My Villains Episode 370
61. The Art of War (12)
I was momentarily stunned by the sight of Ulkar proudly declaring default on his debt.
However, as a knight appointed by this shameless prince and not a party to the creditor, I couldn’t argue with anything. Well, even if I were the creditor, I wouldn’t have been able to slit Ulkar, one of the strongest warlords in the kingdom…
“Ha, but the prince.”
I managed to calm myself down and continued talking.
“I heard from Atalanta that the Nudans promised to give them land in exchange for their participation in the war…
“Give me land for the three Nudein clans to make their home, or find a way to cross the Bay of Blades and return to their hometown. I promised to open it.” “Then when you say you won’t give up the land… do you mean you’ll open the way? That won’t be easy either.”
Although the Mittergerland Empire is about three times as large as the Kingdom of Milanol, its border controls are much stronger.
In addition, the three clans led by Atalanta, the Al-Qadari Zaladoub Rezun, numbered in the thousands, so they would not be able to set foot in the Empire’s territory for too long.
No matter how you cross the border, the problem is not solved.
Mittergerland is a contradictory country where the oppression of other religions is less, but the practice of enslaving pagans is prevalent.
If more than half of the crowd enters such a place, a procession of unarmed nudes…
“It’s not that easy. It would be close to impossible to pass through the empire safely.”
Yes, as he said, it would be impossible. Perhaps, after being attacked countless times, they will all fall into slavery.
What if we gave up on the overland roads blocked by the Mittergeland Empire and turned our eyes to the sea? It’s just as difficult though. No, the sea route is much less likely and more dangerous.
It is the nude people who often beg or steal, and dance or make a fuss all the time. It wouldn’t be difficult to find a ship to transport thousands of them.
Even if they somehow went out to sea by boat, the terrifying maritime thugs – for example, the white and black snakes of Ireland – would surely come and fight, and the port where the ship would dock would be more formidable than most border areas.
To sum up, asking for a ship to open the way to your hometown is actually no different from telling you to go and die.
It’s unlikely that someone the size of Prince Ulkar would make such an arrogant proposal.
“I will not give you the land, I will not help you open the road, then how are you going to pay for it?”
“I never said I wouldn’t give up the land.”
“…yes? Obviously just before.”
“I said I couldn’t give you the land of the kingdom.”
“What is that?”
Leaving me bewildered behind, Ulkar said as he returned to the table.
“Do you remember what I said a while ago?”
“What do you mean?”
“They say that a single victory will turn the tide of the battle.”
“Ah yes. You said so.”
I continued, scratching my eyebrows.
“I’ll keep on the defensive and win with a counterattack. Isn’t that what we’re going through?”
“Yeah, I remember it well. Then what should I do after the whole tax is reversed? To end the war.”
“…to end the war. well.”
Currently, the size of the enemy army is about 15,000, three times that of our army. It would be reckless to stand against them, so we strengthened our defense against the wall. Then, taking advantage of the opportunity, they launch a counterattack and turn the tide of the war.
…then what?
“Switch to the offensive and beat it until it’s all searched?
“Huh, that’s good too. But then the damage would be too great. If you leave the castle and fight in the field, it will be that much harder to win.”
Ulkar raised the wyvern’s skin-wrapped baton and tapped the map on the table.
“Sir Liam is right. The enemy is bringing in troops and supplies from as many as eight provinces, so procrastinating will only add to the disadvantage. I will end the war early to keep this place in the west of the kingdom.”
“How do you mean?”
“Like this,”
the baton holding High Castle crossed the blade of the sword and crossed the Strom family estate. Obdorf with many Angst forests on the coast, and Topal with a hundred-year-old castle.
“To stab the enemy’s soft belly in one shot.”
I blinked my eyes open for a moment.
“Are you serious? Are you going to hit the guest room of the Elector Count of the Duke of Avillambus?”
“Do you think this is crazy?”
“yes. of course.”
The immediate answer made the prince smile in satisfaction.
“To be recognized as crazy by the Lord and not by anyone else. It’s something to be proud of.”
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about… Wait a minute, Your Highness.”
I narrowed my brows at the sudden thought that came to my mind.
“The land that will be given to the nude people.”
“I think it would be suitable if you take half of the Angst fat.”
Unknowingly, I grabbed my forehead at Ulkar’s confident attitude.
“…Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘pay back’?”
“Would you pay me back? I’m hearing this for the first time. What is that?”
“It’s an abbreviation of ‘you can just pick it up and pay it back’. It’s a mantra that mad gamblers cast right before they go bankrupt.”
“Ugh. That’s a funny word. Do you like it.”
“You have to like it. Aren’t these words a perfect fit for your current highness?”
“is it? Pay back, pay back…. It seems to stick to your mouth.”
“Your Highness, Mr. Ai-”
He took a deep breath and calmed down his excitement at the sight of the carefree prince.
“You probably don’t know, but the Mitter Geland Empire is not as far-fetched as our kingdom.”
“It’s a dead end. As a prince, this is a very sad expression.”
“Yes, I am sad too. You have to face reality though. In a situation where the enemies are attacking, I tell you, my father and my eldest brother are just watching, is this normal?”
Ulkar smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders.
“You know what’s sadder? Unlike a kingdom, an empire is a normal country. If the enemy tramples on the territory, the head will come out right away.”
Who will be the head of the empire?
“You mean the emperor?”
“Your emperor.”
Yes, of course he is the emperor.
The ruler of the Mitterge Land Empire, elected from among the eight Elector Counts who monopolized the right to vote and to be elected.
The emperor is an entity that cannot be ignored simply by its name, but the current emperor, ‘Ruilix II’, is a nobleman whose power is particularly strong. It is a virtue that the direct jurisdiction is wider than any other electoral empress, and having as many as five emperors as ancestors.
“I heard that the old man could recruit an army of 100,000 if he put his mind to it. If you attack recklessly and then the emperor comes out and fights, you won’t even be able to find a bone.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Because I have a plan.”
“…What’s the plan? What’s your plan?”
“That…
“That?”
Ulkar put his baton on the table and leaned against the backrest. And he smiled.
“It’s a secret.”
My face was distorted like a bloodthirsty man, but the prince continued to speak in a carefree tone.
“Nudein soldiers will be used to attack Baeknyeonseong.”
“You were planning on doing that from the beginning? Is that why you didn’t take part in training?”
“Yes… there are other reasons, of course.”
He pressed his temples and explained.
“Aran Hares has told too many people about his promise to me. It’s a level of deliberately spreading rumors.”
“…So you spread rumors about getting the land from the prince?”
“It’s not something I can’t understand. The lords of the Gwangmyeong Cult don’t keep their promises to the Nudes. It seems that it is common for them to increase the binding force, albeit weakly, by informing the people around them of the contents of the contract.”
…No matter how much you talk about the contents of the contract everywhere? Are you okay?
No, considering the treatment of the nudes in the kingdom, isn’t it so strange?
“But what does spreading rumors have to do with training?
“The problem is that the lords gathered at High Castle also heard about this promise. Everyone is looking at me with suspicion.”
“A look of suspicion? why?”
“I’m worried about that. All I have land.”
He pointed to the upper part of the map spread out on the table. It was in and around Southernshire.
“Here is the land inherited from my maternal grandfather and the land obtained during the Great Subjugation of Orcs. There are some fertile lands, but all of them are in the north, so it’s pretty cold. It’s not a very suitable place to leave it to the nude people.”
“…Then the lords are worried about taking their land and giving it to the Nudans?”
“Exactly. In a situation like this, how can you openly use the Nudan army?”
“O uh ” —
“To reassure the lords, you’ll either have to lie that you never made any such promise, or explain your plan to take the enemy’s land, as I did to you.”
The prince tapped the armrest as if in trouble.
“It is difficult. It is impossible to lie as a sincere Cultist of Light… When I explain the plan, even Kyung, who is famous for his bold way of thinking, is shocked. How can I persuade the lords who are frightened by the enemy’s large army’?”
“It must be difficult. Everyone will be worried that Your Highness may have gone mad from the pressure.”
“Whoops, it really could be.”
No matter how you convince them, it’s not the end. The more people know about the plan, the higher the risk of leaking it to the enemy.
As the allies are outnumbered, if the plan to take a detour and hit the enemy’s heart is revealed, they may face a fatal counterattack.
After hearing the prince’s long explanation, I nodded slowly.
“…that’s what happened.”
“Has this been explained?”
“I still can’t agree to hit the 100-year-old castle… but how dare I say that Your Highness has a compound eye.”
“Yes, I am glad you understand what I mean.”
“…I didn’t say I understood.”
Ulkar stretched all the way and rose from his seat.
“Then, I hope you convey the message to Aran Hares.”
“…yes? me?”
“Who else could it be?”
“Why me?”
“Isn’t there a suitable person who is condescending? Aran Hares… I heard you have a special relationship.”
Only then did I realize the prince’s intentions and crumpled my face.
“How come you told me to persuade Atalanta instead of Your Highness?”
“I heard this.”
” majesty.”
“I’ll have to talk for several days to convince her, but Sir, one night is enough.”
“No, that’s…
Some kind of prince made his knight go through a pillow hair loss. Isn’t this a real bully…… “Oh, but
there is something to be careful about when
persuading Aran Hares .”
“…I didn’t say I would do it yet.”
“You must keep a secret this time. Tell them that if the Nudans talk about getting the land of Angst, they will consider the operation plan leaked and they will be severely punished.”
“No- wait a minute, Your Highness.”
“I will trust you. Then I decided to get a briefing on the supply plan from General McNeil.”
As soon as he tried to chase the prince who was heading upstairs,
dang dang dang dang dang dang dang dang dang dang dang dang dang!
Goleman and heavily armed soldiers rushed into the conference room against the clamor of bells.
“Your Highness, avoid!”
“Wyverns are coming sir!”
“what? I was about to run out at Golman
‘s words, but I suddenly looked back. Ulkar, who was standing in the middle of the stairs and calming the excited soldiers, raised his hand to me with a gentle expression.
“You came quite late today. Please handle it well, Sir Phoenix.”
“…Ugh. See you later.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. I am not one to forget the hard work of my subordinates.”
It’s fortunate that there’s someone to vent my anger on. If it wasn’t for the wyvern cubs, we might have been annoyed with our vile farm owner.
Leaving the prince behind, he jumped out into the inner courtyard. As I stretched out my hand, Golman quickly handed over a javelin.
I looked up at the sky. The dragon knights, who looked to be in their thirties or so, were taking a detour to the north. Are you looking for an alumni?
“Og Schlizo-!”
A very slightly nervous voice. At my call, an old mage peeked out from the top of the castle tower.
“I am ready!”
As soon as I heard his answer, I made three or four moves and stepped on the advance.
“Suck-”
Kuung!
Thanks to the shock that shook the ground, the javelin the length of my arm shot up leaving a blurry afterimage.
No matter how strong my strength is, I can’t hit the wyvern who is kicking me from far away with a heavy javelin. After being beaten badly last time, the dragon knights only flew over 100 meters in the air, and since they only circled the outskirts of the city, the distance was quite a few kilometers.
My javelin can only fly two or three hundred meters at most, so catching them is absolutely impossible.
However, if you are assisted by magic, the story is different.
“Whoa!” A white beard fluttered and a tremendous gale blew from the mouth of Oghshlizo, the mage of Antrum. The wind, concentrated in one point, pushed my javelin, which had been surging furiously, with all its might.
So finally.
Ayeeeeeeeeee- the
wyvern with a javelin stuck in its wings wept bitterly. The surprised rider hurriedly took out the magic potion and sprayed it on the wyvern, but my second javelin pierced his shoulder.
Wyvern, whose stomach skin was torn by a series of javelins, fell helplessly with the rider dangling from the special saddle.
“You idiots, you just sat there watching! Shoot!”
‘Murg’, the fierce sergeant of Prince Ulkar, roared in the middle of the castle tower. In response, the archers and crossbowmen fired arrows at once, and the ballistas led by the burnt Donell also opened fire.
“Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-”
Ogslizo blew out a blast again with a heavy echo. A wide open breath pumped up a group of arrows.
However, unlike the javelin I threw, which rose straight up in a spiral in the gust of wind, the arrows that quickly lost their power lost their balance as the wind entangled them in their feathers.
In the end, none of the arrows hit the Wyverns flying high. However, perhaps because there were already casualties from my javelin, the dragon knights hurriedly pulled the reins and soared upward.
Well, from their point of view, since the damage occurred in four days, there is no reason to shrink.
The Wyverns flew high enough to reach the clouds and dropped the stones they were holding in their claws and jars of burning oil to the city.
Fortunately, the battle wizards in High Castle were not incompetent enough to block an attack that fell from a height of about 1 kilometer.
“Break, break and scatter.”
As Master Epos appeared and uttered a spell, a stone the size of a human torso that was falling towards them was crumbled to the size of a pebble. Of course, that was also very threatening, but it was a level that could be dealt with by raising a shield or hiding under a building.
In addition to Master Epos, several wizards cast their own spells, and the bombardment of the Wyverns was blocked in vain.
“I’m going back, Nari.”
“O bar 〒『.
Wyverns are definitely monsters, but they are not helicopters or fighters. It is impossible to fly for a long time with the altitude high enough to be close to the clouds.
In the end, the dragon knights had no choice but to turn their noses before the wings of the wyvern froze.
“Did you throw particularly well today? Did you feel strong?”
“…Thanks to the encouragement from our esteemed Prince Ulkar.”
“Your Highness?”
Instead of answering, I handed over the javelin I was holding in my hand, and Gollman quickly took it and put it in the javelin package.
“Where are you going sir?”
“Close your eyes for a second. Don’t look for it.”
Now that the young dragon knights have been driven out, today’s mission is over. I’m going to go to the training ground late in the afternoon after I’m stuck and take a deep breath.
“I can’t…
“Why what else?”
“You should go to the cavalry camp.”
“A cavalry camp? They say the cavalry hasn’t been dispatched yet?”
“yes. Mr. Hicks is here too
.
‘
Beside Hicks, who took off his hat, stood a beast bicorn that was so large that the surrounding warhorses looked like immature foals.
He must have received a message from the heavy cavalry and came to prepare for my deployment.
okay. The mission he finished by chasing out the young dragon knights was as the chief of the central garrison, but his mission as the vanguard of the heavy cavalry remained.
“…What have you been doing since you didn’t go out until now? The sun is already in the middle of the day.”
“The brave knight must have waited. There is nothing good about overlapping reconnaissance time.”
“Ah, X arm.”
I was joking today. That’s how my luck is.
I let out a deep sigh and took the bicorn’s reins. Gollman searched the bicorn’s saddlebags for lunch and water, then loaded the javelin and handed over the helmet.
“Come on, sir.”
“uh. If I don’t come back, know that it will bounce eastward.”
“yes. Then, can I drink the wine from Dandelli in the master’s room?”
“Do as you will. Get permission from Heila instead.”
“…are you not going? Everyone will be waiting for you.”
“Ahhh X Ibaal.”
“Stop cursing. Among the knights, there is probably no one who curses as much as Nari.”
“…I’m going.”
In my heart, I want to kick that restless Jo Dong-ah, but I don’t have the will to do so.
“Hey bastard. Go find out now.”
As the heel of his boot kicked him in the stomach, By Corn turned his head to the south with a grin and annoyance.
It’s time for exciting power reconnaissance. Yay.
