Chapter 85: The Second Variable (1)

Steven introduced a soldier.

“He is a local of this area. He has a perfect grasp of the surrounding geography, so he will be useful as a guide.”

“My name is Kobu.”

The soldier had a dark complexion.

Roman acknowledged Kobu’s introduction and then moved to the command room, which had lost its owner, and spread out a map on the table.

Rustle.

“This is a map of the southern front. What is the fastest route to the rear base?”

“...The rear base, you say?”

Kobu’s eyes widened.

According to Steven’s explanation, Roman needed his help to assist another defensive line. If that was the case, the destination should be a defensive line, so Kobu’s reaction was one of confusion when the rear base was suddenly mentioned.

There was no need to explain the reason.

However, to encourage active cooperation, Roman shared his thoughts.

“I don’t think the defensive lines on the southern front will hold for long. Even if we move quickly, one of them will inevitably fall and be breached. In such a situation, the probability of us being isolated in a defensive line is high. Therefore, I plan to move to the rear base first. After joining forces with the troops at the rear base, we will assess the situation at the defensive lines and respond flexibly accordingly.”

“...Ah!”

Kobu couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

It was a practical judgment.

As Roman had said.

With the limited number of troops, it was impossible to resolve all the threats on the southern front.

Kobu’s gaze turned to the map.

While searching for the fastest route to the rear base, he pointed to a path and said,

“I think this route is the best. If we follow this road, we can arrive in as little as 3 hours.”

Among the many routes to the rear base,

this was the safest way to travel.

However,

Roman shook his head.

“No. We don’t have the luxury to pursue a safe route. What we need now is time, and to shorten the arrival time, we must endure difficulties such as steep slopes and obstacles.”

“Hmm, then how about this route?”

It was a path that circled around the mountain.

The terrain was much more rugged than the first proposed route, but instead of continuously climbing, it allowed for a quick arrival by crossing the mountain.

While the first route took 3 hours, this one took 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Roman thought this would elicit a positive response, but there was no sign of satisfaction on his face.

“According to my knowledge, it takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes for an average person to travel this route. That’s not enough. My soldiers can maintain a fast speed in any terrain. Therefore, we need a shortcut that can get us to the rear base within 2 hours, considering our level.”

At that moment,

Kobu felt a strange sensation.

‘...Huh?’

Two suggestions.

Two responses.

Given Roman’s perfect grasp of the routes, Kobu looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

* * *

The first route.

Even if one wasn’t a local of the south, it was clear.

The map clearly showed it was flat terrain, and it was reasonable for Roman to demand a faster route.

However,

the second route was different.

‘How do you know that the path around the mountain takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes? That’s not just a guess. You were clearly confident in your calculation, which means you have a good understanding of the geography of the southern front. So why did you choose me as a guide?’

He was puzzled.

The man in front of him.

Roman Demetri. Kobu was curious about what he was thinking.

“...I didn’t know you knew the routes so well.”

He asked indirectly.

Why did he call for him if he knew the routes so well?

In response to this probing question, Roman, without taking his eyes off the map, said calmly,

“I was assigned to the southern front and investigated this area for a while. I studied the battlefield where I would live for two years, the terrain, and the landscape, preparing for any possible situation. I don’t claim to have a perfect understanding, but I have a good grasp of the basic information that others would know.”

After receiving information from Valhalla,

Roman ordered Lucas to investigate the southern front.

It wasn’t just to confirm the signals of war.

He assessed the current situation of the southern front and the various routes leading to each defensive line in preparation for a possible war.

When the 5th defensive line was attacked,

Roman arrived at the battlefield in about an hour.

People thought he had traveled the 2-hour route at full speed, but the truth was that he used a shortcut in his mind.

And recently,

he received information from MacBurney.

It was more detailed than what Lucas provided, and thanks to it, he knew the routes of the southern front as well as a local.

In response to Roman’s answer,

Kobu was even more confused.

If he was this knowledgeable, it didn’t seem like he still needed his help.

“When you received my call from Steven, you probably thought I was ignorant of the southern front.”

“No, no, that’s not true.”

“There’s no need to be flustered. It’s normal to think that way. I told Steven I needed someone knowledgeable about the southern front because the information I received through documents might differ from reality. The information I confirmed said the second route would take 2 hours and 30 minutes. But what if the weather is bad or there’s a problem with the road recently? That’s a realm where real-world knowledge is needed, which can’t be known from documents. That’s why I need your help. I wanted to verify the information I provided and thought you might know special routes that outsiders wouldn’t know. Is this explanation sufficient?”

“Yes?! I, I understand sufficiently.”

Kobu stammered.

It felt like his thoughts had been read.

Roman knew why Kobu had asked and wanted to resolve his doubts to get perfect assistance.

Roman seemed different now.

Many nobles had been assigned to the southern front, but Roman was the first of his kind.

‘Unlike the nobles who come to the southern front for a comfortable life, this person is truly prepared for war. If I help this person achieve his goals, there will surely be hope for the southern front.’

He was confident.

Kobu examined the map.

Then, he pointed to a spot and said,

“If you are confident in moving quickly regardless of the terrain, I can confidently say this is the best route. It’s a path I used secretly with my village friends since childhood. By cutting through the dense undergrowth, it’s possible to reach the rear base in 2 hours. However, you must be very careful. If you slip even a little, you might fall off the steep cliff.”

That was

the type of answer Roman had been waiting for, signaling the end of the meeting.

* * *

Exactly 10 minutes.

The meeting didn’t take long.

When Roman left the command room, his soldiers had already finished preparing and were lined up.

“Chris and 30 others. We are ready.”

Sharp.

It was a knife-like response.

However,

next to the well-prepared soldiers, there was an unwelcome face.

“Henry Albert and 50 others. We are ready.”

It was Henry.

He observed Chris’s movements and then mimicked them.

Of course, there was a significant difference in their demeanor, but Henry tried to show a serious expression.

Roman asked,

“Why are you here?”

Henry’s presence

was unwelcome.

Having more troops was good, but in a time-sensitive situation, the ragtag group following Henry was of no help.

Moreover, there was no need to explain the behavior of Henry Albert, who had caused trouble during their first meeting.

Henry knew this but couldn’t tell the truth.

‘If I say I’m trying to get close to the future power in the Demetri family, he’ll tell me to get lost immediately.’

That was Henry’s true intention.

He stiffened his expression.

What he needed now was appropriate acting.

“First, I apologize for my previous mistake. The reason I want to follow Roman is that I am also a citizen of Cairo. Hector Kingdom has declared war. In a situation where innocent people are dying, I believe I should contribute as a noble of Cairo. Please give me the order. I will do my best to help with my life on the line.”

He raised his voice.

As if speaking of noblesse oblige.

He proudly puffed out his chest.

Truly,

a ridiculous scene.

Roman knew that Henry Albert would never move without a purpose.

Roman said,

“Following me is your choice. However, I won’t give you any orders, and whether you can keep up is up to your ability. I will make one thing clear. If you hinder my plans in any way, I will cut the chain that holds you back and move forward.”

It was a chilling warning.

With that,

Roman turned sharply.

“Chris.”

“Yes.”

The soldiers following Roman.

It was time to set off.

* * *

Despite Roman’s warning,

Henry followed Roman.

However,

he quickly fell out of sight.

With his poor physical condition, he couldn’t even keep up on flat ground, let alone on a shortcut with steep slopes.

No special words were needed during the journey.

Roman and Kobu led the way, and they moved quickly following Kobu’s guidance.

Rustle.

They pushed through the dense undergrowth.

It was clearly not a regular path.

A path that people didn’t usually take, and without Kobu’s help, they wouldn’t have known such a path existed.

How long had they traveled?

During the journey, they heard a strange sound.

“...Ugh.”

It was a human groan.

Roman stopped the soldiers.

The sound came from a distance from the shortcut, but he judged it necessary to identify the source of the groan.

“Huh?”

“It’s a soldier from the southern training camp.”

Roman’s soldiers immediately recognized him.

Intense training.

One of the soldiers who had been controlling the training under MacBurney’s orders.

However,

the soldier’s condition was terrible.

His clothes were soaked in blood, and his pale face looked like that of a dying person.

Roman quickly ran over.

After checking the soldier’s condition, he attempted basic first aid and poured a potion on the serious wounds.

However,

it was too late.

Seeing the dying soldier, Roman asked,

“What happened?”

The soldier looked up at Roman with blurred eyes.

A moment of clarity.

His eyes focused.

Upon recognizing Roman, he spoke with a desperate voice.

“S, the southern training camp was a, attacked. P, please help. Please...!”

With those words,

his body slumped.

After struggling to utter his last words, he accepted death.

‘The southern training camp was attacked?’

It was an unexpected situation.

The southern training camp.

Closer to the rear base than the front defensive lines.

Yet, it had been attacked.

Before Roman left the 5th defensive line, he hadn’t heard of any other defensive lines being breached.

‘Judging by the fact that the soldier from the southern training camp fled here, the attack must have occurred at least 30 minutes ago.

This means the result is independent of whether the defensive lines held.

Hector Kingdom must have attacked the five defensive lines simultaneously while moving a highly mobile unit to carry out the attack.’

Why did they execute such a plan?

It didn’t make sense in terms of timing, and their intentions were unclear.

At that moment,

a possibility occurred to Roman.

‘If my guess is correct, the southern front might have less time than I thought.’

Hector Kingdom.

They didn’t attack recklessly.

They had made a thorough preparation before launching this attack.

Roman stood up.

“Let’s head to the southern training camp first.”

“Understood.”

Now,

the priority was to assist the southern training camp.