I Became the Strategist the Monarchs Obsess Over

Chapter 23

"Yes, you made a contribution."

Karl von Chronor said. Emilia responded in a calm voice without any sign of joy.

"I merely followed orders."

"..."

"..."

Silence enveloped the surroundings. None of the vassals dared to speak. Though they wanted to argue for rewarding Emilia, doing so risked incurring the Duke's wrath. Silence was the wisest choice in such situations.

"Continue to strive next time as well."

The Duke simply said this without a single word of praise and moved on. Emilia, too, did not question this fact.

"Dian de Balboa."

From the mouth of Karl von Chronor, the Duke, came the name of the Crown Prince's right-hand man.

"Have you all heard of this name?"

"I have heard that she is the Crown Prince's right hand and the fiercest general in the Crown Prince Legion."

"That's right. It seems she is an extraordinary commander who, despite being a woman, has ascended to the realm of a Sword Master."

Emilia was well aware of Dian de Balboa. After all, she had once learned tactics from Dian at the Arcadia Academy.

"According to intelligence, Dian de Balboa has been identified as the vanguard of the Crown Prince's Army."

"The vanguard..."

"That woman...!"

The vassals began to murmur in various places. The name Dian de Balboa was so renowned that it was even a source of fear in the distant North.

"Is there anyone who can stop Dian de Balboa?"

The Duke of Chronor asked, but no one stepped forward. There was no knight among them capable of defeating Dian.

"Ha. Just cowards. The name of the Northerners will weep."

The Duke openly rebuked his vassals, yet they could not respond. It was better to endure a moment's humiliation than to recklessly step forward and face death.

"Emilia."

"Yes."

"Can you defeat Dian de Balboa?"

Emilia closed her eyes for a moment, recited a prayer, and then answered.

"With the Goddess of War by my side, I will be able to defeat her."

At the sudden mention of the goddess, the Duke of Chronor frowned momentarily but ultimately nodded with satisfaction at the positive response.

"Then the vanguard of this battle will be Emilia."

Strategist Usami Akra tried to dissuade the Duke. Who would send the heir of the family as the vanguard against a globally renowned general?

However, he soon gave up on trying to stop him. The moment he met Emilia's eyes, he felt an unshakable resolve in them.

Usami Akra began to wonder if he had lived too long. The Chronor Family was heading in a completely different direction from what he had imagined.

-----

"I hear our troops have suffered significant damage."

At Dian de Balboa's words, the knights let out low groans. It was already an open secret that hundreds of the Crown Prince's soldiers had been killed by the enemy's reconnaissance unit's guerrilla tactics.

"I heard Emilia von Chronor was active."

At those words, Dian de Balboa nodded.

"Emilia is an excellent student. In terms of swordsmanship talent alone, she is the best among all the students I have ever seen."

That meant that in terms of swordsmanship, Emilia surpassed even Princess Leonia. Of course, in overall evaluation, Princess Leonia was ranked higher, but when it came to swordsmanship alone, no cadet could defeat Emilia.

"Charles Jean Rochefort."

"Yes."

"Do you know Emilia?"

"I know her as a promising second-year student."

Dian de Balboa nodded.

"Yes. Among the first-year students at Arcadia Academy, Her Highness Princess Leonia is the most outstanding cadet, while Emilia is the most outstanding among the second-year students. I never thought we would face each other as enemies outside the academy."

It felt somewhat sudden. The war had started because the Crown Prince had demanded Duke Chronor's allegiance and Duke Chronor had refused. Dian had not expected to fight Emilia because of this.

"Let me ask everyone. Is there anyone here who can fight and defeat Emilia von Chronor?"

"I can defeat her!"

"No, let me take her on!"

Knights stood up in several places, but Dian raised her hand to calm them down.

"No, it is beyond your capabilities."

"What?"

"Emilia is one of the most exceptional geniuses in the history of Arcadia Academy. With your skills, you cannot win. If there is anyone in our army who could defeat her..."

Well, it might be Dian herself.

"It would have to be me."

The knights were shocked at those words. They knew she was strong, but to this extent? Was Emilia such a formidable opponent that even a Sword Master had to confront her directly?

"If you see Emilia on the battlefield, do not attempt to fight her directly. Send a messenger to me immediately. I will rush there."

"Yes."

"Yes!"

The knights, though somewhat uncertain, trusted Dian and responded accordingly. With that, the military meeting concluded.

And the next day.

The Crown Prince's Army, leading 35,000 troops, advanced north. The Crown Prince Leonhardt's target was a castle in the North called Caliuse. Caliuse Castle was defended by a lord named Kalnir, whose forces totaled less than a thousand. It was clear that an attack with 35,000 troops would swiftly bring the castle down.

Thus, Duke Chronor immediately left Glanar Castle and began marching south. The Central Army moving north and the Northern Army moving south—it was evident that the two forces would meet.

Both armies raced toward Caliuse Castle, but the Duke's army arrived first. Upon reaching the surroundings of Caliuse Castle, the Duke immediately set up camp north of a river named Imor.

When the Crown Prince advanced north and set up camp south of the Imor River, the Duke controlled the northern side while the Crown Prince held the southern side.

For a while, the standoff continued. Both sides exchanged letters filled with insults and provoked each other with noise throughout the night, but neither dared to cross first.

This was because crossing the river to attack was inherently disadvantageous. A river was akin to a natural fortress. The moment one stepped into the river, their movement would slow, making them easy targets for arrows. Furthermore, the mud sticking to armor would make it heavier and harder to fight.

As a result, neither side wanted to attack first. Both preferred to defend. However...

"Heh heh, the enemy will attack first."

The Duke said so.

"Must we be the ones to attack first..."

The Crown Prince could only express his frustration. The first reason was the logistical difficulty caused by the Crown Prince's larger army. The second reason was that the Duke had plundered all the surrounding villages, leaving him with more provisions. If this continued, the Crown Prince would have to retreat due to a lack of food, so he wanted to settle the battle before that happened.

At the Crown Prince's words, Dian de Balboa confidently declared.

"Your Majesty! Please entrust me with the vanguard. Our troops are twice as numerous as the enemy's. If I lead the soldiers, we will never lose."

It might seem somewhat arrogant, but Dian had the right to speak that way. She was the second strongest swordsman and general in the world. There were few battles where Dian had served as the vanguard and lost.

Knowing this, the Crown Prince nodded.

"Dian de Balboa, I will give you 10,000 troops. Lead the vanguard and break through the enemy's defenses. Our main force will follow behind."

"Yes!"

Thus, the battle was about to begin, but just before it started, Charles Jean Rochefort approached Dian.

"General."

"You may call me Professor if you prefer. What is it, Charles?"

"Here is a battle strategy proposal. Please read it."

"Hmm? A strategy proposal just before a battle? You're an unusual one."

Despite saying that, Dian read the strategy proposal Charles had submitted.

[Our forces and the enemy are facing each other with the river between us. Although our army of 35,000 is more than twice as large as the enemy's, this apparent advantage could turn into a crisis if the enemy commander is a skilled tactician. The first reason lies in the fact that the battle involves crossing a river. To fight on a river with thin ice forming, one must naturally endure the cold. Northerners are much better at withstanding the cold than Central Army soldiers. Naturally, the Central Army will tire faster than the Northerners, leading to a physical disparity. The second reason lies in the fact that our armor is made of superior Central steel.]

At this point, Dian found it puzzling. Central steel was famous worldwide for its quality. Why would it pose a problem? Dian read the next line.

[When fighting on a river, mud will inevitably splash, and that mud will undoubtedly seep into the clothes. Those wearing quilted or leather armor can simply shake off their clothes to remove the mud, but those wearing heavy armor cannot. Unless the heavy armor is completely removed, the mud inside cannot be cleared out. Naturally, their movements will slow, and their stamina will quickly deplete, becoming a burden to our forces.]

Dian groaned with difficulty. At first glance, it seemed to make sense. But then, what was the alternative? The strategy proposal did not suggest any alternative.

"So, Charles. What is your alternative?"

"We must retreat."

"Abandon the Northern Conquest?"

"Yes."

"..."

After pondering for a moment, Dian de Balboa finally replied.