Chapter 235

“Hmph. The higher-ups are calling this the ‘Battle of the Waist Gate’.”

Secundus Debius sat at the head of the table.

To his right sat Kateka Keshulei, and to his left sat a man with dark skin and thick eyebrows.

Nana Nereyades was offered the seat right next to Kateka.

This was the staff of the Three-Mi Grand General, Secundus.

“Some sneered, saying it should be called a disaster, not a battle, but that’s just talk from desk-jockeys who don’t know any better.”

“…….”

Nana bit her lip.

How fiercely they had fought against the dragon, the Earth Soldiers, and the White Lord.

But it seemed that fierceness was not conveyed to those in high positions, who only saw the numbers.

“Still, no one blamed you, Legion Commander Nana. Most of the voices criticized General Zeronimus’s arbitrary decision.”

Secundus said.

“On the contrary, His Majesty praised you. He said he wanted to give you an award for preserving so many soldiers despite your grievous injuries.”

“……I am truly moved.”

“Speak with a brighter face.”

“Half of my face is burnt, so I can’t help it.”

Even after hearing that Ferbias had praised her, Nana Nereyades’s expression did not soften.

Secundus laughed heartily.

It seemed this defeat was draining the poison from her heart.

“In any case, this battle has made it clear.”

Secundus held up three fingers.

“The White Lord, the Widow Queen, Shion of Merion.”

It had already been confirmed that the one who killed Zeronimus was Obro Denoebang.

The Widow Queen had announced her own name, and Nana had recognized Shion’s face.

The Empire was able to identify all three of the West’s heroes.

“Hmph, it would be fine to call them the three most dangerous in the West.”

All the staff officers nodded at once.

Nana, who had experienced them directly, expressed even deeper agreement.

Just thinking about it made her shudder.

The returned White Lord, the queen who commanded thousands of Earth Soldiers, and that still bone-chillingly black… Dragon.

“Just three of them defeated an army of thirty-eight thousand. What do you think, Cheshih?”

“If those three block it, we cannot use the Waist Gate.”

The man on the left, Cheshih, bowed his head deeply.

He was a man from Horm, a country in the Empire’s east, on the exact opposite side from the West.

“The path out of the Waist Gate is a narrow, single road. On top of that, it is long enough to require a week’s march, and the mountains on both sides are high. There is no terrain more suitable for a small number to defeat a large army.”

“And the Widow Queen can even change the terrain as she pleases….”

“Yes, it is extremely disadvantageous for us.”

At Cheshih’s words, Secundus stroked his chin.

“Then should we turn back?”

“As you know, there are only three routes to cross into the West, and they are an enormous distance from each other. Our provisions cannot handle it.”

“Then what if we form a small detached unit, have them cross the Great Mountain Range, and secure our safety through them?”

“It is not impossible, but it seems unnecessary to take such a risk, Your Highness. There is another solution.”

The dark-skinned strategist mused quietly.

“We just need to wait.”

“Wait?”

Secundus jutted his chin.

It was a gesture to continue speaking.

“May I be so bold as to ask a question, Your Highness?”

“Mm. Of course. You are still excessively polite.”

“Do you believe the West has any cards that surpass those three?”

“Not a chance. Could there be others as baffling and special as them? The fact that there are three is shocking enough.”

“Yes. I am of the same opinion.”

Cheshih’s eyes were sharp, like a bird of prey.

“Usually, ahead of a long war, the most important cards are kept hidden. Because no genius can read every phase of the conflict.”

“Continue.”

“And yet, the West revealed its strongest cards from the very beginning. As if to boast to us that they have such outstanding and strong people….”

Mm. Secundus let out a groan.

The other staff officers were the same.

It was a point they too had vaguely thought about, but had not yet organized.

Cheshih had a talent for taking vague thoughts and spitting them out as well-refined words.

“Weaker animals tend to puff themselves up, Your Highness Secundus. With this battle, the West has proven its own inferiority.”

“Showing their strong cards from the beginning proves their inferiority…. Could the West not know that?”

“They would have known.”

The Horm man’s words were uninhibited.

“It means their inferiority is so great that they had no choice, even knowing that.”

Cheshih was a person from Horm.

It hadn’t been long since half of Horm was conquered by the Empire.

Although things had gotten twisted and he ended up as Secundus’s staff officer, Cheshih knew the heart of one invaded by the Empire all too well.

That was why the West’s thoughts seemed transparent to him.

“Three individuals achieved victory against the Empire…. They must have known that without creating such a heroic tale, the difference in military strength was such that a fight could not even be established.”

“Hmm. How would they know of our military strength? It seems there is someone who knows the Empire’s interior well.”

“It seems so.”

Cheshih’s opinion was surprisingly close to the truth.

So much so that it would have given me goosebumps if I had heard it.

“Then, please think of it this way, Your Highness. The West is a pangolin.”

“A pangolin?”

“A small animal covered in scales. It has a fierce temperament and poison, so it acts as a predator in its own territory.”

“Hmm.”

The staff officers listened intently to Cheshih’s analogy.

“But what happens? A pride of lions invades the creature’s territory. Seeing the pride of lions coming from afar, it hides, spits poison, and swipes its claws, somehow managing to slightly injure one lion.”

“…….”

“And then, it curls its body up and hides within its scales. The lion pride is still around it, and one lion is even injured and thoroughly enraged. At this time, what is the heart of this pitiful pangolin like?”

“……It would be scared. Very scared.”

“Correct.”

Cheshih twisted the corner of his mouth.

He suddenly felt his own situation was pathetic.

This was the knowledge and wisdom he had accumulated over a lifetime.

But here he was, presenting this wisdom to the Imperial general who had turned his motherland into a wasteland.

But it couldn’t be helped.

In return for Cheshih’s loyalty, Secundus had bestowed much mercy upon Horm.

If he were not loyal, many people in Horm would lose their lives.

Therefore, Cheshih collected himself and continued the story.

“Then for this pangolin that has just thrashed about, this small animal hidden within its scales but still surrounded by the lion pride, what is the most frightening thing?”

“……For nothing to happen.”

Secundus Debius said.

“The pangolin hidden in its scales can’t see anything, so the scariest thing would be if the lion pride did nothing. It would have no choice but to wait endlessly in the dark, tense.”

“Yes, you are wise, Your Highness.”

Cheshih bowed his head again.

“If we give them time, they will divide on their own. Besides, didn’t Grand General Sen Hostanio head to the Head Gate?”

“How long must we wait?”

“It won’t even take long. About twenty days should be enough.”

“What do we do for twenty days?”

“Wouldn’t it be good to raise the morale of the soldiers Legion Commander Nana led and have them integrate with our soldiers? It just so happens to be the time when herds of Horoso pass by near here. Why not hunt some Horoso to save provisions and promote harmony?”

“Very good. In that case, I will issue five hundred beer barrels to each legion. It should be enough for a palate cleanser.”

“This, too, is an excellent decision.”

Secundus clapped Cheshih on the shoulder.

“Could it be as excellent a decision as bringing you from Horm, Cheshih?”

“I still hate the Empire, Your Highness Secundus.”

“Only say such things in front of me.”

Secundus laughed heartily, and the other staff officers laughed along.

There was no sign of jealousy.

Cheshih also forced his lips to rise.

Nana could not hide her surprise at the high level of the conversation.

It was incomparable to Zeronimus’s meetings, which were about things like the grilled lamb restaurants in East-Ertad.

“You heard, Legion Commander Nana. Your job now is to rest well.”

“…….”

“The soldiers’ morale will rise only when you show that you are stable.”

Nana bit her lip.

“…I will do so, Your Highness.”

“Ah. And I must say this.”

Secundus Debius frowned.

“Stop with that ‘Your Highness’ nonsense! How do you think I sat in the seat of the Three-Mi Grand General? Call me General!”

“…Yes, General.”

“That’s right!”

***

“It’s a total mess.”

I, Shion Pollinglight, let out a sigh.

‘Just like before the Regression.’

I was looking down on the soldiers of the West.

The hastily gathered soldiers numbered sixty thousand in all.

They were mainly people from Maesh and Erta, and the soldiers from small countries like Bururade numbered less than ten thousand.

Since various soldiers had been gathered from various countries, there was no way they would easily unite as one.

The training level was abysmal, the command structures were all different, and the weapons and tactics they used were each different.

‘Especially the level of the commanders, it’s too low…. I knew they were like this, but seeing it again after a long time really makes my blood boil….’

The soldiers of the Cordis Empire were famous for repeating training that was close to real combat.

Also, because there was always competition between the legions, their level never dropped.

However, the ones called commanders in the West were rarely ones who had experienced a proper battle.

It couldn’t be helped, as the most they did leading soldiers was subjugating magical beasts, but seeing them butt heads over their pride with only their egos being high made me want to pull out the ‘Heated Iron Bloodline’ right away.

‘Right now, Obro and I are here, so they’re at least pretending to listen, but….’

A sigh escaped automatically at the thought of facing the Cordis Empire with these men.

Still, I hadn’t had high expectations for the quality of the soldiers in the first place, so the disappointment was less.

I was just forcing myself to be satisfied with having secured a certain number of heads.

“Obro.”

“Yes, Mr. Shion.”

“What do you think?”

“It’s a mess.”

Obro Denoebang took the liquor bottle from his lips.

He had promised to serve me for life, and his attitude was consistently polite.

“Is there any way to improve it?”

“Not for me. I’m a swordsman by birth, not fit to be a commander.”

“You sound like Amethus.”

“That friend also seems to be of the same mold as me. He has the talent of a commander, but he is a swordsman by birth.”

“Then how do you see me?”

“Mr. Shion?”

Obro Denoebang, who was drinking, stopped his hand.

He still had shaggy hair.

Even though he had escaped the state of being like a Hairy mushroom, he did not have a refined appearance.

“……Mr. Shion, you have no talent as a swordsman at all. It makes me wonder how you got so strong.”

“Is that an insult?”

“No. It’s a compliment. You can’t be a swordsman if your field of vision isn’t narrow.”

Obro Denoebang scratched his chin.

The spot where his beard had been still felt awkward.

“Whether thousands of the soldiers I lead die, or the enemy general flees far away, a swordsman only sees the sword right in front of his eyes.”

“…So you’re saying I have to do something about these soldiers.”

“In the end, yes.”

I chuckled.

Well, it was the same before the Regression.

Since I was the Vice-Commander of the Western Alliance.

“My mind might have been more at ease if I, too, were a swordsman.”

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