165. Battle of the Black Forest (3)

“Paola… ?”

A voice of disbelief leaked from the Marquis’ lips. Behind him, knights in black uniforms drew their swords and approached. All of their swords were shimmering with auras. It wasn’t just the Knights of the Ravens. Those who gave off a rough appearance were unmistakably adventurers, and those who walked in line with orderly steps wore the familiar pattern of Count Agon.

“You barely made it on time, Marshal. There are so many people who get in the way.”

The knight, whose helmet was smashed by Paola’s thrown mace, turned to face Paola. There was no sign of embarrassment at the additional troops. It was just that the mouth exposed through the shattered helmet made a bitter appearance.

“… You’ve come this far after all.”

“No matter how much you blocked the entrance. Thanks to you guys, this side suffered quite a bit.”

Paola growled in a voice full of rage. The army led by Paola did not succeed. There were no bloodless ones, and some were walking with their limbs severed. However, their discipline was burning with the momentum to melt all the snow in this forest. The knight of Leon Benning stared blankly at them and opened his mouth.

“But will you be okay? On the contrary, we want you to be held back by helping the Marquess. You can’t imagine what will happen in the royal capital in the meantime. The count’s strength will surely suffer a great blow, but you, the 1st princess, will suffer a greater blow than that.”

“Well, that’s happening in the capital, and the fact that this place will be your tomb won’t change.”

Paola said as she pulled out the mace stuck in the floor.

“You are bluffing. I am willing to fight and die here to the end for him. I’m not going to play with your puns. If you can hold on to your highest strength here… .”

Then, for the first time, the Marquis could see the knight’s eyes through the visor. The knight’s eyes seemed to be eagerly searching the crowd behind Paola for someone.

“Do you really think that Her Highness, the 1st princess, put all her energy into this place?”

Those eyes were stained with bewilderment.

“… Where are Hugo Berne and Maxime Appart now?”

“Okay.”

At the stiffened voice of the knight, Paola shrugged her shoulders insincerely. The action was playful, but the mace that was already in his hand was pouring out with wild fighting spirit forming an aura.

“I don’t think that’s something you guys have to worry about.”

“… bloke!! Where are they!!”

When the knight couldn’t hide his anxiety and screamed, Paola raised her aura strongly in response. With a smirking smile on his lips.

“Yes, I set off to pick the handsome count’s head.”

—

Five hours ago, the Royal Road Adventurer’s Guild.

The long table on which the map of the royal capital was laid out was surrounded by leading figures of the resistance, including Princess 1. Earl Ray Argon had a good understanding of military strategy, but he was not a person who could be said to be very good. He, who can be called the leader of this force along with the 1st princess, was only faithful to the role of organizing and telling the 1st princess the opinions of the leaders. That was probably partly because he was wary of becoming the first princess to lead the atmosphere.

‘Leon Benning. With my own hands, the cost of disturbing this kingdom… No, I will definitely receive it with Her Highness’ hand.’

Count Argon was a different person from Leon Benning. Everyone in the seat did not criticize Count Agon for being passive.

“… therefore.”

Bang, a gnarled hand came up on the map.

“You said you needed to balance the forces in tandem with the Marquis, but is Leon Benning unaware of that fact? Obviously they will do whatever it takes to prevent the Marquis from making contact with our faction.”

It was Pierre who put his hand on the map to hear his opinion. As if his career had not gone before he retired as an adventurer, Pierre was actively participating in the meeting.

“I guess so. It is unknown how much power they will send, but isn’t it the last remaining gateway for them? I would like to mobilize the maximum amount of power that can be mobilized.”

Paola nodded in agreement with Pierre. The two knights with thick bones were playing a pivotal role in preparing for this battle.

“… Conversely, if we can’t get in touch with the Marquess, then we’ll find ourselves in a more hopeless situation. Remember, we are in a hurry, not them.”

At Hugo Berin’s words, tension appeared on the knights’ faces. Michelle, who had been watching the knights exchange opinions, stopped talking.

“If so, how will Leon Benning proceed?”

Hugo Berne immediately answered Michel’s question.

“Of course, all the gates to the outside of the capital will be tightly locked. We will mobilize all the guards and block all routes out of the capital.”

Pierre took Hugo Berne’s words.

“Not only that. After the small troops are put on watch, the core troops will be culled and go out of the castle to attack the Marquis. I don’t know how many troops the Marquis intends to bring, but at least the Count won’t send as many troops as the Marquis’ army can handle.”

Michelle fell silent and looked down at the map. The way out of the royal road was blocked. The forces of the Marquis who will come to his aid inside will be held back by the forces of Leon Benning. And Leon Benning will slowly begin to remove the power of Michel, who is sitting in a daze.

“Leave it to God, Your Highness. If it were God, no matter how thick Leon Benning’s siege was, he would be able to send our troops outside the walls and face the margrave’s forces safely.”

Hugo said forcefully. Of course, with Hugo’s force, he would be able to break the siege without difficulty and face the forces of Leon Benning head-on. However, something got stuck. Is it really the right decision to put all your energy into meeting the Marquis? Strategically, it wasn’t unreasonable, but the princess didn’t want to ignore Hugo Bern’s opinion, saying that she was uncomfortable with it.

“… I want to hear what you guys think.”

Michel raised his head and looked at the direction where Maxim and Theodora were standing. The two knights maintained an attitude of watching and not intervening in the sparks of other people’s debates. Perhaps, they may be thinking of a solution that none of them have thought of.

The platinum-haired knight, Theodora, exchanged glances with Maxim for a moment before opening her mouth.

“father… Leon Benning always thought of the second and third moves. When the best strategy fails, we are always considering the next best plan and the second best plan when the second best plan fails.”

Theodora calmly continued.

“That’s how you always use the tactic of making time on your side. Even if we succeed in joining the Marquis and reorganize our forces, there is a good chance Count Leon Benning is preparing another move to bring him down.”

Theodora’s voice was calm, but underneath it was poison. The knights, not knowing what the story was about her, kept their mouths shut and looked at Theodora. Then, Pierre frowned and asked Theodora.

“So, are you saying that we should just leave the Marshal’s forces alone? Let’s just sit and pray that they succeed in breaking through the count’s army and entering the capital on their own?”

“Nope.”

The answer to that question came not from Theodora, but from Maxim. Maxim put his hand on Theodora’s shoulder, who was a little depressed, and stepped out. Maxim could feel that all the eyes of the knights in the seat were focused on him. As if a little embarrassed, Maxim began to speak, raising his eyebrows.

“I would like to say let’s use it backwards.”

“… reverse use?”

As if he meant something, Pierre asked, tilting his bald head.

“While Leon Benning’s forces are dispersed in all directions, we are going to cut their heads.”

Maxim’s proposal poured cold water on the conference hall. Paola, who was the only one who came to her senses, crossed her arms and looked at Maxim.

“So, your proposal means to use the Marquis as bait to advance towards Leon Benning.”

I’ve never said anything so harsh. Maxim nodded his head with a bitter smile on his lips.

“To put it the worst I can, yes. I guess so.”

Each of the knights in the meeting room had a different reaction. Hugo Berne rested his chin on his chin and looked down at the map, as if trying to ponder Maxim’s proposal, and Pierre frowned in disapproval. Paola, who had a relationship with the Marquis, looked at Maxim with a firm expression, probably not liking Maxim’s proposal.

“Maxim… .”

Theodora reached out stiffly for Maxim’s hand and took it. Maxim used that warmth as a support and spoke again.

“If we join the forces of the Marquis, it will surely give us time to prepare again. However, even Leon Benning needs time to cool off. It means that the more we maintain, the more time the Count will have to regroup. Maybe you can make other plans internally. They still have unplayed cards left.”

Saying that, Maxim looked at Michelle. Michel was very familiar with what Maxim had referred to as the ‘unspent hand’. Louis. Michelle’s fists clenched.

“Of course, the decision is made by Her Highness, the first princess. I will only tell you this far.”

Silence fell. It wasn’t the silence of a day when it seemed as though it would be cut off any moment, but the silence in which everyone was deeply troubled.

“Cut it in two.”

Michelle said firmly. The knights, who were busy exchanging opinions with each other, shut their mouths and turned their heads to Michelle. Michelle held the map with a determined face.

“The side going to the gates to join the Marquis, and the side running straight to Leon Benning.”

Pierre frowned. Michelle’s words were not what could be called ideal judgment.

“Your Highness, if we, who are clearly inferior in terms of power, disperse our forces like that, it will be a very good opportunity for them to defeat us individually.”

Michelle shook her head firmly. It seemed that she had already gained some reassurance from Maxim’s advice.

“Leon Benning is not going to let Louis live. I’ll try to clear him up as quickly as possible. What if, as you said, all of our forces had escaped to deal with Leon Benning’s forces, and the Count announced Louis’ birthplace and tried to execute him? Will the Lords be able to stop him?”

“… Your Highness, but.”

bang.

Michelle hit the desk. The mouths of the knights who tried to refute Michelle’s words fell silent.

“I will prioritize saving my brother above all else. Stories about ascending the throne or finding stability in the kingdom cannot take precedence over that.”

A sense of tension permeated the meeting room, as if it could explode at any moment. When no one was able to speak out while looking at each other, Paola raised her hand and stepped out.

“Well, then why not do it this way?”

His eyes focused on Paola. Paola shrugged, lifted her head, and turned her head toward Vern. Hugo raised a questioning look at the meaning of the gaze directed at him.

“Only the elite of 10 or less are sent to the royal palace as special forces. There is no need to advertise that we are invading the palace.”

The eyes of Count Agon, who had been listening to the story all this time, took on a different color. Michelle nodded as if to continue, and Paola continued her explanation with a loose smile on her face.

“I’ll attach Hugo’s escort knight commander, Theodora’s commander, Maxim, and a few more wizards or skilled knights to send only the core force to the palace, and send all other forces to join the Marquis.”

“Rather than honestly dividing it into two, is it a trick? It’s called a bucket, but it’s a pretty dangerous bucket.”

Count Agon murmured.

“But it is also the most probable operation. If you succeed in infiltrating the royal palace, which is really empty of core power, you might be able to knock their heads off at once. And if we don’t go on the offensive with Leon Benning more vulnerable than ever, the odds will get slimmer.”

Paola added. Michel looked at Hugo. The knight standing with steel-like momentum was waiting only for Michelle’s orders. and Maxim, Theodora. The strongest knights currently possessed by them. Michelle clenched her fists and asked them a question.

“Can you?”

It was a question with a lot in it. Hugo Berne was silent for a long time, then opened his mouth as if he was worried.

“God, I’m concerned about your Highness’ safety. Either way, if all the troops leave your side and try to attack the enemy, how can Leon Benning not try to capture you in reverse?”

The reason why Leon Benning didn’t try to take over the adventurer’s guild by force was that the adventurer’s guild was a huge union that spanned the entire continent, not belonging to a kingdom. If you hastily reached out with a sword to the guild, there was a possibility that internal problems within the kingdom could lead to diplomatic friction with other countries, or even interference in internal affairs.

However, the person that Princess 1 was dealing with was someone who did not know what kind of sudden action he would commit.

“I haven’t done anything stupid by directly touching the adventurer’s guild, but they don’t know what they’ll do if they’re wrong. Your Highness, please trust me… .”

Michel cut off Hugo’s words by raising his hand.

“I appreciate your words, but I will not be able to defeat them if I consider my own safety. I believe that it will be faster for your blade to reach the throat of an enemy than their blade to mine.”

Hugo chewed his lips as he watched the first princess calmly mentioning her own death. I don’t know when was the last time I felt so helpless.

“If the Lord protects me, will they be able to reach Leon Benning? Can you rescue Louis from their clutches? no. As you know, that would be impossible, or very difficult.”

“majesty.”

“It is an order, Hugo Bern. Be at the vanguard of the Exotic Commandos and help them overthrow Leon Benning. Can you do it, I will ask again.”

Michelle’s voice allowed no objection or objection. Hugo had no choice but to let out a long sigh and follow her words. It was not the time to be in a state of helplessness. The only way left for him was to carry out the operation as quickly as possible and secure the safety of the first princess again.

“… If Your Highness commands it, there is nothing God cannot do. No matter what their defenses are, God will keep the road open to take Leon Benning’s head.”

“yes. It’s okay if you say so.”

Michelle closed her eyes. There was no time to hesitate any longer. Even now, the margrave would be approaching the royal capital, and there would be discussions going on in the royal palace about how to deal with Louise.

“Let’s figure out the number of people.”

The die is cast. Michelle looked at the map with determined eyes.