CH 34

“Now, then, shall we make the fourth attack?” 

That morning after Raidorl entered Blaine Fortress.

At the Empire camp, Lieutenant-General Gracos Barzen, General of the Western Army, stroked his beard with his hand.

Standing on a hilltop, his gaze catches sight of the fortress to be conquered.

The last fortress guarding the capital of the Kingdom of Zain stands proudly before the imperial troops, ready to show them the majesty of the Kingdom.

Alongside Barzen was his second-in-command, Colonel Dallas Safaris. Behind him was the third Imperial Princess, Célia Von Althlein. 

While Barzen is neatly dressed in his military uniform, Célia has misbuttoned her top and bottom buttons and her shirt is sticking out from the edge of her trousers.

“Ummm~ I’m tired of fighting in the morning. Why don’t we start at noon?”

“Oh, well, if you’re sleepy, you can rest in your tent, if you like. We’ll take care of the messy fighting for you.” 

Barzen says in a catnip voice, as if he is spoiling his grandchild. As Célia rubs her eyes with her hands and even sighs. 

To a general who acts like her own grandfather, Célia  pinched her cheeks with her fingers and tugged at them sleepily. 

“I’m supposed to be in charge of the army, you know. I can’t leave everything to you.”

“’Ho, ho, ho, how kind of you to take care of my old body. I, Gracos, will do everything in my power to repay your kindness.” 

“…… So, how do you want to attack today? General Barzen.” 

“……Safaris.” 

Safaris interrupts their friendly grandfather-grandson conversation from the side.

“Well, ……, we’re going to have to get a bit serious today.”

“Oh? I thought you were going to go easy on them for a while?”

Safaris raises his eyebrows suspiciously and asks his superior.

This time, however, Bazen’s forces in the west of the Empire had no intention of seriously attacking the fortress of Blaine.

Or should he say that there is no need to attack.

In a very short time of one month, the Imperial forces have captured most of the eastern part of the Kingdom, dropping the border fortress of Balmes.

As a result of this, some of the nobles in the service of the kingdom have turned to the empire, and secret agents of the empire have already been sent to various parts of the kingdom to coordinate the situation.

In other words, even without forcing down the fortress Blaine, preparations are steadily underway to cut down the kingdom of Zain from within, and even without wasting the lives of soldiers, the collapse of the kingdom is only a matter of time.

“And moreover,……we are not finished with the destruction of Zain. If we take the loss now, it will be a problem for the next one.”

Safaris exhales softly as he looks to the future after the destruction of the Kingdom of Zain.

In the western part of the continent, to the west of the Kingdom of Zain, there are a number of smaller countries. After the destruction of the kingdom, they will have to fight them.

In order to prepare for the next battle, the imperial army wanted to utilize its manpower as little as possible.

“So why are you launching a full-scale attack now?　Are you going to change the policy of the Zain campaign, which is to seek political victory without forcing a fight?” 

“Well, ……, I had no intention of fighting, either, but the atmosphere in the fortress seems to have changed.” 

This is the first time he’s ever seen such a face. The old general, who has been defending the empire for many years, has a look on his face that makes Safaris salivate with tension.

“Yesterday there was an air of resignation among the Royal troops defending the fortress, but today it seems different. There is an air of vitality about them, as if they are coming to life.” 

“…… Could it have something to do with the reinforcements that entered the fortress yesterday?” 

A watchman at the Blaine fortress had reported that reinforcements from the direction of King’s Landing had entered the fortress.

“There were only 500 soldiers in the fortress. I thought it was a number that was nothing to be alarmed about …….”

“Or perhaps the key is the person who is said to have entered the fortress in a carriage.”

“Carriage……, no way!”

Safaris’ eyes widened. The man, who should have been young and calm, flushed with elation.

“Could it be that the king, Granard Zain, has entered the fortress! That would explain why the morale of the Royal Army is so high!”

“Hmm, ……, that’s a possibility.” 

Barzen nodded his head, quieting his excited lieutenant with his hand.

In the past, despite the crisis in the country, the king of the Zain kingdom, Granard, sat in the capital and did not move.

However, it is quite possible that they have decided that they cannot win the war if they do not do so.

“If this fortress falls, the kingdom is finished. I’m sure you’ve made your move. …… But…”

What’s interesting is that they haven’t heard from any of the nobles at the palace.

Some of the kingdom’s nobles who serve in the royal palace have already made secret agreements to turn over to the empire, and have been informed of the situation in the capital.

They had not received any report that the king had moved.

“Have you noticed the difference? Or has he decided that the kingdom might be lifted and is weighing it against us?”

Safaris spat, frowning uncomfortably.

For Safaris, who are deeply loyal to the emperor and his family, the nobles who betray their lord when cornered are an object of hatred.

Even if it was to the advantage of his country, he could not erase his ill feeling.

Barzen sighs heavily and turns his distant eyes skywards.

Barzen had also experienced the pain of being caught up in the intrigues of imperial nobles and politicians in the past. He had lost some of his best men because of them, and he did not have good feelings towards those in power.

The old general’s shoulders slumped.

“I don’t know much about conspiracies or anything like that, but you mustn’t let your guard down, Grandpa.”

“Oh? Do you have any thoughts on the matter, Your Highness?”

“Yeah,……I don’t know, but I’ve been hearing a lot of noise about Claíomh Solas for a while now. There’s something in that fortress. Something that threatens us all.”

As she stroked the hilt of her holy sword.

“Hmmm,” Barzen said, his eyes growing grim.

“If Her Highness, the holder of the Holy Sword, says so, then her words are worth their weight in gold.We must strike a blow to the kingdom’s army ‘that’ before someone changes the course of the battlefield. ……?”

There was movement in the fortress of Blaine.

The gates, which had been tightly closed until now, were opened and soldiers came out from inside.

The soldiers who have emerged from the fortress are forming a formation under the direction of what appears to be a commander.

“They’ve come out of the fortress!　Don’t tell me you’re planning to fight a field battle with us!” 

According to the report of the secret agent, there are about 10,000 soldiers packed in the fortress of Blaine. In contrast, the imperial army is 30,000.

If it is a siege in a fortress or fortification, but if it is a battle on a plain where superiority in numbers is the difference between victory and defeat, the Empire will surely win. 

“Bazel Garst is not so incompetent that he cannot see that! Then we have a trump card to turn the tide!”

“Safaris, form up here as soon as possible! We’ll crush the kingdom’s army here!”

“Ha!”

Safaris ran at Barzen’s command.

The old general and the princess knight, who were left on the hill, stared down at the army of the Kingdom of Zain, which was forming a crane wing formation.

“Grandpa..”

“I know. We cannot be too careful in this war. If necessary, Your Highness, I would like you to be at the front.” 

“Yes, that’s what the holy sword is for.” 

As she squeezed the hilt of her sword, Claíomh Solas responded to his master with a pale spark.

“Until we know the identity of the enemy’s trump card, we ask you to exercise restraint. If by any chance the Princess is killed, we will be defeated.” 

“Yes, I know. But when the time comes, I won’t hesitate!” 

Barzen nodded with a tense look to Célia, who is humble and resolute.