Chapter 335

The Lambert Viscounty in the southern part of the central region.

Over two hundred thousand soldiers were facing each other there.

The princess’s faction had one hundred thousand soldiers from the west and five thousand soldiers from the Lambert family.

The Crown Prince’s faction had one hundred thousand soldiers from the south.

The western army had a slight numerical advantage, but they were holed up in Lambert Castle, adopting a defensive stance.

It was Marquis Safia’s decision.

He knew that engaging the southern army, one of the strongest armies in the empire, honed by the scorching desert, in a field battle would be playing into the enemy’s hands.

Simply stopping the enemy’s advance at the castle was a significant achievement.

That was Marquis Safia’s calculation.

But,

A sense of urgency had swept through the western army’s camp two weeks ago.

News had arrived that the Celtrine allied forces had actually conquered Odinel.

*Bang!*

Emily barged into her father’s room, as she always did.

“…Father, are you just going to sit here and do nothing? We’re going to be overshadowed by that guy!”

She said, her voice filled with frustration.

The conquest of Odinel had been considered impossible.

So they hadn’t worried about it.

But Max had actually achieved the impossible.

It was a wake-up call for the Safia family.

It was an undeniable achievement.

It was as if he had stabbed a knife into the throat of the Crown Prince’s forces.

Because Odinel was their main supply base.

They couldn’t afford to be overshadowed, even though they had contributed the most soldiers to the princess’s faction.

Their only goal was to become the greatest contributor and the most powerful family in the empire.

Second place was no different from defeat.

“Calm down. Do you think attacking now is the best course of action? Do you think we can achieve a decisive victory?”

Marquis Safia, surprisingly, was calm.

He had been shocked when he first heard about the fall of Odinel.

But he knew that letting his emotions control him would only lead to bad decisions, so he was forcing himself to stay calm.

“B-But if we just keep defending…”

“Think about it. They fought tooth and nail to conquer Odinel. So even if Duke Cavern attacks, they’ll defend it with everything they have.”

News of Duke Cavern’s death and the eastern army’s annihilation hadn’t reached Lambert Castle yet.

Because it had only happened recently.

“That’s what I’m saying! We also need to achieve a great victory…”

“They lost Odinel. It means that they can’t retreat, even if they want to. They’ll run into supply problems.”

“But even so…”

“They’re just pretending to be strong. They know that we’ll attack if they show any weakness. But they’re crumbling from the inside. They’ll eventually be forced to retreat.”

Marquis Safia was certain.

His eyes gleamed.

“We’ll attack then. We’ll wipe out the southern army.”

* * *

The southern army’s camp.

“You’re carrying out my orders without any problems, right?”

Duke Henatus asked in a low voice.

“Yes, Father. As you instructed, we’re secretly moving a small number of soldiers every night to prepare the trap.”

Justino Henatus, an Imperial Knight who was currently serving in his father’s army, replied.

“Good. Don’t move more than five thousand. They’ll notice if you move more than that.”

“Yes, Father.”

Justino fell silent for a moment.

And then, he asked, “But… won’t this trap be useless if Duke Cavern retakes Odinel?”

“It will.”

“Huh?”

“But we have to be prepared for all possibilities. That’s what a commander of a large army has to do.”

It was a cautious approach, as expected of Duke Henatus, the Hero of the South.

But even he couldn’t have anticipated what was about to happen.

A huge shock was about to hit the southern front.

* * *

“What?!”

*Crash!*

Duke Henatus jumped to his feet, slamming his fist on the table.

His eyes were wide with shock.

“Say that again!”

“I-In the Battle of Odinel, the eastern army was… annihilated… Duke Cavern was… killed…”

The messenger repeated his report.

*Crash!*

Duke Henatus kicked the table over.

He clutched his forehead.

“F-Father… This is…”

Justino was also speechless with shock.

Not only had they lost Odinel, but their main force, the eastern army, had also been wiped out. It was a huge blow to the Crown Prince’s forces.

It could even change the outcome of the civil war.

It was a crisis of unprecedented scale.

“I need to think! I need to think!”

Duke Henatus paced back and forth, his face grim.

He was deep in thought.

After a while,

*Thud!*

He stopped and stomped his foot on the ground, his face filled with determination.

“This might be the worst possible situation, but it’s also an opportunity. We’ll use this opportunity to inflict a heavy blow on the western army. It’s the only way to make up for the loss at Odinel.”

“What do you mean…?”

“They’ll be overconfident and reckless now. They’ll be eager to pursue us and achieve a great victory. They’ll think that they can win easily, since the Celtrine forces are on a roll.”

Duke Henatus was able to read the subtle dynamics within the enemy camp, even though he was on the opposing side.

He was indeed a remarkable man.

“We’ll escalate the situation.”

He had originally planned to use the trap to ambush the enemy’s pursuing force and wipe out a portion of their army.

But the situation had changed.

The enemy wouldn’t hesitate to pursue them with their entire army.

However,

“But we need time. Time to prepare an ambush large enough to swallow the western army’s main force.”

Five thousand soldiers would have been enough under normal circumstances.

But it wasn’t enough to deal with the massive western army.

They needed time to prepare a larger ambush.

“But how are we going to buy time?”

It was extremely difficult to delay the advance of a large army, let alone escape their pursuit.

They would be relentlessly pursued.

“Unfortunately, we’ll have to sacrifice ten thousand soldiers as bait.”

Duke Henatus said coldly.

“W-Wait! Sacrifice ten thousand soldiers?!”

Justino’s eyes widened in shock.

Ten thousand lives were not something to be taken lightly.

But Duke Henatus was firm.

“Do you have a better plan? Another way to buy time?”

“W-Well…”

“We need at least ten thousand soldiers to delay the advance of an army of one hundred thousand. Five thousand? Six thousand? How long do you think they can hold them off?”

“…”

Justino fell silent.

“Prepare to retreat. There’s no room for error.”

Duke Henatus clenched his fist.

* * *

“The eastern army has been annihilated?!”

The western army’s camp was also in chaos.

Marquis Safia was shocked.

Not only had they lost Odinel, but the Celtrine allied forces had also achieved a decisive victory against the eastern army in a field battle.

It was unbelievable.

‘Is that guy possessed by the god of war?’

He shuddered.

But he quickly realized,

That this wasn’t the time to be shocked.

He jumped to his feet.

“Pursue them! Pursue them! We have to pursue them immediately!”

Now that Odinel had fallen and the eastern army, which was supposed to retake it, had been annihilated, the southern army would have no choice but to retreat.

If they pursued them swiftly, they could surely achieve victory.

But a simple victory wasn’t enough.

They had to achieve a decisive victory.

And to do that, they needed to pursue the enemy with their entire army.

“Prepare to pursue them! Everyone, except for a minimal defensive force! Now!”

His voice was filled with urgency.

* * *

The western army poured out of Lambert Castle.

Endlessly.

But the southern army, which had been encamped there, had vanished, leaving behind only traces of their presence.

They had already retreated.

“Pursue them with all your might! They can’t have gone far! Catch them and wipe them out!”

Marquis Safia shouted, his voice unwavering.

They had a large army, but so did the enemy.

It meant that the enemy’s retreat wouldn’t be swift.

So there was no reason why they couldn’t catch up.

In fact, they had the advantage.

His judgment was correct.

They soon caught up with the rearguard of the southern army.

“Good! We’ve caught them! Kill them all!”

The western army, their morale high, immediately launched their attack.

But the southern army fought back fiercely, even though they were outnumbered.

As if they had no fear of death.

“They’re a suicide squad!”

Emily shouted.

A suicide squad.

A unit that was prepared to die.

They were usually assigned to the rearguard of a retreating army.

Because it was the most dangerous position.

“But their numbers…”

Ethan frowned.

There were too many soldiers in the rearguard for it to be a suicide squad.

“It means they’re desperate!”

Marquis Safia’s eyes gleamed.

There was a reason why they were fighting so desperately with such a large rearguard.

They knew that they would be in grave danger if they were caught from behind.

It was a race against time.

Could they catch up to the enemy’s main force before it was too late?

“It’s just a delaying tactic! Wipe them out and break through their lines!”

Marquis Safia shouted confidently.

* * *

Annihilating the rearguard, which seemed to consist of at least ten thousand soldiers, was a minor achievement in itself.

But Marquis Safia wasn’t aiming for a minor achievement.

He had to inflict a decisive blow on the southern army.

It was the only way to prove that they were worthy of being on par with the Celtrine family.

The western army pursued the enemy relentlessly, spurred on by Marquis Safia’s encouragement.

And they finally caught up with the southern army’s main force.

“It’s the southern army! There they are!”

“We’ve finally caught them!”

“It’s over, you bastards!”

The western army’s morale was sky-high.

They were the pursuers, and they had already achieved a major victory.

A triumphant smile appeared on Marquis Safia’s lips.

The decisive victory he had been dreaming of was within reach.

“Victory is ours! Slaughter them all!”

He shouted, his voice filled with confidence.

It seemed like everything was going according to plan, as the distance between the two armies rapidly closed.

But then,

*Crack!*

*Boom!*

The ground suddenly collapsed.

Not just in one place, but in multiple places.

“Ugh?!”

“T-Traps?!”

“Traps! Traps!”

Western army soldiers screamed in terror as they fell into the pits, struggling to climb back up.

And waiting for them at the bottom were,

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Sharpened spears.

“Aaaaaargh!”

“Ugh!”

They died, their screams of agony echoing through the air.

But it was just the beginning.

“Now! Fire!”

Duke Henatus roared.

While the rearguard had been buying time, countless archers, who had been hidden on the hills, suddenly appeared and began firing.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

A rain of arrows, so dense that it blotted out the sky,

Rained down on the western army below.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

“Aaaaaargh!”

“Ugh!”

Countless western army soldiers died, their bodies riddled with arrows.

It was a sudden and devastating attack that they couldn’t even react to.

“T-Traps! Traps, Father!”

Emily shouted, her face pale with fear.

“W-We have to retreat! We have to retreat now!”

Ethan also shouted, his voice filled with despair.

“Ugh…”

Marquis Safia groaned, his face ashen.

He was uninjured, but he seemed to have lost his mind.

He had been driven insane by the shock.

If their commander was in this state, they would be annihilated.

Professor Lawrence quickly stepped forward.

“Retreat! Everyone, retreat!”

He shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

It was a clear overstepping of his authority, but no one objected.

Because they knew that it was their only chance of survival.

“Now! Pursue them! Pursue them and annihilate the western army!”

Duke Henatus gave the order to counterattack.

His words spoke volumes about the situation.

* * *

The Battle of Odinel had been a costly victory for the Celtrine allied forces, leaving them with a significant number of casualties and exhausted soldiers.

Even Max, despite his superhuman abilities, needed time to rest and recover.

And his decision to rest wasn’t entirely meaningless.

Simply holding Odinel put immense pressure on the Crown Prince’s forces.

It was then that an urgent report arrived.

It was from the south.

As soon as they heard the report, everyone jumped to their feet.

“The western army has been defeated?!”

“Why? They had the absolute advantage. All they had to do was defend.”

“This is ridiculous! Are you saying that Marquis Safia is incompetent?”

They were dumbfounded.

Now that the Celtrine allied forces had annihilated the eastern army, the civil war was overwhelmingly in favor of the princess’s forces.

All the western army had to do was defend, and they would win.

And Marquis Safia had clearly stated in the war council that he would defend.

And yet, he had failed.

“They lost fifty thousand soldiers. They’ve given the Crown Prince’s forces a chance to breathe.”

Lobel frowned and clicked his tongue.

“His desire for a decisive victory must have clouded his judgment.”

Regina said, hitting the nail on the head.

“Hmm…”

Max rubbed his forehead, his face filled with a mix of emotions.

He had anticipated the western army’s competitive spirit.

After all, he had been the one who had fueled it.

But he hadn’t expected them to suffer such a crushing defeat.

It had never happened in any of the game’s scenarios.

‘It’s not a bad thing for me that they’re out of the competition now. But the outcome of the civil war…’

The scales, which he had tipped in their favor, were starting to tilt back.

The Crown Prince was a formidable opponent.

No, he was a dangerous opponent.

They had to crush him completely, so he wouldn’t have a chance to recover.

But they had given him a lifeline.

‘Then…’

Everyone stared at Max, waiting for his decision.

They knew that he would come up with a wise plan.

And finally, he spoke.

“We’ll march towards the Imperial City.”