Only the Villainous Lord Wields the Power to Level Up - Volume 2 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A New Battlefield

Eudante za Rozern, King of Rozern, was enraged and terrified by the Brijitian envoy’s words.

“Will you accept our demand for your surrender, sire?”

“Ngh...! I could never surrender!”

Eudante had only just turned fourteen.

The sudden death of his father, the former king, had brought him to the throne—but he was just an ordinary boy. Now he received an ultimatum from the neighboring country, Brijit, demanding to surrender and fork over the nation’s land. It was effectively a declaration of war.

The young king’s desperation-tinged shout was met with a smirk from the envoy.

“Oh, I see. Then you claim you can defend your country? Perhaps, rather than invite death, would it not be better to surrender and live out the rest of your life in a peaceful retirement?”

The envoy’s tone was arrogant, but none of the nobles could refute what he was saying. They could only tremble in fear of the Brijit Kingdom.

“I-I could never do such a thing. It’s my duty as king to defend Rozern’s land and people... I will not surrender. Now, begone before I have your head lopped off!”

The boy king was quivering, but he alone was thinking of what was best for his nation.

“If that is what you say, then I suppose the people of Rozern will become slaves. Will you have no regrets, even then?”

That gave the boy king pause. “If I surrender, will they be spared slavery?”

The envoy smiled faintly at the king’s words.

“Did you not read the ultimatum? It says ‘we will guarantee the life of the king and his family.’”

In other words, there were no guarantees for anyone else.

“That’s all the more reason I can’t surrender! Leave me at once!”

The envoy shook his head in dismay at the king’s irate shouting.

“You’ve made the worst choice possible, sire. Your people may find that death was a preferable fate to slavery. Heh heh.”

With that, the envoy left the audience chamber.

As he did, he had a smirk on his face. He’d never expected Rozern to surrender in the first place.

The royals who would be spared if they just surrendered, the nobles who were only thinking of how to save their own hides, and the people who were directly exposed to danger...

Driving a wedge between these three groups had been Brijit’s true goal all along.

*

Once the envoy departed, the audience chamber devolved into chaos.

“Sire, it’s still not too late to surrender. It’s our best chance to survive!” cried Count Sciara.

“Hardly! Have you forgotten the massacres the King of Brijit carried out against his own people?! How could we be safe after surrendering to a tyrant like that?!” countered Marquis Burkra.

“But...!” Sciara raised his voice further. “If we could just secure promises about the treatment of us nobles, you’d be fine with surrendering, wouldn’t you?”

Sciara sounded like he was perfectly fine letting the people be reduced to slavery. Burkra shook his head.

“What country could guarantee us such a thing? When a country surrenders to you, you purge their nobility. Time and again, history has proven this one fundamental truth. We’d be safer running for our lives. Or submitting to Runan.”

No one spoke up in favor of defending the country. The boy king was on the verge of tears as his pitiful nobles shouted back and forth.

He alone had the will to defend the people, but unfortunately he lacked the power to rally them to the cause as little more than a figurehead king.

At this point, Duke Lushake, who had been watching quietly all this time, opened his mouth to speak. “What are you all making such a fuss for? Our Queen Cedelia is the daughter of the King of Runan. Furthermore, Runan are our allies, and we even pay them tribute. We need only appeal to them for support!”

Sciara shook his head. “But the Runan Kingdom is in a bad situation because of the war with the Naruya Kingdom...”

“They need to keep up appearances for their other allies! Do you really think they could afford to abandon us just because their own situation is not so good?!” Lushake roared with anger.

Burkra joined Lushake’s side. “If we had support from the Runan Kingdom, which was even able to repel the Naruya Kingdom,” he added vigorously, “we’d have nothing to fear. We’d be more than able to fight Brijit then. And if we can’t expect reinforcements, we can run then!”

The other nobles clamored to agree with him.

“Is that all right, sire? We must send an envoy to Runan at once!” Lushake insisted.

“B-But who...?” the boy king asked hesitantly.

“There’s only one person we could possibly entrust with such an important task, isn’t there?”

“My sister...?”

“Who else?”

The other nobles all nodded in agreement.

*

Euracia Rozern, First Princess of the Rozern Kingdom, was the elder of the two children the former king left behind.

“Could there be some reason Brijit is suddenly threatening Rozern?”

When Euracia crossed the border and arrived in the Runanese capital, she was met by Battan, a noble who served as resident ambassador for the Rozern Kingdom there.

“The Brijit Kingdom believes that the Runan Kingdom has yet to recover from their great war with the Naruya Kingdom.”

“You’re saying that they think our Runanese allies will be unable to afford to send us help, then?”

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

Euracia clenched her fists. “But what is the situation really? That is the most important detail. Is the Runan Kingdom truly unable to help?”

Battan shook his head. “The domains in the south of the Runan Kingdom couldn’t even participate in the recent war. That’s how fast the Royal Naruyan Army managed to advance to Lynon Castle. But it does mean that they have strength to spare. If only they had a decent commander to direct them... Well, with Rozern and Runan’s manpower combined, I expect we outnumber the Brijitians.”

“A decent commander, you say...?”

Euracia mumbled those words to herself repeatedly for some time.

*

Euracia was kneeling before the king in Runan Castle’s audience chamber.

“Your Majesty, the Brijit Kingdom is unfairly attempting to invade Rozern. Our own army sadly lacks the manpower to oppose them. I ask you, as our ally of many years, can we count on you to send reinforcements to Rozern?”

The Runanese king scowled when he heard her. He wasn’t interested in helping in the slightest.

“Cedelia’s asking me a favor? Honestly, if it’s so dangerous, she should just run away.”

“That is correct,” Duke Ronan agreed. “We need to keep the Naruya Kingdom in check now. We took considerable losses in the recent war, after all. I feel sorry for you as our allies, but the Runan Kingdom lacks the spare capacity to send reinforcements at this present juncture.”

The duke’s rejection was purely rational, in contrast to the king’s more emotional one. While it didn’t line up with what Battan had told her, it was still a response she could have expected. Of course, even if they’d had the capacity, Ronan wouldn’t have wanted to send troops to a war that held no benefit for the Runan Kingdom.

“Yes, that makes sense. We can’t let them invade us again. Euracia, was it? I’m sorry, but we’re still essentially at war with those monstrous Naruyans, you see. It’s going to be difficult for us to assist you.”

Hearing this rejection, Euracia sensed she was in a bad position as things stood, and attempted to sweeten the pot.

“If you help us, we will pay you five times the tribute we currently do! Please, sire, this is the best Rozern can offer!”

“Five times, you say?”

The king appeared to consider for a moment, but his expression already said he wasn’t interested as he spoke again.

“I can’t be sending off reinforcements for mere tribute. As Ronan said, we don’t have the capacity for it. We just don’t!”

As the king rejected her a second time, Euracia’s face grew ashen with despair.

*

In the game, Rozern was a country beset by many problems.

Ever since the death of their king, the royal family had weakened as a center of power, and the nobles ruled their domains with no regard for the people who lived in them. This was no recipe for patriotism. It was also why, shortly after receiving the declaration of war, the nobles all fled in fear of a barbaric invasion from the Brijit Kingdom.

However, even with the situation so bad, they didn’t fall easily. That’s because someone roused the fleeing soldiers and people, and fought the Brijitians to the end. Someone who’d had the people’s support from a young age. Her inborn charisma meant every speech she gave was met with roaring applause, and her popularity grew by the day.

She never betrayed their trust in her.

She fought on the front line herself.

Ultimately, that was where she met her end.

Based on the fact that Rozern collapsed within a week of her demise, you can see that it was her strength alone which had allowed them to stand for the months before that.

Of course, that’s just in the game’s history.

Her name was Euracia Rozern.

And now I watched on as she knelt before Runan’s king.

Euracia Rozern

Age: 20

Martial: 87

Intelligence: 57

Command: 95

She had come to request reinforcements purely out of a desire to defend her nation. However, she didn’t realize the amount of politicking it took to arrange such a thing. If she had brought the nobles on board before making the request, they couldn’t have refused so bluntly. Her high Command score was due to her inborn charisma, but that only allowed her to move the people and command armies.

Also, while I hadn’t seen it for myself yet, her high Martial score suggested she had an aptitude for mana. She was really more of a sober and honest commander type rather than a politician. Of course, it was no mere coincidence that I was here right now.

I’d already arrived several days ago.

The war between Rozern and Brijit was critical for me as well.

The chamberlains and ladies-in-waiting that I had bought off during my last trip to the capital passed me word of what was happening so that I could have an audience with the king at the same time.

She’d received a clear refusal. Still kneeling, Euracia bit her lip. I could sense her noble nature from her long, blonde hair. She had enough charm to captivate anyone. It was a noble allure, one that made her feel out of reach.

My interest, however, was in the dispatch of reinforcements.

Runan had to send those troops to Rozern.

“Your Majesty, I believe we should send troops. Please, allow me to command them!”

When I spoke up in favor of sending reinforcements as all of the other nobles opposed the idea, Euracia looked at me with surprise.

The king and his nobles did too.

“Don’t talk nonsense! Runan lacks the capacity to support such an action right now!” Ronan turned to face me, his tone irate.

“Indeed! Where are you going to go when you’re supposed to be defending me?!” the king shouted, sounding like a child.

Runan’s king is a coward. But he’s also incredibly greedy.

“Not even Naruya will be so quick to move again after a loss of seventy thousand men. I expect they’ll stay put for a year or so. Or am I wrong, Duke Ronan? I hear you’ve sent scouts.”

“You’re not wrong, no, but we’re in no position to go sticking our nose into other countries’ problems!” Ronan shook his head as he pushed back against me once more.

Yeah, this is why Runan’s screwed. I don’t give a damn what happens to Rozern. I’m sure they’ve got nothing but a bunch of rotten nobles and ill-trained troops, just like Runan. Rozern also borders a large number of countries, all of which can easily attack them, so they aren’t in a strategically advantageous location either.

That’s not true of Brijit. They’re on the coast with a chain of islands nearby that’s actually well-suited to secretly raising troops.

But the most important thing is Euracia Rozern.

I’ve already built a relationship with her, and if I can get her reinforcements this time, she’ll owe me one. Besides, with the help of her popularity inside Rozern, we’ll have an easy time inspiring the troops. We’ll hold off the invasion with Rozernan manpower, then use Runanese troops for a quick counterattack that takes Brijit!

In the history I knew from the game, the King of Brijit had a high Martial himself, and led from the front like Euracia.

Brijit destroyed Rozern, but was later destroyed by Naruya. Maybe they were somewhat exhausted by the earlier conflict, but Brijit simply never had the power to stand up against Naruya.

What if I couldn’t do what Naruya did? Then I’d have a hard time uniting the continent.

My goal this time was simple: kill the Brijitian king as he led his troops. I wasn’t going to let this chance slip by. It was a chance to preserve my own manpower while using someone else’s to win territory!

“My goal isn’t Rozern, sire. If you’ll entrust me with the reinforcements, I’ll stop Brijit’s invasion, and then go on the counteroffensive to wipe them out. With Brijit under your control, there will be no need to fear Naruya. This will be another step towards you becoming the victor of this continent!”

The King of Runan’s eyes widened at this declaration.

If he’s greedy, then of course he’d be interested in getting his hands on Brijit. Rozern already pays him tribute. But if he can get hold of Brijit as well, that would gain him considerable power. The greedy and foolish are easily caught with large bait.

“I have a number of plans. Like the one the Naruyan strategist used to rapidly advance on Runan’s capital. If I can’t do what he did, then I have no right to my post as advisor. Should I fail, I’ll return my domain to you and return to being an ordinary noble!”

The king gulped and hurriedly asked, “You’ll make Brijit mine—no, Runan’s? That entire domain?”

“Indeed I will, sire!” I stated outright.

The king exchanged glances with Ronan. It seemed neither of them were entirely sure what to do now.

“The southern domains of Runan suffered hardly any damage from the recent war. They sent their troops too late, so the war was over by the time they arrived. If you round up just fifty thousand soldiers from the southern domains, I will launch the counterattack against Brijit when they invade Rozern!”

There’s no helping the fact that Brijit’s going to become part of Runan’s domain once I destroy them. I don’t have the personnel or the manpower to manage the territory myself right now. It’s not yet time for me to go independent. Of course, that just means I’ll be letting Runan hold on to my conquest for me for a little while.

When the Grand Subjugation began and Runan fell to Naruya, I planned to seize and absorb Brijit without spilling a drop of blood. This strategy let me take aim at a large domain without having to use any of my own manpower. To pull it off, I needed to destroy Brijit first.

This was a big gamble for me too.

But that’s what makes this world so interesting!

I could see in the king’s eyes that he’d given into temptation.

I know, right? It’s an unbearably alluring proposal, isn’t it?

*

After dismissing everyone from the room but Ronan, the king asked, “Is it true that Naruya hasn’t moved?”

“Yes, sire. If we only send troops from the south, I think we should be fine for the time being. Erhin did say he would settle things within half a year... I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Erheet is leading the reconstruction up north, and I’ve sent scouts to keep an eye on any movements by the enemy.”

“I see. In that case... You’re sure we can go after Brijit, then?”

“I’m sure Erhin can pull it off. In the recent war, he made the enemy strategist leave empty-handed, didn’t he? And the man had his sights on our capital. If Erhin were to use that strategy on Brijit once they lose their king... I’m sure there will be nothing the enemy can do. Of course, this is supposing he can kill the King of Brijit in Rozern. I think the plan has enough merit to let him try.”

“Heh heh. It does, doesn’t it? It has more than enough merit. His own domain is on the line if he fails. I like it. Indeed, I welcome the gamble. Brijit, huh...? Gah hah hah hah!”

Seeing how happy his king was, Ronan opened his mouth to add a word of caution.

“But, sire. We should recall Erhin to the capital as soon as he takes Brijit. You mustn’t give the domain to him!”

“Oh, of course not. Erhin has a job to do, fighting the Naruyans. Once I have no enemies left, I’ll kill him. Heh heh heh. I have no use for one who doesn’t bear the blood of our royal house. That’s why I offered him a title for his deeds, but no actual reward. Heh heh heh!”

Duke Ronan was a relative of the Royal House of Runan. In short, they were kith and kin. He was also open in his desire to have Brijit for himself.

*

“Everything went as you said it would,” Euracia said in front of the palace, impassive as ever.

“You could look a little more surprised, you know?” I said emphatically.

Euracia’s brow furrowed. “I’m plenty surprised. Incredibly surprised, even. Honestly, our situation was hopeless until you appeared...”

Oh, is that a fact? You don’t look so surprised.

After saying that, Euracia took a step closer and looked up at me, her clear eyes gazing straight into mine.

“I sent you a letter saying I’d help, didn’t I? Have a little faith in me.”

“You did, yes, but...the Runanese king’s attitude was so firm... But, more importantly, how did you know Brijit would invade?”

I only knew because of the game’s history, but I couldn’t exactly go and explain that to her.

“Information makes the world go ’round, you know? I gather intel from around the continent and make plans to match what I learn. Without that power, there wouldn’t be much but despair waiting for me in troubled times like these. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“That’s a reasonable argument,” Euracia replied, her eyes still raised to mine, never looking away. Her expression remained as blank as ever, but there was something in her gaze that felt dissatisfied. “But I think there’s more to it. There’s something...odd about you.”

“Odd?”

“Yes, incredibly so. I can never figure out where your thoughts will lead. That’s what scares me about you.”

“Hey, now. I thought we’d cleared up the misunderstanding about me being a villainous lord, didn’t we?” I said, thinking there might be another misunderstanding, but Euracia’s eyes were unswerving. She told me that wasn’t what she meant. “Well, whatever. Just watch me. With the coming war, I doubt you’ll be able to take your eyes off me for a while.”

“I suppose not. First, we have to defend Rozern. I certainly have my suspicions about you, but I’m still grateful for the help you’ve given me!”

“Oh, yeah? Is that the look of someone feeling grateful?” I said with a shrug, but Euracia’s expression remained unchanged.

*

Sixty thousand elite Brijitian troops were gathered in the Luxenbaum Domain on the southern border of Rozern. The King of Brijit, Bautore, immediately gave the order to attack. At his command, forty thousand infantry charged across the border into the Rozernan domain all at once. Bautore watched them with satisfaction, his lips curling into a slight smile.

Oh, how badly he wanted this conquest.

The Brijit Kingdom had always been treated as far inferior to the Runan Kingdom and the Naruya Kingdom.

Bautore couldn’t stand that. It was a large part of why he’d started this war.

“Yaaargh!!!” cried the charging Brijitian troops.

It would be impossible for four thousand defenders of Luxenbaum to stop sixty thousand elite soldiers. Even with seven thousand forces now, thanks to a rapid recruitment drive after the declaration of war, they were still no match.

The terrified soldiers and their lord couldn’t do anything.

Ganeif, one of Brijit’s Three Royal Swordsmen, climbed the castle walls and laughed scornfully as he watched the lord.

“Kill him!” the lord shouted as he backed away in surprise.

Ganeif was faster, though.

As might be expected from a man whose nom de guerre was Ganeif the Swiftblade, his sword carved out the lord’s heart with speed and precision.

Bautore laughed out loud as he watched. Rozern’s forces were not much different from what he’d expected. Having reached the front of the castle, Bautore bellowed the orders, “Now’s the moment we’ve been waiting for! Charge into the castle! Steal everything that’s theirs!”

The words echoed far and wide, shaking the castle so hard it seemed as though it might crack. It was a death sentence for the Rozernan people.

“Eeeek!”

“C’mere!”

The soldiers became like slavering beasts, hunting young women.

“Help!”

Most residents who were not young and female were killed on the spot. Women who’d hid inside the houses were dragged out by their hair. Tens of drooling soldiers surrounded a lone woman.

“No! S-Stop!”

All around the city, cries echoed back and forth. At this rate, it seemed like every last resident might be slain. However, the king chose just one hundred people at random to be spared. They were set free to bear witness to the hell he’d unleashed here.

“Go, and tell everyone what you saw. Tell them Brijitians show no mercy!”

He hoped to intimidate not just the Rozernan soldiers, but their entire populace. He wasn’t doing this just to let his men blow off steam: it was to show the people of Rozern that Brijit was merciless.

Their next target was the Briant Domain, which also fell without any effective resistance. Here, too, Bautore unleashed a fresh hell within the castle walls before releasing a number of residents to tell the tale.

As word spread, rumors gave birth to new rumors.

Bautore effortlessly trampled across the domains. Coming to a fork in the road he demanded both the Kesenbine and Tilant Domains submit.

“Surrender. Do as I say, and I will spare your lives. You will be untouched. That’s better than all of you dying if you resist!”

Every day, he stood before the domains’ castles to call for their surrender. Having already heard many a time about the horrible fates that others had met, the demoralized Lord of Tilant raised the white flag.

“Your Majesty, if we guarantee their safety, they say they’ll throw open the gates at once!”

“Very well. Have the enemy disarm themselves.”

There was nothing so amazing as entering a castle without a drop of blood shed. The best victories were the ones won without fighting.

“Good! I forbid any massacres in the surrendered Tilant Domain! Spare their lives.”

“Say what...?” Ganeif cocked his head to the side. Bautore arched an eyebrow at him. “Oh, no, it’s nothing!”

“Thoroughly trample any domain that refuses to submit. Kill the men; drag the women to Tilant to be raped and killed there. These Rozernans need the difference between those who submit and those who don’t carved into their thick skulls!”

These tactics would have massive influence throughout the war to come. They spread chaos between the lords, their retainers, and the people. The difference in manpower was overwhelming, and the lords submitted one after another.

The result was that the Brijitian Army had lost less than one thousand men by the time they reached the castle.

*

I took Euracia to the southern domains where we were to meet up with the Royal Runanese Army.

30 training, 30 Morale. The unit’s stats were terrible. The commanding officers consisted of two counts, five viscounts, and ten barons. This was all as Ronan planned. The viscounts and barons were nobles who’d led their troops here from various domains, but the counts were Ronan’s own retainers.

They’re here to monitor me, basically.

The leader was my second-in-command, Count Fihatori. He wasn’t openly dissatisfied with me, but he also had no intention of just meekly doing as I told him to. I had Jint hurry to join us as backup, but none of my other retainers from the Eintorian Domain were to join him. They were too busy training our army.

Because this was a foreign war, I only really needed Jint. The problem was that the king only gave me thirty thousand men. He explained that I could fight using these men for now, and he’d send more later to replenish us.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

That meant he wanted me to show him what I could accomplish with thirty thousand men first. He especially wanted to see if I could manage to kill Brijit’s king.

*

We ran to their aid with our thirty thousand reinforcements, setting up camp in sight of the border as the sun went down. The battlefield lay just across the border. Tomorrow, we would rush into Rozern.

It was tense in camp.

I was feeling tense too, of course. Because sure, I knew how things went in the game’s history, but that was no guarantee I’d survive. Nevertheless, I had to act.

If I could pull this off, it would create some slight possibility of unifying the continent.

The flames of the campfire rose up high.

Euracia, who had entered the camp earlier, perhaps unable to sleep due to the tension in the air, walked over to me.

“You can’t sleep?” I asked.

“No... May I join you?”

“Of course.” I nodded. She came closer and we sat shoulder to shoulder by the fire.

“The southern regions of Rozern are being trampled by Brijit. Their king is massacring our people!” Euracia’s clenched fist shook with rage.

We were receiving real-time reports on the situation in Rozern. I couldn’t blame her for not being able to sleep.

“The Brijitian king is using horrific tactics to force you to surrender,” I explained. “It’s the worst kind of war. And he has an overwhelming numerical advantage too...”

After a long pause, Euracia asked, “Do we stand any chance of winning?”

I’d love to know the answer to that myself. I have a winning plan in mind, of course, but I have no idea how things are going to play out.

“Does only having thirty thousand men concern you?”

“I saw you drive out the Naruyans with less than this. A massive Naruyan army, far more powerful than Brijit,” Euracia said, her eyes shifting from me to the fire. “So, it’s not that I’m worried. I want to hear your strategy. That’s what’s been keeping me up tonight. What are you thinking?”

“Well, of a strategy to beat Brijit, obviously.”

“But what’s your plan? If it protects Rozern, then...I’m prepared to do anything!” she declared, suddenly rising to her feet. But I had nothing to tell her.

She’s fundamental to my strategy this time. There haven’t been major changes from the overall flow of the game’s history yet. I think that might be because it’s decided based on whether each battle plays out the same as it did in-game. If she learned anything about what happened in the game, then there’s a good chance a battle from the game wouldn’t be recreated.

Basically, I was watching out for the butterfly effect.

“Calm down, Euracia.” I stood up, walked around behind her, and placed my hands on her shoulders. Then, sitting her back down, I said, “I do have a strategy, but I can’t explain it to you now.”

“Why not? You don’t trust me? I’d never breathe a word to anyone!”

“This isn’t a matter of trust. It’s so we can win.”

A look of doubt crossed her face as she stared at me with those strong eyes of hers.

“Huh? What do you mean...?”

“I’ll explain once we have the results. Here’s all I can say for now: You fight your battles. I’ll fight mine. Our strategies in this war are strictly separate.”

“But even if we worked together, we’d still have so few men... So, why?!”

“You believe in my strategies that repelled Naruya, don’t you?”

“I believe, certainly, but what exactly am I supposed to believe in when you’re giving me nothing to go on?”

“It’s all part of the plan. So, try trusting in me as a person, not my strategy.”

When I gave her a straight answer, Euracia fell silent.

“But more importantly, what were you planning to do if I hadn’t persuaded the King of Runan and come here?”

“I’d have returned to Rozern, and we would have fought by ourselves. Until I died. For as long as I draw breath, I will never hand over Rozern!”

Yeah, that’s it. That’s what she’s like in the game’s history.

“That’s the way. Don’t ever forget how you feel right now. If you just fight your own way, you’ll be able to defend Rozern.”

There was a confused pause. “I have no idea what you mean.”

You don’t need to know. No, you mustn’t find out. I see the look of discontent on your face now, but I’ll change that out on the battlefield.

*

After days of sad reports and unmitigated chaos, some good news arrived in Rozern’s palace for the first time in a while.

Word had come of reinforcements.

Eudante opened Euracia’s letter with unbounded joy. He’d only read a few lines of it when he exclaimed, “Everyone, rejoice! Reinforcements from Runan are on the way!”

A buzz ran through the nobles who heard this.

“Is that true?!”

“Ohh! That might save us!”

But as he read the letter, the king’s expression changed, darkening visibly as he continued. “But...they’re only sending thirty thousand men...”

Those words froze the room like ice.

Wrinkles formed on Commander-in-Chief Berack of the Royal Rozernan Army’s forehead as he asked, “Sire, could you have misread the number? We could never win with only that many. In the recent war where Runan stopped seventy thousand Naruyans they had a total manpower of a hundred thousand. How in the world are we supposed to fight with only thirty thousand?!”

“W-Well, their commander is the Count Eintorian, the one they say drove off the Naruya Kingdom. S-So... He’ll manage it, somehow!”

The nobles weren’t even listening anymore. The only thing that had mattered to them was the number of reinforcements. Even Duke Lushake, who had proposed requesting reinforcements in the first place, shook his head in dismay. No one was going to say, “Well, we have thirty thousand men joining us, so let’s try and fight,” in this situation.

The nobles who’d stayed in the capital, trusting in Runanese reinforcements, were now considering options for other countries to flee to. Even Berack left the palace with a scowl on his face. How was he supposed to fight with a mere thirty thousand troops? The Royal Rozernan Army had suffered from horrible levels of desertion and poor discipline, leaving only about ten thousand troops. That gave him ten thousand men with no will to fight, plus thirty thousand reinforcements.

Meanwhile, the enemy had sixty thousand elite soldiers. Not only that, the Brijitians had conscripted the surrendered armies from Rozern’s other domains, using them as slave soldiers that shielded them from incoming arrows. That meant they’d added twenty thousand slaves to their forces, bringing their total manpower to eighty thousand.

Forty thousand men would never stand a chance against that.

Berack was well aware of the morale and training levels of the Royal Army, and he’d concluded the war was unwinnable. His advisor Kaiten felt differently, though.

“Commander! I think it’s worth putting up a fight and seeing how it goes. Even if they’re only thirty thousand men, with the Count Eintorian leading them, I believe they’ll protect the capital somehow...”

“Shut up! One man doesn’t change the number of soldiers!”

“But Count Eintorian achieved victory in an even larger war...”

“Hmph, those stories were blown out of proportion. That’s just how rumors are. Besides, he can’t take advantage of the geography in this situation. He’ll be fighting on the open plains in front of the capital. What kind of strategy could he possibly execute there?!”

“We can’t let ourselves think like that. The lords who submitted already made a mistake. Their eagerness to surrender left the country in this awful shape... It’s not yet too late. We should regroup and consider how to fight back in earnest now!”

“Would you shut up?! Don’t talk like you understand!”

Kaiten was only managing to piss Berack off.

*

The Runanese reinforcements crossed the border and arrived at the capital of Rozern without incident. From there, we went directly to the palace for an audience with the king. He was as young as I’d expected, probably around middle-school age.

“I come with reinforcements, Your Majesty! This is their commander, Count Eintorian,” Euracia introduced me as we both knelt before the king.

“O-Oh, I see! Are you the Count Eintorian we’ve heard so much about?!”

“While I am not entirely sure how I should take that, I am indeed the Count of Eintorian,” I said, nodding.

With a look of urgency on his face, the king said, “Then let me ask you this: We hear the reinforcements from Runan are only thirty thousand men. Is there any chance of more joining you later?”

That question made all of the nobles look at me too. They seemed dissatisfied with the number of troops.

In other words, they think there aren’t enough. Okay, I’ll give them that. There certainly aren’t too many, that’s for sure.

Still, this wasn’t the worst possible scenario. We had enough to fight, at least.

“There is not.”

“Oh, no... You mean to stop the enemy with just thirty thousand troops...?”

The nobles all nodded at the king’s words. Euracia shook her head in dismay.

“Sire, these thirty thousand men were not easy to obtain. And they are more than enough to fight with. Have no worries. In the name of Rozern, I swear I will defend the capital!” she shouted, unable to maintain her silence any longer.

“I came here because I also believe there’s more than a good enough chance that we can win!” I agreed with her.

The nobles only sighed. Every one of them looked utterly defeated already.

*

Standing atop the castle walls of Rozern’s capital, which would soon become a violently contested battlefield, I asked Commander-in-Chief Berack, “What is the current state of the Royal Rozernan Army?”

I could have just looked at the system, obviously, but I needed to ask the question for its own sake. It would have seemed strange if I already knew before he told me.

“We have ten thousand troops. I tried to gather men from all the other domains, but they’ve all just surrendered or fled... We only have the capital’s basic garrison now.”

“That’s awful! Most of the domains just submitted without a fight?” Euracia interjected. Berack answered her with a firm nod.

“That’s correct, Your Highness. This is the reality we’re faced with.”

I had to admit, I hadn’t expected this. Basically, none of the domain’s armies had arrived to support the capital, and all we had was its original garrison, ten thousand men strong. Not even the domains north of the capital, which had yet to be invaded, had sent troops.

This was going to require a massive change in plans.

They were in no state to defend the place with just the Royal Army while I sent the reinforcements around elsewhere. While the King of Runan had been taking his sweet time getting these reinforcements together, Brijit’s invasion had proceeded at a breakneck pace, worsening the situation even more.

If we could have made it before the Brijitians invaded, this would have gone totally different. Well, not that I have time to gripe about it now.

“Anyway, how do you plan to fight them?” Berack asked me. “Between the Royal Army and your reinforcements combined, we still only have forty thousand troops...”

“We’ll have to take optimal advantage of a siege battle.”

That’s all I’ve got, for now at least.

Berack snickered at my idea. “The vaunted advisor’s strategy is simply fighting a siege battle? Hah hah. Oh, that’s just splendid.”

Turning his back on me with a mocking laugh, he walked off and descended from the castle walls.

I guess that means that the Rozernan commander-in-chief’s lost the will to fight too, then. Just look at the way he’s acting. And the stats tell me the Royal Army only has 8 Morale.

Euracia bit her lip with a pained look on her face as she regarded the commander-in-chief.

“I never thought Rozern was such a weak-willed country,” she said. “It seems that everyone’s already decided that the thirty thousand troops we’ve brought won’t do any good. Even though it’s not a small number of men, by any means...”

“The enemy do have more than us, after all,” I replied. “It probably feels that way even more strongly to those who aren’t experienced with war.”

“But there’s a vast difference in what we’re capable of with and without those reinforcements,” Euracia insisted. “If we put up a desperate struggle, I’m confident we can win. We can manage so long as our hearts are united!”

She’s right. We do need to bring everyone’s hearts together.

In other words, we needed to raise their Morale. Ultimately, she needed to give her nation’s soldiers the will to fight, because if fleeing was the only thing on the locals’ minds, there was no way the reinforcements’ Morale was going to improve.

I could come up with the best plan ever and it wouldn’t mean a thing if I’m unable to execute it.

I’d already known Rozern would be in this kind of awful shape.

*

“Your Majesty. We only have Ronaf and Beijen left to occupy before we reach the capital!”

“Heh heh. We already have them in our sights!” Bautore, King of Brijit, nodded, pleased with their steady progress. “Isn’t it about time for the Runanese reinforcements to be arriving in the capital?”

“Indeed it is!” answered the Brijitian advisor Isenbahan.

Bautore stroked his chin awhile before calling for Elante the Heavyblade, one of the Three Swordsmen.

“I will take Ronaf and Beijen before heading to the capital. You take the long route around and head there ahead of us. You are forbidden from attacking the castle before I arrive. Set up camps and thoroughly torment the enemy!”

“Understood, sire!” Elante answered.

Bautore looked back at the troops, and gave a satisfied chuckle. “Have no fears, men! You’ll have your fill of rape and murder in the two remaining domains, whether they surrender or not. Enjoy yourselves as we prepare for the decisive battle! Heh heh heh! Gah ha ha ha ha!”

The Runanese reinforcements were a paltry thirty thousand men. It was just like he’d thought: Runan had little to spare. Thirty thousand men were nothing to fear. Bautore continued shouting, assured of his victory.

*

In front of the Rozernan capital, the yellow uniforms of the Brijitian military started coming into view outside the walls. They had arrived sooner than I’d expected. We still hadn’t gotten anything ready yet, and morale was as terrible as ever.

It was to be expected, really, given it had only been a day since we arrived.

Royal Brijitian Army

Manpower: 20,000 men

Morale: 90

Training: 80

The army showed up with twenty thousand troops. From the look of it, they were some sort of advance party. The main force would still be attacking the other domains.

The problem’s the Rozernan Army’s pathetic 8 Morale.

The mere sight of this advance party had already sent the Rozernans into a confused frenzy. If it weren’t for the fact the gates were all closed, they would have deserted already. As soon as the enemy appeared, morale plummeted again. If this chaos was what the enemy had been aiming for when they sent the advance party, the operation was a rousing success.

Although, it didn’t look like they were going to lay siege to us immediately. They just stayed out there, putting pressure on the castle.

“The enemy! The enemy are coming!” came the startled report from atop the walls.

“Th-Those are Rozernan citizens!” Euracia cried out in surprise. Just as she said, the people who were pressing towards the walls were Rozernans who had been captured.

The Brijitians set the prisoners loose before giving chase, killing those at the very rear. If the prisoners stopped, they’d die. The people rushed to the walls for dear life. They kept on running as people tripped, or were pushed and fell and were trampled to death.

“H-Help!”

“Open the gates!”

The prisoners managed to reach the gates, but they would not open. The more the people wailed in despair, the more the Brijitian cavalry seemed to delight in murdering them. But if we opened the gates now, the cavalry would rush in with them.

We couldn’t open the gates, but at this rate, the Rozernans were just going to watch as their countrymen were massacred. In other words, their morale would fall even further. It was a dirty move, but it’d be effective at making Rozern suffer.

Whether they opened gates or not, Rozern would suffer casualties.

Trembling with rage as she watched, the princess gritted her teeth and raced down to the gates.

“Throw open these gates at once! Can’t you people see and hear your fellow countrymen screaming for help on the other side?!” Euracia shouted at the guards.

But Berack stood in her way. He booted the guard aside and stood blocking the gates personally.

“These gates must not be opened. Are you going to jeopardize the capital for their insignificant lives? No one—not even you—has the right to do that, Your Highness!”

Euracia delivered a swift kick to Berack, knocking him out of her way, before angrily shouting, “Silence! What point is there in desperately shouting that we must fight to defend our families and the nation if we then turn around and just watch as our own people die?! Those people out there are Rozernans, our own flesh and blood!”

Drawing her sword, she commanded, “You will open these gates at once!”

The guards hurried to do as she demanded, and the moment they did people rushed inside. Euracia raced out in front of them on horseback, surprising everyone with the speed of her steed.

“Didn’t you hear Her Highness?! Let’s go, men!” Advisor Kaiten shouted, ignoring a glare from Berack.

Euracia’s flying off the handle? Well, I’m not going to stop her. I’m the one who told her to fight her own way. Yeah, this is her fight. It’d be wrong for me to stop her. I need this to play out as per the game’s history. It’s laying fundamental groundwork for my future strategy.

“Fihatori!”

So with the intention of following her, I called Count Fihatori, who was second-in-command of the reinforcements.

He’s one of Duke Ronan’s retainers, but I don’t really have any choice but to trust him. Regardless of whether he deserves that trust, if we botch the defense here, we’ll both either end up dead or return to Runan in failure. That means we’re in the same boat, at least. I can trust him more than I can trust Berack.

“I’m going to the princess’s side. Leave the reinforcements in the capital. Close the gates if the cavalry starts getting near them!”

The vast majority of soldiers in the capital were reinforcements. That meant we had control of the city. By extension, so long as the reinforcements stayed in the city, Berack wouldn’t be able to close the gates again without our say-so.

“Commander! You could be going to your death, walking alone into a trap like this! You mustn’t do it!” Fihatori tried to stop me, looking surprised.

This guy doesn’t know about my Martial score. All he knows is that I can pull off a good strategy.

I didn’t have time to explain that to him, however.

“That was an order, Fihatori!”

My domineering attitude made Fihatori give up and back down.

“Remember what I said! So long as the enemy doesn’t come within two hundred meters of the gates, they’re to stay open! Don’t let Berack do whatever he wants!”

“Understood. But if anything happens to you, the reinforcements will withdraw immediately.”

He was saying if I died, there was no point in them helping Rozern. Well, that was fair enough.

“Let’s go, Jint. It’s your time to shine.”

I had zero intention of dying, so I nodded to Jint, then hurried outside.

*

She was a hero—always standing at the vanguard, swinging her sword in defense of the country. But the situation was different now. While she was away requesting reinforcements from Runan, Rozern failed to hold the line and was pushed all the way back to the capital.

But what she was at her core hadn’t changed.

If she does well, she can still rally the troops!

Euracia rode her horse out in front of the Brijitian cavalry in order to buy time for her people to get inside the walls. The cavalry she saw now were, in fact, special among the forces of Brijit. Because Brijit had many iron mines, the cavalry came to be known as iron cavalry due to their steel armor.

Their charge attacks boasted overwhelming strength on the open plains!

Though they were defeated by Naruya in the game’s history, that was only because they were up against an even tougher opponent. Had they been used properly, they might have been able to play a larger role in the game.

And Euracia stood against these guys alone!

“The gates are open! Charge!”

Once he saw that almost none of the defenders had sallied forth to meet them despite the gates opening, Elante ordered the iron cavalry to get into formation for a charge attack.

“What a bunch of bores. They aren’t even trying to buy time. If this is how they are, then there’s no need to wait for the main force! I’ll be the one who takes this castle!”

At this, all of the Rozernan soldiers who’d unenthusiastically followed Euracia suddenly got cold feet. Their horses whinnied as they pulled back on the reins—not just stopping, but actually starting to retreat. Some of the soldiers even took advantage of having gotten outside the castle to flee outright. Those who weren’t running trembled with fear.

Even Kaiten, the advisor to the Rozernan Army, who had been keeping up with her, fell from his horse before he could really fight at all.

That meant that, ultimately, Euracia was on her own.

She didn’t say anything, though. She simply charged the iron cavalry, sword in hand. As she swung her blade, blue mana impaled the iron cavalrymen she rode past through their chests. Her attack hit ten men all at once, but the deep blue mana whirled like a hurricane, tearing through each man’s chest.

Rossade

A valuable sword handed down through the Rozernan royal family.

This sword unleashes the user’s mana like a skill. The higher their mana score, the larger the effect.

Martial +3

That was the nature of the sword she carried.

Using Rossade to unleash her mana, Euracia cut down the steel-clad cavalrymen one after another, each one splattering her with his own blood. Euracia went on slaying even as her entire body was stained crimson.

After losing around twenty men, the iron cavalry captain who’d underestimated her finally snapped to his senses and yelled, “What are you fools doing?! She’s only one woman!”

The iron cavalry charged Euracia all at once. She continued advancing, unconcerned, taking them down with mana. The farther she went, the more enemies there were—but still she kept on moving forward, leaving nothing but the broken bodies of the iron cavalry and their horses running wild without their masters in her wake.

“Attack her horse!” shouted the captain of the unit of iron cavalry charging at Euracia. At some point, they had managed to get both in front of and behind her.

With such a massive difference in numbers, it had always been just a matter of time before they surrounded her. And soon enough, an enemy soldier’s spear tore through her horse, which let out a sharp whine. Euracia cut down the spearman responsible, but fell from her horse in the process.

The princess rolled across the ground. Still, she rose again, albeit somewhat shakily, and took up a fighting stance against the iron cavalry with her sword.

There was a trail of blood running down her forehead, perhaps from a cut she took when she fell.

It didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest as she swung her blade at the iron cavalry, but the fact they had already encircled her was a problem.

The enemy fell by the dozens in front of her with each swing of Rossade, but her back was exposed to the enemies behind her. Those enemies attacked. Of course, thanks to her power of mana and overwhelmingly higher Martial score, she was able to avoid their attacks. Still, dodge all she might, the enemy continued to charge in ceaseless waves, and eventually, one of their swords met the flesh of her back.

Blood gushed, and her face twisted in pain. Regardless, she didn’t back down.

Thrusting Rossade into the ground, she removed the pendant from around her neck and closed her eyes. As she did, a massive mana circle appeared around the spot where the sword had been thrust.

The circle flashed white, and a giant explosion spread out around her.

Boom!

The blast triggered a chain of secondary explosions as white light swallowed up all of the iron cavalry. After the big explosion, she remained the only one standing—every single one of the cavalrymen who had been surrounding her had vanished.

A magical tool! That white mana circle’s the power of a tool. Valdesca was using one too, come to think of it.

However, as Euracia leaned on Rossade for support, her strength all but spent, the Brijitian infantry rushed towards her.

They were led by a large man with heavy footsteps. The man who carried a greatsword as long as he was tall laughed.

“Excellent. Just brilliant work. I never would’ve thought Rozern had a woman like you. Now it’s my turn to have a go at you!”

Elante Modidev

Age: 41

Martial: 91

Intelligence: 31

Command: 71

The man’s Martial score was incredibly high. True to his “Heavyblade” moniker, he swung the sword as tall as himself with ease as he attacked Euracia. She quickly pulled Rossade out of the ground and struck back, but not even the blue mana was a match for her opponent’s sword.

Then the swing of his greatsword produced a powerful mana pressure that blasted her backwards.

“Hey, what gives? I thought you were going to make this at least a little fun. Is that all you’ve got?”

Elante took up a fighting stance facing Euracia as he complained. Euracia, all cut up from rolling on the ground, rose to trembling feet.

Rossade’s a treasure that manifests mana as a skill.

Even a user who didn’t have A-class mana could unleash the blue mana, but only using their own accumulated mana. Once that was all expended, they couldn’t use its power anymore. That said, I’d already been expecting that she would get hurt. It was absolutely necessary that she continue to put up a good fight in order to raise the Rozernan soldiers’ Morale.

As such, I stayed put and watched as she bled.

I won’t let her die, though. I’ll only let her get injured at worst!

As I watched her fight, I prepared my skills should the need arise for me to step in and protect her.

Once it looked like she was reaching her limit, I shouted to the Rozernan soldiers, “Men of Rozern! Do you feel nothing as you watch her fight like that?!”

Now that they had all seen Euracia’s fighting spirit, it was time to pull the trigger. If they saw her in that battered state and didn’t do anything, then Rozern truly was beyond saving. I’d be better off packing up and heading back to Eintorian.

But then something changed!

“Damn it! I’m going too!”

“Me too!”

“Her Highness has always looked out for us. She’s the one who saved me when I was being tormented by the nobles!”

“Yeah! You know, I think I saw her looking after an old woman who collapsed as she was passing by once too. Damn it all! Screw these Brijitian scum!”

The Rozernan soldiers drew their swords one after another. Their once-lifeless eyes, bereft of the will to fight, began to take on new color.

“We’re gonna save Her Highness!”

The men of Rozern all raced to get to her first. The more who joined them, the greater their ardor grew. It was infectious.

As they all rushed to Euracia’s side, they cried things like, “We’ll save her even if it costs us our lives!” and threw themselves in front of the Heavyblade to protect her. They moved with such vigor that no one would ever believe they were the same men with the lifeless eyes who’d been unable to do anything.

Royal Rozernan Army

Manpower: 5,700 men

Morale: 90

Training: 20

In that moment, their pitiful 3 Morale leaped all the way up to 90. Thanks to that, dozens of Rozernan soldiers fended off Elante’s attack on Euracia. Of course, the boost in Morale did nothing about their Training. They could grit their teeth and fight, but they were up against the uppermost elites of the Brijitian Army.

That’s why fighting on the open plains without any strategy could only end in defeat. But if they could maintain this level of motivation, there were all sorts of tactics that became viable. We could carry out operations from the other side of the castle walls.

It would require Morale, but we had that now! The way Euracia risked herself had awakened the soldiers.

“Jint, you take care of the small fry!”

“Got it!”

Jint, who had headed out here with me, swept aside the enemies in front of us with a brilliant attack and led the way to the princess’s side.

“You’ve done enough. Let’s pull back for now!”

I helped her onto a horse before getting on myself. She didn’t look like she was in any condition to ride alone. Of course, Elante came after us, trying to prevent our escape.

But this time Jint deflected his sword.

“Wh-What?!”

Yeah. That’s right.

For as strong as they made Elante out to be, he was weaker than Jint. That’s why I didn’t need to use Daitoren against him. We could have saved Euracia any time we wanted to. The only reason I hadn’t was because I needed the men of Rozern to realize they had to fight for themselves.

This was a battle I’d prepared for her, and she’d fought it well.

So, now it’s my turn.

“Huh? Are we running away?” Jint asked, giving me a blank look.

I motioned for him to shut up and follow me, then turned to speak to Euracia.

“There’s no need to keep fighting here. While you were buying time, almost all of the prisoners made it inside the capital.”

I’ve already achieved the goal of raising Morale. So there’s no need to fight anymore.

“In that case, hold on for a moment!”

Euracia pulled something out from under her collar and hurled it towards the enemy. Instantly, there was a burst of white light. It was like some sort of flash grenade.

“Let’s all pull back to the capital for now!” Euracia called out to the soldiers who’d begun fighting. They wasted no time following her call to retreat. So apparently, she had a number of tools at her disposal.

This one let us put some distance between ourselves and the enemy, but obviously, they came after us again as soon as the bright light dissipated.

“Damn it! It’s too bright! After them, at once! Call in the iron cavalry who were at the rear! We’re pushing through the gates!”

I could even hear Elante’s voice from behind us, giving orders.

“Do you know who that guy is, by any chance?” I asked. “He seemed like a rough and tough kinda guy.”

I knew his name and abilities from the system, but nothing more than that. Euracia was quickly able to answer my question.

“That’s Elante the Heavyblade, one of the Three Swordsmen of Brijit.”

“The Three Swordsmen? You’re telling me they’ve got three guys like that? Is he the strongest of them?”

By the time the game’s protagonist raised his country and started to fight, Brijit had already been destroyed by Naruya. So all I knew about them was that their tyrannical king led his forces into battle and died.

“No. The rumors say another of their number, the Swiftblade, is the strongest...”

This is the reality that a country like Rozern faces without a single commander with a Martial over 90. Elante’s strong, sure, but he’s not a top-class character by any stretch of the imagination. It’d be easy to kill him, but we’ll pull back for now. The Brijitian king probably only sent him here to lower our morale using the prisoners. It’s clear Elante’s overconfident, though. He must think he can take Rozern on his own. What Brijit doesn’t know, and neither does Rozern, is that there’s a commander here in the capital who’s stronger than him.

“More importantly, though, is this going to be all right?” Euracia asked as she looked behind us, her arms wrapped tightly around my waist. “I can see that we’ve put some distance between us and the enemy, but they might be able to break through the gates at this rate...”

Although she had slain a thousand iron cavalrymen, there were still nineteen thousand soldiers menacing the capital. It was only natural she’d be concerned.

“For now, we’ve gotta get to the gates!”

I rode between the capital’s gates with her riding behind me.

*

“That strategist, Eintorian, is a disgrace! Look at him run after all his bluster and confidence! Bwa ha ha ha ha! Serves him right!” Berack laughed out loud from on top of the walls.

Fihatori, on the other hand, felt Erhin had made the right call. There was no reason to fight a battle he knew he would lose. If the enemy could use mana, that meant he was an A-class commander. In Fihatori’s estimation, that meant the princess and the commander-in-chief stood no chance of beating him.

“Have our archers take aim to delay the enemy’s pursuit!”

He’s still our commander. I can’t let him go dying on me right now.

Fihatori ordered the archers to protect them. Beside him, tittering madly with a malicious grin, Berack murmured, “That’s right. Rozern deserves to fall.”

*

As soon as we were through the gates, I helped Euracia down from the horse. She was limping a little, but managed to walk somehow, possibly because she still had a little mana left.

“Shut the gates as soon as all our soldiers are inside!” Fihatori gave commands from atop the walls while providing support with his bow.

The problem, however, was the iron cavalry.

Rumble!

It was all infantry that showed up with Elante, but there were two units of iron cavalry in his twenty thousand-man force. Euracia had wiped out one unit of a thousand soldiers, but the other unit charged forward at an incredible speed. The enemy infantry weren’t fast enough to be a concern.

That’s why the cavalry were our major issue—they were faster than our own infantry forces. We had no mounted troops.

“Fihatori!” I shouted at my second-in-command. “That’s enough support. Give Jint two thousand archers and three thousand cavalry right away. Jint, you lead them and head out the west gate, not the south. We’ll close the west gate right behind you. Follow the plan I told you earlier. Also, Fihatori! You lead the remaining twenty-five thousand reinforcements and follow me. We’re going to the central plaza!”

After giving Fihatori and Jint their orders, I turned to Euracia and asked, “The iron cavalry aren’t afraid of arrows. Judging by the speed they’re going, they’ll breach the gates before the Rozernan infantry can get through. If they’re able to hold the gates and buy time, we can expect a massive enemy force to enter the capital. Now, the question is: Would you leave the gates open?”

“Well...!” Euracia trailed off, unable to instantly answer the question. But she quickly shook her head. “Those men risked their lives to save me from Elante! If I were to abandon them now because they didn’t make it in time, it would be impossible to move them to act like that again. Like you’ve already said, the morale of Rozern is on the line in this fight!”

That was the right answer. This was all about morale.

“I’m well enough to fight,” Euracia continued. “I will face the iron cavalry in front of the gates, and I’ll hold them off, even if it costs me my life!”

“Looking at this from a cold, rational perspective, you’re in no state to take on a thousand iron cavalrymen. Do you have another tool or something?”

Naturally, it took time for mana to recover. In her current condition, Euracia would only be able to muster as much strength as a common soldier. Her wounds must have ached whenever she moved, still bleeding as she was.

“No, not right now.” Euracia shook her head, biting her lip. “But I cannot abandon the men outside! If your strategy is to cast them away, then... I won’t be following it!”

“That’s the way. This is why they call you a hero. You’re deserving of that respect.”

“Huh? What are you talking about, so suddenly...?”

“If you fight your way, it should help see my plan to fruition. You’ve done that so far, so now it’s my turn to step up. Of course, I won’t be having them close the gates, for all the reasons you’ve laid out. If you trust me, then lead the defenders to the central plaza!”

Having said that, I turned my back on her.

In all honesty, if I were to make a cold, rational decision, it would be better to shut the gates immediately and give up on the men who are still out there. But right now, the most important thing is morale.

If I were to abandon the men who didn’t make it in time, there’d be no chance of morale improving any further.

The princess’s feelings—her will to fight alone outside the gates—made a major impact on the Rozernan soldiers. We could have killed Elante out there several times over. But if we had, we would have killed him and him alone. Even if the loss of their commander threw them into confusion, those are well-trained soldiers. If we’d launched a pursuit, it’s quite likely that they’d have turned the tables on us. Fighting a battle of cat-and-mouse on the open field would put our forces, which have the lower Training score, at a disadvantage.

It’d also mean leaving the castle unattended. That’d make it the worst possible option if it turns out there’s another unit around. If we can’t wipe them out by chasing after them, that means we need to try and do it another way.

I felt the intensity of Euracia’s eyes on my back, but said no more to her and moved to the central plaza.

*

I don’t know if she decided to trust me or just had no other option, but Euracia gathered the Rozernan soldiers in the central plaza. The iron cavalry, which had taken the southern gates, must have been waiting for Elante or something, because they hadn’t shown up yet.

As soon as he caught up to them, their arrival was imminent, though.

Yes. This is good.

“Why in the world are we doing this in the central plaza? If we let the enemy come in this far, they’ll occupy the capital!”

I shook my head and disagreed with the princess.

“It’s the only way we can decrease their numbers. Even if we held the southern gates, the enemy would retreat temporarily once they were closed. We’d just be letting twenty thousand men go at that point, right?”

“Isn’t stopping the enemy the best thing we can do?” Euracia’s voice rose, a look of incredulity on her face.

“In strategy, the best thing to do isn’t always so obvious. So watch. It’s time for me to do my thing.”

“What are you talking about...? H-Hey, you!”

It looked like I hadn’t dispelled Euracia’s doubts in the slightest. I got the feeling that was the case for Fihatori and the reinforcements too. They all thought I was crazy, leaving the gates open to lure the enemy deep inside the capital.

While all of this was going on, the iron cavalry showed up in the central plaza with Elante leading the way. He must not have been able to use that big sword of his while mounted, because he had a separate horse carrying it.

Elante chortled down at us. “Are you a pack of fools? Bwa ha ha!” he bellowed as he dismounted his horse. “I thought you’d defend the gates, but you opened the way to the plaza instead!” Three iron cavalrymen carried Elante’s sword to him, every one of them heaving for breath. Elante took the sword in two hands and fell into a fighting stance as he turned to face us.

More and more soldiers pressed in from behind him. I checked with the system, finding that their number totaled ten thousand strong. They crowded in as if trying to surround the central plaza. With the exception of the iron cavalry, they were all infantry. The remaining ten thousand were probably still making their way through the gates.

I faced off with Elante by myself.

“Hey, you, stop!” Euracia called after me, but I ignored her.

It wasn’t just her. Fihatori, and the members of the reinforcements who had been up on the walls and witnessed Elante’s mana looked on with shock too. They were all totally scared of a commander with a mere 91 Martial.

I needed to show the Royal Rozernan Army reality. The fact was, there was no need to fear a Martial score like that.

Now it’s my turn.

“All right, I’ll start with those iron cavalry.”

As I said that...

Will you use Earthquake?

I unleashed a skill in their direction.

Rumble!

The ground instantly shook, forming countless rifts on the surface. Like a riverbed during a drought! Red light seeped out from the cracks, crimson as molten magma.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!”

Soon they were wreathed in a roaring red hellfire.

“Hmph! That’s nothing!” Elante snorted, thrusting his sword into the ground like I had. Yellow light manifested in front of him.

A defensive skill! He has a Martial of 91. Even if his defensive skill momentarily boosts it to 94, that’s not going to make a difference. I’ve got 300 points in reserve. I can use my skills up to three times in total.

That meant I had two uses left.

I used Earthquake again with the surviving iron cavalry and Elante in range.

*

Boom!

Unless they had a special treasure like Rossade, only those with A-class or higher Martial scores could unleash their accumulated mana through their weapons. Erhin’s skill caused further cracks, followed by a fiery explosion. That one strike collapsed the iron cavalry’s formation.

Formations were the most important thing in battle. When a group broke formation, that created all sorts of openings to attack them with.

“H-He just...!” Euracia stammered, blinking in surprise.

She’d heard he was a mad genius when it came to military strategy, but never that he was also an A-class wielder of mana. She’d never have dreamed it possible. All she’d known was that his brilliant tactics let him retake Lynon.

“Never would’ve guessed the commander could do that...”

It was the same for Fihatori. Actually, everyone was shocked.

“He can’t possibly do this alone!” Euracia cried, grasping Rossade.

But maybe together, we can, she thought.

And yet, at that very moment, Erhin activated the same skill again, setting off another explosion of flames. Elante smirked as he too slammed his sword into the ground once more.

“Elante the Heavyblade, was it? Do you know the difference between confidence and conceit? The man who knows his enemy and knows himself is confident. The man who knows not his enemy, yet smirks, is merely conceited.”

Having said this, Erhin threw aside the sword he’d been holding. He then spread his hands, summoning a new sword that appeared with a flash of white light. Erhin immediately cast the summoned sword—Daitoren—towards Elante. As the effects of Earthquake faded, Elante pulled the Heavyblade from the ground, his brow furrowing.

“Now you’re just fooling around... Cease your worthless prattle!”

But Erhin’s sword was fast. Elante tried to defend with his greatsword, but his Martial score was only 91 to begin with, and a skill that let him momentarily raise it to 94 was no match for Erhin’s Crush. The enemy’s arrogance and incaution had gifted Erhin a victory.

Daitoren smashed through the greatsword like it was made of glass, then impaled Elante through the chest without losing any momentum.

“Gwagh!”

His heart pierced, Elante’s massive body...

Thud!

...fell to the ground as he let out a dying scream.

It only took an instant.

Euracia and the Rozernan soldiers, Fihatori and the Runanese reinforcements, and even the eagerly advancing Brijitians—all of their jaws dropped in awe.

That’s just how famous Elante was in Brijit.

Erhin walked over as if he hadn’t done anything special and pulled Daitoren out of the ground where it was now embedded. “Your captain’s dead,” he said matter-of-factly. “If you want to keep on fighting anyways, then bring it. I’ll take you on!”

With this declaration, Erhin sprang into the middle of the enemy. The thousand iron cavalrymen had been reduced to less than two hundred by his Earthquake. Once Erhin started firing off Martial 94 Attack commands at random with Daitoren, that number rapidly fell even further.

“What are you doing, Fihatori?! Now’s the time! The enemy is in disarray!”

Fihatori had been looking on in stunned silence, but Erhin’s shout snapped him back to his senses and he gave orders:

“B-B-Begin the attack at once. The enemy is in disarray. We have the advantage. Everyone, charge!”

“Yeaaargh!!!”

The Runanese reinforcements, emboldened by Erhin’s display of martial prowess, cheered as they rushed towards the enemy.

“Ah! We should go too. This is our capital. We can’t let the reinforcements do all the work!”

Despite her exhaustion, Euracia joined the fight on trembling legs. The roughly ten thousand soldiers who had breached the capital were so thrown into disarray that they began to panic.

“Retreat. Damn it! The captain’s dead. We’ve got to retreat!” a Brijitian commander shouted as he remembered that basic strategy called for a retreat in this kind of chaotic situation. However, that retreat spread word of Elante’s demise to the men in the rear, and the Royal Brijitian Army fell into even worse disorder.

*

As Erhin was fighting Elante, Jint was leading a unit of archers and cavalrymen out the western gates and around to the southern ones.

He asked Fihatori’s subordinate, Yorlen, who had joined him, “What’s a crane wing formation, exactly?”

“That’s what it’s called when we deploy in a semicircular formation, like a pair of wings, facing the southern gates.”

All Yorlen knew about Jint was that he was Erhin’s retainer, and was allowed to speak to him on familiar terms, so Yorlen ended up answering him more respectfully than he might have otherwise.

“That sounds too tough for me to understand. Anyway, just deploy in that formation!”

“It’s not all that complicated. This is one of the simpler formations,” Count Yorlen replied, before giving his men the orders.

“Good. Shower any enemies who leave the walls with arrows!”

“But will they be in any hurry to come outside when they look like they have the momentum to take the capital?” Yorlen asked.

Jint thought for a moment before replying, “How should I know? I just do what I’m told.”

Even if I’m ordered to die, he added to himself mentally as he gripped his sword.

Sometime later, the Royal Brijitian Army did, in fact, begin barreling out from within the city gates, surprisingly enough.

This was what Erhin had sent all the reinforcements’ archers here for.

“The enemy really is coming out!” Yorlen shouted with a look of disbelief.

“Better shoot them, then, huh?”

On Jint’s signal, they started to rain arrows on the Brijitian soldiers who fled through the gates.

“Urgh! Don’t push! There’s arrows!”

Even though they saw the arrows, turning back wasn’t an option for the Royal Brijitian Army. They would have been better off fighting inside the walls, but their commanding officers had all given the order to retreat at the same time in the chaos after the captain fell, and that had resulted in the worst outcome possible.

They rushed out of the capital in retreat, leaving them with no other recourse than to be met with a great hail of arrows once they were outside.

That was the hell they now faced.

“Once you finish firing, hold formation. Then head towards the enemy and strike. Don’t let a single man escape!” Jint said as he stood at the vanguard, drawing his sword.

*

The capital was awash in blood.

We didn’t have a choice. If we’d let those twenty thousand Brijitian soldiers go home, this war would have dragged on indefinitely. I needed to take advantage of this opportunity to ensure that didn’t happen.

Our troops had insufficient training, but against an enemy that had fallen into a disorderly mess and had their route of escape cut off, we would obviously still have the advantage. We were able to use the castle walls to cut off their escape from the enemy’s central plaza. But if I’d killed Elante outside the walls, they’d have been able to flee across the open fields.

It made a huge difference. Also, the most important thing in this battle was Rozernan morale. Maintaining that high score of 90 was the key.

The princess had fought on desperately by herself as the soldiers watched, and so long as she survived, their Morale would be preserved. Letting Euracia fight alone was a strategy I’d pursued, despite hating to do it to her, in order to improve morale. If we were able to eliminate the enemy because of it, then her sacrifice paid off.

Once we were victorious, I shouted to the soldiers of Runan, “This is another nation’s war, yes. But if Rozern loses, the south of Runan will be the next battlefield. What is Southern Runan? That’s right. It’s where your families live. So long as we win here, the battlefield won’t spread to Runan. That makes this your war too. Follow me. If you just do as I command, we can achieve great things with minimal casualties! And when the day comes that we win this battle and advance on Brijit, I am certain His Majesty will reward you all generously. You’ll all be paid so well that you and your families will be able to go on living safely and comfortably!”

This was something the men who’d come to fight a foreign war needed.

A motive.

That’s why now that I’d shown them my power, and had a great victory in hand, it was the perfect chance to raise their morale.

“Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” The reinforcements cheered when they heard me.

Morale is now 80.

Their Morale score shot up unbelievably fast.

Brijit likely had stronger commanders still. Some of them might have skills that could neutralize Crush, and if more than two of them were A-class commanders, then Crush would never be enough to let me win on its own.

This is where the real battle begins.

Fortunately, Euracia’s hard-fought battle had raised morale, so my preparations were now complete.

*

“I saw your work. It was wonderful. Truly wonderful. You’re amazing!”

The young king was so full of glee, you would have thought the Brijitians had been driven off completely. But the war wasn’t over yet. We did hold the advantage now, true, but it wasn’t time to celebrate.

“Your Majesty, the true battle is only just beginning. Please, save your praise for after we’ve defeated the Brijitians.”

The king nodded in agreement.

“R-Right you are! Okay! Let me see to it that you are amply rewarded when the time comes!”

The look in the king and the nobles’ eyes had changed with this battle. The princess’s had too. Euracia, wrapped in bandages, gave an intense nod of agreement. Fortunately, her wounds were not deep. They were just scratches, nothing serious like a broken bone. She was back to work the next day after a good night’s sleep.

“Thank you, sire. I’d like to ask something of you to help with our victory now.”

“Of course!” the king shouted, and his nobles nodded in agreement.

I politely took my leave, having taken stock of how everyone’s opinions of me had changed, then left the chamber with the princess.

We headed to the barracks for a war council. As we walked through the palace, shoulder to shoulder, Euracia suddenly stepped out in front of me to block my way.

“Why did you hide it from me?! I never knew you were so strong! Do you have any idea how famous the Three Swordsmen of Brijit are?!”

“I never really tried to keep it a secret. It would be more accurate to say I’ve just never had the opportunity to show off that side of myself before.”

“Maybe so, but... Um! Could I trouble you to spar with me? I never had the chance to cross blades with you when I infiltrated the castle in Eintorian.”

She clenched her fists with great determination.

“You want to get stronger, I take it?” I asked.

“Yes. Because becoming mighty is righteous!”

I’d understand if she were to say that might makes right, but she thinks getting stronger is righteous in and of itself, huh?

“So, what you’re saying is that training is righteous?”

“Yes. If I remain as weak as I am now, I cannot defend anything.”

“I see... Well, whatever. My subordinate, Jint, is stronger than I am, by the way.”

“Whaaaa?! He is?!” Euracia suddenly got a grim look on her face as she gripped Rossade.

That’s one more person for her to fight, I guess.

“So, you don’t doubt my strategy anymore? I haven’t forgotten the look you gave me when I said we should gather in the central plaza...” I changed the topic, as there were more important things to address than her training right now.

Euracia had no response for that. Maybe she felt called out? After some time, I tried asking a slightly different question.

“I told you, didn’t I? The plan was for me to fight my own battle. I trusted in your ability to raise the men’s morale. That means even you were incorporated as a part of my strategy. It’s why I couldn’t tell you in advance. If you knew what I was up to, and were just acting, there was a chance that the Rozernan soldiers wouldn’t react to your desperate struggle.”

If she had known someone stronger than Elante was waiting in the wings to save her, she might not have fought so hard. I don’t think I’d have been able to draw out that image of her as the hero of Rozern.

“Do you believe that I used you?”

It was certainly one way of interpreting things. That’s why I asked, but Euracia firmly denied it.

“No. I don’t mind being used if it’s to defend the country.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that.”

“But to think you’d use such a roundabout plan to wipe out the enemy... It’s true, I was a little doubtful. You wouldn’t tell me your strategy, and you just watched as I was fighting all on my own...”

“Hold on. If things had taken a turn for the worse, I planned to help you no matter what, strategy be damned. I wasn’t about to let you die there. Please, trust me on that.”

“If that’s the case...” Euracia suddenly bowed her head to me. “I’m sorry!”

“Huh?”

“From now on, I’ll trust you with all my heart! No matter what you say!” she declared with determination.

She looked so serious I couldn’t help but poke some fun at her.

“And if I say the sun will rise from the west?”

There was a moment’s hesitation. “Then the sun will rise from the west.”

“Seriously?”

Euracia nodded. “Because you say it will.”

“For the love of... Listen, it’s great you trust me and all...but your failure to trust me before now is still a great sin. I can’t forgive it so easily.”

When I said that to the woman who’d even nodded at my nonsense about the sun rising in the west, she gave me a troubled look.

“Th-Then what would you have me do?!”

“Well, it’s simple. I’ve seen a lot of your angry and cold expressions before now, but I haven’t seen you smile once. So, could you smile for me? I don’t care if you have to fake it.”

Ever since I met her at Eintorian Castle, I’d been smitten by her beautiful face, yet there was one thing I found incredibly disappointing about it.

She never let me see her smile. That hadn’t changed since we returned to her country. It only made me want to see it more.

“Well, you see...” Euracia furrowed her brow. “I can’t remember ever smiling before...”

“Not even once?”

“Not that I can recall.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve been shouldering the expectations of my people for as far back as I can remember... My father taught me to live for the nation. ‘You unite and inspire the people, so you must never show weakness,’ he told me. It was a favorite saying of his, and I’ve lived by it. As a guardian of the nation, showing only my strength...”

Well, I kind of saw this coming, because that’s exactly what she was like as the hero of Rozern in the game’s history.

“Listen, just turn up the corners of your mouth like this and smile.”

In the end, I put my hands on her mouth. Then pulled.

“Oooooooowww!”

She raised both her arms and screamed while stamping her feet. I was worried she was going to kick me, so I withdrew my hands. If she booted me with all her strength, I’d go flying.

I’d better call it quits before she humiliates me.

“Oh, fine. I’ll give up for now. Let’s talk about that sword and the tools you used in battle...”

“This, you mean?” Euracia asked, holding Rossade.

“Could I take a look at it?”

She nodded and then handed me the sword, scabbard and all.

It was a beautiful sword, as one would expect. But it seemed it only bestowed a +3 to Martial in my hands. That was probably because it was a treasure that let a B-class mana wielder unleash their mana as if they were using a mana skill. But as I had no accumulated mana, I could only receive that enchantment as a bonus.

“Oh, and I have other tools as well. I used up the ones I brought with me, but there are still more in the palace’s treasury.”

“Oh, I’m intrigued.”

“I could show you around it, if you like. You could even pick out a few tools there if they’d be of use to you.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yes. In order to win this war, we’d part with them gladly,” the princess said then immediately turned her back to me. “Come, it’s right this way!”

She headed underground right away. The treasury was apparently in the palace basement. I followed her to a massive door. There was no one there to guard it. When Euracia held her hand up to the door, it reacted to the ring she was wearing. The door opened on its own, shining with white light.

This feels like the facility in the basement of Eintorian Castle.

There seemed to be a mana circle involved here too.

This facility was likely built in ancient times. Considering that white light is also associated with sacred power, could that mean the ancient facilities left on this continent have some connection to the game’s management team? Are the treasures like tools of the gods or something?

Rossade’s an item-class treasure. The white light denotes something more special, associated with bonuses or perhaps something even greater. Like Daitoren. Could there still be more bonuses to hunt down?

That’s what I thought when I saw treasures or tools associated with white light, but I had no leads to go on. For now, I just followed Euracia into the room.

“So this is your royal treasury...”

There was an incredible number of jeweled chests containing untold riches, along with expensive-looking arms and equipment on display. Of course, just because this was a treasury that didn’t mean all the treasures here were recognized as special items by the game. Nonetheless, I had a feeling there would be several that it did.

Incidentally, the game’s items were broadly divided into two categories: treasures, which could be used over and over—and tools, which vanished after just one use. Case in point, the tool that she’d used yesterday—the one which emitted white light—had immediately crumbled to dust.

“The tool I used was one of these pendants. There’s only a couple left, though,” she said as she put one on. “If there’s anything you think you’ll need, whether it’s one of the weapons you see over there or something else, just say so. Would you like to use one of these pendant-shaped tools yourself?”

Euracia pointed at the last remaining pendant.

“Hmm, I think you should use it to protect yourself. I’ll let you know if I need any of the weapons.”

“Sure. Take as many as you need!”

I began searching the treasury in earnest to see if any of the treasures here were item-class. As I did, I found something unusual in one of the chests. The system recognized it as an item.

Rinkitsu

A treasure with the luck of the moon.

Raises the user’s Charisma.

It looked like an ordinary bracelet, but there were some intricate designs on the inside of it. This clearly wasn’t just any old item. I tried it on, but there was no point. The only info I could see about myself was my Martial score, after all.

“Have you taken a fancy to that bracelet?” Euracia asked with an odd look on her face. It was meant for a woman to wear.

“Yeah. I have.”

“Oh, really?”

I smiled and approached, then gently took her by the wrist.

“I think this might be a treasure with ancient mana residing in it. I have the ability to appraise such things. It shouldn’t be left lying in the treasury like this.”

“Huh? This thing?”

“You’re going to believe me if I say the sun will rise in the west, right? Well, there’s not much point in me wearing this. Its ability would be much more effective on you. The mana which resides in this treasure heightens your charisma.”

With that, I put it on her wrist.

“Huh? Is that a fact?”

Euracia Rozern’s Charisma score has increased.

Euracia Rozern’s Command is now +2

Yeah, Euracia’s Charisma score heavily influences her Command. The higher it is, the more willing people will be to follow her. So this is the perfect item for Euracia.

Just as I’d predicted, increasing her Charisma also gave her Command score an impressive +2.

She already had a high Command score due to her ability to influence soldiers with her Charisma, and now her Command’s even higher!

“It really suits you. The golden color is a perfect match for your hair... It’s almost like it was made specifically for you.”

“You think so?” Euracia stared at the bracelet.

Well, she didn’t seem to have any intention of taking it off, at least. Having her Command go up was a good thing. I left her to herself and took another look around the treasury.

Yeah, I figured as much. Even though this is a treasure vault, hardly any of the things here are item-class.

After taking one look around, all I’d managed to discover was the bracelet I’d put on Euracia’s wrist. That, and a single sword. It was an odd one, brown in color and lacking any patterns on it. It didn’t look like it was made of iron based on the color, but when I hit it on something there was no mistaking that it was.

Nameless Sword

A sword crafted in ancient times.

Martial +2

It might not have had a special effect like Rossade, but it still provided a +2 to Martial.

It’s still a valuable treasure. Ordinary weapons don’t have this kind of effect.

Of course, when I saw the +2 to Martial, Jint was the first person who came to mind.

“Euracia, what’s this sword?”

“Oh, that one? It’s an odd color, isn’t it? Father told me it’s very old. Rossade has been passed down through the Rozern family for generations, but that sword is one of the treasures we received as part of our share after the Twelve Continental Families destroyed the ancient Eintorian Kingdom.”

The Twelve Continental Families.

That was what they called the twelve houses that destroyed the ancient Eintorian Kingdom, and the leaders of each became kings of the twelve countries they carved out of it.

“It must be pretty valuable, then, huh?”

“No. We’ve only held onto it because it came from the time of the ancient kingdom. If you need it, it’s yours!” Euracia said without hesitation. “Oh, hold on! Could it be there’s some secret about that sword? You mentioned you have an ability to appraise such things! It just looks like an ordinary sword to me, though...”

She brought her shoulder next to mine as she gazed at the sword, mystified by it. Standing this close to her, her pleasant fragrance stirred my senses.

“I don’t know if it has any secrets, but it’s not just any old sword. Jint doesn’t have a proper weapon, so could I let him use it in battle?”

“Please do!”

As she took the Nameless Sword in hand and looked it over, I noticed the ring on her finger.

“What’s that ring, by the way?”

Sacred Ring

An ancient treasure.

That was all the explanation the system gave me. It showed no additional effects, so I had to ask. It seemed that all the rings, pendants, and accessories she wore were tools.

Well, no, the ring’s not a tool—it’s a treasure, I guess. Since she’s able to use it more than once.

“This? It’s the key to the treasury.”

“It only works as a key?”

I have one too. The key to the treasure storage facility under Eintorian Castle.

“To the best of my knowledge, yes. I suppose it also makes for a pretty ring?”

“I see.”

Now that I think about it, these facilities... One’s in Eintorian Castle, while the other is in Rozern’s palace. What if they were built underground by the ancient kingdom and the kingdoms founded by the Twelve Families?

I sensed these facilities might have some connection to the game’s bonuses and special items.

Wouldn’t it be worth checking other palaces to see if they have anything similar in them?

“I don’t suppose the King of Brijit uses a treasure too?” I asked.

“I wonder. I’ve never heard that he does. None of the treasures that the Twelve Families divided amongst themselves after destroying the ancient kingdom, like that brown sword, seem all that impressive.”

They wouldn’t have divided them among themselves if there really was nothing to them whatsoever. It might not be much to look at, but it must hold some secret. Were they just unable to pass that knowledge down to future generations? Well, it’s something I should definitely look into once we’ve occupied the Brijitian capital.

“Anyway, I’ve seen enough of the treasury. Let’s move to the barracks. I’ll explain my strategy for crushing Brijit.”

It’s a strategy that’ll let us take the enemy’s capital once the Brijitian king falls.

I’ve already got it all planned out in my head.

Now, let the counterattack begin.