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Chapter 563: I Always Trust Your Judgment. (3)

The allied forces, having reorganized the legions, scattered in all directions. Now they would focus on capturing strategic points and fortifying defenses.

Holding key points would allow them to pressure the rear even if the enemy moved to another kingdom.

Ghislaine also dispatched numerous scouts and darks in every direction.

“I never imagined I’d be playing hide and seek with those guys.”

From now on, the one who can quickly grasp the movements of the other would have the advantage.

The enemy didn’t have any strongholds to speak of. It was somewhat unfavorable that they had to go out hunting.

The Ruthania Army was split into two legions led by Claude and Tenant.

Claude’s army would guard the most crucial supply route, while Tenant would hold one of the primary strongholds.

All that remained were Ghislaine’s and Yulien’s squads. They would rush in as soon as the enemy’s position was identified.

Yulien, ready for departure, asked.

“…How confident are you in that guess?”

“Quite a lot. If those guys have a ‘hidden dagger’… now is the perfect time to bring it out.”

“…Is that so.”

“Having split the forces and initiated mobile warfare, their communication network is bound to be quite loose.”

Even if the Army of Atrode sent out messengers frantically, it would be difficult for distant legions to communicate effectively.

They likely established a strategy in advance to prepare for various situations, but the links between each squad were practically severed.

However, there was one way to alleviate that issue.

“If we have someone to relay messages and provide various information in between, it would certainly ease things up.”

“……”

Yulien remained silent for a long while. He seemed to be thinking about something.

After some time, Yulien slowly spoke.

“If there really is a traitor, we’ll suffer the consequences.”

“Yeah, so let’s hope it’s just a simple guess.”

“…….”

“Well, at least we have set up some minimal safety measures, so not everyone will fall victim. It’s just that there are quite a few suspicious individuals, and we couldn’t handle all of them.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better to reveal it earlier?”

“Hm.”

At that, Ghislaine crossed his arms and pondered.

He had considered that thought as well. But there was no evidence. This time, Ghislaine too could not be completely certain.

It was merely suspicion based on instinct from experience and information from his previous life.

He could not reveal that he was a returnee, and therefore could not instill trust.

“There’s no evidence. It’s just a feeling. I couldn’t even pinpoint a single person.”

“……”

“If we mention that there are suspicious individuals without evidence, we’ll be divided before we even fight the enemy. And if it turns out to be true… the moment we catch the traitor, the enemy will change their strategy.”

Even Ghislaine, no matter how capable, could not execute a comrade without certainty and proof.

Moreover, Count Bifenbelt must have prepared against that as well.

So it was better to keep that possibility in mind, prepare, and capture the enemy conclusively.

Yulien nodded slightly.

“Yeah, it’s an unsolvable problem.”

Ghislaine was not wrong. In a situation like now, if internal chaos erupted, the war would ultimately drag on longer.

They needed to find evidence. Unfortunately, in such an urgent situation, that evidence would have to manifest as losses among their own.

Ghislaine and Yulien could only hope that wouldn’t happen.

If there was a traitor among the allies they had fought alongside, it would be a heavy shock for everyone.

But just three days later, the news brought by a blood-soaked soldier shattered that hope.

“W-we were ambushed! The enemy was lying in wait! All our forces have retreated from the battlefield!”

One legion had been annihilated while moving to a stronghold. And a day later, another messenger arrived.

“It was an ambush! We fell into an enemy trap! Everyone is scattered and fleeing!”

Another legion had fallen. Two out of the three legions they had been suspicious of were hit.

The legions that had been ordered to depart first due to suspicion.

‘They were lying in wait.’

The enemy had certainty about which direction they would move. It also meant information had leaked.

Ghislaine slowly nodded.

‘That guy was the culprit.’

In the end, there was only one perpetrator.

Fortunately, the moment they sensed the danger, they all scattered and fled.

There was no choice; everyone had been warned in advance to run if things went south.

Ghislaine smiled bitterly. Even with suspicion and preparation, it was a move they couldn’t avoid.

‘Count Bifenbelt. He’s quite the formidable one.’

He risked dividing his forces before a large army. He set the stage and forced this side to take action.

Then he pulled out the knife he had prepared long ago and struck.

Normal folks wouldn’t even dare to attempt such a thing.

‘But this trickery ends here.’

Ghislaine grimaced coolly.

He had identified the culprit and was already prepared to confront the remaining legions about it.

So that sort of trick wouldn’t work anymore. Now it was time to capture and kill them for sure.

“……”

Yulien said nothing upon hearing the news. He simply equipped himself in silence and mounted his horse.

Now that the enemy’s location was revealed, it was time to begin the pursuit.

Before Yulien set off, Ghislaine summoned a dark. The dark transformed into a crow and perched on Yulien’s shoulder.

“Ahem, I am Dark 28. From now on, let us embark on an important mission together.”

“…Right.”

Ghislaine smiled and saw Yulien off.

“Be careful, buddy. The remaining ones won’t be easy.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Yulien bid farewell with a casual remark and began to move slowly. Ghislaine, watching his back, asked.

“Was there another way?”

Ghislaine always acted with confidence. No one had found a better solution than he did.

So the decisions had always been left up to him.

It was possible because he was a returnee. Even now, he hadn’t changed his thinking.

But he couldn’t help but suddenly feel curious.

Would Yulien have come up with a better approach in such a situation?

After all, he was an excellent commander who led the Human Alliance in his previous life.

After a moment’s contemplation, Yulien shook his head.

“No, I always trust your judgment.”

Ghislaine couldn’t help but chuckle at those words.

‘Now that I think about it…’

The only person who had never once opposed his opinion was Yulien. He was indeed a reliably (?) dependable guy.

The dark chattered quietly on Yulien’s shoulder.

“Yulien, I don’t trust the master’s judgment. Because the master has a nasty temperament and just does things his own way. Is judgment even needed when throwing a tantrum? I don’t think so.”

“……”

“I’m only telling you this, but being with you is more comfortable than with the master. Because the master has such a filthy temperament. So a few days ago…”

“……”

Yulien didn’t respond at all and just continued to ride.

His horse began to pick up speed. The elite cavalry of the allied forces followed closely behind.

Before long, they started galloping like a whirlwind. The dark, excited, spread its wings and soared into the sky.

“Yippee—!”

There was no need to worry about the other side. Unless they were overwhelmingly outnumbered, those who faced them would simply evaporate.

As Yulien left, the senior knight, Lucas, casually asked.

“Are we not leaving?”

“We’ll head out in a moment. I’m waiting on something.”

There were two locations identified as having enemies. However, since the other legions would soon face ambushes too, the targets would quickly multiply.

Ghislaine waited for another two days. This was because the hidden trump cards they were preparing were almost complete.

Clank, clank, clank.

Massive wagons resembling a prison approached. They were the ‘Mobile Workshop’ where the captured wizards and dwarves had been working.

With dark shadows under his eyes, Galbarik banged on the doors of other wagons.

“Alright, we’re here! Get out! Hey, soldiers, unload the ‘new weapons’!”

The soldiers of the Mobile Army busily pulled something out from the wagon.

It was a magical weapon combining Galbarium Spear and Runestone.

“Whoa, this is the new weapon?”

“Does it really shoot magic from here?”

“We can use magic without mana?”

The soldiers of the Mobile Army examined the weapons in awe. They heard that although they couldn’t use it often, it would deliver a surprise attack on the battlefield.

While the soldiers diligently unloaded the spears, Galbarik continued banging on the wagons.

“Hey, come on! Stop dawdling and get down! We’ve arrived!”

“Ughhh…”

Alfoy came down from the wagon with a zombie-like groan. Other wizards did the same.

The allied forces certainly had many wizards. However, the wizards of Ruthania had to work in shifts after being captured like this.

They had been enduring a grueling schedule that involved both combat and work.

Clack.

Then, from one wagon, a figure who would later be known as one of the Seven Greats of the continent, the Eternal Mage, and a great wizard appeared.

He staggered as soon as he got off and held his forehead.

“Ah, what the hell. I’m dizzy. I wanna go home.”

Jerome was half out of it. He realized how torturous it was to do the same repetitive work every day while trapped.

Even in his long meditation training, he never felt such agony.

“Ah, I hate sunlight.”

He had barely been in the wagon, and the sunlight felt unbearable.

Nevertheless, Jerome worked diligently. After all, there was nothing else to do inside the wagon.

Thanks to his valuable labor, Ghislaine was able to secure new weapons for the Mobile Army.

Ghislaine enthusiastically welcomed Jerome.

“Wow! Jerome! You worked hard!”

“……”

Jerome turned his head away. He seemed a bit miffed.

Ghislaine didn’t mind and draped his arm over Jerome’s shoulder.

“You know, everyone struggles during wartime. At least you didn’t have to fight, right?”

“…I think it would have been better to fight.”

Jerome genuinely felt that way. The wizards of Penris who had been working so hard thus far seemed truly impressive.

He finally understood why Alfoy’s mana control ability was so exceptional. Anyone would adapt naturally under such repetitive learning.

At Ghislaine’s suggestion that fighting might have been better, he spoke in a subtle tone.

“Sorry for asking this just after you arrived, but I think you might need to deploy.”

“Where to?”

Ghislaine leaned in and whispered a few words into Jerome’s ear. Jerome was taken aback.

“What? Seriously?”

“Yeah. It’s an important battle, so we need your strength. We need to rescue people quickly.”

“Ugh, got it. I’ll need to head out right away.”

Jerome, being someone who liked to help others, felt tired but knew he had to move quickly given the urgency of the situation.

He immediately approached Alfoy. The two had become quite friendly in the meantime.

“Alfoy.”

“What? No, don’t talk to me. I’m tired.”

“I’m in a bit of a hurry. I need your ‘pure’ power.”

“What do you mean? Do you wanna show how corrupted my head is? Just how dirty I am?”

If someone were to list the purest individuals from Penris, Alfoy would be one of the first to be named.

But what Jerome needed wasn’t Alfoy’s dirty thoughts. It was his pure mana.

Without hesitation, Jerome grabbed Alfoy’s wrist.

“Sorry. I’ll pay you back later.”

“Uh? What? You’re not letting go? Aahhh!”

Jerome drained Alfoy’s mana and Alfoy fainted. With weak willpower, he was especially easy to drain.

Jerome wasn’t lacking mana at the moment. But he needed to cover a long distance quickly, so he aimed to utilize Alfoy’s mana.

Jerome grinned at Ghislaine.

“I’m off now.”

“Yeah, see you later. Be careful. Don’t go off on your own again.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

With a flash!

In an instant, a blinding light shimmering, the space distorted. At the same time, Jerome’s body disappeared from everyone’s sight.

Ghislaine mounted the Black King and said.

“Now let’s move. We’ll test the new weapons on the way.”

Vanessa and several other wizards mounted their horses as well. They would follow the Mobile Army.

And the rest planned to move with Galbarik back to the main base of Ruthania. Alfoy was being carried on another wizard’s back.

Hiiiiiing!

The Black King let out a long wail as it took off. The Mobile Army followed closely behind.

Thud thud thud thud thud!

Ghislaine and the Mobile Army began their fierce gallop.

Before long, Ghislaine’s expression hardened coolly.

‘Just a little longer.’

The enemy’s strategy and their bold actions were indeed commendable. There was nothing to criticize.

But choosing to engage in mobile warfare against him was far too reckless.

Now, he intended to show who was the fastest on this continent in the most intelligent way.

 

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