kscans

Chapter 126 - 13 Selecting the Bait

The great gates of Bertold swung open, and the Knight Order's carriages began to file in one after another. Among the knights guarding the convoy, I spotted a familiar face. Claudia's expression softened with relief.

"Where is Prince Craig," I asked Adele. I had a bad feeling. The knights of Bertold had returned two days ago.

Just then, I heard the sound of hoofbeats.

"Alright, alright. Good to see you were here in Bertold. That settles it, we've won."

Craig wiped his grimy forehead and grinned at me. What is this prince talking about?

◇◇

"Morant fell before we even had a chance to use the poison. And this is the result."

We were gathered in a meeting room at the grand ducal residence. Craig's explanation made the gravity of the situation painfully clear. They had anticipated a lightning-fast operation by a mobile force, and their predictions about the enemy's target had been spot on. And yet, they had been completely overwhelmed by sheer speed.

Their supply and combat units moved as one, like a nomadic horde. Considering the transport capacity of the horse-dragons, such an operation was certainly not impossible. If the Heyleight dragon was a heavy gunship, then the horse-dragons were like armored vehicles.

"It's a wonder you made it out safely..."

"Yes, we would have been done for without those carriages and the Great Sage's antenna. The enemy's pace did eventually slow, thankfully. But even as we speak, they are bringing the western part of the kingdom under their control. And we are unable to move. Our operational ranges are simply too different. If one of our positions is attacked, we can't send reinforcements."

Craig's words painted a bleak picture. At this rate, the western kingdom would collapse. A nation's primary duty is to ensure the security of its people. In a situation where it fails to do so, any talk of loyalty goes right out the window.

"Unless we do something about that horse-dragon legion, we're powerless."

"Exactly. Which means our only hope lies with your poison, Ricardo. The problem is, we have very little of it left. We should assume we only have one shot."

Turning the pollen into a gas had multiplied its effectiveness several times over, but gasses are at the mercy of the wind and diffuse in an instant anyway. Trapping two hundred horse-dragons in a gas of sufficient concentration for the required time was next to impossible.

We could try dusting the horse-dragons with pollen and then hitting them with the acid. It might work on a few if we catch them by surprise, but doing it to a significant number was out of the question. We could sneak into the enemy camp at night and spread it around the resting horse-dragons... but that would require infiltration, and the wind would likely carry it away in a heartbeat.

Fill a moat with acid and drop pollen from the walls... We could never procure that much acid. Spreading the pollen outside the castle beforehand... same problem. We just didn't have enough acid. We didn't have that kind of quantity even before we lost our supplies at Morant.

"So, what's our strategist's plan?"

Craig asked. I looked left and right, wondering who he was talking about. For some reason, everyone in the room was looking at me. How many times do I have to tell them I'm an amateur when it comes to military matters...

"There's no better plan than luring them into a fort. If I had to add anything, it would be that we should focus our defensive construction not on keeping them out, but on keeping them in. Specifically, that means setting up our measures inside the gate."

Normally, you would place something like sharpened barricades outside the gate to keep the enemy from approaching. But this time, we would do the opposite. It would probably be easier.

Entering and exiting are not symmetrical actions. There is plenty of room for a charge on the approach to the gate from the outside, but the same isn't true for the reverse. I drew a diagram to explain the strategy.

"I see. The enemy would likely see it as our last desperate struggle. This will require a fair amount of construction work, though."

"Under those conditions, it would have to be one of these two forts, this one or this one..."

Euphillia's butler pointed to the map. They were old fortresses located to the east and west of Bertold.

"The problem, then, is how to lure the enemy there..."

I looked at the small fort on the map. Under normal circumstances, it was a worthless location. If Bertold fell, it would return to being a meaningless ruin. Its distance from anything important was awkward, making it useless even as a stronghold for resistance forces.

"If using me as bait would solve this, it'd be simple," Craig said.

Let's assume the Anti-Monster Knight Order established its headquarters in this fort. From the enemy's perspective, the bulk of the west's organized fighting forces and a symbol of the kingdom would be located in a place they could easily capture. That would certainly be a temptation.

Still, if I were the enemy commander, I would prioritize attacking Bertold. The grand duke's knights and the surrounding nobles' troops alone could not possibly defend it, which would be rather convenient for the enemy. By taking Bertold, they could confront Craig in a much more advantageous position.

Besides, it was an obvious trap.

I understood now. The opening battle at Morant had been our best and biggest chance.

"There is one person who is more valuable to the Empire than I am."

Craig looked at me. He looked at me as if I were the main prize that came with a piece of chocolate, not the other way around. From my perspective, I was definitely just the chocolate.

A flash of all the trouble I had caused the Empire ran through my mind. While I couldn't say it was my express purpose, I was confident I had earned a spot on the front page of the Empire's most-wanted list. Probably in the single digits.

If the Anti-Monster Knight Order was defeated and Bertold fell, information about me would naturally reach them. From a self-preservation standpoint, it might be worth the risk... No, that was a bad idea.

I met Craig's gaze without letting my expression change. Craig shook his head as well.

At this point, the odds of the Empire recognizing my importance were practically zero. Even if we leaked them every bit of information we had, it would just scream "trap." Besides, they could simply take Bertold and then look for me at their leisure. Or rather, the moment Bertold and Craig's knights were defeated, there would be nothing I could do on my own anyway.

"If we combine my value as bait with Ricardo's—"

Apparently, Craig had thought of a bundle deal. It's as pointless as bundling a pair of long-handled pruning shears with a luxury car. Then again, if I was with Craig, perhaps my value would seem a little more plausible.

"Um!"

Alfina stood up. When she heard I would be attending the meeting, she had insisted on coming along.

"The Imperial commander is Prince Dagobard, is he not? If so, what if I were to act as the decoy?"

Alfina had just proposed something outrageous.

"Alfie, that's..."

"Your Highness, please refrain from such a dangerous course of action."

Both Euphillia and Claudia protested. It was true, that prince had a strong fixation on the Oracle Princess. I had seen it with my own eyes at the Shoken Festival, and there were several passages in the Empire's coded documents that seemed to refer to it.

It appeared the Empire was aware that the Oracle's crystal was connected to the magic veins. Since a magic tool and its user are a set, Alfina was certainly valuable.

"...It changes nothing. They can deal with it after taking Bertold. Besides, there is no reason for you to go to that fort, Alfina."

Craig shook his head, but Alfina shook hers back. She then looked at the noble lady waiting at her side. Luiza stood up, looking rather reluctant.

"No, there is a reason. From this eastern fort, there is a side road that leads to the Royal Capital. Furthermore, Viscount Sagian's territory is near the fort. The road passes through his lands."

"Viscount Sagian?"

"He is the middle-aged nobleman who attended the initial briefing. He listened to our explanation with great interest, but when he heard that a company with ties to the Chancellor was involved, his expression changed for a moment, becoming the complete opposite of the other two."

I hadn't noticed at all. So, he was a potential traitor. The kind of person who would likely leak information to the Empire that Alfina was attempting to escape to the capital in secret.

A member of the royal family fleeing to the capital during wartime. That was more than plausible. If we hadn't known about the horse-dragons beforehand, Alfina would have been evacuated to the Royal Capital long ago.

"Are you suggesting we ask Sagian to aid in Alfina's escape?" Euphillia asked, her face etched with concern.

◇◇

"Princess Alfina, why would you suggest something so reckless..." I said to Alfina after the meeting had concluded.

"The situation is dire, is it not? I believe some risks are unavoidable."

Alfina shook her head at my words.

"Offering yourself as a decoy is more than 'some risk'."

"For you to say that to me, Ricardo-kun... You are going to a dangerous place anyway. I would feel more at ease if I were with you."

"No, there's no point if we both get captured..."

"If I am valuable to the Empire, then perhaps I can offer you some small measure of protection, Ricardo-kun."

Alfina said it as if it were nothing. I was left speechless.

"Besides, this is a plan you devised, is it not, Ricardo-kun? I am sure everything will be fine."

Alfina smiled brightly and took both of my hands in hers. Unbelievable. This means I absolutely cannot fail.