Chapter 14: Demon’s Lair – Part 18
The following day, we began our march towards the Royal Capital.
I recalled hearing in history class that in this kind of warfare, the march itself is often more arduous than the battle itself.
Fortunately, it seemed that even with a large army, we would reach our destination in about three days. As an adventurer, I had no issues with stamina, but General Durack’s forces would be making a black expedition, returning to the Royal Capital for an assault after a three-day march.
As I walked, feeling a bit of sympathy for the soldiers, the general himself rode over to me on horseback.
“Soushi, I would like to have a word with you. Is that alright?”
“Of course, General Durack.”
“Please, just call me General. But as you walk like that, you look like an ordinary adventurer.”
The general dismounted and came to stand beside me, taking the reins of his horse.
“I do consider myself an ordinary adventurer. Though I may possess some strength, at heart, I am just a failed merchant.”
“An ordinary human, no matter how confident in their abilities, cannot simply charge into the midst of an army and capture their commander. Your victory declaration was quite impressive.”
“That was merely a mimicry of what I read in books. I find it quite embarrassing.”
At that, the general squinted and laughed heartily.
“Haha! There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. If that is considered shameful, then we who surrendered would be the true jesters.”
“Ah, indeed. I apologize.”
“As I mentioned yesterday, I can only express my gratitude to you. It was a battle that no one wished for, and one where no one could truly believe in their own sense of justice. The fact that there were almost no casualties in such a conflict is nothing short of a stroke of luck.”
“I am inexperienced in warfare, but I felt the morale of the troops was quite low. Perhaps that is why they surrendered so quickly.”
“Embarrassingly, I too failed to raise the morale of my soldiers. Ironically, that worked to our advantage this time. However, seeing your fearsome presence, I believe that no matter the morale, it would have been the same.”
“Being called a fearsome presence is something I find embarrassing myself. At that moment, I was simply moving forward without thinking, and later I realized that my actions were unworthy of a soldier. After all, I am just an adventurer fighting monsters.”
“I doubt the Marquis expects such coordination from adventurers. Rather, what you did—taking down the enemy commander single-handedly—is precisely what we hope for from adventurers.”
“That would be good to hear. But what of your soldiers? It must be tough for them to march three days to get here, fight a battle, and then return to assault the Royal Capital. That sounds like quite a heavy burden.”
“Under normal circumstances, yes. However, their morale is much higher now than when we left the Royal Capital. Unfortunately, everyone is dissatisfied with the current king’s rule. Many have seen their families reduced to slavery. The treatment of the soldiers has worsened. Now, everyone wishes for a change in leadership.”
“That sounds quite dire.”
“Indeed. Just between us, King Giselfa was known to be a ruthless ambitious man even during his time as a duke. There were many underhanded dealings when he ascended to the throne. Many have been buried in darkness.”
As the general spoke, his expression turned serious.
The more I heard about King Giselfa, the more he seemed like a despicable person. It was foolish to impose such a tyrannical rule that could shorten his own life. Normally, one would expect his advisors to intervene, but perhaps he had eliminated any remonstrating officials.
“Regardless, once we breach the castle walls, the defending soldiers will likely surrender quickly. The citizens of the Royal Capital will welcome the Marquis with open arms. The problem lies beyond that.”
“You’re referring to what happens after the king barricades himself in the castle. If we take too long, the nobles loyal to Giselfa will send reinforcements.”
“Indeed. However, if we secure the town, I believe those inside will respond and surrender. If they do not, I would like you to deliver a decisive blow to the castle gates. That should wake them up.”
“Understood. By the way, General, do you not have a family?”
“Indeed. My soldiers have families. Why do you ask?”
“I was just wondering if they might be taken hostage.”
At my words, the general shook his head.
“Please do not worry about that. As a general, my wife and children cannot escape such fates. We exist for the country and the people; our own lives come second.”
“General…”
When he said that, General Durack’s face resembled a rock. Seeing that expression, I could not find any further words to say. He seemed to possess a resolve that was beyond my understanding as a former modern Japanese person.
However, if King Giselfa was truly the man described, I felt he would not hesitate to take the general’s wife and children as hostages. Such actions are unpleasant to witness, and if there is anything I can do to prevent that, I would like to.
On the third day of our march, just past noon, a long castle wall came into view across the highway.
It was the same as I had seen before—a tall, formidable-looking wall. There was a moat in front, and it was clear even to an amateur that attacking from the front would be difficult.
Naturally, they must have sensed our movements, as the castle gates were tightly shut, and the drawbridge was raised, firmly rejecting any approach. I could see numerous soldiers atop the walls, along with large mechanical bows (ballistae) and catapults.
Though this world possesses magic, only adventurers can wield powerful offensive spells. Naturally, such weaponry is present at their stronghold. Meanwhile, the Marquis’s forces had also brought siege engines and large battering rams. However, thanks to my efforts, it seemed unlikely they would be needed.
The Marquis’s army halted about a kilometer from the Royal Capital and began to set up camp.
The decisive battle would commence the following morning. That night, a final military council was held at the main camp. As the key figure and human siege weapon in this battle, I naturally participated.
As Ryusha, Earthlin, General Durack, and other staff gathered, the Marquis began speaking in front of a simple map of the Royal Capital laid out on the table.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work up to this point. Tomorrow, we will begin the battle to reclaim the Royal Capital, but I would like to confirm our strategy. First, this battle will be a short-term engagement. As I mentioned before, the forces loyal to Giselfa are approaching, and they should arrive near the Royal Capital in as little as three days. Therefore, we must reclaim the Royal Capital by then at the latest and prepare for a defensive battle. It will be a very tough fight.”
The Marquis paused and looked around at his staff.
“The defending forces number 40,000, and we do not know how many adventurers they have, but they will likely use Summoning Stones to call forth Undead. In contrast, we have 60,000 troops and 200 adventurers. While we have the advantage in numbers, it is not absolute. Under normal circumstances, taking the city quickly would be nearly impossible.”
“The walls of the Royal Capital are extremely sturdy. Even with three times the number of troops, it would not be enough to take it in one go.”
General Durack nodded in agreement with the Marquis’s words.
“Exactly. However, this time, we have someone in our ranks who can overturn the common sense of the battlefield. Thanks to his efforts, we may be able to bring this to a swift conclusion.”
The Marquis turned his gaze toward me. The other staff members looked at me as well, but the newly joined representatives from other territories wore skeptical expressions. Only Ryusha’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Soushi, I would like to confirm once more how you plan to act tomorrow. Could you explain?”
Prompted by the Marquis, I began to explain. However, this had already been decided during our military discussions while marching.
“Once the Marquis’s battle declaration is complete tomorrow, I will proceed alone to the castle gates. I will fill the moat with wood from my Item Box and cross over, then breach a section of the wall, enter, and open the gates, lowering the drawbridge. I will then continue toward the royal castle and aim to break through the second wall surrounding it. If time permits, I will also suppress the interior, but I leave the decision on whether I should proceed that far to your judgment.”
As I spoke in one breath, the staff members crossed their arms, pondering and murmuring.
Honestly, I wanted to ponder as well, but analyzing my abilities calmly, I found this operation to be not just feasible but comfortably so.
“Soushi, if Undead or adventurers appear before the castle gates, will that be a problem?”
“If they are at the same level as before, there will be no issue. What concerns me more is if they release Undead into the town to hinder our army’s movements.”
“Hmm. In that case, we will have to rely on the adventurers to handle that.”
“Marquis, if Undead appear in the town, we should be able to request their extermination from the Adventurers’ Guild.”
Earthlin’s suggestion prompted a nod from the Marquis. I see, that is indeed a possibility.
I was also curious about how Danken, the Guild Master of the Royal Capital, was faring. I hoped he would respond and act accordingly.
After a thorough discussion, the military council concluded about an hour later. The staff members returned to their respective tents.
As I stood to return to my tent and headed for the exit, the Marquis called out to me.
“Soushi, the outcome of tomorrow’s battle hinges on your performance. I apologize for relying on you so much, but I ask that you do your best for the sake of this country.”
“As an adventurer, I will carry out the task I have been entrusted with to the best of my abilities. Reuniting with my party is important to me, and for that reason, I will ensure the success of the operation.”
“Very well. However, to have someone like you say that makes me a bit envious of your party members.”
“They’re like family to me. Though I cannot say for certain how they feel about it.”
“Hmm, so it seems you are not yet in a romantic relationship with them?”
The Marquis, who had been serious, suddenly smiled at the corner of his mouth.
“To say ‘in a romantic relationship’ implies a romantic connection, but I certainly have no such experience.”
“Indeed, there is quite an age gap between us. It feels more like a parent-child relationship.”
“Well, I hope they feel the same way. By the way, Soushi, do you prefer younger women?”
“Wh-what?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I stumbled over my words. When a beautiful female Marquis asks such a thing, it’s easy for a man to misinterpret, but given our differing statuses, I doubted it was meant in that way. After all, the Marquis herself was still quite young.
“…Age does not matter much to me, but I suppose being closer in age makes things more comfortable. However, as I have only recently become an adventurer, I think such thoughts will come later.”
“I see, so you wish to establish yourself as an adventurer first. I apologize for asking such a strange question. I’m glad to have heard your thoughts. I look forward to your performance tomorrow.”
“Yes, of course.”
As we parted, I felt as though the Marquis had looked at me with a hint of warmth in her eyes, but I dismissed it as my imagination. It seemed the lingering effect of her ambiguous question was still affecting me. At my age, being swayed by a woman’s words would be quite embarrassing.
However, I found it rather frightening how much composure I had before the impending battle. Where exactly was I headed? It seemed I truly needed companions by my side to keep me grounded.