Chapter 4: Shooting Star, Goddess, and Battle Fiend
“You surrender?”
“That’s right. Have you got holes in your ears or something?”
Uh, ears are supposed to have holes.
I’d asked her to repeat herself because I couldn’t believe my ears. It was simply unfathomable.
And yet, for some reason, Medelian thrust her chest out proudly as she nodded.
“Who is she?” asked Adonia, who had returned from mopping up the rest of the enemy.
Of course he’d want to know that.
She was armed to the teeth, and yet she’d surrendered without a fight. How could he be anything but suspicious?
On top of that, it was plain for anyone to see that Medelian wasn’t one of Naruya’s rank and file. She had the sort of customized armor that only a noble could wear, and the swords she carried were as gaudy as could be.
“One of the Ten Commanders,” I answered.
“Then wouldn’t it be better to kill her?”
It was a reasonable thing for Adonia to ask, but he wouldn’t have an easy time killing her. Besides, quietly taking her prisoner would result in fewer casualties.
Ultimately, after agonizing over what to do, I gave the orders.
“Just tie her up for now and throw her in the prison. I’ve got questions. I’ll interrogate her personally later.”
I don’t know what to say.
I couldn’t figure out her true intentions. It hadn’t made sense when she’d wanted to run away together either, but surrendering like this when she didn’t have to was even more incomprehensible.
What exactly is she thinking? Is this another one of Valdesca’s strategies?
No, it doesn’t feel like it.
She was the one element that felt completely foreign to me on this battlefield.
“Hold on! Don’t touch me. I may be surrendering, but I won’t be disarmed. And I don’t want you tying me up either!”
Now she was talking utter nonsense. In what world did a prisoner have the right to dictate terms like this?
But it seemed she was serious. She was entirely capable of fleeing in this situation.
“If you come near me, I’ll kill you all!” she spat, threatening the soldiers.
For their sake, I shouted, “Everyone, stop!”
This had to be handled delicately, or she could potentially wipe out my men.
There’s no point in accepting her surrender if we take losses anyway.
“Sire?” questioned Adonia. He’d recently begun addressing me that way. “What is the meaning of this? Why would you let her go free?!”
He probably can’t comprehend it. I can relate to that. Maybe I should double-team her with Adonia? If we both attack her at the same time, she’ll probably go home. I’m starting to feel that might even be for the best.
On the other hand, I didn’t know why she had surrendered, and I wanted to uncover whatever secret plan might lie behind that decision.
But what if there is no plan?
Even if there wasn’t a strategy involved, I was still curious why she was doing this. Especially because, like Valdesca, I wanted to make her my subordinate someday.
“Adonia, we have bigger concerns right now. Go hunt down Yohanett’s retainers inside the castle. We’re going to go and seize Yohanett soon too, so you prepare for that. I’ll deal with her.”
Adonia considered this and seemed to conclude that dealing with Yohanett’s retainers was the more urgent matter. “Understood,” he said before rushing to carry out my commands.
Once he was gone, I turned to Medelian once again.
“Yeesh, you said you’d surrender. If you don’t want us to touch you or tie you up, then what are we supposed to do?”
This got a smile out of her. She pranced over to me and extended both her hands.
“It’s fine if you tie me up. Also, I don’t like prisons, so take me to your room instead. Those are my conditions!”
“Huh? What kind of conditions are those?! Does any prisoner get that kind of treatment?”
“One does! And she’s right here in front of you.”
Talking to Medelian always threw me off-balance.
“Damn it... So, is there any point binding you when you can use your swords freely, even with your hands tied?”
“Nothing in this world can hold me captive! But I’m offering you that honor. You’re not going to tell me you don’t want it, are you?”
“Is it a matter of whether I want it? If you’re just screwing around, I’ll hand you back to Valdesca. Or...do you want to fight right here? I bet you’d have a hard time against both me and Adonia.”
“Adonia...? Oooh, that guy from earlier? I feel like my brother said to be careful of him. But he doesn’t interest me. More importantly! Not having me fighting against you is a pretty big advantage, don’t you think? If I fight for real, I’ll be a real menace to you and your troops, right? But if you tie me up, I’ll kill less of your men.”
“You’re right about that...”
I was gradually getting sick of talking about it, so I gave up and just bound her arms.
“Huh? You really tied me up!”
Is that something to squeal with glee about?
The problem is...I have to go capture Yohanett now. Should I put her in my room, like she suggested? Not a chance. Throwing her in prison is just as impossible. There’s no telling what she might do if I leave her alone.
“All right, prisoner, come with me for now. We’ve got a traitor to take care of.”
“Really?! Sounds fun!”
Medelian’s eyes sparkled all the brighter now that her hands were tied.
＊
“Hah hah hah hah! This kingdom will be mine. Has word of our victory come in yet?”
In the camp erected behind Heberett Castle, Yohanett was laughing loudly while he drank himself silly.
It wasn’t the Gebel Kingdom’s victory he was waiting for, of course. No, it was word that Heberett Castle had fallen to the Royal Naruyan Army.
However...
“You won’t be receiving any such report, Yohanett!”
Adonia stormed into the commander’s tent at Heberett, killing the members of the Royal Guard who stood in his way.
I had ultimately brought Medelian along with me and gone with Adonia to launch a surprise attack on the camp.
“Uh, Adonia? What are you doing here?!”
Yohanett blinked in confusion as he dropped the goblet he had been holding and collapsed into his chair.
“I have no words for traitorous scum! If I had my way, I’d kill you right here...but I’m not impulsive like you are. I’ll escort you back to the capital, and His Majesty can decide what to do with you!”
Adonia was suppressing his anger, but somehow, that actually provoked Yohanett more.
“Hmph, looks like you got lucky in fending off Naruya. But it won’t do you any good! We can’t beat the Naruyans! Eintorian? Don’t make me laugh! How far can you trust that advisor from Eintorian?! I have Naruya’s backing! They’ll save me, I’m sure of it!”
Not if you get decapitated first. What does he think he’s saying?
This is why I hate guys like him the most.
As I stood there, too appalled for words, a red bullet shot past me—Medelian. Even though I didn’t care about the insult, she’d launched herself at him with a flying kick.
Wham!
Her hands were bound, but her body soared gracefully through the air, twisted, and then she stuck the landing.
She followed up by kicking the fallen Yohanett some more.
“Who do you think you’re pointing your stubby little finger at?! I’m the only one who gets to disrespect him like that, you pig!”
Wham! Bam! Thump, thump, thump, thump!
For some reason, Medelian was pissed. It gave me goose bumps seeing her like that.
Adonia was just standing there, similarly awestruck. However, if I let her keep whaling on Yohanett, she was going to kill him, so I seized her by the arms.
“Whoa, whoa, calm down. We’re taking this guy back to the Gebelian capital.”
“Hmph! I hate his type! They’re the worst. And hold on, didn’t he betray you? That’s why my brother... Ah!”
Medelian stopped herself and covered her mouth.
“Well, um... You know how it is. Heh heh.”
It was like she’d almost leaked some vital information but had stopped herself just in time. Noticing the suspicious look I was giving her, Medelian quickly turned away. She gave Yohanett another kick for good measure.
“Ugh! This is your fault!”
“Hold on, we get it already, so stop that,” I told her. “Anyway, why are you so mad about what he said when you’re on Naruya’s side?”
“He said something?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Ooh, yeah, he did, didn’t he? Hmph, it looks like you do get it. But that’s not so important anymore!”
Medelian’s hair was a mess after she’d repeatedly kicked Yohanett. It was sticking to her cheek.
Adonia looked back and forth between Medelian and me. He clearly found our relationship suspicious.
But that was the thing... So did I.
What’s with her anyway?
“Adonia! We’re done here, so take Yohanett to the capital immediately. And tell King Gebel to give you command of the whole army. You do that, and I guarantee we’ll win. You’re the only one the king can trust now. He’ll leave everything to you, at least until the war ends.”
“Got it. I’ll be right back!”
Adonia nodded, then dragged Yohanett away.
It was good that we could seize control of the Royal Gebelian Army. If Adonia was made commander-in-chief, then I had Gebel in my palm. After all, he trusted me and would do as I said. That would take care of all our problems. For now, at least.
“You’re dragging him away?! I’m not done hurting him yet!” Medelian complained.
“I think you’ve done enough...”
Our other enemy, who was staying with me, was still angry at Yohanett for some reason.
＊
“So he knew about the betrayal?”
Wham!
Valdesca bashed his head against the table. His hands were shaking.
Eintorian had been trying to use Yohanett. There was bad blood between him and Duke Plenett, so it was predictable that they would use him to try to remove Plenett after the reinforcements arrived. Valdesca thought he’d been able to get a step ahead this time.
He thought he’d be able to catch Erhin off guard after Yohanett replaced Plenett.
Wham!
After striking his head again, Valdesca bit his lip and tried to calm down.
In war, it didn’t matter how many times he lost. If he won just once at the end and took all the spoils, then he was still the victor.
He’d already given up on protecting his pride. He just had to win. As long as he ultimately triumphed, it didn’t matter.
Besides, this strategy hadn’t been all that important.
Valdesca called in Mutega, the one he had sent to convince Yohanett.
“There are still other seeds of discord in the enemy camp,” said Valdesca. “Restoring Duke Plenett to his position will be most effective. He was stripped of his command without being suspected of anything concrete. If he becomes commander-in-chief again, the friction between the Eintorian Army and Royal Gebelian Army will build to critical levels. They won’t be able to coordinate closely after that.”
Valdesca was prepared to use any means necessary, no matter how underhanded, to win.
“You are to return to the Gebelian capital at once and spread rumors that the commander of the Eintorian forces is Erhin Eintorian himself. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
Of course, this was still only one of the means at Valdesca’s disposal.
Another plan had gone into motion at the same time as Yohanett’s betrayal.
＊
After dismantling the camp Yohanett had been using, I ended up taking the road back to Heberett Castle with just Medelian.
At some point, she had undone the ropes binding her arms. They must have come loose during the earlier scuffle, and frankly, I didn’t see any point in tying her back up again.
Halfway back to Heberett Castle, Medelian pointed to the sky. It had only been a few hours since Yohanett’s nighttime insurrection, and the stars still twinkled above us.
“Huh? Look over there! A falling star!”
The skies of this world were so clear that countless stars were visible at night. It had been a while since I’d come to this world, so I was no longer moved by how magnificent these starry skies were compared to those of the modern world I’d been born into.
However, this was my first time seeing a shooting star.
“Hey, you’re right,” I murmured.
“It’s pretty!” Medelian exclaimed.
“Yeah, it’s pretty.”
“And what am I?”
“Pretty.”
Wait, hold on.
The word slipped out before I had time to think.
“You mean it?” she asked. “Ah hah hah hah hah! I’d expect no less from the man I chose! My brother and His Majesty have never called me that!”
“Uh...”
She was so busy running around with a giddy smile that I lost the chance to explain myself.
But how can I take it back when she looks so happy? Besides, it doesn’t seem like she’s lying. What kind of environment did she grow up in? Well...knowing Valdesca, he’s not the type to compliment someone on their appearance. And Medelian herself probably wasn’t interested in anything but fighting.
Still, with her catlike eyes and red hair, it was fair to say that she was a pretty girl. She didn’t have the noble beauty of Euracia or Serena. No, hers was more wild.
“I didn’t really mean to say that earlier...”
“I know that, obviously! But it’s too bad! Because we’re enemies! Hee hee!”
What do you mean, ‘too bad’? I don’t know what you think you know, but you’re definitely wrong. Please, if we’re enemies, act like an enemy.
Her attitude toward me during this situation hadn’t been hostile at all. Back at Heberett Castle, she’d led me into an alley, and from the moment she’d laid a hand on my forehead, she’d been getting awfully close to me—too close. The more this went on, the less keen I was about bringing this source of headaches back to Heberett Castle with me.
She had also gotten genuinely angry and kicked Yohanett when he’d insulted me. Honestly, it felt less like she was an enemy and more like she and I had an incredibly close relationship. But she was undeniably one of Naruya’s Ten Commanders...and a daughter of the House of Valdesca.
“Hey, Medelian,” I said to the giggling girl.
“Yeah? What?” Medelian stood in front of me, peering at me with slightly upturned eyes. She smiled.
No, seriously, what is going on? Why’s she acting so charming?
“Let’s sit down for a while. I think we need to talk.”
“Talk? Fine with me. We’re enemies, but I’ll allow you that much.”
We were crossing a hill at the moment, so I sat down on the hillside, and she sat down right next to me—so close that we were touching.
Hah hah, what a laugh. How can she say, “We’re enemies,” when she’s getting this close to me?
As things stood, I’d been thinking about how to win her over to my side. But the total lack of any distance between us was making me start to hallucinate. Had we been this close all along?
“Just one question. What’s your goal?” I asked. “Even if I concede that you came to Heberett Castle to help me, what reason did you have to surrender after that? You could have gotten away, right? I’m sure there’s something behind your decision.”
I thought it was a pretty serious question, but Medelian just looked shocked.
“Huh? Well, it’s because... Augh! I don’t want to talk about that! It’s boring!” she shouted.
She grabbed my face with both hands and stared into my eyes as she continued.
“What if I was suddenly like, ‘I’m gonna kill you!’ and attacked you right here? Now that’d be hilarious! I love fun stuff like that. It makes things unpredictable. I hate anything that’s a pain.”
She suddenly got on top of me and pressed her body close to mine.
“Hee hee!” she giggled.
Medelian’s proximity was messing with my mind. She smelled nice, and her strangely pleasant fragrance teased my nostrils. It felt ticklish somehow.
I decided that just sitting here and letting her do as she pleased wasn’t going to solve anything, so I grabbed her by both arms and flipped her so she was on the bottom.
“And what if I killed you here while you’re so defenseless?” I murmured.
Medelian stared up at me. The world was silent as our eyes met. For a while, she simply blinked. Then, finally, she opened her mouth.
“You say that, but you didn’t kill me. Just like you didn’t back then. Besides...even now, I could ram a sword through your back in an instant. Maybe you’re the one who’s too unguarded?”
So she likes the thrill... Is that it?
What the hell is going on? I’ve never dealt with anyone like her before.
“I give up... You win.”
I got off her, at a loss for words. But then she grabbed me by the arm and said something totally off the wall.
“Whatever, I’m tired!”
“Huh?”
“It’s because you tossed me on my back. I’m gonna sleep, so you’d better protect me while I’m passed out!”
After saying this, she actually closed her eyes.
Could she be any more capricious?
“You want me, an enemy, to protect you? From other enemies? Hey... Wait just a minute.”
“Zzz!”
“Zzz”? You’re just saying the sound out loud!
“Oh, fine... I’ll do it.”
Heberett Castle was plainly visible at the bottom of the hill. It was nothing if not peaceful down there.
The Naruyan forces had lost ten thousand men when their plan to use Yohanett as a traitor failed. This had caused them to pull back from Heberett completely.
Whatever, I guess. I’ll go along with her whims for now.
There were things that I wanted to think about by myself anyway, so I decided to kill some time.
The most fun thing to do in war is to boldly outwit your opponent. Like what Valdesca tried to do to me here. What’s he thinking? He must know I saw through the betrayal by now.
Is he frustrated? I’ll bet. But he couldn’t have expected one little trick like this to decide the entire contest.
Which means...
I looked next to me, at Medelian. She’d been pretending to sleep at first, but she’d dozed off for real at some point.
“Zzz...”
What a happy look on her face. Even a ferocious beast can look cute when it’s sleeping.
I couldn’t help but murmur, “If only she could always be like this...”
＊
The reinforcements that Ramie had dispatched to the Gebel Kingdom had only just made it back to their own border when a man approached them.
He was an envoy from Naruya.
This messenger bore a secret missive, one containing a request for military support.
“So Naruya is offering us an alliance...?”
“It’s not an alliance.”
The high priest cocked his head to the side at this statement. The envoy was calling on them to fight but was insisting it wasn’t an alliance. What in the world was going on?
“The Ramie Kingdom is fated to fall, even without us ever moving against you. Surely, you are not so audacious as to think that you can fight us whilst already embroiled in conflicts with the Rotonai Kingdom and the Eintorian Kingdom? Well... It’s only a matter of time,” the Naruyan envoy explained with a sneer.
The Ramien high priest’s face flashed red. He was so angry that he was about to lose control of himself.
He’d thought that a call for nations to fight together would naturally entail an alliance. Yet this was no offer of alliance. It was a threat, and nothing more.
“Who do you think we are?! Have you no fear of Lord Ramie’s wrath?!” the high priest demanded threateningly, but the envoy simply smiled.
“I see. Then you wish to go to war with us, High Priest.”
The envoy rose to his feet and turned to go without hesitation.
“Ah... N-No, hold on a moment!” the high priest hurriedly called after the envoy.
As much as it galled him to admit it, the Naruyans were right. In fact, they could only formulate this threat because of how right they were. If Naruya were to occupy the Gebel Kingdom and then roll straight across the Ramien border, then the Holy Ramie Kingdom would be in an incredibly dire situation.
Even so, Naruya had offered nothing in return for Ramie’s assistance. The Ramiens would be used up and then discarded.
The high priest could see one advantage: Ramie would have the chance to rebuild their army while Naruya was preoccupied with fighting the Rotonai Kingdom or Eintorian Kingdom.
If Ramie refused this offer, there would no doubt be risks for Naruya. After all, they would need to face the Royal Ramien Army while engaged with the combined forces of Gebel and Eintorian. However, being able to pull off that sort of thing was what had made Naruya a great power.
The Ramiens’ pride was thoroughly crushed. The high priest lamented that, although this offer was something he normally wouldn’t have even entertained, his position demanded he treat the Naruyan envoy cordially.
“This is all because we lost to Eintorian,” the high priest grumbled to himself without meaning to.
Not one to miss such a thing, the envoy grinned broadly.
“Yes. That’s precisely it.”
“Huh?”
“I offer an opportunity to strike Eintorian—the nation that has wronged you. In short, you would be sending reinforcements to take revenge.”
Once the envoy had delivered the message Valdesca had sent him to convey, the high priest had no choice but to nod in agreement.
“Take our fastest horse and go to the capital. Immediately!”
Ultimately, the Ramien reinforcements decided to wait on the Gebelian border without ever returning to their own capital. The Ramien king summoned all of the high priests, with the exception of the one killed in Eintorian, for a strategy meeting where they accepted the Naruyan proposal.
Or rather, where they were forced to accept it. No other option ever existed.
Several days later, after resupplying in the surrounding domains, the Royal Ramien Army crossed the border into the Gebel Kingdom once more. The soldiers had tears in their eyes.
This time, they came not as reinforcements, but as enemies.
Obviously, they did this without a word to Gebel.
They were greeted at the border by the Naruyan emissary, and the emissary told them Valdesca’s strategy.
＊
“Nghhh!”
It was nearly dawn when Medelian awoke, yawning after a roughly three-hour nap.
“That was a good sleep. I haven’t been able to catch a wink lately, so... Huh?”
After glancing around, she spotted me next to her. Her face lit up with glee.
“Ooh, you were actually protecting me?”
“Well, actually...”
I couldn’t leave her alone, so I’d kept watch over her all night. But it wasn’t to protect her. It was because I had to monitor her.
Incidentally, multiple wild beasts had appeared in the night to attack us. I had gotten ready to fight them, for lack of other options, but Medelian must have sensed their murderous intent or something. Each time she’d risen unsteadily to her feet and immediately launched a sword that killed the offending creature.
The dead bodies still lay nearby. Apparently, that was what made her think I’d protected her. Did she not remember slaying them at all?
When I explained this to her, she brought a hand to her mouth before bursting out laughing. I’d seen her do the same thing before.
“No need to be embarrassed. Gosh, you’re so cute! You should puff up your chest and be proud of what you did!” she said, sticking her own chest out.
Guess she doesn’t think she’s too good to have someone else protect her.
“So, do you think these guys are edible? I’m hungry,” Medelian said. She rubbed her belly as she approached the wild beast carcasses. Then, she drew a sword and started butchering. She gutted the beasts, cutting them into pieces that would be easier to eat.
“What are you waiting for? Get a fire started. A fire!” she ordered, looking at me with exasperation.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll do it.”
In the end, I did as she said and helped her prepare. We sat around the campfire, cooking and eating the meat.
Once she’d had her fill, Medelian lay down again.
“Aah, I had a good sleep, and I’m full of food. I don’t want to do anything now.”
Having declared that she was going on strike, Medelian stared into the sky for a while. She soon pointed up at the stars.
“There sure are a lot of falling stars today! Did a whole lot of people die?”
“Why would you ask that?” What do falling stars have to do with people dying? “Ooh... Is that the thing where the souls of the dead become stars in the sky?”
“That’s right. Isn’t it obvious? Shooting stars are pretty, but if you think of them as that last flash before a person’s life slips away, don’t they feel even prettier?”
I shook my head.
“Death, huh? People in my homeland don’t think of it that way.”
“Huh? Your homeland? So it’s different in Eintorian?”
“For us, they have nothing to do with death. But...we do have a belief about them. If you make a wish on a shooting star before it vanishes, it will come true.”
I don’t believe it myself, but it’s a lot more romantic than that death stuff.
“As the star falls, its sparkling light lends great power to people’s wishes.”
“Wow,” Medelian said, impressed. “People sure think differently in Eintorian.”
“The tail of a star is filled with hope. Isn’t it more romantic to think that? If your wish comes true, then great. And if it doesn’t, well, it doesn’t.”
“Are there people who’ve actually had their wishes granted?”
“Yeah. There are.”
I don’t know of any examples, and if wishes did come true, it was probably the result of people’s own hard work...but I’ll just say that it’s happened anyway.
“Okay, I’ll make a wish too, then! It’s gonna be big, so I’ll save it for when there’s a really big shooting star.”
Even though she’d treated this belief as strange, she seemed to like it.
“So, how do I do this?” she asked, peering up at the sky.
“Okay, here’s how it works. You put your hands together.”
“L-Like this?” Medelian asked as she interlocked her fingers. She looked at me, eyes sparkling.
“Yeah. Look at the star with your hands together, and make a wish in your heart. Yeah, that’s the way to do it... It might work even better if you raised one leg.”
“One leg?”
“Yeah. Support your body with just one leg and then slowly fall over.”
“Huh? Wha?!”
Just like that, Medelian fell over, hands still joined, and rolled all the way to the bottom of the hill. I was just having a little fun with her. I hadn’t expected her to actually do it.
Shortly after that, Medelian came back with her hair full of grass and proceeded to energetically shout at me.
“Wh-Why you...!”
“The more you roll, the more likely your wish is to be granted,” I explained. “I’m serious, you know? Don’t get mad. How many times did you roll?”
“Wait, really? Umm, err, five times?”
“Pft! Ah hah hah hah hah hah hah!”
The way she was counting the number on her fingers was so far from the image she gave off on the battlefield that I couldn’t help but laugh.
Medelian bit her lip as she kicked me. “Grrrr! You tricked me! When I was playing along to be nice too! You really are a bad guy!”
“Sorry, but it was all true up to the part where you wove your fingers together. If you make the wish at that point, it might come true. That’s the truth.”
“It is...? Well, whatever. I’ll try it some other time.”
“So, what was this big wish of yours anyway?” I asked, suddenly curious, but Medelian just stuck her tongue out.
“It’s a secret!” She turned her back to me before adding, “Thanks. This helped to solidify how I feel. I’m going home now.”
“Huh?”
“To tell you the truth, I have things to do...even if I don’t really like my orders. So, bye-bye for now! Hee hee!”
Medelian took off with a smile on her face.
I’d been planning for us to part ways here anyway. Forcefully, if she wouldn’t listen to reason.
And yet, she moved first and left of her own accord. Honestly, she’d remained incomprehensible to me from beginning to end.
＊
Having made it back to Heberett Castle, I waited for Adonia to return before carrying out my next strategy. My greatest concern had been that the Royal Gebelian Army would slip from my control, but with them totally under Adonia’s command, I no longer needed to worry about that.
“I’ll be leaving the castle as part of the next operation. Adonia, I leave it to you to hold the battle line here. You can use my Eintorian troops as you see fit too.”
“Why so suddenly? What’s going on?”
Adonia looked surprised since I was letting him control my troops too.
“Duke Plenett and Duke Yohanett both had the potential to wreck the plan, but now that we’ve taken them out of the picture, we need to make moves of our own. We can’t just stay on the defensive forever. Things won’t improve that way.”
“Then...do you have a strategy that will turn our fortune around?”
“Of course. Right now, the Eintorian Army and the Royal Gebelian Army are at Heberett because it’s the most important front. Isn’t that right?”
Adonia nodded. “It is, yes.”
“Well, that’s the thing. Naruya thinks so too. So I’m going to outwit them.”
I gave Adonia a rough outline of my plan.
Once he’d heard it, he was dumbfounded.
This was a strategy I could never have carried out without him. But with a powerful warrior and commander like Erheet to stay by Adonia’s side and work with him, I could feel comfortable trusting them to handle things here.
So, once I had persuaded Adonia, I called Jint. We would be going in a small unit without soldiers.
If a large force went on the move, we risked the enemy noticing, but having me and Jint quietly slip away wouldn’t be so hard to pull off.
We were heading for an area already held by Naruya.
I looked at the system and noted that the enemy had positioned all of their troops toward the front. We were facing the enemy’s main force at Heberett Castle.
One unit that had vanished—the one belonging to their king. At this stage of the game, not even I could read every move Valdesca was making. Still...
He’s probably heading for the Gebelian capital.
Which means...I need to use alternative methods to neutralize his plans to the highest degree possible.
I planned to target a castle inside occupied territory. It was where Naruya had their supply base too. With supplies cut off, Naruya’s situation would become more and more difficult.
Adonia’s raids hadn’t gone after their bases. He’d only targeted the supply units as they were on the move. However, defeating the units again would be inefficient, and we couldn’t expect that plan to achieve any great effect.
Obviously, Jint and I couldn’t assault a castle alone. But I had a plan. Without assaulting the supply units, we would take all of the castles in the rear, complicating the enemy’s retreat.
That was what I was looking to do here.
＊
After leaving Heina and Erheet in command of the Eintorian Army, we departed Heberett Castle. Soon, we arrived behind the Royal Naruyan Army. We gazed at our first target, Bazarett Castle, which was in the former territory of the Gebel Kingdom.
“We’re attacking with just the three of us?” Jint asked. It was an uncharacteristic question for him. His protégé, Damon, had also come with us, and he had a tense look on his face.
This is his first battle. I don’t blame him for being nervous.
“What’s wrong? Are you scared?” I asked with a smile, but Damon shook his head.
“Hardly! This is what Jint’s been training me for!”
He’s got the right attitude, at least. Now we just have to see if he’s actually of any use.
“Well, we won’t be doing this with just the three of us. I’m not that reckless. If I were, I wouldn’t have had Jint bring you along—he and I have a monopoly on that sort of crazy stunt.”
Jint was with me when we’d opened the gates of Lynon Castle together and when we’d attacked an enemy castle in Rozern to burn their supplies. Those had both been reckless ideas, but I’d been able to pull them off thanks to Jint.
“I’m just going to follow orders. No matter how ridiculous they sound.”
It was good of Jint to say that, but I shook my head. It was absolutely impossible for us to take every castle in the enemy’s rear with just two men.
Still, I couldn’t afford to lose any more Eintorian troops. I’d already brought in every soldier that I could spare. The rest needed to stay and defend the homeland.
Our enemies aren’t idiots. If I devote too much of my strength toward beating the Naruyan Army, they’ll target our undefended home front instead. It risks tempting other hyenas too. That would defeat the entire purpose.
However, there was one group from which we could borrow strength.
“O-Over there... It’s the enemy!” Damon shouted, trembling as he looked off into the distance.
I just laughed out loud.
“Those aren’t enemies.”
They were allies who’d taken the long way here through Runan. Because Runan was currently under Naruyan control, Naruya was likely aware of the existence of this force. There was no avoiding that.
Still, if the Naruyans wanted to wipe out our allies, they needed to first get the message out and then get ready. On the other hand, we could team up with these allies immediately. Obviously, we were going to be faster.
It’s a race against time. Will we be able to destroy the supply bases before King Cassia of Naruya breaks through the front lines using Valdesca’s plan?
Well, I trust her more than anyone as a commander. And I trust the soldiers too. They respect her so much that they would throw their lives away at her command.
The commander of the force that had just appeared raced boldly forward on her horse, her golden locks streaming behind her.
“I am sorry to have kept you waiting. The Royal Rozernan Cavalry are here to render assistance to Eintorian.”
It was Euracia Rozern—my goddess of victory.
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Royal Rozernan Army
Cavalry: 30,000
Morale: 100
Training: 75
The Royal Rozernan Army had improved their Training considerably.
They’d clearly been putting effort into developing their military since the war with Brijit. Their Morale had always been unusually high, but with Euracia’s high Command applied on top of that, it was little wonder that they had a Morale of 100.
Having arrived at the designated meeting point, Euracia dismounted and ran over to me.
“Did we make it in time?”
“Yeah, no problem there. We just arrived ourselves. Sorry to bring you all the way out here, by the way.”
“It’s fine. My brother and the Rozernan nobility were in favor of sending troops this time. Hence the size of the force you see here... Hm?”
Suddenly, Euracia stared at me.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You have...a strange smell on you,” she said, bringing her face a little closer.
Strange smell?
“Jint, do you smell anything?”
“Nope, not a thing,” Jint responded instantly.
He wasn’t the type to lie about something like this, but I looked to Damon, who was beside him, for confirmation.
“I don’t smell anything either...?”
Damon also vouched for my innocence. But seriously, what did she think I smelled of?
“It’s a loathsome smell...”
Euracia’s brow furrowed, and she circled me. She sniffed in front, then sniffed again behind.
Um, are you a dog? A detection dog?
Euracia looked at me almost like she was a detective searching for a culprit.
“How curious! I smell a woman! One I don’t know.”
Huh? A woman?
Euracia’s eyes were filled with suspicion.
What does she mean, a woman?
Suddenly, Medelian came to mind. It was true that I’d gotten awfully close to her, but surely the scent had faded by now. It had been days since then. How could it linger like that? It seemed impossible.
“That can’t be right,” I said. “I did meet an enemy, though. Uh, anyway, that’s not important now. Let’s set it aside and move along. We don’t have time.”
Yeah, the surprise attack came first. I knew that if I let this go on, it was definitely going to be a headache. I took Euracia’s hand and led her in front of the Rozernan forces.
“Hey, hold on just a moment!” she protested.
“Hurry it up. Get on your horse. Come on, let’s go!”
I forced Euracia, who was looking at me with suspicion, to mount her horse, and then we set off again with her troops.
The Rozernan Army advanced at our command. With their Training score of over 70, they were able to do it in a somewhat orderly fashion.
Soon enough, thirty thousand Rozernan troops had arrived in front of Bazarett Castle.
Rozern had sent these men to us for two simple reasons. Partially, they wanted to repay their debt to me, but more importantly, once the Gebel Kingdom was taken by Naruya, Rozern would inevitably be their next target.
They now had a border with the former territory of Runan. Though Runan was under Naruyan occupation, its lands were vast enough that Naruya didn’t have full control of them yet.
Knowing these things, I’d developed my read on the situation. While there had been a risk of discovery, I knew that the Rozernan Army would be able to make it here without suffering any delays.
Unlike the Gebel Kingdom or Ramie Kingdom, Rozern had a fundamentally trusting relationship with me. The fact that Euracia was my ally had probably been a decisive factor too. She still held great influence in Rozern. That had helped her persuade them that driving off the Naruyans was in the long-term interest of Rozern.
The supply bases would be somewhere to the rear. Obviously, the enemy would be changing their locations regularly out of wariness against any surprise attack. This meant that our primary objective was to take as many castles in the rear as we could.
We would start by attacking Bazarett Castle, which wasn’t prepared for us in the slightest.
“Attack!”
Valdesca was probably aware the Rozernan Army had joined the war now, and he’d be moving to do something about it, but he couldn’t have had time to prepare just yet.
Of course, the troops at Bazarett Castle were panicked by the sudden attack.
The Rozernan forces charged in with a roaring battle cry that was a testament to their high Morale!
Morale Bonus: Attack Power temporarily increased by 20%
Because our Morale had reached 100, it increased the efficiency with which our troops fought.
Their loud battle cries stripped the enemy of their will to fight, and since the enemy hadn’t even had time to prepare archers, the Rozernan forces were able to start climbing ladders and get up onto the walls.
“Yeaaaah!”
Naruyan Force at Bazarett Castle: 6,871 men
Royal Rozernan Army: 30,000 men
The Naruyan force camped at Bazarett Castle has a Training of 92 and a Morale of around 85.
They seemed a little complacent, perhaps because they’d been positioned toward the rear and the war had been going well for Naruya. Regardless, their Morale score had fallen compared to the Naruyan forces fighting on the front lines. Now that they found themselves under attack, it threw them into a state of confusion.
Confusion: Enemy Morale fell by 10
Their Morale had dropped to 75.
The slow response of the defenders at Bazarett Castle meant that Rozern’s soldiers were already making it up onto the walls one after another.
Jint looked like he was itching to do something.
“You’re up, Jint. Climb the walls and pry those gates open.”
I’d checked with the system, so I already knew that the commander of Bazarett Castle was nothing special. He had a Martial of 75, which was strong, but not enough to make him one of the Ten Commanders, and it was no match for Jint’s.
“I’ll smash them!”
Jint raced toward Bazarett Castle with a look of glee on his face.
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Jint began climbing the ladder. Once he surged into battle, the soldiers already clinging to the ladders picked up their pace. There were already a good number of them on the walls, so Jint was able to make the climb without any real trouble.
Still, he had to hand it to the Naruyans.
Although they had fallen into a state of confusion at first, they’d quickly reorganized their battle lines and prepared some archers. Arrows rained down on the ladder, but they were obviously no threat to Jint.
Things got a bit dicey when the Naruyans started pouring boiling oil, but the moment Jint detected this plan, he jumped to another ladder and avoided being scalded.
Nice work, Naruya. They don’t call you “the strongest army on the continent” for nothing.
This was a supply base, and their Morale was lower, and yet they were still managing to put up an effective defense.
However, their fierce resistance only fed Jint’s fighting spirit more. He was always thirsty for battle because he felt that no matter how much he fought, it would never be enough to repay the debt he owed Erhin.
He hadn’t been getting as many solo missions lately, so he was especially fired up about this one.
Just distinguishing himself wasn’t enough. He had to do it in a way that was useful to Erhin, which meant that he needed to take this place as soon as possible. Jint had never been a particularly deep thinker, but even he understood the basic goal of this operation.
As the arrows gradually got more accurate, the boiling oil poured down more frequently, and the defense became more organized, Jint finally reached the top of the wall.
Jint drew his Nameless Sword, and powerful mana spread out around him. He danced wildly, beginning to mow down the Naruyan forces all by himself. Each swing of the blade sent blood flying. The blood dripped down the walls, making them glisten with ruby redness.
Naruyan soldiers gathered, attempting to stop Jint, but he knocked them all away. Thanks to him, the majority of the Rozernan forces were able to get up on top of the walls and start fighting. This also meant that Jint had more soldiers to help him.
Obviously, the commander of Bazarett Castle wasn’t going to just sit back and watch. “Kill that enemy commander!” he shouted. “If we let him survive, more of the enemy will make it up onto the walls!”
However, the moment he yelled out, the commander let Jint know exactly where he was.
Jint charged toward the commander’s position, moving with incredible speed. His blade was as swift as Ganeif of Brijit’s.
Jint launched into a series of attacks: he slashed through one man’s chest, decapitated another, jumped into the air and skewered a man through the throat, and then used the recoil to free his sword and tear his next victim open at the waist.
Jint chased the fleeing enemy commander into the castle, and the Rozernan soldiers followed behind him.
With an A-class commander showing off such incredible power, the Rozernans were able to fight the Naruyans on even terms. The knowledge that such a powerful warrior was on their side helped them to overcome the gap in Training and lent them great strength. Of course, their Morale, which Euracia had raised up to 100, played a big role in that too.
Jint slashed with reckless abandon until he finally managed to catch up to the fleeing commander.
“Aaaah! How did this guy get here?! Shoot him! If you come any closer, you’re dead!”
The Naruyan archers let their arrows fly without a care for whether they hit friend or foe. The infantry immediately moved to block Jint once more. They were protecting the castle gates so that he couldn’t open them.
The Naruyan soldiers were now showing their grit. No other military could have put up such a solid defense under these circumstances.
But they were powerless before Jint.
He chased the commander toward the gates, then sprang at the infantrymen who were guarding them.
“All of you, out of the way!”
Jint activated his skill. When triggered with the Nameless Sword, it caused many earthen swords to shoot up from the ground into the air.
The ground rumbled for some time, and then the earthen swords started impaling Naruyan soldiers.
“Aaaaaah!”
“Gyaaaah!”
“My leg... Aah!”
Jint’s skill skewered the men who had dared to face him.
With the enemies’ legs stuck, he bounded past them toward the gates.
Jint began cutting the enemies down with swift strikes. Finally, he spotted their commander. He killed an enemy, then used the man’s body as a springboard, slashing the enemy commander’s neck as he landed in the middle of another group of infantry.
“I am Jint of the Eintorian Army!”
He looked like a battle fiend.
Jint’s Martial increased by +1
Young as he was, fighting was a source of great experience for him, and it led to growth. Even if he wasn’t aware of it himself, his rising Martial made Jint’s swordsmanship even faster.
The enemy’s battle lines completely collapsed, and he was able to join up with the Rozernan forces who had come down from the walls. Together, they finally managed to create an open space in front of the gates.
Jint got the gates open, just like Erhin wanted.
(To be continued in volume 6)
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