Chapter 54: Territorial Talent Magnetism
Of course, this simulation was primarily for reconnaissance.
Nightingale Territory was a powerful domain. Although Romon had developed Thune territory considerably, there was still a significant gap compared to Nightingale. He wasn’t so naïve as to think his current forces could simply steamroll all the major towns of Nightingale Territory.
"Target: Highmount Fortress. Begin!"
Romon made some brief troop deployments and submitted his orders.
[End of Round One! Thanks to your persistent focus on military training, heavy investment in the army, and military reforms, you have cultivated elite troops. In just one day, you capture the town of Highmount Fortress, which belongs to Nightingale Territory. The lord of Highmount Fortress confesses: Nightingale Lord sent him a message, instructing him to monitor Thune territory and to launch an assault as soon as the princess departs. Draven was just an unlucky scout.]
"So his name was Draven..." Romon vaguely recalled the assassin who’d been blasted to pieces by cannon fire.
Nightingale Lord’s actions were even more cautious than Romon had expected. He’d thought Nightingale Lord would use Highmount Fortress as the forward base to attack Thune territory. But it turned out their role was surveillance, not assault.
Still, a well-established lord like Nightingale could afford to wait a few weeks. The maximum extension Angelia had secured from the king was a month—and over twenty days had already passed. Nightingale Lord just needed to wait patiently for the princess to leave, then he could attack Thune territory without worry. The one who should be anxious wasn’t him, but Romon.
"With only a few days left, there’s no way I can last until the next simulation," Romon thought, weighing his options. "Capturing Highmount Fortress would give me more troops, but in just a few days, there’s no way to guarantee their absolute loyalty. If there’s a traitor, it could backfire."
With this in mind, Romon decided not to directly annex Highmount Fortress into Thune Territory, but instead issued a withdrawal order.
[End of Round Two! You reach an agreement with the lord of Highmount Fortress: if you win in the end, you promise to let his family continue to govern Highmount Fortress. In exchange, he will pretend to remain loyal to Nightingale Lord and gather intelligence for you.]