Chapter 75: She-Devil (4)

On the Western detour up North, Milton began to speed up the march. This was because he didnt want to fall behind the Strabus Kingdom advancing from the East.

Along the way, Milton talked with Bianca to find out what she could do. Since magicians were so rare, it was important to figure out what she could do and how well she could do them.

He soon found out that her abilities were more useful than he had thought. At first, he imagined her taking out thousands of enemies with a single blow. But according to Bianca, there was no magician in this day and age who could do that. It wasnt that she couldnt use attack magic, but Bianca said that even if she used her full power, she would only be able to deal with ten people at a time. When Milton heard that, he was disappointed at first, but he soon found out that magic wasnt powerful. It was useful. And soon, magics usefulness was proven.

Milton? Wheres Milton?

Bianca opened the window of her carriage to look for Milton.

Whats the matter, Miss Bianca?

When Milton rode up to the carriage, Bianca whispered to him.

I found it.

You really found it?

Milton marveled at her as Bianca nodded.

Yes its 100 times better to use magic like thisthan a clumsyattack magic.

While traveling on the carriage, Bianca had been using Familiar Magic. Familiar Magic was a spell that could manipulate an animal by synchronizing consciousness with them. With that spell, she had joined with a hawk to constantly scout the surroundings from the sky. And she had finally found the enemy.

Jerome, lets stop and take a break for a while, but maintain the lines.

Yes, My Lord.

After giving Jerome the orders, Milton entered the carriage.

The Count is entering that carriage again.

Tsk even if hes young, how could he bring his lover to the battlefield

Under Miltons command, Bianca was participating in this war as an assistant chief of staff.

This had been to hide the magicians existence as much as possible, but for those who didnt know the circumstances, it seemed to be an excuse. In their eyes, their military commander was frequently meeting with a sexy beauty. It was only natural to gossip about it.

Count Forrest has a new lover.

He loved her so much, he brought her to the battlefield.

Once this war was over, they might even get married.

Similar rumors were circulated between the ordinary soldiers and the fact that Bianca was a very beautiful woman fueled the speed of the rumor spreading.

Be honest, youre envious, arent you?

Whats there to even say? Im so jealous I think Im going to die.

Unintentionally, Milton had caused the soldiers to be jealous of him.

* * *

Unlike the soldiers imagination, inside the carriage was a serious meeting and not a romantic rendezvous. Milton spread open the map.

Can you locate the enemy?

Thats easy. Theyre hiding in the forest here, divided into two, waiting to ambush us.

Theyre quite far.

From where they were at right now, it would take at least another half day of continuous marching to reach the enemys location. Since they had found the enemys location from this far away, then it was likely that the enemy still didnt know where they were at.

Can you find out how many there are?

Thats hard. Im seeing them from the sky, but the forest blocksma view. And they all hiding, aint they?

I see.

Milton looked closely at the map.

Here, here and here. Please check to see if there are any enemies hiding along those routes.

Fine. Then, you wait a bit.

Bianca refocused his consciousness to control the hawk again. After a while

This is blocked, and there's only a few here, but they keep patrolling so its guarded. But I thinkhere isfine.

Milton nodded as he looked at the location she was pointing at on the map.

So they were planning on ambushing us in the woods.

I think so too.

Instead of trying to defend from inside a castle, it seems like the enemy planned to directly fight them. If the enemy made this choice, then

Either I looked easy, or hes in a rush. Or maybe its both?

But either way, it was still a good thing for Milton. An ambush has a high payoff when it is successful, but will have terrible results if detected by the enemy in advance.

Miss Bianca, with magic, can you

Milton requested something from Bianca. She laughed in response.

Its possible. How many do I needta make?

Including me, Jerome, and a couple other reliable knights about thirty people.

Fine. But, it wont last long, so you need to watch out for that, ya got it?

Bianca had a rough idea of what Milton wanted to do.

How long will it last?

Bout an hour?

Thatll be enough time.

Including Jerome, Milton immediately gathered the Southern Armys elite knights.

* * *

Captain Alfred. As one of the talented people that Siegfried regarded highly, he had been entrusted with 30,000 troops to confront the Southern Army. The reason Siegfried had been able to confidently leave the troops in his hands was because Alfred was a steady commander.

Alfred was now 45 years old. He had first joined the military when he was just 20 years old, and now, he had lived more than half his life as a soldier on the battlefield.

He wasnt a genius who had stood out from the beginning; he was just an ordinary commander that didnt stand out in front of his superiors. He had faithfully served in the military for a long time, but most importantly, he had survived the battles. And that 25 years in battle turned the ordinary man into an excellent commander. Siegfried highly valued Alfred for his steadiness and meticulousness. While Alfred won less than 70 percent of his battles, looking beyond his victory rate, you could see that his soldiers survival rate was high, high enough that hes soldiers survival rate could be counted in the top five of the Republican armys survival rate.

Even if he lost, he wouldnt suffer a big enough defeat that would affect the war.

Alfred wast particularly powerful enough to play with his enemies or born particularly resourceful, but

Steady, meticulous, and cautious.

Alfred was someone who had defeated geniuses with those characteristics of his.

* * *

Alfred first investigated the enemys route, then looked for a terrain that was optimal for ambushing. And even as he was preparing the ambush, he kept thinking.

The first thing I need to prepare for isnt the optimal situation, but the worst situation.

As usual, Alfred prepared to ambush with his usual meticulousness. First, the reconnaissance team was sent to make sure that the enemy was coming. Then he created a formation that would make it possible to continue to command his men without any trouble should the ambush be discovered. Finally, he secured a way to retreat in case they were pushed back by the enemys counterattack. He had made preparations for both possibilities for when things went according to plan, and for when things didn't work out. Because he believed that meticulous preparations would lead to victory, there was no room for carelessness.

Then, finally

Captain Alfred, the enemies are approaching as we expected.

The enemys position was discovered by a scout that Alfred had sent.

How many men? How far are they?

Its estimated that there are 20,000 troops, and theyre camped about half a days march away, Sir.

Theyre setting camp? You mean they stopped marching when the sunhasnteven set yet?

Yes, Sir. Thats what the report said.

When an enemy acts abnormally, dont ignore it. Alfreds ironclad rule was to think, think, and think again to figure out what the enemy was intending to do.

Its possible that the enemy knows of our existence. Send out more scouts and do not miss any of the enemys movements.

Yes, Sir.

While he had laid out ambushes and was waiting for the enemy, Alfred continued to be careful. He increased reconnaissance, and just in case, took a closer look at both his path for retreat and his surroundings. However, he didnt find anything unusual.

If theres nothing wrong on our side, then does that mean something is wrong with their formations that they needed to stop marching?

It was a possibility. Either something happened within their army or they received a different order from the Capital.

Maybe theyre hesitating to see what happens on the Eastern side of the battle.

If Strabus Kingdom defeated Siegfried on the Eastern side, then the Southern Army would have to immediately return to the Capital and defend their country. So that may be why they were trying to save their energies.

Alright. In that case, it makes sense why theres no movement.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed possible to Alfred.

Lets keep an eye on the situation a bit longer. If the enemy is thinking of using their current location as a defense line, then theyll move their formation accordingly. It wont be too late to respond after seeing what the enemys movements are like.

In the end, Alfred decided to wait and see how the enemy reacted. Since he didnt see a chance to attack them right now, he had chosen the most prudent option. But no matter how careful someone is, it doesnt mean that itll always have good results. Something, things can become unavoidable.

That night.

The Republican soldiers hiding in the woods to ambush the Lester Kingdoms soldiers had to spend the night without a single campfire.

Damn it. Its better to set up a position, than this nonsense. I mean, what is this?

It cant be helped. If the superiors say to jump, we can only jump. How can we argue against it?

It wasnt an easy task to spend the night in the forest without a campfire, not to mention the uncomfortable location. In a dark forest with humid air

The eerie atmosphere would have been more exhausting without other people.

I guess if the enemy doesnt make any moves tomorrow, then well also fall back?

Based on Captain Alfreds personality, I doubt it. Hes a commander who prioritizes fighting steadily and safely rather than winning.

I guess. But from our standpoint, as foot soldiers, hes someone to be grateful towards.

While the superiors thought Alfred was too cautious and didnt have any accomplishments, surprisingly, the ordinary soldiers liked to fight under his command. Disregarding victory, how could the soldiers not like to fight under him when he was someone with the highest survival rate of soldiers?

Although he is a bit harsh, he also keepsthehighest number of people alive, so of course I like him. Wouldnt you?

While one soldier was asking for an answer, the other didnt respond.

Hey, Ron? Why arent you huh?

When the soldier who was standing guard with him didnt answer, he was confused.

But when he looked towards the other soldier, he found Ron bleeding out on the floor.

What gah.

While he was confused, he himself felt a knife stabbing through his chest.

But

I cant I cant see

He couldnt see the person who attacked him. Even as he was dying, the soldier kept his eyes open, as though he was bitter that he could not see the enemy.

At the same time

Gah

Ughhhh

Who who are uck

Left and right, all the soldiers standing guard were collapsing from the invisible blade. They couldnt respond at all. They couldnt see anyone and there wasnt even a single sound. So even if they were a soldier with great night vision, they couldnt respond at all. Eventually, all the soldiers in the area died a questionable death. Alfreds surveillance network now had a big hole in it.

* * *

After dealing with all the scouts, a group of knights appeared in the dark.

My Lord, as you commanded, weve taken care of all the soldiers in the area.

The ones who appeared in the dark were Jerome, Milton, and the elite knights handpicked from the Southern Army.

And there were no mistakes?

Yes, My Lord. While we were taking them down, no soldiers escaped or made contact.

Upon hearing Jeromes report, Milton smiled with satisfaction. With a big grin on his face, Rick spoke up.

Its all thanks to that magician. I never knew this kind of thing was possible with magic.

Perhaps its because they had experienced magic for the first time in their lives, but the Knights were all very excited.

Rick, with his simple personality, was particularly excited. Seeing him so excited, Milton cautioned him anxiously.

As a reminder, the existence of a magician is still a secret. Itll be more powerful if no one knows, whether they be an enemy or a friend.

Yes, My Lord.

While the other knights steadily answered him, Rick gave Milton a bright smile.

Dont worry, My Lord. Who would look at her and think shes a magician?

Right. Thats true.

Sir, Im just saying this because were on the topic, but when you think of a magician, you generally think of an elderly old man with a long beard. To be honest, I never even thought she could be a magician. I just thought she was you

My what?

Ah thats

Thats when Rick realized. His stupid mouth had gotten him in trouble again.

Im busy right now, so Ill let it go for now.

Yes, My Lord.

Milton had said, for now.