Ch.150War and the Vermilion Bird #6

“Hahaha! Did you all see it? Those imperial bastards grinding their teeth as they ran away!”

After successfully completing the night raid and immediately engaging in a siege battle that day, the King burst into hearty laughter, clearly delighted. Thanks to his mood, the atmosphere in the conference hall set up at the Solonte mansion was quite bright.

“Yes. I watched it quite enjoyably from atop the walls.”

Luke, who had been in charge of defending the castle, also laughed cheerfully, seemingly to please the King. Being in a position to overlook the battle situation from the walls, he had good reason to. Naturally, he would have seen more than we did.

“Duke Krauser. And Grand Duke, you’ve both worked very hard. You must be exhausted from the surprise attack at dawn, yet you immediately fought another battle.”

“I’m honored. It’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s consideration.”

“Haha. I know you’re just saying that to please me… but as a human, I do enjoy hearing such words.”

Whether he was truly happy or not, the atmosphere was certainly bright. The people creating this atmosphere seemed to think so too, as there was no sense of awkwardness. At least, they didn’t appear to be forcing themselves to please him.

“Hmm. By the way, what did you think of crossing swords with the Empire’s Master? Count Helix, was it?”

Early that morning, the imperial army, agitated by our raids on their outposts around the periphery, launched an attack on the castle. During this, Helena and Count Helix crossed swords. While knights who had previously faced Helena typically couldn’t last ten exchanges, this battle against a fellow Master showed no signs of ending quickly. Even if it was just for a few minutes.

“Yes. It was my first time crossing swords with a Master, so I found myself tense without realizing it.”

“Hmm… I suppose that’s inevitable given who you were facing.”

The King nodded with a low hum. Normally, he would have brushed it off with a joke, but this time he seemed unable to do so. After all, just today, Helena’s duel with Helix had ended without a clear resolution.

That’s not to say Helena was lacking. Rather, it was remarkable that she could hold her own against someone who was born much earlier and had spent more time with a sword. Moreover,

“Your Majesty, while the Count’s experienced handling makes him a difficult opponent, I don’t feel significantly disadvantaged. At the very least, I can hold him back, so please don’t worry too much.”

“Oh, is that so? Then I am relieved.”

When Helena made this rare definitive statement, the King smiled, stroking his chest as if breathing a sigh of relief. He seemed to find her words particularly credible because she wasn’t usually one to speak with confidence. He must know that Helena tends to be modest.

“…Well, I should stop joking around now. While this is enjoyable, we are still at war… I’d like each Duke to report on the damage situation. We need to prepare for any shortcomings, don’t we?”

“You’re absolutely right. Then I’ll report first.”

Starting with Luke, who opened the reporting session while pleasing the King, the Dukes began reporting on the damages from the battle. The main points were the need for wall repairs and the inevitable mention of troop losses. Compiling all this information, it was clear that the damage was relatively minimal.

This was inevitable, as they had launched a frontal assault just hours after being ambushed. With fatigue accumulated throughout their bodies from not sleeping for a day or two.

As a result, their weapon handling lacked strength, and even pushing through with determination had its limits. The Kingdom’s forces holding the line were equally strained.

“I don’t quite understand why they rushed to battle so recklessly. But I suppose they had their reasons for making such a decision. However, I worry if they’ll continue to do so.”

“I think they’ll likely reorganize their camp and rest for a while. By now, the heat of anger should have cooled.”

“Good. In the meantime, I’d like the three Dukes to address any deficiencies. If you need anything, I’ll issue a royal decree to supplement it. The justification is more than sufficient, so they can’t refuse.”

After exchanging a few words with Duke Caliwood, the King concluded the meeting with a determined look in his eyes. While royal authority wasn’t weak even in normal times, the wartime situation had strengthened it further. And the thought of wielding that power seemed to naturally tense him up.

.

It’s quiet.

Taking a nap to relieve the fatigue from consecutive battles, I found that night had fallen. Helena, who had been sleeping beside me, blinked several times in surprise. It was the kind of reaction people show when faced with something surreal, making her inner thoughts quite transparent.

“It’s an awkward time to wake up so late… what should we do?”

“How about we take a walk around the military camp?”

Thinking Helena’s answer was the right one, I joined her outside the barracks. Being at war, we put on our armor made of monster hide and didn’t forget to bring our weapons. Though we were relatively safe with Elven troops hidden in ambush on both mountain ranges, we didn’t want to appear too careless.

Many soldiers we passed by silently saluted us, and each time we acknowledged them with a slight nod. The soft clanking of armor echoed from various places, and the soldiers’ eyes were sharp and alert. Understandable, given our successes in the two recent battles.

“Fortunately, the injuries aren’t severe. However, they can’t immediately return to battle, so we need to keep them in the rear for treatment for the time being.”

When we visited the area where the wounded were gathered, a pharmacist sighed as he answered. Just like in modern times, there were medics with basic training scattered throughout, but they weren’t as skilled as pharmacists trained in specialized medicine. That’s why pharmacists who voluntarily came to the battlefield were appreciated and valuable.

Helena stopped the wounded soldiers who tried to rise at our sight, making eye contact with each of them while offering words of comfort. I too wanted to hold each of their hands and offer even small consolations, but there were too many. Also, if we took too much time with greetings, they wouldn’t be able to rest comfortably, so we wrapped up the conversation at an appropriate point.

“Please don’t overexert yourself and get proper rest, Pharmacist. Make sure to get enough sleep too. Of course, if a patient’s condition worsens, you’ll have to rush here regardless…”

“Oh my. Just hearing you say that is a great honor. Moreover, the Elven medicines that the Duke has brought in through the alliance are very effective. Thanks to them, my burden has been significantly lightened.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Well, I’ll take my leave now. Everyone, rest well.”

After that, I followed Helena, escaping the uncomfortably intense gazes behind us. Her unwavering steps suggested she had already decided where to go. It was a large open space near the armory where Ive and several Elves were busy with preparations.

“Ive. And everyone. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Ah, Duchess! Welcome! I’ve heard about the victory… I’m sorry I couldn’t come to see you in person.”

Ive, who had been carving complex magic circles into wooden boards, greeted Helena with genuine delight. Perhaps due to our simple yet complicated relationship, she was treated almost like the youngest, showing such affectionate behavior now. Both Helena and Ellen.

“You and everyone here are working much harder. I just swung a sword for a few hours.”

“Um… isn’t that much more difficult?”

“Not as much as all of you carving magic circles into those many wooden boards.”

Helena smiled gently, looking at the mountain of wooden boards stacked beside a large tent that could accommodate several people. At first glance, their purpose was difficult to discern and might seem wasteful, but they were a strategic move to turn the tide of war in one go.

In truth, such elaborate preparations weren’t necessary, but going through this process was also about building a justifiable pretext for show. When one’s abilities are too outstanding, it naturally invites jealousy, so it was necessary to prepare some excuse. At least that was my thinking, and others agreed with it, which is why we were doing this.

However, this wasn’t a completely useless activity. We were just taking a more complicated route instead of an easy one.

Ive tilted her head, but eventually seemed to give up thinking about it and spoke with a gentle smile.

“Thank you. We should finish in a day or two. The Elves will help with moving them, so it won’t take long.”

“That’s good news. War is never good when prolonged, so ending it quickly would be best.”

Helena crouched down in front of Ive, who was sitting on the ground scratching wooden boards, took her hands, and nodded. As I was comfortably watching this heartwarming scene, I turned my head at the sound of someone running toward us.

“Grand Duke! I apologize for disturbing your rest!”

Not seeing Helena’s face because she was crouched down, the soldier ran to me, the next highest in rank. Though we were technically equal, Helena was strictly speaking higher, so if he had seen her, he would have called out “Duchess” as he ran.

Anyway, the soldier who had hurried over spoke while looking only at me.

“Yes. What is it?”

“Well… excuse me for a moment.”

Despite his demeanor suggesting he might shout loudly, he whispered in my ear with a small voice, as if he had been waiting to do so. Since he had said “excuse me” before speaking, I didn’t misunderstand. It was just Helena’s cold gaze glaring at the soldier that was concerning.

“The Empire has sent a messenger. He says he’s from Count Anderson’s domain.”

Anderson? I widened my narrowed eyes and asked, looking straight ahead.

“Where is he now?”

“At the entrance of the right mountain range, on the way to our main camp. He came carrying a white flag, so the soldiers in ambush didn’t kill him and sent a messenger instead.”

“I see. Can you guide us there right away?”

“Yes, I’ll escort you.”

As the soldier turned around with a solemn nod, I gestured lightly to Helena and Ive as I spoke. A farewell greeting, and simultaneously a signal for Helena to follow me.

“Ive. I’m sorry. Something urgent has come up, so I need to go right away. I’ll visit again tomorrow.”

“Ah. Y-yes. Please be careful…”

Leaving behind Ive’s timid response, Helena and I followed the rapidly moving soldier. He walked so quickly that I almost mistook him for a knight.

Since only three of us were moving, we first stopped at the stables. Even if Elves were allied with the Empire, they wouldn’t be able to see us at this distance, and we wouldn’t make the ground rumble, so it was a decision we made.

“Hyah!”

As soon as we exited the camp entrance, we rode toward the mountain range. Riding horses was definitely faster and more comfortable than running. Though it wasn’t completely effortless—requiring positioning and stabilizing one’s body—it was much less strenuous than running.

After arriving at the entrance to the mountain path, we tied the horses to nearby trees and immediately climbed the sloping hillside. Dirt flew and our legs naturally tensed, but our bodies rose upward as lightly as feathers. The soldier who had escorted us parted ways at the foot of the mountain and returned to the camp.

“Sending an ordinary soldier to the mountain range suggests this must be quite important news, doesn’t it?”

“They might have simply used the mountain to approach secretly, as we would have needed to make contact at some point anyway.”

That’s true.

I nodded at Helena’s words and put more strength into my legs as I ran up the slope. The summit was in sight, so I wanted to get there quickly.

“You’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting.”

As we reached a relatively flat part of the slope, an Elf leaning against a slanted tree greeted us. His relaxed posture suggested he had sensed our presence and prepared well in advance.

“Yes. I heard there was some curious news, so I came. Where is the soldier sent by the Empire?”

“He’s right here.”

The one who answered my question wasn’t the Elf but a soldier boldly descending the slope behind him. His appearance was handsome, and above all, his demeanor was different from that of an ordinary soldier. Enough to make me tilt my head in confusion.

“I was sent by Count Anderson. My name is Jericho.”

The man in leather armor who introduced himself as Jericho bowed his head respectfully in greeting. He did so while holding onto a tree growing on the slope, without showing any sign of unsteadiness. I felt increasingly suspicious and spoke.

“Are you perhaps a knight?”

“Yes. I was a free knight. It’s been about five years since I entered the service of the Count.”

“I see.”

If he’s a knight, that makes sense.

Satisfied that my internal suspicion was confirmed, I asked Jericho, who was now bowing to Helena as well.

“By the way, what is the reason the Count sent you?”

“Yes. There are several reasons… but here is a personal letter sent directly by the Count.”

Instead of a lengthy explanation, Jericho reached into his garment and handed over a rolled piece of paper. From my perspective, this was good as it expedited matters, and moreover, it served as evidence that the Count had indeed sent him, so there was no reason to refuse.

I took the paper Jericho offered, unfolded it, and read its contents with Helena firmly attached to my shoulder. Though quite lengthy, the gist was that they would be changing their camp deployment over the next few days, and that they might soon challenge Helena to a duel.

Changing their camp must be to easily subdue key figures when they stage a rebellion.

As for the duel… honestly, I’m not sure. Perhaps he was displeased with Helena’s surprise attack, or maybe he simply wanted to cross swords with her.