CH 85

second variable (1)

Stephen introduced a soldier.

"I am a native of this area. You have a perfect grasp of the geography of your surroundings, so it will be useful as a guide."

"My name is Kobe."

He was a soldier with a dark face.

Roman accepted Kobe's greeting, moved to the lost command room, and spread a map on the table.

????????

"This is a map of the Southern Front. What is the fastest way to get to the rear position?"

" Are you serious behind the scenes?"

Kobe's eyes widened.

Stephen explained that Roman needed his help in order to help the other lines of defense.

If so, the destination should be the line of defense, but when I suddenly mentioned the rear position, I got a questionable response.

There was no need to explain why.

But for active cooperation, Roman said his thoughts.

"I don't think the defensive positions on the Southern Front can hold out for long. Even if we move fast, one place will surely collapse and break through. In such a situation, there is a high probability that we will be isolated in the defensive positions. That's why I'm going to move to the rear position first. After joining forces in the rear positions, we will understand the situation in the defensive positions and respond flexibly accordingly."

" Ah!

Kobe involuntarily admired himself.

It was a sensible decision.

As Roman said.

The small number of troops could not address all the threats on the southern front.

Kobe's gaze turned to the map.

Searching for the fastest way to the rear fortification, he said, pointing to one path.

"I think it would be good to go here. If you follow this road, you can get there in as little as three hours."

One of the many paths to the rear fortifications.

It was the safest way to travel.

By the way.

Roman shook his head.

no. We cannot afford to pursue the safe path. What we need now is time, and in order to shorten our arrival time, we need to move even at the risk of steep slopes and obstacles."

"Uh-huh, how about this road then?"

It was on the way back to the mountain.

The terrain was much tougher than the first suggested route, and instead of continuing up the slope, I was able to get there quickly across the mountain.

If the first time was 3 hours, this is 2 hours and 30 minutes.

I thought it would show a positive reaction this time, but there was no sign of satisfaction on Roman's expression.

"As far as I know, it takes about two and a half hours for the average person to move through this road. That's not enough. My soldiers can maintain high speed in any terrain. So, considering our level, we need a shortcut that can get us to the rear position in two hours."

Moment.

Kobe had a strange feeling.

' what?'

Two comments.

two answers.

In response to Roman's complete grasp of the road, Kobe looked up at Roman with a bewildered face.

* * *

first way.

Even if you weren't a native of the South, you could tell.

Just by looking at the map, it was clear that it was a flat land, and it was worth asking for a faster route from Roman's point of view.

By the way.

Not the second way.

'How do you know that the road back to the mountain takes two and a half hours? It's not just a prediction. It was clearly a statement he was confident in his calculations, and if so, it can be interpreted to mean that he understands the geography of the southern front to some extent. But why did you choose me as your guide?'

I had a question.

the man in front of you.

I wondered what Roman Dmitry was thinking.

" I didn't know you knew the way so well.

turned around and asked

Even though I know the way well, I don't know why I called myself.

In response to the slightly thought-provoking remarks, Roman said calmly without taking his eyes off the map.

"I was assigned to the Southern Front and researched this place for a while. How is the battlefield where I will live for 2 years and what is the terrain like? I studied a lot in case the unexpected situation arises. I don't fully understand either. However, I am fully aware of the basics that other people should know."

Listen to information from Valhalla.

Roman ordered Lucas to investigate the Southern Front.

It wasn't just about checking the signs of war.

In preparation for a possible war, the current situation of the Southern Front was checked, and several routes leading to each defensive position were also identified.

When the 5th line of defense is attacked.

Roman arrived at the battlefield in less than an hour.

People thought they had arrived quickly by sprinting down a road that would take two hours, but the truth is, they used a shortcut in their head.

And.

I recently received information from McBurney.

It was similar to Lucas, but a little more detailed, thanks to which he knew the route of the Southern Front as well as a local.

Roman's answer.

Kobe didn't understand any more.

If you've gotten this far, it still doesn't look like you need your help.

"When Steven called me, you probably thought I was ignorant of the Southern Front."

"Oh, no."

"There is no need to be so upset. Common sense, that's the normal category. The reason I told Steven that he needed someone familiar with the Southern Front was that the information I got from the documents and the actual reality could be different. The information I checked said that the second route takes 2 hours and 30 minutes. But what if the weather is bad or something has happened on the road recently? It must be an area that requires real-world knowledge that cannot be known through documents. That's why I said I need your help. I thought that the information I gave was correct, and that the natives of the Southern Front might know a special route that was unknown to a foreigner. Is that enough explanation now?"

Yes?! Chu, I fully understand."

Kobe stuttered.

I felt like my thoughts were being read.

Roman knew why Kobe was asking and hoped for complete help by clearing his doubts sufficiently.

Roman looked different.

In the meantime, many nobles were assigned to the Southern Front, but it was arguably the first of its kind to be Roman.

'It is different from the nobles who come to the Southern Front to live a comfortable life. This guy is really ready to go to war. Even if no one else knows, if you can help us carry out his will, there will definitely be hope on the Southern Front.'

I have confidence.

Kobe looked at the map.

Then he pointed to a place and said.

"I can assure you that this route is the best option if you're really confident that you can move quickly, regardless of the terrain. It is a path that has been secretly used with village friends since childhood. If you travel through the thick forest, you can reach the rear fort in 2 hours. However, you have to be really careful. If you stumble even just a little, you may end up in an accident where you fall down a steep cliff."

That means.

It was the type of answer Roman had been waiting for, signaling the end of the meeting.

* * *

Just 10 minutes.

The meeting didn't take long.

When Roman left the command room, Roman's soldiers had already finished preparing and lined up.

"Chris and 30 others. All preparations are complete."

chuckle.

It was a knife-like reaction.

By the way.

Next to the soldiers, who were holding tight flags, there was an unwelcome face.

"Henry Albert and 50 others. All preparations are complete."

It was Henry.

He looked into Chris's eyes and imitated what he was doing.

Of course, there was a big difference in momentum, but Henry tried to show a serious expression.

Roman asked.

"Why are you there?"

Henry's presence.

It wasn't nice.

It's good to have a lot of troops, but when time is running out, the gangsters who follow Henry are of no help.

Besides, there was nothing more to explain if it was Henry Albert, who was acting haphazardly on the first meeting.

Henry himself knew it, but he could not tell the truth.

'If I told you to make friends with the person who will become Dmitry's future leader, would you tell me to quit right away?'

Henry's sincerity.

He hardened his expression.

What was needed now was proper acting.

"First of all, I apologize for my mistakes. The reason I'm shy and want to follow Roman is because I'm also a citizen of Cairo. The kingdom of Hector has declared war. In a situation where innocent people are dying, I thought I should add my strength as a Cairo nobleman. Just give me orders. I will risk my life and do my best to help."

raised his voice.

It's like talking about noblesse oblige.

He proudly opened his chest.

Indeed.

It was a similar scene.

Roman knew that Henry Albert was not the kind of person who would ever move aimlessly.

said Roman.

"It is your freedom to follow me. But I'm not giving you any orders, and it's up to you whether you can follow them. Let me tell you one thing for sure. If you ever get in the way of my plans, then I will break the shackles that hold my ankles and move on."

It was a terrifying warning.

at the end of that word.

Roman quickly turned around.

Kris.

Yes.

Soldiers following Roman.

Now it was time to go on the road.

* * *

Even with Roman's warning.

Henry followed Roman.

However.

It quickly went out of sight.

He had poor physical strength that couldn't catch up with Roman even on flat ground, but there was no way he could properly catch up on the shortcut on the steep slope.

No special words were needed while moving.

Roman and Kobe took the lead, and they moved quickly under Kobe's guidance.

Sassaak.

I made my way through the overgrown bushes.

It was definitely not the usual way.

It was a road that no one took, and without Kobe's help, I wouldn't even have known that this road existed.

how far did you move

On the way, a strange noise was heard.

" Ugh."

It was a human moan.

Roman stopped the soldiers.

I heard it from a distance away from the shortcut, but I decided it was necessary to confirm the identity of the moan.

uh?

"Are you a soldier from the Southern Training Center?"

Roman soldiers recognized it at once.

intense training.

He was one of the soldiers under McBurney's instructions and controlling the training.

By the way.

The condition of the soldier was very pitiful.

His clothes were stained with blood as if he had been attacked, and his pale face looked like that of a man about to die.

Roman ran quickly.

After checking the condition of the soldier, simple first aid was attempted, and potions were poured on the areas that looked serious.

However.

It's already late.

Seeing him dying, Roman asked.

"What happened?"

The soldier looked up at Roman with hazy eyes.

Hwanggwang Banjo (回光返照).

The focus of the eyes returned.

When he confirmed that his opponent was Roman, he said in a desperate voice.

"I went to the Southern Training Center and was attacked. Please help me. please !"

at the end of that word.

body was limp.

After uttering the last words with difficulty, he finally accepted death.

'The Southern Training Center was attacked?'

It was an unexpected situation.

Southern training camp.

It was closer to the rear position than the front defensive position.

But what if that place was attacked?

Even before Roman left the Fifth Line, he had not heard of any other defensive positions being breached.

'As the soldiers of the Southern Training Center had fled so far, they were attacked at least 30 minutes ago.

This means that the result has nothing to do with whether or not the defenses are mercurial.

The kingdom of Hector attacked five defenses at the same time, and it is clear that the attack was carried out by moving a rapidly mobile unit.'

Why the hell did you carry out such an operation?

It didn't make sense in time, and I couldn't guess what he was trying to achieve.

Moment.

Roman came up with one possibility.

' According to my expectations, the Southern Front may not have more time than expected.'

Hector's Kingdom.

They didn't attack blindly.

After very thorough preparation, it was concluded that this attack was carried out.

Roman gets up from his seat.

"Let's go to the Southern Training Center for now."

Okay.

Now is.

Helping the Southern Training Center was a priority.