The Marquis’ Eldest Son’s Lascivious Story-Chapter 166: Quardenze's Serpent

Chapter 166 - Quardenze's Serpent

"Like a leaf that shakes in a great river, so it sinks to the bottom of the water."

"Like the serpent that runs up the great river, so shall it rise up to the mountain."

"All things are as man knows them."

"I am the serpent of Quardenze."

"Farewell, old robe."

"There is only one road to conquer."

After finishing his speech, he swung down his treasured sword, which he had raised high. The sound of the blade cutting through the air echoed well in the quiet room.

I silently stare at my father with my arm outstretched, and he looks at me as well.

My skin was numb from the tense air, and I felt as if I might slip on the treasure sword in my sweat.

This is a passage from the beginning of the play "The Red Devil and the Five Princesses," the departure of Quardenze Cassia.

The power of the kingdom of Voistra, which was at its peak at the time, was great, and the Quardenze family was always outnumbered.

Princess Cassia, who had been intelligent and bold from her childhood, jumped into the swell of the times in order to break through the status quo.

This passage is set on a small hill on the outskirts of the city of Newbery.

The flow of the Orvieto River, the great river that flows east of the Quardenze territory, was often beautifully serpentine, and it resembled a giant snake.

On that day, Princess Kasia climbed a small hill in the suburbs of New Nerrie and looked at the majestic flow of the river, determining the path she should take and expressing her feelings.

I wonder if my father understood what I was trying to say.

Like Princess Cassia, who once stood up to the threat of the kingdom of Voistra, I must make a decision to face the threat of the Spierzeik family that now looms.

My father, the son of Quardenze Kasia, the founder of the Quardenze family, should be able to do so.

"Wilk."

My father calls my name.

"It was a good speech."

Smiling lightly, as if self-mocking, my father slowly closed his eyes.

'I see Mother has scolded you, what you're doing. ......

Whatever was floating behind his eyelids, the little words were filled with a feeling akin to nostalgia.

But when my father opened his eyelids again, there were the same silver eyes filled with the dignity of an aristocrat as always.

"The general of the defense of the city of Nambonan is Quardenze Wilk. Crush the fools of Spierzeik."

I exhaled as I looked up at the clear, cloudless winter morning sky. The cold air colored the sky white, and in the blink of an eye, it flowed backward.

The horse's body heat, enhanced by magic, was blazing hot, and my crotch and buttocks were sweating.

"Aah!"

I sat up and sat back in the saddle to release the heat that had built up in my lower body. The horse was kicking wildly at the ground, paying no attention to my movements.

I guessed from the scenery flowing by my side that the horse was running as fast as a car on the highway.

Even if he fell off the horse, he would not die if it was the body of the main ancestor, but he was still a little scared.

However, now that he had succeeded in persuading his father to entrust him with the generalship, he could not afford to falter.

"Wilk-sama!"

I turn my head only to hear a voice behind me. There was a small group of elite warriors consisting of about 50 people.

All of them were mounted on horses strengthened by my magic, and they were following me closely in formation.

"At least the engineering soldiers are ......!"

One of the knights breaks away from the line and stands beside me, advising me.

I don't need to ask you all to understand that this is a proposal that has been made many times before to replenish the ranks.

"No need!　We'll keep the same speed!"

I had had enough of listening to him, and I showed the knight that I was not going to listen to his advice with strong words and attitude.

After the play was over at New Nellie Castle, my father entrusted me with the knight Gatoren as my second-in-command and several active knights as my assistants.

At this time, the knights were planning to lead the troops stationed in New Nellie City to reinforce Nambonan City.

However, there was no time to waste in gathering soldiers, and the march would be delayed if they were to take along the slow-footed commoner soldiers.

Therefore, I insisted on a forced march by a very small elite force consisting only of myself and the knights.

Since there were Quardenze soldiers in Nambonan, there was no need to take them all the way from New Nellie City.

Thanks to the theatrical effect, my idea was basically accepted, although there was some push and shove.

As expected, my father was concerned about the fact that there were no commoner soldiers to serve as a wall, so he added more squires other than knights to the army.

The knight's family comes to greet the New Year with a large group, and many of them are candidates for the next knighthood or are excellent military officers.

My father picked up such young and lively people. In terms of combat ability, they were the best.

In this way, the Wilk Corps, a reinforcement force for the city of Nambonan, was completed with about 50 men, consisting of several knights and young members of knight families, and they were finally able to leave the castle of New Nellie.

Looking at me from the side, the knight seemed to be looking for his next words while making a difficult face in response to my reply.

I don't think I'm going to gather troops in New Nellie City or any of the other cities along the way," he said.

The primary goal of any operation nowadays is rapid reinforcements!　Do not misjudge me!"

I turned my face forward and concentrated on driving my horse.

Certainly, with more than one knight, even a few thousand men would be able to move quickly.

But that is a speed of march that is only within the bounds of common sense for nobles and knights. In other words, it is a speed of march that is predictable even for the Spierzeik family.

In order to break down Spierzeig's evil plan, I feel that a feat like smashing the enemy's timetable would be necessary.

The cities of New Nellie and Nambonan are far apart, but with the mobility of this Wilk force, they could at least reach them before nightfall.

It would be a far cry from gathering troops in the cities and then setting out.

We will leave it to you to lead the way," he said. We will not slow down.

As we approach a slightly wider street, the knight Gatoren lines up beside me.

He is a knight with a calm atmosphere, about the age of a retired businessman.

He must have sensed that I had already made up my mind and gave up trying to persuade me.

"Okay, please."

I was a little relieved to see Knight Gatoren's reaction.

Since a knight's loyalty is to the head of the Quardenze family, he will always admonish his trueborn son if he tries to do something wrong, and in some cases, he may even refuse to follow orders.

Paradoxically, the fact that he didn't strongly oppose me means that my plan to attack the city of Nambonan is not that crazy.

"Ha. Leave it to me."

Since it was more reliable to have someone familiar with the territory's roads lead the way, I quickly took the lead.

Immediately, the knight Gatoren and several of the young military officers leaped forward.

Gatoren, the leading knight, signaled by moving his arms and hands from side to side, and a formation resembling the diamond symbol on a playing card was formed around me.

As one would expect, everyone is used to being on horseback.

The horse that received my body enhancement magic was very difficult to ride, if I do say so myself. They dance and bounce on the ground, and are swung up and down and from side to side.

However, not only the knights but also all the young military officers rode without a hitch, and they did not break ranks. In fact, I was the one who was the most unsteady.

I guess young people who come to the New Year's greetings are well educated.

It would not look good if the person who is telling them to hurry is the slowest.

I put strength into my grip on the reins.

In order to get from New Nellie City to Nambonan City, we needed to cross the Great River to the west.

After discussing this with the knights, we decided to cross the river at a point upstream from the city of Nambonan.

Although this route would increase the distance to be traveled, I was not familiar with large rivers or boats, so I decided to accept their advice.

There were two main reasons for the decision to cross the river upstream.

The first was the expected deployment of the enemy's main ancestral army.

Basically, nobles tend to be cautious at best and timid at worst. Well, it could also be that the knights under their command were worried.

Considering this, it is highly likely that the enemy's main ancestral army is deployed to the west or southwest of the city of Nambonan. It is a position from which they could easily retreat to Spierzeik territory in the event of an emergency.

If the Wilk forces cross the river upstream to Nambonan City, they will emerge from the northeast direction of the city, which will allow them to keep their distance from the enemy's main ancestral army.

A small number of fast-moving Wilk forces would also be able to easily join up with their friends in Nambonan City before they are captured by the enemy.

Second is the difficulty of crossing the river.

It is difficult to imagine, but if Spierzeik's army had control of the river, rather than control of the sea around Nambonan City, they could sink the ship if they were too careless in crossing the river.

Even if they were not, if they were discovered while crossing the river, the enemy's main army would attack from the shore. If the enemy's magic has a long range of fire, it could sink the boat if it is unlucky.

It is difficult to imagine a situation where the upper reaches of the river are under control, so the idea is to sneak across the river from there.

Furthermore, the Amelia River, a large river that flows west of the territory of Kuordenze, has a large volume of water and a steep current, so it would be safer and quicker to cross the river with a skilled helmsman.

In this respect, it is convenient because there are still military river ports upstream, which were mainly used before the conquest of the city of Nambonan.

I can swim 25 meters in a crawl or breaststroke. With the strength of my ancestors, I should be able to manage my physical fitness.

The Quardenze family has a legitimate son, Quardenze Wilk!　I heard of the crisis in the city of Nambonan and swam over!" It should not be impossible to land on the other side of the river, say .......

When I jokingly made this suggestion, it was immediately rejected as not feasible. Not only was it too reckless, but, to my surprise, knights and military officers could not swim.

Perhaps it was the pride of the ruling class, but they had never played in the river like the commoners. Indeed, I too have never swum since I was born on the continent of Eluo.

Even nobles and knights who seem to have strong strength may be killed more easily than expected if you push them into a river.

In the end, we were able to cross the Amelia River as planned without much trouble.

Since the crossing was done in two parts, those who started first were already ready to go.

I stuffed my stomach with the lunch I couldn't finish on the boat and got ready to leave. I was on the last boat.

"We will now proceed to the open sea. ......"

Knight Gatoren opens his mouth.

The level of danger is different from that in the interior. Be very careful.

Because of the new territories that have been added in the last 20 years or so, the rule of the Quardenze family has not yet penetrated so deeply in the outer regions.

There are reports that the remnants of the ruined knight families have turned into guerrillas and are cooperating with the Spierzeik forces.

They are really troublesome people who cannot live because they have lost their head nobleman and just keep on struggling to find a place to die.

There was a saying on Earth that it is more difficult to end a war than to start one, and I have no doubt that it will hold true on the continent of Eruo.

I nodded to Knight Gatoren's words and vowed to watch out for enemy raids.

We mounted the horses we had brought from the interior by boat and started riding in a southwesterly direction.

I could see that the knights and military officers were more alert than in the interior, and the ranks surrounding me were more tense than ever.

According to the knights, it is expected that there are some scouts of Spierzeig's army lurking in this area.

The Spierzeiks are naturally wary of the reinforcements that are expected to come from the city of Newbery, and they have sent scouts to the upper reaches of the river where they are likely to land.

However, since no scouts can move faster than the Wilkes, there is no need to fear too much when they are discovered. There are no telephones or radios on the Eruo continent, so by the time the scouts return to report to Spierzeig's army, Wilk's force will have long since arrived.

The knight and the military officer decided that it would be better to hurry to the city of Nambonan, not to worry about being found.

The Wilks proceeded along the main road.

They had just left New Nellie City this morning, but they would reach Nambonan City in the evening,.......

"Is that the enemy?"

Pointing in the direction of travel, I paid a visit to the knight running next to me.

Ever since we had started running through the open country, I had been casting a detection spell in a forward direction.

In the forest off the road, in the center of a small group of dark sesame seeds visible from a distance, I could sense the presence of a squire-level magician.

"There's one follower soldier here."

"Ha. I will confirm."

The knight then puts his fingers to his temples and stares ahead as if glaring.

The knight, who must have enhanced his eyesight with magic, immediately identified the group of sesame grains as an enemy army and alerted everyone to be on the alert.

"The enemy has no more than 20 men, so it should be easy to kick them out when they come at us," he said. ......Those flags, they are a bunch of deadbeats. They are utterly abominable."

Apparently, the banner of a knightly family that served a noble family that had already been destroyed is hidden among the group.

"What, even the knights have survived?"

"No, the knights of that house were defeated in a great battle. Perhaps it was the remaining family members and their minions. I thought they were here to martyr themselves for their late lord."

The knight says that the vengeance against the Quardenze family is probably being used by the Spiaseik family.

Even if the Spierzeiks win, there is no future for the knightly family that has lost its head.

In the meantime, the distance between the two houses is shrinking.

The group of enemies, which looked like sesame grains, became so large that they could be identified as human beings.

"Enemies, get ready to intercept!"

"How may I help you?"

The small army, visible from a distance, appears to have left the forest, deployed to the street, and is beginning to form up.

Because of the speed of the Wilk forces, it would be possible to bypass them and avoid the battle.

"Of course, we have no intention of doing that; we are in a hurry. Besides, ......."

"Hmmm... ......."

I can't help but smile.

The presence of enemy troops was indeed a welcome presence. We could practice before colliding with the main body of the enemy.

"Keep going straight. We'll trample them down."

As I said this, I picked up a spear to use on horseback. It resembles a huge brush if you only look at its silhouette.

If I were to compare it to a dragon scimitar, it would be closer to a scimitar. The handle is a dark rouge color, and the blade is shaped like a candle flame flickering in a light breeze.

One wonders if this is a spear, but on the continent of Eruo it is recognized as a type of spear. Any weapon with a long handle is a spear.

Since swords cannot reach on horseback, everyone carries a spear like this.

"Listen!　I will strengthen them all!　Don't let change shake you off!"

I stand up on my horse, raise my spear to the heavens and call out.

The more powerful the body-enhancing magic is, the more the changes confuse our perception and awareness, and we can lose our balance and fall. This is even more so when it comes to enhancement using my vast magical power.

The people who are following me now are the best warriors in the Quardenze territory. I want to believe that they can withstand my strengthening magic.

"Leave it to me!"

"I'll follow you with everything I've got!"

"Young Master, feel free to do so!"

Whether my thoughts were conveyed or whether they were just genuinely proud to be able to receive the body-enhancing magic of a nobleman, the young military officer in particular responded with a voice full of joy.

Perhaps it was the excitement of the battlefield, but my own heartbeat was louder than the sound of my horse's footsteps as it ran like a rampaging horse and rumbled on the ground.

"Only the follower soldiers should be targeted!　Kick them to the curb!"

I raise my voice at such a distance that the two armies are about to collide.

In order to meet their expectations, I squeeze out the magical power that is buzzing inside my body and activate the body enhancement magic.

I said, "Uu......."

Instantly, a voice filled with suffering echoes from the knight next to him.

'Ooooh ......'

It spread like ripples on the surface of the water to the troops.

"Ooooh ......!"

But that agony is only a prelude to the rapture that follows.

"Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

As if to expel the enormous energy they had been given from their mouths, the warriors let out a yell.

Their wild voices, which seemed to come up from the depths of the earth, resembled the sound of an engine waiting for a gear change after the rpms had reached their full capacity.

The volume of breath exhaled from the military officers was no less than that of the exhaust from heavy machinery. The heat level of the troops had clearly increased.

"Forward!　Cut through!"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

The roar of the Wilk squad frightened some of the enemy soldiers into turning away, but one of the military officers, determined not to let them escape, swung his spear at an angle.

I happened to be able to see the scene through the gap between the two officers.

The frightened expressions on the enemy soldiers' faces were distorted by the spear's tip, and their skulls were shattered, sending red splashes of blood as if in slow motion.

Another young warrior swung his spear, similar to a naginata, in a horizontal line.

Without warning, a black shadow burst into flames, showering the fleeing soldiers to the side with a shower of fresh blood.

At the same time as I hear the screams of the enemy soldiers, the reaction of the enemy follower soldiers disappears from my magic detection.

The object that blew up was an enemy follower.

I only realized this after I had broken through the enemy forces and was running through.

It happened in less than 30 seconds ...... or even 10 seconds after making contact with the enemy troops.

"Ha, ha, ha ......"

Looking back, only there was a path as if it had been trampled by the Titans, and the ground was stained red by blood and guts.

The lives that had been there just a few seconds before could no longer even be counted.

It was a scene that symbolized violence by an overwhelmingly strong man.

"Wow! ......!"

"Ha ha!"　You were like rags!"

The young military officers who had run through the front of the group look back and confirm the intense results of the battle.

Their eyes blazing and bloodshot as if intoxicated by body-enhancing magic, their white teeth peeked out.

Their faces were splattered with blood, as if they were bloodthirsty murderers.

Seeing them, I cool down a bit. This is not even an outpost, it's too early to get carried away.

I cleared my throat and then raised my voice.

"It's time to get down to business!　Everybody brace yourselves!"

The young military officers in front of us looked flabbergasted and turned their faces back in the direction they were going.

At the same time, the knight Gatoren brought his horse closer to me.

"What's the matter?"

"I wonder if you could stop once around here and un-strengthen us. We would like to get used to the drop-off while we still can."

Checking his surroundings, the knight Gatoren said, his expression hardening a bit.

I accept it and give the order to halt the march.

Magic, not just body enhancement magic, is basically a form of magic that must be activated continuously.

This is different from the game's auxiliary magic, which, once applied, remains in effect for a certain number of turns.

In other words, I am in the process of applying body enhancement magic to all the soldiers and horses in the Wilk team.

The physical enhancement magic is not only effective immediately after it is applied, but what is even more painful is when it is terminated.

If they are used to it, it is difficult for them to become sluggish, but unfortunately, this was the first time they had been subjected to my body enhancement magic.

The stronger the enhancement, the greater the impact when it is released. It was probably because they were wary of the fallout that knight Gatoren took the trouble to advise them to terminate after stopping.

"I am sorry, sir, but I must ask you to allow me to dismount."

"Mm?　All right."

The young people mouthed that they were fine with staying on horseback, but the knight-gatherer silenced them and forced them all to dismount.

When they were all in the posture of correcting their posture and bowing, I cast off my body-enhancing magic.

"......!

"Oooh......!"

"Gooooo!"

Immediately, cries of anguish rose up from the surroundings.

The young military officer, who had been looking relaxed until a moment ago, turned so pale that he looked as if he might collapse at any moment and shut his mouth. Some of them were on one knee on the ground, trying desperately to stifle their vomiting.

The knights were not in obvious pain, and they were looking clear, but their clenched fists were trembling.

I wondered if I had overdone it, and just as I was thinking that, the knights came slowly closer to me.

"It's wonderful, it's reinforced, young master!　You don't have to worry about it. ......!"

"That's right. We are the Spears of Quardenze ......!　Please swing it to your heart's content. ......!

His words showed his concern for me, of course, but rather well other feelings. It was an emotion of joy.

Perhaps being freed from the reinforcement allowed him to better perceive the mighty power that had been given to him.

They had the heart of a boy comic book hero, if you will....... who simply yearned for strength.

Not to be outdone by the knights, the young military officers also stood up.

After all, they were the elite, and it didn't take them long to get back on their horses and start riding again.

The shadows darkened and the winter air made my heart feel lonely.

The city of Nambonan, caught in my vision, was colored by the setting sun and seemed to be bleeding.

The Quardenze forces continued to attack and defend against Spierzeik's army, and I could see people dying on the ground.

The distance between Wilk's army and the city of Nambonan is about the same as one stop on a train in the countryside in prehistoric Japan.

We were watching the Spierzeik forces as we hid in the trees on the hillside to the northeast of the city.

"We made it in time."

The city walls, visible from a distance, were crumbling in places, but had not yet fallen.　

What is now unfolding is not a siege but a battle in the field.

The city walls were in the process of being rebuilt, and their defensive strength was close to zero. The local commanders, judging that a siege would be difficult, probably decided to attack from the city.

The Quardenze forces were deployed to surround the city, and the Spierzeig forces were deployed to envelop it.

If you look closely, you can see several areas where the ground has been gouged out, as if it had been bombed. It was apparent that the mainland army must have been on the front line several times.

Spierzeig Werret seemed to be taking a rest now, or perhaps he was moving backwards. As initially expected, the main ancestral army is encamped on a hill located in the southwest direction from the city.

"The battle situation doesn't look too bad."

"The movement of the militia is good."

"Morale seems high."

Each of the young military officers was analyzing the war situation.

Several of them were discussing with each other, reading the number of troops from the formations and maneuvers, and deciphering the superiority or inferiority of the situation.

It seemed that they were discussing among themselves, but they had all come to the conclusion that the Quardenze forces were not inferior at the moment.

The squires of the knight family have a lot of experience in war. I can't make such a confident analysis of what on earth they are looking at to determine superiority or inferiority.

"Which of them are the citizen soldiers?"

I ask the young military officer closest to me.

It was difficult to distinguish between ordinary Quardenze soldiers and Nambonan citizen soldiers.

The Nambonan militiamen drafted from the city were likely to have been given their equipment by the Quardenze army, so they could not be judged by their weapons and armor.

Knights and military officers are said to be able to tell somewhat by looking at their movements.

'Yes, ...... can you recognize the military flag of that Gatoren family?'

Since the knight Gatoren is very close to me, that military flag fluttering on the battlefield is expected to be that of a Gatoren family member.

"Ah. It's the front line troops right now, isn't it?　There's a lot of momentum."

"Yes, sir. Most of those troops are Nambonan citizen soldiers."

"...... That's great."

Even though they are led by a Gatoren family member, it is somewhat unexpected that conscripted citizen soldiers are fighting on the front lines and with such an advantage that I can see.

If you listen carefully, you can hear the shouts of "Long live the city of Nambonan" reaching us from afar on the wind. It seems that they are trying to raise the morale of the people of Nambonan by kindling their love for their hometown.

The Nambonan soldiers do not seem to be bothered by the waves of killing intent that are being sent out from the main ancestral army in the rear of the city. They are not bothered by this, which is something you can only do if you have a strong will.

"If we join forces now, we can push them back all at once. This too will be possible only with your immediate decision, young master."

"I see."

The military officer kept his gaze fixed in the distance as if he were waiting for the time to join up, while only his hands were carefully adjusting his weapons.

With the city of Nambonan in sight, Wilk's group was making preparations before colliding with the main body of the enemy.

Charging in with full force is the source of unexpected accidents, the knight said. Sounds like a slogan from a construction site.

I had some thoughts about the words of the military officer, so I quietly left the place.

"Knight Gatoren."

I had business with Gatoren, the knight attached to me as second in command.

"Ha."

So I look around to make sure I'm not attracting attention from the others.

A few were looking at me, but when they saw how I was avoiding their attention, they turned their bodies in the direction of the day after tomorrow.

"I want to ask you something. How do you intend to act after this?"

When I told him that I wanted to confirm the strategy, Knight Gatoren immediately began to answer.

"The enemy's main ancestral army is pulling back, and we cannot let this opportunity pass us by. We will join up with our friends before the enemy captures us."

"......"

"It is to be expected that some of the enemy forces will read our aim and come to obstruct us, but so will the friendly forces, and they will do their best to make way to join us. Fortunately, there seem to be some smart military officers stationed in the northern part of the city. They will be ready to move as soon as we send them a signal. And ......"

Knight Gatoren spun his words fluidly, as if he had been thinking about the situation while on the move so that he would be prepared to deal with any situation.

"After joining ......, we will immediately disband this unit and evenly distribute the personnel to the friendly units. The reinforcement of each unit's retinue will make it easier for us to gain an advantage throughout the battle area,......."

I've already heard the part I want to confirm, but the story doesn't end.

"...... young master is arriving, and the morale of the friendly forces is expected to be greatly boosted. I will join the main force of the Nambonan garrison and rapidly deploy a force with Wilk-sama as its general-in-chief to put pressure on the enemy's main ancestral army. ......"

The plan was to drive back the Spierzeig forces and to ensure my personal safety first and foremost.

If I had said nothing, the knight Gatoren would have chosen this strategy without hesitation. But I had a plan.

"I had a plan."

"What would it be like?"

"The idea is that we don't join up with them right away."

Knight Gatoren looked reluctant, but did not immediately deny it. I guess he would ask me everything and then try to make a decision.

My roots are still rooted in the values of my earthly days, when I had nothing to do with battles. That is why I wanted the judgment of a war professional on the continent of Eruo.

I have confidence that it will work, but there is a possibility that it will be taken as the opinion of an idiot who knows too little about war.

It would be shameful to suddenly announce my idea in front of everyone and have it rejected, so I wanted them to listen to what I had to say behind the scenes. If I was going to show my shame, the fewer people in the room, the better.

When I told him my plan, the knight Gatoren showed his reluctance.

"It's ......"

"But if done well, it would greatly reduce the power of the Spierzeig family, wouldn't it?"

My idea is very simple.

We would cast body-enhancement magic on the Wilk squad and charge in, destroying enemy units individually with divine speed, killing and wounding Spierzeik's knights and squires as we went.

"But ......"

If it had been Knight Gatoren immediately after his departure from the city of Newbery this morning, he would have immediately rejected such an operation.

But Knight Gatoren has seen firsthand the power of my body enhancement magic.

After crossing the river, Wilk's team eventually broke through three scouting units. Although all of them were led by squires, they broke through them as if they were ripping open a piece of shoji paper.

There was enough of a track record to convince them of the possibility of success in the street operation.

"As soon as we confirm the approach of the main ancestral army, we will join up with our friends. This will not be a problem. After this, we will have reinforcements for Grandfather, so don't you think we should avenge any enemies we can?"

"............ that's true, but ......"

If the Wilk forces joined their friends, the Spierzeig forces might retreat immediately.

This is because the enemy's strategy is to drop the city of Nambonan, where there is no main ancestor, and the premise collapses in the first place. It would be safer to retreat with no damage than to fight badly.

However, considering that after defending Nambonan City, they would go to support their grandfather who was fighting at the frontline base, they would have to inflict some damage on Spierzeig's forces or there would still be a part of them that was uneasy.

There is a possibility that they will attack Nambonan City again at the same time I head for the frontline base, or even attack me in a pincer attack.

Taking out the knights and military officers who commanded the troops here would lead to a narrowing of the options available to the Spierzeig forces.

With the main army in the rear, the only dangerous presence would be the retinue, including the knights. This can only be called bonus time.

The knight Gatoren must understand the situation.

"As you know, I just experienced my first battle. I don't have much experience in fighting."

Ultimately, I believe that is the majority of the reason for Knight Gatoren's hesitation.

He must be thinking about whether I would get carried away with the knight hunt and misjudge my retreat, or whether I would be reckless and go charging into the enemy's main army.

"That is why I leave it to the knights to decide when to join up with their friends. Is that clear?"

"Does that mean that all the knights must be in agreement?"

"No, it is not. If even one of us decides that we should do so, we will join up with our friends immediately."

I decided to leave the decision to pull out to the knights.

Apparently, this decision was a very big one for knight Gatoren, his reluctant face softened a bit.

In the first place, I had never thought of deciding when to join up with my friends by myself. I had no confidence that I would be able to make a calm decision when I entered the battlefield, even though I could not read the battle situation from a distance.

Perhaps the knight Gatoren had taken it as a strategy that I would decide the timing? If so, I can understand why he would feel uneasy.

After a polite bow, the knight gatherer agreed to the street operation.

The details of the operation were immediately determined and awareness was shared.

Basically, he will explain the operation to other knights and military officers. All I had to do was tell everyone to do their best.

I looked around and saw that almost everyone had finished checking their equipment and were ready to march at any time.

"Attention, everyone!"

The knight Gatoren calls out to them. In this case, there is no mistake that he means "Pay attention to the young master.

The military officers looked at me with a serious expression on their faces.

"I will now explain the plan. Listen carefully."

"Ha!"

I listened to the knight Gatoren's explanation in silence, wondering what comment to make, but keeping my face serious.

"We will now assault the enemy forces attacking the city of Nambonan and destroy the knights of Spierzeig."

"Oh," a small voice shouted.

The young military officers were jubilant, while the knights were anxious.

Knight Gatoren explained what he and I had talked about earlier and said he would join up with his friends if the enemy's main army moved.

He said, "We will crush the enemy who avenge ...... Quardenze."

Knight Gatoren said this last in a low, slightly wrinkled voice.

The words seemed to be filled with an emotion bordering on indignation. After all, he probably wanted to fight Spierzeig's army, too.

"Young Master."

Knight Gatoren turned around and stepped back, lowering himself slightly.

He pretended to be asking us to inspire everyone. What was he going to do if ...... I didn't think anything of it?

I stepped forward as if to say, I'm going to talk to you now.

"What is winning this battle?"

I spoke as if I were talking to someone without being question-like, so that no one would respond.

I asked him, "Do you mean to join up with your friends and push back Spierzeig's army?"

The knight, who still looks anxious, probably wants to do so.

But it is a draw.

In fact, it would be a terrible blow to the old Voistra if a series of counteroffensive operations failed.

The city of Nambonan would not be able to take any of the city's wealth, and would only be left with a tidy profit from the cost of business trips.

From an economic standpoint, the Kuordenze family may have won the battle by pushing back.

But the Spierzeiks have proven to the outside world that they are not going to let the Quardenze get the better of them.

It demonstrated the influence of the Spiaseik family, which was large enough to incorporate the rebellion of the aristocratic families of the Free Cities County and the Galiana family into its operations.

If he had merely pushed back, he would have been able to say, "After all, the Spiaseik are the former Voistra royal family, and the Spiaseik have a great deal of power. It seems that the Quardenze family had its hands full just pushing back the Spiaseik.

Considering the fact that many aristocrats overestimate their valor, this could trigger anti-Quardenze movements in various parts of the country.

From a diplomatic standpoint, that would be a defeat.

That is why it is a street operation.

The Spierzeik family's strategy was defeated by the Quardenze family, resulting in the death of several knights who supported the territory. Moreover, they fled back home without being able to drop even one of their cities. How foolish and pathetic. I definitely want the reputation of .......

"Pushing back is not enough to win. Isn't that right?"

Grateful that everyone is listening to my words in silence, I move on to the next line in my brain-campaign.

"I, and you, should know. That we have the power here and now to lay waste to them. ......!"

I raise one arm and release my magic. The release of magic power without intention is not harmful, just a feeling of pressure.

For knights and military officers, however, the pressure is a reminder of the exhilaration of body-enhancing magic.

The moment I saw the excitement in the eyes of the knight, who was looking at me anxiously, I decided that this was the moment to win.

I pulled out of its sheath the treasured sword of the water snake that I had brought with me from New Nellie Castle, which was at my waist.

As I pointed the shining silver sword at Nambonan City, I opened my mouth wide.

"Look at that!"

In the city of Nambonan, several units are moving and fighting.

Each unit of the Spierzeik Army is led by a knight or a squire military officer, so they are more agile and their attacks are more intense than those of ordinary units, but after all, it is only physical enhancement magic at the level of a squire.

Compared to the mobility and offensive power of the Wilk forces, there is a difference.

"Is that a pack of thick-haired rabbits?　The defense looks solid, but the movement is really slow!"

Thick-haired rabbits with voluminous body hair are so powerful that they cannot even accept the fangs of wild dogs.

However, they are so slow-moving that they are unable to escape from foreign enemies.

Praying that knights and military officers know the ecology of the thick-haired rabbit, I continue.

"The bristles of the thick-haired rabbit can repel the fangs of a wolf, but there is only one thing that can take its life!　It's the fangs of the snake!"

The fangs of some snakes are so sharp and long that they can slip through the thick haired rabbit's body hair and reach the flesh.

Rumon once told me that thick-haired rabbits are often killed by poisonous snakes.

"I am the serpent of Quardenze!　There is no need to fear the rabbit!"

The young military officers stand hot.

I think I'm getting a little excited about my line myself.

"Let's go!　We will destroy Spierzeig!"

I jumped on my horse and posed as Napoleon crossing the Alps.

Personally, I think this is the coolest pose for a man on horseback, so I wanted to try it.

Apparently, this looked cool to the people of the Eruo continent as well, and the military officers mounted their horses with cheers and looked at me with expectant eyes.

I smiled and made a high-spirited declaration.

"Our goal, Nambonan City!"