Power is not diminished by the simplicity of its décor.
Aside from the signboard of the Provisional Military Affairs Department, the most important military command post of the Second Terensus on the Moorfala front was nothing more than a red brick building, a temporarily expanded basement, and a few large cowhide tents.
Compared to the extremely luxurious Republican Army office building in Trier, or the Royal Army headquarters occupying one of the best locations in the western part of Backlund, calling such a configuration shabby would be giving too much credit.
But even in its simplicity, no one would underestimate the threat posed by the Ternsost people because of a mere building.
Taxi drivers dressed in "war red" uniforms strolled back and forth along the path near the red brick building. The "hunters" walked in groups of three or four, chatting and laughing in hushed tones, or leaning against the shade of trees sharing a rare cigarette. A few were actually carrying out their patrol duties diligently.
At first glance, judging from the frivolous and lazy state of the "hunters," an outsider unfamiliar with "Red of War" would likely immediately conclude that this army is undisciplined.
Could they be any more blatant in their fishing tactics...? Klein was speechless.
He stopped under a birch tree and raised his gaze slightly, discovering that there were far more spirit threads floating in the air than the number of "hunters" on the ground.
Besides the taxi drivers on the surface, there are many hidden sentries lurking in the shadows and behind the walls of houses nearby.
That was a patrol force composed of "hermits" and a few scattered "recorders." If Klein's guess was correct, they were the main force protecting the temporary military affairs department.
The military affairs department contains humans and vampires, and there are rumors that dragons and giants roam the front lines. Not to mention the elves, who became vassals of the "mysterious" as early as the end of the Second Age... Klein tried to identify the owner of each spiritual line, attempting to find some non-human and vampire beings among them.
To be honest, he was quite curious about the current state of pure-blooded giants and dragons.
Giants and dragons are naturally extraordinary beings. According to the theory promoted within the Church of the Night, their reproduction is essentially a secondary division of extraordinary characteristics...
That makes some sense. "The Sun" also said that in the early Second Age, most ancient god races were still in a state of irrational bloodlust. Relying on reproduction to produce superfluous or conflicting extraordinary traits helped them gradually get rid of their madness...
The fact that the giants gradually returned to normal generation after generation also shows that, at the end of the Second Age, before the Creator's birth, most of the surviving ancient god races had basically returned to normal...
But this is another inexplicable situation. Returning to normal means they have already undergone multiple rounds of dilution. If the subsequent segmentation also requires excluding special characteristics, then for naturally extraordinary creatures like them, it would be tantamount to suicide...
Klein still resisted joining the Ministry of Military Affairs deep down. After what happened with Roth, he couldn't help but harbor malicious suspicions when faced with the "Red Angel's" inexplicable concern.
He would rather stare blankly at the gate of the Ministry of Military Affairs, indulging in the unrealistic, divergent thinking often found in scholars, than take another step.
Thinking about it carefully, given their size, even with impressive extraordinary abilities, giants and dragons would find it difficult to play a significant role on the battlefield these days...
After all, even the "Guardians," renowned for their defense, can't withstand a single round of artillery fire head-on. Dragons and giants appearing on the front lines would only become targets, it's simply...
"What a waste?"
A sharp whooshing sound suddenly rang out, and the moment the unfamiliar voice appeared behind him, Klein, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality and swung his right arm back like a battle axe, leaving afterimages in the air.
Its speed and decisiveness were completely unlike the reaction of a "diviner".
"A follower of Salinger?"
Unfortunately, Klein's counterattack was too slow in the face of the owner of that sudden voice.
He admired the clearly defined movements within his sight, offering no resistance, merely turning his neck slightly to bring a seemingly empty patch of land into his black eyes.
The attack launched by "Klein," played by Ludwell, finally landed. The sturdy forearm bone struck the young man's shoulder, and a faint cracking sound of bone breaking could be heard from under the long sleeve of his trench coat, as if he had hit a piece of steel.
The open space being watched by the youth suddenly filled with smoke and milky white dust. The illusory yet high-temperature flames rapidly contracted from a single point, forcing out the figure hidden under the illusion.
Klein tried to break free, but whether he was moving through flames or swapping places with other marionettes, he clearly felt restricted. Even his spiritual intuition was obscured, and all he could get from divination was the noise of disordered and chaotic symbols.
Enjoying Klein's disheveled state, the young man grabbed Ludwell's forehead and suddenly laughed.
"Indeed, you are right. It would be a waste to use giants and dragons to fill in the lines."
"This is something even a baby who's just been nursing could understand after squatting in a trench for two minutes."
Medici, the commander of the army of the Second Empire of Trensost, the swordsman of the true creator, and the renowned "Red Angel," casually tossed aside the unresponsive Ludwell, found a slightly higher rock to sit on, and did not release Klein from his restraints, seemingly preparing to finish their conversation in this bizarre scene.
"Klein Moretti, your performance just now has convinced me that you have absolutely no talent for war and are an absolute idiot."
The moment Klein saw the "Red Angel," his pupils dilated, and he didn't even bother to listen to what the other person was saying.
However, he knew that the "Red Angel" did not come with hostility, and he quickly lowered his guard.
"Your Highness Medici."
Seeing Klein struggling to bow within the cage of flames and smoke, Medici chuckled.
"Your reaction just now was pretty good, better than the average 'fortune teller'. That little Friedrich wouldn't have been this calm at your age."
Seeing the "Red Angel's" unsettling smile, Klein slightly averted his gaze and changed the subject.
"With the development of artillery, the enormous size of dragons and giants has lost its absolute advantage."
"I don't think my judgment is wrong, Your Highness."
Medici's gaze swept over Ludwell, who was feigning death, and several other secret puppets transformed from small creatures such as insects and rats.
"Body size certainly doesn't tell the whole story."
"Tsk, you really don't have the talent to be a soldier."
"Haven't you met people from the Eastern Continent before?"
"Why are your ideas still so rigid?"
The remnants of the Eastern Continent... Could it be Silver City? But Little "Sun" and the others mostly fought against out-of-control extraordinary creatures and mutated monsters, and had no experience fighting against armies of the firearms era... Klein pondered for a moment and humbly asked for advice.
"I still can't understand."
After calming down completely, Klein roughly grasped the essence of the conversation.
If I'm not mistaken, I was noticed by the "Red Angels" the moment I stepped into Morfala, including when I hesitated in front of the military department...
Perhaps He deliberately made things difficult for me just to assess me?
Greet me in a way that's very "hunter-like"?
"Fortunately, ignorance is not stupidity. At least you didn't try to appease me with wild guesses based on a complete lack of understanding," Medici commented, rubbing his chin. "It seems you don't know much about the Eastern Continent either. Have you never discussed this issue with anyone from the Eastern Continent?"
"'Guardians' are nothing special. They'll be taken out by one or two shells. They won't be much more resilient than other extraordinary beings on the front lines. Besides, what they can do, the iron shells developed by the 'Craftsmen' followers can also do."
"It's just that it takes giants an average of more than ten years to train a Sequence 5, while a 'craftsman' can build a self-propelled cannon in just two or three months. Compared to that, giants are just useless."
It's unbelievable to hear the word "cost-effectiveness" from an angel... No wonder he's a high-ranking figure in the field of warfare; even at this level, as the King of Angels, he still considers the war situation with a pragmatic attitude... I originally thought that angels only cared about their own personal power...
Klein humbly accepted the advice, thought for a moment, and then calmly pointed out another problem.
"Then, Your Highness Medici, Fussack's army also has a large number of Giant Path Beyonders who fight alongside the 'Hunters.' How do they ensure that the 'Guardians' are spared from artillery fire and can function effectively?"
"Are we using the same methods as them?"
Upon hearing Klein's words, Medici nodded seriously.
"Not bad. Although your nose isn't very sensitive, your mind is quite quick."
The angel brushed the stray red hair behind her ears, revealing a pair of crystal-like earrings.
He did not answer Klein's question immediately, but instead infused a wisp of spiritual energy into one of the earrings.
Despite his spiritual intuition being blocked, Klein clearly sensed that another powerful spiritual force was awakening nearby after witnessing the "Red Angel's" actions.
It was a graceful shadow, hidden in the indistinct shadows behind Medici, and a melancholy and ethereal voice seemed to come from a great distance.
"Your example is not very good. Fussac is far inferior to the second empire of the Creator."
"The countries of the Northern Continent are now all established at the end of the Fourth Age, relying on the support of different true gods. They voluntarily fasten their collars and hand over the chains to their respective masters, and of course have no right to interfere with the decisions of various churches."
"Akhmatoun is not stupid enough. He understands the predicament Einhorn is facing, so he simply gave up arguing with the brainless half-giants and let the followers of the God of War take the forward position."
"Although a single 'Guardian' is indeed at a disadvantage against a barrage of artillery, once a certain number of 'Guardians' appear on the front line at the same time, and they are led by a demigod, they can combine their barriers and shields around the demigod to create a mobile barrier."
"In this situation, even coastal artillery cannot shake the already formed 'Guardians,' not to mention the support from 'War Bishops.' The abilities of each person in the army will flow under the commander's will, and effort and damage can be switched between point and area at any time."
"For Einhorn, whether the 'hunters' are in front or behind will not make much difference or have much impact. As long as they ensure their command position, they can use the followers of the God of War as a weapon in their hands while maintaining the initiative and the prestige of the army."
Although he didn't know the identity of the figure with obvious female characteristics, Klein was certain that the other party must also be a master of the art of war.
Well, I only really know two "Hunters": Colonel Taylor and Mr. K from the Backlund branch. The highest-ranking among them, Colonel Taylor, is only Rank 4. It seems that the ability to unify and flexibly deploy troops is unique to "War Bishops," and only reaches Rank 3...
Indeed, empiricism is never advisable in any situation. Medici was right; I am not suited to be a commander. We should consider how the abilities of high-sequence extraordinary individuals can compensate for and influence the weaknesses of the troops…
However… the way this woman spoke of Einhorn, and her appearance… recalling the "rebirth from the ashes" of the "Red Angels" also recorded in the holy scriptures, Klein suddenly guessed a possibility.
Like "witches," "hunters" are a type of person who undergoes a forced gender change at a certain stage. Princess Medici has two earrings... Could this be the ancestor of Einhorn, who died before the war between the Four Emperors?
So she was a woman...
At this moment, the "Red Angel," who had been daydreaming during Einhorn's "Science Classroom" break, suddenly glanced at Klein and chuckled.
"You have a real talent for provocation."
The shadow behind her clearly wanted to say something more, but the "Red Angel" simply waved her hand, and the graceful figure uncontrollably retreated into the pendant on the "Red Angel's" earlobe, only able to shout uselessly in the clear crystal.
"Ignore Him. Your guess is correct. He is Einhorn."
As she spoke, Medici brushed aside the other side of her red hair, revealing both earrings to Klein.
"Look, there's another one of Sauron's here."
"After raising him for so many years, his temper is better than Einhorn's, so he has accepted reality."
Accept reality?
Wait a minute, so it's possible that Einhorn and Sauron's ancestors weren't originally women, but were turned into this form by Medici?
What is this, a new tactic to toy with old rivals?
Klein was taken aback at first, but before he could suppress this blasphemous thought, he saw that the "Red Angel" sitting on the rock opposite him had already turned pale.
The haughty angel curled his lip, and the coldness in his iron eyes sent chills down Klein's spine. He stared at Klein for a few seconds without saying a word, and finally suppressed the emotions that had been about to erupt, unusually remaining silent.
Medici, fiddling with his earrings through his gauntlet-clad fingers, was clearly either trying to appease his two old rivals or simply teasing them, and obviously had no intention of continuing this off-topic conversation.
He rather abruptly steered the conversation back to its original course.
"The brats of Fussac and Einhorn are not worthy of being compared to my army."
"However, as Einhorn just said, since the defense of a single Titan is easily broken, let's change their role and only deploy them for decapitation and specific offensive operations, led by demigods of the same path, to maximize their defensive capabilities."
"As for the dragons, very few artillery pieces can hit them now. Rather than throwing them directly into the fire to die, they are now mainly responsible for reconnaissance and logistics."
The cage woven from flames and black smoke suddenly dissipated, and the sudden return of his spiritual intuition made Klein feel somewhat uneasy.
He struggled to control his spirit and thoughts, enduring the nausea rising from his stomach. When he opened his eyes again, he found that the "Red Angel" had stood up from the stone and was about to light a cigarette—a rather cheap-looking one.
Angels and cheap cigarettes—two completely different things coming together—greatly piqued Klein's interest.
Exhaling a puff of white breath, Medici extinguished the flickering flame on his fingertips and noticed that Klein's gaze was fixed on the cheap cigarette dangling from his lips. He suddenly burst out laughing.
"What are you looking at? Want one?"