I Am the Monarch – Chapter 176 : The Decisive Battle (3)

“Just what are they planning, sir?”

Rinse Kingdom Northern Regional Corp’s Stoneham Border Gate soldier Campbell stared at the buffer zone and creased his brows .
The scene outside the border gate was brutal .
Between the bleak hills and plains, big and small orc troops had taken place .
It literally was the situation right before a battle would arise .
But strangely, the orcs merely walked up close to the gate to shout and sing, and did not make any recognizable attack .
Stoneham Border Gate Captain Heinz, who was glaring at the orcs from a watchtower, snorted .

“Hmph . Just where would there be a plan in those stupid monsters?”

A cold smile hung around his mouth .

“They got afraid at our defense forces and aren’t being able to carelessly approach . ”
“Is it like that, sir?”

Campbell tilted his head and stared at the outside of the border gate .

‘It looks like they absolutely don’t have a desire to fight though……’

He wasn’t talking of the troop’s movements or the camps’ arrangements .
The unique air that could be felt at the battlefields, that of a troop facing a battle, wasn’t felt .
Orcs were, as if .

‘They look as if they came out on an outing or something . ’

But this was only Campbell’s thought .
He couldn’t repeatedly raise a question to Heinz, who stressed the hierarchy of command .

‘Well, it’s fine for me if a battle doesn’t happen . ’

He decided to simply think well and easy of it .
But even so, the somehow uneasy feeling couldn’t be helped .

“Huu . ”

A quiet sigh flowed out on its own .
At the same time as him, there was one who was exhaling a long sigh outside the border gate also .
He was Gank, a prominent warrior of the Auraq Tribe and the one who acted as the tribe head Marrak’s right-hand man .

“Huu . ”

A sigh continued once again .
Marrak, who was raising a cheap drink next to him, creased his brows .

“Gank . Why are you sighing like that?”

They were words spat out as if to grumble .
Gank stared at the Stoneham Border Gate for a moment, then answered in a gruff voice .

“Tribe Head . Are we really going to keep staying like this?”

At those words, Marrak snickered and filled his cup .

“Hah, I was wondering what it was . We only have to intimidate them . ”

He crudely emptied his cup, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand .

“Burp . ”

A burp popped out .

“Since it’ll be difficult if a battle needlessly and actually happens, just control the guys properly . ”
“Ghn . ”

With an uncomfortable expression, Gank leaked groaned .
He stared straight at Marrak’s eyes .

“We can capture that level of gate even with our current strength . ”
“Ah hah, you really don’t listen . ”

Marrak put down the cup and stood up from his seat .
Although Gank too was of a big size that wasn’t light, he was on the small side compared to Marrak .
Unconsciously, he shrank back his neck .
Marrak pressed Gank’s shoulder and stared at the Stoneham Border Gate .

“Don’t you remember the words Chris said? He said that the fief war will end the instant we chop those **** and capture the gate . Our role is merely……”
“Holding on the bastards’ ankles……”

Gank finished the sentence .
With an expression saying ‘right’, Marrak tapped Gank’s shoulder .

“So go shout or sing a song when it’s time . Go fly some arrows at the wall if you are really bored . ”
“Ghn . Understood . ”

Gank lowered his head as if to say it couldn’t be helped, then returned to his tent .
Marrak stared at his back, then snickered out a laugh .

“You brat . Just wait a bit more . Since I’ll give you a chance to fight as much as you want . ”

A weighty smile hung around his mouth .
He rolled and rolled again his solidly stiffen head this way and that .

“Although getting the human bastards’ help is also good, but……”

The four canines crudely moved .

“Huhuhu . As expected, orcs must be like orcs . ”

A killing intent flowed in his eyes .
But Marrak soon shooked his head back and forth and grabbed his cup .

“Let’s wait a bit more . A bit more . ”

He laboriously cooled his boiling heart .
But on his eyes, the skill intent was still flowing .

*****

“It has been a while . Is it the first after the fief war started?”

The person who extended his hand as he faintly smiled was Count Jonathan Chase .

“Yes . Since the direction we each marched was different, sir . ”

The one lightly grabbing that hand was Kali Owells .
Finally, Kali had led the Owells Forces and had joined up with the Chase Legion .

“Anyhow, it’s nice to see you . ”

Jonathan sat down on his seat and shook his right hand .
A beauty who it was hard to tell whether she had worn or taken off clothes came up and filled wine into the empty cup .
Soon, a simple table of snacks and fruits were set .
It wasn’t an ordinary sight that could be seen in the middle of a battlefield .
Jonathan, while holding his cup, looked at Kali .

“You left the northeastern frontline to your son, you say?”
“Yes . ”

A short answer .

“Can he be trusted? You haven’t abruptly entrusted an important duty to him because of a reason that he is your son, no?”

Jonathan’s gaze was sharp .
However, Kali did not quail a bit .
He answered with a composed voice .

“I am not of a personality that would trust and leave an important duty because of reason that he is my son . It is something I have decided after meticulously checking him, sir . ”

It was the true to a certain degree .
It was something unknown whether he would had thrown Walter away from the start if the abilities and talent he had was pitiful .
Of course, though the point that he was the firstborn who would lead the house also couldn’t be ignored .

“You probably took care of it well yourself . ”

Jonathan cheerily smiled and nodded his head .

“Anyhow, I’ll be counting on you from now on . ”

Now was the time they had to move not as two but as one .
Kali faintly smiled and lowered his head .

“Rather, I would like to ask well of you, sir . ”

A warm mood .
But below that, a mood horrifying like a blade was flowing .

‘This **** . He isn’t one who would stay below anyone . ’

Jonathan realized that Kali’s ambition was much greater than he had thought .
That was truly an easy thing .

‘He is a **** like me . ’

Jonathan and Kali were, even if they were similar, much too similar .
However, Jonathan did now betray his heart .
He still needed Kali .
He began to spread out the plans he had thought up ahead of time .

“For now, let’s clean up the western frontline’s Tale Legion . ”
“Yes . Since the northeast’s Lancephil Guardian Army is a gang made up of farmers . ”

If they were to particularly decide the work’s order, the west was the first rather than the northeast .
Moreover, the time left until the fief war’s end wasn’t a lot .
A blitzkrieg .
It was a thought to subjugate the Tale Legion in an instant and then suppress the western frontline .
However, they did not quite know .
That the Tale Legion, no, the western frontline they were aiming at had already disappeared and was gone .

*****

“By the way, why are we keep on going towards the south?”
“You’re right . Isn’t the Pavor Castle in the west?”
“Don’t know . Since we merely do as they ordered from above . ”

Three-four soldiers busily moved their feet and chatted in a small voice .
At that moment, a young adjutant who was moving while riding a horse to the left and right of the line came up tightly close .

“Has Sir Count ever done something pointless?”
“No sir . ”

The soldiers immediately shook their heads .
It wasn’t a question that needed to be contemplated .
The young adjutant faintly smiled and nodded his head .

“Then trust and follow . For the reason we go south is because the road is there . ”

Voice filled with certainty .
The young adjutant raised his head and looked at the head of the march .
Flags raised high .

< Lancephil Guardian Army . >
< Roan Lancephil . >

Below that, Roan Lancephil was moving while riding on a warhorse .
Currently, the Lancephil Guardian Army was marching not westward but southward .
It was a course difficult to understand .
But even so, excluding a few minor soldiers, most people did not hold question at Roan’s decision .
They had came to recognize Roan’s ability through the repeating battles and victories .
Like that, the Lancephil Guardian Army’s march south continued .
After an unknown distance marched .
A cool wind flowed at the tip of their noses .
Simultaneously, a blue line of river spread in front of their eyes .
And .

“Ah! Those are……?”

Baron Andre Molde, who acted as the Guardian Army’s scout and moved the most ahead, exclaimed .
At the place the blue river and the brown-color sand met .
Following the long riverside, tens of warships were moored .
The giant flag hanging on the center mast fluttered in the wind .

< Tale Legion . >

The Lancephil Guardian Army’s soldiers, who had climbed up onto the hill a moment later, goggled their eyes .

“How is Tale Legion……”
“Weren’t they at the west?”

When everyone whispered with confused looks, a group ran towards the hill from the ships .
The group, which had instantly closed the distance and approached, soon got down from their horses and saluted .

“Sir! We greet Sir Count . ”

Resounding voices and bold looks .
A perfectly ordered sight .
They were the Tale Legion’s commanders, including Austin, Semi, and Austin .
The tip of Roan’s mouth softly went up .

“You arrived as the schedule . ”
“Yes sir . As you have ordered, we moved under the cover of the dark . Excluding Brian and the troop below him located at the western end, the entire Tale Legion has arrived safely . ”

Austin reported .
Roan, with a proud expression, nodded his head .

“You have done well . I will immediately hold a meeting of the commanders . ”
“Yes . We shall prepare it, sir . ”

Austin quickly answered, then sent a hand signal .
Already, the Tale Legion had perfectly set its system .
The thousand-man rank commanders rapidly and perfectly executed the order .

‘Is this that very Tale Legion?’
‘The most powerful of the powerful army that won countless victories in numerous battles . ’

Baron Bernard Landingham and Baron Andre Molde inwardly exclaimed greatly .
At that moment, Austin and Semi saluted towards Bernard and Andre .

“I am Austin, Tale Legion’s vice-commander and the Piedes Troop’s three-thousand-man commander, sir . ”
“Sir, I am Semi, Tale Legion’s vice-commander and the Impasse Troop’s three-thousand-man commander . ”

Bernard and Andre, at the abrupt greetings, quickly lowered their heads .

“I am Bernard Lancephil Guardian Army’s Bernard Landingham . ”
“I’m Lancephil Guardian Army’s Andre Molde . ”

Although they were nobles, they couldn’t thoughtlessly speak down on Austin and Semi .
The position called the vice-commander of a legion, and the one that led Count Roan Lancephil’s legion at that wasn’t a level that one could face informally .
Roan lightly glanced at the four people, then pulled his rein .

“Then should we go to the meeting room?”
“Yes . I will lead the way, sir . ”

The one who quickly got on a warhorse was Harrison .
Soon, with him at the head, numerous commanders’ movement began .
Simultaneously, the Lancephil Guardian Army’s soldiers, who had done a difficult march over a long time, also received the guide of the Tale Legion’s soldiers and were able to take a sweet time to rest for once .
The moment the Owells Forces and the Chase Legion joined up .
Not at the west, but in the south as well, the Tale Legion and the Lancephil Guardian army, which had been far apart, came to combine their strengths .
The Tale Legion and the Lancephil Guardian Army against the Chase Legion and the Owells Forces .
As if they had planned with each other, each side’s two pivotal legions came together under a single flag .
Of course, although this was all a board that Roan and his retainers had made, unfortunately, Jonathan and Kali weren’t able to guess such truth at all .

*****

“I reorganize the Lancephil Guardian Army as the Lancephil Legion and appoint Bernard and Andre as the vice-commanders as well as five-thousand-man commanders . ”

At Roan’s words, all retainers lowered their heads .
Because it was the result that had came out after a long debate and mediation, there was no one who opposed or spoke complaints .
Furthermore, it merely sounds five-thousand-man commander, and the soldiers Bernard and Andre actually commanded was not quite three thousand .
By that much, Lancephil Legion’s numbers was a level that was yet absurdly lacking to be called a legion .

‘Since we also left a troop at the northeastern frontline, it can’t be helped . ’

But even so, it wasn’t as if the Lancephil Guardian Army’s strength was also completely a mess .
Because the Pavor Academy’s graduates and students were composed, even though their numbers were small, they showed off a rather powerful might .

“Then are we marching northwest from now on towards the Pavor Castle, sir?”

When Austin cautiously asked, Roan slowly nodded his head .

“It would be a fierce march like a blaze . With the Pavor Castle as the starting point, I plan to completely reclaim the eastern region . ”

If they could only and perfectly reclaim the eastern region according to the plan, the frontline that would be left was only one place .
It was the western frontline, where the Chase Legion, who receded to the rear saying they will subjugate the Tale Legion, and the Owells Forces were located .
At that moment, Andre spoke up with a stiffly solidified expression .

“It would be good if things go according to the plan, but Walter Owells is there on the northeastern frontline, sir . ”
“Ah! Right . There is that **** . ”

Bernard creased his forehead and echoed .
With a voice full of annoyance and anger, Andre added on .

“Although I do not wish to admit it, but that traitor bastard’s abilities are quite excellent . In fact, the northeastern frontline’s Lancephil Guardian Army is having a large and difficult battle . ”

As long as Walter is there, completely capturing the eastern region with the Pavor Castle as the starting point would not be so easy .
Instead, it could become a situation where they would have to fight while having an enemy troop at their back .
Everyone made worried expression .
However, Roan at least was greatly relaxed and composed .

“There is nothing to worry of Walter . ”

If he could, he wished to reveal that he was his man .

‘It isn’t the time yet . ’

He inwardly shook his head .
At least until they brought down one of the enemy forces’ pivots, he thought to protect the secret .

“He isn’t such an easy bastard, sir . ”

Only Andre, who did not knew the truth, was frustrated .
Roan faintly smiled and tapped his chest with his right hand .

“Trust me . ”

His voice was filled with certainty .
When it came to this point, Andre too couldn’t speak up the same words anymore .
It was also the same for the other retainers .
Roan looked at such retainers for a moment, then shook his forefinger at Austin .
Austin slightly lowered his head, then sent a hand signal towards the subordinates at the back .
Soon, one soldier brought a tube about as thick as a forearm .
Austin received the tube and carefully opened the lid, then took out a long bundle of paper from its inside .

‘What the?’
‘What is it?’

Many retainers, including Bernard and Andre, tilted their heads with puzzled looks .

Crackle .

Following a soft gesture of the hand, the bundle of paper spread out on top of the table .
Suddenly, everyone’s eyes widely opened .

“Th, this is……?”
“Is this perhaps……?”

Andre and Bernard couldn’t easily continue their words and stuttered .
Austin cheerfully smiled and nodded his head .

“Yes . It’s the Lancephil Fief’s map . ”

The giant paper that spread on top of the table .
That was in fact a map that meticulously draw the Lancephil and the Tale Region .
It wasn’t even comparable to the maps possessed by the Palace Library, the duke houses, or large merchants .

‘I, I’ve never seen a map like this . ’

That size and accuracy was truly incredible .
It was almost as if the sight of Lancephil Fief was spreading in front of their eyes .
Roan looked at the half-dazed retainers and spread his right index finger .

Ssk .

The index finger slowly moved above the map, then soon stopped above a valley located east of the Pavor Castle .

< Arslan Valley . >

With the tip of his index finger, Roan lightly tapped the Arslan Valley .

“The location of the first decisive battle is Arslan . ”

It was a powerful voice .
Roan looked straight at the retainers’ eyes .

“We will annihilate the Owells Forces here . ”

< The Decisive Battle (3) > End .

Translator : CSV

Proofreader: Kuhaku