Chapter : 66

Once a justification was established, the subjugation force, which had been silent, began to move.

The Prince-elector of Bohemia immediately summoned the nobles who were scattered and camped throughout Avignon.

It was to give them individual orders.

In truth, in the medieval setting of [Pangea Universalise], even a commander-in-chief was not guaranteed strong command authority.

The soldiers were brought by the participating nobles at their own expense.

Therefore, it was common for the commander-in-chief to respect their command authority and only set the direction of the grand strategy.

However, the Prince-elector of Bohemia, the king of the wandering elves, had a somewhat different take on respecting command authority.

“Each unit should move to their assigned area as quickly as possible. However, reckless battles are forbidden. Avoid direct combat until the main force led by myself arrives, and carry out delaying actions as much as possible.”

“What in the world does that mean?”

“To avoid battle-!”

“This is all for your sakes. If you fight with your clumsy skills, won't the damages be greater? We must minimize losses to fight the Kingdom of Aragon.”

“What…?”

The nobles were visibly flustered by the Prince-elector of Bohemia's words.

In other words, wasn't the king of the wandering elves telling them not to fight until he arrived because their skills were lacking?

It was a rather insulting remark.

But the Prince-elector of Bohemia asked back as if he didn't understand.

“Why? Is there something you don't understand?”

“Ahem, do you not realize that your words are insulting us, Prince-elector?”

“Insulting? You humans, especially the knights of the Elang Kingdom, are all about the same in skill, are you not?”

Unlike the dumbfounded nobles, the Prince-elector of Bohemia continued with a serious expression.

“When it comes to fighting, it's the elves; when it comes to battle, it's the elven knights. Besides, is there anyone among the nobles here with more combat experience than I?”

“……”

“You see. There aren't any. Therefore, the most outstanding commander with the most outstanding warriors will finish the job. It's all for your sakes. Understand my generous heart.”

They say when you're dumbfounded, you're left speechless. That was exactly how the nobles attending the meeting felt.

The arrogance of the elves wasn't a new thing, but to this extent-!

But what was even more absurd was the fact that they could not refute the Prince-elector of Bohemia's words.

“…I understand, Prince-elector. Then we will try to ‘delay’ as much as possible. Of course, if the situation is not favorable, I cannot make any promises.”

“Haha. I understand. I can't say anything about that. Still, minimize the damage. Understood?”

“Ugh….”

In the end, the nobles had no choice but to say they would do so, albeit grumbling.

And as for me, who was watching this silently from the side….

‘Isn't this guy crazy?’

I could not help but marvel at the command style of this absurd king of the wandering elves, the Prince-elector of Bohemia.

A commander-in-chief who starts by creating discord from the get-go.

He was truly remarkable in many ways.

No matter how bad the relationship between the elves and the knights of the Elang Kingdom was, to think he would rebuke them to their faces like this. As expected, it seemed it wasn't for nothing that players chose those pointy-ears as the race with the worst attitude in [Pangea Universalise].

‘A tiring type in many ways.’

A race that lives on its own self-importance. What a bunch of narcissists….

If such a brief encounter was this tiring, how much more tiring would it be to be with them for a long time. In comparison, the greedy goat beastman Bishop Marco was at least cute.

‘I must never get involved with him.’

I resolved.

…….

…….

…….

But that resolution was discarded not long after.

As soon as the meeting ended, the Prince-elector of Bohemia called for me separately.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency, the Prince-elector of Bohemia.”

“My, such formalities between us are very uncomfortable. Call me comfortably, Bellua Margrave.”

“?”

I was puzzled by his unexpectedly friendly tone. Especially the words ‘between us.’ Wasn't this practically the first time I'd ever seen the man?

Then, as if he had seen my expression, the Prince-elector of Bohemia said with a smile.

“I had a connection with your predecessor. He was a truly brave friend. When I think of the friendship we shared on the battlefield, though you are human, you do not feel like a stranger.”

“You mean the previous lord was with Your Excellency, the Prince-elector of Bohemia?”

No matter how much I had played [Pangea Universalise], there was no way I would know such minor, non-game-related stories.

Therefore, the Prince-elector of Bohemia's words were quite surprising.

“Yes, he was a hyena who wandered in search of war. Especially in his youth, he often came to the Holy Empire and roamed the battlefields with me.”

“Ah, is that so? I didn't know, but it seems the previous lord was good at combat. That's surprising.”

When Chamberlain Hamil said he went around paying off debts with war, it seems it was true.

‘But I never imagined he had a connection with the Prince-elector of Bohemia.’

It seemed the previous lord's skills were quite decent. To be acknowledged by that arrogant king of elves, no less.

“Hm? What are you talking about. Of course, we elves are the best in combat.”

However, the words that came out of the Prince-elector of Bohemia's mouth were beyond my expectations.

“Your father was very good at the ransom business. He was so good at extorting money that if you were on the same side, you'd rake it in…”

“……”

I wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

“To think it's already been over 30 years. What a memory.”

“Ah, yes. I see.”

I made a dumbfounded, sour face.

He was a truly unpredictable character.

The Prince-elector of Bohemia.

Even now, he was staring into the void with a wistful look, as if suddenly lost in old memories all by himself. I watched him and let out a quiet sigh.

“Hah, so for what reason did you call for me separately, Your Excellency.”

“Ah-! Right. My apologies. Seeing your face reminded me of my old friend. Haha.”

Only then did the Prince-elector of Bohemia seem to wake from his own memories and continue speaking.

“I heard from the Holy See that you were to take the city of Mangtong, correct?”

“That is correct.”

“I called you because of that.”

“Pardon?”

At the unexpected topic, I tilted my head. I was supposed to take the city of Mangtong, so what was the problem? Surely he wasn't going to tell me to give it up because he coveted it?

Fortunately, that was not his intention.

“The city of Mangtong is one of the better cities. Many covet it. If you do not accumulate enough meritorious service, there will be talk for a long time to come. And I do not like that.”

As he spoke, the Prince-elector of Bohemia furrowed his brow.

“For such trivial reasons, the unity of the army is broken, and internal conflicts arise. As someone with a great goal, I truly dislike things getting creaky from the start.”

‘Oh.’

To think he would manage things so meticulously even before the war. Indeed, the Prince-elector of Bohemia had every right to be proud of his vast war experience. Even if he was a bit of a jerk.

“Hmm, then what would you have me do.”

“What else. You must achieve merit. So, take charge of the vanguard.”

“Pardon? The vanguard, you say?”

“Yes. Go to the city of Mangtong first and, as the vanguard, surround the city to block the enemy's link-up. If you do that much, I will take care of the rest with the main force.”

What a windfall? To just besiege it.

This was a pretty, no, a very good offer. On top of that, he would handle the siege with his main force, so it couldn't be better.

“I understand. Of course, I will do it.”

I said quickly, lest the Prince-elector of Bohemia change his mind.

This elven Prince-elector.

Maybe he was a better person than I thought?

* * *

“What happened?”

“He asked me to take charge of the vanguard, Magician Agpiel.”

“Well, he'd know the whole situation, so it would be strange for him to just leave you be.”

“Well, still, he said he'd handle the siege with his main force, so it's not a bad deal for me.”

I shrugged and said to Magician Agpiel.

Going as the vanguard was a dangerous task in many ways.

It meant being the first to charge into a territory filled with hostility. The vanguard was exposed to various traps and all sorts of ambushes along the way.

But that was also a matter of sizing up the opponent.

A force of 5,000.

Although they were mostly infantry, this was an enormous number.

Who would dare to attack such a large force so carelessly? It was more likely they would send an envoy asking us not to pillage their domain, or they would lock themselves up in their castles and hide.

‘Unless they're crazy, there's no way they'd attack.’

Therefore, this vanguard mission was a rather safe one.

Thanks to that, I was able to raise my army and head towards the city of Mangtong with a light heart.

-Dum-dum-dum.

-Advance, advance!

-Don't break formation-! Maintain your spacing. Follow the flag in front.

With the sound of drums, my soldiers moved in order, following the flag before them.

Given the numbers, it was necessary to divide the forces.

I personally commanded the 3,000 pikemen as the main force, Captain Konrad took charge of the remaining 2,000 or so mercenaries, and Knight Biden was in charge of the few knights and cavalry.

This time, in particular, I was able to hire a mercenary company that used steel crossbows with the help of the Holy See, which was the part I was personally most looking forward to.

Though inferior to gunpowder weapons, it was a chance to test the Pike and shot tactic in a real battle.

‘Of course, since most of the combat will be sieges, it will be difficult to actually try it out.’

That was a bit of a shame.

The total number of troops mobilized for this southern heretic hunt was 50,000.

It was an enormous number, so it was clear that the southern lords would hole up in their castles and defend.

The Pike and shot tactic was useful only on open ground, so it was practically useless in this war, which would mostly consist of sieges.

‘It might be usable in the war against the Kingdom of Aragon, at least.’

However, in a battle on the scale of a kingdom, a force of 5,000 was less than a handful, so it was questionable whether its effectiveness could even be confirmed.

And so I thought…

“Baa~. Lord-nimu. What is that, baa? Could it be…. the enemy? Baa.”

“Huh?”

At Bishop Marco's words, pointing beyond the hill, I realized I had been mistaken. The world was wide, and there were far too many crazy people in it.

-Listen, you foolish Bellua Margrave!

-If you do not surrender at once, we will crush you all along with your ragtag soldiers!

-If you surrender, I will protect your honor in the name of the Chairman of the Mangtong City Council.

No sooner had my army arrived near the city of Mangtong than a contingent of troops appeared before me.

“???”

With what nerve, I wondered, were they leading a mere few hundred cavalry, swaggering and making an absurd proposal to me.

“Baaaaa? That bastard is crazy, baa!”

Of course, I and my vassals who witnessed it could not hide our astonishment.