152 - The Hero's Seriousness
While the Kingdom of Moscow and the United Kingdom of Westerland were cautiously proceeding with the battle while confirming the situation, the allied forces led by Fumiya were engaged in a fierce fight, just as before.
It was not only because the Demon King's Army was concentrating its forces. Fumiya had no intention of slowing the momentum of the battle. Showing off his power—this was Fumiya's own way of bargaining with other nations.
However, Fumiya had finally begun to worry about the sacrifices of his allies. He had learned from the previous battle that the Demon King's Army could not be broken by brute force alone. Reflecting on this, Fumiya had sought to strengthen his own army during the ceasefire.
First, he consolidated the armies of the three nations, including the survivors of the Noble House Armies, and reorganized them. It didn't matter which country's knights or soldiers they were. He created several mixed units and imposed rigorous training. Those in charge were General Gaston and General Gertzer, who stood at the top of their respective armies, even if they were small nations. Initially, Larc, the Commander of the Royal Knights of the Laurel Kingdom, had also joined them, but it was determined that as a former Royal Guard Knight, he lacked the knowledge and experience to manage soldiers, and he was removed.
What Fumiya sought was a meritocratic organization. The same applied to the knights. Ranks were determined through training, and status within the military organization was set accordingly. It was the same for the soldiers. Their status remained as soldiers, but ranks were created within their assigned units, and their treatment was changed.
The most superior unit was the Royal Guard unit under Fumiya's direct control. They were not a disposable unit to be played with by Fumiya's abilities. They were the unit that followed Fumiya when he went to the front lines.
Following them were the main combat units led by General Gaston and General Gertzer. Then, a unit led by Commander of the Royal Knights Larc was formed. This unit led by Commander of the Royal Knights Larc incorporated the knights and soldiers judged to have the lowest abilities. This would be the disposable unit for times of need. Naturally, the individuals themselves were not informed.
The battle against the Demon King's Army was approached with full preparation. However, once the battle began, there were several miscalculations. This was the biggest one.
"Akemi! Just a little! Please listen to me!"
Fumiya shouted toward Akemi, trying to talk. He had known since the previous battle that Akemi was with the Demon King's Army. The miscalculation was that the units he had worked so hard to train could not fully demonstrate their power. It was because the Demon King's Army only launched long-range attacks using magic, arrows, and crossbows.
That didn't mean there weren't many sacrifices. Akemi's magic would not allow it.
"Akemi! Tell me the reason! Why are you siding with the Demon Race!"
The allied forces had already been unable to compete with the Demon King's Army due to the difference in magical ability. With Akemi added to that, it wasn't even a fight.
"Akemi! Isn't there some misunderstanding!? Let's talk for now!"
If Akemi returned to their side, the situation would change completely. Thinking this, Fumiya tried to persuade Akemi. Fumiya didn't have the naive idea that persuasion would work. Right now, this was the only move he had.
"Akemi!"
Akemi finally appeared on the opposite bank. She came across the moat, which had become even wider than before, riding something like a raft.
"...Fall back! Retreat!"
Fumiya shouted to his allies. Akemi had not appeared to respond to a discussion. It was to launch an attack with large-scale magic. He realized that.
Fumiya himself hurriedly retreated. Passing him, a violent gust of wind assaulted the allied units.
"Fall back! Further back!"
To a place where Akemi's magic could not reach. The battle for this day would end like this.
◇◇◇
Fumiya's army left the front lines. They retreated to a fortified position constructed at a considerable distance from the moat. Camping in the open against the Demon Race was not easy. Wary of night attacks, they had decided to spend their time in a fortified position with reasonable preparations.
Immediately upon returning to the position, Fumiya began a military council. As it stood, they would only be worn down unilaterally. He had to think of some countermeasure.
"Did you find any mages who seem capable of opposing Akemi?"
The first topic he brought up was the difference in magical power. Unless this was bridged, nothing could be done. For that reason, Fumiya had been searching for powerful mages.
"It may sound like an excuse, but if there were mages of that caliber, our country would have deployed them in the fight against the Hero," General Gaston answered Fumiya's question. There was no need to actually search. If such mages existed, the Kingdom of Aria would not have allowed the fall of the royal capital carried out by Fumiya.
"Our country is the same. There are none among the mages we have already employed."
The Kingdom of Lydia was the same. When Fumiya invaded, even if it was impossible at the time, they would have used them in subsequent battles. Because there were none, they had surrendered easily.
"I see... Hidden talent isn't something that can be found so easily."
Fumiya hadn't expected much either. He and Akemi were Heroes summoned from another world. If there were people with the same power as Akemi, there was a possibility that there were people with the same power as himself. That would not be a good thing for Fumiya.
"First, we should think about increasing the overall magical attack power. It's not just her who is dealing damage."
The problem was not only Akemi's magic. Many casualties were also being caused by the Demon Race's magic.
"You're right. When will the reinforcements from the mage corps arrive?"
"Hero. What is needed is the deployment of the Laurel Kingdom's mage corps."
In the small nations of the Kingdom of Aria and the Kingdom of Lydia, the number of mages that could be gathered was limited. Even if everyone was mobilized, it would not be a power capable of opposing the Demon King's Army.
"...The mage corps won't listen to me."
It wasn't just Fumiya's words. Even when Hansmann and the others made requests, the mage corps refused to respond.
"You should make them obey, even by force."
"And if they still don't obey?"
"...Is such a thing possible?"
The "force" General Gaston spoke of was not just words, but accompanied by the exercise of power. He didn't think there was a possibility that they wouldn't obey even if they were killed.
"This is just my thought, but I think the mage corps has sworn loyalty to Ekaterina."
"What?"
"If we force them to fight, they might run away. If that happens... right?"
He could not allow a situation where Queen Ekaterina's camp was strengthened. If the mage corps attempted such an action, he would have no choice but to kill them.
"...Leaving it alone will not solve the problem."
"We just need to make Ekaterina surrender. In the worst case, kill her."
Considering that he intended to become the King of the Laurel Kingdom, Fumiya didn't want to do something like kill mages. That would end up reducing the power of the country he would rule.
"Do you have a plan for that?"
"Unfortunately. With a half-baked plan, the guests who pushed their way in will probably get in the way."
"...True."
Fumiya knew well enough that the Kingdom of Moscow and the United Kingdom of Westerland were trying to bring Ekaterina into their fold. By making Ekaterina his wife, even if only in form, they would obtain the royal authority of the Laurel Kingdom. It was the same thing he had been thinking.
"It was a mistake to leave it to Hansmann and the others. I'm completely on the defensive."
The first thing he should have done was capture or kill Ekaterina. Despite that, by prioritizing the response to the Demon King's Army, he had brought about the current situation. That was how Fumiya thought.
That might actually be the case, but the premises for Fumiya and Hansmann and the others were different. Unlike Fumiya, Hansmann and the others, being people of the Laurel Kingdom, could not think that it didn't matter what happened to the royal capital. They thought that occupying the royal capital was exactly what it meant to rule the Laurel Kingdom.
"In that case, how will you break through the current situation?"
"Let's see... if magic is impossible, we have no choice but to obtain long-range attack means that can counter it. Even if the mage corps is impossible, I think we can transport the weapons in the royal capital."
"Weapons in the royal capital... Ah, could you mean things like siege weapons?"
"Exactly. The Forest of Bewilderment is a castle for the Demon King's Army. Since we're attacking it, we need siege weapons, right?"
"That may indeed be so."
The battle currently taking place was like a field battle, but not a field battle. It was an attack on a fortress created by the Demon Race, which only looked like it utilized the natural terrain. Fumiya thought it was necessary to prepare weapons suitable for that battle.
"We'll overwhelm them with quantity even in long-range attacks. Pushing with numbers in the fight against the Demon Race. That's the principle."
"...Then let's move immediately. What about the procedures for transporting the weapons?"
He's surprisingly sharp. General Gaston and General Gertzer thought so.
Their evaluation of him had been too low to begin with, but that was because Fumiya had acted in a way that made them think so. Fumiya had stopped that.
"The army is transporting the army's weapons. Is a procedure even necessary for that? Even if Hansmann and the others complain, we can just ignore them. It's about time they understand. Who the ruler of this country is."
"...Understood."
And he stopped hiding his ambition. He wasn't the type to hide greed to begin with, but that was regarding trivial things. While he might make people exasperated, he had tried to keep the amount of people who hated him to a minimum. In his own consciousness.
But there was no longer a need to let people lower their guard. This was not such a time. Even if enemies were born, he could just crush the enemies that were born. That was how Fumiya thought.
"By the way, do you know where Tsukitani is fighting?"
The top of the list of enemies to crush was Ray. However, Ray and the Undead Legion he led did not show themselves. Fumiya had thought that he was probably fighting either the Kingdom of Moscow or the United Kingdom of Westerland.
"No, we have not grasped the location of the Undead Legion."
"Does that mean you haven't looked into it yet?"
"After investigating the battles of other countries, we determined that the Undead Legion has not appeared."
"I see..."
In Fumiya's mind, Ray's evaluation had risen greatly. Although there were still parts he misjudged, Ray was positioned as the enemy to be most wary of, alongside Akemi.
The fact that Ray's location could not be grasped made Fumiya anxious. He was confident that he was still superior in combat power. That had been proven in the previous battle. However, though he would never say it aloud, he felt that Ray might have the advantage in things like tactics.
This anxiety was correct. Even so, Fumiya didn't do anything special. There was no way he would know what to do.
◇◇◇
Those who knew the former Anfang would be quite surprised if they saw its current form. Anfang, which had been a remote villa area, had now changed into a military city.
In the center of the city, a castle that wasn't there before was being built, though still under construction, and city walls and a moat surrounded it. Spreading around that was the residential area. It was still small compared to the royal capital, but its scale continued to expand. Along with the expansion of Anfang, people were moving in.
Outside the walls surrounding the residential area, cultivated land spread out. Vast land was prepared, though most of it was still undeveloped, enough to give the people moving in farmland to make a living through agriculture.
Furthermore, walls surrounded that, and outside those, intricate waterways were laid out. It was built that way so as not to easily allow the intrusion of enemies. Further outside that, walls of a thickness incomparable to others surrounded it. The entrance to Anfang would be through a passage provided in a part of those thick walls. That passage was built in a zigzag. Even if enemies intruded there, they could be attacked from atop the walls.
Every layer was still under construction, but the basic form of the city was almost complete. All that was left was to refine the details for completion. Refining those details would also require a considerable amount of time.
An envoy from the Kingdom of Moscow visited the transformed Anfang. He naturally did not know its former appearance and was only seeing the outer wall, but the envoy was overwhelmed by the enormity and robustness of that outer wall.
"I don't think I need to say it again, but we are currently busy with various things. Please understand that we cannot guide you inside."
The one responding to the visiting envoy was Julius. And Duke Henry, who had become the person responsible for diplomacy in terms of organization. Even though he was the person responsible for diplomacy, his negotiation partners had been the domestic nobles, so Duke Henry, who carried the blood of the royal family, was placed in that position.
"That is not a problem, but is it not possible to meet Her Majesty the Queen?"
"We are thinking of first hearing your business. If the content is something that Her Majesty should meet you for directly, we will arrange the occasion."
"I see. Understood. Then I shall explain. Our country dispatched an army in response to your country's request, but upon arrival and learning of your country's circumstances, we are perplexed."
"Perplexed?"
"Yes. Your country is split in two. In that case, the question arises as to whose request we received. Which one is the legitimate Laurel Kingdom?"
Despite knowing the circumstances, Prince Babel had the envoy give this explanation. He couldn't suddenly say they would support Queen Ekaterina. He was having them start by feeling things out.
"That is, of course, the country ruled by Her Majesty the Queen that is the legitimate Laurel Kingdom. Do you think we would give any other answer?"
Don't ask the obvious. Julius's last words were a bit unnecessary. Since it was currently the time for formalities.
"What is the proof of that legitimacy?"
"First is Duke Henry here. This person is the younger brother of the late former King. He recognizes that Ekaterina-sama is indeed the legitimate King of the Laurel Kingdom."
Julius gave the envoy of the Kingdom of Moscow the same explanation he had given to the nobles.
"I see. However, with all due respect to Duke Henry, there is a possibility that he is trying to seize power by supporting Her Majesty the Queen."
"That is certainly disrespectful. But if Duke Henry had ambition, would he not call himself King?"
This was not an answer he had just thought of. The envoy was asking things that everyone thought.
"That may indeed be so. However, it is not necessarily the case that he would do so. Is that not right?"
"Yes. That is correct."
As the envoy said. Even if one called themselves King, they could not become King if few people recognized it. Becoming King was not necessarily the same as seizing power.
"In that case, legitimacy cannot be recognized."
"No, it can be proven."
"How?"
"There is no one else who carries the bloodline of the royal family. No, if we go back several generations, there probably are, but in terms of succession order, there is no one superior to Her Majesty the Queen."
Since there was no one else who could be called a direct descendant, it was natural for Ekaterina to inherit the throne. Indeed, there was no legitimacy superior to this. If one premise was met.
"Superior even to King Neil, who was the Crown Prince?"
"Did you, Envoy-dono, get to meet King Neil?"
"No, King Neil does not meet anyone."
"That would be so. Since he is no longer in this world."
The fact that Neil was dead. This was the proof that Queen Ekaterina was the legitimate successor.
"...Can you prove that?"
But it was only words. There was no evidence that Neil was certainly dead.
"Why not have your country confirm it directly?"
At this point, Duke Henry cut into the conversation.
"Our country? Why?"
"It is your country that is seeking evidence. And your country is in a position to investigate it. Entry and exit to the royal capital are naturally permitted, are they not?"
"That is... well. However, even if we request a meeting, they do not respond."
Even if they could enter and exit the royal capital, they had no means of investigating. That was what the envoy complained.
"There are those who take care of the inner palace. I wonder if they know the truth?"
"Even if that were so, our country does not know who they are."
"Let's stop playing dumb. If you put your mind to it, you can investigate. Your country should have that power."
They should investigate even if they used illegal means. The Kingdom of Moscow should already be conducting such intelligence activities. That was what Duke Henry was saying.
"...However."
"Unless that becomes clear, your country should not be able to make a proper judgment. Is that not right?"
"That is... true, but."
"Then let us talk again after that becomes clear. We will also find some evidence somehow."
"...Understood."
Duke Henry had no desire to continue the discussion any further. It wasn't that he thought this was good, but even if they forced the discussion to continue, it would only be a matter of probing each other's intentions and there would be little to gain. Judging this, the envoy also decided to interrupt the discussion for now. The power of Anfang seemed to be greater than he had thought. That was clear just by looking at the appearance of Anfang. He decided to be satisfied with that for now.
On a different day, the envoy of the United Kingdom of Westerland was also sent back as a result of a similar discussion.