CH 33

Raidorl arrived at Blaine Fortress the day after he left the royal capital.

Blaine Fortress had apparently been attacked several times, leaving fresh scars from the assault.

The Empire troops had taken up a position on a hill some distance away. Fortunately, the fortress was not under siege, and they were able to enter through the western gate without any trouble. 

“Thank you for coming. Your Royal Highness, Raidorl Zain.”

The first person who greeted Raidorl when he entered the fortress was Bazel Garst, the general of the Kingdom of Zain and the head of the troops guarding the fortress of Blaine.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, General Garst.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time, Your Highness.”

“…………”

“…………”

Raidorl had a lot to say and also Garst. 

But they don’t say anything as they look each other straight in the eye.

Behind Raidorl, both Neimilia and Darren’s expressions harden as they sense a certain atmosphere from the two men glaring at each other.

They stared at each other for a few dozen seconds.

“Mmm.”

“Mm……”

Eventually, neither of them looked away.

Raidorl snorts sarcastically, and Garst’s rocky features relax slightly.

“You have become quite a man, You also have the bearing of a great warrior.”

“You’re getting a bit old, aren’t you? You might want to think about retiring.”

“Hmm, I’ll think about it when this battle is over. Come on in.”

The reunion between the exiled prince and the general who was involved in the exile was barely cordial.

In the meantime, Darren, too, breathed a sigh of relief and brushed his hair back as he gently lowered his right hand, which had been preparing to fire a spell.

Raidorl and his party were led by Garst to a room in the fortress and sat down in chairs as recommended. 

“Well, …… I would like to thank you again for coming all the way from the middle of nowhere to support us.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure my brother will pay you handsomely.”

“Well, sir?”

Raidorl sits down in his chair and puts his legs up on the table.

The old general was too rude to ignore the fact that his toes were pointed at Garst, who was sitting opposite him.

“So, how is the war going?”

“The imperial troops attacked Barceo Fortress on the northern border a month ago and have been settling the nobles in the east since then. It was only about a week ago that they invaded here.”

What the general said was almost exactly what Darren had told him beforehand. What he hadn’t heard before was what he had to say after that.

“In the past week, the Empire has attacked the fortress three times. So far we have been able to hold our ground without any serious damage.”

“Only three times? That’s a lot of time to attack!”

Raidorl raised his eyebrows suspiciously.

Before arriving at the fortress, Raidorl had expected it to be surrounded by the enemy and under heavy attack night and day.

However, when he arrived, he found that the Imperial troops had taken up positions on a remote hill and had only attacked three times.

It was a rate of invasion that could be called slow and stupid.

“Attacking them now is a good point. But it seems that the imperial army has its own ideas.”

“Hmm?”

Raidorl crosses his arms thoughtfully and urges Garst to go on.

“It seems that the imperial army does not like to wear out its troops. If they try to attack this fortress in a short period of time, they will cause a lot of damage. It seems that they are trying to avoid this and are deliberately fighting a long war.” 

“A long war. I don’t understand the logic, but if we prolong the war, we’ll lose our food supply. Besides, it’s going to be winter before we know it.” 

The Empire has invaded the Kingdom of Zain on several occasions in the past, but always before the winter. 

This is because the army is in desperate need of manpower during the busy farming season in autumn, and in winter the cold weather makes it impossible to move around.

Although the Kingdom of Zain is not a very snowy place, the Empire is always covered in snow in winter. If their supply routes are cut off by the snow, the army will starve and wither.

“Your Highness has a good point. But that is not the case here.”

Garst shook his head disapprovingly.

“The Imperial troops have already taken over Barceo and are treating it as their base. When winter comes, the stronghold will be able to keep out the cold easily.”

Garst spread out a map on the table and tapped the border fortress in the middle of it with his index finger.

Then he next drew a circle with his finger around the eastern part of the kingdom between the Barceo and Blaine fortresses.

“In addition, the imperial army has already occupied the eastern part of the kingdom. If we collect from the areas under our control, we won’t have to bring in food from home. There is no reason for the Imperial Army to go into a short battle with a loss of men.” 

“I see. …… When winter comes, the eastern part of the kingdom will be hell.”

Raidorl shakes his head in sympathy as he thinks of the villages being mercilessly plundered by the imperial army. Garst nodded gravely in agreement.

“It is for this reason that we have brought you here. Your Royal Highness, Raidorl Zain…… has every right to be angry with us. However, we have no choice but to rely on your strength. Please help us to defend the Kingdom of Zain.” 

“Father.” 

Garst lowers his head so deeply that it touches the table. His son Darren’s eyes widened at the strange sight of his stern father.

“…………”

Raidorl’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the back of the general’s head, which was still bowed.

“If ……Granard had behaved from the beginning, we might still be brothers. It’s no use saying that now.” 

“Master…” 

The words, whispered in a voice as small as the flapping of an insect’s wings, reached only Neimilia, who was standing nearby. The girl in the maid’s uniform pinched the edge of her master’s clothes in a caring manner.

“……”

Raidorl pats the girl’s hand, who is picking at his clothes as if to say it’s OK, and turns to Garst.

“I don’t mind helping you out. …… But, yes, it’s good that you have bowed your head and apologized to me, so I will show you our sincerity. General Garst, if you accept one condition, I will grant your wish.”

“Anything.”

Garst responds to Raidorl’s words without pause. Admiring the general’s discipline in keeping his head down, Raidorl puts forward his request. 

“I don’t want you to be my enemy when this war is over. That’s all I want.” 

“That’s ……”

“I have a contract with my brother, and I will fight the Empire even if the general does not accept my demands. But if the general promises, I promise to bring victory with the least amount of damage, without cutting any corners. I can swear by this holy sword.” 

“…………”

Garst looked sternly back at Raidorl, who had said this while stroking the hilt of his Dáinsleif.

Garst has no intention of antagonizing Raidorl. However, if he dares to remind him of this, it means that Raidorl will do something that could make him an enemy of Garst. 

Garst anguishes for a moment as he realises the meaning behind those words.

Loyalty and integrity, warrior’s pride and defiance of the Empire. After weighing all these things in his mind, Garst came up with an answer.

“I am a warrior in the service of my kingdom.”

“I see.”

Raidorl raises his lips sarcastically. He looks away, wondering if the negotiations have failed.

But there was more that Garst’s needs to say.

“But …… there is no loyalty if there is no country to serve. If Your Highness will save the country, I will give Your Highness the same loyalty as His Majesty Granard.” 

“Hou….”

Loyalty equal to that of a king.

This means that if Raidorl has a dispute with Granard, he will not take sides, but will remain neutral.

“If the most powerful general in the kingdom sided with me, it could make things a lot easier. But since he can stay out of the way, that’s good enough.”

“Very well. This Raidorl Zain, I swear, will bring victory to the kingdom’s army. I will not be outdone by the Holy Sword Bearer of the Empire.”

Raidorl rises from his chair and declares his promise.

Garst kneels down on the floor, bows his head and offers his allegiance to the young man who will become a hero.