Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: A Step Ahead
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A tempest of mana swirled through the area. Within it, Dale slowly turned his head.
Mental manipulation, illusions, magic nullification—the schemes and deceptions the Blue Magic Tower prided itself on.
At last, the puppet strings binding Sephia were severed. By Dale's will.
“…!”
For a moment, Sephia lost her balance and staggered. Dale quickly supported her, feeling a faint tremor run through her body.
“Ah, ahh…”
Amidst a splitting headache, Sephia clutched her head. Titania and the young ladies of York merely watched her with emotionless expressions.
He wanted to embrace her right then and there, to ease her pain. But there was nothing he could undo.
Six years ago, she had first become Dale's tutor, and they had spent a considerable amount of time together. She was a trustworthy teacher, a gentle elf who had protected him from the chilling cold and loneliness of that day.
“Why.”
Mistress Titania spoke to Sephia, who was still clutching her head.
“Lady Sephia, you have performed the Sorceress Council's mission admirably.”
“Mission…?”
“Try to remember. What we commanded of you, and how you carried out that command.”
“From the very beginning…”
Sephia trailed off, unable to continue. After a moment of silence, she looked at Dale.
“Dale.”
Sephia uttered Dale's name, as if tracing through her memories. Her voice trembled faintly.
“Speak, Lady Sephia.”
“No, it's nothing.”
Sephia forced a smile, feigning composure. It was a clearly unsettled smile, yet it still held the kindness and affection she always showed. At the same time, a distinct distance, one he had never felt before, now stood between them.
Just because the suggestion was gone didn't mean the years Dale and Sephia had built together would also vanish.
At the same time, what she had believed to be her own heart was not her own, yet the feelings themselves were never a lie. That indescribable irony tormented her.
“Could you leave me alone for a moment?”
Sephia said in a trembling voice. Dale nodded silently.
“It's just…”
Just then, Sephia started to say something more but stopped. Dale, too, could say nothing.
Realizing this, an unknown emotion tightened its grip on Dale's heart. He didn't want to lose her like this. He could have continued to crave her affection without breaking the suggestion.
But he hadn't. Why? He didn't know. And it wasn't something he needed to worry about right now.
“Mistress Titania, I understand the elegance of the Blue Magic Tower's schemes.”
“Oh, my.”
“Which is why I also trust you won't resort to such vulgar tricks with her again.”
It was also a tacit warning.
“You needn't worry about that.”
“Furthermore, please ensure Lady Sephia is given the utmost consideration so she may rest.”
“It seems our wise elf performed her ‘mission’ far more admirably than we could have imagined.”
“…”
Mistress Titania smiled, looking pleased.
“As promised, I will lead this war to victory. And from this moment on, command of the entire York army will be my responsibility.”
Dale spoke without a hint of hesitation. At his words, Titania and the other members of the York clan silently bowed their heads.
“Please, handle us as you wish, my lovely husband… Lord Phillip.”
The second daughter, Catherine, smiled gleefully. Dale did not respond.
Lancaster's ploy to isolate York's forward fortresses through rear infiltration had failed. It wouldn't be difficult to predict their next move.
The decisive battle between the two roses—the black-and-blue and the red-and-white—was drawing near. But not yet. And before that battle could take place, Dale's exploits were only just beginning.
***
Some time later.
The long, simultaneous front lines had reached a stalemate, and the battles were dragging on.
From the York side, a certain heroic tale began to circulate—one of breaking the stalemate and breathing new life into the front.
It was the story of Phillip, the scoundrel from a count's family, the empire's greatest loser, the man branded a 'genius of defeat'.
It was a mobile defense, stationing minimal forces at the forward fortresses while holding the main force in reserve to intercept Lancaster's mobile units.
Leading a mobile strike force composed of the Knights of Saint Magdalena and the Blue Rose Knights, he was a standard-bearer of victory, appearing at various fortresses to sound the triumphant war drums. Whenever Phillip appeared, his count's banner fluttering, no one on either the York or Lancaster side dared call him a 'genius of defeat'.
It was a victory won purely by reading the flow of battle and making the right moves at the right time, without any of the magic or feats that symbolized Sachsen's 'Black Prince'.
It was around that time that Phillip's growing fame in the war reached the ears of Mikhail Lancaster.
***
“We've lost contact with the rear infiltration unit and the Purifiers. Given the lack of news, we can only assume they have all fallen to the York side…”
“Our forces are suffering heavy losses from the mobile strike force led by Phillip of Brandenburg. They're intercepting and defeating our units one by one, as if they're reading our movements. Maintaining multiple fronts is becoming…”
“We have reports that whenever Phillip appears on the battlefield, Catherine of York is always by his side. It's likely that Phillip's military achievements are, in fact, York's strategies and tactics.”
Amidst the endless stream of reports, Mikhail Lancaster remained silent, softly biting his lip hidden beneath his helmet.
He knew the wisdom of the York vixens wasn't limited to political intrigue. He was also aware that they often followed the men onto the battlefield, effectively giving commands.
But no matter how brilliant and wise they were, their abilities weren't this absurdly effective.
Thus, there was only one conclusion Mikhail Lancaster could draw.
“It's the Black Prince.”
The scoundrel Phillip never existed from the start. The one currently dominating the front lines was the same man who had recently secured victory for House Lancaster in the First War of the Roses.
“The moment Phillip's mobile defense unit appears, we will form a reserve force to intercept it.”
“…!”
“I will summon our strongest Rose Cross Knights, and I will lead the reserve force myself.”
And so, Mikhail Lancaster made his decision.
***
Once again, a large-scale advance by Lancaster's forces began. As if on cue, 'Phillip's mobile strike force' moved to intercept an isolated Lancaster unit.
Lancaster's spies, who had been observing their movements, reported this, and Mikhail's unit pursued them without hesitation.
The enemy force consisted of several hundred cavalry. A force of this size moving at once was undoubtedly the core unit for their 'mobile defense'. Intercepting them would be a decisive blow, wiping out the enemy's main strength.
It should have been.
“Charge! Wipe out the dogs of York!”
At last, the Rose Cross Knights, led by Mikhail, charged toward the enemy's mobile defense unit. And as Mikhail prepared for the coming impact, deploying his 'Avatar'...
...a single sword swing sent the enemy cavalry falling like autumn leaves.
Their seamless armor shattered, revealing what was inside.
“…”
They were the 'undead', nearly indistinguishable from humans from a distance.
They weren't even death knights with high martial prowess. But they were imbued with complex formulas that allowed them to carry out commands even from far away.
“I... I surrender! I surrender!”
Finally, among the undead, there was a living person.
“It was him! Him! That despicable ‘Black Prince’ used me as a scapegoat! I… I was threatened, I had no choice…!”
The genius of defeat was there.
It was Phillip, the scoundrel from the count's family, kneeling wretchedly before Mikhail and begging for his life.
This was no disguise of the 'Black Prince'. It was literally the real Phillip, and the cavalry under his command were nothing more than a ruse, their numbers padded by reanimating the corpses from this war as 'lesser undead'.
Considering Dale's talents, it wouldn't have been difficult to animate and command this number of lesser undead separately.
Realizing what this meant, Mikhail's expression froze.
Mikhail Lancaster had read the 'Black Prince's' move—disguising himself as Phillip—and had planned his counter accordingly.
But the 'Black Prince' was already several steps ahead, having anticipated Mikhail's actions and shed the mask of Phillip.
Furthermore, with Mikhail and Lancaster's main force having moved this far to intercept the mobile defense unit... it wasn't hard to imagine what the 'Black Prince' would do, taking advantage of the absence of their core strength.
He finally understood.
Mikhail Lancaster had been dancing in the palm of his hand from the very beginning.
“Lo-Lord Mikhail! My alliance with House York was entirely unavoidable…!”
“Shut your mouth this instant.”
Mikhail Lancaster spat out coldly, and Phillip's mouth snapped shut.
***
A short time before Mikhail realized the 'truth about Phillip'.
“Mikhail Lancaster and the main force of the Rose Cross Knights have finished moving to intercept Phillip's decoy unit.”
A high-ranking assassin acting as a spy delivered the report, and upon hearing the news, Dale did not hesitate.
“Now, it's our turn.”
Having already left a minimal force to defend the fortress, a unit composed of the finest elites from the Blue Rose Knights was assembled.
Their purpose was to move in the opposite direction of Mikhail's unit, to break through the Lancaster front lines that were advancing on House York.
“We will break through the front lines swiftly and then maneuver to their rear to collapse the Lancaster line.”
This battle had three main lines.
Assuming the first line was the York defenders holding out in their fortress.
The second line was the Lancaster battle line charging toward them.
And while Lancaster's elite forces were absent, having taken Dale's bait, he would execute a deep strike to seize Lancaster's rear—the third line.
With York controlling the first and third lines, they would encircle and isolate the second line, Lancaster.
Just as the Rose Cross Knights and the Purifiers had tried to do earlier by infiltrating the rear of York's territory.
But now, the situation between the two powers had completely reversed, and they were now the ones playing into Dale's hands.