Chapter 183 – Current Life’s Relationship (1)

On the day before the fall of the Benedict Castle, Count Vandenberg, the commander of the Western Front, received a report that disrupted the peace in Cairo.

“The Kronos Empire has crossed the borders! The first line of defense has been breached and they are leading their troops to the second line of defense. Commander, please give us your order. It is only a matter of time before the second line of defense is broken!”

He received a report from his subordinate. There has been a civil war in Cairo for the last few days. Daniel Cairo raised his troops to suppress the rebellion, but none of the troops on the Western Front were summoned because there was an evil force that existed beyond the West.

And since no one knew when the Kronos Empire might invade the borders, they put up a minimum safety net. The first line of defense was nothing more but a temporary defensive position.

In fact, they had the role of a scout to report the invasion of their enemies, and from the second round, supplies for a battle were prepared.

Count Vandenberg said,

“Call the troops right now! Cairo is in chaos due to the civil war. Under the current situation, if the Kronos Empire steps into our land, the chaos will be out of control.”

It was the best decision that their enemies could make. The third line of defense was their last resort, so they needed to win at least one battle in the second line of defense.

And right then….

“No. We have to abandon the second line of defense and retreat with the troops.”

It was the end of the meeting. One of the staff on the Western Front spoke up, and Count Vandenberg asked,

“Flora, what do you mean?”

It was Flora Lawrence, and everyone turned to her.

The odd one on the Western Front—Flora was a celebrity in the West. After she left her family, she entered the Royal Academy and studied tactics. Then she suddenly announced her intention to volunteer on the Western Front, and the capital was in an uproar because of it.

It was an unusual request, and she was not just an ordinary woman but the daughter of a noble family, so the opinions were divided. In the end, they left the decision to Flora’s father.

Viscount Lawrence, who heard of his daughter’s decision, sent a message saying that he believed in her.

It was the first time it happened in Cairo. There had never been a case where a woman from a noble family with a great future wanted to head into war, and many didn’t like it. Sometimes, there were such people.

Because some people had the choice, they could head to the battlefield for the sake of experience and not risk their lives. So there was a lot of prejudice. The people in the West rejected Flora, but it only took less than a month for that perception to change.

And what she has shown thus far has made the Count willingly listen to her.

“Flora. What do you mean?”

“The Kronos Empire has periodically invaded Cairo’s borders. They were meant to be a warning, but they didn’t genuinely intend to capture Cairo. But it’s different this time. Civil war broke out inside Cairo, and Marquis Benedict was reportedly cornered. The situation is quite tricky, and I think the Kronos Empire’s attack has something to do with the civil war.”

“… you mean, the Kronos Empire has joined sides with Marquis Benedict?”

“I am not sure who it is, but it might be because of Count Gregory, who was imprisoned, or it might also be because of Marquis Benedict, who requested for help. What is certain is that the Kronos Empire invaded the borders despite the conflict within the kingdom. Therefore, we shouldn’t be overlooking this situation.”

The room was in chaos. Flora’s words meant that the Kronos Empire was involved in the civil war.

In this unusual situation, one person asked,

“Flora. If so, isn’t it more important to stop the Kronos Empire at the second line of defense? War is a crucial thing, and we need to hold a lead. If we withdraw right now, then we will have to give up a lot of war resources.”

“Yes, right. Under normal circumstances, it makes no sense to abandon the second line of defense. However, if Kronos has decided to use the civil war for their motives, then their goal is to pass through the third line of defense at all costs and invade Cairo. In addition, with the kingdom dealing with the rebellious forces, if they don’t have supporting troops to spare, then the worst situation awaits us since we have to deal with the Kronos Empire all on our own. We cannot always have the best option, and the fate of Cairo is at stake this time, so we must filter out the worst and best options.”

Flora added strength to her voice. Ever since she was assigned to the West, she has proven her merit on the battlefield. And the moment people fully embraced her, regardless of her gender or status, Flora Lawrence turned into a key member.

Therefore, Flora’s advice couldn’t be overlooked.

Count Vandenberg was silent. After thinking for a long time, he made a decision.

“Flora is right. Order the troops in the second line to retreat. In case the worst happens, we will prepare for a war against Kronos in the third line of defense.”

The situation was as they had expected. The Kronos Empire wasn’t satisfied with the second line of defense. They marched beyond that place, and soon after, the troops received a call from the Cairo royal family.

[Marquis Benedict colluded with the Kronos Empire. They intend to break the third line of defense and directly attack Cairo, and the kingdom’s forces need time to sort out the rebellion that is happening. Hold on for three days. If you can endure that much, I will quickly organize the troops and send reinforcements to the Western Front.]

After receiving the message from the royal family, a meeting was called. As the heads of the Western Front gathered together, Baron Noel, the head of the staff, spoke.

“His Majesty promised us three days. But common sense tells us that it is impossible to quell a rebellion in three days. Marquis Benedict has been preparing for a rebellion for a long time, and from what we know, his castle has all the preparations needed for a war. Although the commander leading them is Roman Dmitry, who had defeated the Hector Kingdom, we need to prepare something.”

“Right. Besides, even if they manage to subdue the rebellion, it will take them some time to move. Even if they used the warp gate, it will take them a day to arrive, so does it make sense for them to clean up the Benedict Castle in one day?”

Everyone felt negative about it. The West and Benedict—since they had warp gates, there was no need to travel long distances on foot. But even taking those advantages into account, it felt like three days were too short.

Count Vandenberg said,

“You are right. If we really don’t want the Kronos Empire to invade us, then we need to secure war materials as fast as we can and prepare to defend. In the worst case, the army of the kingdom might be unable to clean up the rebellious forces, and in the end, it means we will have to overcome this crisis on our own.”

“I have different thoughts.”

A beautiful voice. It was Flora who spoke this time.

Baron Noel asked,

“You think differently? Do you think the troops of the kingdom will clean them up in three days?”

“I also think three days is tight, but His Majesty said that he gave a 3-day deadline to Roman Dmitry. Then, there is a good chance that it won’t last longer than five days at the most. They will likely capture the rebels in three days, and given their travel time, they will arrive in five days.”

“How can you be that sure?”

“I think everyone is familiar with the relationship between Dmitry and Lawrence. Roman Dmitry is a man who makes the best of the worst situations. From the moment he took down Barco with Lawrence, I knew that he wasn’t a person who could be judged according to common sense. And such a being said three days, so I trust him.”

The people on the Western Front weren’t incompetent. Each of them had their own strengths, and as long as they could protect this place, Flora thought they could change the situation.

Roman Dmitry. She experienced his power firsthand. Even with the absurd time they were given, she trusted Roman Dmitry, but Baron Noel was different.

“All baseless judgments. If we take a step back and your words turn into reality, what do you think is the right way to respond?”

“Time is running out, and so is for Kronos. Marquis Benedict will try to encroach on Cairo’s territory before he falls, and if so, it is clear they will do their best from the start. Even if we move to the third line of defense, there is no guarantee we can stop their attack. In the end, there is just one way.”

Her gaze was focused. If she had noticed Kronos’s intentions and decided it was best for them to retreat, she also needed to pay attention to this choice.

“There is a saying that offense is the best defense. I think it is best if we run into them first and weaken them so they cannot knock us down in the coming five days.”

Attack—at Flora’s remarks, the faces of the leaders were flustered.

It was a different and impossible idea. And because Flora knew why they were flustered, she presented what she had prepared in advance.

Tak.

Rustle.

She unfolded the material. As the people’s eyes focused, she explained in a calm voice,

“We need to analyze Kronos’s attack pattern. When they invaded simply as a warning, they normally attempted hand-to-hand combat, but when they needed a certain victory like now, they liked to mobilize their war magicians. The data presented here proves it. It is Kronos’s general pattern to use magic to demolish the walls and invade the castle with their troops.”

“That is something we know. Isn’t it more important to secure the mana stones along with war supplies?”

“Yes. If we use Magic Defense, the fight will last for a long time. But it is an open fact on both sides that if the enemy uses their war magicians, we will use Magic Defense. And the war magicians will amplify their power. And if it is the Kronos Empire, which has seven Magic Towers, bringing in more magicians isn’t a difficult task to do.”

Swish.

The page was turned.

“Look at this. The enemy’s attacks have a certain pattern. Their magicians maximize their power while using magic from a safe distance from our arrows. This is because mages are vulnerable when casting magic, and the distance is usually around 1 km. Not only do the arrows not reach the distance, but even if we attempt a long-range attack, the accuracy is very low. And if they have more magicians, they will be ready with defensive spells.”

“It’s about 1 km. Does that mean there’s a way we can use that?”

“Yes. If we can anticipate where the magicians will be and set a magic trap in that area.”

Baron Noel smiled as if he were exhausted. Flora’s words were nice to listen to, but they were also absurd.

“It is impossible. Although the 1 km distance can be specified, it only refers to the distance from the castle wall, and it isn’t possible to guarantee where they will cast their magic. We also can’t secure magic traps in huge quantities, and the magicians can detect the location of the traps with mana. If they feel anything strange, they will make the traps useless and use magic from a safe location.”

“Right.. so, from now on, we need to act strategically.”

Flora’s voice rose as she looked at everyone. Right after entering the academy, she learned about the bloody battlefields.

“We must offer them a Battle of Great Warriors.”

“What?”

“Yes. In a war between nations, a Battle of Great Warriors is used to suppress the opponent’s initiative. Since the Kronos Empire is strong, they will not refuse it because they are sure that their men will win.”

“Even if they accept it…. No way?!”

Baron Noel was shocked at her strategy. He figured out what Flora said.

“If we set up in advance and offer them a Battle of Great Warriors, they will have no choice but to move their troops according to our position. Then, it is possible for the magicians to select a place from which they will cast their spells. They will leave the troops behind and move forward to cast their magic, which will greatly reduce the margin of error.”

“Then, how about them feeling the mana?”

“The swordsman who will participate in the Battle of Great Warriors plays a huge role. If the swordsman fights with his aura at its maximum, the mana concentration in the surroundings will increase. Even the most sensitive magician cannot get through such a raging aura and detect the magic traps. The moment they step on the magic traps with complacency because of the battle in front of them, we can destroy them slowly and surely.”

The plans she made surprised all of them.

Baron Noel, who had been looking at her negatively, was now nodding his head. This was the best outcome. He only raised his voice because it seemed impossible, but now he was willing to accept it. Her plan was charming. They could deal with the magicians and delay Kronos.

Flora added,

“The question is, who will be the Great Warrior willing to go? The allied warriors will have to risk their lives and prolong the match for our plan to work. No, to be honest, the one who is willing to go might not even survive. I am not sure what kind of swordsman the Kronos Empire will send out, but the opponent won’t be easy to defeat.”

It was a dilemma. In order to complete the operation, one had to die.

And right then, one of the people in the meeting said,

“I will do it.”

At that moment, everyone was surprised. The man was Rodwell Dmitry.