Chapter 46

The top floor of the stone tower in the Royal Capital, the council chamber.

On the wall hung the crest flag of the great power. In the center of the long table, a map drawn on parchment showing borderlines, highways, forts, and rivers was spread out. Red and black pieces indicated the respective armies.

When the King took his seat, the stir in the room vanished.

To his right, the Chancellor. To his left, the Knight Commander. On both sides of the table, influential Marquises and Counts, and great merchants who had received royal permission.

The King stated quietly.

“…The battle, does it not move?”

The Chancellor opened a report.

“The front line remains in the same position. The enemy has solidified their formation in the hilly terrain, covered their supply routes with the forest, and absolutely will not come out into the plains.”

The Knight Commander groaned low.

“If we attack, we suffer casualties. If we retreat, morale drops. It is the same for them.”

One of the Marquises voiced his poorly hidden irritation.

“Why do we, a Great Power, not crush them?”

The Knight Commander restrained him with just his gaze.

“An attack climbing a hill will result in triple the losses. The enemy has placed archers on the high ground and cavalry in ambush at the edge of the forest. If we charge out unreasonably, we will be whittled down.”

The Chancellor added.

“The consumption of rations is greater on our side.”

The head of the merchant guild opened his mouth.

“Grain prices have already risen. The distribution of salt has also begun to stagnate. At this rate, the people of the Royal Capital will cause an uproar.”

A Count furrowed his brow.

“Are you saying war is not just a matter for the front lines?”

“Indeed.”

The merchant nodded.

“Even if soldiers don’t move, money moves. If the war is prolonged, business grows thin.”

The King flicked one of the pieces on the table with his finger.

“What is the enemy waiting for?”

The Chancellor answered.

“Our impatience, or internal seams tearing.”

The Knight Commander pointed at the map.

“The enemy controls upstream. They dropped the bridges, making crossing the river difficult. If we divide our troops, we will be defeated piecemeal.”

The Marquis said.

“Then double the troops.”

“If you double the troops, you double the rations.”

The merchant replied quietly.

Silence. Stalemate.

The King stood up and looked down at the Castle Town outside the window. Smoke was rising from the chimneys. Markets were open. But behind that, taxes are heavy.

“The enemy is avoiding a decisive frontal battle.”

The King looked back.

“Because they know we are strong.”

The Knight Commander nodded.

“Then, how do we break them?”

The Chancellor proposed.

“Increase skirmishes and sever their supply routes. Starve the enemy.”

The merchant said cautiously.

“However, that will exhaust us just as much.”

The Count raised his voice.

“Then, are we to just keep glaring at each other like this?”

The King said quietly.

“Wars are not decided by swords alone.”

Everyone held their breath.

“We will not attack from the front. We will purposely send a small unit into the forest. When the enemy comes out in pursuit, we will catch them in a pincer attack with an ambush.”

“We will drag the holed-up enemy out.”

The Chancellor understood.

“Turning the stalemate into the enemy’s choice, I see.”

“Correct.”

The King’s voice was low and heavy.

“A stagnant war whittles down the people. Therefore, make it move. It is not we who move. We will make the enemy move.”

The Knight Commander clenched his fist.

“Can we hold out until then?”

The merchant said.

“We will prepare the funds. However, if the war is prolonged, the interest will be heavy.”

The Marquis laughed bitterly.

“So blood flows not only on the battlefield, but in the ledgers as well?”

The King returned to his throne and surveyed everyone.

“This stalemate is not a defeat.”

Silence.

“But, it is not a victory either.”

The fire on the candlestick wavered.

“A great power does not panic. But it does not stop.”

---

At that moment. The heavy door opened.

Standing beyond the door was Elysia. And one step behind her, His Highness the Third Prince of the neighboring country.

Elysia quietly stepped forward and announced.

“His Highness intends to lend his strength to this war as an ally.”

The air in the room wavered slightly.

“—Wait!”

One of the Marquises stood up.

“Bringing a royal from another country into a military council is unprecedented! These are the tightest of secrets, concerning the very lifeblood of the nation!”

“Indeed!”

Another Count also raised his voice.

“Should information leak, how will you take responsibility!”

The Knight Commander also directed a harsh look.

“Your Highness. We treat you as an honored guest. But war is different.”

Quiet tension. Amidst that, the head of the merchant guild opened his mouth.

“However, His Highness is a person who has won with intellect, not with a sword.”

Gazes gathered.

“The restructuring of the treaty. The academy concept. Right now, our two countries are about to begin borderless exchange. We are in a relationship where we share the same fate.”

The Chancellor asked in a low voice.

“Are you saying it would be a loss not to borrow his wisdom?”

“Indeed.”

The room split. Common sense and innovation. Safety and possibility.

Amidst the uproar, the Chancellor exited the council chamber and closed the door. He bowed to the Third Prince waiting in the corridor.

“For today, we ask that Your Highness return to your room. We will inform you again tomorrow morning.”

---

The one who rewrote that treaty was none other than the Third Prince of the neighboring country. It was not disadvantageous to the great power, yet it was not one-sided either. His skill in mutually reconnecting interests was magnificent. Even his remarks during the academy establishment discussions forced both the King and the Chancellor to acknowledge his ability.

But—talent on paper and talent on the battlefield are not the same.

Keeping his hand on the map, the King suddenly raised his gaze.

“…Elysia.”

Her name called, she stepped forward one pace.

The King’s voice was low, but sharp.

“Why did you try to bring His Highness Leonhart into the military council?”

The air in the room pulled taut.

“A military council concerns the lifeblood of the nation. There are many secrets. Do you not understand?”

At those words, Elysia‘s expression changed.

“…It was shallow of me.”

A small, but certain voice.

The King stared at her for a while, and nodded slowly.

“I know not what you heard, but do not be perturbed.”

Elysia lowered her face once.

“…Yes.”

The King continued.

“To attend a military council—means to go out to battle.”

At those words, Elysia raised her face.

What floated in her eyes was understanding, and—a slight bewilderment.

A battlefield is not pieces on paper. It is a place where lives are whittled down and responsibilities pile up.

The King said quietly.

“If His Highness is aware of that, it is a different story.”

The silence in the room dropped heavily once again.

“Is His Highness worth entrusting this to?”

Elysia responded quietly.

“He is staying here for the discussions on establishing the academy. However,”

The Knight Commander looked up.

“Is he reading deep into the board?”

The air in the room changed slightly.

The Knight Commander stared at the map in silence. The King continued.

“The treaty was concluded. In that case, we are friends, and we are allies.”

His mouth twisted slightly.

“If he is an ally, he should be able to stand on the battlefield with us.”

The Chancellor asked cautiously.

“Can you truly accept this? It will mean putting a royal from another country into the core of the military.”

The Knight Commander’s voice was low.

“Should anything happen to him, it will not end as a mere diplomatic issue.”

“Or,”

The Chancellor continued,

“If he fails, the treaty itself will be shaken.”

The King dropped his gaze to the map.

“That is exactly why you must not mishandle him.”

The Knight Commander’s eyes grew sharp.

“We will make it a limited mission, not with the main force.”

“Of course. A small-scale operation to strike the enemy’s supply lines. If it succeeds, it’s a military gain; even if it fails, it won’t be a fatal wound.”

The Chancellor pointed out.

“However, if His Highness acts recklessly, there will be casualties.”

“Even so, he offered.”

The King’s voice was calm.

“Will the courage that rewrote the treaty be maintained even amidst flying arrows? Will his judgment dull in front of soldiers?”

The Knight Commander opened his mouth.

“We will attach an aide. The Vice Knight Commander to his side. He will offer advice, but the decisions will be His Highness’s.”

“Do not let him interfere. Advise to save his life is permitted. But do not seize the initiative.”

Silence. Eventually, the Chancellor said quietly.

“And if His Highness accomplishes it magnificently?”

The King’s eyes narrowed.

“In that case, the value of the treaty increases.”

“And if he fails?”

“It will only prove that his resolve for the alliance was lacking.”

The flame of the candlestick wavered. The King looked out the window, toward the direction of the distant front lines.

“He is a man who moved a country on paper. He desired to stand on the battlefield himself.”

Pausing slightly, he continued.

“In that case, I want to see if he can move a country even amidst the smell of blood.”

The Knight Commander bowed deeply.

“We will invite His Highness tomorrow morning.”

The King said quietly at the end.

“This is not a trial. —It is an equal opportunity as an ally.”

Elysia stepped forward one pace.

“—I express my gratitude for your approval.”

She pinched her hem and took a deep curtsy befitting a princess.

But in truth, the King knows.

That there is no mirror that accurately reflects a person’s caliber like the battlefield.