151 - The Backside
――Inside Fort Noineel.
The room, enclosed by stone walls, was fully furnished. Light streamed in from a small window. In that room, Shannon had stripped off the white garment she had been wearing and slammed it onto the bed.
"That brutal bastard! Using me as a decoy! I'm definitely going to punch him!"
It was the outfit for the Saint that Monica had made, and Clara was in the room reading a book.
"It's true that we used you as a decoy, but among us, Shannon-san is the only one who looks the part of a substitute. Besides, you were quite useful this time. Mei-san kept watch from the sky, and you investigated with your eyes... Lyell-san is amazing for usually doing all that alone."
This time, it wasn't just Shannon and Clara who commanded the main body of the Holy Knights as a separate detachment. Aria, Eva, Mei, and Monica had almost all been sent to the fort's side.
They knew the enemy's combat power was low, and Mei had confirmed the route to get there. It was also Mei who drew the opponent's attention.
The "Pile Bunker" attached to the Porter was a disposable siege weapon created by Monica.
It had smashed through the gate, but it broke after a single use. Two had been prepared, so only one remained. According to Monica, "It's a defective product... but it has romance."
Currently, Monica was maintaining the Porter and preparing meals, while the Holy Knights were getting ready for the next step.
Aria and Eva were keeping watch, and Mei was heading toward Rolfis. If things went according to plan, she would retrieve Lyell and the others.
Meanwhile, Shannon was throwing a fit. Clara served as Shannon's guard and lookout.
"Telling me to stay shut in the room because I'll be found out as a fake the moment I go outside? That bastard, I'm definitely going to punch him!"
Clara looked on, exasperated.
"Well, it is quite cruel. But thanks to that, it seems things will work out. The nearly forty soldiers at the fort have offered their cooperation. The knights were the surprising ones. Even though we intentionally made it possible for them to escape, in the end, only one actually did."
Shannon was originally the daughter of the Robed Nobility. She was well-versed in such matters.
"Maybe they're knights who couldn't get promoted because they were sent to the frontier? They probably think they can get promoted by betting on us here. Or maybe betrayal?"
By absorbing the soldiers, their force had now grown to a scale of one hundred and fifty people.
However, this was still not enough.
Clara pushed up her glasses with her fingertip to adjust their position.
"The real work starts now. Now then, I hope Lyell-san and the others return safely."
Shannon replied.
"Big Sister is there, so it'll be fine. Actually, shouldn't they be back soon? Look, they're already here. Kirins are convenient, aren't they? They can fly."
As Shannon looked outside, Clara also looked out the room's window. A small dot grew larger and larger, and it took a moment for them to realize the figure was a Kirin—.
――The ones who arrived at Fort Noineel were Aura and Selma.
As Aura descended from the back of the Kirin—from Mei—she felt the joy of her feet touching the ground.
She wore a robe over her dress and looked cold.
"...I am never flying in the sky again."
As Aura said this with a pale expression, Selma also seemed to feel the same, pressing her hand to her forehead. Her complexion was poor; it seemed both of them had had a terrible time.
Mei returned to human form and spoke to the two of them.
"...We were late because you two were making such a fuss. Too much fussing."
Mei, perhaps exhausted as well, slumped down onto a wooden box left inside the fort. Aria, wearing her armor, rushed over and called out to the three of them.
"Where are Lyell and the others?"
Mei shook her head.
"Not yet. He said to send these two first to persuade the soldiers. Also, Gastone-san and Novem will come next. Apparently, they're anxious about various things without Novem."
Aria heard this and said.
"I thought Lyell would come immediately."
Seeing Aria look slightly anxious, Mei remembered a message.
Lyell had told her.
"Come to think of it, Lyell said that Aria should give the orders for a while. He said it would be good experience."
Hearing this, Aria initially looked a bit happy, but her expression immediately tightened.
"...I know. He means I should do it properly, right?"
Mei responded to that.
"If that's what you think, then isn't that it? Ah, please take care of the meals. Also, I'm going to rest for a bit. I have to go back over there again."
Looking at Mei lying down on the wooden box, Aria, though exasperated, called out to Aura and Selma.
"Thank you for your hard work. I'll guide you to your rooms immediately."
Hearing this, Aura looked around the interior of the fort.
"...You really took it."
She muttered as if she still couldn't believe it. Selma seemed the same, though her complexion had improved slightly.
"Now that we've come this far, we have no choice but to believe it. Aura, let us do what we can for now. We shall rest a bit, and then I will give a speech to the soldiers."
Aria explained the situation of the fort to Selma.
"Um, the soldiers are cooperative right now. They joined our side without the need for persuasion."
Selma nodded, but added.
"It is still necessary. Also, please assign guards to Aura. There may be those who harbor ill intentions."
Aria nodded and guided the two of them into the fort, leaving Mei behind—.
At the inn where we were staying in Rolfis, I was standing by the wall with Novem and Miranda.
The room wasn't spacious, but it wasn't cramped either.
We had been moving and staying in different places almost every day, sometimes renting two inns and wasting money.
In front of me, Gastone-san and Lombolt-san were talking.
It was a conversation about the future of Zain and Rolfis that I couldn't fully comprehend.
"You want that place returned? But on our end—"
"I understand that. However, if we don't recover our national strength, the future—"
The reason the two of them were discussing future responses was because it would be necessary after recapturing Zain.
While watching their secret talk, I gripped the jewel.
The Sixth spoke.
"What, are you restless? There's nothing Lyell can do. Even if you were to speak up here, you don't know the circumstances, so you'd only be a nuisance to those two."
The Third also spoke up.
"There are long-standing circumstances, things you can't understand unless you live there, so the only way is to bring this to a form that both of them find acceptable."
The Third seemed intent on leaving the affairs of the country to the two of them.
And so, the two discussed things as far as the aftermath of Zain's recapture.
Lombolt-san was wiping his forehead and head with a handkerchief. I could tell just by looking that both of them were quite passionate.
Gastone-san also wiped his head with a handkerchief and shook hands.
Lombolt-san said with a smile.
"Then, after the recapture of Zain, we shall proceed in that manner."
Gastone-san added.
"Let us both bring this to a good result."
The two prayed for each other's safety with smiles, but Lombolt-san's expression was serious as he left the room.
(Is he moving to minimize losses even if Zain cannot be recaptured?)
What was decided in the discussion concerned cooperation after the recapture of Zain. I was deeply involved, but this time I left it to Gastone-san.
Looking outside, it was starting to get dark.
Gastone-san turned back to us and explained the situation.
"...It seems Rolfis cannot cooperate with the recapture. Also, they asked to borrow soldiers after the recapture. By accepting this, we will somehow maintain Zain's national strength."
I nodded.
"I understand. After the recapture, I will move directly. I'll act as Rolfis wishes."
"Thank you. Also... I am sorry. The current Zain has no means to reward Lyell-dono. Despite everything you've done, the reality is that we cannot provide a reward that matches it."
I replied with a smile.
"No, there's a huge merit for me as well. I'll leave that matter in your hands."
When I mentioned "that matter," Gastone-san nodded.
"Of course. It is a great merit for us as well. But, is it possible?"
I told Gastone-san, "I can do it." Then, I heard a tapping sound on the window.
It was Mei.
I sent a glance to Miranda. Miranda opened the window and let Mei into the room.
Mei had a slightly exhausted expression.
"Haa, I'm really busy. Lyell, things are going well at the fort. After the two of them persuaded the soldiers, it seems they're sending people to surrounding villages to gather volunteers. A few knights are participating, and they say frontier priests will join too. Also, there's been no movement around. The enemy isn't attacking."
Looking at Gastone-san in slight surprise, he nodded. Apparently, there was a reason for them to side with us.
When I asked.
"Among those sent to the frontier, there are many who belong to our faction. However, there must be those who are thinking of ill things. As for why the enemy isn't moving... I'm sorry, I know a fair amount about military affairs, but I don't know the reason."
I put my hand to my chin and pondered.
(There are places where soldiers are stationed around the fort, right? Did something happen? Or rather, are there many allies... should I go directly and distinguish friend from foe?)
Just as I was driven by the impulse to move, the Fifth's voice came from the jewel.
"...Lyell, leave this to the people you sent. I've prepared things this far. If they fail with this, then that's all they are. Besides, trust them a little. The people around you are all amazing."
Hearing the Fifth's opinion, I almost laughed, thinking it was "unlike him." I endured it and looked at Gastone-san and Novem.
"As planned, I'll send Gastone-san and Novem back first. Miranda, I'll have you stay with me."
Novem hesitated slightly.
"Lyell-sama, is it not dangerous? It would be better if Lyell-sama returned first—"
I smiled at Novem.
"It's fine. They'll handle things well over there. Besides, even if I stay here, Miranda is with me."
Then, Miranda shrugged her shoulders, looking a bit happy.
"When you put it that way, I can't refuse. It's okay, I'll protect Lyell."
I nodded.
(She really is reliable. There's no need for me to protect her.)
Miranda's strength was among the top in the party. She possessed a different kind of strength than Aria, and since she was usually calm, she was reliable.
I told Novem.
"Go. Your strength will be needed if the enemy moves."
Novem nodded. Mei changed into her Kirin form inside the room, and after going outside, she carried the two on her back and vanished into the darkened sky of Rolfis.
――Night.
Inside the jewel, I was receiving guidance from the Sixth for the first time in a while.
Holding halberds, we faced each other and received practical instruction.
As I parried a heavy blow from the tall and muscular Sixth with my halberd, I made a move to sweep the Sixth's leg with the shaft.
Since our physiques were different, it was obvious that I couldn't win even if I swung it the same way.
As the Sixth leaped back, I stepped in to pursue.
Then, the Sixth grinned.
He extended his left hand toward me.
"Now, show me you can dodge! Fire Cannon!"
As a large fireball flew toward me, I swept my left hand sideways.
"Ice Wall!"
The ice wall that appeared upon colliding with the fireball was blown away and melted. I moved sideways and slashed at the Sixth.
The Sixth looked like he was having fun.
"Good! Stay calm at all times! Your win rate drops if you panic!"
Skillfully swinging his halberd, the Sixth parried my blow and delivered a kick. Next, he kicked the ground, splashing dirt into my face.
"Not the same trick again!"
With the Second's skill—Field—I could understand the reactions of my surroundings even with my eyes closed. As the Sixth unleashed a thrust, I stepped in and thrust my halberd forward.
The Sixth's face was just a few dozen centimeters away, and I spat out blood.
A halberd had pierced my abdomen.
In contrast, the Sixth was only grazed slightly in the side.
Grinning, the Sixth pulled out the halberd. I, who had fallen face down on the ground, rolled over onto my back.
As my ragged breathing settled and the pain in my abdomen vanished, I tried to stand up.
Then, the Sixth reached out his hand.
Taking the hand and standing up, the halberd the Sixth had been holding vanished. Then, he applauded me.
"Well done. You pass."
"I pass with that?"
When I looked dissatisfied, the Sixth gave a wry smile and scratched his head.
"Idiot. How much do you think I've swung my own weapon? It would take several years to truly win. But if you can do that much, I can be at ease."
The Sixth, now smiling, looked at my face.
"Now... Lyell, I'll show you something interesting."
"Something interesting?"
"Well, it felt refreshing for me. Do you know why I act so humble toward the Fifth?"
Being told that, I tilted my head. Now that he mentioned it, the Sixth in my memories had spoken rudely to the Fifth.
It wasn't a relationship like the one we had now.
"Now that you mention it, it is strange."
"Well, that's the reason. Among the generations, I was the most... how should I put it... yeah, I was full of failures."
Laughing, the Sixth showed me a memory.
It was inside a mansion. As the surrounding scenery changed from the garden to the interior, a woman was sitting there, weeping.
Her clothes were tattered.
"My younger sister."
As the Sixth said that, I looked at the woman again.
She wore clothes like a village girl, and her hands were worn out. Her hair was also in a terrible state. Bruises were visible on her limbs seen through the clothes.
The scene, which had been stopped in grey, gradually regained color and began to move.
The Sixth explained to me.
"A half-sister. She was sent to the house of a foster parent—a lord we were originally hostile toward. She was the most pitiful."
Following the Sixth's sorrowful words, a woman different from the Sixth's mother was weeping in front of the woman.
As time began to move, the woman's mother hugged her daughter tightly.
The woman cried.
"I am not a slave! I hate that house! I absolutely don't want to go back!"
As the woman wept desperately, Fines looked on flustered.
The Sixth explained.
"He was a lord of a place we absolutely wanted to keep under control. But we clashed at every turn, and then other lords... Baron houses or Viscount houses. It was a family that changed foster parents frequently. My sister was married off to such a place. Because her lineage was good, it seems she was worked like a slave once children were born."
The Sixth clenched his fist.
(But if they did such a thing...)
While I was thinking that, Fredricks—the middle-aged Fifth—entered the room.