Inside the fortress.
In what appeared to be a conference room, I received the intelligence May had gathered from her reconnaissance and moved the pieces on the map accordingly.
With all the key members assembled in the conference room, there were three large pieces on the map.
Crate shouted.
"Th-three thousand! W-wait, no, but this fortress has soldiers gathered from the surrounding areas too. We've got three hundred combat-capable men. So maybe, this number is manageable..."
He was about to say we could somehow make it work, but then Crate pressed his hand to his mouth and fell deep into thought.
I looked at the map.
(Three thousand soldiers, elite troops dispatched from the capital... and a whole array of siege weapons to boot. Could this be their prized force?)
I turned my gaze to Selma. Upon hearing the number three thousand, she had clasped her hands together in front of her chest. It looked almost like she was praying.
"Selma, does three thousand represent nearly all of Zayin's military forces? Ah, I mean the forces stationed in the capital."
Selma replied to me.
"I can't exactly call it a bare-bones number. Wars decreased drastically during my generation, so the population grew. By conscripting from the surrounding regions as well, we could have maintained four thousand, I believe."
Gastone spoke up.
"Add the regional units to that, and the total comes to fifteen thousand. They haven't pulled troops from the border, then."
He seemed to think we couldn't fulfill our role, but I shook my head.
"That's more than enough. Are the capital's troops higher in quality than the regional ones?"
The visual data streaming in from May, combined with my Skill, Spec, fed me numerical figures indicating that the enemy held an equipment advantage over us.
Selma said to me.
"Their training and equipment quality is superior to the regional troops. However, during my generation, I had kept their numbers limited to one thousand—"
Arms are a necessity, but at the same time, they're expensive to maintain. Even if you scrape together that many men from the populace, the lengths you'd have to go to just to train them and outfit them properly…
(Defending from the fortress doesn't mean we can't win, right?)
Just as I was thinking that, a theatrical voice echoed from within the Jewel. It was the Third Generation.
"How could this happen! The enemy has sent three thousand elite troops our way!"
Then the Fourth Generation.
"Normally, if they knew our numbers, they'd assume we had at most a thousand. I wonder if the enemy commander is competent or not."
The Fifth Generation spoke.
"We can win this defensively, but we'll lose the war."
I'm not saying we can't defeat three thousand enemies. But we won't be able to move on to the next step. And if that happens, we won't be able to achieve what we actually set out to do.
The Seventh Generation as well.
"If they've assessed us correctly, they're a rather capable commander. After all, with three thousand troops, they'd believe they could repel even a surprise attack in open battle."
Right. The terrain from Neunirl Fortress stretches out as flatland. Meaning, in open battle, numbers will inevitably tip the scales.
But the Third Generation and the others—
"Then we just don't have to fight, right? Leaving your own base wide open like that is pretty bold! I'd never do that!"
"Abandon the fortress! And our goal should be—"
"The capital. Given our remaining forces, that's the better option."
"We should bolster our numbers by passing through villages along the way. It seems the capital and the provinces have different levels of awareness."
—I decided to abandon the fortress.
When I touched the Jewel, the Third Generation explained.
"We could win, but our casualties would mount, and there's a good chance we'd be pinned down and unable to move. Besides, they've brought siege weapons, which means their movement speed is slow. On the other hand, we're a small force… There are several roads leading to the capital, and they have the numbers to be overconfident. Wow, the conditions are almost too favorable—it's honestly terrifying."
The information May was sending me was being displayed precisely in my mind by my Skills. They were ostensibly on guard, but their movements made it obvious they were underestimating us.
The Fifth Generation spoke.
"Besides, if we let the Zayin subjects beat each other to a pulp, it'll only cause us trouble later. And on top of that… if the elite units are mostly capital-born, then we've got the advantage playing defense."
I thought.
(But they have the terrain advantage? And even if we take the capital, will they really move exactly the way we want? If the populace resists, it's over.)
Then I noticed the members around me staring at me with worried expressions. The Seventh Generation's voice came through.
"Lyle, don't forget what the Sixth Generation said. Have confidence… don't make your subordinates anxious. Besides, this battle is going quite a bit in our favor."
Even though it went against my own judgment, I decided to trust the Successive Heads if that was what they said. I raised my head, smiled, and addressed everyone.
"We're abandoning the fortress. Then we'll recruit soldiers in each village and town along the way, and head straight for the capital. Gastone, could you point me toward some easy-to-recruit villages? Ah, we'll need to avoid anything along the enemy's line of advance."
When I said that, everyone was dumbstruck.
Aria, looking at me, spoke up on behalf of everyone's concerns.
"Wait, the capital… are you serious? Their defenses there are even stronger than here, right?"
It was Eva who answered, also looking at me.
"Normally, wouldn't you take the surrounding fortresses first before going for something like that?"
Then the Third Generation's voice came from within the Jewel.
"That's not right at all. No matter how ceremonial it may be… the king… no, in this case, it's the Holy Maiden. If we seize the Holy Maiden, the moment we do, it's our victory. Whether it's ceremonial or not makes no difference to the populace. Anyway, plans have gone sideways, but let's have some fun with it!"
I replied with a grin.
"It's fine. It just means things will be easier than planned. And while we're at it, let's head to the capital posing as a mercenary band. All right, let's get started on preparations."
I clapped twice, and everyone's expressions snapped to attention.
And then, I was about to lighten the mood with a little joke—
"Come now, let's have some fun!"
When I said that, everyone's faces fell. I had meant to lighten the mood, but as it turns out, cracking jokes just isn't my forte.
—This was a town near the border between Zayin and Rolfis.
Mercenary bands that had sided with Zayin had gathered here, waiting with bated breath for the order to march.
But when the word arrived, it turned out that the Knight Commander—the supreme commander himself—had already departed for Fortress Neunill to crush the former Saints who had risen up.
Once again, the operation was postponed.
Many of the mercenary bands had signed on for a pittance. The reason was simple: they had been granted free rein to plunder Rolfis, with no limit on what they could take.
But if they couldn't advance, there was nothing to plunder. The skirmishes on the front lines didn't generate real income, and the mercenaries' frustration was mounting with each passing day.
In this place, Albano was having a drink with one of the mercenary commanders.
"Dammit! I should've gone somewhere else instead!"
The commander slammed his cup down on the round little table and let his grievances be known. Albano felt the same way.
"Yeah, I know. Hired for cheap and told to wait around. You'd earn more working anywhere else."
The commander seemed to share the same opinion. But there was a reason he was drinking with Albano.
"Albano, was that Holy Knight Order in Baim the real deal? And the former Saint who founded it only has about a hundred soldiers under her command?"
That was the real reason—for intelligence gathering.
"Yeah, that's right. In Baim, that's all they've got. But there's a pretty well-known person in there. That one's the real talent."
The commander showed no reaction to that. So Albano went on.
"There's a chance the Knight Commander could actually lose."
The commander laughed.
"Well now, wouldn't that be something! If those holy-knight pretenders among the nobles go down, that's where we come in."
Albano said, sounding exasperated.
"You're an idiot. If the de facto Knight Commander actually loses, it's over. If three thousand elite soldiers from the capital can't win, how are you supposed to beat Rolfis?"
Hearing this, the Commander brought a hand to his chin. Numerically, they held the advantage, but Rolfis was a national crisis.
He could expect fierce resistance.
Albano then—
"Besides, just a hundred people. Even if you round up to four hundred or five hundred, would you really send three thousand against them? The top brass in Zayin are supposedly desperate to have the former Saintess disappear. Word is they might have something shady going on."
The Commander slammed his palm down on the table in front of Albano. When Albano moved it aside, several silver coins sat there.
"Tell me. Depending on what it is, I'll pay extra."
As the man entrusted with his subordinates' lives, the Commander wanted to know facts he didn't already possess. Depending on the matter, it could save them from a terrible outcome.
Albano pocketed the coins, took a sip of his drink, then—
"Generous of you. Fine, I'll share something good. Intelligence I picked up in Baim—Selva's been acting strangely passive. They've got the Second Prince stationed there as a son-in-law, you know? And what's more, the former Saintess fled into Baim before the Holy Knights' elite unit even moved in to eliminate her."
The Commander spoke.
"Proof?"
Albano drew the short sword hanging at his hip and set it on the table. A blade bearing no crest whatsoever—the kind of short sword the Holy Knights carried.
Of course, an assassination squad wouldn't carry anything that identified them. It was weak as evidence.
"I got it from a friend who took down one of them. The former Saintess must've been sitting on some seriously dangerous information."
"That won't hold up as proof."
(Makes sense. But as long as this makes him think Rael and I are connected, that'll do. Now I just need to—)
"Don't rush me. The attack itself was real. Fleeing to Baim is a fact, and gathering people is a fact. That's why they sent an elite force to the Neunir Fortress. This whole war—Selva might be the one pulling strings behind the scenes. They could be planning to finish off Rolfis on the cheap after we've already softened them up."
The Commander.
"For what purpose?"
"Who knows... but if they help Rolfis when it's on its last legs, wouldn't that boost Selva's influence?"
In other words, Arbarno was hinting that we mercenaries were being set up as sacrifices.
—Neunir Fortress.
There, Arman could be seen on horseback, his face frozen in disbelief.
"...What is the meaning of this?"
They had surrounded the fortress, assembled siege weapons, and launched their assault. From the moment they'd arrived, not a single enemy had been spotted, so they'd sent scouts to search the surrounding area.
Yet even after the attack on the fortress began, there was no response whatsoever. The gates had been easily destroyed, and when the soldiers charged in, the place was completely empty.
The messenger who came to report said:
"Knight Commander! They... they left this."
What the messenger held out was a single sheet of paper.
On it was written:
"We'll be taking the capital. Race back before it falls."
That was what it said, and Arman crushed the paper in his fist.
"That wretched woman! All forces, return to the capital immediately!"
Wretched woman—that referred to Selma.
Then the deputy commander, a knight, spoke up:
"Please wait! We've been on forced marches this entire time. The soldiers are visibly exhausted. And if we have to disassemble the siege weapons and move out—"
"Fool! We only need those who can move now! At this rate, the capital will fall!"
Then the deputy:
"That's absurd. The enemy numbers five hundred at most. Besides, the capital still has nearly a thousand troops. It won't be that easy—"
Arman heard this and muttered, "Indeed," but unease lingered.
"—All the same! We're going back immediately! Hurry up and reorganize the troops!"
The deputy answered, but his expression was one of doubt toward Arman—.
—The capital of Zayin.
The city gates should have been tightly shut.
But the gates were open. Enemy soldiers had poured in. And yet, there were no signs that the gates had been forced.
They had been caught off guard, but somehow the enemy had slipped in and opened the gates.
They had allowed the enemy to storm the temple.
Knights clad in armor had turned their weapons against the enemy that had broken into the temple. What the knights were protecting was Remis—the Saint.
The enemy before them wore armor of blue and white, splattered with blood. They wore helmets with masks, their faces hidden from view.
Remis trembled as she looked at the knight leading the enemy force.
"What do you want?! What are you supposed to be?!"
At Remis's words, the knights charged at the enemy, but they were cut down by the enemy wielding a saber in their right hand.
The most conspicuous enemy knight flicked the blood from their saber and addressed Remis, who was surrounded by priestesses.
"Remis Zayin, I presume."
As the trembling Remis failed to respond, a familiar girl walked out from behind the enemy knight. The enemy parted, and it was Aura who strode forward to stand before her with commanding poise.
"I'm certain of it. It's you, Remis..."
Seeing Aura's expression, which held a trace of sorrow, Remis—
"Do you have any idea what you've done?! This is rebellion! You're doing this just because you lost to me—don't you dare think this will go unpunished!"
Then Aura spoke.
"Were you hoping Serba would come to your aid?"
Remis flinched, her gaze darting away. Aura didn't seem to miss it.
"...I know you were working together with Serba."
Remis flew into a rage.
"So what?! I don't know about that old hag, but that's Zayin, isn't it! That's how it's always been!"
Aura let out a sigh.
"I knew it."
Remis hurriedly looked away from Aura.
(What's going on? Wasn't that fool Arman heading for the fortress? Did these people actually take Arman down?)
Fear gripped Remis as she tried to gauge the scale of her opponents.
(They killed three thousand and stormed in here? What's going on... Doesn't a siege require three times the attacking force?)
Then a female knight clad in armor extended threads from her fingertips, binding Remis and the shrine maiden. Collapsed on the floor, Remis looked up at Aura.
"Hah, what's with those slutty-looking clothes! I can see every flat inch of your chest!"
Even as she put on a defiant front, Aura crouched down and spoke to her.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to die."
"...What?"
Remis stared at Aura's smiling face, hers draining of all color — .
After locking the saintesses in a room, we marched to the temple and made our grand declaration.
"The Holy Maiden Remis has fallen before the true Holy Maiden — Aura Zayin! Throw down your weapons! Surrender, and your lives will be spared!"
When Gastone made his declaration in the square before the temple, the townsfolk had already gathered. They listened in stunned silence to the outcome of a rebellion that had ended in the blink of an eye.
The soldiers stationed on the city walls had rushed back to the temple upon hearing the commotion, only to find that everything was already over.
I watched the scene unfold, keeping a lookout for anyone acting suspiciously.
Dressed in light — very light, purely for show — armor, I used my Connection Skill to stay in contact with members of the separate strike teams.
"Aria, how's things over there?"
A reply came from Aria.
"The knights have disarmed. Honestly, I don't think they had any idea how many troops we were holding."
Before dawn, May had transported our assault team — us — onto the city walls and opened the city gates.
From there, we charged straight in and pushed all the way to the temple.
At daybreak, it hadn't even taken that long for everything to come to an end.
I checked in with Eva.
"Eva, what about the walls?"
"The gates are shut, and the enemy hasn't shown up either. I mean, even if they rush back, it'll take them a few days at least, right?"
Inside the temple.
There were still holdouts barricaded inside, and those were being handled by Crate and the others.
I had Novem and Miranda guide the way, relaying the locations where enemies were hiding.
"Miranda, there are guys hiding in the next room."
"Got it."
Inside my head, red, blue, and yellow markers were moving across the map. It would have been possible to share that information with everyone, but since they weren't used to it, it would only give them headaches.
I relayed the intel as we cleared out the temple room by room.
"Don't go overboard with the killing."
That was what Miranda said.
"As long as they don't resist."
With that, Selma stepped forward before the people and began to deliver a speech. She was trying to introduce Aura as part of her persuasion.
I decided to focus my attention on that.
(There are around six hundred of us... we have to take this place no matter what.)
We had gathered soldiers as we moved, and that was how we had marched into the capital.
The armor I wore was a fake that Monika had prepared. The reason it was so light was that they had used not just metal but wood as well, just enough to make it look convincing.
After all, there had been no time to prepare properly.
(Damn it, why is everything always down to the wire like this?)
I was panicking inside, but outwardly I watched Selma and Aura's speeches with composure.
Voices came from the Jewel.
Starting from the Third Generation in order.
"Now the Holy Maiden is in our hands."
"The treasury is secured as well."
"If that's the case, the mercenaries' movements will change."
"Hmm... I need to go notify Rolfis. That the time has come."
They were in high spirits. As always, they were reliable in moments like these.
But the voices I could hear had grown fewer. Feeling a pang of loneliness, I listened to the speeches while keeping careful watch over our surroundings.