The air in the Command Room was so still it seemed about to freeze.
Prince Wilander stood at the head of the Sand Table, staring at the blank area that represented Fortress Five. His voice was low.
"Hector has been acting very strangely."
The old prince kept staring at the fortress on the Sand Table, seemingly recalling the brutal fighting that day.
"According to our intelligence, he only has eighteen Constructs left in total, yet he committed fifteen of them at once when he captured Fortress Five the day before yesterday. And several were different from the ones we saw before. More agile. They no longer conserve magic crystals. They operate at full power, even overloading themselves. Even a simple swing of an arm uses their maximum strength."
The nobles present looked grim at those words. Once again, they saw the horrific spectacle of flesh bursting like bags of blood beneath overloaded mechanical arms.
"Aside from that, is there any evidence that aid from the Empire is responsible?"
"Yes, my lord." Ola's voice came from the corner. "My knights did discover something from above the clouds. Hector's transport convoy is moving along the eastern highway, and it's quite substantial. It appears the Empire's next shipment of supplies has arrived."
Those words were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the commanders' lingering hopes.
This was an asymmetric war.
The Empire possessed vast territories, rich ore veins, and a fully developed alchemical industry.
The Duchy had only half a country left, and a band of exhausted soldiers.
"Evacuate."
Karl, the old general who had lost his left arm, broke the silence in a trembling voice. He stroked his empty sleeve, his eyes dull with despair. "Send the younger members of every family into the mountains of Forest Sea Province. As for