Rest reported the information he had obtained from the boy to Vareiya Cattleya, the person in charge of defense.
The information Rest had obtained was also unexpected for Vareiya and the others. Those gathered in the fort's conference room wore grim expressions and sat in silence.
"Hmm... so this attack was also unwelcome to the foreign tribes?"
"A 'curse caster' pulling the strings behind the scenes... what could their goal be?"
Vareiya and Carius both frowned in unison.
The foreign tribes had been lying low for a long time. It seemed there was a mastermind behind this attack.
The identity of the one called the 'curse caster' was unknown, but... Vareiya spat out with a scowl.
"The curse caster's aim is most likely our kingdom. If so... the possible enemies naturally become limited."
"...!"
At Vareiya's words, Rest, Carius, and the others in the conference room stiffened.
The Kingdom of Aiwood had once been fraught with internal and external troubles, but the Third Prince Rodele Aiwood had been defeated, and the subversive elements called the 'Queen Dowager's Faction' had been purged.
With the 'internal troubles' gone, the only enemies left were the 'external threats'.
For the Kingdom of Aiwood, there were two external hostile forces. The first was the northern foreign tribes. The other was...
"The Gaiselle Empire...!"
Someone in the conference room muttered gravely.
The Gaiselle Empire bordered the Kingdom of Aiwood to the east.
At present, they had a non-aggression pact in place, but in the past they had clashed countless times and were considered a potential enemy.
On the surface, they engaged in trade and appeared to have built friendly relations, but many within the kingdom held negative feelings toward them.
"The Gaiselle Empire sent a 'curse caster'—that is, a magician—to kidnap some of the foreign tribes and, using them as hostages, incited them to invade our kingdom... does that logic hold?"
"Perhaps they intend to divert our attention to the north and then launch an attack from the east."
Carius added another speculation to Vareiya's words.
It wasn't based on any evidence. Perhaps it was nothing more than a completely off-base delusion.
But... if this prediction hit the mark, it would mean a resumption of hostilities with the Gaiselle Empire.
(Right now, the royal capital must be preparing reinforcements to send north. If they attacked while the center was weakened... maybe...!)
Rest swallowed hard.
The words 'national collapse' surfaced in his mind.
It was no exaggeration; a war would erupt on a scale incomparable to the civil war instigated by Rodele and Marquis Eiger.
"It seems we can't afford to focus only on the foreign tribes. I will send a messenger to the royal capital at once. I'll tell them not to send reinforcements north and to be on alert in the east."
"Hoh..."
Whose sigh was that...? A sigh leaked from the conference room.
This meant they would have to deal with the foreign tribes pressing down from the north with their current forces alone.
They couldn't expect reinforcements from the royal capital. A feeling of despair spread through the conference room.
(I'd be relieved if the foreign tribes withdrew quickly... but if the fighting drags on, that would be a real pain...)
Rest's expression also turned somber.
Thinking "I don't want that" was a selfish thought, like a child's whim, but he truly didn't want to, and it would be a serious problem.
On top of everything else, Rest had his own work of frontier development in his domain.
His fiancée was surely waiting for his return at the mansion, and he had no desire to stay long in a fort whose living conditions were far from ideal.
(How much value do the hostages hold for them? That will decide how long the battle drags on. If they launch a desperate, all-out assault, how long can this fort hold out...?)
The fort had sustained considerable damage from the attack the other day.
The soldiers had also sustained casualties, and morale was dropping.
If no reinforcements came in this situation… morale would only fall further.
"Could it be… that it's truly this bad?"
The mutter, voiced at a volume unheard by those around, spoke for the true feelings of everyone in the conference room.