In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 289

Chapter 289: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Reconnaissance Results

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“There are no signs of the enemy?”

Some time later, I could not help but raise my eyebrows at the report from the elder who had returned from reconnaissance.

“Mm, even I was surprised… but no matter how thoroughly we searched, there was not a single one of those youngsters around.”

The elder said that with her arms crossed. I let out a small grunt and thought it over. Had the enemy’s camouflage been so skillful that it could not be detected? The forest was pitch dark, and just as Lady Dalaiya had said, without light you could not even see a step ahead. Even if the elves were excellent warriors, it was entirely possible that they had missed signs of the enemy.

However, I also could not completely rule out the possibility that, just as the report said, there really were no enemies at all around the outskirts of Runga City. It was a common mistake among rookie commanders to cling to their own assumptions and recklessly send scouts to places where the enemy might not even be present. I could not afford to waste precious resources on something so pointless. Now then, what should I do…

“How did things look inside the city? If you scouted the outskirts, you should have some idea about the interior as well. Did anything seem unusual?”

Well, Runga City was essentially a village covered by forest, so visibility there was worse than in most urban districts. Still, if one approached somewhat closely, it should have been possible to gather a certain amount of information.

“Mm, about that… it looked like large bonfires were burning throughout the city.”

“Bonfires…?”

I frowned. If my memory was correct, they had not used anything like that last night. Wondering about it, I looked toward Uru. When it came to matters like this, the best person to ask was someone who actually lived there.

“Normally it is forbidden to light fires outside houses at night. If too much light leaks out, our location can be easily discovered even inside the forest. We cannot fly at night, but birdfolk like owls could still conduct night reconnaissance…”

“I see. Runga City really is a thoroughly concealed settlement. So they normally take great care not to reveal its location…”

They even enforced light discipline out of fear of aerial reconnaissance. That was more advanced than I had expected.

…Well, that was not important right now. The real question was why they were lighting bonfires that were not normally used. Because of this incident, the “Legitimate,” the main enemy of the “New” faction, had already discovered the location of Runga City. If there was no longer any need to hide it, perhaps they had decided it would be easier to fight if they allowed the use of light…?

“If possible, I would like to scout inside the city as well. With the information we have now, there are too many unknowns.”

When I said that while thinking it over, the elder glanced around nervously. The behavior was clearly suspicious. I was a fairly experienced officer myself, so I understood immediately. This person had gone ahead and done something I had not ordered.

“Actually, I secretly checked inside the city as well.”

The elder whispered that in my ear. I let out a small sigh. Acting independently, well, it happened often enough. As a commander, I did not want subordinates making their own decisions and acting without orders. But at the same time, it would be a problem if they became robots who simply followed orders without thinking. Deciding how much field judgment to allow was always a difficult issue.

If she had been a simple fool, she would have proudly started boasting about the results of her scouting mission right there. However, the fact that she deliberately lowered her voice and reported quietly meant she understood that tolerating independent actions could lead to a dangerous breakdown in discipline. In that sense, the elder was quite thoughtful.

“I see… so how was it?”

“The men and children were tied up and left in the village square. There were no guards stationed around them.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

I did not understand at all. They had deliberately tied up the men and children, and then left them there without guards? What possible purpose could that serve? I glanced at Sonia beside me, but she only frowned and shook her head.

“I thought it might be bad if I looked too deeply into it, so I withdrew for now. Because of that, I could not learn much more.”

“That was the right decision. No matter how you look at it, it smells like a trap.”

I crossed my arms and let out a small groan. Men and children… In other words, the very people we were supposed to protect. They had been captured and gathered in one place. It was clearly bait. If we bit down on it without thinking, things would surely turn disastrous.

“But what should we do? The fact that we cannot see the enemy at all is unsettling.”

Returning my voice to its normal tone, I said that. Where were the Vanka faction’s soldiers hiding? The fact that not even a single soldier had shown himself felt extremely strange. A considerable number of inexperienced elves were mixed among the Vanka faction’s forces… those wandering monk elves. I did not think they could maintain such disciplined behavior…

“Perhaps they have withdrawn? Even Vanka should understand that they cannot maintain control of Runga City with only their current forces. Perhaps they disappeared for now to reorganize their position…”

I nodded at Sonia’s opinion. It was not impossible. Lady Vanka was driven by revenge, but she had not lost her reason. If the situation called for retreat, she would withdraw without hesitation.

If they had indeed withdrawn from Runga City, then it also explained why the men and children had been left behind. In short, they had abandoned those who would only slow them down. The elves were already struggling with food shortages. They likely had no spare resources to feed those who could not fight.

“That possibility certainly exists. However, we must not let our guard down. Our opponent is an elder on the same level as Lady Dalaiya. She might come up with some bizarre strategy that young people like us could never imagine.”

While tapping the armor of my gauntlet with my fingertips, I fell into thought. Seeing that, the elder grinned and spoke.

“One option is to charge in all at once. We might take some casualties, but our side has the advantage in strength. A little damage would not be a problem.”

…This person was saying some dangerous things. Even though the soldiers were listening, she was openly discussing a plan that assumed casualties. Of course, even I would sometimes adopt a sacrificial strategy depending on the situation. If one feared losses too much, the damage could end up even worse.

However, I would never talk about it in front of the soldiers. There were not many people who would be happy about being treated as expendable. I glanced around to check whether the morale of the allied soldiers was still intact…

“Oh, that is a fine idea. If that is the case, leave it to me. I will show you a glorious death.”

“Do not try to hog all the glory yourself. Albert-dono, let me handle it.”

This was bad. For some reason, their morale had actually increased. Why were they so eager about such a dangerous plan? This kind of mentality was exactly why they were on the brink of extinction. Just look at the faces of the Liseben soldiers around us. They were completely stunned.

Hmm, but the idea was not entirely bad. In this darkness, proper reconnaissance was impossible anyway. If we were going to attack, it was better to do it sooner rather than later. If we fell into the enemy’s trap, then so be it.

“Very well. However, if we are going to attack, we will not do something stingy like poking them with small units. We will launch a full assault on Runga City with the full strength of the main force and quickly secure the noncombatants.”

At my words, the elf soldiers raised their swords and shouted, “Oh!”

Even though they knew they were charging straight into a place that might be a trap, they still responded like that… truly, they were a refreshing bunch.

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