Plain Girl Hero of Darkness
Black Flower Dancing on the Death Line - (3)

[Central War Theater, Sun Knights Basecamp.]

Amid the war conference, Field Marshal Graden received a report from an envoy that the First Army had departed from the capital.

"-i understand. The First Army finally started moving."

Since the start of the battle, the First Army had not left their posts to defend the capital. The sleeping lion finally woke up, and Graden felt his blood boiling.

“The First Army numbered about 40,000 people. They have reached the foot of the mountain Koborg.”

Hearing the report, the officer looked at the map that was on the table. Mount Koborg was only one hill from the Second Army's defensive line.

"It seems that the First Army intends to cut off our retreat."

The chief strategist of the Sun Knights, Brigadier General Oscar Remnant, said as he pointed to Nobis Plains. It was right behind the Sun Knights basecamp.

“Once, they planned a pincer attack before the Second Army was defeated. That is a sure strategy..Gentlemen, what do you think of this?”

Graden observed the room and asked. A man sitting in the corner stood up excitedly. He was the youngest officer present— Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Galli.

"Field Marshal Graden Sir, Second Army is ready. In my humble opinion, we should destroy the Second Army in one sweep, and head straight for the Royal Capital Fizz."

Alexander waved his hand as he drew up his grand plan, his eyes filled with narcissism, leaving the other officers speechless.

“Is there another opinion?”

Graden asked again, and Brigadier General Oscar said:

“However, the First Army is still the most elite unit of the Kingdom. I propose that we turn around and engage them with the full power of the Sun Knight. "

All officers except Alexander expressed their agreement. Alexander wanted to protest, but Graden expelled him.

“I know what you want to say, Alexander. Destroying the Second Army in a single sweep was one option. But this time, I've decided to follow Chief Strategist Oscar's proposal."

Alexander's face began to twitch in the middle of the road.

“-I don't mean to question the Field Marshal's decision, but may I know the reason?”

“Do you need to ask? Because the commander of the enemy might be General Cornelius who is Always Winning."

The mocking laughter made Alexander's face twitch even more.

It came from Lieutenant General Patrick who was in his forties. He was a burly and fat man who gained a lot of war merit in the Sun Knights. His contributions were instrumental in the mastery of Fort Kiel.

“I've long heard of General Cornelius Who Always Wins. My ears were almost numb from hearing about him in the Military Academy. Forgive me for being frank, but he's just a moldy old man now. Field Marshal Graden doesn't need to fight him personally."

Alexander's words made Graden smile awkwardly.

“It's good to be young, but sometimes, it will kill you. You need to learn more."

“... Please excuse me, but may I know what you mean?”

Alexander frowned and was clearly upset. Graden sighed in his heart. It seems that Alexander was destined to be short-lived. This war in the Central War Theater was a harsh place where soldiers with excessive self-esteem like him would die.

Putting that aside, Graden was eager to involve Cornelius in this battle.

During the final period of the war era, Cornelius' achievements were as numerous as the stars. It is an honor to confer with a great hero like the General Who Always Wins.

As the highest-ranking officer of the Imperial Army, and as a soldier, Graden was determined not to miss this opportunity.

“You will understand at the end of this battle— In that case, we will reset our troops. I will bring 30,000 Sun Knight main troops and 10,000 reserves to fight the First Army. The rest will continue the battle with the Second Army."

Ignoring Alexander who was sitting reluctantly, Graden issued his order. He divided his 80,000 soldiers into two. Graden assigned more Sun Knights under his command, as he was wary of the First Army.

—The officers nodded in agreement, and Patrick stood up and said:

"Sir Field Marshal, hand over the Second Army to me."

No one objected to his request. Despite his rugged appearance, Patrick is calm and organized in his planning. When he went on the offensive, the attack power of his men was unrivalled. Everyone thought he was the best choice.

“Alright, I will hand over the attack on the Second Army to you. Don't let your guard down, the cornered rat will bite the cat. "

"Yes sir! This problem is in the right hands. I'll destroy the Second Army quickly and eliminate the threat of a pincer attack, so you can fight against the First Army."

“Good words, I hope you remember.”

Patrick saluted, and Graden who sat down nodded to approve it.

The Second Army put up a more stubborn resistance than expected. His command was clearly formidable, as he had managed to take control of the Central War Theater with just his own troops. Graden doesn't think Patrick will lose, but the war is full of uncertainty.

No victory is guaranteed.

*******

After all the officers left, Oscar who was holding the cup in his right hand asked:

"Your Majesty, is it okay to hand this over to Lieutenant General Patrick?"

Graden took a sip of his tea, and looked at the troubled-looking Oscar. Looks like the chief strategist wants to say something.

"You worried?"

"… More or less. In fact, the commander of the Second Army was the type that used unorthodox strategies. On the other hand, Lieutenant General Patrick's character tends to fight fairly and honestly. I'm not saying that his character is not good, but he's not a good fit for his opponent."

Graden already knew the problem Oscar was pointing out. But when he puts courage and fit as scale, it leads to courage. Patrick is reliable in this aspect.

“Do not worry, I made a decision after considering this issue.”

“Then, I won't talk any further. I'll continue with the reorganization of the unit."

"I'll count on you."

"Yes sir."

Oscar saluted and left the tent quickly.

“In this battle, I will personally remove the Always Winning General from the face of the earth.”

Graden muttered with a cynical smile on his face.

As Liz rushed over, Brad was formulating a battle plan with his subordinates at a table.

He saluted Brad as usual, caught his breath, then said:

"Your Majesty, the report of the Third Defense."

“Hmm? Didn't we just get a report? "

Brad said while taking out a watch that had a dull golden color. He opened the cover and checked, confirming that the last report came less than an hour ago. Brad furrowed his brows.

“The situation has changed. The Sun Knight had stopped their attacks, and retreated in an orderly manner."

"Interesting...? Did we deliver such a serious blow to them? "

The Second Army had the edge on the Third Defense line, but the enemy continued to attack. Brad was just joking, he didn't think his unit could inflict a big enough loss on the enemy to force them to retreat.

Brad is not very optimistic.

“No, the enemy's loss is not too great. The commander of the Third Defense line, First Lieutenant Alabaster, was also confused by this."

Liz said with a confused expression.

“We did not do a heavy blow on them, which means..”.

The most likely reason is that something happened to the enemy commander. Perhaps he fell ill and could not rule, and had to retreat.

If he bravely let go of his thoughts, it might be Emperor Ramza—

(No, that's too delusional.).

The war will not go as he wants. Brad laughed at himself, and Liz looked at him with an anxious look.

"It's nothing, I just thought that the enemy commander might fall ill or something."

When Brad says that out loud, he realizes how delusional it sounds. If that were true, the enemy would not retreat in an orderly manner, and there would be chaos in their movements.

Therefore, the enemy retreated with a specific purpose.

“Maybe so, but from the measured movement of the enemy, it seems impossible.”

Liz came to the same conclusion.

Brad lit a cigarette, exhaled a big breath, then asked:

“—Then what reason do they back off?”

“Let me think...”

A moment later, Liz continued:

“Maybe Major Olivia's unit is near here? The Empire was afraid of Major Olivia, so they decided to retreat and reorganize."

After hearing Liz's thoughts, all the officers looked at each other with bright faces. Brad looked at them with sad eyes and said:

"I didn't mean to throw a cold blanket, but this wasn't the reason."

"Why did you say that?"

Brad laughed wryly in response to Liz's sharp gaze. The other officers more or less reacted in the same way. Like them, Brad wanted to reach for the rescue rope as well.

"Think about that. No matter how much the Empire feared the Death God, he only had 6,000 warriors with him. It was not enough to force the troops to retreat. But your ideas are on the right track…"

After listening to Liz, Brad was convinced now.

"What do you mean?"

As Captain Liz had said, the Sun Knight retreated to reorganize.

“But Your Majesty, you just denied it... Oh !?”

Liz screamed, and Brad looked at her with an evil smile.

“You finally got it.”

"Yes! The First Army has finally arrived!"

"right."

Liz clasped her hands in front of her chest and tears welled up. His prayer finally came.

He knows this doesn't suit his style, but Brad still takes out a handkerchief and puts it in Liz's hand.

"T-Thank you very much."

Liz surprised. He took off his glasses to wipe his eyes, then smiled brightly.

Brad felt a little embarrassed and scratched the back of his head.

(Well ... the real battle starts now.)

If Brad is right, the First Squad should be nearby, and the situation will change for the better. However, it took time for the First Army to get to the battlefield. Previously, the Second Army was still in trouble. The relentless fighting had left their unit exhausted.

Brad cleared his throat and ordered Liz:

“Enemy withdrawal is a good opportunity. Let the soldiers rest well."

"Yes sir."

"And make sure their stomachs are filled."

"Yes sir!"

Liz's light heart response voice penetrated deep into Brad's heart.

...****************...

...To Be Continue's...