Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 19 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Fort Karon

THE MORNING AFTER our audience with the king, I headed back to our inn to pick up Roxy, while Zanoba stayed at the palace to make the preparations for our journey.

I found Roxy waiting in her room, fully equipped and ready for action. From the looks of things, she must have been awake all night, but when I walked in the door, she jumped to her feet and ran over to me.

“Is everything all right? I was a little worried not to hear from you…”

“Yeah, it actually went fine.”

Roxy hadn’t eaten breakfast, so we headed down to the first floor of the inn for a quick meal. I described our audience with King Pax as we ate. I had three main takeaways: it was unlikely that Pax was a disciple, the Man-God’s plans were still unclear, and the king of the King Dragon Realm was a potential enemy. Nevertheless, I made sure to describe every detail that had caught my attention.

Roxy sipped her soup as I rambled on, listening in silence. When I asked for her thoughts, she frowned thoughtfully. “Hmm. To be honest, Rudy, I’m a bit sleep-deprived at the moment…”

“Ah. Right, sorry.”

There were bags under Roxy’s eyes, and she moved sluggishly. A single all-nighter wouldn’t usually leave her this exhausted, but she’d been braced for battle the whole time and on the road the entire day before. A combination like that was enough to wear out even an experienced adventurer.

“Well, let’s see. There was no battle, Prince Pax seemed rational, and the Man-God’s name never came up… Hmm. That really isn’t much to go off, is it? I’m not sure I have any firm conclusions either.”

That wasn’t too surprising. Clever as Roxy was, we didn’t have all the information we needed right now.

“It’s a shame we were so worried about an ambush,” she murmured thoughtfully. “I should have come along as well.” 

“Uhm, why?” Was my summary too vague or something?

“I might have picked up on something from the tone of Prince Pax’s voice, or perhaps his body language.”

She had a point there. I’d spent most of our audience with the king worrying about the Death God and the possibility we were all in mortal danger. The conversation kept going off in directions I hadn’t expected and leaving me totally disoriented. Maybe we’d needed another pair of eyes in that room. Someone with her own unique perspective. Someone like Roxy.

There wasn’t much we could do about it now, of course.

“…I wish we had some idea where the Man-God is planning to set his trap.”

“Hmm,” murmured Roxy. “Maybe Orsted read too much into things? It’s possible the Man-God isn’t behind any of this, you know.”

“Maybe so, but let’s plan for the worst. The safety of our whole family might be on the line here.”

The memory of Lara’s screaming fit disturbed me, even now. The Man-God might not be involved, but some other kind of danger could be waiting for us here.

“You’re right. My apologies, that comment wasn’t very helpful.” Roxy ducked her head slightly, then paused with a thoughtful expression on her face. “Either way, attacking you the moment we showed up in Shirone would hardly qualify as a trap. Assuming there is one, it’ll probably be a bit less obvious.”

“Okay…but do you have any idea what that might look like?”

“One possibility does come to mind, given some information that Ginger shared with me earlier this morning.”

“Oh?”

Ginger was nowhere to be seen right now, but she’d apparently been hard at work behind the scenes.

“At present, it seems that only five hundred soldiers are stationed at Fort Karon.”

“Hmm…”

In isolation, that number didn’t mean much to me. Was that a large garrison, or a small one? Probably on the smaller side, given how she’d said it was only that much.

“From the looks of things,” Roxy continued, “they will be facing an army of five thousand.”

Whoa. What? We’re outnumbered ten to one? Those don’t sound like reasonable odds.

“Did Prince Pax mention any of this yesterday?” asked Roxy.

“…Nope.”

He hadn’t said a peep that I’d heard, anyway. All I remembered was him giving us our marching orders.

“Now, I’m only repeating what Ginger told me…but it seems Prince Pax has deployed this token force to Fort Karon to delay the enemy’s advance. This will buy him time to gather an army of mercenaries behind the front lines at Fort Rikon, which he can then lead into the field. Did he mention this strategy in your audience?”

“No.”

This was the first I’d heard about any of this. So they were planning to let Fort Karon fall? For all his talk of welcoming Zanoba back, Pax was basically sending him off to die. Zanoba would contribute to the war effort by keeping the enemy occupied for a while, until they inevitably killed him. In the meantime, Pax would be gathering his own strength for a heavy counterstrike. Assuming he viewed Zanoba as a threat, he’d be killing two birds with one stone.

“This could also be the Man-God’s trap for you,” Roxy continued.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve never been to war myself, but I’ve read a historical account describing a single Saint-tier mage holding back a thousand men in battle.”

I’d have to look that up sometime. The idea of someone fighting off a thousand soldiers sounded absurd at first, but given the wide-range effects of saintly magic, it wasn’t that implausible…

“I’m a King-tier mage, and you’re on the Emperor level,” Roxy said. “With the two of us defending Fort Karon, we should be able to resist the enemy for quite some time.”

Hmm. Well, I couldn’t see us wiping out an army of five thousand all at once. I mean, if they all came charging at us across an open field in a glut, a few well-placed spells might do the trick. But this army would do plenty of intelligence-gathering before they made a move, and I had a feeling that news of our arrival at the fort would disseminate quickly. The enemy wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack our fort head-on, in other words. 

Then again—with a force of that size, they’d probably have a decent number of mages themselves. If they combined all their efforts, it was possible they could ward off a Saint-tier spell or two. I could always cast another one immediately, though, so that approach might not work out too well for them.

“Unfortunately, our supply of mana isn’t infinite, and we’ll both grow fatigued in time.”

I couldn’t picture myself running out of mana in this scenario, but yeah—I’d get worn out if I had to fight for days on end. They might try launching raids at night, too, so we’d have to be on alert at all times. My mana wouldn’t do me much good if I was too exhausted to use it.

“Once we’re both worn out, Pax could send the Death God after us,” Roxy continued. “I don’t think we’d stand a chance in that condition. What do you think? Sounds more like a proper trap, doesn’t it?”

“Ooh. Yeah, for sure.”

“Additionally…” 

Pausing for dramatic effect, Roxy jabbed her spoon out like a finger. At some point, she’d switched over into Professor Roxy mode. “The Man-God can possess three disciples at any given time, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Now, the king of the King Dragon Realm basically forced Pax onto his throne, so it’s safe to assume he’s one of them. But consider this—how could the Man-God be sure that a rival kingdom would immediately invade Shirone? Where would you place your second disciple, in his shoes?”

Oh…of course. The rival kingdom!

Shirone was basically a vassal state of the King Dragon Realm. That meant invading it carried real risks, so there would have been significant opposition to the plan. The disciple would be there to crush that opposition, ensuring the invasion went forward. Odds were high it was some member of their royal family, or maybe an influential general.

“So they march at Fort Karon on the Man-God’s orders, wear us down for a while, then wait for Randolph to come finish the job… Yeah, I guess that would make sense.”

Hearing Roxy’s speculations helped me pull my thoughts together somewhat. We’d identified two likely disciples of the Man-God: the king of the King Dragon Realm, and some powerful general in the country that was invading Shirone. That only left the third.

During the events in Asura, the Man-God chose Luke for his proximity to me. Based on that, Zanoba seemed like the most likely third candidate. Judging from our conversation yesterday, though, it was hard to imagine he had the Man-God whispering in his ear.

Maybe it was Ginger, then? Or the Death God? That would be more consistent with his choice of Reida back in Asura. It could even be that quiet princess seated at Pax’s side.

On the other hand, the Man-God hadn’t employed all three of his disciples at once since our clash in Asura. Maybe his final pawn was somewhere else entirely, preparing for an unrelated scheme. 

There were plenty of reasonable possibilities, so I couldn’t draw firm conclusions about the identity of disciple number three yet. But at least we’d more or less pinned down the other two. That was more than I could have managed on my own. Good thing I had such a clever wife to help me out.

“Okay, Roxy, let’s say you’re right—Fort Karon is where they want to kill us. What should we do about it?”

“Good question,” said Roxy slowly. “I suppose we’d want to avoid doing what they expect.”

“Right. I guess the best option would be not to go there in the first place…”

Unfortunately, Zanoba had every intention of marching up there to do his duty, and there was no chance that we could talk him out of it. He’d go alone if necessary. Still, the fact that Pax had sent Zanoba off to lead a hopelessly outnumbered garrison should prove useful in my attempts to change his mind. Maybe Pax didn’t hate Zanoba enough to try and murder him, but he clearly wouldn’t mind seeing Zanoba die. He was trying to use his own brother as a sacrificial pawn.

I knew that wouldn’t be enough to convince Zanoba, even so. He felt he had some sacred obligation to protect this kingdom. With Shirone’s enemies massing on the border, turning tail and running away was the last thing on his mind.

Hmm… Wait a minute. Does that mean he might reconsider if we manage to take out that army of five thousand?

Pax would be gathering a large force of his own while we held the line at Fort Karon. In other words, if we managed to repel the enemy’s attack completely, Shirone would no longer be in any real danger. In a sense, Zanoba’s duty would be done.

“…I think we have to go to Fort Karon, Roxy. It’s our only chance to save Zanoba.”

“Very well then.”

“Too bad we’re probably walking right into a trap.”

Roxy nodded with a grimace. It wasn’t clear what we could do about that possibility. I’d have to bring the Magic Armor Version One along at the very least. Maybe I could find a way to smash through our problems with brute force; that would certainly be easiest.

“Well, we have some time to think it over before we get there. Let’s consider our options carefully.”

“Yes, Miss Roxy!”

As we wrapped up our discussion, a carriage pulled up to the inn, and Zanoba stepped out from within it.

***

Zanoba didn’t even flinch when I told him how small his garrison would be. In fact, he nodded while smiling and said, “Ah, yes. That sounds about right.”

His nonchalant attitude struck me as bizarre. Did he even understand the concept of being massively outnumbered? Did I need to explain?

“Okay, Zanoba. Listen carefully, because I have some words of wisdom to share. ‘If you outnumber the opponent ten to one, surround them; five to one, attack; two to one, divide. If equally matched, you can offer battle; if slightly outnumbered, you can avoid the enemy; and if greatly outnumbered, you must flee. Thus, obstinacy in a smaller force guarantees its capture.’ You got all that? Basically, it means war is all about the numbers. The guy with the bigger army always has the upper hand.”

Our forces would be holed up in a fort, yes. But even then, holding out against an army ten times larger than ours would be very difficult.

When I finished up my slightly roundabout explanation of these facts, Zanoba stared at me with a puzzled expression on his face. “Master Rudeus, I’m well aware that a large army will generally defeat a smaller one.”

“Great. Okay. Why do you look so damn cheerful, then? We’re going to be outnumbered ten to one at that fort.”

“What? Don’t be absurd! It won’t be nearly as bad as that.”

…Did this guy have a problem with basic math or something? I was starting to have some serious doubts about the Kingdom of Shirone’s educational system.

“Were you not listening to me, Zanoba? We have five hundred soldiers at Fort Karon, and the enemy is going to send five thousand. Five hundred times ten is five thousand. With me so far?”

“Hrm. Are you attempting to test me, Master Rudeus?” said Zanoba with a condescending smirk.

Grrr. Don’t you smirk at me like that! I’m not the one who needs to learn his multiplication tables!

“Very well. Allow me to elaborate.” Zanoba drew a deep breath, and then launched into an entire diatribe.

“Your figures fail to account for the presence of yourself and Miss Roxy. A Saint-tier magician can be worth a thousand soldiers in the field, when they are properly utilized. By that reckoning, we have the strength of twenty-five hundred men at minimum. But given that you are both King-tier or higher, it might be fairer to say we have the equivalent of three thousand men—or more. The usual rule of thumb is that a besieging force should outnumber the defenders of a fort by three to one, but Fort Karon occupies a particularly strong defensive position, so they will require an even greater numerical advantage. Finally, there’s the matter of your enormous mana capacity, and my status as a Blessed Child. All in all, one might well argue that we possess the stronger force.”

I found myself at a loss for words. I hadn’t expected anything like that. Not from him. “V-very impressive, Zanoba. Where did you learn all that?”

“I received an extensive education in military matters as a child. They planned to make me a general of Shirone, you see.” 

Zanoba was kept alive for the sole purpose of defending this kingdom, but that didn’t mean they’d planned to carelessly toss him into battle. Which made sense. Even if his main role was simply to thrash around causing chaos, you’d want him to have some degree of tactical knowledge and situational awareness. I guess I’d underestimated the educational standards of Shirone’s royal family. 

“I understand this will be your first real war, Master Rudeus, but fear not. I have a fair bit of battlefield experience from the days of my youth. With you and Miss Roxy at my disposal, I should be quite capable of holding this fort indefinitely.”

He sure sounded confident. Was it really going to be that easy, though? Somehow, I doubted it. Our best option was still avoiding this fort entirely. 

Hmm. Might as well try to persuade him, right?

“Okay, Zanoba…but Pax assigned you to Fort Karon without even knowing about Roxy, right?”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

“And I don’t think he knows I have an unusually large supply of mana, either.”

“What are you getting at, Master Rudeus?”

I was building up to that, but apparently Zanoba wasn’t in a patient mood. Time to cut to the chase, then. “It seems to me like Pax is sending you out there to die.”

Zanoba stared at me with the expression of a man who’d been pinched. Not that your average pinch would do much of anything to him. You know what I mean.

“Maybe Pax doesn’t want revenge on you anymore. But I don’t think he cares one bit if you get killed, either.”

“…I suppose you may be right, yes.” Scratching at his cheek with one finger, Zanoba waited for me to continue.

“Do you really need to obey the orders of a king like that?”

Zanoba smiled in amusement at my question. The words “Oh, is that all?” were practically written on his face. “In war, sacrifices are often necessary. It is the common soldiers who are usually offered up first, but at times, even the lives of princes must be used as a tactical resource.”

“Look, Pax made this mess, and now he wants you to die so he can wriggle out of it,” I said. “He murdered the rest of your family, Zanoba—I don’t see why you have any obligation to fight for him.”

“As you’re always telling me, Master Rudeus: it doesn’t matter who caused the problem. The only thing that matters is who can fix it.”

Zanoba’s gaze drifted to the window as he spoke. On the street outside, ordinary townsfolk came and went, mingling with the mercenaries. They were going about their ordinary daily lives for now, but there was a visible hint of tension and fear in the way they held themselves.

When we left Sharia, Zanoba made it clear that he saw fighting the enemies of his kingdom as his purpose in life. To him, it simply didn’t matter that Pax was the king of Shirone, much less what Pax thought of him. Nothing I said could possibly change his mind right now.

“All right, you win. Sorry for badgering you like that.”

“No need for apologies,” said Zanoba. “I understand that you only spoke out of concern for my safety.”

“Since you feel so strongly about it, let’s defend Fort Karon together. I’m a total amateur at war, so I’ll do whatever you tell me out there. Order me around to your heart’s content.”

The last thing I wanted was Zanoba heading off for the front lines alone. I tried to make it clear that I was ready to cooperate, despite my misgivings.

“My thanks, Master Rudeus! Your company alone will be worth a hundred men.”

“Thought it was more like a thousand?”

All right then…

At least our first objective was clear enough. We’d defend Fort Karon from the enemy’s attempts to seize it. Pax would be gathering his own army while we held them off, so there was a chance the invasion would collapse completely if we succeeded. 

Over time, the Kingdom of Shirone would grow stronger and more stable. Once he saw that the danger had passed, Zanoba might be more willing to consider returning to Sharia. I could convince him that Pax and his allies in the King Dragon Realm had things well under control here.

We decided that only Zanoba, Roxy, and I would head for the fort. Ginger would stay behind in the royal capital. She looked a bit conflicted when she learned that Zanoba was departing for the front lines, but ultimately decided she’d be more useful continuing her investigations in Latakia. It seemed there were still a few things she wanted to look into here.

Before we parted, she told me in no uncertain terms that it was my job to keep the prince safe and sound.

Our departure wasn’t exactly ceremonious. Despite Zanoba’s status as a royal prince, it was just the three of us inside the carriage; we had no guards, no send-off at the gates, and no troops marching behind us. The coachman sitting out in front was apparently a soldier, but he didn’t seem too friendly.

I got the feeling I’d been right—Pax was sending Zanoba off to die. I couldn’t help feeling angry. Zanoba had risked everything to rush back here and defend his homeland. He’d kneeled obediently at Pax’s feet and sworn to fight with all his strength. He didn’t deserve this kind of treatment.

There was no point dwelling on it, though. 

We arranged to have the Magic Armor Version One transported to Fort Karon in parts, under the pretense that they were parts of Zanoba’s figurine collection. Odds were, it would arrive a few days after we did. Shipping services in this world tended to be a lot less consistent and reliable than the ones back in Japan, sadly.

I had to admit that I was concerned. Something might well happen between our arrival and the Magic Armor’s delivery. The thought worried me so much that I’d briefly considered putting it on and taking it to the fort myself, but then I remembered my battle with Orsted. The thing drained so much mana from me in that one fight that I almost died. I wanted to preserve as much of my mana as possible, so that I could use the Magic Armor when I really needed it.

No major roads lead to Fort Karon. Most of our journey was spent bumping along narrow dirt trails through long stretches of farmland. We passed some small villages on the way, but nothing you could really call a town. Some nights we even had to sleep out in the open.

I spent most of my time on the first stretch of the trip speculating about the Man-God’s plans. But at some point, it suddenly sunk in that we were heading off to war. The thought instantly made me queasy with anxiety.

War. Even just repeating the word in my mind made my muscles tense up. I’d grown fairly used to killing in the years since my arrival in this world, but the concept of war frightened me in a way I found difficult to describe. It wasn’t the thought of us killing our enemies, or them killing us, that scared me so much—it was war as a whole, as a phenomenon. I guess I’d always felt this way, but the fear felt a hundred times more real now that I was heading into battle.

Could we even win this fight? Zanoba’s arguments had convinced me that we wouldn’t be completely outmatched, but the fact remained that this would be my first time on the battlefield.

“Look over there, Master Rudeus! It’s a band of adventurers, if I’m not mistaken. I wonder what they’re doing out here in the middle of nowhere with all that gear?”

In contrast to my growing anxiety, Zanoba seemed to be enjoying himself greatly. Any time he spotted something along the road, he would loudly point it out to me with a big grin on his face. The man was so damn chipper, you would think we were on our way to an amusement park or something.

“It looks like a party on their way to explore a labyrinth. There are quite a few in this region, but not all of them are located near a town. Parties with a serious interest in reaching the bottom floors will often head out to the more remote, less crowded options.”

Roxy seemed perfectly calm as well. She wasn’t as cheerful as Zanoba, but her demeanor was the same as ever. This would also be her first experience with war, but that didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest.

“Aha!” said Zanoba with a grin. “I should have known you’d have the answer ready for us, Miss Roxy.”

“Well, I spent some time poking around the labyrinths here myself, you know?”

So I was the only one all hung up on our situation. I didn’t understand how the two of them could be so relaxed. Was I missing something? Was there some reason that we shouldn’t be worried?

Oh, wait. Maybe they figured I could handle anything that came at us. I couldn’t exactly let them realize how terrified I was right now, in that case…

“Come to think of it, I recall you earned your appointment as court magician by completing several labyrinths single-handedly.”

“That’s right. Goodness, it feels like ages ago…”

“They say it’s no small feat to challenge a labyrinth without any companions. Perhaps such boldness is expected from the master of my master, but tell me—why risk life and limb in such a manner?”

“Huh? Uhm, well… you might say I was looking for something, I guess. It was all quite childish, honestly…”

“I see. Did you find what you were searching for?”

“Not back then. Later, yes…but it was more like it found me, really.”

As she spoke, Roxy shot a few bashful glances in my direction from beneath the wide brim of her hat.

Oh, right. She said she was looking for romance in those labyrinths, didn’t she?

“Ah, now I see,” said Zanoba with a nod. “So the rumors of a blue-haired master mage hunting for a husband in our labyrinths were true.”

“I was being vague for a reason, thank you very much!” cried Roxy. “Do you have any idea how embarrassing it feels to remember this?”

“Surely there’s no cause for you to blush. Why, it seems Master Rudeus here was pining for you from afar for many years, even before he enrolled at the University.”

“Was he really? I thought he only had eyes for Sylphie back then.”

“Oh, far from it. I only learned this some time later, but throughout his years of travel, it seems he carried something of y—”

And now the two of them were reminiscing about the good old days for some reason. Under normal circumstances here’s where I might have felt a twitch of jealousy, but right now I couldn’t even muster the energy to keep listening.

“Goodness, really? He carried those around for all that… Uhm, Rudy? Is something the matter?”

All of a sudden, Roxy leaned over to study my face up close. I had an impulse to lean forward and kiss her, but decided against it.

“Not really,” I said. “I was just thinking about how cheerful Zanoba seems, considering we’re heading off to war.”

“Hahaha! Well, I am a typical young man in some respects, Master Rudeus. The mere thought of battlefields and deadly duels is enough to make my heart pound!”

God, my stomach hurts.

After nine days on the road, we arrived at Fort Karon. It turned out to be a more impressive structure than I’d imagined. 

My first impression wasn’t great. From a distance, it looked like a typical small stone castle with an unremarkable design. After a moment, though, I realized it was considerably well positioned. 

For one thing, it stood nestled in the fork of two rivers, just like that famous castle Toyotomi Hideyoshi built in a single night. 

For another, the area beyond those rivers was covered in dark, thick forest. It would be simple enough to enter the Kingdom of Shirone by traveling through those woods, but leading an army through a place like that was a very risky proposition. Forests here were infested with monsters, after all. As your forces struggled along, any nearby enemy could march around to meet you on the far side, pincering you between their forces and the monsters. This point was a strategic stronghold for that reason.

As we drew closer to the fort, it seemed to grow progressively more solid and intimidating. I spotted the watchtowers and catapults positioned along its ramparts. I’d expected something smaller after hearing that it only held five hundred men, but this was definitely a proper fortress.

On the other hand, the soldiers manning it all bore gloomy expressions. Morale was clearly an issue at the moment. They must have learned how badly they were outnumbered.

“Master Rudeus, Miss Roxy—this way, please.”

We stayed a few steps behind Zanoba and made our way through the fort to the chambers of its commanding officer. We found him in what looked to be a war room, studying a large map on a table with a number of his captains.

“Who are you supposed to be?”

“I am Zanoba Shirone, Third Prince of Shirone.”

The officers had been sizing up Zanoba dubiously at first, but at the sound of his title, they all fell to their knees.

“I am Garrick Babriti of the Shirone Royal Knights, Your Highness—Commander of the Fort Karon Garrison.”

“My thanks for your efforts to this point, Sir Garrick. The king sent word of my coming, I presume?”

“Yes, Your Highness! A message arrived several days ago.”

“Good. No need for further explanations, then. As of tomorrow, I will assume formal command of this Fort. Is that understood?”

“…Yes, Your Highness!”

I could sense that Garrick was none too pleased about this development. Losing his command was one thing, but handing it to some pompous prince was another. He probably took real pride in the fact that he’d defended this fort up until now.

I feel like we should throw the guy a bone here, right? We don’t want our own troops holding any grudges…

“However, it’s been some time since my last foray into battle. I would prefer to play the role of something like an adjutant, leaving the actual command of our forces in your hands. Do you accept?”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Oh, okay. I guess Zanoba was way ahead of me. Sounds like a good call to me. Might as well leave the commanding to the veterans, right?

“In that case, Sir Garrick, let us get to work at once. I wish to bolster our troops’ morale. Would you gather the entire garrison for me?”

“At once, Your Highness!”

Zanoba’s first official order set the fort into a flurry of activity.

About one hour later, some four hundred and fifty armored troops stood in neat rows before a platform set up outside the fort. Of the remaining fifty, ten were in position at the lookout towers, watching for the enemy. The rest of them were largely out on scouting duty or securing provisions.

The troops lined up before us were muscular and imposing, with the rugged faces of seasoned warriors. The boldness in their eyes caught me by surprise; this was a much more impressive group than I’d expected. I’d thought of five hundred men as a tiny army, but it hardly seemed that way when you had them standing right in front of you. It felt like we had all the troops we needed.

Although, the enemy forces were ten times greater, so…

“Hey, get a load of him.”

“Who the hell is that?”

“Uh…looks like some kind of prince, maybe?”

As Zanoba stepped onto the platform in front of them, the troops studied him with openly dubious expressions. Morale was low across the board. Some of the troops were even whispering to each other, despite standing face to face with royalty.

“I am Zanoba Shirone, Third Prince of the Kingdom of Shirone.”

“Welcome, Prince Zanoba!” called out the commander, straightening his back respectfully. “We are honored to have the opportunity to fight alongside you!”

Obvious lip service. You could tell the man wasn’t especially happy about Zanoba’s presence here. The words “Want to tell us what you’re doing here?” were all but written on his face.

“My thanks.” With a lordly nod, Zanoba scanned the rows of troops before him. He looked relatively imposing, thanks to his bulky suit of armor and the massive club I’d made for him.

“Now then! Your report on our current situation, Commander Babriti?”

“Sir! At present, contact with the enemy has been limited to small-scale skirmishes. However, interrogation of our prisoners has confirmed that they will soon launch a major offensive.”

“I see,” said Zanoba with another nod. “It seems we have no time to waste, then.”

The commander was starting to look a little worried at this point; I assumed he couldn’t tell how well Zanoba understood the situation. 

And then, with no warning whatsoever, Zanoba drew himself up to his full height and raised his voice to a bellow.

“First of all, troops—allow me to introduce our reinforcements!”

As those words rang through the air, the faces of the soldiers brightened the slightest bit. 

Nice to see everyone’s morale rising! Uh…what reinforcements, though? Pax sure as hell didn’t send any.

Before I could make any sense of his announcement, Zanoba looked back and signaled to me and Roxy with his eyes. A little startled, the two of us stepped up onto the stage behind him.

“Hey, isn’t that…”

“I’ve seen that face before…”

“But I thought…”

A murmur ran through the troops. Many of them seemed to be looking specifically in Roxy’s direction.

Well, there weren’t too many women to be found in forts like this. Maybe they were licking their chops at the sight of her? Roxy was adorable, and beautiful, and a divine embodiment of all goodness, so I could certainly understand such a reaction. But it seemed to me that some female soldiers in the crowd were also staring at her as intently as the male ones. And it was the older-looking individuals who seemed the most captivated…people in their thirties or their forties.

“Our numbers are few, our enemies legion! Their offensive will come soon! Perhaps it seems that all is lost, and our position hopeless. But fear not—for I bring you formidable reinforcements from the Magic City of Sharia!”

Zanoba looked back at us again and winked. Yeah, okay. Apparently, we were the reinforcements. Which made sense, if Roxy and I were supposed to be worth a thousand troops apiece. If we ever launched a wrestling career, we’d have to call our tag team the Terrible Two Thousand. 

“Hello, everyone,” said Roxy, taking off her hat.

The murmuring in the audience immediately grew louder.

“I knew it! That’s the one who used to be a court mage…”

“Didn’t she reach the King tier?”

“She developed all the theory behind our drills, right?”

Grinning from ear to ear, Zanoba launched into a more detailed introduction. “This woman is Roxy Migurdia, a former court magician of our own kingdom. I imagine many of you recognize her name, as it was she who essentially created our current anti-magic training program. She is accompanied by her star disciple, Rudeus Greyrat. Both have reached the King tier in their art!”

Sounds of surprise and admiration rippled through the crowd.

A bit belatedly, I realized what was going on here. Roxy had been a prominent figure in Shirone for some time, as a mage employed directly by the royal family. Some of the older soldiers must have recognized her from back then. 

That said, I wasn’t too pleased about the way Zanoba had called her Roxy Migurdia. She was Roxy M. Greyrat these days, thank you very much. Okay, he’d probably just used the name they would recognize, but still! 

“Troops, I’m sure you’ve heard it said that a Saint-tier mage is worth a thousand men in battle. Now consider the value of a King of magic! Perhaps some of you have never heard the tale—but in the Laplace War of old, a single King-tier mage once pushed back an army of ten thousand!”

Zanoba paused, savoring the startled silence of his audience.

I’d never heard about this “tale” myself, and it sounded like a load of crap, frankly. The figure of ten thousand had to be an exaggeration, right? More than a few of the soldiers seemed to be buying it, though—I noticed a hint of awe in the way they looked at us.

“In addition to these two mighty mages, I offer you my strength as well. Perhaps some of you are familiar with the Blessed Child known as the Head-Ripping Prince? I am he, and I shall lead you from the vanguard!”

The soldiers’ eyes lit up at the words Blessed Child and the mention of Zanoba’s nickname. On my first visit to Shirone, people had spoken the words Head-Ripping Prince with revulsion in their voices. In the context of a war, that same moniker sounded almost reassuring.

“I promise you this, and this alone: You shall have victory!”

Zanoba balled his outstretched hand into a fist as his voice rang out across the crowd. And his soldiers answered in kind. Punching their own fists in the air, they roared their approval in unison. 

It seemed fair to say morale had improved somewhat. I had to admit, the man had a talent for getting people fired up. Strange as it might sound, maybe Zanoba had the makings of a leader.

Then again—the troops had a nice solid fort to hole up in, and two powerful mages to defend it. Charging out to crush the enemy might not work out too well, but defending their position should be simple. You could understand why Zanoba seemed so confident, and why so many soldiers were looking at Roxy as they cheered.

Looking out at all those upraised fists, I felt my own anxiety lessening somewhat.

Thanks, guys. I’ll do what I can, all right?