Defense of the Valharat Western Fortress (8)
At the same moment, on the Valharat Western Fortress side.
"Enemy soldiers spotted over there!"
The soldier's shout reached me just as I was going through the motions of a half-hearted ritual at a makeshift shrine we had thrown together for the occasion.
A vanguard meant to serve as bait, then?
They had dragged their siege engines along in grand fashion, but if my prediction held, the actual main force that had come this far would number only a handful.
A little under ten thousand soldiers remained inside the fortress.
"General Epinel. Do not worry—go out and intercept them."
At Zinor's words, Epinel nodded.
"If their numbers look too great, I'll fall back at once… Swen, I want you ready the moment that happens."
"Understood."
With that, Epinel took several thousand men and rode out to meet the enemy.
It did not take long to confirm that the enemy force was small. Just as I had said, their main body had gone for the surprise attack; the soldiers sent here were few.
Haa…
I let out a quiet breath of relief.
No matter how many times I made a prediction that was "guaranteed to be correct," my heart never truly settled until I saw the result with my own eyes.
After all, for all the fine talk of "deductions based on absolute predictions," all I was really doing was taking the knowledge I possessed and forcing it into place again and again. Whether it was right or wrong could only be known once the lid was lifted.
If they were going to possess me, they could have at least given me a cleaner, more precise cheat…
While I was entertaining that useless thought, Zinor—having grasped the situation—approached and spoke.
"It seems you were right after all, Swen."
I answered with a face full of confidence that made it impossible to believe I had, only moments earlier, been thinking thank goodness I was right.
"Did I not tell you? From the Brans Army's position, that was the only decision they could make. Anyone could have reached a similar conclusion."
"No. That is not so. You possess the insight to see through a situation. You may well have talent as a strategist who debates tactics."
"Flattery will get you nothing, you know."
Zinor snorted at my reply.
"I do not flatter just anyone. In any case, the balance of power on the continent is about to shift considerably."
He was right. The precarious counterweight the Brans Army had been maintaining across four fronts had collapsed. Whether we liked it or not, the power structure of the continent would be redrawn.
From atop the fortress walls I watched Epinel's forces mop up the Brans vanguard.
She was strong—undeniably so.
Just as Zinor had said, Epinel was a gifted general. They say an outstanding commander can change the entire complexion of a battlefield simply by taking the field. Epinel was exactly that sort of figure. It was no accident that, with so little foundation, she had managed to hold out this long without being swallowed by the Brans Army.
Before long the central continent will be thrown into chaos.
I felt a pang of apology toward the common folk who only wanted peace… but for me, this was the ideal situation. Until the Lunarien Army rose and made its presence known, no single power could be allowed to grow too strong.
Serpina, having already pacified the north, was one thing; but for another major power to solidify itself in the center as well would have been far too dangerous.
Still, I believed. In the end, even for the people of the territories, having Luna unify the continent rather than someone like Lin was the only path that led to lasting peace.
With that thought, I quietly ordered my own plans.
The moment we returned to Valharat Castle, Yuuri was waiting at the gate to welcome us.
"Welcome back, Epinel! Zinor! You really went through hell!"
"What about the soldiers who came for the surprise attack?"
"Irene handled them. Emma and Ernandof arrived right on time too. You worked hard as well, Zinor. I heard you were the one who insisted there would be a surprise attack?"
"To be precise, it was not I, but Swen here who put forward the idea."
"Is that so?"
Hearing that, Yuuri came over to me, smiling, and held out her hand. I took it.
"Thank you so much, Swen! If we hadn't realized the surprise attack was coming, it would have been a disaster… You saved us!"
I smiled and answered half in jest.
"If this has allowed me to repay even a little of the kindness you showed by accepting General Irene and me, then I am content."
Of course it was only half a joke; I was quite serious. Someday I would leave this place, and whatever the reasons had been, I wanted to give something back to the woman who had accepted our surrender. Naturally that overlapped with my own interests, but there was no need to make that obvious here, was there?
Yuuri laughed and accepted even my somewhat formal words.
"Of course! Not just you—Irene worked incredibly hard too. I heard from Emma. Something really dangerous happened."
"Pardon…?"
Something dangerous?
The moment I heard those words, my heart dropped.
"Could I hear the details…?"
From Yuuri I learned roughly what had occurred—how Irene had provoked Chel Brans to buy time, how she had nearly been badly hurt in a one-on-one duel with him. Emma's intervention had let them get through it without serious harm… but if that had not happened, she could truly have been in mortal danger.
Her being placed in danger had never been part of any scenario I had envisioned, so the news left me shaken.
So that happened…
I would have to question her about this later. There was no way around it.
"Anyway, we've cleaned up the remaining Brans troops. They won't be thinking of attacking this side again for a while."
"No, Yuuri—this is our chance!"
Epinel spoke with fierce energy.
"This is the perfect opportunity to plant our crimson banner on Lacline Castle! Just give the order! I'll take the remaining forces and march out right now to seize Lacline!"
It would be better to watch the situation for now.
The Brans Army was now certain to be torn at from every direction, and it was true that an opportunity had come to our army—but there was no need for the Asius Army to take the lead. Serpina's forces, already itching to push into the center, would almost certainly move. If we struck while the Brans Army was locked in war with Serpina, we could unravel things far more easily.
"General Epinel. I understand how you feel, but it does not yet seem to be the time."
Fortunately Zinor shared my view; he told her to wait a little longer and gave a rough briefing on the current situation.
After listening to Zinor's explanation, Epinel thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Understood, Strategist. I know that this time it was thanks to your counsel that we avoided a great disaster."
Thankfully she did not seem inclined to dig in her heels this time.
"As I keep saying, it was not my counsel, but—"
Zinor's gaze flicked briefly toward me. I gave a small shake of my head—there was no need to keep bringing my name into it. He caught my meaning and did not mention me further.
Standing out too much would only be a problem.
To live quietly in the Asius Army, it was important not to flaunt the achievements one had earned. Even Zinor, whose renown was known across the continent, was being checked by the founding retainers simply for having taken the strategist's seat. How much more so for a general like me, who had done little more than drop a meteor from the sky?
Of course, "dropping a meteor from the sky" was impressive enough in its own right—but as long as I could not do it freely, continuing to trade on that reputation would inevitably land me in trouble someday.
In any case, the audience with Yuuri ended, and I set off at a brisk pace.
My destination was where Irene was.
Irene was the same person no matter her affiliation or station. Just as she had done in the Brans Army, she was spending her time tending to the wounded soldiers who had played a major role in repelling the surprise attack.
Emma, Ernandof, and Epinel were nowhere to be seen… yet she alone always cared for the men who had fought beside her, right there on the front line.
"Lady Irene."
"Oh? Swen! You've returned safely."
She smiled at me with genuine delight, but I could not return the smile. Noticing that my expression was subtly different from usual, she asked with careful concern.
"…Swen? Has something happened? Are you unwell, or—"
"Lady Irene. …I heard you dueled Chel Brans."
"Ah, that. Yes, I did. I needed to buy time."
She spoke as if it were nothing—and that very nonchalance made something inside me surge.
"Why would you force such a reckless duel? I do not mean to belittle you, but Chel Brans is a warrior without equal even within the Brans Army. Objectively speaking, the odds of you defeating him were low. Had things gone even slightly wrong, your life could have been in danger, could it not?"
Irene closed her eyes for a moment at the emotion in my voice, then opened them slowly and answered in a grave tone.
"…A knight who has taken up the sword must fight when the time comes to fight."
"This was not that time. We… have a place we must go, do we not?"
It might have been a shameless thought, but the idea suddenly struck me: if Irene threw her life away fighting for the Asius Army and something happened to her, I would resent this army from that day forward.
While I was entertaining that rather childish notion, she smiled faintly and said,
"That is why I fought, Swen."
"…Pardon?"
"Because I wanted to go, together with you, to the place we must reach. And because I could not allow you to be placed in danger before that."
Irene looked at me with eyes clearer than I had ever seen them. That gaze—the gaze of someone determined to protect something—overwhelmed me for an instant.
"If I had not pinned Chel down there, he would likely have turned his troops around and withdrawn. That alone would have inflicted some damage on the Brans Army… but it would not have been enough to throw the balance off-kilter the way you intended. If we let this opportunity slip, there is no guarantee we will ever seize another, is there?"
"…"
I could say nothing. Her words were simply correct.
Because Chel had risen to Irene's provocation and fought—because the commander had been so absorbed in a duel with a single general that he could not even direct his troops—the Brans force that had been preparing a surprise attack had instead been ambushed, fallen into unrecoverable chaos, and suffered heavy losses. That much was fact.
If anything, the problem was that I had not given her such an order through Zinor. Without her quick thinking, we could never have fully capitalized on the chance we had gained.
And yet… why was my heart pounding like this? Why was something inside my chest thrashing as if it could not bear it?
"Swen. Knowing that my ability was of help to you makes me truly glad. You need not feel so burdened. From the moment I left the Brans Army, I resolved to live solely for you."
To live solely for me.
The moment I heard those words, the true feeling I had been hiding burst from my lips.
"…If you have resolved to live for me, then no matter what happens—please do not die."
"…Hm?"
She looked at me, startled by the words I had not meant to say. But what could I do? This was my honest heart.
"I do not care what is advantageous or what opportunity presents itself. You can throw every opportunity away for all I care. Lady Irene… I do not want you to die, no matter what. I do not want you to be placed in danger."
"Swen…"
"So next time, please do not charge into battle alone and recklessly like this. I am asking you. If it looks impossible, just run. Do not stake your life in any moment. It may sound ridiculous for me to make such a request of a knight who takes the field… but I mean it."
What was I thinking as I said those words? One thing was certain: the me of this moment was not speaking as my Intelligence of 100 directed—I was speaking as the heart still beating inside my chest directed.
She listened, then simply looked at me for a long time… until at last her face flushed and she lowered her head slightly. With an expression utterly unsuited to a knight—girlish and shy—she answered in a voice that nearly vanished.
"…Y-yes, I understand, so… looking at me with those eyes is… that is…"
"Pardon?"
"I-it's… embarrassing… yes."
Watching Irene, face bright red, steal glances at me…
In that moment I thought that perhaps, far more than helping Luna unify the realm—
I simply wanted to protect this woman.