Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: A Calculated Gamble
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“Aaargh!”
Meanwhile, Frickson was letting out a series of panicked screams.
He had just ambushed a group of what appeared to be ordinary soldiers.
He thought he could easily rack up a victory, but the result was bewildering.
And for good reason—they were a disguised group of mages from the Gray Magic Tower.
*Smack!*
“Snap out of it, you fool.”
“Ugh! I was almost a goner.”
Floundering in an illusion, Frickson barely managed to come to his senses.
It was thanks to Curtis, who had rushed over and smacked him on the head.
If House Forben hadn't agreed to join the war, even as late as they did, he would have met his end right here.
Frickson, after a shudder, yelled at the enemy forces.
“Why did it have to be you guys?!”
Cutting off the supply line was a major military achievement.
But who would have thought the enemy would be mages from the Gray Magic Tower.
Had he known, he never would have charged in so recklessly.
The mages of the Gray Magic Tower were famous for their skill in close combat, after all.
As Frickson shouted, the face of his opponent twisted.
“We should be the ones asking that. How in the world did you know to attack here?”
“How did I know? Ray told us, so of course…”
Frickson tilted his head at the mage’s question.
Something had just clicked in his mind.
He hurriedly looked behind him.
Curtis, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, was nodding with a bitter expression.
“This is grounds for some reasonable suspicion, isn't it?”
“Normally, I’d say we should reconsider since there’s no proof, but… coming from him, nothing would be a surprise.”
“Wow! That bastard! He’s throwing his friends into the lion’s den.”
“But if you think about it, he wasn’t wrong. This is, after all, a chance to score a major victory.”
The Gray Magic Tower mages were surely a core component of the second prince’s army.
Taking them out would be as good as breaking the third prince’s army out of its crisis.
No, that effect was already taking hold.
The surprise attack was shattering the illusion magic of the Gray Magic Tower mages.
*Fssshhh!*
“Oh…”
Frickson’s mouth formed an ‘o’ as he scanned the battlefield.
And there he saw Ray, appearing on a hill in a majestic pose.
Amazingly, in that brief instant, their eyes met.
*Snap!*
The moment he snapped his fingers with a sly grin!
*Fwoosh—!*
The second prince’s knight order, once hidden by the fog, was instantly revealed.
As if he had caused this phenomenon with some transcendent power.
“You—!”
Frickson, who knew the whole story, grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed his eyes shut.
He realized he had been caught in the scheme of that cunning student council president.
A civil war was still a war.
No matter which side you were on, hardship was unavoidable.
But they had done all the work, and now it looked like Ray was going to take all the credit.
Frickson simply could not accept this situation.
“I’ll get that bastard…!”
He felt like he wouldn’t be satisfied until he charged onto the battlefield and smacked Ray on the back of the head.
As he was about to rush forward, eyes blazing, a group of men suddenly blocked his path.
They were the guards protecting the mages of the Gray Magic Tower.
It seemed they had charged in to buy time for a retreat.
“No, you bastards! We’re not trying to kill your mages!”
“Block them!”
But Frickson’s shout was lost in vain.
Who in their right mind would believe the words of an enemy?
It was only natural to think it was a deception tactic.
*Clang! Clang!*
“Aaargh! Get out of the way! You idiots! We were played by that bastard’s scheme!”
Frickson, clashing swords with the guards, became the very incarnation of rage.
Of course, he never dreamed that Ray Carter had intended for things to go this far.
If he had thought about it for just a moment, he would have realized why their eyes had met in that situation.
* * *
“Aaaargh! You bastard! You sent us into that death trap without a word?”
The moment Frickson saw me again, he let out a monstrous yell and charged.
But I had already anticipated as much.
*Woosh.*
As I stepped aside, he flailed and barely managed to regain his balance.
He must have realized he’d been tricked and was furious.
But it wasn't as if I had nothing to say for myself.
*‘You never would have achieved something so great with your own abilities.’*
Of course, saying that out loud would get me beaten to a pulp.
His anger had to be soothed in a different way.
Fortunately, I had a method that wasn't too difficult.
“Frickson, Curtis! The student council president told me. You’ve done something truly remarkable.”
I turned slightly, and just then, Elington appeared from behind to greet the two of them.
Frickson and Curtis immediately showed their respects.
“Your Highness, the third prince.”
Just six months ago, they had been equals in the same class.
But now, Elington was the next crown prince.
And potentially, the future emperor.
Moreover, he seemed to have grown accustomed to the battlefield, carrying an air of dignity.
They could no longer treat him as casually as before.
When the third prince acknowledged their achievement, Frickson’s anger seemed to melt away like snow.
*‘How about it? A decent reward, isn’t it?’*
I gave a slight smile and shrugged.
Frickson’s face immediately turned red.
He seemed embarrassed by his outburst just moments ago.
Besides, he seemed quite pleased to be praised directly by Elington.
“The crisis is not over yet. We must move quickly.”
Adelle interjected at the right moment with her advice.
As she said, the second prince’s army was still on the offensive.
The knight order, startled by the collapse of the Gray Magic Tower mages, had only retreated temporarily.
They could strike our rear at any moment.
“Let’s do that. We can talk later.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Frickson nodded vigorously at Elington’s words.
Soon, the third prince’s army began to move away from the border and toward the empire.
And just as expected, the enemy forces, having regained their senses, were soon in pursuit.
*‘I knew the effect wouldn’t last long.’*
Once they regrouped with the Gray Magic Tower mages, they would have realized my finger snap was nothing but a bluff.
The second prince’s army charged furiously, determined not to lose their advantage.
“Ugh! They’re getting faster!”
At the aide’s shout, I glanced back and saw the second prince’s knight order.
Even though we had entered terrain with many obstacles, their speed hadn’t decreased.
The fog from the Gray Magic Tower mages was working its magic again.
“How do we shake them?”
Adelle watched the approaching enemy with a worried expression.
She seemed to be blaming herself for failing to account for the Gray Magic Tower.
I spurred my horse alongside hers and spoke.
“Heh! What if I told you I was prepared for this, too?”
Adelle whipped her head around, her eyes wide like a rabbit’s.
My statement must have been that surprising.
“That’s impossible. We just joined up. There’s no way you had time to make such preparations.”
“We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“You truly surprise me every time I see you.”
“What can I do? I just want to live peacefully, but the world won’t leave a brilliant man like me alone.”
“…”
I know.
Adelle’s expression just now was bordering on contempt.
But what can I do when it's the truth?
Besides, if I’d said that with my real face, her reaction would have been the complete opposite, right?
*‘Being handsome really is the best.’*
I want to shed this identity as soon as possible, but to do that, I have to end the civil war.
I'll have to become the next emperor's closest aide and just use a different face as a stand-in or something.
“So, what is this preparation you mentioned?”
My trivial thoughts were broken by Adelle’s question.
I gave a meaningful smile and pointed behind us.
Adelle looked back, her face full of expectation.
But no matter how long she waited, nothing happened.
“Are you messing with me right now?”
“Ahem! This can’t be right.”
Momentarily flustered, I looked around awkwardly.
The person who should have appeared by now was nowhere to be seen.
“He missed the perfect timing. That clueless bastard…”
I muttered under my breath, thinking of the guy who was probably watching the battlefield from somewhere.
But just then.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble!*
A deafening roar echoed as the very ground began to shake.
“That’s it!”
I yanked on my reins, turning my horse in a grand gesture.
It wasn't my doing this time either, but I couldn't miss a chance to be in the spotlight.
Riding against the direction of our army, I raised the Black Dragon Sword high.
At the same time, I commanded the battlefield like a war god.
“Come on! I’ll take you all on!”
The fog that had been rushing toward us at a terrifying speed seemed to hesitate for a moment.
With the ground shaking, they must have thought something formidable was lurking.
But soon, the enemy knight order began to charge with terrifying ferocity.
The shock of being fooled by my bluff was too great for them to simply believe my actions.
“You scoundrel! Do you think we’ll fall for it again?!”
A man who appeared to be the knight commander roared through a momentary break in the fog.
*‘He looks familiar… who was he again?’*
He felt quite familiar, but I couldn't immediately identify him.
It was a fleeting moment, and he was completely covered in plate armor.
I soon pushed the knight commander’s identity from my mind and focused on the present situation.
“Ignore him and charge! Trample him!”
The second prince’s knight order surged forward with the gray fog.
But soon, they were faced with a startling situation.
*Drrrrrrr!*
Something shot up from the violently vibrating ground and began to form a massive wall.
*Thwoooom!*
“Aaaargh!”
“Neeeigh!”
The knights on that patch of ground were launched high into the air along with their horses.
They would likely flail in midair before crashing to the ground and meeting their end.
Moreover, to continue the pursuit, they would have to take a long detour.
An incredibly long stone wall had completely blocked their path.
“Yes!”
Cheering, I pointed to the youthful man who had appeared at the edge of the stone wall.
His identity was none other than Mac Ties.
I had intercepted him on his way back to Venderford and brought him to the battlefield.
Persuading him was easy.
I told him I would make Elington the emperor.
Mac, trusting in my abilities, had followed me.
*Shuuuu! Thud.*
But someone suddenly shot out from the dust cloud of the stone wall.
It was the enemy knight commander who had been riding at the front.
*‘Seriously, if you’re going to block them, you should have blocked all of them.’*
It seemed his timing was a bit off, as the stone wall had only cut the second prince’s knight order in half.
Thanks to that, the knight commander and a few others had survived the chaos.
“Just as expected, you’re a troublesome one. You were quite the hotshot in Venderford, too. Tsk!”
The man spoke, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
As if he knew me.
At his words, I shrugged and replied nonchalantly.
“Being this famous is so inconvenient. Even guys I don’t care about recognize me.”
“…”