Even during the war against the Grimwell Kingdom, Count Bipenbelt kept a close eye on the movements of the Allied Forces.
"The royal capital of our homeland has been occupied."
Upon hearing the news brought by the messenger, Count Bipenbelt nodded.
It was expected. Though, it happened faster than he had anticipated.
He asked his adjutant standing beside him.
"Has the ritual been completely concluded?"
"Yes, it has."
In truth, Count Bipenbelt could not fully understand what Gartros was trying to achieve. Even so, as a loyalist to Duke Leinster, he had no choice but to follow Gartros's stubbornness.
Even though it led the war to an increasingly unfavorable direction.
The time wasted here because of that so-called holy relic or whatever it was had gone on for far too long. It was time to move.
Count Bipenbelt immediately went to see Gartros to ask about the next steps.
Gartros greeted him warmly and asked, "Oh, Count Bipenbelt. What is our next course of action?"
"..."
Until now, they had devised strategies and moved solely to fulfill the objectives of the Salvation Church. But now, Gartros was instead asking him.
After organizing his thoughts, Count Bipenbelt spoke.
"Is there no longer anything urgent that needs to be done?"
"Now that we have obtained the holy relic, it is time to find our king."
"How are we supposed to find him?"
"That, even we cannot say. We couldn't find a guide in the Kingdom of Lutania."
"..."
"But do not worry too much. Now that the holy relic is in our hands, we will inevitably find the king. We just need to wait for that day."
"You mean... we just have to wait?"
"Yes, whether we find the king or the king finds us, it will happen eventually. It is foretold and promised."
Feeling a contradiction in Gartros's words, Count Bipenbelt hesitated briefly before asking.
"The Grimwell Kingdom and the Lutania Kingdom both had possession of the holy relic. Despite holding onto it for a long time, they never met him. Can we truly achieve this by merely waiting?"
At this, Gartros gave a kindly smile.
Had it been anyone else, such an audacious question would have earned them a cracked skull on the spot, but Count Bipenbelt had earned the right to ask.
"Ha-ha, first of all, the time wasn't ripe, and secondly, they lacked the qualifications."
"The time... and qualifications, you say?"
"Yes, they were not adherents of our church. What qualifications could those who failed to awaken the light of the holy relic possibly have?"
"..."
"And now, since the king has appeared in this era, the only thing left is for us to meet him."
"..."
"I know it is difficult to understand. Leave the matters of the church to me; you should focus solely on the war."
"So... can I now concentrate on the war?"
"Yes, that is exactly what you should do. Until we find the king, we must reduce the numbers of those savage Allied Forces as much as possible. From now on, do as you see fit."
"Understood. I will begin preparations immediately."
Count Bipenbelt took a deep breath.
Until now, he had been forced to lead the war in a direction that was clearly unfavorable.
But seeing Gartros speak like that, it seemed he no longer had to carry out those incomprehensible actions.
To be fair, even if the Salvation Church had presented a different goal, there was no longer time to delay. The Allied Forces were already advancing toward them.
Count Bipenbelt promptly summoned his strategists.
"What is the current situation?"
"The remaining lords of Grimwell are stationed at a rather distant position, waiting in formation."
"Why aren't they moving?"
"They are probably waiting for the Allied Forces."
"Yes, that makes sense."
Since the focus had been solely on the royal capital, many regional lords of Grimwell still had their forces intact. Combined, they formed a considerable army.
Although they could have marched straight to the capital, they remained still, having received orders from Ghislain to avoid rash actions.
Understandably, they were hesitant to engage the Artrode Army directly after witnessing the kingdom's forces being quickly overwhelmed.
After staring at the map for a long time, Count Bipenbelt spoke.
"The Allied Forces will arrive here soon. We must be ready and move before they do."
"What should we do?"
"Duke Fenris is known for his speed, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is rumored to be the fastest on the continent."
"The fastest on the continent... That's an exaggerated title."
Count Bipenbelt twisted his lips as he continued.
"Except for the Lutanian army, the enemy forces are practically rabble. We must thoroughly disorient them."
He explained his new strategy to his strategists.
Duke Fenris, renowned as the "Unbeaten Sovereign," was one of the continent's top strategists.
Mobile warfare, emphasizing speed, was Duke Fenris's specialty.
Count Bipenbelt planned to exploit that confidence.
"There's no need to fight the enemy's main forces head-on. Even if we win, it would come at a great cost."
Although he was cooperating with the Salvation Church, his true loyalty lay elsewhere. His allegiance was not to the church but to Duke Leinster, who aspired to the throne.
"This is the army of His Majesty. It cannot be wasted carelessly."
To conquer the continent, preserving as much of their forces as possible was paramount.
"It's time to unsheathe the 'hidden blade.' This war is likely to be the last."
He had been preparing many things for a long time. It was thanks to his groundwork that the Salvation Church could lead numerous rebel forces across the continent in battle.
Now, it was time to put everything on the line and truly confront the Allied Forces.
Count Bipenbelt's gaze grew cold and sharp.
"Duke Fenris, let's see just how fast you really are."
***
The Allied Forces, united as one, advanced toward the Grimwell Kingdom. Their confidence soared to the skies.
This was due to the chaotic command structure being sorted out after the Lutania army joined, and their subsequent string of victories.
Upon arriving in the Grimwell Kingdom, Ghislain frowned as he surveyed the surrounding areas.
"They must have known their supply lines would be cut. It looks like they've taken everything they could."
Wherever the Artrode army passed, it left a trail of hell. They slaughtered indiscriminately and requisitioned all available resources.
Since they had no intention of occupying and ruling the Grimwell Kingdom anytime soon, such actions were possible.
Corpses of those who starved to death were strewn everywhere. Although they had survived plagues thanks to Ghislain, they couldn't endure the army's plundering.
The commanders of the Allied Forces looked grim.
"This is too much."
"They're truly devilish scum."
"They should have been dealt with long ago."
Even most nobles, who exploited their own subjects, didn't go this far.
To do so would be akin to inviting mutual destruction.
Clicking his tongue, Ghislain spoke to Claude.
"Distribute food to the survivors."
"Yes, understood."
The remaining lords of the Grimwell Kingdom were in no position to take in these people. They, too, were running low on resources due to the prolonged war.
While organizing relief efforts, Ghislain continuously summoned Claude to assess the situation. Having entered Grimwell territory, he had to remain on high alert.
"What about the remaining lords of Grimwell?"
"For now, they've established their own base and are waiting for us."
Being from a once-powerful kingdom, the lords' military forces were quite formidable. That was why they had nearly driven out the rebels allied with the Salvation Church.
However, the current situation was too dire for the lords' forces alone to resolve.
"Tell them not to wait and to join us. We're on our way."
There was no benefit in letting them engage the Artrode army first. It was much better for them to merge and move together.
If that happened, the Allied Forces' strength would increase further. They could overwhelm the Artrode army with sheer force.
But the Artrode army moved a step faster than they did. New reports arrived for the advancing Allied Forces.
"The Artrode army has mobilized! They've split into about ten groups, each estimated to have around 20,000 to 30,000 troops!"
"The Grimwell lords who were waiting have been ambushed and completely annihilated in an instant!"
"We cannot determine their exact objectives or intentions! They're moving at incredible speed! Our scouts are currently tracking them!"
Frowning at the successive reports, Ghislain saw the leadership of the Allied Forces descend into confusion.
"What is this all of a sudden?"
"They've divided their forces in front of this massive army? Are they insane?"
"They must be fleeing! Good, let's hunt them down one by one!"
The Allied commanders shouted with heated tempers, but Ghislain didn't think it was that simple.
'Count Bipenbelt, what are you thinking?'
After staring at the map for a long while, Ghislain realized something.
'The supply line... has grown too long.'
The reason the Allied Forces could sustain their massive army amidst the chaos was thanks to the support of resource-rich Lutania and other still-capable kingdoms.
With most of the surrounding kingdoms under the Allied Forces' control, there were no threats to the supply lines.
For safety, they had established three supply routes, and the recently captured Artrode Kingdom was to serve as an additional supply route.
However, the farther the Allied Forces advanced, the longer their supply lines inevitably became.
This was something Ghislain had also worried about.
'Count Bipenbelt wouldn't miss such a vulnerability. Could this be his aim?'
The Artrode side faced similar supply shortages. Given this, their strategic options were limited.
Ghislain closed his eyes and pondered. If he were in this situation, what would she do?
'We want to end this in one decisive battle... but…'
Both the Allied Forces and the Artrode army were confident in their main forces.
For the Artrode army, dealing with dwindling supplies, a single decisive victory would be preferable.
But the enemy had not chosen that path. They had already divided their forces and initiated combat.
Count Bipenbelt was someone who enjoyed tactics similar to his own. He had to consider that.
'If it were me in this situation…'
Ghislain always maneuvered the enemy in directions he desired. He created situations where they had no choice but to move as he wanted.
Having multiple supply lines allowed the Allied Forces to eat their fill, but it also gave the enemy numerous targets to attack.
"Claude, what do you think our weakness is right now?"
Claude ran a hand through his hair and responded arrogantly.
"With you and me together, we're 'invincible.' Weaknesses? None. War's so boring."
"..."
Ghislain glared at him, prompting Claude to quickly lower his head and think.
Finding weaknesses in this kind of force seemed absurd. But if he had to name one...
"Our army is massive, so it's slow. It'll be hard to catch the divided enemy. Also... the supply line is too long."
"What do you think the enemy's intention is?"
"They're avoiding a frontal confrontation. Since we're a large force, if all our supply routes are cut off, we'll be at a disadvantage."
Ghislain nodded. It was a strategy worth considering for a weaker opponent. But there was no way Count Bipenbelt would settle for merely that.
Moreover, the Salvation Church's main forces couldn't be considered significantly weaker. A direct clash would make it hard to predict the outcome.
In other words, the enemy's actions carried ulterior motives.
"Do you think that's all there is?"
Claude shook his head immediately.
"They're being too blatant. No one but a fool would miss this. It seems they're trying to split our forces and engage in localized battles across different regions."
Ghislain nodded again. It aligned with his thoughts.
Rather than a single decisive battle, they aimed for multiple engagements to secure repeated victories.
'With their abundance of superhumans, they can certainly pull that off.'
If they regrouped afterward, the Artrode army would emerge even stronger.
The Allied Forces, excluding the Lutania army at their core, couldn't exactly be called formidable.
'They've set up a situation where we have no choice but to split.'
Though it sounded simple, it risked each group being defeated piecemeal. Commanders usually hesitated to face smaller forces with larger ones.
Despite the risks, Count Bipenbelt had boldly executed this plan. That spoke of his confidence.
'To lure us so openly…'
If the Allied Forces failed to respond properly, Count Bipenbelt would undoubtedly take it a step further. He'd sow confusion and division among their ranks.
The obvious way to achieve this would be to attack the Allied Forces' homeland, which would throw everything into chaos.
This was a war that depended on how quickly each side could move.
Finishing his thoughts, Ghislain flashed a fierce smile.
'You dare try to fight me in mobile warfare?'
Of all strategies, the enemy chose to challenge Ghislain in the very area he excelled most.
This was both bait and provocation. The enemy was showing their hand openly, daring him to stop them if he could.
It seemed their confidence was far too excessive.
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