Mila, Lim, Olivier, and Mashas had gathered in a council room of the royal palace. It was the room where they had previously held a war council, and the place they had agreed on to be used in times when they needed to talk with each other.
All the candles of the bronze chandelier hanging from the ceiling were lit on this day’s evening, illuminating the whole room. Silver cups filled with cold tea had been placed on the table.
First, Lim reported about the outcome of today’s battle. If one were to compare the casualties on this side and the enemy side, anyone would likely judge it as a huge achievement. However, the atmosphere enveloping the room was grave and gloomy.
Mashas looked at Mila and asked, “What are your thoughts on this, Lyudmila-dono?”
“It will be harsh.” The blue-eyed war princess replied with a frown on her face. “Let me first apologize for my judgment having been naive. I certainly didn’t expect for the moat to not last three days.”
“Even I hadn’t thought that they would bring out such things, although I saw it after the battle finished.” Mashas comforted Mila by saying so, and Olivier nodded to show his agreement.
Lim felt just like those two, but in order to avoid looking as though she was covering for her fellow countryman, she decided to proceed with the talks, saying, “Isn’t it possible to destroy those stairs? For example, if we wait until the dead of the night, open the front gate, get close with a few soldiers, and set them on fire or something along those lines…”
As long as the stairs were gone, the enemy would have to build new ones or bury the moat. Either way, it should take them time. However, Mila was against that plan.
“That’s dangerous. If I was Kureys, I would have soldiers hide next to the stairs. Then they could quickly slip inside the city at the moment when our side opened the gate. Later they would just need to open the gate from inside at a suitable time while acting in concert with the movements outside, and the city would fall right away.” Lyudmila explained her worry.
Hiding next to the stairs in this situation would be extremely dangerous, but there were battle slaves in the Muozinel army. It was possible for them to be entrusted with such a role on the condition of being freed from their status as slaves afterwards.
“You mean to say that’s the reason why the enemy left behind those ridiculously large stairs?” Mashas inquired.
In response Mila shrugged her shoulders, and replied, “I just think that it’s at the level of them having that option available as well. If I consider the situation at the time when they brought those in and placed them in the moat, I think dragging those out of the moat is beyond difficult.”
The four of them discussed things further, but they had no choice but to give up on dealing with the stairs for the moment.
After having a short break to drink tea, Lim looked at the other three, wondering, “I wonder what kind of battle awaits us tomorrow?”
“If we assume that it’s something like them having buried the moat, they will next try to take the wall. It will probably be no different from what was going on this afternoon,” answered Olivier.
While nodding, Mila didn’t forget to add, “As other moves I could think of, there would be the option of digging a tunnel. Drawing our attention by attacking the wall, they could meanwhile dig a long underground tunnel from their camp until right below the gate.”
“I heard that tunnels are mostly used as means to destroy walls, though.” Mashas said, obviously recalling some information.
Mila shook her head, “Of course, such a move exists as well. But, in case of walls like the one here in the capital, they are often built with their foundation reaching deep into the ground. There aren’t many earthquakes in Brune, but it would be a great disaster if a wall were to slant or break apart by some chance.”
“I see. So you’re saying the enemy has foreseen that and will dig so that they come out below the front gate?” Olivier groaned in admiration, and Lim also nodded while amazed.
“Understood. I think we should deploy soldiers close to the rampart and have them be on guard.” Mashas concluded, but Mila inclined her head to the side, wavering to make that judgment.
“Well, yes. There are several methods to find out whether the enemy is digging a tunnel deep underground. If it’s something simple, you just have to place a plate with water on the ground, and observe whether it sways or not. We just have to leave something like that to the militia, but…” Mila said.
“Is there any problems with entrusting it to the militia?” Considering it odd, Lim asked. As far as she had heard, it didn’t seem that dangerous to her. Doesn’t the militia exist exactly for doing such assorted tasks instead of the soldiers?
Mila frowned, something that was rare and atypical for her.
“The militia tires out easier than we think. Even if it’s simple tasks, they will overlook things if the war becomes drawn-out, I think.” Mila supplemented.
“I will pay attention to that part. But for the present we will rely on the militia.” Mashas said. It would be necessary to keep the soldiers’ stamina consumption as low as possible, if the war dragged on. Since Mila understood that aspect as well, she limited it to nodding her head.
As they had no particular topics besides those, the war council came to an end after checking the resupply of weapons. Mashas, Lim, and Mila took a rest in their own rooms within the royal castle. Olivier returned to the wall.
It was in the dead of the night, several hours after the council, that they were woken up by abnormal events taking place outside the wall.
Olivier had been sleeping on top of the wall after spreading out a blanket. As it was summer, the nights were warm, making it pleasant to sleep outside. Naturally he had taken off his armor, but he made sure to place his sword next to him so that he could react whenever something happened. What made the sleeping Olivier wake up were the sounds of drums. Opening his eyes, he quickly raised his body, and drew the sword to himself.
Countless stars were twinkling in the sky, but his eyes hadn’t gotten used to the darkness yet. He couldn’t see anything besides the torches flickering in intervals, and the soldiers and wall which had turned into pitch black shadows.
“A night attack…? No, it’s too quiet for that.” Olivier judged.
Even when straining his ears, he couldn’t hear anything besides the noise of the soldiers standing guard atop the wall and the sounds of drums. If it had been a night attack, tension should dominate the atmosphere in the surroundings in addition to hectic footsteps, angry voices and battle cries of the enemy.
──But, just the sound of the enemy’s drums is quite loud.
“What’s going on!?” Olivier loudly called out to the soldiers. One of the soldiers walked over while holding a burning torch aloft. However, that soldier donned a troubled expression.
“I shall report, sir. A large army of the enemy seems to be wandering around the wall,” informed the soldier.
“Wandering? These drum sounds are owed to this?” As if enticed by the other party, bewilderment spread on Olivier’s shapely face.
Olivier walked across the wall while being guided by the soldier. Exiting the southern wall, they arrived at the eastern wall. The drum sounds, which continued without break in the meanwhile, became louder.
“Ooh, just when I wondered who it might be, isn’t that you, Lord Olivier? It appears you played an active role today.” The one calling out to Olivier in a friendly manner from within the darkness was Scheie of the Lutece Knight Squadron. His age could be approximated to thirty years, and as a man with a grim face on top of his large physique, he had a deep voice. He had accepted the duty of protecting this eastern wall. Olivier saluted and asked about the situation.
“I think it was around half a toki ago. A group that appears to be a cavalry unit appeared from within the Muozinel army’s camp while holding up a large number of burning torches. ──That’s them.” Scheie pointed at the bottom of the wall while walking through the passage on the wall.
Within the night’s darkness that wrapped up all of the surface, only that place was bright like daytime. Thousands of fires were advancing slowly while swaying. The drum sounds, which had been ceaselessly echoing since a while ago, seemed to originate from there.
“That’s quite a lot… I guess three or four thousand are down there.” Olivier groaned lowly, unable to hide his surprise.
“There’s no reason for them to not show how big their numbers are at this point in time. I think it’s fine to consider the number of torches to be equal to the number of enemies.” Scheie also turned a grim look towards the crowd of torches. One was apt to perceive the number of lights to be bigger than the actual numbers within the darkness, but the two veterans didn’t make that mistake.
“Have those guys been advancing along the moat all the time? Then it doesn’t seem to be a night attack.”
“That’s a decoy. The real one is lurking in the darkness…I also considered that possibility, but so far there hadn’t been any reports about Muozinel soldiers appearing close to the wall. Honestly, it’s already upsetting by them forcing us to listen to those drum sounds.” Looking at Scheie who spat that out while snorting, Olivier smiled bitterly. Him not showing any faltering or fear in this incomprehensible situation is truly reliable.
“However, what’s the meaning of those drums? What do you think, Scheie-dono?” Olivier asked while looking down on the Muozinel army proceeding within the darkness.
“At any rate, the Muozinel people have a really nasty nature. I’d like to even say that it’s some ominous incantation, but…” Scheie continued his words after shaking his huge body, causing the armor to rattle, “…going by what I have heard, the supreme commander, the red-bearded Kureys seems to own a disposition of not liking such things.”
“You know Kureys, Scheie-dono?” Olivier asked.
“I fought against him two years ago. I got acquainted with Earl Vorn at that battle.” Scheie answered.
Olivier understood with that answer. The fact that Tigre repelled the Muozinel army that attacked two years ago was known by many people.
“Scheie-dono, what do you think of Earl Vorn?” Olivier inquired about something that suddenly interested him.
After laughing and saying, “That’s sudden,” Scheie replied with a joyful tone, “Honestly said, when I met him for the first time, he gave me the impression of a young, reckless noble. I wondered why a youngster, who was still 16 years old, would fight against that Duke Thernadier.”
Duke Thernadier possessed enough power to be called a major noble. He was someone known by anyone in Brune. There wasn’t a single person denying that it would be Duke Ganelon, who was likewise called a major noble, if it came to the ability of facing Duke Thernadier from the front.
Olivier nodded slightly. It’s because he also harbored the same impression as Scheie two years ago.
“But,” Scheie continued proudly with his deep voice, “Earl Vorn boldly defeated Duke Thernadier. The Earl borrowed the power of many people. Not only in Brune, but even in Zhcted. But, if we talk about borrowing the power of many people, it was even the same for Duke Thernadier. Not to mention that the Duke was accompanied by dragons.”
“So you’re saying you highly evaluate Earl Vorn as a general now?” Olivier probed further.
“Yeah.” Scheie nodded deeply, and said, “I also wielded my blade under the Earl in the battle against Sachstein’s army. At that time I once again thought that it would be great to even obey as long as it’s Earl Vorn.”
“A knight obeying to a noble somewhat lacks common sense, doesn’t it?”
In Brune knights ought to serve the royal family in addition to the kingdom. Thus, knights were equal to nobles in that sense. Neither of them had a relationship of obeying the other.
Olivier’s words were somewhat said in jest, but they were also somewhat serious. Scheie withstood bursting into laughter with his body trembling repeatedly.
“In that case it’s fine to limit it to the battlefield. Then it won’t be a problem, right?” Scheie said.
“I have no objection.” Olivier answered.
The two knights returned to the topic of the Muozinel army on the ground.
“Isn’t it the enemy’s objective to not let us sleep?” Scheie asked with an annoyed look. Olivier nodded slightly. It’s a move characteristic of the Muozinel army that overwhelmingly exceeds them in the amount of resources. They had the leeway to spare soldiers for something like this.
“It will become a harsh battle.” Once Olivier said so, Scheie relaxed his stern expression and laughed.
“That’s something I knew beforehand. We have no other option but to hold out. And, we can win if we do so.” Scheie declared.
Olivier was about to nod at those words, but at that moment the Muozinel army, which had advanced along the moat, suddenly stopped. After a little pause, a song of angry roars that resembled thunder pierced through the darkness.
Olivier and Scheie reflexively widened their eyes and stared at the ground.
The very loud Muozinel language crossed the capital’s wall, and reverberated even in the castle town. It woke and shook up the people, who fell asleep in relief after today’s victory, with force. Bit by bit small lights popped up inside the castle town which had been mostly wrapped up in darkness. The citizens likely came outside while holding lights of some sort.
While looking down on that situation from above the wall, Olivier suddenly recalled the war council after the sun went down. ‘If I remember correctly, Lyudmila Lourie said that the militia would tire out easily.
“If they keep doing this every night, the citizens might not hold out.” Scheie stated while sighing. He had probably realized what Olivier was thinking from his look.
Olivier nodded, but a fearless smile surfaced on his lips. His fighting spirit towards the Muozinel army had been stirred up instead.
──I will protect the capital no matter what it takes.
Olivier swore, not to the gods or even his close friend, the black knight, but to himself.
◆◇◆
The faces of the knights, who appeared in front of Olivier as he stood on top of the southern wall at dawn, were terrible. All of them eagerly held their temper, unable to hide their fatigue and drowsiness. Olivier wanted to tell them to not do the unreasonable, but not being able to say so was one of the tough parts of being a commander.
Looking at the Zhcted soldiers led by Lim, they were in a similar state. However, Lim greeted him without any tiredness, donning the unsociable expression he already got used to, “Good morning.”
“You could sleep well last night?” Olivier asked somewhat sarcastically. Hostility dwelt in Lim’s blue eyes. Not pointed at the knight in front of her, but at the Muozinel army.
“I heard from Earl Rodant about what happened last night. That noise didn’t cease even once.” Lim replied sullenly.
Entrusting the watch of the wall to Scheie last night, Olivier immediately went to the royal palace, and reported the circumstances to Mashas. “Did Earl Rodant come up with some kind of countermeasure?” He asked.
“At the moment nothing. But, Her Highness Princess Regin went around the wall and the castle town to encourage the people.” Olivier widened his eyes upon Lim’s words.
Genuine words of delight in the form of “That’s appreciated,” came out of his mouth. With Tigre currently not being in the capital, the only one capable of doing that was Regin.
Once he shifted his attention to the outside of the capital ─ the moat, the Muozinel army swiftly appeared from their camp.
On this day the Muozinel army deployed 10,000 soldiers to the north, east, and west, completely surrounding the capital. On top of isolating the capital from the outside world, it was an expression of Kureys’s intention to definitely take the city by storm.
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