Chapter 90
Against a deep navy field that is almost black, a crescent moon embroidered in gold thread stands out, while the solid silhouette of a white swallow seems to slip through it.
The unit flag was completed.
"A crescent moon and a swallow, huh? An unusual motif, but I don't dislike it."
"Yeah. I think it's good, too."
Both Ryuzel and Frein seemed pleased with the finished flag, so I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Huh, not bad."
"Yes. It's cool."
But why were Rapiria-sama and Prince Zelando here? Huh? Were they bored?
Prince Zelando had been coming by every day for the past three days and milling about, so Ryuzel and Frein had already gotten used to him and barely paid him any attention, even when he was there.
We were busy preparing for our departure, after all. As long as he wasn't in the way, we let him be.
Rapiria-sama apparently had some free time because of the preparations and had come to see the flag after hearing from Lufa that it was finished.
In any case, Roa's unit flag was completed without incident, our preparations were in order, and at last it was time to depart.
Some units of the Tenth Knight Order had already set out. They were to garrison their assigned fortresses and wait for word of Golbel's movements.
We would make use of the cavalry's mobility and head straight for Kitzar Fortress on the front line. Though we were traveling by horse alone, the journey would take several days.
"We pray for your success in battle."
"Lufa! Be careful!"
We exchanged farewells with the two who had come to the castle gate to see us off—or rather, Lufa in particular—and set out proudly from Rudectrad, the royal capital, beneath our crescent-and-swallow flag.
〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜
If I had to describe Boldras-sama, the commander of the Fourth Knight Order, in one word, it would be "steady." Among the many highly individualistic knight commanders, he was one of the least remarkable, one might say. His was a knight order that quietly carried out its orders.
In the future I know, perhaps because of that, when the order was given to "deal with bandits" in Ellen Village, they would make the blunder of sending a force just large enough to deal with the bandits—only to be driven back instead.
However, it would be wrong to judge the Fourth Knight Order by that one incident alone. Its defining feature was that it possessed a large contingent of heavily armored soldiers.
When it came to defensive battles, they would stand before the enemy like a massive wall of iron.
Had the Fourth Knight Order not been assigned to the Zetta Plains, they might have been defeated before the Tenth Knight Order arrived in the Great Battle of Zetta.
My high opinion of the Fourth Knight Order's defensive ability was largely based on how they held off thirty thousand Golbel soldiers until reinforcements arrived on the Zetta Plains.
The Fourth Knight Order had two famous generals who could be called trusted right-hand men, much like Granz-sama and Rapiria-sama were to Rays-sama. Their names were Yuizest and Meizest, twin generals who were rare even in Rudek.
With the seamless coordination one would expect from twins, they wreaked havoc across the battlefield. As a mobile reserve, the pair would disrupt the enemy while the main force faced them like a gigantic turtle. That was the Fourth Knight Order's way of fighting.
A major battle lay ahead, so I had to keep my guard up. Still, the thought of meeting Rudek's famous twin generals in person naturally excited me.
What kind of generals were they?
What would the twins' perfectly coordinated fighting style look like?
"Roa, you look like you're having fun. You'll get hurt if you let your mind wander, you know?"
Lufa, riding with me atop Arrow, warned me. I shook my head and refocused on riding.
〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜
Several days later, we arrived safely at Kitzar Fortress.
Since we'd notified them in advance, soldiers came out to meet us.
"You're Roa's unit of the Tenth Knight Order, correct? Sorry, but may I see your identification?"
I produced the pass used between knight orders and had them verify my identity.
"Indeed. Thank you. Welcome to Kitzar. We are pleased to have you." Led by the soldier, we passed through the fortress's imposing gate.
Kitzar Fortress was large, but extremely plain in construction.
Riese Fortress near Haksha had ordinary citizens living there who ran shops and taverns for the knight orders, giving it some color.
Even Yufe Fortress, where the Second Knight Order had been based, had shops despite its smaller size. This fortress, however, had no shops—or any other colorful buildings.
Rows of nearly identical white buildings stood in orderly lines, making the fortress look plain compared to the others.
On closer inspection, there were shop signs, so apparently it wasn't as though there were no taverns and the like.
"What's wrong?" Frein asked as I looked around, so I honestly explained my impression. "Ah. No ordinary citizens live here."
The location allowed both armies to concentrate their forces, so any fighting on the Zetta Plains inevitably tended to become large-scale.
That made Kitzar Fortress dangerous, since it was easily caught up in the flames of war. Apparently, the people who did business there commuted from the surrounding towns and villages.
"In the past, Golbel actually came close to capturing it once, and later a major fire was deliberately set. That's why this fortress was built especially simply."
"I see."
I had read in books about the battle in which the fortress was once captured. It happened during the early stages of the Golbel invasion. As we proceeded, convinced by Frein's explanation, a large building came into view in the center.
"We have cleared the building to the right of the central one for Roa's unit. The stables are ready as well, so please use them as you wish."
"Thank you. The soldiers can head there for now, but I and the key members of my unit would like to greet Boldras-sama."
"Certainly. Then please tether your horses there and follow me."
The inside of the building was just as plain, and we proceeded down an undecorated hallway until we reached the room where Boldras-sama was waiting.
"Excuse me. I have brought the members of Roa's unit of the Tenth Knight Order."
When the soldier leading us opened the door, a nondescript middle-aged man flanked by two secretaries stood up to greet us. Was this Boldras-sama?
"Ah, hello there. Nice to meet you. Thank you for coming to our aid."
"Likewise. We'll be in your care for a while."
"Let's discuss the details later. First, rest and recover from your journey. Oh, let me introduce them now. You may already know them, but these are Yuizest and Meizest, the deputy commanders I rely on."
The two people he introduced were the secretaries from earlier... Huh? They weren't secretaries?
"Good to work with you."
"I'm counting on you."
The two tall, beautiful twin sisters, perfectly in sync, bowed their heads to me.