Treatise Of A Failed Knight-Chapter 237: Three-Pronged Attack

Warmth washes over me late at night as I wrap my arms around the body of a naked woman.

The Minister of Combat.

Her body presses softly on mine, as she rests her head on my chest while giving me a longing, passionate gaze.

We have spent all night indulging in our carnal desires, but it appears that she still desires more.

Such incredible stamina.

The body which I possess cannot keep up.

Still, she desires me greatly.

I can see it in her emerald eyes—the strong desire she holds for me, the only man who could best her in combat.

’Well, there is also Kalakuta...’

"What’s going on in your head?" She asks me, playfully poking my cheeks while giggling softly.

Sometimes, her very feminine traits almost make me temporarily forget what a battle fiend this woman truly is.

However, I am not one who is so easily fooled.

Regardless, I tell her the truth.

"I was wondering if you would have gone for Kalakuta instead of me. He is much stronger and could also best you in combat."

"Him?" She snorts in dissatisfaction and frowns at my suggestion.

Her mood immediately turns foul, and she folds her arms to show how upset she is at me for even entertaining the idea.

So dramatic, this woman...

"He doesn’t respect me as a warrior. He could only see me as a woman. How could I be with such a man?"

I laugh lightly and nod.

The Minister of Combat isn’t wrong in that assessment.

For all of Kalakuta’s great merits, he holds a rigid and archaic view of women which some could consider to be patronizing.

He truly does not believe they belong on the battlefield.

"Men should be the ones to fight. No woman or child should be found in such conflict." Kalakuta often says this to justify his position.

In his eyes, even adult women should not be allowed to take up arms and fight.

He is very protective of them.

Many have considered this to be a great quality within him. After all, he wishes for the weaker sex to be protected, which ensures that men can be guaranteed of the safety of their wives and children.

He would also never attack a woman unless in extreme situations.

Killing is also out of the question.

"I understand your views about him. But I don’t believe his views come from an insulting place. Rather, you could say his excessive compassion is what drives him to treat you that way. I find it rather noble..." I try to tease her, but it is clear that she isn’t having it.

Her frown deepens and she scoffs.

"No. Why does he infantilize women? Even if we are born with weaker frames, with the aid of Potions and Armaments, are we not capable of the same kind of violence as men? Why does he refuse to see that?"

I try to explain Kalakuta’s views even further, but this only causes some misunderstanding.

"So you agree with him on this?"

"That’s not what I meant..."

"So what do you mean? Help me understand. I trained my entire life to be the best. Not even the Chief was my equal. I worked hard to be recognized as a powerful force. How many men among the Freedom Fighters can take me on besides you and him? Yet he won’t acknowledge my strength. I find that pathetic!"

"...."

At this point, saying any more will only make matters worse.

So I eventually decide to fall silent.

’This is frustrating, though...’ I almost groan out loud. ’Why is there a disconnect between me and this woman when it comes to our communication?’

This never happened with me and Kalakuta.

She simply doesn’t get it.

Perhaps she never will.

’But Kalakuta does. Or rather, we are able to understand each other despite our subtle differences. My goodness... Now I realize what he meant when he told me I understand him more than his own women.’

I think, from this moment forth, there are certain discussions I shouldn’t have with those I sleep with.

"You’re not going to say anything?" The Minister’s annoyed tone reaches a climax.

However, before she can escalate the matter into an argument, I pin her down on the bed and offer her another mind for climax.

That quickly relaxes the mood and returns us to sanity.

******

It is official.

No Man’s Land has become the Freedom Fighter’s new and only base of operations.

We have evacuated the last of our resources from the Northern Empire’s territory and have made this wilderness our new home.

The Northern Empire was certainly more comfortable, but I see the same happening within No Man’s Land given enough time.

In terms of practicality, it is also incomparable to our former residence.

Our current position allows us to reach both the Northern Empire and the Central Plains with no problems, giving us access to various trades options.

We also have Special Resource Points to help boost our productivity, military might, and economic power. We possess Magivores to assist in labour. The Sanctuary is a good place to preserve resources and an emergency fortress we can utilize.

It certainly cannot fit all of the Freedom Fighters, though.

At most, the Sanctuary’s entire structure can only contain a maximum of ten thousand people. Even then, it would be quite an uncomfortable mess.

But I sincerely doubt things will ever come to that since our enemies dare not carelessly invade this wilderness.

The harsh weather, Magivores, and many unpredictable elements within No Man’s Land simply discourages an invasion. It is why we have been slowly gathering our strength during this period without worries.

Despite having taken down the Central Continent, our forces have yet to receive any backlash.

Our morale is ever so high.

But then—

"Urgent news!"

Three of our scouts return to the camp almost at the same time, their voices raspy and their eyes bloodshot.

Their tasks are to watch over the lands we liberated in case of an emergency.

They were also assigned to various regions, so having them arrive at nearly the same time sends a rather uncomfortable message.

As I feared...

"The eastern area of the Northern Empire is under attack. A great army is advancing."

"The western region of the Northern Empire will soon be breached. The forces are moving forward unhindered."

"The Central Plains have been invaded from the south. If we don’t hurry, the tribes will be wiped out one by one."

... The three Great Nations are attacking from various sides, all at once!

Eastern Sects

Western Alliance

Southern Kingdom

They have finally made their move.

As the War Council sits in silent contemplation at the words we have just heard, I furrow my brows and silently assess the situation.

’I expected their eventual retaliation, but to think they banded together and attacked so soon...’

It appears I underestimated the enemy.

Or rather, I overestimated their instincts at self-preservation.

’They should understand that doing this will anger us and cause us to react. Whichever side we choose to attack will surely be wiped out.’

This is why I never expected such boldness.

But I can see why they would do this.

It is a risky tactic.

However, it is also understandable.

In a way, I would even praise it for being very effective.

’They know that we have the ability to wipe out a Great Nation. But we have never spread ourselves so thin before. By attacking three different places, they are forcing us to either split our forces or send all of them towards one of the three battlefields.’

Both options come with drawbacks.

Splitting our forces will reduce overall strength, making it much easier for them to overwhelm us with their own army.

Even if we manage to halt their progress, they could tilt the battle in their favor.

Their chances of victory simply increases.

The second option would be to focus on one battlefield at a time. However, this method will not only cause us to abandon innocent people who are suffering because of us, but will also cause a lot of chaos in the unattended areas.

If we choose to support the Central Plains, the Northern Empire is pretty much done for. The same can be said about other places if we only choose one battlefield.

’Of course, these Great Nations are taking a big risk with this. Whichever Great Nation we choose to attack will likely suffer great loss and will be the first to be wiped out. But they must be willing to take the risk, since the chances are one out of three.’

If these Great Nations don’t do anything, it will only be a matter of time before they are wiped out.

Faced with such certainty, they have decided to make this gamble.

"We can consider this a three-pronged attack. However, the territories are spread too far, so we can only afford to address one of them at a time. Our strength is still insufficient to take down all of them at once." Kamal admits with a sigh, to which most of the members present have no choice but to concede.

Jeophrey and Garett also seem to be in agreement.

But, one look on Kalakuta’s frowning face tells me he doesn’t desire such an outcome.

I can see why.

’Too many sacrifices. We will be forfeiting a lot to save a few...’ My brows twitch once I explore the long-term repercussions.

Protecting Central Plains will lead to the extermination of the Northern Empire.

Protecting the eastern area of the Empire will lead to the destruction of the severely weakened Central Plains as well as a very sizable elimination of the Northern Empire.

The same results apply to choosing the western area of the Northern Empire.

My method of elimination, the most logical one to abandon is the Northern Empire.

Central Plains is too valuable, since it connects to other continents and offers alternative routes for invasion.

It is also the most defenseless at the moment, since it just recently lost the war.

Plus, even if we choose one of the areas of the Northern Empire, significant damage will still be done to it.

There is really no way to save it.

"The good news is that our scouts spotted their advance on time. We have time to prepare before significant damage is done."

"We have to choose which side to help."

"Central Plains is the most sensible choice, is it not?"

"Indeed. Unfortunately, we’ll have to give up on the Northern Empire."

As the conversation matures, Kalakuta continues to hide his discomfort, shifting inconspicuously on the mat.

He casts a silent, helpless glance at me.

It clearly bothers him greatly that we have to make such sacrifices, but he also has no alternative solution that will ensure victory.

Which means...

’... It’s up to me!’

I raise my hand and finally speak after being silent for very long.

"There is a way to ensure all sides are taken care of. In fact, I believe doing so is the wisest course of action."

Unlike before, when these people attacked my dissenting views, they are a lot more welcoming this time around.

In fact, it almost appears as though they were hoping for a contrarian to appear.

None of them are comfortable with the choice they have to make, after all. If there is a way to avoid it, they would surely seize it.

"Yes, the Great Nations wish to cripple our military might and will likely defeat our army if we split our forces, but I employ all of us to think of the bigger picture." I begin my speech calmly, a stern countenance on my face.

"More than securing momentary victory... They also wish to destabilize our only hope for the true unification of continents: The Great Bridgeworks."

Once I say this, everyone’s eyes widen.

"Once they eliminate the Northern Empire, our progress on that front will be as good as null. In fact, we simply cannot afford for them to have their way in any continent."

"That doesn’t offer a solution, though." One of the members groans slightly. "If it were up to us, we would also opt for saving everyone, but that is simply not—"

"It is." I smile.

"We can save everyone and protect the Great Bridgeworks while doing so. I have a plan, and if we take action quickly... It’s possible for us to win on all fronts."