NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
“Phew.”
Cold sweat dripped down my back. To put it a bit dramatically, I almost crapped my pants.
If the Demon Tribe had moved just a little differently, I would have been in serious trouble.
It was as if the goddess of fortune whispered, “Just this once!”
“Insane. My luck in this otherworldly life is absolutely insane!”
To be honest, I half-heartedly threw that out there wondering, “Could this work?”
First off, this is not a river. There’s no current or wind to help me out.
That’s why I needed people and horses. They’re both extremely valuable resources.
If either of those two had gotten hurt, I’d definitely be the one getting the blame.
But the little ball I sent up—no, that little kite—had worked its magic.
With morale at rock bottom and an order to retreat in the fog, the enemy must have wanted nothing more than to go home quietly, so they opted for restraint over direct confrontation.
The decision to sit tight and shoot arrows without leaving their spot was clear evidence of that.
Just then, I happened to be moving with the scouting troops who had been diligently roaming the area.
Though the fog was still thick, they accurately informed me how far we were from the Nobogord camp using the landmarks they had checked beforehand.
Thanks to that, we were able to sneak up to a dangerously close distance and subsequently provoked the Demon Tribe.
“What happened next? The situation aligned so perfectly.”
Admitting our mess, we showered the enemies with a barrage of arrows, suggesting that they should just retreat quietly.
I quickly gathered the arrows that had rained down and bolted without looking back.
Seeing the wagon, my belly felt full even though I hadn’t eaten lunch yet. How many wagons were there?
“Sure, the arrows are important, but what really matters is that I messed with them!”
The Ministry of War ordered our Legion to tail the retreating Nobogord forces just enough.
They didn’t want victories through direct combat; rather, they wanted us to show the Empire’s superiority without provoking the enemy.
And I resolved that issue with a note about how I’d properly taken the arrows I shot out of fear.
The Nobogord forces must be going bananas after discovering that letter!
“Ha ha ha. Hoo…”
As the excitement faded, a numbing fear washed over me again.
Yeah. It’s a good thing it turned out well; otherwise, the aftereffects would have been horrific.
What if they had charged out? What if they had cast spells instead of arrows? What if we miscalculated the distance?
If just one thing had gone wrong, I could have been chased, taken prisoner, or worse, dead. One of those three.
“I finally understand why the protagonists in novels vow never to act overly confident.”
Those who step forward with confidence? Only munchkins or those with status screens can do that.
And I fit neither of those categories, so it’s best to play it safe.
This time I was lucky it worked out, but there’s no guarantee it will last.
…Hmm. But maybe just in case?
“Status screen?”
I murmured under my breath in a low voice, but no translucent screen appeared before my eyes.
“…Stats screen?”
“Oh. Information screen?”
“Could it be, Info?”
Nothing happened, of course. If it was going to show up, it should have done so by now.
Even with memories of my previous life, there’s nothing particularly special about me now. I reminded myself again.
“Don’t act overly confident. For real.”
With that thought, as I pierced through the lifting fog and arrived at our camp…
“Waaah!!”
With a thunderous cheer, the soldiers burst out laughing and shouted.
“The Nobogord just gifted us arrows!”
“The Demon Tribe even left a parting gift! Wahaha!!”
Armies are bound to have childish aspects regardless of the age.
It seems the very silliness strengthens their bond even more.
In that respect, the little prank I pulled felt even more satisfying to them than a victory in battle.
“…”
I remember the thrill of hearing tens of thousands of names called out, comparable to a drug.
And now, the cheering in front of me was from at least thousands of Imperial soldiers.
With that immense joy, my earlier resolve seemed to dull down… honestly, it couldn’t be helped.
*
“You seem to be in a good mood, Your Highness.”
“Of course! Absolutely! Lord Rael.”
Responding that way to my guard disguised as an officer in the Imperial Army, Isabelle smiled.
A man, who seemed like he had just come from a great victory, was being cheered from afar.
He still seemed to be awkwardly unaccustomed to it, but that would change soon.
“He’ll surely grow to be one of the Empire’s most important figures in just a few years.”
He called it his first experience in the military after turning into an adult, which he claimed was true.
“How is that his first?”
In just two times, he managed to raise his side’s morale to the maximum and even caused an explosion of it.
There were barely any signs of deep thought. When needed, he presented fitting strategies effortlessly.
And everything fell perfectly into place, shocking everyone watching.
“This man is truly remarkable.”
When Kael asked for a point of reference, others tilted their heads in confusion.
But only Isabelle’s eyes sparkled, hiding her excitement.
She still vividly remembered that day.
The moment when a meteor fell and devastated her allies’ morale to the very bottom.
When all the commanders of the Imperial Army couldn’t hide their embarrassment at the situation.
The one who turned everything around with a single strategy was Kael.
And so, she looked forward again this time. No, she was certain.
“What kind of great wisdom will you showcase this time, Prince Kael?”
She had heard that the Clausewitz family has produced outstanding military personnel throughout history.
Given that he was the elder son, it was only natural to have expectations.
But watching the birth of that ridiculous strategy right before her eyes intensified that emotion.
So she revealed her previously hidden identity to Kael.
Asking if he could surprise them once again with that brilliant wit.
“No, no. You will definitely do that. Prince Kael. Right?”
Perhaps—or rather, absolutely—he would have already finished planning everything in his mind.
From the moment he dropped the enemy’s morale with a single kite, he was surely prepared for the next strategy!
And as she anticipated, Kael stroked his chin for a moment before saying.
“By any chance, could you lend me some leftover hay or straw for a bit?”
After Kael left with that request, the Command was filled with half-expectation and half-worry.
If it all worked out well, that would be perfect, but there were too many variables.
The Nobogord could deploy their forces, and they could choose magic instead of arrows.
Right now, even this fog was affecting both the enemy and us equally.
It wasn’t something simple that could be brushed off as a mere worry or dissatisfaction.
Had it not been for Kael’s next comment, someone might have intervened.
“I’ll accompany you myself, Legion Commander.”
“You?”
His argument was that since he proposed the plan, he should be the one to go.
His desire to take responsibility made Isabelle like him even more.
In reality, Kael had done it to mitigate his own accountability in case things went wrong.
Anyway.
“All has concluded well. Now our Legion will also return.”
“…Are you feeling regret?”
With a hint of concern, Rael glanced at Isabelle.
Isabelle was the Crown Princess of the Empire. It was very rare for someone of her status to serve in the military.
She had painstakingly earned that opportunity. She had even vowed never to be a hindrance.
But since she hadn’t really experienced any notable combat in that opportunity, it was understandable.
“If I say I’m not disappointed, that would be a lie.”
“…”
“But it’s okay. Honestly, this is right. It’s much better for countless young soldiers of the Empire to retreat without fighting than to die or be injured. Isn’t that right?”
“Your Highness the Princess is absolutely right.”
Yeah. And unexpectedly, didn’t I discover truly dazzling raw gems too?
Before following the troops, Isabelle recalled a conversation she had had with someone.
“I’ll help you.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll support you in persuading the Emperor to follow your Legion. Bel.”
Her elder sister, who was the first princess of the Empire, approached.
She came close and first offered a deal, which made Isabelle tilt her head.
“I’m glad to help, but why are you suddenly…?”
“Can you go and find out if there are any promising young talents?”
Lately, there had been commotion everywhere. Big and small disturbances along the borders.
The Empire’s dignity was still intact. The Empire’s strength was undeniably the strongest on the continent.
However, skilled people were always lacking and always needed.
Since it was necessary, she intended to ask her younger sister, whom she trusted, for that.
“Okay. But don’t complain if I can’t find even one?”
“Don’t worry about silly things. Honestly, it’d be a huge gain if I could just find one.”
When she returned, she would tell her sister everything that had happened right away.
She would probably be sparklingly excited and prompt her to share more.
As Isabelle looked at Kael awkwardly waving from a distance, she smiled.
*
‘…What’s going on?’
After enjoying the cheers, I suddenly felt a chill for some reason.
It’s like someone is licking their lips while looking at me. Just a hallucination, right?