Chapter 48

Lucian and the thousand elites of House Valdeck withdrew from the vanguard just as the First Prince had ordered.

The sight of a thousand elite soldiers preparing to fall back to the rear caused the morale of the allied army to plummet instantly.

They hadn’t even begun a proper war yet, and seeing allies clash among themselves couldn’t be a good sign.

“And even more so if, as a result, they lose such a reliable ally.”

Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Lucian gave a bitter smile.

It was no coincidence that, on the battlefield, punishment for a defeated or incompetent general was postponed until later.

No matter how justified the sanction, seeing one’s own allies fall always had a serious effect on morale.

But this wasn’t a defeat or a mistake—they were openly pulling back an ally who had done nothing wrong.

And not only that.

“This is already lost.”

From the beginning, it had been a difficult war to win, but if they pushed forward, they could still somehow reach Bodium and take the fortress.

However, seeing the current mood, even that now seemed impossible.

Foreseeing a potential disaster, Lucian went to look for the leader of the School of Fire, Blasker.

“Are you here, Lord Blasker?”

“Ah, Duke Lucian. What brings you here?”

Blasker, who had been reading a thick book, stood up immediately upon seeing him enter.

Despite Lucian being young enough to be his grandson, he treated him with great courtesy, likely due to his position as the representative of the grand duchy.

“He’s good in social matters. Not just a scholar who can cast spells.”

Lucian bowed his head respectfully.

“The truth is, I’ve come to ask you a favor.”

“A favor? I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong person. I am nothing more than the staff of the imperial palace.”

Blasker frowned and shook his head.

It was clear he didn’t want to be involved in political affairs.

Afraid he had misunderstood, Lucian quickly clarified.

“It’s not that. There’s something I’d like you to do for the sake of the commander-in-chief, the First Prince, and the Empire.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“The thing is…”

Lucian looked around, stepped closer to Blasker, and whispered something in his ear.

Shortly after, Blasker’s eyes widened.

“Duke Lucian, that’s direct disobedience!”

“Yes. The First Prince will surely see it that way. That’s precisely why I came to you.”

“No matter how noble your intent, this isn’t right. If something goes wrong, I’ll be held accountable too.”

“But it’s also a measure to prevent the worst-case scenario. I’ll take full responsibility. Please.”

“Hmm…”

Blasker groaned, thought for a long while, and finally nodded. Even for him, having insurance before a battle wasn’t a bad idea.

“There’s no other choice. If the time comes, I’ll do as you say.”

“Thank you very much for accepting such an unreasonable request.”

“That said, if nothing happens by the time we reach Bodium Castle, we’ll consider this matter nonexistent. If we arrive there without issue, your proposal loses all meaning.”

“Of course.”

Lucian bowed deeply.

Though he said so, he knew that insurance would not go unused.

In his past life, the First Prince had faced multiple situations where something like this would have been desperately needed.

If his behavior hadn’t changed, the result wouldn’t either.

“Well, that’s not bad news for me.”

The more foolish the First Prince’s decisions were, the more Lucian—who had already taken precautions—would stand out.

For him, as long as the First Prince remained alive, everything else was irrelevant.

***

“Stay around the Horsen River and prepare for any eventuality.”

With that brief order, the First Prince, Claude, sent Lucian to the rear.

He may have thought he was giving a valid justification, but there wasn’t a single soldier who didn’t know the real reason was a personal dispute.

For the nobles who knew the whole situation, the matter was downright absurd.

“‘Any eventuality’ my foot. What kind of emergency could happen at the edge of the border?”

“He could’ve at least had them move up a bit and take charge of rear surveillance…”

Though they burned with indignation inside, none dared to say it out loud.

Claude had yet to suffer a single defeat, and his authority still stood firm.

Only after removing Lucian and Second Prince Cedric did Claude finally show a relieved smile.

“Good. Let’s move on to the next village. That well may be ruined too, but they say there’s a stream nearby, so getting water shouldn’t be hard.”

“That’s right.”

The marquis answered affirmatively but clicked his tongue silently.

Where did he get the confidence that those who had poisoned the wells would leave a stream untouched?

Even so, they had to check the water sources as soon as possible, so they pressed forward without protest.

It wasn’t long before the allied army reached the next village, but upon seeing its state, everyone sighed.

“They’ve thoroughly destroyed it. Even the well’s been wrecked.”

“There’s not even a single usable plank left.”

Ever since the infiltrator assassins had been discovered, Krephelt had changed tactics and began completely razing the villages.

Since deception was no longer an option, they seemed to have chosen to show their true face and harass them without hiding it.

“It’s not like we didn’t expect this. Let’s head to the stream.”

Claude scoffed as if it were nothing and gave orders to the nobles.

His attitude that everything would be fine as long as the stream was intact unsettled them, but they still followed him.

‘They definitely destroyed that too. It wasn’t even that big.’

‘If even the stream is ruined, we’re really in trouble.’

Everyone had already abandoned hope of finding any usable water source.

Now their only concern was how Claude would react if his expectations were once again betrayed.

And so, after spending another full day, the coalition finally arrived at the stream.

“They’ve partially blocked the flow, so the current has weakened, but it’s not contaminated. Seems safe to drink.”

“…!?”

At that completely unexpected news, the nobles exchanged glances.

The same people who had destroyed everything with such precision left the stream only slightly damaged?

Before they could even ask, Claude spoke with a triumphant look.

“They must’ve run out of time because of our rapid advance. Looks like detecting and eliminating the infiltrators threw off their plans.”

“Is that so?”

“What else could it be? Go clear out the blocked stream. We’ve been rationing water—everyone must be thirsty. Let them drink as much as they want.”

The nobles nodded, their expressions uncomfortable. Something didn’t sit right, but the reasoning wasn’t entirely wrong.

‘…Even though the one who discovered the assassins is back in the rear. I don’t get why he’s bragging like it was his doing.’

Swallowing their unspoken thoughts, the soldiers began clearing the blocked waterway.

With each stone and bit of debris removed, the weakened stream gradually returned to its original flow.

When the work was nearly complete, Blasker spoke with a deep frown.

“Your Highness, something feels off.”

“Off? What do you mean?”

“This stream isn’t small enough to have been spared due to lack of time. I think they intentionally damaged it just enough to hold the coalition here.”

“Pointless worries. Even if they hold us in a place as open as this, what could they do? An ambush? Set it on fire?”

Claude scoffed as he gestured at the surroundings.

There was a small forest some distance away, but it was far enough that any ambush could be detected early.

And even if they tried to set it ablaze, the area was too open; retreating would be easy. Plus, being next to a stream, the fire wouldn’t spread easily.

Blasker nodded, but he couldn’t shake the growing sense of unease.

‘This terrain isn’t suited for military tactics… but if they hired a dark mage, they could launch a surprise attack from afar—wait, magic? Water?’

Suddenly, several thoughts clicked into place in his mind. There was one element especially effective against large groups when fighting near water.

As he pondered, a dark shadow spread across the sky.

Rumble.

“Wasn’t it clear just a moment ago? Where’d that thunder come from?”

“Is it going to pour?”

At the murmurs of the soldiers and the sudden thunder, Blasker paled.

Looking up, he saw unnatural black clouds gathering directly above the coalition.

“Damn it…!”

He instinctively began forming hand seals.

Crack!

A blue lightning bolt struck with a blinding flash, hitting the exact spot where the coalition was gathered.

***

“Fuuu…”

Colin exhaled wearily after casting a large-scale spell for the first time in a while.

The sensation of draining all his mana was still unpleasant, but the satisfaction was greater.

The idiots who used to look down on mages now stared wide-eyed.

“I’ve done my part. The rest is up to you.”

“E-er…”

The commander of Krephelt nodded awkwardly.

He seemed surprised after having so thoroughly underestimated Colin.

“Nice work. With this level of power, the position of court mage in Krephelt—”

“I’ve said it many times. Money is enough. Cut the nonsense and go attack.”

The commander frowned but knew it wasn’t the time to argue.

“Attack! Show those Imperial bastards the power of Krephelt!”

“Waaah!”

Krephelt’s soldiers stormed out of the forest, morale sky-high.

Though their numbers and quality were inferior to the Imperial coalition, it was enough to crush an army stunned by a sudden lightning strike.

“Let’s talk later! Wait for me!”

The commander shouted before charging into battle, but Colin scoffed.

‘Am I crazy? Work with you people who broke the Great Agreement?’

Even without the sudden change in tactics, Krephelt had no future.

Even if they won independence by defeating a weakened Empire, the real problem would come afterward.

‘Without the Great Agreement, the world will fall into chaos. And all the blame will land on those who started it.’

They dreamed of an ideal future without thinking of the aftermath. It was almost laughable.

‘Oh well, not my problem. I just need to take my payment and get out of here.’

Colin looked at the stream he’d wrecked with his spell.

The damage was severe, but the area where the commanders stood was unharmed. It looked like Blasker had managed to deflect the lightning with a barrier.

“The old man from the School of Fire isn’t bad. His reputation wasn’t just hot air.”

Still, after taking that lightning bolt head-on, he wouldn’t be able to cast large-scale spells for a while. And in close combat, fire wouldn’t be very useful.

‘No matter how hard he tries, this war will end with Krephelt’s victory. I’ll just watch calmly—huh?’

Pop! Pop-bang!

Multicolored fireworks lit up the sky. Colin frowned.

“Combat magic? No… that’s a signal?”

“Don’t tell me…!”

***

Pop-bang!

“Third young master, that’s the signal.”

“Just as expected.”

Lucian smiled at the sight of the fireworks. Just as he had predicted, the signal came from the exact spot.

For Blasker to fire that signal meant the First Prince was in danger.

And it also meant it was time for Lucian’s name to shine.

“Duke Lucian, our agreement…”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. You’ll lead the rescue of the First Prince. That said, the banner will be House Valdeck’s.”

“Thank you.”

Cedric gave a slight nod, satisfied.

Lucian would lead the army. Cedric would rescue the First Prince at the front.

That was the deal: share the glory on the battlefield and the emperor’s trust.

“No need to thank me. I’ll make sure to collect the full price for sharing a merit that was mine alone.”

“Such terrifying words. But you’re not wrong.”

Cedric nodded with a bitter smile.

If Lucian wanted, he could’ve taken all the credit. Sharing it simply meant he was creating a debt.

“I’ll guarantee it with my name. I’ll repay the price in full. I have a feeling this won’t be our last deal.”

“What a coincidence. I was thinking the same.”

Lucian smiled and turned away.

The thousand elites of House Valdeck stood waiting for his command.

“March.”

At that single order, the thousand troops began to move.

This was the moment history began to diverge from his past life.