CH 258

Chapter 258 – The Blue Hydrangea of Farnese(3)

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I’m not sure who it was, but I felt sympathy for the enemy general who had to face Laura.

Carrying out a night attack with cavalrymen. It sounded easy enough on paper, but, in reality, they were throwing out their most powerful troops all at once. Moreover, they were doing so immediately after the encirclement was completed.

A normal commander would’ve probably waited and kept an eye on the situation. Even if they’re surrounded, they could endure without any problem for at least half a year. Leaving the safety of the fortress to fight a massive army of monsters, however, wasn’t an easy task.

The commander concluded that they would just be wasting time if they decided to play the waiting game. The capital lacked the spare manpower to dispatch reinforcements to them. If anything, they had to aim for when the demons lowered their guards immediately after they finished their encirclement…….

That’s why the commander attacked after rallying the knights from the nearby cities.

Boldness, acute judgment, and negotiation skills, the commander didn’t lack in any of these. Laura described them accurately with a single word, ‘competent’. It was because they were competent that Laura knew they would undoubtedly carry out a surprise attack……. And that they would attempt a fire attack afterward.

“I don’t really get it, but I just have to get rid of each and every boat that approaches, right?”

Sitri wiped the cream off the side of her mouth.

“We can just use lizardmen and water elements to destroy all their oars.”

“My apologies, but that would be impossible, Big Sister. The enemy forces will undoubtedly attack when the wind is blowing in the right direction. It will be when the wind is blowing towards us so that they can advance with their sails even if their oars are destroyed. That is because this sort of surprise attack does not allow room for failure.”

Laura spoke naturally as if she had the enemy’s thoughts completely in her grasps.

“Our defenses will increase if they fail once……. They have only one opportunity. This is what they most likely believe. They will be extra cautious.”

The enemy is competent, so they will carry out their surprise attack when they know it will be the most effective. And it was because of this that Laura was paradoxically able to predict the enemy’s moves.

“The Neckar River flows from the east. The closest city to Heidelberg is Heilbronn, but their pier is extremely small. It would not be enough to hide fire ships. Therefore, Stuttgart is the most likely place they will have their fleet of fire ships on standby.”

Laura trailed her finger up the river on the map.

“The enemy will most likely utilize three-tiered galleys in order to increase their mobility. If they sail these ships from Stuttgart, then it will take them roughly 8 hours to get here. If you include the momentary break they will take at Heilbronn, then it will take them about 9 hours.”

We stared at Laura blankly. Laura must have not felt our gazes, as she kept twirling her hair while looking down at the map. She continued to mutter without showing any signs of stopping.

“When exactly they disembark. This is the problem. It is highly likely that the enemy will move at night in order to avoid our scouts again. They will probably want to arrive here between 11 at night and 4 in the morning. Then if you subtract the time, the fire ships will disembark from Stuttgart between 1 in the afternoon and 6 in the evening.”

“…….”

“However, it would be too bright out at 1 in the afternoon. The enemy would want it to at least be dark when they take a momentary break at Heilbronn. Therefore, they will disembark between 5 and 6 in the evening.”

Laura raised her head and faced us.

“A day with strong winds and between 5 and 6 in the evening, this is when the enemy will execute their plan.”

“…….”

“If a three-tiered galley is discovered when these conditions are met, then there is a high chance that it will be a fire ship.”

I smiled bitterly and Paimon’s expression became stiff. On the other hand, Sitri’s mouth was agape.

“Uh? Huh? ……Mmm? What?”

“The enemy will probably take precautions against being attacked by monsters from underwater. It is very likely that they will have mages on board. Even if their oars are all destroyed, the mages will be able to crash their ships into the bridge as long as they can protect their sails……. This is their aim.”

Laura displayed a pleasant smile.

“There is no reason for us to go out of our way to play along with them. We will ambush them the moment their ships drop anchor at Heilbronn. Heilbronn is a small fishing village with no walls. I recommend setting the ships ablaze together with the village.”

Sitri carefully raised her right hand.”

“So……uh, attack the village?”

“Yes. Between 10 and 11 at night and on a day with strong winds, please take a detached force and assault Heilbronn, Big Sister Sitri.”

Laura answered matter-of-factly. She was acting like we understood everything she had said and that it was only natural to have understood.

“They will probably never expect to be attacked at their anchorage point. This will be slightly harder than taking candy from a baby.”

I almost felt like I heard someone say “this is as easy as pie”.

Paimon and Sitri seemed to still be half in doubt. The bridge and the encirclement were completed and the night assault was also stopped thanks to Laura, but this sounded almost way too precise.

Paimon talked to me in secret after the meeting was over.

“Dantalian, this lady isn’t unrivaled when it comes to strategy, but there is something I learned after going through all sorts of hell. What’s important in war isn’t your imagination or calculative thinking, it’s your reliable decision-making skills and your power of command over your troops.”

“You are right.”

Even if you carry out a creative plan, it means nothing before a brave and powerful army. When to send in and withdraw troops, when to make the troops at the front retreat, and where to build an encampment, these things were much more important. In other words, a reliable decision-making skill.

Most battles aren’t a battle of wits. This is something that most strategists misunderstand.

Strategists are like orchestra conductors. The performers are the ones actually playing the music, not the conductor. Conductors simply open a space for performers to properly play their music.

Similar to that, the soldiers are the ones actually fighting the battles, not the strategist. Therefore, strategists have to prepare a battlefield where each and every soldier can fight courageously and in an orderly manner. If you do not realize this, then you will one day face defeat.

Referentially, this was why I lost to Queen Henrietta.

Now I’m sad all of a sudden.

Paimon asked with a worried look.

“Miss Farnese is definitely overflowing with talent. Nonetheless, battlefields are not so thin that an 18-year-old girl can look through them so easily. Wars do not proceed as with one’s expectations……it would be good to teach Miss Farnese this fact.”

“I agree fully.”

Paimon gave a rather sensible piece of advice. It was sensible and also a precious warning. If I didn’t know that Laura was going to become the military commander that causes historical bloodbaths throughout the continent, then I would’ve probably conceded.

Iron Chancellor Laura de Farnese.

It wasn’t exactly a good nickname. It was actually created by Brittany, an enemy nation. It meant something along the lines of ‘someone who went around creating bloodbaths on the battlefield despite being the chancellor of a nation’.

“Nevertheless, Paimon, I am her supporter. I personally wish to bet on this talent of hers.”

“……Do you think that prediction will actually come true? You must be joking, Dantalian.”

“Of course, it is a joke. However, there may actually be a possibility.”

I smiled awkwardly.

“Are supporters not the people who believe in these kinds of possibilities? I want to at least be the one to believe in her even if no one else does.”

“Truly, I cannot tell if you are a good or bad person.”

Paimon seemed baffled.

“Dantalian, as a commander, I cannot accept a strategy this excessive.”

“Now, now. Paimon, please consider my dignity here. If you look at this from another perspective, we will simply be sending out a detached unit once.”

“Hmm. That is true, but.”

Paimon still seemed hesitant. Seriously, people always reveal their true personalities at times like this. This was befitting the Demon Lord who worked carefully for hundreds of years in order to build a republic nation.

I smiled.

“How about this? In the rare chance Laura succeeds, you will grant me a wish, but, if Laura fails, I will grant you a wish instead.”

“……A wish?”

Paimon blinked in surprise.

“Yes. Anything as long as it is within the wish granter’s ability.”

“Anything…….”

Paimon covered her mouth with her fan as she mulled over it.

“For example, if I were to say that I want a necklace made out of your fingers……would you grant it?”

“Eeh?”

My voice went high on its own. What nonsense is this lady saying?

Paimon swayed her fan slightly.

“I am simply bringing that up as an example. I was wondering if you were making this bet with the resolve to give a finger.”

“No, well, it is definitely possible. It isn’t like my finger has the value of a thousand gold……I could also just regenerate a new one.”

But isn’t this a bit too perverse?

I had made a necklace like that for Barbatos. Don’t tell me. Did it start trending among female Demon Lords because Barbatos kept bragging about it? Necklaces made out of fingers turned out to become a huge trend, something along those lines.

……It’s hard for me to say that it’d be impossible for something like that to start trending. Demon Lords are all perverted, after all.

This is a terrifying neighborhood. If my mother were to see me now, she would probably lament and ask how her kind son could end up hanging out with such perverts. I can only apologize for becoming such an undutiful child.

“Very well, Dantalian. I will gladly take this bet.”

“……Thank you very much.”

I felt a little awkward about this, but I thanked her anyway.

A west wind would come from the White Sea during this season. East winds were rather rare, and it was even rarer for them to last longer than a couple of days. Nonetheless, a strong east wind started to blow about 2 months after the fortress was surrounded.

Laura immediately requested a war council.

“Today is the day. I will leave this in your care, Big Sister Sitri.”

“All right. I still don’t get what’s happening, but I just have to break things and make a mess, right?”

I’ll be on my way, Sitri said confidently as she left. 500 dark elves mounted on wolves left with her.

Paimon still looked doubtful. She agreed to Laura’s plan, but she also made preparations in case we were approached by fire ships. She positioned 60 water spirits near the bridge.

Sitri returned after half a day.

Her entire body was covered in blood.

“Whoa! There really were a lot of galleys in the village! I don’t know what they had in those ships, but they burst into flames after we shot a few fire arrows at them. Thanks to that, we were able to create a panic without much effort. Hehe, it sort of felt like a waste to witness all that by myself.”

Sitri proudly talked about the outcome of the battle with a big grin on her face.

I glanced to my side and saw that Paimon had even forgotten to cover her mouth with her fan as it hung open.

“Oh right. There were also 9 mages.”

Sitri then threw the objects she had been holding in her left hand on the ground. 9 heads were bound together.

“I wanted to capture them as prisoners, but they kept resisting, so I just killed them all. I did good, right?”

“Yes, you did well. As expected of Big Sister Sitri. Your ability to carry out tasks is perfect. The way you beheaded them also gives us a peek into Big Sister Sitri’s sense of aesthetic.”

Laura smiled brightly.

“…….”

Paimon stared at Laura as if she had witnessed a ghost. Her mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t manage to utter a word. She eventually turned to look at me. I smiled back at her.

I moved my mouth without making a sound.

‘The. Bet. You remember it, right? You have to grant me a wish later, okay?’

Paimon’s face was filled with despair.

This is why you need good subordinates.

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TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. I, uh, really don’t have anything to say this chapter. It really is just a continuation of the last chapter where Laura’s just showing off her prowress to Paimon and Sitri.

I’m still playing Lost Ark. I’m honestly really enjoying it. Still sad I had to wait like 4 years for global release, but it’s finally here and that’s all that matters.

Uh, I’ll see you guys in the next chapter? (I don’t know what else to add)