The reorganized allied forces scattered in all directions. Their mission now was to occupy key positions and focus entirely on defense.
By holding these strategic points, even if the enemy crossed into another kingdom, they could still pressure their rear lines.
Ghislain also dispatched numerous scouts and Dark's clones to various areas.
"To think we'd end up playing hide-and-seek with those bastards."
From now on, the side that could quickly grasp the other's movements would have the upper hand.
The enemy had no real strongholds. This meant Ghislain's forces would have to hunt them down, putting them at a slight disadvantage.
The Lutania army was split into two corps, led by Claude and Tenant.
Claude's corps would defend the most critical supply line, while Tenant's corps would secure one of the key positions.
The remaining forces consisted of Ghislain's and Yulian's units, tasked with immediately pursuing the enemy as soon as their location was identified.
As Yulian finished his preparations for departure, he asked, "…How certain are you about this theory?"
"Fairly certain. If those bastards have a 'hidden blade,' now is the perfect time to reveal it."
"…I see."
"Now that they've divided their forces and begun their mobile warfare, their communication network is bound to become loose."
No matter how quickly the Artrode forces sent messengers, communication between distant units would inevitably be difficult.
They likely prepared various strategies for different scenarios, but the links between their individual units were essentially severed.
That is unless there was someone acting as an intermediary, relaying information and providing critical intel.
"If there's someone in the middle passing messages and exchanging information, things would be much easier for them."
"…"
Yulian remained silent for a long time, seemingly deep in thought.
After a while, he spoke slowly. "If there really is a traitor, we'll suffer significant losses."
"Exactly. Let's hope it's just speculation."
"…"
"Still, I've put some precautions in place, so not everyone will fall victim. The problem is, there are too many suspicious individuals to deal with all at once."
"Wouldn't it have been better to reveal the potential traitor beforehand?"
"Hmm."
Ghislain crossed his arms, contemplating Yulian's suggestion.
It wasn't that he hadn't considered it. But there was no concrete evidence. This time, even Ghislain couldn't be entirely certain.
His suspicion stemmed purely from intuition, past-life knowledge, and current observations. He couldn't even pinpoint a single culprit.
And since he couldn't reveal that he was a regressor, there was no way to inspire trust.
"I have no proof. It's just a hunch. I couldn't single out one person."
"…"
"If I accused someone without evidence, we'd end up divided before even fighting the enemy. And if it turned out to be true… the enemy would change their strategy the moment we exposed the traitor."
Even Ghislain couldn't start purging allies without solid proof.
Moreover, Count Bipenbelt wouldn't have overlooked this possibility either.
So, it was better to prepare for such a scenario while focusing on capturing the enemy decisively.
Yulian nodded slightly.
"It's not an easy problem."
Ghislain's reasoning was sound. If chaos erupted within their ranks, the war would only drag on.
Evidence needed to be found. Unfortunately, in such dire situations, that evidence often came at the cost of allied casualties.
Ghislain and Yulian could only hope such an outcome wouldn't come to pass.
If there really was a traitor among their comrades, it would be a devastating blow to morale.
But just three days later, bloodied soldiers brought news that crushed those hopes.
"We… we were ambushed! The enemy was lying in wait! Our forces have retreated from the battlefield!"
One corps was annihilated while moving toward its designated position. A day later, another messenger arrived with similar news.
"It was another ambush! The enemy had set a trap! Our forces are scattered and fleeing!"
A second corps had fallen. Out of the three suspicious corps that had been sent out first, two had been wiped out.
"The enemy set up ambushes…"
It was clear the enemy had known exactly where the allied forces would move. This could only mean that information had leaked.
Ghislain slowly nodded.
"It was them."
In the end, the culprit could only be one person.
The silver lining was that once the allied forces sensed their disadvantage, they scattered and fled. Ghislain had instructed them beforehand to retreat immediately if they were overwhelmed.
Even with precautions in place, the enemy's move was unavoidable.
'Count Bipenbelt… You truly are a formidable opponent.'
He had taken the risk of splitting his forces before an overwhelming army. By setting the stage this way, he forced Ghislain's hand.
And then, at the perfect moment, he revealed a blade he had prepared long ago.
It was a move most people wouldn't even dare to attempt.
'But your games end here.'
Ghislain clenched his teeth, his expression cold.
He had identified the traitor and ensured the remaining corps were prepared. No such ploy would work again. Now, it was time to capture and destroy the enemy completely.
"…"
Yulian, upon hearing the news, said nothing. Instead, he silently armed himself and mounted his horse.
Now that the enemy's location was known, it was time to begin the pursuit.
Before Yulian departed, Ghislain summoned Dark's clone. Dark's clone perched on Yulian's shoulder.
"Ahem, I am Dark number 28. From now on, you and I will carry out an important mission."
"…Alright."
Ghislain smiled as he saw Yulian off.
"Be careful, my friend. The remaining enemies won't be easy."
"You too."
With his usual straightforward farewell, Yulian began riding off. Ghislain watched him go and asked himself a question.
"Could there have been another way?"
Ghislain always moved with conviction. No one could find a better solution than him.
That was why the final decisions were always his.
It was a privilege afforded by his regression, and even now, he stood by it.
But the thought couldn't help but cross his mind—could Yulian have come up with a better solution in this situation?
After all, in his past life, Yulian had been an exceptional commander who led humanity's united forces.
Yulian, briefly lost in thought at Ghislain's question, eventually shook his head.
"No, I've always trusted your judgment."
At those words, Ghislain let out a faint laugh.
"Come to think of it…"
Yulian was the only person who had never once opposed his opinions. A truly reliable companion.
Meanwhile, Dark chattered noisily from Yulian's shoulder.
"Yulian, let me tell you, I don't trust the master's judgment. He's got a terrible temper, so he just does whatever he feels like. Does that even count as judgment? I don't think so."
"…"
"Between you and me, it's much more comfortable being with you than him. You're way better to be around. He's just too awful. Just the other day—"
"…"
Yulian didn't respond. He simply urged his horse forward.
The horse picked up speed, followed by the elite cavalry of the allied forces.
Before long, they were racing like the wind. Dark, clearly thrilled, spread his wings and soared into the sky.
"Kee-yah-hoo!"
There was nothing to worry about on their end. Unless faced with an overwhelming force, any enemies crossing paths with them would be utterly obliterated.
After Yulian departed, senior knight Lucas casually asked, "So, are we not heading out?"
"We'll go a little later. There's something waiting for us."
There were two places where the enemies were identified. However, other corps would soon be attacked, so the target would increase quickly.
Ghislain waited two more days. His secret weapon was nearly complete.
Clunk, clunk, clunk.
Large, prison-like wagons approached. These were the "mobile workshops" operated by captive mages and dwarves.
Galbarik, his face shadowed by dark circles beneath his eyes, climbed down from one of the wagons and banged on the doors of the others.
"Hey, we're here! Get out! Soldiers, unload the 'new weapons'!"
The mobile army soldiers busily began unloading items from the wagons and carts.
These were magic weapons: spears crafted from Galbanium and fused with Rune Stones.
"Wow, so this is the new weapon?"
"Does this really shoot magic?"
"So, we can use magic even without mana?"
The soldiers examined the weapons curiously. While they couldn't use them frequently, they were told the weapons could deliver a devastating surprise attack on the battlefield.
As the soldiers eagerly unloaded the spears, Galbarik continued banging on the wagons.
"Hey, hey! Stop slacking and get out! We're here!"
"Ughhhhhh..."
Alpoi stumbled out of one wagon, groaning like a zombie. The other mages followed in a similar state.
There were plenty of mages in the allied forces, but the Lutania mages, in particular, were forced to alternate between fighting and working under grueling conditions.
The door of another wagon creaked open.
From it emerged someone who would one day be known as one of the continent's Seven Strongest, a one-man army, the Magus of Eternity, and the Great Magic Scholar.
As soon as he stepped out, he clutched his head, swaying unsteadily.
"Ugh, I feel dizzy. I just want to go home."
Jerome, looking half out of his mind, had come to know just how painful it was to be trapped and forced to perform the same tasks every day.
Not even during his long mind realm training had he experienced such suffering.
"Ugh, I hate sunlight."
Having been confined inside the wagon, even the sunlight felt overwhelming.
Still, Jerome had diligently done his work. After all, there was nothing else to do inside the wagon.
Thanks to his valuable labor, Ghislain had prepared new weapons for the mobile army.
Ghislain greeted Jerome enthusiastically.
"Jerome! You've really worked hard!"
"…"
Jerome turned his head away, clearly sulking.
Unbothered, Ghislain threw an arm around Jerome's shoulders and said, "Everyone suffers during wartime. At least you didn't have to fight, right? That's easier, isn't it?"
"…I think fighting would've been better."
Jerome meant it. Seeing the Lutania mages endure such conditions made him realize how impressive they truly were.
He could understand why Alpoi's mana manipulation was so exceptional. After such repetitive training, the body naturally adapted.
At Jerome's remark, Ghislain spoke in a casual tone.
"Sorry to bring this up right after you've come out, but I think you'll need to head out."
"Where to?"
Ghislain leaned in and whispered a few words in Jerome's ear. Hearing them, Jerome's eyes widened in shock.
"What? Seriously?"
"Yeah. It's an important fight, and we need your power to save people quickly."
"Ugh, fine. Guess I'll head out right away."
Jerome, who loved helping others as much as his power allowed, sighed. Despite his exhaustion, the urgency of the situation spurred him into action.
He approached Alpoi, with whom he had grown quite close.
"Alpoi."
"What? No, don't talk to me. I'm tired."
"I'm in a bit of a rush. I need your 'pure' power."
"What are you talking about? My mind is anything but pure. Do you want me to show you how filthy my thoughts are?"
If anyone was far from pure, Alpoi was a prime candidate. But Jerome wasn't interested in Alpoi's chaotic thoughts—he needed his untainted mana.
Without warning, Jerome grabbed Alpoi's wrist.
"Sorry. I'll make it up to you later."
"What? What are you—? Let go! Aaargh!"
Alpoi collapsed as Jerome drained his mana. With his weak willpower, he was particularly easy to siphon from.
It wasn't that Jerome lacked mana himself, but he needed Alpoi's power for a rapid, long-distance teleportation.
Jerome grinned at Ghislain.
"Alright, I'm off now."
"Sure. Be careful. Don't try to handle everything alone."
"Don't worry about me."
Flash!
A blinding light filled the area as the space distorted. Jerome's figure vanished from sight.
Ghislain mounted the Black King and spoke.
"Let's move out too. We'll test the new weapons on the way."
Vanessa and a few mages also mounted their horses, joining the mobile army.
The rest prepared to move with Galbarik toward the main Lutania army. Alpoi, still unconscious, was draped over another mage's back.
Neigh!
The Black King let out a loud cry as it charged forward, followed closely by the mobile army.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Ghislain and the mobile army began their fierce march.
Ghislain's expression hardened into a cold glare.
'Just wait a little longer.'
The enemy's strategy, along with their bold moves, was undeniably impressive. There was little to criticize.
But choosing mobile warfare against him had been a reckless mistake.
Now, Ghislain was determined to show them who was truly the fastest on this continent.
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