Chapter 128 – The Decisive Battle That Determines the Fate of the Empire (8) *Miruku Maid Battle Uniform Illustration
A decisive battle for the fate of the empire (8)
The heads of Baron Derian and his corps commanders, who were watching the mass surrender of the 1st and 4th corps from the main camp, fell.
“It’s over… It was unreasonable to ask the soldiers of the 1st and 4th Corps to attack His Highness Yuno in the first place.”
“Furthermore, Count Kashu, Viscount Armin, and Jennifer have all been defeated… It has become difficult to turn this battle around.”
“Whew~ Military Logistics Staff. How much food is left?”
In response to Derian’s question, one of the staff members answered that there was a week’s worth of food left.
“Even if you exclude 1.4 corps, it’s only 3 weeks no matter how much you save. We won’t even be able to get halfway to Adria, and we’ll all starve to death. We have no choice but to surrender as we promised with the Third Prince at first…”
“But even if I can convince the 3rd Corps, I won’t be able to convince the Capital Corps, which is directly under His Majesty’s Majesty.”
“What should I do if I don’t agree? If you’re going to return to Adria without food, well… I should tell you to try it.”
The corps commanders and staff, who judged that the war had already turned, began discussing the terms of surrender. Meanwhile, a messenger came running into Derian’s barracks.
“Commander! Count Kashu has returned!”
“Move here. One o’clock is urgent!”
“That’s good. If Count Kashu convinces you, the Capital Corps will follow suit.”
“I guess so. If it’s about control over the capital corps, Count Kashu’s words will work better than mine.”
They expected that Count Kashu would persuade the capital corps to surrender, as he fought Juno directly on the front line. However, as soon as he entered the barracks, Count Kashu started talking nonsense, embarrassing his corps commander and staff.
“It’s an all-out attack!! We’re launching a final offensive mobilizing all our soldiers!! Those traitors must be wiped out immediately!!”
“Calm down… Count Kashu. An all-out attack is impossible in the current situation!! The 1st and 4th corps turned around, and the capital corps and 3rd corps also barely escaped!”
“I will personally come and wipe out those traitors!! So stop whining and prepare for an all-out attack!!”
A courageous aide approached Count Kashu, who was shouting loudly, to persuade him.
“No!! That is a suicidal act that will lead to the deaths of all the soldiers…”
Fluffy
However, the courageous staff member’s head was cut off by Count Kashu’s sword, and the corps commanders and staff looked at him with dizzy eyes.
“There was a spy here on the staff. There must have been a lot of people like this within the 1st and 4th Corps. So it must have been the ignorant soldiers who betrayed His Majesty.”
Count Kashu wiped the blood on the sword with the corpse’s clothes and pointed the sword at the corps commanders.
“Are there any more traitors? If not, quickly return to the corps and prepare for an all-out attack!!
“… Ah… I understand”
Undercount Cassu’s insistence, the corps commanders and staff headed to their respective corps, and Count Cassu grumbled for a while and left the barracks, saying that he would personally command the capital corps instead of Baron Derian, who was also the commander of the capital corps.
Watching that scene, Commander-in-Chief Baron Derian, who remained alone in the command barracks, was lost in thought for a while and then stood up as if he had made up his mind.
“… Get the messenger ready”
“Huh? Where are you trying to send it to…?”
In general, corps communicated with each other using communication magic tools, so the staff at the command center asked where they were being sent.
“The 1st, 3rd, and 4th corps… And will be sent to Prince Prinz. This is information that cannot be sent using communication magic, so be aware of this and prepare it quickly!!”
A letter containing Baron Derian’s plan was sent to each corps, and the commanders of the 1st, 3rd, and 4th corps sent a message to Count Kashu that they would participate in an all-out attack since they had succeeded in reassuring their corps.
“Hmm, the army is finally functioning properly. They appointed a commoner-turned-ranked nobleman as commander-in-chief, and this is what the imperial army has become!!”
“Count. But the enemy still has three masters left. There are also princesses who defeated Jennifer. What do you plan to do about it?”
When asked by his subordinate who escaped the duel with him, Count Kashu only snorted.
“There is nothing to worry about. Count Liechtenauer is seriously injured and will not be able to move. Moreover, the number of our troops is still more than twice that of the enemy. If that bitch named Eliza comes out, I will definitely defeat her, so you will lead the troops and fight against the traitor Juno and the wizard. If you block them, you will be able to win!”
In theory, it was entirely possible, but even though it was a tactic that was sure to result in countless deaths of soldiers, Count Kashu ordered it without any hesitation, and his subordinates nodded as if it was natural.
“Good! Raise the flag of general attack!! Blow the trumpet of advance!!”
Wooooo~
With a loud trumpet sounding loudly, each corps began to advance, and the Prinz Army also began to move to counter them and reorganize its defensive formation.
Count Kashu, who was watching this, mounted his horse and went to the front of the corps, shouting powerfully using a magic tool with a loudspeaker spell and giving another command.
“Charge across the country!!”
His voice, full of power, rang out on the battlefield, but at the same time, the 1st, 3rd, and 4th corps stopped their advance and raised the tips of their spears towards the capital corps. Because of this, the Capital Corps standing in the rear was also stranded, and the soldiers of the Capital Corps, who only believed the commander’s words that what had happened on the battlefield earlier caused panic among the panicked 1st and 4th Corps soldiers, looked at Count Kashu with bewildered eyes.
“To… Charge!! What are you doing!! I mean charge!!”
“That’s it. Count Kashu.”
“Our 1st and 4th corps have decided to surrender to His Highness Yuno. No matter how much he is the corps commander, he cannot go against the unanimous will of his soldiers.”
“The 3rd Corps has no particular connection to His Highness the Third Prince… But I don’t want to be an incompetent commander who pushes soldiers into a position where they are sure to die.”
When the commanders from each corps came out on horseback and announced their intention to convert, Count Kashu threw himself down in seething anger.
“These… These traitors…”
“War is not something a commander should fight alone. And someone like you who casually ignores the advice of his staff and considers the lives of his soldiers like flies should not become a commander.”
Count Kashu finally drew his sword as he saw Baron Derian coming out of the main camp and speaking as if admonishing him.
“Shut up, traitor!! For the crime of daring to say surrender after being the commander-in-chief!! You deserve to die!!”
“Hmph! On the contrary, as the commander-in-chief, I could not have wasted the empire’s soldiers pointlessly. I should be proud of my surrender today!!”
“Yes! I’ll see if you think so even if your head flies off!!”
Count Kashu attacked Derian with sword energy, and Baron Derian, feeling death as he looked at the sharp sword flying towards him, closed his eyes tightly.
Kaang!!
“In that case, you should be beheaded first! Count Kashu! Have you forgotten that pointing a sword at the commander-in-chief is also considered treason?”
Looking at Yuno, who jumped out from among his soldiers and lightly deflected the sword he had thrown, Count Kashu gave the order to kill Yuno first. When the corps commanders heard this and gave orders to protect Yuno, Yuno screamed.
“The imperial army must not move from its position now!!”
The 1st, 3rd, and 4th corps soldiers who were about to move after receiving the order instinctively stopped at the voice of Yuno, who began to dominate the battlefield in earnest, radiating strong energy.
“What are you talking about? The Capital Corps must kill that traitor Yuno!!”
Still, the capital corps moved little by little, breaking through Juno’s momentum as the best elite of the empire, and with the encouragement of Count Kashu, began to rush towards Juno.
However, even as he watched the 10,000 imperial troops rushing towards him, Yuno looked very relaxed.
“Hmm… I guess this is good… They are also citizens of the empire, so we shouldn’t kill them carelessly.”
Yuno pulled out the log that supported the tent of the main command post and swung the huge log like a light club at the Capital Corps soldiers who were charging at him.
Whiiiiing quaaaaang whiiiiing~ Puheook!!
Every time Yuno swung the log, a dozen soldiers flew into the sky and screams were heard from all over, and the fear and majesty instantly took over the entire battlefield.
“I… I can’t… How do I get in there…”
“I don’t want to die yet… That’s suicide…”
Even though Yuno controlled his swing enough not to die, the sight of dozens of people wearing armor flying up at once looked like death, so even the elite Capital Corps soldiers were unable to move in fear.
“… There really is no such thing as a one-man army…”
“It’s like a scene I saw on Streve… Teseito-kun was amazing for blocking that even for a moment.”
“If in the future I try to turn His Highness the Third Prince into an enemy, please make sure to stop me.”
Unlike the capital corps, even the other legionnaires who surrendered to Yuno were equally thrilled by Yuno’s appearance. They were terrified, but at the same time, they were excited to see this man named Yuno dominating the battlefield.
“Holy… Damn it… Damn it!!! The whole army, follow me!!”
In the end, when Count Kashu led the horse forward, only then were the Capital Corps soldiers able to take a step forward, and still, believing that he would fight Yuno like a master, they followed him and continued to charge Yuno.
“Ho… So you’re still a master? Good! Count Kashu! Let’s fight sometime… Huh?”
Yuno, who was trying to deal with Count Kashu by putting down the log and thrusting his fist into his fist, let out a futile sound. This was because the horse pulled by Count Cash passed by him and ran away into the plain.
“What? That guy. Wasn’t he trying to attack me?”
The soldiers of the capital corps were also embarrassed and ran away with him, and the other half surrendered to Juno, so Juno gave an order to treat the 100 or so soldiers who were blown away by the logs and went to Viscount Leverkin with the surrendered corps commanders. Headed.
“Your Majesty, thank you for your hard work. But you were too reckless!! You tried to deal with an entire army by yourself!! Don’t you know that even if you are a master, it is impossible to deal with an army of thousands of people!!”
“Well… It worked out well in the end, right? And what’s so scary about the guys you’re so close to that you can’t deal with them? Isn’t that right, Derian?”
Haha… Your Majesty acted well according to the situation just now. However, to do that to a healthy army with high morale, you would have to have nine lives.”
“I guess not? I’m confident even if the corps is my opponent. Hehe. Anyway, Viscount Leverkin, please officially document the surrender of the corps commanders. I’ll go report today’s victory to my brother.”
“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty. But… Is it okay if we don’t form a chase team?”
Baron Derian answered Viscount Leverkin’s question.
“There won’t be any need for it. Our army has very little food left. We only have 3 weeks’ supply at the base… What we’re carrying will only last us about 3 days.”
“Then, aren’t you planning on robbing private homes or people?”
“Stand… No matter how bad it is, the imperial army did something like that… Oh!!”
Even though Viscount Leverkin and Baron Derian’s faces turned pale, Juno’s face was full of composure.
“Your Majesty!! We must form a chase team immediately! Otherwise, innocent people may suffer!!”
“Giggles, I’ve already sent it. There’s one group that should have already arrived, right? Think carefully about where they would have gone.”
At Juno’s words, Viscount Leverkin let out an exclamation, but Baron Derian, who did not understand the meaning, just made a blank expression on his face.
*Illustration of Miruku’s battle outfit that flew in to save Yuno
