Chapter 76: Counterattack (1)

Duke Rurik brought twelve thousand troops. Now our forces numbered twenty-five thousand, the same as the Third Prince's.

It's only half of the First Prince's and about ten thousand less than the Second Prince's, but this is enough.

What's important is that I can participate in a battle where I can achieve military merit.

And there's Duke Rurik's wisdom.

I don't know how the war between the West and the Empire has been going. We're still before the start of the game.

While preparing for the war, I studied various books, but since I lack experience, there will be limits.

Duke Rurik was a pretty decent character in the game. He and Emmit will play the role of the brains.

While marching quickly, Erendil signaled me to come over.

"What were you about to say earlier?"

Did I have something to say? As I tried to recall, the princess spoke again.

"You mean the reason. You followed my words, but I was curious about why you thought that way. It was just my intuition."

"Oh."

I immediately understood. I was a bit surprised that she didn't ask for the reason.

Perhaps she wanted to show me her trust. It was her intuition, after all.

"Without the Duke's help, we wouldn't achieve any results in battle anyway. To be frank, the Prince's prestige will be damaged after the war."

Erendil listened silently.

"Even if waiting for the Duke turns out to be in vain, the Prince's prestige will still be damaged, but the outcome will be the same."

"So you suggested waiting to see if the results would be similar."

"Yes."

In any case, if the Duke hadn't come, it probably wouldn't have been mentioned much after the war.

Erendil tilted his head.

"I wonder if it was necessary to wait. If the Duke was just a bit late, wouldn't it have been better to leave with the main force?"

There were several reasons, so it was a bit complicated to explain right away. I chose my words carefully.

"We also had to consider the situation if the Duke didn't come. To avoid putting pressure on us."

"Even without a reply, the fact that you waited for the Duke would put pressure on us?"

"Yes."

"Couldn't it also be seen as foolish? You said you were watching me."

That's not wrong, but since it was Duke Rurik, it would never happen.

He values integrity.

"He's not that kind of person. Knowing our situation, he would interpret it as the Prince desperately wanting the Duke's help."

"Hmm."

Erendil didn't look convinced. Well, it can be interpreted in various ways, so it can't be helped.

That's just what I thought.

"Also, I thought that meeting the Duke after waiting would leave a good impression."

"Yes. The Duke was indeed surprised."

"Lastly, I thought it might have been a test by Duke Rurik."

"A test of waiting for him?"

The princess looked puzzled.

"If it was a test, he would have observed what choice the Prince would make without his support."

A princess without troops.

Like the First Prince's coercion, there was a way to attach to someone and secure some military merit.

Actually, if you were willing to use the soldiers as expendable pawns, it wasn't a bad idea.

At least you could secure some military merit.

In other words, it was a speculation that the Duke wanted to see what choice the princess would make in the face of urgency.

If she had made such a choice, even if the Duke joined, he might have attached to the main force rather than Erendil.

"Yes. That could have been the case."

Erendil, who heard the explanation, looked a bit displeased. I understood.

It was a test rather than just watching.

"You should ask the Duke about the reason for the delay."

Since he's already here to help, is it really necessary? Hmm, should I stop her?

Erendil isn't foolish, so the conversation might actually make the Duke view Erendil more favorably.

Just the fact that she deduced these things from our conversation would be enough.

The march continued at a brisk pace. There was no more conversation.

Fortunately, we joined the main force before dinner.

The doubled number of troops. The looks of everyone who saw us were filled with surprise.

"…How…?"

The princes' wide-eyed shock was quite amusing.

There was also a hint of inferiority in their faces, seeing that Duke Rurik, who had rejected their offers, had joined the princess.

Erendil walked with her usual calm demeanor. Only Ruedern welcomed us with a slightly complex expression.

Seeing that, I was sure my guess was right. There must have been pressure from the Emperor.

"Your Grace, you finally came."

"Yes. I'm not the type to wait at the rear."

"Welcome. Are you under the command of the Princess?"

"Yes. Since she extended the invitation."

Ruedern nodded and looked at the princess with renewed interest. There was surprise in his eyes.

It was a positive sign. If I could win Ruedern's favor, it would be a good thing. I smiled inwardly.

* * *

"Do you like this kind of thing, Sir?"

"I used to do it a lot during my mercenary days."

The soldiers' morale was high. The Duke's arrival played a significant role. Their attitude towards me was also positive.

Thanks to the previous suppression mission, my image among the Imperial soldiers was quite good.

"Sir Karl Schurtaffen, the Princess requests your presence."

After checking the troops post-dinner, I received the princess's summons. On my way, I met Duke Rurik.

He seemed to have been summoned by Erendil as well. Our eyes met, and I nodded slightly.

"Thank you for coming."

"I promised to watch, didn't I? To watch, I need to be close."

The Duke smiled faintly.

"Rather, I'm grateful. It's been a while since I've seen a healthy younger sister…"

"I'm glad."

We met in front of the tent, so the conversation ended there. Inside, only Erendil was present.

After exchanging greetings, Erendil got straight to the point.

"Duke."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Can you tell me the reason for the delay in your response?"

"Of course."

I had been watching, but the Duke's face showed no change.

"When the Emperor gave me the freedom to choose, he seemed to hope I wouldn't participate. I pondered which would be more beneficial for the Empire."

"Are you talking about the soldiers who would perish in the war and the benefits the Empire would gain if you didn't participate?"

I was a bit worried, but fortunately, Erendil saw through the dilemma.

"Yes. I was deeply troubled. The Emperor also offered me something…"

Was there something specific? Anyway, it seemed he was following his own will.

"However, the soldiers are also part of the Empire. I judged that even a small contribution from me on the battlefield would be better."

"I understand. You don't need to feel guilty towards the Princess in the future."

"Thank you."

The Duke bowed briefly and then asked the princess.

"May I ask why you waited for me, Your Highness?"

"As I said, I felt the Duke would come."

The Duke was momentarily speechless. He seemed flustered. Perhaps he didn't think there was no reason at all.

Erendil chuckled.

"And Schurtaffen said the same thing."

"Sir Karl?"

"Yes."

"Was it really because of that?"

"At least that's what I thought."

The princess shrugged.

"But Schurtaffen had his reasons. I trusted Schurtaffen, so I decided to wait."

"What were those reasons…?"

"He said there was no downside."

I couldn't help but be surprised. Erendil had repeated what I had said without any omissions.

He could have just said he thought it himself, but he passed on what I had said.

Throughout the conversation, the Duke kept glancing at me. He seemed more interested than annoyed.

"What do you think? Isn't he quite wise?"

"Yes. I had the same impression when we talked before, but it's unbelievable for someone so young."

I just lowered my eyes at the praise in front of everyone. Rurik smiled.

"Also, I realized how wise the Princess is."

"Me?"

"It was a small humiliation. In such a situation, almost no one would take the same action as the Princess. The princes certainly wouldn't."

"I'm not sure about being wise, but I agree with you about my brother. He would have just shown displeasure."

"Recognizing wisdom is also a sign of wisdom. Wise people tend to stay under wise leaders."

The princess waved her hand, as if to say not to flatter her. I thought the situation was going well.

By mentioning what I had said, the princess seemed like a good person.

The Duke glanced at me with a positive look. I nodded slightly in return.

"That's all for my questions. Let's discuss the details now. Schurtaffen."

"Yes."

I stepped out of the tent and called Emmit and the two bodyguards. We were going to discuss the battlefield.

It was a necessary process with the two forces merging. Command authority was also a part of it.

Since the princess was inexperienced in war, the practical work would be done by our side. The same applied to the princes' side.

"About 170,000 to 210,000. We have more numbers, but it's not a significant difference, so it won't be an easy battle."

Duke Rurik started the discussion.

"I'm curious how you think the battle should be fought."

Erendil's bodyguards were ready to answer.

"We need to target the core."

There must be a reason why the Empire didn't deploy all its forces in this war.

Based on my speculation, it was to prevent potential rebellions within the Empire and to deal with the duplicity of the opposing army.

"The enemy consists of the most battle-hardened soldiers on the continent, but their army lacks organization."

Rohalak's unification of the West involved the armies of various kingdoms.

Even the unified armies were forced into it. The West's concern was the potential for division at any moment.

"Striking the core and collapsing the command center will cause them to lose control and disintegrate."

Rohalak's unification of the West was one-sided. However, a battlefield where Rohalak was defeated would look different.

A region that had been a collection of minor kingdoms for centuries. In a collapsing battlefield, there wouldn't be many who would fight to the death.

In contrast, the Empire is perfect in this aspect. They treat their soldiers with the utmost respect.

The Empire is the only one on the continent that ensures the families of fallen soldiers live a peaceful life.

The strong loyalty of the Empire's soldiers is not without reason.

"That's a good idea, considering you have no war experience."

The Duke and Emmit looked at me with slightly surprised eyes. At that moment, I sensed a commotion through the wind.

A person, panting heavily, asked for the location of the commander-in-chief and ran towards where Ruedern was.

Ruedern's area was a place where the wind didn't pass.

What's going on? Not knowing Ruedern's location means the person is from outside.

Could the West have launched a preemptive attack? That was the only thing that came to mind.

There was definitely a set date… Something unusual must have happened.