From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 650 Pre-war meeting
Ivy's magic of trapping Zecarius inside the snow globe was created by combining the ninth-circle spell Imprisonment with the wizard's Unseen Extension Charm. Although it looked impressive, it was not actually a particularly profound spell.

Moreover, the target of this magic was never the lich Zecharias, but the lost church that trapped him inside; the lich Zecharias was merely a secondary target.

If Zecarius could use necromancy to restore his lich body to its perfect state, he could easily leave Ivy's snow sphere. However, doing so would break the oath he made in his human days, and he might very well die on the spot.

Breaking the spell from within the snow sphere is equally difficult. Casting a spell without understanding its principles could easily lead to unforeseen and bizarre accidents. Zecarius, being a lich, is naturally unafraid of such consequences, but the church imprisoning him is a century-old relic, now a dilapidated structure. Attempting to brute force through Ivy's magic might destroy the cage holding Zecarius trapped within as well.

With the cage blown up, the prisoners inside were naturally freed. However, this freedom was not the kind Zecharias desired—unfettered freedom—but rather a freedom that would most likely be judged as a violation of his oath.

So when the fallen church was encased in a snow globe by Ivy's magic, the poor lich had no intention of resisting and slunk away into the dilapidated house that had trapped him for a hundred years.

Unfortunately, the lich body had almost completely robbed Zecarius of his normal emotions. Ivy didn't get a chance to properly appreciate Zecarius's ugly behavior from outside the snow globe. After waving his fists a few times, Zecarius's figure disappeared down the stairs leading to the basement.

The bet between the two naturally ended in Ivy's victory. However, the current situation was not suitable for Ivy to study the knowledge of liches, after all, there was still a large group of Crusaders waiting to hold a rally to seize the city of Favor and to watch the public execution of the former historical advisor.

Ivy didn't keep the Crusader officers, big and small, waiting long, but she also didn't make them camp on the hilltop. She simply instructed Erabeth and her Iomede paladins to expedite the relocation of the statue.

Ivy had noticed it as soon as they entered the church; Iomede's holy power flickered like a light bulb in front of the statue, suggesting she might not know much about the situation. However, Zechariah, now a lich, was certainly seen clearly by his former superior.

Whether Ioume's decision to move her to a different location suited her successor's wishes is another matter entirely. In any case, it certainly wouldn't warrant Iomede descending to Earth herself like Losanda did.

The Heart of the Mountains staff was plunged heavily into the frozen soil at the mountaintop. The magnificent fortress, an eighth-circle spell, displayed its power to the group of Crusaders who had not seen much of the world. The sturdy fortress rose from the ground, filling almost the entire space on the mountaintop.

The Fallen Church, or rather the Newly Established Sanctuary, was originally just a sentry tower built by the Crusaders within the World's Sorrow area, primarily serving a reconnaissance role. The main defensive forces were still in the City of Favor; otherwise, it wouldn't have appeared in the form of a church. Of course, this was also due to the difficulty in transporting building materials and the poor supply conditions. The mountaintop was barren and lacked water; if besieged, wouldn't they simply be waiting to die?

However, for Ivy, who possesses magic, none of this is a problem.

Earth-manipulating spells can directly create fortresses, while water can be obtained through magical artifacts. Even ordinary alchemists can easily create logistical items like the Infinite Water Bottle, let alone an alchemical master like Ivy.

After marveling at Ivy's magical prowess, the officers of the Crusader army happily set up camp inside the fortress, awaiting the start of a war council.

"It is said that on a clear day, you can see the walls of the City of Favor from the gates of the New Sanctuary. The Holy Army hasn't seen that city for a full hundred years. Anne, I wonder if it is still shrouded in the smoke of war from that year..." Erabeth was the first officer to stand in the map room. After setting up Iomede's altar and statue, she helped move the maps from the commander's tent to this hall. Now that the goal of the Fifth Holy War was so close, this paladin who fought for honor and justice couldn't help but tremble.

"Are you afraid?" Annevia unloaded her longbow from her back, leaned it against the brand-new stone wall inside the fortress, and raised an eyebrow mischievously. "Even the most valiant and fearless paladins of Iomede can be afraid?"

“No, of course not.” Erabes smiled with relief. “I just feel like it’s all a dream, or like a knightly army—we went through difficulties, and then naturally overcame them one by one, arriving outside the City of Favor with almost no losses…and are still in this castle built with magic…God, by Iomede, it must be your protection that brought me here, and I will fight bravely in your name until death.”

"It's just a castle overrun by demons, not worth your life. If you're going to sacrifice yourself for the holy war, at least wait until we're on the edge of the world's tragedy, that'll be legendary, won't it?" Ivy walked in from outside the map, carrying a snow globe in one hand.

Upon seeing him, the commander of the Divine Eagle Guard Knights and the chief secret agent immediately stood at attention, brought their heels together, and saluted Ivy: "Lord Doom!"

"Have a seat." Ivy walked to the two chairs at the head of the table, casually picked one, and sat down. "We'll wait for the others."

“Lord Doom…” The orc paladin pulled back the chair closest to him, but did not sit down, and said hesitantly.

"Relax, the war council hasn't even started yet." Ivy waved her hand, and Irabes, clad in golden armor, felt an irresistible force press down on her shoulder, forcing her into a chair in front of the conference table.

"Can we really do it?"

In every battle, Irabes always leads from the front, and her striking golden armor always makes her a prime target for demons. However, thanks to her strong body and unwavering faith, she always manages to survive.

Judging from her performance on the battlefield, Ivy would never believe that Erabeth could have a weak or wavering side.

"You don't believe me?" Ivy raised an eyebrow. As far as he knew, the most powerful demon in Juanze City was the Head-Breaking Demon, also known as the Balor Flame Demon.

Although it was indeed one of the highest-ranking demons, it wasn't a demon lord like Baphomet or Descary descending to the mortal realm, so Ivy didn't find it particularly troublesome.

He's a mythical golden dragon right here. Even if that demon gives him a bunch of buffs, a single [Dispel Breath] will turn him into a roadside monster. Even if Ivy's spells can't break through the resistance, he can still beat that demon to a pulp through melee combat. Otherwise, wouldn't all those melee feats have been for nothing?
"Soon, our victories will be more than you can count on your fingers." Ivy had never fought in a war before, but he had played a lot of grand strategy games on the computer. Although applying gaming experience to real life was a ridiculous thing, it did teach him some of the most important factors in war.

It boils down to personnel, equipment, logistics, morale, and intelligence. In a world without magic, where all large-scale needs must be met through organization, these issues are indeed enough to drive any commander crazy, so they must be managed by dedicated personnel.

But now Ivy possesses magic, and is a very powerful legendary spellcaster. He can solve many of the difficulties in war single-handedly. For this reason, he even plans to develop some magic specifically to solve war problems. He's already thought of a name for it: [War Magic].

Soldiers can be created using necromancy or conjuration magic, or summoned from other planes. These magical summons are usually equipped with their own weapons and have no logistical requirements, making them excellent troops for a fantasy war.

When Ivy is personally leading a force as a military commander, she can also use magic to solve many of the Crusader's logistical problems. Although food and water creation spells can only be used by adventure teams, the principles of magic are the same, so it is certainly possible to create military rations that can be used by a large number of troops. Ivy even wants to use rituals and spellcasting assistants to reduce consumption, so that this magic, which is still in the planning stage, can be transformed into a powerful tool that can be deployed to troops on a large scale.

Confusion spells, as well as Ivy's own psionic energy, can be used to solve the morale problem of the troops. Although it sounds a bit strange, it makes a lot more sense if you imagine the target of the spell as the "heroic spirit" of an entire army.

As for intelligence, divination spells were created specifically to obtain information. With slight modifications to the models of divination spells that detect individual targets, it wouldn't be difficult to pinpoint large-scale marching armies. We could then call it "Enemy Detection" or "Army Detection," or something similar. Magic is a transcendent power, and only the most creative spellcasters can wield it effectively. Ivy has always looked down on those who merely learn spells mechanically without any innovation.

“Yes, since you appeared, we’ve won more in a month than we did in the past ten years… The difficulties of the past seem like a joke now…” Erabeth’s voice pulled Ivy’s wandering thoughts back to the map room. The orc paladin’s expression was blank, as if he had just woken up from a nap. “I’m just afraid that it’s all just a dream… After all, the more you gain, the more you fear losing…”

“Fear?” Ivy smiled. “Only in fear can one be brave. Besides, we’re not picking up the spoils of victory from the ground; we’re taking them from the demons one by one with our own hands. Don’t let me underestimate you, Paladin of Iomede.”

“Only in fear can one be brave…” Erabeth pursed his lips, the bewilderment on his face vanishing completely. “I am Iomede’s sword, and witness my glory in the battles to come!”

“Glory cannot withstand the fangs and claws of demons.” Regil, the Hell Knight, walked in from outside with his hands behind his back and nodded to Ivy. “We have erected a gallows on the city wall, enough to ensure that everyone can witness the execution of the traitor.”

“Very good. Have a seat.” Ivy replied briefly.

After Reggie entered the map room, officers of all ranks began to appear, filling the entire room.

After Illinika sat down next to him, Ivy took it upon himself to announce the start of the meeting.

"Juanze City was once an impregnable fortress. Fortunately, the demons destroyed many of the defenses during their siege, and they didn't even think to repair them. Unfortunately, most of the walls are still standing." The chief intelligence officer looked at Ivy, remembering how Ivy had used magic to tear a hole in the walls of the ferry fortress.

"With Lord Doom here, taking over the city of Jueze is not a problem. So the next issue we'll face is fighting street battles with the demons inside the city." Annievia pointed to the old city map hanging behind her. "The Crusaders spent ten years expanding Jueze to this size, and the craftsmen who oversaw its construction were mainly dwarves, so Jueze also has a huge underground structure. However, as far as I know, when Jueze fell, its planned underground structure was not yet completed."

Overall, the city of Juanze, built on a cliff, is a large military fortress with a three-tiered structure. Its concentric walls reveal how the Crusaders expanded it over a period of ten years.

The most crucial part is naturally the fortress located at the center and highest point. The artifact, the Vanguard of Valor, one of the Crusaders' objectives in this battle, should also be hidden inside.

Then there are the temple area and stables located within the second section of the city wall, situated on the southwest and northeast sides of the fortress. These are also very important areas, where the clergy and knights of the Crusade once relied on for defense. Therefore, these are also the two areas that were most thoroughly destroyed.

Finally, there is the area inside the outermost city wall, which is the largest and has the most functional zones, including residential and commercial areas, city defense barracks and prisons, and even a small cemetery.

Regil glanced at the dense lines on the yellowed parchment: "Urban warfare against demons is never a good idea. We can't just rely on our soldiers' lives... Yes, we need fire support. Which city walls can provide footholds for our ranged troops?"

“Here.” Annevia drew an X on a section of the city wall with a striking color. “In the past, there were crossbows deployed by the Crusaders here, but who knows what they are like now.”

“Those ballistae are still on the city walls.” The speaker was Shane’s angel Stallma. As one of only two flying units in the Crusader, he had already completed the reconnaissance of the City of Favor with the help of Ivy’s invisibility spell. “Moreover, there are giants in the demon’s army, and that section of the city wall is their stronghold.”

“Well, it seems the troops launching a frontal assault will have to fight in the streets under a barrage of fire.” Regil’s face was expressionless; the Hell Knights had encountered far more difficult situations than this.

“However, Annevia is right. The situation in Jueze City doesn’t look good, and the demons’ defenses aren’t perfect either.” Stallma stood up and marked a path on the map. “We can send an assault team to escort the ranged troops through the abandoned temple district, kill the giants, seize their ballistae, and provide fire support for our warriors.”

“This mission can be entrusted to us Hell Knights, although it is extremely risky. But with the help of the Knight Commander or the Military Advisor, even if we encounter some special demons along the way, we will definitely be able to achieve our goal,” Regil volunteered.

“I’m afraid that during a frontal assault, the soldiers would prefer to stand with their knight commander,” Erabes shook his head and countered. “Morale is absolutely crucial in battle.”

“There is another candidate for someone to boost the morale of the Crusaders.” Ivy looked toward the door of the map room, where a female knight in simple armor was standing.

The officers followed his gaze toward the doorway, but none of them recognized the suddenly appearing female knight, nor did they know what was so special about her.

The female knight lifted her face from under her hood and smiled at Ivy, "Help me remove the disguise spell, Lord Doom. It seems even our chief spy couldn't see through your magic."

A faint white light flashed across the knight, instantly transforming her simple armor into gleaming silver, and her hood into a shimmering golden crown. When the officers looked again, the female knight's face had become Queen Godfrey of Montevideo.

"Your Majesty!" The officers in the map room couldn't help but stand up. None of them expected that the Queen of Montevideo would appear here.

“I see.” Regil nodded thoughtfully. He hadn’t expected that the female knight who had been nagging the prisoner for so long would actually be the Queen of Montivere. “No wonder Lord Doom gave such an outrageous order… I just hope that this ‘embodiment of idealism’ won’t come up with any ridiculous battle plans.”

"Rest assured, Your Excellency Deputy Enforcer, I know very well who the commander of this battle is." Queen Godfrey had obviously heard Regil's loud mutterings, but she only gave a very polite smile.

"The Queen will appear at the rally later, and that will be the time for us to attack Juanze City." Ivy spoke up to quell the commotion in the map room. "After leaving this room, no one is allowed to discuss Her Majesty the Queen in any setting. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished by military law and will be considered to have betrayed the Holy War."

Seeing the officers in the map room nod silently, Ivy continued, "Does anyone have anything to add regarding the situation in the city? If not, I'll begin assigning combat missions."

"and many more."

These are two voices, one from Queen Godfrey and the other from the knight commander Illinika.

(End of this chapter)