episode_0102

Closed the siege and destroyed half of the Imperial Western Legion.

This alone was a tremendous feat, but Prince Georg had no intention of stopping.

They were completely unaware of this momentum and decided to cross the border and directly invade the imperial territory.

“Speed up! Attack the empty borders of the empire!”

“Your Majesty. I am worried that this plan may be too dangerous.”

“Foolish talk. The Empire has now put all its stakes on the line to save their legions. That means the rear is empty! If you strike one more critical hit at this point, you can not only stop the enemy’s offensive, but also destroy their momentum!”

The warring parties are Dedorant and the Empire. However, the conditions for victory in this war are not the same for both.

The Empire must absolutely destroy Dedorant and force its surrender.

Only then can we reestablish the collapsed authority and imperial order.

But Dedorant doesn’t want such a perfect victory.

It causes enormous damage to the Empire, destroying their morale and their will to fight.

After that, we just need to make voices for negotiation come out from within the empire.

Right now, Dedorant can’t overwhelm the Empire. A draw is the limit.

We need more time. To do that, we must negotiate.

So, when you’ve caught your breath and are ready to take flight as a new empire in the West.

Once again, we must fight the Empire to see who will remain the only Empire.

“So, we absolutely must not miss this opportunity. Do you understand?”

“, Yes! Your Majesty!”

This is an opportunity that was earned by throwing 30,000 of our allies into the jaws of the empire.

They say they’ve taken down two legions of the Empire, but that’s not enough.

We must directly attack the empire’s territory to cause shock.

Of course, this could, on the contrary, inflame the Empire’s will to wage war.

However, if the rear attack is carried out properly, the imperial army’s reorganization will be greatly delayed.

In the meantime, Dedorant can prepare sufficiently by focusing on defensive preparations.

Whatever it is, it’s a good idea to make the area near the border a wasteland.

It destroys the paths that the army walks and the various supplies that are piled up there.

Even in Dedorant, only the best were selected, so they should be able to do it.

“Your Highness! The Imperial Gate will be here soon!”

“Breathe through in one breath. Do not be afraid, sons of Dedorant. The enemy is almost nonexistent. They are busy trampling on our lands far away! So we too will trample on the lands of the Empire!”

-Wow!!

With a huge roar, Dedorant’s elite forces head towards the Imperial Gate.

But they had to stop their advance because of one piece of news―

“What are you saying now?”

Prince Georg could not help but be bewildered by the report from the scouts who had gone ahead.

“The gates of the Imperial Gate are wide open. There is not a single soldier visible on the walls, only flags planted everywhere.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, Your Majesty! I am reporting this after checking several times!”

Prince Georg had a strange thought for a moment.

This can’t be happening. Even though this place is quite far from the battlefield, the news must have reached us.

If your own army suffered a crushing defeat, where would be the gate that would be open with good fortune?

There will also be Imperial scouts nearby, so they may have heard news about this place as well.

No, there is still some left after going in. It is normal to have some left after preparing for an attack.

‘But that’s not it, you left the gate open.’

Faced with this unbelievable reality, Prince Georg slowed down his army for a moment.

We strengthened our surrounding security in preparation for an emergency and advanced toward the gate.

The scenery of the gate that soon appeared before his eyes was no different from the scout’s report.

‘There’s really no one. Not the soldiers who should be guarding the gate, not the person in charge of this place who should be up there. It’s as if something has happened, there’s really no one.’

At this moment, several young men suddenly appear through the wide open door.

They are unarmed and undressed. They just seem to be carrying supplies.

They started spraying water at the entrance to the gate and then started cleaning very diligently.

Even though the Dedorant army was right in front of him, he didn’t even pay attention to it.

At that absurd sight, not only Prince Georg but everyone in Dedorant was shocked.

“Your Highness. Over there, look above the gate.”

At the captain’s words, Prince Georg quickly turned his gaze there.

A young man walks leisurely and takes a seat on the gate.

Although it was quite a distance away, Prince Georg noticed that he was looking at him.

“What.”

A junior officer who was acting as a guide opens his mouth at the sight.

“Your Highness! Over there, that man. That’s him!”

“That’s it?”

“Kael Klauwitz! The imperial strategist who was active in the southern campaign and the eastern campaign before that!”

Kael Clauswitz? Prince Georg turns to him urgently at those words.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Your Majesty! I am certain. I have seen his face drawn on the telegram announcing the Empire’s great victory, and it is exactly the same as that one over there!”

At those words, Prince Georg let out a sigh without realizing it.

I heard that a man named Kael was appointed Chief of Staff of the Imperial Court.

And we also confirmed that there was no separate expedition to the western region.

But then Kael suddenly appeared here, right in front of him.

‘Could it be that you anticipated our Dedorant’s movements?’

Kael Clauswitz. Prince Georg also knows about him.

Starting with friction with Novogord, he tore apart the three eastern kingdoms on the other side of the continent.

Even the great victory that had occurred not long ago, when Benito’s main force was completely annihilated.

Kael was always there. What does this mean?

That means he was always involved in every single one of those wins. That means his stake is pretty big.

The first one was a coincidence, or maybe luck, but this is already the third time.

And there is no such thing as coincidence or luck that repeats itself three times in this world.

‘The strategist Kael always drew his opponents into situations where he had the upper hand. According to information from the Eastern and Southern theaters, the man preferred to create perfect traps and draw his enemies into them.’

Prince Georg searched the area around the gate once more.

There doesn’t seem to be any particular sense of defense anywhere.

Those who were cleaning are now sitting on the floor, resting and chatting.

It is so quiet that you can’t even imagine that it is a gate facing an enemy.

“Your Highness. Don’t you give the order to attack?”

“… .”

“The enemies are completely unprepared. They must be supporting other areas, so they can’t defend this place, so they’re acting like that.”

“… .”

Despite the words of the various department heads, Prince Georg remained silent.

He too had two possibilities battling back and forth in his head.

Is this really just the empty boasts of someone who has nothing?

Or is it a trap, like Dedorant, that lures you with sweet food?

There was something that immediately solved Prince Georg’s worries.

-Tiring!

“Me, the author?”

Kael, who was sitting on the gate, suddenly takes out his lute.

Then he starts plucking the strings, and the tone is quite dazzling.

It’s like seeing a bunch of bums out on a boat ride.

“… .”

Prince Georg, having seen this far, finally made up his mind.

“Retreat.”

“Your Highness?!”

“What kind of absurd words are you talking about?! Retreat?! That’s ridiculous!!”

“No. We must retreat. That is a trap. It must be a trap.”

The surrounding managers look like they don’t understand at all.

Then Prince Georg clicked his tongue and sat on the gate.

He pointed to Kael, who was playing the lute with such a relaxed expression.

“You all know about that imperial strategist. The author never takes risks. Even in moments when it seems like he does, he is ultimately just rolling everything in his own hands.”

“Huh, but… .”

“There is only one moment when that man makes himself look weak. When he is ready to strike down his enemies. When he wants them to stick their heads into his mouth!”

In the east, the three kingdoms did so, and in the south, Benito did so too.

Kael fights only after he has gained the upper hand. His strategies always start from there.

There are already many negative teachers, so I can’t just foolishly accept that.

“Don’t add any more. If you let your guard down and suffer a crushing defeat at this moment of rising momentum, it’s enough for the Empire. Do you really plan on making the same mistake as them?”

“Your Majesty. How about we take a closer look at the situation and then make our move?”

“How foolish. If you are so blatantly drawing in the enemy, there will be forces responding not only internally but also externally. If we are not careful, we could be surrounded in return!”

Prince Georg has brought many victories and glory to Dedorant.

All military personnel admire his insight and sincerely follow him.

When such a prince appeared, the chiefs could no longer oppose him.

The road that eventually turns around, leaving behind a gate that appears to be empty.

Immediately afterwards, a shout was heard from behind where they were sitting.

-Wow!!

“Your Majesty. The Imperial Army has appeared at the rear.”

“What did I say? They must have prepared a trap to catch us inside and out.”

“Wow, I can only admire His Highness the Prince’s wisdom.”

“We’re going to fall back quickly. Our position has been exposed, so we can’t move any further.”

Prince Georg looked at the gate that was gradually receding from his position as he withdrew his troops.

‘Kael Klauwitz. I admit that you are a very good bookkeeper. But I, too. Our Dedorant is no pushover. If you are going to set traps in the future, you will have to do it more properly.’

If we meet again someday, let’s have a proper fight.

With that thought in mind, Prince Georg turned his army around and headed back towards Dedorant.

But Prince Georg had no idea.

In fact, those soldiers were not there to surround the city, but were the Eastern Allied Forces that had just arrived by chance.

If they had clashed head-on, nine out of ten chances would have been a great victory for the Dedorant Army.

And above all―

“I’m alive… !”

The reason Kael is here is not to predict Dedorant’s movements.

I just moved ahead and arrived early because I knew I would be going to the battlefield soon.

Beyond the gate, which was thought to be a trap, there were only a few hundred soldiers at most.

‘This works!!’

As expected, the luckiest people in the world are the ones who are most successful!

Kael put down his lute quietly, shouting inwardly, “Hurrah!”

My back was soaked with cold sweat, so I thought I should change my clothes.