Chapter 344

“Yes, is that so? That’s good.”

Crown Prince Adolf nodded his head.

Despite being cornered, his expression wasn’t clouded with anxiety.

He believed it wasn’t over yet.

He had faith that there was still a chance to turn the tables.

‘As expected of a great man.’

The messenger from Red Rain thought as he observed the Crown Prince.

He had been inwardly worried that they might be wasting their resources, but seeing the Crown Prince’s resolve, he felt it was a worthy investment.

It would be best if they won, but even if they were defeated, the Crown Prince wouldn’t go down without a fight.

He would at least take a limb or two from his enemies.

‘Even if the princess’s faction wins, a Pyrrhic victory would be just as good.’

The Crown Prince interrupted the messenger’s thoughts.

“So, what’s the price?”

“The Heavenly Lord wishes to discuss the price after the civil war has ended.”

“Oh?”

The Crown Prince’s eyes gleamed with interest.

It meant that they were willing to lend their strength unconditionally for now.

“If I lose, wouldn’t it be a waste of your resources?”

“Investment always comes with risks.”

“Haha, I like your straightforwardness.”

The Crown Prince laughed.

The messenger smiled back.

“Then we’ll provide support as soon as I return. Where would you like us to deploy our forces?”

“Simple. Somewhere completely hidden from view. Not even our allies should know about it.”

The more people knew, the higher the chance of information leaking.

Especially in a time like this, when betrayals were rampant.

That’s why the Crown Prince wanted to keep this a secret.

“You’re very thorough. But is there such a place?”

“Of course there is.”

*Tap!*

As if he had already decided, the Crown Prince’s finger landed on a specific location on the map of the empire.

“Huh, this is…”

The messenger’s eyes widened in surprise.

The Hoover Swamps.

A deadly swampland that swallowed everything, including humans.

It was definitely a place where no one would find them.

No one would go there unless they were suicidal.

But,

It wouldn’t be a problem for their forces.

Because they weren’t human.

They weren’t even living beings.

The impressive thing was that the Crown Prince had figured it out without him even telling him.

The messenger had a good feeling about this.

He felt that the Crown Prince would be able to drag the civil war back into a quagmire, as they had hoped.

“What do you think? Can you do it?”

“Of course we can. We’ll just have them ambush the enemy from within the swamps, right?”

“Yes. And I want them to be able to move immediately when the time comes. Can you do that?”

“Yes, we can. Let’s decide on a signal.”

The messenger took something out of his pocket.

A small piece of paper.

“Burn this. That will be the signal for them to move.”

“Good, I like it.”

The Crown Prince put the piece of paper away.

“Then I’ll return and make the necessary preparations. I wish you the best of luck.”

“Heh, as do I.”

They smiled at each other, their smiles filled with hidden meanings.

The Crown Prince and Red Rain’s secret weapon had been successfully deployed.

* * *

The princess’s army finally departed from the Imperial City.

It was a massive army of one hundred and ninety thousand soldiers: forty thousand under the princess’s direct command, seventy thousand from the western army, and eighty thousand from the Celtrine faction.

It was the first time they had marched with such confidence, having been on the defensive for most of the war.

An air of victory and an end to the civil war permeated the entire army.

They were confident of victory, and their morale was sky-high.

But the princess was wary of arrogance and complacency.

“We can’t let our soldiers become complacent. Make sure they stay focused and disciplined until the very end.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“We’ll make sure that discipline is maintained.”

The lords praised the princess for her vigilance, even though they had a significant advantage.

They said that she was truly fit to be an emperor.

Even Max agreed with them to some extent.

She could have been a capable emperor, if it weren’t for one fatal flaw.

‘A demon is a demon, no matter what form it takes.’

He wouldn’t be fooled again.

No matter how beautiful her appearance, no matter how kind and gentle her words, no matter how bright her smile,

She was a demon.

Her true nature wouldn’t change.

But even Max didn’t know,

That the demon desired him.

‘Hehe, what kind of thrilling thoughts are running through your head, Senior?’

They were marching under the same banner, but their thoughts were completely different.

But at least on the surface, there were no problems.

They were both masters of acting, and their ultimate goal was the same.

To end the civil war by crushing the Crown Prince’s forces.

But Max had a feeling,

That a conflict of opinions was inevitable.

‘They must have something up their sleeve.’

The princess and Marquis Safia.

They had definitely made a deal before this expedition.

He had a rough idea of what it was, but he couldn’t be sure.

After all, this was the first time he had been this heavily scrutinized by the princess and his political rivals.

‘It means I’m doing well.’

It was an outcome he could never have imagined in the past.

He was achieving the best possible results.

And the scrutiny that came with it was something he had to accept.

He had to overcome this challenge and see this through to the end if he wanted to survive this civil war.

And soon,

As Max had predicted, the situation changed.

But it was different from what he had expected.

“What?”

“They split their forces?”

Marquis Safia and the other lords looked puzzled at the scout’s report.

Even the princess seemed surprised.

And this time, Max was also surprised.

‘They split their forces here?’

He narrowed his eyes.

The enemy had one hundred thousand soldiers left.

And this was their last stand, with nowhere to retreat.

It was only logical for them to gather all their forces and fight a decisive battle.

That’s how it had always been in the past civil wars he had experienced in the game.

But this time was different?

He couldn’t help but be suspicious.

“Explain in more detail. How did they split their forces?”

The princess asked, her eyes thoughtful.

“Yes, Your Highness. The Henatus family’s banner was flying over Nertan Castle, and the imperial banner was flying over Amar Castle. Based on that…”

“Duke Henatus is at Nertan Castle, and the treacherous prince is at Amar Castle!”

“Hmm, they’re up to something.”

The lords reached a conclusion before the messenger could even finish his report.

Amar.

It was the largest city in the south.

And it had the strongest castle in the south.

That’s why the princess, Max, and everyone else had assumed that the final battle would take place at Amar Castle.

But they were wrong.

“So what are their exact numbers?”

The princess asked again.

“…I apologize, but I couldn’t determine their exact numbers from the outside. However, I observed Nertan Castle from a nearby mountain, and it seemed like they had at least tens of thousands of soldiers.”

“Tens of thousands?”

“So it’s not a diversion? What are they planning?”

The lords looked confused.

Tens of thousands of soldiers weren’t a small number. It wasn’t a force they could simply dismiss as a diversion.

They had split their forces and were planning to defend two castles.

It didn’t make sense.

“Hmm.”

The princess rested her chin on her hand and stared at the map of the southern region.

Amar, located in the center of the south, and Nertan, located to the west of Amar.

They weren’t far apart, but they weren’t close enough to support each other effectively.

It was an awkward distance.

How could they possibly use this to their advantage?

“Viscount Bizel.”

She called out to one of the southern lords who had defected.

They were the ones who were most familiar with the situation in the south.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What is the strategic value of Nertan Castle?”

“Well, it’s one of the strongest castles in the south. Its defenses are formidable.”

“So it’s a strategically important location. I see.”

The princess blinked rapidly.

And then, she looked at the lords.

“Do you understand their intentions?”

The lords exchanged glances, their eyes darting back and forth.

No one answered.

But then,

Max spoke up.

“They’re planning to split our forces as well. They think it’s better to disperse our strength than to concentrate it in one place.”

“Hehe, as expected of Senior. That’s a plausible explanation.”

The princess chuckled.

She seemed pleased that Max had answered first.

“Do you have anything else to add?”

“Yes. If they win at either castle, they can immediately attack our rear.”

The lords flinched at Max’s words.

They realized that if either castle fell, the enemy could immediately turn around and attack them from behind.

“Hehe, don’t say such ominous things. That’ll never happen.”

“That’s right. There’s no need to risk a siege and attack Nertan Castle. We can just block their path and focus on conquering Amar Castle, where the treacherous prince is holed up. Once Amar Castle falls, the civil war will be over.”

Marquis Safia finally spoke up.

“Oh, I see! There’s no need to waste our time and resources attacking Nertan Castle. Amar Castle is the key. Once we conquer it, we win.”

“You’re able to see the forest for the trees. As expected of Marquis Safia, your insight is truly remarkable!”

The western lords praised Marquis Safia.

But they weren’t just flattering him.

His words made sense.

Even Max, his rival, agreed.

‘There’s no need to give them an excuse to attack us.’

Conquering a castle was a difficult task.

Especially a castle that was defended by desperate soldiers who had nowhere to retreat.

It was enough to just block their path.

The enemy was strong because they were inside the castle. Once they came out, they would be at a disadvantage against an army that was already waiting for them.

“What do you think, Senior?”

The princess asked, her gaze lingering on Max.

“I agree with Marquis Safia. There’s no need to attack Nertan Castle. We just need to block their path.”

Max readily agreed.

There was no need to waste time arguing about something so obvious.

“Hehe, if you both agree, then it must be the right course of action.”

The two most influential figures in the princess’s faction had reached an agreement.

And the princess agreed with them. There was no room for dissent.

“Then we’ll have to split our forces as well, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right.”

Max and Marquis Safia replied almost simultaneously.

Their eyes met, but neither of them could read the other’s thoughts.

“As expected. Hmm, I think this is the best course of action. Senior Max, as our most trusted commander, will lead one army, and Marquis Safia and I will lead the other.”

It was an inevitable decision, now that they had decided to split their forces.

Everyone had already anticipated it.

The question was,

‘Who will go where?’

Max’s eyes narrowed in thought.

One option was to achieve a great victory, but it would inevitably result in heavy casualties.

The other option was to achieve a minor victory, but it would allow them to preserve their forces.

‘If I defeat the treacherous prince here, I’ll be able to completely seize control of the situation. But…’

The Crown Prince was different from their previous opponents.

Honestly, he wasn’t confident that he could conquer the castle where the Crown Prince was holed up without suffering significant losses.

And it was Amar Castle, the strongest castle in the south.

‘Is it really worth risking so many lives?’

He had already achieved so much. Maybe it was time to play it safe.

But then,

He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

It was an ominous feeling, so strong that it made him shudder.

He realized that it was his hero’s intuition.

‘This is…?’

To his surprise, the ominous feeling was coming from the map.

He stared at the map intently.

But it was strange.

The ominous feeling wasn’t coming from Amar Castle or Nertan Castle.

It was coming from a completely unrelated location.

A location that…

Could it be?!

His eyes widened, and he jumped to his feet.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

The princess tilted her head, puzzled.

The other lords also looked at him curiously.