“Everyone, at ease. General Günes, let’s begin the council,”
Elisabeth said, taking her seat.
General Günes nodded. “First, an update on our current situation. Captain Ledre?”
General Günes asks Ledre, the captain of the thousand, to give his report.
“Yes, we have reports of about 500 demons in Count Graham’s territory. Similarly, in the southern region of Flamme, there are also around 500 demons. It is estimated that there are a total of 1,000 demons within our borders,”
Captain Ledre reported, placing markers representing the demon army on the map spread across the table.
Nodding at Ledre’s report, Elisabeth asked,
“What is Count Graham’s response?”
“Initially, he sent a subjugation force, but as you predicted, the demons scattered and evaded capture. When attempting to encircle them, the demons regrouped and broke through the weaker points, causing increased damage,” Ledre explained.
Elisabeth frowned when she heard the report.
The demon army had chosen the most troublesome tactics, operating like well-coordinated bandits.
“And what did Count Graham do next?” Elisabeth inquired.
“Count Graham has abandoned the idea of direct subjugation and is dispersing his troops to minimize damage,”
“A prudent move. What about Romelia?”
Elisabeth asked the crucial question.
According to the latest information, when the demons appeared, Romelia had already disbanded her allied forces and was returning to Cashew with her knights.
Learning of the demons in Count Graham’s territory, she diverted her 1,000 knights to engage them.
“Romelia’s knights attempted to engage the demons but failed to capture them. However—”
“Go on,”
Elisabeth urged.
“After failing to capture the demons, Romelia split her forces, using most of them to defend surrounding villages and towns. She is now leading a force of about 300 to pursue the demons,”
Both Elisabeth and General Günes were taken aback by Romelia’s bold move.
“Is that true? Impossible. The demon army numbers 500. They’ll be annihilated,”
General Günes doubted and shook his head at Geldova’s outrageous action.
“Yes, indeed. After the initial pursuit, Romelia’s forces were attacked and are now being pursued into the forest of Balad, south of Graham’s territory,”
Ledre continued, placing a white marker for Romelia’s knights and a black marker for the demon army on the map.
“Romelia doesn’t understand tactics,”
General Günes scoffed.
“Your Majesty, should we hasten our march?”
General Günes looked to Elisabeth, as did the other captains.
Rushing might allow them to rescue Romelia in time, but delaying could result in her defeat by the demons.
Elisabeth knew they underestimated Romelia.
“No, we should hurry. We must arrive before Romelia defeats the demons, or our campaign will be in vain.”
“Romelia’s knights will defeat the demons?”
General Günes was puzzled and tilted his head at Elisabeth’s words..
“Romelia is deliberately leading the demons. Normally, they scatter when pursued, but now they are gathered and chasing her,”
Elisabeth explained, and realization dawned on the officers.
“Romelia’s dispersed forces are likely regrouping and will attack the demons from behind. Count Graham’s troops are probably setting up an ambush as well. The demons are being lured into a trap,” Elisabeth concluded.
Hearing Elisabeth’s explanation the captains roar.
“Does Romelia have such strategic insight?” General Günes was surprised.
“That’s how she thinks,”
Elisabeth reminisced about Romelia’s past during their journey to subdue the demon king.
Romelia always sought the most efficient and feasible methods, acting boldly and rationally, especially in dire situations. Her actions are bold and rational. The more dire the situation becomes, the more boldly she acts. That is Romelia. She will probably wait for the Demon Lord’s army in the Semedo Wilderness, and then she will flank it.
“We must catch up before Romelia defeats the demons. I will ride as well,”
Elisabeth declared.
Though her officers protested, Elisabeth insisted, and a forced march was decided.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
In the forest of Balad, south of Count Graham’s territory, a column of cavalry bearing the lily emblem advanced.
As I rode my horse, I sighed softly.
“Are you tired, Lady Romelia?”
Ray, clad in sky-blue armor, asked from my right.
“With constant attacks, we haven’t had much rest, Captain Romelia,”
Al, in his fiery red armor, spoke from my left.
I was indeed weary.
After successfully eliminating the demon threat in our lands, we were returning to Cashew. Just when we thought we could finally rest, the demons appeared in Count Graham’s territory, and we had to divert to subdue them. I, together with the members of the Cashew garrison who had returned with me, set out to defeat the Demon Lord’s army.
However, now they were under enemy counterattack, fleeing with three hundred cavalrymen. It had been two days since the Demon King’s army began their pursuit. They were running low on food and had little opportunity to rest.
But my fatigue wasn’t just from the pressure of the pursuing Demon King’s army.
“Al, Ray. Isn’t that a bit too close? Give me some space.”
I looked at Al and Ray, who were running alongside me. They were so close I could hear their breathing, and the closeness felt suffocating.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t follow that order, Captain Rome.”
“Even if it’s an order from Lady Romelia, we won’t move further away.”
Al and Ray were resolute in ignoring my command.
“If only you’d left more troops with us, we wouldn’t have to be so cautious.”
“Exactly. If only you’d positioned the Rome squad closer.”
Al and Ray criticized my decisions.
Indeed, the number of troops at my disposal was small, with only Al and Ray from the Rome squad left by my side. We were more vulnerable than ever, but this was the right call.
“We had no choice. If we appeared as a large force, the enemy would flee. Prolonging the chase would only increase our losses. We have to draw them out with a small group and ambush the pursuing Demon King’s army. For that, we need to bolster Gran and his team, who are leading the separate unit.”
I explained the strategy against the Demon King’s army.
We’d engage the enemy, pretend to lose, and retreat, drawing the Demon King’s army out. Then, we’d ambush them with Gran’s unit from behind. This was my plan. To ensure a complete annihilation, it was essential to concentrate our forces in the separate unit behind the enemy.
“You’ve sent a letter to Count Graham, asking him to mobilize troops from various cities to set up a siege, right? We don’t need to push ourselves too hard.”
“Yes, I sent Teacher Velli and Teacher Quins to my father, requesting they establish a siege. But the Demon King’s army that appeared this time is an elite unit that infiltrated with a small number of troops. It’s not going to be easy.”
Ray said we didn’t need to push ourselves, but this enemy was our responsibility to handle.
“A brilliant tactical mind, but you’d be an idiot if you died with it.”
Al made a sarcastic remark. Indeed, if we pretended to flee and actually lost, we’d be nothing but fools.
“I’m not planning to die—”
I started to say, but then I noticed movement in the treetops ahead. A soldier from the Demon King’s army appeared, drawing a bow and releasing an arrow.
The arrow flew straight at me, so close I could see the shape of the arrowhead.
But before it could hit, a flash of silver light sliced through the air.
I glanced to my right and saw Ray, who had drawn his sword at some point. His blade moved too quickly to follow, and the wind pressure that followed ruffled my bangs.
“Enemy attack!”
Al, on my left, warned while throwing a spear. The spear struck the demon in the tree, piercing its abdomen.
At Al’s warning, the soldiers readied themselves for combat. Almost simultaneously, more soldiers from the Demon King’s army emerged from the forest. There were four of them, all aiming their blades at me.
“Not so fast!”
Al swung his sword, cutting down a soldier, while Ray defended me, keeping the enemies at bay.
The small number of enemies were swiftly defeated, with no casualties on our side.
“They’re definitely targeting Captain Rome,”
Al said, wiping blood off his sword and looking down at the fallen demon.
“And this is the third time today. Isn’t this too many for mere harassment?”
Ray also noted the frequent attacks.
Indeed, we had been engaged several times in the past two days since the pursuit began. While we had anticipated some attacks to delay our movement, the frequency was excessive. It seemed less like harassment and more like assassins sent specifically for me. Apparently, I was quite the target in the Demon King’s army.
“They’ve given us more reasons to pursue them. Let’s consider it an advantage.”
My words made Al and Ray frown.
“Lady Romelia.”
I turned to see three soldiers approaching from behind. It was Shloh, Rhett, and Meryl.
“Shloh, how’s the rear?”
I asked Shloh, who had been scouting the rear.
“Yes, the Demon King’s army is closing in. At this rate, they’ll catch up by noon today.”
Shloh’s report confirmed my suspicions. The Demon King’s army was determined to kill me.
This posed a slight problem. According to the plan, we were supposed to draw them in for one more day. Gran’s unit needed more time to catch up, and the siege my father was setting up wasn’t ready yet.
“I heard we were attacked again. Perhaps we should also focus on the front.”
Meryl suggested shifting the focus to the front instead of the rear.
“No, I need you to stay at the rear. Whether the enemy catches up or not is crucial.”
I shook my head and decided not to send Meryl’s group to the front. Al and Ray, who prioritized my safety, didn’t argue with this decision.
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