“It’s as we expected. They are breaking through the southern border.”
“What idiotic fools. Kuk.”
Elton Coat made a foul smile.
Currently, he was in an army tent holding a strategy meeting.
HIs finger pointed at the map, no at the shoddy scribbles that couldn’t be called a map.
“To think they would try to cross the Southcoat Mountains without any preparations. Even if they are looking down on us, they’re underestimating us way too much.”
The adjutants all snickered that those words.
“Hmph! Things in the capital are all full of arrogance.”
“The Southcoat Mountains’ topography isn’t so good to move a large scale army even if the mountains aren’t too rough, but to try to force their way through…… Mills and Chester must be stupider than what the rumors say.”
“Since we have already set up wooden fences, watchtowers, and camps on the mountain paths and even sent not a small number of soldiers to ambush them, not even the capital’s grand army would be able to easily cross the mountains.”
Their faces were all self-assured.
‘It’s working!’
‘We can win this!’
The adjutants and vice-captains from a commoner background without nobility or last names trembled from an electrifying ecstasy.
They had been promised to be granted baronet titles if they destroy the suppression force and surrender to the Byron Kingdom with the Coat Barony and the Renard Barony.
‘Our lives will change!’
From a life of watching nobles and rich merchants’ moods, it would change to a glamorous life of flaunting around themselves.
‘Kuk. What simpletons.’
Elton inwardly sneered as he watched his subordinates’ faces.
‘Life doesn’t change that easily.’
Even if they surrendered to the Byron Kingdom, there was no way mere vice-captains and adjutants of commoner backgrounds would be promoted to baronets.
No, in the first place, Elton didn’t want that.
‘If I look after all of you one by one, my own shares will decrease.’
He had been promised the title of viscount and a large fief from the Byron Kingdom.
Not only that, the position of Byron Kingdom’s Southern Army’s general was secretly reserved for him.
‘I just need to hold on until the reinforcements arrive from the Byron Kingdom. I just need to hold the suppression force bastards coming up from the south for ten days. Then, I will become Byron Kingdom’s viscount and Southern Army’s general.’
Delightful thoughts spread out within his head.
“Anyhow, that Roan Tale, where’s that monster-like bastard?”
“Yeah. The only ones going through the mountains are Mills Voisa and Chester Kowan.”
“You idiots. Whose territory is the southern part of the mountains?”
“Ah! So the nobles following the Second Prince and the Third Prince are holding onto his legs?”
“Exactly! Can’t you see something so obvious? Kukuku.”
“To hold a political fight even during rebellion suppression. This country is rotten to the core.”
The vice-captains and the adjutants all laughed with each other and chatted.
It truly was a happy and peaceful time.
But sadly, that time didn’t last very long.
“My lord!”
The tent’s entrance suddenly opened up and a soldier appeared.
His look was horribly urgent and troubled.
“What is it?”
Sensing an ominous mood, Elton cautiously asked.
The soldier gulped and answered with a grave look.
“The southern defensive line has been penetrated.”
“What?!”
Elton widely opened his eyes.
That was also the same for the adjutants and vice-captains inside the tent.
“What? The southern defensive line was penetrated?”
“You mean the defensive line on the Southcoat Mountains?”
Similar questions rained down like a sudden shower.
The soldier nodded with a frustrated face.
“Yes! It has been completely penetrated! The legions led by Mills Voisa and Chester Kowan are climbing over the mountains and are running towards here!”
Bang!
A boom suddenly exploded.
Unable to hold himself back, Elton had slammed down on the table.
“The Southcoat Mountains’ defensive line is something we put our hearts and souls in to set up! But how could it not even last five days and get pierced! That’s ridiculous!”
The vice-captains and the adjutants, who had been being noisy, all twitched and shut their mouths.
For a moment, they watched Elton’s mood then shouted as if angry.
“They must have used some dirty trick!”
“Yeah. Without doing that, there’s no way that tight defensive line would have fallen so easily.”
Several adjutants echoed his words and nodded.
The soldier who made the report glanced at the mood for a moment, then answered in a tiny voice.
“Th, that isn’t it. According to the messenger, it was a perfect frontal attack. They, Voisa Legion and the Kowan Legion, attacked the defensive line straight on from the front and instantly annihilated it.”
Doom.
Immediately, a heavy silence fell over the tent.
Gulp.
Elton, as well as numerous adjutants, gulped.
Looks of doubt and shock appeared on their faces.
‘I, I don’t believe it. I heard that the capital’s elite soldiers are strong, but to break through the defensive line on top of a slope in just five days, are they seriously that strong?’
‘They are strong enough to annihilate a defense troop that had already fortified themselves?’
The uncomfortable silence continued on for a while.
The one who broke the silence was Elton’s right hand man, Tony.
“And their losses?”
Everyone’s gazes focused on the soldier.
The soldier weakly muttered with a mournful light in his face.
“It’s two thousand total between the two legions.”
“Two thousand?! Are you telling me the total casualties with both the Voisa Legion and the Kowan Legion combined are only two thousands?!”
One vice captain shouted thunderously.
The number of soldiers Elton placed on the Southcoat Mountains defensive line was five thousand.
Considering the geographical disadvantage and the theoretical relation between defender and attacker, Voisa Legion and Kowan Legion’s losses should have at least reached ten thousand.
With an aghast look, Tony shook his head.
“Are they that strong? The strength of those guys called the capital’s elite soldiers……?”
He became half out of his mind.
But even so, they couldn’t let time pass by just like that.
Even at that moment, Mills and Chester’s grand army was likely marching towards them.
“My lord. We must retreat for now!”
The place where they currently set up camp was the field that spread out on the Southcoat Mountains’ northern region.
It was the perfect place for a large scale battle.
‘They are the bastards who overwhelmingly won in that disadvantageous battle in the mountains. If we meet them directly on a field like this, it’ll be a complete defeat. For now, we must return to Tradi Castle where our lord’s castle is located.’ 1
If they close and lock the gate then wait out, the Byron Kingdom’s reinforcements would come.
“Holding a defensive battle at Tradi Castle should be good, sir.”
“As expected, is that the only way?”
Elton gritted his teeth with a ghostly white complexion.
‘Damn it! Monster like bastards!’
He thought that his ability too wasn’t that bad, but each and every one of them he fought against had monsterish abilities.
‘Not only from Roan Tale, to think that I’ll have to be chased and have to run away from bratty bastards like Mills Voisa and Chester Kowan!’
His pride was hurt, but there wasn’t any other way.
He looked around at the vice-captains and the adjutants and gave the order to retreat.
“Organize our troops then we’ll retreat to Tradi Castle! Hurry! We cannot have our backs caught by those bastards!”
“Yes! Understood!”
The vice-captains and the adjutants quickly answered then ran out of the tent.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Soon, the sound of drums signalling retreat loudly echoed out.
Once the news that the suppression force had broke through the Southcoat Mountains spread, Elton’s soldiers hurriedly moved like rats whose tails were on fire.
The preparations to retreat finished almost in the blink of an eye.
“Retreat! We head towards Tradi Castle!”
Elton sat at the lead and kicked his horse.
The war horse vigorously sprinted on.
However, that energetic gallop couldn’t go very far before it had to stop.
Dududududu!
A single horse rider ran towards them while blowing up a fine dust.
A single soldier whose armor was completely covered in blood blocked Elton’s path of retreat.
“My lord!”
He spoke with a desperate voice.
The soldier got on the ground as if falling from the horse.
Kung.
As if both his body and soul were greatly tired out, he kneeled down on the ground and threw down his head.
“T, Tradi Castle has fallen to the suppression force’s hand!”
The sound mixed with his crying rode the wind and hit Elton’s ears.
Elton pulled his reins.
Hihihihing!
The war horse wildly cried and stopped its legs.
The horse was awfully loud, but Elton’s ears couldn’t hear any sound.
He flapped his mouth with a stupefied expression then painfully spoke.
“Wha, what do you mean?”
He couldn’t even continue to ask.
The shock was simply too big.
‘T, Tradi Castle has fallen? And to the suppression force?’
Finally, Tony, who was at the side, asked instead.
“What do you mean Tradi Castle has fallen to the suppression force’s hands? What are you saying! Just who do you mean captured the Tradi Castle!”
The voice mixed with rage and confusion hit his ears.
The soldier who had been breathing roughly raised his head straight up and shouted as loud as he could.
“It’s Roan Tale!”
The soldier finished those words then lost consciousness and fell.
But there was no one who stepped up to help him.
Everyone merely stood frozen like stone sculptures and blinked their eyes.
Their minds were too busy simply digesting down that horrifying name they just heard.
‘Ro, Roan Tale!’
Everyone, with pale faces, gulped.
The worst opponent was choking their necks before they even knew it.
*****
“Hahaha! Did Elton actually start a rebellion with only this much strength?”
Mills Voisa heartily laughed as he kicked his horse.
Dududududu!
Nine thousand strong legion followed behind him.
‘Hmph! Elton Coat. Even if they are looking down on us, they’re underestimating us way too much.’
He had probably judged that he could buy plenty enough time with the Southcoat Mountains defensive line.
But that was a complete miscalculation.
The countryside fief’s soldiers, especially a disorderly mob scrapped together from here and there, couldn’t possibly stop the capital’s elite soldiers.
Also.
‘From the Southcoat Mountains, Chester and I decided to move separately.’
It was a situation where he would lose the lead of fief’s suppression to Chester if he were to mistakenly get held back there.
That was also the same for Chester.
In the end, the two maniacally broke through the defensive line to not fall behind each other, and the Southcoat Mountains defensive line was annihilated within a mere five days due to that.
‘By now, Chester must also be running towards Tradi Castle.’
The goal was Elton.
Because of that, he hadn’t even looked at the nearby villages or small castles.
They simply annihilated those who sometimes attacked back mercilessly and pierced through.
Thanks to that, Voisa Legion’s marching speed made one imagine a flying tiger.
At that moment, Mills’ second in command and distant cousin, Mose Voisa, came close.
“Brother! However you look at it, isn’t this rather strange?”
He pointed towards the front with his finger.
“However much the strength of Coat Barony’s army has fallen, it’s difficult to understand how lax it is. A new defensive line or support should have appeared by now, but not only support, we cannot even find a single ant.”
“You’re right. It is excessively lax.”
Mills nodded his head.
‘Even if Elton had focused his entire force at Tradi Castle, it’s hard to understand why the entire fief’s region is so empty.’
But even so, he didn’t have the leisure to sit down and analyze the situation.
Because while he did that, Chester would busily march towards Tradi Castle.
“The second largest castle in the Coat Barony, Phillis Castle should show up after we march a bit more. Let’s gather information there.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Phillis, a castle located south of Tradi Castle, was an important point that controlled the Coat Barony’s southern region.
‘If we capture that, it’ll be no different than conquering the southern region.’
The suppression war was proceeding more easily than he thought.
Dududududu!
With Mills and Mose at the lead, the nine thousand strong army sprinted frenziedly.
They must capture Phillis Castle faster than Chester’s Kowan Legion and march towards Tradi Castle.
After running for an unknown amount of time.
They could see a castle standing high on a wide plain.
“It’s Phillis Castle!”
At the scout’s yell, Mills stopped his legion and let them form up.
The legion’s soldiers faced the castle’s wall and lined up in a long line.
At that moment.
“It, it’s Kowan Legion!”
From the east of their formation, Chester led his legion’s soldiers and showed himself.
It was literally an ice-thin difference.
Between Mills and Chester, it was hard to place one above the other even in their marching speed.
“We attack first!”
Mills urgently ordered.
In the first place, there was no possibility for Phillis Castle to hold out against a grand army numbering twenty thousand.
The first one to attack had the greater possibility of monopolizing the achievements.
“Attack!”
“Waaaaa!”
With a cheer, the Voisa Legion ran towards Phillis Castle.
“Damn it! We’re also attacking!”
Chester, who was watching, tightly gritted his teeth and gave out the order to attack.
There was no time to newly set up a formation.
If he fell behind, there was nothing to earn.
“Attack!”
“Attack!”
In the end, the Kowan Legion couldn’t even calm their breaths and kicked off the ground once again.
The Voisa Legion and Kowan Legion’s charge.
The attack of an eighteen thousand strong army was truly a grand sight.
And the Phillis Castle in front of that was in a crisis like a candle flame before the wind.
It was as if looking at a small sailboat on a stormy sea.
At that moment.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of drums noisily echoed from Phillis Castle’s outer walls.
And at the same time.
Kkiiiig!
The tightly closed gate opened wide and a drawbridge came down.
“Eh?!”
“Un?”
At the sudden development, Mills and Chester felt bewildered.
They urgently stopped the legions’ charge and lined up on the other side of the moat.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of the drums that was hitting their ears also calmed down.
From the fully opened gate, a young man wearing, not even leather armor, but casual clothes appeared.
A man with small eyes that couldn’t be tell whether it was open or closed.
He was, in fact, Clay.
Clay walked out with a composed expression and stood on top of the drawbridge.
“Sir Mills Voisa, Sir Chester Kowan. You have all worked hard to arrive here.”
With an extremely courteous and graceful pose, he lowered his head.
“Who are you?”
Chester creased his forehead and asked back.
Clay cheerily smiled and answered.
“I am called Clay who serves Sir Baron Tale.”
Boom!
Suddenly, Mills and Chester’s faces stiffly froze.
“Ba, Baron Tale?”
“Why is a man serving Baron Tale here……?’
The two creased their foreheads as if they were unable to comprehend.
Clay faintly smiled as he looked at them then soon widely opened his two arms.
Suddenly.
Paat!
Great flags arose on top of the castle’s walls.
< Tale Legion. >
That was definitely the legion flag of Roan.
“Wha, what is……’
When Mills and Chester stuttered with shocked faces, Clay spoke with a confident voice.
“Tradi Castle and Phillis Castle have been captured by us, the Tale Legion.”
*****
“By now, the Voisa Legion and the Kowan Legion should have arrived at Phillis Castle.”
“Yes. They must truly be confused.”
Roan and Harrison rode their horses side by side and chatted.
They were currently marching towards the Coat Barony’s eastern region.
Harrison looked at the two thousand soldiers behind them and smiled.
“That man named Clay, he seems more amazing the more I see him.”
“Certainly, he is a talented person.”
Roan calmly nodded his head.
Using the ships and instantly capturing Tradi Castle and its surroundings and the Phillis Castle and its surroundings were all due to Clay’s strategy.
Also, Clay had.
‘To perfectly predict Elton’s path of retreat.’
Thanks to him, Roan and Harrison were able to lead only the elite cavalry including the Amaranth troops and set off to chase Elton Coat without being late.
“But is it really fine to be so relaxed?”
Harrison asked with a slightly worried expression.
Roan answered with a quiet voice as if to whisper.
“Although Elton Coat is running away, his troops number three thousand. The Byron Kingdom’s reinforcement is also moving south. To completely annihilate them, we have to follow the original plan.”
“Yes. Certainly, there’s only that method.”
Harrison nodded his head and looked towards the front.
“Hundred-man Commander Austin will have to do well.”
Roan brightly smiled at those words and answered without even a bit of pause.
“He’ll do fine. Austin has never even once…”
The light in his eyes calmly went down.
“Disappointed me.”
He had complete trust in him.
Roan followed Harrison and looked up ahead.
Beyond the wide hill that spread out, a lush forest and a series of short and tall mountains rose sharply.
Most likely the battle was happening there as well.
The war was quickly bloating up its size like an avaricious monster.
< Suppression (1) > End.
Translator : CSV
Proofreader: st8_lupe.
1. so… the raw did say castle in a castle, so probably, there’s the large Tradi Castle, and the smaller lord’s castle located inside.