Chapter 301

“My lord, my lord!”

“What’s all the commotion?”

“Huff, huff, m-my lord, have you heard?”

“Heard what?”

“T-The Celtrine family, you know…”

“The Celtrine family? The Celtrine Earldom?”

“Yes, yes, the Crown Prince sent troops to punish them…”

“Tsk, tsk, so it finally happened. What a shame. The Ehrenbert family drew their swords, so the poor Celtrines, who are close to the Imperial Capital, are the first to be attacked. The Ehrenberts are too much. If they’re allies through marriage, they should at least give them time to escape…”

“W-Well, about that…”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“T-The Celtrine family repelled the Crown Prince’s forces.”

“W-What? R-Repelled?”

“Yes, sir. A complete victory, with minimal casualties.”

“A-A complete victory? H-How?”

“They ambushed the enemy in the Ataraxia Forest.”

“Huh, the Ataraxia Forest? That’s outside the Celtrine territory. They boldly ambushed the enemy outside their territory? There’s a strategist of that caliber in the Celtrine family…?”

“I-I don’t know the details yet…”

“A-Anyway, are you sure the information is accurate?”

“Absolutely, sir. Everyone’s talking about it.”

“Hmm… How can this be…?”

The lord was stunned into silence.

And then,

“…Steward.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“About the task I gave you…”

“Ah, yes.”

He was a minor lord, located far from the Imperial Capital, so the Crown Prince’s envoy hadn’t visited him yet. But he had ordered his steward to send a message to the Crown Prince, pledging his loyalty, thinking it was better to side with the stronger side.

“Put it on hold.”

“Huh?”

The steward’s eyes widened in surprise.

“The atmosphere is strange. I think it’s better to wait and see how the situation unfolds.”

“A-As you wish, my lord.”

And so, a lord who had been about to side with the Crown Prince changed his mind.

No, it wasn’t just one lord.

Many other lords were also reconsidering their decisions.

The first victory, which Regina had predicted would be a turning point in the civil war,

Its value was exactly as she had predicted.

All eyes were on the Celtrine territory.

Waiting to see what would happen next.

* * *

The Imperial Palace, throne room.

Sayanoid knelt before the throne, her face pale.

She was a fearless warrior, but in the presence of the Crown Prince, she felt like a prey animal facing a predator.

It wasn’t just because of their difference in status.

It was the aura that the Crown Prince emanated.

The aura of a ruler, who commanded obedience and dominated all those beneath him.

That was why Saya had sided with the Crown Prince.

A born ruler was destined to become Emperor.

He would overcome all obstacles and achieve victory.

“You lost? You?”

Crown Prince Adolf’s expression was strange.

A normal person would have been angry or disappointed.

But he looked genuinely puzzled.

As if he couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

“I have no excuse, Crown Prince.”

Saya bowed her head, her forehead touching the ground.

“No, tell me. Tell me everything. I need to know why you lost a battle you couldn’t possibly lose.”

“…Yes, Crown Prince.”

Saya had no choice but to recount her humiliating defeat, from beginning to end.

Adolf’s puzzlement vanished as he listened to her report.

“An ambush in the forest. Haha, interesting. I never thought there would be someone in the Celtrine family who knew how to fight outside their own territory.”

He chuckled.

His smile was like that of a cruel child watching a worm wriggling on the ground.

He had thought it would die with a single stomp, but it was still alive, providing him with a new source of amusement.

Adolf’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

“The past is the past. But we can’t let them win again. We can’t let this incident tarnish your reputation, Crown Prince.”

Galbraith, the sage, advised him.

He was one of the few people who could speak frankly to Adolf.

“Haha, I know, teacher. If there’s a crack, we have to fix it immediately. We just have to crush that wriggling worm more thoroughly.”

Adolf’s gaze shifted to Vinchel, the Sword Saint, who was standing beside him.

“There won’t be any problems next time, right?”

“Of course not, Crown Prince.”

“I think twice the number should be enough. What do you think?”

He was talking about six thousand soldiers, twice the number that Saya had led.

He didn’t want to mobilize such a large force for a single earldom, especially after just one defeat.

It would make him look weak, as if he needed that many soldiers to deal with a single earldom.

Vinchel understood his thoughts.

“I agree.”

“Haha, good.”

Adolf chuckled and clapped his hands.

And then he said, “I’ll give you six thousand elite soldiers. Wipe them out this time. And bring me the corpse of that Max Celtrine.”

* * *

A quiet house in a remote village, not far from the Imperial Capital.

Only a handful of people knew that it was a secret hideout for the princess faction.

The basement of the house.

A single lantern illuminated the dark space, where a lone figure sat.

Two figures cautiously entered the room.

“Princess, that bastard… I mean, Senior Max has won his first victory against the Prince’s army.”

Ethan Sapia, who had the lovely nickname of “Human Ogre,” said.

He was wearing a hood, trying to conceal his face, but it was doubtful that it would work, considering his massive physique.

“Haha, I heard. It’s good news, isn’t it? So, what should we do?”

A beautiful girl with blonde hair and jade-green eyes smiled.

It was Princess Oscar Persia.

She was hiding in a safe house near the Imperial Capital, while everyone was wondering about her whereabouts.

It was a classic case of hiding in plain sight.

“W-What do you mean… What should we do…?”

Ethan scratched his head, his face confused.

He was a musclehead, and he couldn’t possibly keep up with the princess’s thoughts.

“W-Wait a minute! Are you saying you’re going to change the plan?”

His twin sister, Emily Sapia, interjected.

“Haha, well…”

The princess smiled, her words vague.

“You can’t! It’s too dangerous here! You have to go west, to a safe place, as soon as the situation improves!”

Emily raised her voice.

The way the princess had evaded her pursuers,

It was by hiding in a safe house near the Imperial Capital.

Emily had been impressed by her bold move.

But that was it.

The princess couldn’t stay near the Imperial Capital.

It was the enemy’s territory, controlled by the self-proclaimed Crown Prince.

It was the most dangerous place in the world for her.

She had to go west, to where her strongest supporters were, as soon as possible.

And that’s why the Sapia twins had come here.

“I know. I know what you mean. But the situation has changed, hasn’t it?”

The princess smiled sweetly.

Emily’s forehead creased with worry.

“Well… That bastard… I mean, that senior did achieve a meaningful victory. But it’s obvious that he’s at his limit. He’s too close to the Imperial Capital. He’ll be crushed if they send their full force. Even the Ehrenbert family, who are allied with him through marriage, are just watching from the sidelines. Isn’t that proof enough?”

“Come on, Professor Regina wouldn’t abandon Senior Max. It just takes time to gather and mobilize an army.”

“Huh? That’s abandoning him! If she really wanted to save him, she would have sent reinforcements, even if it meant risking casualties!”

Emily was getting agitated.

But the princess smiled, a knowing look in her eyes.

“Haha, I guess everyone thinks that way. But Professor Regina actually trusts Senior Max.”

“Huh?”

“Well, there’s something like that.”

The princess changed the subject.

“Anyway, the point is, we can’t just sit here and watch Senior Max fight alone. People will start asking, ‘What is the princess doing?’”

Princess Oscar was a clever woman.

An ordinary person would just be happy about their ally’s victory, but she realized,

That the more Max achieved, the less relevant she would become.

It would be the same even if it was someone else, not Max.

She had to be the most prominent figure.

Especially in this civil war, which would determine the next Emperor.

Because it would directly affect her authority as the new Emperor.

‘Haha, that clever senior sided with me, along with Professor Regina? There’s no chance of winning, and he doesn’t even like me that much. So it’s safe to assume that he chose the path that would give him the most merits.’

The princess had accurately grasped Max’s motives.

It was an insight worthy of someone Max found annoying and burdensome.

But Emily, who was also quite intelligent, didn’t seem to understand.

And Ethan, well, there was no need to even mention him.

“N-No, even if people say that, you don’t have to worry… Your safety is the most important thing…”

*Clap!*

The princess clapped her hands, interrupting Emily.

“Haha, sometimes, taking risks is more important than staying safe. And I think this is one of those times.”

“Huh?”

The princess took Emily’s hand in hers.

“I’m sure there are people we can mobilize.”

The shadow organization that operated behind the scenes.

Every powerful noble family had a secret force at their disposal.

The Sapia family was no exception.

“Y-You mean…?”

“Yes, let’s give my dear brother a taste of his own medicine. His forces will be divided, so it’s a golden opportunity.”

Max’s victory was having an unexpected impact.

* * *

They had won their first battle decisively.

But the tension in the territory didn’t dissipate.

Because they knew.

That it was just the beginning.

The atmosphere in the war room was also tense.

“You guys should relax.”

Only Max seemed unfazed.

Well, Milia, who worshipped Max like a cult leader, was also calm.

“Um… I’m sure you have another brilliant plan, Young Master?”

Hank, the knight captain, asked cautiously.

They had won a brilliant victory by boldly ambushing the enemy outside their territory.

But there was one problem.

The same tactic wouldn’t work twice.

The enemy wouldn’t use the Ataraxia Forest again.

They would take a detour, even if it meant taking a longer route.

And they would come with a larger force.

“A preemptive strike.”

Max said with a grin.

But,

“A-A preemptive strike?!”

Hank’s eyes widened in shock.

He wasn’t the only one.

His lieutenant, and even Gwen, looked surprised.

A preemptive strike, when they were clearly at a disadvantage?

What kind of nonsense was that?

“Wait, wait. A preemptive strike is a bit too…”

Max raised his hand, silencing Gwen.

“We can’t let them relax. We have to keep them on edge. We have to make them think.”

He tapped his head with his finger.

“We’ll strike here first.”

He pointed at a location on the map.

The Ataraxia Forest, where they had won their first victory.