Chapter 345

“No, it’s nothing. I just got a little emotional…”

“Emotional?”

“Yes, I was just overwhelmed by the fact that we’ve come this far…”

Max made up an excuse.

He had sensed the ominous premonition, but he hadn’t made up his mind yet.

“Hmm.”

Princess Oscar looked at him suspiciously, but she didn’t press the issue.

She couldn’t figure out why he would suddenly act so strangely.

Marquis Safia also seemed curious, but he didn’t say anything and just cracked his knuckles.

Max sat back down.

He didn’t forget to apologize.

“I’m sorry for causing a scene at such an important moment.”

“No, it’s fine. Let’s continue.”

Max’s outburst was dismissed as a brief incident.

The other lords also seemed to have brushed it off.

But,

Max’s mind was racing.

He had a lot to think about.

But he didn’t have time to sort out his thoughts.

They were about to make an important decision.

“Then let’s decide. Who will go where.”

The princess didn’t want to waste any time.

She urged them to make a decision quickly.

‘Come on, give me some time! I need to think!’

Max was the only one who was feeling pressured.

As if she had read his mind, the princess asked, “Then Senior Max, why don’t you tell us first?”

Why me?

Max clasped his hands together and looked up at the ceiling.

He was struggling to maintain his composure.

His mind was racing.

‘Focus on the essentials. Can I defeat that ominous hidden force without suffering heavy casualties?’

No, he couldn’t.

It was the enemy’s secret weapon, a force that had triggered his hero’s intuition, filling him with a sense of dread.

Even if he knew about it, he couldn’t defeat it easily.

And,

‘And then I have to conquer the castle where the treacherous prince is holed up? Are you kidding me?’

It would be a series of difficult battles.

Their casualties would mount.

Like a snowball rolling down a hill.

The answer was obvious.

‘I have to avoid it.’

He had to avoid going to Amar Castle.

He made up his mind and said, “I’d like to serve my duty at Nertan Castle.”

The lords murmured in surprise.

His answer was completely unexpected.

“W-What?”

“N-Nertan Castle? Did he just say Nertan Castle?”

“He’s choosing to support, not lead the main attack?”

The lords were confused.

Max had always been a man who was obsessed with achieving glory.

He had never hesitated to charge into the most dangerous battlefields, as if he had multiple lives.

And yet, he was giving up the chance to achieve the greatest victory?

It was absurd.

Even Marquis Safia thought the same.

‘Did he eat something bad?’

The Max he knew would never give up such an opportunity, especially the chance to finish off the Crown Prince.

‘Wait, is this arrogance? Is he so confident that he can preserve his forces and still win?’

Marquis Safia’s eyes narrowed.

It made sense, in a way.

Max had already achieved so much. Maybe he was choosing to play it safe now.

It was a cunning calculation.

But,

‘To choose complacency at the last moment… Even you can’t escape arrogance.’

He couldn’t help but smile.

He quickly covered his mouth with his hand to hide his smile.

He was excited.

‘You’ve miscalculated. And I’m grateful. You’ve underestimated the significance of the princess personally executing the treacherous prince.’

Until now, Max had undoubtedly been the one who had contributed the most to the war effort.

No one could deny it.

If the civil war ended now, the princess would become the emperor who had ended the war thanks to Max.

But,

If the princess personally executed the Crown Prince, the narrative would change completely.

She would become the emperor who had personally ended the civil war.

Max’s contributions would become secondary.

In the end, what mattered was that the princess was the emperor who had personally ended the civil war.

Could Max challenge her authority?

‘Haha, hahahaha.’

Marquis Safia laughed inwardly.

It was then that,

The princess turned to him and asked, “What do you think, Marquis Safia?”

He quickly composed himself.

He couldn’t show his excitement.

If he did, Max might notice something.

“Well… Honestly, I’d like to contribute to the execution of the treacherous prince, the root of all evil. But that’s just my personal wish. I’m willing to accept any task you assign me, Your Highness. I’ll obey your orders.”

He started by expressing his desire to participate in the execution of the Crown Prince, then said he was willing to accept any task, and ended by saying he would obey the princess’s orders.

It was a perfect answer.

Why?

Because he and the princess were on the same page.

He barely managed to suppress his smile.

The princess pretended to be oblivious and asked Max, “Is that alright with you, Senior?”

“Yes, of course I’ll obey Your Highness’s orders. However,”

“However?”

“I have a small request. I hope you’ll take my wishes into consideration.”

Marquis Safia clenched his fist.

As expected, Max was desperate to go to Nertan Castle.

He wanted to preserve his forces.

He had been worried that Max might change his mind, but it seemed like he didn’t have to worry.

“Hehe, I see. Alright.”

The princess smiled.

It was a smile that reassured Marquis Safia.

“Then I’ll gladly respect your wishes. Senior Max,”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I’m entrusting Nertan Castle to you.”

“I’ll do my best to prevent the enemy from making any moves.”

“Hehe, I trust you.”

The princess turned to Marquis Safia.

“Marquis Safia,”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Let’s go to Amar together. Let’s punish the culprit.”

“It’s an honor to be entrusted with such an important task. I’ll assist Your Highness and bring an end to this civil war.”

“Hehe, yes, let’s do our best.”

The princess smiled brightly.

Marquis Safia also smiled.

They were both genuine smiles.

Smiles of satisfaction.

Meanwhile,

Max didn’t notice their expressions or their words.

He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

He was struggling with an internal conflict.

‘Should I tell them, or should I not? This is driving me crazy.’

He should tell them, for the sake of a decisive victory.

The ominous hidden force was a huge variable.

But,

Even if he decided to tell them, it would be difficult to convince them.

They would definitely ask him how he knew about it, and what was he supposed to say?

And the location was a swampland.

A hidden force in a swampland?

No one would believe him.

How could he possibly convince them?

And,

It wasn’t just about the difficulty of convincing them.

It was also a matter of cold, hard logic.

‘The princess has been trying to weaken my forces at every opportunity. And I’m going to help her? Even if it means preventing a disaster, is it really wise for me to do something so foolish?’

He frowned and bit his lip.

It seemed like a foolish thing to do, no matter how he thought about it.

Of course, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

He knew that there would be heavy casualties, and many people would die.

But,

‘To catch a demon, you have to become a demon.’

He steeled his resolve.

He couldn’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

This time, he had to move forward.

And to do that, he had to be ruthless, even in the face of death.

If the princess and Marquis Safia’s forces suffered heavy losses, it would only bring him closer to achieving his goal.

His eyes turned cold.

‘It’s not like I’m going to let them die.’

It was just a matter of timing. He would rescue them eventually.

If the princess and the western army were completely destroyed, his victory would be meaningless.

He looked at the map.

‘The Hoover Swamps are located behind Amar Castle. So the treacherous prince will come out and fight us in the open field. We can trap him between our two armies.’

He had already predicted the enemy’s strategy with his sharp insight.

But he would keep it to himself.

He had already decided that it was the right decision.

‘The princess and the western army will be crushed if they’re attacked from both sides.’

It would be a hopeless situation, with no chance of rescue.

The rest of their forces would be at Nertan Castle, keeping the enemy there occupied.

It was all part of the Crown Prince’s cunning plan.

Even a surprise attack from the rear wouldn’t be enough to defeat an army of one hundred and ninety thousand.

They might even break through their encirclement and turn the tables on them.

But if they split their forces in half?

It would be a manageable size.

‘The scout said they had tens of thousands of soldiers, but there can’t be more than ten thousand at Nertan Castle.’

It was easy to inflate their numbers, especially if they were being observed from a distance.

All they had to do was dress up some scarecrows in armor and helmets, and from afar, they would look like real soldiers.

That’s why they had chosen Nertan Castle, which was surrounded by mountains, as a decoy.

‘The remaining ninety thousand must be at Amar Castle.’

It was a clever strategy.

But,

They had Max.

Now that he knew about it, he could counter it.

The key was timing.

‘Too early, or too late, wouldn’t be good.’

If he acted too early, the princess’s forces wouldn’t suffer enough losses. And if he acted too late, the losses might be too great, jeopardizing the entire war effort.

The timing would decide the fate of the civil war.

‘No, that’s not all.’

His sharp eyes saw something else.

Anyone in his position would think the same thing.

Instead of going to Nertan Castle, he could wait for the right moment and then attack the hidden force from behind.

That way, he could easily defeat them.

They would be trapped between his army and the princess’s army.

Most people would only think about that.

But would that be the end of it?

What would the Crown Prince do if his plan failed and he was cornered again?

‘He’ll retreat to Amar Castle like a rat.’

Amar Castle was the strongest fortress in the south.

It would be difficult and time-consuming to conquer it, especially with an army that had already suffered heavy losses from the hidden force.

Max didn’t want that.

He wanted the princess’s forces to be weakened, but he didn’t want the civil war to drag on.

Then?

‘I have to stop him.’

His gaze landed on a specific road on the map.

The road that led from Nertan Castle to Amar Castle.

‘That’s it.’

He clenched his fist.

He would pretend to march towards Nertan Castle, but then he would turn around and head back.

And instead of attacking the hidden force, he would attack the Crown Prince’s forces from behind.

He would cut off their retreat route to Amar Castle.

Completely.

It was a brilliant strategy.

One that no one would expect.

He stood up.

All eyes were on him.

“Your Highness,”

“Yes, what is it?”

The princess tilted her head, her eyes blinking curiously.

“I’ll prepare for departure immediately.”

He had a long way to go.

He had to move as soon as possible.

“Oh? Aren’t you being a bit hasty?”

“Nertan Castle is further away. And I want to make sure that there are no hidden paths.”

“Ah, I see. As expected of Senior, you’re always thorough. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes, there won’t be any problems.”

Max had made his decision.

The hour of fate was approaching.