Even in the midst of the war with Grimwell Kingdom, Count Vipenvelt kept a watchful eye on the movements of the allied forces.
“The royal capital has fallen.”
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Upon hearing the messenger’s report, Count Vipenvelt nodded.
It was as he had expected. The capture happened faster than anticipated, but it was no surprise.
He turned to his adjutant and asked, “Has the ritual been completed?”
“Yes, it has.”
To be frank, Count Vipenvelt couldn’t understand what Gatros was doing. Nevertheless, as one of the Duke of Reinster’s most loyal men, he had no choice but to follow Gatros’ stubborn demands.
Even if it meant dragging the war into unfavorable territory.
They had wasted too much time here because of that so-called holy relic or whatever it was. They needed to move quickly.
Without delay, Count Vipenvelt sought out Gatros to determine their next course of action.
Gatros welcomed him warmly, asking, “Ah, Count Vipenvelt, what shall we do now?”
“...”
Up until now, it had been Count Vipenvelt devising strategies and moving in alignment with the Salvation Order’s goals. Yet here was Gatros, flipping the question back onto him.
After organizing his thoughts, Count Vipenvelt spoke.
“Is there anything urgent left to be done?”
“Now that we have obtained the holy relic, we must find our king.”
“How are we supposed to find him?”
“That, we do not yet know. We failed to locate a guide in Ruthania.”
“...”
“But do not worry. The holy relic is now in our possession, and so, eventually, we will find the king. All we need to do is wait for that day.”
“Just... wait?”
“Yes. Whether we find the king or the king finds us, it will come to pass eventually. It is foretold and promised.”
The logic seemed flawed, and Count Vipenvelt hesitated before asking further.
“Grimwell Kingdom and Ruthania both possessed holy relics. They held onto them for a long time, yet they never met him. Do you really believe that waiting alone will suffice?”
Gatros smiled kindly.
If anyone else had dared ask such a question, Gatros would have crushed their head on the spot. But Count Vipenvelt had earned the right to ask.
“Ha-ha, there are two reasons. First, the time was not yet right, and second, they were not worthy.”
“The time... and worthiness?”
“Yes. They are not followers of our faith. How could those who cannot even awaken the light of the relic be considered worthy?”
“...”
“Besides, the king has appeared in this era. All that remains is for us to meet him.”
“...”
“I know it is difficult to understand. Leave matters of the faith to me and focus on the war.”
“Then... may I now focus solely on the war?”
“Yes, you must. Until we find the king, we must reduce the strength of those wretched allied forces as much as possible. Do as you see fit.”
“Understood. I will begin preparations immediately.”
Count Vipenvelt took a deep breath.
Until now, despite knowing the war was being steered in a poor direction, he had been forced to comply with Gatros’ agenda.
But now, hearing Gatros’ words, it seemed there was no longer any need to engage in these incomprehensible stunts.
In any case, even if the Salvation Order had proposed another objective, they no longer had time to delay. The allied forces were advancing on them.
Without wasting a moment, Count Vipenvelt summoned his staff.
“What is the current situation?”
“The remaining lords of Grimwell have gathered their forces and are stationed at a considerable distance.”
“And why are they holding position?”
“They are likely waiting for the allied forces.”
“Of course they are.”
Because the allied forces had been solely focused on capturing the royal capital, the regional Grimwell lords still had substantial forces left. Together, they made up a sizeable army.
They could have launched an attack on ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the capital at any time, yet they remained still. That was because they had received orders from Ghislain not to move recklessly.
The lords were understandably hesitant to fight directly with the Atrode forces, given how quickly their kingdom’s army had been routed.
After staring at the map for a while, Count Vipenvelt spoke.
“The allied forces will arrive here soon. We must complete our preparations before they do.”
“What are your orders?”
“The speed of the Fenris Duke’s army is unmatched, is it not?”
“Yes. Rumor has it they are the fastest on the continent.”
“The fastest on the continent, huh... what an exaggerated title.”
Count Vipenvelt twisted his lips into a faint smirk before continuing.
“Except for the Ruthanian army, the allied forces are little more than a disorganized mob. It’s time to shatter their morale.”
He began explaining his new strategy to his staff.
The Duke of Fenris—Ghislain—had earned the title of the Unbeaten Sovereign, cementing his position as one of the greatest strategists on the continent.
Speed-driven maneuver warfare was Ghislain’s specialty.
Count Vipenvelt planned to use that confidence against him.
“There is no need to face their main force head-on. Even in victory, the losses would be too great.”
Though he was working with the Salvation Order, his goals were slightly different. His loyalty lay not with the cult but with the Duke of Reinster, the rightful king.
“This army exists for His Majesty. I will not waste it unnecessarily.”
To conquer the continent, he had to preserve as much of his army as possible.
“It’s time to unveil the hidden blade. This war may well be the last.”
Count Vipenvelt had been preparing for this moment for years. That preparation was precisely why the Salvation Order had been able to rally so many rebel armies across the continent.
Now, the time had come to stake everything in a final confrontation with the allied forces.
Cold determination gleamed in Count Vipenvelt’s eyes.
“Duke of Fenris, let’s see just how fast you really are.”
***
The allied forces unified into a single front and marched toward Grimwell Kingdom, their confidence soaring.
After Ruthania's army joined the cause, the chaotic command structure had stabilized, and their continued victories fueled their morale.
Arriving in Grimwell, Ghislain surveyed the surrounding area with a frown.
“They knew the supply lines would be cut and looted everything clean.”
Wherever the Atrode forces had passed, it was like a scene from hell. They had massacred civilians and seized all resources, leaving devastation behind.
It was possible because the Atrode forces had no intention of governing Grimwell. Their only goal was destruction and depletion.
Corpses of those who had starved littered the ground. Though Ghislain’s earlier efforts had saved them from plague, no one could withstand the army’s relentless plundering.
The allied commanders shared grim expressions.
“This is too much.”
“They really are demons.”
“They should’ve been put down sooner.”
Even nobles, known for exploiting their people, rarely went to such extremes. Such actions were akin to a death pact—dragging everyone down with them.
Ghislain clicked his tongue and ordered Claude, “Distribute food to the survivors.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The remaining lords of Grimwell were in no condition to help their people. They, too, were weakened by the prolonged war and resource shortages.
While overseeing the relief effort, Ghislain constantly called Claude over to monitor the situation. Now that they had entered Grimwell’s territory, they had to remain vigilant.
“What about the remaining lords of Grimwell?”
“They’ve established separate strongholds and are waiting for us.”
As a once-powerful kingdom, Grimwell’s lords still retained considerable military strength. That was how they had managed to drive back most of the rebel forces allied with the Salvation Order.
However, the situation had deteriorated beyond their control.
“Tell them not to wait. Have them come to us—we’re heading there anyway.”
There was no benefit in having them engage the Atrode forces prematurely. It would be far more effective for them to join the allied forces and act as one.
This way, the allied army’s strength would grow even further, allowing them to overwhelm the Atrode forces.
But the Atrode forces moved faster. News soon reached the advancing allied army.
“The Atrode forces have mobilized! They’ve split into ten separate directions. Each unit is estimated to number between 20,000 and 30,000 troops!”
“The Grimwell lords who were on standby have been ambushed and annihilated!”
“We cannot determine their exact objectives or intentions! They’re moving at an extraordinary speed! Our scouts are in pursuit!”
Ghislain’s expression darkened as he absorbed the reports, while the allied leadership fell into confusion.
“What is this? What’s happening all of a sudden?”
“They’re splitting their forces in front of our massive army? Have they gone mad?”
“They’re probably running away! Good! Let’s hunt them down one by one!”
The allied commanders shouted in frustration, but Ghislain wasn’t so quick to jump to conclusions.
“Count Vipenvelt... what are you thinking?”
Staring at the map for a while, Ghislain soon realized something.
“The supply lines... they’ve grown too long.”
The allied forces had maintained their massive army throughout the chaos because of Ruthania’s robust production capabilities, supported by neighboring kingdoms that still had resources to spare.
With most of the surrounding kingdoms now under allied control, the enemy could no longer threaten their supply lines.
For safety, Ghislain had established three separate supply routes. The recently conquered Atrode Kingdom was also set to serve as another supply base.
However, the further the allied forces advanced, the longer those supply lines inevitably stretched.
This was a concern Ghislain had been grappling with as well.
“Count Vipenvelt wouldn’t miss this weakness. Is that what he’s targeting?”
The Atrode forces were facing their own supply shortages. Given their situation, their strategic options were limited.
Ghislain closed his eyes, contemplating what he would do in their place.
“We want a decisive battle, but...”
Both the allied forces and the Atrode forces had confidence in their main armies.
The logical choice for Atrode, given their dwindling supplies, would be to aim for a single decisive confrontation.
But they hadn’t chosen that path. Instead, they had split their forces and initiated multiple skirmishes.
Count Vipenvelt was a tactician who favored strategies similar to Ghislain’s. Ghislain had to factor that into his assessment.
“If I were in his position...”
Ghislain had always forced his enemies to move as he wished, creating situations where they had no choice.
Multiple supply lines allowed the allied forces to remain well-fed, but they also provided the enemy with numerous targets.
“Claude, what do you think our greatest weakness is right now?”
Claude brushed back his hair, wearing a cocky grin.
“With you and me together, we’re invincible. There are no weaknesses. Ugh, this war is getting boring.”
“...”
Ghislain shot him a sharp glare, and Claude quickly bowed his head and began thinking.
It was absurd to identify weaknesses with such overwhelming power. Still, if he had to point out something...
“Our army is large and slow. We won’t easily catch up to the divided enemy forces. And... our supply lines are too long.”
“What do you think the enemy’s intention is?”
“They’re avoiding a direct confrontation. With our massive army, we’ll be in trouble if they cut off all our supply lines.”
Ghislain nodded. It was a valid strategy for a force at a numerical disadvantage. But Count Vipenvelt wouldn’t stop at just that.
After all, the Salvation Order’s main forces weren’t necessarily weaker. If the two armies clashed head-on, there was no guarantee of victory for either side.
This meant there had to be another layer to their plan.
“Is that all there is to it?”
Claude shook his head immediately.
“Their movements are far too obvious. Even a fool would realize what they’re doing. It’s likely they intend to split our forces and fight us in localized battles.”
Ghislain nodded again. It matched his own assessment.
The enemy intended to avoid a single decisive battle, opting instead for multiple engagements to accumulate small victories.
“They have enough powerful individuals to make that work.”
If they succeeded, the Atrode forces would regroup with far greater strength.
Meanwhile, outside of Ruthania’s army, much of the allied forces lacked the same caliber of power.
“They’ve set up a situation where we’re forced to play into their hands.”
It was easier said than done. This strategy carried significant risks, as it left the Atrode forces vulnerable to being defeated piecemeal. Most commanders would balk at the danger.
But Count Vipenvelt had chosen to execute it boldly, signaling his confidence.
“He’s luring us in so obviously.”
If the allied forces failed to respond effectively, Count Vipenvelt would escalate even further, sowing chaos and division.
The next logical step would be to strike the allied forces’ homeland, which had been left lightly defended. Such a move would throw the entire alliance into turmoil.
This war had now become a test of speed.
Ghislain’s lips curled into a ferocious smile.
“You dare challenge me to a war of maneuver?”
Of all strategies, Count Vipenvelt had chosen the one Ghislain was most confident in: maneuver warfare.
This was both bait and a provocation—an open challenge to stop him if they could.
It seemed the enemy’s confidence was just a bit too excessive.