Around the time Rigel’s Gousser Marquis army captured the fortress—

Balzac von Gousser, the current head of the Gousser Marquis family and Rigel’s father, was visiting the royal capital of the Kingdom of Wistaria.

He had come for his duties as Commander of the Royal Guard Knight Order.

"Fuu... I’m a little tired. Long carriage rides really take a toll."

Even managing his own territory kept him extremely busy, and on top of that he had to fulfill his responsibilities as knight commander. It was no easy task.

Well, he had a steward handling the territory and a vice-commander for the knight order, so he managed somehow — but it was still exhausting.

(If only Mesterica would grow up a bit more, things would become easier...)

He thought this while overseeing the knights’ training.

His daughter, Mesterica von Gousser.

At just 15 years old, she was already a talented girl who had mastered mid-level swordsmanship.

She was still immature compared to first-rate adventurers or high-ranking knights, but there was no doubt she had a promising future.

However, despite Balzac having approached her many times about joining the Royal Guard, she had refused each time.

She claimed, "I still want to study more!"

(Good grief... She should consider her father’s hardships a little more. I wish she’d tone down that brother complex too.)

In Balzac’s view, Mesterica’s excuse was a lie.

In truth, she seemed worried about her younger brother, Rigel.

This year Rigel had turned 12 and had already completed his coming-of-age ceremony, so he should be treated as a full adult.

Yet he still hadn’t become independent.

In society, he was known as "the incompetent whose talent was completely stolen by his older sister Mesterica"...

(Fufu... Fools. He is not that kind of boy.)

Balzac muttered inwardly with a small smile.

It was true that until recently, even from his father’s perspective, Rigel had seemed like an ordinary, unremarkable boy.

But the current Rigel was different.

He had awakened to sexual desire and was vigorously indulging himself with maids and slaves every day.

(To be honest, I never expected him to become so obsessed with women at that age. I certainly didn’t raise him that way...)

Still, Balzac had no intention of scolding him for his womanizing.

In fact, he encouraged it.

After all, since Balzac himself had become impotent, Rigel needed to work hard to preserve the Gousser Marquis bloodline.

(Fufu... Both Rigel and Mesterica have bright futures ahead of them...)

Balzac smiled as he watched the knights train.

At that moment—

"Marquis Gousser. Pardon the interruption."

A familiar voice called out to him.

When he turned around, he saw a face he knew well.

It was Cynthia von Blade, the daughter of a count and known as the "Silver Holy Knight," considered the strongest swordswoman in the kingdom.

She came from a noble family with ties to the Gousser Marquis house — and Balzac had actually been considering her as a potential fiancée for Rigel.

(Hmm... Perhaps it’s about time to seriously discuss the engagement. If Rigel achieves some military merit in this war, then maybe...)

In public opinion, Rigel was still seen as incompetent.

This was the same within noble circles.

Considering the status of a marquis, an engagement between the current Rigel and Cynthia wasn’t impossible.

However, the better Rigel’s reputation became, the easier it would be to push the engagement forward.

Thinking this, Balzac opened his mouth.

"Well, if it isn’t the Holy Knight herself."

"It has been a while, Marquis Gousser."

Cynthia returned the greeting with a graceful smile.

Balzac asked her:

"What brings you here today?"

"His Majesty the King summons you. He requests your immediate presence at the castle."

"Understood. I’ll head there right away."

Balzac answered briefly and turned on his heel.

Cynthia seemed intent on accompanying him and walked beside him.

And so — they arrived at the royal castle.

After being saluted by the gate knights, they entered the castle and proceeded directly to the audience chamber.

"Your Majesty! Balzac von Gousser, head of the Gousser Marquis family, has arrived!"

"...Mm."

The king nodded heavily.

Balzac addressed him:

"Your Majesty! Regarding the current war, our army has—"

"—There is no need to say more. I already know."

At the king’s words, Balzac’s eyes widened.

The king continued:

"The mere fact that you are standing here means I have already received the report of victory."

"...I see. So you already know everything."

Balzac smiled wryly.

The enemy nation bordering the Gousser Marquis territory was a small country.

Balzac had believed that even if he left the command entirely to his daughter and son, they would still win.

"There was no chance of losing the battle on the plains. After that, they would advance into enemy territory and likely be stalled at the fortress. There would be some casualties on our side, but it would allow my son and daughter to gain valuable experience."

"Mm. Do as you wish."

The Kingdom of Wistaria was a great power.

It had many issues with the countries it bordered, so for minor skirmishes, the royal family usually did not intervene directly.

Of course, if things turned heavily against them, intervention would be necessary — but the king judged that this conflict would not escalate to that level.

That was why he had decided to leave everything to Balzac.

A calm atmosphere filled the room, including the king and Balzac.

However—

"R-report!!"

A soldier burst into the chamber, instantly changing the mood.

---

A messenger soldier burst into the audience chamber of the royal castle.

There were three main figures present:

- The King of Wistaria

- Balzac von Gousser, Marquis

- Cynthia von Blade, daughter of a count and known as the Silver Holy Knight

Naturally, all three held far higher status than a mere messenger soldier.

Seeing the soldier gasping for breath, Cynthia frowned.

"Insolent fool! This is His Majesty’s presence!!"

"It’s fine. What is the matter?"

The king stopped Cynthia from scolding the soldier and urged him to continue.

The soldier spoke with visible tension:

"We have just received confirmation of the war situation near the Gousser Marquis territory!"

"What? You came running all the way here for something so trivial?"

Balzac let out a bored sigh.

He had assumed that a soldier bursting into the audience chamber must have brought something extremely important.

But it turned out to be nothing major.

"There is no way my Gousser Marquis army would lose to a mere small country—"

"The enemy nation has successfully tamed an earth dragon! Because of this, our forces are struggling and have suffered considerable losses!"

"...What did you say!?"

Balzac couldn’t help but ask again.

He continued in a fluster:

"Impossible...! A mere small country managed to tame a dragon species!?"

"Yes...! It appears so...!"

"Khh! I cannot stay here! My son and daughter are on the battlefield. I must head there immediately...! Wait for me, my beloved son and daughter!!"

Balzac turned on his heel to leave, but the king’s voice stopped him.

"Wait."

"!?"

Balzac’s body twitched as he turned back around.

The king said calmly:

"Calm yourself. We have not lost yet, have we? There is no need to panic."

"Y-yes, but..."

"I understand your anxiety as a parent and as the head of a noble house. But at least listen to the full report."

"...Yes!"

Balzac bowed his head slightly and knelt.

The king nodded and spoke again.

"Continue."

"Yes! Regarding the enemy’s earth dragon — it appears that Rigel-dono, the supreme commander of the Gousser Marquis army, single-handedly defeated it!"

"Hou...?"

The king narrowed his eyes with interest.

The excited soldier continued without noticing:

"The earth dragon was a massive creature, but Rigel-dono defeated it alone! After that, he advanced to the fortress and took down the enemy commander! It is truly a heroic achievement!!"

"I see... That is splendid."

The king replied calmly to the excited soldier.

He then turned his gaze to Balzac.

"See? You should have listened to the end of the report. I knew of your son’s reputation, but... it seems his talent has finally blossomed."

"I-it would appear so... I never expected this much."

Balzac muttered quietly and exhaled.

(Rigel... So he truly was the son I believed in...)

(Amazing... To think that Rigel-dono possessed such talent...)

Both Balzac and Cynthia thought this inwardly.

However, a concern suddenly arose in Balzac’s mind.

"Taking down the fortress commander means... a large-scale invasion into enemy territory is now possible, correct?"

"So it would seem."

"I taught my son and daughter how to fight on the plains and how to capture a fortress. But I have not taught them how to conduct an invasion deep into enemy territory."

Balzac’s expression showed clear anxiety.

The king read this but deliberately said nothing.

Balzac continued:

"We may be able to capture one city... but building a stable defensive base there will be difficult. No — whether one city will even satisfy them... In the worst case, they might fall into an enemy trap."

"Hmm... That is true."

The king stroked his chin in thought.

After pondering for a while, he finally looked up and said:

"Then send an urgent messenger. Instruct them to halt the invasion at the first city after the fortress and wait for reinforcements."

"The first city after the fortress... That would be the city of Sashoi."

"Mm. That position is deep enough to be meaningful, yet not so deep as to overextend. It should be a sufficient achievement for this campaign."

The enemy was a small country.

Losing the earth dragon and a large number of soldiers in the plains battle was already a heavy blow.

Losing their commander and the fortress afterward was a devastating setback.

If the city of Sashoi was also occupied, it would have a significant impact on the enemy nation’s future operations.

In terms of national power, it could mean a drop of more than 10%.

(This should make them behave themselves for a while...)

The king thought this silently.

Even though it was a tiny country compared to the great power of Wistaria, it was still a nation.

Advancing beyond Sashoi carried the risk of an unexpected counterattack, so the king judged this to be the appropriate compromise point.

"Then I shall send the urgent messenger immediately. For the subsequent reinforcements, I will go myself. Well, there probably won’t be any actual fighting."

"Mm. Negotiate a ceasefire skillfully, within the range where the enemy does not become desperate."

"Leave it to me."

Balzac bowed respectfully and quickly left the audience chamber.

Cynthia and the messenger soldier also departed.

"Fufu... Rigel von Gousser, is it? If this battle report is true... he is quite an interesting young man."

In the end, the king murmured this softly to himself.