The matter of losing communication with the Western Capital immediately showed signs of being resolved.
This was because Gilmi’s bow and arrow army (Fanzel) went north and entered the Western Capital. With the Western Capital recovered, which was the center of the flow of goods in Germion State, the odds of the rebel army winning greatly fell.
But Esgare’s rampage was just beginning.
The first place he attacked was the demihuman village.
When the month of Mars was coming to an end, the rebel army attacked the home of the centaurs, who were participating in the southern front lines under Gi Ga Rax’s lead with the main force. By the time word reached them, hurrying to them and sending the refugees back to the Western Capital was all that they could do.
They naturally couldn’t leave them alone, but when the Goblin King tried to pull back from the front lines, word of the War Princess advancing came. It was such perfect timing it almost seemed as if they could see how they were moving.
What’s more is that the soldiers under her lead were building catapults.
With siege weapons making an entrance, the Goblin King ordered Gi Gu Verbena’s goblins to dig a moat behind the anti-cavalry palisades.
The many layers of anti-cavalry palisades might look no more than a military camp, but to the Goblin King, it was already a castle. And Blanche the War Princess’ choice to bring siege weapons to attack that camp was correct.
If she were to attack that without any prior knowledge, it would have quickly turned into a land of death.
Blanche shouldn’t have known anything about field fortifications, and yet with just one glance, she chose not to enter the land of death prepared by the king, and even prepared the correct answer.
“Is this what you call a genius?”
As the king shamefully spat that out, his eyes turned toward the catapults that rose from the ground and reached high up like a spire. They were surrounded by cavalry. Blanche the War Princess’s natural gift caused the king to inadvertently groan.
But no matter how strong a foe the Goblin King might face, he hadn’t the slightest intentions of losing. He’s also learned a thing or two from the Kushain Believers when it came to preparing siege weapons.
The Goblin King and Blanche the War Princess confronted each other with the anti-cavalry palisade between them.
The king had no choice but to judge that Gi Gu Verbena had a lot on his shoulders.
Even his tactician, Pale, had too much on her shoulders. Even if she was better when it came to tactics, the War Princess was still above her when it came to creativity and foresight. That was apparent the moment she was able to see through the fortified position of the king.
If it were Pale, she would have probably taken it down even if she had to sacrifice some soldiers.
But Blanche chose not to attack and found another way to capture it instead.
A ferocious presence that made the king feel as if it would bare its fangs against him if he were to turn his back. An army with a fierce aura like that of a predator eyeing its prey.
A move that seemed to declare ‘this is the War Princess’.
The king could not move.
And it was during this time that Esgare continued his rampage.
After the centaurs, it was the home of the Fang Tribe (Werewolf) that was attacked next.
Many of them were with the Tiger and Spear Army (Aransain), so the attack to their village was painful. When word reached them, there were those among Mido and Tianos’ subordinates who wavered.
And the only reason why it wasn’t so widespread was because of the existence of a powerful leader that was the Goblin King.
—Our king who has grasped victory time and time again though we found ourselves disadvantaged.
The goblins unanimously spoke of their king as such, and the demihumans, who were their comrades-in-arms, chose to believe too.
Gilmi, who has been entrusted by the king with the rear, also mobilized that power to search the whereabouts of their enemies. To him, letting their enemies run twice was a stubborn stain to his honor.
With the Western Capital as their base, Gilmi dispatched scouts to all four directions, had beacons built, and even had the Winged Ones (Harpyurea) scout. He did everything he could to grab the enemy by their tails, but despite all that and the fact that the enemies could so easily jump out of the shadows, they were able to keep themselves hidden.
“We have an army 2,000 men strong, and yet we can’t find them!?”
Only a few days had passed, but the people present in the war council all looked like they’d swallowed a bitter bug. The frustration of not being able to catch their enemy was the same for Gi Zu Ruo.
With nothing to slam his raised fist into, he had no choice but to burn with anger.
Victory would fall to whoever grasped the initiative.
Of course, that wasn’t all there was to it, but the side that’s fallen behind would have no choice but to rely on emergency measures. They had their hands full just trying to solve the problem at hand, and they couldn’t even consider the things to come.
As the month of Mars came to an end in this new year, both the Goblin King and Gilmi had no choice but to accept that they’ve lost the initiative to the enemy.
Blanche the War Princess was the one deciding the flow. With her schemes and strategies, she was able to handle them as she pleased. A woman who possessed a flash of genius. She was no different from the pillar that would allow the Holy Shushunu Kingdom to become a great power.
Regardless how much Pale Symphoria tried to create a powerful intelligence service, it was not possible for her to see the very construct of the War Princess’ mind. While they were taken in by her actions, an enemy had been created behind them.
