The Two Thousand and Eighty-Fifth-Before His Psychic Power Ran Dry, He Might Not Even Be Able to Take the Fortress

Considering that the duke's tone now made him sound like a typical psychic zealot with an unstable mental structure who could fly into a rage at any moment, and that she had already shown this side of herself during the "Metamorphosis Project," Sobaik had no choice but to pretend he didn't understand. Still utterly confused, he temporarily withdrew.

So, just as the army began forming ranks with its back to the river, and the armed merchant ships from the Celestial Domain dropped the last of the mines they carried, everyone received news that the Demon Dragon Fleet had arrived at Chenxiao Fortress.

What happened next was, of course, just as Sobaik had guessed. For a moment, the scene was filled with an awkward, heavy silence that made everyone want to crawl out of their own skin. The duchess's expression also became quite a sight.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! There are a million people there! A whole million! Where did he get the nerve to launch a surprise attack on the fortress?" She flailed her arms and shouted, like an over-the-top actor in a third-rate stage play.

Wasn't this just overdoing it? Sobaik watched Her Highness the Duchess, now all claws and fangs and utterly lacking her usual dignity, and felt as though he were looking at some indescribable monster.

At this point, he had completely lost track of the Empire's upper echelons' attitude toward this expedition against the Demon Dragon.

His instincts told him that if something was too terrifying to think through, he shouldn't keep thinking about it. That was better for him.

Even so, he silently switched on his terminal's recorder, ready to document everything he had experienced and all his doubts. Once he returned, he would discuss them with the viscountess and the others.

He also had to