The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 324 – Part 1
Svenner’s troops are surrounded front and back.
Sophia trembled at the situation unfolding exactly as Ars’ plan intended.
“To corner the opponent like this….”
The strategy itself was simple and easy to read.
Ars first attached cavalry to Ash and paved the way in advance. Along that path, he moved his troops while avoiding the enemy’s spy network.
Up to here, it was a simple tactic.
The key was the psychological warfare within.
Ars used the fact that the opponent’s command system was divided to make them move according to his intentions.
‘He even prepared countermeasures in case that didn’t work….’
The Ars that Sophia saw had a strong image of being endlessly generous to his vassals and somewhat naive, but in the battlefield, it was hard to find someone more competent than him.
“Good, crush them at full force! All troops advance!”
Ars did not want to miss the current situation where the opponent was in chaos. Sophia responded to this, and the Liande troops strongly pressured front and back.
The Svenner troops also charged towards Ars’ side to break through the situation, leading to a fierce battle.
At the moment when Ars was successfully implementing his strategy in the south and leading the war situation.
An unprecedented event was also occurring in the north, where dragons were causing massive chaos.
Due to the dragons’ abilities, identification of friend or foe was impossible, but after about two days, a sense of discipline and system began to emerge.
Some capable officers started to gather soldiers together.
The scale was at most around 100 people, but the mere existence of such a squad changed the battlefield’s dynamics.
Numerous small organizations began to form, creating a standoff and reconnaissance battle.
“No, this can’t be.”
Anton, who was urgently dispatched to the north under Ars’ instructions, opened his eyes wide.
To him, the battlefield looked like an otherworldly demonic realm.
Even Aggert beside him looked like a monster, causing the hair on his entire body to stand on end.
Thump! Thump! Aggert tapped Anton’s shoulder and pointed to a specific location.
It was exactly where the dragon had fallen.
Their mission was to stop the dragon and thereby release the suspicious trap laid on the battlefield.
However, Ars judged that the two of them might find it difficult and had already called in prepared support forces.
“Is it there…?”
Anton ran towards the direction Aggert pointed.
It was a cave located in the mountains at the edge of the battlefield.
Five dolls were hiding in the cave when Anton arrived.
They took a combat stance as Anton and Aggert appeared.
“We are not enemies!”
When Anton showed the prepared symbol, one of the dolls grabbed a Magic Stone and chanted something.
A small barrier was then spread out, and their appearances correctly transformed.
Anton’s eyes lit up when he saw their faces.
“Beato! And even Leitin!”
Present were Beato, the leader of the elves, Pion and Margarita of the Elf Guardian Corps, Leitin the court magician of the Ellan Kingdom, and Ars’ brother Ferge Elaine.
“Anton Quinter, it’s been a while.”
Beato greeted Anton with a heavy expression.
“Lady Beato, what is this barrier…?”
“It’s a magic researched with the advice of dragons. It was prepared by Ars Elaine for such a situation. Well, in an environment where magic is so difficult to use, it won’t last long.”
The Magic Stone that had been providing magical power was quickly losing its light.
Beato continued speaking.
“Time is short, so let’s get to the main point. Around that dragon are forces that seem to belong to the old upper Alliance. Among them is even Cuthbert, the immortal knight of terror.”
“Cuthbert! I know from my lord. He said he won’t die unless his head is crushed. With the Teleportation Scroll added to that, he’s essentially an immortal being….”
“However, Teleportation Scroll doesn’t seem to be usable here.”
This was due to measures taken by Ars.
Ars had demanded that the dragon Omeron, who was dividing the Central Continent, significantly strengthen the barrier.
This was to prevent the opponent from using such methods, given that Juras had previously broken through the barrier and gone outside.
Additionally, it was to make it difficult for the mother goddess to escape.
This was challenging for Omeron, who was already weakening, so cooperation from other dragons, including Vandalin, was necessary.
That’s why he had Elena attached to Mirabel as an attendant to persuade the other dragons.
“Due to this effect, teleportation magic is impossible unless it’s deep underground. So if we can just cut off Cuthbert’s head, we can end this.”
“That’s fortunate.”
“The problem is next….”
Beato’s expression darkened.
“Around the dragon, there are not just elite forces but also regular troops. The number seems to reach 1,000.”
“In this chaos, there’s no way 1,000 troops can move properly.”
“No, these troops are specially trained Svenner forces. Moreover, once this operation begins, the chaos will be instantly lifted. The enemy troops will also be ready.”
So they would need military movement to deal with these troops.
At that moment, Ferge raised his hand.
“I will try to do it.”
As a visiting official from Liande who had joined Crossing, he continued with a determined expression.
“With the help of Anton from Crossing, we should be able to gather around 1,000 troops. Please leave the command of the troops to me and ensure the operation’s success.”
Anton did not want to put Ferge, his lord’s brother, in danger, but he knew it was an unavoidable situation.
“By the way, do you know the whereabouts of Lord Juras?”
Anton asked what he had been curious about. But Beato shook her head.
“It was impossible to search for someone in this situation. Now we can only proceed with the operation.”
“I see.”
They decided to wait quietly until the operation began.
***
In the midst of the northern and southern battlefields approaching their decisive moments, intense battles were also unfolding in the central battlefield.
Calvern led his entire military force of 100,000 troops and advanced, heading towards the Pllar Road.
Capturing the Pllar Road would be strategically significant as it would allow quick support troops to be sent both to the north and south.
Accordingly, preparations were thorough, but Calvern had been continuously working on preparatory tasks for attacking the Pllar Road.
Kaien, the commander-in-chief of the defense forces, inwardly praised Calvern.
“Calvern, as they say… He has considerable skills.”
He was the type of general who was unshakeable. A type of general who thoroughly performs the tasks he must do.
For such a general, petty tricks do not work. Only breaking through head-on would settle the matter.
Therefore, Kaien had no other choice.
Kaien set up camp on the Pllar Road and entered a defensive posture, beginning to withstand Calvern’s offensive head-on.
Tak! Kaien struck down his cane and issued an order.
“Entire army, defend this area. Be prepared to die while blocking them!”
Holding out here was enough. They needed to change their movements based on the results of the already decisive northern and southern battles.
This was the same for Calvern.
Calvern was standing with his arms crossed, eyes tightly shut.
At that moment, his subordinate ran and prostrated himself.
“Reporting!”
It was about the mother goddess’s whereabouts.
Upon hearing the report from the subordinate monitoring the mother goddess, Calvern opened his eyes wide.
“Heading south…?”
“Yes. The woman, accompanied by ten close aides and a cavalry of 1,000, is riding quickly towards the southern direction.”
“The timing of her southward movement?”
“That is… It appears to be around the time she received a report about the movements of the Liande army in the south.”
“She intends to handle Ars Elaine. Indeed, she hasn’t lived long for nothing.”
The Mother goddess’ movement had tremendous tactical significance.
“What are you planning to do? Ars Elaine could be in danger at this rate.”
“Well, even if it’s not Ars Elaine, we can still plan for the future. If someone is truly a talent worthy of a unification king, they will overcome it themselves.”
“Are you intentionally creating this situation?”
The fact that the mother goddess could take a cavalry of 1,000 meant that Calvern had already planned this.
Deliberately causing the mother goddess to move directly.
“Huh, it’s just the perfect situation. It’s the best opportunity to deal with the mother goddess. …Call those guys.”
“Yes!”
Responding to his call were a man with a vicious expression and a man with a calm demeanor.
The man with the vicious expression gritted his teeth and spoke to Calvern.
“Has the time finally come? The opportunity for revenge against those who threw our family into the mire…!”
The man with the calm demeanor, Anduha, intervenes.
“Lord Landis, please calm down.”
Landis, the second prince of the Ellan Kingdom. He had been imprisoned after losing the succession war and now appeared here.
He was known to have received the Alliance’s salvation during the Great Chao and become the Alliance’s henchman, but the reality was different.
He had been deliberately removed by Rosa.
Worried that Ars or Juras would purge her brothers after everything ended, Rosa had recruited Rinoa Branford, Ars’ key collaborator.
Rinoa succeeded in removing the princes by deploying her close aide Anduha.
Her purpose was not specifically betraying Ars.
She simply wanted to give her brothers an opportunity to make achievements and create room for consideration in the future.
Knowing this, Calvern secretly contacted them and kept Landis, who had military capabilities, under his command.
Landis was completely focused on revenge against the Upper Alliance that had assassinated the king and manipulated the royal family during the succession war.
Though he also harbored resentment towards Ars, at this point, his desire for revenge against the Alliance was much stronger.
“Landis, I’m giving you 300 cavalry. Complete your revenge.”
“…I’ve been waiting for this!”
And so, Landis, together with Anduha, set out towards where Ars was located.
***
Battlefield with a raging battle.
I was spreading out my defense screen and blocking the enemy’s approach.
“Tie down the enemy’s feet! That alone is enough!”
If we can tie down the enemy’s feet here, and Sophia pushes forward at the same time, the enemy’s formation will inevitably collapse.
If that happens, the battle will be our victory.
Accordingly, the enemy was also desperate.
“Hurrah!”
“Huh!”
Crash! Mirabel and Todolam engaged in an intense battle. Against Mirabel’s god-like spear technique, Todolam responded with movements as flashy as if performing in a circus.
Mirabel raised the corners of her mouth at that unpredictable martial arts.
“Not bad…”
“You’re the one!”
Their duel had continued beyond 200 rounds and was approaching 300 rounds, with no sign of a conclusion in sight.
‘In terms of tying down feet, not bad.’
The problem was that the enemies were applying pressure.
For Mirabel to fight Todolam in place, she had to continue sending support troops in that direction.
At that moment, Ash returned after turning Lysithea to the rear.
“Ash! How is Lysithea’s condition?”
“…Not good. I’ve treated the wounds, but the bleeding is so severe that I’m not sure if she can recover.”
Ash suppressed his anger and stared at the point where Todolam was.
“Ars, don’t send me there. If you do, I’ll lose my reason.”
“Okay. Ash, you stay in the rear. I want you to maintain a defensive position there.”
“Defensive position in the rear at this situation? Why…?”
“Considering the tactical situation, it’ll be very troublesome if enemy troops appear from the rear.”
“There are no enemy troops discovered by scouts. Aren’t you doing something unnecessary? Now is the time to concentrate all forces on the front.”
“We’ll do that if the need arises. Right now, we still have some leeway, so watch the rear. Keep checking on Lysithea’s condition.”
“…Thank you. I’ll go right away.”
After sending Ash to the rear, I suddenly spread out my palm.
A hand soaked in sweat.
An inexplicable anxiety had been piercing my chest since earlier.
‘But would there really be an army that could stab us from the rear…?’
If Calvern had such intentions, it might be possible, but he didn’t seem likely to do so.
‘If there is one…’
Only the mother goddess and her troops.
If that happens, this battle could become a decisive one.
‘I hope such a thing doesn’t happen…’
They say when you speak of a tiger, it appears.
Eonia, who was performing a reconnaissance mission externally, hurriedly returned.
“Lord Ars! A cavalry unit that appears to be enemy troops is rapidly approaching from the rear!”
“Is this real…?”
I’m not sure if the mother goddess is in that group, but it’s definitely a significant tactical threat.
We can currently have the upper hand because we can concentrate most of our forces on the front.
However, if the rear is disrupted, the forces will be divided, increasing the likelihood of allowing the enemy to break through.
‘If that happens, the troops except Sophia’s army will mix, turning into an indiscriminate melee.’
Moreover, if the engagement drags on, the sun will set.
This meant the battle’s situation would become completely unpredictable.
The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 324 – Part 2
Back to the north.
Anton and his group were waiting for the operation to begin.
“Lady Beato, when will the operation start?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know…?”
“Because I didn’t expect the opponent to use the Dragon of Chaos at this point. Lord Vandalin is currently outside the continent.”
“Vandalin…! Is the dragon going to directly intervene?”
“Yes, now we can only trust and wait. But it’s fortunate. Joining with you before the operation is encouraging.”
At that moment, the barrier magic that Leitin was spreading broke, making communication impossible again.
Leitin tried to spread the barrier again with another Magic Stone, but Beato stopped her with a wave of her hand.
She was blankly staring at the sky, waiting for the operation to start.
Around an hour had passed. It was the moment when the sunset was approaching and the sun was about to set.
-Roooooar!
The approaching roar.
Vandalin, who was in dragon form, rushed towards Mepatra, the Dragon of Chaos, at a fierce speed.
The Alliance forces guarding the area had no choice but to be flustered.
“Wh-what! Why suddenly a dragon!?”
The Alliance members rolled to avoid Vandalin, who was descending roughly.
Vandalin, who charged in, bit Mepatra’s neck with a cracking sound and tumbled across the ground for about 200 meters.
Due to this impact, the barrier of suspicious dark spirits temporarily disappeared.
Beato opened her eyes wide and shouted.
“Now seems to be the time! Move quickly!”
“So suddenly…!?”
Aggert sighed in disbelief.
“Anyway…! At least give us a heads up before starting!”
Anton seemed to agree and shook his head.
“Whatever it is, the operation has begun! I’ll gather the troops with Ferge. Aggert, protect Lady Beato and Leitin and approach the enemy!”
“Understood!”
Anton’s group entered the dragon elimination operation.
The battlefield also shook along with them.
With the barrier of suspicious dark spirits suddenly disappearing, which made everyone look like monsters and communication impossible, a chaotic battle unfolded.
“Ah!? They were enemy troops!”
“Kill them!”
Although it was near sunset, the confusion was even more intense, and the night field posed no significant obstacle.
The military officers of Crossing and Svenner quickly began to prepare their formations.
Meanwhile, something was happening in Svenner’s main camp.
“Finally…!”
Until before the incident, Casper Millias, who had been imprisoned in the main camp’s prison, had escaped and established his own forces as soon as the incident occurred.
He was followed by as many as 150 soldiers. In the midst of that chaos, he had gathered 150 troops.
Casper clenched his fist while looking at those troops.
He was intoxicated by his own brilliance and agility. More than anything, he was filled with trust in his comrades.
“Pedro, this is thanks to you. Brother.”
The two were able to quickly share the situation through written communication and take action because they had been imprisoned together.
Pedro nods heavily and says, “Casper, we must move quickly. Now is the time to save the commander-in-chief.”
“General Zemuto…?”
Casper frowned. Zemuto was the crazy guy who had falsely accused them of being spies and tortured them.
Pedro agreed, “He might be crazy, but he is undoubtedly the commander-in-chief of the army. If we protect him quickly, he will deeply trust us.”
“Y-yes! Are you saying we should restore his trust in us?”
That’s not all. If they succeed in turning the battle into a victory, they will have made a significant contribution.
It could even lead to becoming a key general of Svenner in the future.
“There was a gathering point for senior officers prepared for times like these. General Zemuto is probably there… Okay, everyone follow me!”
Casper was the first to track Zemuto’s trace, concentrating fully on protecting him.
Before long, he discovers Zemuto, who has regained his senses and is reorganizing his troops.
“General Zemuto!”
“Hmm…!? Casper Milias!”
Zemuto showed wariness at the sight of the suddenly appearing troops.
Casper shook his head, saying there was no need to worry.
“There’s no need to be concerned now. I will assist you.”
“…..”
Currently, there are about 80 people around Zemuto. He was located at the main base where troops were most densely concentrated, so the confusion was inevitable.
Thus, he had escaped with only some senior officers to a distant location.
This place was a gathering point known only to some senior officers and a kind of refuge.
Zemuto intended to mobilize officers here and quickly consolidate his troops.
In such a situation, Casper had brought 150 troops, which should have been welcomed with both hands, but Zemuto’s expression had completely hardened.
‘Casper Milias appearing before me at this moment.’
Casper was one of the few senior officers who knew this gathering point. So it was not strange that he brought troops here.
‘I’ve overlooked his existence.’
He had been imprisoned before, and more than anything, he hadn’t had the leisure to pay attention to that.
Zemuto realized that this small gap would strangle his own neck.
He spills a dark voice and says, “As expected, you planted a spy on the western side. Juras Pamilion…!”
“Juras? What are you talking about? General, I am Casper….”
But his words were not finished.
Puk! Pedro, standing behind him, struck his back and pushed his head into the ground, suppressing him.
“Ugh!? Pedro…? What are you doing!”
“…..”
“Pedro!”
Without responding, Pedro spoke to the man approaching from behind.
“My lord, how shall we handle this one?”
“Since he performed an important deed as a jester, it might be okay to let him live… But since he harbors deep resentment toward Ars, keeping him alive seems meaningless.”
“Yes, I will take care of it.”
Swish! Pedro draws a dagger. Casper, roughly understanding the situation, gritted his teeth.
He had immediately assumed that Ars was the mastermind behind all this.
“P-Pedro! You are being deceived! You are being deceived by Ars Elaine!”
“I’m delivering a gift to the afterlife along with this information. Lord Elaine had no interest in you. Of course, no resentment either. If you want to resent someone, resent me.”
Pedro said this so that Casper would not harbor unnecessary hatred when dying, but Casper did not believe him.
“No! Pedro would never betray me! There must be a reason! Ars Elaine…”
“If there’s a reason, it’s simple. This is war.”
“Pedro–!”
Puk! Casper dies instantly, stabbed in the neck and head with a dagger. Pedro sheathes his sword and stands behind Juras.
“Killing by piercing the nape of the neck. How fitting for a puppet.”
Juras laughs sinisterly, and Svenner’s officers shudder.
They knew exactly what kind of existence Pedro was to Casper.
Moreover, most of the troops Casper claimed to have gathered during the chaos were actually officers and troops from Crossing.
Casper had not gathered Svenner’s troops, but had become a symbol for gathering Crossing’s officers.
Juras speaks coldly, “Checkmate, Zemuto.”
“Not bad, Juras. Did you predict and plan this in advance, knowing I would use the dragon of this world?”
“Surely not. I wouldn’t dare to plot against you, who has superior predictive abilities.”
“Then was all of this impromptu? This current situation?”
Zemuto shakes his head, saying it’s unbelievable.
“Huh, I guess that’s all you have to say.”
Juras, as if there was no more value in talking, orders an attack.
Although Svenner consisted entirely of senior officers who were skilled in martial arts, they were no match in numbers.
Juras stands at the vanguard, slaughtering them and successfully capturing the fleeing Zemuto.
Zemuto speaks in a dejected voice, “…I want to be treated as a high-ranking prisoner.”
“I’m sorry, but I need your head to end this battle quickly. If you don’t like that, declare a full surrender in front of the soldiers. Then I’ll at least spare your life.”
Choose between surrendering his life or surviving by abandoning his reputation and dignity as a general.
Perhaps if it were Ars, he would have somehow threatened Zemuto to move in the latter’s direction. This way, unnecessary damage would be reduced not only in this battle but also in the subsequent aftermath process.
However, Juras was different. His stance was that it didn’t matter what choice was made.
Zemuto, having read his inner thoughts, gave up. He knew that even if he survived, his remaining fate would be toyed with by Juras.
From the beginning, even if he became a prisoner, as a former enemy commander, he had a high probability of being executed as a war criminal after the aftermath process.
“I’ll ask you just one thing. Why exactly are you helping the Ars Elaine? Someone like you could have seized the world through your own power.”
“….”
“Or is it not that? Is this just the beginning?”
If he ends this battle in victory and assassinates Ars, everything would fall into Juras’ hands. As a grand picture, it was perfectly impeccable.
“If that were the case, the Ars Elaine wouldn’t be easily defeated. It would lead to internal strife between Liande and Crossing. In the end, unification would never be achieved. Huh, ha-ha….”
“So you don’t know me at all.”
“What…?”
“Things like grand cause or great undertaking mean nothing to me.”
For Juras, who had been called a prodigy since childhood and was crushed by adults’ expectations, grand causes and great undertakings were utterly tiresome.
“What I want is nothing but freedom.”
“Freedom? Wasn’t that something you could have obtained at any time?”
“Because being human isn’t something that can be ended so easily.”
The expectations of adults that Juras carried had already become his life itself. Whether he wanted it or not, he had stepped into that path.
The only way he could be liberated was if someone else shouldered that burden for him.
However, no one wanted to work with him. They didn’t trust him sincerely, fearing betrayal.
Among those he had marked as potential collaborators, nine out of ten were trying to subtly eliminate him.
The Prince Eldric of Bülang, who was deeply entangled with him in a terrible fate, was also one of them.
And lastly, the one in ten was Ars.
“Freedom…? How absurd. Did you give up the path to becoming great or something like that?”
“Think whatever you want. There’s no point in talking more to someone going to the afterlife. Let’s end this.”
Zemuto closed his eyes tightly.
With a swoosh! Juras personally beheaded him, effectively turning the battle in the north into a victory for Crossing.
However, since the sun was already setting, the final resolution of the battle would be decided only at dawn the next day.
Juras handed the severed head to Pedro and turned his gaze to the point where dragons were entangled in battle.
* * *
Clang! Colliding blades.
The southern battlefield where Ars was located was unfolding a fierce battle.
A cavalry led by the mother goddess and his entourage had launched a surprise attack on the rear of Ars’ stationed unit, creating a situation where Ars’ main camp was being attacked from front and back.
Sophia was pushing strongly to prevent Ars from being isolated but ultimately arrived a step too late.
“Lord Ars! You must evacuate first!”
Eonia tried to use herself as a decoy to help Ars escape.
But Ars shook his head.
“Rather than sacrifice you to escape, I’d rather die.
“Please don’t be so stubborn!”
“Forget it. Even if we try to evacuate, we can’t be sure it’ll work properly. It’s better to counterattack here.”
Ars called a close aide and gave instructions.
“Any contact from Ash?”
“Communication is cut off!”
“Tsk, can’t be helped. I’ll fortify our position here! All officers and soldiers, spread out a defensive formation around this point! We’ll become the pillar to overcome this melee!”
Ars began to consolidate his troops around himself.
But this was an extremely good target for the opponent.
From the beginning, the mother goddess goal was solely Ars.
She knew that killing Ars would cause various disruptions.
The unification of this central continent was already unstable.
Although Alvard and Crossing had agreed to merge their nations by installing Ars as the first emperor, everything would change if Ars died.
Alvard, Crossing, and even Liande might start a new war while harboring resentment.
“Lady Lasians, Ars Elaine is definitely there.”
The woman called Lasians. The Mother goddess deeply nodded.
“Let’s go, I’ll definitely kill him.”
“We’re sufficient by ourselves. There’s no need for you to come….”
“No, I’m coming together.”
She lifted the corner of her mouth meaningfully, as if aiming for something.
They quickly advanced and encountered Ars.
Eonia was prepared for a desperate fight, glaring at the enemies.
Among them were faces familiar to Ars.
“You are….”
The Viscount Pax who had schemed during the Ellan Kingdom’s succession battle, Feis Lancost.
Additionally, there were senior members of the Upper Alliance, including Alaga, a pure-blooded beast-human who managed underground mines and was the leader of the Alliance’s Lore.
‘Indeed, there were associates from the Upper Alliance.’
This was already something he somewhat knew, so he wasn’t too surprised.
“And you are the mother goddess? The god who’s eager to sever human history?”
“How much do you know?”
“I can confidently say I know most of it. A god who is jealous of sub-gods being worshipped unconditionally by living beings and has gone mad.”
“Do you think I’m doing this for such a reason?”
“In any case, our paths have diverged greatly. Moreover, there’s no leisure to have a chat in such a battlefield.”
Ars drew his weapon and aimed at the opponent.
The mother goddess, with nothing more to say, issued an attack command.
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