Chapter 614: The Command Center

"William's forces have captured four cities!"

"Ansem's forces have captured four cities!"

At the Allied Forces' headquarters located at the Louvre Fortress, I received these two pieces of information. William and Ansem are vying with each other to take the cities.

"It's good to see them getting along," I mumbled, sighing as I spread out a map of the kingdom on the table.

"Well, you did incite this competition between them," came Elna's voice from behind me.

"It's a race against time, so it's convenient if they compete. But I didn't expect them to work this hard."

"They're not just competing, you know. They're two of the most prominent commanders known to us. The only one who could join their ranks is Lady Liselotte, right? It's basically a contest to determine the strongest commander."

"I don't understand the thinking of warriors," I muttered, advancing the pieces on the map.

Red for William's forces, blue for Ansem's, and white for Leonard's. Enemy forces are all black. The three forces are advancing to conquer the remaining cities in the kingdom. William's forces are heading north, Ansem's are heading south, and Leonard's forces are in the center.

However...

"Leo's pace doesn't seem to be picking up," I observed.

"He's only taken two cities... It's rather insufficient, especially considering his position as the representative of the Empire."

"Quit criticizing him. Leo's army is the only one that isn't a mixed force. I've even granted them the Sixth Guard Knights as air force. Far from being disadvantaged, they're at an advantage because they're solely composed of their own country's soldiers. There must be a reason for his slow progress."

"I think I know why," Elna piped up.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue.

"It's because he wants to be with Leticia and can't put his heart into military duties!"

"That's ridiculous. I'm the fool for listening."

"Why!? You may not know this, Al, but Leo was absolutely smitten with Leticia! If she didn't constantly rebuke him, he'd never leave her side! I'm sure he's still causing trouble for her right now!"

If that's true, it's grounds for his dismissal as a commander. But Leo is not the type to neglect his duties. Especially not a war for the sake of Leticia's homeland. The longer we take, the more likely the enemy will turn the civilians into fake human soldiers.

In every city, there are not only fake human soldiers, but also defensive soldiers. They've been told that Ansem has betrayed the Empire. It's difficult to clear up such misunderstandings. Soldiers fight on orders from above. If their superiors betray them, then they are betrayers. Bloodshed is therefore inevitable, as reports have already confirmed.

But we don't have time to hesitate.

"It's a problem if Leo isn't taking this seriously... But it's an even bigger problem if he is taking it seriously and has only managed to capture two cities."

"There shouldn't be any renowned generals left on the enemy side, right? Of course, the direct army of the Crown Prince is another matter, but all the competent ones sided with Prince Ansem."

"No matter the era, there are always talented people who remain hidden. The kingdom is in dire straits in terms of personnel. This means that people who have not been recognized until now may have emerged."

"You mean there's someone like you in the kingdom?"

"Not exactly. I was just slacking off. It's more likely that someone who fell off the promotion track or was obstructed by their position has come forward."

"You admit you were slacking off?"

"What do you mean?"

Elna looked at me with narrowed eyes, so I returned a puzzled expression. In response, she let out a sigh.

"The reputation of Al in the army is incredible due to the swift advance of the Allied Forces. Almost nobody calls you the 'Dull Prince' anymore. Some people use it as a nickname without ill-intent, but I always reprimand them."

"Got nothing else to do, huh..."

"It's important to me! But with this, I can finally boast to the Emperor and Lady Mitsuba! I've said so many times that I'll properly handle Al... If only you showed some motivation, we wouldn't have had to suffer so much..."

Elna glared at me reproachfully. I can't deny that I caused her some trouble. I feel like she caused me more than twice the trouble though.

"I didn't want to do this."

"But you've proven your worth! Nobody will underestimate Al now!!"

"It means that they'll come at me with all they've got. Until now, they've been underestimating me, but from now on, they'll be serious. My strength was that I was an unexpected factor. Everyone was focusing on Leo, leaving me out of the picture. I took advantage of that opening. However, I can't do that anymore. I had to give up that advantage at this crucial moment... whether it'll turn out to be good or bad, I don't know."

"Aren't you happy...?"

Elna said, sounding a bit disappointed.

I feel like I did something bad, but it can't be helped.

After all...

"I can't always be happy about it. After the kingdom war ends... I'll have to face Erik. From the moment the Allied Forces were formed, the kingdom hardly stood a chance. That's why Leo will achieve outstanding feats. And Leo will likely become the Crown Prince. However, I can't imagine Erik will accept that without doing anything."

This war, after all, is fought outside of our country.

What we're dealing with is a battle for the throne.

The enemy is not outside but within.

And it's the most formidable and powerful enemy.

It's Erik.

He won't sit and wait without preparing anything.

He must be planning something somewhere.

That being said...

He will move only after everything is over.

In other words, nothing will start unless we finish this.

"Now then... let's go."

"Eh!? Al!?"

"Hurry up, or I'll leave you behind."

"Wait a minute!! Where are you going!?"

"To the front line. If Leo is slacking off, I'll scold him, and if he's having a hard time, I want to see who the enemy is."

"You've got to be kidding! The Supreme Commander going to the front lines!?"

"Each general moves freely anyway. Leaving this place for a bit won't matter. Come on, let's go."

With that, Elna and I left the room.

TL's Notes:

Forgot to upload Sunday's Chap, enjoy a double chapter as my apologies!

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