After two weeks of cursing, the command of the enemy camp is disorganized.

The cursing is sparse and the soldiers are all over the place.

The soldiers over here are annoyed but distracted by jokes.

And today the temperature has suddenly risen.

It’s hot, that’s all I can say.

The enemy camp is littered with fodder and equipment.

Soldiers are lying down and dozing off.

I had a final meeting with Charles.

After dinner, I return to the office.

I tell Mil and Kiara, “I’m going on a little inspection. I’ll probably be back by …… tomorrow”.

That’s what I told them.

Mil and Kiara looked at each other and nodded silently.

I called all 40 members of the Elite Guards.

Everyone is nervous, starting with Jules.

We sail out of Antium after midnight.

We have already completed a thorough examination of the information beforehand, using familiars and other means.

Thanks to the familiars, we did not have to conduct a power reconnaissance.

We are heading for the rear camp where the enemy is accumulating supplies.

Although there is a headwind, the ship can reach a speed of less than 10 km/h.

Since we are using dwarf night vision, we don’t have to worry about running aground.

And since it was a surprise attack, no one made a sound.

The sound of the water drowns out the sound we made.

The enemy is demoralized and unable to maintain discipline.

And the waterways at night were unmarked.

During the day, though, they were on light alert.

Normally, traveling up the river at night is dangerous and requires a great deal of skill.

It wasn’t for this reason, but the training came in handy here.

Only the Elite Guards could make that surprise attack.

And the Elite Guards refused to leave me.

In other words, if I went, they would follow.

Jules looked reluctant at the idea of my going to the front, but at Charles’ urging, he shook his head grudgingly.

He gave me only one word of advice.

“You must take your wife’s and your sister’s reprimands, my lord.”

I’m not going to let anyone else take the risk of this decision.

I nodded silently to this.

We remained silent for what must have been three hours as we continued up the river.

Chicken-hearted as I am, it was a hard time for me.

We could see the camp building a bonfire.

The arrangements had been made in advance.

We landed quietly and checked the area.

There was a guard who was dozing off, so the Elite Guards immediately finished him.

Then we set fire to the camp.

Twenty places, one end to the other.

I know there are about 200 guards.

But 200 people in 20 locations.

That’s 10 people per camp.

It makes no sense to spread them out like this.

And the camps and supply depots are made of wood.

That is why they burn easily.

There was a guard who came out in a hurry on the way to the camp, but he was not expecting an enemy attack and was able to be defeated immediately.

Morale was down, and apparently, they had been drinking.

The guards were staggering and were no match for us.

After burning down 20 camps, the trees around them ignited, and the fire was becoming a massive conflagration.

This camp was on the enemy’s retreat route.

In other words, from the enemy’s point of view, the retreat route is on fire.

I breathed a sigh of relief as we set fire to the last camp.

At that moment, I felt someone yell at me.

“Kiddo! Don’t just stand there!”

I pulled my head back in a panic, and an arrow went through it.

That was close ……

It must have been an auditory hallucination, but I’m thankful to the Teacher anyway.

I looked in the direction from which the arrow flew, and saw Suzana, with whom I had a history, in the shadows with her bow at the ready.

And there were about 10 demon tribe members under her command.

It seemed that they had rushed to the scene when they saw the fire.

Or perhaps they saw the danger and were trying to escape.

Suzana clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“Damn, a brat with a good instinct ……”

The Elite Guards rushed to guard me and got into a slash-and-burn fight with the demon tribe under my command.

I couldn’t let Suzana escape here.

If I take my eyes off her, I’m sure she’ll run away again.

Jules immediately slashed at Suzana.

""

Ramiro and Mickey, using their agility to keep Suzana from escaping, moved around her.

The other one, Ale, is slashing with his men and encouraging the Elite Guards.

It sounds pathetic, but I took a step back and watch the battle.

We win by number and will not be defeated.

One by one, the demons fell.

Some of the Elite Guards were also wounded and fell, but for now, survival was the first priority.

Even for Suzana, there was no way to escape when she was surrounded by the three of them.

When she was cut down, she fell down with a glare in her eyes as if she was cursing me.

I wonder if she was trying to spit at me for the last time.

It was like that.

After confirming that there were no enemies around, I hurried to check for casualties.

I wanted to save those who could be saved.

Even if they died, we would never leave them behind.

I believe this is a natural consideration when I entrusted my life to the Elite Guards.

Reports soon came in.

Two people had died and three were injured.

My mood sank, but there was no time for sentimentality.

I instructed Ivan to send the injured and the bodies back.

He told me that he needed two men for maneuvering, which I immediately agreed to.

We have achieved our objective, and it doesn’t matter if we lose some of our strength.

When Charles sees the fire rising, he is supposed to attack, so we headed for the rendezvous.

From here, we will hold up our torches.

This is to let them know that the enemy is coming from the rear.

This is a gamble to cut off the enemy’s retreat and destroy them.

If there is no enemy in the retreat route, even if there is fire, they will open a way to escape from there.

That way, the survival rate is higher.

It would be dangerous if our total number were known, but it would be difficult to ascertain the exact number.

And if they know I am here, they will attack with their entire army.

I’m walking a tightrope that doesn’t suit me.

But to achieve great results, we must be prepared to take great risks.

We hurried to the rendezvous point.

After two hours of travel, we were able to meet up with Charles’ cavalry.

He must have rushed to meet up with me by sending the cavalry ahead.

Charles was the first to come out, and when he saw me, he grinned.

“I am glad to see you are safe. The enemy has abandoned their defensive position and is planning to call back the troops who are attacking Mantova to join them. We will hit them there.”

“I understand. We can’t just run back here, after all. I’ll stay with you until the end. Of course, I won’t interfere unnecessarily.”

Charles just laughed at my words and shrugged his shoulders.

We joined Charles’ army and marched on.

The enemy is also moving with torch burning, so we know exactly where they are.

I guess that’s because marching in the dark with the soldiers shaken up will cause them to run away and scatter.

“It’s a small mountain in that area, isn’t it?”

Jules, who was following next to me, nodded.

“Yes, because that’s the shortest way to join up with the attack force in Mantova.”

“There’s no escape there.”

“Is it settled then?”

“The retreat route has gone up in flames, and the enemy is already all but destroyed. All we have to do now is to exterminate them.”

Jules looked both disappointed and impressed.

“As I thought, my lord would be good with a fire gauge.”

That’s a nasty assessment ……

And Poncio was also involved in the chase.

it seems that he saw the situation and decided it was the right time to attack.

The morale of the soldiers was loose, and the surprise attack set the retreat ablaze.

They no longer made sense as a group.

If morale had not loosened, the surprise attack would not have succeeded in the first place.

I was just waiting for the timing when the security of the camp where they were accumulating supplies would loosen.

If the situation were so chaotic, the soldiers would not be able to properly protect the commanders.

The leadership layer could now be almost completely wiped out.

I thought about letting the Elite Guards get some real combat experience while standing out of the way.

The fighting was fierce, but the enemy was not well organized and could not function as a group.

A number of demons were trying to escape and slashing at their allies.

Perhaps they had eaten too many monsters and their judgment was impaired.

Has this confusion brought their instincts more strongly to the fore?

From here, it is just a process of checking the results.

However, it is an exchange of life.

The smell of blood makes you understand that it is real.

There are no flashy effects like in games.

I watched this hell without emotion.

I mourn the victims, but watching this exchange of life doesn’t evoke any emotion in me.

I must be broken somehow.

But now I am fortunate in my brokenness.

If I get shaken, the Elite Guards will suffer unnecessary casualties.

I neither laugh nor cry, but simply watch the battle unfold.

◆◇◆◇◆

By the time it was bright, everything was settled.

More than a thousand demons had been vanquished.

There were many people dressed in luxurious clothes, so they must have been in the commander’s class.

As expected, some of them escaped.

I’ll get a report on the damage later ……

While I was thinking about the future, Charles came over to me.

“The battle here is over, my lord. What next?”

“We will rescue the wounded and rest for a day. After that, we will attack again. Let the cavalry go ahead of us, and let them pursue lightly. Do not pursue too far.”

“You will not return to Antium?”

“Only the wounded will return. It would be a waste of time to go back and forth.”

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