Chapter 514: The Difference
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 514: The Difference
“Winning a war before it even begins is the ideal outcome.”
That was something Abnayor had once said, and the Beastman General wholeheartedly agreed.
With four knights and one Frok at their disposal, the general believed victory was half-assured before the first blow was even struck.
And if it wasn't?
Then they would simply fight and win.
Abnayor wouldn't step onto the front lines himself; instead, he would offer counsel from the shadows. The general’s role was to play the part of a commander possessing both overwhelming might and keen intellect—to crush the Border Guard and reclaim Greenpearl.
While he was at it, he intended to slaughter the bastard Abnayor had failed to finish off, along with everyone standing by his side.
'We have four knights.'
How could the enemy possibly stop them?
This was the foundation of Azpen’s resolve to go to war. Whether through luck or sheer effort, they had managed to produce two additional knights.
Abnayor, who had survived only thanks to the Wolf Beastman General, thought to himself: In the end, since we couldn't win with strategy and intellect, we must crush them with raw power.
He didn't believe they could lose. Their forces were simply too formidable.
However, Abnayor’s long-standing habit—his obsession—was to never do anything half-heartedly. To that end, he devised a strategy, and the supreme commander was an agreeable fellow who actually listened.
“We must announce our intent to fight so loudly that the entire continent hears it. A fiery, frontal assault.”
“But won't that cause excessive casualties?” the general asked.
They had borrowed heavily from various sources for this endeavor. War supplies didn't just spring from the ground, and they had only recently lost Greenpearl in a humiliating defeat.
Their coffers were far from overflowing. The Beastman General also had an eye for the realities of war. In conflict, logistics and marching were often more vital than the actual combat. Preparing such supplies and movements required Krona—and lots of it.
With the nation's finances already heavily depleted, was it wise to incur heavy casualties?
“Yes. That is why we will only make noise,” Abnayor replied.
“Only noise?”
“We draw their attention with the clamor while a small, elite force slips past them.”
Placing his finger on the strategic map, Abnayor drew a line. It was a path ordinary men could never hope to cross, but for knights? It was a different story.
A path cutting straight through the Pen-Hanil Mountains.
Furthermore, their opponents had kindly cleared the monsters from the Pen-Hanil Mountains beforehand.
“And once they slip in?”
“They will strike the head, completely bypassing the garrison stationed in Greenpearl. We will occupy the city from within.”
It was a way to end the conflict with a single decisive strike rather than a prolonged war of attrition. Abnayor presented a method to perfectly utilize the elite forces they possessed.
The wolf beastman did not care for traditional honor. He nagged his human knight disciple constantly, but he believed everything was fine as long as one's conscience was clear. It was only a problem if one felt guilty; if one was confident, any tactic was fair game.
The wolf beastman decided that crossing the Pen-Hanil Mountains was a brilliant idea. Striking the head by traversing a treacherous path wasn't cowardly; it was wise. Once they arrived right under the enemy's nose, they could proudly declare their occupation and march right in.
That way, their honor would remain intact. The enemy would simply have been foolishly caught off guard.
His self-justification was complete.
“Very well,” the beastman nodded.
“As for a pretext, a recent incident serves perfectly. Two of our associate knights were killed.”
There had been recent casualties within the Ducal Knights of Azpen. It happened when they entered the mountains to scout the infiltration route. Since they weren't the type to fall to mere monsters or demonic beasts, they had been sent with confidence—only for some unknown swordsman to cut them both down.
The culprit hadn't even bothered to erase his tracks.
A few rangers had pursued him afterward, but it only resulted in the slaughter of an entire ranger unit.
He was a terrifying swordsman. In the end, the man had returned to Naurilia, just across from Greenpearl, making it the perfect excuse.
“We can demand answers, accusing them of sending assassins first.”
In Abnayor's mind, the script was already written from beginning to end. Even if Naurilia sent their knights to help, they wouldn't be able to stop them. They would secure Greenpearl, and Abnayor would reclaim his position.
With the returned Wolf Beastman General leading the charge, they would wage war once more. What if they struck Naurilia's capital in the same manner?
'Naurilia's Red Cloak Knights will mobilize.'
Then the casualties would be severe. Since they didn't possess overwhelming power yet, they shouldn't push things that far.
But if they only had time...
While knights didn't just pop out like trained soldiers, the Wolf Beastman General had already taught four. At one time, Azpen had pursued a policy of integrating different races, and its greatest achievement was the Wolf Beastman General.
He had been the sharpest blade loyal to Azpen, and now he was distinguishing himself as a teacher as well.
The blade that had fought to defend the border, retired after losing interest, and now returned: Barnas Hurier. The beastman who had become a member of the Hurier family.
With this blade by their side, they could accomplish anything.
Four knights. Who could possibly stop such a force?
Abnayor did not let his guard down, but he couldn't help but feel confident. Even if the enemy possessed equivalent numbers, there wasn't an order of knights capable of concentrating their power in one place like this.
By the time Naurilia grasped the situation, Greenpearl would already have fallen.
'We will make good use of the walls and city you built.'
And they would certainly take full advantage of the fact that the Pen-Hanil Mountains had recently been cleared. It wasn't just about revenge, but he wasn't without the desire to deal them a crushing blow.
*
Krais's daily routine was simple.
In the mornings, he exercised and trained, followed by meals, light administrative duties, and reading. When he had no work, procuring and reading books was one of Krais's few hobbies. He was an avid reader who didn't discriminate between history, philosophy, and fiction.
On the surface, he didn't seem busy. And that was true—Krais's body was at leisure. Instead, his mind was occupied.
What Krais did most was think. Speculating, predicting, and analyzing.
This was one branch of those thoughts.
'If I were Azpen?'
This was the thought he had been harboring lately—perhaps the one he considered most important. He had already reported it to Encrid, but from here on, it was in the realm of pure tactical imagination.
Azpen is picking a fight again. Why?
'Because they want to take Greenpearl.'
The answer was clear.
A breeze blew in, fluttering Krais's hair. As he sat there, not even thinking to brush it back, Nurat brought him a cup of tea. The office window was open, but he didn't close it. It was a pleasant, breezy day.
Krais took a sip. The hot liquid traveled down his esophagus, warming his stomach.
'I feel a bit full.'
Had he overeaten? Or was swallowing Greenpearl an excessive act?
In truth, they hadn't stopped at just swallowing it. If Azpen saw what they were doing, they would probably clutch the back of their necks and scream, 'These bastards...?'
Greenpearl, situated between Naurilia and Azpen, was both the cause of war and the border itself, but from the beginning, this boundary had been blurry. They had fought over the Greenpearl Plains for a long time. Since neither side truly occupied Greenpearl and instead treated it as a buffer, it was excessively wide for a boundary between two nations.
Krais had taken advantage of this, playing dumb while gradually pushing the border outward.
'Oh? This is Azpen's land? Since when? It was ownerless land, what are you talking about?'
'Since we took Greenpearl, this is our land now. You don't like it? What are you going to do about it?'
That was the gist of his policy. It was no wonder Azpen was irritated, and the Border Guard was growing fat off the spoils.
'An opponent we must fight eventually.'
Whether Naurilia started it or Azpen did, war was inevitable. However, Krais was not perfect, and a few of his assumptions had missed the mark. For one, he hadn't expected Azpen to strike first, but looking at how things were unfolding now, their preemptive strike was a foregone conclusion.
This naturally brought several assumptions to mind.
'If it were me...'
'I wouldn't fight a losing battle.'
Therefore, Azpen wouldn't start a losing battle either. Once he reached that conclusion, three assumptions arose.
Assumption one: They have a hidden, available force.
Assumption two: That force consists of knights.
Assumption three: They have taken measures to prevent Naurilia's knights from mobilizing.
It was a speculation filled with certainty, even without hard evidence.
'Can't the King just deploy the knights on his own initiative and sweep Azpen away?'
Krais harbored such complaints inwardly, but he knew that, in reality, it made no sense. The knights of the Red Cloak Knights each had their assigned posts. What if the knights blocking the great nation to the south were pulled out?
Azpen would be the least of their worries. The Demon Realm situated on the kingdom's border would also become a major problem. Besides, the very reason for the Border Guard's existence was to block Azpen.
And then there was Encrid, whose reputation as the Demon Slayer was renowned far and wide. A rising reputation meant having to prove oneself every single time. If the Border Guard had no talent and nothing to show for itself, then of course other forces would have stepped in. If the border with Azpen collapsed, losing Greenpearl would be the least of their problems.
If Azpen crushed the Border Guard and won, what would they do next?
'If it were me, I would push even deeper.'
Thus, they couldn't just let it happen. But Encrid was here—the Demon Slayer and the King's close friend. For various reasons, if Azpen invaded, the Border Guard had to be the one to stop them.
Naturally, this had already been reported to Encrid. The words the captain said after hearing all of his speculations were truly memorable.
“War?” he had asked, using just a single word.
“Yes,” Krais had replied.
“If they come at us, we just fight.”
Looking at Encrid in that moment, Krais felt... deeply moved.
'A knight.'
Krais had seen Rem, who had lunged forward to spar with Encrid. Through his own eyes, he couldn't distinguish a single thing, but they said he was a knight. He had heard that clearly.
While most of Krais's daily routine consisted of speculation and imagining various ominous scenarios, there were also pure fantasies. Naturally, among them were thoughts about the captain.
'What if the captain becomes a knight?'
Such an imagination. Whether it was martial prowess or political power, people were bound to change once they grasped strength. Would the captain change too?
Not a chance.
It had been that way ever since the captain stood in front of him with skills no better than his own. He always looked toward the path ahead. It was the same when he said they just had to fight. Those blue eyes emitted a calm light. What was he looking at?
Now that he had gained power and heard the word 'war,' didn't he want to run wild? Even if he didn't understand the concept of omnipotence, Krais understood human nature. When people gain power, they want to use it.
But Encrid was Encrid. He remained exactly the same. Nothing had changed. What he was looking at was invisible to Krais's eyes.
He spoke of protecting something, but to be honest, Krais couldn't understand why he wanted to protect it at all. It wasn't that he didn't understand the words 'saving people.' Rather, it was why he did it.
'Does it bring in Krona?' Or is there some kind of benefit? Is he trying to use the people's praise for something?
Not at all. He said he simply did as his heart guided him, which made no sense to Krais. In truth, he didn't really need to understand. Krais had decided to follow the man who had once blocked his path, and he was doing just that.
Whoosh. The wind blew, fluttering Krais's hair once more. Krais brushed back the strands obscuring his vision. It was thanks to the rest of Encrid's words that he was currently holed up in his office, organizing his thoughts.
“Gauge the timing and set the stage. Figure out where we should fight and how we should fight.”
It was an instruction to take charge of everything, including the strategy. Though brief, he understood it perfectly.
“……Me?”
“Then who else?” Encrid said, casting a brief glance to the side.
In that direction stood those whose talents, at least when it came to fighting, were overflowing. The squad of madmen.
Rem, Sachsen, Ragna, Audin. And if you added Teresa, Luagarne, Ropode, and Pel? Wouldn't that be a force that rivaled any order of knights, if not surpassed them?
But they couldn't be entrusted with a war. Encrid knew that well. Tactical thinking and war were entirely different concepts. Setting the stage for a war was not an area of expertise for Encrid.
“It sounds like you just said something a bit offensive. That won't do. I'll handle things myself this time. You stay out of this, Big-Eyes,” Rem said, resting his axe on his shoulder. Grimacing mid-laugh was classic Rem.
If asked about logistics, he was the type to say they could just plunder the enemy's supplies.
“War? It's over once we go out and cut them down. Rather than leaving it to a barbarian, I will handle it myself,” Ragna chimed in.
He was a guy who would be lucky not to get lost if he led troops out right now. Even if he didn't get lost, he would charge headlong the moment he spotted an enemy banner. He wouldn't just spill blood; he would pour it onto the ground in torrents. Both armies would suffer devastating blows, likely resulting in a series of battles with neither victors nor losers.
Even so, if Ragna was at the front, would they win? Probably. That ignorant swordsman would advance, carving through everything that blocked his path. Above all, the enemy wouldn't be able to predict Ragna's movements either.
This time, too, he had gone out claiming to take a walk, only to fight and kill two of Azpen's associate knights and an entire ranger unit before returning. And Azpen had used that as a pretext for war. Well, even without that, they would have found plenty of excuses, so there was no need to blame Ragna.
“Just do it.” Encrid looked at Krais once more, speaking with a serious gaze.
“Yes,” Krais nodded.
In truth, there was no need for complaints, nor did he have any. If he were told to take responsibility without Encrid around, Krais wouldn't be able to display even half of his abilities. But such a situation would never happen.
'If that happens, I'm running away immediately.'
Encrid made the decisions. That eliminated his anxiety. Thanks to that, he could fully unleash his capabilities. Ominous thoughts slowly reared their heads, painting and repainting every possible scenario. It used to be painful, but now, he had a blade to draw from this.
'Four knights.'
Ragna, Rem, Sinar, Encrid. Sachsen was also knight-class, but Krais didn't know that much yet.
'What if the four of them are tied down?'
While Abnayor confidently wondered how the enemy would stop them with their weapon of four knights, Krais assumed a scenario where even their own forces couldn't stop the enemy. It was a talent he had possessed since birth: imagining the worst and drawing the future based on those ominous thoughts.
That was the difference between Krais and Abnayor.
And his mind, which in the past would have stopped at merely imagining the worst, now moved to find an answer.
'Then, how do we prevent them from being tied down?'
Experience makes a person grow. Just as Encrid forged ahead, Krais was different from before. His vision had broadened, his thoughts had deepened, and his knowledge had expanded. Countless things surfaced and vanished in his mind, gradually forming a single picture.
He was setting the stage for war. War wouldn't break out tomorrow, but it was bound to happen soon. The means and methods to counter it ran wild inside Krais's head.
Nurat looked into Krais's eyes and thought to herself: He always talked about how the captain's eyes shone, yet his own eyes are sparkling just like that right now.
'Is this fun for you?' Nurat asked silently.
There was no need to hear an answer. Krais's eyes, looking as if they held twinkling stars, answered for him.