Merchant Noble is out (1/3 chapters for today)
Battle with Marquis Ivan
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A few days later, Leo and Marquis Ivan entered into battle. Arc was observing from a place slightly distant from the battlefield. Even from afar, it was clear that Marquis Ivan’s army was visibly shaken. The ones Marquis Ivan was fighting were his own allies. To be precise, they were soldiers who had once been his allies. They were part of the allied forces of the southern nobles, who had joined together to revolt against Leo.
“This method of making the battle so easy… who would have thought?” (??)
“Arc-dono came up with a brilliant strategy.” (??)
Leo’s soldiers praised Arc one after another. Their job was simply to aim their bows from behind to ensure the captives fought properly. If any of the captives tried to escape or were slacking off, they would shoot them dead.
“Hahaha. It doesn’t matter if they were once allies. If you want to live, kill the enemy.” (Leo)
Leo looked quite satisfied.
The devilish strategy was to make allies kill each other. This way, Leo’s soldiers didn’t have to dirty their own hands, and the rebellion could be suppressed.
—
A few days earlier
“Your Majesty. What have you done with the captives and the defeated soldiers from the battles you’ve fought so far?” (Arc)
“Huh? Uhh, I killed them all.” (Leo)
“It is said that demons create their own vassals and gain victory without fighting themselves. It’s the same principle. After occupying the first area, you send the captives from there to attack the second. Once you occupy the second, you use the captives from there to attack the third. In this way, Your Majesty’s soldiers can defeat enemies without ever directly fighting.” (Arc)
“Hoh.” (Leo)
When Leo first heard Arc’s plan, his reaction was surprisingly lukewarm. As someone with undeniable military prowess, Leo was quick to point out the flaws in the strategy.
“You want the enemies to fight each other, huh? It’s an interesting idea, but there’s a fatal flaw. There’s no way the captives would fight with all their strength for my sake. They’ll probably just turn on us and attack together with the enemy.” (Leo)
“The solution is simple. Your Majesty’s soldiers will stand behind them, ready with bows. If they hesitate even a little to fight, you shoot them dead. Or you could threaten them, saying, ‘If you betray us, your homeland will be turned to ashes’.” (Arc)
“Hahaha. I see. Interesting. Let’s try it in the next battle.” (Leo)
Leo seemed to have accepted Arc’s explanation regarding morale, which was the biggest concern. Making comrades kill each other was a cruel strategy that was just the kind of thing Leo would enjoy. Indeed, Leo was extremely pleased, and he began to fidget with excitement, eager for the upcoming battle.
“Merchant, what’s your name?” (Leo)
“Arc. I am Arc Warden.” (Arc)
“Arc, huh? I’ll remember it.” (Leo)
Arc was surprised to be asked for his name, as he’d heard Leo rarely remembered people’s names. Could this mean he’d earned Leo’s recognition? While he felt a little pleased, he didn’t feel proud at all. In fact, the pleasure was overshadowed by an overwhelming sense of guilt.
—
Marquis Ivan’s army fell into chaos, being attacked by the soldiers of the noble allies they had once fought alongside.
“Why!? We swore to defeat Leo together!” (??)
Even as Marquis Ivan’s soldiers shouted such words, the captives continued their attacks. Rather than stop, they fought even more fiercely.
“Damn it… I can’t do it. I just can’t!” (??)
One young captive threw his sword into the air. Had he grown tired of fighting his comrades? Or had he become disgusted with fighting for Leo as a captive? He stopped attacking.
“Idiot! Don’t stop fighting!” (??)
His colleague hurriedly warned him, but the young soldier was no longer standing. An arrow had pierced deeply into his neck, perfectly avoiding his head and chest armor.
“Damn it!” (??)
Though they knew who killed him, none of the captives could afford to turn around. If they were deemed to not be fighting, an arrow would come flying at them.
“Forgive me… If I don’t kill you, we’re the ones who will die!” (??)
Shouting these words, the captives slashed at their former comrades, with whom they had once united to overthrow Leo. Though the captives were outnumbered more than two-to-one, they literally fought for their lives. The fact that Leo’s soldiers stood behind them with arrows aimed was enough to push them to fight with more than double their usual strength. In this way, the battlefront slowly pushed Marquis Ivan’s army back.
Leo, who had been watching the situation, chose the perfect moment to finish it off.
“Alright, you guys. It’s time. Mount up!!” (Leo)
Leo’s soldiers, who had been impatiently watching the battle, cheered as they mounted their horses, excited for their turn to join the fight.
“Charge!!” (Leo)
With Leo’s shout, his cavalry charged into the battlefield.
Marquis Ivan’s army, which had been struggling even against the captives, couldn’t withstand the assault. The battlefront crumbled in an instant, and Leo’s army claimed victory.
As the battle ended in the blink of an eye, Leo, who felt slightly unsatisfied, washed the blood off his sword. The captives, who had fought desperately and were now in tatters, approached him timidly.
“Can we go back to our towns now?” (Captives)
Leo grinned.
Arc’s bad feeling was now almost certain, and he waited by Leo’s side.
“Hahaha. You all will kill each other, and the last one left alive…” (Leo)
As expected!
“Your Majesty!” (Arc)
“What is it, Arc?” (Leo)
Leo gave a puzzled look, as if he truly didn’t understand why Arc had interrupted him. Normally, such behavior would have enraged him, but either because he was in a good mood or because he liked Arc, Leo allowed him to speak without getting angry.
“That’s not what we agreed on. They fought desperately, believing they would be freed if they won.” (Arc)
“So what? Whether they live or die is up to me.” (Leo)
Knowing Leo, Arc had expected him to break his promise like this, so he had prepared a rebuttal. If Leo broke his word so easily, it would cause trouble later.
“If they think they’ll die no matter how hard they fight, they won’t fight seriously anymore. Worse, they might even betray us and side with the enemy.” (Arc)
“Hm. That’s true.” (Leo)
Perhaps Leo had never considered the captives’ feelings, or maybe he simply had no interest in human emotions at all. Either way, Leo seemed taken aback by Arc’s point.
“I like this strategy. I want to use it for a while. Fine! As promised, I’ll set you free. Go wherever you want.” (Leo)
With a wave of his hand, the freed captives, visibly relieved, quickly left before Leo could change his mind.
“Haha. Thanks to Arc’s strategy, I had a good time… Whoa! Hey!! What the hell are you guys doing relaxing over there!? You barely did anything! Get moving and go catch as many men as you can for the next battle!” (Leo)
Leo, who had been about to praise Arc for his work, suddenly noticed some soldiers lounging around. His words for Arc completely vanished, replaced by a loud shout. Seeing Leo’s temper flare up right in front of him, Arc quickly bowed and hurried away from Leo.
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