Chapter 193: Grand General-nim, Prepare for the Operations Meeting (3)
As always, the army’s supreme commander is a target for assassination. That’s why we need to pay attention to the escort. However, it’s ironic that I’m being protected by assassins to prevent assassination.
“Where is Levidian?”
“My Lord, she is at the 2627th Division’s encampment.”
“Where are the others?”
“I believe they are with her.”
“Then let’s head that way.”
“Understood.”
No matter how high-ranking officers or knights tried to provoke them, the assassins ignored them like statues. However, they showed me considerable respect.
Is it because Levidian ordered them to do so, or is it because I’m her partner?
I have nothing to do anyway. I’m bored, so let’s ask.
“By the way, do you have any complaints about your current work?”
“I don’t understand the intent of your question. Are you referring to the working environment, or something else?”
“I am curious about your opinion on the working environment. However, I was wondering if you were uncomfortable being assigned tasks that are not typical for assassins, such as protecting me or focusing on intelligence gathering, while suspending your main duties.”
“I will answer that your will is our duty. We have been trained and practiced as assassins, but your will takes precedence. And the working environment is not bad.”
Out of the six assassins, only one always answers my questions. He is a man with a truly ordinary appearance that I forget every time I see him.
He looks familiar, but his lack of distinctive features makes him vague. His rank is probably around squad leader.
I nodded and asked something else.
“What do you think about working as my escort? I mean, no matter if it’s Levidian’s order, I don’t think you need to protect me so thoroughly…… Ah, of course, I’m not doubting your loyalty and sincerity. But why, you know.”
“A task you have to perform to the best of your ability even if you don’t like it?”
“Yes, that’s it. Levidian wants to protect me, but I wonder what you think.”
The ordinary-looking assassin closed his mouth. Time passed like that, and I was about to give up waiting for an answer.
He spoke.
“To tell you the truth, all of us in the Black New Moon respect you.”
“Yes?”
“You are someone our Lord cherishes more than her own life, but to us, our Lord’s life is a hundred times more precious than yours. If both your life and our Lord’s life were in danger at the same time and we could only save one, we would disobey our Lord’s order and rescue her. So, if you die, we are prepared to take our own lives as a price for disobeying our Lord’s order. Please don’t be offended. It’s our belief.”
It was a truly resolute answer. I felt more admiration than offense at his words. And I also felt envy.
“I’m not offended. I envy Levidian. Because she has good subordinates.”
“Thank you for the compliment. Now I will tell you why we respect you. It’s because you saved the life of our Lord, whom we cherish so much. You also effectively stopped the all-out war with Mangya, saving the lives of many of our comrades. And since you are a precious person to our Lord, we thought there was no reason for us not to respect you. Therefore, we have no complaints about our current mission.”
In the end, they are protecting me because it’s Levidian’s order and also reflects their own will. I nodded in understanding.
Then the assassin said.
“I have a question. Why did you ask such a question……?”
“Because you don’t want to be protected by escorts who don’t like you? Haha. Just curious. I was just wondering how you see me. Isn’t it classic? I just wanted to know what others think of me.”
“I see. Don’t worry. None of us see you as a kept man.”
For a moment, my knees buckled, and I almost fell. W-what? Was that a joke in a business-like tone?
With a bewildered expression, I looked at the assassin standing to my right. He had a very ordinary appearance and was walking forward without any expression.
Even assassins aren’t all cold-hearted.
“But, you know.”
“Yes.”
“When you make a joke, at least laugh. Or put some humor in your voice. You’re not planning to assassinate me by making me bewildered, are you?”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
For a moment, he looked like he really wanted to cough awkwardly. He seemed embarrassed.
Hmm, this guy is unexpectedly a good guy.
The 2627th Division is a cavalry division that can move at the speed of light cavalry even though they are heavy cavalry, thanks to the technology purchased from the Iperfect Workshop last year when tracking down Baius Extoria.
I didn’t get a chance to ask while chatting on the way here, but why are Levidian and the others here?
That question was surprisingly easily solved, and a new one arose simultaneously. I tilted my head, looking at Al, who was diligently participating in mounted training.
“Hey, Lucy, why is Al training there?”
“He’s doing that because he said he’ll catch that halberd gramps himself.”
“You mean Baius Extoria? But he’s not a gramps.”
“Eh. At that age, he’s just a grandpa. He seems to have a grudge against him.”
Lucy said nonchalantly, and I could only give an awkward laugh. Al’s unique competitive spirit must have been awakened.
After hearing that Lucy had overwhelmed Referndi with the new magic he learned last February, he probably decided to catch one of the remaining two himself.
Should I call him a friend, or a rival? Perhaps in Al’s mind, friend is synonymous with rival. It seems only Lucy doesn’t notice it.
Al was diligently riding his horse and repeating the simple training of hitting the multiple circled targets with his cavalry lance.
Lance forward, lance shaft fixed to the waist harness, eyes on the target. And charge. I can almost hear the horse’s snorting breath from here.
“Risel, you’re here. Did the meeting go well?”
“Yes, it went well. But how many hours has he been doing that?”
“It’s been over three hours. And this is the third horse he’s changed. Amazing perseverance. Even the division commander was impressed. He said Al has unexpected talent.”
“He’s Al of the Bare Hands, isn’t he? He’s an all-around warrior who can handle any weapon you give him, so he’ll learn mounted combat quickly.”
At that moment, Al charged and accurately pierced the heart of the scarecrow set up as a target. Straw scattered like blood, and the cavalrymen of the 2627th Division on the other side cheered.
“Wow! Awesome!”
“Whew! That’s amazing! He hit the heart in just three hours! Haha! Hey, what are the odds for three hours?!”
“Ugh! My money!”
Military discipline is truly strict.
The cavalrymen on the other side don’t seem to care whether the Grand General has arrived or not. Have I been ignored this much by the soldiers? I just want to go back to being a general.
Just as I was sending a wish to the sky that would never come true, Al turned his horse and headed this way. Simultaneously, the gazes of the soldiers on the other side turned this way, and screams erupted.
“G-Grand General-nim!”
“What! It’s real!”
“Oh my gosh!”
“Attention! Attention!”
Yeah. Play around. Just play around.
I sighed deeply and shook my head. Al dismounted, ignoring the commotion behind him. Then he stood still for a moment, head bowed.
He uttered a short phrase.
“I’m going to die.”
“Of course, you’ll be sore if you push yourself while not being used to mounted combat. But Al, are you trying to be on the vanguard tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I’m going to try and compete with Virus.”
“It’s Baius.”
“Whatever.”
For a moment, I thought I understood why his nickname was Al. Maybe it’s because he can’t even remember his own name properly?
I scratched my cheek. I acknowledge his spirit, but……
“But, Al, there’s a problem.”
“What problem.”
“Even in mounted combat, Baius Extoria will have at least a few hundred times more experience than you. Do you think you can handle him? It was a ground battle back then, but.”
Al looked at me for a moment, holding the reins. Then he slowly moved, took off his helmet, and looked up at the sky. He finally answered.
“It’s a nice day.”
“Yeah. I got it. I won’t ask anymore.”
It’s surprisingly easy to make someone frustrated.
Meanwhile, the soldiers of the 2627th Division, who had finished lining up on the other side, did something they weren’t told to do.
“To the Grand General-nim-! Salute!”
Loyalty!
Their voices were so loud that nearby birds flew away in a flurry, and I nodded appropriately. Then I shouted towards them.
“What are the odds for three hours?”
“Uh, well, that’s……!”
“What are the odds?”
“It’s 8 times!”
The man who seemed to be an officer shouted as if he had written ‘My Responsibility’ on his face. He was almost at the point of despair. I looked at him, then at the still-frozen soldiers, and spoke sternly.
“Relaxing before a battle, are you truly Herduke’s soldiers? Do you think the equipment I provided you with when I was your general was given to you for your leisure time?”
“No, sir!”
“You know it’s not, yet you’re slacking off and making bets. If the battle were to take place the day after tomorrow, I might overlook it, but if you’re like this until the day before, how can I trust you and put you on the vanguard?”
“W-We’ll fix it!”
Most of the soldiers over there are older than me, but they were all frozen stiff at my words. They look like they’ll shatter if I touch them.
Was the discipline in our army this strict?
“Good. I’ll trust you. I look forward to your achievements tomorrow. And……”
The expressions of the soldiers who were about to rejoice hardened again. I glanced at them and spoke seriously and solemnly.
“In the case of gambling, 20% of the profits are obligated to be paid to the national treasury as tax, so after the settlement, the supply officer will collect it, kek!”
“Sigh, to think this is my man.”
“Oh dear, it’s a time when we desperately need military funds……”
“That’s why you get hit for saying such nonsense.”
Whack!
Levidian’s scabbard hit my head for the second time. Stars flashed before my eyes.
Hitting me again where you already hit me, how cruel!
April 10th, 378th year of the Imperial Calendar.
The sky was clear and bright.
Perhaps because it was the middle of spring, the sunlight was quite warm. The wind was blowing gently, making it the perfect weather for laundry, but it seems like there won’t be time for laundry today.
“Grand General-nim, all units are in formation.”
Sispa reported after compiling the messages from the liaison officers.
The flags of the Herduke Kingdom Army, spread across the plains, fluttered slightly and then settled back down under their own weight, indicating calmness.
From now on, those flags will flutter fiercely.
The distance from the staff where I am to the vanguard is a few hundred meters. Once a message is sent, it can arrive within minutes. I took out my watch, checked the time, and said to Sispa.
“Inform the entire army. We will begin the opening salvo at 1:00 PM. And call Kersilla Creon.”
“Yes, Grand General-nim. Liaison officer!”
Liaison officers on horseback passed between the densely packed legions and divisions. Currently, our forces are in an inverted T formation. This formation allows for proper support during a charge and allows the command center to retreat quickly during a retreat.
The Imperial Army and the Summoned Army were generally in a Saltire (♀) formation. This formation allows for easy encirclement of any forces that rashly charge and has the advantage of strong command center defense.
What’s interesting here is that the side with the superior force chose a formation that allows for retreat, while the disadvantaged side chose a formation that prioritizes defense and offense.
This is actually a reflection of a reasonable perspective. None of the Kingdom Army officers, including myself, expect to win this battle in one go.
The combined number of troops on both sides is 640,000. It would be strange if it were to be settled in a single day.
Our planned base location is in the rear. Currently, two legions are busy building the base, and since we will all move there after today’s battle, we intentionally chose a formation suitable for retreat.
The Imperial Army has already completed building their base. Since they didn’t interfere with our assembly, we decided to overlook that much.
Ultimately, today’s battle is a signal for the start of the war and nothing more than a greeting. It can be seen as a courtesy procedure to ask each other if they are ready to fight.
“Risel, are you ready?”
“Of course. Are you properly prepared?”
“Of course! Don’t underestimate this Lucy-nim. I’ve even prepared illusion magic so the entire army can see you, so don’t worry!”
“No, I’ll decline that.”
I responded nonchalantly to Lucy, who was unnecessarily enthusiastic.
Leave a Reply