26
The northwest front where the Crossing army and the Albad & Beccabia coalition army were in a standoff.
Cayenne, who was leading the coalition army, narrowed his eyes.
“Mercenary Wade… He seems to be a far more exceptional individual than I had anticipated.”
“Teacher? What’s that about…?”
As he did so, Cayenne sent his compliments towards Juras’ army directly in front of them.
“He’s had a close call. A slippery character like a snake. So cunning that even I couldn’t sense a thing.”
Given the arrival of intelligence regarding the fall of Gexon Castle and Kessilian Fortress, it was clear. Julius had disrupted Albad’s intelligence network inadvertently with a full-frontal assault.
There were only a handful of individuals across the continent capable of such maneuvers against Cayenne.
“Gylias, issue an immediate retreat order to the entire army. Even if we face pursuit, we will withdraw swiftly.”
“W-Why all of a sudden? The situation here is still…”
But then.
“…!”
Gylias, feeling a presence, turned his head back.
“What in the…!?”
“Seems like we’re a bit late.”
Gylias hurriedly left the tent and gazed at the rear of the army.
“This… can’t be.”
There, a massive Als army of around 30,000 was advancing in formation.
“Our army has been outflanked!?”
“General! Julius Pamilion’s army has resumed the full-frontal advance!”
“Damn it!”
The combined forces of Albad and Beccabia, caught off guard in the rear.
Gylias was thrilled that their intelligence network had been completely breached.
“Even if the network was breached, being outmaneuvered so perfectly is impossible. They must have made a significant detour around the northern battlefield…!”
He knew well the distance of that detour.
“Then what was Carington’s army doing until now!!”
The outflanked combined forces.
With the addition of the Als’ 30,000 soldiers, the combined forces found themselves at a significant disadvantage, with 60,000 against 90,000.
“General! General Ulysses is requesting orders!”
“Argh!”
Gylias hesitated, unable to make a decision.
Behind him, Cayenne spoke.
“Why hesitate? Fighting here will lead to everyone’s death. Despite the losses, we must retreat.”
“But, Master! That means…”
“Yes, it will lead to defeat in battle.”
“Damn it! Because of the incompetent Beccabians…! What kind of genius princess is Beccabia! Unable to handle even a single mercenary!”
The retreat of the combined forces led by Cayenne.
This was not just the collapse of one front.
As the northwestern front was the axis of the combined forces, if this front fell, it was evident that other fronts would collapse simultaneously.
The Carington battlefield guarded by Sophia was no exception.
A strategy surpassing tactics.
Using the strategy of bypassing the frontline, Als had cleverly captured Carington without shedding a drop of blood.
“Hmm, a mercenary named Wade who seduced the genius princess. Getting interesting.”
“…Master?”
Thud! Cayenne struck the ground with his staff.
“The retreat of the vanguard will be entrusted to Yussis. The rear retreat will be led by Giryas and me.”
The rear. In other words, it meant they would directly face Als.
“There’s no need for the teacher to step in personally! I will handle it alone! These mercenaries are nothing but lucky…!”
“Giryas, there is nothing as ugly as a man’s jealousy. If you want to prove yourself, let the results speak. Hurry, or you’ll end up being devoured by that Juuras fellow.”
“Fine… I understand.”
Giryas, urging the rear forces.
Kaien smirked as he looked at where Als was positioned.
“Well, shall we check the dragon’s lair?”
The Albad rear forces taking a defensive stance.
Als felt a chill down his spine in this formation.
“I feel a sense of testing here, which makes me uneasy.”
At the point where the enemy had decided to retreat, victory was already assured. The task was done.
However, to achieve a complete victory, variables needed to be eliminated at this point.
If the retreating enemy had a significant number of troops, a second front could form unnecessarily.
Therefore, it was necessary to reduce the enemy soldiers to some extent.
“Wade, what will you do?”
Illiya asked with concern.
In the enemy camp stood the living legend, Kaien, the master of strategy.
Even Illiya seemed somewhat intimidated by his reputation.
On the other hand, Als responded nonchalantly.
“No need to worry, Master. We are in a favorable position. This is where we can test the opponent.”
“Test…? Are you saying you will test the legendary Kaien!?”
“There’s nothing I can’t do.”
After deploying the forces, Als decided to employ not tactics but strategy.
He deliberately opened a path for the enemy.
For the allied forces who had decided to retreat, the only way out was the rear.
In this situation, Als’ 30,000 troops in the rear were naturally the biggest obstacle.
In such a scenario, Als slightly moved his forces aside to open a path.
“hahahahaha! It seems this fool is frightened by the teacher’s reputation!”
Although Giryas sneered, Kaien expressed admiration.
“Truly an interesting fellow. He dares to test me!”
“Te-Teacher…? A test?”
From Noble mtl dot com
The intentional act of opening a path.
This was Als’ way of sending a message: he would be the one to make the battlefield decisions from the advantageous position he held.
By opening up the path in this manner, the allied forces would naturally have to move towards this path.
In this case, the battle would not be a head-on clash like now, but a pursuit.
Naturally, in a pursuit, the one who could move advantageously was the pursuer. That was Als’ army.
“He wants to see how I will respond.”
“You are over-interpreting. The best judgment the enemy can make in the current situation is to press strongly from both fronts. He made a big mistake.”
“It may not be exactly like that, Giryas.”
Kaien pointed out the exhaustion of the troops.
“Those on the other side must have marched here with extraordinary vigor. Surely, the soldiers must be in a state of extreme fatigue. Engaging in a full-frontal battle in such a situation carries a significant risk burden. In that sense, pursuing them seems like a good choice. Pursuit naturally boosts the morale of the troops.”
“He planned it that far ahead…?”
“That’s how it appears to me.”
Kaien nodded his head.
“When I heard that Juras entrusted the command of the mercenary army, I too had my doubts… But he seems quite capable.”
“What should we do now, Master?”
“It’s better to play along with the opponent’s intentions this time. We’ll swiftly withdraw through the path they’ve opened for us.”
Once the decision to retreat is made, fleeing without looking back is the best course of action.
Kaien glanced at where Als was, then quickly retreated.
“Wade, the enemy commander is fleeing.”
“Let him go. Chasing after them recklessly will lead us into a trap. We just need to mind our own business.”
Thus, Als managed to catch the fleeing enemy’s tail and inflicted 5,000 casualties, smoothly rejoining Juras.
Juras, too, pursued the enemy’s vanguard, causing around 10,000 casualties, resulting in the allied forces suffering close to 20,000 losses and a defeat.
As the Crossing faction completely pacified the northwest front, the Tripartite War practically came to an end.
—
After driving out the allied forces and reorganizing the military camp, I had to face a different gaze.
“General Wade is entering!”
Soldiers shouting fiercely.
The atmosphere in the military headquarters had changed.
“….”
As if wary of a carnivorous animal.
Even the two generals who had underestimated me, Kreeper and Nolac, were now looking at me with subdued eyes.
Only Juras had a fiery gaze.
“Would you stop looking at me like you’re seeing a beloved one? Honestly, it’s uncomfortable.”
“Ha, sorry. Please, have a seat. We will start the debriefing.”
Juras’ deputy, Kiesler, began the debriefing.
The key point was the victory in this battle, which allowed us to pacify the targeted area.
“Due to the collapse of the front line, the enemy has lost influence over several regions, including Carrington. We will occupy those areas, fortify them, and start discussions on a ceasefire agreement.”
This process would take about three months. Then, with the bone-chilling winter approaching, both sides would lose the capacity to wage war, and after another three months, as spring arrived and the farming season began, there would likely be no war for about half a year.
“So, my role ends here. Will you provide the remaining 20 million Silan so I can leave immediately?”
At this, Nolac slammed the table as he stood up.
“Do you think you can just leave like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“We are well aware of your abilities. But that’s why we can’t just let you go.”
“…Are you suggesting I might be attached to Albad or Beccabia?”
“Mercenaries do anything for money, don’t they? Am I wrong?”
Other officers nodded in agreement.
I turned to Juras and said, “This is not what we agreed upon, is it?”
“hahahaha, it seems my subordinates’ enthusiasm has gone beyond the limit.”
With that, Juras firmly drove in the nail.
“I stake my name on it. I will not tolerate any interference regarding the mercenary Wade.”
“Commander! What nonsense is this! Judging by Albad and Beccabia’s standards, you will undoubtedly try to poach Wade at any cost!”
“It doesn’t matter. Shouldn’t you just demonstrate your abilities at that time? Or are you afraid of losing even when faced with a gamble?”
“That’s…!”
“Wade’s contract with us has ended, and you have no right to restrain him any further. That’s the end of it.”
“Then let’s renew the contract!”
With that, Nolak presented a new contract amounting to 20 million silans.
This guy. He used to disrespect me, but now he casually mentions 20 million.
It didn’t feel bad to be acknowledged, though.
“I will refuse. I wasn’t particularly keen on this from the start.”
“You…!”
Nolak took an attitude that implied death was the only outcome if not involved in crossing.
Understanding his sentiments, a pledge was made as a gesture.
“However… I swear not to engage in any country in this upcoming war.”
“What will be the consequence if you break the oath?”
“Well?”
“Are you joking!”
“It’s not a joke, I just have nothing to offer as a consequence.”
At this, Juras offered his assistance.
“Leave that part to me. If Wade breaks the promise, I will ensure an appropriate consequence.”
“Speaking as if you know my true identity?”
“Not exactly. It’s just that some things can be figured out if one sets their mind to it.”
“…”
Indeed, this guy is unsettling in some way. It feels instinctively repulsive.
“Since it’s settled, I hope everyone can overlook this and move on, even if it means looking at my face.”
As Juras spoke in that manner, the others fell silent.
He smirked subtly and said, “It seems everything is in order. Hah, you can go back now, Wade.”
Juras displayed a composed attitude.
Curious about the true intentions of Nolak and Crossing, I decided to secure one additional promise.
“I mentioned before that I would demand loot beyond the reward. I would like to meet one person in the future.”
The king of Crossing, often referred to as the root of all evil in the game, Parain Malorne. I requested the opportunity to confront him soon.
Juras, surprisingly, showed a moment of surprise but then coolly accepted, finding it interesting.
***
The mercenary affair was somehow resolved.
Having confirmed there were no pursuers, I took off my helmet after leaving Crossing.
“Whew! It feels like I can finally breathe now.”
Wearing the helmet all day was truly an unbearable ordeal.
“Hey, you can take off your helmet now too.”
“Is that so?”
Eonia looked somewhat regretful as she gazed at the helmet she had just removed with a wistful look in her eyes.
“Alas. Are you really okay with this?”
Elijah’s master was still anxious that Juras might come back with some trick up his sleeve.
I was worried about that too, but I had decided to trust Juras for now.
“I don’t know what that guy is thinking, but at least he didn’t seem to have any plans against me.”
“Yeah… I felt the same. It almost seemed like a friendly gesture.”
“A hostile kind of friendliness, though.”
The sword handle was still in Juras’ grip.
If he set his mind to it, he could probably figure out my true identity.
“That’s why I asked to meet with Parain.”
By holding onto that hope, I had judged that he wouldn’t take any action until then.
“Now we can return to our daily lives. Of course, we should remain cautious of our surroundings.”
“Well, worrying about it won’t change anything.”
Exactly. With my current lack of strength, it would be difficult to resist if the other party decided to make a move.
“I should speed up the recruitment of the Seven Spirits.”
That way, I could at least respond minimally to whatever the other side might do.
“Rather than that, shall we talk about something else?”
I brought up the topic of the battle prowess of Eonia, Yumir, and Elijah, jokingly asking who had been the most active.
But it escalated more than expected.
“Obviously, the first place is mine, isn’t it?”
Eonia started asserting herself strongly, wanting to be ranked first.
Preferring formalities more than anyone else, she began to throw a tantrum like a child.
“I led the cavalry in the first skirmish and cut off the enemy commander’s waist during the ambush operation! I am definitely number one!”
On the other hand, the master and Yumir had expressions that seemed indifferent to the first place, so they wouldn’t mind giving it to Eonia. However, fearing that if they did, Eonia would become even more conceited, they decided to give the first place to someone else.
“Well… the first place goes to Yumir.”
“Is that so!?”
“Don’t be surprised, listen. This is an objective evaluation.”
Yumir successfully intercepted the enemy commander’s supplies in the initial battle and discreetly eliminated the enemy scouts in subsequent operations, greatly contributing to the success of the missions.
“And most importantly, he always supported me by my side. If it weren’t for Yumir, I wouldn’t have been able to endure the fatigue.”
“My lord… you’re too kind.”
Eonia was grinding her teeth with jealousy. How much was she bound by formalities?
Seeing her desperate state, the master spoke up.
“Eonia, still, the second place is yours. That’s a good result too, so accept it this time.”
“…I guess I have no choice. Yumir! Be prepared to yield the first place to me next time!”
Eonia was truly torn apart.
The image of the Moon Guardian I had seen in the game kept shattering.