Chapter 323 : Chapter 323
Chapter 323. You’re in the Way (3)
The first battle after the Hegemon King joined the war.
There, the allied forces of the Magellan Kingdom and the Schneider Duchy intended to make a decisive move.
The fact that the Hegemon King himself had participated in this war was also an opportunity for them.
If they could just capture the Hegemon King, it would be the decisive blow to end this war.
The only problem was who would do it….
“I will do it.”
The one who stepped forward without a moment's hesitation was Count Danihel Tyrone, the only remaining 7-Star knight in the Magellan Kingdom.
Originally, there were four 7-Star knights in the Magellan Kingdom, but all of them had lost their lives in this war.
Even Prince Jayton, the pride of the royal family and the one most certain to reach the 7th Star in the future, had fallen.
So now, he was the only strong individual and a precious asset remaining in the Magellan Kingdom.
To him, they entrusted an army of 70,000, scraped together from the remaining elite forces of the Magellan Kingdom, and deployed them in this battle.
For the Magellan Kingdom, this was a gamble.
And now, he was saying that he would take the lead and compete with the Hegemon King.
“I am grateful for your help, but this war was originally a war to protect our country. It is right for me to fight at the very front.”
Was his desire to fight the Hegemon King, as he said, a sense of duty?
Or was it due to a greed to establish merit on the battlefield?
The reason was unknown.
But the important fact was….
“You cannot win.”
This one phrase from April.
Count Tyrone frowned and said to April.
“Are you saying, Lady Schneider, that I cannot defeat the Hegemon King?”
“That is correct.”
Towards April, who nodded calmly, Count Tyrone clenched his fists and glared.
He was not one to back down from a fight.
But his opponent was the wife of the Grand Young Master of the Schneider Duchy, an ally who had joined the war to save his country without any gain.
He could not be hostile to her, so he spoke as calmly and nicely as possible.
“I know that the Hegemon King's skills are formidable. But the outcome of a real battle is something you only know after you've fought it, isn't it?”
At Count Tyrone's words, Sanson and Oliver quickly exchanged glances.
‘What is this passionate but unrealistic old man talking about?’
‘Can't we just leave him be? It's his life, anyway.’
For Sanson, he was being uncharacteristically careful with his words.
But his inner thoughts were not much different from Oliver's.
Count Danihel Tyrone.
He had heard the name long ago.
He was a knight who had already pioneered the ultimate realm before Sanson had even picked up a sword, and his fame had spread across the continent.
But seeing him in person now….
‘He’s just so-so.’
‘He’s average, isn’t he?’
“I think so too.”
Towards Sanson, whose inner thoughts had slipped out, Count Tyrone narrowed his eyes and said.
“…What is?”
“Ah…. It’s nothing.”
Sanson hurriedly glossed it over.
And after coughing a couple of times, he hastily changed the subject.
“The enemy in this battle is not just the Hegemon King. It is said that the Yusef Kingdom has gathered all the 7-Star knights who were scattered across various fronts.”
“Mmmph….”
“For us, who are outnumbered in 7-Star knights, to face them, I believe we must aim for the Hegemon King's neck by exploiting a momentary gap.”
“Therefore, I…”
“And the one who can perform that role best is our Grand Young Master's wife.”
“……”
At Sanson's words, Count Tyrone closed his mouth.
Flash Queen.
The reason April had been given this title in this war was because, true to her name, she had performed spectacularly, crisscrossing the battlefield like a flash of light.
Sanson, who overwhelmed the battlefield leading the entire army.
Oliver, who charged ahead of anyone with the knightly order.
Unlike these two, April moved alone even on the battlefield.
The reason was that there was no one, let alone soldiers, among the knights who could keep up with her speed.
If she decided to move, even Oliver and Sanson would have a hard time keeping up.
And this was despite the fact that these two also possessed speeds above average among 7-Star knights.
The only swordswoman who could assist Patrick when he fought.
That was April.
To ask her to lead knights or soldiers was the same as asking her to discard her greatest strength and limit herself to being an ordinary knight.
“Realistically, if one of us were to aim for the Hegemon King's neck, there is no one with a higher probability of success than the Grand Young Master's wife.”
At Sanson's words, Count Tyrone nodded.
But his face was full of displeasure.
* * *
After the military council ended.
Oliver came to see Sanson separately.
“What brings you here?”
“Ah, it’s nothing special…. It’s just, what should I say?”
“If you have something to say, say it. It’s not like you to be so hesitant.”
Although Oliver was ranked second in the 'Most Oblivious People in the Schneider Duchy' list, he was somewhat hesitant now.
When Sanson told him to speak, Oliver hesitated for a moment before saying.
“Big brother, don't you think it would be better to contact the main country and request reinforcements?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“For some reason, I have a bad feeling. In this situation without the Young Master, I feel like our forces, along with that unreliable Count from the Magellan Kingdom, are insufficient.”
“……”
“I think we should ask the Tower of Truth for help now, and also ask the Elves and Orcs for help to mobilize the full power of the nation.”
At Oliver's words, Sanson was lost in thought for a moment.
In truth, Sanson was not the type to have a quick mind.
He just didn't make big mistakes because of his cautious nature that didn't go against principles.
From the beginning, the reason the Schneider Duchy had dispatched a force composed only of humans to this war was the will of the Grand Duke Schneider.
It was due to his intention not to shed the blood of other races in a human war, and the reason that the scale of the war could grow if the Tower of Truth got involved.
In fact, behind that was the effort of Marquis Krupa to preserve the nation's military power in any way possible.
In such a situation, Sanson was to request reinforcements based on his judgment on the ground?
Yes. It was something that could happen.
If the war situation was not good, it was entirely possible.
However….
“The situation isn't that desperate right now, is it?”
Currently, their side was winning.
The mood of the war had been reversed, and if they could capture the Hegemon King in the next battle and achieve victory, they could end this war victoriously.
However….
“Something? I have a bad feeling.”
“A feeling?”
“You know, Big brother. I'm a guy with good intuition.”
“I've never once thought that.”
For a moment, Oliver wore a hurt expression.
“No, Big brother….”
“Does a guy with such good intuition date a black mage?”
“Ah, I had a bad feeling back then too.”
“But you dated her?”
“She's pretty.”
“……”
Seeing the confident Oliver, Sanson let out a sigh.
It wasn't obvious because he was overshadowed by Patrick, but this guy wasn't normal either.
However….
“Big brother, I beg you. I really have a bad feeling about something.”
They had known each other for a long time, calling each other Brother and younger sibling, but this was the first time he had seen Oliver with such a serious atmosphere.
Sanson thought for a moment before saying.
“Let's send a communication to the main country for now.”
“Thank you, Big brother.”
“It might be the last battle anyway. If so, it would be right to mobilize all our forces to reduce the damage to our side.”
At Sanson's words, Oliver's face finally showed relief.
But there was something these two didn't know.
It was already too late to prepare after a problem had arisen.
If it had been Patrick, he would have already prepared forces nearby in case a problem arose.
Even if he didn't deploy them in battle.
The presence or absence of that thorough preparation is what sometimes decides victory or defeat.
* * *
3 AM.
A time when people would normally be sound asleep, but in the special circumstances of war, it was a different story.
They had to stand guard to avoid the enemy's night raid.
The soldiers with strict military discipline did not let their guard down even while on watch, keeping their eyes on the front and remaining faithful to their duty.
However….
“Huh?”
“What's wrong?”
“Didn't something just move?”
“What?”
At his comrade's words, the soldier on guard next to him became tense.
And in the darkness ahead, something was shimmering.
Without a second thought, he immediately rang the alarm bell and shouted.
“Enemy attack!”
The Yusef Kingdom had begun a night raid.
* * *
In war, a night raid is a very effective strategy if it succeeds.
And for a night raid to succeed, stealth and speed are of the utmost importance.
The key to a night raid is to strike quickly and withdraw, inflicting maximum damage on the enemy.
However, the Yusef Kingdom's night raid was different.
“They're coming!”
“St… Stop them!”
Could this even be called a night raid?
No. This should be called a nighttime engagement.
When the Yusef Kingdom's night raid was first spotted by the sentries, the allied forces reacted swiftly and quickly assumed a state of alert.
A night raid that had already been detected by sentries and had the alarm sounded should have been something that could be sufficiently blocked with a proper response.
But the problem was that the Yusef Kingdom's numbers were too large.
“Break through!”
“Penetrate at once!”
“Uooooooh!”
From the deep darkness, soldiers of the Yusef Kingdom endlessly appeared and attacked the allied formation.
Moreover, the strength of the knightly orders, faintly visible between the torches, was not insignificant.
This was not a night raid that mobilized a small number of troops to strike the enemy.
It was an all-out war, leading the entire army.
Faced with this sudden offensive, the allied knights and soldiers were greatly flustered, pushed back by the momentum.
But fortunately….
“Out of the way!”
There was someone on the allied side who could boost their morale.
A man who charged at the enemy, holding an Aura Blade that emitted a chillingly blue light.
It was Count Danihel Tyrone, who had become the hope of the Magellan Kingdom.
As soon as he reached the front line, he did not hesitate to unleash his Aura Blade where the enemy was most concentrated.
CRASH!
In one blow, the fiercely attacking enemies were sent flying.
Truly a 7-Star knight.
It was an attack sufficient to prove why he was called a superhuman who had pioneered the ultimate realm.
And standing at the very front, he fought the enemy and shouted.
“Follow me! We will counterattack as we are!”
“Oooooooh!”
“Follow the Count!”
Their morale boosted, the soldiers and knights began to push back the enemy, following Count Tyrone.
And Sanson, who arrived at the scene a step late, stared blankly at the sight and said.
“What in the world is this….”
“Big brother. There was an enemy attack.”
“I know. But why are we advancing instead of defending our formation?”
“It seems Count Tyrone has launched a counterattack.”
“Pull back quickly! This wasn't in the plan!”
Sanson shouted urgently.
He had requested reinforcements from his country, and he had no intention of fighting a decisive battle before they arrived.
But here, the soldiers were rushing towards the enemy lines following Count Tyrone, so the plan had gone completely awry.
And there was an even bigger problem.
That was….
“You must withdraw the troops. Please return to the main camp.”
“What are you talking about? This good opportunity?”
“It is Commander Kainel's order. Please return to the main camp at once.”
“I am not Sir Kainel's subordinate. I am a knight of the great Magellan Kingdom.”
“No, look here. Sir Monsen!”
“Haaah! Let's go! Let's drive out the invaders!”
“Uoooooooooh!”
“Long live the Magellan Kingdom!”
As you can see….
The forces of the Magellan Kingdom could not be controlled according to Sanson's will.
Should this be called the downside of a hastily formed allied force?
Until now, the two armies had moved together with Sanson leading the war, but strictly speaking, the command structure was not precisely established.
The forces of the Magellan Kingdom were cooperating with Sanson's instructions, but they had no reason to obey his commands.
From their perspective, a good opportunity had come to push back the enemy, so Sanson's order to return was unlikely to be effective.
No, there were some who listened, but they were in the minority.
Rather, because of that small number of sympathizers, the soldiers were wavering, creating a disharmony that was neither here nor there.
“Big brother, what should we do?”
“……”
Sanson frowned as he looked at the uncontrollable army.
If this continued, the Magellan Kingdom's army would pursue the enemy with their forces divided.
If they won, it wouldn't matter, but if by any chance their strength was insufficient and they were defeated….
“Damn it, there's no other way.”
“Big brother.”
“We're going too! We'll support our allies from the rear.”
“Yes, Big brother.”
In the end, even the soldiers of the Schneider Duchy abandoned their formation and advanced to attack the enemy.
Like children following the Pied Piper.