I Reincarnated But Will Try To Live Without Using My Cheat Ability - CH 259

I, Charles Rossi, have been entrusted by my lord to deal with the wise man.

I don’t know if the wise man will start dancing on his own, but if my lord says so, it is very likely.

I’m building a military base in the center of the new territory and I’m stationed there.

Since I have incorporated former Dorius’ beastmen as soldiers, the number of soldiers stationed in the new territory alone is close to 1,200.

It became big when I noticed it.

However, I have also stationed them in a castle along the border of the demon tribe.

Currently, we have less than 900 soldiers on hand.

When there is no emergency, Prytanis is assigned to assist the governor, Oracio.

Since Oracio is suddenly the governor, Prytanis’ knowledge of the land will be of great help.

Even though he was treated coldly, he was at the center of power and has know-how in governing.

It is about time we received a love call from the wise man.

It doesn’t always come when you expect it, so I’ve been waiting for a week now.

As I was stopping a sigh of relief, a messenger rushed in.

“Sir Rossi, the demons are on the move! We have the castle near the border under siege!”

“I understand. Call Prytanis. And tell him to prepare to go into battle.”

“Ha!”

The messenger left.

You came to crush us from the castle, huh… it’s more normal than I thought.

My lord is not a god, so he may miss once in a while.

The guardian of the castle was Poncio, son of Oracio, wasn’t it?

We must hurry to help him.

I told Prytanis to go to battle.

Hearing about the siege of the castle, Prytanis looked surprised.

“”

“Valentin always said that attacking a castle is a bad idea…”

“Well, it can a diversion. But the castle is still under maintenance and not enough food has been brought in. We need to hurry. It won’t last for a month. It is possible that they were aiming for that point. Are there any ambush sites along the way, or any place where we can disrupt the march?”

Prytanis thought about it, then looked up.

“There are no forests. There are points where we can block the march.”

“Tell me about it as we move.”

“Yes. I’m a little put off by Valentin after all that disgraceful behavior.”

“It’s better than being caught off guard. So far, no one’s been stupid.”

We need to leave soldiers behind to defend the base.

I will leave with about 800 men.

We need to hurry, so our sphere of influence will be forced to march.

After two days of marching, Prytanis came to us while we were encamped.

“Sir Rossi, we will arrive in the danger zone around tomorrow.”

Not all of the new territory has been made under our power.

In a sort of enclave, the old Dorius castle has been secured to hold off the invasion of the demon tribe.

From here on, it is practically a neutral zone.

“The map shows a small mountain in the middle of the basin? Is there something about this mountain?”

Prytanis nodded.

“They call it the Mountain of Death.”

“That’s a pretty disturbing name.”

“My ancestors once fought a demon tribe. They fought a fierce battle over the highlands, and both sides suffered half the casualties. If they held that area, we could not carelessly advance. It would also be bad if the supply lines were cut off by ignoring them and marching forward. If we attack towards the mountains, our losses would be numerous.”

The two sides colliding is a key strategic point.

There’s a good chance it’s being held up.

If they anticipate that the castle’s rations will be low, they can achieve enough by simply holding us back.

And the new territory will be greatly shaken.

I don’t think he’s that stupid.

“So it’s an advantageous point. Do you have any other information?”

“This area is a wasteland with no forests. There is a narrow path to get to the basin, and the terrain is complicated. Water is scarce, so securing water is the top priority.”

“Well, let’s try tomorrow.”

“Yes, that’s right. Let’s hope Lord Alfred is right.”

I started to laugh a lot, too.

Was my lord’s habit contagious?

“It’s probably not a good idea to be too dependent on my lord.”

That was the end of our conversation that day.

The next day, the scouts searched the narrow passages but found no enemy.

When we passed through the narrow passage, we found ourselves in a basin.

There was a mountain in the center of the basin.

Indeed, the soil in the area was dry.

After approaching the mountain to a certain extent, we stopped the march once.

At this point, we asked the winged tribe to survey the surrounding area with distant view.

Since there is no forest, we can get almost all the information just by looking at it from a distance.

The results of the distant view were brought to me.

As expected, a defensive encampment has been constructed on the mountain.

The number of soldiers is said to be about 1,000.

There is a watering hole off the mountain.

It seems that the soldiers of the demon tribe are coming down to the watering hole to drink water.

Did they camp on the mountain when there is no water available? Or are they making us think there isn’t one?

And it was reported that the soldiers were drinking the water themselves before they could draw it.

There’s only one thing to do anyway.

Occupy the watering hole and build a camp.

I’m not sure what their intentions are.

No, there is one possibility… but I doubt it.

There’s a watering hole in the mountains, or a low percentage of it, given the dryness of the surrounding soil.

“Prytanis, does it rain this time of year?”

Prytanis shook his head.

“It doesn’t rain this time of year. It does fall in the winter, but the rainfall is low. I don’t know what Valentin’s intentions are.”

“Did they think we’ll crash into the mountains since were in too much of a hurry?”

Prytanis thought for a moment, then looked at me strangely.

“Does Sir Rossi not fear punishment from Lord Alfred?”

“If I’m going to be punished by my lord, it will be for privatizing the soldiers for my own personal, shallow protection.”

I have that confidence.

My lord seems to accept everything, but he will avoid the type of people who put their personal desires first and seek to protect themselves.

“Lord Alfred is quite special, after all. I don’t think Valentin would be able to read him either. No, he is the type that can’t understand.”

Somehow, Valentin’s intentions became clear.

“So you are saying that the wise man dancing in the mountains thinks that all generals are out to protect themselves.”

“If we were to fight an endurance war here and fail, he’ll think that we would be executed. If we attack, at least the general will have an excuse. To paraphrase Lord Alfred’s argument, you are so concerned with protecting your own safety that you are sensitive to how you can be held accountable for your actions. “

Oh, my lord said that Prytanis is a genius.

Come to think of it, if he can think that far at his age, he is indeed a genius.

Since there is a monster nearby like my Lord, he doesn’t have the luxury of becoming a braggart, which is probably a good thing.

“There is little chance that there is water in the mountains. Cut off their water and lay siege. We can’t completely encircle the mountain, but we can target them as they descend.”

Prytanis nodded silently.

“But how can Lord Alfredo see so much through a man after talking and meeting him once?”

“You can’t reason with my lord. I gave up on him a long time ago.”

It doesn’t matter what kind of background you have… or what kind of outrageous genius you are.

It is very fulfilling to work for a master you agree with.

Everything else is just a side issue.