kscans

Chapter 199 - Interlude: The Kingdom's Gamble

Night fell.

In the Kingdom's garrison, despite the grueling battle during the day, they had managed to keep casualties to a minimum. Better yet, the repairs on the walls had just been completed. Now they could focus their efforts solely on the main gate, without having to worry about the flanks. Orders had been given for Bardos and his party to fight there starting tomorrow.

But the mood was heavy.

Sometime after the fighting with the monsters had begun, a knight from the Captain's rogue unit had returned, gravely injured.

"Pant, pant... The... the Captain... is dead," he'd gasped. "Three... Orc Kings... and a giant... lizard monster I've never seen before..."

With that, he had collapsed.

He was immediately rushed to the infirmary for intensive treatment. After all, he was the only one who had gone to the monsters' base and returned. They needed to get as much information as they could from him.

"Not a word of this to anyone," Glad had ordered the soldiers who found the knight. "It will affect morale."

The soldiers had nodded silently. They understood. Three high-level monsters and an unknown creature—if word of that got out, who knew how many would die from fear alone?

Glad steeled himself and returned to command on the battlefield.

Now, in the infirmary, Glad addressed the knight.

"Alright, I want you to tell me everything you saw, in detail."

Feeling the pressure in Glad's voice, the knight began. "Yes, sir. I went with the Knight Captain to the monsters' base. There, we encountered a single Orc King. At first, we thought it was the boss. The Captain executed a pre-planned strategy and fought valiantly, but... then two more Orc Kings appeared from the side, and a giant lizard emerged from behind them."

"It walked on four legs and had a tail, like a lizard. But its face was more rounded than pointed. Its skin was red. It radiated a scorching heat, as if it were on fire. I... I was so scared, I ran. The other knights ran, too. As we fled, we were surrounded by monsters. That's when I looked back at the Captain. He charged the lizard, and the lizard's tongue, wreathed in flames, lashed out... and the Captain was gone. There was nothing left. My terror reached its peak, and I just... ran for my life..."

With those last words, his eyes closed.

He was still breathing, so he wasn't dead. The memory must have triggered the terror anew, causing him to faint.

That's how traumatic the experience had been.

"I'm going to see Her Majesty," Glad announced. "Have Bardos-san and his party come to the castle as well."

A nearby knight saluted and left.

As Glad made his way to the castle, he organized the contents of his report.

The Knight Captain's reckless actions. The three high-level monsters at the enemy base. And the unknown creature.

They had known there was a mastermind, but three Orc Kings... He could scarcely imagine the forces required to take down even one of the massive beasts. And on top of that, there was an even bigger monster.

Furthermore, the monster army was still intact. It was, frankly, a terrible report.

But he had to deliver it. It was information that would come to light eventually as the battle progressed. And thanks to the insubordinate captain's charge, they had obtained it. The threat of an internal rift in the Kingdom's army was now gone.

It was a callous thought, but the turn of events wasn't entirely bad.

(This is no good,) Glad thought. (I've been in the military so long I prioritize stability. But human life should be the top priority.)

His heart ached at how he had changed, but he forced himself to focus on summarizing his report.

In the throne room, Glad and Bardos's party stood before Queen Olivia.

After hearing Glad's report, the Queen said, "Sigh. That man acted selfishly indeed. However, if his sacrifice yielded valuable information, then we shall consider it a worthy trade. We will see to it that he receives a suitable posthumous promotion after the battle is over."

She had already moved on to dealing with the aftermath.

"I will see to it, Your Majesty," the Chancellor said. "And now? What is our next course of action?"

To this, the Queen replied, "If we remain on the defensive, the capital's food stores will run out. Glad, what is the current morale of the soldiers?"

"As it stands, they still have the will to fight," Glad reported with a grim expression. "However, some are beginning to show signs of fatigue. The maids are providing emotional support, but... I don't know how long it will last."

Hearing this, Leona spoke up. "Your Majesty, may I have permission to speak?"

The Queen nodded.

"What if we were to move our defensive line forward?" Leona continued. "In short, we would feint an attack on the monsters, making it seem as if we are going on the offensive. If we do that, there's a chance the Orc Kings will appear. I believe the castle has a weapon developed with Imperial technology, one that couldn't be deployed on the battlefield due to issues with setup and range."

"So, you propose luring the Orc Kings into range and settling this in one fell swoop?" the Queen mused. "It's a good plan, but a risky one. We would need to ensure our troops can retreat swiftly and thoroughly, and it would be a gamble as to whether the monsters take the bait."

"But it is a fact that we cannot hold out forever," the Chancellor interjected. "Our choice is between fighting high-level monsters while exhausted, or fighting them while we still have the will to fight, despite the risk. Those are the only two options left to us."

It was a practical assessment of their reality.

"May I ask something?" Matilda said. "I believe that weapon requires a magician and has a blast radius of about five meters. If our allies are within that area, how will they be evacuated?"

To this, the Chancellor replied with a troubled look, "We could use messengers, but this will be its first time in actual combat. There is no guarantee we could pull off a successful evacuation."

As they were pondering what to do, Bardos spoke up.

"Sounds good to me. Let's do it," he said with a grin. "I'll take on those Orc Kings and the giant lizard. You can go ahead and fire that weapon at me."

Everyone stared at Bardos in stunned silence.

"What are you saying?!" Leona cried. "I proposed this plan with a safe retreat in mind! That weapon has enough power to blow a person away! To continue fighting in the middle of that is—"

"Don't worry," Bardos said. "After all, I've got the strongest shield behind me."

He grabbed Leona by the shoulder and pulled her close.

Blushing at the sudden contact, Leona stammered, "Wh-But... but I don't know if I can block it, and..."

To Leona's hesitation, Bardos replied with a look of feigned disappointment, "Oh? I thought you'd be fighting with me. Was I wrong?"

"Sigh. Right. That's just the kind of person you are," Leona said. "Fine. I was the one who suggested this, so I was planning on taking the lead anyway. I'll go along with your selfish whim."

With that, she leaned against Bardos.

Watching this scene from behind, the other three members commented:

"So this is adult love."

"Love in the name of trust is amazing."

"Doki doki."

They watched with the eyes of curious onlookers.

Glad looked defeated. The Queen watched them in silence.

The Chancellor, however, cleared his throat. "Ahem. And so, Your Majesty? What is your decision regarding the proposed plan?"

At his cough, Leona and Bardos separated.

The Queen shot the Chancellor a look of annoyance.

"We are currently discussing our future plans," the Chancellor said, his expression unyielding.

"Sigh. Bardos-dono's willingness to fight is a great boon," the Queen said. "If you cause a big enough commotion, the chances of the high-level and unknown monsters appearing will increase. With Captain Glad leading the knights as well, our position will be solid. Chancellor, inform the engineering department. Tell them to begin preparations to set up the weapon."

"Yes, Your Majesty. At once," the Chancellor replied. "We will have the weapon set up by tonight. Captain Glad, please dispatch any available soldiers to the engineering department."

Glad bowed.

And so, the Kingdom began its large-scale counteroffensive.

Meanwhile, in the Republic...