Side: Yuki
"I express my sincere gratitude for your assistance in this matter. As expected of the legendary Dragon Knight!"
August VIII spoke, praising Amanda.
In response to his voice, the surrounding soldiers raised their voices...
"""Long live His Majesty the King! Long live the Dragon Knight!"""
Their cheers echo throughout the fortress.
Mingled among those joyous voices were those covered in cloth—silent corpses who were participating alongside the living.
Beside them sat living soldiers, telling the deceased about the present moment.
"Everyone, you did well, so very well to hold out until now!! You are my pride!! You are the treasures of our August!! But for now, let us suppress our joy and pray for the repose of our fallen friends who fought alongside us and perished."
At those words, everyone fell silent and prayed. And shortly after, under the King's orders, the cleanup of the battlefield began.
That's right.
We had succeeded in repelling the invasion from the Holy Nation of Hiffy.
Strangely enough, the losses suffered by the August military stopped at around 400 men. This was despite the enemy possessing guns and artillery.
Well, even so, with 2,000 defenders originally stationed here and 400 lost, a fifth of their forces had been wiped out. One could certainly call this severe damage. Especially considering the enemy side didn't even have 1,000 men—there were only about 500 of them.
Out of the 400 allied casualties, 300 were from a unit that thought the enemy numbers were small, launched an attack, and ended up getting counterattacked.
The attacking force at that time consisted of 1,000 men. They engaged with roughly double the enemy's numbers, yet were forced to retreat before they could even get close. In other words, the accuracy and range of their guns were higher and longer than those of bows.
And since they could scatter a larger enemy force despite being outnumbered themselves, they must have been capable of a fairly high rate of fire. Maybe they even had something like a three-rank firing formation, just like that Demon King from somewhere...
And the biggest problem was that we'd confirmed the enemy had several mages capable of flight. What's more, we'd confirmed that at least one of them was powerful enough to overwhelm a Magic Swordsman single-handedly. Even though she escaped by teleportation, she was skilled enough that John failed to capture her. So she must have been pretty formidable.
On top of that, there's a very high possibility that they're also using electrical communications... The Flying Dragon Squad has already been instructed to return to base, so we'll need to analyze the information and recordings they brought back.
But with this much military strength, why didn't they capture the fortress?
They seem to have artillery, so taking a fortress built with August's level of technology should have been easy for them... Were they waiting for the enemy to come out because they didn't have enough soldiers?
No, in that case, reinforcements from August would arrive, creating an even larger disparity in troop strength that might eventually crush them... Or did the enemy also expect reinforcements of their own?
More importantly, why did they threaten the borders of a major power with such a small force?
...Let's calm down for a moment.
Instead of narrowing it down to a single possibility, I should consider all conceivable possibilities, just as usual.
"Yuki-san. Are you alright?"
While I'm thinking about this, Ria speaks up to me.
She has a worried look on her face. Was I making that grim of an expression?
"I'm fine. I was just thinking because I can't figure out the enemy's intentions at all."
"Is that so?"
"Huh? Jessica, do you understand?"
"No. I just understood why Yuki was troubled."
"Ah, I see."
"Anyway, Amanda is probably busy talking with the King. Even if we're going to take her back with us, there'll probably be a handover process at the fortress, so we don't have to leave immediately. Why don't we discuss this with whoever is available?"
"That sounds good. I'll go call everyone."
"Nn. I'll call them too."
Saying that, Samantha and Cleana step away from me to gather the others.
Rurua and Ratz are treating the wounded soldiers.
Eris is accompanying Amanda and Eoid, so calling her back is probably out of the question.
Aslin, Filia, Labyris, and Sheila are staying near Wy-chan, appealing that it is safe.
Besides, being next to Wy-chan means no one will foolishly pick on them just because they look like children.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Yes, yes~ here we are!"
Samantha and Cleana returned, bringing Rurua and Ratz with them.
That was faster than I expected.
"Thanks to Rurua-sama and Lutz-san, the number of wounded soldiers has decreased considerably."
"Indeed. The rest will just have to rest and recover on their own strength. Ah, Eris-shishou is talking with the King alongside Amanda, so we couldn't bring her along."
As expected, Eris couldn't come.
Well, I'd be more worried if she'd left Amanda and Eoid behind just to come here.
"Normally, it would be possible to heal them completely, but..."
"Well, I understand how you feel, but we can't do that. In the first place, us intervening in a conflict between other nations is strange enough as it is. If we as individuals draw attention to ourselves because of this, Onii-san will be worried, Rurua."
It's just as Ratz says, though as a doctor responsible for Weed's medical care, it must be painful for Rurua.
"I understand. Let's end this meaningless conflict as quickly as possible. All the more so if the cause is related to us. Doing so should surely save many lives."
"That's right. Even if we spend time treating the wounded here, their numbers will keep increasing unless we eliminate the cause of the conflict. So let's head back to Wy-chan. As you might have heard, we're going to organize the information we have so far."
"""Yes."""
With that, we stop gazing over the battle traces outside from the edge of the fortress and head back to Wy-chan.
Along the way, soldiers are busily cleaning everything up.
Fortunately, there are only soldiers here.
It doesn't seem that the surrounding villages were forcibly stripped of their inhabitants to be used as human shields.
"Ah, Onii-chan!"
"Anii-sama!"
Returning to the courtyard where Wy-chan is, Aslin and Filia immediately spot us and run over.
I thought bringing them to a battlefield like this was a bit much, but leaving them behind casually seemed like it might get them dragged into other troubles anyway.
In terms of actual ability there's no issue, and since they are Doppels, there are no physical issues either, but if someone picks on them thinking they're just kids, we'd have no choice but to intervene.
In that case, their protection would technically fall on the Princess of August or Feigel-san, which could turn into a major incident... Trouble on a battlefield could be glossed over as people being high-strung, but if a problem occurs while they're entrusted to the royal capital, responsibility would have to be pursued.
And since we brought them to the royal capital once, even if we sent the Doppels back to Weed, they would vanish from the capital, making us look suspicious or causing a kidnapping incident.
So, weighing all these factors, I brought Aslin and the others along.
As I pat the two girls on the head, Labyris and Sheila walk over to us as well.
"What's wrong?"
"Has the talk already been settled?"
"No, not yet. We have free time until things wrap up, so I thought we'd talk about various things and organize our information."
"I see."
"Is that so?"
The two immediately turn around and head back toward the carriage, and we follow them inside.
It's kind of strange that the safest place in this entire fortress is inside Wy-chan's transport cage.
"Fuu~ As expected, the kotatsu is so relaxing, isn't it? Ah, thank you, Aslin."
"It's getting cold, after all. Thanks, Filia."
Ria and Jessica sip their tea and relax around the kotatsu.
"Indeed. Gathering around the kotatsu like this together is a wonderful thing."
"Shall we aim to popularize kotatsus in Weed soon? I asked Zargis to develop a kotatsu using mana as its main fuel, and it's making good progress. We'll ignore the design for now~"
While saying that, Rurua and Ratz sip their tea as well.
"Nn. Tangerines are the ultimate weapon for a kotatsu."
"I have no idea what that means... Though tangerines are indeed delicious. Mm~ so sweet."
The two over there are relaxing, popping tangerines into their mouths.
Well, they say tangerines and kotatsu are the ultimate winter combination, so Cleana isn't exactly wrong.
If we add a hanten coat to the mix, we'd have something like the Three Sacred Treasures of winter.
"If you're bringing out the hanten, make sure you give me a proper hug."
Labyris is sitting on my lap, enjoying the kotatsu together with me.
Since we're clinging so closely, my thoughts are leaking right through to her.
"Here you go, Yuki-san. Some tea."
"Thank you, Sheila."
Sheila pours me some tea, sits down beside me, and gets into the kotatsu.
For now, I also reach out for a tangerine, peel it, and eat it.
At the same time, I offer a peeled piece to Labyris on my lap.
Nom. Mm, delicious."
"Don't bite my fingers too."
"Oh my. Obviously I did that on purpose. Or would you have preferred something lower down?"
"Save that for after this discussion is over."
"Ara? How cold."
"Sheila, you leave it at that too."
"I-Indeed!"
I said that to Sheila offhandedly, but it seems I hit the bullseye.
...As for Sheila, she's been corrupted by Labyris quite a bit.
"How rude. Thanks to me, she became a woman."
"Yeah, yeah. Alright, everyone. Let's summarize the current situation for now."
"Boo~"
Labyrinth puffs her cheeks, but I ignore and advance the talk.
"Still, Onii-san. Even if we try to summarize the situation, the Flying Dragon Squad is currently in the middle of bringing back information, right? Is there much point in discussing anything here right now?"
"Fumufumu. So something is bothering you. Labyris, do you know what part Onii-san is finding suspicious?"
"Wait a moment..."
I had Labyris sit on my lap for this reason.
Labyris's mind-reading skill.
It doesn't work unless you're close, so it can be tricky to use, but when she does this, she can see through what's bugging me, giving me a third-person perspective on my own heart and thoughts.
Of course, Labyris herself is cute, so that's a plus too.
"Hey, don't think about me being cute. I'll attack you."
"Sorry, sorry."
Labyris would seriously try to attack me right here without letting the others notice.
...Please spare me from such a thrilling, embarrassing display.
I shift my consciousness to this declaration of war.
"Yes, well. Hmm. I think I kind of get it now. Overall, their objective is unclear."
"Overall?"
"Yes. Overall. In this battle, they picked a fight with a major power. Yet, they retreated right from the opening clash. Even though they had enough military strength to win, they didn't take the fortress."
"Could it be that the power of their guns and artillery was low?"
"Hmm. We won't know those details until we investigate, but even deducting that, they had someone skilled enough to escape from John, and several people skilled enough to pick a fight with the Flying Dragon Squad. Well, the gap was obvious, and the enemies who picked a fight with the unit led by Steve were captured. But even though they lost, the fact that they could go that far means low power in guns and artillery wouldn't be a reason they couldn't take it."
"Come to think of it, that's true."
"That's why Yuki is troubled. It looks like a feint or an experiment, but from the perspective of the Holy Nation of Hiffy, there's hardly any benefit. If the feint was meant to attack the King, draw the main army out from the capital, and leave the capital defenseless, there's no route for them to launch an attack on the capital anyway. They'd have to go through another country. And as an experiment for firearms, they wouldn't go out of their way to pick a fight with an opponent they might lose to just to test them. Monsters or bandits would be more than enough."
"Hmm. Indeed, that's strange. It's far too strange."
"Furthermore, the enemy's actions after the Flying Dragon Squad arrived. They immediately shifted to retreating, but the commander, seeing they couldn't escape, attacked her own soldiers to silence them. I don't understand the point of going out of her way to silence them."
"Wasn't that to prevent information from being extracted?"
"Even if it's information, they're just foot soldiers, right? There's no way they hold high-level secrets. I thought about whether they were trying to hide how to use the firearms, but that can be dismissed right away."
"Why is that?"
"Ratz. If you held a gun from Yuki's world, how long would it take you to comprehend it from scratch, master it, and establish a production pipeline?"
"Ahhh... You wouldn't be talking about just a few years. It could easily take more than ten years. We wouldn't even know how to manufacture steel capable of withstanding gunfire in the first place. So yeah, that makes the whole point of silencing them rather confusing..."
"Overall, their movements are truly incomprehensible..."
Hearing my own thoughts voiced again, it's just as Labyris says—completely incomprehensible.
Well, I considered the possibility of distracting a major power while seizing a smaller nation in the meantime, but the risk doesn't balance out.
They'd divert massive manpower and run short on troop strength.
In the meantime, August would crush their homeland and it'd be over.
"It really makes no sense. I don't see the benefit of starting a war."
Jessica tilts her head in genuine puzzlement as well.
"Even if it were to expand territory... taking a major power's territory is out of the question."
Samantha ponders deeply as well, but nothing seems to fit.
"...It is a fact that the enemy lacked real motivation. Rather than having some other goal, we should view provoking the country itself as their objective."
"Eh, Cleana. What do you mean?"
Hmm, provoking?
"Nn. Simple. The enemy said they achieved their goal. In other words, picking a fight with August itself might have been the objective."
"Huh? Meaning what, exactly?"
...Wait a minute.
"I don't have proof yet. But they didn't try to win despite having the strength to win. Meaning, for now, they have no intention of carving out territory. From the fact that they immediately began retreat preparations after the Flying Dragon Squad arrived..."
"They intend to lure them in?"
"Nn. For them, invading can wait until after they've cleared away the obstacles. The place to fight should be somewhere advantageous to them. For August, having a small nation bare its fangs at them affects their pride. Since they've already sent reinforcements from the main army, August will likely march in as is. After all, the defense succeeded once."
"Even facing guns and artillery, the damage was light, so they'll underestimate them and invade, huh."
"Nn. Exactly. In a sense, we might have made a severe mistake."
"Because the Flying Dragon Squad took the initiative to scatter them, August didn't drive them off themselves, so they lack a sense of danger regarding the guns and artillery."
"Precisely. I don't know what orders the King will give, but at most he can only issue warnings. They won't silently overlook this invasion. As retaliation, they will definitely invade Hiffy."
...This is bad.
It's just as Cleana says.
Even if the King, August VIII, witnessed the power of guns and artillery and knew there was a power gap, he couldn't deny the fabricated result of a successful defense, nor could he tell them to stop retaliating.
"Wait a moment. If that's the case..."
"It's just as Rurua thinks. At this rate, August's main army will be wiped out on a battlefield prepared by the Holy Nation of Hify. If it were me, I'd deploy pillboxes and trenches like crazy on that battlefield and finish them off for sure."
Jessica speaks in agreement with Rurua.
"They have limited budgets and supplies, after all. They'd want to wrap it up with as little expenditure as possible. I see, that makes logical sense."
It's just as Ratz says.
Budgets and supplies are limited.
That's why an early resolution is desirable.
"I kind of get it, but if that's the case, why kill their own allies?"
"""......"""
While many things have become clear, no one can answer Ria's question.
"...The question Ria raised remains a mystery. They might have done it for another purpose, and my theory is merely high probability. Beyond that, I think we should thoroughly analyze the information brought back by the Flying Dragon Squad. Fortunately, they won't move today or tomorrow, so we should think about it in the meantime."
"Right. But my thoughts have really come together. Thank you."
Saying that, I was intending to take an actual break, but a call comes through on the comms.
『Boss!! It's me, John!!』
"What's wrong?"
『The female mage I fought—apparently, she was the previous Dungeon Master!! It's Comet Tail herself!!』
John's voice reaches everyone.
And then—
"""""WHAT!?"""""
W-Wait a second!?
Huh?
Why is the top boss showing up directly!?
『I showed the arm and staff to Zargis, and apparently she's become an undead. A high-ranking Lich-type, he says. As for the staff, it seems to be made from a Dungeon Core, just like the Holy Swords and Magic Swords. And we had Poppuri, Sia, and Kishua confirm her identity, so it's almost certainly her.』
Seriously!?
I can only feel like this is going to be a huge pain...
* * *
