Chapter 8
“It’s a fallacy to say we must wait for the return of the scouts to formulate a plan. Of course, I agree that’s ideal, but we don’t have a better option right now. Even if other cities surrender, you won’t change the plan, will you?”
“…….”
“The surrounding area is isolated by mountains and rivers, which lowers the risk of news reaching the capital before we move. Plus, the distance to the major commercial cities is the shortest. Furthermore, due to the geographical advantages, they’ve had little need to train militarily, despite being close to the border.”
With a thud, a red pin was placed in a corner of the map. A slender finger glided straight from the pin to another point. Etienne followed that fingertip with a dazed expression.
“With this route, we can move… then our true objective will be Raven.”
“……As I’ve mentioned, the movement route of our troops is strictly confidential.”
“I said your excuses are sufficient. If you’ve devised a strategy that doesn’t account for the largest commercial city in the western enemy territory being in our path, you don’t deserve to be a commander. Stop with the ‘confidential’ talk and let’s continue discussing.”
The subordinate, whose authority had been cut off four times in a row, sat down next to her, his expression somehow deflated.
In truth, there was no need to conceal such confidential information from someone who had this level of certainty. While he couldn’t dismiss his doubts entirely, he had a certain confidence that if she were a spy, she wouldn’t reveal her cards so readily.
“Have you considered the supply routes? With our current supplies, we won’t last long. Most of our personnel are Divine Power users, so we can reach Glen without much trouble, but the road to Raven won’t be short.”
“Ah, if we move along this route beyond the border… you see? There’s a small village on the way to Raven. It’s a place with little external interaction, making it ideal for concealing our troop movements.”
“Looking at the surrounding terrain, it doesn’t seem conducive to commerce or agriculture. Are you suggesting we call our supply troops here?”
“You understood correctly.”
“In that case, it would be wise to stay in Glen longer than planned. At least an additional four days.”
“Excuse me?”
“Let’s discuss the details once we arrive at Glen. It will be faster to confirm in person.”
“…….”
“If you can’t decide right away, feel free to take your time. It wouldn’t be easy to change a previously settled matter with just one of my words.”
As Etienne searched for a response, the weight of her unspoken words that he would soon make a decision settled heavily in his ears.
“Can I say one more thing before we go?”
“Go ahead.”
“It would be wise to confiscate the belongings of those spies beforehand. I’m sure you understand that what they hide in their clothing isn’t the only thing they possess.”
Her firm voice echoed in his mind, and even as he sat at his desk, Etienne couldn’t focus on his work. He was completely absorbed in replaying his conversation with Mia from the previous night.
***
Mia Blanchard was undoubtedly capable. This was evidenced by how, without presenting any substantial grounds, she had shaken his conviction with a command-like demand.
His certainty that the path he had chosen was the best route and his belief that the daughter of the Blanchard family, who had never experienced battle, could not devise a viable strategy in practice crumbled helplessly in front of her.
Perhaps it was because she had anticipated their movement route in less than a minute after she had first mentioned the operation, or it could have been due to her meaningful warning, or perhaps it was the unyielding confidence in her eyes, the source of which he couldn’t discern.
The important thing was that Etienne was seriously considering her proposal. So much so that he couldn’t concentrate on his paperwork because he was so absorbed in the thought of her suggestion.
Typically, he would have dismissed such matters without a second thought, but the fact that he was so shaken suggested that his heart was leaning toward accepting her proposal.
Etienne, lost in thoughts that seemed very unlike him, let out a bitter laugh. Why would he entertain the suggestion of someone with no battle experience, attempting to distort the route he had carefully determined with trusted strategists?
His feelings toward her were entirely separate from this issue. The battlefield was a place where, even if you harbored goodwill toward someone, you should not readily accept their proposals. Especially not in a situation where it was nearly certain that that someone lacked knowledge of strategy and tactics. He didn’t want to endanger not only himself but also those he sought to protect.
Even knowing the other party had no malicious intent didn’t change matters. Etienne knew all too well how many unforeseen accidents occurred due to well-meaning people who acted rashly without understanding the situation.
Yet, despite this, Etienne wanted to follow Mia’s words.
What was it that she had said?
As if her words carried some kind of meaning…
With a soft clatter, the pen that had been aimlessly wobbling between Etienne’s fingers fell to the desk. It was only then that he realized he hadn’t focused on any documents for quite a long time.
The stack of papers on his desk was still a mountain, but there weren’t many matters that required immediate attention. Letting out a sigh, Etienne shoved the piles of paper to one side and pulled out a map from the drawer. It was of the same type that Mia Blanchard had shown him the previous night.
‘Why did she bring that up?’
‘What was she thinking, pushing herself without resting after such grueling training…?’
Ignoring the tumult in his mind, Etienne began to connect a few points on the map. With each connection, one or two red pins bloomed on the map.
Glen, Raven, and the cities that had to be passed to reach Raven. The capital of the Empire. The key points to conquer. The border and plains. The mountains. The supply routes…
There was something that felt significant, but it was challenging to find a solid connection. That was also the reason she had insisted on presenting her proposal to him since dawn.
phew…
Just as the useless map began to resemble a porcupine with pins sticking out, a soldier rushed into Etienne’s tent. It was an impolite intrusion without any prior notice.
Startled from his deep contemplation, Etienne instinctively furrowed his brows, but upon seeing the soldier’s state, he forgot to reprimand him.
“Report.”
“C-Commander… cough.”
The soldier, spitting out dark red blood onto the high-quality carpet, managed to open his mouth with great difficulty.
“Our prisoners… they… self-destructed… cough… self-destructed…”
He couldn’t finish his words and began to tremble, ultimately collapsing.
“Tch.”
Etienne nervously grabbed the soldier’s wrist to check his pulse and then called for the medic.
No wonder he couldn’t focus on anything; it seemed today was destined to be unlucky.
***
Contrary to what Etienne had surmised from the soldier’s condition, the damage to his side was not significant. The explosion had a small radius, and the barracks where the prisoners were kept were somewhat separated from the living quarters.
Most of the barracks around the prisoner holding area were used for storage, so the damage was likely limited to supplies, aside from the guards. A few barracks had been completely destroyed, so it couldn’t be said the losses were negligible, but since they hadn’t crossed the border yet, the loss of some supplies wasn’t a fatal incident.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t angry about being taken by surprise by the prisoners he thought he had fully captured, but looking at it coldly, it was sheer luck that the damage was limited to this extent.
‘Perhaps it’s only natural, since the goddess is surely watching over us.’
Etienne grabbed a passing soldier and fired off questions.
“Did you conduct a thorough search of the area? Are you certain there were no external collaborators? Have you seen anyone here recently who shouldn’t be in this vicinity?”
“Y-Yes! We haven’t seen any suspicious individuals! There doesn’t seem to have been any collaborators…”
“…seem?”
The soldier flinched at Etienne’s cold voice.
“Y-Yes…! I’ll search the area now!”
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