Ch.384Chapter 384. They Know No Defeat

* * *

Turning back time, Anel Castle.

“Lunarian is coming here…?!”

Lynn asked in disbelief, clearly shocked, but Farfalle spoke in a very serious tone as if he had no intention of joking.

“Yes. Tifa as Commander-in-Chief, Violet von Einhart as Chief of Staff. Tifa herself and Metz are listed at the vanguard.”

“I can’t believe it… What’s wrong with their heads?”

It was naturally unbelievable news.

The Lunarian army would have no reason to commit such a suicidal act unless they had gone mad.

Initially, when he heard that they had declared war against Serpina’s army and sent troops toward Raclaine Castle—

Lynn had internally acknowledged Lunarian as somewhat of a worthy opponent.

Even when they met once at a diplomatic occasion, he felt that despite her appearance as an unsophisticated country girl, she was a strong person with an incredibly strong mentality. At the same time, she wasn’t the type to act recklessly and ruin things.

He could sense this even when he heard that she was methodically returning toward the Lunarian army’s side rather than hastily heading toward Anel Castle.

Even if it took a bit more time, if he had been in Lunarian’s position and decided to attack Anel Castle, he would have chosen the same method.

But now.

With forces insufficient for a siege, they were recklessly coming to Anel Castle?

“How many troops?”

“It seems to be around 100,000.”

“What? They can deploy that many troops even after sending forces to Raclaine Castle?”

“I suspect they might be troops brought from near Ohana… that is, from Iekhaida Castle.”

Come to think of it, the Lunarian army had swallowed up the Ohana army without shedding a drop of blood.

The Hesna army, which had made an agreement with him, met its demise due to Ohana’s decision.

Aski Hesna, who had confidently said she would “become a vassal state,” was now just an ordinary general under the Lunarian army.

However.

Even with 100,000 troops, the soldiers at Anel Castle numbered 115,000 after gathering all soldiers from within the Brans army and conducting several additional rounds of conscription.

Common sense dictated that to launch a siege, one needed twice the number of troops—200,000. Considering the terrain of Anel Castle, situated on a hill where siege weapons couldn’t be used efficiently, many, including himself, thought that 300,000 troops would be needed to secure victory.

Wasn’t it because Lunarian also knew this fact that she chose to retreat?

‘I don’t understand… did she approve such an impulsive and stupid action?’

Lynn anxiously twisted his hair with his fingers, then bit his thumbnail.

“…Farfalle. What do you think?”

“Two possibilities come to mind.”

“Tell me. Anything is fine.”

“First, it could be an impulsive decision by Commander-in-Chief Tifa. As you know, Tifa has an overwhelming status as a founding contributor to the Lunarian army and the second magician to appear on the continent. According to intelligence, Lunarian has entrusted her with authority that’s difficult to describe as merely that of a general. While Lunarian might not easily make decisions that could seem rash, Tifa is different. Judging from her behavior in battle, she’s like a beast.”

“And the second?”

“The second is… honestly, I have no evidence, but they might have done it because they can win. Though she’s a close-combat type, she’s a magician. Considering the case of Archmage Reika from Serpina’s army, we can’t rule out the possibility of her using some extraordinary method.”

“…”

Normally, he wouldn’t have been swayed by groundless words—

But the opponent was the Lunarian army.

From their days as rebels, they had defeated the Karelia army with impossible miracles, destroyed the Rolland army, swallowed the Ohana army, devoured the Hesna army without lifting a finger, and won a battle for the fate of the continent against his overwhelmingly disadvantaged country.

And—

—The Red-Eyed Dragon of the South knows no defeat.

She, from the moment she raised the flag of the “Lunarian Army” in the southern continent… had never been defeated until now.

That fact was driving Lynn to the brink of insanity with anxiety.

“…”

“My lord. I understand your feelings, but let’s think calmly. We need to maintain composure here.”

“…I know. To be honest, we’d be better off just holding out without any special preparations. The enemy’s siege weapons will be stopped by our archers before they climb the hill, and by causing rockslides in the ravine, most of their forces can be easily dealt with. If they had more troops, it might be different, but… as things stand, we’re so advantageous that even if we brought in a few gamblers, they’d bet their entire fortune on our victory.”

“That’s right. It also means there’s essentially nothing we can prepare.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Well, if our defeat is certain in this situation— wouldn’t it be fair to say it’s a matter of fate?”

“…!!!”

Fate.

The word “fate,” which humans can never defy, tightened around Lynn’s throat.

“So we should do what we can, but approach the battle without the thought that ‘we’re advantageous, so we absolutely won’t lose.'”

“You’re telling me to prepare a Plan B.”

“Yes.”

Lynn quietly tapped the armrest of his chair with his finger.

Plan B.

If Anel Castle were lost, there was nothing she could do for the Brans army.

Which meant—

“…Farfalle. Can I tell you what I’m thinking?”

“Please speak, my lord.”

“…”

Farfalle didn’t dare to speak.

Lynn seemed to understand why she couldn’t speak.

Therefore—

“No, you don’t need to answer. There’s no need to discuss something that hasn’t happened yet. Let’s focus on the immediate issue.”

“Yes, my lord. I, Farfalle, swear to follow you until the end.”

* * *

“Wow. This place is really perfect for defense, isn’t it?”

Tifa, who had arrived at a fortress near Anel Castle, whistled as she looked at Anel Castle situated on a hill.

“Um, General Tifa.”

“Hm? Oh, sorry. What was your name again?”

“…I’m Aski Hesna.”

Aski Hesna.

The very person who had transported troops here under Tifa’s orders, and the former ruler of the Hesna army.

“Oh, right, right! Sorry. I’m not good with names. So, is it okay if I just call you the brown-haired woman?”

“I would appreciate it if you could call me by my name if possible…”

“Alright. But you’ll have to remind me a few more times.”

“…”

Somehow, she had managed to lead troops here, but no matter how she looked at it, this number seemed insufficient to break through the iron-clad Anel Castle.

Even so, there was nothing she could do. Although she had been a ruler, she had neither left any significant mark in the Lunarian army nor surrendered to the Lunarian army like Ohana, so she had no voice.

‘If things look bad, I’ll just gather some soldiers and escape.’

At that moment.

“General Tifa.”

“Oh, Violet. You’re here? So, how’s the situation?”

“There are watchtowers at every path, and there are a considerable number of ballistas aimed in our direction. As you said, not only will we be unable to use siege weapons, but they’ll all be destroyed on the way up.”

“Is that so? I thought as much. We didn’t bring any siege weapons anyway, right?”

“…That’s true, but…”

As Tifa said, the Lunarian army hadn’t brought a single siege weapon.

Instead, they had prepared plenty of horses. Almost 80,000 soldiers were cavalry, forming an extraordinary formation.

“Then, let me explain one last time. I’ll lead the way and neutralize Anel Castle’s defenses, so when the time comes, mount your horses and quickly rush up. The enemy will definitely be confused, so if you seize that opportunity, you can safely enter the castle. And once we breach the walls, we win. Got it?”

“…Understood.”

“What? You still don’t believe me?”

“…Honestly, I don’t believe it at all. Even now, I have the insolent thought that perhaps you’re not in your right mind. But… if it’s a strategist’s duty to believe in their ruler…”

Tifa grinned and patted Violet’s head.

“Hey. You’re really going to be great. Not as much as Swen, but you’ll be a strategist who goes down in history. You’re clearly stating what you think isn’t right until the very end. But don’t worry.”

I’m a magician, you know.

“A magician…”

“You’ve heard about Reika, right? Does it make sense that I can’t do what she can?”

Was she going to use some long-range magic here?

But if she could do that, why hadn’t she used such magic until now…

The questions were endless, but for now, it was time to believe in Tifa.

“Then, I’ll begin.”

Tifa slowly moved away from her position—

“…!!!!”

She began gathering mana from the central continent into her body.

Soon, an aura rose from her body.

Up to this point, it was a sight everyone had seen of Tifa at least once.

Although she was a magician, she specialized in strengthening her own body. Wasn’t her fighting style, with her aura blazing, as brave as the Red-Eyed Dragon’s?

—However.

“Haaaa…aaa…aaaah…!!!!!”

“…?!”

The aura emanating from her body became even more vivid.

No.

At this stage, it could no longer be called just an aura.

“Uryaaaaaaah!!!!!”

“M-my body…!!”

—As the aura began to blaze like flames all over Tifa’s body—

She charged straight toward Anel Castle.

“G-General Tifa!”

“What is this…!”

“…Everyone, calm down! We must act according to the plan we were told!”

For a moment, the soldiers were agitated, but Violet, who had heard Tifa’s words, quickly calmed them down.

Of course, it wasn’t just the Lunarian soldiers who were surprised.

“The enemy general is suddenly rushing toward us!”

“Don’t be afraid! It’s just one person! Fire all arrows!”

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

Anel Castle’s defense system quickly activated, but—

“Uryaaaaaaah!!!!”

Tifa ran at a speed that couldn’t be considered human.

And she breached incredibly high places… simply by jumping.

“W-what?!”

“Shoot!! Respond!!”

The Brans army was clearly continuously shooting arrows.

But… Tifa was deflecting them all.

Not a single arrow penetrated her aura and all were deflected.

As if some kind of shield had been put up, the red aura surrounding her blazed even more fiercely.

This was… a meteor!

It was like a meteor falling from the sky, which they had only heard of in rumors, had taken human form.

“H-hiiiiik…!!”

“It’s a monster…!!!”

Tifa had been thinking since she discovered she could use magic.

Why couldn’t she use powerful long-range magic like Reika?

She could enhance her body with aura and become a stronger general, but from a strategic perspective, using long-range magic would be much more advantageous.

So she tried, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t manifest mana in the form of long-range magic.

It wasn’t completely impossible. The problem was that the power wasn’t very strong.

She could only gather mana in her body, but couldn’t properly utilize it by sending it outward.

Then.

What if she herself became a “long-range magic entity”?

The central continent was rich in mana. If she absorbed this mana into her body, she could generate an incredibly strong aura.

Just as Reika could shoot large fireballs powerful enough to neutralize castle walls, if she herself became a fireball, couldn’t she bring down castle walls?

Of course, the more mana she gathered in her body, the more she felt her lifespan burning away. She could instinctively sense it, even though mana was flowing through her body.

So perhaps she might have to risk her life, but—

‘If I die without even trying something I think I can do, that would be a shame!!’

To be able to face Cain—Kyle, who had died before her, with dignity.

She willingly risked her life.

And so, finally arriving right in front of Anel Castle, Tifa—

“—Haaaaaaah!!!!!”

Without slowing down.

She charged toward the castle walls… leading her body.

And—

* * *

“Is that… really true?”

“Yes! The Lunarian army’s magician Tifa single-handedly brought down Anel Castle’s walls, and then, taking advantage of the ensuing confusion, they deployed all their cavalry into the castle… The Brans army lost Anel Castle without resistance!”

The unbelievable news that reached me.

It was that Tifa had become a human weapon. No—

—A human missile.