Chapter 229 - Espionage

Ferda stepped outside and looked up at the siege engine—a trebuchet, the culmination of imperial engineering. It was an early invention, old enough that other kingdoms had long since worked out its construction and begun making their own, yet its performance and efficiency remained impressive even today.

"Fire!"

Wood creaked and ropes wound tight as a heavy boulder sailed into the sky.

BOOM!

The impact of the stone landing inside the walls reached them, but there was no sound of anything collapsing. Once a stone was launched, the crew immediately reset the engine and prepared the next one. Civilian safety no longer mattered; all they needed to do was send the stones over the kingdom's outer walls.

"This is the eighth bombardment. These are the estimated impact sites."

With more than twenty trebuchets firing, the map she had marked was densely covered in numbers. Ferda spotted a place where three of them overlapped.

"Three hits here, and still no sound of anything collapsing?"

"That's correct."

"Hmm..."

Normally, he would have concluded that the structure was too sturdy for a trebuchet to bring down. But an ordinary house, rather than an outer wall, could hardly be that strong.

"That's good news."

"Is it?"

"It means he's sustaining Legion's power to keep the kingdom intact. Our siege is doing meaningful damage."

The one question was whether this was a requirement or an obsession. Given the king of Heinkel's obsession with protecting his kingdom, neither would have been surprising.

"How do the kings intend to deploy their forces?"

"The details differ, but the broad strokes are similar. They intend to use expendable troops and concentrate their attacks on the sources of Heinkel's power."

"So they're all after the same thing."

They wanted power to rival Erdes Roton, Chairman of the Serdes Magical Society. What was human greed, really? Surely they knew that such terrifying power came at no price.

Yet it was not beyond his understanding. The more eyes were upon them, the more insecure they became, and that insecurity drove them to demand greater power. Such was humanity's ugly cycle.

"Oh? What are you doing out here?"

Ferda turned toward the familiar voice and saw Zed. As it happened, Zed's tent stood right beside the spot where Ferda and Garnet were standing. He emerged scratching his tangled mop of hair, looking as though he had only just woken up. Ferda and Garnet regarded him with disdain.

"The sun is nearly at its zenith, and you're only getting up now?"

"Ugh, don't get me started. Trying to sleep on hot, damp ground was miserable. Besides, I'll have you know I worked hard last night."

"Doing what?"

"What else? Gathering intelligence."

Zed grinned. Garnet narrowed her eyes.

"Spit it out, then, asshole."

"Come on, that's harsh. After all we've been through?"

"I said spit it out."

"Ahem. I learned yesterday that King Heodret's army received grenades from some alchemists."

Alchemists and grenades.

"Explosives?"

"Yes. Some are ordinary explosives, but apparently others contain lethally poisonous gas."

"King Heodret wages a ruthless war."

"Apparently, this isn't how he usually operates. He likes conquest, but he shows mercy to those who surrender and does his utmost to win over anyone who'll become his subjects."

"Does he?"

"That's why even his knights reportedly struggled to accept this plan to wipe everyone out."

When Ferda had heard him call for their extermination, he had assumed the man was cut from the same cloth as Ureas. He reflected on how hasty that judgment had been.

"I see."

He nodded quietly at the remarkably detailed intelligence. Garnet, however, still regarded Zed with suspicion.

"Don't believe him, Regent. Nothing but lies comes out of that womanizing bastard's mouth."

"What?! How can you say something so cruel?"

"How would you know something even my people haven't found out yet?"

"What's gotten into you? I do my job too, you know."

"No. I know there haven't been any reports of you leaving, so how exactly have you been spying? Are you going to keep lying?"

"Were you watching my tent all day? Why would you do that? Hoping for a look at my body? You sly little vixen..."

Zed gave her a sleazy, seductive smile.

"What an odd point to change the subject..."

Garnet stepped toward him, and Zed instinctively backed away.

"Hold it."

She put her nose to his neck and sniffed, then frowned.

"That isn't your scent."

"I'm sleeping out on bare ground. Of course the smell of grass and dirt rubs off on me."

"No, not that. This is—"

RUSTLE.

Something stirred conspicuously inside Zed's tent. He was supposed to have it to himself, yet someone else was inside. A moment later, a woman popped out, her hair and clothing just as disheveled as his.

"Hmm?"

She had been stretching with half-closed eyes. Belatedly noticing the three of them, she opened them wide, then gave a hearty laugh, looking sheepish.

"Haha! What a sight I must be."

"..."

"Forgive my belated greeting, Regent of the Duchy of Valdrova. I am Janine Clive, a knight of the Heodret Kingdom."

"... Ferda Valdrova. A pleasure to meet you."

"Sir Zed and I spent last night exchanging operational knowledge and getting to know each other a little. Rest assured, he didn't divulge any secrets or anything of the sort."

"... I see."

"Well, I should be off. Sir Zed."

"Yes?"

"Write me a letter when you get home. Or drop by before then."

She winked with an incongruously bashful expression and left. Zed pressed his fingers between his brows and muttered.

"I distinctly told her to slip out the back..."

Ferda watched her retreating back until something occurred to him.

"That woman, Janine—isn't she the general called the Mountainbreaker?"

"... Yes."

"I seem to recall she's famous as a beautiful swordmaster who declared she would never take a man weaker than herself."

"She says that ill-chosen remark left her an old maid."

"I see."

"..."

"Don't get the wrong idea. She came on to me first. When you brought that Erdes woman here, King Heodret's knights came along too. We were having a perfectly ordinary conversation—really—and then she suggested exchanging strategies, and somehow one thing led to another!"

"I see."

Ferda wondered whether this really warranted such a sweaty explanation. He did not care what Zed did. But Zed was pleading his case so desperately not for Ferda's benefit, but for the woman beside him. Unlike Ferda, Garnet cared very much. She was glaring daggers at Zed.

"Strictly speaking, doesn't this count as espionage too?"

"..."

"Penetrating deep into enemy territory—"

"Is just shutting the fuck up not an option for you?"

Only then did Zed shut his mouth.

* * *

Count Ruster's camp lay within the imperial army's encampment. Though part of the imperial army, his force operated more like an independent detachment.

Ruster knelt, sharpening his sword with a whetstone. With his eyes closed, he focused on the sound of the blade being honed. His mind was still. It had to be, if he was to plunge into the crucible of battle. That was how he had returned alive from operations with a zero-percent survival rate.

["What do you believe a soldier's duty is?"]

The question surfaced in Ruster's mind. A man had asked him that when he was a young knight cadet who knew nothing of the world.

["A soldier exists to devote himself to his country. But that alone must not make him someone expected to shoulder everything. That devotion comes from knowing a great future awaits us—from knowing that one day, I, my friends, and my family will be rewarded."]

The man had offered his hand to someone as insignificant as Ruster.

["I will take responsibility for your future. Will you devote yourself to me in return?"]

That man had never spoken idly, and he was still keeping his promise. So Ruster's answer remained the same as it had been then.

He slung his sword across his back and stepped outside the tent. His knights stood waiting for orders.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir!"

"There can be no mistakes this time. Grand Duke Gold is watching."

"Yes, sir!"

Ruster strode past them to take the lead. The grueling encirclement was over. Now came the all-out assault. It was time to commit everything.

* * *

After three days of encirclement, the assault on the walls began in earnest. Flags fluttered in the wind as the army advanced in perfectly ordered ranks. The plains near Heinkel were soon packed with people. More than a hundred thousand soldiers were converging on a single point.

Ferda first observed the situation from the front line alongside the commanders.

"We've advanced this far, yet they still haven't shown themselves."

"Indeed."

It was customary to appear for a final negotiation just before hostilities began. Yet there were no soldiers guarding the gate—not a soul in sight. It felt as though death awaited anyone who entered.

Ureas shouted, seemingly pleased by the situation.

"All that remains is merciless conquest. Sound the battle horn!"

BWOOOO!

The horn's deep note called them to prepare for battle. The commanders returned to their forces, and Ferda did the same.

As planned, the far eastern troops took their place at the front. Instead of leading with expendable spearmen, however, they had placed their knights—the very core of their strength—in the foremost rank. Every knight carried a large shield and a comparatively short sword, offering a glimpse of their tactics: they would serve as a moving wall, blocking every attack aimed at the rear ranks.

As long as that wall held, Ferda's army would suffer the fewest losses. But reality and ideals were different things. Any seasoned commander who saw the formation would surely have dismissed it as an idealistic novice's dream.

Ferda's army, however, had Alberto. With a shield as large as a palace gate and a long club in his hands, he stood in the center of the front rank like an impregnable fortress.

Ferda approached the commander at the front. As discussed, Olivia had taken command of the tactical infantry, with William at her side as adjutant.

"I entrust my soldiers to you, Your Highness."

"May Alte's blessing be with you, Regent."

Olivia discreetly signaled William with her eyes. Understanding immediately, he turned and shouted to the Hestia troops.

"Our future rests on you! Who are we?!"

"Who are we?!"

Brimming with morale, the knights beat the Valdrova crests engraved on their shoulders as they led the chant. The tactical infantry behind them roared in response.

"Guardians of the front line!"

"Where is our home?!"

"Humanity's last bastion, defending the continent!"

"What is our mission?!"

"To punish all evil with blue flame!"

"For the weak!"

"A warm hearth!"

"For the wicked!"

"The flames of hell!"

"Glory to the Aspect of Fire!"

"Glory to Hestia!"

Though the army numbered only five hundred, its presence was overwhelming.

"Magnificent."

Ferda smiled in satisfaction. After such an impressive display, simply leaving felt awkward. He addressed William.

"Once the war is over, everyone will receive an additional reward, regardless of their contribution. Pass that on."

"Yes, Regent."

Ferda withdrew to the rear to join his escort, a small, elite group consisting of Luri, Zed, and Arwen. He turned to Arwen.

"Your wedding is this autumn, isn't it, Sir Concillus?"

"It is. Though I would prefer you simply called me Arwen..."

Arwen blushed. Though it had been some time since Concillus adopted him, the name still felt awkward. Zed knew that and needled him.

"What's wrong, Sir Concillus? Are you ashamed of the name?"

"I particularly don't want to hear it from you."

"Anyway, are you sure this is all right? Throwing yourself into a death trap when you're getting married this autumn?"

"Being Count Concillus's adopted son gives me all the more reason to do it, doesn't it? My duty is to serve Regent Ferda."

"For a man about to walk into hell, you don't take much care of yourself."

"Whatever hell awaits me, it won't be as bad as what awaits someone caught cheating."

"What cheating?"

"Word's already spread. Your wife caught you red-handed after you spent the night with the Mountainbreaker."

"That was espionage. And since when is she my wife? She's nothing to me."

"May I tell Supply Commander Garnet you said that?"

"Whoa, now, what's gotten into you? One little poke and you come out swinging. That's no way to behave, my friend."

Watching them snicker over their inane banter, Luri spoke with a disapproving look.

"Master Ferda."

"What is it?"

"I will protect you."

Small though she was, the enormous axe resting on her shoulder—one most grown men would not dare attempt to wield—made her a deeply reassuring sight.

BWOOOO!

The battle horn sounded once more. The war had begun.