TMLHGCFTV 28

Chapter 28

Kael called his subordinates together. After firmly closing the tent entrance, he spread a map across a makeshift table. Millers traced the planned route with his finger.

“This is the route we originally planned to take. We were going to head south along the valley. The terrain is low and the ground is relatively flat, so it would shorten our travel time by about a day compared to the original route.”

“If the water rises as the Saintess predicted, that entire route will be submerged.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

The atmosphere turned cold.

“We’ll take a detour along the ridge. Rework the battle plan in case we encounter the Toad Clan as well. We have to reach the village before they do. Can we manage that?”

“Yes, Your Highness! We’ll make it happen!”

Once the order was given, a brief silence followed. The rough sound of everyone’s breathing filled the tent.

But that wasn’t the end of it. One of the men who had remained silent finally raised a question.

“I heard the Saintess possesses healing powers.”

Rumors about Lilia had been spreading everywhere. They said she possessed incredible healing abilities and could even kill monsters. Some of those stories had been deliberately spread by the Church. And then people had embellished them further. But no one actually knew how much of it was true.

“Couldn’t she simply heal the wounded?”

At the disgruntled suggestion, Kael sighed. Then he asked quietly,

“What is the basis for your claim?”

“Pardon?”

“Has it ever been officially confirmed that Saintess Lilia possesses healing abilities?”

At Kael’s icy tone, the man clamped his mouth shut.

“Well…”

“Do not let yourself be swayed by rumors. Saintess Lilia is nothing more than a child of about ten years old. I don’t believe my army is so weak that it needs to hide behind the back of a child.”

Kael cut him off.

“Is there any record of her actually using her healing powers? How many people can she heal at once? What degree of injury can she treat? What aftereffects does she suffer after exhausting her divine power?”

“…”

“And yet you’re suggesting we entrust dozens of wounded soldiers to her without knowing any of that?”

The man’s face hardened under Kael’s cold voice.

No one knew what abilities Lilia possessed or what side effects they might have. Not even the priests who had pushed her into coming here knew.

To Kael, even allowing their forces to become complacent by relying on such uncertainty was grounds for dismissal.

“Even if the Saintess does possess healing powers, it makes no difference. No commander would build a strategy around an untested ability and count it as part of their forces.”

Kael lightly tapped his finger against the table.

“Perhaps we should test the Saintess—”

“You.”

Kael fixed the man with a frigid stare.

“Are you perhaps sitting in this position despite being less capable than I expected? I’m asking whether you’re so incompetent that you need to rely on a ten-year-old child.”

“N-No, Your Highness!”

The man stiffened in terror. Kael ran his tongue over his bitter mouth.

Some people were desperately trying to protect the young Saintess, while others were desperate to put that same child at the forefront.

Lilia was still being exposed to danger.

A child.

It reminded him of his own miserable childhood.

‘You are the Crown Prince, Kael. Therefore, facing monsters is also your duty.’

The cowardly face of the Emperor, who had simply hidden behind him and blinked as though nothing were wrong, came to mind. Kael felt sick at the thought.

Had that man ever truly been a father to him?

Or even an Emperor?

It was a truly disgusting question.

The order to take the detour was given. It was probably connected to Lilia’s prophecy.

The detour was treacherous. The distance would have been easy enough to cover in a day if they had taken the valley route, but things were different here. He had already lost count of how many times the wagon wheels had become wedged between rocks, forcing several strong men to lift the wagons free.

Even so, no one complained.

Then a halt signal was raised at the front of the column. The entire expedition came to a stop.

“What is it?”

Vanessa asked between gasps, her face flushed red from exertion.

“I don’t know either.”

A shout came from ahead.

“The road is blocked!”

Wondering what had happened, I moved forward and soon understood why the expedition had stopped.

A mass of black things was tangled together at the narrowest point of the ridge.

They were members of the Ground Spider Clan.

There appeared to be six or seven giant specimens alone, with countless smaller ones scattered among them. Their corpses were grotesquely piled on top of one another, their legs bent at unnatural angles as they completely blocked the road.

What on earth had happened here?

Just looking at it was enough to make me nauseous.

“It seems to have been the Toad Clan.”

I heard the conversation between Kael and one of the scouts who was examining the traces.

“There’s dried slime on the rocks, and the footprints continue in this direction. They seem to have passed through several days ago.”

In other words, the Toad Clan had passed through this area and left the Ground Spider Clan in this state.

“…Didn’t they travel along the valley route?”

Kael’s low voice could be heard.

“There are definitely traces of the main group along the valley route as well. There are fewer traces here. It seems a portion of them broke away from the main group to hunt.”

A chill ran down my spine.

At that moment, Kael’s firm voice cut through the growing commotion.

“Clear it and move on. Secure a path wide enough for the wagons to pass. Push aside whatever can be moved and burn the rest.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The people began to move.

I was about to help those unloading the oil barrels when my feet stopped on their own.

…Wait a second.

They’re going to burn those?

“Millers!”

I hurried after him and grabbed his arm. Millers turned around with a startled expression.

“Lady Rosana?”

“You’re going to burn all of them?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Can’t we keep some of the venom and carapaces?”

Millers blinked.

“…Why would we keep those?”

“I thought we might be able to coat arrowheads with the venom and reinforce shields with the carapaces.”

In the original story, there was an episode in the middle of the novel that took place in Greystone, where the venom and carapaces of the Ground Spider Clan were used as weapons.

It had been Kael’s trump card when he was cornered and forced to fight the Toad Clan using the spiders’ venom.

But for now, I might as well steal the idea.

We were about to encounter the Toad Clan much earlier than expected, after all.

And those things were ridiculously persistent.

At my words, Millers’ expression visibly stiffened.

“Lady Rosana. Are you suggesting that we apply monster venom to our weapons?”

I nodded.

Millers was silent for a moment before lowering his voice.

“That is not a decision I can make. You’ll have to ask His Highness directly. As you know, it could cause quite a stir.”

I nodded solemnly.

I knew Kael had already clashed with the Emperor over using wyvern armor. Apparently, the nobles had criticized him over it as well.

They should all be dragged here and forced to look at this.

Maybe then they’d finally come to their senses.

“Yes, I know.”

“But His Highness the Crown Prince… may actually welcome the idea.”

Millers spoke in a very quiet voice.

I already knew that, too.

In the original story, Kael had read several papers written by scholars advocating the use of monster corpses in warfare, and he eventually applied that knowledge during this expedition.

All I was doing was moving that point in the story a little earlier.

Kael was examining the pile of corpses blocking the road. When Millers approached and reported something to him, Kael soon turned his gaze toward me.

I gave him an awkward smile.

“Your Highness.”

Kael walked toward me.

“I heard you had a proposal for me.”

“How about using the poisonous spiders’ corpses in battle?”

Kael’s expression wavered.

It seemed he had been thinking along the same lines deep down.

Perfect.

If I could give him the push he needed right now, we could create some serious synergy.