Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 31

2. Visiting the Enemy Camp

1

Thump! Thump! Thump!

In the deep darkness, a low, dull roar echoed from the upper reaches of the Sand River.

Moving in the darkness were about a dozen golems and hundreds of beavers.

‘Move faster, you vermin,’ Belfar, the vampire who had become Luke’s slave, constantly urged the beavers gnawing at the trees.

In his bat form, Belfar’s eyes flashed red whenever the beavers showed signs of straying. Each time, the beavers would tremble as if electrocuted, then diligently return to their work.

‘That’s the demon’s enchantment,’ Erewine said, watching Belfar supervise the beavers. Luke added an explanation. ‘It’s called Dominate Eye. It allows you to control beings inferior to yourself.’

Belfar’s Dominate Eye was a specialty of the vampire race. Vampires, relatively weak in the demon world, used this enchantment to monitor other demons, gather information, or secure labor.

Luke was using Belfar’s abilities to build a dam on the upper reaches of the Sand River. Like dwarves who build mines for generations, beavers, who build dams in the forest for generations, were the best loggers and dam construction experts.

They could cut down trees with a diameter of over 30 centimeters in just ten minutes and create huge reservoirs hundreds of meters long. Luke was combining the beavers’ abilities with the labor of the golems and his and Erewine’s magic to build a massive dam.

As Luke and Erewine diverted the water flow with magic, the golems diligently piled up the trees the beavers had cut down on the riverbed. The dam, reinforced with soil and rocks, grew in height and increased the water volume.

‘Are you building this to flood them?’

‘That’s right. After securing enough water, we’ll blow up the dam with magic or gunpowder and wipe out the Volga Republic army.’

Erewine’s expression turned cold at Luke’s explanation. Erewine was from the Volga Republic. If she were indifferent to helping turn her homeland’s soldiers into fish food, that wouldn’t be normal.

‘But she can’t refuse.’ No matter how unwilling she was, Erewine had to fully cooperate with him until she uncovered the secret of the guardian artifact. Otherwise, he would kick her out immediately.

However, there seemed to be another reason why Erewine’s expression had turned cold.

‘Are you perhaps an idiot?’

‘Did you call me an idiot?’

‘Yes. To wipe out tens of thousands of troops, you’ll need a huge amount of water, and it will take a considerable amount of time to build a dam that can hold that much water. Even if you use all the beavers in the forest, golems, and magic.’

‘You’re right about that. It’ll take at least five more days, no matter how fast we go.’

Luke had started building the dam four days ago. He had fully anticipated the border dispute with the Volga Republic. So, as soon as he was appointed commander, he did his best by installing explosion mines and training the fortress’s soldiers.

However, he didn’t expect the Republic to mobilize troops on such a full-scale war level. No matter how well-prepared Tolude Fortress was, it was impossible to stop an enemy that outnumbered them by more than ten to one.

In fact, it was a miracle that they had held out this long. So, after much deliberation, Luke devised a last resort. It was a flood attack. However, dam construction was not a project that could be completed in a day or two.

At Luke’s answer, Erewine asked with a dumbfounded expression, ‘How are you going to hold out for the next five days?’ There was no sign of reinforcements coming. The enemy had a vastly superior number of troops, and the allies were exhausted and running out of supplies day by day.

‘It will be difficult to buy time with deception again, won’t it? They won’t be fooled twice.’

‘That’s right. So, about that…’

Luke told Erewine his plan to buy five days. Erewine was startled by his story, then frowned.

‘You’re crazy.’

‘I knew you’d say that.’ Luke smiled faintly and continued, patting his chest. ‘But that crazy plan will succeed. I’m willing to bet on it.’

‘……’

‘How about it? Will you take the bet?’

Erewine, staring at Luke’s confident expression, shook her head. ‘I’ll pass. You seem like the kind of person who can calmly succeed even in crazy things.’

‘Is that a compliment?’

‘Think what you want.’

Luke had a bitter smile on his face as Erewine turned away coldly. Looking at the heartless woman in front of him, he could feel how kind Princess Reina had been.

‘I wonder what Reina is doing now.’ After briefly missing the princess, Luke focused on building the dam again. He had to do his job properly now so that he could reunite with the person he missed later.

‘Belfar! Speed it up!’

‘Yes, Master!’ Belfar bowed his head to Luke, then approached the beavers and urged them to speed up.

2

‘I wonder if Luke is doing well?’ Reina said, suddenly looking at the northern sky while handling the affairs of the merchant guild. It had been over two weeks since he said he was busy, and she hadn’t received a letter.

‘Princess, please don’t worry. If it’s Luke, he’ll come back safely even if he’s thrown into the demon world,’ Pavel said.

‘I guess so?’ She nodded at Pavel’s words. Reina had heard about Tolude Fortress from a merchant who had visited Chrome City before, and she couldn’t help but worry.

It was a place where the troublesome people from the Northern Army were exiled, and there was not a single quiet day. Moreover, it was on the front line, and the Volga Republic was constantly eyeing it. However, Luke had repeatedly said he was fine, so she had no choice but to believe and wait.

Reina and Pavel were chatting about Luke when suddenly the door opened, and an employee from the merchant guild came in. ‘It’s a disaster! The Volga Republic army has invaded the border!’

‘What?!’ Surprised, the two pressed the employee for more details. However, all the employee knew was that the Republic had invaded.

‘I can’t stay here. I have to go see Hans.’ She got up from her seat and went to find Hans, who happened to be in Lamer City. As the lord’s representative, she thought he would have more detailed information.

Her guess was correct. The lord’s office in Lamer City was as noisy as a marketplace due to the sudden influx of information. ‘Hans!’

‘Ah, Princess Reina, you’ve come.’ He was discussing countermeasures with several vassals and gave Reina a seat. No sooner had she sat down than she asked about Luke’s safety.

‘We are currently mobilizing all our intelligence to find out the situation at Tolude Fortress, but we haven’t found any specific information so far, perhaps because the Imperial Army is controlling the information.’

All that Hans and his vassals had newly learned was that the number of Volga Republic troops was much larger than in previous years. Naturally, Tolude Fortress, being on the front line, would have been attacked, and the situation at the fortress would be very precarious.

‘Shouldn’t we help?’

‘Are you suggesting we send reinforcements?’

‘Yes, if it’s difficult to send troops, I think we should somehow support them with knights and Gigants [large, powerful war machines].’

However, it was not easy to dispatch forces from the southern part of the Empire to the north. Moreover, according to the Imperial law, the territorial army could not cross the borders of the territory without the permission of the Emperor or the Imperial Council.

‘If we ignore this and cross the borders of the territory, we could be punished for treason.’

‘Then… how about sending them disguised as a mercenary unit?’

‘We were already exploring various methods. However, we decided that we couldn’t send troops blindly without knowing the situation at Tolude Fortress.’

No matter how large the Republic’s invasion was, the Empire was still the Empire. The Imperial Army might be holding off the Republic army well, or even if not, Luke might have safely retreated to the rear.

‘It would be good if we could at least get information about Tolude Fortress.’ Hans thought that this war was not a coincidence. Or, even if it was a coincidence, he believed that the Emperor’s conspiracy was lurking behind it.

Otherwise, why would the war have broken out so soon after Luke was assigned to the front? He needed to respond calmly, even though he was anxious, because a rash action could give the Emperor an excuse.

As Hans was inwardly frowning in frustration, Reina asked, ‘If we know the information from the battlefield, can we help?’

‘Yes?’

‘I’m asking if we can help Luke if we know the information from the battlefield.’ At her question, Hans answered with a resolute expression. ‘If the lord is in danger, we will all rush to save him, even if it means becoming traitors.’

Luke was the lord and the only heir of Rakan. If he died, the family would have no future. Reina, pleased with his answer, got up from her seat.

‘I’ll find out that information somehow, so please wait a moment.’ Reina left the office in a hurry, leaving those words behind. Hans felt grateful for her efforts for Luke, and at the same time, he felt pathetic about himself.

‘We were happy that the territory had grown, but we haven’t done anything related to intelligence warfare. This won’t do. To further develop the family and build the power to confront the Imperial family…’

Hans felt the need to establish an independent intelligence force and decided to invest in it. Shortly after, Reina visited a small mansion located on the outskirts of Lamer City. A group of people had been staying in this mansion, which was located in a secluded area, and their identities were surprisingly elves.

‘You look worried,’ Erenes, who was lying in bed, said as he saw Reina open the door and enter. He had regained consciousness five days after confirming that Reina had the Tears of the Earth [a powerful artifact].

Since then, Erenes had many conversations with Reina whenever he had time. Most of them were about the World Tree and the Spirit Realm. Reina was very interested in the ancient stories that were considered myths and legends and listened to his stories.

Thanks to that, the two were able to build a good friendship despite their huge age difference. ‘A few days ago, the Volga Republic launched a large-scale invasion of the Empire.’

‘It seems the President has finally drawn his sword.’ This war was an invasion from the Republic’s defensive position. However, Erenes judged that this was a preparatory stage for a large-scale invasion in the future.

He knew President Vladimir’s ambition. Although he was advocating for equality and change through republican ideology, the President was planning to use it to conquer and dominate the continent.

As he was inwardly worried about the storms that would sweep the continent in the future, Reina bowed her head and asked, ‘I would like you to tell me the information about this war.’

She judged that if she couldn’t get information from the Empire, she could get it from the other side. Moreover, since a guest with considerable influence in the Republic had come, she thought it wouldn’t be impossible.

At Reina’s request, Erenes made a meaningful expression. ‘It seems you have someone precious on the battlefield.’ He had also heard the story of how Luke had come to save Reina when the dark elves had tried to kidnap her in the past.

‘Yes. He is more precious to me than my own life. If you tell me if he is safe, I will actively cooperate in opening the gate to the Spirit Realm.’ Until now, she had built a friendship with Erenes, but she had continued to refuse his request to help open the gate to the Spirit Realm.

Victor had said that the Tears of the Earth were a relic passed down through the Volga royal family, and that they had used its power several times in the past. It was only to borrow the power of the Spirit Realm for a short time, but it was said that the royals who activated the Tears of the Earth at that time suffered major consequences. They were exposed to the enormous energy flowing from the Spirit Realm and went mad, or their personalities and appearances changed, making them completely different people than before. Erenes also confirmed that this was true. He said that the side effects of just borrowing the power for a short time were that severe, and he couldn’t imagine what would happen if the gate to the Spirit Realm were fully opened. For Reina, who wanted to stay by Luke’s side, help him, and live with him, this danger was unacceptable. That’s why she had been refusing, but now that she was saying she would cooperate, Erenes couldn’t help but be surprised. ‘Really?’ ‘Yes. I swear to the Earth Goddess Beliz that I will keep my promise.’ ‘You could go mad, or become a completely different person. You could even lose your life. And yet, you’re still willing to cooperate?’ ‘Yes, if he can be safe, no matter what happens to me…’ Seeing Reina’s sincere eyes, Erenes accepted her request. ‘Very well. Since you have shown your will, I will actively help you.’ Erenes smiled with joy. His life force was almost depleted, like a burnt-out old tree. He was barely holding on, and he didn’t have much time left to live. He couldn’t force her to open the gate to the Spirit Realm, so he was looking for a way to persuade Reina, but she had offered it first! Erenes immediately called for his dark elf bodyguard, Hairun. ‘What is it?’ ‘Tell Sylvia to send the information about this war that comes into the intelligence department here.’ ‘That’s a bit…’ ‘The fate of the fairies is at stake.’ Hairun, who had looked troubled for a moment, retreated without saying anything more. Relieved by his appearance, Reina hurriedly prayed that the war information would be delivered and that Luke would be safe.

3

The next morning, the Imperial soldiers of the fortress, who had been eating, drinking, and having fun until late at night, rubbed their eyes and got up from their seats. ‘Haaam~ I slept well. But where are the reinforcements?’ ‘Haven’t they arrived yet?’ ‘They’ll be here soon.’ Not knowing that Luke had lied, they were all still full of hope. That swelling hope reached its peak when they saw a group of cavalry galloping from the south. ‘Reinforcements! The reinforcements are coming!’ ‘Where? Hey, are those the reinforcements?’ ‘It must be the advance party. Let’s open the fortress gates quickly!’ The soldiers hurriedly opened the fortress gates and let the advance party (?) in. But when they saw who the advance party was, they were dumbfounded. They were the special forces led by Hobart and Anna. ‘What? It was you guys? Where are the reinforcements?’ ‘Ah, well, that’s…’ The special forces soldiers, who had been carrying out a deception operation outside, told everyone the ‘truth.’ The soldiers who heard the truth were dumbfounded, and then they saw Luke come out to the parade ground and hurriedly rushed to him. ‘Your Excellency, what happened to the reinforcements?’ ‘Are they coming or not?’ ‘Did you really just deceive us?’ The soldiers’ questions poured out. Luke raised his hand to stop their questions for a moment. Then, with an embarrassed expression, he said to the soldiers who were staring at him, ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘Huh! Th, that!’ Some of the soldiers looked like they were about to cry at those short words that contained so much meaning, while others glared at Luke with angry eyes. ‘Did you deceive us?’ ‘I had to deceive you to deceive the enemy. I needed to cut off the enemy’s offensive and turn the tide of the war.’ ‘That…’ The soldiers looked at Luke with resentment for a moment, then lowered their heads. They were angry that they had been deceived by a lie. But when they thought about it, if it hadn’t been for the commander’s wit at that time, the fortress would have been overrun by the enemy’s tidal wave of attacks. They wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the feast as cold corpses, nor would they have been able to see the sun of tomorrow like this. ‘Don’t be too upset. There won’t be any battles for the next few days.’ ‘Is that true?’ ‘Yes, trust me. I’m not lying this time.’ Around the time Luke was calming the soldiers inside the fortress, an agitated voice erupted from the Volga Republic army command headquarters, which was encamped on the riverbank. ‘Except for a small number of cavalry entering the fortress in the morning, no troops have entered the fortress from the outside. In other words, there were no enemy reinforcements!’ ‘These guys completely deceived us.’ ‘We must immediately resume the attack and wipe out those cunning bastards, Your Excellency!’ ‘That’s right. Order the attack now!’ The staff officers urged Commander Tyron all at once, but Tyron just pondered and didn’t open his mouth. He was a mage. Unlike the staff officers who were knights, he was not hasty and was the type to move with various possibilities in mind. ‘Anyway, we were deceived and gave them a considerable amount of time, a whole night. But is attacking now the best option?’ The enemy had rested as much as they had gained time. Moreover, they had been eating and drinking all night and openly carrying out deception tactics. It was so obvious that he wondered if they thought they would continue to be deceived. ‘Could it be a trap to lure us in? If so, we’ll be in trouble if we attack recklessly.’ Thinking that, he gave an order to the staff officers. ‘Select five thousand vanguard troops. Select the units that did not participate in yesterday’s attack and attack the fortress.’ ‘Yes, Your Excellency!’ The staff officers were disappointed that they were not launching an all-out attack, but they decided to be satisfied that the commander had ordered an attack without hesitating any longer. As they were finishing the meeting and organizing the vanguard, an unexpected event occurred. ‘What? A messenger has come from the fortress?’ ‘Yes, he came just now with a white flag.’ The staff officers all frowned. They suspected that they were trying to pull another trick. ‘Your Excellency, there’s no need to meet him. Let’s cut off his head right away.’ ‘No. Killing a messenger is a barbaric act. It will tarnish the honor of our legion and the entire Republic.’ ‘Then let’s just chase him away.’ Tyron, who had silenced the staff officers who were barking like hunting dogs, asked the knight who had come to announce the messenger’s visit, ‘Didn’t he say why he came?’ ‘He said he would reveal his business when he met with the commander.’ ‘Is that so? What is the messenger’s rank and name?’ ‘Th, that is…’ The knight looked flustered, then opened his mouth with difficulty at Tyron’s gaze, which urged him to speak quickly. ‘His name is Luke de Rakan. His title is Baron, and his position is the commander of the fortress.’ ‘Wh, what?!’ The eyes of the surrounding staff officers widened. The enemy commander himself had come, not just a knight or soldier! And he was the one who had been giving them trouble by repeatedly repelling their fierce attacks! ‘Hahahaha!’ Marquis Tyron burst into a hearty laugh. The staff officers looked bewildered at his reaction. ‘He’s a man with unusually large guts. Moreover, he’s a descendant of Rakan?’ ‘Yes, he clearly stated that.’ ‘Interesting. Bring him in, I need to see what trick he’s trying to pull.’ The staff officers tried to dissuade Tyron, but he didn’t listen. He was curious about the enemy commander’s scheme, but he was also very curious about what kind of person the descendant of the hero, whom the fairies regarded as an enemy, was.

4

A little later, two knights in Imperial military uniforms approached the command headquarters tent. They were Luke and his closest aide, Philip, who were being guarded by the Republic knights. Philip, who had been tense since entering the Republic army camp, grumbled to Luke, who was smiling calmly, ‘No matter how I think about it, this is a crazy thing to do.’ Philip had heard the plan in advance, but he thought it was too dangerous. ‘Erewyn said the same thing.’ ‘Of course, that’s common sense. There’s no need to come here in person, is there?’ While Philip was grumbling, a war mage walked out of the tent. The moment Luke saw him, his eyes flashed. ‘This guy has learned black magic.’ He was hiding the aura of black magic as much as possible, but he couldn’t deceive Luke’s perception, who still had the spiritual power of a 9th-circle black mage from his past. The war mage, who had been dispatched from Dark Moon, said bluntly to Luke, who was looking at him meaningfully, ‘The commander is waiting for you. Please come inside.’ Luke stepped into the tent. The command headquarters tent was where the commander and his staff officers held meetings, so it was as large and lavishly decorated as the main hall of a decent castle. Moreover, armed knights and war mages were spread out everywhere. Among them were experts and mid-level mages of the 5th circle or higher, so the atmosphere was quite oppressive. ‘Damn it, this is no joke.’ Was this what it felt like to enter a dragon’s lair? Unlike Philip, who was sweating profusely, Luke was still calm. He looked at the person sitting at the head of the long table. Unexpectedly, he was wearing a mage’s robe instead of a military uniform, and judging by the aura in his eyes and body, he seemed to be quite skilled. ‘He must be at least a 7th circle.’ As far as he knew, there were only a handful of mages above the 7th circle in the Volga Republic. Among them, there was only one who was skilled in military strategy enough to lead an army directly. ‘It’s Marquis Tyron, the Meister [Master] of the Republic’s Magic Tower.’ After examining him for a moment, Luke greeted him politely. ‘I am Luke de Rakan, the commander of the Tolrud Fortress.’ ‘Sit there.’ Luke took a seat facing Tyron. Then, a young apprentice mage, who appeared to be Marquis Tyron’s attendant, approached and placed a steaming teacup in front of Luke. ‘Thank you.’ ‘Huh! Lord!’ Philip was surprised to see Luke drinking the tea without hesitation. It would be a big problem if there was poison in the tea. Tyron, who had picked up his teacup at the same time, subtly brought up that point. ‘Didn’t you think there might be poison?’ ‘If you had intended to do that, you would have caught me and cut off my head when I came to your camp. And I don’t think someone who leads an army of this size would resort to such petty tricks?’ ‘Indeed…’ Tyron, who had put down his teacup, smiled faintly and continued, ‘My staff officers told me to kill you.’ ‘My subordinates told me to take the commander’s head.’ The Republic knights, who were enraged by Luke’s words, tried to draw their swords immediately. But their actions were stopped when Tyron raised his hand.

Marquis Tyron looked at Luke with sharp eyes and spoke again.

‘What is the reason for your visit?’

‘I would like you to stop the attack.’

Tyron, his expression hardening at Luke’s words, said firmly,

‘Impossible. I have been ordered by the Supreme Commander to capture the Tolude Fortress.’

‘Then, please just pretend to attack.’

‘Pretend to attack? Look here, young man. The war expenses of our Republic army come from the blood and sweat of our people. Are you telling me to waste that blood and sweat?’

‘Wouldn’t it be better than the blood of soldiers flowing like a river? I’m going to surrender anyway.’

‘What, what did you say?!’

Marquis Tyron was so surprised that he almost dropped the teacup he was holding.

He wasn’t the only one surprised. All the staff and knights around him had surprised expressions on their faces.

‘Are you joking in front of me right now?’

‘Not at all. If you know the history of our family, you will also know that I have no reason to be loyal to the Empire.’

‘Hmm, that’s a plausible point.’

The predecessor of the Baroque Empire was the Kingdom of Lybia.

When Duke Carno de Baroque, the founder of the Empire, rebelled, Rakan fought against him but was defeated and fell into ruin as a border noble.

‘If he hadn’t become famous throughout the continent as the hero who defeated the Demon King Seymon, he would have been executed immediately.’

In any case, that resentment still remained even after five hundred years.

The Imperial family never took care of the family of the renowned hero, and the Rakan family only fulfilled their duties as nobles of the Empire, without showing any sincere loyalty to the Imperial family.

‘Moreover, I recently caught a pig, a distant relative of the Imperial family, during a territorial war. Whether the Emperor was resentful or not, he appointed me, who is not even of service age, as the commander of this dangerous fortress.’

‘In other words, you’ve been marked?’

‘Yes, while our ancestors have silently fulfilled their duties because of the land where the founder’s spirit resides and the powerless people, I think differently.’

‘So, you’re going to surrender…’

Tyron nodded as if he understood.

At that moment, one of the staff members interrupted their conversation.

‘Then, wouldn’t it be better to surrender right away? Why are you trying to buy time?’

At that question, Luke looked troubled for a moment.

‘Even when I leave, I hope that nothing will harm my vassals, my people, and the tombs of my ancestors. You know very well how the Empire treats nobles who surrender to an enemy country, don’t you?’

The Baroque Empire erases the family of a surrendered noble. They take away their land and titles, execute their relatives, and even delete them from historical records.

In addition, they enslave their vassals and impose heavy taxes and corvée [unpaid labor] on the people for being the limbs of a traitor.

‘But there are times when the punishment is lighter. That’s the case when you’re isolated without support against an overwhelming force like this time.’

Just as a noble fulfills his duty to the country, the Emperor must also take care of his vassals, the nobles.

To be fighting a bloody battle against a large army, without sending reinforcements and watching as if it were a fire across the river, was not the way to treat a vassal.

This was a clear violation of the contract between the ruler and his subjects, and it was a sufficient reason for surrender.

‘Anyway, I’m an only child, so there are no relatives to be punished. If my isolated situation becomes known, my vassals and people will not be harmed either. It’s a pity to lose my land and title, but I think it’s something I have to be prepared for if I’m going to make a new start.’

‘So, you’re asking us not to attack for the next few days, or rather, just pretend to attack?’

‘Yes. Please give me a grace period of five days, no, five days.’

At Luke’s words, Tyron and his staff fell into contemplation.

In fact, it would be better to receive the fortress peacefully after a few days than to shed blood by forcibly attacking a stubbornly resisting fortress.

The problem was how much they could trust the other side.

‘If the commander himself comes to propose surrender, it can be seen as trustworthy. But…’

One thing bothered Tyron, and he questioned it.

‘I understand your intentions, but there is no guarantee that your subordinates will all surrender as well, is there?’

‘Everyone is having a hard time in this dire situation. And the knights and soldiers of the fortress are all those who have been demoted or not treated properly and have been chased away here. There may be some who say they must fight to the end, but they will not be able to go against the tide.’

‘Is that so? But what if…’

Tyron, who had been dragging his words slightly, looked at Luke intently and asked,

‘What if we don’t accept your request?’

Philip, who had been silent until now, looked at Luke with tension. If the other side refused, a bloodbath would ensue on the spot.

However, Luke was not flustered at all and revealed his plan.

‘Then, I will have no choice but to fight to the end. And I will gather all the remaining gunpowder and magic stones and blow up the entire fortress.’

‘Hmm…’

Marquis Tyron and his staff’s expressions hardened at Luke’s radical answer, which was quite different from his calm reply.

Although the Tolude Fortress had been a dagger aimed at the Republic until now, it could also become a bridgehead for the Republic to check the Baroque Empire.

Therefore, they wanted to take over the fortress intact as much as possible.

After thinking about it in many ways, Tyron made a decision.

‘Okay, I will accept your proposal.’

‘Thank you.’

Tyron said coldly to Luke, who bowed his head.

‘If you break your promise, remember that you will be responsible for everything that happens. Not only will your life be in danger, but the honor of your dead ancestor will also be tarnished.’

‘You don’t have to worry about that.’

Luke smiled brightly.

His life was always in danger, and he didn’t care about the honor of a foolish hero.

His only concern was whether the other side would keep their promise properly.

Fortunately, the old wizard in front of him seemed to have many thoughts but no cunning, so he could feel a little relieved.

5

‘Whew, thanks to you, Lord, I thought my heart would drop.’

Philip, who came out of the command tent, wiped away his sweat and joked.

‘Then, don’t follow me.’

At Luke’s words, Philip jumped up.

‘No, if the escort doesn’t follow, who will? I’m just saying that, just saying.’

Luke walked slowly towards the fortress, half-listening to Philip’s words. As he did so, he diligently rolled his eyes, closely observing the Republic army.

The reason why he had visited the enemy camp so recklessly, to the point of being called crazy, was not just to give them faith in his surrender.

He also had the purpose of seeing the enemy camp with his own eyes and examining the state of the enemy army, what problems they had.

‘Even if the uniforms are different, the types and standards of weapons are all different. Moreover, the discipline between units is different, and there is little interaction. That means…’

As he had seen while coming to the command tent, the Republic army currently attacking the fortress did not show any uniformity, except for a few.

‘Did they draft local territorial armies? If I use that point properly, it might be helpful in the operation.’

While Luke was thinking this and returning to the fortress, Marquis Tyron was facing a man.

The man, who had half Dark Elf blood, was an agent of the Republic’s intelligence department.

Having secretly eavesdropped on the conversation a little while ago, he said to Tyron without hesitation.

‘It’s best not to trust that man’s words.’

‘Why is that?’

‘That man named Luke, it seems that he was dragged to the battlefield because of the Emperor, but he doesn’t seem like the type of person who would give up everything and defect to our side.’

‘Is there a reason for that?’

‘Of course. In the territorial war that took place in the southern part of the Empire, the Rakan family overturned the disadvantage in power and achieved a great victory. They secured a considerable amount of land and assets, and quickly rose to become the real power in the south.’

‘He won’t give up that foundation?’

The intelligence agent nodded and uttered meaningful words.

‘Not only that, but he also has people from the old Volga royal family. Especially, it seems that he has a special relationship with Princess Reina.’

‘Is that true?’

‘Yes, there was an incident where the intelligence department tried to kidnap Princess Reina last time. That mission ended in failure, and I saw in the report that the person who interfered at that time was Luke de Rakan.’

‘Hmm…’

‘If he went to rescue the princess himself, isn’t it obvious what kind of relationship they have? Would a man who has feelings for Princess Reina try to surrender to us, who are like the princess’s enemies?’

‘Well, you never know.’

As far as Tyron knew, unlike the deceased Pyotr II, Princess Reina had never made any hostile remarks or political actions against the Republic.

She had only taken the lead in caring for refugees wandering abroad, so she was highly regarded within the Republic.

Therefore, there were many who argued that it would be advantageous to appease public sentiment by returning her to the country and treating her well, even if it was not to the extent of treating her as royalty.

Tyron also agreed with that.

‘However, as you said, we must be wary of whether he is trying to deceive us again.’

‘Then, what are you going to do, Commander?’

‘If he repairs the collapsed walls and weapons, we should see it as a deception. It means he is preparing to continue fighting. But if there is no particular movement, it would be foolish to attack rashly and miss the opportunity to obtain the fortress without damage.’

‘So, you’re going to watch and respond?’

‘There’s no need to rush, is there? For us, drawing out the northern army of the Empire is more important than capturing the fortress.’

Having said that, Tyron changed the subject and continued.

‘By the way, please find out about the movements of the northern army of the Empire. Something is strange. If it were like before, reinforcements would have arrived, but there is no sign of that at all.’

Tyron found that point strange.

Was it really because the descendant of Rakan was disliked by the Emperor? So, did the Emperor decide to kill him and leave him alone?

Thinking that way, Luke’s words about surrendering felt more credible.

‘Understood, Commander. Our intelligence department will investigate the movements of the northern army.’

‘Okay, good work.’

After sending the intelligence agent away, Tyron called the war mages and ordered them to continue monitoring the Tolude Fortress.

He vowed that if Luke broke his promise and took suspicious actions, he would launch an all-out attack immediately.

Luke, who had returned to the fortress, gathered his subordinates and told them the story he had shared with the enemy commander.

‘So, you bought five days on the condition of surrender?’

At Kaper’s question, Luke nodded.

Then, Anna quickly raised her hand and asked,

‘You’re not really going to surrender, are you?’

‘Yes, it’s just to buy time.’

‘It doesn’t seem bad to just surrender.’

Hobart grumbled with a sullen look.

He was the most dissatisfied with the Empire and the military among the knights. Moreover, he had no family and was alone, so there were no obstacles to surrendering.

‘Of course, you can make that choice. But, it’s not that regrettable or desperate of a situation. If we just hold out leisurely, we can win enough.’

‘What the hell are you planning? Please tell us too.’

At Alex’s dissatisfied request, everyone nodded.

They knew that Luke and Erewin had left the fortress last night and were doing some kind of work. But they didn’t know what the two of them were doing.

So, they wanted Luke to give them a detailed explanation, as they were feeling uneasy.

Reading his subordinates’ eyes, Luke explained the operation that had been kept secret until now.

‘You’re preparing a water attack?’

‘Yes, I’m using magic to build a dam and gather enough river water to sweep away the enemy.’

‘Wow, that’s amazing!’

Unlike Anna, who was admiring, most of the subordinates had a dumbfounded expression.

They didn’t know much about magic.

However, they knew that building a dam or securing enough water to launch a water attack was not as easy as it sounded.

‘So, you asked for five days to gather the water needed for the water attack?’

‘That’s right.’

At Kaper’s question, Luke nodded.

‘But if the river water decreases, the enemy will notice, won’t they?’

‘It’s the dry season, so they won’t be too suspicious. Of course, the enemy’s scouts may spy. But I’ve prepared countermeasures for that, so you don’t have to worry too much.’

Luke’s expression as he said that was filled with confidence beyond himself.

Only then did faith sprout in the hearts of his subordinates.

There was also anxiety about whether the operation would go well, but they could not help but believe in and follow the commander who was trying and preparing to turn the tide in an unfavorable situation.

‘Then, what should we do?’

‘Continue to rest. Refrain from actions that would arouse the enemy’s suspicion, such as repairing the walls or repairing the Gigants [large war machines]. And if the enemy attacks, just pretend to respond.’

Of course, if they really attacked, they would have to fight back properly.

That shouldn’t happen, but since you never know what will happen in the world, you shouldn’t be negligent in your vigilance.

‘Everyone, hold on a little longer. If we get through this crisis, we can build up our achievements and make a big noise to the damn military and the Imperial family.’

At Luke’s words, everyone smiled faintly.

Hoping that the day would come when they could really make a big noise to the guys who had abandoned them here, they scattered to various parts of the fortress to carry out their respective duties.