“Uh… What should we do, Chancellor?”
“Umm…”
Anhalt, with a shadowy expression, listened to the words of the messenger. Even though it was sudden and not good news, he knew he had to remain calm and make a rational judgment.
‘If this news is true, it’s already too late to act now. Then…’
After gathering his thoughts for a moment, Anhalt began with the most critical question.
“What about the others there? What happened to them?”
“Yes, fortunately, they managed to escape without major issues. They should be on their way here, but it will take a while.”
“…Huh.”
Anhalt let out a sigh of relief at the messenger’s report. He then lowered his voice and cautiously asked the messenger.
“Who else knows about this?”
“Huh? Ah… yes. So far, just me and one soldier who reported this. He was instructed to inform you first…”
“…I see… That’s a relief at least.”
Hearing that, Anhalt nodded slowly, and noticing his master’s demeanor, the messenger spoke up cautiously.
“Then, we must inform His Majesty right away. It will be shocking, but we need to tell him as quickly as possible and prepare a countermeasure.”
“No, we absolutely must not do that.”
“Huh…? What?”
Anhalt said something unexpected, causing a look of confusion to sweep over the messenger’s face. Grasping the messenger’s shoulder firmly, Anhalt’s voice became resolute.
“Listen carefully. From this moment on, the news you just brought must not leave this room. No one, including His Majesty, must know. And the soldier who reported this should be sent back immediately.”
“Huh? B-but…”
“This is an order. We must keep this secret at all costs. If this news gets out, you and all of us could end up in the worst possible situation. Remember this.”
“Y-yes… I understand, Chancellor.”
Anhalt spoke in a chilling tone. The messenger, realizing the gravity of the situation, trembled and answered, then went outside to carry out the Chancellor’s orders.
Watching the messenger’s back, Anhalt let out a deep, troubled sigh.
‘How… How did this happen…? I never thought I would be caught in this way…’
The worst possible scenario had unfolded unexpectedly. For Anhalt and Friedrich, there could be no worse news than this.
And in cold reality, it was a result of Anhalt underestimating the power of the Emperor sitting in Vienna.
However, at this moment, Anhalt decided not to acknowledge this fact but to hide it as much as possible.
‘The impact of this event is definitely huge… But there’s still time for opportunity ahead. To seize those, I must first finish things here perfectly.’
Things had happened, and what mattered was to deal with the immediate situation. Although the situation was more disappointing than Anhalt had thought, winning the war came first. Only then could he think of what to do next.
‘Well then… Whether I like it or not, I have no choice but to entrust everything to Count Turun. Although he’s talented, I can’t help but feel uneasy about relying on someone else for our fate…’
Anhalt had always been a person who trusted no one but himself. And this trait had only intensified after achieving the monumental success of the Heretic Alliance.
Yet, despite that, he had no options available in the current situation. Regardless of how he felt, the conclusion had already been reached, and there was no time to change that.
‘Isn’t there a way? Even so, this situation really doesn’t sit well with me…’
Feeling anxious, he started to move toward meeting his lord, Friedrich.
Despite the practical reasons and his head understanding the right course, he sought any way he could to tackle this situation.
*
“Alright then… From now on, I’ll explain the operation directed by Commander Turun.”
Before me lay a map of the Empire. Utilizing it, I began to explain the strategic plan for the upcoming war as the aide to my father, the commander.
“First, the basic direction of the plan is to strike when the enemy is weakened. As you can see, the Current Emperor’s Army is moving north from Vienna toward us.”
Along with my words, I drew a line between the starting point of the Emperor’s Army at The Distant Region and our current location in Bohemia.
“This distance is 300 kilometers. Considering the mountains and rivers along the way, it’s certainly not a short distance. After marching this much distance, they will surely be exhausted and weary.”
“Umm…”
“That’s a valid point.”
300 kilometers is a distance that could be covered in half a day with modern cars or trains, but in this era, the fastest means of transportation was still by horse.
Moreover, the majority of the troops would be infantry marching on foot. Even if there were fewer mages, an ordinary person would undoubtedly be tired after walking 300 kilometers over mountains and rivers, regardless of how many breaks they took.
Additionally, the Emperor’s troops coming toward us were not a standing army waiting at Vienna but a combined force of the Emperor’s vassals’ troops.
Naturally, the distance from their home territories to Vienna had to be accounted for too, meaning their fatigue level was not something to be ignored.
Using such clever tactics in a disadvantageous battle was only natural.
“The battle must proceed swiftly. If we delay and they recover their stamina, we will only be at a disadvantage. The attack should be launched at dawn on the day they arrive.”
The nobles showed no significant opposition to my words, and even Anhalt—who had always been expected to voice complaints—did not challenge this plan.
He lacked military insight, and more crucially, he was in no position to argue while his own situation was precarious.
‘He probably knows the news by now? Originally in the original work, he messed things up and lost the war because of this.’
Even if he tried to keep it a secret, that didn’t matter to me, who was aware of the original story.
While Anhalt sat subdued, I assigned the various nobles and their subordinate units to more precise attack routes. I cautiously addressed Friedrich, whom I felt had become friendly enough to speak with.
“So then… we must now decide on how to move the Palatinate forces and His Majesty accordingly. What do you think we should do?”
“Umm… well…”
Friedrich glanced at Anhalt, keeping an eye on him. Anhalt still bore an anxious expression but managed to gather himself and responded.
“Our Palatinate forces will also participate in the surprise attack alongside the Bohemia forces. I will inform you of the attack direction later.”
“Okay, then please proceed. Since time is of the essence, I’d appreciate it if you could tell us as soon as possible.”
Honestly, it would be more efficient to ask us, who knew the terrain well, what to do.
However, given it was a matter of preserving their last shred of pride, that was something they would not easily concede.
So, adopting an attitude of acceptance regarding that, I completely wrapped up the strategy meeting…
Or rather, the strategy announcement dictated by Count Turun.
Then right after that, I cautiously locked eyes with my father, who had been staring at me all along. His expression was a mix of admiration and a hint of bitterness.
In response, I flashed a small, bitter smile.
