Ch 84
“Ye-Yes, Sir!”
Unable to resist Otto’s threats, the commander-in-chief finally agreed to comply.
“But on one condition our soldiers are very tired right now, so let them go into the capital and rest. You can rest and….”
*Poke!*
The stick pricked the king’s ass.
“Squeak!”
The king squirmed, making another pig squealing sound.
“Oh, no, why are you poking His Majesty’s ass with a stick again!”
“Don’t be silly.”
Otto glared at the commander-in-chief.
“How can you use a trick in front of me and not get caught?”
“…….”
“Am I crazy, letting you into the capital? Why, to come into the capital and pretend you’re taking a break? Shallow or not, I recognize you for the monkey you are.”
“Don’t you dare try to pull a fast one. I’ll rip his head off and turn on the crown prince if I have to. Every time you do something I don’t like, a royal will die.”
“I understand, so please don’t.”
“If you understand, get the hell out of here.”
Otto pointed to the east.
“What you do will determine the fate of the royals, including this pig.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
With that, the commander-in-chief led his troops back to the east, following Otto’s orders.
“Attach a scout to keep an eye out for any bullshit. Make sure they can report anything out of the ordinary immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” replied by the unnamed magic swordsman.
Otto gave the order, then watched the Magritte army disappear into the distance and said to himself.
“Well, then, we shall go.” Otto offhandedly mentions to Elise beside him.
“What?” inquired Elise.
“I have to go see your father now.” Otto elaborated for Elise.
“Oh?”
“I’ll come with you.” came the upbeat voice of Elise.
Otto had no intention of leaving the Kongurat tribe in the hands of the Magritte Kingdom Army alone.
* * *
Having taken refuge in the mountains, the Kongurat faced great hardship and adversity.
The mountains of the Haver Prairie were so barren that there was no food to eat.
Furthermore, water was scarce.
The Kerrates, who surrounded the mountains, had taken over the water sources, making it impossible for them to find water.
As the Kongurat ran out of water and food, they resorted to extreme survival activities such as peeling bark off trees, grazing, and collecting rainwater to drink.
“Chief, eat.”
A warrior held out a piece of meat, whether it was raw or cooked, to Amukhan, who was resting on a rock.
It was the roughly roasted meat of a squirrel they had killed in the mountains.
“Nope. You eat it.”
Amukhan shook his head.
“You haven’t eaten in days.”
“No, the chief eats it.”
“I am fine.”
Amukhan did not use his position as chief to fill his stomach.
‘A chief must lead by example. You must always be strong and give in to your people. Only then will they trust you and follow you.’
The reason Amukhan has been able to hold onto his chieftaincy for so long is because of the leadership he learned from Kairos.
By nature, the nomads of the Khabar Steppes strive for nothing more than survival.
In fact, it was a miracle that the tribesmen abandoned Ulaanbaatar and followed the evacuation.
Given the values and behavioral patterns of the nomads, it was not strange for them to betray their chief, Amukhan, and surrender as a group.
“They may attack, so gather all the strength you can, I’m still strong enough to hold out.”
“Chieftain….”
“We can hold out for a few more days. Reinforcements will come. Trust me, and hold on a little longer. This torturous march will soon be over.”
“Ah, I understand!”
The warrior was encouraged by Amukhan’s words.
The assured tone of the chief, the leader of the tribe, gave him the strength to persevere, no matter how difficult the situation.
“Tell our tribesmen. That the whole ordeal will be over in a week, no matter how long it takes, and that I will be here to stay.”
“Yes!”
But Amukhan’s stomach wasn’t so comfortable.
‘It’s a crisis. If we let another day or two pass… even our own people will run down the mountain and surrender to them… Your Majesty… please come quickly.
In fact, it wasn’t Amukhan’s own conviction that inspired the tribesmen’s faith.
He was trusting in Otto, his lord, and holding on through sheer blind faith.
* * *
Meanwhile, Togril, the chief of the Kerate tribe, was in a very foul mood.
“General HoYasu was found dead.”
“General KuChing has gone missing.”
“The enemy cavalry is churning our rear. They’re few in number, but they’re so strong and agile that we keep getting beaten.”
Togril was patiently waiting, besieging the mountain where the Kongurat tribe had taken refuge.
The Kongurat tribe is a mouse in a barrel anyway.
There was no need to go into the mountains and slaughter them.
Because time was on the Kerrates’ side.
But the constant stream of bad news from behind the scenes irritated Togril.
“These fucking rats..” came the gnashing voice of Togril as he gaze at Hillside of the Haver Prairie Mountain.
Togril would have to grind them down, but for now, it was difficult to take out the few enemies that were disrupting his rear.
With all his troops deployed to surround the mountain, there was no room for any maneuvers.
“What do you suggest, Chief?”
“Leave it alone.”
Yes…?”
“We can’t afford to chase a bunch of mice right now. Withdrawing our troops will loosen the siege. Then the Kongurat might escape. For the time being, just let them run amok. They’re not going anywhere anyway.”
Togril gave an eerie smile.
“In a day or two, the Kongurat will have had enough and will come down the mountain and surrender. That will leave only Amukhan and a few loyal warriors. We’ll deal with the rest after that.”
“I understand.”
“I need to lighten my mood, Colonel, so get me some wine and meat.”
“Yes, Chief.”
In his lavishly decorated tent, Togril drank and dined to his heart’s content, and he brought in a host of beautiful dancers to keep him entertained.
The idea was to kill time until the Kongurat tribesmen grew tired of the struggle and surrendered.
* * *
Kairos, Camille, and the Magic Swordsmen did a tremendous job while the Kongurat were holed up in the mountains.
They succeeded in numerous special operations, including rear-guarding, assassination, and reconnaissance.
However, due to the nature of the situation, they were unable to influence the general tide.
With the Kerrates launching an all-out offensive and the Kongurat taking refuge in the mountains, they were unable to make much of an impact.
And so, after the last op.
“…I should have resigned a long time ago.”
Camille leaned back against the rock and mused.
Every employee has a resignation letter in their back pocket.
Knights were no exception.
Although a specialized career, the knight was also a public servant drawing a salary from the state.
An abusive boss with a paltry salary, He was a lowly worker, a slave to Otto.
Depending on how badly the last ten days have gone, even one’s normally neat and tidy appearance can become a mess.
“Heheh”
Kairos looked at Camille and laughed.
“Since ancient times, a knight who met the wrong ruler will go through hardships.”
“… …”
“You should have jumped while you could, and since you’ve gotten this far, blame your own stupidity. Hehehe.”
“Did the old knights have a hard time too?”
“Mmm.”
Kairos was momentarily stunned into silence by Camille’s question.
“It’s a pain, Hahaha, It was, They’ve had a hard time with the wrong lord.” came the melancholic reply of Kairos.
Kairos’ mind flashed back to the faces of his men, the men he had once traveled across continents with to build an empire.
It’s likely a skeleton in the closet by now, but….
‘I’m sorry for you guys, I… you’ve all worked so hard and you didn’t get to enjoy a life full of riches. It’s all this one’s fault, If I hadn’t been so trusting and got betrayed by a man who deserved to be torn apart and chewed up… you boys wouldn’t have met such a miserable end.’
Came the anguished thoughts of Kairos, by Camille’s unexpected question which opened up his greatest regret in life.
The men who had spent their lives following Kairos and suffering the hardships of his service must have been eventually purged by the Argonne.
It’s just that they suffered so much that just the thought couldn’t make him feel better.
“Don’t just follow your master and suffer. If you doubt him, go ahead and….”
“Old man.”
Camille broke off Kairos’s sentence.
“Knights are selfish people.”
“Hmm?”
“A knight is loyal to his lord because of chivalry, not for him. We live to uphold chivalry, and we find meaning in upholding it, and that’s why we’ll stay loyal no matter what, even if our lord is a hooded devil. There’s no wealth or honor in that.”
“…Indeed.”
“If the monarch is a being worth serving, then that is enough for the knight. To be sure, there is no greater blessing for a knight than that.”
“Hehehe”
Kairos smirked.
Camille’s words had eased the guilt in his chest, if only a little, so he’d been able to….
‘Did you boys enjoy your time with me? Was I worthy of your company? I hope so, but that’s my greed, and it’s just a wish.’
Kairos wished he could ask his old men that if he ever met them.
It was an impossible wish, of course.
The men who could answer him were already skeletons on the ground.
“Either way, you guys are as troublesome as ever.”
“That’s what I think, too.”
“Blessed is that skinny boy, for he has a high-minded, headstrong knight like you.”
“You’re right about that, too.”
“Hehehe!”
Kairos laughed in amusement, then shook himself out of his seat and paced.
“You’ve rested too long. Let’s get going.”
“Are we going again?”
Camille honestly thought he’d gotten enough of running.
Dozens of successful special operations had failed to turn the tide of the war, and he was growing skeptical.
“Why, because it’s just a bunch of pointless resistance?”
“Honestly, yes.”
“I think so, too.”
“Yeah..?”
“‘Cept we’ve shaken their rear enough that they deserve to lose some troops. But the fact that they’re holding on is proof that the Kerrates chieftain is willing to take this much damage, so there’s only one thing we need to do.”
“What’s that?”
“Soon enough, Pansy¹ will come with an army, and we’ll have to….”
Kairos chuckled.
“Cut off their information flow, so they don’t realize he’s coming with an army.”
“Information Net… Block!”
“We’ll focus on their scouts and messengers. We’ll cut off the flow of information to their eyes and ears, and they’ll be caught unaware that Pansy’s army is approaching. Hehehehehehe!”
Kairos was by no means a muscle-bound fool.
In his own words, Kairos was a man who built an empire with a mace and two heavy set of balls.
It didn’t just mean that he’d experienced a lot of combat.
His experience in strategy, tactics, politics, diplomacy, and the broader economy made his perspective on any given situation many times better than the average person.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Kairos word choice for Otto due to his appearance.
Ch 84
“Ye-Yes, Sir!”
Unable to resist Otto’s threats, the commander-in-chief finally agreed to comply.
“But on one condition our soldiers are very tired right now, so let them go into the capital and rest. You can rest and….”
*Poke!*
The stick pricked the king’s ass.
“Squeak!”
The king squirmed, making another pig squealing sound.
“Oh, no, why are you poking His Majesty’s ass with a stick again!”
“Don’t be silly.”
Otto glared at the commander-in-chief.
“How can you use a trick in front of me and not get caught?”
“…….”
“Am I crazy, letting you into the capital? Why, to come into the capital and pretend you’re taking a break? Shallow or not, I recognize you for the monkey you are.”
“Don’t you dare try to pull a fast one. I’ll rip his head off and turn on the crown prince if I have to. Every time you do something I don’t like, a royal will die.”
“I understand, so please don’t.”
“If you understand, get the hell out of here.”
Otto pointed to the east.
“What you do will determine the fate of the royals, including this pig.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
With that, the commander-in-chief led his troops back to the east, following Otto’s orders.
“Attach a scout to keep an eye out for any bullshit. Make sure they can report anything out of the ordinary immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” replied by the unnamed magic swordsman.
Otto gave the order, then watched the Magritte army disappear into the distance and said to himself.
“Well, then, we shall go.” Otto offhandedly mentions to Elise beside him.
“What?” inquired Elise.
“I have to go see your father now.” Otto elaborated for Elise.
“Oh?”
“I’ll come with you.” came the upbeat voice of Elise.
Otto had no intention of leaving the Kongurat tribe in the hands of the Magritte Kingdom Army alone.
* * *
Having taken refuge in the mountains, the Kongurat faced great hardship and adversity.
The mountains of the Haver Prairie were so barren that there was no food to eat.
Furthermore, water was scarce.
The Kerrates, who surrounded the mountains, had taken over the water sources, making it impossible for them to find water.
As the Kongurat ran out of water and food, they resorted to extreme survival activities such as peeling bark off trees, grazing, and collecting rainwater to drink.
“Chief, eat.”
A warrior held out a piece of meat, whether it was raw or cooked, to Amukhan, who was resting on a rock.
It was the roughly roasted meat of a squirrel they had killed in the mountains.
“Nope. You eat it.”
Amukhan shook his head.
“You haven’t eaten in days.”
“No, the chief eats it.”
“I am fine.”
Amukhan did not use his position as chief to fill his stomach.
‘A chief must lead by example. You must always be strong and give in to your people. Only then will they trust you and follow you.’
The reason Amukhan has been able to hold onto his chieftaincy for so long is because of the leadership he learned from Kairos.
By nature, the nomads of the Khabar Steppes strive for nothing more than survival.
In fact, it was a miracle that the tribesmen abandoned Ulaanbaatar and followed the evacuation.
Given the values and behavioral patterns of the nomads, it was not strange for them to betray their chief, Amukhan, and surrender as a group.
“They may attack, so gather all the strength you can, I’m still strong enough to hold out.”
“Chieftain….”
“We can hold out for a few more days. Reinforcements will come. Trust me, and hold on a little longer. This torturous march will soon be over.”
“Ah, I understand!”
The warrior was encouraged by Amukhan’s words.
The assured tone of the chief, the leader of the tribe, gave him the strength to persevere, no matter how difficult the situation.
“Tell our tribesmen. That the whole ordeal will be over in a week, no matter how long it takes, and that I will be here to stay.”
“Yes!”
But Amukhan’s stomach wasn’t so comfortable.
‘It’s a crisis. If we let another day or two pass… even our own people will run down the mountain and surrender to them… Your Majesty… please come quickly.
In fact, it wasn’t Amukhan’s own conviction that inspired the tribesmen’s faith.
He was trusting in Otto, his lord, and holding on through sheer blind faith.
* * *
Meanwhile, Togril, the chief of the Kerate tribe, was in a very foul mood.
“General HoYasu was found dead.”
“General KuChing has gone missing.”
“The enemy cavalry is churning our rear. They’re few in number, but they’re so strong and agile that we keep getting beaten.”
Togril was patiently waiting, besieging the mountain where the Kongurat tribe had taken refuge.
The Kongurat tribe is a mouse in a barrel anyway.
There was no need to go into the mountains and slaughter them.
Because time was on the Kerrates’ side.
But the constant stream of bad news from behind the scenes irritated Togril.
“These fucking rats..” came the gnashing voice of Togril as he gaze at Hillside of the Haver Prairie Mountain.
Togril would have to grind them down, but for now, it was difficult to take out the few enemies that were disrupting his rear.
With all his troops deployed to surround the mountain, there was no room for any maneuvers.
“What do you suggest, Chief?”
“Leave it alone.”
Yes…?”
“We can’t afford to chase a bunch of mice right now. Withdrawing our troops will loosen the siege. Then the Kongurat might escape. For the time being, just let them run amok. They’re not going anywhere anyway.”
Togril gave an eerie smile.
“In a day or two, the Kongurat will have had enough and will come down the mountain and surrender. That will leave only Amukhan and a few loyal warriors. We’ll deal with the rest after that.”
“I understand.”
“I need to lighten my mood, Colonel, so get me some wine and meat.”
“Yes, Chief.”
In his lavishly decorated tent, Togril drank and dined to his heart’s content, and he brought in a host of beautiful dancers to keep him entertained.
The idea was to kill time until the Kongurat tribesmen grew tired of the struggle and surrendered.
* * *
Kairos, Camille, and the Magic Swordsmen did a tremendous job while the Kongurat were holed up in the mountains.
They succeeded in numerous special operations, including rear-guarding, assassination, and reconnaissance.
However, due to the nature of the situation, they were unable to influence the general tide.
With the Kerrates launching an all-out offensive and the Kongurat taking refuge in the mountains, they were unable to make much of an impact.
And so, after the last op.
“…I should have resigned a long time ago.”
Camille leaned back against the rock and mused.
Every employee has a resignation letter in their back pocket.
Knights were no exception.
Although a specialized career, the knight was also a public servant drawing a salary from the state.
An abusive boss with a paltry salary, He was a lowly worker, a slave to Otto.
Depending on how badly the last ten days have gone, even one’s normally neat and tidy appearance can become a mess.
“Heheh”
Kairos looked at Camille and laughed.
“Since ancient times, a knight who met the wrong ruler will go through hardships.”
“… …”
“You should have jumped while you could, and since you’ve gotten this far, blame your own stupidity. Hehehe.”
“Did the old knights have a hard time too?”
“Mmm.”
Kairos was momentarily stunned into silence by Camille’s question.
“It’s a pain, Hahaha, It was, They’ve had a hard time with the wrong lord.” came the melancholic reply of Kairos.
Kairos’ mind flashed back to the faces of his men, the men he had once traveled across continents with to build an empire.
It’s likely a skeleton in the closet by now, but….
‘I’m sorry for you guys, I… you’ve all worked so hard and you didn’t get to enjoy a life full of riches. It’s all this one’s fault, If I hadn’t been so trusting and got betrayed by a man who deserved to be torn apart and chewed up… you boys wouldn’t have met such a miserable end.’
Came the anguished thoughts of Kairos, by Camille’s unexpected question which opened up his greatest regret in life.
The men who had spent their lives following Kairos and suffering the hardships of his service must have been eventually purged by the Argonne.
It’s just that they suffered so much that just the thought couldn’t make him feel better.
“Don’t just follow your master and suffer. If you doubt him, go ahead and….”
“Old man.”
Camille broke off Kairos’s sentence.
“Knights are selfish people.”
“Hmm?”
“A knight is loyal to his lord because of chivalry, not for him. We live to uphold chivalry, and we find meaning in upholding it, and that’s why we’ll stay loyal no matter what, even if our lord is a hooded devil. There’s no wealth or honor in that.”
“…Indeed.”
“If the monarch is a being worth serving, then that is enough for the knight. To be sure, there is no greater blessing for a knight than that.”
“Hehehe”
Kairos smirked.
Camille’s words had eased the guilt in his chest, if only a little, so he’d been able to….
‘Did you boys enjoy your time with me? Was I worthy of your company? I hope so, but that’s my greed, and it’s just a wish.’
Kairos wished he could ask his old men that if he ever met them.
It was an impossible wish, of course.
The men who could answer him were already skeletons on the ground.
“Either way, you guys are as troublesome as ever.”
“That’s what I think, too.”
“Blessed is that skinny boy, for he has a high-minded, headstrong knight like you.”
“You’re right about that, too.”
“Hehehe!”
Kairos laughed in amusement, then shook himself out of his seat and paced.
“You’ve rested too long. Let’s get going.”
“Are we going again?”
Camille honestly thought he’d gotten enough of running.
Dozens of successful special operations had failed to turn the tide of the war, and he was growing skeptical.
“Why, because it’s just a bunch of pointless resistance?”
“Honestly, yes.”
“I think so, too.”
“Yeah..?”
“‘Cept we’ve shaken their rear enough that they deserve to lose some troops. But the fact that they’re holding on is proof that the Kerrates chieftain is willing to take this much damage, so there’s only one thing we need to do.”
“What’s that?”
“Soon enough, Pansy¹ will come with an army, and we’ll have to….”
Kairos chuckled.
“Cut off their information flow, so they don’t realize he’s coming with an army.”
“Information Net… Block!”
“We’ll focus on their scouts and messengers. We’ll cut off the flow of information to their eyes and ears, and they’ll be caught unaware that Pansy’s army is approaching. Hehehehehehe!”
Kairos was by no means a muscle-bound fool.
In his own words, Kairos was a man who built an empire with a mace and two heavy set of balls.
It didn’t just mean that he’d experienced a lot of combat.
His experience in strategy, tactics, politics, diplomacy, and the broader economy made his perspective on any given situation many times better than the average person.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Kairos word choice for Otto due to his appearance.
