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Volume 5 Chapter 1 Part 4

If he sends out his troops to deal with them carelessly, they will be ambushed and only increase the number of casualties, since the Lords of Artuk specialize in guerrilla warfare.

「First of all, there is no choice but to rule from the towns and villages surrounding this castle in order. Call on Artuk’s Lords to subordinate themselves to you once again, and be patient about it. 」

「Understood! 」

Milza’s subordinate Lords all shouted and ran out of the throne room.

Many of Milza’s followers are young men who belong to the warrior class, and although they are good at warfare, they are all amateurs when it comes to diplomacy and governance. Still, he had to give those of them who seem to be promising enough their own Crests and let them govern their own towns and villages, because otherwise it would be seen as a transgression against the peerage system. However, the power of Milza’s own Crest got divided as a result. For Milza, Crest is something that makes him strong, but…

「So vexing… 」

Artuk was supposed to be Milza’s base for advancing his forces further into the continent, but right now it felt as if he had his hands and feet entangled in the thorns of a deep dark forest.

It was then that a young Mage hurriedly entered the hall.
「Lord Milza. 」

With his face down, the Mage advanced to the throne. He is a Mage dispatched from Waldrind, whose name is Terius.

Milza hated having Mages by his side, because he thinks that all of them are nothing more but spies sent by the Mages Association. And yet, although reluctantly, he had to say that there were times when the abilities of Mages were pretty useful, like whenever there was a need for an emergency contact… but that fact still annoyed him.

He doesn’t want to be close to him, so he usually has him work in a separate room. This is how he usually was getting calls from Marine Kraische of Waldrind.

「What do you want? 」

Milza spoke openly without trying to hide his displeasure.

「Lady Marine requested that we invade Regalia. 」

「Regalia? Does the Margrave want to recapture Veltava? 」

「It’s exactly like you guessed it. 」

Terius bowed respectfully to Milza.

「She also said that she would leave the affairs after the invasion to you, Lord Milza. You are free to either conquer Regalia as well, or to retreat without fighting. 」

「What about Lady Ulrika of Stark? 」

「Her orders are to land in Haman from the coast and disturb the enemy from the rear. 」

It must have been a plan devised by that Mage who is close to Marine. It seemed like a solid move to make.

「If we conquer all the territories that were ruled by Vilar, the Lords of Artuk will have no choice but to surrender themselves to us. 」

「I hope so… 」

Terius blurted out these words.

「You think they won’t do that? 」

Milza cast a sharp glance at Terius. The young Mage shrugged and lowered his face in haste.

「According to the information that we received from Shadows, the Lords of this region has signed a treaty with Lassic David, King of Selvis, as its leader. I thought that once the Earl of Artuk would be defeated, the unity of the other Lords of Artuk would fall apart… 」
「But Vilar foresaw his own death and urged his allies to unite. 」

Milza sighed. Even after his death, The Earl of Artuk’s presence doesn’t seem to fade.

(With all that talent he had, why didn’t he take the path of supremacy?)

Milza continued to ask himself that question.

「I will leave about 500 troops to defend the castle and advance south with all my forces. Regalia is a country of grasslands, so t’s going to be much easier to pacify than Artuk. 」

Earl of Regalia is a good man, but he is not as gifted in military strategy as his brother was.

「The only enemy ruler we should be wary of is King Lassic of Selvis. But if we attack from three sides, there’s no way he can stand up to us equally on every battlefield. 」

Milza snorted.

「As you wish… 」

Terius bowed.

「… however, I think it is important to assess the opponent’s ability this time. 」

「Do you even realize who are you talking to? 」

Milza glared at Terius.

「I am simply advising the governor of Artuk… 」

Terius answered with a slightly trembling voice.

「… Since that is the duty of us Mages. 」

This time Terius didn’t look down and looked straight at Milza.

「Is it the teachings of Waldrind’s Head Mage? 」

「Yes, Master Aubest ordered me to always speak my thoughts earnestly, no matter how frightening Lord Milza might become after hearing them. 」

「I see. 」

Milza snorts.

「Then, from now on, you’re going to make even more bold statements. Of course, you need to be prepared that they might anger me, and when that happens, I will cut you down. 」

Milza said in order to intimidate Terius.

「Yes, I will. 」

Terius replied with a pale face.

(Is this what a Mage’s pride is?)

Mages serve their Lords because they are obliged to by contracts. However, Milza also knew that there were people who would be loyal to their Lords and risk their lives for them even without them.

After surrendering the throne of Castle Unicorn, Laura Hadley, Head Mage of Villar Constance drank a vial of poison and committed suicide. Other Mages also died in battle. The only survivor was the Helga Pialosa, the Mage who was a specialist in Life Magic who now spent many days sleeplessly treating the wounded after the previous battle before returning to Elam.

「You seem to be good at military strategy. 」

「In the military studies at the Magic University, I got decent grades. However, I honestly don’t know if they will be of any use in actual combat. 」

「If you don’t try, there’s no way you’ll understand. Make a plan for this invasion of Regalia. 」

「As you wish. 」

Terius nodded in surprise. He probably didn’t expect to be entrusted with such an important role.

「Get ready in five days. 」

At Milza’s command, Terius hurriedly bowed to him and left the throne room in even more of a hurry.

Seven days later, the Dartanian army led by Milza left Castle Unicorn.

The total number of soldiers was more than 4,000, and most of them were the members of the cavalry.

The Mage Terius gathered the necessary supplies and personnel within the given number of days and sent out the scouts ahead of time. The plan that he made was a meticulous one, and he executed it without omission, so Milza had no choice but to recognize his skill.

With Mages by their sides, all Lords can be sure that military affairs, domestic affairs, and diplomacy will all be handled smoothly… But because of that, many Lords are like puppets in the hands of their contracted Mages.

「This is a report from a scout. It says that they have found the Regalia army. There is around 2000 of them including the infantry and cavalry. Compared to the previous battle, their mobilization power seems to have fallen considerably. 」

「It was an awkward way to lose, after all. 」

Milza snorted.

Although there is not much difference in the number of soldiers, Milza leads the elite warriors selected from the various tribes of Dartania.

「Let’s waste them!!! 」

Milza doesn’t think of Serge as a proper opponent.

(Lassic David, the King of Selvis, will surely appear.)

After the death of Earl Vilar of Artuk, the region signed a treaty. The one who became their leader was the King of Selvis, Lassic. Considering his abilities, it was a natural choice.

(If Lassic David is defeated, that treaty of his will collapses for sure.)

* * *

The armies of Dartania and Regalia met on the plains of northern Regalia.

The Regalia army placed cavalry on both of its wings, and the formation where Serge was, with infantry armed with long spears lined up horizontally in the center, was guarded by escorts and stood at the rear of the troops.

「Break through the center of the infantry and defeat Serge! 」

Milza drew his sword and waved it over his head to command a charge.

「Please wait! 」

But Terius hurriedly stopped him.

「What? What is it now?! 」

Dejected, Milza glared at the young Mage.

「Looking at the opponent’s formation, it’s as if they’re asking you to break through the center. It feels unnatural. Something’s definitely wrong here. 」