Chapter 383
Chapter 383
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 383
>Chapter Title: Should I Just Run?
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Three positions had been overrun in a single night.
The Grand Duchess had to make a choice.
‘Should I withdraw…….’
Or stand and fight.
The answer was simple.
No matter how valiant the duchy’s soldiers were, no matter what hidden cards they still held, the enemy was a monster who had crushed three positions overnight.
Of course, there was no guarantee that Patriarch Otto had done it alone.
If she had heard detailed reports on the state of the overrun—no, massacred—positions, she might have been able to tell if it was Otto’s solo act or a joint effort with the Black Stone mages.
Unfortunately, the supply officers lacked the knowledge to identify magical traces.
So, it was right to assume the worst.
‘Assume all of this was Patriarch Otto’s doing alone.’
In that case, the options were……
“……We retreat.”
“…….”
The assembled commanders fell silent.
What kind of defensive line had they been holding?
To maintain it, they had sometimes sacrificed thousands of soldiers as decoys. Because of that, brave men had ended up as corpses buried in the earth.
In other words, a defensive line built on piles of bodies.
To abandon it now?
Even with the Grand Duchess’s formidable authority, this was a situation ripe for mutiny.
But.
“……Understood.”
Instead of mutiny, the commanders chose obedience.
Moreover.
“Contact each position…….”
“First, we need to track the enemy’s movements to secure a retreat route…….”
Instead of asking questions, they sought solutions themselves.
They knew.
With three positions lost and a gap in their forces, holding this line was nearly impossible.
Did they not know valor? Did they not feel the frustration?
No, they all knew.
Unlike the central continent steeped in peace, life in the north was struggle itself.
From birth, they fought harsh nature, and once old enough to wield a sword, they battled the barbarians of the great plains.
Now united under Oukan’s name, but just a few years ago, the barbarians had been fragmented, raiding the north far and wide.
The Uborna house envied the duchy’s fertile lands, but those nestled against rocky mountains had it better.
At least they were free from barbarian invasions.
That was why the duchy’s—no, the north’s—soldiers were elite, and their commanders brave.
And yet.
……They chose retreat.
Pushing aside the pain like their guts were being torn apart link by link, their hearts shriveling and withering.
However, the situation might already be too late.
“……Your Grace.”
“Speak.”
Shortly after preparations for retreat began, one commander approached with a grave expression to report.
“We’ve tracked the enemy’s movements. However…….”
“However?”
“……They seem to be approaching this position immediately…….”
“……Numbers?”
“Patriarch Otto and…… two mage corps, plus four Black Stone mages. And…….”
The reporting commander trailed off. No need to mention the blue-eyed scout mage was dead.
Of course, the Grand Duchess already knew. Only a blue-eyed mage could have grasped the situation from afar.
“Was the scout Yurdik?”
“……Yes.”
“Yurdik…….”
Yurdik was a mage skilled with familiars, his face one you couldn’t call handsome even politely.
But he was cheerful.
Even heading into battle, he’d joke, ‘No fiancée waiting back home to propose, so I’ll survive.’
“……Guess he had a fiancée I didn’t know about…… No, unlikely.”
“……Pardon?”
“No. Understood for now. You may withdraw…….”
The Grand Duchess tried to dismiss him first to compose herself. Even she wasn’t numb to the death of those close. But the commander insisted instead of leaving.
“We need a plan.”
“……A plan?”
“Yes. Sir Yurdik signaled from around here. And the position that fell last night was here.”
“And?”
“Even if we retreat now…… they’ll catch us. Soonest two days, latest four. And if Patriarch Otto moves alone…….”
……Perhaps today.
“…….”
The Grand Duchess fell silent.
She realized what ‘plan’ the commander meant.
“Sacrifice…….”
“Enough!”
She slammed the table with a bang! and glared at him. Her eyes were so fierce the commander flinched. But only for a moment. He soon opened his mouth to fulfill his duty.
What was that duty?
To steady the lord when shaken and offer remonstrance. Even if it displeased her.
But she was a step faster.
“What is this sacrifice for?”
“Well…….”
“For this body? To save this body? Fine, tell me—how many troops to sacrifice to slow them? Speak. The enemy crushed three positions. You think we can slow that advance? You don’t truly believe that, do you?”
“…….”
The commander fell silent.
Because she was right.
How many troops to sacrifice to halt their advance? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Yes, tens of thousands might do. But that meant sacrificing the entire duchy’s army……
“Impossible, isn’t it.”
“…….”
So.
“No scapegoats.”
The Grand Duchess drove the nail in. Then issued a cold dismissal.
……Truthfully, she wasn’t sure which was the right choice.
Prioritizing her own survival might be correct. She was the duchy’s legitimate heir and this war’s supreme commander.
But.
‘……Does that mean this war has hope?’
No, it didn’t.
Surviving alone couldn’t change the tide.
So, what then?
Make the ‘best’ choice for the duchy, not herself, and calmly bear the ‘worst’ outcome.
If history recorded it, she’d likely be etched as:
An incompetent commander who picked a fight with a grand mage.
A foolish Grand Duchess who ignored her subordinates’ pleas to plan for the future.
Fine.
‘How this body is recorded doesn’t matter.’
She admitted her blunder.
The grand mage, Patriarch Otto, was beyond her common sense.
She hadn’t known. Or rather, she knew but vaguely hoped the ‘war’—this massive storm—would dilute his presence.
Of course, she had countermeasures: anti-grand mage spells and artifacts.
But Otto moved more boldly than expected, his violence far exceeding her predictions. She never got a chance to deploy her preparations.
So, instead……
‘……Plan for the future.’
Of course, that ‘future’ wouldn’t include her.
She had decided this war would be her end.
“The north’s flower may freeze, but it never wilts.”
“……Your Grace!”
The commander grasped her intent.
The Grand Duchess……
‘……Plans to go down fighting.’
It wasn’t simple despair.
No matter how the imperial family desired conflict between duchy and great houses, they couldn’t ignore her death.
The imperials would set aside all else to mediate the war.
……Before her death ignited the duchy’s people, before the bulwark against barbarians crumbled.
“G-Grand Duchess…… that’s…….”
The commander’s voice trembled. His eyes reddened, misting. Something surged from his heart.
But only for a moment.
“……Allow us humble ones to join you, too…… p-please.”
His words broke with ragged breaths, but he steadied and continued.
“To fool the eyes, more are better than one, no?”
At that, the Grand Duchess gave a faint smile.
“You’d do that?”
“Y-Yes, if permitted, gladly……!”
“Then, only volunteers. But exclude the wounded, even if they volunteer.”
“…….”
The commander bowed instead of answering. Deeply, so deeply. Eyes closed. The north’s flower bears no dew. If it does, it must be frost.
“Then…….”
He held the bow until the frost dried, then straightened and turned.
No, tried to.
……If not for the figure blocking the tent entrance.
“You…….”
The commander recognized him and trailed off.
The one…… she’d told him to just call ‘mage’? The mage the Grand Duchess called ‘priest.’
Before the commander could speak, he leaned crookedly and snorted a laugh.
“Hey, senior brother. Be honest.”
“……About what.”
“You didn’t believe I’d reached transcendence.”
“I did…….”
“Ah, don’t lie.”
“…….”
The Grand Duchess fell silent.
Truthfully, she hadn’t fully believed it.
She knew he was an extraordinary mage, but she wasn’t naive enough to take ‘transcendence’ at face value. She just thought it ‘possible.’
Moreover……
“The situation’s changed. I know your goal, but…….”
In this mess, telling him of Otto’s approach would just make him bait.
But the self-proclaimed ‘priest’ thought differently.
“Anyway, you know the patriarch’s made his move?”
“…….”
“Right?”
“……Right.”
“Troops.”
“……Two mage corps, four Black Stones.”
“Plus the patriarch?”
The Grand Duchess nodded.
“Then we’re good. What more’s needed.”
Aster smiled nonchalantly. His mask hid it, but she could tell from his voice.
“You really…… plan to stop Patriarch Otto?”
“Else?”
“……Impossible.”
Even if he truly was a transcendent grand mage, facts remained.
Transcendence levels varied, and Otto had mage corps and Black Stones. What mage could stop him?
“Senior brother. What matters now isn’t if it’s possible.”
Then what?
“If it must be done.”
“…….”
“Let’s just think that.”
Her eyes quivered faintly at those words. ‘Must it be done?’ What necessity was there for him to face Otto here?
For gain? ……No, not an answer.
“You truly…….”
As she spoke in a trembling voice, Aster chuckled.
“Thanks, right?”
“…….”
The Grand Duchess stared, speechless, taking him in. Beyond the mask and faint perception-jamming spell, mischievous eyes sparkled.
“Yeah, thanks…….”
“Then say ‘thank you.’”
“…….”
She eyed him coldly. He averted his gaze slyly.
“……Fine, whatever.”
Just as his mood dipped slightly.
……A message spell flew into Aster’s ear.
“Done?”
Aster nodded instead of answering. Like someone who’d overheard what they shouldn’t.
……Less than half a day later, the duchy’s forces departed the position with minimal gear.
To the rear.
And in the empty spot all had left.
“Otto, Otto, Patriarch Otto…….”
Alone, Aster looked up at the sky. Stared at the glaring sun a moment, then thought.
‘Should I just run?’
For the record, he meant it.