The Extra Wants To Live

"Tell them that Hardion's army has arrived. Hurry."

"Yes!"

Gabi, tired of waiting, sent a messenger to prepare for battle. Here, while fighting with Carl's forces, Goban's forces surrounding Jihan are defeated. If Jihan regains his freedom, Hardion's supply route can be cut off. Then, Carl will have no choice but to flee to Dabron, stuck in the Celle Mountains without supplies, avoiding Jihan's forces that have destroyed the Goban forces.

More people will probably die marching through the desert without supplies than in combat. Or do something crazy like crossing the rugged Celle Mountains. No matter what happens, if the siege of Jihan is lifted, the victory of the Tumari rebels is certain.

"I confirmed that their scouts have entered."

"Has it been confirmed that a messenger was sent?"

"The messenger has not been found yet."

Carl's troops discovered Gabiha's scouts, but unfortunately, their timing was a bit off, and they were unable to find the messenger. Even Carl couldn't be sure about this. The number of bloody ring fingers is not that many. They cannot exclude the agents operating within Hardion.

Because of this, the number of agents deployed to the western part of Tumaria was small, and their only task was to monitor the core Jihan Castle support force. Also, since Camilla is no longer with Carl, Carl must act solely on his own judgment.

Carl glanced up at the burning early afternoon sun, thought for a moment, and then gave the order. "Build a camp."

Despite the opposition of others, Carl stubbornly ordered the construction of a camp. Preparations for the siege of Gabiha were made thoroughly, and the Gabiha side confidently prepared for defense. Arriving at Gabiha in the early afternoon allowed them to complete the construction of their campsite before sunset, and by the time the sun had set, they were all able to sit down in front of a warm campfire and enjoy a hearty meal.

"You little idiots, you eat well," soldiers on the walls of Gabiha murmured as they watched the fire and smoke billowing through the Hardion garrison. Hardion's scouts would cautiously move around the walls and gates under the cover of darkness, but thanks to the bright lights on the walls, they were easily visible and could be easily killed or driven away with arrows.

The nights in Tumari, as autumn approaches, are chillingly cold. Hardion's camp, visible from the ramparts, was dizzyingly lit by fires whipping in the wind. By the time dawn came and the sun rose in the east, Gabi had become a total emergency situation.

"Send out scouts immediately!"

The gates of Gabiha opened, and mounted scouts rushed out, racing towards Hardion's camp.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! What the hell!"

All they found was a skeletal, empty camp with only a few men keeping the fire until the last moment, deceiving Gabiha's eyes.

"I got caught. They're running away."

The 4th troop of the Laurel Tree Unit, led by Diline, a small group of soldiers who had been circling the large camp all night, quickly mounted their horses and fled.

Carl gave the order to build a garrison without explaining any specific operations, and both the commanding officers and the soldiers worked hard to build the garrison. Driving stakes while sweating profusely, setting up tents to avoid the cold of the night, building latrines, and digging drains—if you build a garrison carelessly, you will not only suffer a disaster, but you will also die from infectious diseases or enemy attacks. Everyone worked really hard.

Looking down at the scene from the castle walls, it was impossible to believe that it was a deceptive tactic. After the sun had set and the soldiers had been fed well in the darkness, Carl quietly gave orders. "Retreat. Move as quietly as possible so as not to cause a disturbance."

At that time, even the beloved Fourth Prince, the Grand Duke of the Empire, the Commander of the Laurel Unit, and the Laurel Planter, Carl had no choice but to be the world's biggest son of a bitch to his soldiers. After marching all day and building a camp under the blazing sun, and just as they were about to finish eating and sleeping, they were told to pack up everything and go on a night march? If you want to be picky, you have to be picky.

Despite the soldiers' complaints, the operation went well. They kept fires burning all night to make it look like there were many troops when seen from a distance, and they kept sending scouts to the walls and gates to kill them, preventing them from sending scouts from Gabiha.

Although they had a hard day, they had marched slowly for the past seven days while conserving their stamina as much as possible, so the soldiers followed along well during the night march without falling behind. Carl was convinced that Gabiha had sent the messenger, even without a bloody ring finger. He didn't waste too much time in front of Gabiha, nor did he make any hasty moves. The time Carl spent was only half a day, which was more than enough.

The messenger sent from Gabiha must have been riding furiously for a long time. The reinforcements will probably arrive tomorrow. There is one problem. All plans are in vain if additional messengers from Gabiha inform them of Carl's withdrawal.

In other words, the Laurel Alliance troops led by Carl must cover a long distance in one to two days, engage in battle with enemy reinforcements, and achieve victory. It is not that far to get to Gabiha, which took seven days. Even if the army marched normally, it would take three to four days to get there.

So Carl made a very generous and bold decision.

"I'll hide the supplies here and go."

He hid supplies among the endless rocky mountains to the west of Tumaria, leaving a small force to guard them, and using both war horses and pack horses to carry as many soldiers as possible.

"Your Majesty! This is crazy! Even if we get there in time, our soldiers will be too exhausted to fight!"

Naturally, the nobles strongly opposed it. If you are gambling to turn a desperate situation around, then that is one thing, but there is no reason to take such a reckless strategy when you can proceed with the war step by step.

"So, you're telling me to back off after coming all this way?"

"That…!"

"We will move after the sun sets and rest when the sun rises. So now, before the sun rises, we must move as far as possible. Do you intend to miss the opportunity by only criticizing what has already been done?"

"… …"

Carl silenced everyone with his indifferent words. Carl had already taken action, and all those who were swayed by his demonic charisma were out of their minds and had ordered the march under the cover of darkness. There is no turning back now. Take only the bare minimum of supplies and load as many troops as possible onto horses and carriages.

Before setting off, Carl gathered those who were worried and anxious, unable to keep up with this bewildering situation.

"We will now gallop southeast!"

The armor Carl wore shone dazzlingly in the moon hanging over the desert night. During the day, the armor would be too hot, and at night, it would be too cold, so few men wore full plate armor without a cloth covering like Carl did. Carl always showed himself wearing full plate armor and a fluttering red cloak, even when the inside of his armor was steaming hot under the midday sun and he was getting burned by it.

That dignified appearance, without even a trace of disarray, aroused awe in those who saw it. As Carl lifted his chin, the red tassel fluttered in the strong desert wind. A pure white face revealed by the visor being raised and green eyes shining with incredible clarity.

"Our brothers and sisters who have surrounded Jihan are in danger! If the enemy reinforcements arrive, they will be attacked from both sides and fall helplessly!"

Carl rode around on his still-nameless white war horse, meeting the eyes of the many who looked at him.

"If we are late, who will protect the backs of those who believed in us and fought for us?"

Carl's scream rang out like thunder, striking their ears, heads, and chests. A demonic charisma that controls people and is beyond common sense. For all those who must follow this reckless operation, the moment they locked eyes with Carl, their discontent and anxiety melted away like a snowflake thrown under the hot desert sun.

"It only takes one time! Just one time! I, Carl Feld Hardion, promise you! Sons and daughters of the Empire!"

Carl's confident, commanding voice, clear green eyes that were eerily clear even from a distance.

"With this one battle, I will exact the price of all the blood you shed! With this one battle, I will plant the flag of victory! With this one battle, I will sound the triumphant bell! With this one battle, in the land of Tumaria, I will plant the laurel tree of HARDION!"

And they just couldn't refuse that red comet, which was always at the forefront despite being the most noble being in the empire.

"I am here! In front of you, closest to victory! Run after me, follow me to victory!"

Carl's scream seemed to soar high into the desert night sky, then spread out like pouring starlight, reaching everyone clearly.

"Follow me!"

Carl turned around and, as he had promised, began to ride ahead of everyone else. None of those who followed him complained, and none of them felt tired from the strange heat that lingered around them. Late at night on the seventh to eighth day of the siege of Jihan, Carl made a bold move, perhaps too early but with confidence.