Targa
"…I can hardly believe it, but we've passed the worst of it," the military doctor assigned to the knight corps answered.
Upon hearing this, those present in the hall exhaled in relief.
"Just as expected from the Marquis. Given his experience in battle, his vitality is impressive," Panamera remarked, her voice light, though a smile of relief lingered on her face. However, she quickly noticed my gaze and twisted her expression, looking displeased.
"What a shame, boy. If the Marquis had died, we would not only have inherited the title but also gained vast territories, you know?"
Panamera couldn’t resist making a biting remark. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her, though I also lowered my head sincerely.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, Panamera, my father’s life was spared."
Upon hearing this, the knights present all bowed in unison to express their gratitude, including Stradale and Targa.
"…Well, it was just a gamble. In the end, whether he survives or not is up to his luck," Panamera added, shrugging as she turned toward Jalpa, who was lying in bed.
"It won’t be easy to move on from this, but the battle continues. We will hold a defense meeting to regroup as soon as possible. Please excuse me," Targa said as he began to leave, no doubt feeling the pressure of his role as the deputy commander still leading the troops.
Stradale also looked up and said, "I will repay this favor, no matter what."
Panamera laughed, shaking her shoulders.
"Is that knight really from a noble family? He’s too upright," she muttered.
"He's a good knight," I responded.
"Hmph," Panamera grunted, before turning back toward me.
"Boy, I’m heading to the strategy meeting now. We’re in the middle of a war, so I’d like to give you some time, but we’ll need you back on the front as quickly as possible… I’m sorry to be harsh, but please understand."
Panamera said, and without waiting for my response, she turned and left the room, followed by Targa.
"…Van-sama," Arte and Til approached, holding my hand. Both were looking at me with teary eyes. I could feel their concern for me, and my heart warmed.
I smiled back at them and spoke.
"It’s fine. Now, let’s get to work on defense. We need to turn this fortress into the strongest defensive base we can."
I said this, then looked up at Stradale.
"Stradale, can you move? If you’re able to switch gears, I’d like you to help temporarily."
Stradale clenched his fist, took a long, deep breath, then turned his gaze away from the prone Jalpa and looked at me.
"Leave it to me. Right now, I’m responsible for the Marquis's knight corps. All of the knights under my command are at your disposal, Van-sama."
Stradale said in a low voice.
"Thank you. Then let’s go together."
The Strategy Meeting
After calling out to the soldiers waiting outside, I was led to the location of the strategy meeting.
I knocked on the door and entered, where I found armored individuals shouting at each other in heated discussion around a large table. However, it seemed that no consensus was being reached.
"That’s what I’ve been saying! We can’t hold out like this!"
"But look at the results of moving! If we’re going to be wiped out anyway, we might as well choose the option with a chance of winning!"
"Are you saying we should choose to lose slowly, like being crushed under our fingertips!?"
The shouting between two battle-scarred middle-aged men continued. Panamera, clearly displeased, scowled at them. Suddenly, she noticed me entering the room and flashed a smirk.
"Targa, it looks like the commander of the Fertio family has arrived."
Panamera said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Targa, with a "Oh!" of surprise, turned around to look at me. Following his lead, the other knights turned their gaze toward me as well. With all eyes on me, I approached the table.
"Ah, hello... Is it alright if I join in?" I said hesitantly as I stood in front of the table. The table was a little higher than expected, so I placed my hands on it and stood on tiptoe to look at the map spread across it. Black and white stones were arranged on the map.
"Is this... white for our forces at Centena, and black for the forces of the Yellineta Kingdom and the Shelbia Union?" I asked.
"Exactly. Each stone represents one thousand knights. Myself and Baron Panamera are also counted as one stone each," Targa explained, pointing at the stones on the map as he spoke.
As I counted the stones on the map, I said, "There are five white stones... and thirty black stones?"
The faces of the men surrounding the table darkened. Targa, representing them, answered while focusing on the black stones.
"Yes. Even so, we’ve managed to reduce the number of black stones considerably. Initially, we had ten white stones and forty black stones..."
"So, one of the reduced white stones is the Marquis of Ferretio," I said casually.
Hearing that, Targa’s face grew solemn, and he fell silent. I could hear the sound of his teeth clenching, and when I turned around, I saw Stradale glaring at the map with a grim expression. Anger was visible in his eyes, but whether it was directed at the enemy or at himself for not being able to protect his lord, I couldn’t tell.
"Yes. Even with the Centena border knight corps, I feel ashamed," Targa muttered bitterly.
I waved my hands to ease the tension, offering a weak smile.
"Ah, sorry. I’m not blaming anyone… Anyway, let’s focus on what comes next."
I said and placed ten more white stones on the map, which had been set aside earlier. The knights, who had been staring at the map, blinked in surprise.
"…Van the Baron, what’s this?"
Targa, speaking for the confused knights, asked. I straightened up and answered proudly.
"One of the white stones is for Baron Panamera, another for Lady Arte, and the rest are from my Seato Knight Corps. Oh, and also from Panamera’s knight corps."
I added the last part quickly, then added another white stone.
"Hmph. Don’t act all modest," Panamera said with a snort, watching me closely. Despite my nervousness, I managed to regain my composure and pointed at the map.
"Normally, if we were to defend within the fortress, we could last at least a month with this kind of force difference. But this time, our enemies have black stones, cannons, and even dragons and wyverns. We already took down one dragon and two wyverns, but there are likely more to come. So, this fortress won’t be able to hold out for long."
As I neatly arranged the stones on the map, I voiced my analysis. Just as I finished speaking, a knight who had earlier suggested we make a breakthrough raised his voice.
"Yes, exactly! That’s why we must take bold action and seize a chance for a last-ditch effort!"
He shouted enthusiastically. However, I immediately dismissed his suggestion.
"No, no, if we break out, we’ll be wiped out for sure. The mountains on either side are too dangerous. And if we engage in open battle, the smaller force will be at a huge disadvantage. Of course, we could have Panamera burn all the mountains, but that would be a vast area, and it would be catastrophic."
I clearly rejected the knight’s suggestion, and he almost stumbled forward in shock. Quite the dramatic reaction. I’ll remember that.
"So, you mean we should defend? Or… perhaps a large-scale reinforcements?" another knight, who had suggested we fortify, asked with furrowed brows.
I shook my head again.
"What does that mean!? If we don’t attack and don’t defend, then all that’s left is to abandon the fortress and retreat…?"
A panicked knight raised his voice, and the others’ faces filled with anxiety. If the commander orders a retreat, all the knights will have no choice but to follow. Even if some remain, it won’t matter. However, abandoning such an important stronghold would lead to court martial later, and the likelihood of being found guilty is very high. I could immediately sense their worry.
But, of course, we won’t retreat. Actually, I do want to retreat, but in this situation, it’s impossible to do so.
"We’re not retreating," I said simply, and a mix of relief and disappointment appeared on the faces of some of the knights. However, Targa and Panamera looked even more serious.
"…What do you mean?" Panamera murmured in a low voice. Though it was a small sound, the atmosphere in the room instantly froze. Panamera, known for her expertise in fire magic, might also be able to use ice magic at this point... but I couldn’t possibly joke about that in such a tense situation.
"Well, to be precise, we’ll both defend and strike. We need to balance our defense, not focus on just one," I explained.
Panamera and Targa both looked confused. To clarify, I placed five more white stones on the map.
"We don’t have much time. First, let’s prepare these five additional white stones as reinforcements. While we prepare, I’ll explain the detailed plan."
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