READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 66
Episode 66: The Worst vs. The Worst ~Third Frangisk Battle (Behind the Scenes ②)~
The Flastarl Military has a tradition.
Before heading into battle, not only the officers but also the soldiers are served Lypendorno, a traditional dish of the Flastarl Military. Lypendorno is a herb-roasted lamb dish, and by eating it, the Flastarl Military prays for victory by symbolically devouring their enemies, whom they liken to sheep.
The Flastarl Military serves this Lypendorno on the morning of the battle. It’s a highly effective way to mentally prepare the soldiers for the life-and-death struggle they are about to face.
Of course, King Jilvol is well aware of this Flastarl Military tradition.
Jilvol saw an opportunity in this and plotted to drug the Flastarl Military.
Naturally, the easiest method would be to infiltrate spies among the cooks, but if someone were to witness the drugging, the entire plan would fall apart.
So, Jilvol focused on the water supply team. Not the team that serves water to the officers and soldiers, but the team that provides water for the cooks to wash their knives. He mixed a sleeping drug into the water and distributed it to the cooks.
Lypendorno is served after the cooks cut the roasted lamb with their knives. Initially, the knives are sharp, but as they get coated with fat, their sharpness dulls. The cooks keep a bucket of water nearby to wash off the fat and restore the sharpness.
To cut the massive number of lamb steaks, the cooks skip even the effort of wiping their knives, cutting the steaks directly with the water-coated blades. As a result, the sleeping drug on the knives transfers to the Lypendorno and enters the mouths of the officers and soldiers.
The terrifying part of Jilvol’s plan is that he didn’t use a deadly poison but a sleeping drug.
For Jilvol, it was enough to prevent the Flastarl Military from fighting at full strength. He didn’t need to take their lives at this stage.
Using poison to kill a few wouldn’t significantly impact the overall battle. High-ranking officers like the commander-in-chief and staff officers always have food tasters. Killing the tasters wouldn’t achieve much.
But what about a sleeping drug?
A sleeping drug could bypass the checks of the food tasters. In fact, Jilvol had already tested this by having his own food taster consume the sleeping drug.
Jilvol researched a sleeping drug that takes effect about two hours after ingestion and successfully fed the drugged Lypendorno to the Flastarl Military.
Of course, Jilvol knew it wouldn’t reach everyone.
But in a military, unified action is crucial. If there’s a significant difference in command execution between those drugged and those not, the Flastarl Military would be severely weakened.
Jilvol was confident that the weakened Flastarl Military could be easily defeated by the strong Zabeiru Military.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“Sir, the Zabeiru Military’s formation is almost complete.”
One of the staff officers reported to Kodelance, the commander-in-chief of the Flastarl Military.
Kodelance, a robust 41-year-old man with a scar on his cheek, exuded the aura of a seasoned warrior.
“As expected of Hector Zabeil. His tactics are flawless, leaving no gaps.”
The staff officers nodded in agreement with Kodelance’s words.
“Everyone, today’s battle will be fierce. Though the Zabeiru forces are only half our size, their commander is Hector Zabeil. Losing to him would mean our annihilation, so they will fight desperately.”
Kodelance spoke with determination, and the staff officers nodded firmly.
(Huh?)
At that moment, Kodelance felt a slight unease about his own condition.
Yes, he felt a faint drowsiness. Looking around, some of the staff officers seemed to be stifling yawns.
(What’s going on?)
Kodelance felt an inexplicable anxiety along with the unease.
“How much longer until our formation is ready?”
Kodelance’s question prompted the staff officers to check on their troops.
“What’s this? It’s unusually slow.”
“Yes, it’s strange indeed.”
“What are they doing?”
The staff officers voiced their frustration at the unusually slow formation of their troops. However, Kodelance noticed that some officers, who should have been equally frustrated, seemed unaffected.
“Legord, what’s wrong?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. My apologies, sir.”
The staff officer named Legord hastily stood up.
“No need for apologies. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Well, it’s quite embarrassing, but… I’ve been feeling strangely sleepy since a while ago.”
“Sleepy?”
“Yes. I had a proper night’s sleep, and I wasn’t feeling unwell, but I’m inexplicably drowsy.”
“Since when?”
“About ten minutes ago.”
Legord’s response sent a chill down Kodelance’s spine. He had started feeling drowsy around the same time.
(Could it be… Were we drugged? But the food tasters didn’t notice anything…)
Kodelance felt a growing fear that something had happened to him—no, to the entire Flastarl Military.
“Sir?”
“Widis, are you feeling fine?”
“Huh? You mean if I’m not feeling sleepy like Legord? No, I’m not feeling drowsy at all.”
“I see… So some are affected, and some aren’t.”
“Affected?”
The staff officers exchanged uneasy glances at Kodelance’s ominous words.
“Listen, everyone… We’ve been drugged with something.”
“Drugged!?”
“How!?”
Kodelance’s words visibly shook the staff officers. Facing a battle while drugged would make victory nearly impossible.
“Our troops’ sluggish movements… This is bad!!”
The staff officers realized why their troops were moving so slowly. Those who were drugged were dragging down the rest.
“Commander-in-Chief!! It’s terrible!!”
An officer rushed in, panic written all over his face.
“What is it!?”
One of the staff officers barked at the officer, who turned pale but knelt down.
“Sir!! Prince Lukult has been assassinated by someone!!”
“What!?”
“His attendants managed to cut down the assassin, but Prince Lukult’s wounds were too deep… He passed away.”
The officer’s report left Kodelance and the staff officers speechless. Lukult was the moral justification for the Flastarl Empire. With him gone, the Zabeiru’s actions would now be seen as pure aggression.
“Damn it… Lukult, you useless brat!!”
Kodelance cursed Lukult, but his anger was short-lived.
He swayed unsteadily and then collapsed into his seat.
(This is bad… I can’t fight this drowsiness…)
Kodelance realized he was losing to the overwhelming sleepiness.
“Sir!!”
“Hey, Legord!!”
“Philan!!”
As Kodelance slumped in his seat, several staff officers lost consciousness and collapsed. The sound of snoring soon filled the room.
At that moment…
A roar erupted from the Zabeiru Military, and like a muddy torrent, they charged forward, their advance visible to Kodelance’s fading vision.
“Intercept them…”
The staff officers began relaying Kodelance’s orders to the commanders. But the current state of the Flastarl Military made it impossible to withstand the Zabeiru’s assault.
Those who weren’t drugged could have held the line, but the drugged soldiers couldn’t. The Zabeiru forces quickly broke through the disorganized ranks, and it didn’t take long for the Flastarl Military to collapse entirely.
The Third Frangisk Battle was decided in just three hours. The relentless pursuit of the remaining enemy forces left less than half of the Flastarl expeditionary army able to return to the empire.
Among the missing and the dead were many high-ranking officers, including Commander-in-Chief Kodelance and his staff.
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