In A Fantasy World I Can Absorbs Abilities

Michael shook his head, marveling at Count Charles's cunning. It was obvious he had assigned this task to sow discord among the minor nobles.

Many families had already lost soldiers without earning notable achievements. If the campaign ended with the alliance simply guarding supplies, only Kensington and Crassus would emerge with meaningful contributions.

Greed was a powerful motivator, and resentful gazes began to turn toward Baron Kensington.

"Baron Kensington!" one noble demanded. "What do you plan to do about this? At this rate, we'll lose soldiers for nothing!"

Kensington clenched his fists, seething with anger. While Count Charles's machinations infuriated him, the accusations from his allies were even harder to bear.

"These wretched pigs," he thought. The same nobles who had cheered him on now turned on him without hesitation. He wanted nothing more than to lash out at them.

Seeing Kensington's rising frustration, Baron Crassus stepped in.

"This infighting is exactly what Count Charles wants," Crassus said. "We must stay calm."

"Hah! Easy for you to say," another noble shot back. "You already have your achievements. Splitting the gains between Kensington and Crassus is fine for you, but what about the rest of us? We've lost men with nothing to show for it!"

The room erupted in arguments until Baron Kensington raised his voice.

"Enough! I'm no shameless man. If we protect the supplies and see this mission through, I'll ensure the spoils are distributed according to casualties. Will that suffice?"

The bickering subsided.

Kensington's willingness to take a loss left the others with little room to argue.

All eyes turned to Baron Crassus, who suddenly felt cornered. Were they expecting him to share his hard-won achievements as well?

Before the situation could escalate further, Michael stepped forward.

"I have a plan," he said. "One that will let us achieve both glory and profit. Shall I explain?"

Michael smirked slyly as he waved the command scroll in his hand.

"The orders have been issued, so our task is to execute the supply mission perfectly. That's not likely to be difficult. We're at the very rear of the army, and unless the fanatics annihilate all the legions ahead of us, there's little chance of losing the supplies. And, as you can see, the orders don't say anything about us not earning merit."

Baron Aramund, impatient as ever, grumbled, "What merit could we possibly earn while guarding supplies? Like you said, there's no chance the fanatics will even get close to us."

"We'll split into two groups," Michael proposed. "One group stays behind to guard the supplies while the other takes on a side mission."

"A side mission? What kind of side mission?"

"Think about it," Michael said. "Most of the fanatics are concentrated at Crowley Castle. The first, second, and third legions are advancing ahead of us at an increasing pace, so they won't have the resources to reclaim occupied villages. The fanatics remaining in those villages are likely minimal, with most of their forces supporting the castle. So, we leave soldiers and some knights to guard the supplies, gather an elite team, and use the three beast mounts to liberate villages.

"I spoke to Baron Kensington earlier," Michael continued. "He said the three beasts can carry up to 100 people in total and are available if needed. With their speed, we can scout for suitable villages to reclaim. If things get dicey, we can retreat quickly. That way, we earn merit and seize spoils."

The nobles exchanged wide-eyed glances.

Baron Kensington's jaw dropped. "So that's why you asked about the mounts earlier?"

Michael's reasoning was sound. Villages occupied by fanatics wouldn't be nearly as fortified as the ones near Crowley Castle. The number of fanatics would likely only amount to a few dozen. Killing them all might not result in significant merit, but the real goal wasn't merit—it was acquiring resources.

Even if they encountered more fanatics than expected, retreating as Michael suggested would mitigate the risk.

The idea of reclaiming villages was just a pretext. The true aim was to loot and recover wealth.

The nobles exchanged knowing looks, silently agreeing on the brilliance of the plan.

Meanwhile, at Crowley Castle, Leonardo, the high priest, necromancer, and fervent worshiper of the Outer God, stood at the highest point, letting the wind sweep over him.

He was exhilarated.

The great and beautiful goddess had spoken to him—a mere servant.

[Le-Leonardo, are you there? I require more offerings. The stronger they are, the better. The ones you gave me before were delicious. Bring me more of such offerings.]

Leonardo fell to his knees, bowing in reverence.

"Oh, most noble one whose name cannot even be uttered, I will soon deliver more offerings to you. I've heard that foolish mortals are marching toward us, unwittingly presenting themselves as sacrifices for your greatness. By drawing them in and killing them, we can summon even more followers."

The goddess laughed, and the sound crushed Leonardo's soul, leaving it in pieces. Yet he found the experience euphoric.

"Ah, my goddess..."

This power—this was it. A force unparalleled, one that had torn its way into this world.

He was intoxicated by it.

What of the old gods? Were they not once like his goddess—foreign entities to this realm?

The ignorant masses refused to acknowledge the Outer Gods as legitimate deities, but Leonardo's perspective was different.

Witnessing the birth of a new god and her worshipers was, to him, a divine mission.

A new era was dawning.

In a hundred years, a thousand years, or ten thousand years, the story he was shaping would become mythology, and he would be its prophet.

Leonardo struggled to contain the overwhelming emotion surging within him. This was a rare chance to hear the voice of the goddess, and he wouldn't waste it.

"Oh, great goddess! I am your first—"

His words faltered as he realized something was amiss.

The goddess's voice had vanished.

"Goddess...? Goddess!"

Elsewhere, Alfred stood in the depths of the mountains, outside a dark cave.

The trail had ended here.@@novelbin@@