SWNOVELXO Chapter 158
While Atria was preparing to pull off downright insane antics,
King of Dedorant, Cassius II unfortunately had no time to concern himself with that.
For that reason, the Command stepped in to respond to them instead.
(Of course, thanks to that, Atria boarded the express train to hell.)
Now, what on earth was Cassius II doing during all that time?
“I will personally lead the Fifth Army! There is only one Benito in this world! For that sole Benito, I march forth for the alliance of our Dedorant!”
With the Royal Capital seized and now the northern regions falling one by one,
King Benito—no, King Andrea II of North Benito had reached his limit.
In such a situation, it would be better to just switch to Dedorant, yet he only drank.
In the end, not just the few remaining loyal subjects and Nobles but even they had abandoned him.
Some didn’t surrender outright but compensated by not resisting the Empire instead.
Before long, the castle where Andrea II resided was besieged, and Dedorant grew anxious.
The king sets out to save the king—what a splendid picture this painted.
It was perfect to rally the hearts of the wavering Dedorant Army.
Additionally, it could momentarily divert the Empire’s interest to the south.
For that reason, Cassius II moved the army while temporarily leaving the interior to the Command.
“If it were the old Dedorant, preparations would have been finished days ago, and we would have begun our advance.”
How bitter. How unfortunate. To be frank, it was so stifling it made his chest ache.
It was too late. The advance of his allies was lagging behind more than he had anticipated.
Not only was the morale of the troops insufficient, but the level was also a far cry from before.
They had supposedly preserved as many veterans as possible, so how did things end up like this?
“Hurry! Increase the pace of our advance! We must save Benito, our ally!”
Yes, it absolutely must be done. Only then could they absorb even part of the remaining Benito.
Although it was true that Andrea II had lost significant public sentiment due to repeated failures,
there remained those in the north of Benito still loyal to him as their king.
As long as they kept existing, they could prove to be a nuisance to the Empire.
The Southern Legion of the Empire could take a breather and pierce Dedorant from the south,
or they might impede the advance toward the occupied territory of DeGale.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!!”
But now the heavens, the gods, and even fortune were all against him.
All of them were completely besotted by a single man.
“It’s already too late.”
“What do you mean, too late?”
“Just received word. The castle where King Benito resided has fallen to the Southern Benito forces, and King Andrea II has been dragged out.”
Damn it. The moment Cassius II heard that news, he bit his lips until they bled.
He thought they could last a few more days. Just a few more days would have been enough.
From start to finish, in the end, that king was just a shackle on our feet.
“Your Majesty. What will you do now?”
“…We’ll retreat.”
Benito has fallen. Although some parts of the northern region remained, there was no central point.
The Empire had taken all justification. The south had been completely lost.
From Dedorant’s perspective, they could barely hold on like a guard with a gaping wound in their gut.
Leaving the southern defense to the Fifth Army, Cassius II returned to the Royal Capital.
Before him lay another tragedy, one that followed in the wake of Benito.
“What do you mean? Atria is collapsing? Even if the bastions and castles are falling, shouldn’t they have been able to hold out for a few months?”
“W-Well, while you were away, there were discussions in Atria about a large-scale counterattack.”
“And?”
“The Command advised that they could attempt it with support…”
What nonsensical nonsense was this? Cassius II held his forehead.
No matter how much an opportunity for a counterattack existed, there were times to act and times to hold back.
Besides, Atria hardly had any elite troops like Dedorant did.
What on earth were they trusting in, to carry out an operation that had no backup?
“If it’s the Deo Ethnicity, they believed they could certainly break through. As long as they seized the Empire’s supplies, it was supposed to be entirely possible…”
“Aaah—”
That’s right. They were merely following the path of their past decisions.
Filling their insufficient strength with the shout of the Deo Ethnicity’s glory.
Thinking that whatever happened, as long as they won, that would suffice.
Not knowing that it was a place meant for their demise, they rushed in recklessly.
Cassius II thought. This was all his mistake.
Yet at the same time, he shook his head, denying that it made any sense.
There had indeed been several rational reasons during Setongrad.
In fact, considering the position of the Imperial Army at the time, Dedorant’s attack had been reasonable.
However, this time, Atria’s counterattack was entirely different.
It was akin to jumping straight into the front lines against an enemy preparing a perfect offensive.
The Atria troops were nothing elite, with no significant momentum to fuel their advance.
Most importantly, weren’t terrifying bloodthirsty beings lurking up north?
“Convey my will immediately. Rearrange the formation and retreat! At once!”
“B-But it seems Atria has already fallen. By now, the Royal Capital of Atria must have long since been captured…”
—Clang!
With a sweep of his hand, Cassius II knocked everything off the table and headed straight for the Command.
The south and the north—wherever there remained a shield and breakwater for Dedorant had been swept away in an instant.
Until now, they had been able to hold because they had the central front.
However, beginning tomorrow, Imperial forces would be crashing in from all sides.
“What on earth is going on? What kind of nonsensical situation is this!”
“Your Majesty. Please calm yourself. The gods merely did their best.”
“The best they did! If they had done their best, they should have stopped Atria!”
Cassius II’s words made the Command members glance at one another, assessing the atmosphere.
Then, as if they had reached some silent agreement, they started to offer similar opinions.
“The Deo Ethnicity could have surely managed it. However, it seems Atria has become distanced from us Dedorants, with their blood diluted. That was the blunder of the Command.”
“What…?”
“Yet, Your Majesty. There is no need to worry. With the crisis upon us, now is the time for our Deo Ethnicity to showcase its true worth. If all the Kingdom People fight with their spears and swords, we can surely hold out.”
This was so outrageous that words failed him. Now, is this person even speaking as a human?
The glory of the Deo Ethnicity, which had begun with Cassius II himself.
Fine. He would acknowledge that. However, he had never sworn an oath beyond that to Runen.
“Are we really going to send all the Kingdom People into battle? Can they truly fight properly?”
The Empire had been engaging in battles this whole time, and now they possessed highly trained killing machines, didn’t they?
The glory of the Deo Ethnicity was something that should be pursued only when there was possibility; this was completely nonsensical, wasn’t it?
“Your Majesty! We will drive the Empire away! Please trust us!”
Amidst the confusion, Leonite, who had escaped during Paelus’s surrender, shouted passionately.
It seemed he sincerely believed that they could indeed do it.
“Gruber.”
Pulling himself back from the shouts of lunacy, Cassius II immediately summoned his aide.
“What is happening?”
“Your Majesty.”
“I shouted for the glory of the Deo Ethnicity, because I believed we could fight. That we could win. Only when there was a sliver of rational probability could I do so. But, what on earth is this?”
“Your Majesty! You must not break! For our sake, you must remain steadfast in that position until the very end. Lead us until the very last moment!”
Until the very end. Until the last possible moment.
Upon hearing that, Cassius II let out a brief laugh.
As astute as ever, he had recognized the meaning behind what his subordinates had said.
They could not acknowledge it. No, they did not want to acknowledge it.
That they had gone astray, that everything had turned out this way because of their own faults.
For that reason, they needed justification to vindicate all these mistakes.
That justification was none other than himself. King of Dedorant, Cassius II.
They were merely regurgitating what their lord had proclaimed.
That was what they firmly believed while growing even more fanatical.
They believed they had no responsibility at all. That it was all merely the king’s fault.
They moved solely out of loyalty to the king and patriotism towards their country.
The glory of the Deo Ethnicity—without a doubt, that was their only reason for fighting.
Justifying themselves. Asking to be led to do so.
‘I… I was the one who allowed these poisonous mushrooms to grow.’
What should be done about this? The answer is, in fact, already clear.
However, Cassius II himself desperately wished to avoid it.
Yet with things turning out this way, his heart felt as if it had died in an instant.
Surely the royal family would be uprooted, and the nobles would all be expelled.
However, the Kingdom People would live on, perhaps under a new name.
Wouldn’t that be enough? Cassius II thought to himself.
“…”
The king was quietly watched over by Gruber, a former aide.
His eyes glinted like the sharp blade of a dagger catching the light.