Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: The Genius of Defeat
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Two horses, their black and white manes streaming, galloped across the lands of Marquis Yoke.
‘Give your heart to the heir of Black, and return his affections.’
‘Please, for my sake, lend me your strength, Lady Sephia.’
When Dale had said those words, Sephia had nodded with her usual kind and gentle smile. As a master caring for her disciple, and as an elven sorceress who understood Dale's world.
It was a kindness that seemed to embody the very benevolence of a goddess.
But now he understood. The crystal necklace jingling in his pocket, the truth Mistress Titania had revealed. The absolute love she showed him was not, strictly speaking, her own will. Not a single bit of it, from the very beginning.
Dale quietly bit his lip.
“What is it?”
Just then, Sephia, riding beside him, asked with concern.
“You don’t look well. Is there some disadvantage in the war effort?”
“That’s not it.”
Dale forced a smile, trying not to show his inner turmoil. Sephia smiled as she always did and continued.
“Do not worry. I will protect you.”
‘I'll protect you.’
Charlotte's voice came to mind unbidden. The girl who, unaware that the man before her was her own father's detested murderer, did not hesitate to become a sword wielded for Dale's sake.
That day, Dale's will had reached out to the young Charlotte and made her who she was today. How was that act any different from the 'schemes and lies' of the Blue Magic Tower? In a way, it was even more malicious than the suggestion that moved Sephia.
There was no difference. Titania had once called Dale 'the most promising heir to the Blue Magic Tower.' He hadn't understood her true meaning then, but for him to point a finger at the Blue Magic Tower now was the height of irony and hypocrisy.
Just as his father, Lord Black, had been.
“Thank you, as always, Lady Sephia.”
And so, Dale could say nothing.
For now, all he could do was seize victory in this war. After that, he would convene the 'Sorceress Council' of the Blue Magic Tower as promised. The rest would come later.
***
Dale did not head straight for the Yoke leadership—in other words, the fortress where the enchantresses of Yoke resided.
When a high-ranking assassin from the Shadow Court, with whom he had been in regular contact within the marquisate, came to him, Dale's orders were quite unexpected.
“Recall the entire intelligence unit and assemble the high-ranking assassins of the Shadow Court at Felix Fortress.”
Dale's new destination. The name of one of the countless fortresses built in the Yoke marquisate to stand against House Lancaster.
The information he'd obtained from the Purifiers that day wasn't decisive enough to determine the course of the battle on its own. However, against Mikhail's strategy of 'hiding a tree in the forest' through a simultaneous advance, it was enough to gain a minimal clue.
‘It was information I would have gotten eventually anyway.’
But the real prize he'd gained from encountering the Purifier unit that day was something else entirely.
In the citadel on a pale, dark winter's night, a brazier held faintly glowing embers.
Dale accelerated his four circles, trying to generate mana as a test.
Amidst the black and blue mana, crimson mana flared sporadically like static electricity before fading away into nothingness.
‘...I think I get the gist of it.’
Standing atop the fortress watchtower, he gazed out at the wide-open horizon.
Felix Fortress was a rear fortress, located far from the Lancaster forces that were advancing and forming a simultaneous front. In other words, Dale had deliberately positioned himself in the rear instead of joining the front lines.
Unfortunately, as long as he couldn't act as the 'Black Prince,' he couldn't officially use the Night Raven Knights and the elders of the Black Magic Tower as his pawns. The person Dale was currently impersonating was officially Phillip, the 'Genius of Defeat.'
People don't change overnight. If the Genius of Defeat suddenly became a 'Genius of Victory,' anyone who wasn't a complete idiot on the Lancaster side would easily guess his true identity.
But there was an exception: the enemies who would face the 'Genius of Defeat' for the first time on Phillip's debut battlefield.
The moment they saw the banners of Count Brandenburg's house flying over Felix Fortress, they would cheer, convinced they had won before the fight even began.
Just as Dale had once secured a one-time great victory against the Holy Sword's cavalry through the Shadow Court... This was a one-time opportunity that could only be seized as Phillip, the man with the title 'Genius of Defeat.'
This opportunity would be the masterstroke that could turn the tide of this unfavorable war in a single blow.
***
Night fell. Aside from scouts and others who operated in the dark, the Lancaster forces had officially halted their advance.
Forming and breaking through multiple fronts simultaneously was not without its drawbacks. It made them vulnerable to unexpected individual defeats, and for the entire sprawling front to move organically, the pace of their advance had to slow.
Above all, this wasn't modern warfare; they couldn't use armored vehicles like tanks or personnel carriers.
Therefore, with the defensive posture of the countless fortresses in the Yoke marquisate becoming entrenched, they would surely devise a clever plan to break through.
That much was within Dale's expectations; learning the specific details, however, was a matter of sheer luck.
The 'Purifiers' of the Red Magic Tower, who had infiltrated the rear of the Yoke marquisate and were operating in secret.
Sorcerers called the 'Gods of War,' and among them, the red mages of the Red Magic Tower who styled themselves the gods of sieges.
Their plan was to devour the rear and have the Lancaster forces join them, a trump card to play.
However, red mages were not specialized in nighttime operations. In this world, large flames and explosions in the dead of night meant only one thing.
In a situation like this, where both sides had wide fronts, launching a conspicuous night raid was suicidal.
Thus, it wasn't difficult to predict the enemy's movements under the cover of this night.
To surround the Yoke front from both sides, they would first try to capture the rear fortresses, which were relatively lightly guarded. And a small, elite force, strong enough to make that possible, would be on the move.
Among them, the rear fortress of Felix was the most tempting target for the Lancaster side.
First, it was a strategic point from which they could survey the entire Yoke front line.
Second, the one defending this fortress—which, despite being in the rear, held considerable importance—was Phillip, the 'Genius of Defeat,' renowned throughout the continent.
The fool who had once surrendered even the impregnable fortress on Bratinaa Island, said to be unconquerable, would surely not succeed in defending a fortress in this evenly matched war.
The commander of the Lancaster mobile strike force, which had already completed a flanking maneuver to the rear of the Yoke territory, inwardly rejoiced.
This was a battle won before it even began. They would capture the rear fortress, isolate the Yoke front from both sides, and seize victory.
Seeing the armor of the 'Order of Saint Magdalena' and the banner symbolizing the count's house above the fortress walls, they felt no hesitation.
***
At that moment, in a room inside the fortress, Dale was looking out the window.
Beside him, as always, Sephia stood watch, just as she had for Dale when he was the ruler of the Demon King's domain and had become the 'Viscount Sachsen.'
“Lady Sephia.”
“What is it, Dale?”
After a moment of silence, Dale spoke.
“...Why do you go so far for me?”
“Why? Did I not promise you?”
Sephia tilted her head as if she didn't understand.
“That I would stay by your side and protect your happiness.”
“You did.”
Dale gave a faint smile at Sephia's words. Then, without hesitation,
“...!”
he closed the distance and kissed her. Having grown so much day by day, Dale no longer had the boyishness of his peers. He didn't even have to stand on his tiptoes. Instead, he tilted his head down slightly to meet her lips.
Sephia was taken aback by the sudden kiss. But her surprise was fleeting.
“Mmph, mmm...”
With an unreadable smile, she simply wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
He loved her agape love, the endless affirmation, gentleness, and kindness she showed him. Through her, he wanted to forget the chilling loneliness that resided in his world.
But this was not her will. And yet, he loved that Sephia accepted him, even though he knew the truth.
Charlotte and Sephia, what was the difference?
As the Hero from Another World, he had hated those who wrapped the old Dale in puppet strings and controlled him. But now, how was his own behavior any different from theirs? It wasn't. Not one bit.
Before he knew it, Dale had become the same kind of monster.
“My, you’ve matured so much already.”
After the kiss, Sephia smiled, her cheeks flushed.
“I promised I would become a man worthy of you, Lady Sephia.”
After speaking, Dale gave a bitter smile. Was he, who now unilaterally craved her affection knowing she couldn't resist, truly worthy of Sephia?
He wasn't.
Dale slipped his hand into his pocket. He felt the crystal necklace Titania had given him.
After a moment of hesitation, just as he was about to take out the necklace,
“Heh heh, I feel fucking terrible for interrupting your little moment.”
“...!”
A presence was suddenly felt.
“As expected, the elite Lancaster troops who completed the flanking maneuver are on the verge of taking the fortress.”
“We will respond immediately.”
Dale nodded at the Killing Sword and the Shadow Assassins under his command who had delivered the report, trying to push the feeling of the crystal necklace in his pocket to the back of his mind.
Sephia's face was beet red, and she turned her head away, not knowing what to do with her embarrassment.
***
There were essentially three lines.
The first line: the enemy line, where the forces of the Lancaster Duchy were advancing simultaneously.
The second line: the Yoke marquisate's line, holding their ground in the countless fortresses they had built.
The third line: the rear line, some distance away from the Yoke defensive front.
If a clash between the first and second lines was considered a normal war, then breaking the resulting stalemate usually fell to the third line.
A large-scale flanking maneuver to secretly strike the enemy's rear, capture their fortresses, and create a situation where the first and third lines surrounded the second. That was why Dale had deliberately volunteered to join the third line, not the second where the defensive front was.
And now, the elite Lancaster unit that had executed a flanking maneuver targeting that third line had begun their siege.
Against Felix, a rear fortress located far from the defensive front.
Despite being unable to charge with cavalry, and despite having to bear the risk of a siege to capture the fortress.
The 'weight of the name' of Phillip, the Genius of Defeat, was so heavy that they considered it a risk well worth taking.