Volume 2 Chapter 29 (2/2)
Ryouma felt thankful toGenou for giving him the katana and the spear.
Ryouma's grandfather had trained Ryouma to make him a warrior capable of wielding both sword and spear.
Although all of his battle knowledge can be applied to swords and spears from this world, it’s even better for him to use the katana and cross-shaped spear which he is more familiar with.
However, Ryouma is not naive enough to trust Genou just because he had given him some good weapons.
(Well, I just have to pray that they won't do anything unnecessary until the decisive battle against Duke Gerhardt is finished... The problem now is how much has my plan actually worked... It’s been five days since we repulsed Kyle's army, but there's still no movement from Duke Gerhardt's side... Is it because my plan worked perfectly, or is it because he's doing something... Either way, two more days and the army lead by Princess Lupis will arrive. Will the decisive battle happen sooner than I had antic.i.p.ated?)
Ryouma does not believe in G.o.d.
But for now, he wants to at least pray for victory in the upcoming battles against Duke Gerhardt.
-The sun slowly sinks into the horizon-
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”Is the organizing not done yet?!”
Duke Gerhardt's roaring voice resounded inside his office.
After Kyle's defeat, Duke Gerhardt had issued a mobilization order to all of the n.o.bles.
In addition to the 30 thousand soldiers initially collected at Irachion, he was also planning to integrate the soldiers from the other n.o.bles.
He gave them the order to organize in two days.
However, the n.o.bles are gathering slower than he had expected.
No, the problems were not limited to the n.o.bles.
”Not yet... We ran into more problems than expected...”
His aide standing at his side give the report, while Duke Gerhardt's anger rained down on him.
”Fools! What have you been doing all this time! Three days have already pa.s.sed since I issued the order! Threaten the n.o.bles if necessary and tell them that they have to bring their soldiers to Irachion by tomorrow!”
”That is... The problem is not just coming from the n.o.bility...”
The aide frantically lowered his head.
When you’ve been given an order and are unable to execute it properly, you have to take responsibility for its failure.
If he's unable to adequately explain why the order failed, he might lose his head.
”What are you talking about?! What’s the problem then?!”
Duke Gerhardt’s aide nervously explained the problem.
And it turned out that the problem wa.s.s far worse than Duke Gerhardt had expected.
(What the heck is happening! Why don’t the peasants want to go to wars so suddenly?! I even promised them that they can loot as much as they want!)
Having heard the report from his aide, Duke Gerhardt sank deeply in his chair in confusion.
(No, I think I know the cause... It must be that man...)
The name of the man on Duke Gerhardt's mind was Mikos.h.i.+ba Ryouma.
He got Ryouma's name from the report of his aide.
After Kyle had lost 5.000 men in a single battle, 60.000 men were what was left of Duke Gerhardt's military strength.
This number Duke Gerhardt got after he included the n.o.bles and the peasants he had drafted.
The problem here is that Irachion does not have the production capacity to maintain 60.000 army troops.
Realistically, no city in this nation could permanently accommodate such a large amount of soldiers.
It would be different if it were in a city of a larger country like the Ortomea Empire, but in Rozeria Kingdom it’s impossible.
In other words, Duke Gerhardt can only accommodate those 60.000 troops for a limited time.
And now, even after Duke Gerhardt issued his mobilization order to attack Ryouma, only 2.000 soldiers turned up.
All of his efforts are focused on taking back the ground that Ryouma’s forces gained in order to prevent Princess Lupis’ forces from rus.h.i.+ng into his territory.
For the sake of winning against Princess Lupis, it is necessary to crush Ryouma.
However, the mobilization order he had issued ended up having almost no effect, because of the rumor circulated among the peasants.
It was then spread to the surrounding rural areas and the other n.o.bles’ territories around Irachion.
(Kyle, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! How far are you going to drag me down!)
Gerhardt cursed at Kyle in his mind.
Had Kyle been standing in front of him, he would definitely have killed him with his own hands.
That is how much he was outraged by the situation.
Ryouma's flood plan had eliminated 5.000 of the 7.000 lives in the attacking force.
This fact was then exaggerated and spread throughout Irachion.
”Oi! Did you hear? I heard that Kyle-sama lost!”
”Yeah I heard he lost against an army four times smaller?”
”It seems so! Most of the commanders ended up dead, you know?”
”T-That can't be...”
”Oi! Did you hear the enemy commander's name?”
”Indeed! He’s called the cold-blooded demon, Mikos.h.i.+ba Ryouma!”
”What the heck?! A demon? That sounds so stupid!”
”Fool! That's not the problem! I heard that he used the Thaves river to drown the soldiers!”
”Is that true? Did he use magic? No, no way, is it even possible to do that?”
”That's why he's a demon!”
This wild rumor spread among the populace.
It was a rumor that Ryouma would smile upon hearing., However, for the peasants, it was something terrifying.
After all the demon they are talking about is their enemy.
”Oi... Isn't this bad?”
”Indeed. I've heard that he won't show any mercy toward his enemies.”
”You know, I heard that he killed prisoners of war with a smile on his face.”
Facts and lies mixed together, creating an image of Ryouma as a demon.
Then, the mobilization order came amidst such rumors.
The only people willing to volunteer after hearing these things were the more daring ones.
As a result, despite having ordered mobilization multiple times, Duke Gerhardt was only able to ama.s.s 30.000 strong men.
”d.a.m.n it!”
Duke Gerhardt said resentfully.
The situation had grown worse beyond anything Duke Gerhardt had antic.i.p.ated.
He had even ordered his adjutant to conscript soldiers from the surrounding villages forcibly, but it was doubtful that he would manage to gather the planned 60.000 men like this.
”If I can get 50.000, it should be alright... No... will I even manage to gather that much?”
If he forcibly conscripts people from the village too much, they might run away.
That is the extent of how many problems Mikos.h.i.+ba Ryouma's name and reputation had caused.
In terms of the soldiers’ quality, it would be impossible to win against Princess Lupis with what the Duke has.
Because of this, he aims to win the war using numbers instead.
However, the all-important soldiers won't gather under him despite his mobilization order.
”It can't be... Was this the enemy's plan all along?”
This ominous thought came to Gerhardt's mind.
Kyle's loss is a fact.
However, how were the details of the battle spread amongst the citizens? That is what Duke Gerhardt was wondering.
The situation has turned disadvantageous for Duke Gerhardt.
He's frustrated enough to want to strangle G.o.d to death for it.
But, what if it’s true? That all of this is the enemy commander's plan?
What if his aim was not only blocking 7.000 soldiers but a much bigger army?
What if the purpose of the flood was not just to drown the soldiers?
And finally, what if the one who spread the rumor was Mikos.h.i.+ba Ryouma himself?
”No... That can't be... Such a thing is impossible! If something like that were true, then it’s as if he's a demon with clairvoyance!”
Gerhardt shook off the fear that appeared in his mind.
But the fear of the man named Mikos.h.i.+ba Ryouma has already settled in his heart.
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