Chapter 409 The power of the emperor’s army was also divided into three branches.
Two legions each were added to the north and south, and as many as five legions advanced toward Kyle Castle through the central avenue. Although it is said that a large army can move, much of its power is concentrated in the central area where there are wide open plains rather than the relatively narrow northern hunter’s path or the southern adventurer’s path.
Of course, the fact that the enemy king was in the center was also important.
The sight of the additional 250,000 imperial troops advancing was truly spectacular.
thud. thud. thud.
A huge army approaching, filling the horizon with black. Luchen Talos swallowed his saliva as he felt the footsteps of soldiers approaching from afar shaking the ground.
“As expected…”
This is not a power that can be achieved even with the new Continent’s Best Sword. I was once again convinced that I was not in the wrong line.
‘I just had bad luck.’
The current situation, in which he has no choice but to stand at the very end of the line of commanders welcoming reinforcements even though his rank has risen, is also not a matter of choice.
Why is it that his superiors, who were executed for ignoring his reports, were to blame?
After the emperor’s order was issued, as many as five nobles lost their lives, from my superiors to the staff of the already dead sword spirit. Thanks to that, he was promoted, but he was openly treated as a ghost within the staff.
‘Even an empire centered on merit is ultimately a human society. Such territoriality….’
If he hadn’t chewed up his report in the first place, the situation wouldn’t have turned out like this.
As I was lost in thought with my lips tightly bitten, I belatedly noticed that reinforcements were approaching.
– Salute to His Majesty the Emperor!
At the sound of a voice coming from the front, Lu Chen hurriedly put his right hand to his heart and got down on one knee.
“Hurrah! Hail! Hail!”
– hurray! hurray! Long live!
A voice that rings loudly across the sky.
And after a moment of silence, a voice was heard from the front saying something.
The emperor’s horse, who must be under heavy guard from a far away place that is barely within sight, must be coming this way through several people.
‘Now is not the time for me to be curious.’
Lutzen Talos remained in an uncomfortable position, contemplating his future after the war.
How long has it been since then?
As if all the pretense and pretense had ended, the camp split into two sides and the imperial army’s command could be seen entering the camp.
“Everyone get back!”
“Stay back!”
“Ugh! My feet!”
From afar, the imperial army retreated in unison as if they were one body, but inside there was bound to be a commotion.
A situation where almost twice as many troops are pushing into the center of the formation that was just created. No matter how well the training is, it is something that cannot be helped.
Lu Chen was also caught in the middle, struggling to keep his balance.
however.
“Baron Luchen Talos.”
When I raised my head at the sudden name, I saw a mustache looking at him with a frown.
Count Jimmy Borgia. He was a senior member of the staff and had always hated himself.
“Yes? Yes! Your Excellency!”
Even though I answered right away, I couldn’t hide my embarrassment.
Why is this guy suddenly?
“This is an order from His Majesty the Emperor. You are to participate in the Supreme Council starting this evening.”
“…yes?”
“Didn’t you hear?”
“Oh no! I will follow your orders. Loyalty!”
Maybe my fucking twisted luck will work out again.
Luchen Talos’ face turned red from soaring anticipation.
* * * Torches so full that they brighten up the night sky.
As Luchen Talos entered the innermost and largest tent of the huge army, the attention of dozens of people focused on him.
Four mages, including the Mage of the Cold Wind, three heads of the General Staff including Count Jimmy Borgia, three knights with the highest rank among the existing Ten Thousand Seals of the Central Corps, and several faces I had never seen before.
But unfortunately, not a single one of them was willing to do so.
Even Count Jimmy Borgia, who immediately called him, had a look of displeasure on his face.
“The person with the lowest status is the last. This is so absurd…”
The atmosphere in the barracks became even more subdued as a voice muttered as if to be heard.
Strangers who seemed close to the Ten Thousand Seals, that is, people who were presumed to be Ten Thousand Seals from other central forces, were already looking at him with longing eyes.
‘You informed me late on purpose.’
Jimmy Borgia’s petty trick made me sigh. It was extremely unfair to him, but it was obvious that if he said it now, it would sound like an excuse.
“Forgive me for being late.”
I had no choice but to politely bow my head and quietly take a seat in the corner of the barracks.
And only after all that attention had passed did I realize one slightly strange fact.
‘Is there no Sir Jerome? But why am I…?’
Even the superhuman Jerome Decade could not attend – even if he had past mistakes – and his presence there certainly felt like an opportunity.
‘Maybe…’
While Lu Chen’s mind went back and forth between hell and heaven, a heavy atmosphere lingered in the barracks.
The silence that had been flowing for a while was broken when the back of the barracks opened and a group of people began to enter.
“Listen, Your Majesty!”
Jump and jump.
Knights wearing pitch-black armor appeared in rows.
‘Black armor? Was there an organization like that in the empire?’
The moment Lu Chen tilted his head, the emperor wearing golden armor slowly appeared among the knights.
“I see you, His Majesty the Emperor. Long live, long live!”
“Long live, long live, long live!”
Starting with the chant of Galen Decade, the mage of the cold wind, everyone present knelt down on the spot.
The emperor looked down at the sight and slowly sat down at the high table.
“Everyone stand up.”
“I am devastated, Your Majesty.”
“There is no need to be so polite with every word you say, Galen. Do you think I came all the way here myself because I had too much leisure?”
“…I apologize, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor, who briefly clicked his tongue as he looked at Galen’s embarrassed state, looked around the crowd and said something unexpected.
“From now on, we will skip the unnecessary greetings and formalities. You here are the brains of this central army. Don’t pay attention and tell us how to deal with those ruthless kingdom bastards.”
There is no need to be polite in front of the emperor. Just tell me your strategy.
The audience is dumbfounded by those unconventional words.
But no one was willing to take the initiative.
The emperor frowned as they looked at each other and hesitated.
Lu Chen, who was in the corner, smiled to himself at the sight.
‘of course. I knew what would happen if I just believed that and expressed my opinion.’
In Lutzen’s experience as someone from a non-empire who had even set foot in the empire’s upper class, the empire was not a very free society either. In particular, the authority of the imperial family was so high that it was common for nobles to find themselves in trouble if they even stepped on the shadow of the imperial family.
But who would readily speak out in front of the emperor?
Prime Minister Lotus Gusfeld, whose iron eyes looked like a liver sticking out of his stomach, was not famous for nothing.
But did he even read his inner thoughts?
At one point, Lu Chen saw the emperor’s black eyes staring at him and felt his heart sink.
“Looking at your face I don’t recognize, I guess you must be that staff member from Grandia.”
“Long live…”
Lu Chen, who was about to kneel down while reflexively shouting “Long live, long live, long live”, managed to recall what the emperor had said just before and stopped his movement.
“Yes, yes. I am an ‘Imperialist’ from Luchen Talos Grandia.”
Although he chewed his tongue a little, I thought he handled it in his own way.
Of course, my legs were shaking and cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
The emperor didn’t care about his circumstances and asked the question with an indifferent expression.
“Yes. You should express your opinion first. Come up with a plan to capture that castle and the Kingdom of McLane with as little damage as possible.”
The surrounding gaze poured in, but Lu Chen could only see the emperor’s black eyes. The moment I saw any magic, I felt like I was being sucked in by those black eyes that were pressing on my soul.
“Isn’t it true that your advisor hasn’t thought of such a plan?”
That feeling of enormous pressure caused Lu Chen to pour out his inner thoughts without even realizing it.
“Oh no!”
gulp.
“McLane’s military power is almost concentrated in three castles. And as you know, the new weapons and magic circles prepared in those castles blocked the offensive of our imperial army and forced them to sacrifice a great deal.”
“A story we all know…”
Jimmy Borgia said in a low voice, but when he caught the emperor’s gaze, he immediately became thoughtful and lowered his head.
Feeling a strange pleasure from it, Lu Chen moistened his dry lips with his tongue.
“Of course, with the current strength of our imperial army, we will be able to destroy and capture the enemy despite such factors. However, that is not the way to minimize damage.”
“if?”
The emperor’s interesting voice encouraged Lu Chen.
“The best policy is not to attack that castle.”
They come for war and don’t attack?
The audience’s gaze was focused on Lu Chen, and an interesting expression appeared on the emperor’s face.
“Hoo?”
“Ignore the cowards who can’t even leave the castle despite winning the first battle, and attack the enemy’s homeland.”
Some people frowned at those words, while others nodded.
“Hehe, it’s the mainland…”
The emperor also seemed to be thinking about something as he twitched his chin.
Seeing that, Lu Chen gathered strength and spoke.
“If the entire kingdom is being devastated, they will have no choice but to storm out of the castle. Then there will be no need to worry about that magic circle, and the power of the new weapons raining down from on high will certainly be halved.”
Those words caught the eyes of everyone in the barracks.
The emperor also showed a faint smile.
“…Yes. That’s a plausible story. The conquest army on this central road has enough room to do that.”
Unlike the corps in the North and South whose detours were blocked by the forest or the canyons of the southern mountain range, the central corps had a large number of troops and had clear roads, so it was a fully possible operation.
There was just one problem.
“But it’s taking too long. Haven’t you heard about the situation in the West right now?”
“A coalition is being formed, but they will not be hasty in attacking our empire.”
“But even if there are any signs that the war with McLane is prolonging, they will try to see the liver.”
Accepting it is a better strategic choice.
Lu Chen, who was about to claim that, saw the look in the emperor’s eyes at that moment and immediately closed his mouth.
A look of displeasure.
Regardless of efficiency, the fact that the empire could be invaded first seemed unbearable to the emperor.
“Then what is the plan to destroy the enemy as quickly as possible?”
“…We have no choice but to surround and attack with superior forces.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
Jimmy Borgia’s voice cut in again.
‘Was it that bad of an X scene?’
That was when Lu Chen looked at him with bewildered eyes.
The emperor’s eyes turned to the black knights lined up behind him, and some of them moved.
“Please forgive my slip of the tongue! Your Majesty!”
Jimmy Borgia, whose complexion turned pale, hurriedly shouted, but the black knights paid him no heed and grabbed his arm and dragged him away.
– Argh!
At the deathly sound heard outside the barracks, Lutzen’s complexion turned pale for an instant.
“…To the General Staff. There was still trash.”
The emperor’s eyes turned to Lu Chen again, as if he had really just cleaned up the trash.
Cold sweat ran down Lu Chen’s spine at his indifferent attitude, as if nothing had happened.
The emperor asked again,
“Just like that . What is the expected damage if we push forward?”
“If we can’t resolve the magic circle with the superhumans, including Logan McLane, the damage is expected to be more than 30%.”
Lutzen was worried that he might end up like Jimmy if he answered late. He answered quickly. There was no time to worry that the emperor might not be satisfied with the answer.
But the emperor’s reaction was unexpected.
“You don’t have to worry about those problems.”
“Your Majesty?”
“We are fully prepared. .”
Everyone was puzzled, but the emperor looked around and said something unexpected.
“Tomorrow, erase all the golden dragon symbols engraved on the armor of knights and soldiers.”
“Yes!?”
The glorious emblem symbolizing the empire. Jiyu?
Everyone in the barracks was surprised, but the emperor glanced at Galen, who was the only one who let out an exclamation of “Ah!” and then opened his mouth again.
“Are you going to make me say it twice? Execute it.”
“Yes!”
Everyone, including Galen, repeated those words.
The emperor’s eyes were focused on Luchen again.
“Did you say Luchen?”
“Yes, yes, Your Majesty.”
“Your plan to lay waste to the territory of my hometown is It was worth using. You are definitely an imperial citizen.”
At those words, Lu Chen’s whole body trembled.
I don’t know the exact method, but the emperor had a plan. This meeting is just to confirm that plan.
‘If I gave the wrong answer… .’
Lu Chen quickly lowered his head towards the emperor while shaking his head at the newly eerie feeling.
“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
“Can you guess why I asked you to erase the golden dragon symbol?”
For a moment, Lu Chen’s head flashed like lightning. He went back.
The emperor’s meaningful words, all the knowledge he had, and the reaction of the Mage of the Wind Wind from earlier were added together, and one conclusion was soon reached. Of course, he couldn’t be sure, but he spit out the answer that came to his mind.
” It seems like a strategy to counter the enemy’s magic circle.”
“…Smart. The head turns quickly.”
“Thank you. your majesty! So… what are the countermeasures against enemy superhumans…?” Lu
Chen,
surprised that he had unknowingly questioned the emperor, hurriedly covered his mouth, but fortunately even that seemed to look good in the emperor’s eyes.
Bloody.
“Guts . There is also.”
As he looked at the black knights lined up around him, a smile appeared on the lips of the emperor for the first time since he entered the barracks.
When Lu Chen, who guessed that they were taking measures against superhumans, lowered his head with a red face.
“I will protect you from now on . “Pussy.”
A single word that made Lu Chen’s heart flutter echoed throughout the barracks.
