The Banseim forces, whose Redant Fortress had been seized by the South Baim forces under Lyle's command. Upon receiving the report, they dispatched 60,000 troops—nearly half their available fighting force—in the opposite direction from Baim.
This was to prevent their main army from being caught in a pincer attack by both the Baim and South Baim forces. The march would carry them toward Redant Fortress while they searched for the South Baim forces along the way.
Half their fighting force—but not all of it belonged to the Landed Nobility. For the Landed Nobility, being unable to plunder Baim was a problem.
On top of that, since the supreme commander had sent the Landed Nobility's forces into Baim first, it was the Landed Nobility that bore the brunt of the damage.
Soldiers who had lost their lords and could no longer fight.
The Landed Nobility maintained patron and vassal relationships as well. Houses of baron rank or above had subordinate relationships with baronet and Knight Baron houses. When a vassal lord fell, his forces would be absorbed into the patron's unit.
However, when the patron was lost, things didn't work that way.
The Banseim forces tried to gather and reorganize the soldiers whose lords had been killed. However, they couldn't replicate Central's system, where soldiers whose captain fell would simply be reassigned to a different unit.
Relations between territories were poor. Moreover, villages of origin were hostile to one another. Relatives had been killed... for a variety of reasons, reorganization was not progressing.
A subordinate reported to the supreme commander.
"The reorganized units are fighting amongst themselves and taking casualties. They're ignoring the orders of the knights we dispatched... saying they won't take orders from anyone other than their lord."
The supreme commander felt a headache setting in.
"Do you have any idea what situation we're in?! This is exactly why I can't stand the Landed Nobility—they cause problems whether they're alive or dead! Find lords who are still breathing and give them fighting strength to lend out!"
The subordinate shook his head.
"Th-that's just it... they're refusing reinforcements beyond the main army. They say they can't afford to look after soldiers from other territories as things stand. On top of that, with the traitor having come from within the Landed Nobility themselves, the mood is one of suspicion."
The report stated that a baronet-class noble had been the traitor. Because of this, the Landed Nobility were reluctant to accept troops from other lords. Even vassal units that had lost their patron would become a burden if allowed to join, and since military obligations differed from territory to territory, they wanted to avoid hastily incorporating them into the fight.
Normally they would have moved to secure even a small amount of additional fighting strength, but ever since receiving word from Redant Fortress, the Landed Nobility had become cautious.
And then—
"Messenger! The position we prepared inside Baim has been burned to the ground!"
The messenger who dashed into the command tent brought word that the encampment they had established at the recaptured position had been burned to the ground once again.
"Damn it—they're luring us in so they can strike. What is the field commander doing? That much should be obvious."
The messenger delivered his report to the supreme commander.
"B-but, sir. Without doing so, there are no places to rest inside Baim. The field commander proposes withdrawing from inside Baim, reorganizing the troops, and launching a fresh assault."
Fighting inside the city was even more constricted than they had imagined—the buildings were packed so tightly together that space was severely limited. And the conditions worked to the adventurers' advantage. Even when trying to surround them in numbers, without knowledge of the terrain, the enemies could slip through hidden passages and escape the encirclement.
On the contrary, their own forces were being isolated and whittled down one unit after another. Of course, Baim's side wasn't unscathed either. If they pushed through, they could still win. But an army of thirty thousand—the very force that had crushed the elite units in the rear—was now aiming for them. Any further losses would damage the supreme commander's reputation.
"...I'll respect the field commander's assessment. Pull them out and prioritize reorganizing the troops."
The supreme commander poured his efforts into the reorganization of his forces—.
—The sixty thousand troops searching for the South Baim army had dispatched units across the area from a position some distance away from Baim. Because many of the mercenaries familiar with the terrain had been killed during the assault on Baim, they were forced to send out a large number of units to scout the enemy's movements.
If a unit failed to return, they considered the possibility that the enemy was there—.
"All units have returned on schedule. However, we were unable to locate the enemy. General, shouldn't we proceed to South Baim as planned? Once their homeland comes under threat, they'll have no choice but to show themselves."
Hearing his subordinate's words, the general entrusted with sixty thousand troops fell into deep thought.
"South Baim hasn't even been under development for a year. What good is attacking a place like that? If it's been abandoned, we'd find nothing. And the moment we leave, the enemy could easily close in on our main force."
The general had convinced himself that South Baim's level of development, judged by the short time since its founding, was hardly worth the effort—but his primary objective was to guard the rear of the main army.
"As long as we protect the main force's back, that's all that matters. If an army of thirty thousand is on the move, their route is inevitably limited."
Facing an enemy that could strike at any moment, Banseim's forces remained on high alert—.
—Ship after ship was steadily entering Baim's port, each one carrying reinforcements.
When the first wave arrived from the port of Galleria, Aria had come to the harbor to welcome Lyle. She watched the Vera Trace, which had been on standby at Galleria's port, arrive and observed the reinforcement troops disembark as she waited for Lyle.
Horses and supplies were unloaded one after another, and when Vera descended from the ship, Aria rushed over to her.
"Hey, where's Lyle? Don't tell me something happened?"
To the worried Aria, Vera blushed slightly and averted her gaze.
"Y-yeah. He's fine, but if you ask if anything happened... well, the timing, you know. Just a few days ago he was completely worn out, but then suddenly this morning—"
Aria stared at Vera's face.
"Hold on. Tell me exactly what happened! Don't tell me that idiot—right at this moment—"
Then, as if resigned, Vera continued.
"Well, suddenly this morning, he started cackling like a maniac. 'Right now?' I thought, but we were just about to arrive here, you know? We were in a hurry. I'd have liked it if he could have calmed down a bit on the ship, but—"
From the ship, Gracia and Eliza descended, both smiling. Watching them head towards their subordinates, Aria covered her face with her right hand.
"Why does he always do this at the most important times?"
Right after that.
An explosion and a shockwave struck everyone. Aria scanned her surroundings. She'd thought it might be a major assault from Banseim, but the Valkyries around her remained calm, so she let her guard down. Then, in her line of sight, she saw the building that had exploded.
In the heart of Baim—the Guild building had been blown apart. Black smoke billowed up as the building, a proud symbol of Baim itself, crumbled.
When another explosion occurred, Clara, who had appeared out of nowhere, was standing behind Aria.
"Ah~ Mr. Lyle really did it. Could've made it a bit more spectacular, though."
"Clara!"
Seeing Clara with a different aura than usual, Aria looked at Vera. Vera shrugged before explaining.
"She's been working really hard on various things, including looking after Lyle. And when you do that, well... she collapsed a few days ago."
Then, Aria was surprised to see Selma, who had appeared out of nowhere with Clara.
"W-why are you here?!"
Selma had her hand on her cheek, which was slightly flushed.
"Well, Mr. Lyle collapsed, and I thought you might need extra hands. I am a Holy Maiden, after all, so I have various knowledge about treatment and such. I also have a Mana Tool for that, and I figured I might be able to help."
Clara watched Selma and grinned.
"She was incredibly easy too. Well, they were all easy, to be honest. But if Mr. Lyle were always that proactive in his daily life—"
Aria grabbed both of Clara's shoulders and shook her violently back and forth.
"Hey, what happened?! Tell me properly!"
"W-wait! When someone with superhuman strength like Aria shakes me, someone as frail as I am, it's just too much—"
Just then, Monica and the others leaped down from the ship. When Aria looked their way, Monica wore a look of frustration.
"What an utter disgrace! That Chicken actually had a special trick like that... It's your fault I'm late! Damn it... The way he said, 'Baim, the time has come for me to fall,' striking that pose—I saved it and was so excited, and now this happens!"
With that, Monica dashed off. Valkyrie One and Two gave chase after her.
"It's because you're always in that state, getting in our way!"
"Catching up is the priority right now!"
The fleeing Monica and the others headed toward the exploded Guild headquarters. Aria watched them go, then lightly slapped the cheek of Clara, whose eyes were spinning.
"Hey, what exactly are you planning? Blowing things up out of nowhere—"
Then Selma answered Aria's question.
"Apparently, he said the symbol of Baim is no longer needed. From now on, he himself will be the symbol. Lord Lyle really is something, isn't he?"
Aria slowly lowered Clara to the ground, then broke into a run as if to chase after Monica and the others—.
"Fantastic!!!"
Spreading both arms wide, I looked up at the exploding, blazing Guild headquarters and screamed toward the sky. Ah, a lot had happened, but seeing the Guild headquarters blown to bits like this filled me with a sense of exhilaration.
The Seventh Generation inside the Jewel was overjoyed as well.
*"The performance of the explosives has improved, hasn't it! What a splendid explosion! But Lyle—no, Lyle-san is truly artistic when it comes to explosions. To blow it up so beautifully!"*
The Third Generation was equally delighted.
*"Ever since we were on the ship, the Best Lyle candidates kept piling up, but who would've thought you'd actually blow up the symbol of Baim once we got here — now THAT'S what I call magnificent. Man, another huge haul this time. Especially the way you handled that three-way hellish mess was absolute perfection. You created the whole thing yourself and then resolved it on top of it... flawless, Lyle!"*
I could feel the blast wave and the rumble of collapsing buildings against my body as I watched the ceiling section come crashing down to ground level. The barrels packed with gunpowder we had placed throughout the building were still detonating, sending vibrations rippling through me.
"Well, it was in the way. For me, and for the future of Baim. Think of it as a festival celebrating the birth of the new Baim."
Smoke billowed up around me, and I watched it from what was essentially a front-row seat. Having the symbol of Baim still standing was inconvenient for me. When I considered removing it... I figured I might as well make it spectacular.
Just then, Aria — who had used her Skill to get here — landed on the rooftop of the building I was standing on, drenched in sweat. She slid in with so much momentum that roof tiles were popping off and shattering everywhere.
"I found you!!"
"Oh no, I've been found. Aria, impressive tracking. Is this love? Wonderful, love! Aria, I love you tooooo! Whoops!"
Aria closed in on me and grabbed me by the collar. Her cheeks were faintly flushed — she was probably trying to hide her embarrassment. That sort of thing was incredibly endearing.
"What do you think you're doing?! Do you have any idea what kind of situation this is? We've *finally* managed to get the reconstruction on track and all the preparations are coming together!"
I clasped Aria's hand where she was gripping my collar and spoke with a dead-serious expression.
"Sorry. ...I just wanted to be noticed."
At that, her face turned even redder, so I pulled her into a hug.
"You think I'm going to forgive you for a reason like—"
"Just hear me out. There was nobody inside the building. Nobody in the surrounding area either. The doors were locked, sure, but all the expensive belongings had already been removed. It looks like the merchants and Guild executives seriously abandoned Baim."
Aria, still caught in my embrace, offered a half-hearted resistance — though she clearly wasn't trying all that hard.
"Th-then we should've gone in first to resist—"
"Exactly. If the situation turns around and we win, they'll come back. And Baim might even accept them back. Even if they don't, Baim could end up declaring independence right here, centered on this spot, regardless of what we want. That's why I needed to destroy the symbol of Baim and plant a new one in the hearts of its residents."
The Third Generation spoke up from inside the Jewel.
*"Even if they don't take the merchants back, there's still the possibility they won't accept Lyle either. That's why the symbol of Baim had to go first, right here."*
The Seventh Generation chimed in with an impressed tone as well.
"So you're going to break their spirits. If the situation is already hopeless and the groundwork is complete... well, the rest depends on Lyle, I suppose."
Aria muttered under her breath.
"Don't tell me, that's what you're—"
I stepped back slightly to look at Aria, then placed my hands on both her shoulders. I flashed her a warm smile.
"Don't worry. It'll definitely work. Because after all... I'm everyone's Lyle! Oh, it's about time people started gathering."
Looking around, I could see soldiers who had rushed over, along with Miranda. There were even adventurers who had climbed onto rooftops and were keeping watch over us.
I turned to face them all.
"Rejoice, everyone! Lyle Walt has returned! I've come to sweep away whatever hopeless situation you're facing and deliver victory. So go ahead and cheer even louder! Victory is with me!"
I raised one arm high to rally the crowd, only to find everyone staring at me with blank, dumbfounded expressions.
Aria grabbed me.
"Rejoice my foot! Don't just blow something up without telling anyone and stand there grinning! Do you have any idea what we went through?!"
The residents of Baim who were gathering around looked up at me. They gazed up at my figure, and I had truly become Baim's new symbol.
"What, you want praise? I'll give you a lap pillow later."
"I-I don't need one! More importantly, what exactly did you do to Clara and the others? They came off the ship with red faces, looking all happy and everything... Hey, look me in the eyes when you talk to me!"
With Aria facing me head-on, I looked straight back into her eyes. It would be rude to lie at a moment like this.
"You want to know? Then come to my bed tonight. I'll teach you all about it... slowly."
Aria's face turned red, so I pulled away from her. Then I surveyed the city of Baim and looked beyond it to the Banseim army. The number of Banseim forces arrayed on the other side of the destroyed wall had dwindled considerably.
I pointed at the Banseim army.
"Now then, shall we move on to you next? Just you wait, Banseim! This Lyle Walt will face you fair and square, head-on! Fahahaha!!"
The Seventh Generation spoke up in a delighted tone.
"Well, if we bring Baim into the fold too, then numbers-wise we've got the upper hand. Banseim went and split his army in two for us. It's only polite to ride straight in through the front, wouldn't you say?"
While I was laughing triumphantly, Aria muttered under her breath beside me.
"...You seriously think this is the time for 'honorable and aboveboard'? Are you out of your mind? I mean, you're clearly out of your mind in general, but still."
I turned to Aria.
"No, you've got it wrong. It's not me who's broken — it's the world! I'm absolutely convinced there's no world that wouldn't acknowledge someone as cool as me. And if it still won't acknowledge me, then I'll just have to make it acknowledge me."
Aria's cheeks twitched.
"You can actually win this, right? It's not just about winning — we need to gain allies, there are all sorts of conditions attached! And yet you always end up in this state at the most critical moments..."
I raised my right hand and tilted my face toward the sky. The clouds were overcast, but it was a beautifully overcast sky. I felt as though even the heavens were blessing me.
"Relax. I am a man beloved by the heavens — no, a being beloved by the world itself. And besides, when Lyle Walt sets his sights on prey — whether it's a woman or a country, it doesn't matter — he brings it down every single time. The success rate is one hundred percent! Not even one in ten thousand could go wrong. Well, I guess most of what I'll be wooing this time around are men, though!"
From inside the Jewel, the Third Generation's laughter came ringing out.
"So you've reached the point where you can land a stylish joke at the end... Lyle-san really has grown, hasn't he? That makes me happy. Although, I suppose your entire existence is basically one big joke."
Now, the real battle begins. As people gradually gathered around me, I spread both arms wide. Feeling everyone's eyes upon me, I declared:
"The main event starts here... So let's enjoy ourselves, shall we, my friends!"