[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Chapter 309: Catching the Tail

Duke Montera looked back at his grand army, which was advancing while kicking up a cloud of sand and dust.

“…Goddammit.”

It was the majestic march of a dignified army, but if you looked at its inner workings, that was not the case.

Fatigue had accumulated, and rumors that the enemy was in pursuit from behind were circulating in the camp, making the atmosphere somewhat chaotic.

‘That bastard Verdzig, he used his head well.’

The strategy of deliberately giving up the fortress and retreating, only to retake it while he was heading south and cut off the supply lines, was so cunning that even he had been completely blindsided.

‘This is a battle against time in many senses. With the supply lines cut, if we get isolated, it’s over.’

A situation where he had to fight a battle of speed, but also the anxiety of being in a position of being chased with a pursuer at his back.

In many ways, the army’s morale was bound to fall.

‘But to turn back and attack them again is not an option either.’

Regardless of victory or defeat, what if Allenvert’s side entered the royal capital first?

The balance of power could collapse, and the Third Prince’s side could be annihilated, and even if not, he would be put in a position where he had to conduct a siege.

“A snake-like bastard.”

Duke Montera muttered.

“He knows exactly what we are concerned about, what situations are disadvantageous to us.”

That was why Verdzig was pursuing at a moderate distance.

A subtle distance that made it difficult to fight immediately even if he turned his horses around.

But also a distance that was not too far.

“How dare you deceive me? I will surely cut off that head and make a banner of it.”

Even as he said that, he actually felt a chill down his spine.

‘Is he not like a hunter driving his prey into an elaborate trap?’

That was why he could not accept it even more.

‘How dare he do this to me, Duke Montera?’ Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novelꜰire.net

He had held a sword in the north his entire life.

Was it not natural that his military talent, strength, and experience in strategy should be on a different level?

‘…Do I have to feel this way because of some pampered young master who grew up in a greenhouse, in the affluent and weak coastal region?’

The confidence that he had to show the child of Grunewald a lesson had long since disappeared. And it was not just because of Verdzig’s one sharp move.

‘In the first place, the Montera family was raised directly by the royal family.’

But they had backstabbed their master and the eldest prince, sided with the cunning third son, and even joined hands with the Black Society.

‘…It is my fault for raising my daughter wrong.’

But should not spilled water be cleaned up? In the end, at a crossroads of choice, he had raised the flag of rebellion, and from that moment on, he had made a choice that would leave a stain on history.

‘If so, I must at least win.’

The moment he becomes the loser, it is over.

His family and honor will all be thrown into the mud and be ridiculed by all for eternity.

‘Dammit.’

Therefore, there was only one thing he could do.

“Increase the speed even more. We just need to enter the capital faster than Allenvert.”

To the eyes of the Duke, whose vision had narrowed, that was the only way out.

“Yes, sir. His Highness the Third Prince has also sent an army to interfere with the landing, so we will not be late.”

“Good.”

Duke Montera nodded at his vassal’s words.

‘…My younger brother.’

He thought of his younger brother, the Grand Commander of the Royal Guard, who had a greater martial talent than himself.

‘Just hold on a little longer. As long as you are there, it will not collapse easily.’

He did not know, not even in his dreams.

That an enemy was already waiting for them as they rushed forward with their impatient hearts.

* * *

“Welcome.”

Ulbhild, having spotted the vanguard, muttered in a low voice.

“All troops, attack.”

What signaled the beginning was Ulbhild’s ultimate technique.

“Ten Thousand Snows Ice Flower Slash.”

Beasts such as dragons, birds, tigers, and bears made of ice roared, imbued with icy mana.

“Waaaaah!”

“E-enemy attack!”

In an instant, the ground froze over, and ice shot out like awls.

Then, the horses all tumbled over the obstacles that had formed on the slippery ice.

“Kuaaaargh!”

The ordeal of the dismounted soldiers did not end there.

Swooooosh!

The slashes of Ulbhild and Rudgarda, which flew in at the same time, cut through the soldiers’ necks and waists, and…

KABOOOOOM!

Knut’s fist wind sent men and horses flying altogether.

“Good, now!”

It is a principle of military strategy that a disorganized army is bound to become the prey of a well-prepared one.

“Fire!”

Steel arrows made by the artisans of Grunewald, and poisoned arrows requisitioned from Grimnar’s camp, blackened the sky.

“Kuaaaargh!”

“Th-they are imbued with mana!”

“There are poisoned arrows mixed in as well!”

The front of the vanguard, which had been hit by a well-prepared surprise attack, was thrown into chaos in an instant.

But…

Swoooosh!

A slash that flew from the enemy lines cut a soldier in half.

“I was wondering who it was, but it turns out to be the barbarians who eat grass they dig up from the mountains and the upstart country bumpkins of Grunewald.”

A giant of a man, reminiscent of an ogre, walked forward with an axe in each hand.

“Well now, so you are Ulbhild. How dare you, like a rat…”

Before he could even finish his words.

“You fiend, I will rip that mouth of yours.”

“Kill him!”

Harold, Chase, and the members of the Special Operations Division commenced a joint attack on the giant.

“No, these crazy bastards…”

As he was about to respond, despite his bewilderment, Ulbhild quietly froze his feet with her ice art and infiltrated them with icy mana.

“!”

A very brief stun, a slight slowdown.

On the battlefield, that was a crime punishable by death.

Slice!

Harold, aiming for that gap, cut off the giant’s head.

It was a victory that was meaninglessly easy, achieved against an enemy who was originally much stronger than him.

“Chase, you rip open the mouth of this corpse.”

“Yes, sir.”

Harold, who had deliberately shown a cruel and ruthless side, pointed his sword at the army of Duke Montera, which had lost an important officer in vain.

“You will not drop your swords over something like this, so I will slaughter you all.”

“……!”

Rationally speaking, their forces were less than a tenth of the vanguard’s.

But at this moment, the side that dominated the battlefield was clearly the Grunewald army.

“We are retreating!”

And yet, Ulbhild chose to retreat at the right time without any lingering attachment.

“Brother Knut, it is a retreat!”

Knut, who had been rampaging through the enemy lines, turned his head at Rudgarda’s words.

“Right, is this it?”

It was right to withdraw when things were just a little regrettable.

‘We have also used up our stored mana, and if a chaotic battle continues here, our losses will be great.’

Above all, if they got bogged down, a swift retreat would become impossible.

The opportunity was now, while the enemy had not yet reorganized their ranks.

“Withdraw!”

Did they say the quality of an army is revealed when it retreats?

The members of the Special Operations Division, and the warriors of Eisenach who had roamed the underworld as part of the Haglandere, began to retreat across the river in an orderly fashion.

“They are retreating, pursue them!”

The shock of the surprise attack had not yet subsided, but the enraged army of Duke Montera sent a pursuit team.

…And that became their biggest mistake of the day.

Krrrrrrrrrck!

As Ulbhild retrieved the icy mana of the river, the sheet of ice, which had become thin ice, began to break, unable to bear the weight of the men and horses.

“Th-the ground is breaking!”

“Uwaaaargh!”

“H-help me!”

For the northern soldiers, who were even wearing armor and were not very familiar with the sea or rivers, there was no way to swim out.

“…Hah.”

The commander, watching the scene from afar, was stunned.

“We have been completely had.”

It was as if he had been possessed by a demon.

It was a complete nightmare.

* * *

After landing in the swamp, we succeeded in completely bypassing the enemy’s expected route of advance.

“It seems that Sir Walter’s army, which was stationed at the port, has finally noticed something is amiss and is in pursuit.”

At the report of the competent scout, Regeron, I stroked my chin.

“Are they all knights?”

“Yes. They are said to be between the 4th and 5th ranks.”

“Quite an elite force.”

Moreover, the matchup was not good.

We did not have many cavalry, so if we were hit by a mounted charge, we would suffer great losses.

‘And since the Special Operations Division and Knut were sent as a detachment, our forces are only at about sixty percent strength.’

The problem was that if this force was tied down by Walter, the meaning of having landed via a detour would be lost.

‘That cannot happen.’

The main army had to keep advancing to block the path of Duke Montera’s army.

“In that case, we will have to pull some tricks.”

A scheme popped into my head.

“Zamuel, Ghir.”

“Me?”

“Me?”

As their names were unexpectedly called, the two big shots of the underworld looked back at me with surprised faces.

“Ah, and Zizek. I forgot.”

“…”

“Just kidding. Can’t you look at me nicely?”

“I will try.”

I looked at Zizek, who had become a quite reliable swordsman, and then said.

“Go on. Zizek, select half the personnel that you can take with you.”

“I understand, Young Master.”

I then spread out a map and commanded Zamuel and Ghir.

“I will give you the swordsmen of the Bisakino Brotherhood. Go ahead and set an ambush around here, cut them in half in the middle, and send exactly half of them to me.”

“…Aha.”

Zamuel grinned.

“I understand.”

“Right? I will pretend to be in a frantic retreat and lure them to a dead end. The moment Sir Walter is convinced that he has us cornered and charges recklessly…”

“You mean to trip him up, right?”

Since everyone was watching, I spoke as Allenvert.

“As expected of Zamuel. As befits Karzan’s right-hand man, you are very quick on the uptake.”

“Hehe, you praise me too much.”

Then Zizek quietly grumbled.

“You used to call me your comrade.”

“Are you jealous? With such a rough-looking face.”

“Why are you bringing up my face?”

A characteristic of Zizek.

When he was Karzan, he would snort at comments about his face, but now he gets hurt if you talk about his face.

“My lady, please lead the main army and go on ahead. I will take the guard members and hold off Walter.”

“Will you be alright?”

“Of course.”

Siena, having heard my firm reply, answered with a determined expression.

“I will not fail the mission you have entrusted to me.”

* * *

“We march tomorrow.”

Gulbark, the second-in-command of the Black Society, had finished preparing to send their own forces, the power of the Flanders Kingdom, and the armies of several high-ranking nobles who had already submitted to them, to sea on a grand fleet.

“How magnificent. An entire nation has been devoured by us, and its king has become a scarecrow who calls our master ‘Second Father’ and reveres him.”

Therefore, this was no longer an army sent by the secret organization of the underworld called the Black Society, but a full-scale war between the Flanders Kingdom and the Grunewald Duchy or the Litvaleur Kingdom.

“Is the declaration of war complete?”

The chancellor of the Flanders Kingdom bowed his head and answered.

“It is.”

This was a war for their ambition, and a war of revenge to repay past grudges.

But they needed a justification to present to the continental political scene, which would either watch on, hoping for a windfall, or worry about the emergence of a great hegemon.

“The main army will be on the grand fleet. And the second army, which will retrieve the Ebony Oath…”

Gulbark’s gaze was on a group of wyverns and griffins lined up like warhorses.

“They will fly through the sky and launch a surprise attack on Valkenhain even before Grunewald.”

Just as the Griffin Rider unit of Schelde had done.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]