Chapter 33 - Otto’s Web of Deception
Otto’s Web of Deception
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Translator: Dusky90
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Otto’s Web of Deception
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“I’ll pay tribute, so could you give me one week? I need time to decide how much tribute to pay and how often.”
“If you say it like that, there’s no reason I can’t allow it. But.”
Yong smiled menacingly.
“You’ll need to put in your best effort to satisfy Lord Ventura.”
“If you trust me, I’ll meet your expectations.”
“Fine. I’ll come back in a week.”
After Yong departed.
“How are you planning to put them in their place this time?”
Camille asked Otto.
“Well.”
A cold smile crossed Otto’s face.
“For now, let’s wait about three days. I’ll explain after that.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Exactly three days later.
A diplomat arrived from the Becum Territory, situated roughly seventy kilometers from the Lota Kingdom.
The matter he came for was identical to that of the Seoden Territory.
“Lord Fernando is deeply angered by your arrogant behavior. Putting aside your self coronation, why are you continuing to expand your military forces? Are you not planning to threaten our territory’s security in the long term?”
“Absolutely not!”
“How do you intend to prove that? At this point, Lord Fernando will no longer be able to show leniency.”
“What would it take to placate Lord Fernando’s anger?”
“Well… if you show a bit of sincerity, Lord Fernando’s anger might ease.”
After the Seoden Territory, the Becum Territory was now also demanding tribute from Lota.
“I’ll pay tribute regularly. Please give me one week.”
“In that case, I will return seek Lord Fernando’s understanding.”
“Thank you so much!”
Immediately after the Becum Territory’s diplomat departed.
“They’ve become utterly feral, eyes bloodshot, desperate to tear us apart.”
Otto smiled coldly.
“What do we do now?”
“We need to teach them a lesson.”
Otto replied to Camille.
“We can’t just let them extort us like this.”
“Again…?”
“Of course. I’ve thought it through.”
Otto smiled.
“Get in touch with the Seoden Territory tomorrow. Tell them I want a meeting.”
“Understood.”
* * *
Two days later.
“For what reason did you request my presence? Is there some pressing matter?”
Yong, the Seoden Territory’s diplomat who arrived upon receiving the message, questioned Otto.
“Yes, it’s just that….”
Otto spoke cautiously.
“A representative from the Becum Territory came by.”
“What? Those damn bastards?”
Given that the Seoden and Becum Territories shared a border and were constantly at odds, it was only natural for Yong to react strongly.
“What did the Becum Territory say?”
“Well… that is….”
“Out with it.”
“They said there’s no need to offer tribute to the Seoden Territory, and that I should instead pay tribute solely to them.”
“What?”
“I say this with some reluctance, but… they claimed the Becum Territory is preparing a surprise invasion of the Seoden Territory in the near future.”
“Is that… is that true?!”
“How could it not be? There isn’t a trace of falsehood.”
“Those vile bastards!”
Completely deceived by Otto’s blatant lie, Yong found himself unable to rein in his surging fury.
“I understand. I’ll report this immediately.”
After Yong departed.
“Now get in touch with the Becum Territory.”
“Are you intending to pit them against each other?”
“Precisely.”
Otto smiled in response.
“They’re already at odds, aren’t they? Seoden and Becum are just waiting for an excuse to start tearing into one another.”
“I agree.”
Seoden and Becum were situated very close to one another, with comparable territory size and military power.
On top of that, both territories had been growing rapidly of late, making it about time for them to start considering expansion.
Yet despite that, neither side could act freely, each constantly watching the other with caution.
Each served as a deterrent to the other.
“Have you made a decision regarding the tribute?”
Steg, the diplomat from the Becum Territory who arrived after receiving the message, asked Otto.
“No, that isn’t the issue… a problem has come up.”
“A problem? What sort of problem are you referring to?”
“They told me not to pay tribute to the Becum Territory.”
“From Seoden? The audacity.”
“They claimed that the Seoden Territory is preparing a surprise attack on the Becum Territory in the near future….”
".....!"
“Since it’s a territory that will be destroyed soon anyway, they said there’s no reason to bother paying tribute….”
“Those fucking bastards!”
Steg erupted in anger, just like Yong.
“I’ll report this to my lord immediately!”
Steg promptly left the Lota Kingdom and headed straight for the Becum Territory.
“Fernando, that bastard, is finally showing his true nature!”
“Ventura, that vile bastard, actually dares to invade our territory? I won’t forgive this!”
As soon as they received the reports, both Ventura and Fernando flew into a rage and issued orders to mobilize their forces and prepare for battle at once.
As a result.
“My lord! Reports say the Seoden army’s movements are suspicious!”
“We’ve received news that the Becum army is gathering!”
Because both sides mobilized their armies at nearly the same time, the two factions fell completely for Otto’s deception.
After being fooled by Otto into mobilizing their armies, and then witnessing the opposing side preparing for war at the same moment, the situation quickly escalated.
“They say war is about to break out between Becum and Seoden.”
Camille reported the news to Otto at once.
“Naturally. There was no way they wouldn’t fall for it. Once they saw each other’s troop movements, the thought of suspecting me wouldn’t even cross their minds.”
“Exactly.”
Camille smiled.
“Are you planning to wait until the two territories start fighting each other, then expand your lands?”
“Of course.”
Otto replied as though it went without saying.
“But if we simply sit idle, where’s the fun in that?”
“Excuse me…?”
“If we’re going to pit them against each other anyway, it should be dramatic. That’s what makes it entertaining to watch.”
“What kind of underhanded plot are you devising?”
“Underhanded?”
Otto adopted a visibly hurt expression.
“This is simply aftercare service for our customers.”
“……?”
“Get in touch with Seoden and Becum and tell them we have information to share. They’ll come rushing over.”
Otto said this with a chilling smile.
Otto knew this well.
With the balance of power so tight that neither side could be sure of winning, both were desperate for a decisive strategy to outmaneuver the other.
As a result, the information Otto offered was an irresistibly sweet temptation to both sides.
Instead of doubting Otto, they were blinded by the greed right before their eyes.
After all, they never once imagined that a mere upstart like Otto could be manipulating both factions simultaneously.
* * *
Two days later.
“The Becum Territory has made a proposal. They’re asking for our assistance in striking the Seoden Territory.”
“Is that true?”
“The Becum Territory’s plan is….”
Otto called in Yong, the Seoden Territory’s diplomat, and passed him false information.
“Are you certain this is reliable?”
“I would stake my life on it.”
“Very well. If your words are true, Lord Ventura will grant you a substantial reward.”
A few hours later.
“The Seoden Territory has made a proposal, requesting our assistance in attacking the Becum Territory.”
“Is that truly the case?”
“The Seoden Territory’s strategy is….”
Otto also passed false information to Steg, the Becum Territory’s diplomat.
‘Oh my god.’
Only then did Camille fully understand Otto’s plan, and he recoiled in shock.
‘He’s guiding both sides into attacking each other’s empty territory. If this continues… both Seoden and Becum will take massive losses. This war… will leave no winners.’
Camille realized that Otto was steering both forces toward mutual ruin.
And Otto’s plan unfolded exactly as intended.
One week later.
“All units! Advance!”
“Crush those Seoden bastards!”
The two factions, having placed their faith in Otto’s information, ended up moving in opposite directions.
“Wipe them all out! Reduce everything to ashes!”
The army of the Becum Territory advanced toward the Seoden Territory.
“Kill them all! Spare neither civilians nor soldiers! Slaughter everyone and set everything ablaze!”
The army of the Seoden Territory advanced toward the Becum Territory.
“Because they missed each other, the two factions managed to inflict massive damage on each other’s territory without much difficulty.”
But that was where it ended.
“This is far too easy… where exactly did the Becum forces disappear to?”
A sense of unease suddenly crept over Lord Ventura.
At the same moment.
“Even as their territory was being reduced to ashes, they didn’t show their face…?”
Lord Fernando also realized that something was seriously amiss.
A short time later.
“No, no!”
“Damn it!”
It was only then that Lord Ventura and Lord Fernando fully grasped the situation and rushed to withdraw their forces.
Realizing that their main strongholds were being devastated, they felt compelled to return as fast as possible, without wasting even a moment.
Three hours later.
"......."
"......."
The Seoden and Becum armies, which had passed each other earlier, ran straight into one another at the border.
As the saying goes, enemies meet on a narrow bridge, and they encountered one another on the return march after turning each other’s main bases to ashes.
“Y-You…!!!”
Ventura erupted in fury.
“Otto de Scuderia… that damn bastard tricked us….”
Fernando was furious as well.
“How dare he play us like fools…? I’ll kill that bastard!!!”
But Otto was far away, and the enemy stood right in front of them.
They had no choice but to fight.
With both strongholds already lost, stopping the war at this point was no longer an option.
Even if they intended to settle accounts with Otto, they first had to crush the enemy standing directly before them.
“All forces… charge… annihilate every last Becum soldier!”
“Don’t let a single Seoden bastard make it back alive! Kill them! Kill every last one!”
Moments later, the two sides clashed, and a large scale all out battle erupted.
* * *
Meanwhile, Otto, the real instigator and mastermind behind everything, was watching the battle from afar.
“Wow. They’re really tearing into each other. Everyone’s working so hard. Seriously.”
With neither side holding a clear advantage in military strength, the battle was brutally intense.
“Kill… kill them all!”
“You fucking bastards!”
“Aaaaaaah!”
The battle was so evenly matched that even the term bloodbath felt inadequate, like watching wild beasts clawing at one another.
The losses on both sides were staggering, with casualties far exceeding those of a typical engagement.
“When do we move in?”
When the fighting had reached its peak, Camille asked Otto.
“Not yet.”
Even when more than half of both armies had already been wiped out, Otto still did not issue the order to advance.
“I’m not stepping in midway. I’ll wait. Until one side completely falls apart.”
“Then that means….”
“Those who are going to die will all die. And the survivors will be so utterly spent they won’t be able to lift even a finger.”
Like a beast stalking its prey, Otto displayed unwavering patience.
Even as heaps of bodies rose and spilled blood drenched the ground, he did not budge.
After roughly another hour of waiting, the delicate balance of the battle finally gave way.
By that point, more than 70 percent of the troops each side had started with were already dead.
“Aaaaargh!”
“S-Surrender! We surrender!”
The Seoden Territory’s soldiers broke ranks and fled in every direction.
The Becum Territory’s troops pursued them closely.
“Now.”
Otto finally gave the order.
“All troops! Advance!”
Camille lifted his sword high and relayed the command to the Lota Kingdom’s army.
“Waaaaaaaah-!!!”
Then, roughly 2,500 soldiers of the Lota Kingdom roared loudly and started rushing toward the two forces locked in pursuit.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Enemies inevitably meet in the most inconvenient or unavoidable situations.