Chapter 42: Phalanx’s Lesson (*)

The scene goes back to the time when news of Phalanx’s defeat reached the royal capital. After reading the letter Phalanx had sent to Elsa, Kaito felt concern for the general’s future and arrived at a certain hypothesis.

(This letter says they lost on September 9th. But Sasha told me about the dream on September 7th. The contents I verified with the war-game pieces at the time match the letter exactly. That means Sasha predicted the future…)

Among the goddess’s blessings, there were a very small number of “unidentified” ones. Being able to freely control animals. Being able to levitate objects. These were thought to be temporary borrowings of a portion of the goddess’s power, similar to magic. There were research materials on such unidentified blessings. But there had been none about future foresight.

(Every tiny detail matches. It’s hard to call this coincidence. There’s no mistake—Sasha’s blessing is future foresight. But how does she control that power? Is it only through “prophetic dreams,” or can she see while awake too…?)

Kaito began verification work to probe Sasha’s ability.

“I had Sasha write down the contents of her dreams for a week, but it’s full of things I don’t understand. Since I couldn’t tell the names of people or places, I had her draw pictures from the middle onward, but…”

Kaito tossed the papers onto the desk and leaned back in his chair. Several childish drawings were scattered across the desk. They could hardly be called good.

“If I assume Sasha’s ability is ‘prophetic dreams,’ I want to know its range. Can she see far into the future? Can she focus on specific futures like three days ahead? Can she specify battlefields or people? How far away can she see from herself…?”

He sprawled his legs out, leaned against the backrest, muttered, and closed his eyes. Eventually he opened them and looked down.

“Sasha, what do you think?”

A silver-haired beauty so pale it was almost white was crouched under the desk. Her cute little hand gripped his rock-hard cock and licked diligently from base to tip. She teased the glans with quick flicks of her tongue, slurped the precum oozing from the slit, then took the whole head into her mouth at once. She moved her head, serving him mindlessly.

“Nn… nn… nn…”

While looking down at the girl who wasn’t listening to a word he said, Kaito gave a wry smile. Among his four Saint Knights, each charming in her own way, he thought Sasha might be the most depraved. Her appearance looked no older than eleven, yet precisely because of that, her young body had a different flavor from the other three, and Kaito loved it. Her mouth especially was incredible. She stretched her tiny lips to the limit, packed his cock inside, and stimulated him with skillful tongue work. The immoral thrill that ran down his spine whenever he stroked her head and made the little girl service him only made his lust burn hotter.

The standard routine was to first empty his load into her mouth, then slowly savor and devour her young body.

“Sasha, I’m cumming just like this.”

“Nn…”

He stroked her slightly mature yet childish beautiful face. Sasha looked up at Kaito while licking and then swallowed him to the root. She bobbed her head rhythmically, gently massaging his balls with her left hand to urge the eruption. Under the beautiful girl’s oral service, Kaito quickly reached his limit.

“I’m cumming!”

Right before eruption he hooked her lips on the ridge of his glans while her tongue tip stroked the slit. The next instant his shaft pulsed and sprayed thick lava into her small mouth. Sasha lowered her long eyelashes, kept massaging his balls, and accepted the molten load with her tiny mouth. Her throat moved with soft gulps. Her little mouth couldn’t hold it all. She swallowed twice, three times.

When the eruption finally calmed, she sucked out the last drops with a loud slurp, pulled her mouth off his cock, and showed him the inside. It was filled with thick, cream-like white cum. She stirred it with her tongue, savored the taste, and swallowed. After proving she had drunk every drop, she went back to sucking the remaining semen off the shaft. She pressed her well-shaped lips to the tip and slurped churu churu.

The normally expressionless and quiet Sasha serviced him with that same blank face in the most obscene way imaginable. The immorality of making a young girl do such lewd acts and the deep satisfaction it brought made Kaito let out a long sigh.

The thoroughly violated girl lay on the bed. Every inch of her body had been devoured, her womb filled three times, and in the end her beautiful face and chest were painted white with cum. At first glance she looked like a pitiful young girl attacked by a vile brute. But this was exactly what the girl had wanted.

Kaito got off the bed, sat in the chair, and picked up the drawings on the desk. He left Sasha where she was. He had tried to wipe her down once before and she had refused. She apparently liked being left on the bed after being toyed with like this. Yet she hated it when he left the room. A truly strange fetish.

He sat on the edge of the bed with the drawings and looked at them one by one. They were childish scribbles, but he could make some guesses.

(There’s no doubt these are prophetic dreams. The fact that she could see the Kabachi Plains from the royal capital means the range probably covers the entire kingdom…)

A red-haired man talking with a pig. If the red hair was Phalanx, then the pig probably meant “a pig-like man.” It could also be a metaphor. Dreams often used “symbolism.” They didn’t always show exactly what happened in reality.

(If it’s metaphorical, I want even more accurate information. Maybe I should have Sasha learn proper drawing. I’ll consult with Lilia-sensei. Prophetic dreams… or maybe “clairvoyance.” If she can use it freely, it won’t just change the battlefield—it could overturn the common sense of the entire world.)

Later, Kaito would talk about this guess as a joke.

‘When the pig-man appeared, anyone using common sense would assume it was some kind of metaphor. At the time I never imagined it was literally “what she saw.” Who would think there’s a human whose upper body is two-thirds of his total height?’

The officer candidates at the Royal Knight Academy were tense. The kingdom’s greatest general—with a black eyepatch, red hair, and red beard—walked into the large lecture hall. Some candidates had badmouthed him as a “defeated general,” but the moment the man appeared before them, they were completely overwhelmed by his presence. The classroom fell deathly silent, thick tension hanging in the air.

(This is the great general who guards the north…)

Everyone present felt so nervous they could barely breathe. Kaito, a Hero Chevalier candidate, was not required to attend this class. So he sat inconspicuously at the very back corner. Phalanx scanned the classroom, then lightly clapped his hands.

“Nffuffu… Everyone, there’s no need to be so tense. Lilia-san, if you would.”

“Yes. General… Everyone, today we have a very special guest. Someone everyone in this room knows. The great general who protects the kingdom’s north—General Belgarad Phalanx. As some of you may have heard, the situation in the north is extremely fluid right now. General Phalanx wished to personally convey the current state of the north and his predictions for the future, so he came all the way to the academy. This is an extremely rare opportunity. Please listen carefully… General, the floor is yours.”

Lilia bowed and stepped back. She did not leave the classroom, instead sitting on a chair prepared in the corner. Phalanx stood at the lectern. His massive frame made the desk look tiny.

“I am Belgarad Phalanx. Today I will speak to you about the north. I’ll start with the conclusion. If things continue as they are, the kingdom will face the threat of destruction.”

The famous general’s lecture began by dropping a massive stone into still water.

“…And so the Empire prepared an entirely new weapon and attacked. Even my proud elite soldiers could not maintain formation after being struck by dozens of steel projectiles at blinding speed. That is why I chose to retreat.”

A clink sounded. An iron sphere was placed on the lectern. A soldier picked it up and passed it to the candidate in the front row. Each student took it, felt its weight, and passed it on.

“There is no human alive who can throw a projectile this heavy several hundred meters. I needed information on what principle was used to launch the sphere. Its range? Rate of fire? That is why I sent spies mixed into a night raid to investigate this unknown weapon. Fortunately, I had a quick-witted spy, so the investigation succeeded and we now know almost everything about this weapon’s capabilities.”

A large sheet of paper was pasted onto the blackboard. Kaito was surprised. That document was based on the cannon he had seen and had an artist draw. It should have been among the kingdom’s highest secrets. Yet Phalanx was openly revealing it. Kaito could feel the general’s seriousness.

“Now, regarding this weapon… it is apparently called the cannon. Rather than hear it from me, it would be better to hear from the spy who actually investigated it. Kaito, come forward. You’re probably hiding in the back of the classroom, aren’t you?”

The students buzzed. They looked left and right. Kaito sighed and stood up. Because he had been sitting at the very back of the large hall, Phalanx had to look up. Kaito bowed and descended the stairs. Students whispered among themselves. His stomach hurt.

“He is a Hero candidate, but due to certain circumstances he visited Valihart Fortress during summer break. During the Battle of the Kabachi Plains he was temporarily conscripted and infiltrated the Imperial Army to investigate the cannon. Kaito, tell them what you saw and heard.”

“Yes, sir.”

Resigned, Kaito bowed and pointed at the paper on the wall.

“This cannon uses something called gunpowder. It can be made by mixing sulfur collected from volcanic areas with saltpeter produced from livestock manure and urine. When you set fire to gunpowder it explodes with a bang. This explosive force… is used to fire iron projectiles. Its range reaches 800 meters. However, its rate of fire is not very high. After four or five shots the barrel… this part becomes too hot to use.”

He conveyed the explanation he had received from Lizalith Prada in simple terms, without embellishment. He did not include predictions such as how this weapon would change future battlefields. That was Phalanx’s job.

“You’ve worked hard. Return to your seat.”

For a brief moment Kaito looked at Phalanx. It was confirmation—“Is it okay to go back?” Seeing the slight nod, he bowed.

What Kaito had confirmed was whether he should mention the other piece of information. It was about Lizalith Prada’s “future plans” for the cannon.

‘By improving the gunpowder mixture and the shape of the projectiles, I think both range and power can be increased even further. If that happens, castle walls will lose all meaning. If hundreds of iron shots are fired from a kilometer away, even stone walls will crumble quickly. Also, I’m thinking about miniaturizing this. I want to make small cannons that a single soldier can carry. They would fire tiny iron pellets like buckshot. I believe it will be the greatest invention since the appearance of the bow and arrow.’

He remembered the female inventor speaking with sparkling eyes. Kaito had listened with a faint smile, but he could never forget the cold sweat that had run down his back. The common sense of the battlefield was about to be overturned by a single genius.

(She might be an even more dangerous existence than Austro Tolmakia. If I truly worried for the kingdom’s future, maybe I should have killed her. Though of course, I would have died too…)

As a commoner, Kaito’s loyalty to the kingdom was nearly nonexistent compared to the nobles. In extreme terms, even if the kingdom fell and was ruled by the Empire, as long as he and the people he cared about could live peaceful, enjoyable lives, he would be fine with it.

At this point in time, Kaito still had no “awareness of power.” At most, he wanted to solidify his and his Saint Knights’ positions within the kingdom so that his women and friends could live long lives. The moment Kaito would decide his own path was still a little further in the future.

When Phalanx left the classroom, many students let out a huge breath of exhaustion. Voices saying “Who the hell called him a mediocre general?” could be heard.

The fact that the undefeated famous general had lost could easily shake the morale of those on the front lines. That was why Phalanx had come personally to tell the next generation of candidates the truth in his own words. Many students felt their hearts burn at the sight of the great general—dignified yet completely unadorned—telling them reality as it was.

Several of them sent glances toward Kaito. In Phalanx’s talk there had been several parts left untouched. Among them was one question everyone had:

‘Why was Kaito chosen as the spy?’

But since it had not been mentioned, there was likely some inconvenience involved, and touching it carelessly could stir up a hornet’s nest. Therefore, while many had noticed, they hesitated to speak to Kaito.

(Good grief, I’ve completely stood out now. Well… it’s better than getting bombarded with questions…)

As he gathered his things and stood up, a woman with short golden-brown hair who could almost pass for a young man approached. Four male students followed behind her.

“You are Kaito-san, second-year Hero Chevalier candidate, correct? I am Flora Fairchild, second-year administrative officer candidate. May I have a moment of your time?”

“And the people behind you?”

“They are officer candidates connected to the Fairchild family. If possible, I would like them to sit in as well.”

“I have to see General Phalanx off first. After that would be fine…”

Flora glanced back at the men behind her and nodded.

Kaito followed behind Phalanx as the general strode boldly through the Royal Knight Academy. Looking at that back, Kaito thought: This time the military ministry had demoted Phalanx to “honorary noble” while leaving him in command of Valihart Grand Fortress. To Kaito, who had written off the capital’s military as incompetent, it was a surprisingly skillful measure. When he first heard it, he had even thought he might need to revise his opinion of the military ministry.

“Now then… I will be returning north soon, but before that I want to hear your outlook. What do you think will happen in the north?”

Standing in front of the carriage, Phalanx asked. Since there wasn’t much time, Kaito gave his inference concisely.

“Normally they would attack next summer. But in the last battle the Empire also suffered enormous losses. I predict the decisive battle will not be next year, but the year after.”

“I agree. Roughly two years from now—around the time you graduate from the academy—the battle over Valihart Fortress will begin. You understand what comes after that without me saying it, yes?”

Kaito nodded silently. Prepare yourselves. In other words, turn his four Saint Knights into immediate fighting strength. Of course that wasn’t all. More fighting power was better. It also meant strengthening the heroes and Saint Knights of his year as much as possible.

“The next battle will be the greatest decisive battle of my life. A fierce fight that will split the heavens and shake the earth awaits. I look forward to your performance.”

shiver

Kaito involuntarily trembled. Whether from fear or fighting spirit, he wasn’t sure. Seeing this, Phalanx said nothing and simply nodded.