Zeiland Defense (1)
"Twenty-three thousand men…"
Gathered inside the castle were Kane, Tifa, and myself. To our usual company—including our sovereign, Luna—we had this time added the leaders of the two mercenary companies, Gustav and Aaron.
"We'll join the fight as well."
"Even if we fall short in total numbers, this is a defensive battle. I believe we have a real chance of winning."
I agreed with them, of course… but in this game, such minor factors often hinged entirely on who the enemy commander was. This world was built on a character-power game where SSS-class generals could dominate far more than raw troop counts, strategy, or tactics ever would. Overlooking that would be a fatal mistake.
"Do we know who their commander is?"
"Ah! Yes, that is—!"
The messenger standing beside us flinched for a moment, startled that I had addressed him so politely, then answered in a firm, clear voice.
"I was told a woman believed to be Airen Juliette is at the head of the enemy vanguard."
Huh? They're using Airen?
Airen Juliette. After ten thousand hours of playtime, of course I knew her. An S-Class General and a siege specialist with the Siege specialty. A woman of unbending integrity—no scheme could easily erode her loyalty, and she ignored every recruitment offer that came her way, remaining a devoted vassal of her lord, Lin Brans.
But she and Lin Brans were a terrible match. Lin never put her to proper use, and in the end Airen was framed on false charges and executed by Lin's own hand—a tragic character doomed to die by her master's order.
And "terrible match" was not just flavor text from a setting book. This game had a compatibility rating. In simple terms, some officers simply clicked with each other—and some did not. High compatibility made recruitment easier and produced synergy when they worked together. Low compatibility did the opposite. You were better off never assigning them to the same task.
Strangely enough, the compatibility between Airen Juliette and her lord Lin Brans was -100. That was the absolute worst rating possible in the game. No other pair of characters was so catastrophically misaligned.
Which meant that unless a player personally seized Lin Brans and somehow put Airen to use, CPU Lin Brans always killed Airen Juliette. One hundred playthroughs out of one hundred, without fail, she beheaded her own talent with her own hands.
So of course I was stunned. The fact that she was employing Airen Juliette in earnest here—
Was the last defeat so humiliating that it forced her to override the worst compatibility in the game?
Well… from the Brans Army's perspective, it had been a disaster of the highest order. They had marched eight thousand men against a minor power of three thousand and been blindsided into a crushing defeat. They had been racing to seize the central continent as fast as possible so they could face Serpina in the north and the various warlords in the south—only to have their ankle caught in that very campaign. Of course she was furious.
Regardless—
Lin Brans's decision was the worst possible news for us. Kane, Tifa, Gustav, and Aaron had all clearly heard of Airen's reputation; I could see the unease settling over their faces.
…We're going to get overrun for sure.
Our forces numbered roughly three thousand. Subtract the wounded who still hadn't recovered, and we were a little over two thousand. The mercenary companies were in the same boat. The Raven Mercenary Group had seven thousand total and the Chilein Mercenary Group six thousand, but excluding the wounded from the last battle, a combined force of about ten thousand was the realistic figure.
Which meant twelve thousand troops would have to hold against twenty-three thousand. And given Airen's Siege specialty—which dealt far more damage to garrisoned troops than any other general could manage—those numbers were more than threatening enough.
No mercy, as expected.
We had thrown a fistful of chili powder into the middle of their storm of conquest.
"Swen, what should we do?"
Luna looked at me, her face full of worry.
"How do we… how can we win this war?"
That was Luna for you. She always asked exactly the right question at exactly the right moment, and I was grateful for it. I fed her question straight into my mind—and the result was—
"…"
…Wait. Is this right…?
I hesitated for the briefest instant, then slowly shook my head.
No. This is correct.
My Intelligence was 100. That was no longer in doubt. My predictions were always right. No matter how unbelievable the advice that surfaced, I had to be the first one to believe it with absolute confidence.
With that mindset, I opened my eyes wide and delivered my counsel to everyone present.
"For now, we hold the walls. Buy as much time as you can and defend."
"But just defending won't get us anywhere!"
I looked at Tifa as I answered.
"You're right. If all we do is defend, they'll eventually break through. Especially with Airen as their commander. But that's fine. If you can just hold them off long enough, I will go and seek an audience with Lin Brans of the Brans Army myself."
"An audience…?"
"Yes."
I nodded at Luna's question.
"I, Swen, will meet with Lin Brans and negotiate a ceasefire."
"…A ceasefire…?"
Everyone failed to hide their shock. Of course they did. An army of twenty-three thousand was marching with nothing on its mind but avenging its last humiliation and taking our castle—what could we possibly offer them to make a ceasefire worth considering?
A treaty only happened when the other side stood to gain something. You'll pull back your army if we ask? Fine—but what are you giving us in return? You needed a firm answer to that question before the idea was even worth entertaining.
"My lord. How much gold can our army currently put to use?"
"…If we gather everything, about one thousand three hundred."
"That's enough. I'll secure a ceasefire with one thousand three hundred gold and return."
Kane spoke up, his tone almost pleading, as if trying to talk sense into me.
"Listen, Swen. I acknowledge you. I know full well you're an extraordinary man. But… isn't this far too unrealistic? Wouldn't it be more practical to use that money to hire troops from the neighboring states instead? This is a defensive battle—even a few more soldiers would tip the scales heavily in our favor, wouldn't it?"
His argument was sound. If we lost here, our nation was finished. If we were going to scrape together every last coin, wouldn't the wiser choice be to create a situation where we could hold out even a little longer?
But my voice was firm.
"No. That path only leads to destruction. Holding out one more day, or two, will not win us this war. I will stake my life on securing this ceasefire. All I ask is that you hold this castle until I return."
I could stake my life as many times as needed. I wasn't afraid at all. I was certain of my words—because my Intelligence 100 brain had advised me to negotiate a ceasefire.
"My lord. Your decision."
"…"
Lunarien did not seem to struggle with it this time. Her absolute trust in me came through without resistance. I was quietly certain as well. She would believe in me no matter what.
"Swen—I ask that you take one thousand three hundred gold and negotiate a ceasefire with the Brans Army."
"Yes, my lord!"
"The rest of you will defend this castle with me. We will not form a special sortie force. Tifa and I will hold the eastern gate, where the enemy will strike head-on. The mercenary companies will cover the remaining gates. If anyone has an objection, speak freely."
"No objections."
"We will follow your orders!"
"We just have to hold them off, right? What else is there to discuss?"
At Luna's command, the officers scattered to prepare the defenses. That settled it. My words were always correct, so I wasn't deeply worried—but I still needed to move as fast as possible. Advice shifted with circumstances in this game, too. Ask the same question tomorrow, and a completely different answer might come back.
"Then I'll be on my way as well. I'll resolve this as quickly as I can—please hold out a little longer. Until then."
"…Swen."
In that moment, Lunarien caught my shoulder. And then… the strong front she had shown only moments before vanished without a trace. She looked at me with eyes so fragile they seemed ready to shatter at a touch, and said:
"…You have to come back alive. Do you understand?"
So she was wound far too tight after all. I was grateful she had taken my advice to show a suitably dignified face before the others so literally—but given her nature, it clearly wasn't easy for her.
I spoke in a playful tone, hoping to ease her tension.
"Is that an order?"
But she didn't so much as smile at my joke. Her voice was utterly serious.
"Yes. It is an order. If you do not return alive… even if you die and lose your body… even as a spirit, I will follow you, Swen. If you dare die on your own… I will never forgive you."
?
Something about that felt a little unsettling… but either way, I had no intention of dying. I wanted to make it back to my original world in one piece. For now. I wanted to see my family again, too.
"Understood. I'll be back safely. The castle is in your hands."
Only then did she manage a faint smile and nod.
"All of you—advance at maximum speed! Fall behind and you will be left behind! If you want to avoid a miserable fate, don't spare your legs!"
Airen was driving a force of some twenty-three thousand men on a forced march. Naturally, soldiers dropped out in droves along the way. Even though Zeiland Castle was not particularly far, at this pace as many as two or three thousand troops would clearly fall by the wayside.
One week. I have to bring that castle down within one week.
She herself was not conscious of it, but those around her called her a siege specialist. Even with some attrition in her ranks, she instinctively understood that with supplies running short, the only advantageous path was to reach the walls and attack as fast as possible. One week was an extremely short time. To show something—anything—to Lin Brans, who had chosen to employ her again, this was the only way. She grasped that on pure instinct.
Perhaps her urgency had worked. Before the sun set, the eastern gate of Zeiland Castle rose into view. The walls were packed tight with archers. And before the gate itself, a sizable force had taken position. The vanguard commander at the front… a female general with an axe. According to the intelligence she had, that was definitely Tifa.
"…"
Airen slowly raised her hand. At the same moment, catapults on both flanks gradually came into view. Preparing siege engines for a siege was only natural, wasn't it?
And as if the enemy had anticipated exactly that—
"Let's go, everyone!!"
—they charged first. For the catapults to enter range, her forces would have to advance farther still. And if they advanced farther, the enemy raining arrows down from the walls would inevitably hold the advantage. Even so, this side had twenty thousand men. If they could breach the gate just once—only once—victory was theirs!
Airen loosed a thunderous battle cry.
"All units—charge!!!!"