Chapter 127
I realized anew, in many ways, how trustworthy a race the elves were.
While it's generally inadvisable to grin without reason on a battlefield where tens of thousands of lives are at stake,
"Haha..."
I couldn't help but laugh when I saw on the mini-map the series of movements Vittorio showed: encountering my reserve forces spread out as if blocking the path of the rear forces that seemed to have moved secretly, and then returning to the battlefield as if giving up.
"What's the matter, General?"
"It seems this battle will be resolved well too."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. The elves have actively stepped up. The dwarves have endured well too."
And, to the extent that there was nothing to be hesitant about when making excuses, the overall war situation was favorable to us.
The dwarven forces at the front effectively blocked the orcs' charge, definitely sapping the enemy's strength.
The Labria elves who were in charge of the rear weren't strong enough in breakthrough power to penetrate us blocking the valley entrance, so they quickly withdrew after a brief engagement with us.
The orcs in the rear seemed to concentrate their attack on the imperial army blocking the path at first, but their attention was immediately dispersed by attacks from other directions.
The allied forces' encirclement, reinforced with troops, had no weak points, so there was no possibility for the orcs inside to escape on their own.
"...Have we won?"
"It's a bit early to let our guard down, but not much is left."
Although the effects of the ambush weren't perfectly manifested in terms of confusion or fear due to the orcs having their emotions almost removed, and resistance was still fierce,
It's a good situation just to have succeeded in surrounding the enemy in favorable terrain.
Their large build, which was their strength, became an obstacle hindering each other, and the surrounded enemy could only be helplessly worn down.
Whatever the intention, with even the elves actively jumping in to pound the sides of the densely packed orcs, annihilation doesn't seem particularly difficult.
"They will never surrender. Focus on certain annihilation."
"Understood!"
This time too, the operation was well executed in the end, and I even knew that elves were just that kind of beings.
So, I didn't feel particularly resentful or greatly regretful towards Vittorio, but.
"...I'm looking forward to it."
I was a bit curious about how Vittorio would interpret the situation he had experienced.
---
"I was worried the bows might be a bit small, but the power is impressive."
"...Is that so?"
Viktor didn't particularly inform the other officers about the intention behind the reserve forces' movements, so the imperial troops carrying this out just thought it was an ambush proceeding according to plan, but.
"..."
The elves couldn't read such thoughts.
For reasons he couldn't understand, Salvatore couldn't help but suspect the imperial troops deployed to perfectly interfere with their plans.
"Yes. And the timing of the ambush was excellent too! Just look at how they're wandering around helplessly!"
"I see, hmm..."
Once suspicion arose, Stefan's pure attitude only intensified their anxiety.
They had to keep watching the imperial officers' reactions.
"...Ugh."
Vittorio and the elves around him were equally pained.
Mental communication is certainly useful on the battlefield, and because of this usefulness, elves have almost no culture of sending messengers or sending signals in other forms, but.
As most of the forces that didn't intend to fight entered combat,
"Tsk..."
"My arm...! Ah, never mind."
The drawbacks of mental communication were highlighted, such as confusion occurring or screams and pain themselves being transmitted due to mistakes by elves on the battlefield.
"Ugh, ugh!"
"Commander!"
Especially Vittorio, as the overall commander, was having difficulty even maintaining his composure due to the mental communication coming in from all directions and the mental energy consumed while giving instructions.
-Boom!
"Push! Not much left!"
"Yaaaah!"
Separate from the elves' atmosphere, the other allied forces who hadn't noticed the elves' plot raised their momentum and pushed against the orcs.
Although the dwarves felt that the first ambush by the imperial army and elves that started on the opposite side of where they were defending didn't really resonate,
The second ambush that started close enough to be visible to the naked eye quickly raised the dwarves' morale.
"The enemy center is collapsing!"
"Keep firing!"
Even the orcs, who seemed to be enduring with their tough skin and strong vitality, were gradually eroded by the continuous fire from the imperial longbowmen, and,
-Swish. Slash!
"...Their movements are different."
"They're fast, incredibly so."
The elven warriors who entered combat along with the imperial reserve forces showcased their characteristically agile movements as they dealt with the orcs.
-Thud!
"Charlie!"
"Damn it... Help! I can't hold on alone!"
Although there was some bloodshed as they had to face multiple orcs, the orcs that had filled the valley quickly diminished in number.
-Thud thud thud thud thud thud.
"Charge!"
"Let's go!"
To this, the allied forces mobilized all their reserves, including the imperial cavalry waiting in the rear, to completely mop up the sporadically resisting orcs.
"The end is in sight. Hah..."
"This was said to be the vanguard. ...Phew."
Although Caligo's main force still remained, making it insufficient to call it a total victory,
The battle in the Berti Forest was also a victory for the allied forces.
---
As they had to eliminate the orcs who resisted to the very last man, the battle was concluded late in the evening.
Considering the accumulated fatigue from fighting for almost half a day, the representatives of each army who gathered in the central tent resolved to conduct the overall settlement and such the next morning.
Those who returned to their respective tents relieved their fatigue in various ways, such as savoring the victory or falling into a death-like sleep, but,
"..."
Late at night, Vittorio alone visited Viktor's lit tent.
"What's the matter?"
"I have an urgent matter to discuss with Commander Viktor regarding today's battle."
"...Alright."
He spoke his business calmly as he crossed the imperial camp, and,
"...Hey."
"...? Oh, why are you here?"
"Is this Commander Viktor's tent?"
"Yes, it is."
"I'd like to have a word with him."
"Uh... Please wait a moment."
"Hmm."
Suppressing his rising irritation, he called a soldier near Viktor's tent and conveyed his intention.
"He says it's possible. You can go in."
"I see."
Vittorio had thought it would be difficult to endure if he was even refused, but fortunately, Viktor allowed the audience.
Feeling displeased at the very fact of having to receive permission, Vittorio composed his expression with a deep breath and pushed open the flap of Viktor's tent.
-Swish.
Seeing the tent flap move, Viktor put down the documents he was holding and smoothed his expression, rubbing his face.
"...I thought it was mistakenly conveyed, but it wasn't. What's the matter?"
"..."
Vittorio's haggard face was illuminated by the light inside the tent.
He looked over Anna and Erika who were beside Viktor, and,
"I have something I'd like to ask privately. Could you send the others out for a moment?"
He requested a private audience with an uncharacteristically polite attitude for an elf.
"...Anna. Take Erika and wait outside for a bit."
"Understood. Let's go."
"Ah, yes."
Viktor, who had been staring intently at Vittorio's face, grinned and sent Anna and Erika out.
-Swish.
"Hey, Viktor."
"What is it?"
Vittorio stuck his head out of the tent to confirm there was no one around, then,
"Just how much do you know?"
"Hmm?"
Thinking that Viktor would understand what he meant even if it was vague, he questioned him.
-Thud. Thud.
"...If you don't want to answer, I'll change the question. Perhaps, is there something you want from me?"
"..."
However, Viktor just stared blankly at Vittorio, who had come right up to him.
With a strange expression, he didn't give any answer.
"Say something, won't you?"
Unlike Viktor, who seemed relaxed, Vittorio couldn't hide his desperation.
Even if the first time could be considered a coincidence, he knew well that when similar things happened a second time, it wasn't a coincidence.
He needed to confirm how much Viktor had grasped his intentions.
-Tap. Tap. Tap.
Viktor, who had been looking at Vittorio leaning in while tapping his fingers on the table,
"Well. I'm not sure exactly what you want to ask."
He suddenly hit the desk and stood up, then,
"Now..."
"'Did you plant a spy inside to find out our movements?' or something like that."
"...!"
As he approached Vittorio's side, he muttered softly.
"Or maybe, 'How on earth did you find out where we were?'"
"..."
"Or 'Did you read my thoughts in advance and deploy troops?' There seem to be many better questions."
Standing beside him, Viktor put his hand on Vittorio's shoulder, and,
"Think carefully. What you should ask, and what answer you need from me."
He whispered softly to Vittorio, who had completely frozen.
"Right now, I'm not in a particularly good mood... but since we did win. If you ask a decent question, I'm willing to give a decent answer."
A drop of sweat that had formed on Vittorio's hand fell to the floor.