Episode 104: The Restless Deputy Commander

The day after the Eastern Army completely crushed the Western Corps—

Siegfried von Kreving summoned his commanders to the strategy room.

Gathered were the key members of Siegfried’s direct forces, along with senior officers of the Eastern Army, including Almants.

Additionally, mid- and low-ranking commanders were also in attendance, their faces etched with tension.

This was because, during Bertram’s time, such strategy meetings were never open to them.

Back then, everything was decided solely by Bertram, Almants, and their inner circle of officers.

Surveying them slowly, Siegfried opened his mouth to speak.

“As you all know, our Eastern Army has achieved victory against the Serodonia Kingdom’s Western Corps. Our losses were minimal, we captured numerous prisoners, and the enemy was utterly routed, fleeing in disarray.”

“Ohh…!”

The cheers came from the mid- and low-ranking commanders.

Of course, they already knew the outcome of the battle.

But—no matter how many times they heard it, it felt exhilarating.

After all, such an overwhelming victory hadn’t been seen in the Kirchhen Kingdom for over a decade.

And the ones who achieved this feat were none other than themselves.

However, the commanders of Siegfried’s unit didn’t utter a sound, sitting calmly in their seats.

Their thoughts were as follows—

(The moment of an overwhelming victory is precisely when carelessness creeps in… Now is the time to stay sharp.)

The red-haired knight, Beatrice, was mentally chastising herself to avoid getting carried away by the victory.

(Sure, we won, but knowing this guy… he’s probably gonna say something outrageous again, isn’t he?)

The tall young man, Leon, was growing anxious, wondering if Siegfried would, as usual, stir up even more chaos.

(Huh, both of them… they’re all serious and quiet. Should I, like, make a serious face too… or something?)

The beastman girl, Fen, not quite grasping the situation, mimicked their solemn expressions.

“Now, regarding our next steps—”

At Siegfried’s words, the air in the room grew taut, and everyone held their breath.

Broadly speaking, there were two options moving forward.

Namely, to press the offensive or to pivot toward peace negotiations.

Siegfried chose the former.

“I believe we should continue our advance.”

“N-No, that’s reckless!”

The Eastern Army’s deputy commander, Almants, who had been silent as a frog-shaped statue until now, hurriedly spoke up.

“I understand the desire to pursue further victories after such a triumph. But pressing the attack any further is unwise!”

Moving his frog-like mouth rapidly, Almants rattled on.

“There’s no need to take unnecessary risks by pushing for more. If we lose now, everything will be for naught. Now is the time to seek peace! Don’t you agree, gentlemen?”

Almants desperately advocated for peace—not out of any pacifist ideals, of course.

His greatest fear was that the Western Corps’ commander, Volfirio, might be captured and taken prisoner.

(If Prince Volfirio is captured, he’ll surely be sent to the capital… and King Luverios himself will interrogate him. If that happens… the secret trade dealings will come to light. His Majesty will find out I was involved!)

Volfirio had no reason to protect Almants. In fact, to demonstrate loyalty to Luverios, he might even eagerly expose the details of the illicit trade.

But—if they could secure peace here and now…

(There’s still a chance I could cover it up… maybe.)

Even if Siegfried accused him of the secret trade before the king, Almants might be able to deflect by saying, “I had no part in it. It was all Commander Bertram’s doing.”

But if a prince of the kingdom like Volfirio confessed, no amount of excuses would hold water.

(That’s why… we must secure peace now, at all costs!)

Burning with intense urgency, Almants pleaded for peace.

Yet Siegfried responded in a calm, measured tone.

“The moment of victory is indeed the perfect opportunity to negotiate peace on favorable terms—that’s your thinking, isn’t it, Deputy Commander Almants? There’s some merit to that.”

“Y-Yes, exactly!”

Almants leaned forward, his face lighting up with hope. But Siegfried slowly shook his head.

“However—it’s too early for peace. Now is the time to press forward.”

“B-But… ahead lies the enemy’s fortified city. The remnants of the Western Corps will likely hole up there. It won’t be easy to take…!”

“Indeed, besieging a fortress is no simple task. However—in terms of numbers and morale, we hold a clear advantage. We are more than capable of capturing it.”

Siegfried paused there, presenting information that could shift the tide of the campaign.

“Furthermore, according to intelligence from the prisoners, the Serodonia Kingdom’s largest force is the main army led by First Prince Garfilia. However, there’s bad blood between First Prince Garfilia and Second Prince Volfirio over the right to the throne. As a result, the likelihood of Serodonia’s main army coming to Volfirio’s aid is—extremely low.”

“Oh, to have such intelligence…!”

“As expected of Count Kreving!”

The voices of excitement came from the mid- and low-ranking commanders.

Siegfried offered them a gentle smile.

“Thanks to the enemy commander we captured, who was remarkably cooperative. We owe a debt of gratitude to him, even as an enemy.”

Siegfried recalled the face of that enemy commander… Pebrio.

A face now lost forever.

“At any rate, now is the perfect opportunity to expand our gains. If we hesitate here, King Luverios will surely reprimand us later, asking, ‘Why did you falter at the greatest opportunity?’”

“He’s right.”

“Indeed, Count Kreving’s words… make perfect sense.”

One by one, the mid- and low-ranking commanders voiced their agreement, and the room’s atmosphere began to solidify around the decision to advance.

Meanwhile, the ones growing pale were Deputy Commander Almants and his circle of loyal officers.

(This is bad… really bad…!)

Cold sweat beaded on his frog-like face as Almants frantically searched for a way out.

(I have to do something… anything…!)