37-123

EP.123 The Decisive Battle for the Empire’s Fate (3) 

The imperial army’s morale, which had plummeted, recovered only slightly thanks to the encouragement of frontline commanders, but their ordeal was far from over. 

After two months of marching, the imperial soldiers except for the sentries went to bed early to rest their exhausted bodies, but before long, they were forcibly awakened. 

Boom boom boom boom boom! Clang clang clang clang! 

“Night raid!!” 

“It’s an enemy surprise attack!!” 

Waaaaaaah~~ 

The blaring of drums and gongs from around the camp triggered emergency alarms from the sentries. 

“Get up!!” 

“Form ranks!! Prinz’s army is launching a night raid!!” 

Rushing out of their tents and arming themselves, the imperial soldiers, true to their elite status, quickly formed ranks and defensive lines. 

But… 

“What? There’s nothing happening?” 

“They said it was a night raid? Where’s the enemy?” 

“Sentries!! What are you doing? Did you doze off and imagine things?” 

There was no attack by Prinz’s army, and the soldiers, forcibly awakened, began to loudly blame the sentries for the false alarm. 

In the end, even Supreme Commander Derian had to come out and check what was going on. After hearing reports from the officers in charge of security, he made the best judgment for the situation. 

‘There’s no way hundreds of sentries all heard the same drum and gong sounds by mistake. Most likely, Prinz’s army tried a small night raid but was scared off by our tight security.’ 

“The sentries didn’t make a mistake! The enemy probably attempted a night raid but turned back when they saw our strict nighttime defenses! So stop blaming your comrades and commend them for their hard work!!” 

Though annoyed, the commander’s reasoning was sound, and if there had been a real night raid, someone would surely have died. So, after a few muttered apologies, the soldiers returned to their beds. 

But that night, they had to repeat the same situation three more times. 

Even the cavalry was sent out to chase the drum sounds, but where the noise came from, they found dozens of magically enchanted, self-playing drums. Frustrated, they destroyed all but one drum to report back to Derian and returned to camp. 

In the end, the imperial army spent the night sleepless, their exhaustion shown by the dark circles under their eyes. 

“Damn… Such cowardly tricks on the eve of a sacred battle… Whoever did this, I won’t let it go!!” 

Baron Ziegvalt, commander of the 4th Corps, ground his teeth in anger, but Supreme Commander Derian remained calm. 

“The one who gets tricked is the fool there’s no such thing as cowardice in war. Let’s set aside our anger and discuss how to break through Prinz’s defensive line.” 

“We outnumber the enemy in soldiers, knights, and quality. Normally, we’d just crush them…” 

“Yes, but if we get overwhelmed by the enemy’s masters like at Zenon Plains, things could change.” 

As the corps commanders worried, two men entered the tent. 

“Are you seriously thinking we’ll lose to the Third Prince?” 

“Your Excellency!!” 

The two men were Count Kashu and Viscount Amin. 

“Well… I admit we lost to that Tiruene fellow at Zenon Plains. I wasn’t in good shape then… and his level was almost equal to Captain Lichtenauer.” 

“So then…” 

“But just in case, His Majesty gave me the last elixir he had in reserve. Now I’m completely recovered no, even stronger! I’m confident I could take on Tiruene now!” 

Count Kashu drew his sword, showing off his fierce aura to the commanders. 

“I spread rumors that I was still recovering, so the Third Prince will only be wary of Viscount Amin. While Amin duels him, I’ll look for a chance to stab him in the back.” 

“But that’s not knightly…” 

“You still think I’m just a knight? I don’t care about such honor. Today I’ll take the Third Prince’s head and present it to His Majesty, then ask for a rematch with Tiruene!!” 

Derian nodded at Kashu’s ferocity, but couldn’t hide his regret at how the once-righteous knight had changed. 

‘Before fighting Tiruene, he was the most just of knights… What happened to him to make him like this?!’ 

“But the enemy has more than just the Third Prince as a master. His fiancée, Princess Eliza, also became a master.” 

“Don’t worry. A rookie who’s only been a master for a year is no match for us. So, launch a full assault as soon as the battle starts. Otherwise, I’ll cut off your head and order the attack myself!” 

Even though it’s standard for the commander to control the army, Count Kashu’s wild orders ignored all protocol. 

Hearing the reckless order to launch a full assault, Derian looked at Viscount Amin for help, but Amin, being Kashu’s senior and a more experienced master, seemed unable to intervene. 

“…Understood. I’ll trust you both. Please, bring us victory.” 

Seeing Kashu’s wild, mad eyes, Derian could only accept his order and ask the corps commanders to lead their troops as best as they could. 

At sunrise, the imperial army finished preparations and marched to the decisive plain. 

After formal surrender demands were exchanged, the sound of horns signaled the attack, and the imperial capital corps and 3rd Corps advanced together, while the 1st and 4th Corps on the flanks watched for the enemy’s response. 

“Why aren’t the left and right wings attacking?” 

“Those two corps alone outnumber the enemy. Besides, the 1st and 4th fought alongside the Third Prince at Streve. They think it’s more efficient to send them in after you defeat the Third Prince.” 

“Hm… Fine. As soon as I defeat the Third Prince, send them in.” 

Count Kashu seemed a bit displeased, but let it go, and advanced to the front with Viscount Amin. 

Watching them go, Derian sighed deeply. 

“Damn, we could really lose… If the Third Prince wins, I’ll have to play my next card immediately.” 

Derian sent a messenger to a tent deep in the camp, thinking of his secret weapon. 

Meanwhile, as the imperial army advanced, Prinz’s army held their tight formation and prepared a solid defense. 

“Don’t forget your training! The Third Prince showed you how to survive!!” 

“If you can’t trust yourselves, trust all the hard work you’ve done! And trust the Third Prince who trained you!!” 

The commanders shouted themselves hoarse, encouraging the soldiers, and as they thought of Yuno, the soldiers felt some of their tension ease as they faced the approaching imperial army. 

“They’re coming hard from the start? That’s not usually Derian’s style.” 

“If our army was still in its old state, this would have been a good tactic. They’d have the numbers and training advantage. But…” 

Watching the imperial and allied shield-bearers clash, Viscount Leberkin continued, 

“From this moment, the imperial army will realize we’re not easy prey.” 

With a smile, Leberkin calmly commanded the troops with the authority Yuno had given him. 

“Hold a strict defensive line! The enemy will never break through our defense!!” 

Just as Leberkin said, the imperial vanguard quickly realized Prinz’s army was no pushover. 

KWAANG!! 

A huge crash rang out as steel shields slammed together. 

The imperial heavy infantry tried to smash through with their trademark destructive shock, but Prinz’s heavy infantry didn’t budge instead, they bounced the attackers back. 

“What? Is that all you’ve got?” 

“Didn’t have breakfast? Hahaha, go back and eat properly before you come at us again!” 

Hearing the taunts from Prinz’s army, the imperial soldiers felt humiliated. They’d never seen a unit that didn’t yield to their charge, not even in the defeat at Zenon Plains. 

But the exhaustion of a long march and lack of sleep had left the imperials in poor shape, while Prinz’s army, hardened by Yuno’s training, was fighting at full strength completely contrary to the imperial command’s expectations. 

“Let’s show those legionnaires what real heavy infantry is!” 

“Push!!” 

With a fierce shout, Prinz’s front line pushed back the imperial legionnaires. 

As the shields clashed again, gaps opened in the imperial line, and Prinz’s second-rank pikemen thrust into the openings. 

“Gahhh!!” 

“Hold the line, you bastards!!” 

With the first death screams echoing across the field, the imperial army’s cries of pain spread along the front. 

Thus, the imperial all-out assault began to turn into a retreat, with the imperial army being pushed back.