30 Underestimating the enemy

"Yes, the one that will infiltrate the enemy camp, get the details of them, assassinate important people, sabotage their plan, poison their well, take hostages and do those kinds of stuff. A military spy."

"A military spy? Are you sure that you are not talking about mercenaries?"Chanakya had never heard about such a thing.

A silence followed before Kinoya spoke again, "'Doing those kinds of things are unethical.' Is that what you are thinking?"

"When did you care about ethics?" Chanaya was wearing his expressionless face, "Do you know that you are not a good example of a leader?"

Kinoya laughed it off, "I told you, didn't I? I am that kind of person who would do the bad things without hesitation."

"In the war, you kill people for one reason or another. How can there be an ethical way of doing it? The only way is to survive the longest." The words were still ringing in the ears of Chanakya. He didn't want to agree yet he couldn't argue.

"They are coming." Kinoya's words broke Chanakya's thought, he opened his eyes but couldn't see anyone.

Before he could ask, four lights appeared at the four corners of the city centre and started to move through the stone, scorching everything in its path. They rotated around Chararch, creating a circle with Charcarch at the centre.

It started with a large circle then they divided into 8 fires and created squares. It continued to divide and create a more complex pattern.

Unlike Chanakya, the array didn't seem alien to Kinoya. He had seen it before and was very much aware of its results. However, he didn't know a way to stop it.

The light didn't stop moving yet people had started to appear with constant flashes. They moved out of the city centre in different directions.

*Boom*

Soon enough a commotion broke out at the city gate. First, it was just shouts and cries but soon the clashes of weapons could be heard too.

The pattern continued to wiggle and people continued to appear but none stayed at the city-centre. Almost 50 people had vanished in the dark before the magical array was able to complete its form.

It completed with a flash. But when it returned to normal the whole place was full of soldiers. As soon as they moved out and there was another flash, then another. It flashed for 6 times then the floor of the centre cracked with a loud bang.

"They are more prepared than I thought." Kinoya shook his head.

"I don't think they will be able to take the city down with just 12-15 thousand."

"They are not idiots. They must have another plan."

"Are you saying that more soldiers are hiding in the vicinity?"

"No, that is not it, they must have come for a reason. You can send a hundred people in a suicide mission, even a thousand is okay but you can't or won't send so many people to their death."

"Didn't you say the strategist of Torria's army is amateur?"

"That is also the reason why he won't do anything that won't bore any fruit. He can only use simple strategies… Oh! He dares..." Kinoya's cry caught Chanakya off guard.

However Kinoya didn't care, "He had never wanted to beat us. He just wanted to kill us all. They didn't want to open the door, they wanted to close it so we couldn't go out. They will poison the well, burn our food, destroy our supply… but even with 15 thousand people, they could not stop us from going out."

"What if they create a blockade around the city?"

"If there was an enemy it should have been inside the city, not outside."

"They can use a transportation circle."

"I had asked the general Akai. He said that 10,000 gold is needed to create one that can transport 3,000 soldiers, for once. Do you think that they are willing to such an extent?"

"And on top of that they took all the citizens away, that is the important point. Except for the garrison, only women were here." The moment he realised it, he thought he would faint, "He is more decisive than I thought."

"What is the problem, captain?"

"They are going to blow up the whole city, tonight."

"What? How?" Chanakya's computational speed couldn't keep up with Kinoya's comprehension level. All he could do was to ask Kinoya to explain it for him.

"I don't know-how. But it's just baiting and trapping technique again. They gave us a little fight, just enough so that those idiots didn't suspect anything. Gave us the women to satisfy us. Create a diversion to make us believe that the attack was their plan while they blow up the city."

"Captain?" Chanakya asked in all seriousness, "Did you hurt your head?"

"I don't know much about how to blow out the city. Maybe an explosion, bomb the city, gas the city, whatever is more effective. What about a high-grade spell?" Kinoya understood how concentric his vision was about the world. He didn't know enough about the x-factor of this world, 'The Magic'.

"I don't know about 'gas the city', but a high-grade spell can work. But that will need a wizard."

"That is easy as pie."

"Only if the pie falls from the sky." Chanakya shook his head as he explained, "There are only 11 wizards on the continent. Out of them only 3 of them are human. Though Torria has one, if they can't afford those magic circles they won't be able to afford the wizard."

"How can that even be possible? Isn't it supposed to be a magic continent?"

Chanakya didn't beat around the bushes. He knew very well that it was not easy to get the magic-related information. "When you learn magic you will become a grade 1 apprentice, it will go up to grade 5. Most of the magic casters are at this level. Above it is a mage, archmage, wizard and people say there is a legendary level called 'Saint'. But there is no known saint on the continent."

Kinoya wanted to think about how cool it will be if he was able to become a legendary saint, but he had a more pressing problem in front of him. "But how to blow up the city?"

"There is one way."

"What the hell with all this suspense?" Kinoya was agitated.

"I didn't see it before, so I forgot about it. Do you remember how I told you that a Chararch always builds first in every city of Torria? Well, there is a reason behind it. The Chararch is a magic sensing device that protected the city up to the second wall from any kind of magic attack." Chanakya got the chance to outwit Kinoya and he was cherishing it.

But Kinoya took his limelight, "And it needs a magical core to operate. If one can reverse the flow of the magic the whole thing will blow up, taking the city with it."

"So you know about it?" Chanakya was a little surprised.

"No, I just guess it. So their best soldiers are here and we are sitting in the middle of the enemy camp."

"Are you scared captain?" Chanakya had failed to reason the big smile on his face.

"No, I am happy that he also made the same mistake that I made."

"And what will that be?"

"They have underestimated me." Kinoya smiled. "Give me the bow. And tell me which side General Akai will be?" He tore his robe, cut his finger and started to write using blood.

*********

No matter how many history books he had read in this life or on the earth, he had one fatal problem. That is experience. No matter how imaginative one might be, it is hard to predict the future. After all, the reality is stranger than fiction.

To be precise Nus never underestimated him. Rather he took more precaution, after facing him last time.

"Will it work? We have paid too much for the mission." After the failure of the first war, general Kirmac was called back to the capital. General Manu became the commander-in-chief of the army of Torria.

"Anything is possible in a war, all they have to do is reach the chamber under the Chararch. One minute will be more than enough to blow it up" The long white hair was contradictory to his age, even Kinoya would have a hard time to identify this person whom he had sent to relay the message.

"Do we need to send Captain Fret there?" General Manu couldn't sit still thinking about the consequences if the mission fails. "He is the best soldier we have, on top of that he is the direct disciple of an Archmage. The last thing we want right now is to anger an Archmage."

'How can a general worry that much before mobilizing his soldiers? Is this the level of the army of Torria?' A frown appeared on Nus's face, "Archmage is the last thing we need to worry about right now."

'If there is something we should worry about that will be the devil.' Thoughts about that night still make Nus sweat in fear. The white hair was also the gift of that night. "Neither magic caster nor any magic knight had joined war from the empire. We need to use it to our advantage as soon as possible. We got one chance."

With a deep breath he continued, "On top of that, we don't know what that thing was. But from his words, he might be related to the night raid. If he lives, we don't know what type of ordeal this army has to go through? And believe me, when I say it, this army will not be able to survive it."

It wasn't just the colour of his hair that he lost that day. The naivety, indecisiveness that he had carried as an official, was also lost. That was replaced by the thirst of the winning. 'To win by any means necessary'.

On the other hand, one futile effort wasn't enough to change the view of the mentality that sipped into the bone of every soldier. General Manu was no exception, but…

"Take him with you, his words may save your life one day." Those were the words of his teacher, General Kirmac and he wanted to believe in those too. But every word of this Official Nus was making less and less sense than the last.

'If that thing is the devil then there is no way one could kill it.' General Manu was hesitant, "Do you think he could defeat a devil?"

"I don't know whether he could kill the devil or not, but I know magic is the best weapon against a devil."

"Wouldn't it be enough if we just blow the city?"

His face twitched, the skin wrinkled as he spoke again, "Listen general, the primary aim for the mission is to kill that blind devil and then blow up the city. That should be the order, not the other way around."

Nus stopped, took a deep breath and continued, "That guy took down almost 100,000 soldiers, with a platoon of men, a legion of cavalry and archers, that is without any recorded injury. Think about what he can do with the full army. I want him dead as soon as possible."

"Isn't that blind devil just a child?"

"That's why he needs to die now. If he survives then with his mind and strength he will become 2nd Moon general, if not worse." With each question of the general Nus voice and determination were becoming stronger.

"I think you are overestimating that child."

"We are underestimating him." Nus sighed. Talking to the general was becoming tiresome for him. He lacked the motivation to talk on this topic, "What about the preparation that I told you to do?"

"Do we need it? If they die tonight then…" General Manu frowned, 'Just another illogical order.'

"No matter how effective the attack will be, there are bound to be some survivors."

The general wasn't satisfied with the reaction but answered nonetheless, "The garrison of Yeongjang, Pisa, Roirus had been transferred to Wang, Paeng and Jingeon. We have already sent letters to the nearest cities, they will soon send their army here at 'Na'."

"Tell them, if any of the city didn't send an army within two weeks the capital will consider the city as a traitor."

"But…" The general was surprised by such a reaction from Nus.

"Just say it, it will be enough." His patience had reached its limit a long time ago. Without any more words, he left the tent.