Chapter 22
"...All right. Let's wait and see what happens by tomorrow."
"Wickhart-sama!?"
"Even if they are relayed through a representative, these are Rays-sama's words. We can't dismiss them out of hand."
"Guh. Understood." The old general, dissatisfied to the very end, backed down, and the matter was settled.
"Then today's deployment is called off. Ryuzel-dono, Roa-dono, thank you for hurrying here. You must be tired. Please rest for now, and we will hold the war council again tomorrow. What do you say?"
Thank goodness. With General Wickhart yielding, it was practically certain there would be no deployment tomorrow or thereafter. The Haksha Plains would be flooded by then, after all.
With the few days it would take the water to recede, Wickhart-sama and the others would cool down a little. All that remained was to wait for Rays-sama to arrive. My work was done. What a relief.
"Then I'll take you up on that." When Captain Ryuzel said this, I stood as well, bowed, and left the main camp.
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...The river isn't running high.
I looked out at the river from Captain Ryuzel's unit camp, which had been set up some distance from the Sixth Knight Order's encampment.
We had not camped near the Sixth Knight Order because the main force of the Tenth Knight Order would be arriving soon. Reserving enough space for a large force to set up camp was an important duty of an advance unit.
When I shifted my gaze to the Sixth Knight Order's encampment, smoke was beginning to rise as they prepared dinner. The sun would soon set. As General Wickhart had said, they did not appear to be preparing to march out, at least, so I breathed a small sigh of relief.
—If only the river would start running high soon...
There was no sign of rain around here. But if there was heavy rain upstream, this river would run high.
Could history have shifted slightly because I had come here as Rays-sama's representative? The river not running high was a problem in its own way. If crossing became possible, that old general, Skudelia-san, would again insist on an offensive at tomorrow's war council.
I had to think of another argument to persuade them. Somehow, I needed to stall until Rays-sama arrived.
What's wrong?"
Captain Ryuzel called out to me in concern as I stood there, groaning and staring at the river.
"...I was just thinking that the river isn't running high..."
"Yes, if it did, tomorrow's war council would be easier."
Perhaps Skudelia-san had come to Captain Ryuzel's mind as well; the captain's expression grew troubled.
"But this is all in heaven's hands. Staring at it won't change anything. Come, let's eat and get a good rest for tomorrow. We've been on a forced march all the way here."
"...Yes, you're right."
The river merely glittered peacefully, bathed in the setting sun.
But that night, the situation changed drastically.
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Around midnight, I had fallen asleep early from exhaustion when Captain Ryuzel woke me.
"What's the matter?"
"We've got a problem."
Though it was dark, I could tell Captain Ryuzel was tense, and I hurriedly straightened up. Before I could even put on my coat, another figure slipped into the tent.
"Laimar-san?"
It was hard to make out in the darkness, but the person who had entered was Laimar, the young unit commander who had strongly argued against the surprise attack at the day's war council. Like Captain Ryuzel, Laimar projected a grave demeanor.
"Please wait. I'll get a light..."
"No, leave it like this. Better this way." Captain Ryuzel's words meant that Laimar had come in secret.
"Roa-dono, we have no time, so I will get straight to the point. Wickhart-sama has decided to march out. He will cross the river before dawn with only a portion of his forces."
"What do you mean...!?"
"Roa, quiet," Captain Ryuzel admonished me, and I lowered my voice. "What exactly happened? You said it was postponed until tomorrow."
"That was what was supposed to happen. But something unexpected occurred."
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After the decision to suspend the deployment, Skudelia, who had supported the surprise attack, apparently could not give up and continued staring at the opposite bank.
Then Skudelia spotted several Franklurt soldiers coming to the riverbank. Apparently, they came running with something in their arms without even trying to hide it.
They hooked what they had brought onto a spear tip and thrust it conspicuously into the riverbed for all to see.
It was a helmet.
Skudelia recognized it at once. Skudelia had ridden into battle time and again alongside the commander who had worn that helmet.
The helmet belonged to Naisol-sama, the former commander of the Sixth Knight Order.
When Naisol-sama was slain by Franklurt, his remains were returned from Golbel, but his sword and helmet remained missing ever since.
They held that helmet aloft before Skudelia, flaunting it.
What must Skudelia have felt?
Afterward, Skudelia rushed into Wickhart-sama's command tent and pleaded through tears, "At least let me cross the river alone."
Skudelia was the one who had rallied the Sixth Knight Order when it nearly collapsed after Naisol-sama was slain, and who had personally gone around persuading the officers who had expressed reservations about Wickhart-sama's appointment. Skudelia was Wickhart-sama's most trusted aide.
That same Skudelia had pleaded in tears. Wickhart-sama must have realized there was no stopping Skudelia. Wickhart-sama reversed his decision and opted for a surprise attack with a small elite force.
As I listened to Laimar-san, I quietly caught my breath.
To me, it seemed as though history was once again beckoning the Sixth Knight Order toward chaos.