Chapter 141 - A Fish in Water, or a Foal off its Reins (4)

The citadel's commanders fiercely opposed it.

It was their common consensus that they could not hold out for long in their current state, and should retreat the moment an opportunity arose.

"So when is that opportunity coming?"

The commanders shut their mouths when I asked crookedly. But they quickly opened them again to complain about the difficulties of defending the citadel, expressing just how uncertain my opinion was.

From their perspective, it was a reasonable refutation.

To those who had not experienced the Third Imperial Prince firsthand, my words would have seemed like nothing more than a gamble risking their lives on an uncertainty.

I had no intention of going out of my way to persuade them.

"Suit yourselves."

I retorted crookedly and shut my mouth.

I crossed my arms and leaned my back against the chair. Those watching me frowned.

It seemed my attitude appeared entirely too irresponsible.

I snorted.

I was nothing but a stranger in the first place. The ones who had to decide the citadel's fate were them, not me.

And I intended to willingly follow whatever decision they made.

Because as for me, having a battlefield to fight the Imperial Army on was enough.

Whether it was an urgent battlefield encountered during an unlikely escape, or whatever else, it didn't matter.

Perhaps realizing my stance belatedly, the citadel's commanders soon ignored me and started exchanging opinions amongst themselves.

However, no clever scheme emerged to overcome the difficult war situation.

In a frustrating situation with no solution in sight, the atmosphere in the conference room overheated to no avail.

Eventually, someone even presented the irresponsible opinion that they should only take the soldiers and flee, spreading baseless optimism that the Imperial Army wouldn't touch civilians either.

"Stop! Is that something a knight of Dotrin should say right now!"

Unable to endure it, the old commander stepped forward and thundered.

"Even looking at past history, you should know how the Imperial Army treats the residents of occupied territories. I have absolutely no intention of leaving the civilians behind in the citadel. Find a way for everyone to live together."

At the old commander's words, the commanders shut their mouths.

Silence hung over the conference room.

"Commander of the Vale Mercenaries, Ian, was it?"

The one who broke the silence and spoke again was the old commander.

"That's right. I am indeed the Commander of the Vale Mercenaries, Ian."

"Right. Commander Ian. Let's assume your words are correct. Let's assume that a path to survival will open up when the Third Imperial Prince arrives on the battlefield."

The old commander sent a heavy gaze my way.

"Then is there a way to hold out until then?"

At those words, I answered as if I had been waiting.

"They will only launch an offensive again after they have recovered from the damages they suffered in the battle."

"That is likely so."

"Then we just have to prevent them from recovering from those damages."

"Speak in detail."

At the old commander's words, I shrugged my shoulders.

"There's really no need to speak in detail."

After answering like that, I immediately added,

"All we have to do is inflict more damage before they can recover from the current damage."

The old commander's eyes went round.

"Don't tell me..."

"I will infiltrate the enemy camp and cause a ruckus."

Enough damage so that they couldn't come to their senses, so they wouldn't even be able to think about the citadel.

* * *

The meeting came to an end.

I was about to stand up from my seat when the old commander asked me.

"But how did you enter the citadel in that situation?"

I answered apathetically.

"I just walked in."

The old commander let out a hollow laugh. He didn't seem to believe my words.

"I just blended in and walked with them, and since the citadel gates happened to be open, I came in."

"And the imperial soldiers just watched you do that?"

"They didn't just watch, they actually pushed my back telling me to hurry up and move forward."

The commander laughed heartily at my answer.

After laughing for a good while, the commander's face turned serious. Standing up from his seat and correcting his posture, he politely bowed his head to me.

"If this matter is resolved safely, I will reward you handsomely."

To that expression of gratitude, I told him to just make sure my pay was generous and left the conference room.

* * *

The Commander of the Imperial Army was not in a good mood at all.

The fall of the citadel, which he had put effort into for two months, was right around the corner, but some random bastard had shown up and interfered.

And the precious Paladin sent by the Third Imperial Prince had died at the hands of that very bastard.

It was something akin to force majeure, but the scoundrel-like Third Imperial Prince was unlikely to consider such circumstances.

If he had at least captured the citadel, he could have passed on that merit and preserved his position, but he had failed even that.

Everything was a total mess.

"Why is he coming here, of all the many battlefields."

The Commander hurled curses at the Third Imperial Prince.

If that worthless scum hadn't come here in the first place, he wouldn't have suffered damages launching an unreasonable offensive against a nearly finished citadel, and he wouldn't have had to worry over the death of the Paladin.

Things were twisted in more ways than one just because of that single scum.

However, the situation was too dire to just sit around holding a grudge.

He had to seek out a way to survive somehow.

There was only one way.

Capturing the citadel and offering that martial merit to the Third Imperial Prince; it was a bitter pill to swallow, but it was the only way to save his neck.

"Tonight, we attack the citadel again."

He immediately summoned the knights and handed down the operation.

It was an all-out offensive targeting the entire citadel wall.

The enemy's remaining forces weren't numerous anyway. With any luck, they could enter the citadel this evening.

"What will you do about that twin-sword knight?"

One of the knights raised a concern.

"We ignore him. No matter how much of a monster he is, he's still just one man. He cannot turn the tide of battle alone."

No matter how wildly that monster-like knight rampaged, he could barely block just one of the north, south, east, or west walls. If they battered the citadel from all sides, it would eventually fall into their hands.

One of the knights expressed worry, asking if they shouldn't make at least minimal preparations.

It was a heavily intimidated face.

It was a pathetic display, but the Commander did not show it. Now was not the time to berate the knights.

He stated that he would have the Mages keep the twin-sword knight in check, and urged the knights to focus on attacking the walls.

And so the meeting came to an end.

The Commander immediately returned to his tent and tried to get some sleep.

"Tonight will be very long."

Sneering at the Dotrin army that had stubbornly held out for two months, he fell asleep.

Then, he suddenly opened his eyes.

For some reason, it was noisy outside.

"What's going on outside!"

When he asked in a groggy voice, a Royal Guard promptly opened the tent flap and came in.

But his expression was not good at all.

"It's a surprise attack from the Dotrin army!"

"What kind of nonsense is that!"

It was the Dotrin army that still hadn't even put out the magical flames on the citadel. Having suffered through an offensive all night long, they had no strength left to spare.

"The food storages are on fire! Sir Agnew and Sir Goose, who went out to extinguish the flames, have lost contact!"

"Why are you only telling me this now!"

"I also just heard the news..."

Shoving past the knight who was making excuses with a daunted face, he stepped out of the tent.

"Ah..."

The Commander let out a groan.

The encampment was in chaos. Soldiers who should have been resting in preparation for the all-out offensive were running around everywhere.

"Enemy numbers?"

Grinding his teeth, he asked in a cold voice.

"We haven't figured that out yet..."

"There won't be many. Because the Dotrin forces in the fortress have no strength to spare."

Quickly grasping the situation, the Commander summoned the knights and poured out orders.

"Go and take care of it right now!"

The knights rushed out of the tent.

The Commander had no doubt that this chaos would soon be quelled.

But that was nothing more than his hope.

As the sun that had risen high began to set, the chaos did not subside.

Instead, it only grew bigger.

"At this rate, launching an offensive this evening will be impossible..."

The Commander suddenly snapped to his senses.

"So that's what they were aiming for."

Belatedly realizing the enemy's intentions, he summoned the knights once more.

However, the number of knights who answered the summons was far too few.

"It seems they are taking time to find the enemies who infiltrated the encampment."

The knights said their comrades would return soon.

They did return.

With only their heads left.

"Do a headcount right now!"

A few of the knights left the tent.

But even those who left did not return.

Only then realizing the severity of the situation, the Commander summoned all the key personnel.

Nearly half of them did not come.

About half of the half that didn't return showed up as headless corpses.

"What kind of nonsensical situation is this!"

The Commander shouted furiously.

In half a day, a third of the officers commanding the legion had been assassinated or gone missing. Among them were even knights with three rings.

He absolutely could not believe it. But he couldn't not believe it either.

The scheduled offensive was unable to even be attempted as that night passed.

Only after that could the Commander confirm the exact damages.

"This is..."

Dozens of corpses were laid out in front of the tent. Among them were the knights who had gone out to extinguish the food storage fires, and knights who had confidently set out to catch and execute the enemy.

And there were also the exceedingly precious Mages.

The Commander felt dizzy.

Capturing the citadel was not the problem. In a single day, a third of the army's senior commanders had vanished.

He had to correct the chain of command right away.

He swiftly gave orders.

He assigned others to the vacant posts and promoted commanders to fill in the gaps.

But it was a meaningless act.

After a day passed, more vacancies appeared.

"I clearly told them to strengthen their guard!"

Shouting as his anger reached its peak, he flopped down.

It wasn't that the knights had ignored military orders.

They had formed groups and shared tents together. So that if they were ambushed by any chance, they could all unite and respond.

The enemy cunningly aimed for that gap.

When the knights clumped together, they attacked the frontline commanders who were supposed to lead the soldiers at the very front.

As a result, half of the frontline commander positions became vacant.

It was just yesterday that he had promoted the subordinate commanders to fill the senior commander spots. But now, he was in a situation where he had to demote the remaining ones to give them the roles of frontline commanders.

It was enough to make him go crazy and jump up and down.

"Select useful ones from among the veteran soldiers and fill the spots."

Like that, he patched together the chain of command that had become a mess again.

However, the nightmare had only just begun.

The enemy's surprise attacks did not distinguish between day and night. During that process, countless commanders died off, and now the soldiers no longer considered becoming a commander to be a success.

They preferred to remain as soldiers rather than be exposed to the threat of assassination.

Even so, he forcibly promoted them and made them commanders. And then, just in case, he ordered all commanders to use the same tents and wear the same uniforms as the regular soldiers.

When he did that, the deaths of low-ranking commanders dropped significantly.

The problem was that the senior commanders became targets once again.

They adamantly refused to share tents with low-ranking soldiers, and they considered it a disgrace to wear the same uniforms as the soldiers.

And that arrogance led them to their deaths.

Now, the number of remaining commanders was less than half. It was a woefully insufficient number to move a legion-sized force.

The food was burned, and the spare weapons and siege engines were destroyed.

It was a disastrous situation.

What was even more terrible was the fact that even with things reaching this state, they still hadn't figured out the enemy's true identity.

Who the enemy was, and how many there were. Whether they really were the Dotrin forces from the citadel.

They could know nothing at all.

"Your Excellency. A message has arrived stating that His Highness the Third Imperial Prince is now four days away."

To make matters worse, the tyrannical and incompetent Third Imperial Prince was apparently right around the corner.

The Commander squeezed his eyes shut.

"Starting today, all commanders will stay in one tent. There will be no exceptions, and I will not accept any refusals."

He eventually forced the prideful knights and nobles to stay in a single tent. If they didn't want to take off their armor and officer uniforms, they had to clump together in one place so the enemy wouldn't dare ambush them.

"Tomorrow, we attack the citadel again."

And he ordered that they would attack the citadel as soon as day broke.

The casualties among the commanders were heavy, but compared to the entire force, it was miniscule.

"If I had just ignored it and attacked from the beginning, things wouldn't have reached this point."

He felt regret. So he was going to try and correct his regrets from now on.

But unfortunately, he would have no such opportunity.

A guest visited during the night.

"It was you."

Confirming the intruder's identity, the Commander got a hollow look on his face.

In front of him stood a man with a cloak pulled low. Carrying twin swords on his back.

"It was impossible in the first place unless it was a monster like you. It was my blunder not thinking that a knight like you would step forward for such a dishonorable mission."

"Is that a provocation?"

"A knight who knows no pride. That lofty martial prowess is put to shame."

Having given up on everything, the Commander rained mockery upon the knight.

But the twin-sword knight remained all too nonchalant.

"I'm not a knight though?"

"What?"

"I'm a mercenary."

The mercenary grinned and introduced himself.

"Commander of the Vale Mercenaries, Ian."

The Commander assumed his opponent was ashamed of the dishonorable mission and was concealing his identity to the end.

Because in all the world, there didn't exist a mercenary who could defeat an imperial Paladin and display the might to hold off a legion single-handedly.

"Anyway, good work out there."

"The imperial prince of Bourgogne has arrived right around the corner. If you kill me, you will incur his wrath."

He made a threat. But it didn't work.

"That's why you're dying."

"What?"

"So that he can move the troops however he pleases."

Only then did the Commander realize the enemy's true aim.

He didn't know how, but the opponent knew what kind of person the Third Imperial Prince was. Just how incompetent he was, and just how stubborn. And in what manner he would lead the army.

The opponent was planning to make the Imperial Army self-destruct through the Third Imperial Prince.

"You bastaaaard!"

He shouted in rage, and that became his final will.

GURGLE.

He felt a sting on his neck, and then the world turned white.

"I will take responsibility and look after His Precious Highness the Third Imperial Prince."

As his consciousness faded, his opponent whispered in his ear.

"I promise. He will be on a winning streak. The fall of the citadel will be his merit, and he will continue to rack up numerous merits."

At those words, the Commander's eyes snapped open.

"Because that's the only way he'll get closer to the imperial throne."

The opponent he thought was only trying to change the fate of a single citadel or wear down a legion or two at best was actually trying to grab hold of and shake the fate of the empire.

"H-How dare..."

Belatedly realizing that fact, the Commander desperately reached out his hand and grabbed the man by the collar.

But his life, which was already on the brink, vainly snuffed out just like that.

* * *

A man who was once a Commander leading an army, but was now dead and turned into a corpse.

Ian stared blankly at the corpse before stretching.

"Once today's work is over, I should be able to get a good three days of rest."

The Sword Maiden, who appeared like a ghost from the darkness, made a hand gesture.

「A fish in water.」

"What?"

「Nothing.」

Dismissing Gunne's hand gestures casually, Ian gripped his twin swords and recited a poem.

And then, tearing the tent to shreds, he shouted in all directions.

"Commander of the Vale Mercenaries! Ian is here!"

Discovering him tearing through the tent, the imperial Royal Guards drew their swords in horror.

Ian slaughtered them just like that.

The mercenary wielding twin golden swords ran rampant in all directions.

Hiding in the shadows, Gunne drove a dagger into the neck of some unfortunate knight, watched that sight, and faintly moved her lips.

'He looks like an unbridled foal.'

Just as she said, Ian looked extremely excited.

There was no Winter Castle to protect here, and no need to lay low out of concern for the empire's vigilance.

He was clearly savoring freedom on a battlefield where he wasn't bound by anything.

"Who will face me, Ian, Commander of the Vale Mercenaries!"

Standing tall atop the corpses of the imperial knights, Ian roared.

Watching him, the Imperial Army hesitantly backed away.

* * *

Three days later, the Third Imperial Prince appeared on the battlefield.

He quickly took control of the troops whose chain of command had collapsed and attacked Dotrin's citadel. Dotrin's fortress was helpless before the Third Imperial Prince's stratagems and tactics.

During that process, an incident occurred where the Third Imperial Prince was captured alive by Dotrin's Sword Master, but the Third Imperial Prince dealt with it wisely and succeeded in escaping.

On top of that, while he was held captive, he figured out the fortress's weakness and even found a clue to conquering the impregnable fortress that had blocked the Imperial Army's path for a lengthy two months.

And finally, the fortress fell.

There was no pursuit.

It was because of the Third Imperial Prince's strict military order.

"I do not know who it was, but there is a righteous man inside who helped me escape. He is a citizen of Dotrin, yet he willingly saved me and even offered up his own country's secrets. He said the people of Dotrin are just waiting for my arrival."

He expressed concern that the people of Dotrin, who were merely waiting to be liberated from Dotrin's wicked oppression, might be harmed in a violent pursuit, showing the mercy of canceling the pursuit entirely.

The Imperial Army praised that benevolence of treating even the enemy nation's people as preciously as his own, and they praised the name of the Third Imperial Prince who had conquered the impregnable citadel.

At least, that was how it became known.