I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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Jeongjae knew that the day of destiny had arrived. He was also aware that the time of fate was drawing near.

While the state of preparations along the coast couldn’t be called perfect, it was commendable enough. Obstacles had been set up in quadruple layers, nearly sealing off the coastline to slow the advance of the enemies, and a towed cannon had been positioned on a low hill behind those obstacles, aimed at the sea.

Jeongjae led Jenis as they checked every day for any suspicious signs beyond the coast. And today, the Grand Mage had finally caught a whiff of it.

A truly foul and abhorrent smell of mana, so evil that coexistence with it was loathsome. The only being that could oozes such a stench while slithering out of the sea was none other than the sea dragon Kraken.

The Kraken’s tentacles may not inflict much harm on beings on land, but it was a terrifying entity capable of sinking everything floating on the sea. If they were to deliver a decisive blow to the enemy fleet adrift on the water, they needed to either block the Kraken’s tentacles or develop a means to strike through its defenses.

While the enemy fleet was not yet in sight, the flow of mana had begun to change, clearly indicating that the enemy invasion was imminent this morning.

“Lord Advisor Jenis Harker.”

As Jeongjae stared out at the sea, he spoke in a lowered voice. Jenis stood with her feet together, saluting and bowing her head towards Jeongjae.

Though they often shared a casual rapport, she would tense up and create an atmosphere of seriousness when a crucial battle was approaching. This had been learned by Jeongjae while fighting alongside the Hero.

“Command me, my Baron. From now on, all the people of this territory are under your absolute control.”

“Gather everyone into the village. Make sure not a single person is left out; they must assemble before me.”

“Understood. Wait here.”

Following Jeongjae’s orders, Jenis dashed towards the village to begin gathering the people. Jeongjae took out his blue robe and draped the mage’s cloak over his uniform.

The sea breeze was brisk. The wind from the north mercilessly flapped Jeongjae’s cloak.

“It’s a wind favorable to the enemy.”

Jeongjae remarked. It was somewhat expected for the season, yet the possibility that even this wind could be the work of the Kraken crossed his mind. The strength of the sea breeze was definitely fiercer than yesterday, and even if they used a cannonboat to counter it, he felt there would be little effect.

Though he had thought out some preparations, there was no guarantee things would go as planned. No, he couldn’t even imagine a way to perfectly overcome this assault, even in his thoughts.

To be honest, Jeongjae had hoped that Margaret would arrive by yesterday. He was worried about what might have happened to her, or if she had run into trouble while trying to break through the middle ground.

Even if she was safe, if she failed to arrive on time and appeared tomorrow, Margaret would witness either the territory barely managing to fend off the attack or a complete tragedy of it being overrun and pillaged by Orcs.

The former scenario felt too hopeful. If only Margaret were there to exhibit her monstrous skills when surrounded by numerous foes, they would have more options to choose from.

In truth, Jeongjae only had three measures in mind for if he couldn’t halt the enemy’s landing. The first measure was the unending bombardment from Van Fleet using the cannons.

Utilizing immense mana to elevate the firing capability of a standard artillery piece to the extreme, making it possible to unleash more than three rounds per second with a handful of gunpowder — this spell could turn everything existing on the coast to ashes, granted that Jenis managed the barrel temperature properly to prevent it from overheating.

However, since it was a scroll that consumed mana at an alarming rate, employing this spell was somewhat burdensome for Jeongjae. If he couldn’t inflict a decisive blow to the enemy with this spell, it would jeopardize the later stages of the war.

The second contingency was the existence of Margaret. They would lure the enemy towards the coast and, while they hesitated against the obstacles, Margaret could pick off the enemies with arrows. There were hundreds of arrows left in the armory, so they wouldn’t run out immediately.

Even if the enemy numbers were great enough to deplete the arrows, by that time, the enemies would likely have succeeded in destroying the barriers, giving Margaret an opportunity to showcase her specialty — the art of the sword.

However, it had become uncertain whether Margaret would come or not. The reliability on this second measure felt rather flimsy.

With this turn of events, the options were quite limited. The last resort would be to appeal to the nobles and guards for their sacrifice. In a corner of Jeongjae’s mind, the thought of evacuating these people to another territory, or at least providing them a decent hiding place, arose, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to accept it.

He understood that if the enemies managed to cross the coast and enter the village, the game would already be concluded, yet he felt a surge of will to demand an indomitable spirit from them.

Stubbornness took hold. Knowing how hard these individuals were trying to defend this territory with their limited bodies filled Jeongjae with mounting determination. Even if he commanded them to retreat, he sensed that they would not comply.

As Jeongjae stood before the 3,000 nobles gathered by Jenis, everyone awaited his words. Everyone, even the elderly and the children, held something resembling a weapon in their hands and stood ready to heed his commands.

Jeongjae slowly opened his mouth.

“The enemy’s attack is imminent. The scale is that of a 300-ship fleet, an unprecedented naval assault that the Empire has never faced before. Considering the size of the fleet, the enemy forces are estimated to be between 8,000 to 10,000. At the very least, that’s three times our combined numbers.”

It was a fact everyone already knew. The guards, some clenching their weapons with confident smiles, and others trembling yet finding resolve in the stoic attitude of those around them, were all present.

“I wish I could be a generous lord who would tell all of you it’s alright to run away. I wish I could say to leave everything to me and seek refuge in Duke Jeffrey’s Territory while the hordes of enemies flee like beggars.”

Jeongjae paused for a moment. The glances from the nobles, filled with rejection and fighting spirit, ignited in response.

If he ordered a retreat here, it would douse their fire. The Baron was uncertain of what else he had to say and took a quick glance at his advisor.

Jenis nodded once without a word, sending a message that said, ‘I won’t interfere, do as you like.’

Finally, Jeongjae steeled himself and clenched his fist. The words that would now come out of his mouth — while crueler than any before, would also be commands that would satisfy the nobles.

“But I am not that generous a lord. The unquenchable rage within me, the backlash of my fury against the enemy, burns brightly. This flame is already kindled for those who have perished at the hands of the Demon King’s Army in this war. Noble lords! Do not think harshly of me. Do not resent this insufficient Baron who gives this order! I demand an unwavering resistance from you all. Apart from children and those unable to fight, I compel every single one of you to remain in this village. Is this demand unfair? If you think it’s unfair, feel free to point your fingers at me and refute!”

No one stirred.

“If my order, an outpouring of rage against the enemy, is in line with your will, shout your support for your lord!”

“Long live Baron Harriet! Long live Lord Park Jeongjae! Long live the Grand Mage!”

The nobles cheered in unison like it had been prearranged, their voices echoing to fill the area, despite only having a population of 3,000.

Jeongjae’s anxiety vanished. The complex thoughts in his head faded to white, and words began to flow from his mouth in a state of extreme excitement.

“I hate our enemies! I detest those vile creatures that should coexist with no reason! I can focus on nothing but crushing villains seeking to destroy everything I’ve come to love in this world! I want you all to learn the same hatred I bear! It seems you haven’t learned it enough until now. Because had you known how to thoroughly hate the enemy, there’s no way you would’ve refused to send troops, merely because it was not just a battle to protect our homeland!”

Could it have been a slip of the tongue? It wasn’t. The nobles had learned through their preparations against the enemy’s invasion that the demons were targeting their homeland, and they were starting to understand the meaning behind Jeongjae’s words.

“Then learn through this battle. See with your own eyes the grotesque desire of those monsters who invade without just cause to destroy this land. We should have raised arms solely to crush them from the very beginning! If we are fortunate, then perhaps you will not have to fight against the enemy. If we are lucky, let my formidable strength block every attack before the enemies enter the village. But even so, there will still be lessons for you to learn.”

Jeongjae took a breath to gather his excitement. Jenis knew that Jeongjae had fallen into an excessive emotional state but chose not to stop him.

The great battle that only those numbed by adrenaline and cruelty could endure was fast approaching. A hint of excitement would aid in raising morale.

“At the very least, witness my fury! Observe what has driven this seemingly weak Baron to such wrath. See for yourselves why all decent people despise the demon race! And if the worst should come to pass and you must take up arms yourselves, do not forget that fury and fight back. Yes, that should be the only friend your fear can rely on!”

Jeongjae finished speaking. The crowd erupted into wildly cheering for him, jumping up and down in their place. Even if someone had been thinking of fleeing, now they could not. No, they would be so swept up in the excitement that they would forget even their own thoughts of retreat.

After calming the frenzy momentarily, Jeongjae began issuing specific instructions. While he had raised the fighting spirit of the nobles, it was unexpected for them to actually partake in combat. In this conflict, the participation of farmers had to be prevented at all costs.

“Captain Philip. Come here at once.”

“Yes, my Baron. Philip at your service.”

The heavily armored guard commander of Harriet stepped forward. Jeongjae distinctly gave Philip his commands.

“Assign a few soldiers to Sammy to evacuate the overly weak and the children to a hidden area. It’s well concealed, so they won’t be discovered, and there’s no need for those who can’t wield weapons to remain here.”

“Understood. Sammy! Right now, begin evacuating the elderly and children with George!”

“And once that’s done, head to where the cannonboats are and prepare to launch the vessels at any time, waiting for my signal. When the enemy ships are sufficiently close and landing is imminent, I will send the signal to attack. And if Jenis and I fail to block their landing from the coast and they begin pushing into the village, then lead everyone to join the frontline and help me buy time to regroup and counterattack. You’re smart enough to understand what I’m saying, right?”

“I will protect you, my Baron, even if it costs me my life.”

“If it comes to a situation where I could die, even your noble sacrifice wouldn’t save me. But for today, do put in some effort. I’ve placed powerful enhancement magic on the armor and weaponry, so you’ll fight much better than usual.”

“The grace of my Baron is something I could never repay in my lifetime!”

Philip turned and swiftly moved to carry out Jeongjae’s orders. Jeongjae turned his gaze to the other nobles.

“You all must remain in the village. Focus on observing the tides of battle while looking down over the coast. If the enemy reaches the village, you must utilize your knowledge of the village structure better than anyone else to perform guerrilla warfare. If by chance I fail to hold back all of the enemies and they push through, you all must engage those enemies as well. But I swear, not a single enemy shall pass me!”

“Even if you let them through, we won’t mind! That will simply grant us the opportunity to crush those monsters’ heads!”

A warlike young woman shouted. Jeongjae smiled widely and nodded before turning back to Jenis.

“Jenis. Let us head back to the coast. This will be my first large-scale battle, but I believe you will perfectly keep pace with me.”

“Isn’t there a need for more specific tactical instructions? It seems to have too much autonomy without an outstanding commander.”

“They’re just untrained soldiers. Even with specific instructions, what they can actually carry out amounts to ambush strikes and grand charges.”

Jeongjae and Jenis walked slowly towards the coast, conversing with one another. Jenis shrugged her shoulders.

“That seems… acceptable.”

“That’s not something you’d want to witness. No joke, Jenis. I’m going into battle today with the intent of not allowing even a single step of the enemy’s invasion into the village. If I thought they might really make it this far, I wouldn’t have given orders so steadfastly.”

Without saying a word, Jenis followed Jeongjae. She realized he was torn between the anger compelling him to demand a fight from everyone and the compassion overwhelming him to protect all their lives.

As a compromise between these two emotions, Jeongjae imposed upon himself the daunting task of ensuring the safety of all the nobles by whatever means necessary.

Upon arriving at the coast, an overwhelming killing intent radiated from Jeongjae. Jenis, aware that this murderous aura was directed not at her but at the enemy, could not bring herself to approach him out of fear. Jeongjae was exuding such an air that if there were a frail patient nearby, it could have nearly triggered a heart attack.

“Do the professor’s colleagues fight while being totally unfazed by this mana?”

“It must be a joke. You’ve never seen the rage of a berserk mage, have you? I had seriously wanted to find a change of underwear back then. If I had just taken one more sip of water right before, it would have really been needed.”

“Heroes are not called heroes for nothing.”

“Ah, there they are.”

Jeongjae looked out to the distant sea. Small dots began to appear, slowly rising beyond the horizon.

One, two, three, four… and in an instant, beyond counting with his fingers, a multitude of tiny dots surged from the depths of the sea.

Jeongjae’s keen sight managed to capture among the dots the wriggling form of a colossal tentacle. Still too far away to appear much larger than a baby ant, it was finally coming into view. The war had begun at long last.

“Shall I give them a warning?”

Jeongjae crossed his hands into an X before spreading them apart, creating a massive magic circle in the air. Jenis quickly decoded the symbols etched within the magic circle.

“Abyssal Fire Magic Circle…”

“Charge straight, lightning!”

A bolt of lightning hurled forth from the Abyssal Fire Magic Circle like a beam towards the distant fleet. After a while, flying several kilometers, the lightning increased in potency as it surged towards the enemy fleet, but it was soon blocked by a transparent barrier far off and extinguished like the snuffing of a candle. As the magic circle failed in its assault, it slowly waned before completely disappearing.

“That was a powerful Abyssal Fire Magic… If only I could use that magic once, there might be mages willing to sacrifice their lives for it.”

“But it couldn’t even leave a scratch. Hitting from that distance with a direct attack was pointless after all.”

Jeongjae nodded. The result was as he had anticipated. The fight had only just begun.