Chapter 262
Side Story – Memories of a Certain Princess (37)
Sighs are flowing out from everywhere.
The situation in front of them was an unexpected result to that degree.
“No matter how bad the relationship is with the Merdeah Kingdom, I didn’t think they would attack without even declaring war.”
“I know right.”
It would be one thing for a local conflict at the border zone, but openly crossing the border and attacking is another thing.
Originally it would be an action that would receive tremendous criticism, but,
“The other countries won’t care either.”
“Since everyone is busy trying to survive.”
If it was a one-on-one war between the Merdeah Kingdom and the Karan Empire, it would have been the worst choice for the Merdeah Kingdom with nothing to gain.
Since the nobility’s society cares so much about justification over petty things, even places friendly with the Merdeah Kingdom wouldn’t have been able to support this action.
That is, if things were normal.
“Since the continent is in chaos, it seems like justification has gone to the dogs too.”
I nodded at Ast’s words.
“If the opponent is a mad dog, we have to fight like mad dogs too.”
It’s said that war is a place where life and death intersect.
It was foolish to kill your own subordinates over useless pride in a place where human nature is best revealed.
“That’s right. If the opponent is fighting like a mad dog, we don’t need to fight like humans.”
“Yes. If the enemy wants it, we should become dogs as well.”
“Unless it’s a fight we can’t win, if we fight like dogs, we can fight better.”
“That’s natural. Because we have…….”
The enemy gave up their nobility’s pride and chose victory.
I don’t know who the enemy general is, but it was an excellent choice.
To exchange their honor and our country’s best general for this. I think it’s a profitable deal.
However, the enemy general doesn’t know.
While he was originally a human, in order to achieve victory in war he threw away his humanity and became a beast. But for us…….
“We have Ast.”
“We have Your Highness.”
Ast’s name and my name spilled out simultaneously from our mouths.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What is that supposed to mean, Your Highness?”
I frowned at Ast with a displeased expression, but Ast also had an expression as if I was the one who said it.
It was an expression that showed he understood very well and was extremely displeased at what the other person said.
“I am an ordinary person.”
“While I didn’t think I was ordinary, with what you just said, I seem to have become an extremely ordinary person.”
“There’s no way that’s true. Where else would there be someone as special as Your Highness?”
“I’ll return those words back to you. Ast, among all the people I’ve met, you’re the most special.”
He was evaluated by a dragon to not even know what a human is.
No matter what anyone says, Ast is a special human.
Of course that doesn’t mean he’s special in a good sense, but he’s certainly special.
“I have high expectations for you, Ast. There will be something you can do this time.”
Regardless of his abilities or luck.
If it’s a dogfight, no master is a match for Ast.
“Do as you please. Discuss with the other crew and execute it.”
“Why me?”
“Because there’s no talent like you. I’m certain.”
I haven’t seen anyone as talented in the aspect of turning people’s clothes inside out.
Let alone making the usually mild Renia angry, he made even Swordmaster who doesn’t express emotions easily explode in anger.
Even if the enemy general has more patience than Renia or Swordmaster, Ast should have no problems.
“Isn’t Your Highness trusting me too much? There must be many more talented people than me.”
“No. While there will be many people more talented, there won’t be one as disastrous as you. I’m sure.”
So by all means, use this disaster(Ast) to the enemy forces.
At that, Ast tried to refuse but what could he do? He is a commoner turned noble from the Empire while I am royalty, so.
“Well, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to. But…..it will be disobeying both an imperial order and an order from your superior in wartime. Do you know what that means?”
“I shall follow Your Highness’s command…..”
Ast wasn’t stupid.
While knowing that I won’t kill him, he won’t randomly mess around in such an important position.
So we began preparations to face the enemy under Ast’s lead.
It started with a declaration of war.
#49 Their Circumstances: A Certain General’s Circumstance
I discarded my pride.
I let go of my honor and dignity as well.
And yet I could not achieve victory.
But in exchange I gained something much bigger.
I suppose you would call this losing the battle but gaining momentum in the war.
My pride, honor and dignity.
What I received in exchange for selling these three.
That is, the life of General Pelstain, the famous general of the Empire.
He really lived up to his reputation as the Empire’s greatest general.
A surprise attack without even declaring war.
Swiftly sweeping aside the enemy forces guarding the border even though we outnumbered them 5 to 1. Advancing and crossing their unprepared castle walls to reach the heart of the enemy’s stronghold.
Seeing the flustered enemy soldiers scurrying about, I thought we could capture Pelstain Castle.
But who could have possibly imagined?
That all of that was a scheme of General Pelstain.
He lured us in, using his own life as bait to draw down bombardment around himself.
An attack that would make not just the enemy forces but even his own soldiers sacrifices, not knowing if even he himself would survive.
I couldn’t even imagine that someone known as the Pillar of the Empire would employ such methods.
As a result, the vanguard units were annihilated and our morale decreased greatly.
But with the number encirclement attack after the bombardment, we were able to eliminate General Pelstain.
However, most of the enemy forces survived and returned.
Compare that to our troops?
Our troops that originally outnumbered the enemy 5-fold have now barely reduced to being 2-fold.
And that’s compared to the reduced enemy numbers, not the original numbers.
About one corp survived out of the five.
What would have happened if we faced them in an equal fight?
I heard backup from the 1st Imperial Princess is on the way, what if those reinforcements joined?
We definitely would have stood no chance.
The Merdeah Kingdom would have been trampled by the Karan Empire.
So I’m satisfied.
We may have lost but we killed General Pelstain. I’m satisfied with that.
I don’t think there is another great general like him.
“General!”
While I was making the next plan, a subordinate rushed into my office.
“What’s going on?”
“We got information that the 1st Princess of the Karan Empire has arrived!”
“Is that so…?”
This is not good at all.
The 1st Princess of the Karan Empire herself is not scary. But her army was very frightening.
Whether it was quality or quantity, it was an army that seemed endless.
It was an army that included Swordsmasters as well as the Magician Division and Sorcerer Brigades.
If there was a commander at the level of General Pelstein, if not better, within that army?
“How dreadful.”
I lost too much for the price of one General Pelstein.
I think I gained something more valuable than the troops I lost, but if I lose the war, that value becomes useless.
So I had to be careful.
If the enemy commander was at a similar level as General Pelstein, I would have to request reinforcements from the kingdom to bring in more troops.
I have to quietly and firmly observe the situation to grasp what’s going on.
And so, a few days later, there was finally a reaction from the enemy army.
Rather than a messenger, they sent a letter with one of our captured soldiers and sent him back.
“What is the condition of the returned soldier?”
“It looks like he went through tremendous torture. He’s still shaking in fear, but there are no visible traces on his body.”
“Could it be mental magic torture?”
“There were no magicians, but the magicians and sorcerers who examined his condition said there were absolutely no traces of magic.”
The enemy army has excellent torture specialists.
To be able to turn a soldier into a cripple without leaving any wounds on the body.
“The 1st Princess’s troops are more frightening than I thought.”
I heard that the 1st Princess’s troops were basically created to protect the 1st Princess, but that was false information.
No matter how unconventionally the Karan Emperor acted, there’s no way a parent would include torture specialists in the troops protecting his daughter, is there?
No.
No sane parent would do that to protect their 12-year old daughter.
Logically, one could think that combat professionals were attached to the Princess’s troops, but if he’s the Imperial Emperor, there could be other reasons.
Yes. There is also the possibility that the Emperor created a special unit within the imperial family under the pretext that he needed to protect the 1st Princess to strengthen imperial authority.
Because he did not give such an army to all the imperial family members.
“This is troublesome.”
The enemy army is more professional than I thought.
Naturally, an army like that would not lack excellent commanders.
I wondered if I should send a request for reinforcements back home, and took out the enemy commander’s letter.
<I hope your parents are well?>
The first sentence was asking after my parents’ well-being.
“What is this?”
There was no issue with the content. No, it was a polite letter that did not make it seem like our great general died by cowardly means.
It was a letter that, one by one, pointed out my mistakes while upholding the etiquette expected of a noble, down to every word.
It had completely different contents from my expectation of a vulgar, provocative letter full of curses.
And the next day, another prisoner was released, bringing another letter.
<Is your mother living comfortably?>
It was another letter that started off this way in the first sentence.
The contents were just as courteous as the day before, but for some reason, I felt irritated.
And once a day after that, a prisoner would arrive with a letter.
<Did your father sleep well last night?>
<Is your grandfather still alive and well?>
<I wonder if your parents are having a harmonious day today.>
<With prayers for your family’s peace.>
“What’s with this bastard!”
At first, I thought it was just a formality.
I wondered if this person was unable to write a letter without starting it off this way.
“Calm down, General!”
“Why are you so interested in other people’s family affairs!”
“General!”
But as time passed, and the letters that came in everyday mentioned my family, I started feeling strangely irritated and angry.
“Tch…”
The subordinates today who had to calm down me as I ripped the letter to shreds.
Thanks to subordinates like them, I was barely, just barely able to keep my composure.
“Did you find out who sent these letters?”
“According to our insider in the enemy army, it’s someone named Ast.”
“The commoner who exposed Marquis Religius’s plot?”
“Yes.”
“And he’s the one who sent them?”
“It’s confirmed information.”
I heard he was a commoner, but earned his title at an unprecedented rate even within the Karan Empire.
In just a few years, he already attained the rank of baron, and it wouldn’t be strange for him to add the title of count anytime.
“Judging by the way the letters are written, I can tell the other party received professional education for a long period…even though he’s a commoner?”
“Yes. It’s said he’s from the Harcen Kingdom, which launched a preemptive attack on the empire but was destroyed instead.”
“Is it a Harcen tradition to ask about someone’s family when sending letters?”
“Couldn’t that be the case?”
“Hmm….”
That was possible.
There are countless kingdoms in the world, each with their own culture.
For lesser known kingdoms instead of empires or powerful nations, there could be cultures that most others don’t know about.
As if to prove our thoughts wrong the next day, Ast sent another new letter.
<I heard your father is having an affair with a young woman. Is your mother well?>
“I’ll kill him!”
“Now, General!”
It was the letter that made it clear he had been making fun of us all this time.
