Chapter 31
The village to the southwest was safe.
The houses hadn't been burned, and the fields hadn't been ravaged.
All the villagers were alive, too.
"...We made it in time."
I let out a breath without meaning to as we entered the village.
It was different from yesterday's village.
Because we'd stopped the cavalry along the way.
Claude-san explained the situation to the village chief.
"Imperial soldiers have made it this far. Please begin preparing to evacuate at once."
"They've come this far...?"
"Yes. We'll contact the Duke of Scotty's army, too. Bring only the bare essentials."
"Understood."
The villagers began hurrying about.
We didn't stay long.
The map and orders we'd obtained from the cavalry captain.
We needed to deliver them as soon as possible.
We took the two captured Imperial soldiers with us and returned to the staging ground.
◇
"Lloyd."
As soon as we entered the command tent, Claude-san called out to him.
Deputy Commander Lloyd looked up from the map.
"You're back. How did it go?"
"The village is safe. We had them start evacuating."
"What about the Imperial soldiers?"
"They were cavalry scouts. There were fifteen of them."
"Fifteen riders?"
Deputy Commander Lloyd's brow furrowed.
"We killed two, including their captain, and captured two. The other eleven fled west."
"Any casualties on our side?"
"None."
"Again...?"
Deputy Commander Lloyd looked at us.
Claude-san spread a map across the table.
"More importantly, take a look at this."
"What is it?"
"The captain had it."
Deputy Commander Lloyd looked at the map.
At first, he said nothing.
But as his gaze moved across the map, his expression gradually changed.
"...These marks..."
"Yeah."
Claude-san laid the order beside it, too.
"And this, too."
Deputy Commander Lloyd unfolded the paper and read it for a while.
Outside the tent, soldiers' voices called back and forth.
Horses neighed.
Wagons creaked.
Those sounds suddenly seemed to grow distant.
"This isn't information I can keep to myself."
Deputy Commander Lloyd looked up.
"I'm going to headquarters."
"The Duke of Scotty's?"
"Yeah."
He gathered up the map and orders.
"I'll report to the Duke in person."
◇
The main camp of the Duke of Scotty's army was farther west than the staging ground.
As we drew closer, there were more and more people.
"...Amazing."
I couldn't help looking around.
Rows upon rows of tents.
Soldiers carrying spears as they moved about.
Dozens of horses tied up.
Crates being unloaded from wagons one after another.
White steam rose from a great cooking pot, and a soldier ran past carrying bloodstained cloth.
Horse sweat.
Smoke from campfires.
Meat cooking.
Medicine.
A faint smell of blood mingled with it all.
Somewhere, the dry sound of metal being hammered rang out again and again.
"So this is... headquarters."
It was completely different from the staging ground we'd been at.
There were more than a few hundred people.
There were even more than that.
The places where we'd been fighting until now had truly been only a small part of this war.
"Halt."
A knight stopped us at the entrance to the main camp.
Deputy Commander Lloyd stepped forward.
"I'm Lloyd Hazen of Count Belgrant's army. I have an urgent report for the Duke."
"A report?"
"We've obtained a map and orders from Imperial cavalry scouts."
The knight's expression changed.
"Please wait a moment."
He ran inside.
Before long, he returned with another knight.
"His Grace the Duke will see you. This way."
We made our way toward the center of the main camp.
Along the way, one knight stopped when he saw Claude-san.
"...Claude?"
"Hm?"
Claude-san looked at him, too.
"Do I know you?"
"I knew it. You're Claude the Silver Wolf, aren't you?"
"That's right."
"You were in the Royal Knights?"
"Yeah."
"I knew it..."
I looked at Claude-san.
"Claude-san, were you in the Royal Knights?"
"A long time ago."
"You never told me."
"Well, it's not something I usually bring up."
"............"
Raoul chuckled beside me.
"Allen, you really didn't know?"
"Of course I didn't."
"He's pretty famous, you know."
"He is?"
I asked Felicia.
"I knew Claude-san as the Silver Wolf, too, but... I didn't know about the Royal Knights."
"That's enough."
Claude-san started walking again.
"That was a long time ago."
There wasn't time to ask him anything else.
A large tent came into view ahead.
◇
We went inside.
It was much larger than any command tent I'd seen before.
A large table stood in the center.
A map covered its entire surface.
Red and blue markers.
Small flags.
Several lines.
Men who looked like knights and clerks stood around the map, speaking in low voices.
One man stood in the middle of them.
He looked to be about fifty.
His short hair was streaked with white.
He wore no extravagant clothes.
A dark cloak was draped over his armor.
"Your Grace."
Deputy Commander Lloyd bowed his head.
We followed suit.
"I'm Lloyd Hazen, here from Count Belgrant's territory."
"Ah, welcome."
The Duke of Scotty looked at us.
"And who are those behind you?"
"An adventurer mobile force dispatched as reinforcements by Count Belgrant.
This is First Squad."
"An adventurer..."
The Duke's gaze shifted.
It stopped on Claude-san.
"...Claude, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"I thought so."
Claude-san looked a little surprised.
"You know me, Your Grace?"
"I've known your name since your days in the Royal Knights."
"............"
"I heard time and again that a young knight with great skill was serving there. And later, that you'd left the order and become an A-Rank adventurer leading the Silver Wolf."
The Duke of Scotty smiled faintly.
"This is the first time we've met and spoken face-to-face, though."
"Yes."
"I never expected you to be among the reinforcements from Belgrant."
"I'm an adventurer now."
"So you are."
The Duke looked over First Squad.
Bork.
Lydia.
Cecil.
Raoul.
Ena.
Lastly, his gaze fell on Felicia and me.
"...Wait."
"?"
"Are these two adventurers as well?"
"Yes."
I answered.
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen."
"I'm sixteen."
Felicia answered, too.
"Fifteen and... sixteen?"
The smile disappeared from the Duke's face.
"They're still children."
The tent grew a little quiet.
The Duke watched us for a while.
He wasn't angry.
But neither did he look happy.
"So we've come to a point where even children this young have to go to the battlefield..."
He let out a small sigh.
"Your Grace."
Claude-san started to speak.
But I spoke first.
"I decided to come here myself."
The Duke looked at me.
"No one forced me to come."
"I see."
"Yes."
The Duke thought for a moment.
"Then I have no intention of condemning that choice."
But he continued at once.
"Your choice to come here yourself is one thing. Whether we adults should consider it acceptable to send children to the battlefield is another."
"............"
"Our job should be to end this before you ever have to pick up a sword."
No one answered right away.
The Duke turned his gaze back to the map.
"That's exactly why we have to end it quickly."
◇
"Now, what was this urgent report?"
Deputy Commander Lloyd unfolded the map he'd brought.
"This morning, we engaged fifteen Imperial cavalry scouts heading for a village to the southwest."
"Fifteen riders?"
"Yes. We killed two, including their captain, captured two, and the remaining eleven retreated west."
A knight standing beside the Duke asked,
"Any casualties on our side?"
"None."
"...Against fifteen riders?"
"Yes."
The knight looked at First Squad.
Deputy Commander Lloyd continued.
"This is the survey map and the orders the cavalry captain was carrying."
The Duke of Scotty took them.
A man who looked like a strategist leaned in to look, too.
"This is..."
"It's not just the roads."
The map showed more than just villages.
Bridges.
Narrow paths.
Rivers.
Places that looked suitable for crossing.
Each one was marked in detail.
He looked over the orders, too.
"'Survey a route the main force can use,' huh?"
The Duke murmured in a low voice.
"So they've come this far after all."
"After all?"
I asked without meaning to.
The Duke looked at me.
"How much have you heard about this war?"
"Only that the Doran Empire crossed the border and that their vanguard has more than a thousand soldiers."
"I see."
The Duke pointed to a large map of the battlefront.
"Then you should know what comes next."
Everyone in the tent gathered around the map.
"As far as we can confirm, the Imperial army has about three thousand soldiers."
"Three thousand..."
More than I'd expected.
"However, that's not the full strength of the Doran Empire."
"Huh?"
"If the Empire intended to conquer the entire Kingdom of Sahar, they wouldn't have come with only three thousand."
The Duke traced the border with his finger.
"This is also the only area where we've confirmed a large-scale border crossing."
"Then..."
What are they after?
It seemed that question showed on my face.
"We believe this invasion isn't an all-out war to seize our territory."
"Then what is it for?"
Felicia asked.
"Pressure."
The strategist answered.
"Political pressure on the Kingdom of Sahar."
"Political..."
"This hasn't been widely shared with the people yet."
The Duke paused for a moment.
"The royal houses of Sahar and Arslain are currently discussing a marriage alliance."
"The Kingdom of Arslain?"
It was a great power to the southwest of the Kingdom of Sahar.
"Between our First Princess and His Highness Alfred, the First Prince of the Kingdom of Arslain."
"A princess and a prince..."
Felicia murmured.
"If the marriage goes through, the relationship between the two countries will grow much stronger than it is now."
The Duke continued.
"It won't immediately lead to a military alliance. But a marriage between the royal houses would still mean a great deal."
"The Doran Empire has no reason to welcome that."
The strategist pointed to the map.
"Until now, the Empire has pressured our country from the west.
But if the ties between Sahar and Arslain grow stronger, the situation will change."
"If they attack Sahar, the Kingdom of Arslain might get involved..."
"That's right."
The Duke nodded.
"So that's why they started this war?"
"I won't claim the marriage is the sole reason. But given the timing, it's hard to believe the two are unrelated."
The Duke touched one of the Imperial army's markers.
"They likely intend to damage the border in this invasion and force us to retreat, then use that to their advantage in negotiations."
"So if we strengthen our ties with the Kingdom of Arslain, they're saying they'll ravage the border again?"
"Yes. Perhaps they want to make that threat clear."
"............"
I thought I understood.
They didn't want all of the Kingdom of Sahar.
They wanted to be able to say they'd won on the battlefield.
They wanted leverage for negotiations.
And for that, villages had been burned.
People had been killed.
"...Even so..."
"What is it?"
"The Empire may have its own reasons, but..."
I remembered the village I'd seen yesterday.
The burned houses.
The man who'd been killed.
"I don't think that gives them a reason to kill villagers."
"You're right."
The Duke answered without hesitation.
"They have their own reasons."
He looked at the map.
"But we have people we need to protect, too."
◇
"This is the problem."
The strategist pointed to a spot on the map.
A large river flowed from north to south.
"The Seil River."
A single major road crossed it.
"The Seil Bridge is here."
"A bridge?"
"It's the largest stone bridge connecting the western and eastern parts of the Duke of Scotty's territory."
The Duke explained.
"There are also smaller bridges and places where you can ford the river. But in practice, this is the only place where a large number of soldiers and supply wagons can cross at once."
I looked at the map.
The Imperial army was coming from the west.
If it continued east, it would reach the Seil Bridge.
Beyond it lay the staging ground where we'd first been, as well as many villages.
"If they take this..."
"The Imperial army will be able to push east all at once."
The strategist answered.
"In other words..."
The Duke's finger stopped over the bridge.
"All we have to do is keep them from crossing."
"............"
"The Empire hasn't mobilized a large enough army to conquer the kingdom this time.
If they can't get across the Seil Bridge and our reinforcements keep growing, they won't be able to stay in Scotty's territory forever."
"Their supply lines will stretch, too."
The strategist added.
"They'll have to keep bringing food and supplies from beyond the border."
The Duke looked at us.
"We don't need to defeat every last Imperial soldier."
"...Then..."
"We hold the Seil Bridge."
The Duke pointed to the map.
"And drive the Imperial army back across the border."
"That would be..."
"Yes."
The Duke nodded.
"That would be our victory in this war."
For the first time.
I felt like I could see how this war might end.
We didn't need to defeat every Imperial soldier.
We had to protect the bridge.
And drive them back.
Once we did that, the war would be over.
"However..."
The strategist looked at the map we'd brought back.
"The Imperial army knows that, of course."
The survey map had marks on the road leading to the Seil Bridge and on the narrow paths around it.
"The cavalry scouts were probably looking for routes to the bridge."
"The main road is this one."
The knight beside the Duke pointed to the broad road.
"Then if we gather our soldiers here—"
"No, that would be too late."
Claude-san spoke up.
For an instant, the tent fell silent.
"What?"
The Duke looked at Claude-san.
Claude-san stepped closer to the map.
"Look at these marks."
The southern part of the map we'd taken from the cavalry captain.
There was a narrow road there.
"The Imperial scouts weren't just surveying the main road. They checked this way, too."
"But that road is narrow."
The knight said.
"The main force can't get through there."
"They don't need to send the entire main force through."
Claude-san moved his finger.
"They could send a detachment this way. It could reach the south side of the bridge and attack the defenders from the flank—"
"Claude."
Deputy Commander Lloyd said quietly.
But Claude-san kept his eyes on the map.
"If we only watch the main road, they'll take the side of the bridge before we even realize it."
"Hey!"
A young knight raised his voice.
"You can't speak to His Grace the Duke like that—"
"That's enough."
The Duke of Scotty stopped him.
The knight fell silent.
"The situation matters more than manners right now."
The Duke looked at Claude-san.
"Go on."
"...My apologies."
"It's fine."
Claude-san looked at the map again.
"They used fifteen riders to survey the area. I doubt the Imperial army checked this road for no reason."
"In other words?"
"I don't think they'll attack the bridge from the front alone."
The Duke continued to study the map for a while.
"Send out scouts."
He spoke suddenly.
"Survey every road on the south side again."
"Yes, sir!"
"Send soldiers to the south side of the bridge, too. But don't thin out the main garrison."
"Understood!"
The knights began moving.
The Duke looked down at the map we'd brought back once more.
"Without this map, we might have focused only on the main road."
His gaze shifted to First Squad.
"You brought back valuable information."
◇
"Deputy Commander Lloyd."
"Yes?"
The Duke of Scotty spoke.
"I want to discuss this adventurer mobile force."
"What about it?"
"I'd like First Squad to be given priority for emergency requests from headquarters going forward."
"............"
"You have a scout and a healer. You have a frontline and a backline, too."
The Duke looked at Claude-san.
"And, above all, Claude is your leader."
Then his gaze stopped on me.
"And you have the boy who chased down fifteen cavalry scouts."
"Yes."
The Duke looked at Deputy Commander Lloyd.
"Is it true that he ran down the Imperial cavalry scouts?"
"At first, I thought I must have heard wrong, but it's true."
Claude-san added,
"Over short distances, he's faster than a horse."
"............"
The Duke looked at me.
"You said you were fifteen?"
"Yes."
"What on earth are you doing...?"
"I'm sorry."
"There's no need to apologize."
The Duke let out a small sigh.
"Still, it's hardly a good thing that a battlefield is where your abilities are needed."
"............"
"Let's end this quickly."
The Duke's gaze returned to the Seil Bridge.
"So you won't have to be here any longer."
Then he turned back to Deputy Commander Lloyd.
"As for assigning First Squad..."
"Your Grace."
Deputy Commander Lloyd spoke first.
"Count Belgrant ordered us to assist in the defense of the Duke of Scotty's territory."
"Yes."
"However, changing how the mobile force itself is deployed isn't something I can decide on my own."
"I understand."
The Duke nodded at once.
"I have no intention of taking reinforcements from Count Belgrant and folding them into my own forces without permission."
"Thank you."
"I'll send a letter myself today. I'll formally ask Count Belgrant to give First Squad priority for emergency requests from headquarters, too."
"That should be fine."
"And until we get a reply?"
"We'll continue our mobile missions under my command as before."
"That works."
The Duke nodded.
"If headquarters needs help, we'll first request it from Deputy Commander Lloyd. After that, follow the chain of command as you have been."
"Understood."
Claude-san nodded, too.
Our position hadn't changed yet.
We were still an adventurer mobile force dispatched by Count Belgrant.
Even so, the Duke of Scotty's army now needed our help at its main camp.
"You were First Squad, right?"
The Duke said.
"Yes."
"I'll remember that."
◇
Meanwhile...
Far to the west of the Duke of Scotty's main camp.
The Doran Imperial army's forward encampment.
A cold wind swept beneath the low clouds.
Eleven horses entered the encampment.
Their bodies were slick with sweat, and they exhaled white clouds as they breathed hard.
But the captain who'd left with them was nowhere to be seen.
The command tent.
A large map lay spread out beneath the light of an oil lamp.
"There were supposed to be fifteen of you, weren't there?"
The Imperial commander asked.
"Yes..."
"Where's the captain?"
"H-he was killed in action..."
The soldier's voice grew quieter as he reported it.
"Three others haven't returned, either..."
"Who were you up against?"
"They appeared to be adventurers."
"Adventurers?"
"Yes, sir! There were about eight of them."
The commander furrowed his brow.
"Against eight?"
"Yes."
Only the sound of the wind beating against the tent canvas could be heard.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
The soldier explained.
A huge man carrying a greatshield.
A mage.
A woman who seemed to be a scout.
A skilled swordsman.
And...
"There was one boy."
"A boy?"
"He was about fifteen, I think."
"A boy like that was on the battlefield?"
"Yes."
The soldier stopped for a moment.
"He... caught up to the horses."
"............"
The commander's movements stopped.
"What?"
"He ran after them."
"............"
"He pulled soldiers off their horses, and he was the one who killed the captain, too."
"What are you talking about?"
"I thought I'd seen wrong, too!"
The soldier's voice grew a little louder.
"But he really did catch up with us!"
A strategist standing in the corner of the tent looked up.
"Wait."
He reached for a stack of reports on the table.
"Two units in this area have gone silent since yesterday."
He placed the first report on the map.
"Six men."
Then another.
"This one had more than a dozen."
And finally, the place where the cavalry scouts had been defeated today.
The three locations weren't very far apart.
"A coincidence?"
The commander asked.
"I don't know."
The strategist looked at the three markers.
"But if the same group is responsible, they could be a problem."
"A group of about eight adventurers?"
"They repelled fifteen cavalrymen in a single day."
"............"
The commander looked at the map.
"There's more."
The surviving cavalryman spoke.
"The captain was carrying the survey map when he fell."
The strategist's expression changed.
"The survey map?"
"Yes."
"What was on it?"
"Roads, bridges, and river crossings. The Seil Bridge, too."
This time, the atmosphere in the tent changed.
The commander slowly stood up.
"This is bad."
The center of the map.
The Seil River.
A single bridge spanning it.
The commander placed a finger on it.
"We'll move up our plans for the bridge."
"But our reconnaissance isn't finished yet."
"There's a good chance they've learned we're surveying the routes to the bridge."
His voice was low.
"We'll move before Sahar has time to strengthen its defenses."
"Yes, sir."
The cavalryman bowed his head.
He started to leave.
"Wait."
"Yes?"
"Those eight..."
The commander stopped him.
"If you find them again, don't engage them on your own."
"What?"
"Confirm their location and numbers, then report back."
The commander's finger moved to the place where the cavalry had been defeated today.
"Especially that boy."
"...Yes, sir."
A small marker was added to the map.
Cumulative P Acquired = 26,295P