Chapter 229

I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 229: Intelligence Activities

Ferda stepped outside and looked up at the siege weapons.
The catapults, the pinnacle of Imperial technology.
Although they were early models, other kingdoms had already deciphered their structure and could manufacture them, yet their performance and efficiency continued to show remarkable results in recent times.
— Fire!
The sound of wood creaking and straining.
At the same time, a heavy boulder flew into the sky.
Kwoong……!
The sound of the stone colliding upon landing inside was heard, but there was no sound of anything collapsing.
Once one was fired, they immediately readjusted and prepared to launch the next rock.
Now that the safety of civilians did not matter, they only had to push them inside the outer walls of the kingdom’s castle.
— This is the current eighth bombardment. And the expected points of impact are like this.
With more than twenty catapults, the map she had marked was packed with numbers.
Ferda saw that, among them, three points overlapped.
— This place was hit three times, but there is no sound of collapse?
— That is correct.
— Mmm…….
Normally, in cases like this, one would judge that it was a sturdy building that catapults could not bring down.
But it was not even an outer wall; a civilian house could not be that durable.
— Good news for us.
— Is that so?
— It means they are maintaining the power of the Legion to preserve the shape of the kingdom, which implies that we are inflicting significant damage through the siege warfare.
A questionable point was whether this was coercion or obsession; it was confusing.
King Heinkel had an obsession with protecting his own kingdom, so neither option would be strange.
— How do the various kings plan to deploy their forces?
— The details differ, but the essence is similar. They create sacrificial pawns and concentrate fire on the parts that become King Heinkel’s strength.
— They are all looking for the same thing.
They want a power comparable to that of Erdes Roton, President of the Serdes Magic Association.
What is human greed, anyway?
It is not that they do not know that such terrifying power comes with a price.
On the other hand, it was not incomprehensible.
The more eyes that watch, the more anxious they become, and the more anxious they are, the more they demand greater power; those are the ugly shackles of humanity.
— Huh? What are you doing here?
At the familiar voice, he turned his head and saw Jed.
It just so happened that right next to where Ferda and Garnet were standing was the tent where Jed was staying.
He appeared scratching his hair, tangled like a bird’s nest, looking like someone who had just woken up.
Ferda and Garnet looked at him with expressions of pity.
— The sun is about to pierce the sky, and you’re barely coming out now?
— Ugh, don’t even mention it. Trying to sleep on a hot, humid floor was tough. And I also worked hard all night, you know?
— What work?
— What else, intelligence gathering.
Jed smiled, and Garnet narrowed her eyes.
— Try saying that again.
— Come on, such scary words. Just between us.
— I said try saying that again.
— Ahem, yesterday I found out that King Hudret’s army received grenades from alchemists.
Alchemists and grenades.
— Explosives?
— Yes. There are also normal explosives, but among them are bombs containing lethal poison gas, so they say.
— King Hudret wages war without mercy.
— He doesn’t originally operate that way, so they say. He likes conquest, but he shows mercy to those who surrender and does his best to win the favor of those who will become his citizens.
— Is that so?
— So when they heard of a massacre plan like this one, the knights couldn’t easily accept it either, so they say.
When he heard about a massacre, he thought he was the same type as Ureas.
Ferda reflected that his thinking had been shallow.
— I see.
He nodded silently at his surprisingly detailed intelligence.
But Garnet still looked at him with suspicion.
— Don’t believe him, Regent-nim. Everything that comes out of that damn swallow’s mouth is lies.
— What?! How can you say such harsh things?
— Our own people don’t even know this yet, how the hell do you know?
— Why are you being like this? I’m also someone who does his job.
— No, I know there is no report of you leaving, so how are you getting information? Are you going to keep lying?
— Did you watch my tent all day? Why would you do that? To look at my body? Scheming cat…….
Jed flashed a greasy smile and flirted with Garnet.
— Changing the subject at an odd point…….
As Garnet took a step forward, Jed flinched back by reflex.
— Freeze.
Garnet brought her nose to Jed’s neck and sniffed, then frowned.
— Isn’t that your smell?
— Sleeping in a dump like this, obviously the smells of grass and dirt stick to you, don’t they?
— No, not that, this is—.
Rustle.
Something moved significantly inside Jed’s tent.
It was definitely a tent he used alone, but there was a presence.
Shortly after, someone walked out.
A woman with hair as messy as Jed’s and clothes just as disheveled.
— Mmm?
The woman, stretching with half-closed eyes, belatedly noticed the three of them and opened her eyes wide.
With an awkward expression, she burst into laughter.
— Haha, this is an unpresentable sight for you all.
— …….
— Excuse the delayed introductions. I greet the Regent of the Grand Duchy of Valdrova. I am Janine Clive, Knight of the Kingdom of Hudret.
— ……I am Ferda Valdrova, a pleasure to meet you.
— Last night, together with Sir Jed, we exchanged operations and got to know each other a bit. Please do not worry, Sir Jed did not leak any secrets or anything.
— ……I see.
— Then I will leave now. Sir Jed.
— Huh?
— When you return, send a letter. Or drop by before that.
With a shy face that did not suit her, she winked and simply left.
Jed touched his forehead and muttered.
— I definitely told her to leave quietly through the back…….
Ferda quietly watched the back of the departing woman, then realized something and asked.
— That woman named Janine, isn’t she the general known as the Bankrupt General?
— ……Yes.
— She is famous as the Beautiful Sword Master who said she wouldn’t accept a man weaker than her, right?
— She misspoke, and they say she ended up an old maid.
— I see.
— …….
— Don’t misunderstand. She seduced me first. When you brought that Erdes woman, King Hudret’s knights also came here, and we “just talked normally” but then they suggested sharing strategy and somehow it ended up like this!
— I see.
Ferda wondered if it was something worth explaining while sweating buckets.
Ferda didn’t care what Jed did.
The reason Jed was explaining himself so desperately was because the target wasn’t Ferda, but the woman beside him.
Unlike Ferda, Garnet was extremely interested, glaring at Jed with piercing eyes.
— Strictly speaking, are these also intelligence operations?
— …….
— Infiltrating enemy territory.
— Is “just shut up” not an option for you?
Garnet said that, and Jed finally closed his mouth.
Count Rooster’s camp of the Imperial Army.
Although they were part of the Imperial Army, they were closer to being an independent special forces unit.
Count Rooster knelt, sharpening his sword on a whetstone.
With his eyes closed, he focused on the sound of the sword being sharpened.
His mind was calm.
To throw himself into a crucible of emotion, he had to be like this.
That was why he had survived and returned from operations with a 0% survival rate.
— What do you think is a soldier’s duty?
A question arose in Count Rooster’s mind.
It was a question a man had thrown at him when he was a young cavalry cadet who knew nothing.
— A soldier exists to devote himself to the country. But that alone should not make him an existence that must endure everything.
That devotion arises because we know there is a great future; because we know that someday I, my friends, my family, will be rewarded.
He extended a hand toward his useless self.
— I will take responsibility for your future. So can you devote yourself to me?
That man never took his words lightly, and even now he kept that promise.
So the answer was the same as back then.
Count Rooster slung his sword onto his back and stepped out of the tent.
There, his knights were awaiting orders.
— Are you ready?
— Yes!
— This operation must have no mistakes. Archduke Golt-nim is watching.
— Yes!
Count Rooster led the way, passing them and moving forward.
Putting an end to the terrible siege warfare, now it was total war.
It was time to give it their all.
After concluding the three-day siege warfare, the large-scale siege warfare began in earnest.
Flags fluttered in the wind and the army’s footsteps advanced in perfect formation.
The plains near the Kingdom of Heinkel were instantly filled with humans.
More than 100,000 soldiers gathered in a single place.
Ferda, along with the commanders, first observed the situation from the front lines.
— They have moved this much, yet they do not show themselves.
— Indeed.
Right before the battle, showing oneself and attempting final negotiations was standard.
No soldiers guarded the castle gate, nothing.
It felt as if only death awaited inside.
Ureas shouted as if he were pleased with the situation.
— All that remains is ruthless conquest. Sound the battle horns!
Bwaaaaa—!
The deep resonance of the horn signaled preparation for battle.
The commanders returned to their armies, and Ferda returned as well.
The Far East Army took formation as planned.
However, instead of deploying spearmen as sacrificial pawns, they placed the knights—who were their entire force—at the front.
Each of them armed with large shields and relatively short swords, that alone revealed part of their tactics.
They were moving walls, blocking all the damage heading toward the rear ranks.
If they did not collapse, Ferda’s army would become the army with the fewest casualties.
But reality and ideals differ, and veteran commanders seeing that tactic would surely call it the dream of a novice drowned in ideals.
However, Ferda’s army had Alberto.
He stood in the middle of the formation holding a shield as large as the royal palace’s main gate and a long club—an impregnable fortress, nothing less.
Ferda approached the female commander who was in formation.
As discussed, Olivia commanded the tactical infantry, with William at her side as deputy.
— Please take good care of my soldiers, Princess-nim.
— May Alte’s blessing be with you, Regent-nim.
Olivia looked at William and signaled him with her eyes.
He understood immediately, turned his head, and shouted to the Army of Hestia.
— Our future rests on you, knights! Who are we?!
— Who are we?!
Knights full of morale struck the Valdrova crest on their shoulders and led the chant.
The tactical infantry behind them responded.
— Guardians of the front lines!
— Where is our homeland?!
— The last bastion of humanity protecting the continent!
— What is our mission?!
— To punish all evil with blue flames!
— To the weak!
— A warm hearth fire!
— To the sinners!
— Flames of karma!
— Glory to the Phase of Fire!
— Glory to Hestia!
Despite being an army of barely 500 men, they radiated an overwhelming presence.
— Impressive.
Ferda smiled with satisfaction.
Having displayed his presence, it would be awkward to just turn around, so Ferda spoke to William.
— When the war ends, I will grant additional rewards to everyone, regardless of merit. Pass it on.
— Yes, Regent-nim.
Ferda then retreated to the rear with his honor guard.
The honor guard was a small elite force consisting of Ruri, Jed, and Arwen.
Ferda looked at Arwen and asked.
— Is the wedding this autumn, Sir Consillus?
— Yes. And I would appreciate it if you would simply call me Arwen with confidence…
Arwen said, blushing.
Although some time had passed since he became Count Consillus’s adopted son, he still felt awkward.
Jed knew this and teased him.
— Why, Sir Consillus? Is Consillus shameful?
— I don’t want to hear anything more from you.
— By the way, is it fine? A man getting married this autumn jumping into a death trap like this.
— Because I became Count Consillus’s adopted son, isn’t it something I must do all the more? Assisting Regent Ferda is my duty.
— A man about to walk through hell shouldn’t look after his body so much.
— I’ll be in less hell than someone who got caught cheating.
— What cheating?
— The rumor has spread everywhere. That you spent the night with the Bankrupt General and your wife caught you red-handed.
— That WAS intelligence operations. And why is she my wife? She is nothing to me!
— Can I say that to Garnet, the Supply Captain?
— Hey, why are you getting like that? I barely touched you a little and you’re already throwing a punch. That’s not how things work, man.
At the nonsense talk and giggles, Ruri made a face of disgust and spoke.
— Ferda-nim.
— Why?
— I will protect Ferda-nim.
Small in build, yet carrying on her shoulder an enormous axe that even grown men could not wield—extremely dependable.
Bwaaaaa—!
The battle horn sounded again.
The war began.