NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
A message arrived from Nobogord. Finally, news came that the moderate faction had taken control of the Demon Tribe Council.
It was the first resolution proposed after driving out the hardliners who clamored for war against the Empire.
It concerned the withdrawal of troops stationed near the border, engaged in confrontation with the Imperial Army.
“Is it alright? The Imperial Army could strike from behind.”
[ The resolution of our council has been conveyed to the Empire. We will exercise restraint in military activities and seek diplomatic solutions. If they don’t want to escalate, they’ll have to restrain themselves as well. ]
Caland of the Estania family, now heading the moderate faction, was busy relaying internal news to his only daughter.
[ This is the current situation. How is their response? ]
“You know how it is. Most of the field commanders are in favor of not fighting the Empire, while the operational staff and commanders are biting their tongues. They’re frustrated because they have to retreat without teaching the Imperial Army a lesson.”
[ Ha. They should be thankful that we’re not sending their precious children to die. I heard their morale has hit rock bottom, hasn’t it? ]
“…Yes. That’s right.”
Caland’s only daughter, Charlua, nodded as she recalled the events of that day.
To be honest, she still felt dazed when she thought about it. Was this some kind of divine prank?
A few days ago, a meteor streaked across the night sky and crashed near the Imperial Army’s camp.
Seeing that, the field commander and his staff shouted that Lord Anbar had granted them victory.
The soldiers were swept up in that excitement, ready to rush at the Imperial Army at any moment.
‘Thanks to that, the faces of the field commanders didn’t look too good.’
This wasn’t an unavoidable full-scale war like before. Both nations were caught in a kind of psychological standoff.
If one side charged first, the result would surely lead to real casualties on both sides.
In the end, it was the soldiers who would die, so the responses of the commanders who should lead them were rather lackluster.
Charlua herself felt just about the same. It was nice that morale was high, but she was still worried about battle.
Whichever faction—moderate or hardliner—gained power would determine the course of events moving forward.
Just as she was keeping an eye on the situation, ‘that event’ occurred.
‘Seriously, it was unbelievable. How could that be possible?’
The meteor, which had been falling with its red tail, rose again from the direction of the Imperial camp.
It blazed brightly just like before and soared into the sky, disappearing among the stars.
The soldiers who witnessed it murmured, ‘The fallen star has risen again. That’s a bad omen.’
Just the day before, the commander and his staff had been excitedly proclaiming, ‘A meteor has fallen, it’s decisive evidence that the enemy will lose!’
If the opposite scenario occurred, anyone could infer that the outcome would also turn out differently.
[ Whatever it may be, it’s good for us. I was worried that if morale was too high, it would be hard to control. If the current situation is a mess, wouldn’t everyone want to go home? ]
“Father is right. Everyone is just waiting for the order to withdraw.”
[ …. ]
The chairperson on the other side of the communication furrowed his brow and spoke.
[ What’s going on, Charlua? ]
“Uh? No. Nothing in particular?”
[ Oh ho. Your face is brimming with worry. Don’t try to deceive me, my daughter. ]
As his only daughter, surely, he could tell her facial expressions apart.
Upon hearing that, Charlua forced a wry smile and replied.
“It’s just a bit odd.”
[ Odd, you say? ]
“To be honest, it doesn’t make sense. How could a fallen meteor rise again? You know that kind of thing is impossible, Father.”
[ Hmm. ]
“It’s clear that the Empire pulled some kind of trick. There must be a brilliant strategist among their Legion.”
Nobogord has a saying: ‘When an old man dies, a library burns down.’
It means that the wisdom of the elderly is immensely valuable. They are rich in experience and insight.
In Charlua’s view, this incident was undoubtedly the work of a sage strategist.
Otherwise, there’s no way someone could come up with such a fast and ludicrous idea!
“Even thinking back on it, it’s ridiculous. As if they predicted such an event would happen.”
[ Whether it was an old man or a youngling, ultimately, it’s a good thing for us, right? If we had fought, arranging negotiations with the Empire would have been quite precarious. ]
“Will the Empire really let our troops go peacefully?”
[ At the very least, they’ll pretend to try and ambush us. ]
If we were in their position, we would definitely do the same. The chairperson continued, lighting a cigarette.
[ But I’ve heard the fog is thick. In that situation, no one would recklessly move their entire army. ]
“Father.”
[ Are you trying to say that they might actually move? It would only amount to a small-scale probing attack…. ]
“I’ve told you several times to quit that nasty habit of smoking, right?”
[ Ah. ]
As Charlua rolled her eyes, the chairperson hastily cut his cigarette.
But it was too late. His daughter had already raised her fierce gaze.
“You said you’d quit, yet here you are.”
[ Well, you know how it is. Given the situation, I can’t live without cigarettes. The moderates don’t listen well, and the hardliners treat me like an enemy. ]
Still, please try to quit. What’s good about burning that stuff?
Charlua’s next words didn’t get the chance to escape her lips.
―Deng deng deng!
“I’ll contact you later. It’s an enemy raid signal.”
[ Enemy raid? ]
“Yeah. There’s nothing to worry about. If we were spotted by the sentries even in this fog, then as you said, the Empire is just poking around to see what’s up.”
[ Still, don’t let your guard down. The battlefield is not a place to make predictions lightly. ]
“I’ll keep that in mind. Then, I’ll take my leave now.”
After ending the call, Charlua donned her armor and stepped out of the tent.
“What’s happening?”
“The Imperial Army is approaching from in front of the camp! The exact numbers are still unconfirmed, but we’ve heard voices and the sound of wheels!”
Horses? Wheels? What in the world is going on? Charlua tilted her head in confusion.
In a situation where they were given orders to pull back, with fog so thick it limited visibility, it was impossible to tell what they were after.
“It seems they’ve entered in range based on the noise!”
Cries of what to do echoed from all directions. The field commanders commanded everyone to wait and not to engage for the time being.
However, the commander appearing behind them gave entirely different orders.
“What are you doing? Fire! If they’re enemies, we need to repel them before they get any closer! We don’t know what they are plotting behind the fog!”
“We can’t secure the watch yet! Just a bit longer to assess the situation….”
“It’s a commander’s order! The Imperial bastards know we might be retreating! That’s why they boldly came to probe us! If we don’t respond decisively, we’ll be underestimated even more!”
Although not entirely wrong, the field commanders nodded in agreement, stepping back in silence.
“Should we initiate a magical attack?”
At the suggestion from the staff, the commander from the Demon Tribe pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
“In a situation where we can’t secure our position, firing magic will only expose our mages. We’ll rain arrows before they can get any closer.”
Who knows? If the Imperial Army, excited by the arrows, charges in, the battle may resume.
If that happens, the moderates would naturally lose strength, making it a worthwhile gamble.
“Archers, prepare!”
“Fire when ready! Fire!”
Due to the fog, they couldn’t see the enemy. That only fueled the archers’ eagerness.
The more arrows they fired, the more likely the enemy would decide to pull back and stop their antics.
As thoughts of the meteor rising again flickered in their minds, the rate of fire increased.
“Hey, you fools! Fire appropriately, appropriately!”
Of course, the field commanders wore expressions full of concern over this nonsense waste of resources.
Some even cast looks towards Charlua, silently pleading for help.
But from her perspective, there wasn’t much she could offer.
No matter how much Charlua wanted to help, the commander here was the one who held authority.
If he decided to act that way, it was right to follow his commands. Trying to stop him would be a clear overreach.
If it were anyone else but the chairperson’s daughter, whispers would arise.
“Cease fire.”
“Cease fire!”
After showering arrows down for several minutes, the commanders peered through the fog.
“…”
“…”
Had the enemy retreated after sustaining damage? Or had they responded to a warning to not come closer?
Not a single sight of the Imperial Army approached.
“It seems the enemy has withdrawn.”
“Maintain a state of alert until the fog clears.”
A perfectly ordinary response, and an entirely expected next decision.
However, they soon realized that it was only themselves who had acted under such normalcy.
“What is this?”
“What’s going on?”
Finally, as the fog lifted, what was revealed was an empty cart along with a single letter lying there.
– I’ll graciously accept your parting gift. –
A gift? What do you mean a gift? What sudden and absurd nonsense is this?
“Wait, could it be?”
“What the hell?”
Only then did they realize that all those arrows they had fired earlier had nearly all disappeared.
All that remained was just a few arrows that had yet to be retrieved.
“…Ha, haha! Hahaha!”
Upon hearing the news, Charlua could not help but burst into laughter.
‘Good heavens. What kind of terrifying person is this?’
Considering that both sides would back off without engaging in a full-fledged war.
To predict that they would fire arrows instead of responding with spells or matching arrows.
And at the end, to clearly mock and gain an advantage without a single battle!
That’s utterly unreasonable, a ridiculous plot was spinning about. There was certainly an excellent strategist in the Imperial camp.
A sigh escaped her lips, no, it was almost a gasp, as Charlua couldn’t help but wear an expression as if possessed by a spirit.