277 - Festival
――The Banseime army, which had lost Redant Fortress to the forces led by Lyell. Upon receiving the report, they dispatched sixty thousand troops—nearly half of their available forces—in the opposite direction of Beim.
This was to prevent the main force from being caught in a pincer attack between the Beim and South Banseime armies. They marched while searching for the South Banseime forces as they advanced toward Redant Fortress.
Half of their forces――not all of them belonged to the lord nobles. For the lord nobles, the fact that they could not plunder Beim was a problem.
Furthermore, since the commander-in-chief had sent the lord nobles' forces into Beim first, it was the lord nobles' forces that had suffered the greatest losses.
Soldiers who had lost their lords and were unable to move.
Relationships of patron vassals and dependent vassals existed among the lord nobles. Houses of Baron rank or higher had houses of Baronet or Knight rank as dependent vassals in a hierarchical relationship. Therefore, if a dependent vassal lord was defeated, the troops were absorbed into the patron vassal's unit.
However, it did not work that way when they lost their patron vassal.
The Banseime army attempted to gather and reorganize the soldiers who had lost their lords. However, unlike the soldiers of Central, they could not establish a flow where a soldier was reassigned to a different unit if their captain fell.
The relationships between the territories were not good. Additionally, the villages they came from were hostile toward one another. Parents and siblings had been killed... for various reasons, reorganization was not progressing.
A subordinate reported to the commander-in-chief.
"Regarding the reorganized units, conflicts have broken out within the units, resulting in injuries. They are currently ignoring the orders of the knights we dispatched... saying they cannot obey orders from anyone other than their lord."
The commander-in-chief felt a headache coming on.
"What do you think the current situation is! This is why I hate lord nobles. Whether they are alive or dead, they cause nothing but trouble! Tell the lords who are still alive that we will give them more troops and lend them out!"
The subordinate shook his head.
"T-that... they say they will not accept reinforcements other than the main force. The current situation is that they cannot afford to look after soldiers from other territories. Furthermore, since there have been traitors among the lord nobles, there is an atmosphere of vigilance."
According to the report, there had been a traitor among the nobles of Baronetcy rank. Because of this, the lord nobles were hesitant to accept the soldiers of other lords. They also wanted to avoid suddenly incorporating dependent vassal units that had lost their patron vassals, as they would have to look after them and the military service requirements differed by territory.
Normally, they would move to secure as many troops as possible, but since receiving word from Redant Fortress, the lord nobles had become cautious.
And then――.
"Messenger! The camp we prepared inside Beim has been burned down!"
The messenger who rushed into the tent reported that the camp they had set up in the reclaimed area had been burned down again.
"Kuh, do they intend to lure us in and strike? What is the field commander doing? He should have realized that immediately."
The messenger told the commander-in-chief.
"B-but. If we don't do that, there is no place to rest inside Beim. The field commander proposes that we withdraw from inside Beim and invade again after reorganization."
Combat within the city was more cramped than imagined, with buildings crowded together and limited space. This created a situation that was easy for adventurers to fight in. Even if they tried to surround them with numbers, the lack of local knowledge meant the enemy could escape through hidden paths even when they thought they had them surrounded.
Conversely, the army was being isolated and their units were being whittled away one after another. Of course, the Beim side was not unscathed. If they pushed through as they were, they could win. However, thirty thousand troops who had defeated the elite units in the rear were targeting them. Any further losses would lower the commander-in-chief's evaluation.
"...I will respect the opinion of the field. Withdraw and hurry the reorganization of the units."
The commander-in-chief focused his efforts on the reorganization of the units――.
――The sixty thousand troops searching for the South Banseime army were dispatching units to the surrounding area from a location slightly away from Beim. Since many of the mercenaries with local knowledge had been defeated during the invasion of Beim, they were sending out many units to search for enemy movements.
They considered the possibility that if a unit did not return, the enemy might be there, but...
"All units have returned on time. However, we were unable to find the enemy. General, should we head toward South Banseime as we are? If their base is targeted, they will have no choice but to come out."
Hearing the subordinate's words, the general, who had been entrusted with sixty thousand troops, fell into thought.
"South Banseime has not even been under development for a year. If we attack such a place and it has been abandoned, what then? If we leave, the enemy can easily approach the main force."
The general believed that given the timeframe, the development of South Banseime was not worth regretting if it were lost, but his primary objective was to protect the rear of the main force.
"As long as we can protect the rear of the main force, that is enough. If an army of thirty thousand moves, the paths they can take are limited."
Facing an enemy that could arrive at any moment, the Banseime army remained in a state of tension――.
――Ships carrying reinforcements were arriving one after another at the port of Beim.
When the first wave arrived from the port of Galleria, Aria had come to the port to welcome Lyell. When the Vera Trace, which had been on standby at the port of Galleria, arrived, she waited for Lyell while watching the reinforcement units disembark.
Horses and supplies were unloaded one after another, and when Vera stepped off, Aria rushed toward her.
"Wait, what happened to Lyell? Don't tell me something happened?"
To the worried Aria, Vera blushed slightly and averted her gaze.
"Y-yeah. He's fine, but if you say something happened... the timing, you see. He was exhausted until a few days ago, but then suddenly this morning..."
Aria looked at Vera's face.
"Wait a minute. Tell me clearly what happened! Don't tell me, at this timing, he――"
Then, as if resigning herself, Vera spoke.
"He suddenly started laughing loudly this morning. I thought, 'At this timing?' but we were just about to arrive. See, he was in a hurry. I wanted him to calm down a bit on the ship if possible, but――"
From the ship, Glacia and Eliza disembarked with smiles on their faces. Seeing them head toward the subordinates, Aria covered her face with her right hand.
"Why does that guy always mess up at the most important moments?"
Immediately after.
An explosion and vibration struck everyone, and Aria looked around. She thought it was a major offensive by Banseime, but seeing that the surrounding Valkyries were calm, she let her guard down, thinking that wasn't it. Then, an exploded building came into Aria's view.
The center of Beim――the guild building had been blown away. As black smoke rose, the building that could be called the symbol of Beim collapsed.
As another explosion occurred, Clara was suddenly behind Aria.
"Ah~, he did it, didn't he, Lyell-san. He should have done it more flashily."
"Clara!"
Seeing Clara with a different atmosphere than usual, Aria looked at Vera. Vera shrugged and said.
"She's been working hard taking care of Lyell and various other things. When that happened, you know... he collapsed a few days ago."
Then, seeing Selma, who was suddenly with Clara, Aria was surprised.
"Wait, why are you here!"
Selma had her hand on her cheek. Her face was slightly red.
"Well, Lyell-dono collapsed, and I thought he would want extra hands. I am a Saintess, after all, so I have various knowledge regarding treatment. I have magic tools for that too, so I thought I could be useful."
Clara was laughing while looking at Selma.
"This person was also very easy. Well, everyone was easy. But if Lyell-san were always that aggressive usually――"
Aria grabbed Clara's shoulders and shook her violently back and forth.
"Hey, what happened! Tell me properly!"
"――Wait, stop! Being shaken by the super-strong Aria-san, a frail person like me simply cannot..."
Then, Monica and the others jumped down from the ship. When Aria looked over, Monica looked frustrated.
"What a blunder! To think that chicken coward had such a special skill... it's because of you all that I'm late! Kuh... saying 'O Beim, the time has come for you to fall for me' with that kind of pose, I was so excited while saving it that this happened."
Saying so, Monica ran off. Valkyrie No. 1 and No. 2 chased after her.
"It's because you're always in that mood and doing nothing but getting in our way."
"Catching up is the priority right now!"
The running Monica and the others headed toward the exploded guild headquarters. Watching them, Aria lightly slapped the cheek of the dizzy Clara.
"Hey, what on earth are you planning to do? Suddenly blowing things up――"
Then, Selma answered Aria's question.
"He said that the symbol of Beim is unnecessary. He said that from now on, he himself will be the symbol. Lyell-dono is truly magnificent, isn't he?"
Aria slowly laid Clara on the ground and started running after Monica and the others――.
"Fantastiiiiic!!"
With my arms wide open, I shouted toward the heavens while looking at the exploding and burning guild headquarters. Ah, a lot happened, but seeing the guild headquarters blow away like this felt refreshing.
The Seventh Head inside the jewel was also overjoyed.
『The performance of the gunpowder has improved! It blew away quite flashily! However, Lyell――no, Lyell-san is artistic regarding explosions. To blow it away so cleanly!』
The Third Head was also overjoyed.
『The "Best Lyell Candidates" continued even while on the ship, but to think he'd blow away the symbol of Beim upon arriving is truly magnificent. Yeah~, this time was also a great harvest. Especially his skill in navigating the love-triangle battlefield with those three was the best. Creating the battlefield himself and solving it as a bonus... perfect, Lyell-san!』
Feeling the blast wind and the vibration of the collapsing building with my body, I watched the ceiling section fall to the ground. The barrels packed with gunpowder placed inside the building were still exploding, and the vibrations were transmitted.
"Well, it was in the way. For me, and for the future of Beim. This is what you call a festival for the birth of a new Beim."
Smoke danced around, and I watched it from the best seat. The fact that the symbol of Beim remained was inconvenient for me. When I thought about eliminating it... I decided to do it flashily if I was going to do it anyway.
Then, Aria, who had used a skill, landed on the roof of the building where I was, sweating. Due to her momentum, she slid in, and the roof tiles peeled off and broke.
"Found youuuuu!!"
"Oops, I've been found. Aria, you found me well. Is this love? Wonderful, love! Aria, I love you toooooo!! Oops!"
As Aria approached me, she grabbed me by the collar. Her cheeks were slightly red, so it must be to hide her embarrassment. That part of her is very cute.
"What are you doing! Do you know what time it is? We finally managed to reorganize and the preparations were coming together!"
I gripped Aria's hand that was holding my collar and spoke with a serious expression.
"Sorry. ...I wanted to stand out."
Then, as Aria's face turned red, I hugged her.
"Do you think you'll be forgiven for a reason like that――"
"Now, listen. There were no people inside the building. There are no people around. The doors were locked, but all the expensive items had been taken out. It seems the merchants and guild executives have truly abandoned Beim."
Aria resisted slightly while being hugged by me, but she wasn't resisting seriously.
"T-that's why we should have entered first and resisted――"
"Exactly. If the situation improves and we achieve victory, they will return. And there is a possibility that Beim will accept them. Even if it doesn't, Beim might become independent centered around here, regardless of our will. For that reason, it is necessary to destroy the symbol of Beim and plant a new symbol in the hearts of the residents of Beim."
The Third Head spoke from inside the jewel.
『Even if they don't accept the merchants who fled, there's a possibility they won't accept Lyell. That's why we have to destroy the symbol of Beim first.』
The Seventh Head also looked impressed.
『He's going to break their spirit. With a desperate situation and the preparations complete... well, the rest depends on Lyell.』
Aria muttered.
"Don't tell me, because of that, you..."
I pulled away slightly to look at Aria's face and placed my hands on her shoulders. I gave Aria a smile.
"Don't worry. It will definitely succeed. Because... I am everyone's Lyell! Oops, it's about time people start gathering."
Looking around, I saw the soldiers who had rushed over and Miranda. There were also adventurers on the roofs, keeping a watchful eye.
I spoke to them.
"Rejoice, you all! Lyell Wolt has returned. I have come to push aside any desperate situation and deliver victory. Now, rejoice more! Victory is with me!"
As I waved one arm to appeal to the surroundings, everyone looked at me with blank expressions.
Aria grabbed me.
"How can we rejoice! Don't just blow things up without letting us know and then laugh! Do you know how hard it was for us!"
The residents of Beim who were gathering looked at me. They were looking up at my existence, and I had indeed become a new symbol for Beim.
"What, do you want to be praised? I'll give you a lap pillow later."
"I-I don't want one! More importantly, what on earth did you do to Clara and the others? When they got off the ship, their faces were strangely red, and they looked happy... Hey, look me in the eye and talk!"
Facing Aria head-on, I looked back into her eyes. It would be rude to lie here.
"Do you want to know? Then come to my bed tonight. I'll tell you slowly."
Aria's face turned red, so I moved away from her. Then, I looked over the city of Beim and saw the Banseime army beyond it. The number of Banseime troops stationed beyond the destroyed wall had become terribly small.
I pointed at the Banseime army.
"Now, shall I make you all fall for me next? Wait for me, gentlemen of Banseime. I, Lyell Wolt... shall face you all fairly and squarely from the front! Fuhahaha!!"
The Seventh Head looked happy.
『Well, if we involve Beim, we'll have the advantage in numbers. Banseime has split their army in two for us. It's only polite to charge in from the front.』
As I laughed loudly, Aria muttered beside me.
"...Fair and squarely, at this point? Are you crazy? I mean, this state of affairs is crazy, but still."
I said to Aria.
"You're wrong. It's not me who is wrong, but the world! I am certain there is no world that would not recognize me when I'm this cool. If they still don't, I'll just make them recognize me."
Aria's cheek twitched.
"You can actually win, right? Not just winning, but there are various conditions, like having to increase our allies? And yet, you're always in this state at the most important timing..."
I raised my right hand and turned my face toward the heavens. It was a cloudy sky, but a very good cloudy sky. I felt that the heavens were blessing me.
"Rest assured. I am a man loved by the heavens... no, an existence loved by the world. Furthermore, I, Lyell Wolt――am a man who makes his target fall for him, whether it be a woman or a nation. The success rate is one hundred percent! Not even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of failure is possible. Well, most of the ones I'm wooing this time are men, though!"
From inside the jewel, the Third Head's laughter could be heard.
『To think you've become able to tell a sophisticated joke at the end... Lyell-san has grown. I'm happy. Well, your very existence is a mass of jokes, though.』
Now, the real battle begins. As people continued to gather around, I spread my arms. Feeling everyone's gaze, I spoke.
"The main event starts now... let's enjoy ourselves, gentlemen!"