Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Discarded Card

Chapter 137. Sacrificial Pawn

Having grown up under his father, the commander, the young master Lutenia had lived his life keeping one thing in mind.
War is fought with numbers.
No matter how outstanding a knight is, no matter how much of a one-man hero someone might be, in the face of war they are nothing more than a single number.
He was a young master Lutenia who had studied as a commander, and had sufficiently experienced and internalized this through his own experience.
If only he had been properly equipped with knowledge about monsters, he would have barely been able to surpass Olivia and become chief of staff.
There were three elements that surprised him upon stepping onto this battlefield.
‘Dragon Spawn.’
The first element was the Dragon Spawn.
Valdrova’s attendant, Ruri, and Administrator Isabella.
Due to the long peace and having spent most of their lives only within the imperial castle, he had not had the opportunity to properly encounter their power.
He knew that Ruri had flown like a comet and broken through the imperial magic circle.
There were assessments that, beyond her martial prowess, she could also emit Dragon Fear similar to a dragon, and that if they clashed, he would have had a hard time.
How many imperial mages and officers had been executed over that incident?
‘True to being a descendant of Silverwind, extraordinarily fast and strong.’
In reality, she alone was more than enough to handle the monsters.
Although she moved more passively compared to other humans, that was clearly visible.
He turned his gaze toward the other Dragon Spawn, Isabella.
‘True to being the descendant of Iorga, precise and skilled.’
She wielded water magic, taking care of weak points so that the camp would not collapse.
Ruri and Isabella.
With just those two, one might think that these monsters would be resolved in no time.
But the reason they did not was clear.
Because this is a human war.
The core of this operation was the magitech tactical infantry.
It was to verify how effective soldiers armed with magitech rifles—the tactical infantry—would be in a human war.
‘Magitech rifle…… certainly powerful.’
That was the second element.
Even when he saw it for the first time, he had given it a fairly high assessment, but this was at a level that made even that an understatement.
It meant that even without high-level personnel like knights or mages, the most important role in war could be fulfilled.
Just that held tremendous value.
‘If we modify and simplify it a bit more……’
It would play an important role not only in eliminating monsters, but also in human wars.
True to being from a house of commanders, the desire for conquest welled up.
‘The man who leads all of this.’
He turned his head slightly to see the third element.
There, a man with gray hair and blue eyes rode on horseback and wielded magic.
‘Ferda Valdrova……’
The Dragon Spawn were astonishing, the value of tactical infantry was astonishing, but even so, neither compared to Ferda.
Because he was the one who bore all of this.
‘And at only 19 years old……’
The Archduke Valdrova’s fiancé.
Those words should have meant he was trash among trash.
Yet, the Dragon Spawn followed him, and he even created weapons that could stand against demons.
Was that all?
Ferda himself was also excellent as a mage.
Not only had he reached the 4th Circle in just one year, but he mobilized 1st and 2nd Circle mages who were not even treated as mages and extracted value from them.
‘These are not things a simple piece of trash could do, right?’
What kind of place was the Rosnova family to have cast out a man like this?
It made him feel unnecessary curiosity, even sparking idle chatter.
— Commander Lutenia.
Ferda called him, interrupting him.
Taken by surprise, the young master Lutenia made a foolish sound.
— Y-yes?
— How about we advance now? It seems things are resolved to a certain extent.
Ferda asked politely.
As he said, the number of monsters had drastically decreased, and the mothers were exposed.
If they were to advance, now was the right time.
The young master Lutenia raised his sword and shouted.
— Two battalions, split advance! Secure the mothers!
Thus they managed to secure two colossal monsters.
Isabella relayed this news through telepathic communication, and spoke with Ferda and the operations staff officer.
— It seems the 1st Regiment has also occupied theirs easily.
— What about the other locations?
— The Far East Alliance, and the side of the Eri Adventurer Party as well, are all occupying and awaiting orders.
All preparations were complete.
The young master Lutenia ordered.
— Please transmit that we should begin.
— Understood.
A small number of troops was selected to bring down the colossal monsters.
5th Circle mages needed to feed them Supernovas.
And 5 knights deployed to escort the mages and tear through the thick hide.
The 5th Circle mages of the 2nd Regiment were the gloomy witch Echidna and Administrator Isabella.
Isabella, being a Dragon Spawn, had no problems thanks to her characteristic friendly atmosphere, but Echidna was different.
— Ehehe, since they are imperial people, surely there are many handsome men……
The gloomy, wicked witch’s laughter could in no way be called that of a maiden shy in front of a man.
The knights were horrified.
‘To think I would live to escort a witch.’
‘Light of Purification, protect us from the curse of that evil witch.’
Even so, like professionals, they protected her without showing any sign of distaste.
Everyone had completed preparations using the anti-demon talismans received from Blue Eye.
— Everything now rests on your roles! May fortune favor you!
The predesignated mages and knights each approached their colossal monster.
After forming an encirclement, the knights and mages approached the colossal monsters.
The sharp aura of the elite knights cleanly sliced through the hide,
And in the border region of the Archduchy, six stars exploded.
While the soldiers were intoxicated with victory from the first battle, the staff officers held a meeting.
They had won the battle, but not the war.
Given the distance, they heard voices through the provided crystal balls.
Olivia spoke in a satisfied voice.
— Phase 1 of the operation was completed without issues.
The plan to raise morale through overwhelming firepower was Phase 1.
— Is there a festive atmosphere on your side as well?
— There is nothing like a second Spring Festival. If we advance with this momentum, it seems we can eliminate them all without major casualties.
— I believe so too.
Olivia did not seem entirely satisfied.
The young master Lutenia asked her perceptively.
— If the Chief of Staff has a good operation, we will accept it at any time.
— This is something worth discussing with the operations staff officer. From what I feel now, I believe our forces are excessive.
— Looking at the results, it actually is excessive.
The young master Lutenia felt the same way.
The forces here were elite knights, and even if they learned different tactics and martial arts, they were all masters of the basics.
Once command began, obeying orders and becoming one was their foundation.
— For that reason, it seems we need to be bolder with the operation.
— What do you mean?
— As feared, the colossal monsters are showing abnormal behavior.
It could only be called an anticipated event.
Striking six simultaneously was also to minimize damage in case the monsters showed abnormal behavior.
— Another thing, they say the monsters are spreading out. Unlike when they were heading toward the empire, it feels as though they are dispersing widely.
— Instead of grouping together, they are spreading…… it is no different from a plague.
— It is a plague. They are things that devour the continent.
Olivia put anger into her voice.
— Even so, fortunately, things are going as I predicted.
Unlike those who claimed the mothers would hold their position, Olivia was the one who asserted they would spread out.
It was a scenario predicted by constantly researching and studying monster habits and related records for a month.
— So we can respond. The situation is too good right now. It is a moment when we can be greedy.
Greed.
She had already gained command of the army and tactical infantry, what more greed could she have?
— What kind of greed?
— If the monsters do not group together, I am thinking of dividing the forces once more. Into a subjugation battalion to eliminate the colossal monsters, and a pursuit battalion to hunt down and repel the monsters trying to spread to small villages.
They were divided into about 1,000, and now she wants to divide them even further.
— From what I have verified, the value of the tactical infantry is outstanding, so I judge that up to 400 can be deployed and safely confront the monsters.
“In the worst-case scenario……”
— That worst-case scenario, of course, is also assumed in the selected number. The main force can endure sufficiently.
If Olivia guaranteed the safety of the main force, it was the same for the young master Lutenia.
“Of course I agree, but……”
The young master Lutenia looked at each platoon leader.
They all uniformly avoided his gaze, reluctant to participate.
It was an opportunity to earn merits, but no one stepped forward easily.
Naturally.
Was it not obvious that catching a colossal monster was safer and would bring greater merits than saving a few dozen people in a small village?
At this moment, small villages were sacrificial pawns, and even if a few hundred died, it would not be a problem.
— If the 2nd Regiment’s side objects, I will say no more.
If Olivia had only said that, he might have stopped right there.
— As an imperial princess, and as a commander who drew her sword to protect this land, I simply do not want a single life wasted in vain.
Unlike her soft, gentle voice, the content imposed upon them the duty of nobles and knights.
The 1st Regiment must have been persuaded by her own hand.
In a place where no one opened their mouth easily, someone stepped forward.
— The 2nd Regiment will also go.
The one who volunteered was Ferda.
— Regent Ferda will go? The combat strength might decrease a bit……
— Command is being handled by the operations staff officer anyway, and I do not think there will be a big problem even if Ruri and I leave.
Since he had assumed that and moved passively, he judged that leaving just the tactical infantry would be enough to resolve it.
— As you said, before being a regent of an Archduchy, as an imperial subject, I cannot simply watch my fellow subjects die.
— Thank you, Regent. Then I will understand that the 2nd Regiment will also form a pursuit battalion to repel monsters.
More conversation followed after that, but it was not useful dialogue.
The meeting concluded and each returned to their tents for tomorrow’s march.
When Ferda returned to his tent, a call signal sounded from his personal crystal ball.
— Do you hear me?
It was Olivia.
Perhaps because he had been listening to Chief of Staff Olivia’s voice for a while?
Her speaking in a feminine tone gave a distinctly different feeling.
— I hear you well.
— As expected, they are all just cowards. How can they try to win my favor with so little spirit?
Men who are all talk.
Olivia murmured under her breath.
— Did you contact me just to gossip?
— We are breaking the ice with a common interest. Let us have a closed-door meeting between ourselves.
A closed-door meeting.
Coincidentally, he had something he was curious about regarding her.
— You said you would protect the small villages, is that truly your real intention?
Olivia was faster than anyone at calculating gains and losses.
She must know well that small villages are of no help.
Her deliberately proposing this operation means she is aiming for something else.
— Of course not.
As expected.
— What I seek is something apart.
— What are you seeking?
— In short, they say that when difficult times arrive, a superhuman appears. I am thinking of bringing out that superhuman who is in hiding.
Does she believe there is such a superhuman in a small village?
— Who is it?
— The Sage of Water, Helus Povidas.
— Ah.
The moment he heard that name, Ferda let out an exclamation.
The sage who appeared like a comet, Helus.
How much effort had been made to win his favor?
The empire was the same.
The imperial princes fighting for the succession had also struggled desperately to entice him.
Olivia seemed determined to secure him by seizing this opportunity.
— Come to think of it, he did live on the eastern side.
— It seems Regent Ferda knows as well.
— That is correct.
— Normally, hearing the name of the Sage of Water would make one excited or nervous, but the Regent seems somewhat lukewarm. Is he a figure of no great significance?
Well. It has been a long time since I scooped out his insides.
Hearing Olivia’s words, she did not seem to know that he was still an empty shell, so he bypassed the question.
— Wouldn’t it be better for the Princess to go instead of me recruiting that wise person?
— From what I have analyzed, he seems to have quite an intriguing side. They say he likes blue-eyed blondes and women with large breasts…… Just from the description, who does that remind you of? Hehe.
— ………
— It is a joke, a joke. You would usually laugh, but your silence makes me uncomfortable. Do you do this when speaking with Archduke Valdrova as well?
— There are many times when I am left speechless.
That was mostly Ferda’s problem.
Because silence settles in while he chooses his words.
— Since the sage is there, I expected Regent Ferda to go. I thought perhaps you had calculated that the Regent would accept, but does it not seem you are aiming for that sage?
— Yes.
The main body is there, so bringing that greedy glutton would only increase food costs.
— Then what is the reason for the Regent stepping forward?
— Just as it is. I am merely going to protect a small village.
There was no hidden intention.
No, there was an intention, but it was not something to chat about with Olivia.
— I see. You plan to firmly cement the image of a benevolent ruler of Hestia Village.
Olivia spoke in a satisfied tone.
— Did you know?
— What is it?
— I am lying down. In bed.
It was an abrupt topic.
— I am sitting.
— I am listening to Ferda-ssi’s voice while lying down.
— That is rather contrary to etiquette.
— Hehe. I want to sleep like this. But I cannot easily fall asleep.
Olivia let out a long sigh.
The rustle of silk bedding tickled his ears.
— It means the tension has not relaxed yet.
— True, yes. A war like this is a harsh place for someone like me, after all.
Saying that while living in an even harsher political world.
— I am the Chief of Staff.
— That is correct.
— If I cannot command properly, there will be problems.
— That is correct.
— You do not want a situation where I give strange orders causing confusion and annihilation, right?
— ……Is that so?
What does this woman mean?
— Then, may I ask you a favor?
— Please speak.
— Won’t you tell me to sleep well?
— ……Is that really necessary?
Ferda asked with a lukewarm expression.
— Yes. Necessary.
Ferda pondered a bit, then shook his head.
It was not something that needed pondering in the first place.
It is not as though she were asking him to recite a magic spell, just eight syllables would be enough, wouldn’t they?
— Sleep well.
— Yes. You sleep well too, Regent.
With what sounded like a satisfied breath, the light in the crystal ball vanished.
Ferda also lay down.
Ferda was busy as well.
The monsters are moving even now, at this very moment.
To catch up with them, he had to prepare for tomorrow.
Imperial Palace Operations Room.
— What on earth is this!!
Alexander’s cry, resembling a shriek, echoed deafeningly.
— My legion was annihilated by monsters!?