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Volume 3, Chapter 5 – Superior And Inferior Measures, Part 2

The following day, the southern army led by Hiro faced the rebel army again. There was no disruption in the main camp of the southern army with Hiro, and although they were outnumbered, no one was afraid of the enemy.

The enemy troops facing them were also full of energy and had been shouting since early in the morning. It is a sign that they are ready to fight at any time. They may also be trying to discourage the enemy’s motivation.

“…What would Hiro-sama do in a situation like this?”

As the strong wind passed, a beautiful voice shook Hiro’s eardrums.

“…Hmm?”

Hiro in the carriage tilted his head and looked next to him; Claudia was looking at the enemy troops with a stern look in her eyes. When Hiro was also looking at the same place, he saw that the enemy army was waiting in horizontal formation, just as it had been yesterday.

“What would you do if you were in their shoes, Hiro-sama?”

Hiro nodded to Claudia, who asked him again, and then opened his mouth.

“If I were in the opponent’s position, I would try to show a bit of an opening and see how the opponent reacts. There’s a chance it might turn out to be a blunder, but it’s no fun to just stare at each other in silence.”

“So what do you think is the reason why they don’t do that?”

“I think they’re either just looking out for us, or they might have a plan.”

When Hiro answered, Claudia nodded strongly as if she had a flash of inspiration.

“A surprise attack ― they might try to get behind us.”

“If that’s the case, they should be provoking us more. Besides, this is a good vantage point, so it’s not the best place for a surprise attack.”

If there were any suspicious troops moving across the snowfield, their scouts would immediately notice them. The only place to hide a surprise force would be in the woods. But that would mean that the enemy would have to lure them in. Hiro looked around again, having made that decision.

“There are no signs of troops hiding anywhere. I don’t think they’re planning on making any moves.”

“But you can’t win by just staring at each other.”

Claudia stared at the enemy camp with suspicious eyes.

Hiro shrugged his shoulders and said――.

“It’s none of our business. We’ll just do what we want here.”

He then summoned a nearby messenger.

“Are you calling for me, sir?”

“I want you to tell the advance troops to move forward. The rest of the troops are to follow the plan.”

“Yes!”

The messenger leaves with a salute. Hiro then called for Munin. He exchanged a few words with the approaching Munin and then handed him a letter with a certain message written on it.

Munin carefully hid the letter in his chest and bowed to Hiro.

“Don’t be reckless.”

“I have confidence not only in my skill but also in my ability to run away.”

“But if something happens, don’t stick to the plan and run. It’s not that important.”

“All right. Well, I’m off.”

Munin also left with a salute.

The first party moved at the same time, causing a large amount of dust to rise. In the midst of this, Claudia mounted her horse and approached Hiro.

“I’ll make my move, then. Is everything really alright here?”

Claudia looked worried as she checked. Hiro lifted his shoulders in an aloof manner.

“It’s okay. It’s just that you’re more important than me.”

“That’s true, but… if they notice, it’s over.”

“At that point, we’ll just charge in and get the hell out of here.”

“Well, that should make for a very amusing sight.”

Giggling, Claudia laughed funnily and then turned her head.

“Then the time is right, and we will move as planned.”

The first stage has been completed.

As she disappeared, Hiro looked ahead at the snowfall.

“I guess that’s the end of the first stage. I’ll just have to keep running, then.”

Hiro muttered happily and signaled the flag bearer to raise the giant flag of the Levering Kingdom. Then the whole army started to move.

They didn’t move forward, they didn’t scatter to the left and right, but they slowly began to retreat. At that moment ― a messenger approached the carriage through the snow smoke that enveloped the battlefield.

“Your Highness, it seems that there is no sign of movement in the enemy army. In addition, the advance troops have finished deploying to the left and right to join the first line.”

“Then tell them to fall back. Once the distance is open, we’ll set up camp and rest for the day.”

There’s no need to waste energy. There was no need for unnecessary exhaustion.

Seeing the southern army getting farther and farther away, the enemy army began to close the distance. They thought it was not good anymore. However, they did not go on the offensive but stayed on the defensive.

Of course, there were threats and provocations, but Hiro did not take advantage of them and continued to open the distance. The two armies continued to move in and out of each other’s way until night fell.

＊＊＊

“I see they made another flashy night attack today.”

Baal, the rebel army’s leader, said.

“Well, it’s the same as yesterday, only with sound.”

He was now in a tent pitched in the middle of the encampment. Around him, the staff members remained with anxious expressions on their faces, even though the military council was over. They were frightened of the enemy’s attack and were extremely afraid to return to their tents.

“Can’t you do something about this noise, Baal-sama? It’s making me tired. The soldiers are worried.”

He could understand why the staff members wanted to complain. The enemy was only making loud noises, such as drums and horns, and showed no signs of launching a night attack. This would only wear out their mental strength, and they would never be able to recover from their fatigue.

“I’ve taken measures. Nothing more needs to be done. You may return to your tents in peace.”

Even if they were to take advantage of their opponent’s intentions, they would only be able to escape, and if they were not careful, they would only be struck back, reducing their numbers.

“There is no need to waste your energy chasing after them. We should just sit back and relax.”

“But…”

Although they understood the words, they were not convinced. The expression on the faces of the staff members told the same. Even if they were told to rest easy, they would not be able to rest easily under these circumstances.

That said, there was no way to deal with the situation other than wearing earplugs.

“There is no opportunity for them to launch a night attack on us. If you have any more questions, I will personally stuff your ears with cotton and put you to sleep.”

Baal said dismissively, then looked down at the map spread out on the desk. There was a lot of unnatural movement by the opponent today. The first advance had sent up a huge cloud of dust, and at the same time, more than a thousand southern troops had disappeared.

Of course, he sent out scouts to the surrounding woods to check for any potential ambushers. However, there was no sign of the enemy anywhere. The distance between them only increased, so they advanced in pursuit of their opponents while keeping a wary eye on their surroundings, but to their dismay, nothing happened.

It’s not that they’re unprincipled… it’s just that without a purpose, there will always be an opening. But this morning, the enemy’s retreat was uncontrolled, and there was not even an opening for an attack.

“If they are stalling for time intending to join up with the Fifth Imperial Army near the border, it will be easier for us.”

If they join up with the army led by the Second Prince, the enemy will outnumber them. If they are just stalling for time to do so, they are a bit shallow, he must say.

“If they do want to join up with them, I’ll crush them before they do.”

It’s still uncertain to what extent the descendant of the God of War is capable, but it would be troublesome to have him lead a large army. Baal was thinking about that, but his eyes suddenly narrowed as he looked at the map.

“…Fumu. If we continued south, we would be close to the Schnee Fortress.”

By gaining time by holed up there, they might be planning to sandwich the rebel army with the Fifth Imperial Army. Otherwise, there is no chance for them to win. More importantly, all the best strategies they can develop are in his hands, and Baal will always have the initiative.

“Baal-sama. It seems that the scouts have found this one.”

One of the staff members presented him with a letter. Baal paused in his thoughts and let the staff member check the contents of the letter. The letter asked for reinforcements from the Fifth Imperial Army.

“Hmm, under what circumstances did the scouts obtain it?”

“They found a suspicious person and tried to capture him, but he ran away and dropped this.”

“Hmph, I didn’t expect such an important letter to be dropped at such a convenient time.”

Baal’s smile deepened. This is intimidation or subterfuge ― there is no greater blunder than this. Baal couldn’t help but smile… at the joy that came over him at the thought of his own blunder.

“It’s stupid. I know that you wanted to insure yourself, but this has the opposite effect.”

He may have been planning to divert attention from the Fifth Imperial Army by deliberately passing the letter to him. Or perhaps they were trying to switch the target to the Fifth Imperial Army…

“But thanks to this, I now know that the Fifth Imperial Army is nothing to worry about.”

Even without such a move, Baal always kept the Fifth Imperial Army in the back of his mind. He seems to be in a great hurry to dig his own grave.

“That’s quite conceited. Do you think that you can win with only less than three thousand? Hmph, it’s easy to kill such arrogant people.”

Baal narrowed down the strategies he had come up with. He wondered which one would be the most effective and which one would be the most likely to drive his opponent into a corner.

“…If they are going to challenge us to a decisive battle at the Schnee Fortress.”

It would be like a surprise attack from behind by a separate force after being holed up there to attract attention. And given their small numbers, it is certain that their attack will take place at night.

“The actions that suggest a night attack are probably intended to distract us.”

Baal had made his decision. After that, he would eliminate the descendant of the God of War, who had lost his way of escape, and intercept the Second Prince to overrun the north. If he did so, the collapse of the Grantz Empire would be imminent.

“Soon… the demon race will once again reign supreme in the central continent, after having been humiliated in the past.”

Until then, he will keep them company. Until the face of the descendant who plays with shallow schemes is stained with despair.