Chapter 368 - Episode 360: Racing Forward
The territory of the Virgo Kingdom had now increased several times over compared to two years ago. On its southeastern side, in the plains of a region that had once been an independent nation, an army was gathering.
Their number at this moment was approximately three thousand six hundred. It was a large army, rare to see in the northern part of the Adleon continent.
Looking out over the plains lined with countless tents from atop a small hill, Kaia Virgo let out a sigh of admiration.
"...The numbers have increased even more compared to a few days ago. To think that all of these are forces that obey me. It's like a dream."
"Hahaha, it is certainly quite a spectacle, but it'll be a problem if you're moved by only this much. More soldiers will still gather, and eventually, I'll have you lead an army of ten thousand to invade the Lancel Kingdom."
The one laughing beside him was Cadne. Because of a poison arrow he had taken during a previous personal campaign, Cadne's legs were disabled from the thighs down, and he sat in a chair like a palanquin with handles attached. Yvette stood by his side, and sturdy attendants tasked with carrying the palanquin were lined up around them.
"An army of ten thousand... for me, that's a story from a world I only know through war chronicles. You've led one before, haven't you?"
"Yeah. Once when I took action to seize control of the Lancel Kingdom, and once when I clashed with the Lordberg Kingdom at the eastern border. A battle approached with a large army is a fine thing. Countless soldiers move by my will, and tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides clash together. Once you experience it, you'll be addicted."
"Hmph, I look forward to it. First, we must secure victory in this coming battle."
"We will certainly win. More soldiers are still gathering. Small nations like the Duchy of Dale or the Kingdom of Revelant won't stand a chance."
As they spoke, their thoughts drifting toward the war about to begin, a voice called out to them.
"Your Majesty Kaia! Lord Strategist!"
When Kaia and Cadne turned around, the one approaching was a black-furred wolf-man with a body as massive as a rock.
He had been a close aide to the royal family since Kaia was a prince, and currently, as a general of the Virgo Kingdom, he was Gaziev Tatarinov, who coordinated the forces of the kingdom, its vassal states, and the nations that had offered cooperation.
"Gaziev. For you to come here yourself, what on earth has happened?"
"I heard that you two were having a pleasant chat with the army as your appetizer. I wished to be included!"
Gaziev, who was a head taller than the lion-man Kaia, laughed boisterously while speaking as if looking down on his lord. At that blatant joke, Kaia and Cadne both gave wry smiles.
"Well, jokes aside... there is an interesting report from the scouts we've embedded in the Kingdom of Revelant. I came here because I wished to report it directly to your ears. I believe it is a particularly intriguing story for the Lord Strategist!"
"An intriguing story for me? ...Could it be, the Grand Duchy of Arqvist!?"
Cadne's eyes widened, and he leaned forward in his chair, turning his entire body toward Gaziev.
There had been insufficient information to read how much friendship existed between the Kingdom of Revelant and the Grand Duchy of Arqvist. However, Cadne and the others had considered the possibility that the Grand Duchy might send reinforcements to the Kingdom of Revelant.
If that were the case, it would be exactly what Cadne hoped for.
"Precisely! It has been confirmed that a force believed to be reinforcements from the Grand Duchy of Arqvist to the south has entered the royal capital of Revelant, Kurutaveski. It is a small force of fewer than a hundred men."
"Is it truly the Grand Duchy of Arqvist army? Are you certain? Has Noein Arqvist come?"
"Yes. The flags the force carried match the characteristics of the Arqvist family that the Lord Strategist mentioned, and it has also been confirmed that they brought several golems. There is no mistake that it is the army of that nation. Separately, in the Duchy of Dale, rumors are circulating that the monarchs of the Kingdom of Revelant and the Grand Duchy of Arqvist themselves are coming as reinforcements. Looking at these circumstances, I believe the Grand Duke of Arqvist has also come."
"...I see. I see!"
Cadne trembled, his face reflecting his joy.
He had been thinking that he must settle things with Noein Arqvist before too long.
Even if he were to eventually cross the Lestio Mountains to invade the Lancel Kingdom, it would be difficult to move a large army over the mountains all at once. Therefore, Cadne's strategy was to first invade and occupy the Arqvist territory—the current Grand Duchy of Arqvist—and use it as a bridgehead to launch an advance into the Lancel Kingdom.
If the Grand Duchy of Arqvist army joined the war, he could deal a heavy blow to that nation by crushing them along with the forces of the Duchy of Dale and the Kingdom of Revelant. It would be even better if he could take Noein Arqvist's head. A Grand Duchy of Arqvist after Noein's death would be nothing more than a small nation not worth fearing.
"Noein Arqvist... how glad I am that you've come... The grudge for making my body like this, the grudge for destroying my power, I will surely clear them. The hatred I am about to unleash upon the southern part of the continent, I'll make him taste it first!"
Behind Cadne, who wore a vicious smile, Yvette looked on with a fond expression.
"...Cadne. I understand your feelings, but try not to get too heated. The enemies this time are strictly the Duchy of Dale and the Kingdom of Revelant. If we don't crush those two nations and further elevate our country's power in the northern part of the continent, you won't be able to complete your revenge."
"Yeah, of course I know. I'm not such a fool as to rush just because I'm eager to kill Noein Arqvist. But... still, the fact that I can reunite with him on the battlefield is a happy thing. Beyond happy."
Responding to Kaia's soothing tone, Cadne spoke as if savoring the words.
The situation was different from the time of the personal campaign and this current invasion. The current Cadne understood the power of Noein Arqvist and his army, and he knew they were waiting. He would not expose himself to the same pathetic, one-sided defeat as last time.
With the situation so well-prepared, he could fight Noein Arqvist again. That was a great joy for Cadne.
"In that case, we should hurry the invasion a bit. Noein Arqvist is an excellent tactician. It's better not to give him too much time. Kaia, can we move the departure up by one week?"
"Move it up by a week starting now? There will be vassal states and friendly nations whose assembly won't make it in time."
"I see... no, it's still better to be early. That way, we can also make the enemy panic. Let's make the Tirno Plains north of the Duchy of Dale the new assembly point, and have the armies that haven't arrived yet come directly there. If we send messengers to each nation now, the enemy shouldn't be able to read our movements."
Kaia did not respond to Cadne's proposal immediately and looked back at Gaziev.
"What do you think, Gaziev? Can it be done?"
"Those who haven't assembled yet are two annexed regions, one vassal state, and two friendly nations. The annexed regions are close in distance, and I know which routes the vassal state and friendly nations are using to send their armies. It is easy to send messengers to all of them."
"I see... then, I'll accept Cadne's plan. Gaziev, I'm counting on you."
"As you wish!"
Gaziev performed the Virgo Kingdom salute, crossing both clenched fists in front of his chest, and then descended the hill and departed.
"...Ah, is Noein Arqvist really here in the northern part of this continent. I wonder what he's thinking before his battle with me."
Looking up at the sky, Cadne muttered thoughtfully.
.....
In Kurutaveski, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Revelant, preparations for the departure to the Duchy of Dale were proceeding rapidly.
While the soldiers of the Revelant Kingdom army hurried to gather equipment and supplies for a unit of nearly a thousand men, combining the regular army and conscripts, the Grand Duchy of Arqvist army also proceeded with preparations for movement and battle.
They checked the large amount of weaponry brought from their home country and received their share of rations and consumables from the Kingdom of Revelant.
"Excellency Granat, I have brought the additional wagons borrowed from the Kingdom of Revelant."
"Good work. Now, together with the second platoon, load the remaining rations immediately."
"Yes!"
"Excellency, the check of the blast-fire arrows and magic stones is complete. As of now, there are three damaged blast-fire arrows from during transport. There are no problems with the magic stones."
"I see, that's within the acceptable range. Strictly order the members of the transport squad to be careful during further transport."
"Understood!"
Yuri, serving as the general manager of practical affairs, gave instructions to the soldiers who came to report, commanding them so that preparations proceeded without delay.
"Excellency, the check and test firing of the attack magic magic tools are finished. All eleven are no problem... as expected, there's no sign of the Revelant Kingdom army trying to approach the magic tools, but just in case, I still have two Guard soldiers on watch in three shifts."
Pence, who had come to Yuri, reported the latter half in a lowered voice.
"That should be sufficient. No matter how they are, that country wouldn't want to incur our displeasure at a time like this."
Yuri also answered after confirming there were no people from the Revelant Kingdom army around. The attack magic magic tools were important assets of the Grand Duchy. Even while inside a friendly nation, they could not neglect security.
"Yuri, Pence, good work."
Then, the voice of their lord called out to them. When the two turned around, Noein was approaching, accompanied by Matilda.
"Excellency, has your discussion with His Majesty Gabriel ended?"
"Somehow. Because of the scale of the discussion, there were naturally many things to adjust, and I'm tired. There were various requests from their side as well."
To Yuri's question, Noein replied with a wry smile.
For the past few days, Noein had been holding politically important discussions with King Gabriel Revelant. The content was about "after this war ends."
First, the case where the allied forces of the Duchy of Dale, the Kingdom of Revelant, and the Grand Duchy of Arqvist defeat the forces of the Virgo Kingdom and achieve victory.
The Grand Duchy of Arqvist had provided assistance this time with the monarch himself leading the army, even though it wasn't a direct crisis for their own country. Therefore, they would receive some gratitude from the Kingdom of Revelant, which had sought help. Noein requested payment in kind with salt and pyrope garnets, and discussed with Gabriel and the internal affairs nobles how much they would receive and by when, finalizing the conditions.
And, the case where the allied forces cannot repel the invasion of the Virgo Kingdom and the survival of the Kingdom of Revelant becomes hopeless.
Of course, Gabriel had no intention of just silently letting his own country be destroyed, so he would let as many citizens as possible escape to surrounding countries and send the royal family's assets and historical records to a trustworthy foreign land. The Grand Duchy of Arqvist was one of the destinations for acceptance, and after receiving some requests and negotiating, they agreed to it.
"I wasn't worried since I left it to you two, but it looks like the preparations on this end are going smoothly."
"Yes. Our preparations will be finished shortly. After that, we will likely be helping the Revelant Kingdom army. Since they have a larger number, they seem to be more overwhelmed."
"I think the people we sent to the checkpoint at the Fioluviki Gorge are doing well by now, too."
Both Yuri and Pence nodded at Noein's mutterings after seeing the state of preparations.
The eight Claymores led by Gustav and some infantry had left Kurutaveski a step ahead and were at the Fioluviki Gorge on the border with the Duchy of Dale. This was to help with the heavy labor of establishing the defensive line using golems.
"That's good then... Yuri, Pence. Let's absolutely win this battle. Let's beat the Virgo Kingdom's forces into the ground."
Noein, who had nodded with a smile, suddenly spoke with a serious expression. He showed a choice of words, such as "beat them into the ground," that was unlike the usual Noein.
"We intend to, of course... Noein-sama, did something happen?"
Yuri confirmed there were no subordinates around and asked in a low voice with his natural tone. Noein also continued in a lowered voice.
"In the negotiations with His Majesty Gabriel... it was decided that if the survival of the Kingdom of Revelant becomes hopeless, Princess Helga will be granted asylum in our country. In order to keep the bloodline of the Revelant royal family from dying out."
"Princess Helga? Isn't that kind of thing usually requested of a friendly nation with a longer history of exchange?"
While Pence wore a puzzled expression, Yuri thought for a moment and spoke.
"...I see, in other countries in the northern part of the continent, the distance is too close, which conversely creates political instability."
"Exactly. To put it extremely, if the Virgo Kingdom, which increases its power further in the future, were to say, 'If you hand over the exiled Helga Revelant, we will grant you significant autonomy. If you don't, we'll kill you all,' we don't know how the northern countries would act."
When Noein nodded with a bitter face, Pence, hearing this, also looked convinced.
"I couldn't refuse because His Majesty Gabriel bowed his head and said, 'I leave the treatment after protection to you, so as a fellow father, I beg you,' but we're protecting that Princess Helga in our country? Imagine how much of a pain I'll have to go through just to make her understand her position."
Of course, if Noein put his mind to it, he could spend time brainwashing Helga and turn her into an obedient ally. A Helga who became that way could be used as a guest with a prestigious lineage.
However, that was separate from the hassle Noein personally faced. For Noein, it was a more stable profit to have a friendly neighboring country survive than to take on a single pawn like that.
"That certainly is a grave crisis for Noein-sama."
"At this point, we have no choice but to win, even if it's out of sheer spite."
Yuri looked at the troubled Noein with a pitying face, and Pence gave a wry smile. Both of them had seen what kind of thinking Princess Helga Revelant had during the dinner on the first day.
"Exactly. So please, make sure the preparations are thorough. Not that it's my place to interfere at this stage."
After emphasizing this to the two, Noein suddenly looked up at the sky.
"...Ah, this is all Cadne's fault. He's really dragged me into something troublesome."
Looking up at the sky, Noein muttered with a mixed sigh.