I Became the Strategist the Monarchs Obsess Over

Chapter 40

"Emilia."

"Yes."

"I will give you 2,000 soldiers. Suppress the rebel army."

"Yes."

At the words of Duke Chronor, Emilia set out to suppress the rebel army with only 2,000 soldiers. Of course, suppressing a total of over 10,000 rebels with just 2,000 soldiers was nearly impossible.

However, it couldn't be said to be completely impossible. Although the number of rebels exceeded 10,000, this was the total number of all the rebel forces combined. The rebels were divided into five or six factions, with each faction numbering between 1,000 and 3,000.

Considering that the rebellions occurring everywhere lacked a central point and were scattered, and that the rebels were of poor quality, suppression was not entirely impossible. The rebel army was an improvised force, grabbing any man they could find and handing him a spear.

However, there was a reason why Emilia had to go out with only 2,000 soldiers. The Chronor Army totaled about 5,000. If Emilia were given 3,000, she would have over half the soldiers, enabling her to immediately turn her forces against Duke Chronor.

As proven in the Seiz Castle Retreat Battle the day before, Emilia's command and martial prowess were top-notch. In what should have been a complete annihilation during the retreat, she managed to reduce the losses to half by holding the rearguard.

Duke Chronor, believing disaster would surely strike if Emilia were given too many soldiers, was unaware of one critical fact.

That even 2,000 soldiers were enough for Emilia.

The first target Emilia aimed for was a small castle called Menten. There, 3,000 rebels had gathered.

2,000 vs. 3,000. Judging by numbers alone, it seemed like a disadvantageous fight, but once the battle began, Emilia's 2,000 had the upper hand.

When the war began, Emilia personally wielded her sword and climbed atop the castle walls. Like flying, she scaled the ladder and leaped onto the walls, where no one could stop her. The moment Emilia set foot on the walls, a scene of hell unfolded.

With her sword in hand, Emilia mercilessly cut down her enemies. Meanwhile, the rebels, who were gathered without much thought and armed with spears, stood no chance against the strikes of a Sword Master.

No, rather than saying they stood no chance, it would have been fortunate if that were all. After all, even as a Sword Master, Emilia couldn't kill 3,000 people alone.

The real issue was that the insane feats of Emilia began to instill fear in the enemy.

"H-heek! M-monster!"

"That's not a human! Run!"

The enemies turned their backs and began to flee, allowing the allied forces to easily climb the walls.

Having taken Menten Castle so effortlessly, Emilia counted the remaining soldiers. 74 wounded, 11 dead. Everyone else was unharmed except for those hit by arrows.

Among the captured soldiers, Emilia released those who were too young, old, or unfit and incorporated the capable ones into her army.

In an instant, her force grew to 3,000. A miracle where, instead of decreasing after a battle, her numbers increased.

Upon hearing this, Duke Chronor ordered Emilia to return. His plan was to take 1,000 soldiers from her 3,000 upon her return and send her back out. However, Emilia...

"Behead the diplomat and send back the head."

"What? But if you do that, Duke Chronor..."

"Duke Chronor has lost his ability to make sound judgments. From today onward, our army will declare independence. I will succeed Duke Chronor's title."

She declared independence.

Meanwhile, at Duke Chronor's camp,

The envoy who was supposed to return did not, but a small bundle arrived instead.

Opening it revealed the envoy's head. Seeing that, the Duke became enraged.

"Rebellion? That damned wench no longer even recognizes her own father!"

Though she had always been an enigma, he never thought she would rebel. It made sense, though; Emilia had endured merciless violence and unreasonable abuse without complaint until now. She had never once resisted or spoken back. That Emilia suddenly rising up in rebellion was unimaginable.

"Is this revenge for everything until now?"

But Duke Chronor misunderstood. Emilia's rebellion was not a personal revenge against him. Rather, it could be attributed to his own mistakes.

Duke Chronor had recklessly attacked during the Seiz Castle Retreat Battle, causing the Northern Army to lose thousands of soldiers. As a result, they lost territory, and rebellions broke out everywhere. Emilia's rebellion was not about the abuse she suffered. If Duke Chronor had been a competent ruler, Emilia would not have rebelled.

However, the moment Duke Chronor revealed his incompetence, Emilia had no choice but to rebel—for the sake of protecting the North and preventing greater tragedies. Emilia fought not for herself but for the North.

A situation where mutual understanding was impossible. Emilia declared that she would become the new Duke of the North and inherit her father's title.

Thus, the North entered a new phase. The original Duke Karl von Chronor, Emilia's ever-growing forces with each battle, and the independent rebel factions—these three powers marked the beginning of a Three Kingdoms-like conflict.

-----

While Emilia was defeating and absorbing one independent rebel faction after another, the independent rebel factions, being no fools, did not simply stand by.

They formed a coalition and rallied around a single noble.

His name was Raknar von Scone.

A man standing at about 185 cm with long hair, who primarily used a shield and axe.

Raknar had already made a name for himself as a noble and knight under Duke Karl von Chronor, achieving numerous military successes. Naturally, the rebels appointed him, a capable knight, as their leader.

Just as the rebel coalition had hoped, Raknar von Scone was a talented knight. He quickly organized the rebel soldiers and established a new power in the northeast.

In the northwest was Emilia, in the northeast Raknar, and in the south Duke Karl von Chronor. Thus, the North entered a three-way standoff.

Yet, none of the factions dared to move first. Although Raknar had the largest force, totaling 10,000 soldiers, attacking Emilia risked retaliation from Karl von Chronor, and attacking Karl risked retaliation from Emilia.

The same held true for Emilia. Attacking Karl risked being stabbed in the back by Raknar, and attacking Raknar risked Karl making a move.

As for Karl, the situation was relatively favorable. Among the factions, he controlled the most fertile territory. In the North, the land became more barren the farther north one went, whereas the southern regions had relatively high food production.

It seemed that Karl could recover his position as Duke by defeating Emilia and Raknar before they grew stronger. At least, that was the case until now.

While the situation was not bad for Karl von Chronor, the problem was his mental state. He had lost battles, his daughter had rebelled with 2,000 of his soldiers, and despite holding the relatively fertile southern lands, his morale was in tatters.

Then, one day, while he was drowning in alcohol, she appeared.

"Father... I'm sorry. I never thought Sister would start a rebellion."

Dorothea poked her head through the door, her expression apologetic. If it had been anyone else, Karl von Chronor might have struck them, but he couldn't raise his hand against his second daughter, the only one who treated him kindly.

"No, it's Emilia who's at fault, not you."

Upon hearing those words, Dorothea realized just how weak her father had become.

Though she had tried hard to win his favor with her charms, her father had never been this kind. Abandoned by his daughter and his vassals, he was weakened. Dorothea thought the time had finally come.

"Father~ Are you drinking again? If you keep drinking like that, it'll harm your health."

"But... what else can I do? Everyone has betrayed me."

"I understand how hard it is for you. You've devoted your entire life to the North, and now they're treating you like trash. They're such bad people."

"Dorothea..."

Tears began to flow from Karl von Chronor's eyes. He had thought no one in the world understood his suffering, but here was someone who did.

"Instead of relying on alcohol, try this."

With those words, Dorothea mixed a clear liquid from a small glass bottle into his beer.

"Try drinking this. It'll be completely different from what you've had so far."

Duke Chronor's mind was suddenly alert. He wondered if his daughter was trying to poison him.

But he quickly dismissed the thought when Dorothea poured the same substance into her own drink and downed it.

Dorothea slumped into a chair, swaying and dazed. Seeing her state, Karl von Chronor realized what it was.

"Opium Poppy..."

It was the extract of the opium poppy, a key material for making opium. Karl von Chronor despised drug users. He thought only the weak in body and mind resorted to such things. But...

"Father, try it too... It feels so good. All the bad thoughts just fly away. It feels like going back to childhood, floating in the sky..."

Going back to childhood. That single phrase caught Karl von Chronor's attention. Back then, his mother was alive. Karl von Chronor had gone astray after her death. To go back to that time... he couldn't resist the temptation.

Karl drank the beer mixed with opium poppy extract in gulps, and Dorothea, watching out of the corner of her eye, smiled in satisfaction.