“The fort is doing well. It can probably hold a third wave.”

As the messenger reported to Bogan, he glanced at the creator of the fort, Krische.

Even at a time like this, she is still dressed in a black and silver one-piece dress and cloak. She sat in her chair, staring at the map on the table, showing no interest in the report.

She is wearing gauntlets and carrying her sabre and a short sword, but her outfit still stood out on the battlefield.

Krische can run faster than a horse when she strengthens her body with mana.

Krische’s reasoning is since she does not need a horse, she does not need to wear pants

In the village, women wore dresses――usually one-piece dresses.

That is why Krische does not like wearing pants when there is no need for them and stubbornly insists on wearing her dress and cloak even now.

To Krische, pants are only to be worn when she has to ride a horse and fight, her sense of aesthetics does not allow her to wear them otherwise.

The uniform and armour for soldiers below the rank of captain is fixed while those above that rank generally buy their own――they decide on their own clothing and armour.

So according to the rules, there is no problems with Krische’s attire and since she still takes the stance of just coming to deliver letters, no one could complain.

Krische is also quite stubborn about it because Bery told her not to stick her neck into strange things.

Since she came to deliver letters, anything else is ‘strange things’.

She participated in the meetings and fortification only because she was told to, Krische herself has no intention of participating in this battle at all.

Selene exasperatedly nagged her to wear armour, but she just wore gauntlets and said she was armoured.

Selene gave up on trying to convince her to wear anymore..

They are all aware of Krische’s skill and if she said that armour is heavy and more of a hinderance, they could not force her to wear it.

She is an absolute believer in efficiency.

If she says so, it is probably true.

Krische showed no interest at all in the report from the fort.

Although she is listening and pretending to look at the map, her thoughts are focused on the candy in her mouth.

Bery had predicted that Krische could not return immediately and sent additional candy.

Thanks to that, Krische can once again have her two candy a day while still leaving one for Bery, putting her in an extremely good mode.

Although Krische was deeply involved in the planning, the whole army is already informed of the enemy’s expected movements and how to react.

Bogan himself made changes to the plan and the Christand army’s officers, even lower-ranking ones, have been properly trained to share information. So there is nothing for Krische to do.

She is just sitting here because Selene told her to, Krische does not have anything in particular to do here.

“The commander of the forth corps, Faren, reports that he succeeded in his assault on the enemy supply train.”

“……excellent. As expected of commander Faren. This makes our situation even more advantageous.”

As they were constructing the fort, some troops had been sent to set up an ambush.

They had been sent to attack the enemy supply train that would pass through the mountains to the west and the report that they succeeded had just arrived.

It has already been ten days since they arrived here.

Seven days since the enemy arrived.

With the enemy’s supply lines cut, they will start to fall apart.

“I want to take this chance to break through them but……”

“We cannot……making the enemy ground a quagmire backfired. If we attack now, our casualties will be large. Charging through mud will be tough on the soldiers.”

Gallen shook his head in denial.

Selene spoke up.

“It’s been so sunny these few days. Won’t it dry up after a few more days?”

“If it continues yes――but so close to the mountains, the weather is unpredictable. It all depends on the weather. Either way, the enemy’s morale will drop with time. We can afford to wait a little. They should have brought enough to last half a month……Krische, what do you think?”

Krische did the calculations in her head.

The attack on the enemy supply train succeeded――but that does not mean they burnt all the supplies.

Since it was an ambush, they could not stay for long and there should have been quite a few guards.

The forth corps that raided the supply train is very good at what they do, but some will still slip by.

Krische considered the size of the ambush and the supply train and calculated how much supplies would have reached the enemy.

“They should have about fifteen days worth. If the enemy casualty rate continues as it is now, their casualties should reach about 4000. So they will need less supplies…… it will depend on when they notice the loss of the supply train from the Empire, but even if they realise by today, they should run out of supplies in twenty days at most.”

Krische rolled the candy around on her tongue as she answered.

“There is the chance of casualties accumulating and their supplies lasting longer……but in that case, they would completely lose their numerical advantage, so there should be no need to consider that.”

“I see. So the problem is――”

“Supplies from the ten thousand left in the west, or even from the enemy’s central force.”

“Yeah. But normally, a general would not request for supplies from the central force when it is preparing for the southern invasion. He should try to get supplies from the ten thousand in the west. The possibility is still there if they run out of options though……”

Bogan is a general and has the intelligence for it.

When he asks Krische something, it mostly involves detailed calculations.

Krische rolled the candy around in her mouth as she checked the enemy’s deployment.

“Is it possible to find out immediately when the enemy realises they lost their supplies?”

“That should be no problem. I already arranged for that.”

“Then once we receive confirmation, how about sending one corp, a force of 5000 to set up a defensive position at the river crossing point in the west? If we pretend to prepare for a night attack and send them out at night, the enemy’s response should be delayed.”

“……5000? Isn’t that too dangerous?”

Selene frowned.

“Even if the enemy sends a large force there, we can counterattack with the main force here and take the enemy headquarters. Conversely, if they leave most of their forces here, the corps can just hold the defensive position and keep the enemy there. This is their shortest route and if we occupy it, the enemy’s supply train will be forced to make a large detour, buying us time.”

“……aah. So it’s fine if the enemy supplies reach them? The corps at the defensive position is simply to annoy the supply train but will not actually attack.”

“Yes. A large detour will expend some of the supplies being delivered and the extra time it takes will reduce enemy morale. They will also have to request for more supplies even sooner.”

Bogan fell into thought for a while, then nodded.

“So the problem is reducing our main force……no, only so many troops can fight at one time. So you are saying we have enough reserves?”

“Yes. We just need to buy some time for a few days and force the supply train to make a detour. Then the corps at the defensive position can be moved again, either to standby as reserve forces again or even be used to flank the enemy. Krische believes it is best to keep to the initial plan and maintain the stalemate here unless there is a good opportunity.”

“All right. Let’s do it….. messenger, call Kokys.”

“Yes sir!”

“Hahaha, I see. It certainly seems like a difficult mission, but I was getting bored. Please leave it to me.”

The second corps commander Kokys Nakutra Rinea Agrand――a large man built like a boulder.

It looked like he even trains the muscles on his face.

That is how muscular his huge body is and he feels even larger inside the tent.

His helmet and armour resembles a tiger, making him look even more imposing and heroic.

His thick voice is loud and makes Krische frown a little every time he speaks.

His voice and body and everything else is large.

In a tent, he makes it feel claustrophobic, but his large voice and size becomes an advantage on the battlefield, giving the soldiers a strong sense of reassurance.

If the commander of the first corps, Nozan, is ‘flexible’ in his command of his soldiers, then Kokys is ‘solid’

He is the best in the Christand army for simple charges and defense, he is also an excellent fighter.

He has taken countless heads in personal combat and the soldiers that follow this hero are also extremely strong.

They are most suitable for this mission.

“But the general really has adopted a good daughter. Both girls have a good sense of tactics that most men do not. I wish my son would learn from them.”

Kokys looked at the handsome messenger as he spoke.

The young man lowered his eyes and silently endured that gaze.

“Don’t say that Kokys. Guran is also doing his job well. I’m not like other generals, I only use quick-witted and competent messengers.”

“He’s just too cowardly. I’ve heard Krische-sama easily cut down a dozen bandits.”

“She is special. Even I couldn’t beat her in a sword fight. And there is nothing wrong with cowardice. We just need to give each person a role that matches their nature and makes full use of their abilities.”

“I understand that but……”

Kokys still did not look convinced, but raised his hands in surrender.

“Kokys, you decide when to retreat.”

“Yes sir. If the enemy exceeds ten thousand, we will only be able to hold out two or three days.”

“That’s fine. If you judge it is impossible, then withdraw immediately.”

“Otou-sama, how about sending the engineers that were building the dam? They should be useful in building a defensive encampment……”

“That’s a good idea. Kokys, bring along all the engineers you need. Krische, how much of the reserve material from the fort can we use?”

“……about half of the reserve. We left quite a lot just in case.”

They had only used half the resources used to build a normal fort.

The engineers had floated roughly enough resources to build a normal fort down the river, so there is a lot left over.

“In that case……it would be better to start shaving the logs into stakes now. There will not be much time when building the defensive encampment.”

“Indeed. I will get my forces to do it.”

“Kokys, don’t tell them why. We don’t know where the enemy has ears. Pretend it is an order from me that they are to help repair the fort for now.”

“Yes sir. I will only tell my adjutant and the battalion commanders involved.”

Kokys stepped out of the tent.

Such a loud man, Krische puffed out her cheeks a little in annoyance.

Selene scolded her for making that expression and poked her cheeks, making the air puff out.

After that the Christand army continued to maintain the initiative in the battle with Sarshenka’s army.

It took two days for Aleha to realise they had lost the supply train from the Empire.

He immediately sent a messenger to make an urgent request for supplies from the remaining force in the west.

The next day, Aleha realised a force of 5000 had disappeared from the enemy army and sent out a force of 6000 centered around the nomadic cavalry.

At this point, the armies facing off across the river numbered 11000 on Christand’s side and 13000 on Sarshenka’s.

The supply train they were counting on was devastated by an ambush and the supplies from the other force were forced to make a detour.

The drop in morale was severe. Their numerical advantage is lost and the failure of the first river crossing had lasting effects. Christand’s army is strong and just a slight advantage in numbers cannot be counted on.

And now they are running out of food――at this rate, defeat is inevitable.

The improvement in their ground because of the good weather only served to worsen their predicament now.

The ten thousand that stayed behind cannot be moved.

If they were moved east and the enemy’s central army attacked Wulfenite, the enemy could easily sever the supply lines.

No matter how strong a fortress is, it cannot function alone.

A fortress only has strategical value if there are supply lines to support it.

Aleha still believed his initial assessment that Christand’s actions are to assist an attack on Wulfenite and this limited his course of action.

He had conveyed his opinion on why Christand moved to the Wulfenite defensive force and the southern invasion army, so they were also forced to wait although they were ready to invade the south.

This is because the best case scenario for the Empire is the Kingdom attempting to retake Wulfenite.

Although the Empire took the Kingdom by complete surprise, the Empire paid a large price to take Wulfenite.

Wulfenite is simply such an excellent fortress.

The Empire believes that if the enemy tries to retake Wulfenite, they could easily repel the attack with the force in Wulfenite and the two armies to the north and south――once the Kingdom’s central army is repelled, the south would be isolated and easier to invade.

In fact, it may even become possible to take the enemy capital.

That would mean complete victory in this war.

But naturally, the other two armies did not just blindly believe Aleha’s message and gathered information with their own spies. The reports are clean――there is no information of such an attack.

It is only a matter of time before they are certain that this is an independent move by the Christand army.

But the battle in the north would come to an end before that.

“General! Vice-general Dakrasha is――”

It was right after Aleha made the tough decision――the decision to send a messenger to request for supplies from the central force.

Aleha was in his headquarters, reviewing the state of the battlefield from atop his horse, when he received the report of the death of his vice-general, who had been in command of the right wing――the force in the mountains.

At the same time, he learnt that the chain of command was in chaos with the loss of the second-in-command as well.

Like the Kingdom, high-ranking officers of the Imperial army has assistants that can take over in times of need――similar to the adjutants of the Kingdom’s army.

Usually those one rank lower would take over, in the Kingdom’s army, corps commanders will receive a battlefield promotion if something happened to the general. But they are usually in a different location and cannot take over immediately.

The most important job of assistants or adjutants is to temporarily take command at these times.

But if they were all lost in battle, the chain of command would collapse.

They would need to look even further down the ranks for the most senior officer that can take charge, but being in the mountains made this extremely difficult.

The soldiers in the mountains are panicking and being taken down separately.

Aleha had known that the enemy would plan a flanking attack through the mountains. That is why he put his trusted vice-general in command.

But when Dakrasha was defeated so easily and the first report was of his death instead of commencement of battle, even Aleha’s intelligent mind froze for a moment.

“What happened to the defensive line in the mountains!? I sent four thousand troops! How did this happen……!?”

“Hii”

The usually calm general snapped and grabbed the messenger by the collar, terrifying the messenger..

Seeing the messenger’s expression, Aleha realised he was just taking it out on the messenger and quickly released him.

Aleha Sarshenka is a man capable of recognising his own mistakes and correcting them.

“……sorry. It is not your fault…… so, what is the situation?”

“Everyone is confused……I was sent to inform you immediately, but err……”

“I need information, anything. What is it?”

“Er, there was a monster……”

“……monster? A magical beast?”

Just like how some humans can use mana, there are also animals that can do the same.

Animals are already stronger than humans, but magical beasts are on a whole other level, killing one is so difficult that the achievement is worthy of knighthood.

Magical beasts usually lurk deep in uninhabited forests or mountains, but there was no such information of one in this area.

But if that is the truth, they were unlucky.

“No, er……apparently, it was a silver-haired demon that looked like a young girl.”

“……it should just be a powerful noble. I guess normal soldiers would see it like that……”

There is a large difference between those that can use mana and those that cannot.

There are individual differences and it does not apply to all cases, but those with a certain level of technique and mana would seem like monsters to average humans.

The enemy second corps commander who easily wields a large spear fully made of steel is a good example.

But a skilled mana user or a magical beast.

Aleha was not sure which was worse.

“――General! Enemies have appaeared from the mountains on the right.”

“Shit! Send out Tagan and his reserves, don’t let them get close to the river no matter what! We cannot let the enemy get a beachhead on this side.”

Aleha clicked his tongue as he watched the new messenger get back on his horse and gallop away.

What should I do. What should I――

“General……we can still make it. Please give the order to retreat.”

The assistant that spoke to him was old, but his body is well-trained.

“Retreat!? Don’t you know what will happen if we retreat? The invasion――”

“……young master.”

The assistant――Walter Grizlandy was Aleha tutor when he was younger and addressed him like in the past.

“……you should have realised. The initiative will no longer come back to us.”

His tone was reprimanding

Walter took his simple helmet with a red plume and a large steel spear from his page and equipped himself.

“We fell for general Christand’s cunning misdirection this time. That is reality and it is a great failure……but you are still young. You can recover from this. At least, that is what I believe. You have learned from many failures and grown stronger each time. I have stood by your side and seen that many times.”

“……Walter.”

Aleha clenched his fist.

There is no other choice.

It is only a matter of time before the enemy secures a beachhead with the surprise flank attack.

Since the troops in the mountain cannot be counted on, the numbers are even――no, disadvantaged.

(T/N: Original says troops in the forest, I’m assuming that’s a typo)

After the failed river crossing and lack of food, the ambush and an all-out attack would cause morale to be completely lost and irrecoverable.

Aleha knew this.

“I will take the rear. Tagan will become a good commander. You will need him as a subordinate……I will take on the enemy’s blade. Call him back and retreat together.”

Aleha lower his face to hide his anguish, but his voice trembled when he spoke.

“……I will avenge you, Walter. I swear on my own name.”

“That is the young master I know……Good luck, may the blessings of god be with you.”

“I will bring honour and glory to share with you in heaven.”

Walter smiled as he rode off.

Aleha could only watch him leave for a short while before he had to switch back to being a general.

-End-