Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: The Expanded Battlefield
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The situation had ballooned to an unimaginable scale.
Even I, who had somewhat anticipated this, was taken aback.
"Why... how did it come to this?"
Dorothy couldn't continue.
The only nations not at war were the neutral kingdom of Ballast and the observers in Crossing. Every other country had entered a state of full-scale conflict.
This put Vulran in an incredibly awkward position.
The reason Vulran had treated us like punching bags and invaded on flimsy pretenses was that there was no power strong enough to challenge them.
The only potential threats were Svenner and the western tribes, but both had been keeping a low profile since the Chimera War.
They feared that starting another war might lead to the formation of an anti-Svenner coalition that would focus all its firepower on them.
"They came to flex their muscles and ended up kicking a hornet's nest."
Vulran's mistake was fabricating such a weak justification.
In war, legitimacy is paramount. A war without it invites condemnation from others and saps the morale of your own troops.
Vulran had taken it far too lightly.
They had pointed to Calipher as the culprit in the assassination of their king, but no country bought it outright.
Everyone saw it as Vulran forcing a pretext to invade.
Europé, which had been eyeing the weakened Tunkai after the Bekavia War, seized the moment Vulran made the first move and invaded Tunkai without hesitation.
This triggered a domino effect.
With things as they were, Svenner and the west no longer needed to watch their step. There was no chance of an anti-Svenner coalition forming now.
"Als, what should we do now...?"
"In this situation, there's only one thing we can do."
Vulran's army, which had pushed deep into the southern part of our territory, had now become a dead horse.
The royal family was aware of it too, and the order came down immediately.
Annihilate every last one of the invading Vulran forces.
Until now, we had been acting defensively.
Engaging in open battle and taking losses would only hurt us.
Vulran's national power was estimated to be two to three times ours. While we had captured some Madon territory, narrowing the land gap, we lagged behind in population, food production, mineral resources, maritime power—everything.
So we had avoided combat as much as possible, focusing on holding key fortresses, hunkering down, and evacuating villagers.
Vulran had done the same, prioritizing pillaging over fighting, so even a week into the war, no major battles had occurred.
Now the tables had turned completely.
"Full advance! Our target is the enemy's retreating guerrilla forces!"
I led six thousand troops in a swift push south.
Vulran had split their forces into multiple columns, slowing their retreat.
The royal decree was to exterminate them—no mercy for those who dared pillage our lands.
"General! Enemy forces spotted ten kilometers ahead! They haven't detected us yet!"
"How many?"
"About three thousand! And that number seems to be growing."
"I see... so this is their rally point for the retreat...."
If I led my six thousand straight there, the enemy would flee and set up a new rally point elsewhere.
'I can't let this chance slip.'
I glanced up at the darkening sky.
"Alright, let's give it a shot. Gaspar! Brother Fuji!"
I detached two thousand each to them and sent them on a wide flanking maneuver.
Then I personally led two thousand straight toward the enemy.
*
*
*
In Vulran's camp, preparing for retreat.
Commander Christian Felts furrowed his brow at the report.
"Troops coming down from Elton?"
"Yes! Estimated two thousand, approaching close range."
"Elton, huh...."
Elton and Horton were outside the guerrilla operations zone. If they were seriously aiming for the capital Alpenserd, those cities would need to be taken, but they had no intention of doing so yet, so no forces had been sent that way.
Naturally, their intelligence network there was thin.
"Who's the enemy commander?"
"Intelligence says Als Ilrain, a royal direct general."
"Ah, yeah. I know him. Calipher's king appointed a cadet as second general or something, right?"
It had been such a shocking event that the rumor spread to other countries.
That Calipher's king had lost his mind.
"Hmm, I see."
Felts assumed Als, unable to contain his youthful hot-bloodedness, had come south chasing glory.
"What should we do?"
"They're not even worth worrying about... but they're annoying."
If Als's forces chased their retreating tail, it would be a hassle. Deciding to deal with it preemptively, Felts gave the order.
"Prepare for battle! Crush them and drive them off!"
He left five hundred at the rally point and attacked Als's position with twenty-five hundred.
Seeing this, Als shouted as if he had been waiting.
"Don't engage—fall back!"
Felts was convinced Als's goal was tailing them.
In a retreat, the presence or absence of pursuers makes a world of difference.
Even if the pursuers were fewer in number.
'Tonight is when other units arrive at the rally point.... Midnight is the retreat to the final point. Pursuit in that scenario would be a headache.'
Being pursued in open field? The chaos would be unpredictable.
So Felts planned to chase Als's forces far enough away.
After about an hour of pursuit, having driven them to a sufficient distance, Felts ordered a turnaround.
"That's far enough. Back to camp!"
It was then, as they turned back to the rally point.
"You idiot."
A mocking voice rang out simultaneously.
"Charge!"
With Eonia's command, Calipher units struck from both flanks.
"An ambush!?"
Felts's eyes bulged.
He had been vigilant against ambushes while pursuing Als, keeping scouts at a distance to watch for approaching forces. Yet here he was, ambushed.
'Something's off!'
If it wasn't external forces, it meant troops lying in wait nearby.
But he had been careful about ambushes too. Moreover, ambushes required luring the enemy to a specific spot.
He had decided to turn back without any particular criterion—and it happened to be right on the enemy's ambush point? Too coincidental.
"No way!"
Felts finally realized the trap Als had set.
No external ambush troops. No pre-positioned ambush force.
So what were these units stabbing in from the flanks?
They were the advance guard Als had deployed as wings during his retreat.
Those flanking units had retreated parallel in formation with the main retreating body. When the enemy slowed to turn, they folded their wings like closing in, enveloping the flanks.
No way intelligence would catch it. It wasn't an ambush force or external troops.
Just tactics.
If it were daytime, he might have noticed—visible to the eye.
But with sunset narrowing visibility, it was hard to spot.
"Damn! Not bad! But...!"
Knowing the enemy's tactic made countermeasures simple.
"Don't panic! No enemy reinforcements! We outnumber them! Consolidate and counterattack!"
Just as he said—no reinforcements, so Als's side was outnumbered.
But preparation for open field decided the edge.
"Confirm your identifiers! That's your light in the field!"
Calipher soldiers quickly distinguished friend from foe by markers, while Vulran's were unprepared for night fighting.
The gap widened over time.
Vulran troops began panicking—Als had sown fear.
Calipher officers under Als's orders kept up the act: "Right on time!" "Not too late! Attack the enemy together!" "We're here to help—crush them with us!"
Unable to see, Vulran soldiers believed reinforcements had arrived and panicked.
"N-no! No enemy support! Don't panic!"
But the chaos was already uncontrollable. Deserters appeared, discipline crumbled.
Eonia exploited the gap.
"Haaah!"
Kwa-kwa-kwa! A sharp spear thrust at Felts.
He barely blocked with his weapon.
"Oh ho, impressive. Blocking that."
"Urk! Who the hell are you!"
"This is Rania! Als's most loyal retainer!"
Felts gripped his weapon tight.
To reverse the battle, he needed to take out the enemy's key officer.
"I don't know what bitch shows up here, but you'll regret it!"
"Hmph, I'll praise your spirit!"
Surprisingly, Felts held his own against Eonia.
He was one of Vulran's top fighters. Not a general, but elite in personal combat.
But today, luck wasn't on his side.
Unlike Eonia, he had to manage his troops too, exposing an opening.
Puk! Spear pierced his shoulder, blood flowing as he retreated.
Grinding his teeth at the crumbling battle, he called it.
"We can't hold. Retreat!"
With his men's help, he began falling back to the rally point.
"Ah! Wait!"
Eonia, eager for achievements, tried to pursue, but Als stopped her.
"Enough. We've got measures for their main force. Prioritize cleaning up the surroundings."
"Ugh.... Understood."
Vulran soldiers routed in disarray.
Als began taking prisoners.
*
*
*
The fleeing Felts returned to the rally point with about four hundred.
Two thousand more had just arrived.
"Commander Felts! That wound...!"
"Fell for the enemy's trap. Als Ilrain.... Can't underestimate him...."
"We'll prepare for pursuit!"
"No need. They'll take time cleaning up too. Hurry the retreat instead. Pull back before they regroup. If they grab our tail, it'll be worse. To the final rally point, now!"
"Yes! Ordering retreat immediately!"
But Als wasn't that sloppy.
A feral gaze eyed the preparing Vulran forces.
"Kahat! The rookies set a tasty table. Let's see how good it tastes. Boys, charge!"
Gaspar and Fuji's forces—four thousand total—pounced on the rally point.
Felts could scarcely believe it.
"When!? D-did this fool play me in the palm of his hand...?"
Als baiting himself drew the enemy, blinding them to the flanking forces.
The previous battle's outcome barely mattered.
The real hammer was these flankers.
"Raaah!"
Gaspar rampaged wildly.
He was unmatched in open field.
Flanking unseen? Child's play for him.
Now they even outnumbered the enemy.
"Aegert! I'll take the enemy commander! Clear around me!"
"Got it! Master Gaspar!"
Gaspar headed straight for Felts.
His personal strength was 87—not top-tier, due to age and poor self-care.
In his prime, 95—rivaling Iliya. His experience and prowess remained.
He could hold against stronger foes if serious.
As seen in his four-hundred-exchange duel with Iliya.
Gaspar meant to pin the commander, but seeing Felts's shoulder wound, he changed plans.
"Kahaha, that young miss seasoned him nicely. Raaah!"
"Kuhak!?"
Pshuk! Blood sprayed from Gaspar's greatsword.
With top commander Felts dead, Vulran troops rapidly lost the will to fight.