Ch.658Act your age.

The military council wasn’t particularly impressive in terms of meaningful discussion.

Everyone with enough status to attend already knew about Orhan’s possible southward advance, and they all knew there were no good alternatives.

“Is there no option besides all-out war? Since they’ll try to solve their supply issues through plunder, if we evacuate the cities and villages along their march route and contaminate or burn the supplies…”

“That’s impossible. Considering their mobility, we’d have to burn a third of the Empire. Even if we manage to stop them, the Empire would struggle to survive the coming winter. Besides, the local lords would never agree to destroying supplies and abandoning their castles.”

There was a knight who suggested scorched earth tactics, pointing out the Ka’har’s weakness of relying on plundered supplies, but it wasn’t a realistic strategy.

Even if the scorched earth tactics succeeded in starving the Ka’har forces to death, burning that much supplies would mean countless imperial citizens would also starve to death during winter. On a massive scale.

If they moved supplies and people to the rear without burning them, they might survive the winter, but that would only work for territories in the rear. Cities near the Dane border would clearly be caught and plundered before they could move supplies to safety.

Above all, the local lords wouldn’t comply with scorched earth tactics.

For local lords, their territories, resources, and subjects were the foundation of their power, so orders to devastate them would be unwelcome.

It wouldn’t matter even if Leopold personally promised restoration and compensation. Devastated land, contaminated water sources, and burned food couldn’t be restored with mere chests of gold.

“Then… we ultimately…”

“We’ll have to make the Dane border our battlefield. With all the preparations we can manage.”

The knight who had advocated for scorched earth tactics bowed his head with deep sighs.

His face showed complete loss of hope, like someone who had endured an urgent need for an hour only to find the bathroom locked upon arrival.

—-

After the military council ended without much progress, we—that is, the Landenburg and Imperial forces except for minimal defensive troops—marched toward the Dane border.

Since the supplies stockpiled at the border couldn’t feed this many troops, it was impossible to transport just the soldiers by wagons like last time.

The soldiers had to march to the border carrying military packs weighing over 20kg, with long lines of supply wagons full of food stretching before and behind them.

In the increasingly hot weather, soldiers carrying tens of kilograms of equipment all day could only curse the sun while enviously eyeing the knights on horseback.

The priests of the Church of Saulite frowned at the soldiers cursing the sun, but they didn’t suggest tying them under the scorching sun until praises replaced curses.

Well, if they had any conscience, they couldn’t really blame the soldiers. After all, they themselves were riding in carriages wearing only priestly robes, citing lack of physical strength.

I turned my attention away from the soldiers and looked ahead again, sitting on the saddle of the horned horse that had helped quiet at least the rumors about my promiscuity among the many rumors about me.

…Well, now it was more of a broken-horned horse. Cascador’s sharp horn that symbolized its species was broken like a snapped blade. It was gradually regenerating since I’d kept it summoned for a long time.

Of course, I was the one who broke it.

I had no choice. As soon as I summoned it, it tried to attack me—perhaps holding a grudge from when I used it as a weapon or shield before—so I reflexively broke its horn.

I was so shocked at the time. Not because my summon attacked me, but because of the expressions people around me made when they saw the unicorn attacking me.

I still vividly remember Jahan and Nigel’s faces as they muttered, “Lord Haschal, surely not…? Surely that’s not the case…?” Their expressions were pure shock. From their perspective, monitoring my every move, the only man who could have had a “private meeting” with me without their knowledge was Orhan.

Seeing them unable to voice their suspicions about whether I’d engaged in fiery incest instead of a duel, I had to prove my innocence by breaking off the unicorn’s horn, stabbing it into its rear, and mounting it.

Just thinking about it still makes me embarrassed.

Fortunately, Cascador didn’t resist further after losing its horn in one blow.

Whether that was thanks to the fine mare I provided, the impressive barding I gave it, or my warning that if it resisted again, I’d pull out its horn every time it was summoned and use it to castrate it, I’m not sure.

Anyway, Cascador shed tears in my place to prove my purity and carried me, which resolved all the issues.

—-

“In the end, we’re heading south before even receiving the weapon.”

The red-scaled sword that Ludwig had sent with his most trusted knight hadn’t returned yet. Considering only six days had passed, it was likely he hadn’t even reached the islands yet.

Even if he had changed to fresh horses and ridden continuously… even then, the new weapon wouldn’t be finished yet.

I guess I’ll have to make do with Durandal for now.

“I told them to head to the border as soon as the weapon is completed, so you should receive it while waiting there. Orhan’s forces might arrive first, but… unless the Dane army is made of scarecrows, they can’t advance that quickly.”

“That would be fortunate.”

I nodded and left Ludwig’s temporary headquarters, heading back toward my tent. Whether Ka’har or Imperial forces, the layout of marching camps was similar.

Tents packed together like a checkerboard with sentries surrounding the perimeter. Well, Earth’s armies weren’t much different either. Only the tent materials differed.

“Ah, Sister Haschal! Are you done with the discussion?”

“Yes. Are you comfortable enough?”

“I am!”

Lena, who had been waiting in my tent, smiled and shook her head. Despite riding with me all day, which should have been tiring, she looked surprisingly energetic—perhaps her increased holy power had improved her stamina as well.

I had originally planned to put her in a carriage with the other priests, but after her pleading to stay with me, I ended up letting her ride with me on Cascador’s back. The other priests apparently felt uncomfortable around her.

According to a tired-looking healing priest who seemed to be Ludwig’s confidant, Lena could only use healing miracles, but despite her young age, she was beginning to surpass high priests in that one area, which made her somewhat isolated among the church members.

Being priests themselves, they didn’t overtly despise or reject her. Their feeling toward Lena wasn’t so much jealousy as the discomfort of seeing someone fundamentally different from themselves.

If she could use other church miracles, they would have praised her as a young genius, and if she were unskilled even in healing miracles, they would have seen her as just an awkward apprentice priest…

But the current Lena was like a swordsman who was terrible at all other techniques but had master-level thrusting skills.

That abnormality made it difficult for the priests to get close to her.

That’s probably why Lena was so attached to our sisterly relationship. I was likely the only person who accepted her unconditionally and treated her without reservation.

“That’s good. Still, if you ever feel tired, tell me right away. Understood?”

“Yes!”

After patting Lena’s head as she answered brightly and sending her inside the tent, Leonore, who had been watching, chuckled and whispered:

“Do you realize how differently you treat Lena compared to everyone else?”

What was she talking about?

“She’s cute and admirable. If you’re jealous, try being cute and admirable yourself.”

Leonore tilted her head slightly at my response, then smiled mischievously and opened her mouth.

“Sister~?”

“Ugh.”

I stepped back half a step from Leonore, who was imitating Lena’s tone, with a genuinely uncomfortable expression. It felt like watching a twenty-year-old woman acting cute like an elementary school student. Goosebumps rose on my skin despite its divine protection.

“Hey, what’s with that reaction?”

Leonore couldn’t stop laughing for a while, apparently finding my face extremely amusing.

Act your age, woman…

—-

Several days later, we finally arrived at the border city facing Dane.