Stein Rays's Move (2): Lucifal's Proposal

"Let's have the Second Knight Order join the expedition."

The one who made that proposal was Lucifal Beras, commander of the First Knight Order. My nemesis.

We were in a room in one corner of the castle. From our Tenth Knight Order were Rays-sama, Glantz-sama, Rapilia-sama, and me.

From the First Knight Order came Lucifal and two of his aides.

Also present were King Zeuracia, Prince Zerand, Nelfia, the head of the civil administration, and Saifa-san, head of the diplomatic corps.

Today was the meeting to discuss the Great Expedition.

After all, it was a plan unlike any other in Rudek's history: enter another country's territory, then launch a surprise attack on an enemy country from there.

If word of it leaked to Golber, everything would be ruined—and we would almost certainly be left isolated—so the people who knew the details at this stage had been carefully selected.

Gathered here today were those among them who had a say in military matters.

As far as I was concerned, with Lucifal here, there was no such thing as secrecy.

Though I was in charge of a unit in the Tenth Knight Order, I was clearly the newest and lowest-ranking person among those gathered. The main reason I was present was my position as Prince Zerand's direct retainer.

That was why I wasn't seated with the Tenth Knight Order, but beside Prince Zerand, at the far end of the table.

Prince Zerand looked tense, as one would expect, but from the very start of the meeting, he watched the discussion with a serious expression, determined not to miss a single word.

It was then that Lucifal proposed having the Second Knight Order accompany us on the expedition.

"But wouldn't that leave the north poorly defended?" King Zeuracia voiced his concern.

"Yes. That is why the First Knight Order would temporarily move north. We would take up position at Oakhle Fort for the time being and keep a watchful eye on the area. With us stationed there, neither Golber nor the Empire would be able to make a move easily—and the same would hold even if, by some chance, Reflea had ulterior motives."

"The First Knight Order? You, who pride yourselves on being the guardians of the royal capital, would move?" The king furrowed his brow slightly.

"Yes. Under normal circumstances, it would be unthinkable. But there is no imminent threat to the kingdom, and this expedition is unprecedented for our country. In that case, I believe it would be best to seek the aid of the Second Knight Order, with its mobility and flexibility."

"But that alone doesn't explain why the First Knight Order should move."

"It's simply a matter of elimination. There is no other knight order available. We could move the Sixth Knight Order, but if we need to keep watch on three fronts, I believe we are better suited to the task."

"Hmm... I see..."

King Zeuracia fell into thought. The others, too, seemed to be weighing the advantages and drawbacks of moving the First Knight Order.

I alone was thinking about something else entirely.

In the future I knew, the Second Knight Order hadn't joined this Great Expedition, and the First Knight Order hadn't taken up position at Oakhle Fort either.

From the few records I knew, it seemed that both the First and Second Knight Orders had remained on the sidelines.

Had a similar proposal been made and rejected? Were we following that same history?

Oakhle Fort was the largest fort near the Reflea border. It felt ominous to have the First Knight Order move in there.

I wondered what they were plotting, but even if I wanted to object, I had no grounds to oppose the plan.

Even if I loudly accused the First Knight Order of treachery here, I had no idea how much good it would do.

People can't truly feel the danger of a threat until it actually happens.

"What do you think, Rays?" After thinking it over for a while, King Zeuracia asked Rays-sama for his opinion.

"I don't think it's a bad plan. The Sixth Knight Order is in the royal capital right now, so our defenses won't be all that thin."

With Rays-sama's agreement, the discussion moved on to the specifics of having the Second Knight Order join the expedition and the First Knight Order move north.

...As I thought, things were already deviating slightly from the version I knew.

Why would the First Knight Order go to Oakhle Fort, even if it meant having the Second Knight Order accompany us?

The simplest explanation was that they were laying the groundwork to seize Oakhle Fort in preparation for a rebellion.

No. This expedition itself was happening earlier. I needed to consider an even worse possibility.

What would the worst-case scenario be in this situation?

While we were fighting inside Golber territory, Lucifal would raise the banner of rebellion and bring in soldiers from Reflea to invade us.

On top of that, the Second Knight Order accompanying us would strike from behind, leaving our Tenth Knight Order caught between Golber and the Second Knight Order.

...It wasn't impossible. But something felt off. Particularly the way the Second Knight Order would be used.

First, could we really expect that much from Golber in its current state?

If Golber were to be easily swept aside by us, then even if the Second Knight Order were an elite force, its total strength was only about half that of the Tenth Knight Order. We could easily turn the tables on them instead of being caught in a pincer.

If the Second Knight Order betrayed us, Rays-sama might even lure them into a pincer attack alongside the Fourth Knight Order.

I still didn't know where the Fourth Knight Order stood. But based on everything so far, they didn't seem to be on Lucifal's side.

That's right. If they wanted to hold the Tenth Knight Order back, it would be more effective to keep the Second Knight Order stationed at Kitzal Fort instead.

The Second Knight Order was currently at Kitzal Fort with the Fourth Knight Order, keeping Golber in check.

Since the quickest route back from this expedition was through the Zetta Plain, if the Fourth Knight Order were on Lucifal's side, it would make more sense to coordinate with the Second Knight Order and attack the Tenth Knight Order on its way home.

If so, then the Fourth Knight Order probably wasn't under Lucifal's influence. That's why they couldn't use that plan.

In that case, was the Second Knight Order meant to hold us back passively rather than actively?

Lucifal wouldn't waste the Second Knight Order's strength... Wait, the Second Knight Order didn't have to attack us inside Golber territory.

The First Knight Order could raise its banner of rebellion at Oakhle Fort, then the First and Second Knight Orders could trap the Tenth Knight Order in a pincer when we hurried back. That seemed more like something Lucifal would do.

I'd made a point of spending as much time as possible studying Lucifal Beras. He was capable and popular. But his pride showed through in little ways.

As commander of the First Knight Order, a force steeped in glory and history, he seemed to have little interest in getting involved in dirty work. Looking back after hearing about his relationship with the Tenth Knight Order, it even seemed as though he pushed those jobs onto them.

That was the kind of person Lucifal was. He might want to defeat the Tenth Knight Order with his own hands, as the final flourish in Rudek's downfall, to satisfy his pride... Though that was just my own speculation.

While I sank deeper and deeper into a sea of thoughts, the discussion continued steadily.

"Lord Roa, is something the matter?"

I realized Prince Zerand, sitting beside me, was peering at me with concern.

"Oh, sorry. It's nothing. I was just thinking about the expedition."

"Is that so? You looked quite troubled..."

I needed to be careful. I had to focus on this meeting now.

The fateful day was drawing closer by the moment.