The Celebration

Night.

I quietly teleported to the enemy camp and, hiding in the shadow of a tree, called for Jordan-san.

'Keep walking east. I'm near a large tree.'

I sent the words riding the wind so that only Jordan-san could hear them.

Jordan-san had presumably been chatting with the conscripted villagers, and his eyes widened when he suddenly heard a voice, but he immediately walked toward me without showing any surprise.

"Hey, hey, what was that just now, strategist?"

"Something like a magic trick. More importantly, how are things going?"

"The siege weapons are almost finished. We've all been deployed separately, and of course, none of us have weapons."

"I've brought weapons. Are many of the villagers still here?"

"Yeah. We received a third of the payment up front, and we're supposed to get the rest tomorrow."

"I'm sorry to put you through this."

"It's fine. The people who came here don't like an overbearing army either."

"That's good news. We'll begin in two hours. Prepare yourselves."

"Got it. But there are a lot of guards, you know?"

"Those guards are watching outward. It won't be a problem."

"If that's what you say, strategist, then that's how it is. I'll go tell everyone it's time for the celebration."

Jordan-san said that and walked away.

From what I could see, they had conscripted a considerable number of villagers. They must have built some extremely large weapons.

Well, the more elaborate the weapon they put so much effort into, the greater the damage when it is destroyed.

"Now, let's have a grand celebration."

I muttered that and teleported away.

■■■

Once most people had gone to sleep,

a hundred soldiers led by Jordan-san quietly moved between the trees.

I was at the head of the group.

"Catapults, ballistae, and siege towers. You really built all this in such a short time."

There were two of every kind, and they were quite complicated. Sonia must have designed them. It seemed she had taken the provocation seriously and actually built them.

The villagers had been conscripted, and the enemy's attention had been directed outward, but if we failed here, that attention would turn toward us.

It might have been a dangerous gamble.

"There really are a lot of guards."

"No, it seems to be a little different."

The guards looked tense.

Their superior must have arrived.

That was proven correct almost immediately.

An officer in uniform approached from a short distance away.

"That guy...!?"

"Who is he?"

"Colonel Letts. He's the acting commander."

"I see. He came out here himself."

They must have been under considerable pressure.

He probably couldn't sit still until he had confirmed that the siege weapons were safe.

They were his last hope.

But showing himself had been a blunder. The soldiers, who were already pushing themselves to the limit, grew tense.

After confirming that the siege weapons were safe, Letts left with his subordinates.

With the commander gone, the tense atmosphere began to ease.

I even saw some of the soldiers yawning. I pressed the advantage.

I cast a sleep-inducing barrier. It did not have any particularly powerful effect; it merely invited people to sleep. But it was highly effective against those who were already tired.

They were doing their best to resist their drowsiness, but that was all they could do. They were probably barely able to remain standing.

"Now, let's start the celebration."

"A-are you sure? They're on guard too... and with equipment like this...?"

One of the soldiers muttered anxiously.

The weapons I had given them were daggers.

We couldn't bring a large weapon for every person.

But daggers were more than enough to kill someone.

"The guards are watching for enemies coming from outside. They're waiting for reports from the outer sentries. They don't expect their own position to suddenly become the front line. In other words, although they're on guard, they've let that guard down."

"Let our guard down...?"

"It's all right. You have already completely deceived the Imperial Army. Everything will go smoothly. We'll win and return triumphantly to Gels. You will be the greatest contributors to this victory."

When I said that, strength returned to the anxious faces around me.

Seeing that, I signaled with my hand for them to advance slowly.

Blending into the darkness, we approached with our bodies crouched low. Even when we reached a distance at which we would normally have been noticed, the guards did not realize we were there.

In the end, they did not notice until daggers had been thrust into their own necks.

A guard half-asleep is as good as no guard at all. Led by Jordan-san, the soldiers continued eliminating the guards.

It did not take long to eliminate every guard.

As I checked to make sure none of the guards were still alive, I found one who had died with his eyes wide open.

I approached him quietly and closed his eyes.

He must have had a family too. He probably hadn't chosen to serve under Gordon of his own free will.

Low-ranking soldiers have no right to choose their superiors.

And yet they are always the ones who become sacrifices. That is why a struggle for the imperial throne is so foolish. The lives of the people they should be protecting become worthless because of a pointless sibling quarrel.

"I'm sorry... I'll join you there someday, so complain to me then."

Leaving those words behind, I poured the oil I had brought over the siege weapons.

We couldn't bring any large weapons because I had needed to bring this oil. But this oil would plunge the Imperial Army into the depths of despair.

After pouring oil over every siege weapon, I gave Jordan-san my final instructions.

"Then withdraw. I'll set them on fire shortly, and if you take advantage of the confusion, it should be easy to get away."

"What about you, strategist?"

"I have something to do after I set the fire."

"...Is that necessary?"

"Yes, it is."

"I see... Don't die, all right? You're our benefactor. Let me repay you someday."

"All right. I'll look forward to it."

With that, I sent Jordan-san and the others away.

After confirming that they had put some distance between us, I set the siege weapons on fire. Then I whipped up a wind and fanned the flames.

"Now, for the final task."

I watched as the flames gradually engulfed the siege weapons, then left the area.

■■■

"What's going on!?"

"We don't know! They suddenly caught fire!"

"A fire doesn't just start on its own! What were the guards doing!? How did they fail to detect an enemy surprise attack!?"

"There has been no movement from the enemy!"

"What did you say!?"

The enemy command post was in complete chaos.

I cast a barrier over the command post, stronger than the sleep-inducing barrier I had used earlier. The soldiers within it began falling asleep one after another.

"Wha...!?"

"Good evening, Colonel Letts."

I spoke to Letts as I slowly entered the command post.

If I left this man alive, he might order a reckless charge and increase the casualties.

I could not let someone like that live.

"You...!?"

"Grau... a wandering military strategist."

"You are...! Damn you! What did you do!?"

"I tampered with the food and drinks a little."

"What...?"

Letts looked at the water in the command post.

It had nothing to do with it, of course, but I shrugged and put on an act as though he had guessed correctly.

Letts grimaced in frustration. I drew my dagger and pointed it at him.

"Wait... If you kill me, Prince Gordon won't let this go...!?"

"So what?"

"You'll incur the wrath of the next emperor...! More importantly, cooperate with His Highness... He'll put your power to good use..."

"I've heard the military strategist is being treated poorly."

"T-that's not true..."

"You're bad at lying. People do not gather beneath someone who deceives and discards others."

With that, I drove my dagger into Letts's chest.

Those words applied to me as well. That's why I can't afford to put myself in the line of fire.

A liar cannot become a good ruler.

"The Imperial Army has no choice but to withdraw now. Isn't that right, half-elf strategist?"

"Haaah, haaah... You really did it... Grau!"

"Heh... I told you I'd reduce it to ashes, didn't I?"

Sonia rushed into the command post, out of breath.

Her speed was abnormal. She had probably given up on the siege weapons the moment they were set on fire. Then she had come here in case this was where the enemy would strike.

Because every move I make lays the groundwork for the next, she must have thought the flames were part of that groundwork too.

Exactly.

"I've been watching you the whole time. Even so, a surprise force came... That means you sent it before we started watching you..."

Sonia came toward me, but staggered and braced herself against a desk.

The barrier was still active. Anyone who entered the command post would be overcome by drowsiness.

"That's right. I sent the surprise force before you began watching me. How I got here is a secret, though."

"Tch... What is this...? A barrier?"

"As expected, I can't fool a half-elf."

Elves were naturally adept at magic.

Sonia had inherited that bloodline, giving her not only resistance to magic but also a keen sensitivity to it. Even a barrier I had cast as inconspicuously as possible would be noticed once she entered it.

If she had known I could use magic, she would not have entered so carelessly.

This was another victory for my strategy.

"How can you use magic this intricate...? What kind of person are you...?"

"Who can say? What difference does it make to you?"

With that, I pointed my bloodstained dagger at Sonia.

Sonia showed a momentary willingness to resist, but soon lowered her eyes as though she had given up.

"If you're going to kill me... that's fine too..."

"You're giving up awfully quickly. You could resist, couldn't you? You know at least some self-defense, don't you? I'm not bragging, but I'm not much of a fighter."

"Hahaha... That's interesting... You almost sound as though you want me to resist... It's all right. It doesn't matter anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I couldn't protect the commander, and I couldn't take the city... I'm sure I'll be made to take responsibility. Because you killed the person who was supposed to take responsibility."

"He was too dangerous to leave alive. You don't appear to be in a position to take responsibility, though."

"That doesn't matter... Useless people get executed. I'm sure that's the kind of person Prince Gordon is... An uncontrollable beast... I was too naive... So kill me..."

There was no fire in Sonia's eyes. No vitality either.

She had possessed both when I met her before. They were gone now.

Sonia had been hopeful when she was trying to save Rebecca. She had found meaning in that effort.

But she had none of that now.

"Even if I stay alive... I'll probably be killed... Even if I'm not killed... I'll end up killing someone... It would be better if I were killed..."

"That's just self-pity."

"...You don't know anything...!"

"I know. You've been taken hostage and forced to obey Prince Gordon, haven't you? So what? Anyone can lament their misfortune."

"...I did what I could... to keep the war from escalating! So I could protect the hostages at the same time! I did... I did, but..."

"The first plan almost never works. That's why you prepare your next move. You look ahead and use your wits to turn things around. Someone who uses strategies—a military strategist—is someone like that. A person who cries and accepts defeat is not a military strategist. If you're a military strategist, you keep devising plans until you find a way to overcome the situation!"

"What...!?"

Sonia seemed to be in shock as she fell onto her backside.

Sonia had indeed failed to control Gordon. But she could have devised a plan to rescue the hostages, contacted another faction, or tried something else.

Once a plan fails, you cannot overcome hardship by hanging your head. Hardship will not wait for you. It can arrive suddenly at any time.

Raised by a genius military strategist, Sonia certainly had a mind capable of devising a wide variety of operations, and she probably had many strategies in her head. But it seemed she lacked experience in the field.

That was the most important thing for a military strategist.

"Half-elf strategist... Sonia Laspede. I looked into you. I hear you were raised by a foster father who was known as a genius military strategist. That foster father was taken hostage. I understand why you obey Prince Gordon. But don't casually give up the life you were given! Your foster father did not raise you so that you could ask to be killed! It is terribly arrogant to think that your life belongs only to you!"

With that, I swung my dagger down at Sonia with all my strength.

Sonia instinctively shielded her face with both hands.

The dagger passed by Sonia's face and hands and sank into the ground.

"Ah..."

"I could kill you, but then your foster father would be pitiful beyond words. If even the slightest part of you wants to live, then struggle."

"Tch...!! How can you say something so self-righteous...! I... I don't want anyone to die! I hate the thought of someone getting hurt because of me! Even so... I...!"

Tears spilled from Sonia's eyes.

Someone had been taken hostage, and she must have been pushing herself for that person's sake.

No matter how talented a military strategist may be, one who has never set foot on a battlefield is too inexperienced to be called one.

Normally, a person gains experience little by little. But Sonia had skipped that stage and been thrown directly into the field, into situations where people's lives hung in the balance.

A single command or even a movement of your finger could kill scores of people. The pieces prepared on a game board became real human beings. You could not become a military strategist without overcoming that very real fear.

Sonia had been forced to develop that resolve all at once. It was all Gordon's fault.

"I... I only wanted to live a quiet life...!"

"I sympathize with you."

"Then... help me..."

I did not answer immediately.

I could hear the sound of a whistle calling for me from far away.

So I slipped past Sonia.

"I'm sorry, but I have a prior engagement. First, do what you can. Don't so readily ask someone else for help. Do everything within your power. At least from what I saw when I confronted you, I can't say you've done everything you could. Do whatever small things you can. If you do that, the view may eventually improve."

Leaving those words behind, I exited the command post.

A loud sob came from inside.

Perhaps this was cruel. Perhaps I should have reached out a hand.

But even if I reached out to Sonia, the only person I could save would be her. I probably could not save her hostage. You cannot save someone whose whereabouts you do not even know.

If she wanted the best possible future, Sonia herself would have to rally.

Thinking that, I teleported away from the area.