Chapter 205 – Chapter 19 – Civil War
“That damn nephew has finally sent out.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How many troops? Still, I think he was trying to match a number roughly similar to this one.”
“We thought so too, but we heard the news a little while ago that the combined number of the advance and main corps as well as the rear corps barely exceeded 7,000.”
“Seven thousand. You started marching with less than 10,000 soldiers?”
Aufen was lost in his thoughts as he twitched his chin.
If only my nephew was in the opposing camp, I might have thought he was coming because he was nervous and believed that the number of troops would not be a very decisive factor in determining the course of battle.
But now all those positive beliefs are meaningless.
It was because among them, shouting to subdue the traitors and advancing, there was a human being that neither Aufen nor any of the anti-demon king faction aristocrats could treat carelessly.
“Your Highness, isn’t something strange? Despite the fact that the southern devil is with us, we are advancing without gaining superiority. Something is kinky.”
“Anyway, Klaus, I wonder if that person played some trick.”
Those who present their opinions are all actual armed forces who have participated in the Continental War.
But look at how nervous they are and how they express their opinions.
Just looking at that, it was very clear how powerful the name Klaus was.
“Hmm.”
Drooling, Aufen took another look at the map.
There is one place he must pass if he wants to head to the Demon King’s Castle from his own realm.
It is a terrain called Sehara Gorge, but if the enemy quickly steps forward to secure this place and hinder the advance of the allies, the allies inevitably had to go round and move several times that distance.
‘Even if it’s not, it’s far away. If the movement is long, it’s a perfect moment for the enemies to ambush.’
A troop’s movement speed is always proportional to its size.
Of course, there are times when it is not, but in normal cases, the rule is followed.
If the number is large, the matrix will stretch longer, and it may take several tens of minutes even if a command is delivered once.
And the stretched matrix is easily damaged even if it is slightly shaken.
At any rate, if the canyon really fell into the hands of the enemy, it would be lost from the start.
So, Aufen raised his speed to the maximum without overdoing it.
The higher the march speed, the more power is lost before a fight can be made.
So keeping the pace properly is key, but this time there was no choice.
Soldiers know very well that if the enemy occupies the canyon first, they will eventually get tired.
In doing so, they eventually reached the vicinity of the gorge, and for some reason, a report came that Julia, who had to occupy the gorge immediately, had finally moved her army.
‘Sehara Gorge is a place where a small number can stop many. Not only Klaus but also Julia can’t know what will happen if this place is handed over to us. If you keep knocking on the castle using this as a door, you can’t help but know that it’s them who will eventually collapse.’
It was something strange, so I checked it several times, but it was clear that it was only now that the march had begun.
I don’t know what happened, or if there was something else, but now I’ve reached the point where I can’t take it anymore.
I had to quickly occupy the Sehara Gorge and observe the movements of the enemies.
“When did you say that the vanguard of our army would reach the canyon?”
“They said it would arrive within two days at the latest.”
“Fast. It would be difficult if the advance was overcrowded and the soldiers were exhausted before fighting.”
“I have definitely paid attention to that part, Your Highness the Demon King.”
“Then it would be nice.”
Although the Demon King is already proud, Aupen’s subordinates call my lord the Demon King.
Aufen, who heard that, was also listening as if it were very natural.
Although Yulia unexpectedly came out very boldly, and Klaus was by her side.
There were many people who believed in this side too, so there was no need to be afraid.
There is already a difference of about twice in the number of troops, and the ability of the commanders is superior on this side.
Above all, it is safe to say that there are very many people who have fought in real battles in their own camp, while there are very few on the other side.
However, if there was one thing that bothered me, it was that Klaus was among the few who had that experience.
There is absolutely no needless worry or excitement.
Has any figure in the East ever surpassed the man in the Continental Wars?
No, never, even after washing my eyes and searching, there was no demon like that.
All that was there were demons who praised and followed him, or conversely, those who gnashed their teeth.
There was no one who could advise him like this to beat him.
‘If you make a mistake, you can eat it all at once. Be careful, be careful.’
If only Klaus was vigilant, he wouldn’t have been so worried.
No one can be sure that the demons who follow him are not in their camp.
Right now, someone might be getting a secret letter from him and have a strange plan.
When there is a traitor, the power of allies decreases and the power of the enemy increases.
Even if it happens only a few times, the overwhelmingly advantageous self may be reversed.
In this way, Aufen could never safely proceed with his work.
Although he wraps it up with this and that, in the end, he remains the same as being a traitor.
If someone under him decides to become a loyalist who kills a huge enemy rather than a contributor to establish a new king, and holds his sword upside down, a very big problem could arise.
Thanks to Aufen, who had a naturally suspicious personality, he was the most sensitive these days.
I wondered if someone had other thoughts, and everyone who gave stupid answers was suspicious.
Palatinath was one of them, but at least the former family head there still followed and supported him, so he was not openly vigilant.
What put them in the forefront was what they did with a plan to completely destroy them by stabbing them in the back if they did anything stupid.
“Bring back the military map.”
Aufen, who had been standing around with a look of anxiety, opened his mouth.
Soon after, a subordinate brought a map of the deployment of allies, and he narrowed his eyes, changed several military arrangements, and presented it to his subordinate again.
“Rearrange it like this. And if it looks weird, tell them to push it away.”
“I understand, Your Highness.”
Aufen’s subordinates left the barracks with the revised layout plan.
* * * * * * * * * *
On the other hand, Julia’s side, who had just started marching, was still uneasy.
Although the demon king confirmed it and Klaus, who was in charge of commanding the army, did not comment anymore, it was a situation where they could not say anything about themselves.
Still, it was still inconvenient to give Sehara Gorge to the enemy as it was.
To put it in an analogy, it was like a blade flying in front of me that landed right under my chin in an instant.
If it was like the others, they would have quickly moved their troops and occupied the canyon to prevent it.
However, Klaus was rather moving the army more slowly than during training.
“It’s not that I don’t understand your anxiety.”
Yulia reassured her subjects at every meeting.
It’s not about trusting Klaus, it’s about trusting your own eyes that believe in him.
I know that this fight is important, and he knows, so watch it.
The face and voice of the demon king who said that were full of serious energy.
“I understand that everyone is anxious. But anxiety beyond this only makes me uncomfortable. No matter how much I say I don’t know about the military, it’s not to the extent that I don’t know whether it’s the way to win or lose by leading an army in a narrow place and fighting an enemy who is already in position. I don’t believe in the Devil of the South, I believe in the subjects who have sworn allegiance to me. If you don’t believe in that trust, then you don’t have enough faith in me, so I want you to stop.”
Even if Klaus came up with the strategy this time, it was Demon King Julia who eventually agreed and supported it.
That’s why, Yulia quietly muttered in a strong tone that anxiety beyond this was just unpleasant, and that it wasn’t good at all for those who had to fight soon.
In the meantime, Klaus, who went out to see the army’s marching status, returned.
Excluding Yulia, the one who could be said to be the highest commander of the army was constantly wandering around, but some demons looked at Klaus like that in a strange way.
“I’m back, Your Highness.”
“Yes. Have you finished everything you left?”
“At this speed, we will enter the canyon in three days. In that case, the left army will enter first, then the middle army, and finally the right army will act as the rear guard before entering.”
“It is true that the canyon is not long, but the road is narrow. If you are attacked along the way, you will be attacked in a narrow place?”
“Aufen, he won’t attack until the middle army has just crossed the gorge.”
At Klaus’ confident answer, not only the demons but also Yulia look puzzled.
If it’s a prediction, I don’t know, it seems that I don’t understand a little about making an affirmation.
“The traitor Aufen is inherently suspicious. It would be strange that we just gave up the canyon, but sending troops into it would look even more suspicious. Even now that it has already been known that I am the one leading them, the suspicion will grow even thicker.”
“… Therefore?”
“Originally, when the enemy forces come in, it is correct to attack before forming formation. It’s a natural part. However, I’m sure he will stumble himself over my doubts. It is only after confirming that the left army came in was just a standard attack method, and the middle army came in later, that we will dispel our doubts. Then the first battle will take place.”
Yulia thought for a while at those words.
As Klaus said, his uncle is a very suspicious man.
If you look at it well, you’re cautious, and if you look at it bad, you’re narrow-minded.
Up until now, the good parts of that personality kept showing up and getting in the way of everything.
At the moment when such a blitz decision and action were needed, it could be poisonous in reverse.
“But, Klaus. If the traitor Aufen transfers command of the army to someone else…”
“Didn’t Klaus just say that? My uncle, the traitor, is suspicious. Unless that man is an idiot, he must be open to the possibility of betrayal. Even the few remaining people like us don’t have a strong bond, and in a situation where the power has increased rapidly in the past few years and you’re still not sure who to trust, you have no choice but to be suspicious.”
That was the reason Klaus rushed to work.
If given time, the side that has the advantage anyway is the traitors who need to reorganize their forces.
They can all be finished within the academy vacation only if they move their forces most effectively and swiftly and destroy them in one blow.
“Klaus. Then, the left army that enters first is important, but who will be in charge of the left army?”
“Originally, the left army mainly focuses on taking the enemy’s allies away in rotation, but this time it has to play a very important role. So that.”
After a moment of pause, Klaus looked at Yulia and continued.
“I intend to be at the forefront of that.”
