Novel All
Chapter 524
Chapter 524
Chapter 524: The Imaginary Enemy
"Among the enemy's five thousand, one thousand are charging! The Border Noble's army is getting surrounded!"
"What...? Is that...the lord?"
A voice of confusion involuntarily escaped.
The enemy had shown movements of retreat.
Because they couldn't take down the fort in one strike.
The enemy doesn't have time. The tactic of continuously performing effective attacks cannot be used.
It's necessary to bring down the fort in one blow.
So, they took command to withstand until the last part.
Marcel chose to retreat because he understood that. Probably to reorganize the army.
But Marcel should understand.
By reinforcing the fort's strength and reducing the Border Noble's army strength, Fin, the most powerful air force, can be deployed to the fort.
This war is solely for Julio.
That's why, while I'm winning, I can't abandon Julio's supporters.
While sacrificing the Border Noble's army outside, I could win by defending the fort.
But there's no point in winning like that.
That's why I dispatched Fin.
I also dispatched Captain Lars and others so the Border Noble's army could fight.
In order to achieve an all-out victory, I had no choice but to do so. Marcel, understanding this, particularly tilted his forces towards the Border Noble's army side.
Probably because he was confident he could take down the same number without Fin.
"But, they couldn't take it down..."
So, the retreat for reorganization of the army.
Normally, one would think that way.
But one thousand of the enemy has protruded.
What's that?
"Hey, hey, what are we going to do!? If their steps are disordered, can't we counterattack!?"
We're not at leisure either. Because we've been continuously receiving Marcel's eccentric attacks.
Enduring at the brink means always being in a desperate situation.
If someone breaks, we fall. We've been fighting in such a situation.
We were more cornered mentally than physically.
Seig's proposal is valid.
If we can strike the enemy here, we can almost wipe out Marcel's winning strategy.
It might be the time to attack.
If we strike from the fort right now, we might be able to inflict devastating damage on the enemy's main force.
If we do that, it won't matter if we lose the fort, or if Marcel's one thousand soldiers attack.
The enemy was disoriented.
But still...
"Send an urgent message to Count Pinto! Do not pursue too far! We will not strike out!"
"Your Highness!? Isn't it time to attack now!?"
Julio, who had been watching the situation with me, appealed so.
Surely.
Anyone would think it's a mistake on the enemy's part.
If they can't control their army, it's possible.
But, the enemy isn't ordinary.
"There's a possibility that they've resorted to a trick, seeing that we won't fall. If that's a ruse, a trap, and we leave the fort, we will be caught in a dragnet."
"But..."
"We're overwhelmingly advantageous if we don't move. There's no need to take risks."
The one who wants us to move is the enemy, not us.
There's no need to upset the balance to pick up a ball that's spilled over.
No matter how valuable that ball is.
Eventually, a ball of comparable value will come to hand.
So convincing myself, I managed to be satisfied.
Honestly, the enemy's mistake is over ninety percent probable.
But, less than ten percent of the remainder is the chance that Marcel is smirking.
Normally, I would have attacked.
But, Marcel's face always comes to mind, and I end up holding back.
I can't attack in such a state.
"Really, he's a difficult opponent..."
I'm sure that right now, I have missed a great chance to achieve a significant victory.
I have left an opening for Marcel to win.
However, even so, there's a part of me that feels relieved.
I'm not in a rush to seize victory, because I'm able to hold my own against Marcel.
I still haven't lost my cool. I'm not cornered yet.
If we can buy more time, we can win.
That's why I felt at ease.
"Duke Pastore! What do you mean by 'leave it to me'!? Acting on your own!!"
In the main camp of the Duke's army, Marcel was kicking a chair.
The unilateral attack by Duke Pastore was easily intercepted by the enemy's Border Noble's army.
After all, the attack was by a thousand. On the other hand, the opponent was two thousand strong, including their air force.
They kept receiving attacks from Finn in the sky, and they were on the brink of being surrounded and annihilated.
The remaining four thousand, led by Count Adlernat, saved them.
However, the damage was surprisingly great, and a significant number of soldiers were injured in order to save the attacking thousand.
"Lord Marcel, it will affect your health... Please calm down."
"How can I calm down!? A person who aims to be a king has broken his word! Saying he'll leave it to us, but taking arbitrary action! The army will be filled with distrust from now on! Did you see the opponent's prince!? He was inspiring his allies amidst the battle! That's the appearance of a king! Rumors will spread! The Duke's failure and the prince's bravery!"
This is a proxy war.
Arnold is commanding the army on behalf of Julio, and Marcel is commanding on behalf of Pastore, but essentially, it's a fight between Julio and Pastore.
If you're going to delegate, then delegate everything.
There's no need to do something you're not good at. Even if the king isn't perfect, those around him will assist him. That's fine.
But Duke Pastore couldn't do that.
"He probably wanted to earn some credit... Lord Marcel, narrow-minded people can't delegate to others. Please understand."
"I do understand. I intended to! But, in the end, I allowed him to run wild! And the war situation has quickly become unfavorable! It's all my fault!"
Marcel informed Lizette, who was standing by, then out of sheer anger, he slapped the desk with his right hand.
A faint trace of blood seeped from his right hand.
"Lord Marcel! Please take care of yourself! Let me attend to you immediately!"
"...Do you know why I can't calm my anger...?"
"Because Duke Pastore is so incompetent?"
"I knew he was incompetent... What I can't forgive is myself. And Arnold."
"Did Arnold do something?"
"He did nothing... He stuck to his position at a golden opportunity! He must have thought it might be my strategy! He overestimated me! The me in his imagination was more capable than I am! It's the first time I've felt such humiliation on the battlefield!"
While receiving treatment, Marcel vented his anger.
There was no point in bottling it up.
He only showed this side of himself to those close to him.
Lizette was one of them.
However, even for Lizette, it was rare to see Marcel this angry.
"This is not the kingdom. Even you, Lord Marcel, can't always have things go smoothly. It can't be helped."
"He's also in a foreign country!"
"But, he's been here before. And he has accomplished something. The popularity of the Black Twin Princes is high. It's different from the unknown Lord Marcel. Prince Julio entrusted him with command because he trusts him. You just didn't have time, Lord Marcel."
"So, the cause of defeat is the difference in personal virtue..."
"You haven't lost yet, and you, Lord Marcel, also have wonderful personal virtue. Many of the nobles supported you, didn't they? Only Duke Pastore couldn't understand. Neither would Prince Arnold have personal virtue that such a man could understand. And that's not something to be ashamed of."
"I see..."
After nodding several times to Lizette's words, Marcel started to cough.
He quickly took medicine, but his cough wouldn't subside.
He had been working without rest for the past few days.
"Please lie down. You need to recover..."
"There's no time... I need to prepare for the attack immediately..."
"It's okay. Right now, you need to rest."
It was clear that Marcel's body was crying out for sleep.
Lizette laid Marcel down and covered him with a blanket.
Unable to resist the sleepiness, Marcel fell asleep as he was.
TL's Notes:
This is the chapter I owe everyone after being busy to upload on Sunday
Next Chapter
Previous Chapter
More chapters on Patreon: /user?u=38972968