Episode 41: Elmia is a Worrywart ③
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The departure of the two went smoothly.
Due to the urgent sortie, there were only fifty cavalrymen.
With Maten bestowed upon them for two, they moved at considerable speed.
“We’ll soon be in the area where Barbat was,”
A young messenger Military Official in Sharka’s unit guided Radnock and Elmia with a tense expression.
The latest information this Military Official had was up to the situation just before the Appointment Operation was launched.
Since they hadn’t encountered any messengers since then, they were unaware of the subsequent situation with Sharka and Barbat.
“W-What on earth is this…?”
What Elmia witnessed was a scene of countless corpses.
Citizen soldiers were stripping the corpses of all their weapons and valuables, piling them into mountains.
These corpses were all citizen soldiers and Satella-Class soldiers of the Naia Army, who had been defeated by the Intimidation Orbs and Maten (doped) assault.
The citizen soldiers were working with delighted expressions, perhaps thinking about how the valuables would be distributed later.
Elmia grimaced at the cruel sight she was seeing for the first time, but endured it with the pride of a future head of the house.
“Lord Radnock! Lady Elmia! What on earth are you doing in a place like this!”
It seemed to be the Military Official overseeing the work here.
He rushed towards Elmia and the others in great haste.
“What in the world happ…!”
“Sharka, is Sharka safe?!”
Elmia interrupted Radnock’s words and pressed the Military Official.
“Yes! Lord Sharka is currently leading five thousand Ortenos Army soldiers to conquer Bangwall Fort.”
“Huh?”
Radnock showed a bewildered expression at the Military Official’s words, which went far beyond his expectations.
Meanwhile, Elmia breathed a sigh of relief, confirming Sharka’s safety.
“Currently, we are preparing for Naia’s counterattack…”
“No, wait a minute. I don’t understand. Why are we suddenly seizing Bangwall Fort? And what happened to Barbat?”
Radnock interrupted the Military Official’s words and asked.
“Yes, sir! Lord Sharka has defeated the enemy leader, Barbat!”
“Is that true!”
“Ooh!” Cheers erupted from among the Military Officials he had led.
It was a great honor for the Military Officials that their own Stella-Class had defeated the enemy’s Stella-Class.
“Yes! Also, the presence of two Heroes of the Union has been confirmed in this area…”
“Two Heroes of the Union?! …That’s dangerous. Surely, you avoided a fight, right?”
From hope to despair.
His once relaxed cheeks tightened again.
“No, Lord Sharka defeated both of them. The Hero who called himself Lynx is of unknown status, but Lord Sharka has certainly killed the Hero who called himself Aquila!”
“Defeated?! What does this mean!”
He could still understand fighting Barbat.
But he didn’t understand the circumstances that led to fighting the Heroes.
Moreover, both of them had been defeated.
“Although the details are unclear, it seems they were here to monitor our movements.”
“…What?”
Radnock sank into a sea of thought.
Heroes had been sighted in this area in recent years.
Their purpose was unknown, but it was probably related to the failure of the prophecy six years ago.
Since that incident, the Ortenos region had suddenly attracted attention from all over the continent.
(It might be difficult to keep Sharka’s existence hidden any longer…)
Radnock added the matter of the Heroes to his list of future considerations.
“And currently, we are in the middle of a siege at Bangwall Fort…”
That’s right, there was also this.
He had absolutely no idea how it ultimately connected there.
“If it’s Lord Sharka, he will surely achieve victory.”
“…”
The Military Official said with a beaming smile.
From this Military Official’s demeanor, it seemed that Sharka had won the trust of the Military Officials.
Although he felt encouraged by his son’s growth, he felt like he was going to get a hole in his stomach from such a great performance.
“Brother is at Bangwall Fort now?”
“Y-Yes.”
Elmia cut into the conversation, wondering what she was thinking.
Radnock had a bad feeling.
“Father, I’m going to Bangwall Fort now.”
“Huh?”
Elmia suddenly told Radnock.
Then, she flicked the reins, set her direction to the southeast, and galloped her horse.
Wearing a robe with gold thread, holding a Shakujo in one hand, and her fluffy white hair fluttering in the wind, she was a beautiful princess running across the battlefield.
“Elmia! Wait! Don’t act on your own…!”
Without listening to Radnock’s restraint, Elmia steadily increased the distance.
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About an hour and a half after galloping the horse.
Bangwall Fort finally came into view.
“What on earth did you do, Brother…”
The western outer wall of the fort had been pulverized into pieces, almost exposing the interior.
Those who appeared to be Military Officials of House Ortenos were on alert near the entrance.
From the looks of it, the fort seemed to have already been captured.
“L-Lady Elmia, what on earth are you doing in a place like this!”
“Is Brother inside?”
Elmia activated Magical Power Detection to locate Sharka’s position.
“Yes, but Lord Sharka is currently resting…”
Elmia brushed off the Military Official, who seemed a little hesitant, and continued to move forward.
Gradually, her brother’s presence was getting closer.
“It seems like Brother is here?”
She stopped in front of a simple door inside the fort.
She could sense her brother’s presence from beyond this door.
A Military Official was standing in front of the door like a gatekeeper.
“L-Lady Elmia, why are you in a place like this…!”
“Will you let me through?”
Everyone was responding like poorly made robots.
Placing a Military Official in front of the door, what on earth were they doing inside?
“B-But, Lord Sharka is currently resting…”
Elmia felt a little irritated by the Military Official’s hesitant reply.
She had asked several people where her brother was until she got here, but she was bothered by the fact that everyone had a subtle expression on their faces.
“I’ll allow it, so it doesn’t matter, right?”
“B-But…”
“Sharka, I’m coming in.”
“Ah…”
Elmia ignored the Military Official who was trying to stop her and opened the door with a click.
“Brother!”
She wanted to confirm her brother’s safety as soon as possible.
From what she had heard, her brother had achieved considerable Military Achievement.
He must have been reckless, and there were many things she wanted to say to him.
Even so, she would praise his achievements as a superior now.
Having made up her mind, she looked at the two figures in the steaming vapor.
What she saw was her brother, stark naked, being wiped down by a maid with a hand towel.
The maid was a woman Elmia didn’t know.
The maid was surprised by Elmia’s entrance and accidentally dropped the hand towel that was covering her brother’s private parts.
What on earth were the two of them doing? Disgust filled Elmia.
“Eek!”
Her brother let out a small scream like a girl and covered his private parts with his hands.
Elmia stared at her brother in such a pathetic state with cold eyes.
“Disgusting…”
After spitting out those words, Elmia slammed the door shut and left.