I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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In the northern region, amid the Northern Expedition War, Walter, having sent Rose to the rear, was exasperated upon seeing the empty fortresses after a few days of regrouping his forces.

“They’ve completely abandoned the place! It’s a full retreat!”

Walter flung his glasses aside and struck the wall of the empty fortress with his fist. Margaret, riding beside him, tilted her head up at the fortresses.

“Is there a problem? It seems the Gargoyle Queen has pulled back her troops.”

“Your Highness, do you really think the Gargoyle Queen would retreat because of a single failed attack? It appears she took advantage of our time spent regrouping to back off several dozen kilometers. Is this truly the kind of military action Diana would take?”

“Certainly doesn’t seem like it.”

After hearing Walter’s words, Margaret frowned. The Gargoyle Queen was undoubtedly a high-ranking commander within the Demon King’s Army, one not easily interfered with. She likely had direct command authority over the army she led. Pulling back her forces just because of one setback wasn’t her style at all.

“Do you think the Demon King intervened in the Gargoyle’s military operations directly?”

Margaret asked Walter, who tilted his head in thought, contemplating what to do.

“That seems quite possible. If not the Demon King, then it would likely be the Succubus Queen. Such strategic caution is something only those two could employ within the Demon King’s Army. Anyway, this throws our plans into disarray. We must eradicate the scattered enemy troops one by one. If we keep pushing like this, we’ll ultimately give the enemy time to regroup.”

“So you’re saying we might have to face the enemy’s million-strong army at once?”

Margaret shivered in fear at Walter’s words. As he readjusted his glasses, Walter frowned.

“It’s a given that the Demon King’s Army will gather defensive forces in anticipation of our advance. Once they successfully regroup, the Demon King could utilize that army to immediately press against the Empire. In other words, our attack could end up providing the enemy with the ideal opportunity to gather their forces.”

“Then pushing deeper would be risky. We should occupy this fortress and decide whether to advance or retreat while we observe the situation.”

“That’s a sound suggestion. However… this is clearly not a defensible position. It’s too exposed on all sides, and the layout of the fortresses seems designed solely to guard against our approach from the south, too linear. This is enemy territory, and we need a solid formation that can defend from all sides. I doubt using the abandoned fortresses left by the gargoyles would be of much help.”

“I doubt the Gargoyle Queen calculated that far.”

“It was Etrias and Elilios’ doing. The Demon King doesn’t have the luxury to meddle in such detailed strategies. The Demon King’s Army has started to pool their wisdom. My worst fears are beginning to unfold one after another.”

In times of crisis, even the most disorganized troops tend to unite. The usually blame-shifting and passive commanders of the Demon King’s Army began to execute the best countermeasures they could muster against the systematic advance of the Hero.

Perhaps the Gargoyle Queen, who only knew how to charge forward, began to listen to the proper commands of her master and started employing more strategic maneuvers. Walter felt as if his head was going to explode as he couldn’t gather accurate information on how over a million enemy troops were maneuvering.

The most dangerous moment during an offensive is when it seems like you’re charging ahead uncontested. The Hero’s force was elite, yet they had to constantly be aware of their limited numbers.

This meant they were always at risk of being cut off from retreat and encircled. With Etrias’ involvement, it was already apparent that the Dragon Lord would at least passively support the Demon King if necessary.

If, in this situation, they were to be encircled by the enemy, then the last hope of the Audrich-Eramenia alliance would surely face total annihilation without a single survivor.

That would mean the extinction of humanity, a fate almost identical to the worst ending. It wasn’t unreasonable for Walter to be stressed and on edge. Moreover, the indomitable Crown Princess, who could help manage his stress, was not even present beside him.

“Is there no way out?”

“There’s no sure method. Unless we could easily lure the enemy to gather and kill their million-strong army all at once. Maybe…”

At that moment, Walter sensed a cold chill creeping in and quickly shut his mouth. He took off his glasses and bowed his head toward Margaret.

“I misspoke. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

“I want to commend your wisdom for not finishing that thought, Walter Hellhound.”

Margaret’s voice was icy and dark. An elf in love is a terrifying thing. Provoking a lovesick high elf any further would be a suicidal act.

For Margaret, just thinking about that ‘Manhattan’ scroll was enough stimulation beyond what was necessary.

“Absolutely not. I also saw that scroll. It was not a useful item. Just a flyer… I was merely concerned that something more radical might be needed. At least that’s not the item in question.”

“Let’s hold on as long as possible. Besides, we can’t retreat anyway.”

Margaret, who was uncomfortable with the situation where the human commander was flustered and bowing before her, hastily changed the subject. Although she had moved past the stage of denying her feelings for him, every time she became aware of her changing attitude due to those feelings, she felt an inexplicable unease.

The gravity of an elf’s love is a trait of their race, and while that couldn’t be helped, it felt immoral to put unnecessary pressure on a Hero who was fighting so hard. Even if that pressure came entirely from Margaret’s own volition.

“That’s right. In any case, we have Alex’s cavalry and the Eramenia forces with us. If it was just the Imperial troops, detecting an encirclement early would indeed be difficult, but with these additional troops, we can crush any attempts to encircle us in advance…”

Just as Walter was barely managing to withstand Margaret’s imposing presence and was rambling on, a messenger, sweaty and out of breath, came running from a distance with a letter sent by Rose after a thrilling fight at the system.

Thanks to the secure communication network from the system to the front lines, they could be prepared for emergencies.

When Walter received the letter from the messenger and saw the royal seal on the envelope, he tilted his head.

“Rose sent a letter?”

“Perhaps it’s about her wound healing and her return?” Margaret inquired. Walter shook his head.

“That doesn’t sound like Rose. If it were about her arm injury, she’d have already recovered sufficiently, but if it were just about returning to the front, she’d instead ride all the way here herself. In fact, she could arrive here much faster than any horse-riding messenger. We should see the content for clarity.”

Walter roughly tore open the seal of the envelope and pulled out the letter. Margaret silently waited for Walter to read the contents of Rose’s letter. It wouldn’t be polite to pry into someone else’s correspondence.

As Walter read Rose’s message, he once again removed his glasses and opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“What! Already?”

“Already? What do you mean by that?”

“Just read it yourself. My birthday is in the summer, but it feels like I keep receiving a bundle of meals in the winter. It’s driving me crazy!”

Walter nearly threw the letter at Margaret before dashing off somewhere. Though it wasn’t the most polite way to act, Margaret, well aware of Walter’s mood swings, quietly snatched the fluttering stationery from the air and glanced over it.

After reading the entire letter, Margaret felt her legs grow weak and plopped down.

“That little brat… was half human half horse?”

Margaret perked her ears and hurled Rose’s letter to the ground. Reading it felt so absurd and unreal.

In the letter sent to Walter, Rose described the recent events in a very formal and stiff tone. Jenis Harker, who arrived to join the Magic Tower as a researcher, was revealed to be a half-human, half-vampire for some reason, and it came to light through Rose’s intended provocation that led to a thrilling duel.

Rose managed to subdue Jenis with relative ease, but in that process, she discovered Jenis Harker’s tremendous potential. The Crown Princess believed that Jenis Harker was not an evil entity and would even become a valuable strategic resource for the forces of good, but the Imperial Assembly had a different perspective. More specifically, they hadn’t reached a conclusion yet.

The Imperial Assembly expressed deep concern over the emergence of a powerful demon-blood witch, which was entirely rational. It was proven in combat that Jenis Harker could wield dark mana, and even without diving into specific issues, there was an intuitive sense that the existence of a ‘half-vampire countess’ in the Empire’s high ranks posed a serious threat to humanity’s safety.

This issue was regarded as significantly severe, prompting many regional nobles to flock to the Assembly to call for a meeting. The most important local noble, Duke Jeffrey, was absent, and there were no updates from Arthur Harker, who could be considered a party involved in this issue.

Rumor had it that the two were involved in a very significant treaty in Baron Harriet’s Territory. Regardless, the absence of Count Harker at the moment the Assembly was to convene regarding his daughter did not seem to work in Jenis’s favor.

According to the Crown Princess’s will, Anton Caprice announced an official royal statement declaring that Jenis Harker would not be viewed as a threat to national security, but the issue had surpassed the level that the royal decision could simply bury.

While it could be accepted that the members appointed to the Assembly by the Emperor were in line with the royal faction, a considerable number of those classified under the royal faction hesitated to blindly follow the royal stance when it came to Jenis Harker’s matter. They were in no position to ignore the fragmented information fed to them about ‘the surprisingly outstanding magician who turned out to be half-vampire’ in a situation where they knew little of Jenis.

In this situation, Rose determined that trusting Jenis based on her unilateral decision could actually be dangerous and revealed her plan to bring the matter regarding Jenis’s status before the Imperial Assembly. After all, the nature of the matter involving Harker’s daughter could not be handled by lower-level entities than the Imperial Assembly.

Jenis Harker was said to be held under house arrest within the Imperial Palace, and Rose hoped that Walter himself or his representative would attend the Assembly. Furthermore, she wrote a postscript expressing that as the matter was not only a security issue for the Audrich Empire but also a joint problem between elves and humans, she hoped Eramenia Kingdom would send more than one representative to participate.

While Margaret quietly sat in thought, a hero, drenched in sweat as if he had been running joyfully from somewhere, approached her.

“Have you read it all?”

“What do you mean, already? Were you anticipating this situation?”

Recalling the scream Walter had let out when he first read the letter, Margaret asked. Walter nodded as he readjusted his glasses.

“I knew. Her bloodline has vampire blood running through it. Specifically, it’s through her paternal line. Count Harker is a sentient vampire. But right now, that’s not the important issue.”

“Isn’t that an incredibly important issue?!”

Margaret stood up shocked and shouted. The sudden influx of harrowing information was enough to make the elf princess’s head spin. Walter frowned and shook his head in annoyance.

“At least for the time being, it’s not an important issue. As long as nothing happens, Arthur Harker is no different from an average human. The problem is with Jenis Harker. I did mention to the princess that I was quite interested in her before.”

“That she’s a very excellent student at the royal magic school… and that you were infatuated with her?”

“The truth is, my interest in her wasn’t solely because of her talent or her connection to Jeongjae. After all, she was bound to emerge eventually as a mage of the sage-level. Her maternal line carries the blood of the Serem family. She’s distantly related to the ancient sage, Reyna Serem.”

“Her bloodline is at least on par with the imperial family.”

“In a way, she’s more legitimate than the royal family. Considering that Caprice’s surname was usurped. But her bloodline is genuine. In any case, she must be protected, strategically or morally. We must ensure that the Imperial Assembly doesn’t make a hasty decision that could obstruct our path.”

“It seems you didn’t expect such things to happen right now.”

“I thought Jeongjae would have kept her under wraps a bit longer. After all, unless she comes into contact with the orb, she wouldn’t have any reason to recognize her power suddenly. Damn it, why does this happen amid the Northern Expedition…”

Walter clenched his eyes tightly and brought both hands together in prayer. It was evident that he couldn’t afford to leave the front line at such a time. Just then, another messenger rushed in and tossed a short note in front of Walter.

Walter hurriedly opened the note to check its content, praying that it wouldn’t be filled with anything too bizarre.

After confirming the details written on the note, Walter sighed and handed the paper back to Margaret. The note contained a simple message hastily scrawled in Rose’s handwriting regarding the presence of Harker and Jeffrey at the Assembly.

“Apparently, both of their representatives have inquired about whether they can attend the Assembly regarding Jenis and Jeffrey has named Baron Harriet as his representative. For now, the royal family seems inclined to accept this demand, but what do you think?”

“Weren’t they asked to send a representative from Eramenia?”

Margaret neatly folded the note and returned it to Walter. Walter shrugged as if he expected her response.

“Then I will communicate my stance. Please remember it well, and when it comes time for the Assembly, relay it as closely as possible.”

“Of course, you don’t need to worry about that.”

Margaret smiled pleasantly for a rare moment. Unlike the crown prince, who was still a rookie commanding the imperial army, the elf army’s Phineas was a considerable force. If someone were to attend the Imperial Assembly, the choice would naturally lean more toward Margaret.