[Current location: City of Iron Wood - Lord mansion]

"What do you mean the Royal faction is already fighting back!?" – shouted Duke Ash.

"What is the meaning of this Margrave Wondan?!"

"I don't know sir." – said the beast-human nobleman.

"The messengers started flooding in, all saying the exact same thing."

"The locations that we had taken over were attacks by the Royal faction's armies."

"We confirmed that these were indeed our agents and we also noticed the weird activities within the Royal faction forces."

"There is no mistaking it."

"But how!?" – said Duke Ash.

"The delay was way too short!"

"They shouldn't had been able to react so quickly with all the chaos that is going on around!"

"Did somebody betrayed us?! Did somebody leaked informations to the Royal faction?!"

"…"

"No… Nobody did."

"If they had, then we wouldn't had succeed in attacking half of the locations that they were defending."

"If they really knew, then they would have avoided loses."

(And those bastards aren't the types to consider people lifes as expendable.)

(The only explanation I can think of... Did they predicted our movement?)

"…"

"Sir, this isn't good." – said Margrave Wondan.

"If the reports are correct, then at any moment we will be starting lose not out troops but also the newly gained advantage against the Royal faction!"

"I fucking know that!" – snapped Duke Ash at the nobleman.

"…"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck….."

"…."

"!"

"They fucked up!"

"Okay! Here what will be doing!"

"Capital city!"

"We will take over the capital city and kill the king in a single go."

"!?"

"Wait, but didn't you said it wouldn't work no matter what?" – asked confused nobleman.

"Yes! I did said that, because it was a completely stupid plan!"

"But think about it!"

"They have troops to stop us here at the frontlines and throughout the kingdom!?"

"No!"

"There is limit!"

"There is no way they can defend everything at once!"

"So while they have their forces split around, we will go straight for their main base of operation….. But not now."

"No."

"If we rush it now, they will realize how desperate we are."

"We need to keep them occupied."

"Focus on four main locations we are targeting."

"Force the Royal faction to only focus on those 4 spots and when the timing is right, we will strike down the crown."

"We can still win this."

Even when the tables have turned once against the Noble faction, Duke Ash have not given up one bit.

If anything, he was already coming with the ways of turning the situation around.

However, his strategy involvement "sacrifice".

If the Noble faction were to create an opening within the Royal faction line, they would need to use a tactic that would definitely not only take down enemy soldiers, BUT would also definitely destroy his own soldiers.

True, this is common in wars.

But Duke Ash was about to do something much cruel than this and he knew it.

But did he cared?

No.

He only aimed for victory.

No matter how many people fallowing him or civilians of the kingdom dies in the process.

This is what kind of person Duke Ash truly is.

…

And unfortunately for the Royal faction, his new strategy has already proven to be effective.

By focusing solei on the four key locations of the kingdom.

This in turn caused the entire current frontlines where most of the battles being held to straight up collapse and instead create four different battlefields that were located right next to the four key locations.

The members of the Royal faction realized that there was something "off" about the way the Noble faction acted, on how they focused on only four critical locations of the kingdom.

However, they also knew that they cannot let them control these locations since not only it would weaken the Royal faction, but it would allow Nobles to launch attacks from different discretions... But-

"This strategy won't work, like at all." - said the general Oranox as he and some of his loyalist had gathered in the tent.

"I mean, it WOULD make sense if he had more than enough soldiers to take us head on."

"But with the amount of soldiers he has under his command…. This plan will never work?"

"Hell! At the things are going, it is matter of time before we win all!"

"…"

"This means there is some sort of scheme involved." – said human knight.

"Yea, but what kind? Honestly speaking, this strategy is self-destructive at this point." – said general.

(Even if he is planning something, there is no way he has enough troops to do anything.)

(Just what is he planning?)

"…"

"Relay my order."

"Increase the number of spies and agents that are involved in watching the Noble faction's movement."

"There is a good there is something massive going on without us realizing."

"But this is also a chance."

"Eliminate all the traitors while they are leaving themselves exposed."

[1 month later – Maw City]

"FUCK! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN THE REINFORCMENTS ISN'T COMING!?" – shouted the nobleman in the fancy armor.

"Sir…. It is not like they are not coming, but it will take time for them to- "

"THEN FUCKING TELL THEM HERE TO GET HERE AS SOON AS FUCKING POSSIBLE! WE NEED THOSE REINFORCMENTS! NOW!" – shouted the nobleman in fancy armor at the messenger.

"…"

"I understand." – said the messenger before then leaving the room.

"…"

"FUCK! BITCH! WHORE! SHIT!" – the nobleman instantly went on the rampage as soon as he was left alone.

"…"

"Psst." – the beast-human knight tilted his head, telling the beastman knight to quickly get away.

"…. So….. What do you think?" – asked beast-human knight as the duo walked away.

"Well…. We managed to survive for now….. But things are not really looking good." – said beastman knight.

"We have a lot of casualties and a lot of people we had captured to work for us has escaped... With some of the food we had gathered as well."

"Tch."

"We can try to hunt down some people and steal their food….. But I don't know….. At the rate things are going, we maybe be forced to run away."

"…"

"So…. About the dungeon we were supposed to 'protect' with our lifes….. He told us to leave it be and focus on dealing with Royal faction….. But won't that….. Well…. You know…" – said the beast-human knight as the group hid inside of their own room.

"Welp, he is in charge here."

"Honestly, it is good that this bastard and his son are cowards, since we can focus on defending this city instead of some dungeon." – said the beastman knight.

"If monsters go rampant or if it destroyed, not our fault."

"He takes all responsible and stuff."

"Besides, from what I've heard, apparently that dungeon went into something called 'dormant mode' when it wasn't disturbed."

"So maybe it will just go back to sleep if nobody is nowhere near it? So, yea, leaving this dungeon completely alone without protecting isn't a problem….. Well, for us isn't at least."

"Still….. I can't say that we aren't fucked either."

[1 more month later.]

"What do you mean we are running out of food?" – asked the nobleman with tired expression.

"…. There…..There isn't enough food to let us last much longer…. Sir." – replied injured soldier.

"We had been forced to used up a lot of supplies in order to kept the soldiers fed, but- "

"WHO GAVE YOU PERMISION TO LET YOU USE MORE SUPPLIES THAN NECCESERY!?" – shouted the nobleman.

"…"

"Your…..Your son…..Sir….. He said…. He said that he had your approval for this." – said the nervous soldier.

"…"

"You…. You….. YOU FUCKING DUMBASSS!" – shouted the nobleman as he instantly drew his sword and swung it at the soldier, stabbing him in the neck before then knocking him down.

"I! DID! NOT! GAVE! HIM! FUCKING! PERMISION!" – shouted the nobleman as he stabbed and slashed the soldier and over, splashing his blood everywhere.

"…"

"FUCK!" – shouted the nobleman as he kicked his room's door open.

"YOU TWO! GET SOMEBODY TO CLEAN THIS SHIT UP! NOW!" – shouted the nobleman at the two knights as he then quickly began heading towards the exit.

"…"

"Seesh…. This is like what? Fourth guy?" – asked beastman knight as he and his friend stared down at the dead corpse of the soldier.

"Seventh. He killed yesterday 3 people when he snapped." – said beast-human knight.

"…"

"Welp, I'm out."

"They are straight up letting us die at this point and they know it."

"Yea….. We are definitely sacrificial pawns." – replied beastman knight.

(The attacks from the Royal faction has only been getting more and more firerly, resulting in us not only losing more soldiers with each fight, but also losing some smaller settlements as well.)

(The city defenses are shitty as well…. No fucking wonder we took it over so easily.)

(Even after the reinforcements finally arrived, we still ended up getting fucked big time.)

"And now, the food shortages started."

"Alongside the winter right around the corner."

"It already started getting colder outside."

"…"

"Do you think we will be able to scavenge enough food from the villagers to survive?" – asked beast-human knight.

"If they are any." – replied beastman knight.

"But let's face it."

"There is no way we will be able to secure enough food nor we will be able to rebel Royal factions any longer."

"We thought we were the hunters here….. But by the looks of things? We were the prays from the very start."

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