"Oooh...!"
I couldn’t help the voice that slipped out of me.
The Panamera and Stradale had attacked like a raging inferno, swiftly taking control of the castle walls and neutralizing the artillery. The knights of the Yellenetta Kingdom, upon the breach of the city gates, had evidently decided to retreat, abandoning the fortress city and fleeing.
In such a state, the morale of the Shelvia Federation was at an all-time low, even worse than it had been before.
With everything quiet now, I cautiously passed under the collapsed city gates and entered the fortress city in the large carriage. On the main street, knights were sitting on the ground with their weapons placed beside them.
At the forefront was a middle-aged man with a beard, and before him stood both Panamera and Stradale.
"Ah, boy. We’ve won... although the commander of the Yellenetta Kingdom has fled," Panamera muttered, looking displeased. Stradale, arms crossed, lowered his chin. He was probably still conflicted over what to do now that the enemy responsible for the destruction of Jalpha with their fire artillery had disappeared.
As I watched them, I turned my attention to the knight who seemed to hold the highest rank.
"So, is that man over there some noble from the Shelvia Federation?"
I asked, and the middle-aged knight blinked, clearly surprised, and looked at me.
"...Could you be Van Nei Fertio, the baron?"
"Huh? You know me?"
I asked, startled, as my name was called out. The knight nodded slightly and studied my face closely.
"...You really are still a young boy. My name is Towncar Pillars. I am a count in the Shelvia Federation. I have heard the story from Lord Cosworth of the Yellenetta Kingdom. A boy named Van, who is dominating the battlefield with his terrifying castle-building skills..."
"Eh? That’s not true! Hehe, you're embarrassing me," I said, trying to be humble, but I couldn’t resist the compliment. I gave a shy smile while replying. Towncar nodded seriously in response.
"I’ve heard that geniuses tend to be eccentric. I suppose this is true..."
He seemed to agree, nodding as if to himself, offering an odd comment. "Eccentric," huh? What does that mean? I thought, narrowing my eyes at the bearded knight. I was pleased by the compliment, but it felt like he’d turned it into something else.
As I pouted and stared at Towncar, Panamera snorted and opened his mouth.
"That’s all well and good, but what about the treatment of the Shelvia Federation, who fought against the Kingdom of Scuderia? His Majesty is quite severe. You understand what that means, right?"
He asked with a fierce grin, and Towncar pulled his chin in, looking grim.
"...We’ve surrendered. I have no right to speak. However, if possible, I would like to request a meeting with our king and consider an alliance under proper conditions. We had no choice but to bow to the terrifying power of the Yellenetta Kingdom’s artillery, but now I understand that it is the Kingdom of Scuderia that is better suited for an alliance. I swear to persuade our king and offer our support to the Kingdom of Scuderia."
Towncar spoke earnestly, but Panamera frowned, clearly unimpressed.
"How boring. If you had come at us with the resolve to fight to the last soldier, we would have seen my territory born out of this."
Panamera muttered a discontented remark, and Towncar gave an exasperated look.
"To fight against a great nation like Yellenetta Kingdom, and still attempt to destroy the Shelvia Federation? That’s sheer recklessness. King Scuderia would want to focus on the battle with Yellenetta Kingdom. To suddenly decide to also fight the Shellbia Federation here..."
Towncar attempted a lengthy argument, but Panamera waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright, alright. I’ll bring this up to Marquis Fertio. You can send your swift horse over there. But I’m in charge of this fortress city and your lives. Understand? You better offer the best terms, or the Shelvia Federation won’t get away lightly."
Panamera’s tone grew darker, almost threatening, as he looked at Towncar and his men. Towncar, with a solemn expression, nodded in agreement.
With that settled, we were set to return to Centena. The Shelvia Federation’s knights would begin the repairs to the city, and we decided to leave them to it. Van had been working too hard and was exhausted. Overwork is never good. This is the age of work-life balance, after all.
As I was mulling this over, I caught sight of Arte, who seemed downcast.
It turned out that the black-colored balls thrown by the Yelinetta Kingdom had severely damaged two of Arte’s dolls. Parts of the armor were lost, and the bodies were covered in scars. This realization had caused Arte to fall into deep despair.
"Sorry, Van-sama... the dolls you made for me..."
As soon as I realized what had happened, I couldn’t bring myself to be angry when Arte apologized with teary eyes.
"It’s okay. We can fix them. I’ll make sure they’re repaired nicely. Thanks to you, we were able to break through the city gates. Don’t worry about it too much," I said as gently as I could, but Arte shook her head, looking sad.
"...If I had followed Van-sama’s words and not overworked them, the dolls wouldn’t have been so badly damaged. I’m really sorry..."
She continued to regret the explosion caused by the black-colored balls. It seemed that losing the dolls had shaken her deeply, and despite my attempts to console her, it had little effect. I really didn’t know how to cheer her up at this point...
At the Palace
Things had taken a turn for the worst. Because of Cosworth, we were headed straight toward the worst possible future.
No, it was clear that everyone in Yellenetta Kingdom, including His Majesty, had been swept up by the power of the black-colored balls and artillery. But the biggest problem was Cosworth, who continued to lead the battle even after defeat was inevitable.
At some point, we should have recognized the loss. When the Kingdom of Scuderia had begun to take Yellenetta Kingdom seriously, we should have offered peace negotiations. But now, it was too late.
Given the temperament of King Scuderia, there was no way to stop his campaign now. No matter what terms we offered, he wouldn’t stop until he had claimed everything from Yellenetta Kingdom. At least, if we had been allowed to remain as a vassal, there might have been a chance for survival.
"Ugh... ugh..."
As these thoughts swirled in my mind, I heard a muffled scream coming from inside the carriage. I turned my gaze toward it and saw Cosworth, half-burned, groaning in pain.
Because of him, it seemed like I was going to die too.
Just the thought of it made me want to punch him right then and there, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good.
"Istana-sama! We’re about to pass through the city of Shelvia, is that alright?"
"They abandoned Towncar and the others! If the swift horse arrives, Shelvia Federation will become an enemy too! We must return to Yellenetta Kingdom as quickly as possible!"
"Y-yes...!"
I led around 15,000 knights, including Cosworth’s private soldiers, but I still felt uncertain. No, I was certain that we couldn’t win.
We had participated with 30,000 troops, but after two clashes, half of them had been lost. The same was true for the Shelvia Federation’s knights. When considering that the enemy had only around 10,000 troops, I couldn’t reassure myself by simply having more soldiers.
"We must return to the capital as soon as possible and persuade His Majesty! Continuing this fight will only lead to us being crushed mercilessly!"
There was no dignity left. To survive for the sake of the nation and the royal family, I couldn’t afford to worry about appearances.
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