“I can’t sleep,” I complained to Nate. The girl lying beside me chuckled softly.

  “Can’t sleep, or are you nervous about tomorrow?” Nate asked bluntly as she sat up on her knees.

  “Mmm… I don’t know,” I replied, following her and sitting up as well.

  Her hands gently pulled my head toward her, pressing my ear against her chest. I could hear the steady beat of her heart—strangely calming.

  “For some reason, I’m sure you’ll get through this, Ezia,” Nate whispered softly into my ear.

  “What if I fail and end up dead or captured?” I asked again, my voice filled with worry.

  “You won’t fail,” Nate replied as she gently stroked my cheek.

  I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep. I felt Nate carefully lie down without moving my head from where it rested against her chest.

  “Yosh, yosh,” Nate whispered. “Sleep, my prince. Tomorrow, you have to lead your country again.”

  The sound of her heartbeat and her gentle breathing slowly lulled me into drowsiness, and eventually I fell asleep in my lover’s embrace. Sunlight slipped through the gaps in the tent, shining on my face.

  “Prince Ezia, it’s morning.”

  Verzhina’s voice rang out. The bald man was already here to greet me at dawn.

  “Nate, you spoil Ezia far too much!”

  Verzhina scolded his daughter.

  “Five more minutes,” I replied, refusing to let go of Nate’s embrace.

  “You heard him yourself, Father. He still wants to sleep,” Nate defended me, her hand gently stroking my back.

  Verzhina looked serious, and eventually I opened my eyes and released myself from Nate’s arms. The long, green-haired woman stretched as well and adjusted her nightwear. I quickly fixed my clothes and followed Verzhina.

  “My prince, please be serious at times like this,” Verzhina reminded me.

  The two of us climbed the hill and observed the enemy’s progress. Using Verzhina’s spyglass, I could see that they were still building their camp, with no signs of an imminent attack.

  “Verzhina, please send scouts to survey the surrounding area. I’m worried they might try to circle and attack us from behind,” I said while scanning the forests around the battlefield.

  The forest was still very dense and difficult to traverse for both infantry and cavalry. Still, it was better to stay cautious in case they found a way to assault the hill. However, any enemy movement should be noticeable due to falling leaves, as the foliage wasn’t as thick as usual.

  I also observed the weather. The sky was slightly overcast, and the wind was blowing westward at a fairly strong pace. If heavy rain were to fall later, would we need to reinforce the soil around our cannon positions to prevent landslides?

  I handed the spyglass back to Verzhina and headed toward the position where the fifteen cannons were deployed. The artillery crews were chatting casually and enjoying their breakfast. I approached them and joined in.

  “Good morning,” I greeted them warmly.

  “Good morning,” they replied, gathering around me.

  “You’re still in good spirits, right?” I asked as I sat down on the ground with them.

  “Of course, my lord,” they answered.

  “What do you think—if heavy rain falls, would this position be at risk of collapsing?” I asked.

  Although it was the dry season, a tropical downpour later in the day could increase the risk of landslides on this sloped terrain we had leveled for the cannons.

  “If it’s as heavy as last week’s rain, then yes, my lord,” replied Valde, an artillery officer.

  “I’ll show you a simple trick that might help reinforce the ground we’re standing on.”

  I stood up, picked up a branch as an example, and drove it into the soil, hammering it down until it was buried.

  “Yes, my lord,” Valde nodded. “That would compact the soil, wouldn’t it? Like building foundations in marshland.”

  “Exactly. Yesterday we rushed to level this slope. Without compacting or reinforcing it further, it’ll be dangerous if we don’t strengthen the ground beneath us,” I replied with a satisfied smile.

  “Have you tested the firing range of the cannons from this position?” I asked Valde.

  “Yes,” Valde said as he pulled something from his leather bag—a notebook detailing firing distances and cannon angles.

  I skimmed through it and felt pleased. Valde was indeed a capable officer. My father hadn’t been wrong to summon him from the Republic of Doujhe to establish our kingdom’s artillery division. I suspected the artillery would be among the last divisions I’d ever disband if the kingdom went bankrupt.

  “Excellent work. You’re truly outstanding soldiers,” I praised them, hugging each one—including every artillery crew member.

  Verzhina was still scouting with his spyglass. I decided to return to camp for breakfast before heading to the command tent. When I arrived back at camp, Nate was already waiting for me in front of my tent.

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  I stepped inside. The meal wasn’t bad at all—a porridge mixture of wheat and mung beans, along with three pieces of bread topped with sliced meat. It was our national dish and a favorite among everyone.

  “Feed me,” I asked Nate as I sat cross-legged beside her.

  Nate looked delighted and sat next to me, taking my plate and feeding me spoonfuls of food. It felt wonderful to be alone with her like this before returning to the battlefield. I could have eaten by myself, of course, but who wouldn’t want to spend time like this with their lover?

  Nate would eventually become my first wife after the civil war ended. This war was merely the tutorial phase of the game. The civil war would erupt once discussions of my marriage began—between the new nobles and citizens who supported me marrying Nate, and the old nobility who wanted me to wed Princess Bertha of the Alestrian Empire, a nation to which we owed massive debts. The canonical route was marrying Princess Bertha, but there was a true ending if I managed to marry Nate and defeat Bertha.

  I had never reached the true ending before—it was incredibly difficult to clear the game if I chose Nate’s route.

  If I remembered correctly, the Alestrian Empire’s intent in marrying off their princess to me was to use my kingdom as a foothold for invading our continent.

  “My turn,” I said, taking Nate’s plate and feeding her in return.

  Nate looked incredibly happy, swaying her body left and right like a tree caught in strong winds.

  “Don’t move so much, you’ll choke,” I warned her.

  After breakfast, Nate cleaned my body again before I headed to the command tent. Verzhina followed closely behind.

  Inside the command tent, the cavalry officers were already chatting with other officers. When they saw me enter, they stood and saluted.

  After returning their salute, I began our morning briefing.

  “It seems we won’t be attacked today,” Verzhina opened. “However, I recommend that we strike first.”

  “Yes—now that we’ve taken root and fortified this hill,” I replied jokingly.

  “The only ones capable of launching an attack would be our cavalry,” I added seriously. “If I’m not mistaken, they’re still focused on building their camp, right?”

  “What do you think? Can we pull it off, Lord Bari?” I asked the cavalry officer.

  The shoulder-length-haired man thought for a moment. “I believe it’s possible if we perform a quick raid and withdraw.”

  “Then we lure them into the firing range of our archers and cannons to reduce their numbers,” I added.

  “A solid plan. I agree,” Verzhina gave his approval.

  “Then today proceeds as usual—except for the cavalry. I’ll join the raid myself,” I said, concluding the briefing.

  Verzhina would remain second-in-command while I was away.

  I returned to my tent to inform Nate. Her soft hands massaged my shoulders briefly before helping me put my armor back on. Once fully equipped, I grabbed my halberd from the weapon rack.

  “Be careful and stay focused,” Nate reminded me as she saw me off.

  Today I wore a gambeson layered with chainmail on the outside. It should offer protection if arrows were aimed my way. I approached my horse outside the tent—it seemed just as eager to head into battle.

  Nate held my horse steady and helped me mount. I took the reins and rode toward the cavalry unit waiting outside the camp.

  Bari had already assembled his troops and was waiting. “My lord, would you like to give them a few words of encouragement?”

  I remembered that my father had built this cavalry division together with Lord Bari. It was one of his prized forces—undefeated in battle. They were all from the Gratels, now serving as our mounted troops. Their nomadic and barbarian combat knowledge gave us a significant advantage.

  “I’m sure some of you doubt my ability to lead this battle. I may lack experience, but for today, I ask you to trust me—to believe that I can lead you in combat.”

  “I won’t run. I’ll always be right there with you,” I added as I put on my helmet.

  “Our objective today is to raid their camp and provoke them into attacking us. Don’t get carried away—our goal is to force them into formation and draw them out,” I shouted. “Once they enter the firing range of our archers and cannons, we retreat!”

  “Yes!” they replied in unison.

  The raid began. Dust rose as our horses thundered forward. As a light cavalry unit, they wore minimal armor and wielded two weapons—javelins and small nomadic bows. Slowly, we closed the distance to their rectangular camp.

  Rajian watchtowers spotted us and sounded their horns. We circled their camp, hurling our projectiles. They didn’t retaliate.

  “Hey, cowardly Rajian troops! Come out and face us! Your mothers must be ashamed of you hiding in there!” I shouted to provoke them.

  “You outnumber us!” Bari yelled. “Are giants really losing to ants like us?”

  Their camp gates opened. Several infantry units charged out, and we clashed with them in close combat. I joined the skirmish, savoring my first real battle.

  With no guards and armor no different from ordinary soldiers, they had no idea a high-value target was among them. One confused enemy soldier appeared—I spurred my horse forward and swung my halberd, severing his head.

  Damn, my arm ached. Even though I had trained with this weapon, fighting while sore made a difference.

  I wheeled around before more infantry could surround me. I spotted Bari being overwhelmed by four enemy infantrymen. I charged again, slamming into the soldiers encircling him.

  When the thunder of enemy cavalry hooves echoed, I ordered Bari to lead the retreat. Bari blew his whistle loudly. We succeeded in drawing out their cavalry as they chased our retreating forces. Their infantry had bought time for the heavy cavalry to prepare.

  “Catch us if you can!” I taunted before spurring my horse into full retreat.

  Looking back, I saw that we were withdrawing in good order and successfully baiting them. Their cavalry took a long time to mobilize—likely because they were heavy cavalry.

  We fled toward our hill, riding uphill. Now it was our archers’ and cannons’ turn to work. Some archers wielded crossbows capable of piercing cavalry armor at certain ranges, while others used traditional wooden arrows.

  The thunder of cannons and the twang of bowstrings filled the air. Our infantry at the foot of the hill prepared to withstand the enemy’s charge. The dust we kicked up likely obscured their view.

  Once we reached the top, I ordered Bari to reform his unit and prepare for a second strike. Below, I saw our infantry using long spears to stab at the advancing Rajian cavalry.

  Our infantry took cover behind wooden spike barricades angled at thirty-five degrees, designed to injure horses and break the momentum of their charge.

  Perfect.

  Shouts and the sounds of impact echoed everywhere. Our cannons fired grapeshot repeatedly, reloading and firing as soon as they cooled.

  By late afternoon, the dust at the base of the hill began to settle. Corpses of enemy cavalry lay scattered, along with a few of our own. Their cavalry retreated—perhaps traumatized, or perhaps learning patience.

  “Laode!” I called.

  The messenger hurried over.

  “Tell the infantry to loot the enemy dead and recover our fallen,” I ordered.

  “Yes, my prince!” Laode ran down the hill.

  “Should we pursue them?” Bari asked. “The cavalry is ready.”

  “No. Let’s loot first and take their valuables. Their horse armor is better than ours. Use it to upgrade your unit if you wish—that decision’s yours,” I replied, dismounting.

  By nightfall, everything was over, and the final troop report reached me.

  1st Army of Skradings

  Infantry (Melee): 1853

  Archer (Ranged): 1606

  Cavalry (Light Cav): 650

  Artillery Crew: 30

  Cannon: 15

  Our casualties were minimal—almost miraculous. Even I could hardly believe it. I suppose I owed my father thanks for shaping this army. Only fifteen soldiers were killed; the rest suffered minor injuries treatable by our medics.

  Enemy losses were estimated at over five hundred fifty. We seized usable horses and valuable equipment from the fallen. We clearly came out ahead.

  I checked troop morale through the command UI—it had risen to 100%.

  “Verzhina, order the kitchen staff to prepare a feast tonight—but no alcohol. Increase the meat and bread for our soldiers,” I told him with a satisfied smile.