Chapter 715: Chapter 715

The division within the Suppression Army grew worse by the day.

The forcibly gathered soldiers from all over had no sense of belonging. To make matters worse, as the supplies dwindled and hunger set in, morale dropped sharply.

But the biggest reason was undoubtedly the disappearance of the Supreme Commander, Ghislain.

Not only had Ghislain vanished, but even Julien’s mercenary corps hadn’t shown up for days. By now, everyone had realized what was going on.

“He’s really insane. After stirring up all this mess, where the hell did he go?”

“Shouldn’t we just surrender?”

“If he’s actually run away, what happens to us?”

The soldiers whispered anxiously every day. The commanders, which should’ve been the ones to reassure them, were too busy arguing amongst themselves.

“We have to negotiate now!”

“Negotiate what, exactly? We already claimed we were going to punish the traitors!”

“Then what are we supposed to do? We’re out of rations!”

“So at least send word to the lords and ask them to provide more supplies—”

“Oh, they’ll be so eager to help! That madman already took everything from them! If we ask for more, they’ll just use that as an excuse to demand their troops back!”

“Then we’ll just have to plunder another territory!”

Listening to them, one couldn’t tell whether they were a suppression force or a band of marauders. That’s how mentally cornered they had become.

As the neutral lords kept yelling and bickering with each other, Count Herbis, who had taken command of the Suppression Army in Ghislain’s stead, rubbed his forehead.

The situation worsened by the day, and it was getting harder to control. He didn’t know how he was supposed to lead this army anymore.

He turned to the Royal Army’s corps commanders and asked,

“Is there no way to pull more supplies from the Royal Army? Surely, you’ve stockpiled in preparation for war?”

“We’ve already brought everything each corps had in reserve. The rest is under the management of Marquis Falkenheim.”

“Ghh…”

Marquis Falkenheim, had even taken hold of the Royal Army. He personally managed all military supplies to prevent them from being used indiscriminately even by the Royal Army itself.

In truth, even the Royal Army had to rely on the Marquis for their provisions. And now, all of those supplies were under the control of his forces.

By this point, the command staff began to look for an opportunity to pull out. After all, about half of the Suppression Army originally came from Marquis Falkenheim’s side.

Though Ghislain had left the lords behind and only taken their troops, the commanders ultimately had no choice but to follow their original masters.

Eventually, they approached Count Herbis and pleaded.

“We wish to withdraw.”

“We can’t keep going like this.”

“The soldiers’ discontent has grown too large. At this rate, we won’t be able to maintain control.”

Of course, Count Herbis had no intention of granting their request. If they lost troops here, the remaining lords would truly be finished.

But he couldn’t just leave things as they were either. The discontent among the forcibly conscripted soldiers continued to grow.

For now, the sheer size of the army kept any rash movements in check, but if someone were to spark a fire, it would spread uncontrollably.

“Am I really going to have to force a conclusion…”

But he had no confidence. Going up against the Marquis’ high-morale forces with this army would mean certain defeat. There weren’t even any Transcendents here.

“Ugh… Julien Mercenary Corps… those crazy bastards…”

Count Herbis clutched his head in frustration. He was full of resentment toward the Julien Mercenary Corps for vanishing after creating such a mess.

He took out his anger on the innocent Andrew.

“Still no word from them? Are you sure they didn’t just run away?”

“You’re asking me…? I really don’t know…”

“Damn it! So how long are we supposed to wait?!”

“U-Until they show up?”

“Aaaaagh! Stop saying crap like that!”

In the end, the only hope left was for the Julien Mercenary Corps to succeed. But even just waiting was not easy.

“Marquis’ forces are on the move!”

The sudden report from the scouts threw the Suppression Army into a frantic scramble to prepare for battle.

The Marquis’ forces approached in a calm and orderly manner, as if to encircle them. Count Herbis bit his lip when he saw this.

“Damn it… They’ve figured out our situation.”

Just as he feared, the Marquis’ forces had caught on to the collapse of the Suppression Army. They had been monitoring the camp daily.

Although their mages had tried to block observation, the army was too large to conceal completely. Not to mention, the Marquis’ mage corps was far superior.

From a distance, the Supreme Commander of the Marquis’ forces, Count Godiff, observed the Suppression Army forming up in disarray and smirked.

“A few more days of pressure, and they’ll collapse on their own.”

The Suppression Army’s ration distribution and troop formations were in shambles. Seeing that, the Marquis had moved to apply even more pressure.

There was no need to start a battle immediately. Just maintaining this tension would be enough to make the enemy crumble quickly.

Indeed, the Suppression Army’s formation was a complete mess as they scrambled to prepare for combat.

Watching this unfold, Count Godiff sneered.

“War isn’t something you fight alone. That madman’s abilities end here.”

His bold, unexpected moves had been undeniably creative. The fact that he’d managed to gather such a force was worthy of acknowledgement.

But keeping that force intact was a whole different story. An army wasn’t something that functioned merely by sheer numbers.

“That’s the limit of a lowly mercenary. A man like him would know nothing of military science.”

Everything about the Suppression Army was in shambles. At this rate, they would completely collapse within a few days.

That meant there was only one strategy left for them to take, launching a final decisive battle before their total downfall.

“Everyone, stay fully prepared. We don’t know when they’ll go mad and charge at us.”

Count Godiff had no intention of entertaining such a desperate move. All he had to do was keep up the pressure while maintaining a defensive posture.

Once the Suppression Army crumbled entirely, he would wipe them out. That would be the end of it.

“After that, the Marquis will be the one to rule this kingdom.”

With absolute power that no one would be able to oppose.

Just as Count Godiff expected, the Suppression Army’s condition deteriorated even faster. They received rations only once a day, and even then, it was just watery soup and a few scraps of bread.

The infighting among the command staff grew even worse. Shouts rang out daily, but no consensus was ever reached.

“If we’re going to fight, we have to do it now!”

“What fight? We’re already broken!”

“Then what, are we just going to sit here and die?”

Even the lords who had participated directly were like this. The conscripted commanders, dragged here by force, were in even worse shape.

“Everyone, listen up. We’ll look for an opportunity and get out of here.”

“If a battle breaks out, we surrender immediately and switch sides.”

“Start planning our escape now.”

Most of the commanders had other thoughts in mind. They hadn’t sincerely surrendered in the first place, so they felt no guilt about switching sides.

Thus, the situation continued to spiral in the worst direction for the Suppression Army.

With no option to flee or surrender, Count Herbis finally resolved to go through with a final battle. He had no other choice.

He began tightening discipline and checking troop formations. Sensing this, the Marquis’ forces also began to move, slowly.

The tension between the two sides reached its peak. At any moment, a signal could trigger the start of the battle.

Just then, scouts from the Marquis’ army brought in new information.

“A force is approaching from the flank! Around a thousand troops, all cavalry!”

“What force?”

“From their uniforms and banners, they appear to be Count Valesant’s troops! They were charging but have now slowed their pace!”

At those words, Count Godiff frowned.

“So, they show up now, after all this time?”

There had been a few units that were dragging their feet. But Count Valesant’s troops hadn’t even sent word by the time the others had arrived.

Godiff had intended to punish them once the war was over, but now they had shown up at the very last minute.

What irritated him even more was that they slowed down despite the current standoff. Acting all high and mighty out of nowhere, when they were nothing special.

From Count Godiff’s perspective, they were a useless army showing up late. But the Suppression Army saw things very differently.

Count Herbis wore a nervous expression.

“Damn… Reinforcements…”

Though their numbers were small, the fact that reinforcements had joined the enemy was a problem in and of itself. It was obvious that enemy morale would rise while ours would only plummet.

But then something strange happened.

The Valesant forces did not join the Marquis’s army. Instead, they were cutting right across the space between the two opposing armies.

They walked as proudly as if they were lead actors in a play.

Before anyone realized it, they had moved to the center and came to a stop. A few sharp-eyed members of the Suppression Army noticed some familiar faces among the Valesant troops.

“Hey? That’s the Acting Supreme Commander! The Acting Supreme Commander is over there!”

“There are Julien Mercenaries too!”

“But why are they wearing Valesant uniforms?”

“D-Did those bastards betray us or what?”

The Suppression Army was in chaos. People they thought had disappeared were now with the enemy.

Count Godiff of the Marquis’s forces furrowed his brows.

“What the hell are they doing?”

If they had arrived, they should have quickly moved to the flanks and joined up. Why were they drawing everyone’s attention like that?

Everyone just stared, dumbfounded, as Count Valesant, standing at the front, dismounted from his horse.

He turned to Ghislain beside him and asked,

“Um, am I really going first?”

“Of course. Take this chance to make your name shine.”

Ghislain was someone who guaranteed rewards. Since he had helped in this operation, it was time to let him stand in the spotlight.

Soon, a mage came over and cast a voice amplification spell.

After taking a few deep breaths, Count Valesant suddenly grabbed his adjutant and whispered,

“Ah, what do I do? I’m so nervous. Everyone’s staring at me.”

“…My Lord, the voice amplification spell is already in effect.”

“Oh dear, my goodness. Oh, how embarrassing. Everyone must’ve heard that.”

“…”

Both armies silently watched this bizarre scene unfold.

Count Valesant then, with a trembling voice, addressed everyone.

“Uh… May I have your attention? Um… The Marquis of Falkenheim has long oppressed the royal family… failed to protect the rights of his vassals… and committed immoral acts in his lust for power…”

Count Valesant began a rambling speech about just how bad the Marquis of Falkenheim was.

Everyone had the same look: “So what?” because there wasn’t a soul in the kingdom who didn’t already know that.

But what came next shocked them all.

“And thus, I, Count Valesant, have raised an army to punish the Marquis of Falkenheim… I joined forces with the Julien Mercenaries and launched a surprise attack on the Marquis’s castle… and after a fierce battle… well, in any case, we’ve captured the Marquis of Falkenheim!”

“…”

The battlefield fell into silence. Both the Marquis’s army and the Suppression Army wore expressions of disbelief.

Count Godiff’s face turned red as he shouted,

“What kind of nonsense is this! Are you trying to lower our morale with that kind of rubbish?!”

He couldn’t understand why Count Valesant was suddenly spouting such madness. But one thing was clear, he had betrayed them.

“Kill that bastard first! No just wipe them all out!”

With that order, the Marquis’s army began to move slowly.

At that moment, Ghislain pulled a man off a horse and dragged him forward. His hair was disheveled, and he had a gag in his mouth, clearly a prisoner.

Ghislain set him upright and shouted loudly.

“I am Astion, Acting Supreme Commander of the Royal Army! Together with Count Valesant, I have captured the Marquis of Falkenheim, see for yourselves!”

Count Godiff’s eyes trembled. Despite the distance, his Transcendent vision allowed him to recognize the prisoner’s face.

Without meaning to, he cried out,

“L-Lord Marquis!”

His shout froze the entire Marquis’s army. Commanders rushed forward to confirm the prisoner’s face.

“Th-That really is the Marquis.”

“He’s been taken prisoner…?”

“What in the world happened?”

The Marquis army’s command was thrown into chaos. They had not anticipated anything like this.

Meanwhile, a deafening cheer erupted from the Suppression Army’s side.

“Woooooaaahhh!”

“They captured the Marquis of Falkenheim!”

“The Acting Commander brought the Marquis back with him!”

Count Herbis felt goosebumps all over his body. They had actually pulled off that insane plan.

He still didn’t know why Count Valesant was suddenly on their side, but that didn’t matter now.

Andrew grabbed Count Herbis and shouted,

“Bwahahaha! You saw that? You saw that? I told you it’d work! Damn! I was totally gonna call him a damn duck if he didn’t show up! Hahaha!”

The battle hadn’t even started yet, but the Suppression Army was already erupting in victorious cheers.

Count Godiff gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his face. Enraged, he raised his hand and began to speak.

“A-All forces…”

But he couldn’t finish the order. The Marquis of Falkenheim was being held hostage.

Count Godiff’s mind went blank. He had no idea what to do.

Ghislain walked toward the Marquis army at a leisurely pace.

Then he spoke in a calm voice.

“From now on, if anyone so much as takes a step…”

A wicked smile spread across his face.

“The Marquis’s head is coming off.”

“…”

Count Godiff slowly lowered his hand.