When the Guide Stopped Playing a Villainess, the Obsession Began - Chapter 146

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Meanwhile, Calix gathered them in the command tent and conveyed his plan.

“The enemy leader seems to be quite the belligerent type. Second Corps Commander, did you find out who it is?”

Derek answered promptly at his question.

“Yes, it appears to be the Third Prince of Leonis. I received information that he’s the most aggressive and hot-tempered among the brothers.”

“I see.”

“And it seems they’re having problems with their supplies right now. It’s likely that tonight’s surprise attack is related to their supply situation.”

“They crossed into this area about two weeks earlier than us, so that would make sense.”

“It was fortunate that we arrived here before moving on to another region. If we hadn’t made it here quickly, we could have missed them.”

“The cold and harshness of the north can’t be ignored. For werebeasts, who are even more attuned to nature than humans, that would be all the more true.”

“Yes.”

Zion, Derek, Ilion, Eric, and the other staff-level Espers were surprised to discover this new side of the Crown Prince. He hadn’t given them any advance notice, so they’d been on edge for the past few days. Who would have thought it was all a strategy?

He’d never stood out in politics or high society, so they hadn’t been able to predict this at all.

Calix then spoke the most important point to them.

“Werebeast or not, a Guide is a Guide. They’re extremely valuable to us. If we can win them over, that’s what I intend to do.”

Everyone looked surprised at his words. As Cantabrians, they usually looked down on the beastkin, but things were different if it was a Guide.

They all looked at Calix, caught off guard.

“My plan is to take all their Guides away from them. When this war is over, I won’t be sharing what’s mine with any of you anymore. Remember that.”

At Calix’s words, Zion and Derek couldn’t hide their displeasure. They could tell that by ‘what’s mine’, he meant Lea.

Next, Calix talked about using the weather as a tactic.

“What? The weather?” Eric exclaimed in surprise at his statement.

“Yes. Gather all the Espers with the wind element like me.”

“…Wow!”

Forgetting even that he was in front of the Crown Prince, Eric let out a spontaneous exclamation. Zion listened quietly before asking,

“Will that be enough to attack the enemy? Wouldn’t it be better if we launched our own surprise attack?”

To this, Calix replied with a look of exasperation.

“Vice Commander, do you think we have the advantage here?”

“…Pardon?”

Zion was caught off guard by the unexpected question. Calix decided this was a good opportunity to properly explain things to them, reminding himself that it would be a problem if his officers were this clueless.

“Listen carefully. The northern campaign is by no means to our advantage. Of course, that’s not to say we’re at an overwhelming disadvantage either.”

“Why is that?” Ilion asked, and Calix shook his head.

“I never expected much from you anyway.”

“…That’s harsh.”

Ignoring Ilion’s protest, Calix continued,

“If we were ordinary soldiers, it would be a different story. In fact, we might even have the advantage, since, unlike the enemy, our supply situation is still secure.”

Zion’s eyes widened as he finally understood what Calix meant.

“But because we’re Espers, we’re at a serious disadvantage.”

“Our army’s abilities are outstanding. And we have you as our Commander-in-Chief,” Ilion argued simply, but Calix just chuckled and went on.

“The First Corps Commander has a point, but you’re forgetting something important. If the worst happens, our recovery will be much slower than the enemy’s. We only have one Guide.”

At that, everyone finally let out sighs of understanding. Calix suddenly wondered if he was really supposed to go to war with these people.

“The guiding rotation speed needs to be fast, but that’s impossible. What do you think will happen if Lea can’t keep up and collapses? Do you think order will hold in a place full of Espers who are already touchy from lack of guiding? You’re all Espers. You should know full well about the notorious temperament of Espers.”

They could ask no more questions. With only one Guide, it was already a disadvantageous war, and the only reason the morale of the troops was being maintained was because Lea had been skillfully guiding all the Espers.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that Lea has been doing the work of a hundred Guides. In the end, the most reliable person here is my one and only Guide. Looks like I expected too much from the rest of you.”