It had been a long time since I last saw Stradale, but I didn’t know how to approach him. For him, this was a time of defeat, and for me, I had been cast out of the Marquis' family. Could I really greet him with a casual "long time no see"?
As I mulled over this, Stradale spoke first.
"Van-sama, thank you for your help."
"It’s nothing. It's a crisis for the kingdom. If we didn't defend Cenetta, the Fertio domain would surely be shattered... I may have been cast out, but I love the people living in the domain," I said jokingly.
Stradale wiped the blood and sweat off his forehead with one hand and raised his unsheathed sword in front of his chest.
"...I will never forget this favor. If ever a crisis befalls you, Van-sama, I will risk my life to help you."
"Haha, thanks. But don't take it so seriously, just rest in the carriage. We'll head back to Cenetta soon," I said, laughing.
Stradale nodded without changing his expression, his eyes hardening.
"No, Van-sama, I cannot let anything happen to you. Please, get into the carriage. I have my horse, so I will guard the carriage from the outside."
"Eh? Aren't you tired? Are you okay?"
"There's no time to worry about exhaustion. I can rest later," he said with a very serious expression. I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
"Haha! You’re just like Dee. Well then, please, go ahead."
Stradale looked confused, his eyes widening in surprise. After a full second, he finally smiled.
"You think I resemble Dee-sama? I'm honored."
With that, Stradale mounted his horse and galloped off. I assumed he was heading to drive off the approaching cavalry.
"Alright! This is dangerous, so let’s head back at full speed! Lou, Kamshin! I’ll leave it to you!"
"Understood!"
I quickly gave my instructions, then jumped off the driver’s seat and moved inside the carriage.
Once inside, I found a large man who seemed unusually cramped in the small space. Across from him sat Arte and Panamera. I realized that I hadn’t seen Til; the large man was simply blocking my view.
"I was told to switch places with Stradale," I said, feeling awkward about the situation. There was no way I could sit next to the giant man, so I decided to take a seat between the beautiful girl and the elegant lady. Naturally, being the gentleman that I am, there was no ulterior motive.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I am Van Ney Fertio. I came to assist with the defense, however little help I can be," I said, introducing myself briefly.
The large man placed his hands on his knees and bowed his head.
"I’m grateful... I am Targa Brescia, commander of the border knights assigned to defend Senet. Judging that we couldn’t hold out in the fortress against the brutal assault from the Shelvian Confederacy and the Yelenetta Kingdom, I launched a last-ditch counterattack... as you can see, it hasn’t gone well," he said, pointing at himself.
Targa was in terrible condition, not just drenched in blood, but his armor was severely damaged and distorted. Just looking at him told me how fierce the battle had been.
"First, let’s get Cenetta back to its best condition. We’ll regroup our forces and then counterattack," I said, and Targa nodded deeply without a word.
"Arte, can you handle the left rear?"
"Y-yes...!"
I asked, and Arte quickly used her puppet magic to send two of her puppets charging toward the enemy. As they struck, the enemy formation broke apart, with some completely collapsing.
"Panamera, can you cover the right rear with magic?"
"It’ll be expensive," Panamera responded with a smile, leaning out the window of the carriage and launching a flame spear at the enemy forces. The visual impact of the fire and the fear of magic had a much greater effect in stopping the enemy than Arte’s puppet magic.
Seeing their magic, Targa couldn’t hide his surprise.
"...Panamera-sama’s magic is impressive, but the magic controlling those knights is equally remarkable. Arte-dono, was it? How far can you move the knights with that magic?"
"U-um... probably about one or two kilometers? Beyond that, I’m not sure..." Arte answered, looking straight into Targa’s eyes despite being looked down upon by the large man. She still showed signs of fear, but for someone as shy as her, this was impressive.
Targa, noticing her discomfort, nodded gently before turning his attention back to me.
"I’ve heard rumors that Van-sama is a formidable inventor of weapons... But it seems there’s more to your rise than just that," Targa remarked.
"Of course. With the help of Commander Dee’s Ceat Knights and Espada, the most powerful earth mage leading the Espada Knights, as well as my ally, Panamera-sama, and Arte’s magic, I’m still alive thanks to everyone’s cooperation."
"...I see."
We exchanged these words as we successfully retreated to Cenetta.
"Open the gates! Hurry!"
I heard the cry of the Cenetta knights who were guarding the gates. When I opened the carriage window to look, it seemed that all the knights except us had already finished retreating into Cenetta. Looking behind, Stradale was following close behind us.
"...Good. At least we’ve prevented total destruction for now."
I muttered, relieved, as we passed through the gates and entered the safety of Cenetta. We stopped the carriage in the courtyard surrounded by the city walls, and I finally allowed myself to relax.
To be honest, when I first saw the battlefield, I thought the defense was impossible. Most of the war's damage had been on the side of the Scuderia Kingdom. We attempted a counterattack, but were thoroughly repelled and scattered. The Cenetta knights and the Fertio Marquis' knights were retreating in disarray. I hadn’t crossed paths with him, but I had heard that Marquis Ferltio himself had been injured and retreated as well. Had Targa or Stradale died in battle, there would have been no way to recover.
As I thought about that, I suddenly remembered Father.
"Ah, where is Marquis Jalpa? I think we need to hold a strategy meeting to discuss defense."
I looked up at Targa and asked. He gave a grim expression and sighed.
"...The Marquis has sustained heavy injuries. He may be in a dangerous condition."
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