A face appeared on the screen. Nonetheless, it wasn’t the face of Roman Dmitry. Seeing an unfamiliar face on the screen, Daniel Cairo ordered, “Reveal your identity and affiliation.”
[…I-I am Henry Albert, the second son of the Albert family.]
“Albert?”
Everyone looked puzzled. It seemed to be their first time hearing that name. And when the nobles all looked at each other while questioning who he was, Marquis Benedict said, “Albert! Right, the family of Albert! No matter how it is now, it was once a family that had a place in the Central Government and produced some outstanding talents as well. That’s it. Nonetheless, why are we looking at you and not Roman Dmitry? We would like to get in touch with the Commander of the Southern Front.”
Henry’s face brightened. Was it because they knew his family?
His heart began to pound happily, and he struggled to calm it down and said,
[I am now a member of the unit led by Roman Dmitry. As Marquis Benedict has mentioned, it is right for Roman Dmitry, not me, to be the one contacting you. However, for some reason, he said he would prefer to be alone, so I, the only noble on his side, took the initiative.]
His mouth became dry. Beyond the screen were those who actually had power and represented the Cairo Kingdom. Not to mention the King, Marquis Benedict was also a person who was equally influential. He had also heard about Count Gregory and Count Denver. And Henry Albert knew that if they wanted, the Albert family entering the Central Government wouldn’t be a dream anymore.
Was that why?
Strength entered his body. And when the King requested him to report, Henry spoke passionately,
[Roman Dmitry and I were both in the same training center and were on the way to being assigned to the Fifth Defense Life as a Reserve Unit with our troops. However, we suddenly received a report of the Hector Kingdom attacking us. Despite being shocked by the sudden change, Roman Dmitry and I headed for the Fifth Defense Line with all our might… and…]
“Wait. Are you going to explain everything from the start? Get straight to the point.”
[Oh, I get it.]
Henry seemed to have kept speaking about things that weren’t related because of the tension. So, he took a deep breath, looked at the nobles, and spoke with a different expression from the one he had on earlier.
[The guerrilla operation in the mountains was truly amazing.]
Henry Albert recalled the battle that had taken place all night.
Henry Albert was lucky. He joined Chris’ unit and managed to save his life, but his heart sank to the bottom when he heard the future plans.
“What?!”
“It is as you have heard. We intend to lure the troops of Hector to the mountain and fight them there.”
“Are you people even sane?! The Hector Kingdom attacked all five Defense Lines at the same time! They must have brought around ten thousand troops, and you want to fight against them with our small numbers in the mountains? That is just insane. I assure you, the moment the enemy grabs hold of our tail, we will be slaughtered without mercy.”
Henry was being honest. No matter how much he thought about using the terrain of the mountains for a guerilla operation, he could not think of a strategy through which he could overcome the vast difference in numbers.
He was upset and said to Chris, “…I am telling you this because I really think of you as my benefactor. Why don’t you run over the mountain with me? We have a long life ahead of us, and you seem like the loyal kind. Even though I understand where you’re coming from, staying here despite knowing the horrible end is a foolish thing to do. When I return to the family, I will get you a new place. Did you say you were Chris? Please make a wise decision.”
Chris’ expression hardened, and his attitude changed as soon as he heard that. Despite the other person being a noble, he grabbed Henry’s throat.
“Kuak!!!”
“If you are thinking about doing such things, get out of here. We don’t need to run away like you. As you said, we might get slaughtered by the Hector Kingdom because of this foolish plan. Nevertheless, we understand that. Staying side by side until the end is our own decision. We will never betray our liege. Do you get it?”
“…Yes.”
Henry gave up the pride and nodded while lowering his eyes. Then, Chris let go of his throat. Henry Albert thought that these people were truly insane.
‘Why on Earth are they so loyal to Roman Dmitry? Idiots. If the situation gets any worse, I will abandon you all without another thought and run away.’
Even then, Henry believed he was right. That was because he was still living in the realm of common sense, and the matter was something that he didn’t think Roman could solve, even though he had such stunning power. However, when the operation began, the entire situation changed.
The darkness had enveloped the entire mountain. He then heard the sound of Roman Dmitry slaughtering the enemies. Along with the loud sound of the whistles all over the mountain, the terrified voices of the troops of the Hector Kingdom were clearly audible.
And then, Chris’ unit moved.
“Attack!”
“Attack the enemies!”
The surprise attack and the operation were successful. The True Defense Circles confused the enemies, and thanks to them, the overwhelming force of Hector was slaughtered helplessly.
Henry Albert was stunned. He was sure that these people were normal soldiers whose names weren’t even known anywhere, but the force they showed was much different from any normal soldiers. They were the ones who had caused a massacre here. They literally overwhelmed the enemies. And what followed was the strategy of fleeing away after that. Naturally, Henry followed them.
‘How did this happen?’
He was shocked every few moments. First, there were the True Defense Circles he couldn’t begin to understand the principle of, and what followed was the overwhelming power of Roman and his soldiers. The slightly worse situation Henry thought of never even happened. That was because Roman’s men attacked the enemy as stably as possible, and Roman Dmitry ran to the forefront all alone. And when he heard the sound of enemies being slaughtered from afar, his heart started to pound intensely. It was because he had realized that Roman Dmitry was much more than the monster he had thought of him to be. Soon, he recalled what his uncle had said,
“Henry. I have organized it so that your unit serves on the 5th Defense Line, along with Roman Dmitry. Within 2 years, you need to somehow get close to Roman Dmitry. Keep it in mind. This is a very serious matter on which your uncle’s future depends. So, no matter how precious you are to me as my nephew, if you don’t do this job correctly, I will be angry.”
That was what he had said. Being a friend of Roman Dmitry, who would grow into a famous figure on the entire continent, was a shortcut to success. Even then, Henry wasn’t fully convinced, but as he experienced a few changes, he changed his mind.
‘Uncle was right. Roman Dmitry has the talent which will make him famous throughout the continent. There is no other time better than now for the Albert family to establish a close relationship with such a person.’
The antipathy he had towards Roman had vanished. He decided to risk his life. Henry Albert was now fully focused on making himself look good in Chris’ eyes. Thus, he knew very well about what he should say next.
[This operation was entirely the idea of Roman Dmitry. As soon as it was confirmed that the Ranger Unit of the Hector Kingdom attacked the Southern Training Center, Roman Dmitry understood that they were aiming for the Warp Gate and immediately went up the mountain to secure a secret position. In fact, if the commanders of the Defense Lines had listened to Roman Dmitry, then things would have been much easier for us.]
He depreciated the wrongdoers and put Roman above everyone else. He knew that Roman’s men were also listening to him, so he purposely raised his voice.
[Roman Dmitry slaughtered hundreds of enemies through the guerrilla operation all by himself. The Hector Kingdom marched into the mountains with their troops to deal with him, and battles took place all over the mountain. What happened at that time was not in the realm of something that could be explained. Even though thousands of soldiers were marching and aiming for him, the moment Roman appeared, he dyed them all in fear by showing a monster-like appearance while slaughtering them in the darkness of the mountain. Thanks to him, we were able to carry out the surprise operation with ease. When Roman Dmitry drew the attention of the enemies and caused confusion, we hid ourselves and attacked them.]
His trembling body calmed down. At that moment, the fact that Henry had a part in all this gave him immense confidence.
[Let the day be bright. We fought till the end while being led by Roman Dmitry. He gave us confidence at the forefront, so we were able to bolster ourselves, and despite knowing we were at a disadvantage, we fought while giving our best. We even managed to kill hundreds of enemies overnight. And even though we only had 200 men on our side, we still managed to defeat the opposition, who had a dozen times as many soldiers as we did.]
Henry could now see the faces of the nobles beyond the screen stained in shock. He finally realized he had made the correct choice. Roman Dmitry was someone who would grow into a huge figure on the continent, and Henry had made sure that he was getting all the attention he deserved.
As a loyal servant of Roman, Henry Albert said proudly,
[The war is far from over. As long as Roman Dmitry holds on the Southern Front, we have a good chance. Please make a decision. We are ready to fight the Hector Kingdom till the end.]
Those were his final words. And Henry Albert thought that they were perfect.
The entire meeting room was dyed with silence when the Magic Call was cut. Not just the nobles, even Daniel Cairo was shocked.
“…According to the report, the Hector Kingdom brought in more than ten thousand troops to attack the Southern Front. And they managed to win against them? We acted so weakly. Roman Dmitry fought till the end under such adverse conditions when the nobles, captains, and commanders were desperate enough to give up without even fighting till the end.”
It was Daniel Cairo who had said those words. He realized that he had lived like a loser. Since the moment he was placed in the position of the underdog, he hadn’t even considered winning yet. But now, things have changed.
Marquis Benedict, too, spoke with a shocked expression, “Your Majesty the King is right. From the moment we received the report that the Hector Kingdom had taken over the Warp Gate, we didn’t even think about winning. We already admitted the defeat mentally. However, the power of Cairo is not weak. On the Southern Front is a hero called Roman Dmitry, and we must use the opportunity he has given us to the fullest.”
“That’s correct. We need to send more troops to the Southern Front right now. What we need to do is use this chance to condemn the actions of the Hector Kingdom, who dared to cross the border. This will set a good example to others.”
Everyone spoke in loud voices. The decision was finally made. Because of a single victory, a fire was started inside all of them. And Daniel Cairo, as well, chose war according to their opinion.
“The negotiations with the Hector Kingdom are broken. From now on, we will slay the heinous hordes and restore the pride of the Cairo Kingdom!”
The fuse of war was now lit. Cairo and Hector had now crossed a river they could never return from. The meeting ended as the nobles demanded war, and everyone left soon.
“Call the vassals right now.”
“Get all the information you can about Roman Dmitry.”
“Other nobles will have the same thought as us. From now on, we must be as fast as we can.”
The thoughts of Benedict, Denver, and Gregory were the same. They were like those who slept on the same bed but had different dreams. On the outside, they showed that they valued the safety of the Southern Front, but their true purpose was something else. Yes, it was Roman Dmitry. That was the moment when their desire to acquire him exploded like an active volcano.
Editor’s Thoughts: Chris was not taking the BS of Henry anymore lol. It seems Henry has also joined team Roman now. All the nobles seem to have realized the value of Roman now. The upcoming battles will be quite good, guys.
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