Against the World II: Transgression
Chapter 28: Sheer Stupidity, Part 4
...—Imperial Army Camping, 20 km south of Ekralina Kingdom—...
Hekiel who was engrossed in the mirror in his tent gasped when suddenly a soldier entered without permission.
The incompetent commander will be angry and reproach the soldier who entered suddenly like that without wanting to hear an excuse. Such a commander would only open his ears to listen after giving a sentence.
However, Hekiel was different. He was competent, and the soldiers respected him a lot. He was known as the preeminent Commander in the Imperial Army. Therefore, even though the soldier had just violated military protocol, Hekiel did not take it too much.
“What emergency news did you bring to a hasty run and gnaw like that?” hekiel asked as he put the mirror—ia was reflecting not because he was contemplating the reason behind his incompetence, not at all.
“The scout team just sent a message that the Knights Templar has made a move,” reports the soldier with a serious face. “Estimated, total deployed soldiers reached one hundred thousand.”
“...One hundred thousand?” paro Hekiel was in disbelief, looking at the soldier in the hope that he was mistaken.
“True, Sir!” firmly the soldier. “Who leads their movement is not yet known, but there is no mistaking the number in such a range.”
Hekiel. One hundred thousand.it's too much. The Knights Templar only needed to send one-fifth of that amount to conquer Ekralina Kingdom. Hekiel felt all Saints understood that. So why did they send so many troops just to take control of the kingdom?
“Do they have sniffed our existence?” ask Hekiel.
“We cannot confirm that, Sir.”
“Of course you don't know,” murmured the commander, nodding his head understandingly. “Alright, you can go back to your place.”
The soldier nodded, saluted, and then walked out of the tent. Hekiel who lived alone spontaneously scrunched his forehead thinking hard.
He had been told from the very beginning of the estimated number of Knights Templar soldiers who were above two hundred thousand. However, Hekiel assumed that much amount to prepare for the battle with the Vermillion Empire and the New World Order. In Hekiel's assumption, a maximum of only twenty-five thousand would be deployed to occupy Ekralina Kingdom. So Hekiel brought only twenty-five thousand soldiers.
“I might be able to sweep away half of them if it exerts all of them, but of course the Saint leading them will not let. If it's one-on-one, I can beat them pretty quickly. The problem..what if there are two and even three?”
Hekiel stood up and sighed, reaching for the paper and pen along with the ink bottle. “No other choice,” murmured and started writing.
Hekiel had no other choice but to send a letter to the palace asking for additional troops to be sent. Facing a hundred thousand Knight Templars with only twenty-five thousand Imperial Army? No other word to conclude the result other than “slaughter”.
After writing the letter, Hekiel exited the tent and sent a soldier to escort him to the Imperial Army Division 3 team that camped with them so that it could be quickly forwarded to Nevada.
Then Hekiel immediately gathered his captains and asked them to prepare an army to depart.
Their priority was no longer to prevent Ekralina Kingdom from being overrun by the Knights Templar. With such a large number of troops, and with the Imperial Army responding with a large army, this inevitable would be the opening of an actual war.
Minner stood with both hands folded in his chest above the top of the large building of the NWO Military Headquarters, eyes looking intensely at the total of fifty thousand soldiers who were beginning to set out towards Ekralina Kingdom. Cainabel yesterday afternoon had just reported the Knight Templar ultimatum to Ekralina Kingdom to Millner, and sending the combined forces of the various countries commanded by Alforalis Grammolia was the response.
With their departure, the total remaining army was forty-three thousand. The rest of the army was what Minner would later lead to attack the Dwarf Kingdom. The faster they crippled the dwarves, the more freely they could advance into the territory of the Emiliel Holy Kingdom. The vampire is in charge of opening the attack, and Minner himself will deal with his old partner who has misled himself.
“How strong is he?” minner asked no one, his memory diving deep into the past while Deus Guardian was still triumphant.
...—Prohibited Valley Ed—...
The total soldiers of the Order of 1 Knight Templar who had arrived in this promised land were already forty thousands. When counting and the number of staff and cooks and other workers, the total reached forty-five thousand.
Merlin is currently in control here. It has been 20 days since he left Eden and focused on preparing for this place. When sixty thousand other soldiers arrived, they were already able to start the assault immediately.
All the schedules that Merlin made went perfectly as usual, everything was laid out as it should be.
At least, the perfection of the schedule that Merlin arranged was true perfection until before sunrise.
However, ever since Merlin received a sudden report from the information staff at the troop camp sent to subdue Ekralina, the perfection of the schedule that Merlin had made became chaotic. He had even ordered the information staff to relay to Eden so that the remaining sixty thousand soldiers would leave immediately.
“If I meet that goddamn Alfonso Alsabnitz, I'll immerse him to the bottom of the ocean for daring to ruin perfection in the touch of my hand.”
The reason Merlin was upset was just that; the other thing he didn't care about. He did not know Alfonso's trigger until he mobilized a large number of troops. Merlin doesn't want to know. Pope Genea had sent Alfonso and the other three Saints with a large army; although Alfonso's reason was not the same as the reason it should be, but it was not impossible if it was in accordance with the wishes of Pope Genea.
“Nona Merlin.” A short blue-haired woman entered Merlin's study with a scroll. “There's a letter from Sir Arthur.”
“Random,” said Merlin briefly, his hand still busy moving pen on sheet paper.
“Do not force yourself, there is no need to follow the sudden change. We won't move until Pope Genea gives us instructions. For now, let Alfonso and the others be stars. Saint Petra and his 60 thousand troops had already arrived south of the Dwarf Kingdom. Pope Genea said, ‘If the Vermillion Empire and the New World Order consider the actions of Alfonso and others as a declaration of war and send troops, we consider their efforts as a declaration of war as well.’ And, I'll be there in three days.”
Merlin stopped his pen movements and snorted. “I don't plan to move,” murmured. “I just want to make sure the troops are ready when suddenly asked to move.”
“Do I need to reply, Miss?”
Merlin shakes. “You can come back,” he said. “Dan tell others to stay calm as usual. For departing troops patrolling to the outer area, send someone to ask them to return.”
Seeing the woman nodding, Merlin continued his writing activities. There are many detailed instructions he needs to make to ensure there is no miscommunication.