278 - Lyell Wolt Stands
Having blown up the guild headquarters, I had come to the plaza. It was filled not only with the soldiers of the Four-Nation Alliance and Cartaphus who had cooperated with me, but also with the soldiers and residents of Beim.
A cloudy sky—. I made my declaration to the people who had gathered since early morning.
"You who have experienced war, how did it feel?"
At my provocative words, some people began to stir, harboring murderous intent. I continued speaking while confirming with the Sixth Generation's skill as the indicators changed from yellow to red.
"Oh, are you angry? Since you've been fighting a battle with so little will to win, I thought you were just waiting to be overrun."
Aria and Miranda, who were guarding me nearby, cast glances my way. They probably thought it would be terrible if a riot broke out here. Certainly, it would be easy to win over Beim by safely appealing to justice or misfortune.
You poor things. No one could have predicted this. From now on, we'll help you.... Wonderful. It's so easy it makes me want to laugh.
However, that would be problematic. I am in a position where I have borrowed soldiers from many countries, including the Four-Nation Alliance, Cartaphus, Jampea, and Fanbayle. Especially from the perspective of Zain, Rolfis, and the former citizens of Selva within the Four-Nation Alliance, Beim probably looks like nothing more than a den of villains.
The dissatisfaction of the residents spread, and hostility turned toward me. A good trend.
"You finally show up now! You're too late!"
"Give them back! Give back my family... my home!"
"There are children whose parents were killed!"
Hearing the voices of the residents of Beim, I snorted.
"And? You've spent all this time earning a living in other countries like this, and now that it's happening to you, that's what you say? What selfish people. I see, so you don't need my help. In that case, we'll leave. Be trampled by Banseime with dignity. I think committing suicide before being tortured to death is also an option. Honestly, it was a complete waste to come and help you."
As I said that, incoherent words could be heard from the residents.
"A-Are you running away!"
"Coward!"
"What hero! You fraud!"
Truly terrible. Any sane person would think these people are impossible to reason with. However, the Third Generation gave me advice from within the jewel.
Well, that's how it goes. In a situation like this, there's no such thing as calmness. I don't think they can calmly think about what they're saying.
Then, I called Selma-san up onto the temporary platform set up in the plaza. At the appearance of the former Saintess, the surrounding commotion quieted down a bit.
When I directed a smile toward Selma-san, she nodded. I hadn't intended to bring her, but this was truly a fine play on my part. As expected, I am a man with luck.
Spreading her arms, Selma-san spoke to the residents of Beim.
"Everyone in Beim. This battle—it is certainly a terrible situation. My Zain also followed Lord Lyell's words and dispatched troops. Among the soldiers here, there are those from Zain. However, when the decision to dispatch troops was made in Zain, many soldiers were reluctant. This is because they had suffered for many years from the mercenary groups dispatched from Beim. They paid money to hire them, only for their villages to be attacked, their families killed, and their belongings plundered by the very enemy nations they hired. Even so, the reason soldiers were sent to rescue Beim was because of the words of Lord Lyell, the savior of our country."
Voices of opposition could be heard from the surrounding residents, but they were fewer than when I spoke. This was because the armed soldiers of Zain were glaring at the residents of Beim.
"...The reason we were able to enter Beim was that the leaders of Beim, the merchants and guild executives, fled by ship. Otherwise, we would not have been able to rush to Beim. The one who said we would rush to your aid was Lord Lyell."
As expected, there are fewer objections when a beauty persuades them than when I do. Once it became quiet, I decided to switch places with Selma-san for the speech. The reason was that I wanted a pause, rather than the content of the talk.
"...Listen. You who have been abandoned. Will you drive me out and be trampled by Banseime? Or... will you follow me and hand over Beim? Give everything in Beim to me. If you do, I will give you victory. I will drive back Banseime and rebuild Beim. Choose whether to welcome me as your king, or die here and now! I'll tell you now, even if you drive back Banseime once or twice, considering Banseime's national power, it is possible for them to deploy forces of that scale in the future."
It was possible. But I didn't say they could. At the very least, several years of time would be needed, and I had no intention of giving them that time.
"Will you follow merchants again and put those who flee at the top? Will you leave the defense to adventurers and be defeated and trampled again? ...I'll tell you. I will not abandon my people. If you follow, kneel!"
Adding gestures, Eva was activating a skill in the background, [All-Mind Language]—a skill similar to a kind of brainwashing. For Eva, who wanted people to hear her songs, it was a skill that could be called the strongest. What it meant was to deliver the voice so that the listener could understand it.
The language barrier. And by brushing aside various things, it makes the words resonate in the heart. For a singer, there is no skill more convenient than this.
Eva had hesitated to use it, but right now, delivering my voice was the priority. Nothing would start if they didn't listen to the talk.
As usual, the plants knelt. There were a considerable number of those plants mixed in, and as they knelt on the ground one after another, their numbers increased. Eventually, about several hundred people remained standing in confusion.
"A-Are you all sane! Beim is an independent city of merchants! A-Are you going to stay silent while being handled as they please by a brat like that!"
"They're the people from Banseime who are currently attacking!"
"His sister is the next queen of Banseime!"
As expected, even using skills and plants, there seem to be people who resist. However, the majority decided to follow me.
I spread my arms and raised my voice.
"Very well. From today, Beim is mine. Everyone, this is a wise decision. After all... you are following me! Huhahaha!"
Ah... while being watched by tens of thousands of people, I thought as I laughed loudly.
That I feel extremely good.
—The knight leading the Banseime soldiers, who had undergone reorganization and equipment changes, shouted upon seeing the scene before him.
"Don't mess with me! Why are you... this is the opposite!!"
The blocked single path had a moderate width.
Thinking that field equipment would be difficult to use in the city, they had abandoned the longer spears they had been carrying and charged in.
Thinking that they wouldn't be able to move in a large-scale unit, the size of the platoons had also been reduced. This was to counter the adventurers, but what those Banseime soldiers faced before them was a heavily armored cavalry unit.
They charged down the narrow single path with shields and spears.
When the knight released magic, it was easily repelled by the magic shield deployed by the cavalry. Deploying a magic shield and charging with cavalry is a basic tactic even for Banseime. He couldn't believe the sight of Beim executing it.
And, from the knight's perspective, that charge looked quite well-trained.
"You guys aren't Beim soldiers—"
The narrow single path—the Banseime unit being trampled by the cavalry took a heavy blow—.
"So they were blocking the path and clearing the rubble. Not bad."
On top of a building, I was impressed watching the cavalry unit led by Aria charge.
Surrounded by Monica, Valkyrie One and Two, and Unit 3 who had joined them, I was confirming the surrounding situation on the building together with Miranda.
Miranda, wearing green armor, had taken off her helmet and shrugged her shoulders.
"Aria thought of it. Since she can do it when she's motivated, I wish she'd shown that motivation sooner."
She sounded exasperated, but she also seemed a bit relieved. In the current situation where reinforcements were arriving one after another in other places and filling the numerical gap, Banseime's superiority was beginning to crumble.
Miranda brushed back her hair.
"So, what are you going to do from here?"
I gave a fearless smile. Surely, it suited me too well.
"Drive the Banseime forces out of the urban area, and from there, it's a frontal breakthrough. This is an important battle where I will declare war on Celes. No other method is possible."
Miranda let out a sigh.
"Haa... even if you talk about being fair and square or a frontal attack at this point. From the opponent's perspective, it's grounds for a protest."
I brushed back my hair.
"That's not my fault. I went out of my way to go to the front of Banseime. It's the opponent's fault for splitting their forces in two. I'm not at fault."
From within the jewel, the Seventh Generation also agreed. As expected of my grandfather.
That's right. I set things up so that they would proceed that way, but the final decision was made by the Banseime side. Hmm! The one at fault is the Banseime general!
Then, I drew the katana hanging at my waist. Miranda was also looking where my gaze was fixed. I spoke to the guests.
"Banseime has organized their forces with elites. Not bad, but thanks to that, the other units are having a hard time."
Before me were knights in full plate armor.
Since they were in a conspicuous place, they must have found us. One of the knights said.
"The woman in green armor—there's a blue one too, but that doesn't matter. We will kill you!"
It must be some kind of magic tool. They came at us, their equipment reinforced with magic tools and carrying their favorite weapons.
Miranda put on her helmet and swung her left hand.
Wires came out from her fingertips, and they were sticky, capturing the knights—no, they didn't.
"With just that!"
One knight's armor flared up, burning through the wires and charging forward. Was it the performance of the magic tool, or a skill?
"Interesting. I'll take this—"
As I took a step forward to fight, a knight with a greatsword lunged from the left. Valkyrie One stopped it with a binder that looked like a wing.
"I won't let you."
"You!"
Valkyrie One, who easily stopped the blow of the knight who had both speed and power, then drew a sword from the binder. She blew the opposing knight away, and Two and Three also took up their weapons.
As for Monica—.
"Hmph, it's not even worth my opposing them."
She shook her head and watched the Valkyries fight.
Miranda produced threads from the fingertips of both hands.
"[Wireframe]... I wonder if you can burn these this time?"
Toward the knight who had burned through her threads, she threw a weapon made by winding wires around. When the dagger pierced the armor that was spewing flames, Miranda pulled the wire attached to the dagger, flinging the knight toward the building.
Since everyone else was working hard, I reluctantly returned the katana to its sheath and gripped the jewel.
"It can't be helped. Let's have an unveiling."
The jewel in my left hand transformed into the shape of a bow, and unlike before, it was adorned with silver feathers—decorations. The grip had an eagle's head ornament, making it a weapon suitable for the Second Generation, who had been a hunter.
Monica saw it.
"The shape is different from before."
"Cool, right?"
Saying that, I aimed the silver bow, and multiple arrows of light appeared. The shape was different from before. When I fired the arrows at the knights who had attacked us, the arrows headed toward the knights while rotating.
"Scatter!"
A knight who seemed to be a captain said so, and the knights began to move apart. They probably judged the arrows of light to be dangerous, but—.
"Too bad. This one is special."
The homing arrows of light attacked the knights without losing momentum. They pierced through, and one was blown away to a different building.
A knight who tried to defend himself by sacrificing his arm had the arrow of light pierce his arm and explode.
Then, the man who seemed to be the captain ran toward me. With a skill similar to Aria's, he closed the distance instantly and tried to swing his sword down on me.
"Naive."
I swung the bow I was holding. The feather decorations on both ends were sharp, making it possible to cut the opponent. I cut down the knight along with his armor, and the silver weapon absorbed magic power from the opponent.
Monica watched my way of fighting.
"The power has increased compared to before. It seems easy to use."
I rested the silver bow on my shoulder and looked around.
"Right? Now then, I'll be collecting the magic tools. I can't use them, but I can adjust them and give them to those who achieved results."
Miranda looked at me.
"Whether it's magic tools or not, Lyell is out of the ordinary."
I said to Miranda.
"I'll tell you. A skill is only useful if you can master it. Even if you have many magic tools, it's meaningless if you can't use them. Besides... you still can't match a skill user who has reached the third stage."
Yes. The advantage of magic tools was that they allowed anyone to use skills, but few people could handle magic tools that had many powerful skills engraved in them.
Like the old me, the jewel often took most of the magic power, making it more useless than helpful.
"Well, the fact that I'm too strong is also a cause."
Then, Miranda took off her helmet and looked at me with half-closed eyes.
"Are you saying we're weak?"
Looking at Miranda, I returned the silver bow to the form of a jewel and hung it around my neck again.
"You idiot. Didn't I become strong because I wanted to protect you all? Just think of it as a boy's bluff and ignore it. I love you, Miranda."
Monica and the Valkyries whistled.
"Whispering love every time he opens his mouth. Honestly, the chicken coward is an unbelievable flirt. Please say it to me more. I'll record it in the highest quality image and sound. I'll play it constantly to brag to my other foolish sisters. Come! Whisper love to me!"
I could say it, but for someone who wants it, it might be better to tease them. I looked at Monica.
"You idiot. You'll make me blush. Just sense it even if I don't say it. Now, shall we get back to work?"
Monica said.
"You're enjoying yourself by dodging the question like that! I told you that I, Monica, love that kind of thing. Since it's a reward, tease me more!"
"How cute. Alright, when this is over, I'll give you a lap pillow. How about you, Miranda? It was quite popular on the ship."
Miranda looked a bit troubled. Then, looking at me.
"...I'll demand it even after you've returned to your senses."
I laughed.
"Come anytime. It's my duty to accept your love. My love will envelop even the world!"
While being applauded by Monica and the Valkyries, I began to laugh loudly on the spot.