About a Dating Sim Where Dating Is Impossible Chapter 81

It had already been a week since the Morean army had entered a tedious standoff with the Janissaries.

The Janissaries maintained a certain distance, persistently harassing them to prevent any chance of rest. Though the inflicted damage was insignificant, the situation would change if it continued to accumulate. The Morean army, already exhausted from the relentless forced march, found their fatigue mounting at an alarming rate.

Attempting to maneuver their forces into a decisive battle was futile—each time, the Janissaries quickly grasped their intentions and withdrew to the nearby ridges or forests, severely limiting the deployment of cavalry forces.

If they were caught from behind in such a situation, that would be the moment of annihilation. The instant all possibilities were stripped away, the fate of the empire would be sealed. That was why the prince had to pay close attention to what was happening in Nemeapatre.

Would it be success or failure?

This was a turning point so immense that it could alter the course of history itself. The prince, anxious to know the outcome of his strategy, soon received news of the devastation in Nemeapatre from a shabbily dressed Jew. Upon hearing the report, what arose in his mind was neither regret nor a sense of accomplishment—but a sigh.

“Did it fail?”

It had been a bold scheme—one that involved setting an entire city ablaze. He had hoped that even Murad, caught off guard by the fire attack, would perish in the chaos. But that had been too much to expect. He had missed the perfect opportunity to end this prolonged war.

Had he returned to Nemeapatre and forced a decisive battle, could he have slain Murad and seized victory? A brief flicker of regret nearly surfaced. But there were no “what-ifs” in war. Convinced that his strategy had been the correct choice, the prince resolved to withdraw.

Now that Murad’s survival was confirmed, it was likely that his true core forces had been preserved as well. Yet, Murad would not be able to pursue the prince immediately. Nemeapatre, which was supposed to supply his troops, had been nearly burned to the ground, and his forces had suffered significant losses. Their morale must have plummeted, meaning they would need time to regroup.

This had bought the prince some time. However, as long as the Janissaries blocked his path, the disadvantage remained.

That meant this was the final chance to break through the Janissaries while Murad was still immobilized. Before he could rally his army, before he could change his mind, they had to engage the Janissaries in battle and secure a decisive victory.

Had it been a confrontation against Murad’s main force, he would have hesitated. But against the Janissaries alone, the situation was different. Even if his soldiers were slightly inferior in quality, they had the overwhelming advantage of outnumbering them two to one.

The only issue was how to lure the Janissaries—who had been avoiding direct engagement—into a battle.

Given their reluctance to fight, it was clear that they were following Murad’s strict orders. That meant the ways to shake the Janissaries, known for their rigid discipline and unwavering loyalty, were extremely limited.

“In the end, there’s only one way left.”

The prince closed his eyes in quiet contemplation.

Moments later, the ones answering his summons and stepping into the command tent were Ivania and Adrianos.

They were greeted by the prince’s calm, measured voice.

“The fire attack on Nemeapatre has failed. However, we managed to tie down Murad’s forces.”

“…So it has come to this,” Adrianos muttered.

Even he, who had expressed discomfort with the plan from the beginning, now looked regretful. The fact that, despite embracing disgrace, they had failed to achieve their best possible outcome would be a great obstacle for the prince in the future.

Knowing this, Adrianos’ sigh was inevitable.

Meanwhile, Ivania’s bright blue eyes gleamed as she looked at the prince.

“Then all that remains is to defeat the Janissaries.”

You’ve finally learned to separate duty from emotion, Ivania. The prince shed invisible tears of joy at this surprising and positive change.

Well, given the gravity of the situation, there was no choice but to be serious. He cleared his throat a few times to stabilize his emotions.

Ivania was right. The fate of Morea—no, the empire itself—now hinged on whether they could break through the Janissaries.

Thus, the prince laid out the strategy he had devised—one far bolder, and far more reckless, than ever before.

“As Ivania said, the key to this war now rests on whether we can break through the Janissaries and successfully retreat to Athens. This moment will determine the war’s outcome.”

“…Your Highness?”

Ivania’s gaze wavered.

The prince’s tone was different from usual—he was leading into the topic rather than stating it outright.

Adrianos, too, sensed something ominous.

Yet, the prince did not hesitate.

“I will personally lead a hundred Latin knights and serve as bait, feigning retreat to draw the Janissaries’ attention. Ivania, you will…”

“What… What are you saying!? This is absurd!”

Ivania, who was well aware of the grave sin of interrupting a ruler’s orders, was visibly shaken. But even so, the prince’s words were so shocking that it was hard for her to comprehend. Adrianos also stood up immediately in response to Ivania’s outcry.

“One hundred men? And you, yourself, will lead them to become the bait? I cannot understand this at all!”

The objections of the two were entirely expected. After all, it was the prince who had united and maintained Morea, and it was his leadership that inspired the will to fight in the hearts of those living in the empire. The prince’s death would not be just the loss of one ruler—it could potentially break the resistance of all the Christians living in the Balkans. However, the prince had anticipated these reactions.

“This is the kind of bait that will make the Janissaries move.”

“Isn’t one hundred too few? And moreover, this is an extremely dangerous idea, one that risks your life. If you fall here, Your Highness, you know that it won’t just be you who falls, right!? Please reconsider!”

“This bait will expose our intentions to the enemy. Look at the surrounding area. There are hardly any suitable places for an ambush, and aside from some hills and nearby forests, it’s almost all open plain. If we were to try to encircle them, the enemy would notice immediately. But this is the method that will make the Janissaries hesitate to retreat.”

“Your Highness…!”

“As you, too, must have thought, the Janissaries will think the same way. Only a hundred men. They will think that by annihilating them, the war will be over!”

Ivania and Adrianos’ concerns were valid. As the prince had mentioned, the moment the prince died, everything would change. Serbia, Bulgaria, and Wallachia had already been defeated by the Ottoman forces, and now only one ruler had the will and strength to oppose Murad.

That ruler had been the prince, who understood the cruel reality better than anyone else and had resolved to fight until the end. The prince was not merely a knight in Murad’s eyes—he was a king, the last hope holding up the thousand-year empire.

But if they failed to break through the Janissaries here, they would inevitably be caught from behind by Murad’s main forces, leading to certain defeat.

“If you truly value my life, then you must obey this command. Ivania, you will lead the remaining knights in my stead. While the chaos continues, you will disrupt the enemy’s formation by attacking them from the flank. Adrianos, you will lead the rest of the army and annihilate the shattered enemy units.”

The prince had deliberately chosen knights as his escorts because of their armament. Though the Janissaries were elite, they were still infantry. Stopping the knights’ charge would be difficult even with their strict discipline and high morale, but inflicting damage would be nearly impossible against the knights, who wore heavy plate armor. The knights and the prince himself were to become the anvil upon which this strategy would hammer.

Additionally, the prince had intentionally put himself in this risky position because of the knights’ power. The strength of Morea lay in its formidable cavalry, but the Janissaries had been avoiding direct confrontation, positioning themselves near ridges and forests in anticipation of any surprise attacks. The prince had chosen to become the bait so that the Janissaries could focus their efforts on defense rather than offense.

The prince was inherently cautious, but when a solution lay just beyond a dangerous tightrope, he was the kind of man who would not hesitate to take the step forward. This plan was not just about utilizing his knights—it was also a preemptive move to deceive Murad’s eyes and ears.

Murad sought to completely eradicate Morea’s influence and power through this war. Moreover, the failure of the fire attack on Nemepatre meant that central Greece would inevitably turn its back on Morea. Though it was uncertain when, it was likely that in the near future, the cities of central Greece would join Murad’s side in the war.

Murad’s web was tightening around the prince’s neck.

At the same time, the prince’s own web was closing in on Murad. Now, the war was no longer about victory or defeat—it was about whose noose would tighten around the other’s neck first. Every time Murad claimed victory, the noose would grow tighter around both Murad’s and the prince’s neck. In the end, it would be the one who could hold their breath the longest who would emerge victorious.

In this battle to place the noose on his rival, it would not be Murad, who triumphed, but the prince, who had suffered a crushing defeat, who would advance.

  • To achieve this, he could not allow a fatal defeat.

Even if it meant putting his own life on the line.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *