Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Strategy in the Fog
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The day after the princess smiled and said, “Keep my identity a secret, alright?” before vanishing.
“The fog’s incredibly thick today, young master.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Just a few days ago, the weather had been perfect, practically urging them to fight. Now it had turned on them in an instant.
I’d thought it was just a morning haze that would clear up, but it lingered all day.
And from the looks of it, this wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“Alexei.”
“Yes, young master.”
“You’re not curious?”
“About what, sir?”
“About the guest who visited yesterday.”
Alexei let out a little “Aw, come on” before responding.
“I’m not some green rookie anymore. It’s been well over ten years since I joined the Clauvitz family and began serving you.”
“Has it been that long?”
“Yes, quite. Thanks to that, I know what I can ask about and what I can’t.”
Alexei smiled at me, and I smiled back at my attendant.
As expected. To serve in a noble house, you had to be at least that sharp.
From what I remembered of my past life, it never made sense in novels when random nobodies caused trouble in noble households. Attendants and maids in noble families were all seasoned professionals with years of experience.
“Young master. Hold on a moment.”
Someone was approaching from up ahead, and Alexei rushed to meet them.
I had a pretty good idea what it was about. Whenever someone like that showed up at camp, it usually meant—
“Assembly order, young master! The Legion Commander has called everyone to the command tent.”
Sure enough. Just as I’d expected.
But what was this sudden summons? Calling everyone meant it was something serious.
I knew the princess was in camp, so there was no time to waste. I hurried through my preparations and made my way to the command tent.
“Oh, come in, come in. Our young strategist.”
The Legion Commander burst into hearty laughter, greeting me warmly.
And it wasn’t just him. The other staff officers were smiling and welcoming me too.
It felt like only yesterday they’d eyed me with suspicion when I first joined the campaign.
“I came as soon as I heard the assembly call. Legion Commander, what’s going on?”
“Hold on a bit. I’ll explain once the other commanders arrive.”
I nodded and found a spot in the corner, scanning the incoming officers.
As the field commanders trickled in, my eyes met those of a female officer.
“...”
She smiled brightly at me, then put a finger to her lips—shh.
No doubt about it. That was the princess. Or rather, the princess in disguise.
Just adding a pair of glasses completely changed her look. Impressive stuff.
“Looks like everyone’s here. Let’s get started.”
Once the command tent was full, the Legion Commander cut straight to it.
“Scout reports just came in. It seems the demons are packing up and pulling back from the camp.”
The demons were retreating? Already? This fast?
I wasn’t the only one puzzled—the other commanders were murmuring among themselves.
“Quiet down. There’s more. Word from the War Ministry says internal demon politics have swung toward their moderates. That was a few days ago, so they must know their own situation by now.”
The Legion Commander paused, then suddenly looked right at me. Why me all of a sudden?
“Right around then, that meteor fell and rose again, tanking their morale. Looks like they decided they had no choice but to withdraw.”
In short, everything had lined up perfectly by sheer luck.
But why were the commanders all turning to me, nodding and clapping?
“So, Legion Commander, we’re pulling back too?”
“If they fully retreat, yes.”
“We’re not hitting them from behind?”
“The War Ministry and Foreign Affairs coordinated on this. No point stirring up their hardliners by chasing too aggressively.”
“Of course,” the Legion Commander added with a grin.
“We can’t just let them off easy, though. Orders from above are to pursue just enough to harass them without direct engagement—make them run for their lives.”
Smiles spread across the commanders’ faces.
Tormenting an already demoralized enemy would be easier than snapping a child’s wrist.
They were saying how lucky the demons were, how we’d won without even fighting—great mood all around.
It would’ve been perfect if the assembly had ended there.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “We’re in trouble.”
The next day, back in the command tent, the Legion Commander couldn’t hide his frustration.
The commanders beside him looked just as grim.
“The fog still hasn’t lifted?”
“No, sir. Can’t see a foot in front of us.”
“Didn’t it start yesterday? Why won’t it clear?”
“Well...”
No one had an answer. It was nature’s whim—what could humans do?
“By now, they’ve probably finished prepping their retreat. Hell, their vanguard might’ve already pushed through the fog.”
“To fulfill the War Ministry’s orders, we need to move out... but the fog between our camp and theirs is too thick. Impossible to maneuver.”
“Cavalry might work, but we’d have to watch for ambushes. Even that’s risky, sir.”
The staff officers offered sound suggestions one by one. As expected of Imperial Army officers.
Running an empire with nothing but incompetents would be a plot hole.
“So, the best we can do is both sides withdraw.”
“Regrettably, yes.”
“Sigh. Shame, but at least our troops stay intact. And thanks to one young man’s clever strategy, we get to go home victorious.”
Legion Commander, sir... I’m worried you’re tempting fate if you keep this up.
That’s enough hyping. I’m dying of embarrassment here.
I scratched the back of my head and looked away—only to freeze.
“...”
The princess was staring right at me. Our eyes met at the worst possible moment.
That look. The eyes of someone full of expectation. Like she was saying, “Got anything?”
I pretended not to notice and turned away quickly.
I don’t know. Seriously, I don’t. There’s no way.
This wasn’t even in the hero’s biography.
“So then...”
“...and that’s how we...”
I just prayed this meeting would end soon, no matter what they said.
It was too much pressure. From the princess, of all people!
“Then we’ll prepare to withdraw too...”
“Hold on. Sorry to interrupt, Legion Commander.”
Wait. That voice. No way. No way??
I turned to see the princess—who’d been standing quietly—stepping forward.
“It’s a shame to end it like this. The momentum’s on our Imperial Army’s side.”
She took off her glasses and wiped away her disguise makeup.
The commanders’ casual “What?” reactions shifted in an instant.
“Princess!”
“Skip the formalities. I’m the one who should apologize for deceiving you all. But more importantly, I’m not the focus here.”
The princess... uh... why was she coming toward me?
“I’d like to borrow your wisdom once more.”
“P-Princess?”
“Lord Kael. What brilliant strategy will you come up with this time?”
Hahaha. I’m losing my mind. You’re just gonna pin it on me like this?
Wisdom? Strategy? I seriously have none of that!
If she bore me ill will, I could brush it off. But her eyes held only pure expectation and fondness.
That made it even worse. Even more burdensome.
“Kael. Do you really have something?”
The problem was the Legion Commander getting hooked too.
And now the staff officers and field commanders—all eyes on me.
‘I’m going crazy. Princess, why put me through this trial!’
I knew why. She truly believed I had a solution.
I’d pulled a fix out of thin air right after the meteor. And with my family’s history of great deeds, her trust made sense.
“Hmm...”
I feigned calm while racking my brain furiously inside.
How to escape this? Could I even escape?
‘...Wait a second.’
A fleeting memory. And our current situation with the demons.
“Legion Commander. Are you certain the demons have no will to fight?”
“Yes. Scout reports confirm it, and their leadership must’ve signaled us to let them withdraw.”
“And our goal is just to tail them lightly—no real battle—to boost our morale and crush theirs.”
With his confirmation, things clicked into place.
No one wanted a bloody melee.
Both sides had or expected orders to withdraw without casualties.
And then there was the fog. Not ordinary fog—impenetrably thick, impossible to move carelessly in.
If the enemy approached in this mess, would we launch a full assault?
Or just scare them off enough to say, “We’re not fighting—go home”?
‘Magic’s a concern, but in zero visibility, it’d just reveal our mages’ positions. Less likely. That leaves arrows...’
“Legion Commander.”
Hmm. Suddenly craving some popcorn?
“Could you lend me some spare hay or straw?”