Chapter 633:Why Are We Doing This?
Chapter 633: 633:Why Are We Doing This?
Ever since the war had started, Ethan had been carrying one particular question inside his mind, and no matter how many times he thought about it while riding through battlefields, attending military meetings, or observing the movements of the army, he simply could not understand the reasoning behind it.
The more he looked at the situation, the more confused he became.
Arcadia was already fighting for survival against overwhelming enemies, and its military strength had been weakened after the Great Demonic War while its resources were stretched thin and its people had barely recovered from the previous disaster, so under such circumstances, splitting their forces and launching an invasion into Xylos seemed far too risky no matter how he looked at it.
What if the frontline collapsed while they were attacking Xylos?
What if the allied forces broke through Arcadia’s defenses and marched directly toward the Imperial Capital while Arcadia’s strongest troops were busy fighting somewhere else?
What if the gamble failed?
The risk felt enormous.
In fact, the entire operation looked like madness.The more Ethan thought about it, the less sense it made.
Haster seemed to understand exactly what Ethan was thinking because the moment the question appeared on Ethan’s face, a faint smile slowly formed on the Crown Prince’s lips.
"It’s because the other side is secured."
He calmly took another sip of wine before continuing.
"The victory isn’t guaranteed."
His expression remained composed.
"But we are certain that we won’t lose."
Ethan frowned slightly.
That answer only made him more confused than before.
"What do you mean?"
Haster shook his head slowly.
"That’s something I can’t explain."
His eyes carried a strange look.
"You need to see it yourself."
"Huh?"
A surprised expression immediately appeared on Ethan’s face because that answer was far from what he had expected.
Haster simply chuckled softly.
Then he clapped his hands.
Immediately, a servant appeared from outside the tent.
"Bring me a map."
The servant bowed respectfully before quickly leaving.
Several moments later, a huge map was carried into the tent by multiple attendants and carefully spread across the large table that stood between them.
The moment Ethan saw it, his eyes shook slightly.
Despite being a noble, he had never seen a map of this scale before because the maps distributed to most nobles usually contained only Arcadia and a few nearby regions.
This one was completely different.
It showed vast territories stretching far beyond Arcadia’s borders.
Mountain ranges.
Kingdoms.
Trade routes.
Frontiers.
Military strongholds.
Strategic roads.
Battle zones.
Everything was marked clearly and with incredible detail.
Ethan unconsciously leaned forward.
For a brief moment, he forgot about the wine entirely.
Haster pointed toward one section of the map.
"Look."
"We are currently here."
His finger rested upon the border region between Arcadia and Xylos.
"We are now operating along the Xylos border."
Ethan nodded while studying the map carefully.
Haster continued.
"We have no intention of marching toward the center of Xylos."
His expression became serious.
"That would be one of the worst mistakes we could make because if we push too deeply into their territory, Xylos will stop holding back and throw everything they have at us."
Then he slowly traced a curved path across the map.His finger moved along the border region.
The route crossed several provinces.
Passed through multiple territories.
Then curved again.
Finally, it stopped at another section of the battlefield.
The moment Ethan saw where Haster’s finger had stopped, realization flashed through his eyes.
His pupils narrowed instantly.
"So..."
His gaze moved back toward the map.
"We go through here."
Then he pointed toward the final destination.
"And we will end up at the rear of the allied army."
A faint smile appeared on Haster’s face.
"You want to attack them from behind."
"Yes."
Haster nodded immediately.
"We will cut through them and will destroy their supply routes."
"We will destroy their logistics."
"We will destroy their support network."
His finger tapped the map several times.
"An army without supplies is an army waiting to die."
A chill slowly ran down Ethan’s spine as he looked at the plan spread before him.
It was bold.
Dangerously bold.
And if it succeeded...
The results would be devastating.
Entire armies could collapse without needing to be defeated directly.However, another thought immediately appeared inside Ethan’s mind.
If he could see this possibility after only a few moments of studying the map...
Then surely the enemy could see it too.
Ethan voiced his concern.
"If we can think of this..."
"Can’t they predict it too?"
Haster remained surprisingly calm.
In fact, he almost looked amused by the question.
"They can."
His answer immediately surprised Ethan.
Haster leaned back in his chair.
"They probably already have."
"Yet I am still confident."
For some reason, Haster sounded completely certain.
The confidence in his voice was difficult to ignore.
It wasn’t arrogance.
It wasn’t blind optimism.
It sounded as if he knew something that others did not.
Ethan could not understand where that confidence came from.
But it was clearly genuine.
The two continued discussing various matters for quite some time afterward while exchanging thoughts regarding the Empire, military affairs, noble houses, battlefield conditions, and the overall situation facing Arcadia.
Surprisingly, the atmosphere remained pleasant throughout the conversation.
Neither of them argued.
The discussion flowed naturally.
Eventually, the meeting came to an end.
Ethan stood up from his chair.
The conversation was over.
After offering a brief farewell, he turned and left the command tent.The cool night air immediately greeted him the moment he stepped outside.
The military camp remained active despite the late hour.
Patrols moved through the roads.
Torches flickered in the darkness.
Supply wagons continued transporting resources.Messengers rode between command posts.
Far above, the moon hung quietly in the sky.Its pale light seemed slightly tinted with crimson.Ethan stared at it for several moments.
Then he slowly shook his head.A tired sigh escaped his lips.
’This is some really bloody piece of shit.’
No matter how he looked at it, the entire situation felt insane.
The Empire was gambling everything.
And everyone was being dragged along for the ride whether they wanted it or not.
The next day, the Arcadian forces continued marching along the predetermined route while maintaining their momentum and steadily advancing deeper into the border regions under the direct command of the Crown Prince.
Meanwhile, the Xylos forces appeared to have completely shifted into a defensive posture.
Fortresses were reinforced.
Walls were manned.
Defensive formations appeared everywhere.
Large numbers of troops gathered behind city walls while banners fluttered atop towers and military scouts continuously monitored Arcadia’s movements.
At first glance, it looked as though Xylos intended to delay the invasion and slowly wear Arcadia down through attrition.
Unfortunately for them...
Arcadia no longer cared about conventional battlefield rules.
Whenever a heavily fortified position appeared before them, high-ranking experts were sent directly against it without hesitation.
Walls collapsed.
Fortifications exploded.
Defensive formations shattered.
Towers crumbled.
The lower-ranked soldiers stationed there could do little except watch in horror.
Once higher-realm experts became involved, ordinary troops rarely mattered.
Most of those defensive positions were guarded by Mythic Realm knights.
Only a handful possessed Divine Knights.
Against the overwhelming concentration of power Arcadia had gathered, resistance quickly crumbled.Fortress after fortress fell.Defensive line after defensive line collapsed.
Town after town surrendered.
The army advanced steadily.
Victories continued to accumulate.
Morale remained high.
Many soldiers even started believing that the campaign would proceed exactly as Haster had planned because everything seemed to be unfolding perfectly.
Everything appeared to be moving in the right direction.
Everything appeared to be under control.
Everything appeared to be working exactly as intended.
Until today.
Something finally changed.