The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

51. The Unveiling of the Roman Forces (2)

As Roman’s prepared strategy unfolded, the seemingly overwhelming army of the Ignit Empire began to struggle.

The main forces of the Ignit Empire, which seemed capable of breaching the Giant’s Fortress in an instant, eventually found themselves retreating.

The following troops were also ensnared by the demons and dark beings.

“Looks like this isn’t going to be easy.”

Kariel, after receiving reports on the war situation from the capital, smirked.

At that moment, the Minister of Military displayed a puzzled expression. Unlike the tense report he had just given, Kariel didn’t seem particularly troubled.

“You seem pleased, even though our side is struggling.”

Even Talion, who was nearby, asked with a confused expression.

“That’s because the enemy revealed their hidden strength.”

As Kariel spoke, he showed a sigh of relief.

If they didn’t reveal their hidden strength until the end, it would mean there was a far more serious plan in place than he had anticipated.

So it was truly better for them to reveal it like this.

“A Legion Commander-level demon has appeared, right?”

“Yes. Lord Glen is holding them back well, but his experience might still be lacking, posing a danger.”

Kariel chuckled at Talion’s report.

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Pardon?”

“Glen will handle it just fine.”

“However, according to records, Demon Legion Commanders generally demonstrate exceptional power even among the Masters.”

Talion, who had been researching the Demon Legion Commander, listed out various traits.

Nonetheless, Kariel remained composed.

‘If it’s him, he will grow even stronger by facing the Demon Legion Commander.’

Before his reincarnation, Glen had awakened his talent later than this lifetime.

The single reason he ascended to become a Grand Master before turning thirty was due to his rapid growth achieved by exterminating dark mages and demons.

Long before he became a Master, he had been slicing through High Demons, and since becoming a Master, he had fought countless battles against Demon Legion-level beings.

When all the other Masters had perished for a while, it was Glen who singularly sustained the Empire.

There was no way he would falter just because he faced a single Demon Legion Commander.

“Speaking of Glen, how about Marquis Sicario and the Pope?”

“They’re overwhelming.”

This time, Talion spoke as if there was nothing to worry about.

It was an army with the strongest swordsman of the West continent and a Pope who was in direct opposition to demons.

Formed with the renowned Elite Army of the Northern Army, along with numerous Holy Knights and priests, it would be strange if they suffered a significant crisis due to a sudden attack by dark beings.

“Well… unless the Demon King shows up, it would be hard to subdue them.”

At this point, even an ordinary dark being or demon would find it exceedingly difficult to contend with the strongest army of the West continent.

Contrary to what was recorded in old books, demons weren’t invincible.

Thus, even if the demon army were summoned, he didn’t feel a considerable amount of concern.

But the Demon King was a different matter.

The records about the Demon King documented in numerous ancient texts.

And if you look at the records of the heroes who defeated him, most did nothing more than send the Demon King back to the Demon Realm, rather than slaying him—he held tremendous power.

Therefore, if the Demon King were to appear at this point, even Kariel would feel anxious.

‘It shouldn’t be to that degree yet.’

If the Demon King shows signs of appearing on the continent, it would definitely affect the continent.

Even if summoned from within Roman, a powerful storm of mana would occur, powerful enough to be visible from the Giant Mountain Range.

Unless that happens, nothing at this point posed a genuine threat to Kariel.

The real issue lay in Hell.

Having experienced the previous life, Kariel knew very well that the strength of the Demon King was as formidable as described in legends.

What if Hell is just as mighty?

‘I have to block it at all costs.’

Even a brief opening of the Hell Gate could turn certain areas into the Land of Death, so it absolutely had to be sealed off.

The problem was that they still hadn’t found a likely location for the Hell Gate.

“Talion, where might the demons’ Gate be?”

“It seems to be in the conflict area between Roman and the Nomadic Tribes.”

“Still no sign of the Hell Gate?”

“Yes.”

Kariel sighed at Talion’s response.

Even if it were underground, the demons that swallowed Roman would have likely found it.

However, according to Talion’s report, the demons were roaming around haphazardly. So it seemed they hadn’t located the Hell Gate.

“There’s a high chance it’s underground or in Sandria… Attendant Hall, what’s the situation on the Sandria side?”

“There’s still been no significant progress, I apologize.”

Kariel waved his hand dismissively at the Attendant’s words, indicating it was fine.

The desert region was also an unknown area for Ignit.

The biggest concern was how many tribes there could be within that vast territory.

There wasn’t enough time to locate every single small tribe.

Kariel had no way of predicting how the Sandria Empire would act.

One thing was certain: the evidence suggesting that the major tribes had met with Roman indicated that it was unlikely to bode well for humanity.

Therefore, for now, they could only hope that the tribes wouldn’t make any moves. If the Hell Gate were in Sandria, it couldn’t be ruled out that they might use it in the future.

‘We’re not in a situation where we can cover Sandria yet.’

With that thought in mind, Kariel looked at the Minister of Military.

“For now, let’s instruct the commanders of each army to refrain from acting hastily.”

“Understood.”

“The short-term battle is out of the question now. Then turning to a long-term battle could also be a solution.”

The Minister of Military displayed a puzzled expression at Kariel’s words.

“Do you have a plan in mind?”

“Yes.”

As Kariel spoke, he spread out the map and tapped on the northern region of the East Continent.

“All we need to do is hold our ground until the Nomadic Tribes take action.”

“Will the countries of the East Continent accept that?”

Talion frowned as he spoke in response to Kariel.

If Ignit were to turn to a long war, it would be burdensome. If it was tough for the Empire, it would be considerably more challenging for other countries.

“I think it will be alright.”

Kariel said with a grin.

In truth, from the very beginning, Kariel doubted whether a war with Roman could be settled in a short time.

‘The Roman Emperor wouldn’t easily fall.’

Thus, he had anticipated a lengthy conflict right from the start.

“For now…”

Kariel shared his thoughts with the Minister of Military and Talion.

Having failed to conquer the Giant’s Fortress, he intended to slowly squeeze Roman from all sides.

To do that, he held discussions well into the night with the Minister of Military and Talion.

Just then, the voice of the Minister of Foreign Affairs rang out.

“Your Majesty! We have a serious problem!”

“What is it?”

“There are demons appearing in the Wingzar camp. Also, the army entering from the east is struggling due to a swarm of Demon Dragons. Currently, the Eastern Continent nations have communicated that they are retreating because of the demons.”

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs reported in a cold sweat, Kariel nodded lightly again.

However, the expression of the Minister of Military darkened.

“There are swarming Demon Dragons, but looking at the assembled troops, it should be manageable. Why are they retreating?”

“They say a Mage has appeared.”

“A Mage?”

The Minister of Military inquired, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs nodded.

“Both locations reported the emergence of Roman’s new Mage.”

At the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ words, Kariel chuckled softly.

“It’s likely a dark being.”

Unless an incredible genius like Glen appeared, there wouldn’t suddenly be a Mage showing up out of nowhere.

Even Duke Welch had spent a significantly long time perfecting his mastery of magic after crossing the walls. The sudden appearance of a Mage without that kind of time could only mean one thing.

“Minister of Military.”

“… Yes.”

The Minister of Military bowed his head at Kariel’s inquiry.

He too had completely accepted Kariel’s strategy.

While he was considering a long battle, it could wrap up in a short term depending on how the allied forces of the Eastern Continent performed.

But that hope was snuffed out entirely now.

“With this, any hope for a short-term battle is completely extinguished, so let’s fully shift towards a long battle.”

“… Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Minister of Military sighed as he spoke.

In war, the best outcome is to end it without fighting, but the second best is to minimize damage by concluding in the short term.

Even if there were no losses, dragging it into a long conflict would lead to a substantial consumption of resources, making it almost as bad.

“Then we can definitively set a course now.”

Kariel said with a grin.

“Gather all the advisors. We need to adjust our strategy.”

“Yes! Your Majesty.”

At Kariel’s command, the advisors, who had been gearing up to leave for the night, rushed to the Emperor’s Palace.

“Don’t even think about going home tonight.”

At Kariel’s words, the advisors bowed their heads and let out small sighs.

“This is what you all will be doing tonight.”

As he spoke, Kariel wrote a large operation name on a piece of paper.

「Operation Name: Squeeze Roman to Death!」

As Kariel outlined the framework for the long-term operation aimed at squeezing Roman to death, all the advisors jumped in, adding flesh and skin to it.

1. Create a fortress at the point of entry to solidify the territory.

2. Continuously conduct espionage near Roman’s borders.

3. The onset of large-scale warfare will be determined by the movement of the Nomadic Tribes.

4. Completely block Sandria from making contact with Roman.

They outlined four main directives, and then the advisors sketched out the details for the long-term operation.

The division of the conquered territories of Roman would be addressed later, focusing primarily on the nations connected to Roman for now.

Thoroughly enabling ease of supply from the home country.

And persistently tormenting them as if they were about to attack Roman at any moment.

Not allowing trade with any nation and continuously launching localized warfare to squeeze them to death was the essence of this operation.

“Do you think the Nomadic Tribes will move, Your Majesty?”

At Talion’s question, Kariel nodded with confidence.

Then the Minister of Military tilted his head, unsure of the reasoning.

“If Roman isn’t a fool, they won’t create more enemies here.”

“That’s what Roman would likely do.”

Kariel chuckled lightly.

“Exactly.”

Certainly, Roman wouldn’t want to create more enemies at this point.

But would the demons think the same?

Kariel, with his reincarnation experience, could firmly shake his head.

To wield magic meant carrying the instability of the mind, and it was very likely that the Demon Legion Commanders—who had reached the pinnacle of that instability—were not all sane.

No.

Many among them, until explicitly commanded by the Demon King, acted completely on their whims.

There were tons who, intoxicated by their own power, charged recklessly, and in his previous life, the Empire exploited that and Glen shattered them one by one.

‘This time would be no different.’

With the confirmation of a Demon Legion Commander already crossing over in this life, it was highly probable that there were even more within Roman.

Would they really be able to restrain themselves from acting out of sheer boredom?

Absolutely not.

If they couldn’t move elsewhere, they would likely resort to slaughtering the surrounding humans.

As they couldn’t touch their ally Roman, there was only one alternative.

“If the demons start annihilating tribes near Roman’s borders, Golan will move.”

The advisors nodded slightly at Kariel’s words.

However, most still wore doubtful expressions. There was insufficient information about the tribal chief of Golan and the demons.

That’s why Kariel could only say such words to his advisors.

“Trust me.”

Only the simple encouragement to trust him.

But the advisors had no choice but to follow that remark.

Occasionally, he would give orders that differed from their expectations, yet among those orders, none had ever failed.

They nodded, believing that this time would yield the same results.

“Shall we strike as soon as Golan moves?”

Talion inquired, and Kariel shook his head.

“We need to give him time to unify the North.”

“That’s when we will connect with Golan.”

Kariel nodded at Talion’s words.

Even Golan, who currently seems staunchly opposed, would require substantial resources to unify the North.

When that time comes, he would have no choice but to ally with Ignit.

The new plans, discussed late into the night, were soon conveyed to the other nations of the Human Alliance.

And the next day,

“All nations have agreed to Your Majesty’s proposal.”

“Good. Let’s officially squeeze Roman to death.”

Kariel spoke with sharp eyes at the report from the Attendant.

And that very day, a new fortress began to take shape in the middle of the Giant’s Path.