“Then, let us begin the war council.”
The next day, Lucian was summoned again by order of the crown prince.
The previous day, they had only decided on the general outline and dispersed. Now that the directive was set, it was time to draw up the actual operational plan.
“Please, look at the map. As you can see, on the road to the first fortress, there is nothing. For a time, we can advance quickly without worrying about enemy attacks.”
The one pointing at the map was Jurgen, one of the crown prince’s trusted men.
As he said, the route was extraordinarily flat.
There were no wide rivers, no forests ideal for ambushes, not even mountainous areas difficult to scale.
Only a few scattered rural villages near the border.
“Since ancient times, Kreppelt’s periphery has been a plain with no geographical advantages, so not a single fortress was built there. It’s hard to defend, easy to lose, and not difficult to surround.”
“In other words, it’s practically abandoned territory in terms of defense.”
“That’s right. The real resistance will begin after reaching the first fortress, Bodium. If we move quickly, it will take us about five days.”
Unlike the border area, Bodium was a fortress that could be considered a natural stronghold.
Even compared to Bornholm, where Lucian had previously been sent, it did not fall short.
Even mobilizing multiple siege engines, it would not be easy to take.
However, the allied army had a secret weapon brought directly by the imperial family.
“When attacking the fortress, the imperial mage Blasker-nim will take the lead alongside his five disciples. No matter how impregnable it is, it won’t withstand Blasker-nim’s magic.”
“Hmm, on my own it would be difficult, but with my disciples, it will be more than enough.”
The one who replied to Jurgen was an elderly mage with a stern expression.
The dark red robe he wore and his raised eyebrows seemed to clearly reflect his character.
Lucian fixed his gaze on the mage upon hearing the name Blasker.
‘Blasker Linveil. I never thought I’d see with my own eyes the famous leader of the fire school.’
He was one of the few heads of officially recognized schools by the Empire and, despite being a mage, an unusual case for his loyalty to the imperial family.
A great mage who, sacrificing his life shortly before the fall of the imperial capital, reduced two thousand soldiers to ashes and saved the emperor.
When Lucian was working as a mercenary on the battlefield, he was already considered half a legend.
‘If even half the rumors are true, toppling walls shouldn’t be a problem. The issue is how many times and how often he can cast such high-level magic.’
Probably only once or twice before becoming incapacitated for a time.
If he could cast magic of such power without limits, the world would already be ruled by mages.
“Of course, the destroyed fortress will lose its defensive function, but since the goal is to suppress the rebellion, occupying it won’t be necessary.”
Rather, it would be better to destroy it completely to prevent the enemy from reclaiming it and blocking the retreat route.
With only one available passage, being trapped there could lead to the worst-case scenario.
“From Bodium to the capital of Kreppelt, there are three possible routes, but it would be better to decide that after taking the fortress and evaluating the situation. We still don’t know how the enemy will react.”
After finishing his explanation, Jurgen looked at the lords as if asking whether there were any questions.
When no one else spoke up, Lucian, who had remained silent, opened his mouth.
“Allow me to ask just one question. On the way to Bodium, there don’t appear to be any rivers. Is there any other place where we can secure drinking water?”
***
The most important thing in logistics is drinking water.
People cannot live without water.
But at the same time, water is also the hardest to supply.
‘Surprisingly, water takes up a lot of volume relative to its consumption and is also quite heavy. It’s not easy to store it for long periods either.’
For these reasons, transporting and supplying all the drinking water for an army is practically impossible.
Even so, the issue of water usually doesn’t come to light easily because humans live near water sources.
Whether occupying a fortress or a village, if it’s an inhabited place, there’s always water. As long as no one deliberately destroys the sources, it’s not difficult to obtain.
‘Yes, as long as they aren’t destroyed on purpose.’
If it’s a river, there’s nothing to worry about.
Unless an entire nation moves over years, destroying or polluting it is nearly impossible.
But if we’re talking only about wells or streams, the story is different.
Jurgen answered Lucian’s question with hesitation.
“According to the map, there are three villages along the way. All of them have wells, and near the second village there’s also a small stream. It won’t be difficult to get water.”
“Hmm.”
Faced with the worst possible answer, Lucian frowned. These were places that could be destroyed in an instant if someone wished it.
However, Marquis Bernhardt Roglan let out a mocking laugh at Lucian’s expression.
“Contaminating drinking water is a violation of the Grand Agreement.”
“It seems you still believe Kreppelt will honor the Grand Agreement.”
“And you think otherwise. Unfortunately, your opinion was already rejected. There’s no need to continue speaking based on a discarded opinion.”
“That’s true.”
The crown prince nodded, backing the marquis’s words, then looked at Lucian with a cold expression.
“The assumption that the enemy will not violate the Grand Agreement is the premise of the plan decided yesterday. I expect you to stop insisting on an argument that’s already been dismissed.”
“I’m sorry.”
Lucian apologized without protest and stepped back.
He had ignored even the final warning, so whatever happened now would be their own responsibility.
From that moment on, even if problems arose, no one could blame Lucian.
Since there were no more opinions, the crown prince stood and addressed the lords.
“If there are no further objections, this meeting is adjourned. Let us advance as quickly as possible to Bodium and take the fortress.”
***
An allied army, no matter how elite, inevitably acts in a disorganized manner.
Their affiliations are different and so are their training systems, so when they are mixed, everything becomes chaos.
That’s why, before the march, it was necessary to decide in advance what position each would take.
“Count Rakmo and Viscount Montel will take charge of the left wing; Viscount Bran and Count Saibon, the right wing; and the rest…”
Before the actual advance, Jurgen announced the positions assigned to each force.
It was a formation that complexly considered each lord’s individual power, political prestige, and inter-house relationships.
“Duke Lucian will take charge of the left front flank alongside the marquis. His Highness the crown prince will lead the personal guard from the rear of both.”
“Understood.”
Lucian nodded lightly.
The vanguard is where one encounters the enemy first, but also where it’s easiest to earn merits.
It was a coveted position, and no one was more suited than the marquis and Lucian.
Just as Lucian was about to move his troops to the assigned position, a voice rang out.
“If you wish, I can place Duke Lucian in the rear. It seems he’s still worried that Kreppelt will violate the Grand Agreement.”
“…!”
The crown prince’s blatant mockery from the rear froze everyone.
In practice, it was like saying, “If you’re scared, stay back and watch silently.”
Not even Marquis Bernhardt Roglan could smile this time.
To humiliate the most powerful ally just before heading into battle?
Everyone looked at Lucian nervously, but he instead smiled calmly.
“No problem. It’s not that I lack courage, I’m simply cautious. In fact, the people of House Valdeck are so brave it’s sometimes excessive. I worry that later on, I might end up surprising Your Highness.”
“…Oh really? Then let’s see later how brave you are.”
Seeing Lucian accept the humiliation so smoothly, the crown prince turned and walked away, clearly bored.
Everyone sighed in relief. Especially Jurgen at the front, who bowed his head repeatedly with a moved expression.
“Sir Lucian, truly, thank you. I don’t know how I could ever repay you…”
“I did nothing worthy of thanks. It’s almost time to depart, so I’ll go deploy my troops.”
“Ah…”
Watching Lucian walk away with a smile, Jurgen let out a sigh of admiration.
Such a humiliation would’ve made a novice explode, and even a seasoned noble would’ve shown displeasure.
‘I thought the rumors were exaggerated, but now that I’ve seen him, they were actually too mild.’
With such composure, he wouldn’t end up being someone ordinary.
When they returned after quelling the rebellion, Jurgen was determined to report Lucian’s significance to the emperor.
‘Damn, that lion cub is already sharpening his claws.’
While Jurgen sincerely expressed his admiration, Marquis Bernhardt Roglan frowned.
He had believed Lucian was just a well-spoken, decent-looking youth, but at that age, he already had a mind far from negligible.
If he kept growing like this, he’d clearly become a huge wall blocking the Roglan family’s future.
‘Sigmund, that bastard was born lucky with his sons. While others must choose between mediocrities.’
In truth, not all were mediocre. There were some useless ones, but among the strong candidates for head of house, there were several promising ones.
Even so, after seeing Lucian, even those sons no longer seemed enough.
Thinking about it, if Lucian became Grand Duke, there’d be no one truly capable of standing against him.
“I’m worried about the future of House Roglan.”
With that brief murmur, Marquis Bernhardt Roglan headed to his assigned position, wondering whether, once this campaign ended, he should impose a harsh trial to temper his sons.
***
Just two days after starting the march, the allied army reached its first destination the first village.
Although it was close to the border, perhaps because of that very reason, the government’s control was looser, and the village was of considerable size.
As soon as the army appeared, the village chief rushed out along with the villagers and bowed repeatedly.
“Y-you’re welcome! Tell us what you want, and we’ll give it all! Just… please, don’t let the soldiers plunder…!”
Looting wasn’t covered by the Grand Agreement, so it happened frequently during war.
Nobles cared little for commoners’ lives, and resupplying through looting was sometimes not a choice but a necessity.
It was natural that, upon hearing an army was approaching, the villagers could do nothing but tremble in fear.
“We won’t touch you, so don’t worry. To begin with, what is there to steal in such a small village?”
The crown prince scoffed at the chief and villagers.
If they were mercenaries or a disorganized rabble, it’d be different, but what were the finest soldiers from each house going to loot here?
Official supplies were infinitely better than any loot, and even if they stole, it wouldn’t amount to a fraction of their pay.
“That’s enough. Just take good care of the soldiers. As long as you don’t disrespect us, we’ll stay just one night and leave immediately.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The village chief shed tears as he expressed his gratitude.
He then hurriedly gave orders to the villagers to do everything—clear out houses to prepare lodgings, draw drinking water, gather in one place all the women who still looked presentable, and more.
The lords were about to order the soldiers to rest, satisfied with the chief’s diligence, when—
“Hey, village chief. Let me ask you something.”
Lucian called out to him with a subtly strange expression.
The chief, who had been rushing back and forth, flinched and immediately fell to his knees.
“Y-yes! What do you wish to know, my lord?”
“I don’t see any children in this village. Everyone here seems to be adults. What happened?”
“T-the children? When we heard war had broken out, we evacuated them.”
“Evacuated? Where to?”
“We sent them to Bodiam. After all, it’s the safest place…”
At that answer, Lucian smiled coldly.
“That’s a pretty clumsy lie.”
____
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