40 - Chapter 36: Serious-san Has Started Warming Up
Resuming casually. Oh, and I casually won a special award on Kakuyomu.
It was about one day after the fall of Adora Fort that Radglyph Triad heard the news that all the fortresses on the border line had fallen.
The first report came from Daal Fort, the closest to the capital on the border line, and shortly thereafter, reports of falls and abandonments arrived one after another. With the recent report from Adora Fort, the vanguard, Radglyph recognized that the border line had completely collapsed. Incidentally, it was Jake who brought back the news of Adora Fort's fall. Covered in mud, having lost his equipment, and returning with a limp, he refused treatment and marched straight into the strategy meeting room.
At the head of the meeting room, Radglyph let out a deep sigh.
With his blond hair slicked back, his well-defined yet etched wrinkles gave him an appearance as if Midglyph or Ludglyph present here had simply aged. The difference was his crimson eyes, as all his sons had the same blue eyes as their mother.
(The border line has collapsed, and the invasion into the interior has been permitted. However, for a surprise attack, the enemy army's movements are sluggish. They are likely struggling with supplies and the control of monsters. The terrain in that area is a natural fortress. A small number might manage, but for a large army, especially one with monsters, it takes time to advance.)
With his arms loosely crossed, Radglyph thought.
Integrating the incoming information, the enemy consisted of nearly the entire Kessel Frontier Army of 50,000. In addition, perhaps they had recruited a monster tamer, as a number of monsters equivalent to a large battalion were participating. The monsters were particularly troublesome. They did not seem to be under complete control, but among them were even Earth Dragon species, making mediocre equipment useless, and just using them as meat shields put his side at a disadvantage.
In fact, the Kessel army's tactic was to place monsters on the front line, and while his side was bogged down in the melee, they made them targets for magic and arrow volleys. Treating them as consumables, they fired magic and arrows indiscriminately without distinguishing between friend or foe, forcing even the battle-hardened Triad army into a disadvantage.
(Fortunately, the evacuation of the surrounding residents was somehow managed in time. Perhaps thanks to Geo's policy of prioritizing attrition rates, many of the soldiers in the fortresses where Earth Dragon species were not mobilized were safe. With this, the soldiers can somehow reach 30,000 by the decisive battle. Since there will be those among the refugees who wish to fight, I can estimate 35,000 to 40,000 at a low count. In terms of numbers, we are slightly disadvantaged... the problem is the monsters.)
Because they were placed on the front line, the number of monsters had decreased. However, since it was unknown where they had been brought from, there was a fear they might be reinforced again.
"Father."
"...Ah, sorry. I was thinking for a moment."
Now, what to do... as Radglyph was pondering, he was called by Ludglyph. Looking around, those who had been arguing after hearing the news of Adora Fort's fall had become silent as if someone had poured water on them and were looking this way. Radglyph had only been thinking, but that silence must have been eerie in return.
This is bad, he thought with a wry smile, and spoke to the wounded soldier kneeling near the room's door... Jake.
"You, did you say your name was Jake? You have done well. Thank you for bringing information from the site. I will give you a reward later. For now, get some rest."
Radglyph urged him to leave, thinking that he must first devise a strategy, but Jake suddenly raised his face and opened his mouth.
"...As for the reward, could I get it now?"
"You, to the Lord...!"
At behavior unacceptable for a single soldier, the officers and soldiers tried to restrain him, but Radglyph permitted it. This was because he saw a dim light in Jake's eyes.
"Very well. What is your wish?"
"Treat me with the highest priority, and then add me to the battle line. The front line is fine."
"Revenge?"
"It's not my style, but... I'm not so spineless that I can stay silent after all my comrades were slaughtered."
Jake paused there, and his eyes narrowed.
"...Even if I can't kill them all, I'll interfere with the best part and flip them the bird...!"
What swirled along with the words was murderous intent, and because of that, magic power that was on the verge of losing control. The overflowing emotion became an atmosphere that densely dominated the meeting room. To Radglyph and the officers, this brought more favor than agitation. If they just kept getting beaten, the Triad boys would wither. He was happy that even a common soldier possessed such a soul.
"Very well. Someone..."
"I will. I had intended to scout Jake from the Rafal squad eventually anyway."
The first to raise his hand was Jean Pierre, the commander of the First Knight Order. He had originally been scheduled for incorporation into the Alvaresta Horse Archers under his command. He could just think of it as happening a bit early.
"My horse handling is still average."
"I don't mind. No matter how good your bow skill is, no matter how good your horse handling is... if your core is rotten, you're useless."
At Jake's ironic words, Jean also smiled wryly. For a moment their gazes crossed, and as if they both reached an understanding, they nodded. When Jean glanced at the sentry soldiers, Jake obediently exited following the instructions.
"...Father, I humbly think we should pull back the front line."
"The scorched earth policy that Geo proposed... I never thought I would have to do it in my own territory."
At the words of Midglyph, who spoke up after seeing him off, Radglyph immediately understood the true intent.
As a lord, he could not approve of a tactic that abandoned his own territory, but he recognized its usefulness as a defensive tactic and as a starting point for a counterattack. Since there was a possibility that an opponent might do it during a war with another country, he had kept it in the back of his mind. However, it was quite ironic that the first time he saw it was in his own territory.
That said, he knew they were not in a situation where they could afford to be picky. Therefore, Radglyph decided to hear his successor's plan.
"Mid. You've probably devised the general outline of the plan, right? Present it."
"Yes."
The plan Midglyph devised consisted of roughly three parts.
One, to make the Harvester Plains, located further west than where the enemy is currently stationed, the site of the decisive battle, and to mobilize engineering troops in advance to set traps there.
One, to conduct guerrilla warfare to lure them to the site of the decisive battle while burning villages and fields along the path, and poisoning water sources to make them unusable and looting difficult.
One, while their attention is directed forward by the guerrilla warfare, to circle around the flank to the rear and strike the supply lines where they are stretched thin, cutting them off.
The reconstruction of his own territory later would be a headache, but for now, he had no choice but to turn a blind eye. If they did not survive this invasion, there would be no reconstruction or anything. The officers and soldiers seemed to understand this, and they remained silent, judging it as unavoidable. It was certainly not that they were completely put off, thinking, This next head of the house uses quite vicious methods while keeping a clean face... Probably.
"I see... so the remaining problems are two points, I suppose."
"Yes. To cut the supply lines, I want to use the Lotus Gang, who possess high independent mobility and boast great strength, but they must also handle the guerrilla warfare. Even with their total numbers, it would be difficult."
"Then, the Fourth Knight Order will handle it. The ones who simulate battle most often with the Lotus Gang are those under my command. I understand their methods and the reasons for them best. I'll make sure to tell them that this is the starting point for winning this war."
"The second is the monsters..."
At Radglyph's words, everyone fell silent.
The territorial army sometimes faced monsters, but it was not their specialty. Additionally, they could not focus solely on that this time. The Kessel army was in the rear, and they would undoubtedly be targeted when exhausted.
"Big Brother. Is this okay?"
While everyone was thinking about what to do, Ludglyph raised his hand.
"How about calling out to nearby adventurers? They cannot participate in wars because of the Adventurer Guild agreements between nations, but they should be able to participate in monster hunting without any problem."
"That's not a bad move... If we give them money under the pretext that we accidentally ruined their hunting grounds with the war, there will be adventurers who bite."
In other words, they would count adventurers as military strength under the guise that they were accidentally caught in the flames of war while hunting. They are freelancers, or rather free professions, and seem like rootless grass, but surprisingly many operate while rooted in their hometowns. If danger is approaching those hometowns... and by extension, their families, there would be a fair number of adventurers who would raise their hands.
It was a clever move that could be used precisely in a situation where the opponent was leading monsters.
"Alright, we'll go with that as the general policy. Next..."
Radglyph clapped his hands and made this the general policy. After discussions to decide the detailed operations, the meeting ended one hour later. Finally, the Triad army began to move.
●
"...This place too."
"Are those Triad bastards sane...?"
"It's their own land...!?"
One day after the strategy meeting in Triad, the Kessel army, which was advancing toward the capital albeit slowly, was enveloped in a suspicious atmosphere.
The first battle was a complete victory. Although there were difficulties with movement speed, they marched triumphantly while trampling enemy territory. However, they were beginning to notice that things were gradually becoming strange.
Wherever they advanced, the villages had their buildings and even their fields burned down. Moreover, poison had been thrown into wells and rivers, leading to a succession of incidents where soldiers who drank unknowingly died or became incapacitated. Furthermore, numerous traps... booby traps taught directly by Geo... were set, and from the feces placed in them, some even developed tetanus from minor wounds and had to withdraw.
Naturally, they had to rely on supplies sent from the rear, but it seemed the baggage train was being targeted and attacked, and moreover, they weren't being looted, but simply burned or had poison thrown into their drinking water. If things were being seized, they would chase and take them back, but since the focus was on harassment, the enemy would immediately withdraw as soon as their counterattack system was ready, making them impossible to capture.
They hadn't lost everything, but supplies were clearly insufficient, and above all, the discipline of the monsters was wavering. Control via the Beast-Frenzy Orb is strongest when the mind and body are satisfied. In other words, as the feeling of hunger during fasting grows stronger, it becomes difficult to suppress them. In fact, accidents where rampaging monsters ate soldiers had begun to occur.
Viewing the situation as grave, the general of the Kessel army advised Diad Kessel, who was the leader.
"Lord Diad. How about stopping the army here and considering turning back?"
"Hmm, ugh..."
Hearing this in the camp tent, Diad pondered. Certainly, the situation was not good. But for him, who had lost his father, the previous head, in a duel with Radglyph 16 years ago, this march was a long-cherished wish. In fact, they had won the first battle completely. He thought this was a peerless opportunity to stop the breath of that hateful Triad.
However, it was a fact that the advance speed was slower than expected, and the damage was increasing. They had been able to redraw the border line significantly, and using that as a bridgehead to prepare for a second invasion...
"That will not do, Lord Diad."
"Karina."
Just as he thought that, a woman of a certain age waiting beside him spoke. She was a woman with brown skin, dressed in a black robe. She was a priestess dispatched from the Delgamiride Cult, the person who brought the Beast-Frenzy Orbs and the summoning of monsters to the Kessel territory.
A few years ago, Diad had initially been wary of her when she appeared out of nowhere, finding her bewitching yet suspicious, but he was amazed by her ability and knowledge, and now he employed her heavily as a strategist. Most of this invasion was arranged by Karina.
"You are going to avenge your father, are you not? Were these sorts of obstacles not predicted in advance?"
"That is also true..."
Whispered into his ear by Karina, Diad nodded solemnly.
"Alright, we will continue the march. Once we seize the capital, it will be ours. Even they cannot burn all their territory."
The general, who foresaw the damage that would accelerate from here since his advice was not accepted, glared at Karina, thinking that poisonous woman, but she only smiled bewitchingly.
●
Within that smile, Karina thought.
(Fufufu... the decisive battle is near. Many in both Triad and Kessel will die. Souls are being collected smoothly, and the only remaining problem is the location of the Dragon Veins...)
The plan was proceeding smoothly. She had set her sights on Triad and Kessel, who had been staring each other down for 16 years in a state of ceasefire yet remained on the verge of conflict and sometimes clashed, and by ingratiating herself with the easier-to-manipulate Kessel, she now had Diad completely in her grasp. Sometimes showing talent, sometimes seducing him in the bedroom, she gradually amplified his hatred for Triad with brainwashing magic.
The stage was being set. All that remained were fine adjustments.
(Well, Basra will probably handle that better.)
A priest of the same cult should do it, risking his life.
(A little more. A little more and the world will be ruined. Ah, finally this ridiculous world will be destroyed by Lord Delgamiride.)
Karina laughed. Just like a child counting down the days to their birthday.
I will update daily until I catch up with the Kakuyomu version. Though that's only about 5 or 6 chapters.