Episode 39. Battle in the North (3)
*
Rewinding time back to when Swen and his party first arrived at Kelstein Castle in the north.
At the royal castle of Racline Castle, located at the easternmost part of the Brans army, the national strategist of the Brans army, Parfalle, and Nate, the lord of Racline Castle, were having a conversation.
“Did you say the lord has sent 46,000 troops?”
“That’s correct, Strategist.”
A neat shortfall from the requested 56,000 troops.
The 56,000 troops were the maximum number of forces Parfalle had calculated could be mobilized immediately, excluding the border defense troops.
Thus, 10,000 troops would remain as surplus.
Under normal circumstances, it might have been an insufficient force to confront the Aishers army, especially since they were planning to attack the Alephel army soon.
A rapid conclusion would have been more certain with 56,000 troops, but nonetheless, it wasn’t so few as to be unworkable.
“Is there any force deployed elsewhere besides this one?”
“I’ve heard that 10,000 troops were sent to the north.”
Hearing Nate’s words, Parfalle inwardly slapped her knee.
“So, he listened to that guy’s words after all?”
Swen.
A man who eerily saw through her plans.
Lynn, the sovereign, had held him in very high esteem from the start.
Although her proposal was accepted in the meeting – essentially, Lynn had told her it was “impossible to ignore” his words.
Of course, she was surprised that he had guessed the entire plan.
However, after making such an outrageous claim afterward, Parfalle quickly lost interest.
There were plenty of subordinates brought in with high expectations by their lord who failed to meet them.
But.
At the same time, there were few subordinates her lord had paid this much attention to.
Moreover, Swen had slightly altered his opinion but essentially agreed with Airen’s view.
Considering Lynn’s unusual aversion to Airen, this much effort meant she had a significant amount of trust in Swen.
Even if it wasn’t exactly as the approved proposal suggested.
This piqued her curiosity even more.
Lynn, her sovereign, while somewhat whimsical and indecisive on crucial matters, was not a fool.
So, could Swen’s highly regarded opinions by Lynn possibly be correct?
The secret pact offered by the Charlam army.
Whether that in itself was a blade aimed at our army.
If that were true, continuing this operation would be perilously risky.
“……There must be some thought from the lord. Therefore, we cannot dismiss the possibility that his words are correct. It’s worth keeping in mind.”
If indeed the Aishers army was conspiring with both the Charlam and Alephel armies to deceive us-
Then we must use this scheme to our advantage.
However, if they had no intention of betrayal, acting rashly could ruin this cooperative attack.
Charlam might be a brute, but he was simple and wouldn’t cause trouble as long as he got his share.
“Has there been any additional envoy from the Charlam army?”
“Yes, there has.”
Nate had already discussed the secretly laid plans with the Charlam army.
Parfalle spoke cautiously.
“If an envoy arrives… could you call me before responding?”
“The Strategist? Well, if it’s a request from you, of course, we’ll comply… Is there a particular reason?”
“I need to verify something.”
“Is that so?”
Parfalle nodded.
Nate didn’t pry further, simply nodding in agreement, conveying his consent.
Given Parfalle’s standing, she had the trust of many within the Brans army.
Having confirmed the response, she left the castle and fell into thought.
Not typical for her, known for decisive actions, she pondered long and hard before finally deciding to drop her stubbornness.
“……It would be wise not to trust them blindly.”
Parfalle.
A woman whose renown had spread far and wide through various exploits within the Brans army, was for the first time in years considering someone else’s opinion.
* * *
Afterward.
I spent most of my time following Airen around, treating the wounded soldiers.
Waking up, only a few of the people I saw yesterday had improved, and most soldiers had breathed their last, fighting for their lives.
Watching soldiers looking at Airen’s face, crying bitterly before their life’s flame extinguished, was very hard.
In the game, they were just numbers gathered by pressing the ‘recruit’ button, mere figures.
But could this person, dragged into a hopeless fight, bravely battling, and suffering vividly, be explained just by the number 1?
For some reason, James’s face came to mind.
What did these people do wrong to deserve such an end?
“Should I have somehow persuaded Calintz to stop?”
Of course, I knew realistically there was nothing I could do.
No matter how much I tried to persuade, Calintz was stubborn.
And realistically, foolishly trying to stop him would have likely endangered my life rather than anyone else’s.
Not every strategist who speaks the truth is loved by their commanders.
Moreover, what could I, who only knew the outcome, possibly do?
If only intelligence of 100 meant a significantly developed brain, but all I could do was make accurate predictions.
With that thought, I closed my eyes and lightly prayed for their souls.
“May your sovereign Lynn Brans carry the weight of your souls for a lifetime.”
Ridiculously, that was the only comfort I could offer.
Days passed like this.
A soldier, recognizing Airen tending to the wounded, rushed over.
“Are you General Airen?”
“Yes.”
“Sir Miguel urgently requests your presence.”
“Urgently…?”
The urgency was unsettling, but facing the music sooner rather than later was preferable.
Airen and I headed towards the fortress.
And.
As soon as we entered the fortress, Miguel, with a grim expression, greeted us.
“You’ve arrived, General Airen. Then, everyone is here.”
“What’s the matter?”
Miguel sighed deeply and then delivered ‘the news’ with a dismal tone.
“……The Serpina army is advancing towards this fortress with an army of 33,000.”
Bad news indeed comes in threes.
Miguel’s words were a perfect embodiment of that.
A single poor judgment by a capable commander.
That mistake had snowballed into an uncontrollable disaster.
*
The Serpina army had launched an invasion.
They must have noticed the fortress was weakened.
Not only here, but they would have sent forces to Cheryn Castle as well.
Calintz, having done a favor for the enemy, now made it only a matter of time before Serpina army would regroup.
Of course, considering the power of the Serpina army, Ian’s rebellion would have been quickly suppressed even without our interference – but we certainly made it easier for them.
The proof was the very moment they attacked the fortress.
Had we stayed put, even if somewhat annoying, they might not have bothered.
But having depleted forces at the fortress, they moved to tidy up affairs in one fell swoop.
So, being attacked at the fortress was – kind of rubbing salt in the wound.
“……”
Airen bowed her head with a gloomy expression.
She must have
had a hunch this would happen.
From her contributions during the meeting, she appeared far more astute than I had thought.
Her in-game intelligence stat might not have been high, but perhaps it was akin to a warrior’s intuition honed through repeated battles.
Anyway.
The cause of this mess, Calintz, was not here, having been captured.
Resolving this fell to Miguel, who, next to Calintz, held significant influence within the army.
“……”
But.
Being merely Calintz’s adjutant, what brilliant solution could he possibly offer in this situation?
Not because he was incompetent, but because finding a solution in such a circumstance was nearly impossible for anyone.
Running away was the best option, no.
To my mind, the very best option was-
“To burn down the fortress and flee.”
Burning down the newly built fortress and escaping would at least prevent the Serpina army from easily swallowing a freshly constructed stronghold.
Strategically, burning it down seemed the right move, considering the fortress would be more useful to the Serpina army when occupied by them than by us.
Of course, doing such a bold act without the sovereign’s approval was something only Calintz could possibly manage.
Moreover, among the garrison were many who had been with the fortress since its construction. How would they feel seeing their hard work burned down so soon?
It was certain the soldiers’ morale would plummet.
However, judging by his expression, it seemed Miguel lacked the courage to make such a decision. He was already sweating profusely, pondering what to do.
“Anyway, a reckless defense won’t do.”
Fortunately, at least he seemed unlikely to insist on a futile defense for the sake of the country.
It didn’t really matter if the Brans army kept losing, but if Airen was captured or her life endangered, that would be problematic.
I valued my life just as much.
So.
When it came time to seek opinions, I planned to appropriately raise my hand and say, “It’s regrettable to lose the fortress, but now is the time to retreat to Kelstein Castle for the future.”
And just in time.
“……I’ll ask everyone here. In this situation, does anyone have a good idea?”
I cautiously surveyed the room.
No one raised their hand.
Well, outright saying “Let’s abandon the fortress”- would understandably be a hard sell.
Then, is it my turn, considering I didn’t plan to stay with the Brans army for long?
“Wait.”
Since I’ve been asked.
Just for the heck of it, I decided to pose the question in my mind.
“In this situation, is there a good solution?”
I expected the answer to be [Burn the fortress and flee].
It seemed the only viable option in a hopeless battle.
Even if it made Calintz’s actions look foolish, based on my knowledge of the game, that seemed like the correct answer.
The response, as always, came very swiftly.
[Position yourselves where the enemy can see and hold a siege.]
“Hmm… Position and hold a siege, huh. I see…”
I mulled over that answer…
And then.
“……?”
I began to realize what the answer meant.
Wait a minute.
What?
Hold a siege?
“The correct answer is to hold a siege???”
Once again.
The absolute compass in my mind was pointing in an unexpected direction.
