Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Turning the Tables on the Allies
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The elves of the Lavria Republic failed to mount a proper defense against the simultaneous assault from Este Kingdom's forces and the Imperial Army. Having suffered heavy losses, they retreated toward their main body.
The allied forces pursued the fleeing enemy.
The heavily armored dwarves weren't suited for the chase, but driven by emotion, they broke formation and gave pursuit anyway.
The elves from Este Kingdom struck the retreating foes aggressively, as if they couldn't let a single one escape.
Though Lavria's superior mobility prevented total annihilation, the allies inflicted massive damage.
In the end, the allied forces completely drove Lavria Republic's troops out of the Adige region.
"The scouts suffered 15 injuries and 7 fatalities. Most casualties occurred due to accidents during the maneuver."
"Infantry took around 2,800 wounded. Fatalities are estimated at about 600."
"Brigadier Jürgen Kessler, when can we expect a full tally?"
"We're compiling it now."
The Imperial Army halted the pursuit first, set up a temporary camp, and began battlefield cleanup and accounting.
"...!"
"...Over here..."
Suddenly, noise erupted from outside.
-Flutter.
"Hey!"
Blake burst into the Imperial Army's command tent, still clad in his armor.
Victor rose immediately from the briefing and approached the snorting Blake.
"Perfect timing. I was just about to send for you."
"Send for me? Don't make me laugh. Your movements were nothing like the plan!"
Irritated by Victor's brazen welcome, Blake raised his voice.
"Our movements?"
"That's right! The enemy waltzed right into our flank! Do you have any idea how much damage that caused us?!"
He bellowed loud enough to shake the tent.
"The plan... right."
Unlike the scowling officers, Victor's expression didn't change as he snapped his fingers.
"The plan. That's what I wanted to discuss too. Since you came barging in like this, did you already know?"
"What?"
Victor showed no anger, only cryptic words.
"By our plan, we and the elves were supposed to hide in the flanking forests and ambush the attackers hitting you."
"..."
Blake's fury slowly turned to bewilderment.
"But the elves suddenly pulled all their forces back."
"...The elves?"
"Yeah. They skirmished a bit with our scouts, then the whole main body just bolted."
"How did you know that?"
Victor shrugged at the suspicious question.
"Would you trust the elves to handle it on their own? I'm no fool—I dispatched scouts of my own. Didn't you know?"
"Hmph... Fair enough. Those bastards are like that."
As Victor voiced his distrust of the elves, Blake nodded, recalling the deep-seated racial animosity.
"So what? Protecting our flank was your job!"
He knew stopping the accusations might turn the blame on him.
Shaking his head as if realizing his slip, he pressed Victor again.
"Didn't we protect your flanks and rear, providing solid support? We even won the battle."
"That's not the point..."
Victor sidestepped by citing results.
"If you're going to nitpick, I don't see why you'd come to me."
"..."
His face hardening, Victor cut Blake off.
"We stopped early only because the elves pulled back unexpectedly. Didn't you halt because of them too?"
"...We did."
Blake hadn't known the elves retreated first; he'd stopped upon hearing fighting had broken out.
But when Victor shifted blame to the elves, he latched onto it.
"We had no choice. If you want to argue right and wrong, take it up with them."
"..."
"Anything else?"
"...I'll be going."
Unlike before, Blake's face flushed with embarrassment and shame as he slunk out.
"Whoa..."
"He knows when he's beat."
"Yeah, yeah."
The officers marveled at Blake—who'd never bowed his pride—backing down first.
"..."
Victor stood motionless even after Blake left, staring into space.
A moment later.
"...Vicky..."
"...!"
Familiar commotion arose.
-Thud!
"You humans... Well, well, you're all squared away. Battle's long over, huh?"
This time, Vittorio appeared, brimming with irritation.
"What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? There's a limit to shamelessness. You humans ruined the entire plan!"
"The plan. Haha..."
Victor chuckled dryly and stepped toward the fuming dwarf.
"While you dwarves held the center in formation, you struck the enemy, and we supported. It went perfectly, didn't it?"
"...Hmph. The battle site, your positions—none of it matched the plan. 'Perfectly'?"
Vittorio leaned in aggressively, then snorted and stepped back.
"That little punk...!"
Victor blocked the startled officers with an outstretched hand.
"...The absurd ones are us. The plan had us positioned between you dwarves and them. Since you fell back, we did too. Is that the problem?"
"..."
"You think we wouldn't notice you pulling your main force entirely to the rear?"
He calmly dismantled Vittorio's arguments.
"...Not just that—you halted the pursuit on your own. If you humans had kept chasing..."
"Kept chasing? Most of ours are heavy infantry; cavalry can't maneuver in dense woods. Scouts have always been the elves' job. You thought I didn't know?"
"..."
Unlike with the elves—where he'd redirected anger—Victor pressed Vittorio hard.
"Go on, say it. We should've charged out to die so you could claim the glory."
"That's..."
"Not it? Sigh..."
Victor sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"We're here as support forces. General Gerhard had no choice—His Majesty's orders. But I have full authority. Know what that means?"
"..."
"Keep this attitude up, and we can pull back to the border."
"What the..."
Absurd, he thought—the empire would be next.
Vittorio looked up, various excuses in mind.
"..."
But Victor's unyielding gaze shattered his certainty that the Imperials wouldn't flee.
Deflated, Vittorio could only tremble in rage, unable to muster his earlier confidence.
"It's not just us. The dwarves know about your unilateral retreat too."
"The dwarves...?"
"Why else would they suddenly halt and form up?"
"..."
Victor approached the frozen Vittorio and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll let this slide once. Next time, we'll act on our own."
"..."
"Go. The dwarves seem pretty pissed—smooth things over."
Vittorio, fists clenched until blood trickled, nodded curtly and left.
"Arrrghhh!"
Soon after, a roar of frustration echoed faintly.
Though I'd been the one to warn Luise about Kalligo's threat—and it truly was dangerous—this didn't justify tolerating such antics from allies in a battle that barely pitted us against overwhelming numbers.
Kalligo was dangerous because it had absorbed a defeated nation's strength, rapidly rebuilding without pause, charging blindly.
Plus, with elite units like the Red Dragon Legion ready, and the Dragonia Empire having stabilized its north, east, and west to some degree.
Unless Kalligo absorbed the dwarves too, it wasn't invincible.
"Still, it eases my mind a bit."
"Hear that yelling earlier? Never seen anything like it."
That's why preserving the Imperial Army intact matters most to me.
Better to let unreliable allies handle themselves while we do the same—far more efficient than dealing with the stress.
Since we're fighting in Este Kingdom, they have nowhere to run anyway.
Strictly speaking, their thoughts might align with mine.
Using these potential future enemies to wear down the clear foe.
"Is this really okay?"
"They deviated from the plan first. No reason for us to yield."
"...The commander's right."
Hannes asked uneasily, but the elves wouldn't change—not even from his worries.
They hadn't faced mortal peril; their sky-high pride wouldn't vanish overnight.
Like that earlier outburst, they'd vent rage and repeat their antics.
So my task was simple.
If the elves miraculously cooperated, we'd repel the enemy together.
Otherwise, with slim odds of Este holding Kalligo alone.
Until the Red Dragon Legion and central reinforcements arrived, keep bleeding Este's forces—our provisional enemy.
"Let's continue the tally."
"Yes, sir."
I resumed the Adige battle accounting with the officers.