Kill the Emperor Chapter 59 : Chapter 59

Translator: AkazaTL

Pr/Ed: Sol IX

***

Chapter 59 : Incompetence and Immorality

“It cannot be done. Please slow down the speed of advance!”

“No, what does that an? Wasn’t it Sir Helkane who insisted on blitzkrieg in the first place?”

“The situation then and now is different. I request you once again. Please slow down the speed of advance.”

Helkane repeatedly requested to slow down the marching speed in a desperate voice unlike his usual self.

However,

“I don’t want to hear it! We have just embarked on an expedition receiving His Majesty’s order. It has already been over fifteen days since those villainous groups rose up, yet are you telling to delay the subjugation further?”

Commander ‘Beverick Alphonse’, who was commanding the Subjugation Force in total, seed to have no intention of listening to Helkane’s words.

“Moreover, the number of our troops and knights is double that of the enemy. Where is the reason we need to slow down the advance?”

“As the Commander also knows well, victory or defeat in war is not decided solely by numbers.”

Helkane suppressed his anger, recalling that the middle-aged man in front of his eyes was a complete novice who had never even fought a proper battle, let alone a war.

In the first place, the reason Beverick could beco the Commander-in-Chief of the Subjugation Force was because his family committed the most troops, unrelated to his military talent.

“The reason I insisted on blitzkrieg previously was because Reichart had not yet secured supply routes at the ti. If we started the war without securing proper supply plans, the people within the territory would have been greatly agitated.”

“But what is it that has changed so much now?”

“By securing Adela, Reichart has secured a supply line to receive supplies in the long term. Moreover, Adela is a strategic point located on our army’s advance route. By securing Adela without damage, the enemy’s morale must have also been greatly boosted.”

In fact, the situation Helkane was most worried about was Reichart, which was flustered, recovering unity with Hein as the focal point.

However, because the idiots of the capital dragged ti, Reichart was already in a situation where they were tightly united with Hein as the focal point.

In this situation, engaging in an all-out war with the enemy was by no ans the best policy.

Moreover, haven’t the enemies already preempted the advantageous ground?

“There is no need to clash head-on with guys whose montum has risen to the peak. Fortunately, since the isolation strategy we attempted is seeing effect, the longer the war drags on, the more Reichart will fall into difficulty. So pressure them and give it a little more ti…….”

“Hmph, since when did diplomacy beco an excuse for cowards?”

But despite his efforts, Beverick was still only busy being sarcastic to Helkane.

“Indeed, since you like excuses so much, you could do the shaless act of abandoning a comrade and running away alone.”

Although said like a monologue, everyone inside the tent could hear Beverick’s words.

Inside Beverick’s heart, a grudge against Helkane, who abandoned his second son in Reichart territory and ran away alone, was heavily settled.

“Commander!”

“Shut up! If it weren’t for your mother, I would have condemned you for disobedience of orders in warti right now.”

Helkane exercised extre patience and offered advice for the last ti, but Beverick only insulted him this ti as well.

His attitude towards Helkane was excessively radical.

‘Hmph, no matter how much you are Vispon or whatever, ultimately the best family in Zodiac is our Alphonse. In any case, you are a traitor’s son and not even the Family Head yet. Do you think I would be afraid of a greenhorn like you!’

Eventually, Helkane left the operation tent with a stiffly hardened expression.

Beverick glared at that retreating figure for quite a while.

‘If only you weren’t Rishu’s son, you would have been severely scolded by my hand long ago.’

Recalling Rishu, Beverick’s crumpled expression brightened in an instant.

The promise secretly made with Rishu a few days ago ca vividly to mind.

If Sir Beverick achieves victory in this subjugation battle, I will take the proposal I heard from you in the past to heart again.

In the past, Beverick had proposed to Rishu but was coldly rejected.

However, even after that day, Beverick had never withdrawn his greed for Rishu for a single day.

No, rather, whenever he saw her becoming more and more beautiful, the hellfire settled in his heart only burned more fiercely.

But finally, an opportunity ca to take her, whom he had harbored sticky lust for over decades.

The reason Beverick, who was lukewarm about the expedition, changed his attitude also lay here.

‘There is no ti to waste. That cunning Rishu is waiting for my triumphant return in the capital with her neck craned.’

Feeling his lower body stiffening just by recalling Rishu, Beverick swallowed dry saliva.

Around the ti Beverick was feeling an unquenchable thirst.

“Damn it!”

Helkane was also venting his pent-up anger.

Crack, crash!

Helkane, who soothed his rage by cutting giant trees near the campsite in half, took a deep breath and recalled the words Rishu left.

Helkane, I will take care of everything afterward, so please go carefully and make sure to keep this.

Helkane took out the pendant sealed with the letter Rishu gave him and closed his eyes.

‘Did Mother anticipate that Beverick was such a stupid guy too? Are you saying she tolerated him becoming the Commander-in-Chief even knowing that fact?’

Helkane had never betrayed his trust in Rishu for a single mont until now.

However, due to the incompetence beyond asure Beverick was showing, even his firm trust in Rishu was about to shake.

“Phew…….”

Steadying his mind that kept trying to shake, Helkane opened his closed eyes.

Grind!

His gaze was directed towards where Hein was, the direction of Reichart.

***

“Shall I ask a question?”

“Please speak.”

“Between an incompetent commander and an immoral commander, who is the one more unforgivable on the battlefield?”

“…….”

Facing a difficult problem, Ismael could not give an answer readily.

Fortunately, he was lucky to serve a commander who was neither incompetent nor immoral, but apart from that, this question was a problem difficult to answer easily.

“No need to worry so much. Since it is a problem with no answer anyway. Because incompetent command that drives soldiers to deadly places on the battlefield is an immoral act in itself.”

Hein lifted the baton and pointed to the operation map near Adela.

“Like this guy right now.”

There, a model imitating the appearance of the Subjugation Force was placed.

“To think a guy who is nominally the head of Zodiac’s highest-ranking family is incompetent to this extent. It is a truly sad thing.”

The recklessly brave advance Beverick showed.

Through this, Hein could know at a glance that the opposing commander was an idiot who overwhelmingly believed in nurical superiority.

“Still, currently, the enemy is superior in objective power. The troops the enemies mobilized for this operation are 25,000, and the number of knights among them is also 1,500.”

Unlike Hein who was overflowing with composure, Ismael’s expression was cautious beyond asure.

It was understandable, as the Reichart forces stationed near Adela here were rely 10,000.

The knights were also only the Haken Knight Order, numbering a little over 500.

“Commander, wouldn’t it be better to call Ares in the Inner Castle even now?”

“No. Don’t you also know? That they are the minimum reserve force to prepare for possible external raids or monster attacks. Unless they are elites of Ares’s level, they cannot prepare for such sudden situations.”

If all troops Reichart possessed were gathered together, a number roughly similar to the total troops Beverick brought would co out.

However, excluding reserve forces prepared for possible cases and troops out on external expeditions, the resources Hein could use were 10,000 soldiers and 500 Haken Knights in total.

“By the way, you said the enemies maneuvered to flank?”

But despite this overwhelming power difference, Hein’s expression was only calm.

“Yes. There are traces that so of the enemies’ knight orders moved to a point expected to be our retreat path.”

“Since they assu they will unconditionally win in the all-out war that will happen tomorrow, they must an to cut off our rear as we retreat.”

A thicker sneer ford on Hein’s lips.

Did the guy called the opponent’s commander surely think this sloppy flanking ambush wouldn’t enter his sight?

“Commander, if you give one hundred mbers, I will raid the enemy forces waiting in ambush tonight.”

Since they noticed the enemies’ ambush, crushing their plan is a matter of course.

The number of ambushed enemy forces is three hundred knights.

Considering it is a surprise attack, Ismael was confident he could produce significant results with only one hundred mbers.

However,

“No. No need for that.”

“But Commander!”

“Just stay put today. Anyway, they are guests who ca a long way, so there is no need to be so heartless from the first day, right?”

“I understand.”

Of course, Ismael could not know Hein’s intention in rejecting the surprise attack operation.

But since his trust in Hein’s judgnt was absolute, he ended up nodding his head.

“Anyway, there is a separate gift I have to give to the guy called Beverick. Let’s postpone exchanging greetings until tomorrow.”

Hein lifted the baton and placed it on top of the model playing the role of the Subjugation Force as he spoke.

“I told you, right? On the battlefield, a commander’s incompetence is imdiately a sin.”

A blue light ford on the tip of the baton touching the model’s head.

“If one committed a sin, receiving punishnt is the law of the world.”

Crumble-

As Hein applied strength to the hand holding the baton, the model crushed by the blue light crumbled down like sand.

***

The next morning.

“Hiyah!”

Clatter clatter!

A group of n and horses rushed out from the Reichart formation toward the Subjugation Force’s campsite.

The warhorses that sortied while raising dust stopped at a point so distance away from the Subjugation Force’s main camp.

“Who are those guys?”

Beverick, who was sitting in the temporary command post examining the movent of the n and horses, asked in a brusque voice.

“Judging by the appearance and the insignia on the armor, it appears to be the knight order Hein Reichart personally commands, Your Excellency.”

“Ho-oh, then those guys must be the ones called Haken or whatever.”

No matter how incompetent Beverick was, he was not insensitive enough to not know the existence of the Royal Guard Knight Order led by the enemy supre commander.

Beverick, having grasped the enemies’ identity, swallowed dry saliva.

The number of the knight order that sortied from the enemy camp was roughly three hundred.

With what intention are those guys showing such movent?

“Hey, you bastards! This body is called Pierce Ferkam, the Vice-Commander of the Haken Knight Order serving Acting Family Head Hein!”

At that ti, a booming voice was heard from the mouth of a bald man with a burly physique standing at the very front of the Haken Knight Order.

“Are you the fearless idiots who dared to drag your disgusting bodies to the sacred land of Reichart?”

Pierce’s voice, carried by aura, echoed throughout the entire Subjugation Force main camp.

“Brother! I heard they aren't just fearless but guys who don't have heads at all?”

“Huh? I heard they are guys without lower bodies.”

“Hey, you heard wrong. Brother, it’s true that those guys are eunuch bastards, kekeke.”

“Ah! Right, indeed, sohow they look weak and sickly just like rats hit by rain. Rather than not having a lower body like those guys, isn't it a hundred tis, no, a thousand tis better to have no hair like ? Isn't that right?”

“That is correct! Brother!”

The Haken Knight Order ridiculed Beverick and the Subjugation Force while exchanging words.

At the unhesitating speech he heard for the first ti in his life, Beverick’s expression crumpled in an instant.

“……It is just a low-level p-provocation strategy, so I hope the generals do not get agitated.”

Although he pretended to be calm and soothed the generals, the one most excited was Beverick himself.

“Hey, you weak bastards without lower bodies! Originally, it would be right to slap your cheeks as soon as I saw you, but our Commander is such a broad-minded person that he couldn't bear to do that, you see?”

Pierce, who undid a large leather sack hung on the saddle with one hand, raised the other hand to point at Beverick sitting in the command post.

“So this body received the Commander’s order and personally brought a gift for you. Kneel and receive it with a reverent heart. Especially you over there, you will have to open your two eyes straight and watch very well!”

Splat.

A mont later, a large lump that was wriggling inside the leather sack was thrown onto the dusty ground.

And the mont Beverick confird the identity of the lump with the highest-grade telescope made by carving wyvern bone…….

“Bosmaaaaan!”

Beverick’s patience, which was already thin like tracing paper, snapped.

The lump rolled on the ground with a scar-covered appearance while having lost one hand.

It was none other than Beverick Alphonse’s second son, ‘Bosman Alphonse’.