Inside a command tent at the main camp of the Bestia Imperial Army, a man was screaming at the top of his lungs.
"You absolute moron! Did you not expect their opening salvo to be this fierce? Some idiot’s failed surprise attack gave Count Alius—the enemy’s supreme commander—every reason to try and claw back his honor with a relentless assault. It was obvious this would happen! Focus on defense for now. They can’t keep this pace up forever. We will weather their storm and strike when they’re winded. ...And you, Theoreme! If you're going to carry an alias as grand as 'Flash,' then prove you have the strength to back it up!"
The man stood over two meters tall, clad in black-dyed half plate armor. His head was completely bald, either shaved or naturally hairless, and it was currently a map of bulging veins, flushed red with rage and adrenaline.
He was in his early fifties, an age that might usually be called elderly, but looking at the sheer mass of muscle packed onto his frame, no one would dare call him an old man.
Faced with a voice that was less of a command and more of a roar, Theoreme simply shook his head with a cool, collected expression.
"General Kastom, you just said it yourself: Count Alius is desperate to reclaim his dignity. As long as that possibility exists, I cannot leave this position vacant."
He let his gaze linger on Kastom with a meaningful intensity before continuing.
"Besides, if I head to the front lines, the defenses here will be spread thin, will they not?"
Are you truly capable of surviving if I leave? The implied question sent even more veins throbbing on Kastom’s scalp.
"Do I look like some weakling who needs protection from the likes of you?! I’ve spent more time on the battlefield than you’ve been alive, you soft-handed brat! Get yourself to the front lines immediately and use that undeserved alias of yours to bolster the morale of the men!"
Though pelted with words that were more insult than order, Theoreme’s expression didn't flicker. In fact, a faint, subtle smile played on his lips as he gave a small nod. Beside him, however, his adjutant Siance twitched an eyebrow in visible displeasure.
"Very well. Since I have received a direct order from the supreme commander, General Kastom, I shall head to the front. As for the troops under my command, I assume I have permission to utilize the Beast Soldiers?"
Kastom knit his brows and spat out a response.
"Fine. Leading those monsters suits you better than leading actual humans anyway. Do as you wish. Just don’t you dare inflict any pointless casualties on our regular forces! Do enough work to prove you aren't a disgrace to your title. If you don't achieve at least that much merit, you won't be able to save face before Lord Mercurio, either."
"...I suppose you’re right. It is true that, as things stand, I haven't achieved anything of significance. In this current situation, I certainly couldn't meet Lord Mercurio with my head held high."
In this current situation. There was a strange weight to his words when he uttered that phrase, but Kastom failed to notice. The general simply jerked his chin toward the tent flap, silently ordering them out.
Theoreme gave a small, respectful bow and exited the tent with Siance in tow. Once they were clear of the entrance, Siance spoke up.
"Lord Theoreme, why do you allow a man like that to speak to you in such a manner? Is it simply because General Kastom belongs to the Second Prince Faction?"
She whispered the question so only he could hear. For Siance, who rarely showed even a flicker of emotion, her face was unusually flushed with indignation.
It was true that Theoreme had failed the surprise attack. However, even in that failure, he had struck the enemy’s headquarters and shaken their resolve. That maneuver alone had succeeded in drawing the most elite outliers of the enemy forces—the Princess General and the monster who controlled the gryphon—away from the front lines. If not for that diversion, the Imperial Army likely would have buckled under the flame tornado and the relentless vanguard of the Kingdom of Mireana Army. They would have lost then and there. Siance found Kastom’s behavior intolerable, considering that they were only still standing because of Theoreme’s tactics.
Theoreme, however, turned to her with a small, knowing smile.
"It is a fact that the surprise attack failed. Even with the Beast Soldiers, we only achieved that much of a shock because it was their first deployment. Now that the Kingdom of Mireana knows they exist, we won't get the same results next time. Furthermore, despite consuming a vast number of teleportation stones—which are incredibly expensive magic items—I failed to take Count Alius’s head. General Kastom isn't saying anything factually incorrect."
"That doesn't give him the right to insult you like that!"
"Calm down, Siance. The men are watching."
"...My apologies."
Snapping back to herself at his warning, Siance lowered her head. It was a rare sight indeed to see the usually cold and collected adjutant so visibly enraged. The guards at the tent entrance and the soldiers nearby, all in various states of combat readiness, were watching her with wide eyes.
Realizing she had made a scene, Siance’s face flushed red again, though this time for a different reason.
Theoreme watched her with an amused smile for a moment. Once he sensed the surrounding eyes had moved on, he leaned in and whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
"As I said, my current standing is quite poor. General Kastom’s attitude made that clear enough, didn't it?"
Siance gave a small nod, waiting for him to continue.
"But... if the report sent to His Imperial Majesty contained a failure even more catastrophic than mine... well, do you think the blame would still fall on me?"
"That... certainly, if that were the case. But is there even a possibility of such a thing happening?"
Theoreme smiled and nodded at her confusion.
"Almost certainly. After all, the Kingdom of Mireana’s surprise attack unit is already closing in on this position."
"——!?"
Siance gasped and looked up at him. For a split second, she wondered if he had finally lost his mind, but all she saw was his usual cool gaze and that sharp, thin smile. He was perfectly sane.
"How can you be so sure?"
"It’s simple, really. One of the Beast Soldiers I had hidden nearby as a precaution has disappeared. You know how strong they are. They don't just vanish unless they've been neutralized by someone far beyond a regular soldier."
"And how did you learn of this?"
"I received a report from Gilgos."
Theoreme glanced back at the tent they had just left.
He had received the message from Gilgos through some secret means while still inside. That was why he had brushed off Kastom’s insults so easily. There was no point in getting angry at a dead man. Realizing the truth, Siance followed his gaze toward the command tent.
"General Kastom is a powerful military asset for the Second Prince Faction. If he were to be unfortunately slain in this battle, their influence would be significantly diminished."
"Wait... was this your plan from the beginning?"
"Hardly. My initial goal was truly to slay Count Alius. If I had secured the sea, General Kastom wouldn't have been able to bury my achievements no matter how hard he tried. Lord Mercurio’s influence would have skyrocketed. That would have been the ideal outcome... but unfortunately, the world is rarely ideal. I am simply moving to my next best option."
"Which is the elimination of General Kastom?"
Theoreme nodded.
"There are currently four candidates for the throne: the First Prince, the Second Prince, the First Princess, and Lord Mercurio, the Third Prince, to whom we serve."
"I am aware. And I know we are currently the smallest of the four factions, while the First Prince Faction is the largest."
"Indeed. And if the Second Princess had any interest in the throne, we might be even lower on the ladder."
Theoreme felt a pang of amusement as he thought of the Second Princess. She was a woman of peerless beauty, said to surpass even the First Princess, but her personality was anything but graceful. She was a combat maniac through and through. Driven by her distaste for the suffocating life of the palace, she had vanished from the empire two years ago. Despite the Emperor's orders to the knights, the army, and the nobility to find her, she had successfully erased her trail. Her faction still existed in name, but it was a ghost.
"We’ve strayed from the point. The Second Prince Faction sits directly above us in terms of power. General Kastom is a vital pillar of that faction, and unfortunately, he must make his exit here. A brave general, a veteran, and a man of both ferocity and cunning—he is nothing but an obstacle to Lord Mercurio's future."
"...I see. In that case, I have no objections. Since we will be at the front lines when he falls, we won't be held responsible for his death."
"Exactly. We are departing on General Kastom's direct orders. The blame for failing to protect the supreme commander will fall squarely on those who remained behind."
"I still worry they might try to blame the failure of your surprise attack for creating the situation. The Second Prince Faction will look for any excuse to pin this on you."
"That can't be helped. I did fail the surprise attack. However, trying to blame me for the direct failure to guard the commander is a stretch, even for them. If I weren't part of Lord Mercurio’s faction, they might have forced the issue, but as it stands..."
"Understood. Let us head for the front before the engagement begins. I will assemble the Beast Soldiers at once."
As Siance responded, she felt the weight of eyes on them again—specifically, eyes on her.
"Hey, are Siance and General Theoreme actually sleeping together?"
"Isn't it obvious? Look at them flirting right there on the battlefield."
"...Lord Theoreme is way too good for someone like Siance. If I could just..."
"Forget it. You wouldn't last a second against her."
The hushed whispers of the nearby soldiers reached her ears, detailing the rumors of her relationship with Theoreme. Her face turned a deep crimson of pure shame. This wasn't the red of anger or the flush of being caught off-guard; it was total embarrassment.
"Personally, I find that being the subject of rumors with you gives me quite the sense of superiority," Theoreme teased.
Siance shot him a single, sharp look before turning on her heel to go organize the Beast Soldiers.
Theoreme watched her walk away before turning his gaze toward the horizon. Some of the soldiers followed his line of sight, but they saw nothing but the empty expanse of the Seremuse Plain.
However, if someone with extraordinary vision—vision like that of the gryphon Seto—had been present, they would have seen the Kingdom of Mireana’s surprise attack unit closing in. Theoreme was an ordinary human and couldn't see them with his own eyes, but he had his reports. He knew the sentry he had placed in that direction was dead.
The enemy was almost upon them.
They would only send their finest for a mission like this. I can guess who they’ve chosen. The Princess General, Elena Kerebel. And... the man the vanguard calls Crimson. He had also heard rumors that Elk from the Axe of the Thunder God was present. Even with dragon knights on his side, I wonder how much a veteran like Kastom can do against such outliers.
"Lord Theoreme, the Mireana forces are intensifying their attack on the front lines. Orders are for us to reinforce them immediately."
"Very well. Let us go. For the sake of our goal."
He gave Siance a small nod as she returned with the Beast Soldiers ready for sortie. Theoreme departed the main camp, a silent prayer in his heart that the enemy's surprise attack would succeed.