episode_0121

I took one last look to make sure the chase team wasn’t catching up, then turned my back.

Soon we arrived at the campsite and people were packing up their belongings one by one. Neither Heinrich nor Rudolf were in a position to continue the battle, so they had to leave.

After getting off the horse, holding the reins, I walked through the busy soldiers and towards the tent where I had stayed until yesterday.

Lisia was standing in front of him, having already completed her preparations to some extent. It seemed like he had somehow managed to return from a hideout close to the battlefield without being detected.

Licia, who was putting the items on Dulcinea’s back and tying them tightly with string, immediately turned her head as if she felt a sign of affection.

I immediately asked Lisia, who was quickly wiping her sweat.

“Are you all ready?”

“It’s okay. I came prepared lightly anyway.”

There wasn’t much luggage to pack. This is because unless it is a valuable or essential item, it is only a nuisance, so I left it in a nearby city.

The only things that took up space were dishes, extra clothes, and emergency food. Thanks to this, there was no need to put more pressure on Sancho, who was already tired.

I was turning over the leather on the floor to make sure I hadn’t left anything behind, when a hand reached out behind me.

The small, glowing touch gave me a warm feeling unique to healing magic. And before I could turn my head, I heard a voice whispering in my ear.

“Only once.”

The girl quietly approached me and said.

“Please say it one more time.”

“What?”

“What you said before I left. Closer so I can hear clearly.”

“You’ve grown up a lot now.”

As requested, I answered indifferently, as if passing by.

He just said something normal, but the reaction wasn’t the same.

Lisia took a seat next to her, sighing slightly.

The girl seemed to have come to a conclusion in her head. I don’t have the ability to read thoughts, but it was so explicit that I could guess it right away.

“That means… That’s exactly what I think it means, right?”

“But when I see you making such a fuss, I wonder if that might be a wrong idea.”

“Oh, don’t do that.”

Even as he said that, seeing the smile that couldn’t be erased from his face seemed like he was in a very good mood.

Yes, as long as you like it. I smiled and patted Lisia’s head.

*****

The emperor’s army was successfully able to return to the vicinity of nearby cities.

And before darkness completely fell, as I was slowly getting ready, one of the emperor’s messengers came to me.

“Lord Raven, are you there?”

“What’s going on?”

“Your Majesty calls you. He wants to talk about this battle.”

I went to see the emperor for a summary and review of the battle.

Even though he thought he had left early, his barracks were already filled with knights, generals, and subjects who could afford it.

“Is everyone gathered?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Then I will post a report.”

The nobleman standing next to the emperor cleared his throat a few times and opened his mouth.

It was not a huge victory or a huge defeat. There wasn’t anything special about it. It was just a fight, and as a result, it ended without a worthy winner.

“It appears that the army of bishops who fled was looted in a nearby village.”

“I think I misheard a bit, but they didn’t loot?”

“Yes. It is said that while running away, the villagers stole their equipment and food.”

I had to correct that complacent thinking right away.

This world is still full of surprises. I reflected on the need for a little humility under reality.

“… Hmm.”

The emperor let out a long, subtle sigh mixed with questioning. It was a voice that could speak for everyone in this barracks.

Of course, if you were to put it into perspective, it wasn’t a situation that was necessarily incomprehensible.

It may be a new thing to say, but stealing is a regular business. In the first place, thief is not the type of work that anyone in their right mind can do.

There are no eyewitness accounts of a single band of thieves lasting for several years. This is because before that much time has passed, they are crushed by the power of public power or collapse on their own.

In short, thieves are naturally all around us.

And who else are they who gather when they are hungry and disperse when they are full?

The origins of well-armed thieves were mercenaries and failed knights, but most lightly-armed thieves are humans who until recently were just farming.

Therefore, the word ‘den of thieves’ sometimes has the same meaning as a village lacking food and money.

If ordinary travelers or merchants were robbed, the world would look upon them with pity.

“And is there anything else worth mentioning?”

“It is said that one of the bishops rebelled and lost his life.”

“It’s a sight.”

However, if the opponent is the military, the story is a little different.

Soldiers trained for combat were looted by villagers who could only be described as lightly armed, even if they were well-packed.

There is no other comedy like this. There would be nothing more to say if the commander, the bishop, had also been caught up in it.

However, laughing at the other person did not help much here.

No matter how much he teased the other person for being an idiot, it only meant that he lost half of his life to that idiot.

Therefore, rather than congratulating himself by claiming victory, the emperor decided to promise the next time.

“It looks like this battle is over here. I pray that for all who fought courageously, the path to His kingdom will be opened.”

“May God embrace their souls.”

“This is a war that is looking at 3 years. I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

And by next I meant soon.

The conclusion the emperor reached after long thought was as follows.

“So we will have to finish it next time.”

The final battle.

Just one battle was needed to end this wasteful war.

“Soul team fight… … .”

Heine, who was quietly listening next to me, nodded and muttered softly as if something had suddenly occurred to him.

Who did you learn those words from, Your Majesty? … .

*****

Same time.

Rudolph’s army was also spending its time doing similar things.

People came one after another into the tent that had been built in a retreat from the battlefield.

And when it seemed to be reasonably crowded, an older-looking middle-aged man at the head of the table struck the table a few times with his cane to attract attention.

It was very prideful to admit this to myself.

Still, I couldn’t turn my eyes away from reality forever.

To put it in one word, this battle was a total disaster. Rudolph touched his throbbing head.

If we were to look purely at the number of soldiers killed, we could say that we had achieved a slight victory.

However, if we looked at everything that happened in the battle from beginning to end, it was easy to realize that in reality there were no winners.

“I believe everyone knows why this happened.”

No one could bear to open their mouths at Rudolph’s words. A heavy silence fell under the tent.

Even before the battle began, the number of soldiers and knights was relatively superior. If done well, a good win wasn’t impossible.

However, there were several reasons why it ended so poorly.

First of all, the bishops who fled before the battle even started.

He showed off some really cool vulgarity. Those who run away before fighting properly, and those who sympathize with those people and run away together.

An army can only win if it fights well, but if it has no morale, it cannot fight at all.

When management failed, it was the commander’s mistake. Although the leader of the army was nominally Rudolph himself, the authority to command belonged to each person who brought the soldiers.

So, they should also be held accountable.

“What happened to the bishops who ran away?”

But that didn’t mean I could do anything directly.

At a time like this, even the support of a noble or clergy member was valuable, and simply maintaining one’s position without fighting directly could create a certain level of intimidation.

Still, no matter what.

“… One person eventually closed his eyes. The remaining two people are said to have safely escaped to a safe place.”

“Was it an ambush? Or was he injured at the beginning of the battle?”

“Well, I apologize for telling you this. It is said that while retreating, he was beaten to death by the residents of a village he passed by… … .”

Isn’t this a very serious act of obscenity?

Even if I tried to say something, it was difficult because the person involved was no longer in this world.

And the second element.

The army clearly promised to return in time.

“Isn’t there an army that was planning to join us? As far as I know, it must have been a few days since we left. However, it doesn’t seem like it was reversed, so shouldn’t he have returned by now?”

“Yes. However, I was informed that there are circumstances here as well.”

“Tell me.”

“That… It is said that they thought they were enemies because they sent a messenger and did not return.”

On the surface, I was just quietly listening, but my hands were shaking.

At that moment, I felt the urge to randomly throw things around me, but I couldn’t take action because I thought I would miss them.

Instead, all he did was sink low and vent his anger in a trembling voice.

“I, I am.”

“… … .”

“If you try to throw a rotten egg at every idiot, you will pay the price and go bankrupt.”

There is nothing wrong with the servant who came to deliver this news.

I knew that, but I felt like I had to vent my anger somewhere to relieve my anger.

If I don’t do that, I don’t think I will die from fire or from being expelled.

And his fate of having to lead such a ragtag group of people to the throne of emperor was so pitiful.

“… … .”

“I am only sorry, Your Majesty.”

The sound of silent hair pulling came from beyond the barracks for a while.

There was no one around, and only the guards in front were stiff for fear of being caught.

After a while, the meeting could continue only after Rudolph’s silent screams stopped.

Despite being cautious, we carefully discussed the future schedule, and talked about the status of damage and combat capabilities.

But even at that moment, Rudolph had other thoughts in his mind. So, when I felt like the story was almost over, I gave a congratulatory order to everyone and added a word.

“Get everyone out, and bring the Count of Ravenna here.”

It was because of the last element of defeat.