episode_0269

――Waaa …

With the loud shouts of the Lunalian army, the siege to capture Madlan Castle finally began.

The Lunarian army, which had not suffered any troop losses while advancing this far, but rather had supplemented its troops, began to advance in unison under the instructions of Francis and Charlotte, who were at the forefront.

The siege was the job of Francis and Charlotte. Responding to enemy interceptors was the job of Gustav and Aaron.

“Siege weapons, face forward at once!”

“Don’t panic in the interception unit! We are far superior in numbers!”

“This is a battle you can’t help but win! Never give up!”

Outside the walls of the city of Madlan, a large city in the southern continent that had been peaceful for decades, a literal hellish landscape began to unfold.

The Karelian army was fighting hard in a hopeless battle that they were sure to lose, but… … Unfortunately for them, even though it was a battle of attrition, the combat exchange rate between the two countries was not that different.

This was encouraging news for the Lunalian Army, and a nightmare for the Karelian Army.

Commander Lunalian was concentrating on commanding from the rear of the main force instead of fighting ahead in this battle.

In fact, it was a rational decision, since she was the monarch.

No matter how much she fought on the battlefield, there was always going to be risk involved unless she had multiple lives.

Because the death of a monarch and commander was tantamount to the destruction of the nation.

Still… … she was nervous. She couldn’t help but hesitate. It didn’t suit her personality to send her comrades out to the battlefield while she herself gave orders from the safety of the back.

at that time.

“My lord.”

Zinor, the national strategist who served as Chief of the General Staff, approached her.

“I am on my way back after deploying the troops as you commanded.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Actually, it was more like Genor-nim made a suggestion rather than me giving the order… … .”

“Since you have accepted my suggestion, it is as good as your command.”

“Is that so… … .”

Luna tended to listen to most of Jinor’s advice.

If there are 10 suggestions, you can accept about 9 of them without much hesitation.

It wasn’t because Jinor was a very smart person or because he was famous for being skilled in strategy and military tactics.

It was just Swen who sent him here.

Luna believed that, if anything, accepting Genor’s advice would be tantamount to following Swen’s will.

Jinor watched Luna for a moment, then, as if he had noticed her feelings, he carefully lowered his head and spoke directly.

“I understand your feelings, but a monarch should not go into battle without caution. There will definitely come a time when you will need to use your lord’s power, but not now. For now, please trust your subjects.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe it. It’s just that… … .”

“… … I know, my lord.”

This woman wanted to fight alongside the soldiers.

I don’t know if she thinks hiding alone is cowardly, or if she just enjoys fighting… … but at least from what Jinor saw, her appearance read closer to the former.

“Please firmly defend your position as the monarch. That is the duty of a monarch to his subjects.”

The way of a monarch.

Yeah, as Swen said, there are times when superiors have to act like superiors.

“… … I will keep that in mind.”

Luna nodded and looked back at where her comrades were fighting.

… … Now, the time had come when he would have to shoulder everyone’s wishes.

* * *

Just as the battle began.

In order to fulfill the scribe’s last request, Cecil disguised himself as a merchant and hid the unconscious Karelia in his carriage.

In the first place, since the Lohengrin family itself was a family that made money through business, it wasn’t that difficult for her to become a merchant.

In this battle… …we will lose.

Our soldiers are fighting until the end… … Even so, it was clear whether it was a battle they could win or not.

No, there was no need to look into it in detail. Cecil, who had managed supply lines in the rear of the battlefield many times, could instinctively notice it.

We didn’t have a mercenary group like Luna who would suddenly show up to help us, and we didn’t have anyone with the talent to awaken as a magician.

‘That’s okay.’

As Vanessa said, the northern gate, away from the enemies, was relatively peaceful.

Even though there was a battle going on… … it was currently disguised as the upper level.

Since both the Lunalian Archipelago and the Karelia Archipelago are countries that value trust, it seemed like they would not bother civilians easily, so it seemed like they could escape safely.

Thump, thump.

Cecil was so afraid that even the sound of his heartbeat would leak out that he carefully walked down the street escorted by soldiers.

If they’re enemy troops, then that’s fine, but if they’re friendly forces… … they’ll know the situation, so you don’t have to worry too much about it.

Rather than moving too hastily, I calmly… … That’s how I slowly moved away from the Madlan Castle, which had become a battlefield.

How far have we progressed?

Finally, the battlefield began to look quite small.

But you couldn’t let your guard down. Vanessa had emphasized several times that you should never let your guard down before crossing the river.

My hands were sweaty and clammy at the thought that everything depended on my hands… … but for the sake of the scribe who was risking his life and fighting until the end, I absolutely, absolutely had to succeed.

‘Let’s cross the river quickly. Once we cross the river, we can start speeding. Getting past the border checkpoint of Roland’s army will be a problem, but… … there is a way.’

And finally, the moment I arrived at the bridge to cross the river――

‘… … !!!’

Waiting for Cecil were soldiers lined up in front of the bridge.

What they are holding is a bright lime green flag. It looks exactly like the one we saw on the battlefield a while ago… …the flag of the Lunalian Army.

‘What… … hey? Why, why are you here?’

I clearly knew that all troops had been deployed to the battlefield… … ?

no way……

‘Before even entering the battle… … You deployed your troops to prevent anyone from passing through here… … ?’

As I was thinking that, I heard the voices of soldiers in my ears.

“Did the top really come?”

“I think the bookstore owner was right.”

‘Sir… … ?’

The current Lunalian Army strategist is… … Certainly, it is the man who served as the Empire’s prime minister, Zinor Nighthart.

To that old man, all the numbers were read?

‘So… … Did you expect that Lady Vanessa would send her lord away… …?’

――In an instant, Cecil’s eyes darkened.

My head was spinning and I felt like I was going to throw up at any moment… … but I somehow came to my senses.

‘Calm down.’

Although it was inevitable that he would feel bewildered by the situation, Cecil tried his best to remain calm.

We’re at the top, right? So, if we just pass by, they’ll let us go.

The soldiers approached Cecil without any hesitation.

“I’m sorry, but I think we’ll have to do a quick inspection.”

“As you can see, it’s just the top… … .”

“It will end soon. Please understand.”

‘… … .’

It was obvious that if I persistently refused here, it would only arouse more suspicion.

It’s okay. My appearance is almost perfectly disguised, and my voice is different than usual.

The possibility of them finding the hidden Karelia was also low.

“Okay, please do it quickly. I have a long way to go.”

“Yes, I understand. Okay.”

The soldiers all approached the luggage compartment.

Thump, thump.

There was a sound of rummaging through the trunk, but if it was hidden ‘there’… … it would never be found.

“Is it okay now?”

“Please wait a moment.”

at that time.

A woman with a familiar face walked over from over there.

‘That woman… …!’

It was Violet, the bookseller girl who accompanied Luna.

Although he was startled by the sight of someone he recognized approaching him, he reassured himself that it was only a fleeting encounter and that he would not be caught since he was currently disguised.

“Is the inspection done yet?”

“Almost finished, but no suspicious items found.”

‘… … .’

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Please, just let it end like this, just like this.

Violet approached Cecil, who was still disguised, and asked, whether she knew the circumstances or not.

“Are you the Lord of the Upper Room?”

“Yes.”

“What are you carrying?”

“It’s a thousand.”

“Can I ask you the approximate unit price for this amount?”

Although he wondered why he was being asked such a thing, Cecil confessed the amount without hesitation because it was within the expected range of questions.

“I see. Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Violet was lost in thought for a moment and then-

Then, he looked into Cecil’s disguised eyes and said.

“We’ll pay you five times the amount. Just hand over your burden to us.”

“… … Yes?”

What… are you talking about?

There is no way I can hand over the luggage. My lord Karelia was hidden inside this wagon.

But it would also be strange to simply refuse an offer of more money.

Luckily, Cecil was a woman who knew how things worked at the top.

“This is a product for which a delivery contract has been signed. The unit price is certainly tempting, but… … As you know, trust is an important asset at the top. ”

“You’ll have to solve that part somehow with money.”

“So, it’s important to keep trust… … Yes?”

wait for a sec.

This side should solve it… … you say?

To Cecil, who was momentarily speechless by the sense of discomfort contained in that sentence-

Violet threw out a bait that she could never bite.

“I’ll give you a choice. You can either sell the cart at the price you asked for, or you can just sit here and watch the cart go up in flames… What will you do?”