312. The War of Puppets (9)
The conversation with the Sultan dragged on longer than expected. Fernandez wasn’t the type to enjoy long talks, but since there was nothing else to do at the moment besides planning operations and discussing future strategies, he humored the Sultan’s curiosity.
“So, to sum it up, your type is a quiet woman who can perfectly adjust the temperature of milk?”
“If you put it that way, I suppose so.”
“No, that’s exactly it. That’s an important matter. Haha!”
Al Hashir burst into laughter as if he had heard something hilarious. By now, he was holding a bottle of alcohol and drinking straight from it.
“So, which one of the three?”
“Three… what do you mean?”
“The foreign beauties you’ve brought with you. Each from a different origin and with different looks. Truly dazzling women, aren’t they?”
Even at that, Fernandez found it hard to come up with a quick answer. Which one of the three?
Abel is the woman who most accurately understands his situation and actively supports him.
Kirhas is the woman who has been with him the longest in this era, the most loyal to him, and even carries his child.
Freya? She’s out of the question. She’s more than halfway to being just a friend now. She probably doesn’t have any romantic feelings for him either. It’s just fun to be around her.
But the conversation he just had with the Sultan… was about Aria.
“None of the three.”
“What…?!”
“My first… wife is not one of those three.”
-Just go ahead and be the Sultan.
Faijashi shook his head vigorously as he spoke. When one thinks of the Sultan of Kirzat, the first thing that comes to mind is the harem palace where the concubines are gathered. Unlike the civilized nations of the eastern continent, the western nations are more open about relationships.
Whether the Sultan is female or male. They often build secretive palaces to house their concubines. Externally, it’s called the harem or Humayun. To explain it in eastern terms, it’s a ‘district forbidden to men other than the Sultan.’
As Faijashi said, it’s a relationship so chaotic that only someone from Kirzat could understand it. The Sultan stroked his chin for a moment, looking at Fernandez.
“Were your parents perhaps from Kirzat?”
“Probably not.”
“You look perfectly eastern… hmm.”
-Go on, say it. You’re actually a priest.
‘Shut up.’
-No, why? It’s the truth.
Ignoring Faijashi’s incessant teasing, Fernandez drank the alcohol bestowed by the Sultan. It tasted bitter.
“Great Sovereign, the one and only sun of the empire where the sun never sets—”
“Keep it short!”
At that moment, a gruff voice of a guard warrior came from behind the tent curtain. The lengthy title description was enough to make anyone nauseous just hearing it. For someone who values efficiency in work, it was even more so.
At the Sultan’s words, the warrior hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“Sir Sernerd’s vassal, Kirhas, requests an audience!”
“Oh? Well, well. Perfect timing, isn’t it, Sir Sernerd?”
“…Yes, Sultan.”
“Let’s ask her too! Bring her in!!”
Soon, the curtain opened, and Kirhas entered. She seemed startled, pausing for a moment at the sight of the extravagantly decorated field tent, something she had never encountered before.
Coming from the Great Wilderness, she couldn’t have imagined that a field tent, not even a palace, could be so lavishly adorned.
-Manage your expression, will you?
‘What?’
Fernandez, at Faijashi’s words, unconsciously touched his lips and cheeks. Seeing this, the Sultan chuckled.
“Your marital harmony is quite good! It’s nice to see. Haha! Now, beastman girl. I happen to have a question.”
“Yes…? Yes?”
Kirhas seemed flustered by the Sultan’s sudden question. She twitched her tail and bowed her head.
“How did you melt that block of a man? If you have a secret, I’d like to share it with the daughters of my vassals.”
“I… um… yes?”
“Hahaha!”
‘What was my expression like?’
-Very ugly. Exactly what you’d expect from someone your age.
If you tell a twenty-year-old they look twenty, is it a compliment? But if you tell an eighty-year-old they look twenty, it doesn’t feel like a compliment anymore. It probably wasn’t meant as one anyway.
Fernandez frowned and turned his head. Seeing this, Kirhas twitched and then stammered.
“Sultan, my subordinates have brought urgent news from the eastern continent. Given the urgency, I dared to come directly.”
“Hmm? What is it? Speak freely.”
“The eastern continent is burning with enemies like the Sultan. As far as we’ve confirmed, the entire Great Wilderness and even Ribue have formed a wide frontline.”
“Oh ho, the Empire? Haha. Sir Sernerd. This is…?”
“Yes, Sultan. It’s going according to plan.”
“Truly remarkable. If only I had people half as capable as you, my tasks would’ve been twice as easy!”
To Kirhas, this was top-secret information. In truth, she wanted to deliver it privately to Fernandez, but if she could gain the Sultan’s support, there was no need to hide it.
However, the reactions of the two now were completely different from what she had expected. Shouldn’t they be panicking, surprised, indifferent, or at least anxious?
At a time when they thought they were overestimating the enemy’s capabilities, this proved they were underestimating them. The military forces of Karadskar were capable of waging multi-front wars across nearly all contact areas of the continent’s civilized societies and still have strength to spare.
But how could the ruler of this region, likely the most densely contested, remain so calm?
-Tap.
At that moment, a familiar hand rested on Kirhas’s ear. The familiar warmth and touch. It was Fernandez. He whispered quietly.
“Don’t worry, Kirhas.”
“B-but, Your Excellency? You know, right? Their numbers… even the confirmed count is over two hundred thousand!”
It was a natural concern. Fernandez nodded. Two hundred thousand. Even if they were all infantry, it was an enormous number that couldn’t be ignored.
The total population of the Hundred Beast Tribes is only about that of a couple of small eastern kingdoms. Due to the harsh environment and culture, the population relative to the occupied area is insufficient.
But in a typical nation, the maximum military force that can be mobilized is 5% of the total. To sustain a war while maintaining the national system, and to have a fighting force of the right age, it’s a matter of…
“Well, just before the end, almost everyone was forced into battle.”
It was probably out of the fear that if they didn’t fight, they’d go extinct. In a typical war between nations, pulling out ten thousand soldiers from a city of five hundred thousand was already a big deal.
Non-combat soldiers needed for arming, supply, rations, and management were three times that number, and to mobilize capital for war, city functions couldn’t be halted, so ten times the population had to be diverted to industry just to make up for the insufficient workforce.
So, 5%. If it goes beyond that, the nation’s system can’t be maintained.
“But Karadskar doesn’t consider that.”
It’s not that he doesn’t know. He just doesn’t care. He literally armed every person capable of fighting and assigned every person incapable of fighting to combat support.
It’s not just about maintaining the nation’s system; it’s a composition that shouldn’t even exist in the first place. However, there’s one thing that makes it possible.
‘Winning every battle everywhere and plundering the resources of every conquered region to prepare for the next battle.’
It’s a speed game. If the rate of plundering resources exceeds the rate of resource consumption, Karadskar’s legion can project a denser military force than any military power across the continent.
“Right. Can I call you Kirhas, then?”
“As you wish, Sultan.”
“Your lord is right. Don’t worry. Everything went according to plan.”
“But, Sultan. If the Empire gets caught up in the war… You’ll have to face the enemies alone without any external support!”
“Do I seem incapable of that to you?”
“I’m not just a mere warrior, Sultan. I am the leader of all the clans that effectively ruled the Great Wilderness you so desired.”
Kirhas raised her head. Beyond her divine warrior relationship with Fernandez, she now looked at the leader of an allied nation as a chieftain.
“So, to be honest, dropping formalities. Yes, Kirzat doesn’t have the ability to fend off the approaching enemy alone.”
“Like lord, like vassal. Hahaha!”
Al Hashir laughed heartily at Kirhas’s seemingly rude demeanor. He nodded and continued.
“Between monarchs and the throne, I too speak freely. Don’t misunderstand, Kirhas of the Great Wilderness. I already knew your true nature.”
“I figured as much. The Shakshisi’s intelligence isn’t dull.”
“And, from the beginning. No… Your lord and I aimed for this moment from the start.”
“…What?”
“To wage all wars in Kirzat with external support? What kind of monarch would agree to that? Of course, if they want to set the prairie ablaze, the flames should spread across the entire grassland.”
Al Hashir, the most powerful war monarch of civilized kingdoms in this era. He spoke like a beast, never losing his smile.
“We lured them towards the Great Wilderness to disperse their forces. Kirhas of the Great Wilderness, sorry about that. You’ll have to bear the losses.”
“…Your Excellency?”
“Kirhas. They have a weakness.”
Fernandez, gently stroking the confused Kirhas, continued unhurriedly.
“Their combat abilities are overestimated, but most of their combat personnel are just a facade.”
“…What?”
Troops with severed supply lines quickly lose their combat effectiveness. That’s basic knowledge.
The longer the supply line, the more supplies the troops consume, increasing proportionally to the square of the unit area. That’s also basic knowledge.
And Karadskar…
Cannot secure supplies by any means other than plunder.
Over two hundred thousand, all cavalry, an overwhelming calamity.
A storm that crosses five cities in one morning and swallows twice that number the next day.
They’re not fast.
They just can’t stop.
“So, to quell the flames, we need to use numbers.”
“That was your lord and my plan, Kirhas. The operation name…”
“Counterfire.”
It doesn’t just mean a simple scorched-earth tactic. They’ll overrun us faster than we can burn the food and retreat.
First, we disperse their forces. To the Great Wilderness, the Eastern Kingdom, the Empire, Kirzat.
Every time their supply line lengthens, the pressure on them doubles. So, they must plunder supplies from occupied territories.
Their stronghold is clearly the five commercial cities occupied on the outskirts of Kirzat. They’re distributing the plundered supplies from those cities and the domains within to the entire expeditionary force now.
The expeditionary forces that advanced north of the Great Wilderness still lack the ability to build their own supply lines. The Great Wilderness is practically a grassy wasteland, and to reach the fertile territories of the Eastern Kingdom Alliance to the east and the Empire to the north, there are hurdles to overcome.
The shield of the Great Wilderness, Ribue.
Mumto’s conclave. The Legion of Wraiths’ Lavirata.
“Where do you think they went first after crossing the Great Wilderness?”
“Isn’t Ribue the closest if they crossed there?”
“They attacked Bülrang first.”
“…What?”
“Ribue is the Emperor’s domain. It’s a city with considerable military power now. The problem there is… it’s developed as a military stronghold. That means…”
Al Hashir continued Fernandez’s words.
“It has no self-sustaining food production capability.”
“Right. That’s why Ribue became so impoverished after the 50-year war ended.”
Ribue’s revival was backed by the Imperial war material trade towards the Great Wilderness. After that was cut off, Ribue rapidly lost its assets.
Now? Before Karadskar, the Great Wilderness became the safest region in history. Ribue is still a poor region. It hasn’t even been half a year since Emperor Rene Philippa ascended the throne.
And Lavirata…
“They didn’t occupy Lavirata and head for the Great Wilderness.”
“Then…?”
“Lavirata was sealed, and they deliberately bypassed her. There’s nothing to gain from occupying her but skeletons in a barren desert tomb. A military short on supplies, food, and time wouldn’t bother with a siege.”
Ignoring Lavirata, burning the Great Wilderness, passing through Ribue. Beyond that…
“Just hold out once in Bülrang. Kirhas. Just block their breath once.”
Counterfire. Kirzat’s Rahot Fortress, the five outer cities, Lavirata, and the Eastern Kingdom Alliance’s expeditionary force dispatch.
Every civilization in the world faces the flames in their own way in their own regions.
Karadskar. The great scar. Covered by an even greater burn.
This disaster must be stopped. It will be stopped, and it must be stopped.
‘If we get past this hurdle, there will be no more visible threats to civilized society.’
Erik is dead, two of the five Great Demons have been slain, and one has been sealed.
The Elven Kingdoms have united as one, becoming allies of humanity, and the north is stabilized.
With all the threats from past lives now reduced to controlled variables, the only remaining variable is Karadskar.
![[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TS-Obsessed-Gamer-The-Ultimate-Return2.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return")
