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Chapter 711
Chapter 711
Shall We Begin the Next Operation? (2)
Count Godiff, the Supreme Commander of Marquis Falkenheim's forces, stroked his beard and chuckled.
“Just as expected. They don’t know what to do.”
Currently, the marquis’s army had deliberately stretched the frontlines to ensure they could dispatch reinforcements anywhere.
The Suppression Army had approached several times to provoke a fight but each time, the marquis's forces maintained distance and avoided engagement. When the Suppression Army attempted to attack another lord’s castle, the marquis's forces would close in again to apply pressure.
Е n̊um̊а .î d
As a result, the Suppression Army was unable to make a definitive move.
Due to their large size and slow movement, any direction they attacked could lead to being surrounded by the marquis’s troops.
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Even better would be if the Suppression Army split its forces. Those ragtag troops, already disorganized, would be even easier to crush one by one if their numbers dwindled.
“If we just keep waiting like this, they’ll get impatient and make a critical mistake.”
Count Godiff murmured confidently.
Up until now, they had been on the back foot but that had only been due to the suddenness of the initial assault. Now that their forces were properly reorganized, they wouldn’t be beaten so easily.
Ѐn̊ u m а .ǐ d
They simply needed to wait for the Suppression Army to fracture.
And just as Count Godiff had predicted, signs of internal strife began to appear within the Suppression Army sooner than expected.
Among the neutral lords who had joined the Suppression Army, the most influential one Count Herbis was visibly furious.
He stormed into the barracks where Andrew was and exploded in anger.
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“It’s been three days already! Three days! Where in the world has the acting Supreme Commander gone?!”
Andrew broke into a cold sweat, his expression strained.
Е n̄ ūm̃ а .î ď
“W-Well… that is… he went on a reconnaissance mission…”
“You’re telling me the man went scouting and took an entire mercenary corps of 500 men, and still hasn’t returned?!”
Count Herbis was exasperated. The supplies gathered from all around were now nearly depleted. They wouldn’t last many more days in this condition.
He wanted to resort to pillaging, but there was nothing left nearby worth looting.
Taking this massive army and marching to another region was out of the question. If they moved, the enemy would surely pursue them.
And if that happened, there was no way the marquis’s commander wouldn’t realize that the Suppression Army had run out of supplies.
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Count Herbis, huffing and puffing, asked bluntly,
“Be honest with me. Did that madman flee because things got too complicated?”
Startled, Andrew frantically waved his hands.
“No, no, absolutely not! That couldn’t be the case!”
“Then how do you explain a man who went out for reconnaissance not returning after all this time?!”
“Ughhh…”
Wӗb̀n̈ о v̈ е l Е̂ ṅ u̇ṁ а
Watching Andrew’s troubled face, Count Herbis furrowed his brow. That was the look of a man hiding something.
“Out with it. What’s going on?”
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“...Hmm.”
Even so, Andrew kept his eyes shut and his mouth tightly closed.
Count Herbis looked around. The barracks were filled with knights and soldiers standing guard.
“You all, leave. It seems Count Nodehill is in a bind.”
Еňuḿа̇ . і̊d
“My lord.”
“Now!”
As Count Herbis gave the command firmly, everyone had no choice but to withdraw. After gulping down some water, Count Herbis asked again.
“Now, speak. After all, we’re in the same boat, aren’t we?”
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“……”
Even after the two were left alone, Andrew fidgeted for a while before taking a deep breath and nodding.
Ѐ.n̂.ù mä
“Understood. The truth is... the acting Supreme Commander didn’t go out for reconnaissance.”
“What? Then where did he go?”
Andrew cautiously scanned the empty barracks, then leaned in close to Count Herbis and whispered very softly.
“He went to strike at Marquis Falkenheim. That is… he went to stab him in the back. We had to maintain secrecy, so I was going to tell you in a day or two.”
“……”
At those words, Count Herbis’ eyes widened. Was he saying the man had gone to do something that insane with just around five hundred mercenaries?
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The absurdity of it made his voice rise on its own.
“What! He’s using this whole army as bait and...”
“Aiiiiiigh! Shhhhhh!”
“Ugh…”
Andrew panicked and tried to hush him, and Count Herbis could only groan and breathe heavily.
He could guess what the acting Supreme Commander was thinking.
Е n̂ ù m̀а
Right now, the defense of Marquis Falkenheim’s territory would be extremely weak. Most of his forces and Transcendents would be here.
But that was just theoretical. A surprise attack was unlikely to succeed so easily.
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“There are countless fortresses and checkpoints in Marquis Falkenheim’s territory. Even if the acting Supreme Commander is a Transcendent, there’s no way he can avoid all of them with just 500 mercenaries.”
“……”
“Breaking through even just a few of them will immediately alert the enemy. They’ll be stopped before they even reach the marquisate.”
Most of the marquis' forces might be here, but there would surely be a minimum garrison left to protect him.
Ѐ ǹ u m_а
Moreover, once word spread that Julien’s Mercenary Corps was heading for the marquisate, the enemy would undoubtedly dispatch their swiftest elite and Transcendents.
If they failed to capture the marquis before those reinforcements arrived, the war would be over. The Suppression Army had no other Transcendents besides the acting Supreme Commander.
Andrew, looking a little dejected, said,
“I tried to stop him too... but he said it worked before against someone even stronger, and that it’s entirely possible.”
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“What force in this kingdom is stronger than Marquis Falkenheim!”
“Ah, please lower your voice. Anyway, he told us not to worry and to just wait. Said we have to maintain the current state to deceive the enemy...”
Е.n úm а .і d́.
“Hrm…”
Count Herbis pressed his forehead. It was true that the marquis’ forces were currently focused solely on keeping them in check and maintaining a stalemate.
If the marquis were captured, those forces would collapse without a fight.
The plan seemed likely to fail, but still...
Count Herbis muttered in a dispirited voice,
“I must’ve been out of my mind. I should’ve stayed put. I thought this would be the last chance to protect the royal family.”
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He was one of the few who still pledged loyalty to the royal family. That was why he had steeled himself to join, but despair was beginning to take hold.
If this operation failed, it truly would be the end. Losing their Transcendent was one thing, but if the acting Supreme Commander who had forcibly gathered the Suppression Army disappeared, the entire army would collapse in an instant.
Count Herbis foresaw a bleak future and stood dazed. Andrew spoke to him cautiously.
“In any case, the enemy has no intention of ending this quickly. They're just keeping us in check. At this rate, defeat is inevitable.”
“…You think that insane plan has a chance of success?”
“Hasn’t everything we’ve done so far been insane?”
W е̄ bnо̇v̈e l Е̂ńu m_а̂
“……”
“So, let’s just believe one last time.”
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Count Herbis shook his head and stood up.
He hadn’t been persuaded by Andrew’s words, but what was done was done. Even if the plan failed, he had to find a way to keep the Suppression Army together.
“For now, let’s pull back a little and reorganize the front line. We need to find a way to refill our supplies.”
The acting Supreme Commander hadn’t been seen for days, and the lords were all growing uneasy. He would likely have to lead the Suppression Army himself for the time being.
Ё ñ u m а. i d̃
There was no way to decide the battle immediately. Frustrating as it was, the best course now was to maintain the standoff as the acting Supreme Commander had planned, keeping the Suppression Army intact.
Thus, under a heavy atmosphere, the Suppression Army slowly began to fall back.
The vassals of Marquis Falkenheim were moving toward the front without rest.
They were just as anxious. With the might of the Suppression Army so overwhelming, they had to hurry and join forces.
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If they lost this war, the faction of Marquis Falkenheim would clearly be wiped out.
But as always, there were those who tried to take shortcuts.
Е̇ ṅu_ṁ ã. і d
Count Valesant, a vassal of Marquis Falkenheim, had strayed far from the planned route, proceeding extremely slowly.
His army, numbering three thousand, consisted mostly of infantry. Taking a detour like that, their pace was inevitably sluggish.
To make matters worse, Count Valesant suddenly ordered a camp to be set up midway. And then, he remained there for days without moving an inch.
It was as if he believed he needed to protect this place.
Growing anxious, his adjutant cautiously spoke up.
“My lord, at this rate, we won’t arrive at the promised time. Shouldn’t we hurry and join the Marquis’ army?”
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Count Valesant remained silent for a long while. Then, with a solemn expression, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…Have you ever heard this saying?”
“What saying, my lord?”
“A good beginning is half the battle.”
“Pardon?”
“We’ve already set out for war. That means we’ve begun. So, we’ve already come halfway.”
Е̄ n ù ṁӓ .ǐd̄
Swallowing hard at the strange sophistry, the adjutant asked,
“T-then shouldn’t we move quickly and complete the other half?”
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“Have you heard the saying that if you stay still, you’ll get halfway there?”
“……”
“If we stay put here, we’ve essentially completed the other half. We’ve achieved our goal.”
“……”
Е̃ṅum̃ а̀
“Let’s stay here.”
“……”
When the adjutant remained still, too dumbfounded to respond, Count Valesant dramatically exclaimed,
“Hey! They say the Suppression Army exceeds a hundred thousand, over a hundred thousand! Aren’t you scared? Are you that confident?”
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“…As far as I know, we have over a hundred thousand as well.”
“Exactly, so think about it. Imagine those massive armies clashing. What do you think will happen? Folks like us will just get ground up.”
W̌ é b n̄ o̊vёĺ Ë.n ům̆а
“The Suppression Army is a hastily assembled force. Isn’t it possible we might win easily?”
“You think we’re any different? The Marquis will hold back his direct troops and send the vassal forces to the front. Isn’t that obvious? Oh my, why are you so brave? What are you, some kind of legendary Hero?”
“……”
“Ah, whatever! I’m not going right now. I’ll go later. If you want to go, go by yourself. Stand on the frontlines, if you’d like.”
“Later… you say?”
“Yes. If we go late enough, the two sides will already be engaged. And when forces that huge collide, things should be over quickly, right? We’ll just slide in after checking the situation.”
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“We may be held accountable for this later.”
“Oh come on, what can they say if we got lost and arrived late? Honestly, do you think we’re the only lords deliberately dragging our feet? I bet there are others.”
“……”
The adjutant couldn’t respond. Truth be told, it did seem likely there were other lords doing the same.
After all, it was a war that broke out so suddenly, and the Suppression Army’s momentum was overwhelming.
Count Valesant was a timid and extremely cautious man. When it came to survival, his judgment was nearly unparalleled.
Е̊ ǹu m̆ а
If staying alive was the goal, Count Valesant’s decision was the wisest.
The adjutant nodded, convinced. Truthfully, not fighting was the best option for him, too.
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“Understood. Then we’ll remain here for the time being.”
“Exactly. The soldiers would be happier not fighting anyway. There’s no need to throw our boys into war.”
“…That does seem to be the case.”
The adjutant chuckled faintly. Count Valesant was actually a decent lord.
His demeanor might have seemed a bit frivolous, but he had never engaged in tyranny, and he quietly took good care of his subordinates.
Е ñ u m а
Just as the adjutant was about to leave, Count Valesant grabbed his arm and said,
“Make sure the perimeter is secure. Tell the mage to extend the surveillance range, even if it's difficult. If someone from the Marquis’ army shows up, we’ll have to pretend we’re on the move. That much we can manage, right?”
“Of course. Even for the mage, it’s better than joining the war, so he’ll be motivated.”
The timid were often the most cautious. That’s how they survived even in times of chaos like this.
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And so, Count Valesant’s troops passed the time in leisure. The only thing they paid attention to was scanning the surroundings, in case the Marquis or other lords happened to pass by.
The mages spared no mana in their long-range detection. They, too, wanted no part in the war.
Ёn̆ ũ_m̀а́
“Huh? What’s that?”
One of the mages who had been surveying the distance spotted something and immediately reported it to Count Valesant.
Startled by the report, Count Valesant exclaimed,
“What? A force is approaching at incredible speed?”
“Yes! They appear to number around five hundred, and they’re all on horseback!”
“Could it be the Marquis’ army? Did they find out we’ve been slacking off here?”
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“Hard to say… They weren’t flying any banners, so we couldn’t identify their affiliation. But their outfits were so mismatched, they didn’t look like the Marquis’ men.”
At that, Count Valesant tilted his head in confusion.
“What is this? Who could it be? No other army should be coming through here. And five hundred… that’s a strange number.”
After a brief moment of thought, Count Valesant clapped his hands and laughed.
“Of course! They must be like us, a unit trying to avoid the war! They’re probably running away and heading this way!”
The others nearby nodded in agreement.
W еbň ǒ v̈ é l Е n u m̊ а
It was true that neither the Suppression Army nor the Marquis’ army had any reason to pass through here. It was too far from the battlefield, and it wasn’t a marching route, a supply route, or a reconnaissance path.
So, just as Count Valesant had said, it was likely a unit trying to stay out of the war.
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With a broad smile, Count Valesant said,
“It’d be awkward if word got out, so let’s welcome them warmly. Tell everyone to stop lounging and form ranks. Make it look like we’re just taking a short break.”
“What will you do when we meet them?”
“What else? Since they’re probably trying to avoid the war too, I’ll subtly suggest we stick together.”
Ẁě b̀ ǹ о̃ v е l̇ E ǹ um̀ á
Count Valesant straightened his clothes and mounted his horse. He couldn’t afford to look like he was slacking off.
Thus, they began preparing to receive their unexpected guests.
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