247. The Emperor’s Eyes (6)
“Damn it all. Those filthy, despicable, beastly scoundrels!!”
Duke Sephor gritted his teeth so hard they might shatter as he rode his horse. Around him, the remnants of his principality’s forces marched, looking like a defeated rabble.
It felt utterly miserable. Not a single battle had been fought. Not even one.
“How far have those filthy half-breeds advanced?”
“Bülrang still stands, but Lailen, Moras, and Hafen are under siege.”
“Damn it! Lailen is right in front of Bülrang!”
No retainer dared to answer the Duke’s outburst. The capital was within reach, the justification was clear, and the capital’s forces were barely a handful. Until news arrived of the opposing forces rising in Ribue, the morale of the principality’s army had been sky-high.
“Ha, six thousand? Even if we gather all the capital’s militia, it won’t reach ten thousand. I heard they barely scraped together a force from the wasteland, and that’s all they have? This is good news. It’s a chance to show how strong the men of Bülrang are!”
Indeed, Duke Sephor had been overjoyed at the news of Duke Erbe’s advance and spurred his own march. He would protect the capital, which was struggling to maintain order due to the lack of troops. His obvious plan was to seize control of the military power near the capital by force and transfer the throne.
And there was no opposing Duke to stand in his way. Those who might have opposed him had conveniently been caught up in the rebellion of the Second Prince.
“That fool wants to kill his own father? I should lend him a hand. Ah, Shield, the crown is calling me!”
The Duke had never considered failure. But now. The militarily empty region of Bülrang was burning, suddenly attacked by a band of marauders.
“Screech…….”
The cry of a hawk echoed from somewhere. Bülrang frowned as he looked at the mountain path. His forces were nervously entering the narrow pass.
“This doesn’t feel right.”
“Huh?”
“Any news from the scouts?”
“Grand Duke Carvelier is still stationed near Paltennoia. There’s news that the Chieftain of the Beastman Nobles has led some of their forces toward Ribue.”
“Good. That lowly woman will soon have her chance. That’s fine.”
Sephor spoke as he gazed at the dense mountain. Early summer evening. Once they clear this mountain ridge, a wide plain stretches out. That means, if anyone were to attempt a night raid, there’s no better place than these hills…
‘There are no enemy forces nearby to attempt a night raid.’
Sephor shook his head, trying to dispel his thoughts. Duke Erbe hadn’t sent any detachments, and the Chieftain’s cavalry numbered only three to four hundred at most, while his own forces were a grand army of fifteen thousand.
‘But something feels off…’
* * *
Fernandez sat on a tree, watching the soldiers walking below the mountain pass. Faijashi sniffed mischievously and teased.
“Smells like defeat.”
‘It’s going to get stronger, what are you talking about?’
Faijashi and Fernandez chuckled together. The most important factors in noble society were ‘justification’ and ‘face,’ and Sephor was retreating, having lost the battle of justification.
Sephor’s initial justification was ‘protecting the Imperial Palace.’ He intended to fill the security vacuum in the Imperial Capital with his own military force. But the fact that he mobilized fifteen thousand troops and led the entire army himself naturally implied other intentions.
In response, Duke Erbe also claimed ‘protecting the Imperial Palace.’ When two nobles with the same justification clash, the one with the greater military force usually wins. Thus, a battle seemed inevitable.
Fifteen thousand versus six thousand. Not all wars are decided by numerical superiority, but fundamentally, battles are a numbers game. An absolute disadvantage in numbers can never be overturned by individual skill.
Hence, the ‘battle of justification.’
“Partak. How far have the ‘raiders’ advanced?”
“As you commanded, they are attacking all urban areas except Bülrang.”
“Any successful sieges?”
“Not likely.”
A chuckle came from the torch Fernandez was holding. Partak spoke in a grim voice.
“No matter how much those beastman raiders boast, they can’t bring down city walls. And the warriors who joined the raid are just a bunch of nobodies.”
Fernandez smirked at those words. Officially, the beastman warriors attacking Bülrang are ‘rebels’ opposing Kirhas’s rule. And though they are causing a great stir across the territory, their numbers are few.
The real main force. The true main force of Kirhas’s tribal warriors is advancing from the Great Wilderness. No matter how meticulously prepared, it takes time to gather troops in a tribal society.
Thus, those currently looting are nothing more than a ‘detachment.’ The ‘invincible’ legion the beastmen boast of is probably just now in the eastern region of the Great Wilderness.
It’s a battle of justification. Will a man who can’t even protect his own territory bring his entire army to support the Imperial Capital? This kind of mockery will spread through noble society. Duke Sephor’s face has already hit rock bottom.
For the sake of face alone, Duke Sephor had to head to Bülrang. Moreover, didn’t Kirhas say it herself?
“Those who oppose my rule are traitors, and I will personally judge them.”
Judging them is fine. But where will that be? Since the traitors are in Bülrang, doesn’t that mean she intends to lead her main force to Bülrang? From Sephor’s perspective, it’s enough to drive him mad.
‘He’s fallen into his own trap.’
Kirhas moved her troops with the exact same logic as protecting the capital. There’s still some time before they arrive, but in the worst case, they might have to prepare for a battle.
If a battle occurs within the territory, the surrounding regions will burn and turn to ruins. The territory’s productivity will plummet to less than half. Sephor had to quickly suppress the rebels within his territory and destroy Kirhas’s justification.
Since we’ve taken care of the rebel judgment, we expect compensation. This kind of scenario would be best for him. Therefore.
“If he wants that, do the opposite.”
In his previous life, Sephor was the second man to burn the capital.
And Faijashi was the third man to burn the capital.
And the first man to ‘destroy’ the capital.
“Now, let’s teach them a lesson.”
With his words, the three hundred cavalry waiting on the mountain ridge began to charge down the slope.
Kirhas’s most powerful cavalry, the ones called ‘beasts’ in civilized society.
For the first time, they began to bare their fangs at civilized society.
A scream erupted among the soldiers passing through the mountain path. The galloping of horses was so loud that it couldn’t easily be hidden, but due to the fatigue from the long march, they were slow to notice.
-AAAAAH!
-It’s an ambush!!
A scream rose from the center of the procession. Duke Sephor immediately frowned and shouted at his deputy.
“Didn’t the scouts report there were no enemy troops in the mountains?!”
The deputy paled, looking panicked. The Duke clicked his tongue. He quickly swung his sword and yelled.
“It’s an ambush! Send the cavalry! Find out who the enemy is and buy us time!”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
The knights of the border dukes were qualitatively different from those of the central nobles. These were men who had honed their skills through long battles. The knights, unfazed by the sudden ambush, looked at the Duke and shouted loudly.
The knights galloped along the mountain path. The dense forest slowed their horses. The Duke clicked his tongue and thought.
This mountain is clearly the perfect terrain for an ambush. Sephor was no politically inept noble; he had sent scouts ahead to confirm the threats on the mountain path.
Then, it’s one of two things. Either the scouts were lazy and missed the enemy forces, or……
‘The enemy numbers are small!’
It meant a small force, too few to be spotted by the scouts, was preparing an ambush. Sephor turned his horse and shouted.
“Mages!! Locate the enemy!!”
With a small force, unless the entire enemy was made up of mages, our magical forces would clearly have the upper hand. At the Duke’s command, the mages hurriedly began setting up their formations.
* * *
-They’re fighting better than expected.
‘Duke Sephor isn’t stupid.’
A mere brute couldn’t burn down the Empire’s capital. Sephor was an ambitious man with the ability to carry out his ambitions.
-That’s a good thing.
‘Yes. It’s easier to deal with someone predictable than a fool who might do anything.’
Those who rely solely on their strength and act on impulse are troublesome. Their actions are hard to predict. But someone like Duke Sephor, with ‘some’ brains and ‘some’ pride, is easier to handle.
Fernandez said this while turning his gaze to the sky. Above the evening glow, he saw magical energy dispersing. It was the sign of a magical battle.
It’s impossible to know exactly how many enemy mages there are, but no single person can overwhelm the magical energy of dozens.
However, overwhelming with sheer magical power isn’t the only measure of success in a magical battle, and Fernandez was one of those who despised such tactics.
‘Lacking finesse.’
-Hastily made spells are all like that.
‘Tsk, these so-called mages.’
In his past life, the demons of the Duke of Crimson were not skilled in magic. They were embodiments of destruction and violence, inept in strategy, schemes, and magic.
And Faijashi, the Duke’s most favored mage and his only magical force, had never lost a single magical battle in his past life.
-Whoosh.
The beastmen overlapped. Lack of magical energy? That’s just an excuse. A ‘true’ mage can create dozens of circuits with just a handful of energy.
Magic used at the right place and time. Let me teach you that delicate art. Fernandez smiled and intertwined his fingers. A black halo rose behind him.
* * *
“Not yet?!”
“A-Almost done, Your Grace!”
The Duke’s palace mages were sweating as they chanted spells. Casting a detection spell over the entire mountain wasn’t easy, but with enough time and energy, it wasn’t impossible.
But enough time. Meanwhile, the enemies who had ambushed Duke Sephor’s flank had precisely set fire to the food carts and disappeared. They had struck deep into the allied forces and retreated before the knights arrived.
A miraculous feat of horsemanship. Moving that quickly through dense forests was impossible for the Empire’s heavy cavalry.
‘Damn beastmen.’
According to reports from the frontlines, the enemy was a force of about three hundred beastmen light cavalry. The enemy’s small numbers were proven, but Sephor’s pride was too wounded to feel proud of his own wisdom.
“Hurry! Bring me their heads before they all escape!”
“Y-Yes, Your Grace!”
Meanwhile, the palace mages were in despair. The spell was clearly complete. The magical energy flowing through the sky was entirely theirs, and there was no trace of enemy mages attempting a magical battle within this mountain.
Yet, they saw nothing. The enemy cavalry noisily running through the forest, or even their own cavalry chasing them, and the scouts’ movements. The forest was perfectly still.
As if covered in fog. Despite the spell being complete and the entire forest visible at a glance…… not a single living, moving thing could be seen.
“What’s going on? Did the spell fail?”
“No, the spell is perfect. This area is entirely under our magical field!”
“What in the world…….”
It was an hour later that Duke Sephor received the mages’ report. And in that time, his forces had suffered three more ambushes.
“Damn…… hybrids. They planned this from the start……!”
“Your Grace, it’s already nightfall.”
“Damn it. Set up camp. Rest and gather the troops! We move again tomorrow noon!”
Sephor threw down his cup and shouted.
* * *
Fernandez sat on a tree, looking down at the soldiers approaching him. They were beastmen cavalry, soaked in sweat and blood. They slumped on their horses, tearing open water skins and gulping down water.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“They seem to be planning to stay in this mountain for a day. If we poke them any more, we’ll be the ones getting wrecked, so we pulled back.”
“Good job.”
Duke Sephor was building a textbook-perfect defensive position. If their numbers were just double what they were now, it would have been a perfect opportunity for a surprise attack, but leading tired cavalry from long battles would likely result in annihilation.
Fernandez gave a bitter smile. By now, even without detection spells, the enemy leadership would have noticed their numerical disadvantage.
“What’s the plan now? Are you satisfied with just a day and a half?”
“Of course not.”
“From tomorrow, things will be different. We’ve hit their supply carts hard today, so if they have any brains, they’ll try to protect them first. We can’t expect luck like today.”
“Luck.”
It would take three days for the Duke’s entire force to cross the mountain. Beyond that, it’s open plains, and ambushes to hide numerical disadvantages wouldn’t be as easy as today.
But they had to buy as much time as possible until Kirhas’ main force arrived. Every moment Fernandez bought here would directly contribute to Kirhas’ cause.
“Have you ever hunted before?”
“……What?”
“Big game, like bears, trolls, or ogres.”
“We’re warriors of the Great Wilderness. We’re not like you soft nobles. We’ve been hunters since birth.”
“Then you know well.”
Fernandez smirked as he looked down at the cavalry captain.
“When hunting something bigger than yourself, you have to drive it first.”
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