Fortress 394 was not in good shape, something Richard knew before he arrived. But what he hadn't anticipated was just how dire the situation at the fortress actually was.
Despite its critical position in the Carol Mountain Range pass, which ordinarily warranted an additional thousand soldiers, the current garrison of Fortress 394 only totaled two thousand men. Among them, there were only forty-two Second Ring Wizards, the most experienced of whom had only fought in five Plane Wars.
As for Mila, acting as the temporary commander, she had only seen three Plane Wars herself. Most of her time had been spent as part of the garrison troops, quelling resistance forces in the Otherworld.
With such a scant number of soldiers, even a legend like Delis would have to abandon the fortress.
The numbers were too few; there wasn't even enough manpower to operate all the Alchemy Gun Towers.
Fortunately, Richard was not only a formidable Black Wizard; he himself was an army on the move.
