novelraw Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Chapter 145
“You know, right? The core of this war is ‘where we fight.’”
“Right.”
Everyone knew defending a castle was easier than attacking one.
That’s why we wanted to lure those Imperial bastards all the way to the Cow Tribe’s fortress before fighting.
The reason we installed a reinforcement magic circle to strengthen the fortress walls was to prepare for a defensive battle.
The problem was—the Empire thought the same.
They kept sending merchants to tempt the Cow Tribe.
If we hadn’t stopped them in time, the Cow Tribe would’ve already charged headfirst into Lucas Castle like fools.
“That’s why it’s disadvantageous. The Imperial bastards are cunning, and the beastmen aren’t exactly known for patience.”
“Right. In that sense, I think it was a good call for Rudick to stay behind at the Cow Tribe’s fortress. He’s buying us time, isn’t he?”
“That’s true, but there’s a limit to that too.”
When both sides wanted to defend, it was incredibly difficult to draw the other into a fight.
Especially when the opponent was as sly as the Empire.
One of the key points of this war was figuring out how to lure those Imperial bastards all the way here.
And Leon had something in mind.
“…You’re seriously going to do that?”
“Yes. What do you think?”
“Even if you ask me what I think…”
As I listened to Leon’s plan, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
It was exactly the same when we fought the Boar Tribe.
A simple plan, yet one that perfectly targeted the enemy’s psychology.
The more I heard, the more convincing it sounded.
Its greatest advantage was its simplicity.
Even the beastmen could follow it without issue.
Given that strategic thinkers were rare among beastmen, this was crucial.
No matter how brilliant a plan was, it meant nothing if no one could follow it.
“Our strength lies in the fact that they don’t know us. The Imperial bastards only think about the Cow Tribe.”
“Of course. Beastmen aren’t exactly a cooperative bunch.”
We already had a decent understanding of the Empire’s forces.
But the Empire had no idea what we were capable of.
They tried to pry information from merchants, but most of it was false.
Our hidden weapons, the fortress walls inscribed with reinforcement magic circles…
And the plan for multiple tribes to join forces against the Empire—
They knew none of it.
This imbalance of information was our greatest weapon.
“Honestly, if it weren’t for you, my lord, the beastmen wouldn’t have come together like this.”
The Empire wouldn’t even imagine that other tribes were taking part in this war.
Well, maybe they’d consider the possibility that some might lend support, since they weren’t exactly innocent themselves.
But it was hard to imagine every tribe gathering with everything they had.
That defied common sense.
This had never happened before.
‘The last time beastmen cooperated was between the Bear Tribe and the Lion Tribe. And that only happened because our ancestors intervened.’
Sure, when they escaped the Empire after living as slaves, beastmen had joined forces back then—but that was ages ago, during the era when Guides were abundant.
At least, none of the Imperials alive today had ever witnessed beastmen truly uniting.
‘Then, it makes sense they’ll take the bait.’
If the Empire was unaware of our situation, they’d easily fall for this plan.
Actually, given their nature and goals, it was highly likely.
But that didn’t mean we were without problems.
“Even if everything goes as we hope, it won’t be easy. Especially the Horse Tribe. Their role’s crucial. Can they really handle this?”
“Ah, you don’t know the Horse Tribe well, do you?”
“No, I know them—those funny folks whose lower bodies turn into horses.”
“No, I mean you don’t know how they fight.”
“Well, that’s…”
It’s not like we’d ever fought them before, so how would I know?
‘Now that I think about it, didn’t Leisha say something like that too?’
—Those bastards fight like absolute hell. Well, considering it came from that lioness, I guess that makes sense.
‘That bad?’
—If we compare it to your standards, you know those nomads? The ones who shoot arrows while riding horses?
‘Yeah, nomads. So what about them?’
—The Horse Tribe is a level above that. It’s hard to explain—you have to experience it yourself.
‘Really?’
Come to think of it, when Leon said he wanted to bring the Horse Tribe in, the Cow Tribe hadn’t opposed.
Normally, they would’ve snapped that they could handle it themselves.
That meant even the Cow Tribe acknowledged the Horse Tribe’s combat power.
“So you’re saying this is doable?”
“Yes, it’s possible. But we’ll need some support.”
“Support?”
“Yes. Good weapons are a must, right?”
“Well, yeah. That’s the basics. But fine, let’s say that’s handled—what about the next part?”
“Oh, that part? I’ll handle it myself.”
“You?”
“Yes. Since Rudick’s at the Cow Tribe’s fortress, I’ll head there too. The Dog Tribe’s still on the way, so we need to buy time anyway. There are a few things I need to take care of.”
“Well, if it’s you…”
The plan had two main points.
First, buy time until the Dog Tribe arrived.
That part was relatively easy.
The enemy probably viewed winter as the best time to attack anyway.
We could test their patience and adjust the timing bit by bit.
The real problem was luring the Imperial bastards to the Cow Tribe’s fortress.
To do that, we needed precise information manipulation.
Something the Cow Tribe could never pull off.
But if this kid—the one who came up with this whole plan—handled it, it might just work.
‘If Leon manipulates the Cow Tribe through Rudick, this could work. Once the war starts, we’ll deploy there too.’
Could this really work?
—What a cunning little brat. How could anyone tell he’s the Black Lion?
‘Every group has its anomalies.’
—He’s got the kind of personality the Empire would worship as a leader.
‘Well, wars are won by bastards, after all. The nastier you fight, the better.’
As I marveled at the kid’s remarkable cunning, he suddenly brought up something I’d never really thought about before.
“If the Beastman Alliance wins this war, wouldn’t your position as Lord change quite a bit?”
“Change? In what way?”
“Well, it’s thanks to you, my lord, that the beastmen were able to unite in the first place.”
“That’s… not wrong.”
The only reason my words carried weight among the beastmen was because I was the Guide of the Rabbit Tribe.
But truthfully, it was because I had all the meat they desired most.
We could practically harvest meat from the fields, and with just two Horned Rabbit ranches, we could feed every beastman alive.
Of course, things would be different if every single beastman ate only meat, but they didn’t go that far.
Unless they were eccentric like the Lion Tribe, even beastmen needed carbohydrates and minerals.
‘And that won’t change. Once trade between tribes becomes more frequent, our influence will only grow stronger.’
Even if the Levelium Region was reclaimed and trade resumed, merchants there couldn’t possibly compete with us.
No one offered better prices than we did.
Our production cost was fundamentally different.
Aside from labor, we needed nothing else—and even that labor was practically free.
—Sounds like you’re suggesting forming a proper alliance centered around you, Master. Not a bad idea.
‘That’s…’
A Beastman Alliance, huh.
So, a beastman alliance led by a human? That would be quite the strange group.
Sure, as the Guide of the Rabbit Tribe, I was half an honorary beastman, but wouldn’t people talk later on?
The next generation—my children, who would inherit the ranch—would be pure humans.
Still, it’d be ridiculous if someone who couldn’t even provide food ended up leading the alliance.
No way this bunch could ever be properly governed anyway.
—Is that really something you need to worry about right now?
‘Well, maybe not. Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring, after all.’
Still, the way these beastmen lived had problems from the very root.
Really, their situation was a complete mess.
They didn’t even interact with other tribes—anyone could see that was an issue.
Without someone holding things together, it was no wonder everything stayed like this.
‘And they don’t interact properly with humans either.’
Seeing the Fox Tribe study alchemy proved that beastmen weren’t incapable of using magic.
They just hadn’t been doing it until now.
Inter-tribal communication and the active use of magical tools—
Just those two things would already improve their lives immensely.
‘If the beastmen combined their strength, they wouldn’t have to bow to the Great Lords anymore.’
I was a little uneasy about the power structures forming around the Great Lords.
No matter how well we fought, we couldn’t take on entire factions.
If it were still like the old days, where cooperation existed, maybe it’d be fine—but lately, the atmosphere had been shifting strangely.
As long as we controlled a Mana Stone Mine, conflict of some kind was inevitable.
That’s why I’d been worrying about the stability of our territory—but with the beastmen at our backs, it might not be so hard after all.
That was the very reason I’d begun reaching out to them.
Even now, we were preparing to face the Imperial bastards with the strength equivalent to one Great Lord.
‘As expected of Leon. The kid thinks on another level.’
All I had hoped for was cooperation or an alliance—but he was already talking about a union.
He really was something else, that kid.
It had been a week since Leon left for the Cow Tribe’s fortress.
Four merchants had already come and gone from there.
They said the Imperial bastards’ condition wasn’t great, and asked if it might be time to launch an attack before returning.
‘They must’ve gathered plenty of intel too.’
According to Rudick, the Cow Tribe was still exercising restraint, but that wouldn’t last long.
Even after only a short period of military training, their results were surprisingly good, and their confidence had grown.
The Cow Tribe was already known for their confidence—so if that grew even more, something was bound to happen sooner or later.
“We’ve arrived!”
Right around that time,
the Dog Tribe arrived at Johnson Territory.
Ten thousand Dog Tribe members—without a single one left behind—returned to their homeland in perfect order.
And they arrived even earlier than I had expected.
‘Wait, the Swamp of Death is a Forbidden Area, right? Same level as the Forest of Illusions. But they crossed that, then went through Saint, Rubina, and even Hawrun, and it only took them ten days?’
We first detected their movement from Rubina.
A Fox Tribe merchant, who had gone there for trade with Haken, spotted the Dog Tribe and sent word to the territory.
The next report came from Hawrun.
Amazingly, the Dog Tribe had covered the distance from Rubina to Hawrun in just two days.
Considering the entire tribe was migrating, their marching speed was incredible.
—The Dog Tribe as a whole is practically an army. Their military discipline is extremely strict.
‘No, but is that even physically possible? You can’t do that through discipline alone.’
“Now that we’ve arrived, I…”
At that moment, Elline, who had been leading the Dog Tribe from the front, suddenly collapsed.
Severe exhaustion and mana depletion.
Elline was immediately taken to the Temple.
It was quite the impressive first appearance.