Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

59

The heavy air sank in the Supreme Barracks.

Outside, screams continued to echo.

The enemy was meticulously torturing and killing in an attempt to draw out as much information as possible.

“Those who will tear us apart…!”

Dunan’s deputy in the barracks sharpened his sword.

Dunan, who had his eyes closed as if in meditation, opened them and spoke.

“It seems everyone is here. Let’s start the meeting right away.”

However, one of the deputies didn’t seem to understand and asked, “General, why have these individuals been brought here?”

Representatives of the cadets, Ru’an Chaise and Casper Miliars, were pointing at me.

Dunan replied, “They are representatives of the cadets. They have the right to know how the situation is unfolding.”

“That may be so, but who exactly is that fellow over there…?”

While Ru’an and Casper were well-known, even to the officers, it seemed I was unfamiliar. There were objections to my presence.

“Stop questioning his qualifications for now and focus on discussing the current situation!”

The officers roughly regarded me as a Helyan faction cadet. Understanding that Ru’an and Casper were from the Saleon faction, it seemed they had brought in a high-achieving student just to balance things out.

And so, the military council began, including the cadets.

“There is only one thing to do!”

A seemingly martial arts-oriented officer stepped forward and proposed a plan of action.

“As soon as the sun rises, we must march to destroy that watchtower!”

This would weaken their mental attack and boost the soldiers’ morale, he claimed.

I had intended to stay quiet, but my mouth opened involuntarily at this foolish plan.

“The enemy wants us to do just that.”

“…”

A martial arts officer shot me a laser-like glare, warning me not to interfere in their discussion.

After Dunan stopped the officer, he asked me, “Share your thoughts, Alse Ilain.”

“General Dunan, before that, may I ask if we have located the enemy’s main base?”

“…”

“It seems we haven’t located the enemy’s main base. So, instead of attacking their main base, their officers have suggested attacking the vulnerable watchtower. Attacking anything other than the enemy’s main base would be meaningless. We would only suffer great losses falling into a prepared ambush.”

“What do you suggest then!”

The martial arts officer singled me out.

“If you have something to say, provide an alternative along with your words!”

“There’s no need for alternatives. The enemy is already suffering. Execute prisoners? Go ahead. We just need to hold our position quietly and reap the benefits. Perhaps the best solution would be to provide earplugs to the soldiers.”

“That’s…!”

Dunan muttered faintly in response to my opinion.

“Discard what needs to be discarded boldly and take what needs to be taken… Just as Juhras Pamelion said.”

After a moment of contemplation, he continued, “The cadet’s suggestion is legally correct, but being correct doesn’t mean it’s the best option. There must be a better solution than leaving the situation as it is.”

At this point, Casper spoke up, “May I… say one thing?”

“Speak up. Casper Millias.”

“The cadets… believe it’s better to withdraw from this battlefield.”

At that moment, chaos erupted all around.

“Nonsense! Are you soldiers or not? Planning to retreat from the battlefield because you’re scared!”

“Withdraw from the battlefield? Who’s deciding this? If anyone wants to leave the battlefield, they should retire immediately! I won’t stop them!”

Casper swallowed hard at the rare hostile reaction he felt.

Normally, even if he was treated as Wade, he would receive courteous treatment no matter who the other party was. This was probably because of Gilbert Salleon, who ordered the impersonation, and even the Helian Duke, who was secretly conducting a counter-plot to conceal his identity, causing many soldiers and officers to mistake Casper for Wade.

The Helian Duke moved cunningly.

The reason for the counter-plot was partly to hide his true identity and partly to create risk for the Salleon faction.

As Casper’s impersonation of Wade was exposed, the blow of being revealed as a fake would be significant.

‘Even so, the senior officers aren’t foolish enough to believe I’m Wade.’

Casper realized that the officers here did not consider him as Wade, and this realization made him anxious.

“T-That’s…”

I decided to support him.

“What he says is correct. The cadets would be better off withdrawing from the battlefield. If nothing else works, at least one of them should be allowed to retreat.”

“Who is this one?”

“Dorothy Grimwood. It would be wise for the General’s son to withdraw from the battlefield. If Dorothy were to become a prisoner, could the General maintain peace?”

“…!”

Upon this, the other officers fell silent, as if contemplating the implications and reevaluating this Casper fellow.

“Dorothy… will not withdraw from the battlefield. We cannot grant such a privilege just because he’s my son.”

“So, you’re suggesting we let all the cadets withdraw. In that case, there are no privileges.”

“No, the cadets are soldiers of our unit. They cannot withdraw to preserve their lives, even if it means dying together. It’s rejected.”

“….”

“And besides staying still, there are clearly other ways to overcome this situation.”

“If you mean by that…?”

“Locating the enemy’s headquarters and striking.”

“It won’t be easy. It’s highly likely that the enemy’s headquarters identified through intelligence could be a bait to lure us.”

“Don’t underestimate our Caliper’s intelligence unit, Als Iline. It’s several times superior to Crossing’s, you know.”

“Yet, despite that, it seems that Paralin’s King appeared in the war council room himself before we could identify the commander of Tonkai. Am I mistaken?”

A brief moment of silence fell over the barracks due to my and Dugnan’s verbal sparring, but it was short-lived.

“Incredible! How can a cadet summon the General from…!”

“It’s all right. I called for it. Anyway, the direction is decided. Until the intelligence unit locates the enemy’s headquarters, we focus on defense. With that, I declare the military council concluded. You may now disperse.”

The military council concluded with the decision to locate the enemy’s headquarters and retaliate once found. If we could indeed locate the enemy’s headquarters and strike, it could turn out to be a good move, so I decided to observe the situation for the time being.

* * *

The escalating provocations from the enemy day by day.

I could feel firsthand that the military’s patience was wearing thin.

‘The orders to continue fortifying the military are coming in constantly….’

The maintenance of weapons is a must at any time for a military commander, but the maintenance on the eve of a stormy night is different.

It’s as if the dimension of tension flowing through is different.

The soldiers seemed to have sensed this current as they carefully inspected each weapon, hanging onto items given by family or lovers.

“Alss, have you heard anything?”

Fergie asked me, but I had no information.

“I heard everything from the military meeting back then. However…”

“However?”

“Judging by the atmosphere, they are definitely up to something.”

“Indeed… Are they planning to launch an attack?”

“Most likely.”

“But you said it yourself. In the current situation, it’s best to hold our ground and ignore everything. So, wouldn’t this be suicidal?”

It wasn’t that straightforward.

“I did mention holding our ground as a strategy, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only solution. There are certainly ways to seize the advantage by attacking. The issue is that the enemy wants it, they’re provoking it. By staying put, it’s hard for the enemy to attempt something, whereas if we attack, the enemy will have many ways to respond.”

“Hmm… Then it should be fine. You may not know, but General Dunan is a remarkable individual. He’s a born fighter. If combat breaks out, the enemy will surely have a hard time against General Dunan.”

“That would be great.”

As they were discussing, the sound of the bell signaling the enemy’s attack echoed.

“They’re back. A bit earlier today. Fergie Infantry! Form up!”

It was now time for the daily routine of the enemy’s attack operation.

However, today felt a bit different.

Thud! Thud! Thud! The amount of rising dust was much greater, and the time of the ambush was not at dusk but rather before noon.

“Fergie, the enemy’s numbers are much larger than before! They seem to have brought all available cavalry, so don’t spread the infantry thin, concentrate them in one place!”

“Got it!”

As I anticipated, the number of enemy cavalry was significantly different from before.

While they had previously launched ambushes with small cavalry units ranging from 200 to 500, this time, nearly a thousand cavalry attacked all at once.

Moreover, behind those cavalry, there were also around a thousand infantry following.

“They’ve used all available cavalry…?”

It meant the enemy was serious.

As if they had found something to break our army’s endurance in this ambush.

“Is that really their plan…!”

I reacted promptly.

“Fergie, I’ll borrow 200 men!”

“Alright. Malcolm! Go with my brother!”

Leaving Anton under Fergie’s protection, I swiftly headed to the rear with Yumir and Eo.

The supply depot located in the rear of the formation. That’s where Dorothy Grimwood was.

“hahahaha! The target is here! Seize them!”

“Except for the target, kill them all! The target must not escape at any cost!”

The enemy’s attacks with small guerrilla units until now were to assess our main camp’s layout.

The previous attacks were a kind of reconnaissance.

‘These guys knew about Dorothy from the beginning.’

On the other side, it means they are desperately activating their intelligence network.

Fortunately, I was able to intervene just before the enemy cavalry kidnapped Dorothy.

“Gasp!”

Kwa-kwa-kwak! A lightning-fast three-strike that pierces through the knees, heart, and head in succession.

“Ugh…!?”

The enemy soldier fell without knowing what had happened, still unaware, and met his demise.

After that, I swiftly turned the spear around and pierced the chest of the cavalry officer who was attempting to kidnap Dorothy.

“Ah, Alz…? How did you…?”

Dorothy, sitting down, looked at me in confusion.

“Yumir, Eo. Tidy up the surroundings.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Attack!”

Yumir and Eo started ruthlessly dealing with the remaining cavalry soldiers.

I stood guard in front of Dorothy, observing the situation.

There were a hundred cavalrymen attacking here. If it were flat ground, it would have been impossible to handle with just 200 infantrymen, but being in the mountains allowed for an effective ambush.

However, it seemed the enemy was quite serious about this operation.

“Charge!”

A man named Gehan shattered the shield of an infantryman with a mace-like club in a single blow.

“Hurry up and finish them off! We’re running out of time!”

“Sir! We have a big problem! Strange intruders suddenly burst in!”

“Huh?”

Gehan looked around and soon spotted me guarding Dorothy.

“Tsk, seems like a mosquito has flown in. I will handle it myself. Here!”

Thud! Thud! Gehan charged towards me.

‘He looks quite strong.’

I was about to confront him with the spear I had thrown, but before I could, Eo and Yumir acted first.

Twang! An arrow aimed at the horse’s head, and two throwing knives aimed at Gehan’s head.

The two, who had worked together at home, displayed fantastic timing.

“What…!?”

Suddenly attacked from two directions, Gehan could only react with shock.

Realizing this, he tried to respond, but it was too late.

The arrow that pierced his head caused instant death, and he slumped forward.

“Argh!”

Gehan, having to block Yumir’s thrown knife, failed to maintain his balance properly and stumbled.

He ended up slipping towards me, who was in the direction his horse was running.

“Whoops, coming in for a landing…! Ha!”

Slash! I seized the opportunity and thrust my spear.

It’s considered good manners not to attack when the opponent is on the ground or transforming, but in actual combat, such rules are naturally disregarded.

“Darn it!”

He frantically tried to block the spear with his forearm, managing to defend his vital points somewhat, but it was futile.

‘Ilyaryu Bigi, Sahang(蛇行)!’

The spear twisted like a snake, dodging the opponent’s arm as it thrust forward.

I tried to pierce his head in one swift motion, but his reaction speed was not to be underestimated.

Thunk! The spear tip pierced through his right clavicle.

“Kuk!”

From Noble mtl dot com

Though it was a fatal blow, he managed to grab the spearhead with his left hand, attempting a counterattack.

However, I was not careless enough to let go of the advantage once gained.

Swish! Drawing the sword that was hanging on my back, I swiftly slashed from his left clavicle to his heart.

“Urgh… Gasp!”

He looked up at me with eyes wide open, despite the mortal wound.

“Did I…?”

“I don’t know who you are, but consider yourself unlucky. Or perhaps regret being complacent.”

Thud! I delivered the final blow to his neck and shouted at the soldiers.

“Now! Clean up the remnants!”

As the enemy fell, confusion started to spread among them.

“The boss got hit…? Is that for real!?”

“Wha-what’s going on!?”

The enemies were more confused than necessary.

Taking advantage of their confusion, we pushed out the remnants and managed to stabilize the situation.

The Caliphe army, having repelled the large-scale attack from the enemy cavalry, began to assess the damage.

While tending to our own casualties, news suddenly reached us.

“Kalehan Calloway is dead!”

“Really!? The demon’s right hand?”

A commotion rose in the camp, perhaps due to some favorable news.

“Who killed that monster?”

“Though we don’t know who did it, the victory is certain.”

Victory. We might not know who it was, but it would surely bring joy.

Lost in such thoughts, a lieutenant rushed over to me.

“Als Iline! Come to the main tent immediately!”

Was he going to talk about safeguarding Dorothy?

Thinking so, I headed to the main tent, where all the key officers were gathered, looking at me in disbelief.

“Is it true?”

It was the unarmed officer I had wrestled with last time.

“Did you really kill Kalehan Calloway?”

“Who is Kalehan?”

“…?”

“…?”

“…Huh?”

Dunan, understanding how things had unfolded, sighed and spoke.

“Als Iline. I heard you unexpectedly left the front lines and headed to guard the supply tent in the rear. What was the reason for that?”

“General knows better, I believe.”

“Don’t answer a question with another question.”

“It was to protect Dorothy Greenwood. If the opponent was planning to abduct someone, he would have been the best prey. I thought General wouldn’t do it, so I took care of it.”

“Well, alright. But… Did you not see this figure in the process?”

With that, Dugnan revealed a corpse.

It was Han, whom I had killed.

“…Could it be true?”

“It is. There’s a testimony that you killed Callahan Calloway. Explain the situation.”

Since I couldn’t reveal the existence of Eona Yumir here, I decided to speak vaguely.

“When he rushed at me, he tripped over a tree root and fell. I easily took care of him as he stumbled in. That’s all.”

“Callahan Calloway died because of a fall? The man who is called a legend among highwaymen?”

“Do you not know the saying that even monkeys fall from trees? Besides, isn’t this a difficult mountainous area for horses to run?”

“Ha…! Well. Still, in any case, the fact remains that you eliminated the enemy’s supply officer…”

Dugnan continued, impressed.

“As a cadet, you’re probably the first to be promoted to the fifth rank, Alz Eilene. You now hold a position where you can lead an infantry battalion.”

“…”

“Originally, I was going to promote you to the seventh rank, but due to deviating from the formation without the army’s orders and going to the rear, it was reduced to the fifth rank.”

So, what was there to do?

I’ve commanded up to 60,000, now just about 2,000 to 3,000 infantry battalion.

But it didn’t end just like that.

Due to this promotion, I ended up becoming a junior officer under Perzi, the senior officer.

Moreover, being a battalion commander meant being able to attend the second-grade meetings, if not the first-grade meetings of the military.

So, I had to immediately attend the military meeting that followed.

* * *

As expected, the theme of this military meeting was about the attack.

A man who appeared to be an intelligence officer points to a map and speaks.

“There are a total of six confirmed enemy formations. The size of each unit is estimated to be between 6,000 and 10,000.”

The enemy had divided their main base.

That’s why their main base wasn’t easily caught in the intelligence network.

“Six main bases…”

Dugnan played the guitar and then looked at Generalissimo Gates.

Gates says, “Yes, as General predicted. When the main base is divided into several, inefficiencies inevitably arise.”

We didn’t just randomly cluster the main base together.

When the army is divided into several parts, there is a significant disadvantage of delayed communication between units, leading to a decrease in command and control.

“Even when the army is divided into two, confusion arises in the command system, let alone when divided into six, the enemy must be having a hard time coordinating properly.”

“It probably means it’s possible to dismantle each one.”

“That’s right.”

Dugnan reveals his intention to attack in a way that dismantles the enemy.

It seemed that impatience arose due to over 100 missing persons in this large-scale attack.

The worry that led me to seek out Dorothy seemed to have little significance.

“There are even cadets among the missing… Is that what’s concerning you?”

If they had heeded my advice earlier and detached all the cadets, they wouldn’t have been kidnapped.

Despite knowing it was futile, I decided to speak up.

“If we pinpoint a specific situation in advance and divide our main force, the conversation changes.”

“…What do you mean?”

“If our Caliper Army were to launch an attack, how should we move? If we’ve predetermined that, it means the enemy will react swiftly. Dividing into multiple formations… essentially means it’s good for encircling when the time comes.”

Gates countered my words.

“It’s a stretch. Even if the enemy were to do that, they wouldn’t easily encircle us. Furthermore, an enemy divided into multiple parts lacks the strength to defeat our concentrated forces. Dividing the army is precisely why it’s risky.”

“So, you’re saying the part that seems convincing in theory is actually the dangerous part. The enemy can’t be unaware of such a simple tactic.”

“Or they might be. According to intelligence, the enemy’s core forces are led by Kraus Forkner, a band of rogues. Do you really think rogues understand proper military tactics? They just rampage as they please. Look at the surprise attack by our cavalry this time. Losing around 3,000 cavalry, what did the enemy gain? Look. The enemy is naïve about military tactics.”

“There’s a significant strategic gain in making us launch an attack like this. Why on earth aren’t they aware of that?”

As Gates and I clashed in opinions, Dugan began to consider the officers’ viewpoints.

The officers, as if waiting, raised their hands in agreement with Gates’ opinion.

“This is a mess. Even if I reveal I’m Wade, it won’t change.”

Dugan was a fair and rigid man who evaluated people based on merit, not social status, yet he was very stubborn.

This situation was no different. The outcome was due to his silent resolve for an attack.

Externally, he seemed to be considering the officers’ opinions, but in reality, the officers knew Dugan’s nature and only spoke in line with it.

This was because Dugan held the military command system too tightly.

With the entire staff being nothing more than yes-men, there was no real significance in gathering opinions.

“There’s nothing I can do. Right now, all I can do is deal with the situation at hand as best as I can.”

And so, after the military meeting, the Caliper Army decided to launch an attack.

They began preparations for a large-scale deployment.