Reincarnation into the Barrier Master

At Swamp, on the upper reaches of the Kakona River, which flows through the Kingdom of Sandanj, tens of thousands of soldiers of the Thana army were quenching their thirst with the abundant water from the oasis, and trying to quench their fatigue from the battle. The sun is about to set on the desert horizon, and the magnificent view makes us forget the cruelty of the battle for a while. However, in the main camp, the king's ville was staring at his staff members with a grim expression on his face.

"I am sorry for the loss of your men, but the whereabouts of the 2,471 men are unknown."

One of the soldiers stood erect and reported to Ville. In response, one of the staff members spoke rapidly.

"How excellent you are, with a loss of only 2,500!　Speaking of 2,500, Agartha's soldiers must have inflicted losses of that magnitude. If the Lamarons and the bandits also suffered a fair amount of damage, we can safely say that this battle was a great victory for us!

He then turns to the other staff members and asks for their agreement. Emperor Ville, however, was not convinced by their opinion.

"Is that a true number?"

"Haha ......"

Suddenly the emperor asks for an opinion, and the soldiers freeze. Ville stared at the soldier who gave the report for a while, and then turned his attention to the staff member who had just opened his mouth.

"Resident."

"Ha."

"You said earlier that this was a great victory for our army, didn't you?　What would you call a great victory?"

"Ha...... it's ....... The damage to our side and the enemy's damage ......"

"It doesn't matter."

Interrupted, the resident bows his head in a huff.

"A great victory is when you have killed or captured an enemy general. In today's battle, the king of Agartha, Rinos, the great demon slayer, Khaleesi, and the traitor, Vieille. Did any of them strike down even one of these three?　Have any of them been captured alive?　Then bring me their heads or their heads. I will personally make the inspection. What do you say?"

Not a single person contradicted Ville's words. An eerie silence surrounds him.

"But Your Majesty ......"

"What?"

"We have defeated the supreme commander of the Agarthan army, the great General Lafayence. Without a commander, Agartha is like a bird without wings.

As soon as Ville glances at the staff member who is biting down on him, he sighs loudly.

"We could not attack them despite defeating the keystone of their fan. On the contrary, the rebels attacked us and forced us to retreat. How can this be called a great victory?"

Once again, silence fell around Ville. He looks at each of his staff members as he continues.

Listen to me. In war there is only victory or defeat. We cannot afford to lose. We must win. We must win. The most important purpose of this war is to capture the city of Sandanj. at least... Nike, Rinos, Caries or Vieille...... must be killed before we can call it a victory. Let us not be naive. We will win this war with determination, will we not?

At Ville's words, the staff quietly bowed their heads.

Meanwhile, Linos and his men were holding a military meeting.

"......"

"......Nike, that's enough."

Bowing his head in front of Linos and the others was Nike, King of Sundange. The room was lit by a lamp, as the darkness had already begun to fall. Nike's posture of respect in the dim light puzzled the minds of Linos and the others.

"Sorry ....... I'm sorry we're dragging our feet when we've been sent to reinforce you. ....... This is all my fault. ....... I am truly sorry ......"

"Raise your head, Mr. Nike. It's okay. The damage is not that serious.

"The king of Agartha is right. Our Lamarons have suffered little damage. More importantly, you arrived at the battlefield much faster than expected. If they had arrived a little later, not only the Agarthans but also our Lamarons would have been in danger. I thank you, Khaleesi."

"No. ....... We should have arrived earlier. We should have been in position before dawn, but it took us too long to collect our men. ....... There is no excuse for arriving at the camp before noon. I have no choice but to apologize to you now. I am sorry, you see. ......"

Nike is apologizing frantically, but a young man who looks just like Nike is standing behind him with a blank expression on his face, which is really worrisome. He is probably Nike's son, but for some reason, one of his eyes is swollen.

"...... Shin, why don't you apologize to all of us? Your foolish admonition has made us late. If we had arrived a moment later, the reinforcements under Agartha would have been destroyed and we would have been trapped. Apologize to those who are here for your behavior.

"With all due respect, Father, we still do not know what is in the enemy's heart. If the roll is turned the other way and the enemy wants peace, do I still have to apologize?

"Shin!　You're such a jerk!

"Nike, that's enough!"

I stopped Nike involuntarily. His hand was on the hilt of his sword. If I had left him alone, he could have cut the young man right there.

"I ask you, King Sandanji. Is that your son?

Suddenly Vieille opens his mouth. For a moment, Nichelle looks puzzled, but soon regains her composure and answers her.

"Indeed. This is my legitimate son, Shin Sandanji, the crown prince of the Sandanji Kingdom.

Shin is introduced by his father, and without changing his expression, he bows with his hand on his chest and returns the formal greeting.

"I am at your service, sir. I am Juvencel Vieille, grandson of the Pope of the Order of Climiana. King of Sandanj, is this Master Singh going to inherit the Kingdom of Sandanj in the future?

Yes, that's the plan for now.

Then we will withdraw."

Vieille's sudden words startled us. But Vieille continued to speak to us.

"If this Master Shin is to take over the Sandanji Kingdom, this country is destined to die sooner or later. Helping such a nation with no future is nothing but a waste. It is obvious from the movements of the Tana forces, from the battles they have fought so far, that they are not seeking peace. And yet you speak of such things, and even have become a stumbling block to the Sandanj forces. ....... It is futile to help such a person. We cannot let our devout followers risk their lives. Therefore, we are withdrawing.

Vieille, watch your mouth.

"No, King Agartha. No, King Agartha. My son Sin is still young. In addition, he has a tendency to be too gentle. I am well aware that this gentleness is dangerous in turbulent times. However, I believe that Shin's gentleness will be useful in the future when the world is under control. I will make him take care of this mismanagement. Therefore, please save our country."

Vieille still looked as if she wanted to say something at Niké's words, but I quickly raised my hand to stop her. I stopped her by raising my hand. Then I called out to Shin, who was standing behind Niké, red-faced and humiliated.

"I, too, want to believe that Thana's army is seeking peace. I think it would be very nice if things turn out the way you think they will. From now on, why don't you stay by your father's side and see if you are right?"

At my words, Shin bowed slowly and left the room. I smile and look at the rest of the group.

"Well, let's get down to the war council. I think we've lost today's battle, to be honest. We will start over tomorrow. The enemy has retreated to the swamp and is now unable to move. If this situation continues, Tana's army will naturally fall.

"Wait, King Agartha. The enemy has the ability to shift his army, doesn't he?　And if so, ......"

No. There is no one in this world who has that ability anymore. I can't give you the details, but I am certain of the information.

"That means ......"

"Yes. If you attack Agartha's army in front, you will be attacked from three sides: Lamaron, Vieille, and Sandanj. If you attack the forces other than Agartha, you will be attacked from three sides as well.

"I see. We have enough food ...... to last us a while!"

"Yes, that's right. Maybe General Caries is right. But we do not know what kind of maneuvers the enemy will try, so let's continue to keep a close watch on them.

"...... got it. We'll be ready to go at any time."

After that, we spent the rest of the night simulating the movements of the Tana forces and planning our future strategy. .......