Chapter 48
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48
Lucian and the Valdek family’s finest elites withdrew from the vanguard, following the First Prince’s orders.
As the thousand-strong elite force prepared to move to the rear, the atmosphere among the Allied Forces plummeted. They hadn't even begun the war in earnest yet, and seeing their own side bickering was a dismal sight.
‘And it’s even worse when the result is losing a reliable ally.’
Lucian felt the heavy, sinking mood and let out a bitter smile. There was a reason why the treatment of a defeated or incompetent general was usually deferred until after a campaign. No matter how justified the punishment, seeing one's own comrades fall or be cast aside inevitably drained morale.
Yet here they were, before a single battle had been fought, openly shunting aside an ally who had done nothing wrong.
‘This is a lost cause.’
It had been a difficult fight to win from the start, but if they had pushed themselves, they might have managed to advance and seize Bodium Castle. Looking at the current atmosphere, however, even that seemed unlikely now.
Lucian sought out Blasker, the head of the Flame School, to prepare for the worst.
“Master Blasker, are you in?”
“Ah, Lord Lucian. What brings you here?”
Blasker, who had been reading a thick tome, stood up immediately to greet him. Despite Lucian being young enough to be his grandson, Blasker was exceedingly polite, likely due to Lucian’s status as the Grand Duke’s proxy.
‘He’s skilled at navigating social dynamics. I suppose he’s not just some bookworm who only knows magic.’
Lucian’s eyes gleamed at this unexpected side of Blasker, but he bowed his head respectfully.
“Actually, I’ve come to ask a favor of you.”
“A favor? I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong person. I am merely the staff of the Imperial Family.”
Blasker frowned and shook his head. Regardless of his social grace, his expression made it clear he wanted nothing to do with politics. Lucian quickly added more context to prevent any misunderstanding.
“It’s nothing like that. There is something I would like you to do for the sake of the Commander-in-Chief, His Highness the First Prince, and the Imperial Family.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“The truth is...”
Lucian checked their surroundings, stepped closer to Blasker, and whispered softly. A moment later, Blasker’s eyes widened.
“Lord Lucian, that is insubordination!”
“Yes, I’m sure His Highness the First Prince would see it that way. That is why I came to you.”
“No matter how much your intentions lie with the greater cause, this isn't right. If things go wrong, I’ll be the one taking the fall.”
“But it is also a measure to prevent the worst-case scenario. I will take full responsibility, so I beg of you.”
“Ugh...”
Blasker groaned and agonized over the decision for a long time before finally nodding. He, too, felt that some form of insurance was necessary before the battle.
“I suppose it can’t be helped. If it comes down to it, I shall do as you ask.”
“Thank you for granting such an unreasonable request.”
“However, if nothing happens by the time we reach Bodium Castle, we will act as if this conversation never took place. If we’ve marched that far, your proposal will be meaningless anyway.”
“Of course.”
Lucian bowed deeply. He agreed verbally, but he knew this insurance would absolutely be used. In his past life, the First Prince had encountered several situations where he desperately needed such a safety net. As long as the Prince’s approach didn't change, the outcome was bound to be the same.
‘Well, it works out for me.’
The more foolish the First Prince’s choices, the more Lucian—who had prepared for them—would shine. To Lucian, as long as the First Prince stayed alive, nothing else about the man mattered.
“You shall remain near the Horsen River and prepare for any contingencies.”
The First Prince, Claude, sent Lucian to the rear with a curt command. He likely thought he was adding a sense of legitimacy to the order, but there wasn't a single soldier who didn't realize it was born of a simple grudge.
The lords who understood the situation clearly were utterly flabbergasted.
‘Contingencies, my foot. What kind of contingency is there at the very edge of the border?’
‘He could have at least had them follow at a distance to guard the rear.’
The lords fumed inwardly but didn't dare speak out. Since they hadn't lost a battle yet, Claude’s authority remained intact. Claude, finally rid of Lucian and the Second Prince, Cedric, smiled as if he could finally breathe.
“Now, let us head to the next village. They may have destroyed the wells there as well, but I hear there is a stream nearby, so obtaining drinking water shouldn't be difficult.”
“You are quite right, Your Highness.”
Marquis Bernhardt chimed in with Claude’s words but clicked his tongue inwardly. Where did the Prince get the confidence that people who destroy wells would leave a stream untouched? However, it was true they needed to check the water source quickly, so he followed without a word.
Before long, the Allied Forces arrived at the next village, only to sigh at its state.
“They’ve done a thorough job of smashing everything. Even the inside of the well is a mess.”
“We can’t even scavenge a single plank of wood at this rate.”
Since the presence of their assassins had been discovered, Krepelt seemed to have changed their strategy to total scorched-earth destruction. It was as if they were saying they would stop pretending and focus entirely on harassment since their ruse no longer worked.
“Is this not exactly what we expected? Let us go to the stream.”
Claude snorted as if it were no big deal and commanded the lords. His attitude suggested that as long as the stream was fine, everything else would be resolved. The lords followed him, though their anxiety grew.
‘It’s obviously going to be ruined. It wasn't even that large of a stream to begin with.’
‘If even the stream is a mess, things are going to get serious.’
Everyone had long since abandoned the hope that the water source would be intact. Now, they were only worried about how Claude would react when his expectations were betrayed.
And so, after another day of travel, the Allied Forces reached the stream.
“The flow has decreased because they blocked part of the waterway, but it isn't contaminated! It looks like we can use it for drinking water!”
“...!?”
The lords looked at each other in disbelief at the unexpected report. The people who had been so thorough in their destruction had only lightly tampered with the stream and left it?
Before the question of why could even be raised, Claude spoke with a triumphant face.
“They must have run out of time because of our rapid advance. It seems our quick discovery and handling of their assassins threw off their calculations.”
“Is that so?”
“What else could it be? Now, let us quickly clear the waterway they blocked. Everyone must be thirsty from rationing water lately; let them drink their fill.”
The lords nodded, albeit with lingering hesitation. It felt strange, but his logic wasn't entirely flawed.
‘...But wasn't the person who actually saw through the assassins sent to the rear? I don't know why he’s strutting around as if it were his own achievement.’
Swallowing thoughts they couldn't voice, the soldiers began clearing the blocked waterway in unison. As they moved boulders and stone fragments, the weakened stream began to return to its original flow.
As the work neared completion, Blasker spoke up with a troubled expression.
“Your Highness, something is strange.”
“Strange? What do you mean?”
“This stream is not of a scale that they would stop destroying it just because they lacked time. To me, it looks like they damaged it just enough to keep the Allied Forces pinned here.”
“You worry too much. Even if they keep us here in such an open area, what could they possibly do? Launch an ambush? Set a fire?”
Claude snorted and gestured to their surroundings. There was a small forest some distance away, but it was far enough that they would have plenty of time to notice and prepare for an ambush. Even if a fire was set, the area was open enough to escape in any direction, and being by a stream meant the fire wouldn't spread easily.
Blasker conceded the point but couldn't shake the sense of unease.
‘The terrain is certainly unsuitable for military action. But if the enemy hired a Black Mage, an unexpected attack could fly in from a distance... Wait, magic? Water?’
Suddenly, things began to connect in Blasker’s mind. There was an element that was particularly effective against a large number of enemies when they were near water.
As he pondered, a dark shadow suddenly fell over them.
Rumble.
“It was clear just a moment ago. Why the thunder?”
“Is it going to rain?”
At the sudden sound of thunder and the murmuring of the soldiers, Blasker turned pale. He looked up at the sky, and sure enough, unnatural dark clouds filled the air directly above the Allied Forces.
“Are they insane...!”
Just as Blasker, horrified, instinctively began to form a hand seal—
CRACK-BOOM!
With a blinding flash, blue lightning struck the area where the Allied Forces were gathered.
“Phew!”
Colin let out a long sigh, feeling the fatigue from using large-scale magic for the first time in a while. The sensation of his entire body’s mana being depleted was as unpleasant as ever, but the sense of accomplishment outweighed it. He had just seen those idiots who usually looked down on mages standing there with their mouths agape.
“I’ve done my part. The rest is up to you.”
“U-Uh, yes.”
The Krepelt commander nodded with a stunned expression. It seemed he was genuinely shocked after seeing the true power of magic, despite having ridiculed Colin until now.
“Great work. With this level of skill, the position of Court Mage of Krepelt would be...”
“I’ve told you repeatedly, gold is enough. Stop talking nonsense and launch the attack.”
The commander frowned for a moment, but realizing it wasn't the time for an argument, he turned to his soldiers and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Attack! Show those Imperial bastards the strength of Krepelt!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
At the command to attack, the Krepelt soldiers, their morale at an all-time high, surged out of the forest. While their quality and numbers were inferior to the Imperial Allied Forces, they were more than enough to sweep through an army currently reeling from a sudden lightning strike.
“We shall speak again later! Wait for us!”
The commander shouted to Colin just before charging out, but Colin only snorted. It was obvious they would be overwhelmed by the power of his magic and beg him to work for Krepelt. To Colin, it was a laughable proposition.
‘Do you think I’m crazy? To work with people like you who broke the Grand Accord.’
The fact that they had changed their tune after mocking him until the very moment he used magic was galling enough, but even putting that aside, Krepelt had no future. Surely, against the weakened Empire, they might win this war and achieve independence. The problem was what came after.
‘Now that the Grand Accord is broken, chaos will ensue. And all that resentment will be directed at you lot who started it all. To think you’re dreaming of a rosy future without knowing such an obvious fact.’
Had they dreamed of freedom so much that they hadn't even considered what would happen after they were free? If so, it was pathetic. Their future of crumbling before they could even properly enjoy the freedom they gained was clear as day.
‘Well, it’s none of my business. I just need to take what’s mine and get out.’
Colin finished his thought and looked toward the stream where his magic had struck. The damage was significant, but even amidst the chaos, the area where the commanders were gathered remained intact. It seemed they had managed to create a mana shield in that short time to deflect the lightning.
“That old man from the Flame School is quite something. His reputation isn't entirely for show.”
Still, having taken a lightning strike head-on, he wouldn't be able to use large-scale magic for a while. And even if he could, the nature of fire magic made it useless in a chaotic melee where friend and foe were entangled. He would risk incinerating his own allies.
‘No matter how hard that old man tries, this war will end in Krepelt’s victory. I’ll just sit back and enjoy the show... Hm?’
Whistle— Pop! Pop!
Colin narrowed his eyes at the colorful sparks suddenly filling the sky. No matter how he looked at it, that wasn't combat magic; it was entertainment magic that only looked pretty. At most, it would be used for signaling, but why use such magic now?
“Wait, could it be...!”
Pop! Pop!
“Third Young Master, it’s the signal!”
“As expected.”
Lucian chuckled at the colorful fireworks painting the sky. Sure enough, the contact came from the exact spot he had anticipated. The fact that Blasker had fired those signal flares meant that the First Prince was in danger.
At the same time, it meant the opportunity to make Lucian’s name known had arrived.
“Lord Lucian, our deal...”
“I haven't forgotten, of course. You shall stand at the vanguard and rescue His Highness the First Prince. However, the banner we fly will be that of House Valdek.”
“Thank you.”
Second Prince Cedric bowed his head slightly, satisfied with Lucian’s answer. Lucian would lead the army, and Cedric would be the one to rescue the First Prince at the vanguard. Their agreement was to share the battlefield fame and the Emperor’s trust.
“There is no need for thanks. I will be sure to collect a steep price later for sharing the merit that was entirely mine.”
“That sounds intimidating. But you aren't wrong.”
Cedric nodded, even as he let out a bitter smile. In reality, if Lucian put his mind to it, he could have excluded Cedric and monopolized the glory right now. The reason he was sharing it was likely to put Cedric in his debt. It was certain he would have to pay a high price later, but he had no choice if he wanted to get what he desired right now.
“I give you my word as a Prince that the debt will be paid in full. I have a feeling this won't be our last deal.”
“What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing.”
Lucian smiled at Cedric and turned around. The thousand elites of House Valdek, fully prepared for battle, were waiting for Lucian’s command.
“March!”
As soon as Lucian’s order was given, the thousand-strong force began to move. It was the moment history began to veer in a different direction from his past life.