351. Childhood Ep – Strange Strategy

A vast meadow with the wind blowing, and tents neatly gathered at both edges, filled with people.

The freshness of the snow-capped mountains in the distance and the spiciness of the flames nearby, mingled with the thick scent of metal grease.

It’s been a while since I’ve smelled the aroma of a battlefield.

Leh, who just arrived, closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the whirlwind of the battlefield.

The foolishness of humans fighting in small groups on a grand and beautiful land, yet still creating meaningful madness, the heartbeat of a recruit, the bravado of someone who survived yesterday’s battle, and even the illusions of the wounded who believed that the battle fought two days ago would decide the war’s outcome.

Leh couldn’t help but smile. Startled, he realized the source of that smile.

I’ve got a taste for blood.

Among the 13,000 soldiers led by Prince Vivian, there were few who smiled like Leh.

The rest were either nervously trying to adapt to this unfamiliar environment or pretending it was nothing, attempting to hide their own weakness. But Leah’s reaction was different.

“W-what should we do over there…”

Leah looked anxiously at the wounded soldiers being carried away. Judging by the trembling hand holding her staff, she seemed eager to bestow a healing blessing at any moment.

Leh placed a hand on her shoulder, offering a bit of comfort and restraint.

“…”

“I’ll be back shortly.”

Leah would act wisely.

Trusting her, Leh headed to the tent where Prince Vivian and the Commander-in-Chief were meeting. As expected, the strategy meeting was already in full swing…

The expressions of the staff members who had arrived early and were in a scouting battle with Marquis Maxinus of the Western Frontier were quite a sight. This was likely due to the reinforcements’ scale falling far below expectations.

They couldn’t hide their disappointment and hurriedly wrapped up the briefing by scattering the 13,000 reinforcements across the front lines.

Silence.

Prince Vivian stood up and spoke.

“We will not win like this.”

…That’s right!

The staff members had a lot to say but swallowed their words with a sigh. After all, how brazen could this prince be? They needed to be cautious since they didn’t know how thick-skinned he truly was.

Prince Vivian de Isadora utilized that silence granted to him.

With dignified steps, he moved to the center of the tent, capturing everyone’s attention, and meanwhile, created the expectation of, ‘Is there a plan?’

Even if it’s the same words or the same solution, how you say it matters. At Vivian’s touch, the crowd gasped.

The prince swept together the scattered 13,000 soldiers on the table toward the enemy and declared.

“Today will likely be our last gathering. Forget the concept of a main force. Commanders, think of each location as your command post and base of operations.”

He made eye contact with each person in the tent and continued.

“Ristad Jegen Dorph and the twenty-two wizards, listen. Until this war ends, you have permission for unlimited magic use.”

“!”

Everyone stiffened in shock.

This seemed unexpected for the wizards as Ristad asked, somewhat defensively.

“I would like to inquire what you mean by unlimited. There could be problems if it’s not clear.”

“Just as it sounds. Wizards, use every means necessary to take enemy lives. I will take responsibility for any side effects.”

“No!”

A young staffer protested.

He collected himself under the gazes focused on him and spoke again.

“Your Highness, that cannot be. Our side has far more wizards than theirs, so I fully understand your desire to capitalize on that advantage. However, they also have wizards. If you intend to slaughter our own soldiers as well, please retract that order. A victory obtained in such a manner cannot be deemed a victory.”

Only this young staff member stepped forward, but everyone in the tent resonated with his words.

That’s right. After the war, if no one is left alive, can it truly be called a victory? If it can, whose victory would it be?

Yet, while everyone thought silently, none stepped forward to provide support. It would be unwise to challenge the prince’s first order since taking on the position of Commander-in-Chief…

At that moment, Vivian opened his mouth, as if expecting such counterarguments.

“Why do you think our soldiers will all die? Please come forward and explain.”

– Gulp.

Called forth by the prince, he hesitated but then stepped forward resolutely. Is this public execution…? I wasn’t too worried for my life, but countless soldiers’ lives hung in the balance.

“…It’s due to the interference of the Mana Road. For a wizard to use magic, they must first set up what’s called a ‘Mana Road’ in the air, and if that overlaps with multiple wizards, it gets tangled and becomes uncontrollable. If all goes well, it results in an explosion, and if not, the magic’s effect multiplies, causing significant harm to both our allies and enemies.”

“Exactly. So wizards have faced significant limitations on the battlefield. At most, they would use small-scale magic against enemy units numbering in the dozens or against invading knights on a small scale.”

“That’s right. So please…”

“Thank you for your insight. You may return.”

Prince Vivian sent the staff member away and looked around, stating.

“I intend to change this long-standing method. Just as the appearance of wizards has shifted warfare from dense formations to squad-level combat, a flexible shift in thinking is necessary to secure victory. Hence, I mentioned erasing the concept of the main force. I plan to lower the command structure focused on the Commander-in-Chief to the level of a Thousand-man Commander, and the reason we need such a system is because…”

As the prince extended his hand, someone handed him a ‘shovel.’ Vivian raised the shovel and proclaimed.

“This will be the primary weapon for our soldiers moving forward. Of course, ha ha ha! They won’t be able to bludgeon enemies with this.”

Should we laugh along? People awkwardly chuckled as if they’d heard a hilarious joke.

However, Vivian wasn’t joking.

“Moving forward, we will advance by digging into the ground. Tents will be used to cover the holes that soldiers dig as they move forward; that will be their living quarters and barracks. I’ve brought a diagram. Take a look.”

Huh?

Huh huh?

This is what the prince’s briefing entailed.

Units of a thousand will dig downwards in about fifteen separate paths, and knights will be distributed accordingly.

Each Thousand-man Commander in charge of a branch will ensure the safety of their unit but shouldn’t just act passively, instead sending out squads whenever opportunities arise to construct as many arrow trenches as possible.

In the meantime, the wizards will turn the enemy camp into a sea of flames… regardless of any mana road explosions. Then,

“I apologize, but…”

“That’s quite a clever scheme. However, the problem is…”

“Realistically speaking—”

Excuses, reminders, reconsideration, and regrets flooded in—a barrage of flattery directed at their superior.

There was an intensity of criticism that could not be compared to the excitement when they had just been given permission for unlimited magic use, and the more proficient commanders in conventional warfare grew even more intense in their opposition.

Basically, it made no sense.

Yet, among their counterarguments, if we were to highlight the ones that had some reasoning and gained the most consensus, they would be as follows:

Firstly, it’s slow.

Digging into the ground would surely take longer than walking.

Secondly, it’s hard.

Someone raised their voice, saying it was important to consider the soldiers’ fatigue levels.

Thirdly, it’s difficult to defend.

Since they couldn’t dig tunnels below the ground, the top would inevitably be exposed like a moat, and if the enemy attacked from above, we’d be utterly helpless.

Fourthly, similar to the third, if knights invaded, the narrow passages would make it difficult for a combined assault, potentially resulting in massive casualties.

Fifthly, there are areas, like forests, where digging won’t go well depending on the terrain… etc, etc., Vivian de Isadora calmly responded to the numerous counterarguments.

“No matter how fast you walk, if the enemy blocks the way, you can’t proceed.”

“You mentioned digging is hard, but isn’t fighting head-to-head against the enemy and their weapons equally tough?”

“Spear units will be assigned. They will be able to stab enemies attacking from above. There will also be arrow trenches. And I believe a spear is easier to handle than a sword for soldiers. That’s likely why the basic weapon for soldiers was a spear back in the time when dense formations were the primary means of battle. Of course, javelins and short swords were also used.”

“Your concerns about knights entering the trenches and causing panic are unfounded. Soldiers can band together from above. Surely, you’re not assuming they’d be invaded while wizards are casting spells?”

“As for the forest… yes, it seems you’re right that roots will make it hard to dig. But if need be, we can turn back… Luckily, there’s no forest here. Oh, if the ground is too hard or there are rocks underground preventing us from digging deep enough, we can adjust our path. I’ll leave that to the discretion of the Thousand-man Commanders.”

“Anything else?”

“…”

“…”

The commanders and staff members wore expressions as if the world’s end was near. Even when rational explanations were presented, they failed to accept them, and Vivian ultimately concluded the meeting with sheer force.

People murmured as they left, leaving the prince, Marquis Maxinus of the Western Frontier, and Leh behind in the tent.

Maxinus, who had remained passive throughout the meeting, beckoned Leh over.

“Out you go. I have something to say to the prince.”

“Oh, dear. Your Excellency should not send him away. My introduction has taken too long.”

Perhaps tired from the lengthy meeting, Vivian quickly came to Leh’s defense, covering his forehead for a moment.

“This is Sir Reb, who comes from the Conrad Kingdom. He is the strongest knight sent by Prince Lean de Yeriel. Sir Reb, this is Marquis Maxinus Zelai of the Empire. In other kingdoms, the Zelai family is referred to as a marquis family.”

“Is that so? Thank you for the introduction; it’s an honor to meet you. I am Reb Bijan.”

“Strongest knight, huh? You must be older than you look? It’s a pleasure. I am Maxinus Zelai.”

Leh shook hands with Maxinus.

Maxinus’s hands were incredibly large, contrary to his appearance. He looked just like a grumpy, out-of-shape fat guy, but his hands were massive; he seemed like a surprisingly generous person.

That’s just how it was. Maxinus seemed uninterested in Leh and spoke to the prince.

“You’ve worked hard. However… since mentioning it might make my subordinates less inclined to listen, I held back earlier, but I do have concerns about your strategy. May I speak?”

Vivian nodded with a weary smile. Maxinus bowed politely, showing surprising decorum as he posed his question, which was indeed quite valid.

“What about Count Hermann Forte? If the units and knights are split into fifteen groups, it’ll be prime for a Swordmaster to run amok.”

Each unit had around a thousand soldiers, with about ten knights.

This was the army that the Isadora royal family had barely gathered by breaking through the Gaidan House’s interference.

Maxinus’s forces had increased it somewhat, but as it broke down into fifteen units, it had indeed stirred the Swordmaster’s desire for a challenge.

Magic was almost ineffective, and shields and armor were devoured by the Oblivion Blade.

If an appropriate number of knights accompanied the enemy and launched a surprise attack, it could trigger unimaginable carnage.

Vivian seemed to have considered this as he replied.

“Rest assured on that front. Duke Gilbert Forte has arrived here. If necessary, we may take him hostage… and even if that’s not the case, we have a knight here capable of stopping Count Forte.”

“Who? If you’re referring to the commander of the First Knight Order…”

“This person here. Sir Reb Bijan said he would handle Count Hermann Forte.”

“…”

“…”

The marquis scratched his ear.

“…I’m sorry for the intrusion, but did he say that?”

“No, it was Prince Lean de Yeriel who guaranteed it. Isn’t that right?”

Both Marquis Maxinus and Prince Vivian directed their gaze to Reb. He was about to confidently say,

“Yes. Just trust me.”

But suddenly, a relevant issue surfaced in his mind, and he stuttered.

This was the {War} event that had only proceeded within the engagement scenario thus far.

While Count Forte would surely wish to end the war as soon as possible and return, the scenario was different, and I heard that the way wars were conducted this time would be drastically different.

‘Surely… we won’t miss each other, will we?’

However, having gauged the extent of his misfortune, Leh confidently responded.

“Yes. I will stop him.”

In fact, it was precisely because his luck was so terrible that he felt he could say this with confidence.

It’s a foregone conclusion that they would come to kill Leah.