Chapter 114

“Ugh…”

“Grrr…”

The Holy Empire Army returned in a state of utter defeat.

Numerous soldiers had perished, and more than that, injured individuals sat on the ground, moaning in pain.

“What on earth… how much did we suffer?”

“The confirmed casualties are around 4000. Including the injured, about 8000 are now incapable of fighting.”

“Ugh…”

Although it wasn’t a disastrous blow that was beyond recovery, the damage was certainly not light.

In a hurry to avenge their loss in Arden, they launched their attack, only to return with a defeat that matched that beforehand. Commander Wallenstein was overwhelmed with a dizzying rage.

The Frantz Kingdom Army moved seamlessly, executing optimal attacks with precise timing.

Their orderliness surpassed that of the Holy Empire Army, painting a picture that was entirely different from what Wallenstein had anticipated.

“Damn it… How… how could this happen? Shouldn’t these guys be in chaos because of the revolution?”

The reality before him was far from what he’d imagined.

In the original work, the assassination of the queen and the purge of Robes Fiora had resulted in the very chaos Wallenstein expected; however, the current situation was significantly different.

With a well-maintained centralized system, the Frantz Kingdom Army was superior to the Holy Empire Army, which merely gathered the military forces of local warlords.

Moreover, while Wallenstein, who had never commanded an army of tens of thousands before, faced the formidable General Rafael, who was a master tactician.

With the quality of troops and the command abilities on the side of the Frantz Kingdom Army, this outcome seemed almost inevitable.

Yet, from Wallenstein’s perspective, accepting or understanding this situation was out of the question.

“So… General, what should we do now?”

“Um…”

His carefully laid plans had gone up in smoke, and he had suffered a defeat on the battlefield as well.

Although there were still resources left to continue the war, the expectation of achieving a one-sided victory had shattered, leaving Wallenstein feeling completely stifled.

At that moment…

“C-Commander!”

“?”

“What is it… what now?”

In the midst of this tumultuous series of unfortunate events, Wallenstein asked, laced with deep annoyance, as his subordinate rushed over in a frenzy.

But…

“W-we have a visitor!”

“…? A visitor? What do you mean?”

“Th-that person has arrived! Chancellor Senel from the Kingdom of Roycen just got here!”

“What… what did you say?”

“Ah… no… you mean Chancellor Senel came in person?”

“Yes! She’s brought her forces here directly!”

“Oh my…”

“Is this even possible… how could she come personally…”

While the intervention of the Kingdom of Roycen was expected, Chancellor Senel’s arrival was completely unexpected.

The faces of Wallenstein and his men began to shift from unease and despair to surprise mixed with a hint of hope.

“Then… what about the troop strength? How many supporting troops from the Kingdom of Roycen do we have?”

“It seems to be around 200.”

“…200?”

“Um… you mean just 200?”

It was certainly better than nothing, but considering the national strength of the Kingdom of Roycen, it was an absurdly small number.

However, despite the disappointment, they didn’t openly express any displeasure.

Though the number she brought was indeed small, they knew well the value of her presence here…

“Anyway, let’s go meet her. When an esteemed guest arrives at a difficult time, we must at least go welcome her.”

“Understood, Commander.”

Thus, under Wallenstein’s orders, the Imperial Army’s leadership set out to greet Chancellor Senel.

Shortly after, the guest who had come from afar appeared before them.

Chancellor Senel.

With a cold expression, she addressed them in a quiet yet clearly audible voice.

“I apologize, I’m a bit late.”

“Ah… no, we’re truly thankful for your presence.”

“You must have had quite the trouble coming all this way, Chancellor.”

Support had arrived right after their loss, and feeling much like finding a waterhole while dying of thirst, Wallenstein and his men welcomed her respectfully.

“I’ve heard the news on the way. The situation is worse than expected, isn’t it?”

“Um… yes, it has turned out that way… The Frantz Kingdom folks are more formidable than anticipated.”

“That’s surprising; honestly, I wondered if my help was really needed when I came here.”

“Ah… anyhow, thank you for coming. Even though we’ve taken some losses, we still hold the numbers, and with your aid, we can surely achieve victory.”

Though it might sound like he was throwing around bravado after suffering a significant defeat, this was no mere bluff.

Truthfully, their chances had dropped dramatically, but with Senel’s strength added, turning the tide was truly possible.

At that moment, even Commander Wallenstein, with his usual arrogance, found himself setting aside appearances, holding onto hope.

Then, a subordinate cautiously asked.

“Um… by the way, you came alone, didn’t you, Chancellor? I heard there were supporting troops… where are they?”

Though he thought what could they do with only 200 men, the situation’s previous large losses made even a single soldier significant.

Moreover, since Chancellor Senel brought them, there was the underlying expectation that they might not be ordinary troops.

In response to their eager anticipation, Senel smiled dryly and quietly replied.

“They’re waiting outside the formation; I thought it wouldn’t be right to bring them all in just yet.”

“Excuse me?”

“What do you mean…?”

The place for the reinforcements had originally been prepared in advance.

Even the Kingdom of Roycen had spaces ready for them to set up as soon as they arrived.

The very fact that she had them waiting outside puzzled Wallenstein and the commanders.

‘No way, could their guide have lost their way to the assigned location? No… it feels somewhat different from that…’

As they pondered this, Chancellor Senel spoke up softly.

“Want to take a look? At the troops I brought.”

“W-well… why not.”

Although there was no harm in looking, they felt uneasy about the situation.

The leaders made their way to where Senel’s ‘army’ was waiting.

However, moments later…

“!!”

“C-could it be… this is…”

The moment they saw the 200 soldiers standing at the entrance of the formation.

Their expressions, some seasoned warriors, some magicians, regardless of their rank, were filled with incredulity in a different sense.

*

“Umm…”

“Check. General.”

General Rafael and his subordinate were engaged in a game of chess, observing the not-so-favorable situation on the board, Rafael frowning slightly.

“Can’t we give up just one move?”

“Nope. Hurry up and play.”

“Tch…”

Rafael clicked his tongue at his subordinate’s strict response.

At that moment…

“General! General!”

“What is it? At this hour.”

Just when the situation seemed to be going poorly, an urgently timed report came in.

Feeling a bit pleased by this, General Rafael spoke in a voice filled with authority.

But…

“W-we’re in big trouble! The enemies… the Holy Empire Army is charging back!”

“… Ah, such a pity… I would have liked to play more, but it seems something’s occurred, so I guess we’ll have to settle for a draw today.”

“Ah… no, General! I was in a much better position!”

“Ah, even if that’s the case, we can’t declare a winner. Let’s pick this up again next time.”

“Umm…”

It was an unjust situation for him, but ultimately, the one in control of the sword was on the other side.

Thus, leaving behind the unwelcome draw, General Rafael calmly asked the soldier.

“Explain in detail, what is going on with the Holy Empire Army?”

“Yes, they are crossing the Rhine River, heading towards our stronghold rapidly. Their speed seems unusual… it looks like they are planning a preemptive strike before we can respond.”

“Well… How remarkable. They manage to come back just days after suffering defeat. Though they’re not much, I commend their tenacity.”

“What should we do? Should we respond as we did before?”

“… Hmm… no, let’s change things up a bit. Since the enemies are marching, let’s pull our troops back a bit and form a defensive perimeter.”

“Understood, General.”

“But there’s no need to retreat too quickly. We should give it a little margin so they can definitely come in. After all, if the food inside is too scarce, it won’t be satisfying.”

“Yes, General.”

As the soldier set out to relay General Rafael’s orders, could it be just then…

“GRAAAAAGH!!!”

“!!”

“Huh?”