Defense of the Valharat Western Fortress (5)
Finding Zinor was not particularly difficult.
He stood atop the fortress walls, surveying the surroundings and letting out the occasional sigh.
"Lord Zinor."
"Hm? If it isn't Swen. What is it?"
I took my place beside him and spoke casually.
"Do you intend to leave things as they are and allow a frontal confrontation?"
"…What do you mean by that?"
"If my words sound insolent, I apologize. I simply wish to ask whether you truly believe following Lady Epinel's opinion is the correct course."
"…Haa."
Zinor let out a long breath before answering.
"General Epinel's words are not without merit. If we lose this fortress, we will have accomplished nothing more than standing still. I have been thinking that meeting them head-on may well be the right answer."
"I see. My thoughts differ somewhat."
"…What are you trying to say?"
I spoke in a serious tone.
"Lord Zinor. It is an exceedingly simple matter. Suppose for a moment that you were the strategist of the Brans Army. Would you lead troops here to attack?"
"I do believe fifty thousand is insufficient. But this is a fortress, not a castle. As a vanguard force, there is no particular reason not to invade. Had it been me, I would have brought another twenty or thirty thousand… but the invasion itself would not have been an entirely absurd undertaking."
"Even with me present here?"
"…?"
He failed to grasp my meaning at once and looked into my eyes.
Then, with a soft sound of realization, he slowly nodded.
"…You, surely…"
"If I were the strategist of the Brans Army, I would never attempt a full-scale battle against this fortress's forces, no matter how many men I had. Because the likelihood that I—Swen—would be here is high."
He nodded, then stroked the beard at his chin. After a moment of that, something seemed to click, and he looked at me as he spoke.
"…But did you not say that ability of yours is not magic you can freely control? They would know that as well, would they not? All the more so, given that you once belonged among them."
Zinor was the man in the Acius Army who had heard the most about my abilities. Since I could not tell an irretrievable lie, I had already confessed to him that I could not use it at will.
But I had never revealed my full hand to anyone.
"It is not magic… yet there is a part I have not been entirely honest about."
"A part you have not spoken of?"
"When I explained it before, I said there was nothing I could control at all—that reading the flow of the heavens was the limit of what I could do. In truth, that is not quite the case."
If the Acius Army collapsed here—if the sole remaining Valharat Castle fell—I would die.
My own life was precious enough, but Irene would certainly not fare well either.
So here, once again, I had to stake my life and brazenly put a lie on my tongue.
"By engaging in a somewhat 'deeper' communion… I can intervene in the flow of the heavens."
…!!!
Zinor's eyes went wide as he stared at me for a moment—then those heavy lips parted.
"Why… did you hide that?"
"It is simple. The price is my lifespan."
"Your lifespan?"
"To bend the will of the heavens to my own, I must manipulate an absurd quantity of mana. Taking that much mana into my body naturally places an enormous burden on every part of me. That is why I could not speak of this ability lightly."
"Hmm…"
Zinor's expression tightened as he considered this, then he carefully asked,
"I am curious why you are telling me now. If your life is so precious, is this not something you should have kept to yourself?"
"Because if I do nothing, my life will be forfeit either way."
"…What do you mean by that?"
I glanced around, then met his eyes. Like a man about to leak the secrets of heaven itself, I worked my tongue with deliberate cunning.
"A surprise attack, Lord Zinor."
"!!!"
"The Brans Army's objective is not this fortress. The soldiers are bait. Their true target… is Valharat Castle, currently left undermanned while troops have been dispatched to invade the Allepel Army. If Valharat Castle falls, our entire force will become prisoners of the Brans Army. And if that happens, I will most certainly die."
"…Your basis?"
"I will say it again. Had I been the strategist of the Brans Army, I would never have sent troops here so long as I myself was present. All the more so for the Brans Army, where people who actually witnessed those scenes while serving in the same force still remain. Lord Zinor, do you know who the strategist of the Brans Army is?"
"Parfalle, certainly."
"If you know that, this will go quickly. In your judgment, Lord Zinor—do you believe Parfalle would advance here without knowing a fact that even a mere ordinary officer like myself can discern?"
"…"
He hesitated a moment, then shook his head.
"She would not. The woman I have observed is exceedingly intelligent."
"You seem to have some past connection with her?"
"She was once my student."
Oh? That was information even I had not known.
Given that Zinor ranked among the wisest men on the continent, it seemed his footprints were by no means light.
I decided this was the moment to scratch the itch he was feeling.
"Of course, no matter how correct a strategist's words may be, they mean nothing if the commander refuses to accept them."
Zinor's brow twitched at that.
I could have scratched deeper if I wished, but I would leave it there for now.
"The current commander of the Brans Army is Chel Brans. He may be somewhat arrogant and aggressive in battle, but he is not so foolish as to ignore his strategist's counsel. The fact that he has earned the title of First Sword and made a name for himself is proof of that."
"And until quite recently, I myself belonged to the Brans Army. Parfalle enjoys tremendous trust within their ranks. Lin, the sovereign, treats her with special regard. Under the rules of the Brans Army, where the sovereign's influence is paramount, her opinions carry force nearly equal to Lin Brans's own. I simply cannot imagine Chel would disregard that."
"…"
After that, I laid out every argument I could muster to persuade Zinor—from the reason the troop count happened to be fifty thousand, to the claim that they had little time left for anything but a surprise attack.
Zinor gave no reply, yet I could easily tell he was listening carefully to every word.
"What we must do now is withdraw the fortress's forces and turn their plan to raid Valharat Castle against them. There is no other way. I believe this is the sole strategy by which our army can survive."
"…Hmm."
Zinor stared blankly at the horizon for a long while, lost in thought—then turned his head toward me.
"The fact that you told me this means…"
"Yes. I believe you are the only one who can persuade Lady Epinel."
After all, no matter how hard a newcomer like me argued, she would not listen. In the end, the only person with even a slim chance of persuading her was Zinor, the state tactician.
…Or so I had thought.
Zinor said something unexpected.
"…Is that so. You have only just arrived, and yet you already seem to understand the situation I am in."
?
It was a deeply meaningful remark… though I honestly had no idea what he meant.
Yet for some reason, my instincts were screaming that this was the turning point.
I nodded and answered as casually as I could.
"Your assessment is correct."
"I see."
Good.
There had been a slight delay in my reply… but it seemed I had more or less gotten away with it.
I did not know what circumstances Zinor was under, but from my position I had no choice but to make use of them.
For someone who can only make predictions, you have to use whatever you can get your hands on.
"Very well. I shall try persuading her once more."
"I will go with you."
"However, I have a request."
Hm?
A request?
"What is it?"
"If things go well, I would like you to grant me one favor."
"A favor, you say? That is rather sudden."
"I promise it will not be a request that burdens you or places you under strain."
Among Zinor's requests, something that would not burden me?
Nothing particular came to mind… but honestly, I was in no position to be choosy.
Still, better to take out some insurance.
"If it is a request I truly cannot fulfill, I may have to refuse—but if that is acceptable to you."
"As you like. My request will not be of that sort."
"In that case, I have no reason to refuse."
With that, our conversation ended.
Zinor and I headed straight for Epinel.
She was moving busily about, drilling the soldiers. As we drew near, she noticed our approach, tilted her head, and asked,
"Lord Strategist? And Swen, you as well. What is it?"
"General Epinel. I should like to speak with you once more."
"Speak, you say?"
"That is correct."
From there, Zinor conveyed our opinion to her based on what he had heard from me—that the troops currently deployed were likely bait, that the true objective was Valharat Castle, that a surprise attack was coming, and that the forces needed to be withdrawn.
He even neatly summarized my claim that I had kept silent out of fear of shortening my lifespan, and relayed it all to her.
Perhaps because he was a genuinely intelligent man, his ability to explain things clearly was excellent.
"Is that so? A surprise attack… Hmm."
Epinel fell silent in thought for a moment, then looked our way.
"If we withdraw the soldiers and no surprise attack comes, this fortress will simply be taken by those fifty thousand troops… In that case—"
"As I said, I will stake my lifespan and attempt to open a path through the heavens."
"Hmmm…"
Epinel pondered for a long while, then looked me straight in the eyes.
"Swen. I do not wish to force something unreasonable upon you to the point of risking your life."
"Pardon…?"
"Why so surprised? I mean exactly what I said—I do not wish to place that burden on you."
"But if we do not take this course, everyone will be in danger."
"I understand your words well enough. I shall send out scouts specially. If the Brans Army intends to split their forces, the scouts will confirm it, will they not? Deciding what to do then will not be too late."
We cannot afford to waste time needlessly…
This was a prediction made with Intelligence 100. My words would prove correct, so there was no need for such caution. On the contrary, if we dragged things out and missed the timing, no greater catastrophe could follow.
Of course Epinel could not know my circumstances… but that caution of hers looked more and more like poison.
"Well… that is…"
I considered saying that if I turned out to be wrong, she could take my head then and there—but I knew better. The reason my "stubborn insistence" had worked before was because the sovereign had been Luna.
Speaking up now would not persuade her.
"In any case, we cannot withdraw the soldiers immediately, so understand that. I have already sent a messenger to Emma, who sortied to occupy the Allepel Army. If necessary, Emma's forces will be able to protect Valharat Castle. We of the Acius Army are veterans who have always somehow overcome this kind of chaos."
"But there is no guarantee she will make it back to Valharat Castle in time—"
"I trust Emma's judgment. Swen. You may not know this, but she is a great warrior who makes the impossible possible. I, Epinel, guarantee it. You would do well to observe her this time as well."
Epinel thumped her chest as she spoke.
Was the result she had built together with her longtime comrades the source of her pride?
Pride was fine… but I found myself wondering whether placing such absolute trust in one's comrades was truly the right path.
"Lord Strategist, please do not worry overmuch either, and prepare for battle."
Haa.
I still did not understand why she clung so stubbornly to the fortress…
In the end, even after bringing Zinor, we had failed to persuade her.
I had thought it might come to this once Zinor's first proposal—to withdraw every soldier and send them to Valharat Castle—had been rejected, and now it truly had.
Should I just sneak off with Irene under cover of night?
Coldly speaking, whether the Acius Army fell was none of my concern. Fleeing on the eve of battle would spread ugly rumors about us, but we already wore the brand of traitors, did we not?
Simply securing our lives would not be such a bad option.
Just as that thought crossed my mind… Zinor opened his mouth in a grave tone.
"General. Withdraw the soldiers at once and prepare for a surprise attack. On the condition that you do only that—if, as you say, there is no surprise attack and this fortress is lost, I shall step down from the position of state tactician immediately."
"…!!!"
In that moment, Epinel—who had not been swayed by any argument—looked at Zinor in genuine shock for the first time.
Step down from the position of state tactician?
Was that condition so compelling to Epinel?
My confusion lasted only a moment. Zinor continued as if it were nothing.
And only after hearing what he said next could I begin to guess at the "circumstances he was under" that he had mentioned earlier.
"And I shall hand this position over to Anima, who was originally the state tactician."