Chapter 389: Cheap Psychological Warfare (2)
"Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will head to the capital. I'm sure of it."
"Do you think that's possible?"
"He's a scammer, but he is also quite bold. It'll be easy to understand if I were to say that he is someone who knows when to roll the dice. He will probably cross the Dawan Front and join the Red Mercenary staying in Laios. If he's lucky, he's planning to enter the heart of the Republic with the Mercenary Queen. Considering the supplies remaining in Laios, he may have calculated that they can reach the capital. It will be touch-and-go, though."
"It's certainly not impossible at all, but it's hard for us to understand that he's telling us his plan ahead of time."
"I think he probably knows about it."
"What...?"
"He's aware that we're benefitting from other fronts while using Castle Rock as bait. That's why he wants us to remove the troops from Castle Rock. The purpose of his performance that seemed meaningless is to give Castle Rock room to breathe even a little. I think we can be happy about this. It's like telling us that Castle Rock is in such a bad condition that he needs to do something useless.
"Then, Jin Qing..."
"The main forces will remain at Castle Rock. Rather than letting the enemies move as they want, we have to tie them up so tight they wouldn't be able to breathe. Of course, after delaying the enemy's advance by organizing a minimum number of troops, we will make them use up supplies as much as possible, and we will defeat their troops with no retreat. It's going to take some time, but there will be plenty."
'It's a standard procedure.'
That was a textbook tactic, keeping the pressure on Castle Rock and going straight into the battle.
Enemy troops would head to the capital, but if some of the capital's forces could be detached, it would be possible to delay the advance.
The bogged down enemies would consume supplies and would slowly become isolated and dry out. It was reasonable enough to give it some more consideration.
However, the plan was not without risk at all.
'What if the enemies don't head to the capital?'
If Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and his troops didn't head to the capital, the Castle Rock Front's position might become a bit embarrassing.
We hadn't talked about how we would divide our forces, but investing even just 1/5– no, even only 1/7 elsewhere could already pose some risks.
We might just get fooled by the cheap psychological warfare they were employing upon us.
However, Jin Qing's face remained unchanged. He was confident in his own judgment of the situation. He really thought that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was going to head to the capital.
I had to speak, even if it was only to ease the anxiety in my mind.
"Jin Qing."
"You may talk."
"How many troops do you have in mind to send to the capital?"
"About 1/6 of the total force."
"That's..."
"They will also be supported with a considerable amount of supplies. The fight that will occur in the capital will be more prolonged than the fight that will occur within Castle Rock."
"Er... I don't doubt you, but if they don't head to the capital..."
"Even if they don't, we can still attack Castle Rock. If they head to the capital, we'll still be able to afford to do it. If we consider the power that is currently gathered in Castle Rock, it's possible."
"How..."
'Can you be so sure?'
I had significant doubts about this, but I couldn't seem to voice them out.
"You are wondering how I can be so sure."
"I-I'm sorry, Jin Qing."
"The answer is very simple."
"And that is...?"
"I got a message. A very thankful message."
* * *
"You already know the answer, Yev Karina. Why do you keep asking? We are going to the capital. I will abandon Castle Rock."
"Are you... Serious?"
"I don't know... am I? Am I lying?"
I could see a teasing expression on his face. Until now, I have never thought of myself as hot-tempered.
I thought I was someone who could maintain my composure, but that was before I met Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. There was something about him that could easily provoke my anger. Perhaps he was aware of that.
As I turned my head and looked elsewhere, I could see him pulling his face even more.
"Hmm. The answer hasn't actually been decided on yet, Karina."
"What?"
"To be precise, I couldn't find an answer until the video came out. It was literally just cheap psychological warfare, and I said that just in case. It is difficult to say that our current army is weak, but I want to conserve their power and win. Of course, we should avoid any meaningless casualties. Isn't everyone a worker who has stood up for us?"
"Are you saying that the video was just for that?"
"To be precise, yes. I wanted to see a reaction."
"That's..."
"I just wanted to see a reaction."
"That's a stupid idea. Acting after seeing the reaction..."
"I know. I know. It's stupid to move our troops after the Republic on the Castle Rock front moves first. It's not about moving small squadrons, but rather about moving large battalions of troops. It's silly to move two or three steps behind your opponent. That's not what I meant."
"Is there any chance that in the artifact...?"
"There is no such thing as a wiretapping device. The good relationship between the two of us would've been completely discarded from that point onwards. If I had been able to peek from one place to another in the first place, I wouldn't have gone through this hassle. Hmm. I would like very much to have such a device."
"If so..."
"I don't know if you're setting some expectations, but Yev Karina. What I want to try is not the reaction of the demon summoner. Yes. It was your reaction."
"..."
"Actually, it's hard for me to be sure. Smart people stay alert even if they are caught in a tiger's den, right?"
"..."
"I thought you would definitely try to send some message. And I was right. Now, let's watch the video. It would be better to replay the video you and I took. Finger. And your pupils."
"What are you talking about?"
"Your finger. And your pupils and your legs."
-33 years old... I'm Yev... Karina.
"Your finger here."
-It's a little unexpected. How long have you been here?
-7 years.
"The little finger here, too."
-First, I want to tell you that Yev Karina is in my hand. Isn't it?
"The pupils here. Honestly, I don't know in detail. It's not like the Morse code, and I don't know what this code is... well, that wouldn't matter. It's like a code and a signal only used by the Republic anyway. Or perhaps it's a demonic conversation that only works between demon summoners. For me, chosen by the light, I don't know what those signify. One thing is for certain. You are trying to send a message to the demon summoner."
"That's a ridiculous delusion. If you're thinking about trying me out... you made a mistake. I didn't send any messages."
"Hmm. It might feel like that. Certainly, there is no difference from your usual behavior, and if I just let it go, one would think it to be normal. But, Yev Karina, my eyes are good. It's a little bit better than others, and I think my observational power is a bit better. I can see Yev Karina attempting to deliver messages to the demon. It looks like you still haven't been purified."
"That's ridiculous."
"I don't know. It's a matter of checking whether it makes sense or not. Of course, it will take some time to interpret the codes you sent, but honestly, it feels like there's no need to interpret them. Oh! I think I know this part for sure. Fast forward a bit here."
-I am not a scammer. Of course, you think it's hard to believe, demon summoner. But I will not bend. I do not yield. When we bump into each other, it should be you, not me, who have to step aside. I have told you that I am going to the capital of the Republic. You will come here. You will send troops to stop me. You will have no choice but to pull back the forces holding down Castle Rock.
"A finger here, too. Shall we look back again?"
-But I will not bend. I do not yield.
"You seem to be flinching a little, Yev Karina. Let's see look at it again."
-I do not yield.
"That's something I heard a lot. I remember saying the exact same thing to you. Actually, this sentence is part of the values that made me into who I am now. Didn't I tell you about it once or five times?"
"..."
"Getting someone to think of someone as someone else is harder than you think, Yev Karina. I had to do a useless show. I also had to show the appropriate behavior. Now, let's ask a question here, Yev Karina. What kind of person do you think I am? Hopefully, you think I'm someone who doesn't yield just like what I instilled in your head— Cough! Oh, excuse me. I'll repeat the video again."
"..."
"Even though I have repeatedly shown you who I am, if the current message sent to the demon summoner is negative, wouldn't I feel a little sad?"
-I do not yield.
"The finger movement you see here means that it could be possible. Or there is room to think about it. Or, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will head to the capital. Or, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a person who does not yield. How is my delusion? Isn't it quite plausible?"
"It's wrong. Your thoughts are wrong. You're barking up the wrong tree."
"No. I can't be wrong. I'm not good at interpretations, but I'm sure I'm right. Even Jin Qing trash, who's so focused on the meeting, believes that I will head to the capital thanks to your message. Phew. Comradeship is good, right?"
"Believe whatever you want to believe, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. You are nitpicking over something useless now. To think that the main unit in Castle Rock is shaking just because I barely moved my finger is stupid. I didn't send a message to them, and... it would be bad for you to move your troops based on nonsensical guesses. It's gambling."
"Whew. I appreciate it, but I do not believe only in you, Yev Karina. I also believe in the demon summoner Jin Qing. I believe he would have caught the signal you sent in that short video and fully trust it. Undying comradeship! I also believe in that. Whew..."
"This is such ridiculous bullshit..."
"Only I can judge whether it's bullshit or not, Yev Karina. Now, then I'll ask you one more thing. Until now, I have repeatedly appealed and appealed to Yev Karina that I am the one who does not yield. Do you have any guesses on how I will move in this case? Will I advance to the capital without yielding, or am I going to do the opposite?"
"..."
"Am I a man of God who keeps my words, or am I a son of a bitch who turns his words and beliefs around and changes his attitude? "
"..."
"The answer is... It's the latter. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a fucking dog who habitually changes his attitude. I yield too, Yev Karina. Woof! Woof, woof! Woof! Puhahaha! Let's go! To Castle Rock!"
"... "
"Let's go to Castle Rock!! Woof! Woof! Woof!"
"Fucking... dog."
"Do you think that I am doing this because I want to do this? Humans are supposed to be forced to give up their faith sometimes, Yev Karina."
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