Shall We Begin the Next Operation? (2)
Count Godiff, the commander-in-chief of the Marquis Falkenheim's army, stroked his beard and laughed.
"Just as expected. They don't know what to do."
The Marquis's army had deliberately extended their frontlines, making it easy to dispatch reinforcements anywhere as needed.
The punitive army had approached several times, attempting to engage in battle, but each time, the Marquis's forces would keep their distance and evade. Whenever the punitive army tried to attack another lord's castle, the Marquis's forces would close the distance again to deter them.
As a result, the punitive army was unable to make a definitive decision on how to move.
Since their army was massive and slow-moving, no matter where they attacked, they risked being surrounded by the Marquis's forces.
And if they tried to counter this by splitting their troops, all the better. Their forces were already nothing more than a ragtag bunch, and if their numbers dwindled further, they would be easily defeated one by one.
"We just have to wait like this. In the end, they'll grow impatient and make a fatal mistake."
Count Godiff muttered confidently.
Until now, they had been on the back foot, but that was only because the attack had been too sudden. Now that they had properly reorganized, they would not be overrun so easily.
All they needed to do was wait and watch as the punitive army fractured.
And, just as Count Godiff had predicted, the punitive army began showing signs of internal discord sooner than expected.
Among the neutral lords who had joined the punitive army, the most powerful, Count Hervis, was furious.
He stormed into the barracks where Andrew was stationed and roared in anger.
"It's already been three days! Three days! Where in the world has the acting commander-in-chief gone?!"
Andrew wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, looking troubled.
"Well, um… you see, he went out on reconnaissance…"
"Reconnaissance? You expect me to believe that a man takes an entire mercenary corps of five hundred with him for reconnaissance and still hasn't returned?!"
Count Hervis was exasperated. The supplies they had scraped together from all around were now running out. At this rate, they wouldn't last more than a few days.
He wanted nothing more than to resort to pillaging, but there was nothing left to take in the surrounding areas.
And yet, moving this massive army elsewhere was also impossible. If they moved, the enemy would pursue.
If that happened, the Marquis's command would undoubtedly realize that their supplies were running low.
Count Hervis fumed for a moment before asking,
"Be honest with me. Has that lunatic run off because things got out of hand?"
At those words, Andrew flinched and waved his hands frantically.
"No, no! Absolutely not!"
"Then why hasn't he returned from reconnaissance?!"
"Ugh…"
Andrew looked increasingly distressed, and Count Hervis narrowed his eyes. That was the expression of a man hiding something.
"Tell me the truth. What's going on?"
"…Hmm."
Even then, Andrew tightly shut his mouth and hesitated.
Count Hervis glanced around. There were several knights and soldiers inside the tent.
"All of you, leave. It seems Count Nordhill is in a difficult position."
"My lord."
"Now!"
At Count Hervis's firm order, everyone had no choice but to step out. Once they were alone, Count Hervis gulped down a mouthful of water and spoke again.
"Now, speak. We're in this together, aren't we?"
"…"
Even with just the two of them left, Andrew fidgeted nervously for a long time before taking a deep breath and nodding.
"Alright. The truth is… the acting commander-in-chief did not go on reconnaissance."
"What?! Then where did he go?"
Andrew carefully scanned the empty tent before leaning in close and whispering in a hushed voice.
"He went to attack Marquis Falkenheim. That is… to strike him from behind. We had to maintain security, so we planned to inform you in another day or two."
"…"
Count Hervis's eyes widened. Did he just say that the man took only five hundred mercenaries to attempt such madness?
His sheer disbelief made his voice rise instinctively.
"What?! He used this entire army as bait and—"
"Ahhh! Shhh! Shhh!"
"Ugh…"
Andrew, panicked, waved frantically for him to quiet down, and Count Hervis could only groan in frustration.
He understood what the acting commander-in-chief was thinking.
Right now, Marquis Falkenheim's defenses were likely at their weakest. Most of his army and superhumans were here on the battlefield.
But that was only in theory. There was no way such an ambush could succeed so easily.
"The Marquis's territory has countless fortresses and checkpoints. No matter how powerful the acting commander-in-chief is, there's no way he and five hundred mercenaries can slip past them all."
"…"
"Even if they manage to break through a few of them, word will spread quickly. They'll be intercepted before they even reach the Marquis's castle."
It was true that most of the Marquis's forces were here. But a minimum defensive force had undoubtedly been left behind to protect him.
And once word got out that the Yulian Mercenary Company was heading for the Marquis's castle, the enemy would surely dispatch their fastest elites and superhumans.
If they failed to capture the Marquis before reinforcements arrived, the war would be over. The punitive army had no other superhumans besides the acting commander-in-chief.
Andrew looked slightly sheepish as he muttered,
"So, I did try to stop him… but he said it had worked before against someone even stronger, and that it was definitely possible."
"In this kingdom, who could possibly be a stronger force than Marquis Falkenheim?!"
"Ah, please, lower your voice. Anyway, he told us not to worry and just wait. He said we need to keep up appearances and deceive the enemy…"
"Khh…"
Count Hervis pressed a hand to his forehead. It was true that the Marquis's forces had only been monitoring them and maintaining a standstill.
If the Marquis was captured, his forces would be rendered powerless and lose instantly.
But the likelihood of success was slim at best.
With a drained voice, Count Hervis murmured,
"I must have lost my mind. I should have just stayed put. I thought this was the last chance to protect the royal family…"
He was one of the few who still remained loyal to the royal family. That was why he had made up his mind to join this cause. But despair was beginning to creep in.
If this operation failed, it was truly the end. Losing their only superhuman was one thing, but if the acting commander-in-chief disappeared, the army would collapse in an instant.
Lost in his bleak thoughts, Count Hervis barely reacted as Andrew cautiously spoke.
"The enemy has no intention of finishing this war quickly. They're just keeping us in check, aren't they? If we continue like this, we're bound to lose."
"…And you think that madness actually has a chance of success?"
"Hasn't everything we've done so far been madness?"
"......"
"So let's believe in him just one more time."
Count Hervis shook his head and stood up.
It wasn't that Andrew had convinced him, but what was done was done. Even if the operation failed, he had to find a way to keep the punitive army together.
"First, let's retreat a little and reorganize the front lines. We need to figure out a way to resupply."
With the acting commander-in-chief absent for days, the lords were growing anxious. It seemed that, for the time being, he would have to lead the punitive army himself.
There was no way to settle this war quickly. As frustrating as it was, the best course of action now was to follow the acting commander-in-chief's plan, maintain the punitive army, and keep the standoff going.
And so, in a heavy atmosphere, the punitive army began to retreat slightly.
***
The vassals of Marquis Falkenheim were moving tirelessly toward the front lines.
They, too, were in a hurry. The punitive army's overwhelming presence meant they had to join forces as soon as possible.
If they lost this war, the Falkenheim faction would undoubtedly be exterminated.
But there were always those who sought to avoid hardship.
Count Balesant, one of Marquis Falkenheim's vassals, had veered off his originally planned route, deliberately taking a much longer detour.
His army of three thousand was mostly infantry. With such a force, and now traveling on an extended route, their march was inevitably slow.
To make matters worse, Count Balesant suddenly ordered his troops to set up camp midway. He then remained there for days without moving.
As if he were stationed there to defend the area.
His anxious adjutant carefully spoke up.
"My lord, at this rate, we won't arrive in time. Shouldn't we hurry and join the Marquis's forces?"
Count Balesant remained silent for a long while before speaking with a solemn expression.
"…Have you ever heard this saying?"
"What saying, my lord?"
"Well begun is half done."
"Pardon?"
"We've already set out for war. That means we've begun. So, we've completed half of it already."
Faced with this strange logic, the adjutant swallowed hard and asked,
"Then… shouldn't we hurry to complete the other half?"
"Have you ever heard that staying put gets you halfway there?"
"...…"
"If we stay here, we'll complete the other half. That means we've already achieved our goal."
"...…"
"Let's stay here."
"...…"
As the adjutant stood there speechless, his lord dramatically flailed his arms.
"Hey! The punitive army is over a hundred thousand strong, a hundred thousand! Aren't you scared? Are you that confident?"
"...…I believe our side also has over a hundred thousand troops."
"Exactly! Think about it. Imagine what happens when two massive armies clash. We'll be crushed like bugs."
"The punitive army consists of hastily assembled troops. We might have an easy victory."
"And you think we're any different? The Marquis will keep his personal troops safe in the rear and send the vassals' forces to the front lines first. That's just common sense! Oh, my, look at you! So brave. What are you, some legendary hero?"
"...…"
"Ugh, whatever! I'm not going. I'll go later. If you want to go, go alone. Stand at the front lines if you want."
"Later… you say?"
"Yes. If we arrive late enough, the battle will already be underway. With armies this large, the fight will be decided quickly. We'll just slip in at the right moment."
"We may be held accountable for this later."
"Oh, and what will they do about it? We took a wrong turn and got delayed, that's all! Do you really think we're the only lords stalling on purpose? I bet there are others."
"...…"
The adjutant couldn't argue with that. He had a feeling there were indeed other lords acting the same way.
The war had erupted too suddenly, and the punitive army's momentum was overwhelming.
Count Balesant was an extremely cautious and timid man. But that made him remarkably skilled at reading the situation.
If survival was the priority, then his approach was the safest.
The adjutant accepted this reasoning and nodded. Truthfully, avoiding the battle was the best outcome for him as well.
"Understood. Then we'll remain here for now."
"Good. The soldiers will be relieved to know they won't have to fight. No need to throw them into a meat grinder."
"…I suppose so."
The adjutant chuckled faintly. Count Balesant was, in his own way, a decent lord.
He could be overly flippant at times, but he wasn't a tyrant, and he looked after his men.
As the adjutant turned to leave, Count Balesant grabbed his arm and said,
"Make sure to keep a proper watch. Tell the mages to extend their surveillance range, no matter how exhausting it is. If anyone related to the Marquis's army shows up, we need to pretend we're on the move. We can at least do that much, right?"
"Of course. The mages would rather exhaust their mana than actually fight."
The timid were also the most careful. That was how they survived even in chaotic times.
And so, Count Balesant's forces idled away their time. The only thing they actively did was keep watch to ensure they wouldn't be caught slacking by the Marquis or other lords.
The mages spared no effort in extending their surveillance as far as possible. They, too, had no desire to participate in battle.
"Hmm? What's that?"
One of the mages, scanning the distance, suddenly noticed something unusual and immediately reported it to Count Balesant.
Upon hearing the report, Count Balesant's eyes widened.
"What?! An army is approaching at incredible speed?"
"Yes! Around five hundred men, all mounted!"
"Could it be the Marquis's forces? Have they found out we've been slacking?"
"I'm not sure… There were no banners, so we couldn't identify their allegiance. But their attire was all over the place, so they didn't seem like the Marquis's troops."
At that, Count Balesant tilted his head.
"What? Really? There shouldn't be any other armies coming this way. Their numbers seem small, too."
After pondering for a moment, Count Balesant suddenly clapped his hands and laughed.
"Of course! They must be another unit trying to avoid the war, just like us! That's why they're heading this way!"
His men nodded in agreement.
It was true that neither the punitive army nor the Marquis's army had any reason to be here. This location was too far from the battlefield, not part of any planned route, and neither a supply nor a scouting path.
So, just as Count Balesant suggested, the approaching force was most likely a group trying to flee from the war.
Grinning, Count Balesant announced,
"We can't have rumors spreading about us slacking off, so let's welcome them warmly. Tell the men to break camp and form ranks, make it look like we were just resting before moving again."
"And when we meet them, what should we do?"
"What else? They must be looking to avoid battle, just like us. We'll subtly invite them to join us."
With that, Count Balesant adjusted his attire and mounted his horse. He couldn't afford to look too relaxed.
And so, his troops began preparing to greet their unexpected guests.
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