Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: 26. Tiger Hunt (1)
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"The first line of defense has been breached. The remaining forces are gathering at the second line, but the Philius Empire's army is advancing relentlessly. With the Emperor joining them and gaining an exceptional staff officer named Baron Dennitz, their morale is sky-high. I can't guarantee how long we can hold out."
Viscount Kasso's face darkened as he recited the frontline situation.
When they had broken through the defenses of Ratiel Barony and pushed them all the way to the final line, the Belpiang territory army's staff had been certain of victory.
They had sent the Ensl brothers—the strongest magical force under the Mountain Duke—as a contingency, but no one had anticipated they'd actually need to step in.
And not just that. No one in the high command had foreseen Andel Ensl's death or the Shadow Special Forces emerging from the shadows.
"Your Grace, Duke Belpiang. We must acknowledge that Raymond, the current Emperor of the Philius Empire, possesses remarkable abilities. His personal martial prowess is outstanding, but the talents gathered around him are all exceptional as well."
Too many to list. Desia Heli, the Azure Tower's genius and a candidate for Archmage. Gestain, who had lost an arm but returned to the realm of high knight. And now Baron Dennitz, who had earned the moniker "Tactical Baron" by holding the final defensive line of Ratiel Barony with brilliant strategy and tactics!
Include the Steel Marquis Kreier at the border, the Crimson Tower Lord, and the Azure Tower Lord, and calling it a 'legion' wouldn't even do it justice.
Every one of them was outstanding. Just months ago, he had been the wastrel 5th Prince—where had he recruited these people? The caliber of talent he had assembled in mere months rivaled what the Mountain Duke had built over twenty years.
"Was it simply good fortune, or had it all been planned from his days of debauchery?"
"We can't know for sure, but if it's the latter, we may need to fear the 5th Prince."
"Hoo! We should have at least assigned the Shadow Special Forces to assassinate Dennitz."
The Mountain Duke let out a sigh laced with regret, but it was too late. He shook his head, realizing that dwelling on it wouldn't change a thing. He had shown an unsightly side before his loyal subordinate.
"On that day, most of the Shadow Special Forces were deployed to search the 'ruins' for 'that thing,' as I recall."
As the commander of that operation and the Mountain Duke's closest aide, Viscount Kasso knew the whereabouts of the Shadow Special Forces well.
Though they had failed to assassinate Baron Dennitz, the Shadow Special Forces had delivered what the Mountain Duke desired that day.
"Yes, thanks to that, we obtained this."
With a short mutter, the Mountain Duke pulled something from his bosom and placed it on the desk. He lifted the red cloth covering it, revealing a chained dagger.
"The ancient relic, 'Dangerous Invitation,' is now in my hands... There's nothing left to fear."
A clear smile spread across his lips.
In the end, the second line of defense fell, and the Belpiang territory army, retreating to the final line, launched a counterattack to halt the Philius Empire army's advance.
"Sons of Belpiang! Here, we raise the banner of the charge! All units, advance! Do not allow the vile horde of the Philius Empire to invade the Duke's territory!"
The commanding officer bellowed in a hoarse voice. His mana-infused shout echoed, and the vanguard knight order moved first.
Magic rained down on them as they charged toward the Philius Empire army's camp.
Boom! Kwang! Kwarng!
The Belpiang territory army's mages didn't sit idle. They deployed defensive spells or intercepted the attacks, but some slipped through and crashed onto the knights' heads, exploding their bodies.
From the start, the Philius Empire army—with both the Azure Tower and Crimson Tower—held the advantage in magical warfare.
"Advance! Keep advancing!"
The vanguard knight order commander screamed until his throat bled. The Belpiang knight orders pierced through the magical barrage and the forest. But when they emerged onto the open plain, they had no choice but to halt their horses.
"Knight Commander! It's illusion magic!"
The soldiers filling the plain and camps vanished like mirages. Only empty camps remained, and the knight commander felt a chill, hurriedly turning his horse around.
"All knights! About face! Evacuate this area immediately!"
"The forest is crawling with enemies! Our path back to base is blocked!"
A deputy rushed to the knight commander's side as he led the turning knights, reporting in a frantic voice.
The utterly despairing report made the knight commander bite his lip until blood welled up.
"Enemy cavalry?"
The knight commander asked. They hadn't seen enemies while passing through the forest earlier. Even accounting for the time to turn around after seeing the empty camps, it hadn't been long—blocking the retreat meant cavalry had moved.
"Not cavalry! Infantry has blocked the road!"
"What?"
It was baffling. Unlike cavalry, infantry lacked rapid mobility. For them to suddenly appear and cut off the retreat defied logic.
"Were they hiding?"
A chilling hypothesis. Hiding an army with concealment magic required at least two high-ranking mages—experts at that. The knight commander, walking the path of the sword, still knew basic magical common sense.
Probably the Azure Tower Lord and Crimson Tower Lord from the reports.
"Were they waiting for us to pass through?"
The knight commander muttered in shock. He realized the Philius Empire army's staff was no ordinary group. Had they engaged during passage, the Belpiang knights could have expected reinforcements from the rear—but letting them through and then blocking the retreat left them isolated.
No one in the Philius Empire army knew such tactics. That left only one suspect.
"Baron Dennitz..."
"If so, we must break through the infantry now!"
The deputy, hearing the mutter, raised his voice in terror. They had to escape before the true horror of Baron Dennitz began.
"Can we break through the infantry?"
The knight commander asked. The deputy opened his stiff mouth.
"They're already forming a phalanx, but you know the terror of Baron Dennitz, sir. If we don't break through now, we're done. We've penetrated too deep!"
"Damn it! Break through! All knights, increase speed!"
Turning formation had cost them momentum. Even accelerating late had limits, and a well-trained infantry phalanx wouldn't yield easily. But they had to. Hesitating would bring the horrific hell Baron Dennitz had devised.
"Full knight charge!"
The four knight orders accelerated in unison. Entering the forest, an infantry phalanx appeared ahead—but it hadn't gained full speed. The knights didn't stop, clashing with the spear-wielding infantry.
Kwang!
An explosion rang out. Though not at full speed, these were heavily armored knights. The front-rank high knights wielding mana swords shattered the phalanx, and it seemed the knights would break through. But beyond the Philius Empire army's four knight orders awaited a thick fog.
Only then did they realize.
"Knight Commander! Th-this is...!"
The deputy approached. The knight commander nodded with a rigid face at the urgent voice.
"Yes, it seems we've fallen into Baron Dennitz's formation."
They were trapped in the secret technique of the Tactical Baron everyone feared: the Labyrinth Formation.
"Your Majesty the Emperor, we just received a battle report from the messenger."
Cassias approached Raymond, who sat resting in the open space before the command tent. Raymond brought the teacup Alex had filled to his lips.
"Report."
"Five thousand Belpiang territory troops attempted a counterattack, but Baron Dennitz led three thousand to repel them."
Defeating five thousand with three thousand—but Raymond wasn't surprised. The commander was Baron Dennitz.
Just before departing that day, he had visited Raymond and announced he would use his secret technique, the Labyrinth Formation.
Though the three thousand soldiers hadn't even trained in it, Baron Dennitz had imparted key parts of his unique troop maneuvers to the main commanders in just one hour and perfectly deployed the Labyrinth Formation.
It defied common sense, but Baron Dennitz had pulled it off.
"There's bad news as well."
"Tell me."
"Viscount Agon and his fifteen hundred cavalry clashed with Viscount Kasso's forces and suffered a major defeat."
Raymond's expression didn't waver. A defeat, but an emperor couldn't show emotional turmoil easily.
"How severe are the losses?"
"Viscount Agon fell in battle, and the fifteen hundred cavalry were annihilated."
Baron Dennitz's victory was joyous, but the following report spoke of painful losses, tempering the joy.
"With Viscount Agon dead and his cavalry wiped out, our cavalry strength on the southern second front is lacking."
"Indeed. We have no reserves to replenish the losses."
The Belpiang territory army had retreated to the final line, but as the front expanded, the Philius Empire army suffered from troop shortages.
"Any news from the east?"
Raymond asked. They were receiving supplies from the Valencia imperial demesne, but the incident had provoked the western nobles, making immediate reinforcements impossible.
They had publicized evidence of the Mountain Duke's collusion with the Tripartite Alliance, but reactions were muted.
He had expected the military knights who followed the 1st Prince—especially the knight brigades—to move first, but even they remained silent.
The east, west, and south hadn't rebelled against the Emperor, but neither had they stepped forward to help.
'Daring to test the Emperor...'
He thought bolstering the Royal Guard had shown the imperial authority intact, but the Mountain Duke's rebellion had dimmed those efforts. Raymond bit his lip slightly. A faint killing intent flickered in his eyes.
"Marquis Valgets has assembled five thousand troops and declared he will fight for the Philius Empire. His army will soon head north."
Raymond felt relief at Cassias's words. Smaller than hoped, but eastern aid was welcome.
"With Marquis Valgets stepping up, that's a relief at least."
Marquis Valgets was a noble loyal to the Philius Empire. He hadn't mobilized easily due to other eastern nobles, but the publicized evidence of the Mountain Duke's collusion had forced his hand.
"I hope we can hold out until they arrive."
The young Emperor's voice sounded weary today.
"Baron Sidington."
A robed man emerged from the darkness. Baron Sidington, walking quietly along the road under the dark night sky, slowly lowered his head.
"Your appearance in Belpiang Ducal territory at this time—may I take it as orders from above?"
The robed man removed his hood at Baron Sidington's question. But a mask hid his face.
"The end is coming, Baron Sidington. Since you failed to fulfill the Association's will properly, from now on, you must act with me under upper command."
"The Herald of the Apocalypse joins me? That's reassuring."
Baron Sidington grinned, but displeasure laced his voice. The Association, dissatisfied with his results, had sent another executive—naturally, he was irritated.
"Baron Sidington, you're too sharp. No need for that yet. I don't plan to intervene unless necessary."
"Then why come all this way? There must be Association orders, but you wouldn't have if you weren't stepping in."
"Curiosity."
"Curious about what, Herald of the Apocalypse?"
Unable to resist pure curiosity, Baron Sidington asked. Who had piqued his interest?
"Raymond, the mad Emperor of the Philius Empire. Curiosity about him."
The Herald of the Apocalypse said. Baron Sidington chuckled and shook his head.
"If Sir Richard, the Herald of the Apocalypse, takes interest... he's as good as dead. Planning to whisper the end to him?"
Sir Richard nodded at Baron Sidington's question and spoke.
"Naturally. The end whispered to me that he stole everything that should be mine."
Killing intent overflowed from the eyes visible through the mask's slits.
"Everything that rightfully should be mine... yes..."