marquis Craig, a veteran general who has commanded on numerous battlefronts, and is highly trusted by his father, the Minister of War.

The fact that they had been dispatched directly from the royal capital to this front line was undeniable proof of how much the kingdom valued Eclipse’s actions and Vanguard’s battle.

Darius began gravely, his voice dripping with fatigue and, more than anything, deep alarm at the unknown threat.

“–Reporter Leonard has shared detailed information about Reporter Garcia’s observations. Firstly, regarding the new species of flesh-lump Eclipse that appeared this time, due to its strange appearance and characteristics, we have provisionally named it the “Gorewalker”. I would like everyone to be unified in their understanding of this name.”

Darius paused and looked around at the group. “Gorewalker”—several knights gasped at the ominous sound of that word.

“The number of Gore Walkers is approximately 20,000. At present, they are estimated to reach Middle Line Fort in about 20 hours. They are moving at a speed of about 10 kilometers per hour, passing through the ruins of the former Front Line Fort and heading in this direction.”

“Twenty hours, huh?… But even so, the total number of enemies is far too great. And these strange formations…”

Royce looked sternly at a spot on the round table. There, a prototype ” Projector” that Julius had brought from the Royal Capital was set up, and the fragmented visual information that Leonard had received earlier from the magical transmission from Garcia was being projected, albeit unclearly, into the space. Memory trace Memory restriction

When Julius poured magic into the magic tool, a faint light appeared, and a blurry image appeared. There was a lot of noise, and it was not enough to reproduce the entire scene that Garcia must have seen.

However, what was projected there was a horde of Eclipses that could only be described as “lumps of flesh.” The wriggling tentacles, the irregularly opening and closing cracks, and above all, the sheer number of them brought a sense of despair that left the room speechless.

“Georg, I’d like to hear your opinion. Based on the initial reports from the scouts and the information just projected, is there anything you’ve noticed?”

Darius turned his gaze to Georg, the fourth division commander. Georg answered without taking his eyes off the horrifying image that was being projected.

“Ha. As reported, each movement seems extremely sluggish. It is as if they are unable to bear their weight and are dragging on the ground. However, looking at them as a whole, their march is surprisingly straight, and there is no disorder in their formation. It is as if… they are being led by something. And what is most puzzling is how, despite their large size and numbers, they continue to maintain a tightly packed formation. A normal Eclipse would spread out over a wider area and attack in a chaotic manner, but…”

The atmosphere in the conference room grew even heavier as Georg spoke. The words “Coordinated Eclipse” suggested the presence of an intelligent malice, different from the instinctual threats they had faced up until then.

“…Since the threat level is completely unknown, we would like to avoid a large-scale frontal engagement as much as possible.”

Commander-in-Chief Gustave said, tapping a point on the map with his thick finger.

“If we believe the information that they are moving slowly, the safest and most effective tactic would be to eliminate them one by one with long-range magical attacks, or to incinerate them all with artillery fire, before they can reach the fort. Julius, how well-trained is the magic corps dispatched from the royal capital?”

“Yes, Commander Gustave. The Royal Capital’s Magic Corps is trained to specialize in the use of long-range annihilation magic. To avoid the risk of mental contamination from seeing the Eclipse directly, they rely on coordinates from the observation team and the Vanguard to deploy magical power over a wide area or concentrate magical bombardment on a target point. Precise targeting is difficult, but if we take into account the coordination with the newly installed magical cannons at Middle Line Fort, depending on how dense the enemy is, it is not impossible to neutralize a considerable number of Gore Walkers before they reach the fort with a ‘number of shots will hit’ approach.”

Julius answered without hesitation. His words were filled with confidence and calmness that was out of keeping with someone so young.

“However, we cannot overlook the point that Georg-dono reported that ‘the concentration of magical power contained within is abnormally high.’ If every one of them is hiding powerful magical powers, not only will a half-hearted attack be ineffective, but we must also consider the risk of an unexpected counterattack.”

Vice-Commander Rainel expressed his cautious opinion.

At the meeting, various opinions were exchanged regarding the Gorewalker’s unknown abilities and how to deal with them.

Long-distance magic saturation attacks, simultaneous firing of the newly installed magic cannon, or a protracted battle of defense aimed at individual attacks. However, none of these proved to be a decisive solution, and time was passing by. It was difficult to come up with an effective strategy unless we could understand the true intentions behind what role Abyss had given this new piece.

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Just as the discussion was beginning to reach a stalemate, Julius, who had been calmly listening to everyone’s opinions and taking notes from time to time, suddenly looked up and slowly began to speak. His voice was quiet, but it had a mysterious clarity to it that seemed to resonate throughout the room.

“Everyone, in addition to the direct threat Eclipse poses, I have long had some questions about the mechanism of the ‘mental contamination’ it causes. The state of Reporter Leonard earlier, the contents of Reporter Garcia’s report, and the fragmentary images played on this memory trace projector all seem to support a theory I have in mind, suggesting one possibility.”

As Julius spoke, the attention of everyone in the meeting room was once again focused on the young genius magician. His eyes, filled with intellectual curiosity, shone with a different kind of light than those of veteran warriors like Darius and Loyd.

“… Reporter Leonard.”

Julius called out gently to Leonard, who was standing by the wall and trying to recover from the strain of receiving the magic transmission earlier.

Leonard looked a little nervous at the sharp gaze and took a step forward. His face still showed signs of fatigue, and there were faint traces of bl00d around his eyes and nose that he had wiped away earlier.

“You just received visual information from Reporter Garcia via magical transmission. It appears that you felt a considerable strain on your body at the time. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s true, but…”

Leonard’s voice was still a little husky, as if he wasn’t at his best.

Seeing his response and his exhausted state, Elias interjected with a worried look.

“Leonard, your complexion… surely the effects of Eclipse’s mental contamination are showing up? After seeing something like that…”

The other knights nodded in agreement, as the bl00d oozing from Leonard’s nose and eyes was abnormal.

However, Leonard shook his head lightly at Wilhelm’s concern.

“No, Elias. Thank you for your concern, but this is not the result of mental contamination. Magic transmission, especially when you are forced to receive an urgent and vast amount of visual information, like this time, places a huge burden on the brain of the recipient. The state I’m in is a side effect of that…”

Leonard was well aware of the risks of magic transmission. He calmly explained that it was a backlash from the use of pure magic, not from mental contamination.

“Oh, is that so?”

Upon hearing Leonard’s words, not only Wilhelm but many of the Vanguard knights present raised voices in confusion.

For them, if contact with Eclipse caused any abnormal changes in their physical condition, it was almost common knowledge to assume that it was the result of mental contamination. The details of the special magic known as Magic Transmission were a secret technique in the royal capital, so no one knew much about the risks involved.

Julius, noticing her reaction, quietly spoke.

“…I agree. Magic transmission is an extremely advanced form of magic that directly connects the minds of the caster and receiver and sends information. The burden it places on the receiver is immeasurable. Unless you are a specially trained reporter like Leonard or Garcia, it is dangerous and could turn you into an invalid after just one transmission. The image projected earlier was only a small part of the received information, and there was a lot of noise, so it could not withstand detailed analysis.”

Julius’ explanation reminded the knights of the unique role of a reporter and the enormous risk they bear every day.　

“And that’s what I want to focus on,” Julius continued.

“During your reporting missions thus far, Sir Leonard has used farsightedness magic to see Eclipse many times, often from the front in great detail. However, as he testified just now, this was the result of the burden of magical transmission, and he has not shown any signs of mental contamination from Eclipse itself. Why is that?”

Julius then took a deep breath.

“Looking at the entire kingdom, there are only twelve people who can use farsightedness magic. Currently, six of them are deployed to the Vanguard territory, but only Leonard and Garcia can use them to confirm the situation on the front lines beyond this point.

As far as I know, there has never been an official report from them of them suffering from mental contamination while using farsightedness magic.”

The conference room fell silent as the young genius explained his theory. Everyone began to feel a heavy, yet definite, premonition that three hundred years of history might change dramatically right here and now.

“And why has this point been overlooked in the history of three hundred years of fighting? There are several possible reasons.”

Julius began to explain while counting his fingers. His voice was filled with conviction and precise logic to back it up.

“Firstly, as I said before, users of Farsightedness magic are extremely rare. Furthermore, there are large individual differences in ability, and those who can see the Eclipse in detail and over a wide area for long periods, like Lord Garcia or Lord Leonard, are limited to a very small number of top-class users. Most users of Farsightedness magic are forced to limit their use to such limited purposes as early detection of enemy shadows and rough grasp of their location.”

“Secondly, in the past three hundred years, as far as records go, there has never been an emergency serious enough to force the Vanguard Knights to retreat. In other words, the situation in which ‘continued to observe Eclipse in detail for long periods with Farsight’ on the front lines was extremely rare. Usually, an encounter with Eclipse would immediately result in combat, and Farsight only played a supporting role in the preliminary stages.”

“Thirdly, and perhaps the most deeply rooted factor, is our preconceptions about mental pollution. The 300-year-old common sense and fear that seeing an Eclipse means mental pollution has become too deeply ingrained in our thinking. Even the blessed Vanguards suffered considerable pain when they first fought Eclipse, and the very act of seeing it was considered taboo for those without the blessing. No detailed investigation was conducted into the differences in how the viewer saw it… Don’t you think so?”

“…Ah, that’s true. Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

Darius groaned. For three hundred years, the idea that “viewing the Eclipse will contaminate your mind” had been commonplace, and was both an absolute fear and common knowledge.

Julius had pointed out, sharply, yet calmly, that this might have been a blind spot.

“Lord Leonard does not have the blessing of God. Despite that, how is he able to escape Eclipse’s mental contamination? I believe that precisely therein lies the key to unlocking the mechanism behind mental contamination.”

Julius paused and looked around the group with eyes full of conviction.

“I have a hypothesis. The mental contamination of the Eclipse doesn’t occur simply by viewing its hideous form… The moment their evil “gaze” directly intersects with ours, it activates in a way that affects the mind… no, the soul.”

“Our gazes… cross…”

Darius frowned.

At those words, a flash of understanding went through Victor’s mind, who had been quietly watching the proceedings as an observer.

“…Unless you make direct eye contact with Eclipse, the mental contamination won’t activate…? If that’s true and can be applied…!!”

Victor’s mother was filled with surprise and excitement, as if he had just found the answer to a long-held question.

Julius nodded in satisfaction.

“That’s an astute observation, Lord Victor. The structure of Farsight Magic – the caster only “sees” one way, with little opportunity for the target to “see” them – ultimately prevents direct line of sight between the caster and Eclipse. If this hypothesis is correct, then if we could use some kind of magical tool to shift our line of sight or block the direct line of sight when observing or attacking Eclipse – for example, a device that indirectly captures the view through a magical filter or out-of-phase lens – it would greatly reduce the risk of mental contamination, and even magicians of our kingdom who don’t have the blessing could contribute more to the front lines by attacking Eclipse from a distance.”

Those words sent shock waves through the conference room, and brought a concrete hope like never before. If they could truly find a way to avoid mental contamination without a blessing, it could completely overturn the current situation where the burden of combat is concentrated solely on the Vanguard, and even make it possible for the entire kingdom to launch a full-scale counterattack.

“Julius, that hypothesis is very interesting. If it is true, it may well change our tactics, no, the entire history of warfare over the past three hundred years.”

Darius leaned forward slightly, his voice filled with unconcealed anticipation.

“Therefore, I would like to verify this hypothesis as soon as possible. Since Sir Leonard will likely be unable to move due to the strain caused by the magical transmission, I would like to use far-sightedness magic to observe Eclipse up close and see whether or not mental contamination occurs. However, I am not able to see into long distances as Sir Leonard can.”

“I need to use it close to a frontline fort, or something equivalent. Is there anyone willing to accompany me as my guard?”

The conference room was filled with shock at Julius’ proposal. Sending a young, genius magician from the royal capital to a dangerous area where Eclipse is rampant was simply not something that could be approved, if you thought about it normally.

“Julius, that would be far too dangerous! If we lose a highly skilled magical researcher such as yourself, we risk losing a significant amount of our means of fighting back against Eclipse in the future! That would be a huge loss for the Kingdom of Adriana!”

Commander-in-Chief Gustave immediately and firmly raised his voice in opposition, his voice exuding not only concern for Julius’s safety but also a strong concern for the loss that might befall the nation.

But Julius remained unwavering. He fixed Gustave with a calm, yet piercing gaze and quietly but firmly declared:

“General Gustave, isn’t it too late now to say that? What is the danger I am facing compared to the countless excellent knights and promising young people that the Vanguard has lost on the front lines over the past three hundred years? They have continued to fight, risking their lives, for the future of the kingdom, no, for the future of all of humanity. It is on their sacrifices that we enjoy the peace we have today. In the face of that fact, do you think that I, a person who came from the royal capital, can break the deadlock by simply playing with empty theories out of fear of danger?”

His words carried a weight that was unbecoming of someone so young, and were filled with unwavering resolve. They were not merely theoreticians, but those who sought the truth and were not afraid to take action to achieve it; they were the pride of a true magician. Everyone in the conference room held their breath at Julius’ words. What he said was so right, and so true it hurt.

That calm yet scathing rebuttal left even the battle-hardened Commander Gustave momentarily at a loss for words.

Victor, who had been refraining from speaking up until then as an associate, did not miss the opportunity and was about to speak up.

Just as Victor was about to raise his hand to say, “I’ll go,” a strong hand was gently placed on his shoulder.

It was his father, Darius. He accurately read Victor’s intentions and silently but firmly restrained him. The verification of this hypothesis was extremely important for both Victor and the future of Vanguard.

However, as a father and as a Margrave, he decided that he could not expose Victor, who was still recovering from an illness, to danger.

And at almost the same time that Darius subdued Victor, a dignified voice echoed through the conference room.

“-Leave it to me. I will take Julius-sama safely to his destination, and I will, even at the risk of my life, escort him to the Middle Line.”

The voice belonged to the young lion, Raven.

His eyes were burning with regret for not being able to protect those he held dear in the past, and an iron-clad determination to protect his comrades, his brother, and the future of Vanguard.