Chapter 78
Chapter 78
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Red Dragon Legion Marches
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"We're marching out!"
The Red Dragon Legion began its advance, followed by a massive transport column.
"So we're finally putting them to use."
"What if they're duds? One shot and the enemy runs off, right?"
"Exactly. These guys have probably never even seen them in action properly."
The soldiers had felt the power of the new weapons firsthand during months of firing drills, now rolled out across the entire army.
Hardened by war, they looked forward to the battlefield not with fear, but with anticipation of the devastation these weapons would unleash in combat.
Even those still harboring some dread took comfort in knowing archer casualties were lower than infantry's, and that they could fight from afar with rifles instead of spears.
"...I wonder how General Volker Rommel will react."
"Ha... He's not exactly the type you want fighting alongside. His stubbornness and unpredictability give me headaches every time."
"Who knows, but won't Legion Commander Victor handle it somehow?"
"...Hm. Frankly, I'm not even sure we need them."
"Hahaha! Can't argue with that!"
The officers brimmed with confidence too.
They chatted only about the 5th Legion's Commander Volker Rommel, barely mentioning their immediate foe, the Esperia Kingdom.
Exchanging optimistic words, they marched toward Manzheim in the west, where the 5th Legion was stationed.
"...The Red Dragon Legion has begun moving."
Meanwhile, in the 5th Legion's command room, the mood soured upon hearing the news.
"His Majesty wants us to switch to the offensive."
"Yes."
"Ten thousand fully armed with these new weapons—enough to crush the Esperia Kingdom at least..."
"New weapons?"
Count Volker Rommel, tapping the desk irritably, shot a glare at the messenger.
Strictly speaking, he was Emperor Faction nobility, but not one to blindly obey every imperial order.
"They call it a 'new weapon' because it burns expensive gunpowder for a few minutes to spit out tiny iron balls? And the whole army has them?"
"Yes, Commander. Through exchanges with Anchester Kingdom's artisans..."
"Ha..."
Volker chafed at the idea of the Emperor's direct Red Dragon Legion being treated like some grand force.
With a long sigh cutting off the messenger, he shook his head and scanned the officers' similarly skeptical faces.
"What do you think?"
The officers hesitated before responding cautiously.
"...An aggressive push seems difficult."
"We acknowledge their power, but the limitations are clear. Their siege guns will matter, but rifles..."
"Mercenary bands have charged in relying on guns before. They're buried in those plains somewhere now."
They voiced their doubts carefully.
"Guns are just long-range weapons like bows or crossbows, aren't they? Unless one shot kills dozens, you need melee troops to handle enemies that close in. Sending ten thousand with nothing else..."
"That's enough. Ahem."
Volker nodded, satisfied, as the officers sighed in relief.
"Baron Kai Shuh said it well. Guns aren't new weapons. They're just one of many whose limits have been proven in battle. Our proud cavalry would shatter them without resistance."
"..."
Emboldened by their support, he pressed on.
"Even setting that aside, they're limited to supporting our forces. Who builds a legion of just archers or crossbowmen? No experienced commander would. It's His Majesty's will, but I can't accept this attack order."
"...!"
Despite the officers' alarm at his near-insubordinate words, he didn't hold back.
"His Majesty ordered us to assault Esperia Kingdom with the Red Dragon Legion, but all I see is them claiming the glory while our 5th Legion bleeds. And that's if we win. What if a sloppy attack fails?"
"..."
"Victor, was it? Their commander doesn't seem reliable enough to have our backs. If the Grand Marshal came himself, maybe. But trusting a general with less than ten years in the field, when even veterans with decades err?"
Volker took a short breath after airing his views.
"...The enemy has about twenty thousand hunkered in fortresses, with another twenty thousand mercenaries possibly reinforcing. We shouldn't charge recklessly—we wait for them to come to us."
"Commander, if we don't move, Paris Kingdom and Mount Bastian Kingdom might seize the initiative first."
One staff officer stood to object bravely, but
"Sacrifice ourselves for other imperial forces? Is that it?"
"..."
Volker didn't yield an inch.
To him, safe, steady merit outweighed imperial orders.
And in his mind, switching to offense was anything but safe.
"We can't let 5th Legion troops be tools for the Red Dragon Legion. If they insist on attacking alone, we won't interfere—but until they prove independent capability, we stay put."
He always favored defense over attack, striking only when the enemy showed clear weakness.
"Commander..."
"Right. They can't just sit back—they need to fight up front with us!"
The officers, stung by past failed fortress assaults on Esperia, cheered Volker's apparent concern for them.
"Hm... Still, if the Red Dragon Legion matches His Majesty's hype, we could support them. If they prove themselves."
"Yes."
"Mercenary recruitment and deployment aren't done yet. If they're truly strong, this is our chance to hit Esperia hard."
Having swayed the officers, he prepared insurance for changing circumstances.
If the Red Dragon Legion crushed Esperia, he'd advance faster than anyone.
"Right. Increase scouts—don't miss a thing on the enemy."
"Understood!"
Unbeknownst to the officers, Volker had no intention of sharing intel with the Red Dragon Legion.
Fearless of Esperia, he was already maneuvering against the Red Dragon Legion's arrival.
The day the Red Dragon Legion marched out.
Five Esperian nobles gathered secretly for a meeting.
Besides being wealthy, powerful high nobles, the key reason was
"...You got one too?"
"I did."
They'd received letters from Theodore containing imperial intelligence.
Each pulled identical envelopes from their pockets.
Theodore sent six; five arrived safely.
The shabby envelopes and paper intrigued nobles used to fine stationery—especially amid war preparations.
"I burned mine, suspicious—but if you all got them..."
"...Something's up."
Two had read theirs and summoned the others urgently.
"...Odd that Count Gonzalez is missing."
"I sounded him out—no reaction. Seems he didn't get one."
One questioned why Sancho Gonzalez, Esperia's long-time military commander, lacked a letter, but urgency shifted topics.
"What do you make of it? No sender, highly suspicious content."
Duke Francisco Casas, Esperia's mightiest noble, spoke first.
"Hm, hard to believe outright. Ten thousand rifles marching on us..."
"Rumors of deals with Anchester Kingdom make it plausible, though..."
These heavyweights cross-checked info and validated the letter.
"...Worth considering at least."
All agreed it rang mostly true.
"...Rifles."
"Fine weapons, but an all-rifle legion is fishy."
"Probably merging with border legions for battle."
"Who knows their thinking. Are rifles that revolutionary? Replacing spears, swords, bows?"
"Not specified..."
Discussion turned to countermeasures, but Theodore's vague letter offered little beyond attack certainty and direction.
"Should we get rifles?"
"Tough. Anchester's cut supply post-empire deals—prices skyrocketed."
"More than before? Ha..."
Imperial trades slashed Anchester rifle exports,
"Rifles take ages to reload after one shot. Exploit that..."
"They brought so many for a reason!"
"Even hordes of archers or crossbowmen can't pierce shields and armor. Heavy infantry with shields block mere metal bits, no?"
Scarce rifle combat data left nobles with few options.
"...We'll refine tactics later, but field battles hinge on cavalry flanking mobility."
"Stick to proven tactics... As always."
"Fortify until mercenaries arrive."
"Most realistic now. ...Hm. Can our forts withstand siege guns?"
"..."
Lacking Victor's wealth or knowledge to revolutionize an army, their plans stuck to ambushes, lures, raids—bolstering the old.
"Mercenaries using them didn't impress."
"Rifles or not, they're human—arrows and spears kill them too."
"...Yeah. True enough."
The emergency meeting ended without breakthroughs.
Recalling rifles' lackluster history, they suppressed creeping unease.