Chapter 128
Leaving Vittorio with his eyes closed, I returned to my seat.
"...If I say it's a misunderstanding, would you believe me?"
"That's a question I don't recommend hearing the answer to."
"..."
Seeming to have felt the pressure well, Vittorio reacted with trembling to each of my words.
I had been worried whether my emotions would rise enough to properly pressure Vittorio, as betrayals and tricks on the battlefield were such common sights in the Rus Kingdom.
Fortunately, he came to me at the right time when my mood was the worst, as I was checking documents related to casualties.
Thanks to that, I could easily show the necessary level of cold anger, and,
"..."
Seeing Vittorio, who had his question shot down once, just moving his lips continuously, it could be said it was sufficiently successful.
"Don't think too hard about it."
Still, though it might be an unfortunate thing to say to the elves.
"We cooperated as allies, and you elves would be willing to actively cooperate with the allied forces. Isn't that right?"
The losses of the Este Kingdom hadn't yet reached an appropriate level, and Vittorio had proven that the foundation of his thoughts didn't change easily.
There's still a need to continue the alliance.
Whether the elves attempt a third betrayal or truly change this time.
It's better for me if the subject deciding this is the honest Vittorio, whose insides have already been transparently revealed.
"..."
"Or could it be, did you try to throw us away and just snatch the achievements? That's strange, I thought I was carrying out the operation as we had agreed."
"...Th-That's right! That's exactly it!"
I mentioned a level of misunderstanding that could reduce the impact on Vittorio, in an exaggerated tone as if acting.
"In the Battle of Adige, weren't we a bit left out! So, that's why!"
"Then?"
Understanding the intent of my words immediately, it seems he won't need much help.
Seeing how he tried to stab us in the back right on the battlefield, I wonder if the cooperative, or in the elves' eyes, submissive behavior Vittorio had shown until now was part of the plan.
Unless he blurts out the entire process and results himself, I think he won't be driven out just for coincidence or small mistakes.
"From now on, I'll move absolutely according to the plan! Really!"
"How can I believe you?"
-Thud.
"Please believe me. I beg you."
"Huh..."
His submissive appearance, even utilizing kneeling learned from who knows where, was pleasing even though I knew it was an act.
"...I won't tell Blake, so consider this the last time."
"Oh, thank you! Thank you!"
I pretended to ponder, putting my hand on my chin to hide my sneer, and sent him away appropriately.
If he has any intelligence, he should behave for a while.
"...Hmm."
As I watched Vittorio's retreating back as he hurriedly left,
I hoped that he would use his last chance in a more certain and useful situation.
---
Although Vittorio had felt like his heart was sinking at the initial questioning,
"Right, achievements. Hmm, hmm. That's right. Yes."
Vittorio, who had accepted Viktor's intentional misunderstanding of 'an attempt to monopolize achievements', returned to the elves waiting for him with some regained spirit.
"It was close to coincidence. It seems he hasn't completely figured out our intentions."
Having composed himself, he claimed that the incident in the Berti Forest was a coincidence, and,
"Is that so? Well."
"That... The officer I encountered also didn't seem to notice our intentions at all."
"Hmm, hmm."
The hardline elves, thinking that mere humans couldn't possibly figure out their thoughts and plans, immediately understood and nodded, but.
"There are many suspicious points to dismiss as coincidence. They seemed to be blocking us rather than the enemy."
Some elves stepped forward citing circumstances that couldn't help but raise suspicion, or,
"...We lost many comrades. If we had proceeded according to the original strategy, the damage wouldn't have been this great."
"..."
Various reasons, including unexpectedly large force losses.
At least more elves agreed than when they had supported Renato, and Vittorio couldn't carelessly suppress them like before.
"...The occurrence of casualties is regrettable."
Feeling that the almost fanatical atmosphere that had enveloped the elves, which would have been strengthened if the operation had succeeded, had disappeared, Vittorio accepted their resistance, and,
"It would be good to be careful for a while."
"Understood."
He eventually declared a temporary suspension of the operation, calming the resistance for now.
"...You met here, you say?"
"Yes! Just as the Commander said!"
"Really?"
Meanwhile, the imperial officers reviewing the Battle of Berti Forest could also feel something unsettling.
"Why did the elves come this far?"
"The Commander had..."
"Ah, I heard, I heard. You don't need to say it again."
"Yes..."
The point where Stefan and other imperial reserve forces encountered the elves was clearly further back than the elves' original position, and,
"You haven't heard about it either, right?"
"No. In the first place, is there anyone who has heard?"
No officer appeared who had heard in advance about the second ambush Viktor had mentioned.
"It's suspicious..."
"Those elf bastards, are they at it again?"
The officers who had been tricked by the elves several times naturally suspected the elves.
"...Does the Commander know?"
"I don't know. It seems like he might know, but also might not..."
"If he knew, he would have stepped in already. Didn't you see on the first day?"
"Can't we just leave it be? It's not that dangerous anyway."
And, whether Viktor knew this fact.
If he knew, opinions were divided among the officers about why he wasn't raising this as an issue.
As support for Viktor, who had continuously led the battles to 'satisfactory' victories, was high, there were almost no officers who said his intentions were suspicious, but.
Most agreed that there was something the officers didn't know.
Meanwhile,
"The cup is empty! Pour!"
"It's not even half... Waaah!"
Unlike the human and elf camps, which were unsettled in various ways, the dwarves were enjoying the victory, downing beer.
"Look! When those elves bend a little, we win so easily!"
"Yeah, that Viktor? Since that guy came, the humans have changed a bit too!"
"That's right, that's right! But could it have been done without us, that's what I'm saying!"
"Hahaha!"
Blake, greatly satisfied that the allied forces were finally rolling like proper allies, recklessly opened the lids of beer barrels.
"Why don't you drink some too!"
"I have to relay the Commander's words..."
"It's nothing! Come here!"
"You guys fought well? Hey, you... Why didn't you do that earlier!"
"Uh, uh..."
"Can you use a sword too? We have a lot of good swords. Want me to give you one?"
"Do you know how to forge before you brag?"
"Hey, you little..."
They even pulled in an elf who had briefly come to relay a message, pouring beer into the mouth of the elf who was waving his hands in refusal.
"No, are you trying to give away your liver and gallbladder too?"
The elders still couldn't shake off their deep-rooted elf hatred, but,
"You, you... little brat. Do you still have that much resentment left! You're old enough!"
"That's not it..."
"Hey! Brother Rupert Dawson says he's short on alcohol!"
"Oh my, that won't do."
-Thud.
They suppressed opinions in a manner befitting the most boisterous dwarves from the Ecrini Kingdom, branding those who suspected other allies as immature and subduing them with large amounts of alcohol.
Thus, the allied forces prepared for the next battle, each race going through reorganization in quite different ways.
Although evaluations of the previous battle and allies were completely divided,
It was a common point among humans, dwarves, and elves that they held hope that the next battle, and other future battles, would go well, but.
"10,000 orcs are approaching again from Osta!"
It didn't take long to realize that the enemy forces that had made the allied forces taste bitter defeat several times so far were merely the vanguard.
-Swoosh! Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
"It's our allies!"
"Hang in there! The elves have come!"
At intervals of a week, or even shorter, orcs and elves continuously struck.
Of course, the sporadic and disorderly attacks of the orcs were no match for the allied forces, but,
"The raids are intensifying. We need to allocate more troops."
"The enemy elves are systematically targeting our scout units. Just increasing the number of scouts isn't the solution."
The attacks that had seemed meaningless gradually became organized and subtle.
-Boom!
"How did you defend the supply route! Why do our troops have to go all the way to the other side to fight!"
"...I'm sorry, but our scout units are already at their limit."
With the Labria Republic elves performing disruption missions such as hunting scout units and striking supply routes, and orc attacks on top of that,
"...The supply route is too long, and the enemy elves are too zealous. I think it's right to retreat to Gione."
"Hmm. Our engineers say they've roughly done the work, so it should be better to defend than Adige."
Although they hadn't lost in battle, discussions of retreat began among the allied forces who were gradually losing Adige bit by bit, and,
"...Alright, I understand."
This stimulated the sense of crisis that Vittorio had forgotten.