Ch.269Chapter 269. What It Means to Become a Sovereign (4)

――Waaaaaaaaaah!!

With the thunderous battle cry of the Lunarian army, the siege to conquer Madellan Castle finally began.

Far from suffering losses while advancing to this point, the Lunarian forces had actually reinforced their troops, and now began to advance in perfect unison under the command of Francis and Charlotte at the vanguard.

The siege was the responsibility of Francis and Charlotte. Countering the enemy’s interception forces fell to Gustav and Aron.

“All siege weapons, aim forward!”

“Don’t panic about their interceptors! We vastly outnumber them!”

“This is a battle we can only win! Never give ground!”

The outskirts outside the walls of Madellan Castle, a major city in the southern continent that had been peaceful for decades, began to transform into a literal scene of hellish chaos.

The Karelian forces were fighting earnestly despite being in a hopeless battle they were bound to lose… but unfortunately for them, even with the advantage of defending, the exchange ratio between the two armies wasn’t significantly in their favor.

This was encouraging news for the Lunarian army, but a nightmare for the Karelian forces.

Commander Lunarian was focusing entirely on command from behind the main force in this battle, rather than fighting at the front.

In truth, this was the rational decision, given her position as ruler.

No matter how godlike her performance on the battlefield might be, there was always inherent risk as long as she had only one life.

The death of a ruler and commander would be tantamount to the fall of the nation.

Nevertheless… she felt uneasy. She couldn’t help but fidget. Sending her comrades to the battlefield while she issued orders from safety didn’t suit her temperament.

Just then.

“My lord.”

Ginor, the national strategist serving as chief of staff, approached her side.

“I’ve deployed the troops as ordered.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Though in truth, it was more your suggestion than my order…”

“Since you accepted my suggestion, it is essentially the same as your order, my lord.”

“I see…”

Luna tended to follow most of Ginor’s advice.

If there were ten suggestions, she would accept about nine without much deliberation.

Not because Ginor was exceptionally intelligent, or renowned for his tactical and strategic prowess—

Simply because Swen had sent him here.

Luna believed that generally accepting Ginor’s counsel was equivalent to following Swen’s will.

Ginor observed Luna’s expression for a moment, then, as if sensing her thoughts, bowed his head slightly and spoke frankly.

“I understand your feelings, but a ruler must not recklessly enter the battlefield. There will surely come a time when your strength is needed, but not now. Please trust your subjects here.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust them. It’s just…”

“…I understand, my lord.”

This woman—she wanted to fight alongside her soldiers.

Whether she thought hiding alone was cowardly, or simply enjoyed battle… at least from Ginor’s perspective, her demeanor suggested the former.

“Please hold firm in your position as ruler. That is your duty as sovereign to your subjects.”

The duty of a ruler.

Yes. Lord Swen had said it too. That there are times when those in high positions must act accordingly.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Luna nodded and once again looked toward where her comrades were fighting.

…The time had come to shoulder everyone’s hopes.

* * *

Around the time the battle began.

Cecile, fulfilling the strategist’s final request, disguised herself as a merchant and hid the unconscious Karelia in a carriage.

Since the Lohengrin family had originally made their fortune in trade, playing the role of a merchant wasn’t particularly difficult for her.

In this battle… we will lose.

Although our soldiers are fighting valiantly to the end… even so, it was easy enough to determine whether this was a winnable battle or not.

No, there wasn’t even a need to analyze it carefully. Cecile, who had managed supply lines from the rear many times, could instinctively sense it.

We had no mercenary group to suddenly appear and help us like Luna did, nor anyone with the talent to awaken as a mage.

‘But that’s okay.’

As Vanessa had said, the northern gate, separated from the enemy forces, was relatively peaceful.

Although fighting was taking place… they were currently disguised as merchants.

Since both the Lunarian and Karelian armies valued honor, they wouldn’t normally harm civilians, so it seemed they could escape safely.

Thump, thump.

Cecile, afraid that even her heartbeat might give her away, carefully made her way along the road with the escort of soldiers.

Even if enemy troops might be a problem, friendly forces… would know the situation, so there shouldn’t be much to worry about.

Rather than moving hastily, calmly… slowly, they were distancing themselves from Madellan Castle, which was becoming a battlefield.

How far had they gone?

Finally, the battlefield began to look quite small in the distance.

But she couldn’t let her guard down. Hadn’t Vanessa emphasized multiple times that one must never relax until crossing the river?

Her hands were sticky with sweat at the realization that everything depended on her… but for the sake of the strategist who was fighting to the death, she absolutely had to succeed.

‘Let’s cross the river quickly. Once we cross the river, we can properly pick up speed. Getting through the Rolland army’s border checkpoint will be an issue… but there are plenty of ways.’

And finally, as they arrived at the bridge to cross the river—

‘…!!!’

What awaited Cecile were soldiers stationed in front of the bridge.

What they held were bright green flags. The same ones she had seen on the battlefield earlier… the flags of the Lunarian army.

‘What… is this? Why, why are they here?’

She had been certain that all troops had been deployed to the battlefield…

Could it be…

‘Even before entering battle… they stationed troops here to prevent passage…?’

While she was thinking this, the voices of soldiers reached her ears.

“A merchant really did come?”

“The strategist was right.”

‘Strategist…?’

The current strategist of the Lunarian army was… certainly Ginor Nighthart, the man who had served as the Imperial Chancellor.

Had that old man read all their moves?

‘He… anticipated that Vanessa would send out our lord?’

—In that moment, Cecile’s vision darkened.

Her head was spinning with nausea, but… she somehow managed to pull herself together.

‘Stay calm.’

Despite being flustered by the unexpected situation, Cecile tried her hardest to maintain composure.

We’re merchants, right? So if we just say we’re passing through, they’ll let us go.

The soldiers approached Cecile nonchalantly.

“I’m sorry, but we need to inspect your cargo.”

“As you can see, we’re just merchants…”

“It won’t take long. Please understand.”

‘….’

It was obvious that stubbornly refusing here would only raise more suspicion.

It’s fine. Her disguise was nearly perfect, and she was even speaking in a voice different from her usual one.

The likelihood of them finding Lady Karelia hidden away was low.

“Very well. Please make it quick. We have urgent business to attend to.”

“Yes, understood. Then.”

The soldiers all moved toward the cargo area.

Thump, thump.

She could hear them rummaging through the cargo, but having hidden ‘her’ there… they would never find her.

“Are we done now?”

“Please wait a moment.”

Just then.

A familiar-faced woman walked over from the other side.

‘That woman…!’

It was Violet, the strategist girl who had accompanied Luna.

Although startled by the approach of someone she recognized, Cecile reassured herself that she wouldn’t be discovered since they had only briefly met once, and she was now disguised.

“Is the inspection not finished yet?”

“It’s almost complete, but no suspicious items have been found.”

‘….’

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Please, let it end just like this.

Whether aware of her concerns or not, Violet approached the disguised Cecile and asked:

“Are you the merchant guild leader?”

“I am.”

“What are you transporting?”

“Fabric.”

“May I ask what the approximate unit price would be for this quantity?”

Though the question seemed odd, it was still within the expected range, so Cecile disclosed the amount without hesitation.

“I see. Are you certain?”

“Yes.”

Violet pondered for a moment—

Then, looking directly into the disguised Cecile’s eyes, she said:

“I’ll offer five times that amount. Hand over your cargo to us.”

“…Pardon?”

What… is she saying?

There was no way she could hand over the cargo. Her lord, Karelia, was hidden in this wagon.

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

Fortunately, Cecile was a woman who understood how merchant guilds operated.

“This is merchandise under a delivery contract. The price is certainly tempting… but as you know, trust is also an important asset for merchants.”

“You’ll have to resolve that issue with money somehow.”

“So, maintaining trust is important… What?”

Wait a minute.

I have to resolve it…?

Momentarily speechless at the ominous implication of that sentence—

Violet threw out bait that Cecile absolutely could not question.

“I’ll give you a choice. Either sell us the wagon at the price I’ve offered, or watch it burn to ashes right here… What will it be?”