Count Godif, the supre commander of Falkenheim's army, stroked his beard and chuckled.
"As expected. They don't know what to do."
Currently, the marquis's forces had deliberately stretched their frontlines, ensuring they could provide reinforcents anywhere as needed. The suppression force had attempted to engage them multiple tis, but each ti, Falkenheim's forces simply pulled back, keeping a safe distance. When the suppression force attempted to besiege another noble's stronghold, Falkenheim's forces would close in just enough to threaten them.
As a result, the suppression force was struggling to determine its next move.
With such a massive army, their movents were sluggish. No matter where they struck, they risked being encircled by Falkenheim's forces. And if they tried to counter this by splitting their army, that would be even better. An undisciplined force like theirs would only beco easier to dismantle if their numbers thinned out.
"We just have to wait. Eventually, they'll make a critical mistake."
Godif muttered with absolute confidence.
Until now, they had been caught off guard and forced into a defensive stance. But that was only because of the sudden and unorthodox attacks. Now that their forces were properly organized, they wouldn't be taken by surprise again.
All they had to do was wait for the suppression force to fragnt.
And just as Godif had predicted, cracks were already forming within the enemy's ranks faster than expected.
One of the neutral lords who had joined the suppression force, Count Hurvis, was growing increasingly frustrated.
His patience had run thin.
Storming into Andrew's command tent, he exploded in anger.
"It's already been three days! Three days! Where the hell is our acting supre commander?!"
Andrew wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, clearly troubled.
"Uh... well, you see... he went out on a reconnaissance mission-"
"A reconnaissance mission?! You an to tell he took five hundred rcenaries with him and still hasn't returned?!" Hurvis was livid.
The army was starving-supply lines had dried up.
In truth, he wanted to resort to pillaging, but there was nothing left to loot in the surrounding areas.
And with such a massive force, relocating to another region without proper supplies was impossible.
Moving without provisions would be suicidal.
And it wasn't like Falkenheim's army wouldn't notice their supply shortage.
Fuming, Hurvis demanded, "Be honest with . Did that lunatic run away because things got too big for him to handle?!" Andrew nearly jumped in shock, waving his hands frantically.
"N-no! Absolutely not!"
"Then explain how soone who left on 'reconnaissance' still hasn't returned after all these days?!" "Uh... well..."
Hurvis narrowed his eyes as he watched Andrew struggle to answer.
The man was clearly hiding sothing.
"Spit it out. What's really going on?"
Andrew remained silent, closing his eyes and pressing his lips together.
Hurvis glanced around.
The tent was full of knights and soldiers.
"You lot. Leave us," he ordered firmly.
"But my lord-"
"I said, leave."
His n had no choice but to obey.
Once the tent was clear, Hurvis took a long sip of water before speaking again.
"Alright. Now tell . We're all in the sa boat, aren't we?"
Andrew remained quiet for a mont before letting out a deep sigh.
"...Fine. I'll tell you. The truth is... the acting supre commander didn't go on a reconnaissance mission." "What?"
"...He went to assassinate Marquis Falkenheim."
Hurvis's eyes widened in shock.
Had he heard that right?
Their commander had taken only five hundred rcenaries and gone off to assassinate one of the most powerful figures in the kingdom? Hurvis couldn't contain himself.
"You're telling -he used this entire army as bait and ran off on a suicide mission?!"
"Shhhh! Keep it down!"
Andrew waved his hands in panic.
Hurvis groaned, barely suppressing his outrage.
He could at least understand why their commander had done it.
Right now, Falkenheim's defenses were at their weakest.
Most of his forces-including his transcendents-were here on the frontlines.
But simply knowing that didn't an the plan would work.
"Falkenheim's territory is full of fortresses and checkpoints. Even if the acting supre commander is a transcendent, there's no way he and five hundred n can sneak past all of them," Hurvis argued.
"All it takes is for them to be spotted once, and word will spread. Falkenheim's army will send its fastest elite troops and transcendents to intercept him. If they reach him before he captures Falkenheim, this war is over. We have no other transcendents in the suppression force!" Andrew grimaced, looking more uncertain than ever.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
"I tried to talk him out of it... but he said he'd pulled off riskier missions against stronger opponents before. He said this was doable." "And who the hell in this kingdom is stronger than Falkenheim?!"
"Okay, okay, keep your voice down! He told not to worry and just hold the line to fool the enemy."
Hurvis rubbed his forehead.
It was true that Falkenheim's army was completely focused on containing the suppression force.
If Falkenheim was captured, his army would crumble imdiately.
But the chances of success were abysmal.
Hurvis muttered in frustration, "I must be crazy... I should have just stayed out of this. I thought this was the last chance to protect the royal family..."
He was one of the few nobles who still felt genuine loyalty to the royal family. That was why he had joined this war.
But now, he was beginning to feel nothing but despair.
If this gamble failed, it was all over.
Not only would they lose their only transcendent, but the suppression force would imdiately collapse.
Hurvis slumped in his seat, already picturing the disaster to co.
Sensing his distress, Andrew carefully spoke up.
"The enemy has no intention of settling this quickly. They're trying to drag the war out and grind us down. If this continues, we'll lose for sure." "...Are you telling there's actually a chance this insane plan might work?"
"Everything he's done so far has been insane. And yet, here we are."
"So, let's trust him just one last ti."
Hurvis sighed, rising to his feet.
Andrew's words hadn't convinced him, but there was nothing he could do to change what had already been set in motion.
If the plan failed, they had to figure out a way to hold the suppression force together.
"Fine. We'll pull back a little and reorganize our lines. We need to secure our supplies first."
The nobles were already growing uneasy.
With the acting supre commander missing, Hurvis would have to step up and lead.
Victory wouldn't co quickly.
As much as he hated it, their only option now was to hold the line and keep up the deception for as long as possible.
And so, in a heavy, uncertain atmosphere, the suppression force began to slowly retreat.
***
The vassals of Marquis Falkenheim were constantly on the move toward the frontlines.
They were just as desperate. The suppression force's montum was overwhelming, and they had to hurry and consolidate their strength.
If they lost this war, the Falkenheim faction would undoubtedly be wiped out.
But there was always soone who sought to pursue their own desires.
Count Valesant, a vassal of Marquis Falkenheim, had veered off the planned route and was up to sothing.
His army, numbering about three thousand, was primarily composed of infantry. Given that he had taken a detour, their advance was inevitably slow.
To make matters worse, Count Valesant had suddenly ordered his troops to set up camp midway. Then, for several days, he simply remained idle, refusing to move.
His impatient adjutant cautiously approached him.
"My lord, at this pace, we won't arrive in ti. Shouldn't we hurry and join the marquis's forces?"
Count Valesant remained silent for a long mont. Then, with an air of solemnity, he finally spoke.
"... Do you know this saying?"
"What saying, my lord?"
"Starting is half the battle."
"...Excuse ?"
"We've already set out for war. That ans we've begun. So, we've already accomplished half of it."
Faced with this bizarre logic, the adjutant swallowed hard and hesitantly asked,
"Then... shouldn't we keep moving and finish the other half?"
"Have you heard the saying, 'If you stay still, you still reach your destination'?"
"If we stay here, we'll have completed the other half as well. We've achieved our goal."
un
"Let's just stay put."
As the adjutant stood there, stunned into silence, Count Valesant suddenly shook him before turning his gaze to the sky.
"Hey. The suppression force numbers over a hundred thousand-a hundred thousand. Aren't you scared? Do you really think you can handle that?" "...I believe we also number over a hundred thousand."
"That's exactly why you should think about it. Imagine two massive armies clashing. A force like ours would just get ground to dust."
"But the suppression force is a rabble of conscripts. We might actually win with ease."
"And you think our side is any different? You really believe the marquis won't throw his vassals' troops to the front while keeping his own forces safe? That's just common sense. Hey, why are you acting so brave? What are you, so kind of legendary hero?"
""
"Forget it, forget it! I'm not going. I'll go later. If you're so eager, go ahead. Stand at the very front and fight."
"... Later, you say?"
"Yeah. If we take our ti, the battle will already be underway by the ti we arrive. With two massive armies clashing, it won't take long for a conclusion to be reached. We'll just wait and see how things unfold before stepping in."
"We might be held accountable for this later."
"Hey, if I say we took the wrong route and got delayed, what can they do? Do you really think we're the only ones stalling on purpose? I bet there are plenty of lords doing the sa thing."
""
The adjutant was at a loss for words. He had to admit-there were likely other nobles pulling the sa trick.
This war was filled with unpredictable factors, and the suppression force's sheer montum was enough to make many hesitate.
Count Valesant was a cautious man, always wary of risk.
When it ca to survival, his judgnt was impeccable.
The adjutant nodded in reluctant acceptance.
"Understood. Then, for now, we will remain here."
"Exactly. The soldiers will be happy to know they don't have to fight. There's no need to throw them into this ss."
"...That's true."
The adjutant smirked slightly. For all his cowardice, Count Valesant was not a cruel or tyrannical leader.
Though his deanor could be frivolous at tis, he cared about his n.
Just as the adjutant was about to leave, Valesant grabbed his arm.
"Make sure we keep watch. Tell the mages to extend their surveillance spells as far as they can, no matter how tiring it is. If anyone from the marquis's forces shows up, we need to pretend we're moving. We can put in at least that much effort, can't we?"
"Of course. The mages would rather do that than actually participate in battle."
Cautious people took extra precautions.
That was why they survived, even in chaotic tis like these.
And so, the Valesant forces remained idle.
Their only real concern was avoiding detection from the marquis or other nobles.
The mages did not spare their mana, using their spells to scan far and wide.
They, too, wanted nothing to do with the war.
Then-
"... Huh? What's that?"
One of the scouting mages suddenly spotted sothing unusual.
Without hesitation, he rushed to report it to Count Valesant.
Upon hearing the news, Valesant's eyes widened.
"What?! A military force is approaching at high speed?!"
"Yes! The force seems to be around five hundred strong, and they're all mounted!"
"Could it be the marquis's forces? Did they figure out we've been slacking off?"
"I can't say for sure... but they weren't carrying any banners, so I couldn't determine their allegiance. However, their outfits were far too
mismatched to belong to the marquis's army."
Valesant tilted his head in confusion.
"What? Then who are they? There shouldn't be any other armies in this area. This place is too far from the battlefield."
After pondering for a mont, his face suddenly lit up with realization.
"Ah-ha! They must be just like us! A group trying to avoid the war! They're probably deserters, running away just like we are!"
The people around him nodded in agreent.
It made sense.
This area was far removed from both the suppression force and the marquis's army.
It wasn't on a march route, a supply line, or even a scouting path.
Which ant-
The approaching force was likely a group of cowards like themselves.
Valesant burst into laughter. "Ah, finally, so kindred spirits! Let's give them a warm welco. Tell the n to stop slacking and form ranks. We need to make it look like
we're just taking a break from marching."
"What will you do when we et them?"
"What else? If they're also trying to avoid the war, we'll convince them to join us."
With a bright grin, Count Valesant straightened his posture and climbed onto his horse.
He couldn't afford to look too relaxed.
And so, his troops prepared to greet their unexpected guests.
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