Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 156

156.

Near Kaila Hall, Riorden and Dareon returned in succession.

Riorden returned yesterday, and this evening, Dareon was entering the main force camp with a heavy expression.

“C, Commander.”

Dareon stuttered, unlike his usual self, and his expression was dark as he looked at me.

“I heard the news.”

I said briefly to Dareon and then announced to the commanders.

“Reorganize the main force, including the Dareon unit. We will hold a general meeting at the headquarters barracks shortly.”

The commanders’ expressions were not good either.

‘The result is more serious than I thought.’

I didn’t feel good either.

Dareon had barely returned, losing two-thirds of his unit.

With the guerrilla forces almost entirely left in the rear.

* * *

The atmosphere in the headquarters barracks was suffocating.

Everyone was watching me.

The morale of the commanders was so low, with a difficult siege ahead. It was understandable, and I was also troubled. There’s nothing as unsettling as fighting with enemies at your back.

We hadn’t even started the real battle, and we had already lost a significant number of soldiers to the guerrilla forces, so morale was bound to be low.

It wasn’t like this when Gale returned.

When Riorden returned yesterday, the soldiers’ morale was even higher than before.

Including the areas cleared by the main force, three major guerrilla bases were completely cleared.

Everyone expected Dareon to clear the guerrilla base and return as well.

But the result was disastrous.

Was it necessary to sacrifice so many soldiers for the stark comparison between Riorden and Dareon?

I didn’t speak and pondered, even though all the commanders were gathered.

It was an operation planned to gain the trust of soldiers and commanders in Riorden and David.

Ken devised the operation, but I was the one who ultimately approved it.

In other words, the greatest responsibility was mine.

I had essentially sacrificed the Dareon unit for my subordinates.

We were already preparing for a siege that was more disadvantageous than defense, but now our forces were reduced, the rear was insecure, and the enemy’s elite outnumbered our own, so worries flooded in.

“Commander, let’s start with the guerrilla force suppression report.”

At Ken’s words, I nodded.

Gale achieved the expected results, and Riorden also suppressed the guerrilla forces without significant losses.

In particular, Riorden occupied a strategically important fortress and cut off the enemies’ water supply, demonstrating near-perfect operational capabilities with few casualties.

Ken finally began the results report of the Dareon unit.

“Most are dead, and many of the survivors are seriously injured.”

“Provide potions to the seriously injured and assign those with severe external injuries to the injured unit and send them to the rear…….”

I bit my lip.

If the injured unit was placed in the rear, they could all die if the guerrilla forces targeted the rear.

‘But I can’t abandon the injured. I was the one who promised the soldiers a hopeful future.’

I cleared my throat.

I spoke, suppressing my emotions as much as possible.

“Place the injured unit behind the main force. David, take the very rear.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“I’ll form a separate unit for you, so take charge of the very rear. The responsibility is heavy, as we don’t know when the enemies will launch a guerrilla war.”

“I will do my best to protect it.”

I nodded and turned my gaze to Ken.

“Have the locations of the enemy Sword Masters been identified?”

“Eric returned to his main family last night.”

That was good news.

“I heard that you received information about His Majesty’s dispatch of troops today.”

“That’s right.”

“Not only Eric but others will also return.”

“If the assassination of Lillian is successful, the siege of Kaila Hall may end surprisingly easily.”

The commanders spoke with hope in one voice for the first time in a while.

A smile spread across my face without me realizing it.

“Only Eric returned to his main family, and the other two Sword Masters remain. Even if Gale and Olivia take care of them, we could be swept away by wide-area magic if the assassination of Lillian fails.”

Everyone fell silent at the same time.

“What if the siege is prolonged, and the guerrilla forces in the rear travel around the provinces, gathering those loyal to the Pyreon Kingdom, further increasing their power, and then strike our rear while we are sieging?”

When I spoke of only the worst of the many imaginable situations, the commanders groaned.

I could see Dareon trembling.

‘The effect is certain. None of the noble commanders are discriminating against Ken, Riorden, and David.’

The commanders probably know why I assigned Gale, Riorden, and Dareon to lead units and carry out guerrilla suppression operations.

Now, they have no choice but to rely on Hamilton.

I turned my gaze to the vice-commander of the magic corps.

“If the assassination of Lillian fails, what is the extent of her impact on the battlefield?”

The vice-commander of the magic corps answered simply.

“At least thirty thousand will die by her hand.”

The vice-commander of the magic corps’ answer made even me groan.

‘Thirty thousand people?’

It was hard to believe that a single human could exert that much power, but this is not modern society.

“Can’t the corps’ mages stop her?”

“No. The corps must avoid her instead.”

The vice-commander added with a bitter smile.

“Mages will inevitably die by her magic whenever they encounter her on the battlefield. Or their circles will be sealed. Lower circle mages can never defeat higher circle mages. It’s definitely different from knights.”

I looked around at the commanders and said.

“A report will be coming from Hamilton soon. We can only hope he succeeds.”

Now, no one ignored Hamilton because he was a slave or doubted his abilities.

They were all hoping that Hamilton would succeed safely.

* * *

The meeting wasn’t long.

The meeting ended with just confirming the number of casualties and the treatment of the injured from the guerrilla suppression operation, as well as the quantity of supplies.

It ended early because we had to advance to the area where the siege was possible from tomorrow and set up camp again.

“Dareon must be punished.”

Ken remained in the headquarters barracks after everyone had left.

“We can’t let a commander who lost so many soldiers go without any punishment.”

“Did you expect it?”

At my somewhat disjointed words, Ken nodded.

“Yes.”

“Did you also know that many would die? Honestly, I only thought he would be somewhat later than Riorden. He only arrived a day late, so it’s not even late. But Count Dareon made a very big mistake that I didn’t expect.”

“It’s not a mistake, it’s Count Dareon’s ability.”

I slammed the table hard without realizing it.

“Ken!”

“If the commanders are at odds with each other, the war will go awry. If it were just that, I could have suppressed it with the Commander’s authority and pursued outward harmony. But the soldiers’ trust can only be earned through ability.”

Ken wasn’t surprised at all, even though I shouted.

“The number of soldiers who volunteered for Count Dareon’s unit when forming the unit was overwhelming. I don’t know if you saw it, but the soldiers who joined Riorden’s unit had dead expressions.”

I didn’t know that. I knew that the soldiers didn’t quite trust Riorden, but I never dreamed that it would lead to trusting Dareon.

“No matter how plausible the Commander makes the justification for the war and promises compensation to the injured and dead, what the soldiers want most is to survive the war.”

I had nothing to say. Ken’s words, which pierced my heart, continued.

“They are more sensitive than anyone else. Especially since the Empire has fought many wars, the soldiers are also experienced. Having a lot of experience means they instinctively know which commander to meet to increase their chances of survival. And the guerrilla suppression operation only showed them which side they should choose in the future.”

“More than three thousand soldiers died in the process.”

“You have to pay the price to get something in war. By sacrificing three thousand soldiers and gaining the trust of the Commander’s direct subordinates, it’s not all loss.”

I grabbed Ken’s shoulder.

“Now…….”

“We must value the lives of the soldiers, but we are on a battlefield where we must win to survive. If you truly care about the soldiers, give them victory.”

Ken emphasized once again.

“Dareon must be executed.”

The hand holding Ken’s shoulder lost strength.

-Ken was a scary person. Ron’s army, which had never known defeat, was toyed with by Ken’s tactics. Ron, who was unbelievably strong as a human, realized that it was not the Imperial Army that was strong, but only himself.

-While Karen was in charge of Ron, the Imperial Army was toyed with by Ken’s unit operations.

-Ken, who did not hesitate to use despicable and cruel methods for the sake of his purpose, always clashed with Karen. Nevertheless, Karen could not dismiss Ken. He always led the results to victory, and what Karen needed most was victory.

The contents I had written swirled chaotically in my head.

“Let’s talk tomorrow. Go and rest.”

Ken didn’t insist further and left the barracks.

I slumped into a chair and put my head on my forehead.

“Damn it.”

At my words, Olivia said worriedly.

“Ken’s methods are somewhat extreme, but the effect is certain. The noble commanders are not thinking about Hamilton’s origins at all and are only hoping that his operation will succeed.”

I smiled bitterly.

“And everyone recognizes Riorden and David, who are from mercenary backgrounds. Their achievements were even better than Gale’s this time.”

Looking at the results alone, everything is good.

However, no one cared about the sacrifice of three thousand people.

“Ken knows that Dareon will take responsibility…… no, he induced it that way. He’s executing one of the core nobles of the noble faction in the war with perfect justification. Thinking only from my perspective, Ken is the best loyalist. He doesn’t gain notoriety and removes political enemies in a perfect way, and even gains the soldiers’ trust.”

In fact, the soldiers were praising my insight for having Riorden as my direct subordinate.

Even the story of the Western Expedition is coming out again. They say that there was a reason why the Crown Prince, though young, achieved results in the West.

‘What is my purpose?’

I bit my lip and pondered.

“Your Highness.”

Olivia sat gently next to me and called me Your Highness instead of Commander, familiarly.

“Ken is a capable person. I’ve never seen a soldier like him. But shouldn’t Your Highness choose? If you want to have someone like Ken as your subordinate, I think Your Highness should make a firm decision.”

I nodded.

“That’s right. I have to think about what I told him when I first met Ken.”

Olivia’s words brought me to my senses.

It was none other than me who brought Ken under my command.

And I thought I knew Ken better than Ken himself.

“I don’t need to execute him. Even if the justification is perfect, there will definitely be talk about the disposition after the war. Dareon is one of the core nobles of the noble faction.”

Thinking about this, I felt like I was no less than Ken.

‘There’s no reason for me to take the blame for the execution. I should pass the credit to Beregon.'”