I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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The season where snow and rain fall together was approaching. Jenis felt anxious. The reason why Jenis wanted to make progress in battle before winter arrived was multifaceted. First of all, Jenis had sent a letter to Margaret, asking to meet on the battlefield before the severe winter.

In Jenis’s grand strategy, her second army was deemed incapable of defeating the Demon King’s Army on its own. For this army to play at least a minimal role, cooperation with the third army led by Margaret was essential. The promise between the two armies could not fall through.

Additionally, Rose’s childbirth was approaching. Once the royal family had a new child, Rose was likely to shift from her current passive stance to actively involve herself in military actions. It was clear that, regardless of her tumultuous relationship with Jenis, she had doubts about Jenis’s landing tactics.

The Emperor did not perceive the Southern Army led by Jenis as playing a role beyond merely holding back a portion of the Demon King’s army. Rather, Rose, having a clear memory of the losses inflicted on the Eramenia army in the canyon, was gravely concerned that if Febria Bay fell to the Demon King’s insidious schemes, the retreat route would be effectively cut off, leading to the annihilation of all 40,000 soldiers.

Such concerns were not entirely unfounded, and to dispel them, it was best for Rose to show progress before giving birth. If Walter had not shown Jenis absolute confidence, the Emperor would have already commanded her to retreat to the south and join the Northern Expeditionary Force.

Rose actually struggled to let go of the idea of integrating the Southern Army with the Northern Expeditionary Force and even asked Jeongjae for his opinion on the matter. Jeongjae countered Rose’s thoughts with his own reasons, pointing out that the new heroes were not overly fond of the Southern Allied Forces and warned that if both armies were hastily merged now, it could lead to chaos as the central army’s soldiers would likely look down on and dismiss the Southern officers and generals.

Whether Jeongjae’s objections sounded reasonable or not, Rose momentarily set aside her thoughts and retreated. However, one should not dismiss the possibility that the Empress might decide at any moment that the invasion toward Febria Bay was futile. Rumors circulated that the Empress was toying with the alternative card of fully integrating the Southern Army into the Eramenia army to use them in a united front to break through the canyon.

Lastly, there was the morale of the troops. Unlike the Northern Expeditionary Force, which was connected to the rear through land routes and could grant seasonal leave, the Southern Allied Forces had no such luxury due to their long service. Though there were no concerns about supplies, dragging things out for too long posed the risk of an internal collapse within the army. Jenis ultimately made a decision and called for Koesernis.

“Baron, we will launch the operation tomorrow.”

Koesernis immediately understood Jenis’s words, but the Baron frowned and asked, “Tomorrow? But we haven’t even run a trial operation yet.”

“Are you suggesting we test such a massive device? What if the enemies come up with countermeasures? The element of surprise is crucial for this device. An absurd weapon needs to maintain its element of surprise, or else the strategy will fail. The trial run can only serve as practice for real combat. Let’s proceed; everything must be executed flawlessly.”

Honestly, Jenis also felt some burden about deploying the newly developed ‘land battleship’ without any testing. However, if they were to conduct a trial run and the enemy discovered it, the risks would be much greater. This weapon was conceptually designed to entirely smash through magical barriers with overwhelming physical force and impact, and while there were indeed magical countermeasures against such an ignorant approach, they were not easy to manage.

“Then I’ll be prepared. Please specify the precise number of personnel to board and the tactics.”

“2,000 troops will board the vessel. The rest will wait on the coast, and at the moment the two walls break simultaneously, they will surge in to annihilate the enemies. But remember: our goal is to break the encirclement here, not to completely massacre the 500,000 strong army surrounding us.”

“If the operation proceeds, our fortress will be destroyed. How do we protect it?”

“We abandon the fortress.”

“What about the harbor and ships?”

“When the operation begins, use all remaining gunpowder to scuttle all ships except HMS Victory. This shows our determination that there will be no retreat back to this coast. We will move forward with the burning sea behind us. There is no other way; this is the only option.”

“Huh…”

If Jenis had not appeared so serious, Koesernis might have thought she was either mad or joking.

They had endured for months relying on this well-built fortress. But now, Jenis ordered abandoning the coast and scuttling all ships while moving westward, as if creating an impossible situation for retreat.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if anything goes wrong, the entire legion will be annihilated.”

“That’s good. High risks mean high stakes. Big bets yield large rewards when won.”

Koesernis felt a growing unease as it seemed Jenis was admitting that this attack was a gamble. Douglas Koesernis was aggressive enough to be second to none, yet he had a feeling that he was facing a madness far beyond anything he could compare himself to.

“Where exactly are we heading?”

“To meet the Eramenia army! As long as we carve a path, they will be responsible for our supply and support. The merging of the second and third armies is the key to this strategy. If we can meet, we can encircle and annihilate the enemy. If we are separated and picked off one by one, we will lose this war.”

“Have you shared detailed operation plans with the Eramenia side?”

“How? If information leaks during transit, we will surely be picked off by the Demon King.”

“Then how can you be sure we’ll merge? What do we agree upon?”

Jenis raised two fingers to point at her temple.

“With my head. By thought, Baron. She is a wise fairy, a high elf who can intuit how I will move the troops. I’m confident we will understand each other. If we don’t, it will be troublesome.”

“Aren’t you relying entirely on luck from beginning to end?”

“Hasn’t anyone else done that? No commander can disregard luck, especially a former hero. Don’t romanticize tactics. All it takes for a perfect victory is a bit of luck.”

Though she made a valid point, it sounded like a fallacy in this context. However, Koesernis noticed that Jenis Harker was possessed by a powerful specter, making him hesitant to oppose her.

A vengeful spirit. A powerful one so calm and natural that it was difficult to recognize, was intertwined with her and gnawing at the Great Sage.

Jenis’s decision was rational and logical. She didn’t let emotion cloud her judgment; she considered the overall situation and came up with a way to win.

But underlying her actions was a blazing anger stronger than anyone else’s. The fury she had swallowed when she let the murderer of her father escape before her eyes. The indignation and heartbreak she felt when forced into choices without real options, trapping the world’s greatest hero by her own hand.

To justify that choice, Jenis swore to win before Walter. It was not a light promise but a lifetime curse she had to uphold, even at the cost of her life.

The title of hero had been inherited by Jeongjae. However, the military role effectively executed by ‘Walter Hellhound’ was inherited by Jenis Harker, recognized as his brother-in-arms. This fact deepened her sense of mission and obligation but also threw her into an uncontrollable madness.

Jenis Harker was rationally mad. Right now, she was a specter of war ready to crush anything that stood in her way to fulfill the mission she needed to complete.

“Do you have anything else to say, Baron?”

“No, I will prepare as commanded.”

“I’m glad you came to an understanding early. It would be uncomfortable to launch an operation without convincing the aide who should take charge.”

Koesernis expressed that he would have carried out the operation regardless, and after bowing his head to Jenis, he walked out of the military camp.

“I wanted to act like a tiger when the chaos unfolds…”

The old baron sighed as he gazed at the sea.

“Real tigers are rampaging, and I, like a mere tiger, can barely play the role of a jackal. What kind of audacity did I have to think I could become an important figure in the Empire?”

The ambition Koesernis once held—to support Jeffrey, strengthen the Southern Army’s power, betray Sally Jeffrey, and monopolize the strengthened Southern Allied Army to rise as a war hero—now seemed absurd.

From the slaying of the Kraken to the current advance on the Demon King’s Castle, the thoughts of those in true command of the war were beyond what Koesernis could dare to imagine. It wasn’t because she was the Great Sage or an extraordinary wizard; rather, the fundamental concept itself differed. There were heroes who calmly spouted nonsense without changing their expressions, executing those plans to success everywhere.

So even with such heroes rising in a single era, how powerful could the still-unsubdued Demon King’s army be? The realization that he had once intended to take a leading role in this war sent shivers down the old baron’s spine.

Amidst all this, Jenis was completely exhausted, slumped in her chair. Her madness had not just startled Koesernis; Jenis herself was surprised by the emotional currents engulfing her as she spoke without restraint.

There was something alien about her soul. Not just mentally, but something that had embedded itself deep within her spirit, which had never been there before.

Jenis used diagnostic magic on herself and was able to pull out two black chains entwining her soul.

Unsurprisingly, those two chains were the curses of the vows she had made to herself.

“This is… the vow I made over my father’s blood.”

Jenis murmured, tapping one chain with her finger.

“And this is… the vow made when I drove him to death…”

Vows were not originally dark magic. However, due to her innate lineage, Jenis was born with a natural talent for handling dark mana.

Her long-standing rejection of darkness had become a hidden danger. The darkness that had accumulated within her had manifested as chains binding her soul, taking the shape of a curse intersected by her greatest burdens and negative emotions.

That was why the twisted appearance of the entangled chains formed the shape of a curse. Jenis trembled as she forced the curse back into her heart.

“With this heart, am I still merely human?”

Jenis asked herself. It was a question she could not answer. She wanted to be human. She wanted to live as a human until the moment she died.

Small tears trickled down the Great Sage’s closed eyes.

“Father… and Professor… I miss you…”

But she didn’t cry for long. If there was anyone who couldn’t afford to cry as much as the Emperor in this country, it was the Southern Allied Forces’ leader, Jenis Harker.