6
Chapter 6
Inside the Imperial Army headquarters tent in the Karvan Estate.
Count Kellen, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army stationed in Karvan, crumpled the letter from the capital and tossed it aside in a fit of rage.
"Those damn Imperialists! They dare touch my estate while I'm stuck out here in the boonies?"
"P... please calm down, Count! Your position within the Noble Faction has grown so secure thanks to the massive shipments of food sent from Karvan over the years! Harvest season is almost here, so once we send the next batch, those Imperialists won't dare say a word!"
"Damn it. This is all bullshit. And those Noble Faction bastards too...! Sigh. If only it weren't for the elixir...."
Despite the adjutant's fawning, the Count's grim expression didn't soften.
The Imperialists and the Noble Faction were currently locked in a fierce internal power struggle.
Kellen knew all too well that the Noble Faction leadership intended to use him as a mere pawn to line their own pockets.
"Tsk. How is the monster farm progressing?"
At the Count's question, the adjutant glanced around to ensure they were alone before lowering his voice.
"Everything is going smoothly. We've set up the farm in a secluded forest on the edge of the estate; the breeding rate is exceeding expectations since we regularly feed it residents from nearby estates."
"Heh. Good.... In a few more months, I'll finally become a Sword Master...."
A smile spread across Count Kellen's face.
He felt that the day he would achieve the true purpose of his exile to this remote region was drawing near.
Just as the Count was envisioning his glorious future.
"Commander! A letter has arrived from the Kingdom!"
An officer entered the tent and presented a parchment sealed tightly with wax.
"Sigh.... One after another. How tedious.... Do they never tire? Cowards who don't even have the guts to invade."
The Count snatched the parchment from the officer with a look of sheer annoyance.
'The contents are obvious even without looking.'
It was the same repetitive message he had seen for years.
A pathetic protest letter, citing the Lever Agreement and begging him to withdraw the army from the estate.
"Weak pieces of trash who can't do anything but whine about some treaty."
Loathing the weak, the Count tore through the sealing wax with a mocking sneer.
Rip.
'I'll just skim this and burn it.'
With a bored look in his eyes, the Count began to read the parchment.
[Ultimatum from the Espada Kingdom]
To: Commander of the Imperial Army stationed in the Karvan Estate
On behalf of the Kingdom, we express our deep gratitude for the Empire's dedicated efforts in deploying troops to subjugate the monsters that plagued the Karvan Estate. However,
as specified in the Lever Agreement, the Imperial Army should have withdrawn its forces once the original objective of monster subjugation was achieved. Yet,
despite the deadline having long passed, the Imperial Army continues to occupy the estate without authorization, plundering the Kingdom's people and seizing the land.
The Espada Kingdom defines this as a clear act of aggression that betrays the goodwill of an ally and violates our sovereignty, and officially declares that the justification for the Imperial Army's presence has vanished.
Exactly seven days from the receipt of this letter. Within that time, all Imperial Army forces must disarm and immediately withdraw from the Karvan Estate.
Should you fail to withdraw due to the Empire's insatiable greed, the Espada Kingdom will regard this as an act of war.
The price for betrayed trust will be dire, and the Kingdom solemnly warns that it will mobilize all its military might to forcibly reclaim the estate and completely expel the intruders who entered without permission.
[1st Prince Rowen, Representative of the King of the Espada Kingdom]
"...Huh?"
The Count's expression went blank as he finished the letter.
'A declaration of war? They intend to forcibly reclaim the land using military force?'
A kingdom whose only real power was a single female Sword Master immobilized in the capital dared to wage a full-scale war against the Empire?
He let out a hollow laugh at the sheer absurdity of the letter's contents.
As he scanned the parchment once more, the Count's gaze lingered on the first letter of each paragraph.
'Wait. Something is off...'
[G]iven the state of the Karvan Estate...
[E]very point of the Lever Agreement...
[T]he return deadline...
[O]ur kingdom, Espada...
[U]pon receipt of this letter...
[T]he insatiable greed...
[!] The betrayal of trust...
"Get. Out. Of. Karvan...?"
The Count's face turned a mottled shade of red and purple as he realized the hidden message.
"You... you...! Those bastards!!"
The hand gripping the parchment began to tremble violently.
While the letter was composed of polite words on the surface, the hidden intent was as vulgar and insulting as something spat out by a street thug.
'He dares tell a Count of the Empire to get lost?'
"These... these arrogant Kingdom brats dare insult me?!"
Slam!!
The heavy wooden desk shattered with a thunderous crash under the Count's fist.
"P... please calm down!"
"Let go of me!!"
The adjutant and officer, faces pale with terror, grabbed the Count's arms to restrain him.
However, having lost his reason to rage, he was a Sword Expert, only two steps shy of becoming a Sword Master.
The two of them were simply not enough to hold him back.
Shaking them off, the Count suppressed the urge to immediately march his army toward the royal capital, instead screaming as he tore the parchment to shreds.
"I'll kill you all...!!"
@@@
"He's probably read it by now, right?"
At my mutter, Rowen, who had come out with me for a final check before departure, let out a long sigh.
"Sigh... Sending such a childish and vulgar letter in my name. What if the commander loses it and invades the capital?"
"They won't. It'd actually be great if they came to the capital. We have Roxanna."
"I'm just saying... So, Ian, you're really planning to go to war?"
"Yeah. I started this war, so I should take responsibility."
Rowen nodded reluctantly, though he couldn't hide his worried expression.
"...Fine. Who could possibly stop you once you've made up your mind? Please, be careful. Elisha, I'm counting on you to look after Ian."
"Yes. Of course."
Rowen's expression softened slightly at Elisha's response.
"Elisha, what's the status of the knights?"
Elisha answered my question.
"As instructed, the knights have organized their ranks and are on standby. Per your orders, they will march via a different route than the infantry."
"Good."
The march to reclaim Karvan would be split into two routes.
First, the musket-armed infantry, along with Elisha and me, would march straight across the plains to draw the Imperial Army's attention.
To an observer, it would look like ordinary soldiers, unable to use Aura, were recklessly charging head-on.
'The commander, enraged by the letter, will likely lead his cavalry right out into the plains.'
Cavalry charging into a musket-armed unit are easy targets.
While the infantry served as the anvil, holding the Imperial main force's attention from the front.
"The knights will take a wide detour around the mountains to strike the flank of the Karvan Estate."
"Yes. The Imperial Army will be so focused on the infantry that their flank defenses will be neglected."
The timing of the Aura-wielding knights detouring through the mountains and the infantry marching straight across the plains should align perfectly.
'Even the Imperial Army won't be able to withstand that.'
"Ian...!"
"Yeah?"
I turned toward the voice and saw Roxanna running toward me from a distance with a fierce expression.
"Rox... Roxanna?"
She closed the distance in an instant, her breathing completely steady despite the distance she had run.
"Ian! Are you really planning to go out there with the infantry?"
"Yeah. I started this war. Besides, these are my weapons. I need to see them in action and lead from the front."
"Sigh... I know you can take care of yourself. But you're facing the Empire's regular army! And I can't even go with you..."
Roxanna's voice was thick with worry and anxiety.
Since I was her childhood friend, it was only natural she'd be anxious about me heading into a dangerous battlefield.
'It's fine, though.'
I began to speak, stroking her red hair.
"You know I'm not the kind of idiot who'd walk blindly into a death trap."
At my answer, Roxanna bit her lower lip.
She looked like she wanted to nag me more, but eventually sighed and glared at me.
"Stop petting me... If you come back with even a single scratch, you'll answer to me, not the Imperial Army."
"I'll keep that in mind. Just stay put and guard the capital. I'll come back victorious."
"...Take this."
"A pendant?"
What she pulled from her pocket and pressed into my hand was a palm-sized Shield Pendant.
"What's this for?"
"I've condensed my mana into it. Just once, it will perfectly block any attack."
A faint mana, carrying the same energy as Roxanna's Aura, flowed softly from the pendant.
"It'll protect you in my stead, so don't lose it. Keep it on at all times. Got it?"
"...Thanks."
'That's a great gift.'
I smiled and put the pendant around my neck right in front of her.
"I'm off."
"Be safe."
"Good luck."
Leaving Roxanna and my brother behind, I lightly mounted my waiting horse.
Elisha also mounted her horse and took her position as my guard.
'Time to head out.'
As I took the reins and stepped to the front, the soldiers' gazes focused on me all at once.
'Quite a sight.'
Standing at the head of the Kingdom's army, I slowly scanned the long line of infantry.
It was a sight that made me realize the lives of fifteen hundred soldiers rested in my hands.
I felt a weight of responsibility that was almost overwhelming.
However.
'I'm not anxious.'
Because I know the power of the weapons they're holding better than anyone.
"All troops."
The soldiers' breathing stopped for a moment at the sound of my voice.
"March to Karvan."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The heavy sound of drums, signaling the start of the march, echoed through the training grounds.
Clank.
Fifteen hundred infantrymen began to march in perfect unison.
The war with the Empire had finally begun.