Chapter 155
The Battle
of Those Left Behind ⑦ - The
Banner of Rebellion Flutters
Translator : PolterGlast
It seemed that Erol
had awakened in the sickroom, and upon receiving the report, someone went to
visit him.
"You're awake.
The Holy Mage told me that although you need to rest, you'll be able to move as
you did before in about half a month. Please rest easy.
As for the information
you provided, we sent fast horses this morning to Viscount Solis in the town of
Est, to Lord Takuhir on the eastern border, and to Margrave Hastburg. We have
also strengthened our defenses here. We will be sure to protect you, Lord Erol,
and all of your citizens."
"I am grateful.
And you are?"
"My name is
Yoltia, one of Lord Takuhir's wives. I will be taking care of you, Lord
Erol."
Miseri and Claire had
not let down their guard around Erol. What had happened up until now weighed
heavily on them.
They needed someone to
act as a guard who could counterattack instantly, and someone of a status
suitable to interact with him. While they were struggling with the choice,
Yoltia, as Takuhir's wife and with more than enough combat capability, had
volunteered.
With her gravity
magic, even the strongest man would be brought to his knees in an instant.
Everyone in the leadership knew that no swordsman could match her.
"My lady, you
yourself... I thank you. But what has become of the citizens of my domain? I am
so worried about them that I cannot sleep soundly."
Erol continued to
plead, wanting to see his citizens.
At her wit's end,
Yoltia had no choice but to assign an assistant, have him wear a mask, and take
him to the Hiyorimi domain refugees being sheltered at the new checkpoint.
"It's the young
master! The young master is here!"
"Oh! To have
suffered such a wound..."
"Young master, we
have been saved here."
The people of the Hiyorimi
domain rushed to his side one after another.
"It is nothing
serious. I am sorry, I have caused you all great hardship. I... was unable to
do anything."
Watching the citizens
rush over and their exchange with Erol, Yoltia felt a sense of wonder.
Is this the man I've
heard so much about in the rumors? Is this the man my husband and the rest of Teigoon's
leadership despise like a snake?
"It is all due to
my own incompetence, and I am truly sorry to everyone. Baron Solis will save
you all. I have heard this from his vassals as well. This illness is not
incurable, they say. I, too, will fight alongside you all. So please, rest your
bodies with peace of mind."
He apologized to the
citizens who had become refugees, encouraged them, and told them he would fight
with them. The new checkpoint was filled with the cheers of the people of the Hiyorimi
domain.
The sense of
incongruity Yoltia felt was only natural. In a way, the stories she had heard
were true, and they correctly represented the past Erol as seen from the Solis
domain.
However, Erol's
demeanor and the esteem he was held in by his citizens were so different that
Takuhir would have been astonished to see it.
No one could have
known that this was the essence of Erol's character, brought forth through many
twists and turns, something that had not appeared in the previous history.
※
Around the time Erol
was being showered with cheers from his citizens at the new checkpoint, there
were others in the Hiyorimi domain also raising their voices in joy.
"Father!
According to the spy's report, they have further dispersed their army and
dispatched them to various locations. Your strategy has worked perfectly.
Currently, the defenses of that place are thought to be only about 300 men
strong.
Moreover, it seems
they are now overflowing with over 1,000 sick people, and both Fran and Est are
in great confusion."
"I see. If that
land is now isolated, then the time is finally at hand."
"Yes! They must
also allocate personnel to the defense on the demon territory side, and some
will be bedridden with the plague. Our citizens did a fine job for us before
they died.
At this rate, the
effective fighting force defending that fortress may drop below 100. This is
the opportunity we have been waiting for!"
"Excellent. We
shall attack with all our might. A thousand against a hundred will be like
twisting a baby's arm. No matter how impregnable that land is said to be, it
cannot hold out if it lacks soldiers to defend it.
We will invade from
the Fran side and occupy the area. Once we control the impregnable gate they
built on the demon territory side, all preparations to welcome that person will
be complete."
"Yes, Father.
Even an impregnable fortress is to our advantage if we control it from the
inside."
"We will march
forth, occupy the area, and await the arrival of reinforcements from across the
border. The time is ripe! Lugner, gather the entire army at once! And arrange
for the messengers to be sent to all regions."
"Yes, sir! At the
same time as our move, fires will rise throughout the southern border region,
and the area will fall into great chaos. Your command, Father, is truly
magnificent."
"Word has arrived
from our agents in the Empire that that person has left the Imperial Capital
with his army, just as planned. With this, the Kyle Kingdom is as good as
finished."
Soldiers who had been
arranged in advance gathered one after another from all parts of the domain.
Their number easily exceeded 1,000. Among them were even soldiers originally
assigned to defend the territory, as well as those temporarily conscripted from
various villages and towns.
Simultaneously, men
under Viscount Hiyorimi, carrying a personal letter from the Grifonia Empire's
First Prince, flew to various regions.
Their meticulous plan
had reached its final stage, and the puzzle of their conspiracy was almost
complete. Except for two small, missing pieces...
One of their
miscalculations was the existence of the second son, Erol.
According to reports
from the pursuers sent to various places, they had been informed that Erol had
already been killed. But that report had not come from one of Lugner's direct
subordinates.
The soldier who made
the report had intentionally spared the mortally wounded Erol. He reported that
he had dealt the final blow to the heavily injured man, who then fell and
disappeared over the cliff.
In truth, that soldier
himself had fought alongside Erol against monsters to protect the citizens and
had admired him, calling him "young master." To him, Erol did not
seem to have gone mad at all.
Though he had received
the order and reluctantly cornered him, he could not bring himself to swing his
sword, let alone strike him down, and was simply lost in hesitation.
When the soldier
accidentally called out, "Young master," Erol perceived the soldier's
feelings and pleaded with him.
『If you have it in your heart to call me 'young
master,' I beg you to let them think I died here and let me go. I must go to
save the many people of the Hiyorimi domain. Please, I ask this for the sake of
our citizens. 』
As a result, he chose
to believe the words of his beloved young master. And so, one of the pieces
slipped from their hands.
The second
miscalculation would become clear in the days to come.
※
In front of the Hiyorimi
domain's mansion, the conscripted soldiers had gathered and were awaiting the
order to depart.
"My brave
soldiers!
The other day, when I
went to the Royal Capital, I received a direct order from His Majesty the King
and returned here. He said, 'If there be signs of rebellion in Solis, you are
to strike them down with your entire army!'
It is a well-known
fact that the plague spreading through our domain was brought by the house of
Viscount Solis! They have despicably driven innocent citizens—your wives, your
children, your parents—to their deaths and are plotting a rebellion. The honor
of striking down these treacherous plotters has been bestowed upon us gathered
here!
From this moment, the
entire army will march out! We are a righteous army, acting on the King's
command! Now is the time to avenge your comrades and our people! The entire
army, advance!"
"Ooooh!"
In response to
Viscount Hiyorimi's rousing speech, the soldiers replied with a great cheer.
"Lugner, you will
take 200 of your elite cavalry and the conscripted soldiers and command a
detached force. You understand the reason, do you not? I authorize you to act
on your own judgment according to the state of the battle."
"Understood. May
fortune be with you in battle as well, Father! And to the beginning of our
era!"
On that day, the
signal fires of rebellion rose in various places throughout the southern region
of the Kyle Kingdom.
When one fire rose,
others responded, and still more fires ascended, until the southern border
region was engulfed in a magnificent flame.
※
Viscount Gorman's
domain was suddenly attacked by an army led by a viscount under the command of Count
Goyoku, a neighboring Count. Faced with 500 soldiers who suddenly crossed the
border and invaded, they were initially unable to mount an organized
counterattack and retreated.
"What is the
meaning of this! Drive out these insolent fellows who violate my domain at
once!"
With that declaration,
he succeeded in gathering a small but elite force. This allowed the
highly-reputed, formidable Gorman soldiers to somehow halt the enemy's advance
at the midpoint of their territory and watch for an opportunity to
counterattack.
It was while the
invading army was besieging a certain town. They were suddenly met with a dense
counterattack of crossbow fire from several hundred archers who seemed to have
appeared out of nowhere.
The invading army,
which had underestimated the enemy as a small force, was stunned by the
appearance of a number of archers equal to their own.
They had no way of
knowing, but the figures who looked like archers were not soldiers. They were citizens
who, to protect their own town, had answered the call of a beloved girl and
risen up together.
Unsuited for a
battlefield, the girl's golden hair fluttered in the swirling wind as she
commanded the archers. Protected, encouraged, and guided by her wind magic, the
crossbow bolts thwarted the invading army's advance and stopped them from
pressing any further.
Then, while the
invading army faltered under the archers' attack, the small but
rumored-to-be-invincible Gorman soldiers charged forward.
Even against the
fierce onslaught of an army twice their size, they charged bravely and pushed
them back.
With this, the tide of
the battle turned in an instant.
Needless to say, the
sight of her (Yuka) on the battlefield caused the morale of Viscount Gorman's
army to skyrocket. Every one of them became a mighty warrior, a match for a
thousand.
Thus, the invading
army was pushed back to the border.
As a result, the Gorman
army escaped its greatest crisis, and the front line fell into a stalemate at
the border.
※
Baron Cornell's domain
was suddenly attacked by 150 soldiers who suddenly crossed the border from the
neighboring barony to the north, which was under Count Goyoku.
"What is going
on?! Send an urgent messenger to my sister and request reinforcements
immediately! Men! Now is the time to show them the power of the fortifications
we have built!"
Shouting this, he rode
out with a mere 50 cavalry and galloped toward the front line.
On the highway that
the invading army was advancing along, which led all the way to the Royal
Capital, were fortifications that Baron Cornell had constructed with earth
mages. If he could reach them first, he believed it was possible to defend with
just 50 cavalry for the time being.
Previously, when the
Imperial army invaded Teigoon, Baron Cornell had noticed a weakness in the Kyle
Kingdom. The highway from Est, through his domain, to the Royal Capital had no
noteworthy defensive points.
Worried about this, he
had secretly installed several defensive facilities—dry moats, bridges, and
trenches—cleverly camouflaged along the highway. Albeit... against an enemy
invading from the south.
"The direction is
reversed, but still, it can be useful depending on how we use it! We have to
get into that defensive line first, no matter what."
Baron Cornell spurred
his horse on, encouraging himself as he headed for the fortifications.
As a result, the
soldiers led by Baron Cornell reached the fortifications a hair's breadth ahead
of the enemy army and launched a defensive battle.
The invading army was
stopped by the unexpected fortifications, and thereafter, the two sides ended
up in a standoff on the highway.
※
The main force of
Count Goyoku and the allied army of 4,000 nobles under his command began their
advance toward the domain of Margrave Hastburg. There were no territories of
hostile nobles in their path.
They would launch a
surprise attack before the Margrave's preparations were complete. They
quickened their pace, advancing as if through uninhabited land.
And so, on this day,
the first large-scale civil war since the founding of the Kyle Kingdom began.
Due to the surprise
attack, the mobilized forces of the rebel army were far superior, and those
supporting the various fronts would be forced into a difficult fight.
Thus, the grand plan
drawn up by Viscount Hiyorimi steadily began to reveal its full scope.
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