Chapter 62 - 062_Assault on the Royal Capital
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062_Assault on the Royal Capital
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The royal capital was a fortified city protected by three walls.
Due to the rebellion of the knights, the first and second walls had been breached, and now they were attacking the third wall.
There were many casualties on both the defending and attacking sides, and the bodies of soldiers from both sides were strewn about within the capital. The bodies of those who had fought valiantly in last night's battle but had fallen had not been recovered by either side.
The sounds of battle could be heard. It seemed that other noble armies had already entered the capital and were engaged with the royal forces.
"Red. They're the Southern army."
To distinguish friend from foe, the Southern noble army wore red cloth on their arms. The Northern noble army wore yellow, and Rodney and his group also had yellow cloth wrapped around their arms.
"We were beaten to it. There were no other routes to enter, were there?"
"Since this is the last wall, this gate is the only passage."
They had charged this far, but now they had a chance to reset their minds and become calm.
If Rodney, who belonged to the Northern noble army that had arrived later, were to mix in with the Southern noble army and attack, unnecessary conflict would arise. The priority here was the Southern noble army.
As expected of the last wall, it was high and thick. Everyone was convinced that destroying the wall was impossible.
If what lay beyond the wall wasn't where the royal family lived, Rodney would have destroyed the gate along with the wall. Even if it wasn't the gate, if he destroyed it, a path would open.
"Let's look for a place to enter."
"Yes, sir!"
They looked around for a possible entry point, but as expected of the royal capital's walls, they were solid. Moreover, lookout soldiers were stationed everywhere.
While Rodney was searching for an entry point, other noble armies also arrived in front of the gate.
"Can we sneak in under cover of night?"
Rodney withdrew to the position of Count Banyusas's Zabalujeen Territory army.
Having joined up with the Zabalujeen Territory army, Rodney explained the situation to Baron Jegsus.
"There's no helping that we were beaten to it by the Southerners. Let's observe the skills of the Southerners."
The various noble armies deployed, surrounding the castle. Since the Southern noble army was attacking the gate, the other noble armies stood by. Of course, they were looking for other points of attack and keeping watch to ensure no one escaped from the royal castle.
"They seem to be struggling quite a bit."
"It's because the one guarding the gate is the Knight Commander, said to be the strongest in the kingdom."
Inside a building that the Northern noble army had requisitioned, Rodney exchanged words with Hortus while taking a break and having a light meal.
Since the requisitioned building was a court noble's mansion, they could enter without hesitation. The fact that there was a mansion this close to the castle meant it was the mansion of a fairly high-ranking court noble.
The court noble, their family, and servants had all evacuated, but it served its purpose as a shady spot to escape the heat.
At the table, Rodney, Hortus, Endever, and a squire were eating. Feld was sitting on the floor by the wall, gnawing on dried meat. It seemed Feld, having a tail, wasn't good at sitting in chairs, so he basically sat on the floor or ground. The territory soldiers were also eating in a separate room.
"Oh, Rodney-dono. So you were here."
Just as Rodney bit into the dried meat, Count Banyusas entered. Hortus and the others stood up and moved to the wall, and Rodney also offered his seat to Count Banyusas.
"Your Excellency coming this close to the front lines yourself... is there something?"
"Well, that Falken who's guarding the gate is being troublesome."
Falken was the Knight Commander, famous as the strongest in the kingdom. He was apparently guarding the gate and fighting fiercely, making it difficult for the Southern noble army to attack.
"It looks like it's going to be a long haul, so I thought I'd put something in my stomach too."
He said it was a meal, but Count Banyusas had the most luxurious room in this mansion. There was no need for him to come to the kind of servant's room that had been given to Rodney and his group.
Considering that, Rodney understood Count Banyusas's intention. He probably wanted Rodney to defeat the Knight Commander Falken.
"Just to confirm, have you used Release-type Primeval Force?"
"Of course. He's perfectly fine even after receiving high-grade Release-type Primeval Force. That one's a monster."
Knight Commander Falken was positioned in a narrow passage, making it impossible to crush him with numbers. Even when using Release-type Primeval Force, he used Defense-type Primeval Force to stay perfectly fine.
Count Banyusas thought that at this rate, the casualties among their allies (the Southern noble army) would only increase.
Of course, Count Banyusas didn't care how much the Southern noble army exhausted itself. Rather, it was better for them to be exhausted.
Considering the power struggle after the war, he had even instructed Baron Jegsus to deliberately conserve their forces in the assault on the royal capital.
Count Banyusas, who led half of the Northern nobles, had a way of thinking that came from that position.
More important than this assault on the royal capital was the power struggle that would follow. That was a struggle for hegemony. Whether to rule the country in place of the royal family or to manage the country by revering the royal family differed depending on who seized hegemony.
The Eastern nobles felt great resentment towards the peace with the Jabaru Kingdom. If the Eastern nobles seized hegemony, the royal family might be annihilated. Probably, the Southern nobles also held similar views. That was different from Count Banyusas's vision of the future. Therefore, Count Banyusas was acting with consideration for after the royal capital's capture.
"High-grade, huh..."
To withstand high-grade Release-type Primeval Force, one would need to possess at least multiple high-grade Defense-type Primeval Forces, or a highest-grade Defense-type Primeval Force.
"Speaking of which, I recall Rodney-dono was called the Monster of the Far North."
"That is beyond my control."
Because of that rumor, troublesome people had come to the Dedel Territory. It would have been fine if capable people had come, but it was only people with strong self-assertion and little real ability.
"A monster and a monster. I wonder which is stronger?"
"Perhaps the monster?"
"Haha. You don't have to be so modest."
(It's not about modesty; I've never fought him, nor have I seen his movements, so I don't know.)
Previously, he had seen Knight Commander Falken at a situation briefing, but they hadn't exchanged words.
Even among the four generals, he could tell at a glance that the one with a particularly striking presence was the Knight Commander. He had thought then that the reputation as the strongest in the kingdom was no mere boast.
"Now then, a meeting of representatives from each army was held just now."
Count Banyusas's expression tightened. Seeing that, Rodney also straightened his back.
Apparently, it had been decided at that meeting that each noble army would send a representative to challenge Knight Commander Falken. Count Banyusas said he wanted Rodney to go as the representative of the Northern noble army.
"I understand the request. If the others have no objection to me, I accept this role."
"Oh, is that so? I think there's no one more suitable: the Monster of the Far North, the hero who opened the treasure vault, the disciple of the sage. The others won't complain if it's Rodney-dono. I won't let them complain. I promise you that."
He felt as if his epithets had taken on a life of their own.
The representatives from the Eastern, Western, and Southern noble armies gathered. Besides Rodney, there were two men in their thirties and one in his forties, all of burly build.
"I am Rodney Elias Forbas. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Hmph. You seem to be coddled with names like monster and hero, but I'll defeat Falken. Watch from behind!"
The one who showed hostility as if they were enemies despite meeting for the first time was the representative of the Southern noble army. He was in his forties with several scars on his face.
The representatives from the East and West also didn't voice it, but they were individuals who felt hostility.
"Does this mean coordination is unnecessary?"
The Southern representative was apparently a viscount, so instead of challenging him childishly, Rodney tried to respond politely.
"A feeble bastard like you would just be in the way."
"Is that so. Then I will observe the Viscount's battle from the rear. I hope you can defeat Knight Commander Falken."
He had provoked him a bit. He reflected that he was still young.
The other representatives also said they would fight Knight Commander Falken alone, so they decided the order by lottery. Rodney didn't participate in the lottery, saying the fourth position was fine.
Given the presence of Knight Commander Falken when he had met him before, these three wouldn't even be a match for him. That was what he thought.
If that judgment was wrong, he would just have to resign himself to the fact that his ability to judge people wasn't that great.