Episode 183
Defeat or Victory
“Heaven, how could you put me through this ordeal…” !”
Prince Zereitz looked at the sky and let out a long sigh.
It was a battle I knew I would definitely win.
No, in reality, they were almost victorious.
However, the unexpected appearance of enemy reinforcements turned the whole situation upside down… .
Of the 100,000 punitive forces he assembled, approximately 30,000 remain.
70% was lost in just one battle.
It was a crushing defeat.
“Your Highness, there is a long way to go. “Hurry up and move on.”
Crown Prince Zereitz turned his head in that direction when he heard a dry voice coming from behind him.
Gai, the matriarch of Neresta, was looking at us with indifferent eyes.
He has some manners, but that’s all he is.
There was no emotion in his gaze.
There was no respect for the crown prince, nor even the derision that might be shown to a leader who had suffered a crushing defeat.
It felt like I was just seeing stones rolling around on the side of the road.
I’m crying!
There was something stirring in Prince Zereitz at that moment.
‘How is it that all the authors related to Mervinger are like this…? !’
The Red Lion Army was not the only thing that the punitive army fought.
The reinforcements of the barbarians boasted such a huge number that the punitive force was reduced to a ‘handful’.
200,000?
No, 300,000?
Maybe it was 500,000.
I don’t know how so many troops could appear in the eastern border area, which is not very large.
No, I didn’t know why the barbarians, who had been known as enemies, sided with the Red Lion Army in the first place.
In any case, the barbarian troops who joined hands with the Red Lion Army pushed back the punitive army at once like a rising tide with their overwhelming numbers.
Is that all there is?
The most frightening thing about the barbarians was that their large army was not just a ‘number of people’.
The point was that each of them was an outstanding warrior who had been trained through a lifetime of trekking through rugged mountains.
In terms of the quality of soldiers, they also fell far behind.
In addition, demons appeared from all over the battle lines and caused a huge uproar, and assassins took advantage of the confusion to appear and the damage snowballed.
In particular, how scared I was when the head of the auditor who was doing a great job in the vanguard suddenly fell off!
It wasn’t long before I learned that it was an assassin targeting Prince Cromhel in the north.
Moreover, when one of the six stars fell to the ground, their morale literally plummeted to the ground.
They thought there was no longer any chance of winning.
Running away wasn’t that easy either.
It was surrounded on all sides by enemy forces.
It was the Neresta family that appeared at that moment of despair.
They, who had departed from the imperial capital much later than other families, were passing by at the same time to join the main camp.
Thanks to this, Prince Zereitz was able to save his own safety.
Taking these things into consideration, Guy could be said to be the crown prince’s lifesaver.
But Prince Zereitz knew.
If Guy had made up his mind at that time, he might have turned the situation around.
‘If only I had participated properly there… !’
The power of the Neresta family brought by Guy did not simply include family soldiers.
A large number of senators and guesthouses, who were evaluated by the inspection bureau as ‘unpredictable’ or ‘pandemic’, have also been brought in.
If the monsters who regarded most of the top leaders of the Magic Tower as underdogs had come forward, they might have wiped out not only the Red Lion who had ravaged them to the fullest, but also the mysterious assassin who killed the auditors and even the barbarian chieftains.
But Guy never did that.
He only cared about securing new soldiers for Crown Prince Zereitz, and after completing his goal, he retreated without any hesitation.
The intention is to strictly pursue profit.
It was a decision that could not help but cause resentment for Crown Prince Zereitz, who was trying to somehow increase his political standing through this war.
but.
Prince Zereitz could never protest against this.
Currently, all command of the troops was out of his hands and in Guy’s hands.
If Guy refused to participate in the war and said he would return to his territory, it would be a big problem.
Even more so, considering that the Red Lion Army and the barbarians numbering 500,000 will soon advance into the empire’s territory… I had to hold on to Guy, even if it meant holding on to his trouser legs.
If he were not careful, there was a risk that his position would be lost, saying that he had accidentally touched it and brought disaster to the empire.
The enemy’s advance had to be stopped somehow.
‘Damn it, damn it… !’
Prince Zereitz clenched his fists and trembled.
In his head.
There was nothing left of the starry army that had been abandoned in the middle of the enemy camp.
* * *
-Return immediately.
After the irresponsible orders from the headquarters were issued.
Elric immediately sent scouts and reconnaissance to the surrounding area to determine the exact situation.
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“Chanaipu tribe’s westward advance confirmed! The number of troops… “I just can’t figure it out!”
“Confirmation of the Shanshan tribe’s southward migration! “The destination is imperial territory!”
“It has been confirmed that the Castle of Silence is empty!”
“According to the testimony of the kidnapped prisoner, the Red Lion Army held a meeting with 12 barbarian chieftains.”
“Currently, the Red Lion Army has passed through the imperial territory.”
“The size of the enemy is estimated to be at least 500,000 strong!”
“The defeat of the main army… “I think that’s right.”
Every single thing I saw was filled with despair.
The enemy’s size is at least 500,000 strong, and they are entering the imperial territory in pursuit of the retreating main army.
Especially when I heard that the gate to the eastern wall, which could be said to be the mainland of the empire, had been opened… I really couldn’t help but be astonished.
Even though their advance was fast, it was too fast.
Because of this, the Star Servant ended up drifting very far away from the main army, like a remote island in the middle of the enemy camp.
Isolated worker.
There was nothing that fit better than that word.
However, fortunately or unfortunately, there was no reported trend indicating that the enemy would attack this side.
Perhaps they are so busy with the advance that they are not paying any attention to this side.
The resentment will be great as he killed Claymore Sagnad, but he won’t be able to win with just that.
“… .”
“… .”
“… .”
However, this did not change the fact that the stellar population was in a dangerous state.
For the Red Lion Army, the star groups that broke away from the main stream are nothing more than dust that can be swept away with a snap of a finger.
Before they turn their attention away from the empire, I had to find a way to survive somehow.
However, even at the leadership meeting where a plan had to be drawn up, no plan of any kind came out.
There is only deep silence.
The various events that had raged like a storm over the past few days were making their heads hurt.
“First of all, it is too late to follow the orders.”
There was no one to refute this.
Even Count Calliger and Viscount Curansiville, who were always criticizing Elric’s words, did not say anything.
“However, it is very dangerous to move carelessly. “There is no need to turn their attention this way.”
“Do you have any good ideas?”
Hermann’s gaze landed here. The sight of him with one eye bandaged up broke Elric’s heart, but his eyes still burned with intensity.
“There are two positions we can take here.”
“Two?”
“yes. One is to go back to Ketrain Fortress and look for an opportunity.”
“It must be dangerous there, right? “Isn’t there only a big risk of provoking the Red Lion?”
“But it is advantageous for defense as it is the best fortress that the Winds Frontier Province boasts. If he’s going to stage a sit-in, there’s no better place than there.”
“hmm… . There are pros and cons. “Then what about the other one?”
Hermann touched his chin and sighed for a moment.
Actually, that was true.
Nothing is more certain than that right now.
The problem is how long they can endure even if they stage a sit-in war.
And the question was, when will the imperial army be able to turn the tables and save this side?
‘But if you think about Prince Zereitz’s ill feelings toward us… It might be difficult.’
Hermann did not think much of this possibility.
So, I placed my hopes on a different position.
The answer Elric gave was so shocking.
“We are surrendering to the Red Lion.”
“… !”
“… !”
“What do you mean!”
“Let us bow to the rebels! Let us bow to the barbarians! “Is that something you can say as a noble who has to be loyal to the empire and the imperial family?”
The first to protest were Count Calliger and Viscount Couransiville.
It was a natural reaction for them to become rebels at a time when the situation had already become impatient.
The two were even thinking of subduing Elric and taking command if they could.
but.
“sit down.”
Elric stared at them with cold eyes.
The faces of Count Calliger and Viscount Couransiville, who were about to retort again, froze in shock.
‘What kind of eyes… !’
‘I just got stronger!’
The moment they saw Elric’s jewel eyes shining brightly like emeralds, the two felt their hearts sink.
Clearly, Elric was not emitting any magical power.
But the atmosphere was completely different.
pray?
Elegance?
Or presence?
I don’t know how to express it.
But one thing was certain.
At this moment, something invisible is flowing out of Elric that makes it impossible to approach without permission.
It was very similar to the appearance of the emperor, who overwhelmed everything with his presence alone, even in front of the assembly of civil, military, and civil servants and ministers large and small.
and.
Count Calliger and Viscount Curansiville had seen something similar to him in Mervinger a long time ago.
Usden Mervinger.
The image of the old family head, who always drove them into a sense of self-destruction and inferiority, overlapped with that of Elric!
“Can’t you hear me telling you to sit down? Calliger, Curanciville. “I don’t want to warn you twice.”
The faces of Count Calliger and Viscount Couransiville, with their expressions hardened, were reflected like mirrors in their clean green eyes.
at last.
dump!
The two had no choice but to sit in their seats while gritting their teeth.
Elric’s charisma was charismatic, but Herman and Sailor, who could be said to be the best soldiers in the military, seemed to have no intention of taking their side at all. Rather, it was just cold.
“On the battlefield, protesting means summary punishment. “I’ll just let it go this time, but I won’t let it go any more.”
Elric’s cold warning.
Count Calliger and Viscount Couransiville could only bite their lower lips and make no protest.
It only inflames my anger toward Mervinger even more.
Either that or not.
Elric said while looking around without even looking in that direction.
“I don’t want to put my soldiers in danger because of pointless greed. “If there is a way to save even one more person, I will choose it.”
Hermann nodded gravely. He seemed to like Elric’s attitude, and a satisfied smile was on his lips.
“So, I’d like to hear your thoughts as well. “Do you have any other opinions?”
Just then, when silence flowed again.
“I have an idea.”
Sailor, the company manager, looked at Elric with a wrinkled face.
It was a serious look in his eyes, completely devoid of his symbolism or common sense of playfulness.
Wizard who swallowed talent
