Magical Journey: The Other Shore Blooms on the Other Shore

Beatrice Front.

The people here prefer to call it the battlefield of demons, while only those in the city would call it the front line. This makes it seem as if everyone's fight against the demons is truly balanced, with each side holding its own, like the Chu-Han border, exchanging blows, with the main goal of a back-and-forth battle that ends when the point is reached.

But the fact is...

"Retreat five miles." As the order came from the rear camp, the mages who were at the forefront fighting against the endless demons began an emergency retreat.

There's never a truly evenly matched contest; it's just a matter of gritting your teeth and holding on. One wave of the dense, dark demons before you is wiped out, but a new wave will soon take its place. But the magician is dead, and it will be a long time before new mages arrive.

Demons can emerge endlessly from the rifts, and no one knows exactly how many demons are inside. But how long does it take for a person to live to the age where they can learn magic, and how long does it take to learn magic and survive on the battlefield?

To fill the void, Beatrice's magical legion had no choice but to resort to underhanded tactics. The demons slaughtered only to absorb human life force to replenish their sustenance for advancement—mage might be more palatable due to their magical power, but humans were acceptable. Countless people swindled and deceived by Beatrice were forcibly brought to the battlefield to shield the mages from the carnage.

They had no magical aptitude and could not use any magic. Faced with hordes of demon legions, they were destined to die.

Their purpose is to cover for those who can use magic so that more of them can survive and eliminate more of the feeding demons. On average, five ordinary people can exchange for the life of one demon, but the lives of ordinary people are nothing; the lives of magicians are precious. As long as doing this can slow down the demons, it is worth it.

Behind them was Beatrice. Although most people had no feelings for their so-called homeland, their families were still alive behind them. If they fell, no one would survive. Perhaps this was the only motivation that kept these magicians struggling on the front lines.

In recent years, the demons' offensive has become increasingly fierce. If it weren't for Beatrice's accumulated magical resources, the battle would have been a complete rout long ago.

"Lord Ice Fang... the battle line has been contracted by five miles." The girl in the tent bowed respectfully and said.

The simple tent had no furnishings; the only purpose of this small, magically constructed shelter from the wind and snow was to give people the impression that there was a base of operations here.

As for keeping warm? The first magical lesson for every Beatrice with magical talent is keeping warm.

"Understood." Silberlin, Beatrice-class Snow Guard [Ice Fang], the chief military and political officer of the entire magic legion, sat upright in the empty tent, looking at the map without raising his head.

"Sir—what do we need to do next?" the girl asked.

“If things don’t go well, we’ll need to continue shrinking our lines,” Silberlin replied.

"But... we're almost back to the main city."

“I know, but what’s the use of everyone dying… Wendy, I know what you’re worried about.” Silberle raised her head and said expressionlessly, “You’re just afraid that Beatrice’s people will discover the so-called buried truth, that all our years of peace and prosperity have been built on a foundation of turmoil. You’re worried that Beatrice will collapse and your mother’s position will no longer exist.”

"I'm not..." Wendy turned her face away guiltily.

As Frostflower Alexia's most outstanding daughter, she was the most likely to challenge her mother's position. Therefore, at her mother's behest, she came to the front lines, where she fully demonstrated her magical prowess and terrifying war acumen, climbing year by year to the position of deputy to the chief military and political officer.

If she hadn't had no chance to go back all these years, she could have easily made it to the bottom ranks of the Snow Guard.

Angela's right-hand woman, Anna, had long been a Snow Guard, a rank higher than her mother's. Why couldn't she do the same?

But all of this was built upon a stable reign. She wanted to be an uncrowned queen, adored by all, not a ruler of ruins—over the years, only those tricked and deceived into going to war, and the mages who joined the magic legions every year, knew the truth about the front lines.

If more people knew, the Beatrice riots could have happened in the blink of an eye.

Humans live for hope; what would people do without hope? No one can imagine.

“Wendy, I’ve always known what you’re thinking.” Silberle slowly walked to the camp gate. “Your thinking isn’t wrong; in fact, it’s quite correct. People always have ulterior motives, whether it’s for fame or for profit. There’s nothing wrong with that. The contributions you’ve made over the years won’t change because of your petty thoughts. In Beatrice, strength is all that matters; morality can be thrown aside.”

Can morality alone resist the invasion of demons? Those innocent people sacrificed to the demons, using their bodies to shield them, all cursed the magic legion as utterly immoral scoundrels, but so what? In Beatrice, every Beatrice person has their own place.

They may become a king among men, or they may fade into obscurity and be sacrificed as mere dregs.

Everything is so cruel in order to survive.

"My lady, can't we continue to fight? Not yet..." Wendy still held onto a last hope. In her opinion, things weren't so bad. After the unknown beam of magic, supposedly cast by the Snow Maiden, dispelled the clouds, the demon's offensive had weakened many times over.

Although the effects of the magic gradually faded and the demons returned, this brief respite was enough for everyone to continue the fight.

Once they retreat into Beatrice, they will only be able to rely on the magic circle set up by the kingdom for defense, which means there is no way out.

Those are all high-sounding excuses... Once we get to that point, and people know the truth, everything will change.

"Sacrificing the magic legions to continue this absurd lie? Just to maintain the rule you desire?" Silberle said. "Is that what you're thinking?"

"grown ups."

“Wendy, although countless people in hell curse me as a general more demonic than the devil, and I can’t count the curses that have accumulated on my head from the innocent people I personally sent to the devil’s mouth, do you know what? I never think I did anything wrong.”

“My magical abilities are not the strongest among the Snow Guards; even your mother’s magic is superior to mine. But I am one of the Upper Four Guards because there are some things I can do better than your mother—prepare for the final battle.” After saying this, Silberle walked out of the tent.

"The final...battle??"