Chapter 95
Since I had suddenly declared that snow would fall and the enemy would withdraw if we waited four days, a strange atmosphere settled over the room.
The expressions of the people looking at me varied, but most of them seemed to be asking, "What is this guy talking about?"
"Roa-chan, what's your basis for saying four days?"
Thank goodness. Hock-san had asked me for my reasoning. At worst, I had thought they might dismiss me with a snort and leave it at that.
I have two reasons. However, I can't speak honestly here.
One is the future I know. The Fourth Knight Order and the Tenth Knight Order, which had been pushed back by Golbel's fierce assault, regained their strength when the Second Knight Order arrived after a forced march. This happened seven days after the start of the battle. According to the records, snow was already flurrying across the battlefield by then.
The next day, a blizzard struck, and Golbel withdrew the day after that.
The second reason is that the enemy strategist Sakuri can read the weather. In that respect, I trust Sakuri as a strategist. I learned that the hard way at Haksha.
That doesn't mean the snow will start accumulating seven days from now, though. The situation is different from the future I know.
We had already thwarted Sakuri's plans at Ellen and Haksha, and Golbel had added 10,000 troops for an all-out battle. In this situation, Golbel should be seeking a much shorter decisive battle. I couldn't imagine Sakuri dragging the fighting out for seven days.
If I trusted Sakuri's judgment, I figured three or four days would be the limit. If they couldn't take the fortress within that time, they would withdraw. That seemed reasonable. In that case, the snow should come around then.
In other words, my reasoning was based on memories of the future and my trust in an enemy strategist whose very existence was somewhat uncertain. Even I wouldn't believe that explanation if someone told me this.
So what I needed to do now was fabricate a plausible-sounding explanation.
"...I'm not sure how many of you know this, but I was originally a civil official assigned to the royal capital. Did you know the capital keeps weather records from all over the country?"
No one answered that they did. Naturally. I had never seen them, either. There might be weather records for farmland, but records for a place with nothing but a fortress like this probably didn't exist.
"...I've seen the weather records for this area several times. I checked them again when I came to reinforce this fortress. And I learned something interesting."
"What is it?"
"Strangely, the snow tends to accumulate on a particular day. That day is three or four days from now. Surely you members of the Fourth Knight Order know that better than I do?"
If I put it that way, a few people would think, "That might be true." Among them, one or two would start saying, "Come to think of it..." All it took was for one person to voice their agreement. After all, very few people remembered the exact day it snowed each year.
As expected, one of the unit commanders spoke up and said, "That's true." Once that happened, an atmosphere naturally began to form around the idea that it might snow. This was the crucial moment.
"Of course, I can't say for certain. But there's no reason this year should be the one year it doesn't snow."
If it snowed every year, there was no reason for it not to snow this year. It was a rather underhanded way to put it, but once someone had agreed with me, this year's snow began to seem inevitable, while no snow began to seem abnormal. I had come up with the argument myself, but it was sophistry at its finest.
"Four days... If we can hold out that long, perhaps we can defend the fortress..." The moment one of the unit commanders muttered this, my plan for the meeting was complete.
I suspected that some of the commanders, including Hock-san and Boldras-sama, had realized my words were nonsense. Even so, they went along with them.
With an overwhelming disparity in troop strength and no reinforcements, soldiers' morale was more precious than anything. If they could find hope even in nonsense, that was a gain.
"If we have three or four days, the Tenth Knight Order might arrive as reinforcements. After all, it's Rays=Stein-sama we're talking about." When Hock-san summed things up like that, everyone present seemed completely convinced by my words.
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"If that's settled, it's Lufa-chan's turn." Hock-san looked around at all of us before stopping her gaze on Lufa, who had been sitting quietly in the corner.
"Me?"
"Yes. It will affect the soldiers' morale differently if we present this as an oracle from the Goddess of Fate. It means taking credit away from you, Roa-chan, though. Is that all right?"
"Of course."
"Thanks. Then we need to dress Lufa-chan up so that her words sound more like an oracle." Hock-san's eyes gleamed as she said this.
"Us, too!"
"We'll help!"
The YuiMei twins, who had been quiet until just now, suddenly stood up full of enthusiasm.
"Huh? Huh?" Lufa backed away, but there was nowhere for her to escape. Hock-san and the twins hoisted her up, and although she flailed, it was already too late.
"Well then, we have preparations for Lufa-chan to make, so please continue discussing the troop deployments."
After saying only that, Hock-san was about to leave the room when she suddenly stopped. "Oh, right, Roa-chan. For this battle, lend me either Ryuzel-chan's unit or Frein-chan's." With that, she finally left the room.
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The soldiers gathered in front of the central building again, all wearing puzzled expressions as they waited for the commander to speak.
If they were gathered again after the previous meeting had ended, they would naturally wonder what had happened.
When Boldras-sama informed them that Golbel was attacking Kitzar Fortress with 20,000 troops and that reinforcements were unlikely to arrive for a while, a wave of dismay passed through the ranks, followed by murmurs.
Even so, when Boldras-sama opened his mouth again, the gathering fell silent.
"It's a difficult battle, but we are fortunate! The war maiden, Lufa-sama, is here!!"
A murmur rose again, as if to ask, "What difference does it make that a war maiden is here?"
"Lufa-sama here can control the heavens!"
The soldiers fell silent again, but distrust was visible on their faces.
"Listen! Her talent was recognized, so she was taken in as the adopted daughter of Zackhart=Rodel-sama, commander of the Third Knight Order!"
A small change came over the soldiers. Surprise spread through the ranks.
"And at the personal request of Rays=Stein-sama of the Tenth Knight Order, she became the Tenth Knight Order's war maiden!"
This time, the change was greater than before. Many of the soldiers now looked half-convinced.
The truth about Zackhart-sama and Rays=Stein-sama was nothing like that, but this was no time to worry about it; I would use anything I could.
"That Lufa-sama has just received an oracle from Waldwart-sama! Listen carefully!"
When Boldras-sama stepped aside, Lufa took his place at the front. She was dressed in what looked like white silk, giving her a divine air.
Though in reality, it was nothing more than a curtain or a sheet—or some other vaguely white cloth—awkwardly wrapped around her to make her look like a shrine maiden.
Even from a distance, that hastily cobbled-together divinity somehow looked the part, and Hock-san and YuiMei seemed quite satisfied.
Even that makeshift air of divinity was enough, thanks to Zackhart-sama and Rays=Stein-sama, to draw the soldiers' attention to Lufa's every movement.
"Everyone. I have received a divine message from Waldwart-sama."
The soldiers listened in silence as Lufa spoke.
"In four days, snow will fall—enough to pile up. Waldwart-sama said that if we endure until then, victory will be ours. It will be a difficult battle, but please, do not lose hope! To victory!!"
There was a brief pause after Lufa's words.
"Ooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!"
Amid cheers loud enough to shake the ground, the soldiers accepted her words.