The Inept Mage's Infinite Regression - Chapter 58

WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Inept Mage’s Infinite Regression

Chapter 58

The ambush site wasn’t far from the Dilloso fortress. They’d chosen a path wide enough for horse-drawn carriages to pass, surrounded by a dense evergreen forest of boxwood and oak trees. It was an ideal place for an ambush, even in winter.

Most of the skeletal soldiers were incapable of anything more than carrying out commands, so it was difficult for them to observe and report on their surroundings. Those skeletal knights capable of such things were few in number, and they were stationed around the Undying King to protect him. Inevitably, the ambush succeeded.

"…As I thought," the Undying King muttered.

His soldiers, unleashing war cries to steel themselves, advanced on both sides of him. They were outnumbered, but because the Undying King’s forces were stretched out in a long line, Osmal Saikal’s troops managed to concentrate at the front. After all, their aim was the Undying King himself; they just needed to hold off the skeletal soldiers at the rear.

Osmal Saikal’s knights charged the Undying King and his knights.

"Strike down the Undying King!"

The Undying King glanced around as if alarmed. Osmal Saikal’s ambush seemed to be a total success.

But Ethan sensed something amiss. ‘That’s not it.’

The Undying King addressed his own shadow: "→…Take it."

He reached into his pocket and scattered imperial gold coins across the ground. Thin, pale white hands emerged from the shadows, snatched up enough coins to surpass what a merchant might earn in a lifetime, and vanished.

A moment later, a blue glow flickered in the eyes of the Undying King’s knights, who had briefly seemed to be on the back foot, and they began fighting back against Osmal Saikal’s knights. Each side had a dozen or so knights, but the gap between them refused to close. At times, the Undying King would click his tongue in feigned sympathy, then wheel his horse around and begin to retreat. Whenever skeletal soldiers were broken or pushed aside, he would toss out more gold coins, and they would revive to clear his path.

Osmal Saikal tried to join the fray, but the mage at his side held him back. Though Osmal Saikal was trained in swordsmanship, he wasn’t exceptionally skilled. On a battlefield, ordinary skill wasn’t enough to guarantee one’s survival. A commander’s death was the worst outcome.

Osmal Saikal shouted to his command staff, "If he retreats to the rear like this, we’ll never catch him. Where are the battle mages?"

"They’re standing by, waiting to ambush."

"Just in case, we’ll move too."

Ethan and Boen followed closely. Should the battle mages fail, it seemed Osmal Saikal planned to attack the Undying King himself.

They took a side path to avoid getting caught up in the fighting. Thanks to that, they were able to see the battle mages casting spells at the Undying King, though none of them ever got to finish.

Ethan recalled something Rivielton had taught him long ago in the Combat Magic Society.

“There are three ways to counter a battle mage. One: Defend with protective magic, then counterattack. Two: Dispel the opponent’s magic, then counterattack. Can you guess the third?”

“Hmm… maybe evade the attack and then counterattack?”

“That’s not wrong, but it’s basically a variation of the first method.”

“Then what is it?”

“Finish your spell faster than your opponent.”

One of the battle mages, concealed behind cover, was about to release his completed flame attack when the Undying King pointed his right hand toward that battle mage and flicked an imperial gold coin into the air with his left.

"→…Bring him along."

From behind the Undying King rose that same pale hand, which took the coin—almost simultaneously, a similar hand emerged behind the battle mage and grabbed his neck. The tiny flame hovering at the tip of the mage’s staff vanished with a small hiss, and the mage fell to the ground, rolling desperately to free himself. He was on the far side of the battlefield, and before any of his allies could get to him, skeletal soldiers swarmed over and stabbed him repeatedly.

Osmal Saikal glanced that way and muttered under his breath, "Damn it."

Boen shared his analysis. "It looks like necromancy or some holy magic that directly converses with Death. It’s probably related to Emperor Myu’s research."

"If it’s that quick, just flicking a single gold coin, everyone must want to learn it."

"Even if they revere Death, not just anyone can pull it off."

"Why not?"

"Because to Death, the Undying King is a… special customer."

Ethan nodded and asked, "But wasn’t it generally said that the Undying King had no real talent for magic?"

"Well, first, even without much talent, you could learn to do that if you studied for 250 years. Second, it’s not that he had no talent—it’s just that, for a Eurogia, his talent was considered average."

Ethan scowled and shot Boen a glare for his backhanded remark.

Meanwhile, Osmal Saikal had caught up to the Undying King. At the rear, Osmal Saikal’s troops were being pushed back, little by little, by the sheer number of skeletal soldiers, so the Undying King’s escape route was partly blocked off, but the Undying King revived nearby skeletal soldiers to hold off the approaching enemy.

"Stop him before he can cast another spell! Clear a path!" Osmal Saikal shouted.

Upon noticing their commander approaching, the soldiers opened a narrow path. However, there was barely enough room for Ethan and Boen to squeeze through as the Undying King’s skeletal mount lashed out into the air.

"…Osmal Saikal."

"Cascail! Return to death once again!"

Their swords collided. Carried by momentum, Osmal Saikal swept past the Undying King, trampling skeletal soldiers under his warhorse. The Undying King lifted his blood-stained sword into the sunlight and examined it. Droplets of blood fell onto his sapphire-blue eyes.

"…It’s not you."

Osmal Saikal clutched at his side, clearly wounded, his expression twisted in pain. Osmal Saikal’s retainers lunged at the Undying King, but the Undying King, whose combat skills were on par with an adept knight and who had risen to high levels of magical ability, used both swordsmanship and the previous grabbing spell, along with his ever-reviving skeletal knights, to overpower the command staff. The golden ornaments jangling around him finally came to rest, and soon, the Undying King stood surrounded by his skeletal soldiers. Osmal Saikal and his command staff were either barely holding them off or had been forced back.

Only Ethan and Boen remained.

Ethan said to Boen, "We’ve come this far. Can’t run off without at least trying, right?"

"If we flee, Count Saikal will be in danger."

"Cover me."

Ethan urged his horse forward. On horseback, there was only one Hunting Sword stance he could use. Wielding Bloodletting, he decapitated and smashed the skulls of the skeletal soldiers in his path. Meanwhile, nine crystals floated around Boen, striking any skeletal soldier Ethan failed to parry or evade.

At first, the Undying King hardly seemed to regard Ethan at all, but when he saw Ethan vault up from the saddle, he watched curiously. Ethan had learned parkour by drawing a D-rank lottery coupon. Its synergy-based rank was now D+.

"Boen!"

"On it!"

All nine of Boen’s crystals rose into the air at once. Immediately, the skeletal soldiers raised their shields in unison. This was a standard defense formation they used when expecting a circular area attack—something Ethan had already learned from observing them. The crystals, however, didn’t attack. Instead, Ethan used the parkour’s “Stride” technique, stepping on those shields as footholds to surge forward at the Undying King.

A cold gleam flickered in the Undying King’s eyes. He pointed his right hand at Ethan and picked up a gold coin with his left.

"→…That one…"

Right before the final leap, Ethan contracted his body and used Tusk Breaker.

‘I’m faster.’

As Ethan vaulted upward, the skeletal soldiers beneath him collapsed in a clattering heap, tangling with each other. Ethan’s sword struck the Undying King’s body. Something dropped to the ground. Hovering in midair, Ethan groaned inwardly.

‘Damn it.’

What had fallen was the Undying King’s left hand—the hand that had been holding the gold coin. Ethan tumbled several times across the ground before landing, and ended up some distance from the heart of the battlefield.

The Undying King spoke. "…Was it you?"

"What?"

"…Are you the ‘exceptional existence’?"

" ‘Exceptional existence’?"

"…So that’s how it is. Of course."

He began a rasping laugh. Some of the skeletal soldiers scrambled to pick up the Undying King’s severed hand. Then the Undying King began to retreat. Ethan saw, off in the distance, Osmal Saikal’s knights galloping toward them. Ethan hadn’t killed the Undying King, but the forward troops had beaten back the Undying King’s other knights and toppled the skeletal soldiers.

Osmal Saikal shouted, "Don’t give chase! Burn the skeletal soldiers so they can’t revive! Move!"

Ethan watched the Undying King withdraw.

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Though they failed to kill the Undying King, the ambush wasn’t a total loss. They managed to eliminate numerous skeletal knights and a substantial number of skeletal soldiers. Meanwhile, Osmal Saikal’s forces, surprisingly, had fewer casualties than expected and weren’t too exhausted.

Osmal Saikal had anticipated a clash with the Undying King’s forces upon entering the fortress, but apparently, aware that Baron Yocamna’s garrison might open the gates and hit them from behind, the enemy never launched an attack. Though Dilloso had suffered heavy casualties, the Undying King’s human soldiers had also incurred severe losses—around 1,800. In other words, Dilloso had truly fought to the bitter end.

Though Baron Yocamna was clearly worn out, he welcomed Osmal Saikal and his command staff joyfully. Dilloso was in even worse shape than Ethan remembered, but its surviving troops cheered at the arrival of reinforcements. Now the ratio of forces was three to one, which—factoring in the fortress on their side—made the fight seem winnable.

After little more than having his wounds stitched and treated, Osmal Saikal began preparing for a siege defense. He decided where to place the soldiers, what reinforcements the walls needed, how many battle mages the enemy had, roughly, and when and where to send out mage hunters.

But the next day, from sunset to sunrise, the enemy made no move. A scouting party sent out at dawn failed to return, and so Ethan secretly deployed Gespenst V.

<Right. Well, for now, I’m counting on you.>

Demi soared through the sky and observed the Undying King’s encampment. Soldiers were seen leaving the camp. At the front, the Undying King himself was briefly visible. Ethan relayed that to Osmal Saikal.

"So the Undying King took 3,000 skeletal soldiers and 5,000 human soldiers off to Toes, leaving only 1,500 skeletal soldiers and 4,000 human soldiers behind?"

Osmal Saikal, who had also dispatched his own scouts to confirm Ethan’s report, revealed that information to his command staff. Though they did send more scouts to be absolutely sure, they prepared a plan based on the assumption that it was true.

Though defending would be easier, the enemy still had a numerical advantage, so it seemed dangerous to march out and engage them in open battle. The returning scouts reported that the enemy had begun chopping down trees and digging ditches, building a makeshift fort. Demi had already confirmed as much.

Even then, Ethan couldn’t guess the Undying King’s true intent. Osmal Saikal remained holed up in Dilloso, recuperating from his wound. They could still hold out by opening supply lines through the port, and Osmal Saikal kept buying supplies with IOUs he likely would never be able to redeem, promising to settle the debt later. Then came news from Toes.

The Undying King had clashed with 6,000 vanguard troops from the King of Yekatan at Toes Castle. He’d had 8,000 total troops and lost only around two hundred while seizing the castle. The King of Yekatan had hastily summoned all his nobles, but with barbarians to the north and Kardien—from which he’d sought an alliance earlier—to the south, Yekatan had had little choice but to face the Undying King alone. Osmal Saikal and Yocamna both requested reinforcements in Dilloso, but with Toes captured, no forces could reach them. Kardien was already mustering troops and marching, so Yekatan had to stand against the Undying King on its own.

Thirteen thousand troops under Yekatan’s assembled nobles fought a pitched battle against 7,800 of the Undying King’s soldiers and were soundly defeated. Over 2,000 died, and more than 5,000 scattered. Yekatan’s nobles pulled back with 8,000 soldiers and relocated to the capital, Asgasil.

More defeats followed. The Undying King’s main force of 20,000 clashed with Kardien’s 18,000 troops. Although Kardien fared decently and managed to withdraw 15,000 men, they suffered a crushing loss in the subsequent siege. The Undying King split his main force and continued to advance.

Over the next month, news of repeated defeats spread, fueling anxiety in Dilloso. Among its people, the call grew louder that, since only Osmal Saikal and Dilloso could face the Undying King effectively, they ought to crush the nearby enemy and strike at the Undying King’s rear. Even if they lost, it was dishonorable to remain safe within their fortress. With the command staff uniting behind that sentiment, Osmal Saikal would soon have to open the gates lest morale drop.

Osmal Saikal summoned Ethan and asked, "You remember what the Undying King said when you faced him before?"

"I’m not sure. Something about…?"

"He called you an ‘exceptional existence,’ Ethan."

"Yes, I think I recall that."

"Though it doesn’t appear in the Heroic Chronicles, we have records from the Undying King’s own scribes. There was someone else he once called an ‘exceptional existence.’"

"Couldn’t it be a coincidence? I did cut off his hand, so maybe I just seemed exceptional at that moment."

"No, Ethan, that’s not it."

Osmal Saikal fixed his gaze on Ethan.

"Historically, the only individual the Undying King ever called an ‘exceptional existence’ was the Emperor—and now you. When he blockaded Dilloso, I assumed it was to tie me and my troops down, but I see now that the Undying King was likely trying to keep you, an alleged dark mage, pinned here."

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