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CHAPTER 6 FYUZARION – Episode 9 Gathering of Heroes (Part 1)

Two days after the secret messenger from Viscount Vodres returned, new orders arrived from the military commander. The combined forces of Shinkai and Goriora were to depart from the imperial capital around the end of June, and the troops gathered at Lordvan Castle were to prepare to depart around the same time. That was all that was written.

However, a slip of paper with “Shinkai cavalry 1,200” written on it was inserted as if it were enclosed in the official document. According to Arflaburne, it was thought to be in the handwriting of the military commander himself.

Arflaburne, mindful of not upsetting the gathered people, ordered Dusselburne to focus on taking care of the livestock and fields. Originally, Lordvan Castle’s town had a population of around 600, excluding children, but they had managed to gather just over 300 residents. There was an overwhelming shortage of craftsmen, but agriculture was the priority. He also sent the third son to the port of Himaya across the Ova River to buy up oil and dried fish, and to stock up from across the river. Furthermore, he dispatched the fourth son to Gaineria to purchase wheat, salt, and alcohol. He then sent his subordinates to relatively nearby towns and villages in Goriora to buy up food.

Afterwards, knights began to gather from various places. However, the way they gathered was a bit strange. The gathering of knights from the eastern part of the Goriora Empire, who should have assembled at Lordvan Castle, was poor. The wealthy and powerful lords, who therefore had many soldiers, did not show up.

“Hmph. They’re probably waiting to see what happens. They can’t go against the imperial order, but they don’t want to suffer losses in a foolish battle,” was Arflaburne’s assessment. On the contrary, there were knights who had gathered here despite being closer to the imperial capital. What they had in common was that they were knights who had made their names resound with bravery.

“Once they join the main force, they’ll have no choice but to follow orders. It’s no wonder that those with a backbone would want to come here,” Arflaburne said, a strange light in his eyes. Furthermore, knights who were not supposed to come had arrived. The representative among them was Gassara Judiel, the “North Expedition General.”

To the north of the Goriora Empire were the countries of Tors and Dakki. These two countries were constantly at war, seeking to ravage the wealthy Goriora Empire. Gassara was dispatched to defend against Dakki. He should not have been able to leave his post unless a replacement general was sent, but here he was. Moreover, he said that 150 elite cavalry and 300 infantry would be arriving later. He had abandoned his duty post. When Bard asked Arflaburne if this was okay, he replied,

“No problem, no problem. The Odost brothers will desperately defend it. They’ve been through hell until now, so they’ll have to do their best this time. Uwahahahaha!”

Bard didn’t understand what he meant, but later heard the details from Gassara himself. The Odost family was an autonomous lord in northern Goriora who had pledged allegiance to the Goriora Emperor three generations ago. However, they were an untrustworthy family. Sometimes they would conspire with the Dakki tribal chiefs to ravage neighboring territories, and other times they would request the dispatch of imperial troops to deter the Dakki army. It had gotten worse since the current lord took over. The lord was three brothers, each guarding an important castle, but they would cunningly refuse to pay taxes and feed off the dispatched troops to fatten their own bellies. And while making the Goriora and Dakki armies fight each other, they would sit back and watch from on high.

In fact, during the previous Frontier Martial Arts Tournament, the Emperor had ordered the Odost family to take over the defense against Dakki in place of General Gassara for a while. The Odost brothers sent a reply accepting the order. Believing this, Gassara gradually gave his soldiers leave, but when it came time for Gassara himself to depart, the Odost army did not show up. They had deliberately delayed their dispatch in order to give the victorious Gassara a hard time and weaken his influence. There was also suspicion that they had leaked information to the Dakki side that the number of troops had decreased. General Gassara, who had to face the Dakki army with a small force, managed to repel the enemy, but ended up rushing to the Frontier Martial Arts Tournament battered and bruised. Originally, his participation in the tournament was thought to be an order issued with the intention of allowing him to rest his tired body and mind after continuous battles, but in reality, it turned out to be the opposite.

This time, Gassara had greatly defeated the tribes that had been staying at the front lines with the Dakki army in a joint operation with the Odost army. When he promised to give them the captured fortresses, the Odost brothers happily participated and immediately filled the captured fortresses with their own soldiers. It is thought that there was likely a secret agreement between the tribal chiefs and the Odost brothers, but they betrayed them out of greed. So Gassara showed them the summons issued by the Emperor and quickly withdrew his troops. The summons had a proviso that troops currently engaged in defense by imperial order were exempted, but he kept that a secret. It was clear that the enraged Dakki army would attack, and if the fortresses were breached, the Odost brothers’ strongholds would be in danger. If the Odost brothers wanted to protect their assets, they had no choice but to face them on their own. That was the gist of the situation.

Bard did not know the names of most of the knights who had gathered, but they all knew Bard’s name. In the end, Bard ended up drinking with them every day.

“North Expedition General” Count Gassara Judiel.
“Stiff-Haired General” Count Wangog Manaeta.

The two were fierce generals, each with hundreds of knights and several times as many infantry under their command. As if by agreement, they divided their subordinates into several squads and had them arrive here slowly, taking a roundabout route. This was to lighten the burden on the food supply here as much as possible. When the infantry of their subordinates were added together, it amounted to nearly a thousand men, so this consideration greatly pleased Dusselburne. Also,

“Evil Eye” Viscount Ostosa Crimena.
“Red-Haired Demon” Viscount Zenas Horaist.
“Mottled Monkey” Baron Wolverd Stoaha.

They were local lords who brought twenty to forty cavalry and several times as many infantry. Furthermore,

Former Imperial Guard martial arts instructor Sir Kirie Halifarth.
Sir Eckel Asto, Former Imperial Capital Defense Knight Brigade First Squadron Captain.
“Ally Killer” Sir Banthuren Daye.
“Head Hunter” Sir Sindh Escali.

They were warriors known throughout the country. Kirie, Eckel, and Sindh looked at Karz with happy faces and greeted him. These three lived in the imperial capital and had come all the way to Lordvan Castle, pretending not to notice that they were about to be incorporated into the main force. Without even bringing attendants, they had traversed the long distance with frightening speed.

2

“Uwahahahaha! So Bard, you’re here after all. I had a feeling we would meet. Let us drink and make merry tonight!”

These were the opening words of the North Expedition General Gassara Yudiel. Seeing his hearty laughter, one gets the feeling that there’s nothing to worry about here except for the food and drink. Knights kept gathering one after another, but only information was shared, and no proper war council was held. As always, Dusselburne was busy consoling the residents and focusing on taking care of the livestock and fields. The arriving knights and their attendants were put to work repairing the castle walls and chopping firewood in exchange for their meals. The stones piled outside were also moved back to the arena. Bard helped out while enduring the pain in his back. If they were knights from Parzam, they would have been angered, saying such work is not for knights. Perhaps the knights of Goriora have a different temperament, or maybe the ones gathered here were just unusual. The gathered alcohol and food were consumed as soon as they arrived, and the two youngest brothers were constantly running around. Bard pondered if this is really alright? But since the Goriora knights weren’t complaining, it must be fine. He decided to go along with their ways and enjoy the drinks. General Wangog Manaeta was as much of a drinker as General Gassara, consuming a fearsome amount of alcohol. He didn’t seem to care much about the quality of the liquor, as long as he could gulp it down.

“Gahaha! I didn’t take seriously the nonsense about you being the incarnation of the war god Mada-Veri. But Bard, your martial prowess and dignity are the real deal. Just drinking with you fills my gut with strength. Truly befitting the title of Wajd Entrante (Union Marshal). Cone on, Come on. Have a drink first!”

On the thirtieth of May, a directive arrived from the military commander. The detached force gathered at Lordvan Castle was to depart on July 1st, capture Corpus Fortress, use it as a base to conquer the city of Mithra, and then make a show of attacking the capital. A clever plan indeed. Corpus Fortress has the scale and sturdiness of a castle, but its garrison is small. They would never expect to be attacked, so with a large army, it can be easily captured. And with Corpus Fortress fallen, Mithra will be defenseless. The city of Mithra has been rapidly developing recently. Sufficient food and spoils of war can be obtained. By pretending to target the capital from Mithra, the Parzam side will have to simultaneously defend in two completely different directions, Orbus and Mithra. In other words, their defensive strength in each direction will be halved.

“Hmm. The military commander’s intentions are becoming clear,” said Arflaburne.

“At first glance, it seems like a ruthless order, but he hasn’t specified who should lead the subjugation of Mithra, how many men to leave at Lordvan Castle, or even who to leave behind. There’s also no deadline set for capturing Corpus Fortress, nor instructions on how to attack. In other words, he’s giving us a lot of leeway to interpret and operate as we see fit.”

That night, the first war council was held in the same room where the singing contest had taken place before. About twenty of the leading knights were gathered.

“I think we can withstand General Lugurgoa Geskas’s storm-like attacks if we choose the right terrain,” Kirie spoke up.

“That’s not creating wind, it has power in itself. If it were wind, it would hit the ground, rebound, and lift our bodies up, but that’s different.”

“So you mean we just need to stand our ground?” Arflaburne asked in return.

“Yes, Count Tilgeri. But only those with considerable strength can endure it. Those who get blown away will just be a hindrance, so in the end, it’ll come down to a small elite force.”

“Hmm. In other words, a place with slopes on both sides, right? Is there such a place?” Arflaburne turned around and asked. The knight he addressed was one of those who accompanied Princess Marueria, daughter of Duke Argolide, when she married Arflaburne. His name was Cheat Arno. With a composure unthinkable for someone participating in a war council to invade his homeland, he answered Arflaburne’s question.

“The road one must take when heading from Seion to Orbus Fortress is exactly like that. It’s called the Padai Valley. To go from Seion to the Parzam capital, there are two routes. One via the city of Ryde and the other through Orbus Fortress. Going through Ryde is a detour and not suitable for a large army, so the invading forces will likely head towards Orbus Fortress. Therefore, they will definitely pass through the Padai Valley. The formation will have to narrow to get through here. However, while the slopes of the valley are gentle at the bottom, the upper part is a steep cliff. Even monkeys would slip and fall. Moreover, the other side of the cliff is a terrible road, so even if you want to launch a surprise attack, you can’t get close with an army.”

Gassara interjected, “Hmph. If we can’t get close, it can’t be helped. What about the area before that?”

“Yes. It’s a grassy area. If you go even closer to Seion, it’s mostly an open plain with hardly any cover, so if a large army approaches, they’ll be spotted from quite a distance. Further west, there’s a chain of rocky mountains, but they probably won’t come that way.”

“But then even going with a small force would be the same. In the end, we’ll be discovered. In that case, the only option is to charge with all our troops and cut a path to the General of Greed.”

The one who objected to those words was General Wangog.

“Gassara. If we do that, the General of Greed will use the Goriora army as a shield. We’ll end up charging at His Imperial Majesty.”

After that, the Goriora knights debated back and forth for a while. Bard, who had been unexpectedly seated in a high position, silently listened to the discussion. He was listening, but he was having trouble understanding the content. Isn’t this supposed to be a war council to invade Parzam on the orders of the Emperor? When Arflaburne invited Bard here, he said he wanted to act properly as a knight. But even so, Arflaburne is a knight of the Goriora Empire, and his choices are naturally limited. A knight without loyalty to his lord cannot be called a knight. Moreover, in the Goriora Empire, the authority of the Emperor is extremely strong. His decrees are said to be sacred and inviolable. Disobeying them would lead to the destruction of one’s clan. What in the world is this discussion about? It’s not just Arflaburne. Bard couldn’t understand from what standpoint everyone was arguing.

“We can’t seem to reach a conclusion. It can’t be helped. Let’s ask the Commander-in-Chief for his opinion,” Arflaburne said, and everyone turned to look at Bard.

‘What? I’m the commander-in-chief? What is the meaning of this? I thought it was strange to be seated in such an odd position, but assumed it was a place of honor for the eldest among us. How could anyone think I would take command of this army?’ Somewhat shaken, Bard said that he could not possibly lead an army of Goriora knights invading the land of Parzam. At this, Arflaburne stood up, placed his right fist on his left chest, and spoke.

“Forgive my impudence, Di(my) Entrante. I should have made this clear. We do not consider this war to be Goriora invading Parzam. We too raised our hands in agreement to the military alliance, and have not yet lowered them. Thus, Parzam is our ally and friend, nothing less. Would any knight with a shred of honor suddenly strike an ally in the back? Our enemies are the General of Greed and the Shinkai army. We shall fight with knightly honor and uphold the faith of the Goriora Empire. Moreover, when I visited Parzam as reinforcements, I glimpsed the true state of that country. Unlike our own, capturing their capital does not mean conquering the nation. In Parzam, powerful lords have built cities at an astonishing density, stretching far to the south. Even with an army of twelve thousand, subjugating them all would be impossible. Let alone ruling as conquerors for an extended period. But without taking all those cities, Parzam cannot be conquered. In other words, Goriora cannot annex Parzam. Then, the only thing to be gained by a sneak attack with a large army is a bloody cycle of retaliation. Our country would be forced to wage endless war against Parzam, slowly exhausting itself. We cannot allow our nation to walk such a path. Even if it means fighting our own. Wajd Entrante Bard Rowen. Please, lead us.”

The other knights also stood, placing their right hands on their left chests and bowing their heads to Bard. Bard felt as if a massive boulder had been dropped on his head. Fighting with knightly honor. Easy to say. But in this case, it meant going against the imperial decree of the sovereign emperor. How could that possibly be done? To the stunned Bard, Arflaburne continued.

“With utmost reverence, it is possible that His Majesty the Emperor’s mind is being controlled. As well as the elders and high nobles. Those who entered the large black carriages had their minds taken over. It’s hard to believe, but based on various information, I have concluded it to be the fact. Fortunately, while those who entered the black carriages are the brains of this country, they are only a small fraction. It seems they entered the black carriages roughly in order of rank, meaning nobles lower than Duke Vodres are unaffected. In other words, the field commanders of the Goriora main army departing the imperial capital are of sound mind, and must be waiting for a chance to stop this foolish war. The military commander likely gave us discretionary authority for that reason. The elders and powerful lords outside the capital have also escaped the black carriages’ curse. We just need to give them some impetus. Then they too will surely act.”

But it might not go so smoothly. These men could die in battle, be branded as traitors, and have their entire families massacred. That outcome was far more likely. Even so, they intend to strike at the Shinkai army? Do they have that level of resolve? What could possibly make them say the things Arflaburne just uttered? For a moment, Bard even wondered if they were all deceiving him. But the next thought that welled up in Bard’s heart was that it would be fine even if he was deceived. If doubting the truth of their words was the alternative, he’d rather be tricked and die. The moment his mind was made up, his jumbled thoughts suddenly cleared.

Having made up his mind, Bard signaled with his hand and made everyone sit down, pondering in silence. The victory condition for this war was, after all, defeating the General of Greed. He considered fighting with all the troops gathered here. No good. He couldn’t see a path to victory in army versus army battle. Besides, he wanted the soldiers who were simply following orders to walk the path of least danger. The only choice was to steer this into a one-versus-many group duel. To do that, they needed to appear right near the General of Greed and issue a challenge. Where would that be possible? Also, too many people and it likely wouldn’t be considered a duel. What was the maximum number for a duel to hold?

Having found the answers, Bard opened his eyes and spoke.