The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 26
On the northwestern front, where the Crossing Army and the Alvard & Beckavia Allied Forces are in a standoff.
Kaien, who was commanding the allied forces, closed his eyes tightly.
“Mercenary Wade…. It seems he’s a far more outstanding figure than I expected.”
“Master? What do you mean…?”
As he said this, Kaien sent praise towards Juras’s army in front of him.
“We’ve been hit. That sly fox. To move so skillfully that even I couldn’t detect it.”
It was clear, given that intelligence about the fall of Gebson Castle and Caecilian Fortress had only just arrived. Juras had launched a frontal attack while secretly disrupting Alvard’s intelligence network.
There were only a handful of people across the continent capable of such a feat against Kaien.
“Gillias, order all troops to retreat immediately. We’ll withdraw quickly even if we’re pursued.”
“W-Why so suddenly? The situation here is still…”
But then.
“…!”
Gillias turned his head back, sensing something. “What on earth…!?”
“It seems we’re a step too late.”
Gillias hurriedly left the tent and looked towards the rear of the army.
“This… Can’t be.”
There, Ars army of 30,000 was advancing in formation.
“Our army has been caught from behind!?”
“General! Juras Pamilion’s army is starting to advance with their entire force again!”
“Damn it!”
The Alvard & Beckavia Allied Forces, caught from behind.
Gillias shuddered at how completely their intelligence network had been penetrated.
‘Even if our intelligence network was breached, we couldn’t have been caught from behind so perfectly. They must have made a wide detour around the northern battlefield…!’
He knew best how long that detour route was.
“Then what the hell was Carrington’s army doing all this time!!”
The allied forces, caught from behind.
With the addition of Ars 30,000, the number of soldiers became about 60,000 versus 90,000, putting the allied forces at a great disadvantage.
“General! General Ushis is requesting orders!”
“Kuk!”
Gillias hesitated, unable to decide what to do.
Behind him, Kaien spoke. “What are you hesitating for? If we fight here, everyone will die. We should retreat even if we have to accept losses.”
“But sir! That means…!”
“Yes, the war will lead to defeat.”
“Damn it! Because of those incompetent Beckavians…! What about the genius princess of Beckavia? They can’t even handle a mere mercenary!”
The full retreat of the allied forces led by Kaien.
This wasn’t just about one front collapsing.
The northwestern front was the central axis of the allied forces, so if it collapsed, other fronts would surely collapse simultaneously.
The same was true for the Carrington battlefield that Sophia was defending.
A strategy that surpasses tactics.
Against Sophia, who had put forward the strategy of absolute defense, Ars used the tactic of bypassing the battlefield, taking Carrington without shedding a drop of blood.
“Hmm, Mercenary Wade who outwitted the genius princess. This is getting a bit interesting.”
“…Master?”
Tak! Kaien struck his staff and said, “I’ll leave the retreat of the vanguard to Ushis. Gillias, you and I will command the retreat of the rear.”
The rear. In other words, he meant to directly face Ars.
“There’s no need for you to step in personally, master! I’ll do it alone! That mercenary is just lucky…!”
“There’s nothing as ugly as a man’s jealousy, Gillias. If you want to prove yourself, let your results speak. Hurry, if we’re any later, we’ll be devoured by Juras.”
“Kuk…. Understood.”
Gillias rallied the rear troops.
Kaien looked at where Ars was positioned and grinned. “Well then, shall we check the caliber of this sleeping dragon?”
***
While Alvard’s rear army took a formation to confront them.
Ars immediately felt a chill down his spine at this formation.
“It feels like they want to test us, which is unsettling.”
Victory was already assured at the point when the opponent decided to retreat. The job was essentially done.
However, to achieve a complete victory, variables had to be eliminated here.
If the retreating opponent managed to preserve a large number of troops, it could unnecessarily lead to the formation of a second front.
So they needed to reduce the number of enemy soldiers to some extent.
“Wade, what are you going to do?” Ilya asked with concern.
In the opposing camp was Kaien of the Four Strategists, a living legend.
Even Ilya was intimidated by his reputation.
In contrast, Ars answered nonchalantly. “There’s no need to worry, master. We’re in an advantageous position. We’re the ones who can test the opponent.”
“Test…? You mean to test Kaien of the Four Strategists!?”
“Why not?”
After deploying his troops, Ars decided to use one thing, a strategy, not a tactic.
He decided to intentionally open an escape route for the opponent.
For the allied forces that had decided to retreat, the only retreat path was to the rear.
At this time, the army that posed the biggest obstacle to retreat was, of course, Ars 30,000 troops positioned at the rear.
In this situation, Ars moved his troops slightly to the side, providing a path of retreat.
***
“Hahaha! The fool seems to have been scared by the master’s reputation!”
Gillias sneered, but Kaien let out an exclamation of admiration. “You really are an interesting fellow. To think you’d try to test me!”
“M-master…? What do you mean by test?”
The deliberate act of opening an escape route.
This was Ars delivering a message. That he, in the advantageous position, would be setting the battlefield.
By opening an escape route like this, the allied forces would naturally have no choice but to move towards it.
In this case, the battle would not be a head-on collision like now, but would take on the form of a pursuit.
It goes without saying, but the side that can move advantageously in a pursuit is the pursuing side. That was Ars army.
“He wants to see how I’ll respond.”
“You’re overanalyzing. The best decision the enemy can make in this situation is to push hard from front and back. He’s made a big mistake.”
“Not necessarily, Gillias.” Kaien pointed out the fatigue of the army. “They must have marched here with an unusual forced march. The soldiers’ fatigue level must be very high. Engaging in a full-scale battle in such a situation carries risks. In that sense, a pursuit becomes a good choice. The aspect of pursuit naturally raises the morale of soldiers.”
“He calculated that far…?”
“That’s how it looks to me.” Kaien nods and says, “Even I was skeptical when I heard Juras had entrusted the command of a large army to a mercenary… But he’s quite capable.”
“What should we do now, master?”
“This time, it’s better to play along with the opponent’s intentions. We’ll quickly escape through the retreat path the enemy has opened.”
When you’ve decided to run away, it’s best to flee without looking back.
Kaien glanced once at where Ars was and quickly retreated.
***
“Wade, the enemy commander is fleeing.”
“Let him go. If we chase after him recklessly, we’ll fall into a trap. We just need to keep hitting their rear.”
Thus, Ars caught the tail end of the fleeing opponent, inflicting 5,000 casualties, and leisurely joined up with Juras.
Juras also pursued the vanguard opponent, achieving about 10,000 casualties, and the allied forces retreated after suffering nearly 20,000 casualties.
With the Crossing side completely pacifying the northwestern front, the War of the Three Lions essentially came to an end.
* * *
After driving out the allied forces and reorganizing the military camp, I joined up with Juras and had to face a changed perspective anew.
“Commander Wade is entering!”
A soldier shouting at the top of his lungs.
The atmosphere in the military headquarters tent had also changed.
“……”
A wary look, as if guarding against a carnivore.
Even General Creeper Nolak, who used to look at me with disdain, was now watching me with subdued eyes.
Only Juras had passionate eyes.
“Would you stop looking at me with those eyes as if gazing at a beloved? It’s honestly nauseating.”
“Huh, I’m sorry. More importantly, please sit down. We’re about to start the post-battle report.”
Kisler, Juras lieutenant, began the post-battle report.
The key point was that with the victory in this battle, they were able to pacify the targeted areas.
“Due to the collapse of the front line, the opponent has lost influence over several areas including Carrington. We will occupy these areas, fortify them, and begin discussions on a ceasefire agreement.”
That process would take about 3 months. After that, a bone-chilling winter would come, leaving both sides without the resources to wage war, and after another 3 months when spring arrives, they would enter the farming season, so there would likely be no war for about half a year.
“Then my role ends here. Will you give me the remaining 20 million sillan? So I can leave right away.”
Bang! Nolak stood up, hitting the table.
“Do you think you can slip away like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve seen your abilities very well. But that’s exactly why we can’t let you go.”
“…You mean I might side with Alvard or Beckavia. Is that it?”
“Mercenaries will do anything for money. Am I wrong?”
Other officers nodded in agreement.
I turned to Juras and said, “This is different from our agreement, isn’t it?”
“Haha, my lieutenant’s zeal has gone too far.”
Then Juras made it clear.
“I swear on my name. I will not tolerate any interference with mercenary Wade.”
“Commander-in-Chief! What are you saying! Considering this person’s abilities, it’s clear that Alvard and Beckavia will try to recruit him no matter the cost!”
“It doesn’t matter. At that time, you can show your own abilities, can’t you? Or Nolak, are you saying you’re not confident you can win against him?”
“That’s…!”
“Our contract with Wade has ended, and we have no right to bind him further. That’s the end of it.”
“Then we should renew with a new contract!”
With that, Nolak proposed a new contract worth 20 million sillan.
This guy. He used to look down on me so much before, but now he’s casually talking about 20 million.
I didn’t feel bad, as I felt appreciated.
“I decline. I wasn’t particularly keen on this job to begin with.”
“You…” Nolak was taking the attitude that if I didn’t stay in Crossing, death was the only option.
Understanding his feelings, I decided to make a pledge “However… I swear that for this war only, I will not interfere with any kingdom from now on.”
“And the price if you break the oath?”
“Well?”
“Are you joking!”
“It’s not so much a joke as I don’t have anything particular to offer as a price.”
At this, Juras offered unhelpful help. “Leave that part to me. If Wade breaks his promise, I will ensure he pays an appropriate price.”
“You speak as if you know my true identity?”
“Not exactly. But it’s true that I could find out if I wanted to.”
“…”
As expected, there’s something unsettling about this guy. You could say I instinctively feel aversion.
“Now that it’s settled, I hope everyone will let it slide this time, if only for my sake.”
When Juras says that, the others closed their mouths.
He says with a slight smirk, “It seems we’ve reached an agreement. Huh, you can go now, Wade.”
Juras showed a straightforward attitude.
Wanting to know the true intentions of this guy and Crossing, I decided to secure one additional promise. “I said earlier that I would demand spoils of war in addition to the compensation.”
“Did you? What do you want?”
“I’d like to meet someone later.”
I requested to have a private audience with the king of Crossing, described as the root of all evil in the game, Parain Malorn, in the not-too-distant future.
To this, Juras showed a rare expression of surprise, but soon accepted coolly, saying it would be interesting.
* * *
The mercenary job somehow came to an end.
After leaving Crossing, I confirmed there was no one following me and took off my helmet.
“Phew! I feel like I can finally breathe.”
Wearing a helmet all day was truly an unbearable ordeal.
“Eo, you can take your helmet off now too.”
“Is that so…”
Eonia looks at the removed helmet with a wistful gaze, as if secretly disappointed.
“Ars. Will you really be alright?”
Master Ilya was still anxious that Juras might try some behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
I was worried about that too, but for now, I decided to trust Juras.
“I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but it seemed like he had no intention of doing anything to me, at least.”
“That… I felt the same way. If anything, it seemed like he had some goodwill towards you.”
“An unpleasant kind of goodwill, though.”
Juras still holds the hilt of the sword.
As he said, he could probably uncover my identity if he really wanted to.
‘That’s also why I asked to meet Parain.’
I judged that by setting up such a promise, he wouldn’t take any particular action until then.
“Now we can just return to our daily lives. Of course, while staying sufficiently vigilant about our surroundings.”
“Hmm, there’s no point in worrying too much about it.”
That’s right. As I still lack power, it would be difficult to resist if the other side decided to harm me.
‘I need to speed up the recruitment of the seven vassals too.’
Only then can I deal with whatever the other side might try to do.
“More importantly, shall we talk about something else?”
I brought up the topic of war merits as a way to change the subject.
I jokingly asked who among the trio – Eonia, Yumir, and Ilya, had contributed the most.
However, this unexpectedly escalated.
“Of course, I should get the top merit, shouldn’t I?”
Eonia started asserting herself, strongly desiring to be ranked first in contributions.
She, who loves formal praise more than anyone, begins to throw a tantrum like a child.
“In the first battle, I led the cavalry and cut off the enemy’s retreat, and in the night raid operation, I killed the enemy commander Casola Telltale! I’m definitely first in merit!”
On the other hand, Master and Yumir looked like they didn’t care about merits either way, so it wouldn’t have mattered if I gave first place to Eonia. But I decided to give it to someone else, thinking she might become too arrogant if I did.
“Hmm… First place goes to Yumir.”
“How can that be!?”
“Don’t be surprised, listen. This is an objective evaluation.”
In the initial battle, Yumir took down the head of the enemy’s great general, Karl Maxman, and in subsequent operations, she greatly contributed to the success of the mission by secretly eliminating enemy scouts.
“And crucially, she always assisted me by my side. Without Yumir, I wouldn’t have been able to endure the fatigue.”
“Young master… You’re too kind.”
Eonia was gritting her teeth, seemingly jealous. I wonder how much she cares about formal praise.
Seeing her pitiful state, Master speaks up.”Eonia, you still get second place. That’s a good enough result, so accept it this time.”
“…I guess I have no choice. Yumir! Next time, I’ll take first place, so you’d better be prepared!” Eonia was genuinely upset.
The image of the enlightened one I had seen in the game was continuously being shattered.
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Nice nice nice
thanks