I Became King by Following My Little Sister's Advice. Now the Princess I Forced to Marry Is Giving Me Death Stares, What Should I Do? - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Battle of Roicardan Plains – Final Part

The Aidron army fell into a trap and became easy targets for crossbows. Their commander, Eirick Aidron, fled, leaving the battlefield under the control of the Zelos army.

With their leader gone, half of the Aidron troops were in disarray, running around in confusion. 

The Zelos army struck them down one by one with their spears, reducing their numbers.

Despite this, the Aidron army was barely holding on thanks to Mortega Black, the great general of the Aidron Kingdom. 

Mortega stood at the front lines, rallying the soldiers and somehow maintaining their positions. 

Without him, the Aidron army would have collapsed long ago, scattering like wet paper tearing apart.

“Victory is within our grasp! Everyone, keep attacking…”

“Prince Lott! There’s smoke rising from our camp!”

“What…!? That’s impossible…!”

However, the Zelos army, confident in their fight, received devastating news.

Suddenly, flames erupted from their camp. 

Even though they had left a general and a thousand soldiers to guard it, the flames and black smoke rose so high that they were visible from anywhere on the battlefield.

“How could we not realize our main camp was being attacked… We’ve pushed too far into the battlefield!”

Lott shouted in frustration. 

He was an eighteen-year-old crown prince with the distinctive red hair of the Zelos royal family and an androgynous beauty that seemed out of place on the battlefield. 

His beautiful face was now twisted with anger and anxiety.

There were several reasons why Lott didn’t realize his camp was under attack.

First, the battle had overwhelmingly favored his side. 

With Eirick Aidron fleeing, the Zelos army was already reveling in their imminent victory. The allure of this victory made them neglect their rear guard.

Second, Mortega Black was fiercely resisting. 

As one of Aidron’s top generals fought desperately, Lott’s focus was entirely on him. This, too, diverted attention from their camp.

The final reason was that the attack was led by Van Arlengs, an extraordinary hero. 

Van, with only a small group, swiftly captured the camp and set it ablaze.

This left Lott with no time to send his troops back, turning the Zelos camp into an inferno.

“Attackkkkkkkkkkk!”

“”Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!””

And yet… Van’s heroic efforts were far from over. 

Seeing the Zelos army in disarray as their camp burned, he launched a fierce attack on their rear.

Van led only 300 soldiers, but their momentum was unstoppable. 

Gathering the scattered remnants of the Aidron army, they charged towards Lott.

“This is our chance… press the attack!”

“”Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!””

Moreover, responding to Van’s actions, Mortega Black, Aidron’s deputy commander, also began to move. 

The Aidron army, previously on the defensive, launched a desperate counterattack. They assaulted the Zelos army with reckless abandon.

“Damn it… am I really being cornered!?”

“Your Highness! Our army is being surrounded!”

Now, it was the Zelos army in a dire situation. 

Trapped between Black in the front and Van in the back, they were now the ones being squeezed. 

The earlier atmosphere of overwhelming victory had completely reversed, inching closer to defeat with every moment.

“How… how did it come to this…!”

“Your Highness! You must flee!”

“At this rate… our army will be annihilated!”

“Damn youuuuuuuuuuuu!”

Lott’s handsome face twisted with rage as he fled the battlefield. 

He sacrificed many of his soldiers to escape back to his homeland.

The Battle of Roicardan Plains ended with an Aidron victory. 

However, the Aidron army was also deeply wounded. 

The injuries sustained in this battle eventually led to the death of Mortega Black, the great general.

They lost so many soldiers that they couldn’t pursue the retreating Zelos army.

Additionally, Eirick, who had fled the battlefield, faced severe criticism. 

Despite the victory, he was labeled a cowardly prince who ran away from a winnable war.

“Bastards! This is all because of that commoner knight!”

Eirick, harboring resentment towards Van, the hero who led them to victory, decided to exile him to the frontier. 

Van, celebrated as a hero by his allies and feared as the “Ogre of the Roicardan Plains” by his enemies, was banished. This decision would eventually lead to the downfall of the Aidron Kingdom.

Exiled, Van sought the help of his sister and decided to rebel.

Many knights who had fought in the war joined Van’s cause.

With the loss of their great general, the Aidron Kingdom could barely resist and soon found their capital occupied.