Episode 43. Northern Fortress Defense (2)
—
“Swen. As you requested, I’ve hastily built a platform you can stand on…”
“That’s perfect.”
Hearing Airen’s words, I checked the platform she had built near the wall.
There were small stairs on each side, and if you stepped on it and went to the middle, it seemed like it would be very noticeable from outside the fortress.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to ask just to be sure.
“Um, Airen.”
“What is it?”
She approached me closely.
So close, in fact, that I could feel her body slightly brushing against mine.
Moreover, she wasn’t wearing her heavy armor on her chest to make it easier to carry bricks.
Naturally, her unreasonably large breasts pressed slightly against my arm.
It felt like the usual distance between us had changed somewhat.
Well, if she trusts me, that’s not a bad thing.
“For example, isn’t there a hill over there? When the soldiers coming down from there see me… will they be able to see me well?”
“Since it’s a gentle slope… I think they should be able to see.”
“Is that so? Then that’s good.”
“…But I’m curious, why did you ask?”
Right.
It might be good to tell Airen… something.
Of course, I can’t tell her everything honestly.
But the important thing was- for her to ‘perceive’ what I did.
“Airen, can you promise not to be surprised by anything I say?”
Hearing my words, Airen answered without hesitation.
“I promise. Swen, whatever you say, I won’t be shocked.”
“…”
I slowly closed my eyes.
This is it.
From this point on, I had to act.
Yes.
But first, I had to deceive myself.
From now on, I would perform a miracle of summoning ‘lightning,’ one of the natural disasters.
However, it can’t be manifested in the form of magic. If I said it was magic, they’d talk about wizards and demand proof.
Obviously, I don’t have the ability to cause a natural disaster, so proving it would be impossible.
Of course, magic does exist in this world.
Wizards themselves were entities that only appeared in the later stages of the game.
Not a single wizard had stood out yet, and being prematurely branded as the continent’s first wizard was not desirable.
My current lord, Lynn Brans, didn’t like talents that couldn’t be contained within her grasp.
If I became a wizard, she might cause trouble for me.
Therefore, this had to be a result read by me in a non-magical way.
Thus- with a look of realization,
As if I had received a divine revelation, I spoke with a slightly trembling voice.
“Last night, I looked at the sky. Seven stars were particularly twinkling.”
“Seven stars…?”
“Yes. And among them, three stars… shone brightly right before my eyes and then suddenly disappeared.”
“…?”
Hearing my words, Airen tilted her head in confusion.
It was inevitable.
She wouldn’t understand what I was talking about.
Of course, I also had no idea what I was talking about.
I was just listing plausible sentences as best as I could.
How could anyone understand something I didn’t understand myself?
But.
That was okay.
All this nonsense I spewed would be reevaluated after the miracle occurred.
“The atmosphere in the sky is unusual. If I can read this flow favorably, perhaps I can bring about a miracle.”
“A miracle…? What kind of miracle are you talking about?”
“A miracle that can defeat the Serpina army in one fell swoop.”
“!!!”
Surprised, Airen asked me.
“Can you explain more about that?”
I wanted to blurt out, “I’ll make lightning strike,” but the weather was still clear.
Having only a vague idea that a natural disaster would occur, revealing my hand when I didn’t know which natural disaster it would be was problematic.
“In a few more days… I think I’ll be able to read the flow of the sky more clearly. That’s why I asked you to build the altar. I must communicate with the heavens.”
“Is that so…?”
Airen tilted her head to the other side, seemingly not understanding.
She looked adorably like a small animal.
But then, she closed her eyes and- after a moment, nodded slowly and opened her eyes to look straight into mine.
“…Alright, Swen. I may not understand what you’re talking about… but I don’t think you’re speaking nonsense.”
I felt grateful for Airen’s words, but also a bit guilty for deceiving her.
Still, if I show her the results, that’s all that matters.
“Thank you for believing in me. From today, I plan to communicate with the heavens here for a few days. If possible, could you bring me some simple food to eat during this time?”
“That’s not a difficult request.”
Good.
Now I just need to sit here for a few days, pretending to do something.
Let’s see if we can communicate with the sky.
I looked up at the sky.
And like zoning out in front of a fire, I gazed blankly at the sky.
Ridiculously, this time became quite healing for me.
I did wonder what I was doing at times.
But after going over my prediction and the rules of this game world I knew, this was the correct answer.
“It’ll be okay. It’s the only possibility, after all.”
Thus.
I continued my actions on the altar, sometimes doing something that looked meaningful, other times softly reciting lyrics of pop songs from my previous world.
And this scene, including Airen bringing me food,
Was being firmly imprinted in the eyes of the soldiers in the fortress.
—
While Airen was taking care of things inside the fortress, a soldier ran up to her.
“Um, Airen. I have something to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“That… Swen asked for two drums to be prepared…”
“Drums?”
“The kind that can make sound when beaten.”
“I know that… but did he ask for them to be brought?”
“Yes. He said it doesn’t have to be a finished product, as long as it’s similar, but I’m not sure where to procure them…”
Airen pondered for a moment.
“If we carve wood and overlay it with cowhide used for food… we might be able to make something similar.”
“Um… Airen.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Is this correct? I mean… this, kind of. What should I say…”
The soldier spoke very cautiously.
As if it was terribly embarrassing to bring up such a topic.
“I don’t understand why Swen is asking for this… The Serpina army will soon invade this fortress, right? We don’t have enough time even if we check the defense facilities and make more arrows, but he’s on that strange altar, singing and dancing in a bizarre language… I, a humble soldier, cannot comprehend what Swen is trying to do.”
Though very careful in choosing words, the conclusion was the same.
They couldn’t understand Swen’s actions.
Being just a soldier and Swen a commander, they followed orders, but they appealed to Airen, who was in a higher position than Swen, wondering if this was really okay.
And Airen, too, quickly understood what the soldier truly wanted to say.
They found Swen’s actions incomprehensible and were seeking an explanation from her.
“I understand your concern. I, too, haven’t fully grasped what he’s trying to achieve.”
“Then-”
“However.”
Airen closed her eyes slowly, then opened them and looked directly into the soldier’s eyes, nodding.
“I assure you. Swen is not a man to engage in pointless actions. Can you consider it as following the orders of me, Airen Juliet, for now?”
“Airen’s orders… you say.”
Yes.
Though they might not fully understand Swen.
If the person taking responsibility for all this was General Airen, the soldiers could follow her lead.
Who was she?
Among all the commanders of the Brans army, wasn’t she the one who cared most for the soldiers, even though they were merely soldiers?
“…Understood.”
“Hmm. While we’re at it, I have a request.”
“Please, tell me, General Airen.”
“I would like you to prepare wood and cowhide.”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers also had eyes to see.
Therefore, they had been witnessing all of Swen’s unusual actions.
Not just the soldier who asked but many others with similar doubts approached Airen. However, she managed to quell their dissatisfaction at her level.
If Airen, who had the trust of the soldiers, hadn’t intervened to mediate, Swen, a new commander without the trust of the soldiers, wouldn’t have been able to properly set up the altar and do anything.
“Swen. I trust you. Now… I won’t hesitate anymore.”
In this way, she firmly protected the man she had chosen to stand by.
—
Indeed.
After a few days, as if it had been arranged, the sky started to look troubled.
Fortunately, it didn’t affect the immediate visibility.
“Just as expected!”
It seemed like lightning, which had the second-highest probability after landslides among natural disasters, was going to strike the Serpina army.
Since I had based my talks with Airen on the assumption of lightning, I felt somewhat relieved inside.
So, today too, I continued to mumble meaninglessly, selected two soldiers to freely beat the drums as they wished, then brought paper to lay down some appropriate patterns on the altar floor and placed stones on them to prevent them from being blown away by the wind—repeating these actions that looked significant but were essentially empty.
“Thank you for your hard work today, Swen.”
“Airen.”
She brought the daily provisions today as well.
The food wasn’t luxurious, but it was just enough to stave off hunger.
“Thank you every time.”
“No, you are the one who’s struggling. So, how is the communication with the sky going?”
“It’s going smoothly. Before the Serpina army arrives… I’m thinking maybe I can twist the flow somehow.”
“I see.”
And.
While I was busy with all these pointless activities, Airen didn’t question me once; she just brought me meals and took care of the fortress’s various needs in my absence.
Whether it was organizing training for the soldiers, persuading those who doubted my actions, or taking care of the wounded, she was undoubtedly busier than I was, who was engaged in these frivolous actions.
“I wish I could brew some tea… Unfortunately, this fortress lacks tea leaves.”
“Please brew it when we return home.”
Hearing my words, Airen smiled lightly again.
Lately, she seemed to smile more often.
“Let’s do that. We’ll surely return together.”
Seeing her smile made me genuinely want to bring about a miracle.
Of course, I was planning to… but still, the thought of having a place to return to filled one with contentment.
“It’ll work out.”
Thus, I once again murmured to myself several times, as if brainwashing myself that it would work out.
—
The enemies revealed themselves when the sky was troubled, as if about to pour rain any moment.
“The enemies are coming!”
“The Serpina army is in sight!”
Even without the soldiers shouting, it was easy to tell.
“Swen! I heard the soldiers, but could it be…!”
Hearing the news, Airen rushed over and stood beside me, looking towards the approaching enemies.
“…They’ve come.”
The Serpina army was advancing.
At a glance, the number of soldiers seemed large, and there were a considerable number of siege engines.
It was surprising they brought so many siege engines just to attack one fortress.
Normally, the walls would have fallen in less than a day. The fortress’s walls were significantly less defensive compared to those of a city.
The moment the soldiers reached near the walls and were at a suitable distance for catapult stones to fly, it would practically be the last moment for this fortress.
Then.
If my prediction is correct. And if my speculation is correct.
“Now is the time.”
Now.
At this distance, lightning would strike the Serpina army.
What happened next was most crucial.
I slowly rose from the altar.
“Swen…?”
I softly told her.
“Airen. I promise to bring us victory.”
Then, I looked towards where the enemies were advancing.
“Come.”
Thinking so, I spread my arms wide.
The greatest show of my life, staking everything, was about to begin.
😸 so fun