Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 104

9. Outmaneuvering

1

Having secretly slipped out of the garrison, Luke repeatedly used teleportation magic to move to a new location.

Night fell, and he arrived at a deep valley on the western border of the Milton Kingdom.

*Squeak! Squeak!*

*Peep! Peep!*

Inside the valley, monsters such as orcs, goblins, and kobolds were densely packed together.

As Luke appeared with a burst of bright light, the large orc chieftain, the goblin chieftain, and the kobold chieftain, all properly armored, approached him.

“Are there any stragglers?”

At his question, the chieftains shook their heads repeatedly, indicating there were none.

“Well done. You managed to march here in such a short time.”

Luke praised them with a satisfied smile.

With Baron Paska’s death making war with the Milton Kingdom inevitable, he had resorted to a trick to minimize the loss of his own forces.

He would use the monsters he had previously sent out of his territory.

Until last year, the monster army led by Shaikhan had wreaked havoc throughout the Baroque Empire, and now they were being used as regular forces in the Lybia Kingdom.

‘There’s no reason I can’t do the same. Though I can’t use them as openly as Shaikhan did.’

So, just before the start of the war, Luke went to find the monster tribes whose chieftains he had brainwashed with black magic.

The creatures living in the wastelands outside his territory had increased considerably in number while he wasn’t paying attention.

They had also integrated other monster tribes that originally lived in the area, and the inability to suppress monsters due to the Magic Tower War and the Baroque Empire civil war had also caused them to breed excessively.

In any case, the number of monsters had increased to a staggering 100,000.

Luke moved the orc, goblin, and kobold groups through mountain paths that were not easily seen by people, or only at night, passing through the north of the Rakan March to the Milton Kingdom.

Of course, he didn’t have time to manage their movements directly, and he hadn’t enhanced the monsters’ intelligence with the power of the Dragonian [a powerful race] like Shaikhan had.

Nevertheless, the reason they were able to come here without scattering or going to the wrong place was that he had tied many pieces of cloth soaked in scents that monsters liked along the paths they were to take.

The monsters had successfully followed the scent to this gathering point.

“Now, I will give you new orders.”

*Squeak!*

*Peep! Peep!*

At Luke’s words, the chieftains each made a sound and thumped their chests.

It meant they were ready to follow any order.

Luke raised his hand, pointed east, and said,

“Go in the direction my hand is pointing and cause a commotion. The more surprised the humans are, the better, so make a big fuss.”

At Luke’s command, the chieftains nodded in understanding, and soon after, they led their subordinates and set off.

As the numerous monsters that had filled the valley left, Luke smiled faintly and opened his mouth.

“Hehehe. Let’s see you get a taste of this, Myers!”

Meyers, who had fallen asleep late after a strategy meeting, suddenly woke up feeling a chill all over his body.

“Hey, is anyone there? It’s cold in the tent, so light a fire…”

Meyers, about to tell the guard outside the tent to light a fire, widened his eyes.

Next to his bed.

A very familiar figure was standing there, covered in blood!

– *Kuh-huh-huh! Your Majesty!*

“Ba, Baron Paska?”

Meyers was startled and trembled.

The figure covered in blood was clearly Baron Paska, who was supposed to be dead.

– *Why did you kill me?*

“Ki, kill? Who? Wasn’t it Duke Luke who killed you?”

– *It’s unfair! I only fulfilled my duty as your loyal subject. But Your Majesty, you…*

“Sh, shut up! I never did such a thing!”

– *How dare you try to cover the sky with your palm! It’s truly unfair, Your Majesty!*

As Baron Paska approached, dripping blood, Meyers backed away and shouted as if screaming.

“He, hey! Is anyone there! Come in right now… Aaaah!”

The moment Baron Paska, who had approached, grabbed his neck, he woke up from his sleep.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

A guard was standing next to him with a worried look on his face.

‘Huh?’

Unlike a moment ago, when Baron Paska with a gruesome appearance was standing alone in the middle of the dark tent, magic lamps were brightly illuminating the inside.

“H-have you seen Baron Paska?”

“Baron Paska? He’s dead, isn’t he?”

The guard looked puzzled.

Moreover, wasn’t this war started to avenge the brutally murdered Baron Paska?

Seeing the suspicious look on the guard’s face, Meyers quickly mumbled.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing. I must have had a nightmare. More importantly, did anyone enter the tent while I was sleeping?”

“A tabby cat was loitering around, so I chased it away. If you’re not feeling well, should I call a physician?”

“Hmm, no. I need to think for a while, so go out.”

At Meyers’ dismissal, the guard saluted and went outside.

‘What on earth is going on? Was it really a dream?’

It was too vivid to simply dismiss it as a dream. His back, as well as the bedsheets, were soaked with cold sweat.

‘Maybe it’s because I’m anxious because the battle isn’t going as planned… Tsk tsk, to have a nightmare like this. I’m getting old.’

Meyers, with a bitter smile, lay back down on the bed and tried to sleep.

However, not long after falling asleep, a chilly sensation swept over him again.

– *Kuh-huh-huh-huh… Your Maaaajesty…!*

“Huk!”

Baron Paska appeared again.

With an even more gruesome and horrific appearance than before.

Meyers, who had been tormented by nightmares all night, had to meet his vassals the next morning with hollow eyes.

“Your Majesty, you don’t look well. Is something the matter?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s discuss how to attack the enemy.”

Meyers, not wanting to discourage his vassals or even the soldiers, did not mention what had happened last night.

Although he kept it a secret, rumors that the king was suffering from nightmares spread through the ranks by ‘someone’.

2

Despite being tormented by nightmares for several days, King Meyers, who was facing Luke, received an urgent magic communication from Brenden.

“What? Monsters are rampaging in the western part of the kingdom?”

– Y-yes, Your Majesty. What should we do?

Baron Majer, who had taken over as the royal chamberlain after Baron Paska, asked for a solution while sweating profusely.

“What do you mean, what should we do? Just mobilize the troops and suppress the monsters!”

Meyers did not take the appearance of the monsters seriously.

Rather, he was displeased that he was being bothered with such a trivial matter.

However, his expression changed completely at Baron Majer’s next words.

– W-we have already tried to suppress them. But their numbers are so great that it is impossible to eliminate them.

“Wh-what!”

According to Baron Majer’s explanation, the monsters were roaming around in groups of hundreds to thousands, looting villages and causing chaos.

The local territorial armies had stepped up, but it was difficult to suppress them due to the sheer number of monsters.

They were barely managing to fend off the monsters’ attacks.

As the situation became serious, Baron Majer gathered the defense forces remaining in the capital, Brenden, and set out to suppress them.

However, it was like pouring water into a bottomless pit, and it had no effect.

The number of monsters was much higher than expected, and most of the important weapons, such as Gigants [large, powerful war machines] and cannons, had been sent to the battlefield, leaving the suppression forces weak.

– According to the report sent by the commander of the suppression force, the monsters are even targeting the military supplies at the military bases along the roads.

“Gah! You should have informed me sooner if that was the case!”

– It’s just that the news came in just now…

“Damn it, stop them somehow! We can’t pull out our forces from here right now!”

Despite the continuous battles over the past few days, the resistance of the Rakan territory forces entrenched in the village of Bateren was unwavering.

Furthermore, the attacks by the Grenada Navy were no longer causing any further dispersion of forces.

However, they could not give up and retreat.

Not only were they worried about a counterattack from the Rakan territory forces, but if they gave up here, the Milton Kingdom would be left in a precarious position, with enemies to the north and south.

– Then, what about the forces deployed in the Variand Mountains…

“Didn’t I say no! If we take away the forces from the north, the Baroque Empire will surely invade from the south! Tell the lords to hold on a little longer!”

At Meyers’ shout, Baron Majer sighed deeply and said,

– I’m doing my best to appease the lords, but they are constantly sending magic communications several times a day, demanding that the monsters be suppressed quickly. This is because it’s not just the monsters that are the problem.

The forces remaining in the local territories were barely able to maintain public order.

Meyers had conscripted the core forces to attack the Rakan March, and the remaining forces had been scattered in all directions to suppress the monsters.

Taking advantage of this lack of public order, the appearance of bandits and thieves had increased.

That wasn’t all.

As prices rose due to the continuous wars, riots were frequently occurring in the cities, and displaced people who had been exploited like slaves were also causing disturbances.

As the domestic situation was becoming increasingly unstable, the lords were becoming anxious, as if their feet were on fire.

If King Meyers did not help them, they would either become a meal for the monsters or have their heads cut off by bandits or rioters.

– I’m embarrassed to say this, but some lords might make an extreme choice. So…

An extreme choice meant rebellion.

Having betrayed the Baroque Empire once, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t do it again.

In the end, Meyers had no choice but to make a decision.

“I have no choice. Issue a conscription order in Brenden and gather as many men as possible. Use those forces to stop the monsters and maintain public order within the kingdom.”

The capital, Brenden, was a large city.

If they conscripted the men there, they could gather at least tens of thousands of people.

– What? Soldiers who have not been trained are just scarecrows with spears, aren’t they?

“Then you go out and fight yourself!”

*Thud!*

Meyers, who had unilaterally cut off the magic communication, angrily picked up the crystal ball and slammed it on the floor.

The sudden change in the domestic situation and Baron Majer’s frustrating attitude had caused his chest to burn with anger.

‘Damn it, how could the monster attacks create such a difficult situation… Where did these guys even come from! Could it be that the Lybia Kingdom is stabbing us in the back?’

It was known that the Lybia Kingdom was the only place on the Rodisia continent that used monsters as an army.

Therefore, they were the first to come to mind as the culprits.

‘But why? Even at the coronation ceremony a while ago, they sent a congratulatory envoy with gifts, didn’t they?’

Moreover, the Lybia Kingdom had no reason to attack the Milton Kingdom right now.

The two countries were in the middle of a war of independence against the Baroque Empire.

Although it was unknown what would happen in the future, it was beneficial for both sides to stand firm right now.

It was when Meyers’ head was becoming complicated.

A middle-aged nobleman with a sharp impression entered the tent with a stern expression.

He was the officer in charge of communication with the Aegis agents [secret agents].

“Your Majesty, it seems that the assassination operation against Duke Luke has failed.”

“What? Failed?”

Meyers jumped up at the news.

“Why, how did it fail!”

According to the reports he had received so far, although the enemy’s defenses were tighter than expected, it seemed possible to infiltrate if they exploited the gaps.

But suddenly, they had failed!

“I don’t know the exact reason. However, judging by the fact that we haven’t heard from them for several days, it seems they have all been discovered.”

“Th-that can’t be!”

It wasn’t just one or two, but dozens of fairies.

It was unbelievable that they, who had been repeatedly brainwashed and trained for a long time and were specialized in stealth and infiltration, had all been discovered.

“Although contact has been lost, it is too early to conclude that they have failed. So, let’s wait until tomorrow morning.”

The Aegis agents carried self-destruct devices on their bodies.

Even if they were discovered, they wouldn’t die alone.

The commotion they would have caused would have been noticeable even here.

Meyers decided to wait until tomorrow morning and then come up with a plan.

“Damn it, I’ll be tormented by Paska again until tomorrow morning.”

As he had expected, Baron Paska appeared in his dream again that night.

His bloodied and gruesome appearance had become quite familiar after seeing it for several days, but the chilling sensation that made his whole body tingle and the sobbing that echoed in his head were not something he could get used to.

– *Your Maaaajesty… It’s unfair…*

“Please stop it, I told you I didn’t do it!”

– *Hic, hic, why did you kill me…*

“I said stop it! Aren’t you a loyal subject? Why are you tormenting me like this?”

– *It’s unfair! It’s unfair!*

“Eee!”

Meyers, whose anger had reached his head, drew the sword he had placed next to his bed.

And he swung it at Baron Paska, who was approaching him.

“Disappear, you wretched ghost!”

“Kuaaak!”

At the clear scream, different from the ghost’s wail, Meyers snapped back to his senses.

The dark tent was now brightly lit, and before his eyes, a guard was dying, spurting blood from his neck.

“Y-Your Majesty… Why…”

The fallen guard stared up with eyes that seemed to not understand, trembled, and then died.

“Your Majesty, what’s going on?”

Renold and the vassals, who had rushed to the king’s tent after hearing the scream, were startled to see Meyers with a blood-stained sword and the guard’s corpse.

“Your Majesty?”

“Ah, no! I didn’t kill him because I wanted to!”

Meyers, flustered, dropped the sword and frantically waved his hands.

The tabby cat in the corner of the tent, no, Sebastian, smiled slyly as he watched Meyers, who was trembling at what he had unknowingly done.

The next morning, rumors began to spread throughout the Milton Kingdom army camp that the king had gone mad and killed a guard.

Those rumors inflicted even greater losses on the Milton Kingdom army than what they had suffered from the Rakan territory forces so far.

(To be continued in Steel Emperor Volume 12)

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