Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Hanne's Rout
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While Ash's cavalry was striking Crossing's main base.
Als was not at the headquarters but at the foremost front lines.
There, he was leading 20,000 troops forward.
This was similar to yet different from what Juras had done.
If Juras had forced his way through with overwhelming destructive power, Als was piercing the enemy's gaps and carving out a path.
This move was made in anticipation of the enemy cavalry striking the headquarters, but more importantly, to corner the enemy's main base.
‘Juras is undoubtedly targeting the enemy's real headquarters. Then we can't give their main base any room to escape.’
Als pushed his forces up from the opposite wing of where Juras was advancing.
This left Hanne's position awkwardly exposed.
Originally, Hanne had intended to move to the opposite side from where Juras was pushing, but Als's advance from that direction prevented it.
Hanne's hesitating headquarters.
Juras did not miss this brief opening.
"Heh, to already grasp how I move. As expected of Wade."
Juras smirked and murmured lowly.
"Thanks to Wade, the path to the enemy commander is open. All of you, follow behind me."
Juras's unit charged straight toward Hanne in a single-point breakthrough. Als rapidly pushed his forces from the opposite direction to prevent Hanne from escaping.
Hanne could only be stunned.
"How in the world..."
"Lord Hanne! The enemies are swarming this way! Give orders quickly!"
"Withdraw to the opposite side of their advance path!"
"But new enemy troops are coming from that direction. According to the officers, the one leading them wears a gray helmet! It's Wade!"
"Kuh! Wade...!"
Hanne felt intense pressure from Als, who had turned the Tunka'i maneuver against them.
However, the pressure from Juras was far greater.
"How did that bastard move so quickly! What about the Five Dragons! What are the Five Dragons doing!"
"Th-that... It seems they've all fallen. The White Dragon, Red Dragon, Black Dragon, Blue Dragon..."
"Is that what you call reporting!"
They were all powerhouses on par with Fischer. It was hard to believe they had died like mere foot soldiers.
"It's definitely false information! They're all still alive!"
But upon seeing Juras approaching, Hanne realized it was no lie.
"Uhahahaha!"
Swish! Crunch!
Juras, laughing maniacally as he slaughtered the soldiers. With every swing of his sword, Western soldiers lost their heads without knowing what hit them.
Right behind Juras followed the elite knight Anton, Second General Nolak, and Third General Patty Hurt.
Anton went without saying as a top-tier warrior, Nolak was stronger than Fischer Parth, and Patty Hurt was a fierce fighter on par with Fischer.
Fifth General Kisler Ponte had fallen to the White Dragon, leader of the Five Dragons, but in exchange, the Five Dragons had been wiped out.
"Monsters... actual monsters...!"
Only then did Hanne understand why Jemuto had said such things.
Beings beyond human. Freaks outside the norm. That was what they were.
Crunch! Even the guards were torn apart, and as Juras arrived before him, Hanne was so intimidated that he couldn't even think of fleeing and fell flat on his butt.
"Y-you bastard...!"
"..."
Juras's gaze upon Hanne was ice-cold.
"──Pathetic."
"W-what?"
"I said pathetic. To not last even three hours. This battle doesn't light any fire in me at all. Is this all you had? After honing your blades of revenge for a hundred years, this is it? Apologize to me right now for making me wary of trash like you."
"What nonsense...!"
"I said apologize. Tadpole."
It was a gaze as if looking at an insect.
Hanne couldn't move a muscle, like prey facing a predator.
In the meantime, Als arrived.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing Als, Hanne's eyes widened once more.
"Wade...!"
"Oh ho, so that's how it is. My name has spread to the West too. And you must be Hanne Noiers? The descendant of the Erevenia Kingdom."
"Kuh!"
Deep humiliation welled up in Hanne's heart. He had always been the one commanding others. He had been exalted. Most people looked up to him.
Yet these two were looking down on him as if it were natural.
What was more humiliating was that Hanne himself accepted it. They were worthy of it.
Hearing Als's words, Juras chuckled.
"You've done your homework. No record of accessing our intelligence logs, so did you visit an informant?"
"For fun."
"It's obvious why you'd go to an informant instead of asking our intelligence department directly. Because of Illya Anpei, right? Then you must have heard that Guderian Chester is one of the Three Great Generals."
"That's why I don't like how you talk like you know everything."
"Heh, want me to tell you about Illya Anpei's past too?"
"Ah, please shut up!"
The two leisurely chatted while the enemy commander sat collapsed before them.
Hanne felt an unknown terror toward them.
‘These guys are monsters! I shouldn't have come here!’
Hanne crawled backward, propping himself with his palms. Seeing this, Als glanced at Juras as if asking what to do.
Juras spoke to Hanne as if utterly uninterested.
"I've lost interest in you. Get lost, runt."
"...!"
Trembling, Hanne stood and staggered away.
Soon, his adjutant came to support him and they departed.
With him, the Western and Tunka'i forces began their retreat.
Als said.
"Unexpected. I thought you'd pretend to let him go and stab him in the back."
"What do you take me for?"
"You're definitely not in your right mind."
"Sheesh. That might have been fun too, but now's the time to look further ahead. Better to let that one live. Wade, you know the Western forces are divided into three factions, right?"
"More or less."
"If he dies now, his faction gets swallowed whole by another leader. Better to let him live and send him back."
"True. In that state, he won't dream of advancing on the continent anymore and will clash with the other leaders pushing for war."
"That's how it'll go."
Als looked at Juras as if fed up.
‘The goal was this from the start.’
Lure the enemy to Bekavia and shatter their forces completely, creating rifts among the allied Western factions.
‘From that perspective, it's natural he didn't like my plan. Mine would have let most of them survive and return...’
Als coolly admitted that this time, Juras had the upper hand.
"Shall we start cleanup then."
They needed to pursue the retreating enemy and inflict damage, but above all, restore the severed supply lines.
"Wade, I leave the supply route restoration to you. You'll need to coordinate with the Bekavia side, so you're the fastest for it. Looks like you're pretty close to the genius princess?"
"It's not like that. Anyway, got it."
Western and Tunka'i allied forces: 130,000.
Crossing and Bekavia allied forces: 130,000 clashed in this battle.
The Western alliance suffered a crushing defeat, with 60,000 of their 130,000 killed or captured. In contrast, the Crossing alliance claimed a great victory with only 20,000 casualties.
*
*
*
Starting the war cleanup, I first requested Sophia to restore the supply lines.
Sophia nodded, saying she understood.
"With the Veratorium depot fallen, it'll be faster to procure food from the capital Poltvia. I'll handle that quickly."
"It's not that urgent. We captured a few enemy supply wagons during the pursuit. We have a day's leeway."
"..."
Sophia fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For opposing your plan back then."
"Let's call it even. With this victory, it's clear Juras was right."
"Even so. I'm sorry, Wade. ...But I want to say one thing. If the same situation arises again, I'll make the same choice."
"That's contradictory. Sorry, but you'll do it again?"
"That's the kind of person I am. A princess who must prioritize her nation's survival, yet coldly command the army as a strategist... It's a contradictory position."
"Well, we probably won't work together again, so I won't say more."
"Who knows. It might happen."
"...?"
"Then I'll look forward to the next time we meet."
Sophia left with those meaningful words.
I shrugged it off and headed to Olaf.
It was then.
"Lord Wade!"
A Crossing mid-level officer came running breathlessly.
"Could you possibly help with something for a moment?"
"What's the issue?"
"Well, among the prisoners we captured, there's a tricky one."
"Hm? Shouldn't you leave that to other high officers?"
Why ask me, an outsider?
The officer scratched his head awkwardly.
"The commander and high officers are handling things at the front, so it's hard to call them here. Normally, General Kisler handled this, but unfortunately, he fell in the last battle..."
"No choice then."
Juras's group, pursuing the enemy, had no time for prisoner management.
"Lead the way."
"Yes!"
Prisoners reminded me of the Chimera War last time.
Thinking of recruiting any worthwhile talents, I headed to the prisoner camp with Eo.
Crossing had captured a whopping 23,000 enemy soldiers in this battle. Because Juras and Als had swiftly crushed the enemy headquarters.
With the rear headquarters retreating early, the frontline soldiers had no choice but to surrender helplessly.
By ratio, about 17,000 Western troops and 6,000 Tunka'i troops.
The problematic prisoner was from the Tunka'i side.
"..."
A woman glaring at the guards with murderous eyes.
Her demeanor and sharp aura marked her as no ordinary person, but she refused to reveal her identity.
"Sheesh. Stop glaring and state your identity already!"
"Tell us now!"
Crossing was infamous for enslaving all prisoners, but they made exceptions for those who could pay ransom, exchanging them.
This woman clearly seemed a high-ranking captive, so the guards were interrogating her status, but she said nothing.
As the guards grew angry, she spat venom instead.
"Filthy scum. Tunka'i's wrath will devour you someday."
"Ha! As if that would happen. Svenner aside, Tunka'i against our Crossing? Even a stray dog would laugh!"
"Your accent... Albad accent."
"So what?"
"Hmph, I just found it amusing that traitors like you call yourselves Crossing. Your words, devoid of conviction or pride, don't reach me."
"You bitch...!"
The guard's eyes changed.
"Guess you need a taste of heat to come to your senses. If you won't reveal your status, fine. We'll treat you like a regular prisoner. Then I can have some fun too."
The guard began unbuckling his belt. Yet the woman didn't panic and sneered.
Her eyes were now on the one behind him.
It was Ash, disguised as a guard.
‘Lisitea...’
Ash was waiting for a chance to rescue the woman, Lisitea. Now was the moment.
With Juras Pamilion and the high officers at the front.
‘Process them quickly the moment they focus on Lisitea.’
The guards were busy with prisoner management. After dealing with the two, they could slip away in the chaos.
Ash gripped the hidden dagger in his bosom. No mercy for those trying to violate Lisitea.
But then.
"That's far enough."
Als appeared, stopping the guards about to assault Lisitea.