A few days later, we arrived at the location where the revolt was said to be taking place. I found myself standing before a certain town, gazing out over the plain that stretched out before my eyes. It was a city of little note, with walls so low they could hardly be called ramparts, yet we were here because one of the rebel army’s forces was marching toward it.
“They’re supposed to number around three thousand,” the holy knight Ren said, standing beside me.
“Sounds about right,” I scoffed in reply.
Relying on intelligence brought to us by Fiona’s subordinates, we had decided to intercept one of the rebel groups. Due to supply constraints, the rebel army was unable to sustain itself without constantly invading towns and villages. Thus, striking the groups that split off to attack those settlements seemed like the easiest approach.
And we weren’t merely going to drive them off—we were going to neutralize every last one of them. We could have held back our strength and dragged things out while waiting for the imperial army to arrive, but there was no telling when reinforcements would be dispatched. Rather than wait, it was better to finish the job as quickly as possible. In addition, we determined that if we were going to use force, it was preferable to do so in such an outrageous way that made the rumors less credible.
“Maybe we should make it look like an awful plague spread through the rebel army.” Given what we were about to do, it seemed like a smart idea. I would have to suggest it to Fiona upon our return.
As I thought to myself, I looked far into the distance. The army was already in sight. They were still a long way off, but there were a lot of them. The sheer scale of three thousand men gave off a pressure that threatened to engulf you in an instant, no matter how mighty or valiant a fighter you were.
I observed the advanced army through the vision of a shikigami I had sent high into the sky. It was roughshod, but they were in a formation of sorts. Their equipment was poor, none of them wore armor, and their pace was so quick that it made me wonder if their stamina would last.
“Their equipment is about as expected, but they’re more orderly than I thought they’d be,” I mumbled to myself, putting my hand on my chin. They must have a leader. Not only that, but being able to split their army up into multiple groups means there must be several officers with some level of tactical knowledge. Though they probably aren’t experts, given their reckless pace.
“What a sight. So many foolish humans. It gives me chills,” Ren said next to me with his usual composed smile. “So, what’s the plan? Even I’m no match for that many. If things go poorly, I’m going to have to take my leave.”
“Like I said, I’m capturing them all.”
My hitogata were already in place. I’d sent Amyu and the others into the town just to be safe, but I had no intention of letting anyone through. Due to their abnormally quick pace, the rebel force had already closed in to the point where I could almost make out the faces of the soldiers in the front.
I made a hand sign with one hand. I didn’t give any prior warning. The rebels faced either execution or enslavement. They wouldn’t willingly lay down their arms in such circumstances, so I would need to settle things in one move. Using the hitogata, I cast a large-scale barrier around the rebel army. It wasn’t to dispel a curse—it was to keep the effects of my spell from leaking out. I then whispered a mantra.
Phase of fire and earth: Greek Smoke. Billowing white smoke began to fill the barrier that had encased the army. It quickly engulfed the rebel forces, hiding them from sight.
“It’s over,” I said, exhaling as I released the hand sign. “All that’s left is to capture them now that they’re weakened.”
The white smoke that had consumed the rebel army was a poisonous gas produced by burning sulfur that caused intense pain to the eyes and throat if inhaled. It was said that the Greek city-state of Sparta had once used it during a siege. While it could cause death in high concentrations, inhaling a moderate amount simply pacified enemies and made them unable to fight back. It didn’t completely remove their ability to move, but it was good enough. As long as I could temporarily take away their resistance, there were plenty of ways to capture them.
“Should be just a little more,” I mumbled, monitoring the density of the smoke inside the barrier. “Letting them inhale too much would be an issue if the commander were to die.”
“You use strange magic, foolish human. Is that smoke inside the rectangular barrier?” Ren asked.
“Not ordinary smoke, but yes.”
“How cruel. Have you no heart? There’s no honor to be gained on the battlefield like this.”
“There’s no honor to be found on any of my battlefields.”
“I appreciate the confidence, but are you certain about this?” Ren asked, his smile unfaltering. “There hasn’t been a single scream or shout from that direction.”
I turned my gaze back to the clouds of smoke. There was no change within—the army was silent. Too much so. Greek Smoke affected the eyes and throat. There should be chaos in the ranks. Something was clearly off.
“Did they all die?” I muttered, doubt welling up within me. “That can’t be. It shouldn’t have been that dense...” At the very least, instant death was impossible—so what was going on? Keeping my guard up, I released the barrier. First, I needed to confirm the situation.
The wind blew away the poisonous gas, and the army began to walk out of the smoke.
“Huh?!” I couldn’t help but gasp. The army was completely unaffected. It was as though they had simply resumed their march. That’s not possible. They can’t be unharmed after their eyes and throats were exposed to the gas.
“Wait...” I realized something. The rebel army was behaving oddly. None of its soldiers had any life to them. Their eyes were vacant, and their steps unsteady. Some stared off into the sky, while others were bloodied as though gravely wounded.
Thinking back on what I had seen through my shikigami, I gritted my teeth. My spell didn’t make them behave strangely. They were like this from the start.
“Ah ha ha!” Ren stepped forward with a hollow laugh, quietly drawing a shortsword from an unusually bulky scabbard at his hip. “How intriguing!”