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Volume 3 Chapter 53

Betrayal

[First, let’s get the Prince of Apristos, who is already in the country.]

I advised the assembled ministers and the Elf King.

[Will you take the captured prince as a hostage and negotiate to have his army drawn?]

But the prince is protected by three thousand men. It is easy to defend yourself, but if you want to capture the prince, you will have to kill all of your enemies. We will be weakened as well.

[If you lose too many men here, you won’t be able to defend yourself when the national army comes.]

Ministers will argue.

That’s to be expected.

If the national army of Alheim’s army confronts the prince’s private army, the prince will fall back to the rear of the army. That’s where we will attack from behind and capture the prince.

Since we have more forces, our private army will not attack immediately. If we capture the prince before the battle begins, our side should have little attrition.

[Is… possible?]

[Well, I’m here, so we can afford it.]

The sylphs agree with me.

The sylphs are here, and they told the ministers to listen to me so I can advise the Elf kings on their plans.

[With the help of the sylphs, we may be able to capture the prince. But even if we take the prince hostage, there is no guarantee that the national army will turn back.]

[What do you mean?]

The words of the minister overseeing the intelligence department caused Sylph to wonder.

[It is the fifth prince of Apristos who is now invading our country. It is possible that he is being used as a dumping ground for the national army to invade this country.]

Apristos’s 100,000 troops are said to be equivalent to about a third of the country’s war potential. It’s hard to get the public to understand how such a large force can be moved simply because the fifth prince’s marriage proposal was annulled.

[But what if the prince was captured and killed by Alheim?]

They would have a cause, to destroy Alheim in retaliation for the destruction of Alheim.

The fifth prince is being used by the motherland as a pawn in the scheme of things, was the information gathered by Alheim’s secret service.

[Hmm. Besides Haruto, what’s the point of capturing the prince?]

Sure, it may not be used to draw the national army, but it does leave evidence that the country tried to negotiate properly with the invading tribes.

[Evidence of bargaining with humans?　What the hell is that supposed to do?]

[If the enemy attacks us without knowing the difference in strength and we annihilate them, we will let them know that we were not wronged.]

[…I don’t understand. You talk as if you can annihilate the enemy easily.]

[That’s right. A hundred thousand or so troops advancing in force could be destroyed with a single shot of our ultimate magic.]

[Ultimate magic?　Which one of you can use it?]

[Yes, I’m a sage’s apprentice……. and I’m level 125 by the way.]

The ministers were buzzing with Luke’s reply.

He said he didn’t want to sound like a braggart, but in order to convince the ministers, he asked Luke to disclose his position and level beforehand.

But if we did that, other countries would see us as a danger to this country. It’s not a problem for one country, but if several countries join forces and start a coalition army, it would be out of control.

It’s not just the coalition forces that matter.

If the neighboring countries see Alheim as dangerous, it will affect trade and more.

But it’s not just a matter of wiping out the enemy.

It’s not whether we can win, it’s how we win.

My plan A goes like this. First, I’ll capture the prince and negotiate him to draw his national army.

Most likely, that negotiation will fall through.

Next, I’ll use Luke’s ultimate magic, enhanced by Luna, to demonstrate the overwhelming difference in strength. This is intimidation. We won’t hit the national army, but will make the nearby mountains disappear.

Now, if the enemy is afraid to turn back, it’s good. The operation is over.

However, there is a possibility that the enemy may not turn back. In that case, it’s a bit of a hassle, but I’ll switch to strategy B, which is to use my magic to disperse the enemies and destroy them one by one.

This strategy B requires the cooperation of Alheim’s army and the help of my classmates. I told everyone about the plan.

As it turned out, my plan was accepted. Knowing the strength of my comrades and my plan, the ministers thought it was a win-win situation. The only thing left to do is to put it into action.

The only thing left to do is to execute it.

Prince Apristos’ private army hadn’t moved much from the border area, I was told. While I was at it, I had to meet with the people who commanded the various units of the national army, explain the strategy and introduce my people to them.

[Isn’t that Haruto-dono!]

I was called out to the commanders of the national army along with Sylph, Tina and Rifa. There was a man with a muscular body that did not look like an elf.

He was a former general of the national army who had fought me in my first battle in a tournament to determine the man who would marry Tina. I heard that he was discharged from the army because he lost the battle with me.

[I heard that he was discharged after his battle with me…..]

Even though he lost to me, he was still strong. And yet, he was a general, and yet he was not demoted, he was suddenly discharged from the army.

What could have happened? I was sorry, because the fight with me could have been the cause. And now, I’m also worried about the former general wearing a combat uniform.

Even though he lost to me, he was still strong. And yet, he was a general, and yet he was not demoted, he was suddenly discharged from the army.

What could have happened? I was sorry, because the fight with me could have been the cause. And now, I’m also worried about the former general wearing a combat uniform.

[Ha-ha, I see now that I’m a soldier again. I’d rather be on the front lines wielding a sword.]

Then the former general held out his hand to me.

[I will fight in the front line with my former subordinates to defend this country. The outcome of this battle depends on your strategy. Please give us victory.]

[Okay, I’ll do my best. Please be safe.]

Then I shook hands with the former general.

When I shook his hand, he put an armband on me.

[What? You can’t do…]

Awareness fades away.

[Gahahahahahaha!]

Hearing the general’s laughter, my consciousness vanished.