Shadow of the Evil God

"It doesn't matter," Cesar said. "For me, the only thing that's real is the journey we've walked together. It doesn't matter what the world thinks you are. If I call your name, it's the you that's here. Whether it's a reflection, an image in a dream, or even my own imagination, you're the real you."

"The reflection won't scream because you keep screaming

Just stay on the lake.”

"Then make sure that no one on the lake can ever leave the lake."

"you really......"

Cesar kissed her shoulder and said, "The lake

The people and reflections above and below are half real, half fake. If you were the reflection, we would tilt the lake so that more truth could flow into your heart. He held her tighter. "I think in this world, changing the ratio of truth and falsehood is not impossible."

Firth trembled slightly in his arms, finally letting out a barely audible, sweet gasp that soaked his fingers with moisture and stickiness. A lone moon lingered outside the window, appearing and disappearing among the dark clouds. The stillness of the night made her skin pale, her lashes matted together, and her blue eyes, reflecting the moonlight, seemed lost and vacant.

It is undeniable that she always looks like this after those crazy exercises, with her sickly posture, like a little patient still under anesthesia after surgery. Whenever she leans against him completely defenselessly, Cesar's desire for love will become stronger and stronger, asking him to hold this ghost-like gloomy girl tighter.

He would sigh into her hair and caress her delicate body until she finally responded, either by holding his hand to stop him from teasing her, or by succumbing to the rising desire and spending the whole night with him again.

"You only have nice words that sound better than anyone else," Firth muttered, "but don't forget, it's not you who's protecting me now, it's me who's protecting you. Even though I'm still half-dead, if it weren't for me, you'd be a cloud of bloody mist floating in the wind somewhere in the wilderness right now."

Cesar took her right hand and kissed her fingertips as if swearing an oath to his master, and a smug smile appeared on her face. She rarely smiled, and her expression was always dark and unhappy, but when she smiled she was very charming, with a smug look like a child, her eyes narrowed softly like feathers, and her whole face was filled with a sweet glow like eating honey.

This was certainly not the dignified and elegant smile of the nobles, but it was extremely sweet and pleasant, often making him want to pick up a piece of candy and put it in her mouth to make this short expression last a little longer.

"The armor we worked so hard to modify is no longer usable; it's completely broken," Firth continued. "Over the next period of time, we'll need to modify another set for you. We need to choose the right armor base, prepare the corresponding spell markings, and further restrict you based on your condition to ensure you don't lose control like you did today. With that guy's help, maybe I can fix the problem of damage after use and create a set of armor that can be reused. That way, we won't have to prepare a new set every time you need to command on the battlefield."

"Why do you think she would go to such lengths to help you?" Cesar asked a question that had always puzzled him.

"Diana wanted to emulate the mages recorded in the ancient documents of the Kasar Empire," Firth replied softly. "Her pursuits and ideas were different from those of mages from other schools. She wanted to use her own will to explore the way of survival and to use her own hands to construct different values. She found it strange that mages hid in high towers to study academics. So, when the empire was falling apart, she sought out the princess who was also thinking about change. As for me, well, someone without a home..."

"It seems you've been captivated by someone's speech," Cesar said. "What do you think she revealed to you? According to the princess's account, the mages recorded in the ancient documents of the Kasar Empire are far more terrifying than the Origin Society. Ultimately, the Origin Society merely delved into academic research in its own tower, conducting some unknown and horrific experiments, and its scope of influence was always limited. However, the mage groups in the ancient documents each had their own political pursuits, and the most radical among them often wanted the entire world order to operate according to their wishes."

"I understand what you mean, but I don't feel that way. Didn't you say before that every shift in order would cause huge waves, affecting countless lives? Perhaps those mage groups mentioned in the ancient texts were trying to bring about change, to shake up a stagnant world. This idea itself wasn't wrong, but there were no restrictions on their actions, and no one explored the possibility and value of realizing their ideas."

Cesar shook his head. "I only know about that princess and that thoughtful duke's daughter. They're both very young. While one may have mythological blood, and the other a soul from the School of Magic and a creation of Life Engineering, thought and wisdom usually have little to do with a person's background. Those sages who wrote books and theories were mostly unknown people."

"Didn't you trick her into coming here and saying you wanted to be a teacher? You have knowledge from another world, maybe..."

This idea was really absurd. Maybe it wasn't absurd at first, but now it was absurd considering Diana's background. Cesar couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, and felt that the pressure in his heart was relieved a little.

"Not all knowledge and ideas can be mechanically applied without regard for historical context," he said. "Besides, there are so many idealistic beings in this world, and it's not for me alone to decide what they need. But since you've put it that way, I'll certainly do my best to offer some ideas to prevent those two from making the wrong choice."

"You talk like you're an ordinary person," Phils said, raising her small, white hands to cup his face. "But I don't think so. You're the wisest man I know."

Even Diana is not as smart as me. Of course, it is stupid for me to say this because I don’t know many people. But I think that even if I know more people in the future,

Among a thousand or ten thousand people, you are still the best."

Cesar looked down into her eyes until she began to regret having made such a serious statement, and her voice gradually became quieter and quieter until it was completely inaudible.

"Can I hear you express your love in that tone again?"

"I'm all sticky," Fils said immediately. "Do you think now's the time to say that? It's one thing for my feet to be stuck together, but my legs are like glue. Do you understand whose fault it is?"

Cesar spread his hands, proclaiming his innocence. Then he saw her take off her soaked black bra, shake her hair, and stretch out her arms toward him. "Carry me to wash my body, and then carry me back." She said, "I admit that what you said just now made me feel a little romantic."

Chapter 155: She Became a Student Just to Question the Teacher

......

Once the fortress's problems were resolved and Cesar could explore other areas, he realized it was spring. Violets, white with purple stripes, bloomed on the damp hillside, their delicate sweet fragrance somewhat mitigating the bloody odor of the previous few days. He bundled up tightly, tightened his boots, and walked around the edge of the fortress, past the clattering blacksmith shops and the early morning bustle of camps. Finally, he stopped by the deep river valley and breathed on his warm breath.

"Your beard is coming out of the ground like these violets, Master," someone said behind him.

"I haven't taken care of it lately," Cesar replied.

Altinya walked beside him, turned with interest, and examined the fortress built against the mountains and valley. As he had guessed, she had already changed into half-body armor to express her attitude. From the eve of the night battle to the preparation of the camp, she had not removed this armor.

The armor she wore wasn't as heavy as standard armor. While she had gauntlets, her arms were bare, and she wore no helmet. Her long hair was tied in a ponytail over one shoulder. Her hair was stained with blood, and there were musket scorch marks on her breastplate. But the silver armor, paired with the red battle robe, even with the stained folds of her skirt, still allowed her to maintain a graceful demeanor.

As a cursed being who lost his human form upon entering the battlefield, Cesar had to admit that he was completely unfamiliar with her style. Then he thought about the noble knights that Urbino had given him, who actually had a similar style—yet they had killed nearly half of his men in the first battle.

Thinking about it now, Cesar just thought they were stupid and arrogant.

In contrast, the princess took his advice, carefully considered it, corrected many details, and actually managed to capture the Gonzales fortress, with only a few casualties. With such tactical foresight and command analysis skills, he naturally felt that she was different from them.

Ultimately, Cesar's strategy was merely theoretical. His decision to intercept the smuggling troops yielded victory. Firstly, he relied on the curse of the path to single-handedly hold the front lines and secure the command post. Secondly, the mage he had tricked into arriving by letter actually arrived on the battlefield, not only helping him defend the heavy artillery position but also leading him to assassinate the enemy mage and commander. These two factors had nothing to do with tactical command ability. Without either, he wouldn't have been able to hold out until the Faceless Ones arrived with reinforcements.

As for the night battle at the fortress, he was just speculating on paper, with no real understanding. Besides offering guidance, all he could do was walk into the Governor's Mansion, sit down in a chair, and then, with his hands spread out, begin to act as bait. If the night battle was victorious, everything would be easy. If it failed, he would slaughter the Governor's Mansion and then vanish from civilization with Fils, as if they had both died in battle at Olidan.

"How do you feel about this night battle?" Cesar asked her.

"I'd say your opinion is sound, but you overestimated the abilities of the commanders and the quality of the soldiers. The entire night battle could only have been carried out with the officers sent by Grand Duke Urbino as the core, and the other soldiers following their orders. During the subsequent investigation, I found that the main casualties were militia and conscripts. I was overthinking about defections, but many people were running around with ideas I couldn't predict. I'll just assume they were defections and use artillery to eliminate them along with the enemy."

This guy said it so lightly, which was quite impressive.

"The next mercenary army will be even harder for you to predict," Cesar said.

"Why do you say that? I've met the Black Swords, and I think their military prowess is superior to that of Urbino's troops."

Cesar was speechless for a moment. "You're too..." He shook his head, "too focused on those who are on the surface. Mercenaries like the Black Sword are extremely rare. The vast majority of mercenaries we'll be recruiting will be primarily landless farmers and various unemployed vagrants, or in other words, unemployed hooligans."

Altinya pondered the implications of his words for a moment. "Please tell me what might happen, Master."

"The tactics I mentioned earlier are completely useless against them. You can't predict their thoughts, you can't imagine their actions, and you probably can't accept their chaos. Most of these people have families.

Most of them are pale and thin. When they get paid, they will lose their fighting spirit and just want to find a town to start a new life. If they don’t get paid, they will rob everywhere like locusts. If they can’t grab anything, they will wait for an opportunity to mutiny and destroy the camp. It is necessary to organize and utilize such a group of leaderless people who have no morale at all.

Fly, you have to let go of a lot of past experiences and ideas."

"From what you said, it seems we should make a different decision regarding salary?"

"Have you ever observed the refugees who joined the army because of the war?"

"Of course I did," she said.

Cesar corrected her: "I mean walking into their ranks and talking to them, asking about their lives, observing their reactions, analyzing the changes in their life states, and their innermost hopes and thoughts."

"I...this..."

For the first time, Altinya showed a less confident look. Although she insisted on not looking away and kept looking at him, the focus of her pupils was a little unfocused.

Perhaps it was because her violet eyes finally had a different look, or perhaps it was because her hair was tied up in a ponytail, stained with smoke and blood, like a dirty rope. Whatever the reason, Cesar felt that he had recognized her again. A flawless and perfect mural was only a mural. The flaws in the mural made him feel the traces of his humanity.

"Forget it," Cesar said to her, "I didn't mean for you to get so close. I told you beforehand that we could raise a fairly large army at a very low cost, and most of the money would be used to support a small number of main forces and various mid-level and lower-level officers."

"That's it..."

"But the reason I say this isn't that we're going to plunder the rebellious nobles' property and give it to our soldiers. What I'm saying is that this army isn't really an army, but a wandering town. You'd better not think of them as imperial troops or elite mercenary groups, and don't assume that money will necessarily buy gratitude and loyalty."

She quickly recovered and stood beside him, just one step behind him. "I'm sorry, I lost my composure. Please continue."

"A town is a place where artisans, peddlers, shady thieves, and men who bring their wives and children with them to sell their bodies. You see refugees of all kinds living off the army, trading goods on the march, and everyone trying to outlive their fellows. And if someone is doing well, like any small-time resident who makes a fortune in a small place, they'll start looking for ways to escape the poverty and seek a better life somewhere."

Artinya rested her chin on her hand, maintaining a dignified and composed posture, but her head couldn't help but tilt slightly to one side, a gesture consistent with her character, who believed that being a student was all about questioning their teachers. "Did you see that?" she asked nonchalantly.

"I've seen it more than just myself," Cesar said. He thought the guy wanted to stab him to death with his eyes. "I've met many people like this in the refugee groups, and I know where they tend to go to start a new life."

Chapter 156: Mercenary Corps

"I'll try to observe it myself later," said Artinia. "So, in your opinion, Master, how can we get this army, which has almost no morale, to fight for us?"

"Just like the ruling techniques described in the ancient texts of your Kasar Empire, let them have a better life in the army than as refugees starving to death. At least they can survive, but don't give them the opportunity to earn enough money to make a better living. My opinion is, don't pay ordinary mercenaries salaries. Just give them a fixed ration on a regular basis—bread, meat, and wine. Only officers can get paid."

She nodded in agreement, one hand supporting the tip of her chin, revealing the elegant curve of her neck. "This method can organize a mercenary army larger than I expected, but how organized is it?" she questioned.

"You can't expect these people to obey a top-down organization, and simply relying on strict military orders is not enough. It's best if they act on their own initiative to effectively maintain it."

"Let a group of mercenaries who are essentially refugees maintain their own organization?"

"If social organization isn't an option, you have to rely on animal instincts. Have you ever noticed that many starving refugees spontaneously organize themselves into groups, electing a small leader to rob pedestrians and villages? That's what we call a bandit gang. If nothing else, these people are at least more united than simple refugees."

"You're right, teacher," she said thoughtfully. "If the supplies distributed regularly are only enough for mercenaries to barely survive, they'll tend to stick together, relying on the leaders of each squad group. This is how a relatively tight organization is formed. With a stable supply of bread, meat, and wine, the soldiers won't easily mutiny. With this foundation, fighting to support the war can be carried out smoothly. The property captured by the army will be distributed through the leaders of each squad group. Only by actively participating in the war can they live better, and this will also maintain their spontaneous desire to fight."

Cesar couldn't help but look sideways when he heard this:

"Are you jumping to conclusions too quickly?"

"I don't think so," Altinya denied. "To this day, those who participate in the war are all bandits, there is no doubt about that. In fact, every army has a record of looting that is comparable, even Garcia's army. However, you are different from them. You have elevated this matter to a strategic level, rather than simply allowing it to happen.

Soldiers burned, killed, and looted. This is something I didn't expect, teacher."

Cesar was speechless again, and after a long while he finally replied, "Are you sure you're saying something nice?"

"That's the truth," Artinya said calmly. "It's a common thing.

If your army had simply taken livestock from the villages it passed through, people might have canonized you as a saint."

"Each kingdom is facing immense financial pressure to organize armies they simply cannot afford. This phenomenon will only intensify," Cesar said with a frown. "Do you understand the impact this will have?"

"The march would be greatly hindered," she said. "In many parts of the empire, local towns would spontaneously organize guards, some even going so far as to scout out small bands of nobles and knights who hadn't kept pace with the main army. Whether they were from the Southern Kingdoms Confederacy or any of the Imperial armies, the locals would attack and kill and plunder whenever they saw an opportunity. After stripping the bodies, stealing the horses and supplies, the local town guards would become bandits and flee into the mountains. This was a common occurrence, and bloody reprisals between the two sides were unending. It had become as commonplace for both sides as the army's looting of the countryside."

Cesar had meant to ask her about the extent of the damage to local production, but this was the answer he got instead.

"This is indeed a problem." He thought about it and finally said, "Any further details?"

"Many rural wizards living in local villages were also caught up in this incident," Altinya said, her tone as if recounting childhood memories. "Some teams that strayed from the main force would suddenly disappear, their bodies left in extremely tragic circumstances in the wilderness and mountains. Some targeted commanders would suddenly die in camp, only to be discovered later with traces of evil spells all over their bodies. In short, once a bloody situation becomes inevitable, many people who originally did not want to reveal their existence will emerge from all kinds of dark corners."

"A country wizard without a school or affiliation..."

"Furthermore, many bandits disguised themselves as beastmen and attacked surrounding villages and even marching troops, creating traces of torture and cannibalism. Later, they gradually became accustomed to cannibalism and actually developed the physical characteristics of beastmen... In short, this is the current situation in the empire's rural territories. If the war breaks out completely in Olidan, I don't think things will get much better here."

To have grown up normally in such an environment, to have a clear awareness of what was happening within the empire, to have searched through historical documents for clues, compared them to the present, and drawn his own conclusions. This person was definitely not someone who would be looked down upon. So, why did she go south?

Most likely she sought political asylum, Cesar thought. Her parents sent her away to prevent harm to their outstanding heir, believing that she could achieve something on her own. This idea didn't sound strange.

"If we've already decided to fight the majority of the nobles, then we'd better avoid fighting others," Cesar pointed out. "Allowing mercenaries to plunder the countryside will inevitably lead to more than just small-scale attacks and harassment. There's also the risk that local lords will rally the inhabitants of their territories to unite against us."

"You mean we need to divide them." Altiniya immediately understood the meaning of his words.

"Yes," Cesar said, "Just as Vermeer and his courtiers said, the people of Olidan haven't had a good time these days, and their positions are wavering. If they push things around and focus the conflict on us, many resentful people will find ways to retaliate against us. But if we push them the other way around, things will be different."

"Please continue."

"After defeating the local nobles, most of the property, money, and grain we've collected will be given to King Evered IV as tribute to replenish the treasury, allowing him to further expand our recruitment efforts. The more tribute we pay to alleviate his urgent needs, the more we can do. We'll discuss the details of the rest later, but I hope to distribute the final portion to the local residents."

"Let them flee to other territories and spread our reputation?"

"No, reputation is practically useless. Quite the contrary. I hope to retain them and restore local production. Furthermore, once we actually control a region, we must invest in strengthening local production. Firearms, ammunition, food, and alcohol—the larger the army, the greater the demand for these logistical supplies. A key requirement for maintaining the stability of a mercenary army is a stable supply of supplies, and a stable supply of supplies presupposes a stable logistical supply capability. Relying on looting wherever you go to ensure a stable logistical supply is unrealistic. What do you think?"

"That's absolutely true..."

"As a mining region, Gonzales's ability to supply freshly baked bread and palatable wine is limited. The more we use the private property of local nobles to replenish King Evered IV's depleted treasury and supplement his military expenses, the more willing Evered IV will be to loosen our power and allow us to actually control some real estate. This is a natural thing. He gets the money, and we get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Cesar tossed Vermeer's gold coin into the air. "Although this little thing is important, I think I'll just keep it and watch it gather dust. If I use it to provide timely assistance and invest in key areas, many troubles and obstacles can be easily resolved."

Artinia is a princess who has made a lot of observations and thoughts with her own eyes. Her tactical command ability far exceeds that of him.

A mediocre commander with excellent political skills, she was still limited by her vision and could not see many things that she should pay attention to.

Cesar thought he would soon be able to

No longer relying on the great nobles, it was Urbino's choice to remain loyal to Evered IV. He used the private property of the rebellious nobles as political donations, and organized a large mercenary army that only recognized him. At that time, he was free to point his gun wherever he wanted.

Chapter 157 I Don't Recognize You as My Teacher

......

When Cesar first arrived in Olidan, he could not have imagined that he would enter Anglan, the capital of Olidan, in this way. It was a rare sunny day, the sky clear blue, the sun warm and pleasant. The royal army, returning from the north, had finally entered Anglan and would march along the main road.

This should have been a day of celebration for Olidan, but the atmosphere throughout the capital was filled with a grim atmosphere. A large army of soldiers had sealed off the university and military academy for over a month, strictly prohibiting students and faculty from entering. Another large army was guarding the properties recently confiscated from nobles plotting rebellion, moving large numbers of noble property away to cover military expenditure shortfalls. The windows along the avenues, rooftops, and doorways were packed with the citizens of Angland, unable to leave, waiting for the nobles and King Evered IV to determine a true ruler for the kingdom.

Cesar had to admit that the imposition of martial law in Angland before the nobles had officially launched their rebellion was closely related to the interrogation report he had entrusted Diana to deliver to Urbino. Many nobles and merchants with property in the capital had lost everything before they could even relocate. But honestly, they were at least lucky. A number of suspected noble collaborators were imprisoned in the middle of the night without even receiving a warning.

In fact, the reports and evidence he submitted only pointed out a group of people he knew. Since Urbino was the leader in arresting so many nobles and their followers, it was likely that he already had a list in his mind and was just waiting to get the news before arresting people.

Cesar felt that Diana's active involvement in political affairs, and her teleportation spell alone, had already had a terrifying impact. The speed with which she had rushed from Gonzales to Anglan, and the efficiency with which she had delivered the interrogation report and the actual evidence, was something no one else could have accomplished.

Cesar was horrified by the ancient texts of the Kasar Empire, which contained such politically active mage groups. The most terrifying thing about them wasn't that each group had different political aspirations, but that they actually had the means to realize their political ideals. Once realized, their influence would quickly spread throughout the world. Whether this was for good or for ill depended solely on how extreme their ideals were.

Of course, no matter how hard Æfred IV tried to deal with the rebellious nobles in the capital, he could only capture minor elements. The truly important leaders couldn't possibly be in Anglan. By now, with the exception of Grand Duke Urbino, all of Olidan's most prominent generals of the past century had declared their intention to save the kingdom from Æfred IV. Their speeches denouncing the king ranged from many different perspectives to numerous strategies, but one thing remained unavoidable: blinding Æfred IV and confining him to a monastery for the rest of his life.

It is said that this is a traditional culture with a long history in Olidan, and Cesar does not know how it was passed down.

Cesar watched as the ranks of the royal knights finally came into view. The whispers of the people lining the road suddenly rose to a crescendo, transforming into a roaring cheer. If nothing else, their momentum surpassed the heavy cavalry he had encountered when he intercepted the smuggling caravan. Perhaps it wasn't just the momentum, he thought. After all, they had been battled in the north. This army had fought against beastman tribes and participated in even greater wars.

The White Tower battle flag of Olidan fluttered in the wind in the hand of the flag bearer. Behind the flag followed several of the most gorgeous and majestic golden-armored knights in the queue. The royal flags were hung on the spears in the hands of the knights.

"These knights are primarily royal relatives and their direct troops." Diana surveyed the battle formation from his side. "Although they've achieved fewer victories than Garcia's army, that's mainly because the king transferred my father back to Anglan, and the new commander who took over was unfit for the job. In terms of combat capability alone, this army won't be far behind."

This was the Grand Duke Urbino's residence in Anglan. Behind Cesar was Urbino's meeting room. Although not on the highest floor, the windows of the outer corridor still offered a panoramic view of the square and avenue of the capital. If Cesar had come to Anglan earlier, Urbino would have provided him with a side room to stay in for a while, after which he would have had to find a place of his own. Now his situation was very different. The Grand Duke wanted him to make this residence his home. 694936145

Initially, Urbino had offered Cesar a property adjacent to his own, but he declined, stating that he needed something more practical—military supplies. He would spend most of his time on the march and in the middle of battle, making it impossible for him to spend much time in the capital. From that point on, Cesar was far more likely to be within the Empire than in Olidan.

"The northern fortress is just left vacant?" Cesar asked her.

"Only a small group of garrisons are left, and they are barely enough. If Evered IV is overthrown, all of them will be liquidated," said Diana.

"I was thinking, if I take the mercenary soldiers we have organized this month,