Ch.69Chapter 69. Defense of the Western Fortress of Bhalharat (2)

Not long after, we arrived at the fortress.

The outer perimeter of the once hastily built wooden fortress was now surrounded by solid brick walls.

It seemed they considered this fortress important enough to undertake expansion work.

Indeed, the fortress was built in a location with significant strategic value for both the Brans and Aeshus armies.

A red flag fluttering on the high tower strongly proclaimed this place belonged to the Aeshus army.

“Welcome, Lady Irene.”

Some of the guards on duty recognized Irene and greeted her.

Their armor bore emblems signifying they belonged to the Aeshus army.

Like us, they now served under a different sun.

“Hmm. You’re working hard.”

We immediately made our way to the conference room where Epinel was.

Inside, she greeted us with her teal hair tied in a ponytail.

“Under my lord’s command, I, Irene Juliette, have just arrived at the fortress.”

“Welcome, Irene. And the Royal Advisor is here too.”

She looked around at us, then her eyes settled on me.

“You came too, Swen. I’ve been waiting for you.”

I silently bowed my head.

She didn’t seem to expect a response and turned her gaze to address all of us in a serious tone, explaining the current situation.

“Now that reinforcements have arrived, let me explain again. The Brans army is marching toward this fortress with 53,000 soldiers. The enemy vanguard is led by Chel Brans.”

Seeing that Chel was coming, it seemed they were deploying troops from the south.

Having been part of the Brans army until recently, I could clearly see how things were unfolding.

“Currently, this fortress houses 48,000 soldiers. With the additional 3,000 that just arrived, we now have 51,000. Though it’s a fortress rather than a castle, I believe we have sufficient forces to repel them.”

Ginor, who had been listening quietly, asked in a very serious tone.

“…Lady Epinel. Do you intend to continue fighting from this fortress?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“That’s not a rational decision. I believe we should abandon the fortress immediately and return to the castle.”

“Royal Advisor, the number of soldiers on both sides is nearly equal. Though not a castle, we have the advantage of the fortress. It seems to me that unconditional retreat isn’t the only answer in a situation where we have a fighting chance.”

“I understand your intention, General Epinel. However, I don’t believe the Brans army’s invasion will end with just these 53,000 troops. We might be able to hold them off somehow, but our side will inevitably suffer significant damage rather than achieving a clean victory. If this turns into a war of attrition, our army, with its limited territorial foundation, will undoubtedly lose to the overwhelmingly skilled Brans army.”

As he spoke, Ginor bowed his head.

To witness the Royal Advisor bowing to a general was quite something.

Especially someone of Ginor’s caliber.

“General Epinel, please reconsider. Currently, concentrating our forces at Valharat Castle and maximizing the defensive advantage is the best strategy. Once we deal with the Charam and Alrepel armies, a path will surely become clear.”

Honestly, I agreed with Ginor’s opinion.

Not just because his intelligence was 99, but because his reasoning made much more sense.

No matter how much renovation had been done, there was an enormous difference between holding out in a fortress versus a castle. While 53,000 troops was a significant number, it wasn’t insurmountable when combining the fortress troops with those remaining at Valharat Castle.

Moreover, once the soldiers dispatched to fight the Alrepel army returned, we could establish an even stronger defense.

But.

Epinel spoke with a remarkably resolute tone.

“Royal Advisor, I understand your point. However, if we lose this fortress, we’ll only return to a situation of endless standoffs with the Brans army. We must confront them eventually. I believe that time is now. If we continue to avoid direct confrontation, our army will ultimately accomplish nothing.”

Indeed, the fortress’s location was quite strategic.

From my perspective, I had built it somewhat arbitrarily as a place for Irene’s troops to be stationed, but it was in an exquisite position that either the Aeshus or Brans armies could utilize effectively if they captured it.

From Epinel’s standpoint, with the number of soldiers being nearly equal, losing a hard-won fortress just for fear of a prolonged war seemed more detrimental.

I could understand her judgment to some extent.

Unlike Kalintz Brans’s clearly misguided thinking from before, her reasoning had some basis.

“Additionally, I have a different perspective on the Brans army’s continued invasions. According to intelligence, they’ve established an armistice with the southern nations. Aren’t most of the troops gathering here likely those who were guarding the southern border? If so, they’ll eventually bring additional forces from the northern border, and I doubt the Serpina army would remain idle in that case. What do you think?”

“Considering the population of the territories where the Brans army is stationed, additional conscription is possible. And if they bring forces from the western front rather than the northern front, the situation changes entirely. Overall, I believe abandoning the fortress and using Valharat Castle as our stronghold is the surest way to block the Brans army’s invasion.”

“You may be right about definitively blocking the invasion, but as I just mentioned, we can’t break through if we keep blocking the path. If we can subdue the Brans army in this battle, capturing Raclain Castle won’t just be a dream.”

“I understand your feelings, but now is not the time. If we wait, the right moment will surely come.”

At Ginor’s words, Epinel slowly closed her eyes and then spoke in a careful tone.

“Royal Advisor, I don’t want to bring up past events, but I still remember when you boasted that you would plant the Aeshus flag in Raclain Castle. But what happened in the end?”

“…!”

Wow.

To be able to speak so boldly to the Royal Advisor, Epinel’s influence was certainly strong.

By the way, I was the one who had committed that “boastful act” she mentioned.

But since revealing that fact wouldn’t do any good, I’ll just keep quiet here.

“This battle is, in a way, a golden opportunity for our Aeshus army. As you said, targeting Raclain Castle now might indeed be unlikely to succeed. However…”

Epinel spoke in a very emotional tone, as if reminiscing about the past.

“Royal Advisor, you may not know this since you haven’t been with us long, but our Aeshus army has accomplished countless feats—from our first meeting to discuss our cause, to escaping Serpina’s watchful eye in the northern continent, to planting our flag at Valharat Castle in the central region and raising an army. None of these seemed likely to succeed, yet we achieved them. We brothers who share Yurie’s blood have always seized opportunities in such crises to develop to where we are now.”

“…”

“And I believe no one in our army is considering abandoning the fortress and retreating.”

After saying this, Epinel finally turned to face us and exclaimed loudly.

“Am I right? Let those who think we should abandon the battle here and retreat to Valharat Castle raise their hands!”

While no one raised their hand—

I breathed a sigh of relief.

I wanted to toast to her performance being a “question.”

‘Is abandoning the battle and retreating the best option?’

I quickly entered Epinel’s question into my mind.

Regardless of what the two thought, each had plausible reasons.

An ordinary person couldn’t side with either without the ability to read the future, as no one could guarantee who was right.

But I was different.

As long as I could input a question, I could obtain the absolutely correct answer.

Would Ginor’s opinion, with his intelligence of 99, prove accurate?

And the result was.

[Somewhat close.]

“…???”

Huh?

Somewhat close…?

Not the correct answer, but somewhat close?

This wasn’t the first time I’d seen the answer “close.” During that previous regular meeting of the Brans army, Irene’s opinion had been “very close.”

If retreating was “somewhat close,” did that mean we should still withdraw the troops?

Why?

Regardless of my confusion, Epinel continued with what she wanted to say.

She seemed quite satisfied that no one had raised their hand, and her tone gained strength.

“Royal Advisor, we must achieve victory in this battle. It’s the only way to advance into the central part of the continent. Our brothers can accomplish this again. I’ve been granted full authority over this fortress by Yurie. My words are essentially Yurie’s words. I have no intention of yielding on this matter, and I hope you’ll cooperate.”

Ginor closed his eyes in thought, then nodded and said.

“…I understand.”

No matter how much of a Royal Advisor Ginor was, the leader and absolute authority of this nation was the monarch, Yurie.

And Yurie trusted Epinel immensely. It was almost beyond trust—more like being led by her.

Anyway, that wasn’t important right now.

If Ginor’s opinion was “somewhat close,” what about Epinel’s opinion—

that is, “fighting the Brans army without retreating from the fortress”?

‘Is there a natural way to get a question answered?’

At that moment.

With perfect timing, Epinel turned to me and spoke.

“By the way, Swen, I’d like to witness that ability of yours with my own eyes this time.”

“My ability, you say?”

“There’s no use pretending now. I’m talking about the miracle you performed. They say you sought blessing from the heavens and made stones fall?”

Come to think of it, she had said she’d been “waiting” for me.

Was she asking me to use that ability?

“Um, Lady Epinel. Swen’s ability is…”

I gestured to stop Irene from speaking.

I wanted her to leave this to me.

She understood my meaning perfectly and closed her mouth.

“I apologize, Lady Epinel, but communication with the heavens is not something I can do at will. I can only read the energy of the heavens, understand the flow of the stars, and guide that flow favorably. Though I sincerely wish to help, that channel is currently blocked.”

“Is that so? What about performing a ritual similar to last time?”

“Well, I could do that… but there’s no guarantee the heavens will respond. If the purpose is to cloud the eyes of the Brans army, it’s not a bad idea, but I’m afraid I can’t give you a definitive answer about its practical effectiveness.”

While a ritual might serve as a bluff against the Brans army, the problem would come afterward if nothing happened.

“Hmm… is that so?”

Epinel looked somewhat disappointed but then shook her head and said.

“Well, even without relying on your miracle, our army should be able to defeat the Brans army here, don’t you think?”

At Epinel’s perfectly timed question, I breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Great!’

Though unintended, I managed to get the question I was curious about.

Second question: ‘Can the Aeshus army defeat the Brans army in this battle?’

My next actions would be determined by the result.

And once again.

The intelligence 100 brain, so nonchalantly.

As casually as introducing tonight’s dinner menu, it simply spat out the result.

[It depends on the will of the heavens.]

‘??????’

Once again, an unexpected result.