---

The siege closed in, and half of the Imperial Western Legion was shattered.

Even with such a monumental achievement, Prince Georg Sistania showed no signs of stopping.

In fact, he decided to press forth across the border and strike directly at the heart of the Empire.

“Speed up! We will attack the now empty borders of the Empire!”

“Your Highness, I worry that this plan is rather dangerous.”

“Foolish talk! The Empire has put everything they have on the line to save their legion. In other words, their rear is completely empty! Striking once more at such a time will not only debilitate their offensive but also shatter their morale!”

The parties at war were Dedorant and the Empire. However, the conditions for victory in this war were not the same for both.

The Empire must completely crush Dedorant and force their surrender. Only then can the shattered authority and order of the Empire be restored.

But Dedorant does not desire such a flawless victory.

They aim to inflict tremendous damage on the Empire and break their fighting spirit.

Afterwards, they just need to make the voices for negotiation arise from within the Empire.

Currently, Dedorant cannot overwhelm the Empire. A draw is their limit.

They need more time. For that, negotiations are essential.

Once they catch their breath and are prepared to rise as a new Empire in the West.

They will have to engage in battle with the Empire once more to determine who will remain the sole Empire.

“So, we cannot afford to let this opportunity slip away. Understand?”

“Y-Yes, Your Highness!”

It’s an opportunity gained by tossing 30,000 of our troops into the jaws of the Empire.

Despite capturing two legions of the Empire, that alone is not enough.

They must directly attack the Empire’s territory to deliver a shock.

Of course, this might ignite the Empire’s will to fight.

However, if they properly strike the rear, the Empire’s military preparations will be significantly delayed.

During that time, Dedorant can intensify their defensive preparations and ensure they are adequately ready.

Whatever it takes, they must turn the bordering areas into a wasteland.

They will destroy the main roads for the large army and the various supplies piling up there.

Dedorant has selected only the best elite, so they can certainly accomplish this.

“Your Highness the Prince! The Empire’s gate is just ahead!”

“Let’s charge forward in one fell swoop! Do not fear, sons of Dedorant. There are hardly any enemies! They are too busy ravaging our land far in the distance! So we shall trample upon the Empire’s land too!”

—Waaah!!

With a deafening roar, the elite troops of Dedorant head towards the Empire’s gate.

However, they had to halt their advance upon hearing a certain piece of news—

“What did you just say?”

Prince Georg Sistania could only be bewildered at the report from the scouts who had advanced ahead.

“The gates of the Empire are wide open. Not a single soldier can be seen atop the walls; only flags are planted everywhere.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, Your Highness! I report this after confirming it multiple times!”

At that moment, Prince Georg felt something strange wash over him.

“This can’t be. Even though this place is a fair distance from the battlefield, the news must have reached them. How could the gates be opened at such a time when our army has suffered great losses?”

Moreover, there would surely be Imperial scouts nearby, so the news would have reached them already.

No, they would have been more than aware. They would normally be preparing for an attack.

‘Yet, they left the gates wide open.’

Faced with this unbelievable reality, Prince Georg ordered his troops to slow down.

They heightened their vigilance while approaching the gates.

Soon, what lay before him matched the report of the scouts.

‘There really is no one here. Not a soldier who should be guarding the gates, nor the commander who should be up there. It’s as if something happened and not a single soul remains.’

At that moment, several men suddenly emerged from beyond the wide-open gates.

Unarmed and without any armor, they seemed just like cargo carriers.

They began pouring water at the entrance and diligently started cleaning.

Even with Dedorant’s army right before them, they didn’t even spare a glance.

As everyone in Dedorant, including Prince Georg, was left in disbelief at this absurd scene—

“Your Highness, look above the gate.”

At the chief’s words, Prince Georg quickly turned his gaze that way.

A young man strolled leisurely to the top of the gate.

He was quite a distance away, but Prince Georg recognized that he was watching him.

“Wait.”

A junior officer, who had been acting as a guide, opened his mouth at that sight.

“Your Highness the Prince! That man! It’s him!”

“Him?”

“Kael Clausewitz! The brilliant strategist of the Empire who previously made waves across the southern and eastern fronts!”

Kael Clausewitz? At the mention, Prince Georg turned to look for him anxiously.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, Your Highness! Absolutely. I’ve seen the face of the one who reported the Empire’s great victory, and it’s the same as that person!”

At that, Prince Georg could not help but stifle a gasp of surprise.

He had heard that a man named Kael was appointed as the Imperial Chief of Staff.

And he had confirmed that he did not deploy in the Western front.

Yet, here he was, unexpectedly right before him.

‘Could it be that he anticipated our movements in Dedorant?’

Prince Georg was well aware of who Kael Clausewitz was.

From the clashes with Nobogord to tearing apart the three kingdoms far across the continent in the East.

Just recently, he had completely annihilated Benito’s main forces in a stunning victory.

He had always been present in these successes. What could that imply?

It meant he had a significant share in each of those victories.

The first could be considered coincidence or fate, but this was already the third time.

And of course, there is no such thing as coincidence or fate repeating itself thrice.

‘The strategist, Kael, always drew enemies into situations of extreme advantage. According to reports from the Eastern and Southern fronts, he preferred to set perfect traps to lure enemies in.’

Prince Georg carefully inspected the area around the gate again.

There was no sense of any defenses set up anywhere.

The cleaners had now plopped themselves down on the ground and were chatting.

The eerie silence made it hard to imagine this as the gate facing an enemy.

“Your Highness, aren’t you going to give the order to attack?”

“….”

“The enemies are not prepared at all. Surely they must be unable to defend this place because they are supporting elsewhere.”

“….”

Despite the words of the various commanders, Prince Georg remained silent.

His mind wrestled with two possibilities clashing within.

Could it be that what he saw was merely a facade of weakness?

Or was it a trap, sweet bait set out like Dedorant had done?

Just as his worries were lingering, something suddenly illuminated his thoughts.

—Ding ding!

“The—The person up there?”

Kael, sitting on the gate, suddenly pulled out a lute.

He then began strumming a tune, the melody quite dazzling.

Like watching a carefree performer on a boat.

“….”

Upon seeing this, Prince Georg finally steeled himself.

“We shall retreat.”

“Your Highness?!”

“What nonsense is this?! Retreat?! That’s absurd!!”

“No. We must retreat. That is certainly a trap. It must be.”

The surrounding commanders looked at each other in bafflement.

Prince Georg pointed to Kael, who was up on the gates, looking far too relaxed while playing his lute.

“You all know about that Empire’s strategist too. He never takes risks. Even moments that seem revealing are simply him controlling everything from behind the scenes.”

“Bu-But…”

“The only moment that man shows himself as weak is when he has made all necessary preparations to smite the enemy. When he wishes for the enemy to show their heads!”

The three kingdoms in the East and Benito in the South had both experienced this.

Kael always fought only after taking the upper hand. His schemes always began there.

Having multiple examples as cautionary tales, they couldn’t foolishly walk into the same trap again.

“Spare me your excessive arguments. To let our guard down and face a catastrophic defeat at such a moment when we are riding high would be for the Empire. Surely, you wouldn’t consider making the same mistake?”

“But Your Highness, what if we observe the situation a little longer before moving?”

“Foolishness. If they are so publicly luring in the enemy, then there must surely be troops responding from the interior or even outside. If wrong, we might end up surrounded!”

Prince Georg had brought numerous victories and glory to Dedorant thus far.

His insight earned the admiration and genuine following of all military personnel.

Yet, now that prince’s words had compelled the commanders to cease their opposition.

Ultimately, as they turned their backs on what appeared to be an empty gate,

a shout erupted from their rear.

—Waaah!!

“Your Highness, Imperial troops have appeared from the rear.”

“What did I tell you? They must have prepared a trap to surround us from both inside and out.”

“Indeed, I can only admire Your Highness’s foresight.”

“Quickly, we must withdraw. With our positions exposed, we can no longer move.”

Prince Georg glanced back at the receding gate as his forces retreated.

‘Kael Clausewitz. I acknowledge that you are an extraordinary strategist. But I too, and our Dedorant, am not to be underestimated. If you plan to set traps next time, do it properly.’

Someday when we meet again, let’s have a proper fight.

With that thought, Prince Georg turned his army back towards Dedorant.

Unbeknownst to him, however, those soldiers were not aiming to lay a siege but were merely the Eastern Allied Forces that happened to arrive.

Had they clashed head-on, nine out of ten times it would have ended in a resounding victory for Dedorant.

And most importantly—

“I… made it…!”

Kael’s presence here was not due to a prediction of Dedorant’s movements; rather,

he had simply moved ahead of time as he was bound to head to the battlefield.

The gates he thought were a trap held merely a few hundred soldiers at most.

‘This works!!’

After all, luck favors those who are lucky!

Shouting inwardly his triumph, Kael gently set down the lute.

It seemed he would need to change since his back was drenched in cold sweat.

 

---