31
Chapter 31
The general leading the Crotea garrison was very young. He looked only a few years older than me—perhaps in his late teens or early twenties. He was likely the child of a prominent family, another "parachute" appointment just like Charles.
"I watched from afar, and your military maneuvers were flawless. May I ask your name?"
The parachute asked. Then I replied.
"I am Charles Jean Rochefort."
"I see. Your tactical command was so impressive that I thought your aunt was leading the charge herself."
"Aunt?"
"My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Juan de Valboa, and Dian de Valboa is my aunt."
I see; he was Dian's nephew. Though he didn't look much younger than her.
"Forgive me, Sir, but what is your relationship with my aunt that allows you to command the Valboa Army...?"
"We are teacher and student. I am currently studying under her at Arcadia Academy."
"I see. You are my junior, then."
Junior, huh. It seems this man also graduated from Arcadia Academy.
That explained it. His ability to arrive as reinforcements at the perfect moment—neither too early nor too late—made sense if he had trained at Arcadia Academy.
"I look forward to working with you, Junior."
"Likewise, Senior."
We shook hands once more and exchanged greetings.
He was handsome and seemed quite capable.
He was such a decent character that I wondered why he wasn't a playable one.
"Sir Juan, I intend to let the soldiers rest briefly and then head north immediately. What are your thoughts?"
"And the reason for heading north?"
"The goal is to cut off the enemy's supply lines."
If I were to sketch the current situation on a map, it would look like this.
---------------Mountains----------------
----------Seize Castle------------
Talin Castle-----Sea-----Crotea
In this situation, both Talin Castle and the Crotea Peninsula were in our hands,
while the enemy forces were isolated in Seize Castle.
"Hmm... Since the enemy is trapped in Seize Castle, they'll starve to death on their own if we just cut off their supplies."
I nodded at Juan's words. He's quick on the uptake. He's quite capable in his own right.
"Will you cooperate with me?"
"Of course. I'm not so foolish as to pass up an opportunity to earn some merit."
I felt the same. I definitely wanted to seize any chance to distinguish myself.
With that, we headed north, and the next day, we discovered a supply unit heading toward the enemy camp.
-----
Meanwhile, in the Grand Duke of Kronor's barracks.
"Messenger! The siege army at Crotea Castle has been annihilated!"
"Messenger! Our supply unit has been attacked!"
"Messenger! Our rear has been blocked!"
Bad news continued to pile up in the Grand Duke of Kronor's barracks.
-Crash!
The wine glass thrown by the Grand Duke of Kronor hit the floor and shattered into pieces. He shouted, violently stomping on the shards with his military boots.
"Damn it! Why! Why is this happening!"
Talin Castle was in the front, and Crotea Castle was in the rear. He thought that as long as he occupied Seize Castle in the center, the rear castle would fall on its own. However, the Grand Duke's plan was overturned by an unexpected variable: the existence of the detachment that had crossed the sea.
The detachment annihilated the three thousand siege troops in the rear and eventually cut off the supply lines. At this rate, everyone would starve to death. Having gone from a winning position to the brink of starvation in an instant, the Grand Duke of Kronor felt as if his mind were collapsing.
"Why...! My army surely won the battle! I'm asking why the supply lines were still cut!"
Our army won a landslide victory at the Imor River. It was an overwhelming triumph against a force more than twice our size. Naturally, such a victory should have resulted in capturing a few castles.
However, once the dust settled, the situation was far from what we expected. We had won the battle, yes, but we found ourselves in a precarious position.
"Why! My army surely won! I'm asking why we've ended up in this state!"
Slam! The Grand Duke of Kronor struck the desk. The retainers retreated in silence, keeping their mouths shut and waiting for his temper to cool.
In the midst of this, only one person spoke up: Emilia von Kronor.
"I have already explained the reason. We were at a disadvantage from the start. While we captured Seize Castle, eyeing Crotea Castle as well was overreaching. To defend both, we had to split our forces, which is one of the most common mistakes in strategic theory."
"..."
The Grand Duke of Kronor stared her down. Most of the retainers felt oppressed by his predatory gaze. The Grand Duke knew that Emilia possessed exceptional talent; she was a top student in both swordsmanship and strategy.
However, correcting a monarch in front of his subordinates was a breach of a retainer's duty, and even more so the duty of a daughter. The Grand Duke was furious at his daughter's attempt to undermine his dignity. She had become far too arrogant since her victory over Dian in the last battle. He decided it was time to break her spirit.
With that thought, the Grand Duke stepped toward Emilia with heavy strides. The retainers gasped in tension. They all expected the same ruthless violence that had always followed.
Then, the Grand Duke of Kronor came to a stop directly in front of her.
"Emilia."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You are in need of a lesson."
The moment he spoke, the Grand Duke raised his hand and delivered a full-force slap to her face. Though not a Sword Master, he was a man over two meters tall and well over a hundred kilograms. Such a full-swing strike would have caused a fatal concussion in an ordinary person.
But Emilia was no ordinary person. Slap! The sound of the blow echoed through the military tent, yet Emilia merely endured the violence, appearing accustomed to it.
The Grand Duke's violence was merciless. He hit, kicked, and stomped. While Emilia may have surpassed him in the art of the sword, the raw power coming from his massive frame was extraordinary.
Emilia felt excruciating pain with every blow. Yet, she did not betray a single emotion. This was not because she was physically strong, but because her mental fortitude had already transcended that of a normal human.
The nobles were horrified by the sight of blood splattering and bruises forming on her skin. Who in the world would beat their own porcelain-skinned daughter like that?
Yet, not a single person stood up. Emilia was the only one among them who could survive such an assault. Any other noble would have likely died from a single strike from the Grand Duke.
After the storm of violence had passed, Emilia remained standing at attention, her posture unbroken. The Grand Duke, however, was panting heavily, exhausted.
Looking at Emilia, who had not let out a single scream, the Grand Duke muttered.
"Stubborn bitch."
However, Emilia didn't feel a shred of despair or even a sense of victory; she simply accepted it all with composure.
*Ptu.* Spitting out the blood filling her mouth, Emilia spoke to the Grand Duke of Kronor.
"Your Highness."
At that moment, the Grand Duke felt an indescribable sense of dread. She was calling to him after being beaten like that. What on earth was she going to say? Was this the mindset of a sane person? What in the world had he sired?
The other retainers felt the same. While the Grand Duke was certainly a madman, Emilia was just as crazy. The father and daughter were a matching pair of lunatics.
After a moment of silence from the Grand Duke, Emilia continued.
"We must place thousands of our elite soldiers in the rear to stall the Crown Prince's advance, allowing the main force to retreat. The rear guard will suffer casualties bordering on total annihilation, but that is unavoidable. You must carry out a fighting retreat, even if it means accepting heavy losses."
"..."
"..."
Watching Emilia discuss strategy while covered in bruises, the Grand Duke felt a chill run down his spine. She had always been odd, but after talking about being the Goddess of War or whatever, she had become truly aberrant.
'I wish she would just disappear...'
She might be a Sword Master, and she might be his daughter, but this girl was wrong. He found himself wishing she would just go die somewhere.
In that moment, a brilliant idea struck the Grand Duke. Emilia had suggested leaving the elite forces in the rear. Then, who was the strongest among them?
'Emilia.'
Emilia was the one who had defeated Dian, the world's only Sword Master. If he left her in the rear, he could minimize the army's losses while simultaneously getting rid of her. It was killing two birds with one stone. With that thought, the Grand Duke shouted.
"Emilia!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You will lead the rear guard. While you stall for time, we will lead the main force back to the North!"
The retainers were appalled. The Grand Duke was using his own daughter as bait to ensure his own safety. Yet, no one pointed it out. The truth was, having Emilia lead the rear guard was incredibly reassuring. The nobles here were all people prepared to sacrifice others for their own survival.
But then, there was only one response.
"Yes."
Without adding a word or showing a hint of displeasure, Emilia replied with her usual expression.