CH 53

‘Hey, look at this!’

Ottos’ real face inside the mask was bewildering.

‘He’s asking me to kill myself?’

I felt strange. Would there be another day in my life when I receive a request for my own assassination?

“Otto de Scuderia….”

Otto muttered as if he found it interesting, and asked the Crown Prince.

“Are you already concerned about someone you’ve never heard of?”

“He’s definitely not someone to be taken lightly.”

The Crown Prince replied.

“According to the information we’ve gathered, Otto de Scuderia is a formidable figure. In just a few months, he has gained control over most of the western region and established the foundation of a country.”

“Hmm.”

“Now he may be just a minor king of a small country, but if he takes advantage of the civil war in our homeland, he could grow significantly, don’t you think?”

“Although it can be seen that way…”

“Furthermore, with the civil war underway, the national power of our homeland will greatly weaken.”

The Crown Prince’s prediction was correct.

Regardless of who wins, the national power of the Rochan Kingdom was destined to greatly diminish in the future.

In the worst case, more than 70 percent of military strength could be lost.

“If Otto de Scuderia takes advantage of our weakened homeland and invades… that could be truly dangerous. Even if I defeat that traitor Alex and reclaim the throne, what good would it be if our homeland is destroyed by the invasion of the Iota?”

“You make a valid point.”

… He said, but Otto felt embarrassed inwardly.

‘Does this guy notice everything?’

At the moment, the Crown Prince was seeing through Otto’s plan with great accuracy.

Of course, he would have no idea that the person right in front of him was Otto, even in his dreams….

“I want to cut off the roots. I want to eliminate the leader of the forces that will threaten my kingdom in the future.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“I will now eliminate Otto de Scuderia and win the battle against my traitor uncle, securing the throne.”

“What will you do next?”

“Naturally, I will launch an attack on Iota, once that they have lost their king.”

“Oh?”

“Then our Rochan Kingdom will completely dominate this region. If that happens… our Rochan Kingdom will establish a foundation to become a powerful nation beyond the small countries on the outskirts.”

The Crown Prince’s ambition was truly remarkable.

He aimed to completely dominate the western border regions of the continent and expand eastward to become a powerful nation.

His plan was exactly the same as Otto’s.

The Crown Prince was definitely not a fool.

“What do you think of my plan?”

“You are very wise, Your Highness.”

“Can you help me? If you assist me, I will definitely repay you generously.”

“Well….” Otto replied with a smirk.

Of course, his face behind the mask wouldn’t be visible while he was smiling….

“Of course. I will assist you, Your Highness.”

“Is that really true? Thank you.”

“You don’t have to mention it….”

“Then, will you kill Otto de Scuderia for me?”

“It’s possible. I will try to arrange for Gonzalez, that wicked and persistent guy, to assassinate small fry Otto de Scuderia.”

Yes, I will kill him for you. Hehehe.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

The Crown Prince tightly grasped Otto’s hand and expressed his gratitude.

Unaware that the person right in front of him was very Otto, who had asked him to kill him….

***

After the meeting.

“What’s the matter?”

Camille asked Otto as he returned to their lodging.

“It’s nothing much. Just continue to assist me in the future. I’m counting on you.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, and…” Otto added.

“You have to kill me. The Crown Prince… asked me to….”

“Very well.”

Camille immediately placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“? WHOA!”

Seeing Camille reaching for his sword as if he had been waiting, Otto shouted, ‘Wait!’ and stepped back.

“Do you draw your sword right away when someone asks you to kill them? You should… No, you should listen to the whole story!”

“I was merely following orders.”

“Do I look crazy? Did I really ask you to kill me?”

“Isn’t that what you asked?”

“No!” With a slightly disappointed expression, Camille removed his hand from the scabbard.

“What’s wrong? Your expression? It seems like you’re disappointed.”

“Do I look that way?”

“Yeah, completely.”

“It’s just my mood.” Camille said curtly.

“Anyway, what is it? That charming… no, strange command.”

Camille tried to suppress the slight hint of sincerity and asked Otto.

“The Crown Prince asked me to kill him.”

“Huh…?”

“To kill King Otto de Scuderia of the Iota Kingdom. As a precaution for the future.”

“Was the Crown Prince such a good person?”

“What? A good pers…son?”

Otto widened his eyes.

“Just now, your statement was quite suspicious.”

“You misunderstand.”

“What’s there to misunderstand?”

“I simply stated that the Crown Prince has exceptional strategic foresight for predicting the future.”

“Really?”

“For the Crown Prince, Your majesty is a considerably threatening enemy. Isn’t it natural to want to eliminate such an enemy before they grow further?”

“Well, that’s true, but….”

Otto squinted at Camille with a doubtful look.

“….”

Camille stared back at Otto expressionlessly, as if questioning what he was talking about, as usual.

“Instead of suffering, I’d rather die. Kill me.”

Otto, impressed by Camille’s ability to maintain such a perfect poker face, gave up on trying to provoke him.

No matter how tough someone is, if they can control their facial expressions so well while acting submissive, there’s no point in pushing further.

“Anyway, if he asks to be killed, I’ll kill him(Me). When the news of Otto de Scuderia’s death reaches him, the Crown Prince will trust me even more.”

“I understand.”

“Go and inform Duke Wazir. Then, he’ll take care of it himself.”

“Yes.”

Upon receiving Otto’s command, Camille immediately left Felton Fortress and headed towards the Iota Kingdom.

***

The rebel army led by Duke Alex.

And the suppression army led by Crown Prince Louis Blanc.

The two forces marched towards each other, almost simultaneously leaving their bases.

The rebel army moved from the west to the east.

The suppression army moved from east to west.

They entered a civil war to seize the throne.

Meanwhile, the headquarters of the suppression army led by the Crown Prince was filled with worries.

Inside the barracks.

“The terrain is extremely unfavorable.”

As soon as the evening meeting began, Crown Prince Louis Blanc looked perplexed as he studied the map.

“How can there be no solution?”

“We can launch an aerial assault, but we don’t have enough sharp weapons otherwise.”

Lord Robert replied to the Prince’s question.

“No matter how fast we march, we cannot prevent the rebel army from seizing advantageous terrain.”

“Then what should we do? Isn’t our army at a significant disadvantage?”

The Prince spoke in frustration.

Indeed, the situation was quite frustrating.

The First Division, being the elite forces of the Rochan Kingdom, had exceptional combat capabilities, but the problem lay in supply and terrain.

Currently, the First Division had only enough rations and supplies for one month, so the longer the war dragged on, the more disadvantaged they became.

Moreover, the terrain was unfavorable, and launching an attack would undoubtedly result in significant losses.

On the other hand, the suppression army had a significant advantage in terms of terrain.

Furthermore, by controlling capital, they could receive a stable supply of provisions and various supplies.

In other words, simply holding out and prolonging the war would be highly advantageous for them.

‘It must be frustrating.’

Otto quietly listened to the conversation between the Crown Prince and Lord Robert, seeing through their inner thoughts.

“If we fail to break through this Canyon Ridge, we have no future. We will truly be engaged in a difficult battle. Even if it means pushing ourselves, we must occupy the Canyon Ridge.”

“Even if we succeed in occupying it, we cannot avoid significant losses.”

“Then what should we do? If things continue like this, we will wither and die. Is there no other way?”

“Well, that…”

Even if it was Lord Robert, a seasoned commander-in-chief, it was impossible for him to come up with a way to quickly occupy the Canyon Ridge given the current situation.

‘He can’t stand it and wants to force it, right?’

Otto anticipated the Crown Prince’s next course of action.

“We must occupy the Canyon Ridge even if it means pushing ourselves. Only then can we continue this war.”

Indeed, Otto’s prediction became a reality within seconds.

“Either we go all out and occupy the Canyon Ridge or we perish like dogs. Otherwise, we have to find some way to occupy it, no matter what.”

Based on Otto’s experience, the Prince had about a 20% chance of successfully occupying Canyon Ridge.

‘The problem is even if they did succeed, the loss of troops will be too great.’

According to Otto’s estimation, even if they succeeded in occupying it, the Prince would lose more than a third of his troops.

In that case, the future war would become even more difficult, ultimately resulting in Duke Alex’s victory and a swift end to the civil war.

And the Iota Kingdom would be finished as well.

Just like the Crown Prince, Duke Alex had no intention of leaving the rapidly growing Iota Kingdom unattended.

“Your highness, but that is extremely dangerous…”

“Sometimes we must make great sacrifices, Lord Robert. You know it too. If we don’t capture the Canyon Ridge, we have no future.”

“…”

“I have already made my decision. We will attack the Canyon Ridge.”

At that moment, Otto stepped forward.

“I will do it.”

‘I need to help here.’

If Otto assists in capturing the Canyon Ridge, Prince Louis Blanc and Duke Alex will engage in a fierce battle, depleting their forces. In other words, Otto will achieve more than half of his objective.

“I will attempt to capture the Canyon Ridge.”

“Is that even possible?”

The prince couldn’t believe what Otto was saying.

The Canyon Ridge was a strategically important stronghold, with nearly ten thousand rebel soldiers defending it.

To think of capturing such a place…

“For now, move our troops near the Canyon Ridge”

“What do we do next?”

“Just wait.”

“Just wait?”

“Yes.”

“What do you mean? Please explain in more detail.”

“You will find out when the time comes.”

Leaving those words behind, Otto immediately left for command headquarters.

***

Three days later.

The suppressive army led by the prince arrived near Canyon Ridge.

“The troops of the suppressive army have arrived.”

“Understood. Let’s wait for now.”

Otto, leading the Koutachi family’s Magic Swordmans, hid around the Canyon Ridge. Upon receiving a report from Kasim, Otto nodded.

That night.

“Let’s go.”

Otto led the Magic Swordmans as they began to ascend the Canyon Ridge.

The Canyon Ridge had already been occupied by rebel forces, and numerous rebel scouts were patrolling the area.

It was no surprise.

Since the prince’s army had gathered near the line, it was natural for the reconnaissance activities to intensify in preparation for an attack.

“Pass by quietly.”

Otto activated the ‘Clairvoyance’ skill and the Magic Swordmans were wearing night vision goggles, easily sneaking past the rebel scouts and successfully infiltrating the rebel camp.

That was the frightening aspect of the ‘Clairvoyance’ skill.

While it may not be of great help in direct combat, it provided tremendous tactical advantages during the night.

But that wasn’t all.

“It’s visible.”

With the ‘Clairvoyance’ skill activated, Otto could clearly see inside the military tents set up in the rebel camp.

Thanks to that, Otto and his companions avoided the night guards patrolling around and moved freely, using the military tents as cover.

“Let’s change our disguises here.”

Otto and the Magic Swordmans stole rebel uniforms that were laid out for drying and immediately headed towards the command tent.