NOVEL NEXT Chapter 187:
The waiting magic swordsmen appeared and handcuffed and shackled the knocked-out Camille.
“Be gentle with ‘Our Princess’, so she doesn’t get hurt, Gently.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Lock her up in the highest tower. Keep her locked up indefinitely until further orders, absolutely do not release her. This is an order and a command.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With that, Camille was “princess carried” away by the magic swordsman.
‘You can just lock up in the tower. I’ll take care of everything.’
Otto smiled as he watched Camille being whisked away.
It was a kind consideration.
For Camille, the Slaine Kingdom was a place where countless seniors, juniors, and classmates were in service.
To wage war against such a kingdom was too harsh.
Why?
Because he would have to kill them and see them die.
So Otto decided to remove Camille entirely for the duration of the war with the Slaine Kingdom.
Because of Camille’s personality, even if he was told to stay away, he would still go to war and fight against his old friends, and he would certainly suffer psychologically.
After calling his military leaders to a meeting, Otto immediately began to devise a strategic plan.
‘We need to crush them with force.’
The Kingdom of Slaine was not something that could be taken easily like the Baltin Kingdom.
The only answer was to swiftly crush them by force.
At this moment, Otto possessed sufficient military strength to do so.
Of course, he couldn’t do it with the military power of the Lota Kingdom.
The Lota Kingdom’s army, while having a high quality of soldiers, suffered from a fatal flaw, which was their lack of numbers.
But what if the Lota Kingdom Army was supplemented by the Baltin Kingdom Army?
‘It’s enough.’
With Chech IV and other members of the Baltin Kingdom’s royal family and nobility in tow, the Baltin Kingdom’s army was now essentially Otto’s army.
‘If we gather all the scattered Baltinian troops, we’ll have 40,000. Since we have 15,000 troops, that’s a total of 55,000. We’ll be able to march on the capital of the Kingdom of Slaine in one fell swoop.’
It was clear.
The combined forces of the Lota Kingdom and the Baltin Kingdom would be enough to subjugate the Slaine Kingdom.
But of course, there would be significant casualties….
‘If I’m too afraid of maggots I can’t make soybean paste.’
There is no war without sacrifice.
Otto knew that all too well, so he didn’t hesitate.
However, to minimize casualties as much as possible, Otto meticulously planned his strategy.
Meanwhile, the Baltin Kingdom’s army, previously tied up at the Punhill Fortress, and the infantry and cavalry of Amukhan were also called back to the capital.
With an army totaling 55,000 in force, Otto began to prepare to conquer the kingdom of Slaine, step by step.
Otto spent days and days formulating strategies and even detailed tactics, which he relayed to his commanders.
The goal was to minimize the damage to his allies and enemies alike.
After all, the Kingdom of Slaine would eventually be absorbed and merged into the Kingdom of Lota.
Even though they were enemies, the Slane Kingdom’s troops were to eventually become Otto’s subjects, so the damage to their enemies could not go unchecked.
As he made these preparations.
“Your Majesty, an envoy from the Kingdom of Slaine has arrived”
“Eh?”
“They’re asking to see you, Your Highness.”
“Envoys?”
Otto was confused by the situation.
‘Why would they send an envoy?’
He’d fought the Kingdom of Slaine countless times in the game, but they’d never sent him a single envoy before.
‘Is this another variable?’
Otto became anxious.
He’d been in enough close calls to realize that he was prone to variables, that the mere hint of one could set his entire game off.
Understanding that knowing too little is as bad as not knowing enough, he was justifiably on edge.
“I’ll meet with them….”
Then.
“Your Majesty, an envoy from the Kingdom of Slain requests an audience with you.”
“There is a messenger from the Kingdom of Slaine who seeks to see you, Your Majesty.”
“An envoy from the Kingdom of Slaine…”
Otto wondered what the hell was going on, there were reports of nearly ten different envoys arriving all at once.
“…What the fuck.”
An earthquake occurred in Otto’s pupils.¹
‘It’s a variable, a variable, a fucking variable, this a variable, shitty variable, again with the variables, how unlucky could I be? fuck it, it’s another one of those crazy variables.’
The unexpected turn of events had caused Otto to become momentarily overtaken by panic.
“Your Majesty? Are you all right?”
“I’m… I’m okay”
“Your complexion has suddenly become pale.”
“It’s nothing.”
… Despite saying that, Otto was virtually malfunctioning.
The fact that not one, not two, but more than ten envoys had requested a meeting was an obvious variable.
‘Let’s stay calm. Handling this calmly is key.’
Otto gathered his wits, and decided to meet with the Slaine kingdom’s envoys to see what they had to say.
“Greetings, His Majesty King Otto de Scuderia.”
“Heok!”
Otto recognized the person who came as an envoy at a glance, and he almost fainted from the shock.
‘No!!! Joseph, why are you hereee!!!’
Captain Joseph.
A four-star general, he was the Corps Commander of the First Legion, which guarded the eastern border of the Kingdom of Slaine.
In other words, he was the highest ranking member of the Slaine military.
‘Why would Joseph come to me as an envoy, and in person?’
Otto asked in confusion at the incomprehensible phenomenon.
“Your Majesty, I’ll be honest with you.”
Joseph said to Otto.
“If we, the First Legion, were to surrender to you, would you accept it?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“As I mentioned earlier, I intend to surrender to your Majesty with the First Legion under my command.”
“…..?”
“If you accept, I will be loyal to you from now on.”
What kind of bullshit was this? Otto was lost for words.
‘Is this a trap from the Kingdom of Slaine?’
Suspicion set in.
Why on earth would the commander of the First Legion, who had been perfectly fine guarding the border, suddenly come to him and offer his surrender?
‘Is there a strategist in the Kingdom of Slaine that I don’t know about? No. The Kingdom of Slaine doesn’t have any particularly cunning characters.’
The man who orchestrated this scheme could have been a genius of the highest order, sending Joseph, the leader of the First Legion, to feign surrender.
Or a god of bullshit.
“Why would you suddenly choose to surrender?”
Otto questioned.
“Because there is no hope.”
“Hopeless?”
“We know that the Lota Kingdom’s military is superior. If you add the Baltin Kingdom’s army to that… there is virtually no hope for us, the Kingdom of Slaine.”
“So you’re saying you’re going to surrender?”
“Facing a fight will only lead to certain death. Moreover,”
A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Joseph’s mouth.
“I know it sounds like spitting in one’s face, but… the current king is a tyrant of the highest order, and at this rate, there is no future for our Slaine.”
“As a commander responsible for guarding the borders, that’s not something you should be saying.”
“Your Majesty.”
Joseph almost choked up as he spoke.
“Do you know what’s happening in our capital, the Slane Kingdom? Every day, loyal subjects lose their heads, and sycophants gain power, plundering the country’s coffers.”
Of course, Otto was well aware of the situation, but for the time being, he pretended not to know anything and listened to Joseph’s words as if he knew nothing.
“The people have fallen into disorder, and the knights have long since become the dogs of a tyrant. The king has even executed all the members of the royal family, so there is not a single person left to carry on the royal bloodline.”
“So, are you surrendering then? Not instigating a counter-revolution?”
A Dynastic Cycle.²
A revolution to change the ruling line altogether.
“The king is unforgiving. He’s already purged anyone who might be a threat to him as soon as he takes the throne, leaving only his most loyal and fawning henchmen alive.”
“Hmm.”
“Besides.”
Joseph said.
“Archduke Wazir came to persuade me to join you.”
At that moment.
‘Huh!?’
Otto was stunned to the core.
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Before Otto set out on the continent.
‘I’m going away for a while.’
With those words, Archduke Wazir left the Kingdom of Lota.
Otto brushed off Archduke Wazir’s vacation as nothing more than a busy man having something to do.
But it turned out that Archduke Wazir had met with Joseph, the leader of the First Legion of the Slaine Kingdom, and persuaded him to join Otto.
“Archduke Wazir said there is no hope in the Slain Kingdom.”
Jozef continued.
“He claims that a new world will soon open up, and a new king will come.”
“You mean that new king will be….”
“Yes, His Highness, who is right in front of me.”
Joseph nodded his head.
“Archduke Wazir said a rising power beyond the Kashmir Mountains would swiftly occupy the Baltin Kingdom. His words came true. The army of the rising power, the Kingdom of Lota, and the Baltin Kingdom’s army. If these two armies join forces, he said our Slain Kingdom would not be able to withstand.”
“Ah.”
“He also said that if we continue as things are, I, too, will be killed by the King’s hand.”
“…I suppose so.”
“I don’t care if I die, but I couldn’t bear to see so many innocent soldiers of mine die at the feet of our enemies, so… I decided to surrender to the King according to the Archduke’s words.”
As Otto listened to Joseph’s words, he realized with a sinking feeling just how capable Wazir truly was.
To be able to coax a leader of the legions guarding the border to surrender….
“Will you… take it?”
“Of course.”
Otto, puzzled by this turn of events, gratefully clasped Joseph’s hand and expressed his gratitude profusely.
“General Joseph, your bold decision saved many lives. I am truly grateful, and thank you for it.”
“Are you serious about receiving us?”
“Of course, it’s only natural. I will ensure that General Joseph is treated with the utmost respect in the future.”
“I’m deeply honored by your graciousness!”
Joseph bowed low to Otto.
He was not the only one.
“I wish to surrender.”
“I surrender to your majesty.”
“If you will only accept me, I will be loyal to you.”
Otto subsequently met countless more, all of whom came to surrender.
In essence, they were the product of Wazir’s own maneuvering, not the machinations of the Slaine Kingdom.
‘Wow, this is amazing! We can advance to the capital without a major battle! Incredible, absolutely incredible!’
Needless to say, Otto accepted them all.
This forced Otto to revise his entire approach.
Among those who surrendered were several key figures in the military of the Slaine Kingdom, forcing him to alter his strategy.
Later that evening.
“Hahaha!”
Archduke Wazir came to visit Otto.
“Did you receive my gift well? Hahaha!”
“Your Highness, Archdukeee!”
Otto ran up to Wazir and scooped him up onto his back.
“Huh? What’s wrong with you?”
“Thank you, sire! You’ve done a great job!”
“Put me down! you little punk!”
Despite the shouting, Archduke Wazir didn’t seem to mind being lifted by Otto.
“You’ve worked hard, Archduke, and thanks to your efforts, countless lives have been saved!”
Otto dipped his head to Wazir and praised him for his accomplishments.
Indeed, thanks to Wazir’s deeds, they were able to lay siege to the capital with very little fighting.
It was obvious that the army defending the capital would surrender, so it was as if they had already occupied the Kingdom of Slaine.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. You know that expression(?) when someone is at their wits end their pupil began to rapidly shake.
2. According to this theory, each dynasty rises to a political, cultural, and economic peak and then, because of moral corruption, declines, loses the Mandate of Heaven, and falls, only to be replaced by a new dynasty.
3. Ref Ch 178