1 month ago.

The sound of clattering footsteps was heard outside the tent.

From the peculiar off-beat rhythm, a brisk yet somewhat clumsy sound, Erdene knew who was coming to her tent.

“Your Imperial Highness.”

As Telma poked his head in, lifting the tent flap, a crumpled bundle of papers flew straight at his forehead.

“How many times must I tell you not to call me Imperial Highness on the battlefield?”

“Yes, I apologize.”

Perhaps because he was so accustomed to getting hit once or twice, Telma’s expression showed no sign of remorse.

Erdene decided that when she returned to the empire after the war, she would thoroughly fix that fellow’s manners.

“What is it? Speak if you’ve come.”

At Erdene’s words as she lowered her gaze to the map she had been examining, Telma finally looked at her with a slightly troubled expression.

“What is it, I said?”

Telma swallowed hard and closed his eyes tightly, as if resigned to whatever may come.

“Three or four of the Binotin prisoners have escaped.”

Erdene frowned deeply and stared at Telma before speaking.

“So are you saying three of them ran away, or four?”

Telma’s lips quivered slightly.

It didn’t seem like the result would change much whether it was three or four prisoners, but it felt like it might be better to answer three.

However, before he could speak, Erdene snapped again in an enraged voice.

“If three ran away, I’ll behead the one in charge of the prisoners, and if four ran away, I’ll reattach the head and cut it off again. So speak clearly.”

“It’s three.”

Telma answered immediately and added under his breath, “Probably.”

Fortunately, because Erdene slammed the desk as if to split it in two, that mumble didn’t reach her ears.

“These rat bastards.”

At her low growl, Telma felt a chill run down his spine without realizing it. Erdene’s eyes blazed blue with anger.

“Don’t you find it strange?”

“Pardon?”

“The prisoners, I mean. Escapes have become noticeably more frequent lately. Even among the ten we caught last time, two ran away. Five attempted, three were shot on the spot, but two slipped away. This area is surrounded by layers of our soldiers, and we’ve surveyed the terrain several times. How can they manage to go unnoticed?”

Telma said,

“As you said, Commander, perhaps it’s because they’re like rats?”

“Telma.”

“Yes?”

“Do you wish to die?”

As he had absolutely no desire to end his life just yet, Telma immediately lowered his tail and became a docile and silent lamb.

“Tell the soldiers to pursue them to the end. Those bastards have been starving. If any have collapsed along the way, tell them to bring back even the corpses.”

“Understood.”

Although a search party had already been dispatched, Telma obediently answered and then left her tent.

At times like this, it was best not to provoke Erdene.

If he stayed around needlessly and caught some misplaced anger, he could kiss tonight’s sleep goodbye.

Erdene clearly saw through Telma’s inner thoughts as he hurried to escape.

As she stared intently at his retreating figure, she sat back down in her chair, pressing her forehead with her gauntleted hand.

‘Damn it all, what in the world is going on here?’

Among the inland allied countries, Binotin, which bordered the southwestern part of the empire, was the most insignificant opponent among the various inland kingdoms.

Even without trying to underestimate them, when it came to war with Binotin, even non-soldiers would sneer or pretend to yawn.

It was said that three elite soldiers from Hirschsten would be enough for hundreds of Binotin soldiers, so one can imagine how bad it was.

So, the fact that Binotin had been holding out against Erdene Baatar for nearly a year was almost miraculous.

Of course, from the perspective of Erdene and the imperial soldiers, it felt like they were having an increasingly bizarre nightmare with each passing day.

‘We’ve dragged this stagnant battle on for a year. Every time we try to push in, they accurately know when to retreat repeatedly… Have they realized we have no intention of entering the capital? But if so, why do they keep reinforcing troops in the border areas? If they were simply afraid of defeat, they would have sent envoys long ago.’

All the strategies devised by Erdene and her military officers came to nothing.

The Binotin soldiers moved as if they knew in advance where the imperial army would move.

Sometimes they did fall into traps, but the results were unsatisfactory and left an uneasy feeling.

It felt as if they had been completely fooled by a play where some were sacrificed on purpose to avoid suspicion.

‘At this rate, even if we take the plains and logging areas we aimed for, we’ll be at a loss. Who would have imagined this war would drag on for a year? We thought everything would be settled in three months at most.’

There was a creaking sound between the heavy gauntlets.

“Merton!”

Erdene’s booming voice echoed outside the tent.

Merton, the most skilled among the imperial knights, entered with a scruffy face from not having slept properly for days.

“You called, Commander?”

“We’re changing the strategy. We’ll not only take the southwestern plains and logging areas we originally aimed for, but push deeper into the west and seize the gold mines as well.”

“What? I mean, why so suddenly?”

“Think about it. We’ve wasted a year trying to gain just a bit of land and forest. We’ve been doing this tedious task for a year! I heard prisoners escaped again. How can those who only know how to play soldier games with brass and wood pieces stand against us for a year? It’s impossible and an insult to the empire’s pride.”

Merton listened silently to Erdene’s words.

Though his pride was equally hurt, suddenly changing the strategy wasn’t entirely to his liking either.

If anyone other than Erdene had made the same suggestion, he would have sneered and left the place.

“Is there any news on how far the rear cavalry has come?”

“They should join us in three or four days.”

Three or four days. Erdene’s eyes glinted with a peculiar light.

Merton knew from countless experiences when she exuded such an aura.

It was the eyes of a predator with only fierce instinct remaining. She must have judged it was time to end this tedious hunt.

Erdene said,

“Send the fastest rider to relay my message to the rear cavalry. The cavalry is not to join the main force but to change direction around the mountain range, advancing directly to Binotin’s third border region. Once past there lies the capital. Tell the cavalry to enter the capital and set up camp.”

Erdene’s attitude was merciless as she ordered to charge straight into the heart of a country, not just a city.

However, Merton simply nodded silently.

After a moment of thought, Erdene continued her orders.

“And we will mobilize the entire army at midnight tonight. We’ll smash through their defensive line and push inland. Then we’ll join the rear cavalry within three days and surround the capital.”

“Understood, Commander.”

Merton went outside to relay her orders to the other knight commanders and adjutants.

The once crisp map on the desk became unsightly crumpled in Erdene’s hand.

“We’ll end this war within a week. This is as far as I’ll show mercy.”

Erdene, who was slowly losing consciousness to the ringing sounds of weapons in her ears, suddenly opened her eyes.

She couldn’t have fallen asleep, yet strangely her mind felt hazy and unsettled.

The conversation she had with Telma, her direct adjutant, and Merton, the knight commander, ten days before the end of the war with Binotin, was turning her mind into chaos.

There was a spy. Erdene thought.

As she gripped the armrest, elegantly curved like swirling wind, the wood grain cracked with a snap.

‘There was definitely a spy… But who could it have been? Who on earth was it? It couldn’t have been one of the knight commanders. Then was it among the adjutants? Among the soldiers? How and since when had they been hiding? Binotin attempted surprising attacks from our first battle. Perhaps, perhaps Tenek, that fellow, might have passed our army’s information to Binotin. Yes, if that’s true, it all makes sense. I can understand why we couldn’t uncover who the spy was despite searching so thoroughly. If Tenek was behind it all…’

The poor armrest screamed under her irrational grip. Her blue eyes turned towards the still bright scenery outside.

The window faces west, but it’s still too early for the sun to set.

The weather would soon turn hot, so waiting for the sun to set would require enduring increasingly longer times.

Then, from afar, the sound of a large, heavy bell was heard.

At first, she thought it was an auditory hallucination, but as the sound continued for a second and third time, she could feel the grand vibrations reaching her feet.

‘We could hear such bell sounds in the empire too. Back then, they rang the bell to announce a military expedition.’

When the fourth bell sound was heard, Erdene turned her head back and shouted.

“Is no one there?”

A servant quickly entered and bowed politely.

Erdene pointed outside.

“What’s that sound?”

At her question, the servant briefly opened his eyes wide as if hearing such a strange question for the first time in his life, then answered.

“It’s the bell sound announcing the time, Your Imperial Highness. It rang six times, meaning it’s now six o’clock in the evening.”