Chapter 480
It'll Be a Bit Easier for Now. (1)
Count Kandore, the commander of the Delfine Forces' 5th Legion that had invaded the eastern region, was deeply troubled.
The east was the first region where the war had begun. As a result, the enemy coalition army had mobilized the fastest, and their numbers were greater compared to other regions.
The 5th Legion had fought hard to defeat them and advance toward the capital, but just before breaking through the final defensive line, their supply route came under threat.
“This is incredibly annoying.”
The army had started with 50,000 troops, but after several battles and a surprise attack by Amelia, their numbers had dwindled to 40,000.
Though still a formidable force, the remaining defensive line was not to be taken lightly. That was because the Kingdom’s forces and the allied army that had moved to the east had all gathered in one place.
“There must be at least 20,000 of them…”
They needed to put everything into breaking through, but with Raypold’s forces lurking behind them, they couldn't advance with ease.
Thus, the 5th Legion had halted its march and was continuously engaged in strategic discussions.
“Shouldn’t we secure the supply route first? I think it would be best to wait for reinforcements from the Ducal House.”
“But doing so would only strengthen the defensive line. Even now, the allied forces are gathering, aren’t they? On top of that, they can freely receive supplies from the capital and the north.”
“Still, pushing forward as things stand would be dangerous. Even if we break through the defensive line, it would be meaningless if our supply route is cut off.”
“That’s correct. Without siege weapons, it’s impossible to capture Cardenia with just 40,000 troops.”
“Aren’t the other legions already on the move? As long as we surround the capital, we can receive supplies from other routes.”
“But the 2nd Legion has already been defeated by the Northern Army. We don’t know where they’ll move next.”
“The regular reports from the 3rd and 4th Legions have ceased. Something must have happened to them.”
The staff officers were divided in opinion. They had marched out with confidence, but the current situation was far from favorable.
Count Kandore knew the reason why.
“The Northern Army is too strong.”
The 2nd Legion, which had moved to engage the Northern Army, had been defeated. That force had the largest number of troops and even three superhumans among them, yet they had lost.
Because of the Northern Army, the other legions couldn’t move freely either.
“Hah, who would have thought that a brat would grow so powerful and influence the war to this extent?”
Count Kandore shook his head in disbelief several times.
To think they were hesitating because of a single army. Before the war, he had never imagined such a situation would arise.
“Count Raypold is another problem.”
They had assumed all enemy forces were gathered at the defensive line and had quickened their pace accordingly. With the surrounding areas already cleared, they thought there was nothing to hinder them.
Yet, Raypold’s forces had circled around and launched a surprise attack, causing significant damage.
To make matters worse, instead of joining the defensive line, they were simply sitting in the rear territories.
“I can’t just leave them alone… But attacking them head-on isn’t a great solution either…”
Raypold’s forces are around 10,000 to 20,000 men. Count Kandore was confident he could defeat them in direct combat, but an opponent who had already ambushed and fled once wouldn’t engage him head-on.
If they were determined to keep running, his 40,000 troops wouldn’t be able to catch them easily. As the invaders, it was difficult for them to lure the enemy into a trap.
He had also considered splitting his forces to protect the supply route, but that would make it harder to break through the defensive line. Even if they did break through, they would be left in shambles.
No, to be precise, they didn’t even have time to divide their forces. The Northern Army could arrive at any moment.
“This is frustrating… So frustrating.”
Count Kandore felt like he was going insane. Every moment he spent agonizing over the situation, the enemy’s defenses were growing stronger.
He wanted to kill both Ghislain and Amelia.
Unable to come up with a decisive plan, Count Kandore spent several days in contemplation. Meanwhile, word arrived that Raypold’s forces had seized yet another territory.
And despite that, they continued hovering around the supply route, keeping it under constant threat. Having to sit back and watch was driving him to madness.
To properly secure the supply route, the Ducal House needed to send reinforcements on a massive scale.
‘Should I send a messenger to request additional support…?’
As he was agonizing over this, bloodied messengers rushed in.
“The 3rd Legion has been annihilated!”
“What?”
“They were ambushed by Count Fenris and completely wiped out! The few survivors have been taken as prisoners!”
Count Kandore’s expression twisted in fury.
“What nonsense is this! The Northern Army was in a different region! How could the same Northern Army that fought the 2nd Legion have wiped out the 3rd Legion?!”
“I-It’s the truth! It was truly Count Fenris who attacked!”
Count Kandore, who had been grinding his teeth in disbelief, hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"If that's true… then the Northern Army is still far from us, right?"
That meant there was still time. Rather than waiting, it seemed wiser to take this opportunity to move west and merge with the Fourth Legion.
They would gain access to the Fourth Legion’s supply routes, and the increased number of troops would be advantageous.
Count Kandore, thinking along the same lines as Count Falgau of the Fourth Legion, exclaimed with delight.
"Good! We’ll abandon this region! Their forces are stronger than expected, so we must immediately join the Fourth Legion—"
"The Fourth Legion has been annihilated!"
Another messenger, bloodied and staggering, rushed in, wailing.
"……."
Count Kandore was momentarily speechless before asking in a trembling voice,
"W-what did you say?"
"The Fourth Legion has been annihilated! The Legion Commander was also slain by Count Fenris!"
"What nonsense is this?!"
Count Kandore couldn’t believe it. They had already destroyed the Second Legion and wiped out the Third, and now the Fourth as well?
The madness of the situation was overwhelming, making it hard to stay sane.
"Do the Northern Army bastards have wings or something?! This doesn’t make any sense! It’s not as if there are three of Count Fenris!"
"I-it’s true! It really was Count Fenris! He personally killed the Fourth Legion’s commander!"
"Ugh… ughhh…."
"A-and also…."
"What now?! What more could there possibly be?!"
"T-the Northern Army is advancing towards us!"
"What?!"
"Additionally, a force of 25,000 led by the Kingdom’s Supreme Commander is marching in this direction."
"……."
Count Kandore’s body trembled violently. He couldn’t even find the words to respond.
It was impossible. How could a human army move so fast? There had never been a force in history with such mobility.
Sure, it was possible if they ran without stopping. But people had to eat to keep moving, didn’t they?
How were they managing their supplies while maintaining such speed? It wasn’t as if they were undead.
After fuming for a long moment, Count Kandore finally muttered in a weak voice,
"…It seems we’ve truly made a terrifying enemy."
Even setting aside Count Fenris’ own strength, just this level of mobility could alter the course of the war. No one would ever know where his forces might appear.
The entire Northern Army couldn’t move like that. It seemed Count Fenris had gathered an elite force and was maneuvering separately.
Still, for every single legion to have been wiped out…
‘A monster.’
Fear gripped him. He realized there was no way he could ever hope to win.
With a pale face, Count Kandore spoke with great difficulty.
"…Prepare to retreat."
"……."
His strategists remained silent.
The Northern Army was coming. And now the Kingdom’s forces as well. With only 40,000 troops left in the Fifth Legion, laying siege to the capital was no longer possible, survival itself had become the priority.
If they were to retreat, now was the time.
Thus, the Fifth Legion made the decision to withdraw.
If they stayed, they would inevitably be crushed without being able to put up a fight. Their only option was to retreat now and preserve their forces.
‘Tch… Even if I survive, this will be a humiliation….’
With every other legion destroyed, they might receive some leniency. After all, the Kingdom’s army and the allied forces had been pressing forward relentlessly.
The only problem was that Count Fenris was simply too formidable.
"Move quickly. At the speed Count Fenris moves, he could be here as early as tomorrow."
Once the decision to retreat had been made, the urgency only grew. The Fourth Legion had been stationed in the central region. There was no telling when Count Fenris might lead another strike force here.
"Abandon anything unnecessary! Leave behind anything that will slow the march!"
They had to retreat at full speed. The Fifth Legion discarded everything except the minimum supplies needed to sustain them until they reached the southern region.
As he watched the preparations for their withdrawal, Count Kandore’s expression turned bitter. To be fleeing in fear of a single man - Count Fenris.
‘I will repay this humiliation one day.’
Count Kandore steeled his resolve as he looked up at the sky. Suddenly, something caught his eye.
"A damn crow…?"
A lone crow was circling in the sky, even though there were no corpses in the area. It left him with an eerie feeling.
"Tch, I must really be losing my nerve."
Feeling ominous at the sight of a mere crow he truly must have grown weak.
And so, with their morale in shambles, the Fifth Legion turned southward.
The Raypold forces, which had been eyeing the supply routes, detected the movements of the 5th Legion.
"Uh... Those guys are retreating really fast. It looks like they've abandoned all their supplies as well."
At the scout’s report, Bernarf spoke, and Amelia nodded.
"Yeah, I think we've done everything we needed to for appearances’ sake. It’s a shame we couldn’t take more land, though."
Amelia wore a look of disappointment. She had hoped to drag things out longer in a confrontation with the Northern Army, but she hadn’t expected the 5th Legion to give up so quickly.
"Well, it’s not a bad decision on their part. Ghislain's speed is no joke."
Even Amelia had been inwardly surprised after reviewing the reports. She had heard that Ghislain had an exceptional talent for war.
He had already prioritized mobility during the western invasion. But now, with his mind set on it, he moved even faster than he had back then.
'The more I learn about him, the more impressive he seems.'
She hated to admit it, but when it came to waging war, Ghislain was undeniably among the best.
'I wonder how the ducal family will react to this.'
She needed to monitor the ducal family’s movements and assess how much of their forces had been depleted. Only then could she decide her own course of action.
After organizing her thoughts, Amelia spoke.
"Let's head back as well. We need to quickly consolidate the ‘territories we gained.’"
"Um... Will the other lords just stand by and watch?"
"What are they going to do? I took them. I’ve already reached an agreement with the North’s Supreme Commander."
Amelia smirked.
Now, she had to move even more busily. She needed to transport Raypold’s supplies.
"Spread the news and start preparing for the migration."
Thanks to Ghislain, she could no longer expand her influence in the north. Moving freely had also become difficult.
So, she had devised another plan and ultimately used the war to establish a new foundation.
And it was a foundation far greater than her previous territory.
"Oh, right. Gather the supplies the 5th Legion abandoned first. There should be a considerable amount, so let’s make good use of them."
"Understood!"
Bernarf saluted energetically. No matter what, everything seemed to work out when they followed Amelia’s lead.
"Nyaaang!"
Watching this, Bastet narrowed its eyes and let out a mocking cry.
* * *
The 5th Legion moved at the highest speed possible, having abandoned most of their supplies to do so.
"We should reach the southern border soon."
"Hmm."
At the adjutant's report, Count Kandore nodded. Though his troops were exhausted, their forced march had allowed them to move without incident.
A little farther, and they would reach the southern front where the initial battle had taken place. Once they crossed it, they would be in the ducal faction’s territory and safe.
"What about our rations?"
"We've nearly run out. But since we’re close, the soldiers should be able to endure."
"I see..."
Count Kandore wore a grim expression.
They had fled in such fear that they had even abandoned their food. Now, his already exhausted soldiers had to march while starving.
A commander who lets his troops go hungry is hardly a good one. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, but it was still better than dying.
"Tell them to hold on just a little longer."
"Understood."
The utterly exhausted 5th Legion pushed forward once more, clinging to the hope that they were almost there.
But that hope was shattered the moment bad news arrived.
"F-F-Fenris forces ahead! T-Their numbers are around 20,000!"
A scout returned, pale as a ghost, and delivered the report.
Count Kandore’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"What nonsense is this? Fenris forces? Not the Northern Army?"
"Yes. Only the banners of Fenris are present. It appears that Count Fenris has moved separately."
"......"
Count Kandore was speechless.
He had fled as soon as he heard the news, even discarding supplies in his haste so how could they already be waiting ahead?
"D-Do we have a traitor in our ranks?"
His voice trembled, but his officers remained silent. How could a spy have slipped back and forth among a marching army?
But even if there were no traitors, it was still absurd that Count Fenris had managed to intercept them like this. How had he predicted their every move?
It felt as though their every action had been watched.
"Commander, we should prepare for battle."
"It seems we have no choice."
At the grim statement, Count Kandore let out a long breath.
Fight with starving, exhausted soldiers?
Yet, there was no alternative. There was no way his battered army could shake off Count Fenris’ pursuit.
He suddenly recalled the crow he had seen before their departure. He had felt uneasy back then.
"So, the worst has come to pass."
Had he known this would happen, he would have ensured his men were well-fed and had conserved their strength.
"...Prepare for battle."
Dying here was not an option. They had to fight and survive.
Even if they stood no chance against that terrifying army.
The troops formed ranks, their faces filled with tension. But the soldiers were the most terrified of all.
They were weak from hunger and exhaustion, yet now they had to fight the kingdom’s most fearsome army. Despite outnumbering the enemy, a deep sense of impending defeat spread among them.
That fear only intensified when they saw the army slowly approaching from a distance.
"T-That’s the Fenris forces..."
"Count Fenris... The Undefeated Lord..."
"C-Can we really win against them?"
Even just the sight of the Fenris banners stirred unease among the soldiers. That fear rapidly spread like wildfire.
Under normal circumstances, Count Kandore would have roared at them to pull themselves together and fight but he remained silent.
Even he was overwhelmed by the army advancing toward them.
Clop. Clop.
Mounted atop the Black King, Ghislain slowly rode forward.
As he gazed at the Delfine forces preparing for battle, he smiled.
"You had the freedom to attack whenever you wanted, but if you wish to retreat, you need my permission."
In his past life, Ghislain had fought against the duchy, which had practically been the kingdom itself. He knew well how formidable their power was.
Which was why...
He had no intention of letting even a single one of their legions return intact.