The sun rose higher behind them, baking the backs of their necks. Flies swarmed around the bodies and blood, and the thick stench of blood slowly began to turn rancid.
"All right, tell me your plan," Wesley said, unable to hold back any longer.
"I don't have one."
"Yeah, right. I've never seen you do anything you weren't sure about."
"I really don't know... I only have a hunch."
Donald stared intently at the mouth of the passage. Even after fighting through the night, his powerful Spiritual Power as a Formal Magician kept him wide awake.
"Stop testing my patience and tell me. What's your hunch?"
"When three bandits are dividing the loot, and the boss and his second-in-command start fighting, what are they most worried about?"
"...You mean the Thorn Empire is most worried about the Silver Sparrow Federation right now?"
"Exactly. With the Thorn Empire's forces, the Feymont Empire really can't hold out if nothing unexpected happens. That's Roger's assessment. But he hasn't considered that there's another variable in this war..."
"So the Thorn Empire will do everything it can to keep this war from leaving both sides crippled. They incited Eli to rebel, secretly allied with the Celtic Duke, and planned this passage in secret—all for that purpose." Wesley caught on at once.
"Right. They built this secret passage to reduce their losses on the main battlefield. But if they suffer too many losses here, wouldn't that defeat the whole point? We have to gamble on how much they're willing to lose in this passage."
"That's your hunch?" Wesley asked.
"If you were the commander on the other side, what would you do next?"
"If numbers aren't working, I'd try sending in stronger troops."
Donald smiled faintly. "That's my hunch."
"Heh. Your Magic Staff can hit as