Chapter 97 : Chapter 97

Chapter 097 : White Night Tactics (2)

Seven days and nights had passed since Bihen executed Yeats.

Conwell was abuzz.

Rumors spread rapidly that in the first major clash between the main forces of both sides since the civil war began, Lady Adeline’s side had achieved a great victory.

At the center of it all was Bihen Benkou.

The Archduke’s forces, which had formed a wide encirclement around the Litania Order, began to stir.

This was especially true for the units stationed farther from the main force directly commanded by Callence.

While the Litania Order’s Magic-Sealing Formation showed no signs of breaking…

Bihen Benkou was targeting the rear of the front line.

“Haaah!”

“Waaah! That scared me!”

Two soldiers on guard duty jumped in unison.

One was a senior soldier who had been blatantly sleeping and suddenly woke up screaming, while the other was a junior soldier who had been dozing off and got startled along with him.

“Man, that freaked me out. Bad dream or something? I thought my heart would stop. Phew.”

“Huff, huff… B-Bihen Benkou…”

“Huh?”

The senior soldier, breathing heavily, slowly turned to the junior.

His pale face was drenched in cold sweat.

He suddenly smacked the junior’s head.

Thwack!

“Ow! Why’d you hit me!”

“…It was a dream, you punk. A dream about Bihen Benkou attacking.”

The junior rubbed the back of his head, muttering.

“I’m not Bihen Benkou, so why take it out on me…”

“Want another hit? Come with me.”

“Huh? Where to?”

“To take a leak.”

“Go alone. If we get caught slacking off now, we’re screwed. What if the lady’s army actually ambushes while we’re both gone?”

“Punk, I’m scared, okay? Just come with me. You only act by the book when it suits you. Are you trying to mess with me?”

The senior yanked the junior’s ear, pulling him up.

The junior, caught off guard, grumbled as he followed.

Swoosh—

Two streams of water soaked the bushes.

The junior glanced at the senior’s lower half and snickered.

“Heh heh. You must be really scared. It’s coming out like a sprinkler.”

“Shut up, kid. You’re not scared?”

“Of Bihen Benkou? No way he’s coming here. The guys on the outer edges might be shaking, but we’re in a middle spot.”

“You never know. Didn’t the 14th unit get hit a few days ago?”

The junior shuddered and pulled up his trousers.

“I heard about that. But that was the Thunder Empress, not Bihen Benkou.”

“Thunder Empress? Oh, that…”

“Bonnie from the Barrow Mercenary Band. That fat lady mage. Honestly, without Bihen Benkou, they’re nothing special, right? Let them come. With my assassin’s blood, I’ll just…”

Swish!

The senior, watching his own stream, suddenly felt a chill.

A cold gust brushed past his cheek.

When he turned, his eyes widened.

The junior’s head was sliding down his severed neck.

“K-Kosak…”

Stab—!

The senior twitched.

He saw the blade protruding from his chest before collapsing.

“Ugh, Clyde, you really did it. Why so worked up?”

“S-Sorry.”

“…It’s not like I’m jealous of Bonnie or anything.”

Linda and Clyde emerged from the shadows.

Soon, more figures appeared from the bushes, behind trees, and between rocks.

“No choice now. It’s earlier than planned, but let’s start.”

Clang.

Linda drew her sword.

The blade gleamed transparently in the moonlight.

“Haspeld Archers, prepare to fire.”

At her command, six soldiers lined up, lit their oil-soaked arrowheads, and raised their bows.

The flaming arrows pointed into the dark sky, aimed at a camp flickering with torches.

“Fire.”

Linda slashed her sword diagonally.

Whoosh—!

The flaming arrows shot into the sky, soaring like signal flares.

Their fiery trails arced across the night sky, twinkling before descending.

Thud thud thud!

Flames spread instantly.

Smoke rose as the camp caught fire.

Shouts erupted from all directions.

“Send the signal and retreat immediately. No overdoing it, got it?”

“Yes, Miss Linda.”

Linda, Clyde, and about a dozen others pulled their black masks up to their noses.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

The masked group, centered around Linda, formed a line.

Their steps, slow at first toward the burning camp, quickened.

“What’s that…?”

“Enemies! It’s an ambush!”

“They’re here!”

Units stationed at the rear of the front line tend to grow lax as battles drag on.

The initial fervor fades quickly, especially when the tide favors their side.

Last night’s raid.

By the time the frantic soldiers in the camp realized what was happening, Linda and Clyde’s group had stormed in.

Thwack!

Linda swung her blade, signaling the start of the fight.

At the same time, Clyde and the masked soldiers scattered, tearing through the camp.

“Die!”

The masked soldiers following Linda and Clyde fought fiercely, brimming with spirit.

They were handpicked from Belmont and Theodore’s forces, the elite of Lady Adeline’s army at this moment.

Rip!

In the chaos, Linda, alone, reached the commander’s tent and threw open the flap.

A middle-aged man, hurriedly donning armor over his bare body, fell back in shock.

Beside him, a young man with a boyish face clutched a blanket, also naked.

Linda gagged.

“Ugh, seriously. You guys…”

She charged in.

“Doing this in the middle of this? Really!”

With one swing, both their heads flew off.

Linda irritably shook the blood from her blade.

‘Mission accomplished, anyway.’

Screams still raged outside.

Without lingering, she left the tent.

Linda gazed at the eastern sky.

As if waiting for her, flames swelled like a halo at the horizon’s edge.

“Retreat!”

At Linda’s shout, Clyde and the soldiers, scattered and fighting, echoed back.

“Retreat!”

As the masked soldiers fled the camp, the central tent’s roof collapsed into the flames with a loud crash.

* * *

It seemed Linda and Clyde’s raid succeeded.

A bit early, but still.

“We’re going in too.”

I told the soldiers.

Only six of us, but they were the best of the best among the selected.

Their eyes, visible above their masks, gleamed sharply.

‘White Night Tactics.’

My strategy, named after an ancient Imperial legend.

The concept is simple: disrupt the Archduke’s rear front.

The Archduke built his front in a fan shape, centered on the Litania Order where Adeline is.

His intent is to block Adeline’s retreat and cut off reinforcements from her allies.

As a result, the farther back, the wider the deployment and the thinner the density.

‘Exploit that gap.’

Sounds easy.

The problem is what comes next.

Even if we break through the relatively weak rear, we’d soon be isolated in the enemy’s midst.

Pushing to the forefront where the Archduke is would mean massive losses.

‘This encirclement is a giant swamp.’

Advancing while collapsing the rear?

Unrealistic.

Supplies are scarce, and our forces are vastly outnumbered.

We can’t afford a prolonged fight.

‘Draw them out.’

If I appear in the rear, the Archduke will react.

Then, we draw his main force here.

In that moment, we break through the weakened front and target the Archduke’s neck.

Why does this plan work?

Because I’m the Archduke’s only variable.

“Sweep them!”

We stormed into the burning camp.

This was the sixth day.

The Archduke’s rear front burned every night.

He hasn’t moved yet, but he won’t hold out long.

Whoosh!

“Aaagh!”

You’d think they’d be thoroughly prepared by now, but they fall for it every time.

A group steeped in complacency doesn’t easily break free.

Fatigue and laziness go hand in hand.

‘This is enough.’

Our goal isn’t slaughter.

I ordered the soldiers to retreat.

Me, Bonnie, Linda, and Clyde—three teams taking turns shaking the enemy’s rear.

Declan, Anderson, and Viscount Mosfield held the defense for our main force, ready to face the Archduke’s main army.

“Argh!”

I stopped dead.

A scream came from a direction it shouldn’t have.

One of our retreating allies lay far off, clutching their leg and curled up in pain.

“Sir Bihen!”

I rushed over and helped him up.

Truly elite, huh?

A few others instinctively followed, covering us.

“You okay?”

“Ugh, m-my leg!”

As I glanced at his limping leg—

‘…!’

My eyes widened.

A dagger wrapped in a talisman was lodged in his calf.

‘Sorcerer!’

I quickly scanned the surroundings.

The burning enemy camp was a chaotic mix of red flames and jagged shadows.

Whoosh.

My lips parted slightly.

A faint breeze, like an intangible wave, caught my attention.

It stood out clearly even in the pandemonium.

‘Blatantly luring me.’

I focused my gaze and said.

“Go back first.”

“What? But, Sir Bihen…”

“I’ll catch up soon.”

Like a man possessed, I followed the trace of the breeze.

It led me into the flames, but kindly guided me through gaps where the fire was weaker.

“Kuhn.”

I mentioned the name Yeats had told me.

“We will meet again in a place like this.”

Looking around, I was in the heart of the camp.

Flames raged around, but within a certain radius around Kuhn and me, the fire didn’t cross.

The heat didn’t breach the boundary either.

It felt like a stage Kuhn had set for this moment.

A fitting atmosphere for two Imperial kin to have a cozy chat in a foreign land.

It softened me a bit.

“You put some thought into this. Not bad.”

“Glad you think so.”

“Was it a mask? Marian, Zephyros’s tactical adjutant, didn’t have that face.”

“There was a risk of exposure, so I had no choice. This is my real face.”

Let’s keep the pleasantries brief. I have a lot to ask this woman.

“Why did you do this?”

I condensed my piled-up questions into one.

I’m neither calm nor patient enough to methodically ask questions in a situation like this.

“By ‘this,’ what do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. Why did you hide in Zephyros, help me at just the right moment, and use Yeats to cause that chaos? You’ve gone to such lengths to call me out now. Isn’t it time to show your true intentions?”

Kuhn tilted her head slightly.

A faint, mechanical smile glimmered through the haze.

“The order’s off.”

“What?”

“Shouldn’t you first ask why I’m here?”

…Fair point.

“Alright. Why is an Imperial sorcerer skulking around here?”

“The will of the Imperial Family.”

“I figured as much.”

“I thought you would. Looking into your actions later, you’ve done some bold things. Against the Imperial Family, no less.”

I shrugged.

It came naturally.

“Is that so?”

“My mistake. I never expected you to defeat the Blood Devil.”

It felt like all my organs stopped at once.

I’m the type whose mind only clears in moments like this.

I glared at Kuhn with just my eyes.

She had the same expression as before.

“…The Blood Devil. Your doing?”

“I just gave it a slight push. A wheel that was already rolling slowly.”

Thwack—!

When I came to, Kuhn’s head was spinning in front of me.

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