Chapter 489: A Sudden All-Out War
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 489: A Sudden All-Out War
“I told you there was no need for me to build a base, didn’t I, Lady Laveua? This place will be much sturdier than anything we could have built. Puhehehet!”
“Yeah. I trusted you.”
“Since they’re now surrounding Lord Ratga, Lady Lapura’s side will likely make a move.”
“Lord Ratga might try to avoid a fight, then.”
“Yes, that would be the logical choice. As expected of Lady Kim Yoora. Just as you said, he will most likely try to avoid battle. However, it will be an action that comes at a cost. All we have to do is pretend to attack alongside them. An all-out war would be a burden for Lady Lapura, but the Hakajin I know wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity. Of course, he might consider wiping them out all at once with large-scale magic, so we must consider the aftermath of that.”
“Ahh…”
“If we’re lucky, we might even capture Lord Ratga. If not, it’s a golden opportunity to at least render him incapable of fighting.”
“What if Ratga runs away?”
“Wouldn’t he move to the base we were using before?”
“Th-that makes me feel a little bad…”
Lee Wanyong’s prediction would likely come true. Hakajin would not miss this chance, and Ratga’s side would most likely consider retreating for the time being. However, moving to Laveua’s base after already retreating would mean a high probability of defeat. The bases Laveua had used before were all on the verge of collapse.
Ratga, who had possessed the largest force, would be reduced to a beggar in an instant. Jang Ye Ri, who knew this better than anyone, was trembling with rage.
“That… that bastard.”
“…”
I didn’t know how he planned to deal with the aftermath, but I felt like I understood why Lee Wanyong had made such a choice. It seemed like he was helping Laveua with all his might, but I was sure his true intention was to maintain the balance of power.
‘He doesn’t want a clear winner.’
Even if Ratga were driven into a corner, Lee Wanyong might choose not to strike him. Instead, he would surely keep Lapura in check as she targeted Ratga. He had chosen to help Laveua while maintaining a delicate balance until the mock battle was over.
It was a strategy born from his desire not to get on anyone’s bad side. He had already earned the unbearable wrath of one person, but he must have thought he could recover if he checked Lapura’s attempts to strike Ratga at the right moment.
It was just my speculation, but my intuition, honed from watching him by my side, told me I wasn’t wrong.
*
“What’s the best course of action? The timing is certainly right.”
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to move in. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that now is the only opportune moment.”
“Older Sister is really something else. Or should I say this is his work?”
“I’m sure of it. I thought something was strange, but… who would have thought they’d enter the base Lord Ratga had built?”
“The plan to strike from behind after they moved to the abandoned base…”
“Laveua’s camp must have anticipated that.”
Lapura looked at Hakajin, who was biting his lip with his tusk. He wore an expression of extreme vexation. It was a natural reaction, having been so absurdly outplayed by such an absurd method. If Uncle Hakajin looked like that, she could guess what the atmosphere in Ratga’s camp was like without even asking.
“The best choice is…”
“I don’t like that things are going according to Lady Laveua’s wishes, but this is undeniably the right time. They might already be preparing to move their troops. We must move in as quickly as possible and inflict damage. Laveua’s camp will likely be ready as well. I’m not sure if this is the right way to put it, but since they’re likely to just test the waters, we must induce our forces to mix with theirs as much as possible.”
“So, in other words, it’s as if things went Older Sister’s way. We’ve ended up forming an alliance, after all.”
“You could see it that way. However, we will be the ones to gain more from this battle.”
“Of course. Uncle Hark.”
“Preparations are complete. Choi Eunju has also finished preparing to cast her magic.”
“The moment they detect magic erupting from our base, they’re likely to pull back. It’s important not to be swayed by the movements of Older Sister’s troops. I think they might even try to keep us in check.”
She’s been making unpredictable moves from start to finish. It can’t be just because of Lee Wanyong or Kim Yoora. My older sister, Laveua, was always like this. She acts like Mother Mev, but sometimes she shows a side that resembles Father. This mock battle is another one of those times.
“Uncle Hark, please focus on Uncle Gark. Uncle Hakajin, please focus on commanding the other troops.”
“Got it. Gark is no match for me!”
“Yes. Understood, Lady Lapura.”
The preparations were complete. There had been several small-scale skirmishes until now, but this was, of course, the first large-scale battle. In a way, she felt she should be grateful to her older sister for giving her this chance. Because of Ratga’s unexpected movements, she hadn’t been able to properly utilize her camp’s advantages.
‘A chance.’
A chance that might never come again.
“Great Mother.”
“Let’s go, Lapura.”
“Yes.”
Come to think of it, the one who had shown the most impressive performance in this mock battle was her older brother, Ratga. The way her brother, operating without any strategists, perfectly utilized his camp was astonishing to recall.
The ever-expanding bases, the placement of those bases that completely nullified the advantage of teleportation, using Uncle Gark to keep her Great Mother in check while building a powerful defensive line with priests and minotaurs—it was so formidable that she felt it was impossible to break through without taking heavy losses.
That fact alone was incredibly surprising.
However,
After teleporting,
The sight of Ratga’s camp that now met Lapura’s eyes was more astonishing than anything she had seen so far.
“They have no intention of running…”
“They never did.”
“It seems so. Perhaps… even Lady Laveua’s side did not expect this situation.”
“Retreating would have been…”
“The correct answer, yes. The probability of victory is low. However, it seems they’ve decided to bet on that low probability.”
Minotaurs holding shields, their bodies covered in Nicole’s tattoos. Standing at their forefront was Orbo of the Shield, holding the largest shield of all.
The minotaur who, after being a slave in a human city, had sworn loyalty to her father and rendered great service to the clan.
‘Uncle.’
And that wasn’t all. The pinnacle of the elite Orc swordsmen, a chieftain of the Blood Dagger Clan, the number one contributor who had raised the clan through countless crises since first being summoned here. The story of how he chose to leave his severed arm as it was after admitting his mistake was a very famous tale. Half Blade Gark, he too was quietly staring this way.
Finally, the priests led by Mother Baek Ahyeon, Zoroark of the 5th squad, and numerous sub-commanders were already prepared for battle.
‘They’re changing.’
Her older brother and sister had definitely been behind her. But they were continuously growing and changing. The older brother she knew before would have definitely chosen to pull back and retreat.
No, preparing to fight like this while surrounded by her and her older sister’s camps was, in a way, a foolish choice. The chances were low. It was an unnecessary gamble. If, if this were a real battle and not a mock one, many would have died.
And yet, she felt jealous.
She was incredibly jealous of her brother for showing such a side.
“What will you do?”
“…”
“The other side seems to have made their resolve.”
It was obvious what he was asking. He was asking whether they would fight or watch the situation a little longer. According to the art of war, the correct answer was to watch and wear them down, but she couldn’t possibly make such a foolish choice.
“There is no change in plans. If we pull back now, my sister and brother will laugh at me.”
“I can’t say it’s the correct answer, but you’ve made a good choice.”
“Thank you.”
Countless mages and shamans began to chant their spells in unison, casting magic to pour down upon the enemy camp.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The large minotaurs at the front began to continuously strike the ground with their shields and feet.
“Uwoooooooooooh!”
“Woooooooooooooooh!!!”
A great war cry began to erupt from Ratga’s camp.
The tattoos carved by Nicole shone brightly, and the eyes of several Green Skins turned red. It was just a mock battle, but the tension felt was greater than that of a real one.
Her older sister, visible behind her brother’s camp, had also finished preparing to charge. The Giant Wolves raised their heads and let out howls, and the three sister-aunts raised their weapons and shouted.
They were responding to the will to not show their backs.
The Blood Dagger Clan is not ashamed of retreating.
But they are not so foolish as to laugh at those who don’t pull back in a situation like this.
If forced to choose, they would rather…
respect those who stand and fight.
“We will not lose.”
“Of course.”
“We will never lose.”
“You don’t have to feel so burdened, Lapura.”
“Yes, Great Mother. Thank you.”
“I…”
“Uncle Hark, on Uncle Gark…”
“Good. Excellent!”
“Thank you for following someone as lacking as me until now. I hope we have a chance like this again.”
“We hope for the same.”
“Let’s go.”
“…”
“For Father.”
*
“Ra… Ratga… are you really going to be okay?”
“We can win. If Mother and Father are watching, I can’t show them a pathetic side of me.”
“But.”
“We will win.”
“O-okay.”
“Don’t worry too much, Nicole. Even if we lose this fight, it doesn’t mean I’m out of the running for succession. Th-there’s still the election, and if the position of Queen of Garia is too much for you, Nicole, then maybe, like Mo-Mother Mev, you could become the mistress of the Blood Dagger Clan…”
“Huh?”
“N-nothing.”
“Wh-what were you trying to say? Ratga!”
“N-nothing. It was a, a slip of the tongue. Nicole, I-I mean…”
“I-it’s still three years too early! Ratga! A-aren’t you still just a kid!”
“M-mistake…”
*
“La… Lady Laveua?”
“We’re going to fight.”
“B-but this is…”
“I don’t care what you say. I know that keeping them in check is the right choice. And…”
“…”
“I also understand that you want to end this fight with no clear winner, Mister.”
“Y-you knew… Th-that is…”
“I liked what you were thinking, Mister, but…”
“…”
“Seeing Ratga now, I don’t think Dad would want that kind of result. Right, Older Sister?”
“Of course, Lady Laveua. By the way, Lord Wanyong doesn’t look too happy.”
“I-it’s nothing. I-if we’re going to fight, th-then of course we must win. O-of course. I will consider various things. W-ways we can win, that is. Hehehehet.”
“You’re worried about Queen Mother. Hehet.”
“N-not necessarily…”
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
“Aunts, let’s go.”
“Got it! We’ll smash that arrogant Gark!”
“Same goes for Hark!”
“We’ll show them the power of the younger sisters!”
“For victory!”
“For Blood Dagger.”
“For Blood Dagger!”
“We fly!”