Chapter 175: Military Man Gambler and Swindler

***Arc 8 One Who Spread Death, Chapter 175 Military Man Gambler and Swindler***

Good news everyone! This series will be published by TO books on sale on January 15, 2024!!

Below is translation of Author's Note on the lastest chapter ***[Crescent Moon at Dawn I (*I have an important announcement)](https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1184em/332/)*** 2023/11/10 17:25

A/N; I'm very happy to announce that TO Books will publish a book version of this work on January 15, 2024!

**"A Maiden's Unwanted Heroic Epic**

**Author: 賽目和七 (TL: Saimewa Shichi take name pronunciation with a big grain of salt)**

**Illustrator: Hanamoto**

**Publisher: TO Books"**

It will be released as a paper book and an e-book.

Please check the afterword below for details (TL: Please check the Note section below the chapter, there's an official illustration).

――The Kingdom of Alberan was trying to use the Holy Spirit to invade.

This was the excuse why the joint invasion of the three kingdoms, which was expected in early summer due to the inauguration of the queen, took place in spring when the snow melted.

The Holy Spirit Covenant states the principle of not pointing blades at dragons, however the rules regarding dragons are also wide-ranging, including the statement that its power should not be monopolized or used for national gain.

As a special case, tributes based on faith are allowed, but acts such as asking for the dragon's help are clearly in violation of this rule.

The visit by the Holy Spirit Yagernaus to the royal city of Albeneria was proof that Alberan had violated this rule, and the three counties cried out loudly spreading their legitimacy.

Messengers from various countries come to the kingdom's friendly country, Arna Imperial Stet, to punish Alberan for violating the Holy Spirit Pact, and the high priest Zanaribea visited the royal capital to confirm this fact, but――

"This is the result of Onee-sama's audience, not as a country, but as an individual. It is not against the Holy Spirit Covenant. Besides, no matter the outcome, is Arna really planning to turn their sword on Onee-sama who has become the Holy Spirit's contractor?"

"However..."

"If Alberan dies, Arna will be next. I'm sure it will happen sooner or later. We are in the same boat. Please interpret everything in a favorable way after all this time. ...... Of course, I feel sorry for Arna Imperial State, but"

――No matter what, it was already too late.

The argument that the kingdom had nothing to do with an individual's actions was not very plausible considering Krische's position as a member of the royal family, but for the time being, Krische was treated as the adopted daughter of the previous Margrave Christand, rather than a member of the royal family.

It also helped that she wasn't officially reinstated as a royalty.

Of course, Arna could have said, 'Then the individual Krische should be punished", but the outcome is, she was the one who had become the dragon's contractor.

It was impossible for those who believed in the Holy Spirit to seek to punish those who are allies of the Holy Spirit, and from a religious standpoint, Krische was above the Miko Princess.

The girl with silver hair, who was drinking tea and watching the proceedings, looked like she had no idea what was going on, and there was no way they could ask for judgment.

Moreover, Alberan is Arna's shield.

Kreschenta's has a valid point and,

"..... huh. Well, I guess there's nothing I can say now. I can only hope that Your Majesty the Queen will not forget that word."

And like so, they had any other choice but to accept the Kingdom's arguments in full.

Zanaribea, comforted by Bery's sweet cookies, runs around Arna with a stomach ache, bowing his head to other priests.

The enemy's goal was also to sow the seeds of discord.

They probably did not think that such a level of manipulation would encourage Arna's defection.

As a result, their maneuvering only caused minor discontent within Arna and had no major impact.

If this war were to last for a long time, such seeds might sprout, but the kingdom had no intention of abiding by that.

――Short-term decisive battle.

That's all the kingdom saw, and the three countries that inevitably approach will have no choice but to follow that choice.

The large armies of each country being formed cannot be hidden.

After sending out a secret spy to read their movements, Kreschenta sent out an early warning to the entire country, calling for the people to evacuate to the center of the kingdom.

The main focus was on people in villages and settlements that were not under the protection of the Holy Spirit Covenant――or in other words, were subject to looting, and for this purpose, even horse-drawn wagons were sent from the country.

Naturally, Kreschenta had no semblance of goodwill, but this was a rarely seen humanitarian measure.

As a result this action won the favor of the people, who had no means to escape, and enhanced her reputation as a magnificent young princess ruler.

Although it had once again drained the kingdom of a huge amount of money since the civil war, it was not money that the kingdom now sought, but soldiers――it was easy to turn these refugees into soldiers, and the cause of regaining their homeland from the three vicious kingdoms for the sake of the young queen was more than enough to inspire their hearts.

And the reason for removing them away from the village was not just to train them into soldiers, but above all to lower the enemy's morale.

Tough marches, training, and battlefields where one is close to death.

For soldiers who suffer from such suffering every day, the act of raping women and robbing money and goods was the best way to relieve stress.

If the enemy soldiers were to be deprived of such things first, their dissatisfaction would surely increase explosively, and they would have no means to relieve their frustration if they were blocked from doing so.

It was a problem of the size of the army.

It was obvious that all three countries would form a large army, but in order to release the desires of that large army, the existence of a certain number of villages and settlements was a prerequisite.

This is because towns with a certain population size must be nominally protected from pillage by the Holy Spirit Covenant.

Even if prostitutes were hired for business transactions, there were clearly not enough of them to satisfy the needs of the soldiers.

As long as they can raid villages, they can use all the young women for such "purposes," but the number of prostitutes they can get from the city is limited――even if they bring them in from their home country and use them to comfort the soldiers, considering the size of the invading army there is a limit to it.

A large army inevitably has many problems with its logistics.

Here, the fact that they took the Holy Spirit Covenant as a legitimacy backfired on them.

They attacked Alberan for violating the Holy Spirit Covenant.

There was no way they could violate the Holy Spirit Covenant.

They had to behave more "elegantly" than usual in order to keep their official stance, and inevitably, the tightening of the rules greatly increased the discontent of the soldiers――that was the reason why she evacuated mainly villages and settlements.

Unfulfilled desires in the enemy's country, they would drown and suffer for the sake of the higher-ups.

And their discontent would surely drive the soldiers to invade the center of the kingdom.

The commanders will try to convince them that once they were in the center of the kingdom, they can have all the women and money they want.

Such a situation naturally causes them to be short-sighted, focusing their thoughts on a short term decisive battle.

A large dissatisfied army and a sustained war were not an option.

That was the Kingdom's aim.

"This is the first time I've been side by side with General Garhka."

"Is that the case with Meow Meow too?"

"Yes. The north and the south——we fought together in battles in the east and west, but that doesn't mean we were on the same battlefield."

Kolkis, who was astride his horse, ignored the nickname Meow Meow as if he had given up on it, and spoke to Krische, who was riding sideways on Suiko.

A marching column heading south.

Kolkis put his hand on his chin thoughtfully as he looked out over the vast plain, where there was no need for alert.

"From what I've heard, he prefers to fight head-on, rather than using cheap tactics like Assistant Marshal Farren and Bogan-sama...Well, he's probably closer to me in nature. When we talk, we often agree on our views."

Searching for records in her head, Krische nodded.

"As Krische's thought. There's no detailed records, so Krische don't really know what kind of person he is...Krische, had only talked a bit with him."

Most records of past battlefields were stored in her head, but records are records after all.

Although there were many records in the royal capital's archives, there were large differences between the authors.

Some are overly embellished, while others were written in a too simple way, saying that they fought with tens of thousands and defeated them from the right wing. In many cases, it was difficult to decipher what the situation was.

And most of Dougleen Garhka's records were the latter.

Judging from the situation described on the battlefield and the way he spoke at the victory ceremony, she had a pretty good idea that that would be the case, but Krische pondered whether she was right.

He is good at fighting head-on, but is weak at the rear.

Although the attack was a little aggressive, there were no major failures, and it seems that he has an eye for opportunities.

He was not undefeated in warfare, but even in defeat, he had kept his losses to a minimum and had never suffered fatal damage.

Overall, he was a general with a sense of stability.

"Then, does it seem safe to expect the strength of the soldiers?"

"He has been fighting on the front lines for many years...you can trust him in that regard. Above all else, I hear he is respected by his soldiers. There is no doubt that they are all valiant."

"Similar to the second corps?"

"Yes, probably."

The strength of the soldiers is significant.

For example, Kolkis in board games and military chess exercises is likely to be weak.

However, when it comes to actual battle, the Second Corps is truly formidable, and with the command of Corps Commander Kolkis, it demonstrates a power that cannot be measured simply by calculating numbers.

Dougleen was probably also a general who excels at this..

He places importance on having the strongest soldiers and fighting to maximize their power.

It was a different way of thinking.

Tactics are methods of attacking the opponent's weaknesses, or in other words, ways of fighting that weaken the opponent's strength.

However, Kolkis, for example, always moved his troops so that his forces could demonstrate their full potential.

It could be said that there is a difference between aiming for 30 with 60 forces and aiming for 100 with 120 forces.

Therefore, Kolkis sometimes attempt to break through head-on against the opponent's main force, seemingly recklessly.

Naturally, there were times when such a breakthrough would cause unnecessary damage, but there were also times when it would hit the opponent's gap and bring about an unexpected great success——and therein lies the difficulty of tactics.

Should they bypass the raging river to a distant bridge, or swim across it?

Depending on the situation, that idea may not be a bad one.

"Well, Krische is relieved that it seems to be quite strong. The enemy's strength is over 100,000 as expected. Where would you like to be placed, Meow Meow?"

"It's already such a big decisive battle. If I could wish, it would be right in front, right in the middle."

"Krische's glad to hear that. Krische also thought that if possible, Krische want to put Meow Meow in the center."

"Hahaha, that would be most appreciated."

Mia, who was listening to the conversation nearby, looked at Kolkis with half-open eyes.

The fact that he was willing to make such a wish in front of an army of 100,000 soldiers was already insane.

The fortified city of Nakria, which is planned as a battlefield, is surrounded by a sea of trees on the west and mountains on the east.

Although the central army had sent out 35,000 troops, only 15,000 will actually be under the direct control of Alberinea.

Because to the west was a sea of trees.

This was because there was a great possibility that Gulshan would infiltrate their forces from there and sneak around behind them.

In order to prevent this, it was necessary to have sufficient military strength in the rear, and 20,000 troops must be entrusted to the general in the center for defense.

And as far as she heard, Dougleen's military strength was more than 30,000, and in total it's just under 50,000 at most.

Of course, this was still a large force, but the other side had over 100,000 troops, which is literally an order of magnitude greater than theirs.

It was incomprehensible to her how he could be so happy to be entrusted with the task of facing such an enemy.

All the soldiers are excited almost every night to protect their country and their families back home, but this was only to cover up their fear.

Everyone was on tenterhooks, even the Christand army, which was considered one of the strongest in the kingdom.

Being able to laugh like Kolkis in this situation was abnormal, and from Mia's perspective, she couldn't help but feel that there was a racial difference.

"An adjutant of all people shouldn't express their emotions so easily."

"Ugh"

'Will I really survive?'——As she was thinking about this, Dagra next to her knocked her from above the helmet.

"You sure are a strangely brazen and timid girl who doesn't really understand anything."

"Ugh, I-I'm not.."

"Don't talk back to your superiors. That's what I call brazen, you idiot."

"Guu"

She was hit again with the back of his gauntlet, and looked up at Dagra with obvious dissatisfaction.

Dagra smiled bitterly and let out an exasperated sigh.

"We'll just do what we have to do. Do you really think that Krische-sama will bring us to a fight with no chance of winning?"

"...No."

'He doesn't have to hit me twice.'

Mia answered in a slightly sullen tone, and Kalua, who was watching this, laughed and grabbed Mia's shoulder.

"Comm~ander~, it looks like Adjutant Mia is still dissatisfied. She's thinking in her heart that you don't need to knock her head twice."

"Kalua! I-I don't think so!"

"...Haa, you guys are really"

Dagra rubbed his temple, looking even more exasperated, and Kolkis who seemed to notice this and laughed happily.

"It's better than looking down. Don't blame her like that, Dagra."

"Yes sir. How embarrassing..."

"I don't care. Adjutant Mia was it"

"Eh, y-yes, Commander Argand."

Kolkis smiled at Mia, who immediately stood in attention, raised his hand, and tells her

"If one person kills two people, it's all over. What do you guys have to be afraid of, after you've shown the ability to kill ten people by yourself?"

"Huh? Eh, uh..."

"No matter how large the army is, you'll only be dealing with the one directly in front of you. It's not like 100,000 people will attack you at the same time. You should understand that much right"

It was an absurd logic.

However, the logic is certainly true, and Krische explains it sourly.

"It is common for ordinary troops to fight in the mountains, such as facing 200 or 300 troops in a 100-man group. It is certainly a disadvantage, but I hope you remember what you and Krische-sama did at Bernaich. You all fought through against an opponent tens of times more numerous than you are now.''

"Y-yes...that's definitely true."

"The situation is no different than that time. The objective at that time was to delay the enemy's actions, and the objective this time was to capture the enemy's main camp. The objective has simply changed, but what the soldiers must do is repeat local victories and maintain local superiority.''

Kolkis knocked himself on the head.

"Just think about it simply. There's no need for you to worry about the future. As long as you only think about what's in front of your eyes, the commander will take care of the rest so that you can win. That's what the military is all about. ...And your commander is the Kingdom's Alberinea——where is there any room for doubt?"

And then Kolkis looked to the side——perhaps tired of sitting there, stifling her yawn and pretending to preen the Suiko, at Krische who was about to lie down on top of it.

The exact opposite of what they were talking about, without a shred of tension or seriousness.

Kolkis cleared his throat, feeling indescribable.

"Well, that's what I'm trying to say. There's no need to worry too much. It's not like you have to kill all 100,000 enemies. We don't know how many we'll actually fight"

"Yes sir, thank you......"

Even though the final battle was about to take place, Mia looked at the Alberinea, who was still acting as usual, and nodded for the time being.

It's true that she couldn't imagine this girl fighting a losing battle.

She did not have such noble thoughts such as abandoning herself as a stepping stone for the sake of honor, like nobles.

She was determined to win, and even in this situation, she did not doubt it.

"Mia is really such a worrier. She should learn from Meow Meow a little bit."

"...Y-yes."

Krische said that as she lay down on Suiko and turned only her face towards Mia.

Far from bravery, she had an unmotivated and lazy appearance.

Even though Mia was aware of her abilities, she still had a feeling of uneasiness as to whether it was really okay.

"As always, what we need to do is simple. The objective is to destroy the enemy's main camp, as Meow Meow said. If everything goes well, the battle will be over in half a day."

"...Half a day?"

"Yes. If it went well, that's it. It's Krische's win."

However, even as she looked like that, she declared that.

Kolkis was the only one who nodded with an amused smile on his face.

It's the fifth day of the journey from the royal capital.

The fortified city of Nakria, located in the southern part of the kingdom, was located in a place that could be called the southern gate of the royal capital, sandwiched between the Bilfe Sea of Trees to the west and the steep Calbyas Mountains range to the east.

There, there were countless soldiers walking around the Garhkafamily's mansion, and countless maps were spread out in the reception room, making it look like a military conference room.

"Have you come? Krische. No, should I call you Her Highness the Queen Sister?"

"No, either way is fine. Krische, doesn't really care about that."

The silver-haired girl who appeared――a bearded man who looked like a bandit or a bandit laughed when he saw the Krische Christand group.

His six-shaku frame bulged with muscles, and his shirt opened at the chest, revealing a thick chest with chest hair.

He was a man who didn't suit his formal attire, but when he wore casual attire, it suited him perfectly, and his current appearance was exactly that of a bandit leader.

Mia, who had followed Krische, was clearly taken aback by his appearance, and when Dagra glared at her, she straightened her posture in a panic.

The man's name is Dougleen Nakul Dogarinea Garhka.

Even though he looked like this, this man was a venerable duke of the kingdom, the head of the Garhka family, and a famous general who had protected the southern part of the kingdom for decades.

"Kuku, but anyway, it's been a while. I'm glad from the bottom of my heart that we were able to meet again like this. Krische, just sit there."

"Yes, it's been a while."

Krische did as he was told and without hesitation sat down on the sofa across from him and turned her attention to the map spread out on the desk.

It was a detailed map of the southern part of the kingdom.

"You too, it's been a while, Argand."

"Yes sir. It's been a while, General Garka."

Kolkis saluted, and Dougleen nodded and gestured to a chair, then also looked at Gallen.

"I'd like you to sit down, too, Adjutant-dono. I heard that in the battle with His Highness, you fought in a great battle. Although you're an old soldier, you took on five men and easily defeated them."

"It wasn't easy. I just managed to survive desperately."

Gallen looked a little surprised.

He shouldn't have returned to the capital, but he knows that Gallen, who was Selene's adjutant, was now Krische adjutant.

He probably knew what the final battle was like.

Dougleen was extremely well-informed――despite his rough appearance, this man has access to countless pieces of information.

"Don't be so humble. Your life as an active-duty military man is something to be proud of as a warrior."

"Yes sir. Thank you."

Gallen narrowed his eyes even as he saluted.

Dougleen Garhka is a bold and courageous general who was often described as such, but that was just a facade.

There was always careful calculation behind his actions――he was a general who should never be underestimated.

As prompted, Gallen sat down next to Krische, and Dougleen looked at him and nodded with satisfaction before looking at the other.

They brought with them Dagra, Mia, and Aleha, as well as Keith, the 1st Corps commander who had been promoted from battalion commander, Bagil, the 3rd Corps commander, and his adjutant.

Looking at their faces as if observing them, Dougleen nodded and told his soldiers to give them some alcohol.

"First of all, let me apologize for being so quiet during the civil war, Krische. I have some debt against Christand and you, but I also have a long relationship with His Highness the Royal Prince."

After pouring a glass of wine and drinking it all, Dougleen rested his back on the sofa.

"I can make the excuse that there was unrest in the south, but honestly, no matter which side I take, I have no sense of obligation and can't intervene. As a result, Christand also died, and the debt from the other day can't be repaid. I feel sorry for both you and the Christand for that.''

Look up at the ceiling as if trying to remember.

Although it was not an apologetic attitude towards Krische that are now considered to be of a higher rank as a military officer, he was also not acting haughty or arrogant, and there was no sarcasm in his attitude.

Strangely, no one was offended by him, and of course neither was Krische.

"...In short I owe you something."

"Haa...is that so."

Krische tilted her head to the side and answered his words in a way that could not even be described as a response. Eighty percent of her attention was focused on pouring plenty of milk and honey into the black bean tea that was placed in front of her.

Dougleen laughed at this and continued.

"There's no need to hold back anything here. I don't care about your age, and I don't doubt your abilities in the war against the Holy Empire and in the civil war. I've been thinking about saying something like, 'If it's what you want, I'll take on the role of being crushed but――"

Dougleen poured the wine into the glass again and stirred it.

He lets out a breath laced with alcohol, and his shoulders shake in amusement.

"Kuku, by the looks of it, it seems that such concern was unnecessary. You don't seem to be nervous in the slightest before this great war."

She probably didn't even listen to half of the story.

It was Krische, looking at her black bean tea, sandy-colored with milk, and looking pleased.

Dougleen pinched his beard and narrowed his eyes.

"However, Gulshan led by Orugan is quite something, Krische. The invasion force is 120,000. Even though they occupy various places, they will leave around 100,000 in the main body. They will be here in three days. "

"Any possibility of some part of it detouring?"

"No. 100,000 headed here."

Dougleen asserted.

"I've known Orugan for a long time. There's no way he'll avoid a decisive battle with me at this big stage. If he's going to attack the royal capital, I'm sure he'll want to defeat me head-on."

Then, his eyebrows furrowed and he glared at Krische.

"Of course, that's if our side also responded so, but...Krische, it's up to you."

"I see......"

"You're taking 15,000. What do you plan to do with the remaining 20,000? First, I wanted to hear your intentions."

"...intention?"

"yes"

Dougleen put his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together.

Then, as if to challenge her, he turned his sharp eyes on Krische.

"The southern front was reduced and retreated. I heard that this was for victory in a decisive battle, and I agreed if that was the case... but it was such an honest decision. An action that, while following the ethics of a warrior, goes against the logic of military tactics. Orugan will be happy and will definitely focus his efforts on us."

"Yes, Krische would be happy if that happens."

Krische tilted his head, wondering what he meant.

However, everyone around her stiffened from the overwhelming spirit emanating from the fierce general Garhka.

"At first, Orugan thought of this situation――as he had been challenged to a decisive battle by me. He probably didn't think that I was planning to launch a strategic surprise attack from his flank. ...And on top of that, Krische, you're planning on challenging him to a head-on decisive battle, right?"

The question was, how would she behave as a general?

This situation could only have been created by the past battles between the two generals, Dougleen and Orugan.

Normally, in this situation, Orugan would leave only the troops that would stick up for Dougleen, and send troops to the Great Tree Sea to create chaos in the rear.

There was a possibility that he will continue to head west and target Felworth's flank, helping the Elderant army break through.

Of course, it's not impossible that they pretended to do so and broke through Dougleen head-on, but in short, they had countless options to shake things up.

However, Orugan did not make any moves to shake them up.

There was no movement other than sending troops to each city, and all three armies formed in Gulshan were heading straight towards them.

This was simply because Orugan is thinking of having a fair and square battle with Dougleen in order to settle the old fate.

Taking advantage of this and trapping him was something that a warrior should not do.

But as a soldier, should one only pursue victory for the sake of one country and be okay with resorting to despicable means?

"Hmm, that's right. Guess that's what will happen."

What would happen if the answer was wrong?

Contrary to their nervousness as they watched her with bated breath, she answered him softly in a sweet, girlish voice.

"Krische's hope is to defeat Gulshan's army head-on, and with that one blow, crush their will to continue the war to the point where no organized resistance is possible. ...This time it will be a feat of strength. If they lose in a head-on battle even with twice as many troops, Gulshan probably won't have the will to fight back, right?"

Dougleen widened his eyes, surprise on his bandit-like face.

"The 20,000 left behind is just to prevent detours. Krische has only spoken with Orugan-san a little while ago, and even if General Garhka says that, Krische can't feel at ease. Either way, the military strength is inferior, and 20,000 is just a drop in the bucket. Even we bring it, it won't mean we have military superiority.''

She said it as if it's a simple matter.

She sipped the sweet black bean tea and smiled with satisfaction.

"Krische will win even without one, if you use the remaining 20,000 as a backup, that's fine. It's not something like an aim or tactic."

Dougleen cheeks lifted at those words.

He shook his unkempt beard, a look of pleasure on his face.

"I twisted my head, but I thought it would be a draw at best. Out of ten, lose eight, and remaining two a toss-up....Are you saying otherwise?"

Krische answered.

"It's Krische that created this situation, so if we lose because of it, Krische's just an idiot. Krische've already assumed that there will be 100,000 enemies, and it's a given that we'll defeat them with around 50,000 troops."

She looked straight ahead with his jewel-like purple eyes.

Naturally, she looked back at Dougleen.

"Krische've already learned the lesson with what happened the other day. ...Krische doesn't gamble, General Garhka."

She smiled as if troubled.