I Became the First Prince

The empire isn’t much (5)

For the nobility of the Empire’s mainland, the rebels, including Duke Briand, were nothing more than a ragtag group that could be wiped out whenever they wished. 

It was only due to the absence of an imperial order that the rebellion had not been immediately suppressed. 

One of the reasons the rebel army had been left alone was to hinder the advance of the Leonberg Kingdom, which had shown incredible strength for a border state in the last war. 

And soon afterwards, war broke out. 

Word spread that the legions of the Leonberg Kingdom had crossed the border and were attacking the rebel strongholds. 

The nobles of the empire were very satisfied by their foresight, and they hoped that the rebels and the Leonberg Kingdom would deal significant damage to each other. 

It was a vain hope.

The war was one-sided. 

The kingdom’s army subjugated the rebel castles and fortresses, and in less than three months after the war began, they even captured the base of Duke Briand who had led the rebellion. 

Contrary to the wishes of the mainland nobility, the damage suffered by the kingdom’s army in the process was extremely minimal.

Like this, they did nothing but watch as the Leonberg Kingdom devoured the old Empire’s territory. 

Only then did the nobles feel the fire under their feet. 

They hurriedly gathered troops and dispatched them to castles and forts along the border, while sending messengers to the center of the Empire requesting reinforcements. 

Until then, the nobles had just been a little surprised by the unexpected speed of the kingdom’s advance, but they did not feel greatly threatened. 

It was natural. 

Unlike in the northeast, which had their main forces annihilated during the previous war, the nobles here kept their power intact. 

The troops guarding the fortresses along the border alone amounted to 10 corps, and there were an additional 10 corps dispatched after that. 

These were 20 real, elite corps, not just a dumb army filled with numbers. 

And even now, there was a reserve force that continued to grow. 

The kingdom’s army, which consisted of at most 10 corps, had no way of crossing the border defended by such a powerful force. 

“The Dotrin side is more of a problem than the Leonberg side. Now that all the troops that were supposed to support the south have been swept away by Hwaryong¹, it won’t be easy to stop the Dotrin Kingdom’s army with just the forces on the front lines.”

They focused more on understanding the dynamics of Dotrin’s army rather than Leonberg’s. 

But even despite that, they did not lose their vigilance against the Leonberg army, or more precisely, the Lion of the North. 

They were aware of the ferocity and stubbornness of the kingdom’s soldiers, but they could make up for that with the superiority of their own troops. 

However, the Lion of the North, Adrian Leonberger, was different. 

He was like a natural disaster. 

A monster among monsters who couldn’t be defeated even if several paladins and an entire corps of knights went against him. 

Even though it was impossible to win a war alone, Adrian Leonberger was someone who had the ability to lead a battle to victory no matter what. 

If such a ruthless beast started rampaging at will on the battlefield, the damage to their allies would be severe. 

In particular, Adrian Leonberger was famous as a paladin slayer. 

So even if they won the war, it wouldn’t be a victory. 

The mainland nobles didn’t hope to just merely win, their goal was to defeat the kingdom’s army while preserving their full strength. 

As such, many of the scouts who advanced into the kingdom’s territory were watching Adrian Leonberger’s movements. 

Thanks to that, the nobles of the empire were able to notice early on that the kingdom’s army had departed from the Briand Duchy. 

“A crouching golden lion in the lead! It’s Adrian Leonberger!”

The faces of the imperial nobles, who had been exchanging opinions with rather relaxed expressions, became stiff. 

“What is the enemy’s route and destination?”

One of them asked the messenger in a deliberately calm tone, but he couldn’t hide his quivering eyes.

“They are currently heading south across the border. Based on their current route, their final destination is estimated to be Danang fortress!”

Sighs leaked out from all over the conference hall. 

The sighs came from the lords whose territories were at the forefront. 

They blatantly expressed their relief that the targeted territory named by the young messenger was not theirs.

Only one person, Count Danang, who owned Danang fortress, urged the messenger with a pale face. 

“Are you sure they’re headed for Danang fortress!”

It seemed that he did not want to believe the disaster knight was heading for his territory. 

“It’s very certain, we expect them to arrive at Danang fortress as early as tomorrow evening, and at latest the morning of the next day!”

“Why so fast!” 

The count screamed at the messenger’s confirmation. 

“All of them are moving on horseback, and since it is a small unit, its speed is comparable to a company of light cavalry!”

Hearing the words of the shrugging messenger, the count asked in shock. 

“There aren’t many? What is the exact size?”

“It’s confirmed to be 500!”

“How many troops are following?”

“Two legions are following at a distance of five days!”

Only then did blood return to the count’s pale face. 

“Looks like they were a scouting party, not the vanguard!” 

The count was visibly relieved. 

It was as if he heard news that his fortress had been miraculously saved after being on the verge of falling. 

“Thank god. I’m so glad.”

A viscount without a territory, staring at the count who praised his fortune without regard for his surroundings, suddenly opened his mouth. 

“This is a clear opportunity.”

Struck by the words that came without context, the count stared at him blankly. 

“Since the kid who is drunk on his own name is running around in ignorance, isn’t this the perfect chance to catch him?

The viscount chuckled at the count’s expression. 

“With at most 500 people, even assuming that they are all knights, I think we can easily catch them with two legions and five knights. Am I the only one who thinks so?”

The nobles who were watching him speak with a sly smile began to jump up from their seats.

“You’re right! If we do well, we can use this opportunity to eliminate the troubles of the empire!”

“Crossing Burgundy’s border with only 500 troops, they must be out of their minds!” 

“Don’t get cocky just because you won some petty victories against those ragtag rebels!”

They excitedly clamored that this was their chance to capture the troublesome Adrian Leonberger. 

“Our legion is on its way!” 

“My soldiers will also go with you!”

The nobles who had clearly hoped not to run into Adrian Leonberger just moments ago now scrambled to send their troops. 

It seemed that their bodies were already burning with the thought of making their names by catching the famed Lion of the North.

There were seven lords who offered their support, adding up to a whopping 7,000 soldiers. 

It was an excessive number of troops to take down only 500 enemies. 

The nobles who stepped forward began to take notice of each other. 

With their mouths they gave excuses for why their own troops in particular were needed for this operation, but in their heads they all had the same reason. 

It was a situation that none of them were willing to miss out on. 

The atmosphere among the nobility began to deteriorate little by little. 

“Now, now. We don’t have to fight each other like this.”

At that time, the territory-less viscount who had first suggested capturing Adrian Leonberger intervened in the heated argument between the nobles. 

“Why don’t we just send all of them without excluding anyone?”

At his words, the nobles frowned. 

Sending 7,000 soldiers to catch 500 enemies seemed excessive. 

But the viscount persevered.

“A hunter does his utmost even when catching a rabbit, much less the Lion of the North who is far greater than a rabbit. The more traps, nets, and hunters, the better.”

He recounted how those who had tried to capture Adrian Leonberger in the previous war had failed, and even subtly rebuked the nobles who were pretending that the operation had already succeeded. 

“A strong army of 7,000, with 500 knights and 10 paladins. Even the savage Lion of the North won’t be able to avoid his end this time.”

At the viscount’s words, the nobles nodded and laughed. 

None of them who were laughing uproariously believed that the operation would fail. 

It was natural. 

In order to capture a group of at most 500 men, they were mobilizing over ten times that number. 

No matter how strong Adrian Leonberger was, he wouldn’t be able to make up for the absolute difference in strength. 

Even the Lion of the North who had defeated countless paladins was human in the end, and war was not so easy that a single human could change the outcome. 

“There’s absolutely no way this would happen, but if we can’t catch him with even this number of troops.”

One of the aristocrats stepped up and said excitedly. 

“Then he’s a god, not a man.”

At that, the other nobles enthusiastically added their words. 

“If he really does manage to do that, I will gladly fall down before him and kiss his feet in adoration.”

It was a statement that could be taken as disrespect to the emperor, but no one here pointed it out. 

Because it wasn’t going to happen anyways. 

Everyone thought and believed so. 

Their faith in their victory was as solid as rock, until the messenger who had been traveling to and from the front lines several times a day informed them of the incident. 

“One of our scouting parties heading towards Danang fortress! It disappeared without a trace!”

However, at the messenger’s words, a small fracture formed in their rock-solid faith. 

“The light cavalry dispatched to assess the situation! And the long distance patrol party! All contact with them has been lost!”

That fracture soon became a crack. 

“The 1,000 troops who bypassed the enemy to block off their retreat! We can’t reach them!”

The cracks widened. 

And the moment they heard the news that took two days to arrive. 

“Our soldiers who went to surround and annihilate the enemy suffered a crushing defeat! All the corps commander champions! All the paladin champions! Extreme damage to the knights! Our forces are scattered and retreating!” 

Their faith, which had been like a rock, was now cracked and shattered. 

“Danang fortress is under attack! It’s Adrian Leonberger!” 

Pessimism poured out from the cracks.

“Danang fortress has collapsed!”

Then came despair. 

“The Leonberg army that destroyed Danang fortress! Their whereabouts are unclear!” 

And finally, there was fear. 

“Find them! Be sure to find out where they went!”

The terrified Burgundy nobles screamed. 

And when two days of eternity passed, the movements of the Leonberg army that they had been trying so hard to figure out were revealed. 

“Adrian Leonberger! He is heading straight for this place!”

The dagger that had disappeared was already on their necks. 

1. Hwaryong means “fire dragon” ⤴

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