Chapter 225

Chapter: 225

The Saint had no need to start her message with "This lucky letter begins in Kalion—" to efficiently spread the spam. (That was considered a finishing move. It meant the Saint was invoking a curse herself.)

She whispered in the ears of each high-ranking official in concise and efficient language among the starlight.

- If the Saint has fallen, why have other priests, even those following the Pope, lost their sacred power? Is it possible that Heaven considers collective punishment a fundamental law?

- If there is no sin in those priests who have lost their sacred power?

- Shock! The Pope's true colors, as Kalion and Tylesse are horrified and Krasilov is trembling! It's actually the Pope who has fallen??

It was around the time the spam folder was filling up with letters that made it difficult to distinguish between black propaganda and yellow journalism, but white was definitely excluded.

- The priest should be a priest, religion should be religion, and worldly power should remain with the world!

- Everyone of nobility, aja aja fighting!

- Make the Southern Six Nations great again!

There was no phrase like "three people become a tiger" in this world, but still, pleasant words gain persuasive power the more they are repeated.

It is common sense that a betraying ally returns as the most threatening enemy. From the Pope's perspective, the Saint serves that role.

To refute this, one would have to convene a council; even the doctrine questions and absurd slanders were proving to be critically effective amidst the general ambiguity of 'public opinion' in this world.

What does it matter if it's yellow or black? Ultimately, as Saruman, the fallen white proved, a corrupted white had never been particularly popular among humans.

Simply blaming the Pope for his fall wouldn't be very effective, since he still held sacred power.

But in this situation, where the Pope was squeezing countries while shouting, "Never war again," and the Saint was shouting, "The Church should be extricated from worldly affairs."

The argument that the Pope's sacred power is indeed dubious sounds rather sweet.

"Bellacria has crossed the border?!"

"Yes, Your Majesty... They have crossed the border with 15,000 infantry and about 3,000 cavalry. According to reports, the 2nd Legion's banner was identified."

"What about the ambassador? How could there be no word on such an important matter?!"

"There has not been any response from the embassy..."

"Isn't this an invasion?!"

King Domenico of Albina ground his teeth as he struck the throne.

"Summon the ambassador immediately, at once!! Tell him to retreat or at least to advance into uninhabited areas!!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!!"

The King buried himself deep in the throne, pressing his brow tightly.

"Should I just go ahead and 'decree the Saint'...?"

Equitania, fighting better than expected.

The Papacy, suspected to be pouring all support into Elthros.

Bellacria, suddenly double-crossing and pushing the military first.

In such a situation, seeing the homeland being torn apart, would it be better to just go for the 'Saint'?

EP26. Holy War.

The commanding flags of the Albina army deployed at the border had changed three times. This had happened in just one month. The increasing frequency symbolized the King's anxiety.

At this moment, Ivan received a bat. The bat, bound by string to its leg, flapped and took off after enjoying Ivan's touch for a moment.

"Now, the ambush is over."

"Finally!!"

Isabelle cheered. Although it was termed an ambush, penetrating deep into enemy lines to precisely cut off supply routes was close to an art.

Moreover, due to their operations over the past month, the enemy's vigilance was at an unprecedented high. It was difficult to secure sniper points, and if they delayed even slightly, the cavalry would scatter like hornets disturbed.

It seemed there were many mages stationed in preparation for a fire attack as well. The success rate of ambushes was gradually decreasing.

"Now it's time to rotate, right?"

"No."

Ivan glared at Ecdysis with cold eyes. Why did people of this age love rotations so much?

Of course, it was a point where enemy fatigue had rapidly increased. Moreover, after a month of repeating only ambushes without a single engagement, the enemy had given up expectations of rotation and invested all assets in responding to ambushes.

At this point, a sudden surprise rotation would surely lead to victory. While not every battle could be won, at least this theater could be stabilized for sure.

But behind that? Just winning a single rotation wouldn't cause Albina to collapse? No. The greater the damage, the more fierce Albina would engage in battle.

No matter how favorable the odds, a rotation would inevitably cause casualties. Compared to the coalition of five nations, the human resources on their side were limited. If the war prolonged, Equitania would surely perish.

Long preparations, short engagements, and certain victories. This war was neither a long crusade nor an all-out total war utilizing the entire nation, nor was it a decisive battle aiming to instantly breach enemy depths and assassinate the enemy commander. If survival was the wager, one must always be conservative. Gambling is not a virtue of a commander.

Let's go back.

Ivan briefly stated and turned around.

"Why! What's the matter?! Am I the only one not knowing? Why is everyone nodding their heads?"

"Ecdysis, shh. It's spreading stupidity. There's a view that stupidity can be a zoonotic infection and could spread to elves."

Ecdysis grunted and walked along with the group.

"News has come that Bellacria has begun moving."

"Finally!"

At Ivan's words, the commanders in the camp erupted in cheers. Everyone in the camp, except for the bewildered Ecdysis, laughed heartily.

"You all have truly worked hard. I sincerely thank you for following my inadequate command."

"Not at all. Let's not be too courteous. It must have been good experience for the troops. Since we've never executed such operations before."

Ivan replied with a slight bow, then continued.

"I hope that if the Albina army starts to retreat within two weeks, you all will also begin your advance."

"But you'll be deployed in the most dangerous area; wouldn't you lead at least the minimum forces for communication?"

"As much as you trust me, I trust in your capabilities as well."

It was a rather warm sight to see Equitanians, witnessing their territory being taken over by another country in real-time. Considering this was the frontline command post, it was even more so.

Moreover, most of the conversations were going on without context or subjects, which increased Ecdysis's confusion.

The scene was too complicated for a liberal arts student to grasp.

Ecdysis decided to nod gravely, like a liberal arts student encountering an unfamiliar liberal arts assignment. She would open a wiki, copy it all, and later believe it to be her own opinion.

She browsed the Wikipedia sections on politics, diplomacy, and war with a serious expression. Fortunately, the sea elf, who was 'politically active' as a species, immediately noticed Ecdysis's state of mind and sighed.

"Bellacria has invaded Albina."

"...Hmm."

"No, huh. In other words, Bellacria has deployed its forces in Albina. What does that mean?"

"Holy... Crusade army?"

Carefully attempting to write the answer, but liberal arts students are weak on open-ended questions. Elpheira promptly struck through her answer.

"If they were simply dispatching a crusade army, they would've started with logistical support. They sent forces outright, but Albina's army is mostly locked here. There's no spare forces to send towards Bellacria."

"Same... side...?"

"We decided not to call a relationship depending on how Bellacria perceives Albina the same side."

Bellacria began sending troops under the pretense of 'nominally' supporting the crusade army.

The distance from Bellacria to Equitania must pass through all of Albina's territory.

Thus, the supply line unavoidably becomes absurdly lengthy.

In this situation, Albina would have to expend enough logistical resources to feed the Bellacria army, which unexpectedly arrived.

Failing to do so, the Bellacria army would go hungry.

A hungry army usually pillages its own territory.

The King of Albina would be very angry.

Most of the forces on this side would be 'guarding' the Bellacria army. Thus, it meant most of the enemy would withdraw. They wouldn't think we'd even consider launching an offensive.

"Right now, externally, we're being pushed back towards the capital by Elthros. If we gain comfort in this area, it means we wouldn't have the capacity to advance. Rather, it would make more sense to retreat and support the Elthros front troops."

At Elpheira's words, Ecdysis nodded blankly.

"So, up until now, uh. Hmm. Uhm. Uh..."

Seeing Ecdysis's expression, Elpheira completed her explanation using vocabulary that even a five-year-old elf could understand. (There is a statistic indicating that adult humans have a similar intelligence level to five-year-old elves, so this was a valid approach.)

"So, they've been sowing discord to make the bad guys fight among themselves. Up until now. The results are finally coming out, and the forces on the Elthros side were sacrificed for that purpose, so it's not in vain that their sacrifices came into play at the point the operation succeeded— so everyone is happy, you see?"

"But Elpheira, the enemy's enemy isn't necessarily our ally."

This point was the most difficult to understand. Given the underlying principle of addressing heretics, even if the enemies split, there was no reason for them to join forces with us. The moment they do, it becomes a situation of a crusade army times two.

To her words, Elpheira responded with a gentle smile.

"So, that's why we'll force that part into our next operations."

"What does that mean...?"

"Make it clear that if they don't want to die, they should side with us."

Ivan's strategy, established with the Saint and King Vittorio of Equitania, was closer to political maneuvering than the realm of warfare.

It is not always the case that the enemy's enemy is a friend. In fact, that is quite often not the case.

However, politics is always a process of narrowing down options. The core of politics is to force rivals into 'hard choices.'

Thus, being the 'most political being,' Elpheira was very pleased when she first heard of this plan. Even the point of not rotating fit her taste.

That dawn, Ivan and his party crossed the border through the 'safe infiltration route' they had secured over the past month via 'ambush operations.'

The fact that they could preemptively block the enemy's supply chain meant they had completely grasped the enemy's garrison location and patrol routes.

Thanks to the results of a month's worth of repeated training, the infiltration of the Hero Party could go undetected from any route beforehand.

"Does this mean we are no longer the Hero Party?"

"What are you talking about? The Hero Party has always fought this way."

Ivan scolded Isabelle, who was complaining softly. Originally, the Hero Party tasked with 'assassinating the Demon King' would not boldly open the enemy gates and charge in.

The Hero from Middle-earth, 'Slave Merchant' Frodo, conquered Mordor through the back door, while the Hero from Hogwarts also assassinated the 'chronic terrorist at the comprehensive educational facility'; thus, it was common sense that a hero does not engage openly against the Demon King.

Mentioning fairness while gathering many against one was inherently meaningless. A hero would not be recklessly grouped together as a 'Hero Party' for no reason.

Crossing the border, the Hero Party bolted directly through Albina. It was a repeat of the brutal experience they'd gone through from hijacking the train until they reached Equitania, so apart from being phenomenally exhausted, there was nothing particularly special about the situation.

Before the Albina army even began their retreat, and before the two-week period they had previously indicated had passed.

"Wow, this is really a mess."

Isabelle couldn't help but laugh at the black smoke rising across the plains.

Before the Albina army even began their retreat, the Bellacria legion had moved deep across the border and was conducting a 'voluntary conscription' in the granary of Albina.

"Are they saying this makes them the same crusade army?"

"Not anymore."

Ivan adjusted his helmet, took out a rolled-up flag from the bag tied to his horse's waist.

Once he tied it to the spear and raised it, the emblem of the eagle gripping a sword displayed in the wind. It was the flag of Equitania.

"Now let's go rescue the people who've fallen into ruin."

"That's the Hero Party!"

Finally, as a comprehensible statement emerged, Ecdysis smiled brightly.

The Bellacria army, conducting 'self-supply' within the territory of Albina, was thrown into chaos upon witnessing the cavalry carrying the Equitania banner approaching.

"What?! You've truly allied with Equitania? Are you serious?"

The Albina Royal Court also fell into confusion at the news of the mysterious troops appearing while rescuing their people, carrying the Equitania banner.

"How on earth did they cross the border?! How is it possible that armed forces are roaming near the capital, and not just going over the border but we've failed to detect them until now!!"

Since the moment Ivan crossed the border, the Saint, who had already sent envoys in advance, smiled softly upon hearing the news that the envoys had reached the capital of Albina.

She had never thought of failure. Unless it were a different operation, in the domains of infiltration and rear disturbance, there was no one in this age, let alone during that time, who surpassed Ivan.

She trusted Ivan just as she had trusted Maximilian, Einar, Veolgrin, and Jill Ber.

"Command us to advance, Your Majesty."

The enemy's enemy is not always a friend.

But one can coerce a decision on the enemy's enemy.

Will they become allies? Or will they bear the burden of a two-front war isolated?

The choice is as clear as day. Albina must already be aware of 'signs of collusion with Equitania' within the crusade army.

Once again reflecting, diplomacy has always relied on circumstantial evidence rather than hard proof.

"Let it be done."

Vittorio commanded with a smile as he stamped the edict with his seal. The letter sealed with red wax soon reached the border.

The 2nd Legion commenced its advance at that very moment under the name of the 'Rescue Army of Albina.'

Suddenly, as Equitania started moving its legion claiming to save its own people, the Royal Court of Albina fell into a state of psychological paralysis.