Chapter 35: Lines on the Map

Words : 1015 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 35: Lines on the Map The captain was sitting beside Shiao Yi while pulling him in close to his side. He looked at Louis with a sharp glare that clearly said, "You’re late." —Hey now, I really came as fast as I could. I’m out of breath here. The prisoner Amal was sitting quietly in a chair with a serious look on his face. He seemed to have recovered quite a bit. "We were just explaining the current state of the Dalmasca Army’s former camp," Dominic said. He shot Louis a quick glance, then turned a stern gaze back to Amal. Amal looked pale and completely shrunk down under his pressure. Captain, please don’t stare so hard. That’s basically the same as torture. From a short distance away, Sayu watched this scene with concern in his eyes. There was a small desk in front of Amal. A map of Dalmasca also had been laid out on it. The red ✖ marked on the eastern edge likely showed the location of the old camp and the magic circle. "Mark the route the army took, along with any towns or villages they passed. We have no intention of invading Dalmasca. However, if another army is sent, and they get caught by those blue-purple vines, it will feed even more magic power into the source. You understand what that means, right?" Louis could see the inner conflict in Amal’s expression. His loyalty to Dalmasca was clear, but so was his worry. "The magic circle has already grown large and out of control. If it absorbs more power, it might become something no one can stop. That’s why we need to know early on if another army is coming. To do that, we must place lookouts along the roads the military might use and monitor their movements. Depending on the situation, we may even have to block the army’s path." "But this isn’t just a problem for our Rosaria Kingdom. The magical beast are already spreading into Dalmasca. There’s even a chance they’ve already caused massive damage over there." After Dominic spoke calmly, Louis stepped in to add more. He used a gentle tone and trying to soften Amal’s heart. "Rosaria’s border forces are already preparing to block the magical beast from getting in. If they can’t come this way, then the magical beast will head toward Dalmasca instead. More of them will keep coming from the magic circle. And every one of them will head straight for Dalmasca. If you really care about your country, you should tell us the army’s route." Amal trembled slightly and swallowed his saliva hard. With a shaking hand, he picked up the pen. Still visibly nervous, he began to mark the roads, towns, and villages on the map. "There aren’t many roads from the capital city of Rebanastre, to here. I believe they’ll take the same route." Then, he biting his lip hard and he looked up at Dominic. "I’ll go too. I want to go and watch the army myself. Dalmasca has made a terrible mistake. As a citizen of Dalmasca, I want to do what I can to stop this disaster from spreading any further." Dominic turned his gaze to Shiao Yi, who gave a firm nod in response. "Dominic. His decision is sincere. You can trust him. He truly regrets what’s happening." "I see. Honestly, that helps a lot. Since he’s from Dalmasca, the people in the villages and towns won’t be as suspicious of him." Then Dominic turned his eyes to Louis. It looked like Louis was about to get another job added to his plate. "Louis. Pick a few people suited for reconnaissance and send them with Amal. Disguise them as traveling merchants or something like that. Make it quick." "I got it. What about his leg? Can he walk?" Louis asked. "The bone’s healed, but he still can’t push himself too hard. He might be okay if he rides in a wagon," Sayu answered Louis’s concern. Since the plan was now decided, it was best to start preparing quickly. There were probably a lot of things that needed to be done. "We’ll take the road around and enter the village from the south side. Alright then, I’ll get things ready. Amal, focus on healing up as much as you can," Louis said. As he rushed out of the treatment room and muttering about how busy things were, Dominic suddenly called out to him again like a final blow. "When the arrangements are done, you immediately come to the office." "Huh? Uh, yes. Yessir!" "You only need to answer once." "Right, got it..." Louis sighed. The captain make me work way too hard. But he couldn’t complain too much—no one else wanted to be near him, so Louis always ended up being the one stuck at his side. Still, he really wished they’d assign someone else to be the "captain handler." Just one more would be nice. Without wasting time, Louis sent out messengers to all the unit leaders. He needed them to recommend soldiers for the mission and submit a list of names. Ah, while I’m at it, he thought, I’ll have the unit leaders also figure out who’s in charge of the recon team and how to organize them. That way, the recon team could take care of all the details—like dressing up as merchants and planning how to sneak in. Louis figured if they just submitted a plan, a budget request, and a list of what they needed, that would be enough. Planning to hand off as much of the job as possible, Louis followed after the messengers and headed once again to the unit station. ... When Louis opened the office door, he felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. Sitting on the captain’s lap, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, was Shiao Yi. Is that already your regular spot, Shiao Yi? He looked strangely calm, almost like he had given up. It was hard to say, but it seemed like he had just accepted the situation.

Chapter 35: Lines on the Map

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