TWWSY 08

Chapter 8

“We can’t make any proper strategy until the scouts return? That’s nonsense. Of course, I agree it’s ideal to wait, but we don’t really have a better option right now, do we? Even if other cities surrender, you’re not planning to change the operation, right?”

“……”

“This area is isolated by mountains and rivers, so there’s little risk of news reaching the capital before we act. It’s also the shortest land route to major commercial cities. And because of the geographic advantage, it rarely faced invasions. So even though it’s near the border, their military training has been relatively lax.”

Thunk. A red pin was pressed into one corner of the map. A slender finger slid from the point with the pin to another location in a straight line. Etienne’s gaze followed that fingertip as if hypnotized.

“If we move along this route… then the real target becomes Raven.”

“…Again, I must remind you that the movement route of our unit is top secret.”

“I said I don’t need excuses. If the largest commercial city in the western enemy territory lies along your path and your plan doesn’t include passing through it, then you’re not even qualified to be a commander. Enough about secrecy—let’s just continue the conversation.”

The superior officer, who had his words cut off by his subordinate four times, somehow looked defeated as he sat down beside her.

Truthfully, there was no point in hiding such “top secret” information from someone who seemed to know it with this much certainty. It didn’t mean all suspicion was gone, but there was also a strange confidence that if she were a spy, she wouldn’t be revealing her hand like this.

“Have you considered the supply line? With current resources, you won’t last long. Most of the current troops are divine power users, so reaching Glen should be fine. But the road to Raven won’t be short.”

“Ah, if we cross the border and move along this route… here, you see? There’s a small village along the way to Raven. It doesn’t have much interaction with the outside, so it’s ideal when troop movements need to stay hidden.”

“Judging by the surrounding terrain, it doesn’t seem suited for commerce or agriculture. Are you suggesting we call in our supply soldiers to that area?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

“Then it’d be better to stay in Glen longer than planned. At least four more days.”

“Excuse me?”

“We can talk in more detail once we reach Glen. Seeing it in person will be faster.”

“……”

“If you can’t decide right now, it’s fine to take some time. It’s not easy to change pre-approved plans based on just a few words.”

Unable to respond, Etienne stared at the map—yet her closing words echoed heavily in his ears:

“But you’ll decide soon enough.”

“Before you go, can I say one more thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“Those spies—you should confiscate their belongings in advance. I’m sure you know well enough that what they hide isn’t limited to what’s in their clothes.”

Her firm voice lingered in his mind, leaving Etienne unable to concentrate even while seated at his work desk. His thoughts were entirely consumed by the conversation with Mia from the previous night.

Mia Blanchard was undoubtedly competent. The way she shook his convictions with just a single sentence that was more like a command than a suggestion—without presenting any solid evidence—proved as much.

His belief that the route he’d chosen was the best, and that Lady Blanchard, with no combat experience, wouldn’t be able to formulate an effective strategy—both beliefs crumbled helplessly in front of her.

Maybe it was because she predicted their movement route in less than a minute from when the subject came up. Or maybe it was her ominous warning. Or perhaps it was the certainty in her eyes, even though he had no idea where that certainty came from.

What mattered was that Etienne was taking her proposal seriously. So seriously, in fact, that he couldn’t even focus on the papers in front of him.

On a normal day, he would’ve rejected such an idea without a second thought. The very fact that he was so shaken by it now meant his heart was leaning toward accepting her proposal.

Caught up in such uncharacteristic thoughts, Etienne let out a soft chuckle. Why was he so tempted to deviate from a route he had planned together with trustworthy tacticians—just because of a suggestion from someone with no field experience?

This wasn’t about any personal affection he had for her. On the battlefield, no matter how fond you were of someone, you couldn’t just accept their suggestions blindly. Especially if that person clearly lacked strategic knowledge. If you didn’t want to endanger yourself—and the people you wanted to protect—this was basic sense.

Even if the other person didn’t mean any harm, the result was the same. Etienne knew far too well how many accidents occurred due to people who acted out of misplaced kindness without understanding the situation.

And yet… Etienne wanted to follow Mia’s suggestion.

Just what exactly did she say that had such a hold on him?

It was as if her words actually meant something…

Tap, clatter. The pen that had been idly spinning between Etienne’s fingers fell to the desk. Only then did he realize he hadn’t read a single document in quite some time.

There was still a mountain of paperwork on his desk, but few of the issues required immediate attention. With a sigh, Etienne shoved the stack aside and pulled a map from the drawer—the same type Mia Blanchard had shown him the night before.

‘Why did she say those things?’

‘Why didn’t she rest, even after the grueling training…?’

Ignoring the unrest in his heart, Etienne began connecting various points on the map. Thunk. Thunk. One by one, red pins were stuck onto the map.

Glen. Raven. The cities they’d need to pass through on the way to Raven. The imperial capital. Key strategic points. The border. The plains. The mountains. The supply routes…

He felt like he was onto something, but couldn’t find any definitive connections. He also couldn’t figure out why she felt the need to approach him so early in the morning with that proposal.

Thunk. Thunk…

As the poor map began turning into a pincushion, a soldier suddenly burst into Etienne’s tent. It was an unannounced and rude intrusion.

Interrupted in the middle of his rare moment of reflection, Etienne instinctively frowned—but seeing the soldier’s appearance, he forgot to even scold him.

“Report.”

“C-Commander… Sir… Kuhek.”

The soldier coughed up dark red blood onto the fine carpet before barely managing to open his mouth again.

“Our p-prisoners… they… suicide… kaboom, s-suicide…”

He couldn’t finish the sentence and, trembling, collapsed.

“Tch.”

Etienne grabbed the soldier’s wrist to check his pulse, then called for the medic.

No wonder he couldn’t focus on his work—clearly, this wasn’t going to be a lucky day.

Contrary to what Etienne had feared from the soldier’s condition, the actual damage was not too great. The blast radius had been small, and the prison barracks were some distance away from the living quarters.

Most of the surrounding barracks were used as storage, so apart from a few guards, the only real damage had been to supplies. Some buildings were destroyed completely, so the losses weren’t insignificant—but for an army that hadn’t even crossed the border yet, losing a portion of their supplies wasn’t a fatal blow.

He would be lying if he said it didn’t infuriate him to be caught off guard by prisoners they thought were completely subdued. But objectively speaking, the fact that the damage had stopped at this scale was almost miraculous.

‘Perhaps the goddess is indeed watching over us.’

Etienne grabbed a passing soldier and began firing off questions.

“Was the area properly searched? Are you absolutely certain there were no outside collaborators? Has anyone suspicious been seen around here recently?”

“Y-Yes, sir! We didn’t see anyone suspicious! I don’t think there were any collaborators…”

“‘Don’t think’?”

The chilling tone pierced the soldier’s ears.

“Y-Y-Yes… We’ll begin a thorough search of the area right away!”