Chapter 394: The power of friendship, love, and faith (5) |
- I’m not sure if this is the right way to use this since it’s my first time using a device like this. Anyway, I’ll[1] give my report. The situation is almost over. The enemy’s main unit is in chaos, and the part about capturing the main figure—hm, I can’t guarantee that it’s possible, but I’ll do my best. I’m planning on sending them to Castle Rock as soon as we’re ready. I’m not sure if they’ll arrive on time, but that’s something you need to worry about, not me. The battle there will take a long time, so it probably won’t be a problem.
“I think that things are going as planned. It would’ve been nice if they provided a reference image or something. They’re really slow-witted. They just said what they needed to say and ended their report,” Lee Ji-Hye commented.
- I’ll tell you the overall situation since I’m sure you’re curious about that.
“Ah, looks like it’s here.”
- You’ll be saved by the light! Who dares! Who dares to talk about demons?!
- Cough… Ahhhhhhh!
- Bleeeeeeck…
- Shut up! You dirty puppets of the Democratic Country!
- I’m an ally! Don’t attack! I’m on your side! Stop! Ahhhhhh!
- You crazy cultist bastards! Die! Dieee!
- The followers of God… Die… Even if I… die, I’ll still fight…
“...”
“...”
“It’s worse than I thought,” she said.
“You’re right,” I said in agreement.
- That’s all I have to report. As you said, I’m going to dispose of this right after I send it, and she also said that she has something she needs to tell you. I told her no, but you know her better than I do, so I hope you understand.
- O-Oppa. You’re doing well, right? I-I’m doing fine. Miss Sora is doing fine as well. It has already been two days since I saw seen you. T-Two days! I-I miss you. Hiccup. I really miss you, and I’m worried if you’re doing well… Y-You’re doing well, right? Make sure you don’t skip any meals and make sure to receive treatment every day. You have to! I’ll finish up here as fast as possible and come back. Please wait for me! Mwa! Mwa! Mwaaa!
“...”
“...”
- I-I love you. Hehe.
“Bleck. I saw something I shouldn’t have,” Lee Ji-Hye said.
“Don’t be like that. She’s actually pretty cute,” I commented.
“It’s true that she’s cute, but as a woman, she doesn’t look that cute. Other girls do that, too. Want me to show you what real cuteness is?” she asked.
“No… I don’t think the word cute really fits you,” I declined.
“Aren’t I cuter than her appearance-wise? I think I’m more petite and cuter than Miss Ha-Yan. It’s kind of hard to call her cute because she has volume. No matter how you look at her, I’m cuter than her. Actually, Miss Ha-Yan’s appearance is a distraction—wait, why do you keep picking your ear when I’m talking? Are you ignoring me?” she questioned.
“No, I’m not. My ears are itchy,” I replied.
“Someone has to be talking behind your back. Well, you do go around doing bad things, so it’s not strange for that to happen,” she commented.
“That’s pretty mean, noona,” I told her.
“I’m not wrong. Pffft! You were especially cruel this time. You know it as well, right? You’ll have to make sure the ones dispatched to that mission will keep their mouths shut. But if it becomes known to the people, then I’ll take responsibility. However, I hope it doesn’t end up damaging our reputation. We’re a holy army, right?” she said.
“Of course. We are holy, but you don’t have to worry about that. It will be covered up as an unfortunate accident, and isn’t it funny to talk about ethics on a battlefield where people kill and get killed?” I asked.
“According to Continental Law, curses or spells that will mess with people’s mind is prohibited in war. It’s the same for black magic.” Lee Ji-Hye pointed out.
“It’s neither a curse nor a spell, so I’m safe. And the Sacred Democratic Country isn’t the side using black magic, so we’re safe,” I told her.
“You’re good at finding loopholes,” she commented.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said.
I saw Lee Ji-Hye clapping exaggeratedly. She was admiring my personality, but it was basically the pot calling the kettle black. It was amusing how she talked about conscience when she had eagerly participated in my plans. In addition, she even voluntarily took care of the smallest details. Of course, she wasn’t really being serious. She was just teasing me, so it was clear that she was in a good mood. It was funny to see her humming while replaying the video we had just finished watching.
The enemy fell for our trap, and as a commander, I was obviously happy about it. Our allies didn’t suffer any damage, and we managed to create this result thanks to the useless prisoners. However…
‘Humming like that is a little too much.’
“Hmmm.”
I would always have this thought whenever I saw Lee Ji-Hye, but I took solace in the fact that I wasn’t as scummy as her.
“Scenes like this really make me happy. Do you know why? It’s because they remind me that I’m not as cruel as you. You’re really cruel. If we summoned a demon, I’m sure that demon will serve you as its master. Ah, one of us already summoned one, right?” Lee Ji-Hye teased.
“...”
She was definitely thinking about the same thing as me. I was ashamed about it, but I didn’t show it. I decided to change the topic to a serious one before my conscience could take even more damage.
“When will they arrive?” I asked.
“They should arrive soon. By now, I’m sure the enemy has already received the news that our army is fast approaching. I wanted them to move a bit more discreetly, but our demon summoner dispatched patrols amidst the siege of Castle Rock.”
“If possible, I wanted to surprise them. It’s unfortunate,” I remarked.
“I’m sure they’ll be really surprised. We’ve been capturing their scouts, so they won’t be able to figure out the exact size of our army. They’ll probably think that we’re just a detachment to reinforce Castle Rock. They also already know that our army is heading to the Republic’s capital. They’re probably thinking that we’re trying to gather soldiers from different places. Of course, there’s a chance that they’re aware of everything—”
“Aware?” I asked, cutting her off.
“It’s just a guess, but we have to be prepared just in case. One had to consider every possibility while leading an army as huge as this. Actually, the overall situation isn’t bad—no, it’s too good that it’s a problem,” she replied.
“Can you tell me the details?” I requested.
“First, the movements of the soldiers. We haven’t figured out the exact numbers, but it bothers me that there aren’t that many soldiers out there. They’re basically insurance and soldiers the enemy doesn’t really need. They’re eyesores that would only siphon supplies. In addition, having more people on the battlefield isn’t always a good thing. You need to think about the supplies and the ratio of people with close-ranged jobs who can be protected using defensive magic. Of course, they could also be a part of a detachment that got separated from the main force, but that doesn’t really matter at all,” she answered.
“...”
“That’s probably the reason why the enemy hasn’t been receiving good news from the other fronts. They found room to breathe—yes, but that is all they got. They have to inflict a lot more damage on us if they want to make up for their losses,” she continued.
“Is there anything else?” I asked.
“There is…”
“...” At that, I remained silent.
“We also have to talk about how most of the Eastern Front has been destroyed. The enemy still hasn’t figured out our movement toward Lindel, so that’s good news. But it also means that we have no idea what’s going on beyond the Eastern Front. Both sides are wary of each other, but our enemy isn’t dumb. We also still haven’t completely grasped the exact location of the soldiers inside the Mist Summoner’s mist. Some of them fell right into his trap, but where’s the rest of them? It would be fine if they got lost in the misty forest, but what if they managed to find a way out?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.
“Hm…”
“In the strategy simulation data you gave me a long time ago, I thought the demon summoner was the type to torture his opponents, but real life is different from a game, and an ambush could effective for people like him,” she continued.
“If that’s the case, then…” I started.
“Then it’s possible that the soldiers in the forest are cards the Republic is throwing away. This could be a stretch, but it’s possible that they never gave a shit about Yevkarina in the first place,” she replied.
“...”
“Lighten up. It’s not all that bad. It was a great achievement to trap a part of the enemy forces in the forest. We wanted as many soldiers to fall for the trap, but expecting that will make us seem like petty thieves who want to do things the easy way…” she continued.
“If you were Jin Cheong, what would you do, noona?” I asked.
“Who knows? Probably the same thing as you, Oppa. What would you do?” she asked.
“I’ll use the capital as an excuse and send a nice bait into the misty forest…” I answered.
“And attack the main force while they’re distracted. It’s the same thing as what we’re doing…” she commented.
‘You scummy bastard.’
It felt like I was cursing myself, but I couldn’t ignore that possibility because Lee Ji-Hye’s explanation made sense. Right now, we had no idea exactly how many soldiers had entered Cheon Kwan-Wi’s misty forest, and it was worth thinking if the entire detachment actually entered that forest. We couldn’t leave out the possibility of them sending only a part of their forces into the forest while making the rest turn back.
I looked at the detailed map with Lee Ji-Hye. She started tapping her finger on a specific location.
“You’re right,” I said.
“If your assumption is correct, then there’s a high chance that we will encounter them before we could reach Castle Rock. They might be ready to ambush us. The terrain is advantageous to the enemy, and their position also means that their main force at Castle Rock can easily reinforce them. I’m sure they’re busy with the siege, but who wouldn’t go crazy at the sight of the person who backstabbed them? I feel bad for saying this, but you looked pretty cocky when you provoked Jin Cheong. I’m sure even Buddha would have gotten mad at that expression of yours back then,” Lee Ji-Hye said.
“That kind of hurts… Anyway, if they had already figured out this much. We have a plan, right?” I asked.
“We have to pray that the enemy didn’t set up a trap to ambush us. Otherwise, there is nothing else we can do but forcefully break through that trap. From now on, we have to use strategies,” she replied.
‘Strategy.’
It was easier said than done. After all, even Lee Ji-Hye had acknowledged that the demon summoner was really great at coming up with strategies.
Actually, Lee Ji-Hye didn’t manage to beat the demon summoner even once in the strategy simulation game I created based on the data I obtained from the board game I played with Jin Cheong. In the end, she was forced to give up and acknowledge that she couldn’t beat Jin Cheong.
I had no idea whether she did something to hone her skills or not, but the demon summoner was definitely a strong foe.
While I was stewing in my own anxious thoughts, the soldiers continued marching.
All of a sudden, there was a loud explosion. I knew something like this could happen, but I couldn’t help but find it dirty when I saw it happening in real life.
“Shit…”
“...”
“You do have a plan, right?” I asked.
“Of course,” Lee Ji-Hye replied.
She nodded confidently, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
“My pride was hurt a lot, so I have to show him that real life is different from his games,” she added.
I couldn’t help but nod at that.
“So you do have a strategy…” I pointed out.
“It’s more like I’ve had it in mind,” she said.
“So what…”
“The tactical Kim Hyun-Sung,” she answered.
“What?” I asked.
“The tactical Kim Hyun-Sung. He prepared a strategy,” she revealed.
“Ah…”
“You know better than I do, so that’s why I’ve been hiding it,” she added.
“Hahahaha. You’re right… I completely forgot about him! I’ve been forgetting about our Hyun-Sung,” I laughed.
I wasn’t sure if he could be called a strategy, but it was safe to say that his destructive power was a strategy in itself. I wasn’t laughing because I was going crazy.
Kim Hyun-Sung was an extraordinary monster created by egotistic gods. He was a rare figure Altanus brought back in time and the real envoy of the gods who had received the goddess’ affection.
The mythic equipment and his stats made him a monster, so we actually didn’t need a trivial strategy. The tactical Kim Hyun-Sung was our strategy.
“Dispatch our tactical Kim Hyun-Sung, then!” I ordered.
“I’m on it,” she responded.
1. Lee Ki-Young’s POV ☜