Chapter 304

“Hurry!”

Justino urged his soldiers forward.

There was no time to waste.

They had to arrive in time.

So they could provide assistance if anything happened.

Justino was certain that Saya had advanced towards the Ataraxia Forest.

An empty territory.

No commander would choose any other path to plunder an undefended territory.

The problem was,

It could be a trap.

‘But surely not.’

They had captured a baron’s castle that quickly?

He had expected them to have mobilized more than the estimated four to five thousand soldiers, not less.

It didn’t make sense to set a trap with their remaining forces after sending their main force elsewhere.

What Justino was truly wary of was their main force returning to the territory quickly and attacking Saya’s troops. He wasn’t concerned about the territory’s defenses.

“Faster!”

Justino ordered, urging his horse forward.

*Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!*

The soldiers sped up.

It was then that,

“Halt!”

Justino raised his hand, abruptly stopping their advance.

He had spotted something in the distance.

A group of soldiers.

They were small in number, but it could be a trick.

“Prepare for battle!”

Justino ordered his soldiers to prepare for battle, not letting his guard down.

The soldiers drew their weapons and nocked their arrows.

They were ready to attack at any moment.

But it was unnecessary.

“W-Wait! They’re allies! Allies!”

Justino had recognized their insignia.

As they got closer, their miserable state became apparent.

They were covered in blood, their clothes torn to shreds.

And at the front, he saw a familiar face.

“S-Senior?!”

Justino’s eyes widened in shock, his voice failing him.

Sayanoid, the Silver Flash.

She had gone to plunder the undefended Celtrine territory with three thousand soldiers, and now she was here, covered in blood.

Her face was pale.

The other soldiers were also stunned, frozen in shock.

Justino couldn’t help himself and rode towards her.

“Senior! What happened…?”

“…Fa…ce…no…ne…”

*Thud!*

“Senior! Senior! Wake up!”

Saya slumped over, falling from her horse as if she had lost all her strength.

Justino’s desperate cries echoed through the air.

* * *

“It’s empty.”

Vinchel muttered, his voice dry.

They had rushed to Baron Spazz’s territory.

But there was no one there.

Not the princess, nor Marius’s army, which should have arrived before them.

He didn’t even need to ask what had happened.

*Glance.*

Vinchel’s gaze landed on a severed head displayed on the gate.

Baron Spazz’s head.

His eyes were wide open, as if in eternal agony.

“How many?”

He asked his subordinate, who had approached him.

“According to witnesses, about a hundred.”

“A hundred.”

It wasn’t a large number.

It was a small number.

Too small to conquer a barony.

But,

“There must have been many similar wounds. Right?”

“Yes, sir. The bodies on the walls all had the same sword wounds…”

“The traitorous princess was definitely here.”

Vinchel was certain.

It was impossible to conquer a barony with a castle and several times their number of soldiers with only a hundred men.

A superhuman monster.

Only such a monster could have accomplished this.

“Should we pursue them?”

“No, it’s too late.”

Vinchel shook his head.

Marius, who had received the report, would have already set out in pursuit.

He would leave it to Marius.

There was nothing else he could do.

It was then that,

He saw a large army approaching in the distance.

Vinchel’s sharp eyes recognized them as Marius’s army.

“They failed.”

If they had captured or killed the princess, they would have been celebrating.

It was a feat worthy of celebration.

But the soldiers were silent.

And his assumption was correct.

“I apologize. The traitorous princess destroyed Baron Spazz’s territory faster than we had anticipated, and we couldn’t catch up.”

Marius bowed his head as soon as he arrived.

“It’s not your fault. You did the best you could.”

“…”

“No one could have predicted this diversionary tactic. I certainly didn’t. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.”

“Don’t say that, Captain…”

Vinchel’s gaze was cold and sharp.

Marius knew.

That when Vinchel had that look in his eyes, he was as immovable as a wall.

It was then.

A lone horseman galloped towards them.

“U-Urgent report! Urgent report!”

A messenger.

Vinchel’s face hardened as he recognized him as one of Justino’s messengers.

Marius didn’t seem to understand what was going on yet.

But,

“D-Defeat! Lady Saya’s forces have been defeated by the Celtrine family! A-Almost completely annihilated…”

Marius’s face also hardened in shock.

* * *

*Bang!*

Adolf slammed his fist on the armrest of his throne and jumped to his feet.

It was the first time he had shown such anger since seizing control of the Imperial Capital.

It was a sign that he had been dealt a serious blow.

“Annihilated? They were annihilated while trying to plunder an undefended territory? Unbelievable. Incompetent. They’re so incompetent. How can they be so incompetent?”

“W-Well, the enemy used a diversionary tactic and a deception to lure them into a trap…”

Justino tried to defend Saya, who was kneeling before the throne, her body still covered in wounds.

But,

“Diversionary tactic or not, trap or not, they should have crushed them with brute force! Is our army weak? Were they weaker than the Celtrines? Huh? Is that it?”

Adolf continued his tirade.

He was even more furious now.

Justino had no choice but to remain silent.

“I cannot forgive this. Execute that incompetent commander immediately! Make an example of her and show everyone the consequences of incompetence!”

The faces of the Imperial Knights darkened.

They had all fought alongside Saya, even if it was for a short time.

They couldn’t just stand by and watch her die.

It was then that,

“She might be responsible for the consecutive defeats, but Lady Saya is a valuable asset. Please show her mercy and spare her life.”

Galbraith, the sage, stepped forward and spoke up.

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

“What? An execution would be a good lesson for the others, wouldn’t it?”

But Adolf didn’t seem convinced.

“Think of the bigger picture.”

The bigger picture.

It was a metaphor.

Adolf himself had ordered them to rescue their allies and attack the undefended territory at the same time.

And all the officials present knew that.

It wouldn’t look good if he shifted all the blame to his subordinate.

Adolf understood.

‘Hmph, so you’re saying I should be patient.’

It also meant that it was too early for him to wield his power recklessly.

He had to wait until the situation was more favorable.

Adolf finally nodded.

“Hmm, I see. Alright, I’ll spare her life, as you suggested. But she still has to be held accountable.”

He calmed down and sat back on his throne.

“Demote Sayanoid to a common soldier and let her atone for her sins on the battlefield.”

“…I am eternally grateful for your mercy, Crown Prince.”

Saya, who had narrowly escaped death, bowed her head, her forehead touching the ground.

“Get out of my sight.”

“Yes, Crown Prince.”

Saya bowed deeply and left the throne room.

An awkward silence filled the room.

Adolf spoke again.

“It seems like my traitorous sister is planning something in the central region with the Celtrine family.”

“I agree.”

Galbraith nodded.

“Of course, we can’t just ignore them. It would be foolish to let a loach muddy the waters. We’ll crush them this time. Mobilize a large army.”

Adolf also felt it.

That the two defeats, especially the consecutive defeats, had disrupted the momentum of the civil war.

He had to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

“Thirty thousand. Mobilize thirty thousand soldiers and wipe the Celtrine territory off the map!”

Thirty thousand was almost all the soldiers he could mobilize from the Imperial Capital at the moment.

Adolf was finally serious.

* * *

“Liss.”

“Yes, brother.”

“I’m putting you in charge of helping the new residents settle in.”

The people they had kidnapped from the Fillmore Barony.

They were valuable assets.

They needed a lot of manpower for the war, not just soldiers.

And they were also hostages.

Hostages to prevent the surrendered Fillmore soldiers from betraying them.

They might eventually integrate and become loyal citizens, but they didn’t have time for that.

With their families in the Celtrine territory, the Fillmore soldiers would have no choice but to fight for the Celtrine family, regardless of their true intentions.

“Alright.”

Liss Celtrine nodded.

She was only in her early twenties, but she had been helping with family matters since she was a child. She was a smart girl.

There wouldn’t be any problems.

“Anyway, congratulations on your victory. You’re really good at fighting, brother.”

Liss said, looking at me with admiration.

“Haha, it’s all thanks to everyone. I just came up with the plan.”

“Why are you being so humble?”

“Do you think the soldiers would be happy if I took all the credit? That’s how the world works.”

“Oh. But I won’t tell anyone.”

“Are you kidding? There are so many people around.”

We had become much closer, like real siblings.

I chuckled, and Liss continued, “But how did the princess suddenly appear and attack Baron Spazz’s territory? Did you plan that with her beforehand?”

Everyone, including Milia, seemed curious.

“Of course.”

I didn’t deny it.

Because I knew it would boost their morale.

The upcoming battle would be the toughest yet.

So I wanted to raise their spirits as much as possible.

“Wow, you’re like a real strategist, brother! You even planned a diversionary tactic with the princess! You’re amazing!”

“Just make sure you treat her with respect.”

“That’s a bit…”

I was about to end the conversation with my sister and move on to other matters when,

“Young Master!”

Norman, a former mercenary and a member of the resident unit, rushed over.

He was a resourceful man with a wide network of contacts, thanks to his years as a mercenary, so I had put him in charge of gathering information.

The fact that he had come to me in such a hurry meant that it wasn’t good news.

Everyone’s faces turned serious.

“What is it? Tell me quickly.”

“The atmosphere in the Imperial Capital is strange. There are rumors that they’re preparing to mobilize a large army.”

“A large army? How large?”

“I don’t know the exact number, but it’s definitely more than ten thousand. The amount of supplies they’re preparing is too much for a smaller army.”

The larger the army, the harder it was to keep it a secret.

People would notice the signs.

So Norman’s information was probably accurate.

I had anticipated this, but…

“What? More than ten thousand?”

“So you’re saying it could be twenty thousand?”

“Hmm, that’s a lot.”

Of course, they had known that they would eventually face a large enemy force if they continued to win.

But they were still surprised by the timing and the scale of the mobilization.

“Young Master, this time…”

Hank, the knight captain, looked at me with pleading eyes.

He was hoping for a clear and decisive answer, as always.

The others were the same.

They were completely reliant on me.

That was my current position.

If I crumbled, the territory would crumble.

Everyone would crumble.

So I couldn’t crumble.

I had to be the strongest wall.

“Don’t worry.”

I smiled reassuringly.

“Oh?”

Hank’s face brightened.

“If we all work together, we can defend our territory, no matter how many enemies they send.”

My words gave them strength.

I could see it in their expressions.

“Start preparing for a siege battle immediately.”

I revealed my final trump card.