IYAMD: Episode 35

After completing their preparations and traveling for another half-day, they finally reached the outskirts of the Ferento territory, where the army had set up camp.

It seemed that a skirmish had already taken place, as there were quite a few injured soldiers. General Des approached the emperor and bowed apologetically.

“You have arrived, Your Majesty.”

“You’ve done well. We’ll hear the situation report once things are settled.”

General Des assisted Marquis Pablo in directing the arriving knights. As many soldiers rushed to fortify their defenses, Marsilia made his way toward the medical tent where the wounded had gathered.

With only a few priests available, and their divine power being less than ideal, many severely injured soldiers remained untreated. As a result, knights with minor injuries simply wrapped bandages around their wounds or left their scratches exposed.

Marsilia gathered all the injured, even those with small wounds, and cast a healing field over them.

“I have come to you. My servant, open the gates and run to welcome me. Today, I shall reveal my power to you.”

Now was the time to carefully regulate his abilities.

There was no telling how long this battle would last.

Focusing on adjusting his output, Marsilia spread a green light throughout the tent, gradually healing the knights’ wounds. He only withdrew his power once he confirmed that the gravely injured were beginning to sit up.

Then, he spoke words of encouragement.

“You have all done well, my knights. We may enter full-scale battle as early as tomorrow, so make sure to eat and rest properly tonight. Your efforts will be duly rewarded.”

The knights knelt in unison.

After taking a moment to engrain the sight in his mind, Marsilia told them to rest and stepped out of the tent.

Jaha, meanwhile, was assisting Gerald in inspecting the supplies and rations that General Des had brought. Marsilia hadn’t intended to make Jaha do such menial tasks, but since he had joined as an aide, doing nothing at all would have been even stranger.

Marsilia watched as Jaha counted the barrels of drinking water and wine before turning to where General Des stood.

“General, Marquis, come with me. Is the council tent ready?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We prepared it as soon as we received word of your arrival.”

The tent was set up in the center of the encampment.

As Marsilia stepped inside the large octagonal tent, he saw a map spread out across the table—the result of the general’s reconnaissance efforts.

Several circles were drawn on the map of Ferento territory, each marked with numbers.

General Des pointed to the map and began his report.

“The largest concentration of enemies seems to be at the lord’s manor. There are at least ten of them, though we haven’t been able to get close enough to confirm.”

He traced a circle around the estate and continued.

“They patrol in units of five, forming five separate squads in total. It’s almost like they’re standing guard. We engaged one of the patrol units, but any wounded or fallen enemies were replaced the next day.”

Frowning, General Des tapped a location on the map—a valley at the edge of the Deto Mountains.

“This is where they return after finishing their patrols. Frankly speaking, I can’t say for sure if it’s always the same ones making the rounds. We can’t distinguish their appearances, so all we have are rough numbers. What we do know is that they patrol the territory every two hours before retreating to the valley.”

Marsilia asked, “What about damage to other territories?”

“Almost none. The patrol unit that tried to move beyond this area was wiped out, but that’s it. They haven’t left the vicinity yet.”

But then, with a grim expression, General Des added,

“However… once they run out of food, they might start moving.”

The weight of his words settled over the tent.

For now, the Minotaurs had been feeding on the corpses of the territory’s residents.

By rough estimation, their numbers were around forty.

Marsilia stared intently at the valley General Des had indicated.

If a dimensional rift truly existed there, then the number of enemies lurking beyond would be far greater.

He shared the findings that Serez had uncovered in the imperial library—if a rift existed, the only way to end the battle was to close it.

At last, the commander representing the Grand Duke’s forces spoke.

Baron Odette Hill.

Despite his refined name, he was a burly man. He had joined the rear forces and only linked up with the main army the day before.

“The Archduke has ordered us to follow Your Majesty’s command. However, before we enter an all-out battle, I have a question. Will there be no support from the Mage Tower?”

Marsilia responded with a disinterested nod.

“I attempted to negotiate using Minotaur remains, but they refused. They demand that we recognize their extraterritorial status.”

The Mage Tower resided within Arhen’s borders, yet its inhabitants refused to acknowledge themselves as its citizens.

Since they had no reason to protect the country, they saw no reason to provide aid.

Marsilia ground his teeth in frustration.

One day, he would drive that wretched tower out of this land.

For now, it was out of his hands, but even the existing division of power between the imperial family and the temple was troublesome enough. If the Mage Tower continued acting this way, it would be better to remove it entirely.

Marsilia had already decided—after this battle, he would deal with the Mage Tower.

For now, however, that was a thought he could not yet voice.

Baron Hill deliberated for a moment before speaking.

“We brought ten priests with us. Some of them are still apprentices, but they should be able to handle minor healing. I’ll assign them to the infirmary. How should we divide the knights?”

Marsilia shared what he had been considering ever since hearing the Archduke’s report.

“If we’re not in sync, we’ll only get in each other’s way. You will lead your own forces, Baron. Split them into units of thirty, with fifteen entering battle at a time. Our knights will follow the same strategy. Rather than a full-scale assault, we’ll take them down one by one. And we must be prepared for a prolonged campaign.”

Marsilia planned to split the troops in half, having them engage in battle on alternating days.

In a large-scale battle where sheer numbers mattered, having more soldiers would generally be beneficial. However, Minotaurs were massive creatures with a wide attack range, meaning that crowding too many people together would likely be a disadvantage.

A better approach would be to deploy elite squads in smaller numbers and gradually reduce the enemy’s forces.

They would eliminate the patrolling units one by one, then deal with the ones gathered at the lord’s estate before finally investigating the valley.

As Marsilia shared his strategy, the council stretched late into the night. Even after dinner, the lights in the tent remained lit for some time.

It was only when the late-hour discussions finally concluded that Marsilia stepped outside, finding knights standing guard in front of his tent.

Sasha, whom he had assigned as Jaha’s bodyguard, stood there alongside two other knights.

“Return to your tents and rest. I won’t be keeping guards outside my tent for the time being.”

During battle, he would need guards stationed around him, but at night, Jaha would be with him anyway. It was better to let the knights rest whenever possible.

Once he sent them away and entered the tent, he found Jaha sitting on the bed with his eyes closed.

Marsilia paused near the entrance, observing him.

He could sense a peculiar flow of energy around Jaha’s body, suggesting that he was circulating his Inner Energy.

“Did he split it into two currents?”

As time passed, the energy streams gradually converged into one before being absorbed into his dantian and disappearing.

Jaha finished his energy regulation and slowly opened his eyes.

After taking a deep breath, he noticed Marsilia watching him and frowned slightly in confusion.

“Why?”

Marsilia raised an eyebrow, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Jaha seemed puzzled by the question, then furrowed his brow slightly.

‘Why?’

It seemed that he was getting more familiar with the language—he could now recognize short phrases fairly well.

However, since he still spoke both Eastern and Western Continent languages together, his understanding remained limited.

Still, it was progress.

That aside, answering a question with a question was quite shameless.

Marsilia chuckled quietly and stepped further inside.

As Malek followed him in and prepared a basin of water, Jaha shifted toward the wall, giving him space.

Marsilia removed his clothing with Malek’s assistance and asked, “Have Jaha washed?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. He has already finished preparing for bed.”

Since he couldn’t take a proper bath in the tent, Marsilia instead wiped off sweat and dust with a cloth soaked in scented water. He lightly washed his hair and finished his routine.

“You should rest too, Malek. You must be exhausted from the journey.”

“Yes… Your Majesty. Then… I wish you a good night.”

Malek hesitated, looking slightly reluctant as he left the tent.

After he was gone, Marsilia ran a hand through his damp hair and approached the bed.

“Jaha.”

Jaha, who had been sitting with his back turned, slowly turned his head to look at him.

Marsilia perched on the edge of the bed, leaning toward him slightly, and asked,

“Shall we sleep together again tonight?”

Last night, he had fallen into a deep sleep—so deep he hadn’t even dreamed.

It might have been the first time since ascending the throne that he had truly slept soundly.

Wrapped in Jaha’s warmth, his body had felt like it was melting.

Sleep had taken over him so effortlessly that it had been almost unsettling.

So tonight, he wanted the same.

He wanted to hold Jaha, bury his face in his hair, and sleep just as well as he had the night before.

Jaha frowned slightly, looking troubled. He turned his gaze toward the wall, hesitated for a moment, then gave a barely perceptible nod.

A bright smile spread across Marsilia’s lips.