Episode 42. Northern Fortress Defense (1)
—
I returned to the front of the conference room door with Airen, who had regained her composure.
Of course, there was no one near the conference room except for the soldiers standing guard.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Surprised by my greeting, the guard answered in a flustered manner.
“Ah… Yes, yes! That is-”
“My name is Swen.”
“Yes, Swen sir. Um… Did you stay to defend the fortress, sir?”
“Yes. Along with General Airen.”
“I see…”
After pondering for a moment, the soldier then bowed to Airen and said,
“…General Airen. We will do our best until the end. We are truly grateful that you have decided to stay and fight with us.”
“Thank you for staying and fighting with us…”
Though they were just characters with a value of 1 in the game.
In this world where the game has become reality, they too live and breathe.
Each of them had their own microcosm.
It was impossible for the soldiers not to know. The fact that they were thrown into a desperate situation.
No matter how much it was an order, what would they have thought seeing their superiors leaving the place?
Thinking about it, I could understand why that soldier conveyed his words of gratitude.
Airen was always a commander who stood with her soldiers.
Whether it was standing guard or doing miscellaneous tasks during movement.
She had always done everything on the same standards as her soldiers.
Even though she was abandoned by Lynn Brans, to the soldiers who were the real pillars supporting the country from the lowest position, she must have definitely gained their trust.
Because the people of this world weren’t just data.
After receiving the soldier’s greeting, Airen responded in a very solemn tone.
“Hmm. I will fight with you all to the end. And, I will never let you die.”
“Yes!”
The soldier responded very loudly.
It seemed like his morale had increased.
Well, there’s nothing wrong with having high morale, so there was no need to add anything more.
And so, we entered the conference room.
An empty room, with no one else, greeted the two of us.
“They left quite quickly.”
Well, moving quickly was a wise choice if one wanted to preserve their life.
I had no intention of resenting them now.
“Um… Swen.”
“Yes?”
“What should we do now?”
Seeing her worried expression, I suddenly felt like teasing her.
“Are you asking me? Didn’t you just tell the soldier that you wouldn’t let anyone die?”
She probably would react with confusion, something like ‘That, that is… Hmm… Are you joking in such a situation?’
However.
Her response was a bit different from what I expected.
“I trust you, Swen.”
“…What?”
“I trust you.”
Airen said this with a broad smile.
The sunlight streaming through the window brightly illuminated her cheeks.
“So, don’t worry. Since you said you can protect the fortress. We can save everyone. That’s what I believe.”
“…”
Feeling somewhat sheepish, I let out a short sigh and then sat down on one of the empty chairs in the conference room.
“Well, as you said… we will win, though.”
“Is there any way?”
A way.
Yes, a way.
The situation had turned so urgent that I only now started to think about it… but there was indeed a way.
[Hold a siege in a place where the enemy is visible.]
As long as the prediction said ‘hold a siege,’ it meant there was a correct answer. That meant there was a way.
The problem was-
“Why is holding a siege the correct answer?”
I knew the answer, but why it was the correct answer, I had no idea.
Fortunately, what was clear was that I had poured 10,000 hours into this damn classic game.
And my words were ‘always correct.’
With these two premises, I could somehow find the answer.
I took out the paper with the terrain around the fortress drawn on it, which I had drawn at Airen’s house.
I had drawn it just in case during the spare time, but it turned out to be useful.
“What’s that?”
“A map. I’m trying to think about what we should do now. I have a vague idea, but… I’m not sure what to do yet.”
If it were an ordinary person, after making a big statement like ‘it’s time to achieve something’ and then giving such a vague answer when asked about the method, they would get angry.
But Airen, without saying anything to me, nodded and said,
“I understand. Is there anything I can help with?”
“Nothing special.”
“Then, I was thinking of checking on the wounded soldiers, would that be alright?”
“Yes. That would be very helpful, actually.”
The siege wasn’t something I could do alone.
It was something to be done with all the soldiers in the fortress.
Showing that a well-respected general like Airen didn’t run away and fought would surely boost the morale of the soldiers remaining in the fortress.
In a situation where we don’t know what will happen next, boosting morale like this would be helpful, I judged.
“Understood, Swen.”
“?”
“If there’s anything… you can call me anytime. I’ll come running.”
She said this and then smiled lightly.
Just a moment ago, her violet eyes, which seemed to wander aimlessly, were now-
As if they had firmly decided on a direction to go, were clear without any tremor.
Thus, Airen slowly left the conference room.
Having told her what I needed to, it was now time for me to do something.
Although it seemed daunting at first glance, in the end, I just had to do what I had always done.
Consider all variables and exclude what doesn’t work.
“Let’s look at the terrain first.”
I closely examined the terrain around the fortress.
First of all.
The possibility of winning a battle was close to 0. No, it was fair to say it was 0.
Airen was good at offensive sieges but average in defensive sieges. Of course, her stats were S-grade, but it would be very difficult for her, with her low military command and leadership stats, and me with 10,000 soldiers, to defeat 30,000 soldiers in a fortress with low defenses.
If they bring siege weapons, like it or not, we would have to go out to intercept them, which would mean not following the ‘hold a siege’ prediction.
So, a battle is out of the question. If nothing happens, this battle. We would definitely lose.
Let’s think about something else.
The first possibility that came to mind was a landslide.
This game, with its random encounter events that don’t make sense, had countless such events.
Locust swarms attacking wheat fields causing sudden famine, diseases starting without any warning signs, and various natural disasters that seemed unlikely in terms of the world setting.
Among them, a sudden landslide causing the advancing enemy troops to be annihilated seemed the most plausible.
However.
There were no mountains around the fortress that could cause a landslide.
No matter where I looked, there were only gentle hills or vast plains.
Riding a horse here would feel like driving on a highway.
“Landslide is not it.”
The route from Chorrel Castle, which seemed very likely where the Serphina army had departed from, to this fortress didn’t
cross any mountains.
So, I excluded this possibility.
Next.
An unexpected event happens within the Serphina army, causing the advancing soldiers to retreat.
The possibilities were very diverse. Another rebellion could occur, or something could happen to Serphina, the lord.
Considering the possibilities, this was more realistic than natural disasters.
“Could another rebellion occur when one has already happened?” one might think, but based on the predictions, even if it seems unbelievable, something will happen.
However.
Thinking this way, a very critical sentence bothered me.
My brain with an intelligence of 100 came up with the answer, not [hold a siege].
[Hold a siege in a place visible to the enemy] was it.
Predictions don’t exist without reason.
Considering the existence of ‘almost accurate’ predictions, this was even more true.
“If internal issues within the enemy cause them to retreat on their own, why do we need to position ourselves where the enemy is clearly visible?”
If this hypothesis were true, wouldn’t it have simply said ‘hold a siege’?
Thinking this way, the possibility of something happening within the Serphina army quickly faded.
And, after excluding that, only one possibility remained.
“…A natural disaster occurs.”
Exactly what kind of disaster is unclear, but-
A disastrously unlucky event for the Serphina army actually happens.
No matter how low the probability, no matter how unlikely the situation- when all impossible options are eliminated, the only remaining option is the truth.
“A natural disaster occurs, and the Serphina army is forced to retreat due to severe damage.”
The most likely was lightning.
If the weather turns gloomy when the enemies approach, it’s almost 99% certain.
The most frequent disaster was an earthquake… but assuming an earthquake occurs, staying inside the fortress might not be the right decision.
And, to position ourselves in a place visible to the enemy, we would need to be on top of the fortress walls.
However.
Thinking this way… I reached a very fundamental question.
Why do we need to position ourselves where the enemy is visible in the first place?
If it’s just a natural disaster, wouldn’t staying inside the fortress be enough?
A little thought would have debunked this hypothesis just like the previous one.
I focused on the essence of the sentence, excluding the two hypotheses, ‘something happens in the Serphina camp causing them to retreat’ and ‘a natural disaster occurs.’
Position yourself in a place visible to the enemy.
Forget everything else and think only about this sentence.
“The area around the fortress is similar to a plain with gentle hills… If we assume we need to be inside the fortress to hold a siege where the enemy is visible, does that mean we need to be on the fortress walls, especially in the northwest direction?”
What would happen if I stand there and position myself around where the enemy is visible?
The path from Chorrel Castle to here was a gentle slope, especially a downhill.
Thus, if they approach this place to some extent, they would also see me.
“Do I need to be ‘visible to them’…?”
The pieces of thought started to come together.
A sudden natural disaster.
The necessity for me to be visible to the enemy.
“…!!!!”
Thump!
Without realizing it, I slammed my palm down on the desk in the empty conference room.
“Am I supposed to appear as if I’ve summoned the natural disaster to the enemy?”
That I need to appear to many enemy soldiers as if I’ve brought the disaster upon them.
Otherwise, there would be no need to ‘position ourselves in a place visible to the enemy.’
Having thought this far, I had to consider one more thing.
If I combine the previously discarded scenario of ‘something happening in the enemy camp causing them to retreat’ with the need to ‘be seen,’?
In this case, my being on the fortress wall and the enemy retreating don’t form a sentence that fits perfectly like ‘need to appear as if I’ve summoned the disaster.’
Even if I do something there, if the reason for the enemy’s retreat is clear, it wouldn’t appear as if I had driven them away with my own power.
So, being seen in this case is meaningless.
If it’s meaningless, it wouldn’t have appeared in the prediction.
So- it’s not something happening within the Serphina army but simply a natural disaster that occurs. That’s what I thought was correct.
No matter how I thought about it, that was the answer.
However.
Not all problems were solved.
This might be the last question.
Then why do I need to appear as if I’ve directly summoned the disaster to people?
Why is that the most efficient action we can take at this moment?
After organizing my thoughts up to this point, the answer came out surprisingly simply.
“If the invading enemy believes that I have caused the natural disaster… they will flee.”
For example, if lightning strikes.
Sure, they would suffer damage, but they would not stop advancing.
In the game, if lightning struck, thousands to tens of thousands died instantly, but assuming the same rules apply in this world, even if many die, there would still be soldiers left, so they would definitely try to attack this fortress.
Siege weapons would also remain.
However.
If this disaster is not natural but… appears to them as if I have used some kind of trickery.
And if they think they might be struck by lightning several more times?
Would they choose to fight against this unexpected and mysterious power, or would they flee?
Thinking up to this point, my complicated thoughts suddenly cleared.
“This is it.”
I slapped my knee.
That’s why we win.
The meaning contained in ‘holding a siege in a visible place’ was this.
However.
For some reason, I felt this wasn’t entirely everything.
This time, I simulated how this situation would spread from our army’s perspective.
A newcomer in the Brans army, with magic-like power, repelled the enemies.
It’s hard to dismiss as an exaggerated rumor, as too many have witnessed it. Right away, Airen and the soldiers in the fortress would become vivid witnesses.
Then, what would I, a third party affiliated with the Brans army, think upon hearing this rumor?
Such a great person, unbelievable, a newcomer has achieved a great feat…
“Achieved a great feat…?”
Only then did I recall something I had momentarily set aside while thinking about Airen.
I, or “Swen,” whether for Airen or as it appeared to others, for climbing the ranks of the Brans family-
Had defied the return order of the lord, Lynn Brans.
No matter how good the intentions, I had acted on my own against the lord’s command.
However.
If the commanders, even those abandoned by Lynn herself, achieved an overwhelming victory with unbelievable abilities?
Especially since my actions were perceived as ‘for Callintz,’ and it felt like quite a few commanders thought that way.
I might not know about Airen, but Callintz was different. He was a man related by blood to Lynn Brans, the lord.
Fundamentally, acting for him, who had no rebellious thoughts against Lynn, was almost like acting for the Brans army.
So, if such a rumor spread and it became known that I had achieved a feat, and it appeared to be entirely for the Brans army.
Even if she was willful, could she harm me just for disobeying an order?
And.
Having thought up to this point, I couldn’t help but
laugh.
“…Pfft!”
I see.
That’s why the brain with an intelligence of 100, which only speaks the truth, predicted [hold a siege in a place visible to the enemy].
I laughed as if I had gone mad in the empty conference room.
It didn’t matter.
Compared to the real madness I was about to commit, this was nothing.
I stood up, took three deep breaths inwardly, and said,
“…Then, shall we go?”
It was time to perform a miracle.
—
Finding Airen, who was taking care of the wounded, was not a difficult task.
I approached her.
“General Airen.”
“Swen. Have you organized your thoughts?”
“Yes. That’s correct. I also have a task that requires your help, if that’s alright with you?”
Upon hearing my words, Airen nodded and said,
“I wouldn’t refuse. At this moment, Swen, you are my superior. What can I help you with?”
“That’s good news.”
I was planning to ask her to do something unbelievable.
“Please bring as many bricks as you can use.”
“Huh? Bricks? There should be some left over from building the fortress… but why all of a sudden?”
I told her, with a very confident tone,
As if I could see through everything, with a very impressive expression.
“The atmosphere in the sky is not normal. From now on, I will build an altar to communicate with the heavens.”
