——Near the border between Baim and Zayin, units had been dispatched from the Zayin side.
The one entrusted with commanding a force numbering over a thousand was Crate Benini. With his hair neatly styled, he waited mounted near the border. This was in anticipation of Banseim beginning its movement and committing acts of plunder.
However, he was not deployed to protect Baim's villages, but to safeguard Zayin's territory—to protect the people of Zayin.
Crate's subordinate rode up to him on horseback.
"Captain Crate!"
"What is it?"
"More people from Baim have poured in. They're asking for protection."
And indeed, this was also to prevent the influx of people fleeing from Baim. It wasn't that they refused to accept them. It was just that Baim and Zayin treated their citizens differently—and the Baim side didn't understand that.
"Turn them back! We cannot proceed any further."
Seeing Crate's frustrated expression, his subordinate spurred his horse away. Initially, Zayin had also rescued the people who flowed in from Baim. But Baim was a peculiar land. Merchants dominated, military force relied on adventurers... their values were too different.
What they called "protection" was a request to guard their village. And they believed that if they paid a reward, they would be helped.
"...We are now knights of Zayin. Why can't they understand that?"
Unlike Crate, who had aspired to be a knight, the people of Baim didn't really understand kings, knights, or other countries—
——At the Temple of Zayin.
There, Aura Zayin sat as the Saintess in an ornate chair. At her sides was the previous Saintess, Selma Zayin. Opposite them sat the High Priest, Gastone Bonini. In what resembled a meeting room with a table, the three were facing a merchant who ran a large shop in a major city of Baim.
Perhaps also serving a role like a village head, he was a man who conducted trade in a fairly large town in the north. And since Zayin was closer than Baim's urban centers, he had come seeking aid.
His rank was lower than merchants who would typically deal with someone like the Saintess even in Zayin, and since he only did business in Baim, his attitude was problematic.
"Why?! I will pay the reward! The surrounding villages have already been attacked—some have been massacred! I'm not asking for thousands. Five hundred would be fine. Please, send soldiers!"
He was probably desperate to protect his own life and property, but Aura simply leaned an elbow on the armrest and rested her cheek on her hand in front of such a merchant. Her posture slumped, and Gastone glared at her disapprovingly for her attitude, but she ignored it.
Aura had figured that someone who showed no manners deserved the same in return.
"I understand the situation is dire. We've also deployed troops to the border. Under these circumstances, we can't send soldiers over there. Besides… we can't just freely send troops into Baim territory! And another thing — why should I need to send soldiers for your sake?"
That was when Selma, standing beside her, stepped in to restrain Aura.
"Aura! …I apologize for her behavior. However, please understand our position as well. Crossing the border without authorization would be detrimental to Zayin. Refugees who have lost their homes are already streaming into Zayin, and we are doing our best to accept them. But that alone is stretching us to our limit."
The merchant, unconvinced by Selma's explanation, slammed his fist on the table and laid out the situation once more.
"Why can't you understand?! If Baim falls, Zayin could be next! Is it the Goddess's will that we simply turn a blind eye to Banseim's atrocities here and now?!"
The merchant did have a point.
If Banseim were left unchecked, Zayin would indeed be in danger. But would saving one town in Baim, along with a handful of villages, really change anything? It wouldn't.
Gastone spoke up.
"I sympathize with your position. And what you've said certainly cannot be ignored. It can't be helped, but… Baim is the one that provoked Banseim's wrath. What would you have us do — get dragged into this alongside you? Do you think we could win by sending troops against an army of over three hundred thousand? We have no desire to provoke Banseim any further. I hope you can understand."
The merchant's face turned crimson.
"Then what are we supposed to do?! Are you telling us to just sit here and be killed?! You worship the Goddess, yet you're telling us to die?!"
Aura snorted at the merchant. After all, what the merchant was saying was true. And precisely because it was true, she could do nothing but laugh.
"Well, aren't you full of fire. The Baim side — the one that spent years profiting off Zayin as their battlefield — sure talks differently from the rest. You come here and tell us to march into a war we can't win, all for your sake. You're so arrogant it's almost refreshing."
The merchant averted his gaze from Aura. Perhaps the things they had done over the years flashed through his mind.
Then Selma threw out a lifeline.
"…However, we can't simply leave Banseim's atrocities unchecked forever either. In that case, let me propose a condition."
"A condition? What is it?! If it's money, I can have whatever amount ready right away—"
Selma said with a gentle smile:
"Accept Zayin's rule. That would give us justification to deploy Zayin's soldiers. After all, it would be to protect our own territory."
The merchant heard Selma's words and could not speak.
---It was before the town the raiding force had targeted as their next destination, where they had halted their advance for a discussion.
Under a hastily erected canopy, the Baron and his retainers held council. They had summoned the mercenary band's leader and were confirming the situation.
"That place was Baim territory, wasn't it? I can see Zayin's banners, though."
The mercenary band leader shook his head.
"Up until not long ago, it was unquestionably Baim territory! Besides, it's located across the river. It's unnatural for Zayin to have pushed this far in!"
The Baron listened to this report and turned to his retainers for their opinions.
"So that appears to be the situation... If the opponent truly turns out to be Zayin, this could become troublesome."
One of the retainers, a Knight Baron, offered a hawkish opinion.
"We should simply storm in. We have an army of three hundred thousand. There is no need to worry about some petty nation like Zayin."
However, another retainer -- an elderly knight -- counseled against it.
"We should withdraw. The reports confirm their soldiers are present as well. Fighting would mean casualties on our side, and Zayin has reportedly formed alliances with nations in the Four-Nation Alliance. Moreover, it isn't three hundred thousand troops standing here -- it's only us."
The mercenary band leader spoke up to those knights.
"It's a bluff. We should just attack. Besides, that town is close to the border with Zayin and has stockpiled a great deal of goods."
But the Baron's answer was a cautious one.
"...The date to regroup draws near. Being unable to arrive in time is out of the question. If it will take time, we prioritize the rendezvous."
"Wh—?!"
The mercenary band leader looked visibly displeased at being unable to carry out the plunder he had been counting on.
Upon returning to South Baim, I received intelligence that Banseim had scattered across Baim to conduct raids, and I moved our strategy to the next phase.
In the conference room, I had called for Miranda and Aria, and had also asked Adele and Maxim to attend.
"Any rescue requests from nearby villages?"
Adele shook her head.
"Since Lyle has made enemies of Baim's upper echelons, I don't think the surrounding villages will be asking for help."
Aria looked somewhat frustrated.
"Come on, the rumors have already spread by now."
It was frustrating for them not being able to help, but from our perspective, we needed Baim's people to shed some blood. That said, personal feelings were a separate matter. It was entirely possible to help them—we could evacuate them and take them in.
But Baim's people hadn't accepted that. And their response was strikingly sluggish. Miranda, exasperated, remarked:
"Being too peaceful is something worth considering, too. I wonder if they still can't believe it, or if they're just underestimating the situation—either way, they're slow to move."
Maxim crossed his arms and spoke.
"...The situation is quite different from Banseim, where there are minor skirmishes somewhere nearly every year. Still, having nearly one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers sitting out of the raid is something else. They can't very well launch a direct assault on our main force either."
We never had any intention of doing that in the first place, but it was certainly troublesome. However, the fact that soldiers remained at the main camp meant the nearly one hundred and fifty thousand on the move were armies belonging to the Landed Nobility. That made them perfect targets for picking off one by one. The Seventh Generation studied the map spread across the table along with the arrangement of pieces.
"If we wipe out the units dispatched for the raid, will the main force move toward us first, or will they send an overwhelming number we can't deal with... Ideally, I'd like to properly strike at their elite forces. It's about time something happened—"
While the Seventh Generation was waiting for movement, the Valkyries entered the conference room. The mass-produced Valkyries still wore blue armor and had black hair, just as before. However, compared to before, changes could be seen in their armor and mechanical components.
Thanks to Damian and Grandpa Ratata, their performance had been upgraded. With the Valkyries was Shannon, who had brought tea to the conference room. Everyone was busy, and Shannon was helping out.
"These automata don't even breathe, yet they boss me around like this!"
Shannon turned toward Miranda with teary eyes. But Miranda smiled brightly.
"Get to work, Shannon."
Shannon set down the tea she had brought on the table and grumbled:
"I am working! Seriously, I'm working my tail off!"
Huffing with irritation, she placed the tea for everyone and left the room. The Valkyries waited to confirm that everyone had laughed and watched Shannon leave before speaking to me.
"Master, there's a letter from the fortress."
"It's here!"
Upon receiving it, I read the contents aloud.
"Contact was a success. The target is isolated... The main force is growing impatient trying to score a victory! This is it!"
Overjoyed, I turned to Aria and Miranda with a grin.
"We're heading out to help the neighboring villages. Aria, Miranda, and... send out Baldoa too! We'll give the enemy, who's desperate for a win, an excuse to come our way. Let's get ready to surround and crush them. Set up the traps as well."
The Valkyries looked my way.
"What about our allies inside the fortress? We should inform them, or they might get caught in the crossfire."
I didn't even need to think about it.
"Tell them the trap layout so they can take a detour. If they link up with us after that, we can deal a massive blow to Banseim's forces!"
Then, Adele looked worried.
"...Will it really go that smoothly? I mean, I'm the one who made contact in the first place, but there are quite a few people who are uneasy about this."
Adele, anxious. Everyone in the conference room turned their gaze toward Maxim. At that, Maxim snapped out of it and encouraged Adele. Amid the fierce battle that awaited us, I felt a small measure of relief.
—Redant Fortress.
There, Bread had just broken the seal on Laiel's letter and was smiling before the two baronets.
"It appears Laiel couldn't let this situation stand and has decided to make his move. He must think we're the ones who are desperate, or he's calculated that we don't have many troops to deploy. And look — he's even been kind enough to write out the trap locations in detail."
The two baronets praised Bread.
"This is all thanks to you, Commander of the Royal Guard. The rumor that a Knight Baron acted on Laiel's scheme, and that General Broa is trying to drive out the other generals — it was well worth spreading."
"Because those rumors surfaced, Broa came under suspicion. For now, this should suffice. Once the Commander of the Royal Guard secures a victory and we have official evidence prepared..."
Bread raised a hand with a smile, signaling the two baronets to stop.
"Then that sounds as though I fabricated the evidence. I'd hate for that to be misunderstood. After all, the mountain crossing was Broa's suggestion in the first place."
Bread had prepared a narrative: that it was Broa's fault for recommending the mountain crossing, which led to his failure to arrive at the battlefield in time.
Bread had eliminated the Knight Baron who had been contacting the generals under the pretense of carrying letters from Laiel, and in doing so, had isolated Broa. The letter stated that Laiel's forces could be handled as long as they numbered no more than five thousand, and upon reading it, Bread had been unable to stop laughing.
(Then I can defeat Laiel with just my own forces. That's five times the strength they're planning to field. No matter how cunning their tricks, they won't be able to fight against those numbers.)
Bread studied the letter detailing the placement of traps and the locations where Laiel and his allies were hiding, resting his chin on his hand.
"...Once Laiel's forces make their move and the armies of the Landed Nobility suffer casualties, I'll volunteer for the suppression unit. Of course, you'll follow my lead, won't you?"
The two baronets nodded with smiles on their faces.
"Of course. And if you could report our contributions to Central as well, that would be appreciated."
Bread assured them that promises were meant to be kept, all while laughing inwardly.
(This is the difference between you and me, Laiel. You're drowning in your own schemes. You probably think you've done well, but I'm several levels above you.)
Bread, imagining himself knowing Laiel's strategy and then defeating him on that basis, was growing excited. He rose to begin preparations for Sortie, and departed with the two baronets in tow——.