A castle near the border...



After leaving the Zanshin Demon Castle, we returned to the castle ruled by General Hulka.
In order to prepare for the invasion of the Ten Wise Men, we are gathering our own weapons.

I must warn you, the people of the House of Kittle are proud.
Of course.
"Even though you are the great King of the Frontier, there is no guarantee that the people will respond to your call to arms.

　I nodded at the general's words.
　I had noticed that the people of the Kitoru territory were proud when I first met Princess Sylvia's messenger.
　At first, they looked down on the subhumans from the frontier. Princess Sylvia's men, too.
　But if you talk to them, they'll understand. That's another thing I know for sure.

I won't turn my anger against my people just because they refuse.
I believe you.

　General Hulka nodded, his face hidden by his mask.
　Then he clicked his sword on his hip.

"You have destroyed the demons of the Tower of Lingering Evil. I am grateful to you for that. We had to keep a constant watch to prevent the demons in that tower from coming out. It's great that we don't have to allocate troops for that anymore.
We're not completely safe yet.
I know. King of the Frontier. I promise you will not enter that tower until my lord returns.
Thank you.
Didn't I tell you?　I'm thanking you.

　With that, General Hurka removed his helmet.
　Blue eyes and white skin. His golden hair was revealed.

　So this is what the beautiful General Hulka looks like.
　From her tone of voice, I imagined her to be an older beauty, but she is surprisingly young. She is a little older than Lisette. She's more of a beautiful girl than a beautiful woman.

"Oh!　"Oh! Hulka's taken off her helmet!
You've never even shown your face to us!
...... Oh, it's a pity it's from behind. No, we have not yet achieved enough to see his face. This is only allowed to the 'King of the Frontier' .......

"Hey. It's not that big of a deal. You'll be laughed at by the King of the Frontier.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

　"No, no, no!
　Seeing this, General Hulka quickly put his helmet back on.

The fact that I have shown my true face is a sign of my trust in you.
"It's not that big of a deal.

　In fact, all I did was fly to the top of the tower, slay a demon, and activate the magic circle. I'm also going to remove the wards from this place after I get rid of the enemy army. I don't want any trouble with the neighbors when Patriarch Kittle returns. I don't want any trouble in the neighborhood.

But I do appreciate the general's hospitality. You've shown me a good thing.
"At the risk of sounding immodest, I feel a kind of friendship for you. I wish you were a general of this land instead of a king. Really.
"Unfortunately, I already have a family in the middle of nowhere.

　I put my hand on Yukino's head.

"Mmm. Don't treat me like a child. Shoma, my king.

　Yukino's cheeks puffed up, but she ended up laying her own hand on mine.
　Yukino and I are a year apart in age now, but we're like childhood friends. I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm so excited about this.
　...... I'm the one who infected Yukino with chuunibyou. You can't help it.

So, I want to make preparations to protect the frontier and the peace of this land.
All right. King of the Frontier. I suggest you start recruiting.
May I ask you to follow me?　If I'm the only stranger in the castle, the people might be wary.
I intend to do just that.

　The general nodded.
　I pulled the reins of my black horse, Zanku Kokuyou, and started walking.
　We mounted the horse and started to look around the houses in the castle.



The first house...


Are you sure you want to start at the end?
"Yes. Please." "Yes, please.


"The first house is here: ....... You're passing by.　The King of the Frontier?
I've seen it.
You say you've seen it, but don't you have to go to ...... and say hello?
There's no time. I'd like to call out one last time.
"...... I see. I see. So, what do you think of the house?
The gate is magnificent. The fence surrounding the house is quite impressive.
What are you looking at?
It's a potential asset.
There was a young man in the house, wasn't there? He looked healthy.
This house is no good. We can't take Hay. There was a sick man.
I saw him too. A little boy lying on the ground.
Yeah. That's why we can't take the hay from this house.
You don't take troops from a house with a sick man?
Because a draft is bad for you. It's not good for the sick.
...... to prevent drafts from blowing in the hearts of the families. ...... You think so much, 'King of the Frontier'?
"Let's go next." "Next." "Next.

　This is the first time I've ever seen this kind of thing.



"The second house...



"There are ......3 brothers and sisters here. There are no sick people here and the father is fine. Do I need to speak to you?
I'm afraid I don't have the Hey I was hoping for, although I do have a hedge.
"...... hedge?　I'm sure you're aware that the two younger children are their mother's stepchildren,......, but are you aware that there is a barrier between biological children and stepchildren?　The king of the frontier!
I'm not sure what to say. Next.



The third house...


It's just a little triplets living with their mother. I don't think we can recruit enough men. ......
No, it's a lot of layers, and they're all at the same height.
What?
The thicker the layer, the better the tenacity. If we're all the same height, we'll be able to form a cohesive team.
Would you like me to call out to them?　My king.
Of course.
Wait a minute!　Such young children!　Put your hands on the fence. ...... Oh, you're not going to call them?
I'll call them later. A stranger calling out to them might startle them.
"My king will not be coerced.
...... I don't think it's unreasonable to call out to a house full of young triplets.
"Next, next.


　So me, Yukino and General Hulka hurriedly went from house to house in the castle.
　We chose about two hundred houses, trying to form as harmonious a formation as possible.
　It's enough for Hay.

"...... may I ask you a question? "King of the Frontier.
I don't mind.
You say you want uniformity in your army, but you seem to have chosen them at random.
I've tried to give them strength, height and depth.
"To be honest, I don't think anyone will respond to a call for arms. Even if they do, I doubt they'll be able to fight. ......
You'll have to test yourself to see if you're up to the task.
Me?
I'm not going to let Hay, who was recruited here, go straight to the enemy. Practice: ...... No, you'll need a fence. I'd like to ask one of the general's men to help me with that.
"Are you sure?　My soldiers are the regular soldiers of the Kittle family. And they're mainly cavalry. We're confident in our mobility. I don't think we'll have any luck with a soldier who answers to the voice of the King of the Frontier.
You won't be able to fight the Ten Wise Men without them. That's why we're just testing the waters.

　With that, we came to the main street of the castle.
　It was evening. It was evening, and the streets were getting nice and empty. There were only a few adults and children playing. Gathering Hay here would not be a hindrance.



"Listen to me. "Proud members of the House of Kittle.
He just started talking!

　Shut up, General. I'm embarrassed too. Yukino's eyes are shining in front of me, and the black horse we're riding, Zanku Kuroyokuyo, is barking and attracting attention.
　It would be a disgrace if no one responded.

There's a crisis looming over this land right now. I may be from the middle of nowhere, but I'm going to protect this place as a neighbor. So I need your help. There is no compulsion. I've enchanted it, but you can keep it if you value your family inside.
　But if you are willing to help me get rid of the enemy, please answer my call.
The King of the Frontier, no, the High King of the Deformed, the Kiryuuusho...too!　What?　I'm not sure what to do.　Shoma-san!
I'm not sure what you're doing here.

　I'm not sure what to say.

You can't expect the people in the houses to hear you calling out from here.



"Hey!



　They did.



"Hey! "Hey, hey, hey! "Hey!" "Hey!



　Buzzing, buzzing, buzzing.


　Footsteps. approaching.
　Across the main street. A residential area with the setting sun behind it.
　A shadowy rectangle walking from there.
　They are slowly approaching, shouting.

hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey I'm not sure what to say.

"Ohhhhhh!
"Whoa!　A fence is walking! Is it a festival? Follow me!

　Shouting generals and soldiers. The highly adaptable children laughing and joining the line.

...... Are the walls of the house answering the call to defend the land?
We can't let the architecture slow us down!
Let's go, too!

　"Let's go too!" The adults rushed out in a flurry of activity.
　In the end, they formed a huge procession that filled the streets of the castle town.







"What...? We don't need human heroes.
That's right. I'm not sure what you mean by that.
That's not what I meant.

　It's not what I meant. I'll leave the handling of the town's volunteer soldiers to the general.
　My job is to deploy and command the 'volunteer fences' that answered my call.



"...... Heee. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ............
"So, General. Would you be willing to join me tomorrow to train my "soldiers of will"?
"......, do I have to?　No. ......
That's right... no, that's right. I'm the King of the Frontier, I don't know how to fight in the human world. You'll have to ask your general to teach you.
"...... Ugh.
And I've never led a fence company this large before. I'm more worried that the general will beat us to a pulp.
"Very well.

　The general, Hulka, tapped his face on the armor that covered his face.

"Two hundred of my cavalry will fight you!　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's a little concerned about this.
"Yes. I'll be your partner.
But no flying.
Okay.
And no flying, I hope?　It's just a training exercise for soldiers!
Yeah, right. We don't want anyone to get hurt.
Of course. That's what I'm thinking. The rest is up to you!　Let's compare the strength of our armies to the fullest!　"King of the Frontier!



　The next day. The next day, the King of the Frontier and General Hurka's troops faced off...





　A few minutes later...




"All troops, move around behind the opponent's position!　Let's go, King of the Frontier!




"All fences are to be deployed as directed. Take up the anti-cavalry harassment formation I discussed with Yukino yesterday!
Thank you. Gentlemen!


『『『『『『 Hey! 』』』』』』






I'll take care of it.　I'm not sure what to do.　They're blocking our path. ...... Wait, wait, wait, wait!
"General!　We were mistaken. The other side is a combination of several walls, so if they disperse, they will become an obstacle. ...... Why are they able to manipulate the walls in such an orderly fashion...?
I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.　I'm sorry. The fence is coming from both sides!　It's coming!　It's coming! It's coming! It's coming!


"Hey!
"Hey, hey, hey!
"H──────!






　And then...







　"A few days later...


"Sylvia!　I've received a message from General Hulka in the West Castle!
"That's where the King of the Frontier is headed. And what did the general say?
"Wait, wait, wait. ......



He said to stop. I did say that!　You can't really take that seriously, can you?　What's with that guy? ...... What's with that guy? I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure if I'm really going to be able to play the shogun ............



I'm not sure what to say. This is what Hulkas were like when they were little.
"...... It seems from the text that the general had a mock battle with the 'King of the Frontier'.
What courage!
You are a warrior. When your father returns, I'll advise him to raise Hulka's salary.
That's for later. We must hurry and gather our troops and head for the castle to the west. We can't just rely on the King of the Frontier for reinforcements.
We'll have to hurry.
Yes. If we leave it to the King of the Frontier, they might be able to defeat the enemy army by themselves. If that happens, ......
"Will General Hurka submit his resignation?
He's a crybaby when he's unmasked.


The next day.


You mean the horse has come again?
Yes. It's General Hurka. General Hurka says there's been an urgent report of an advance party from Dengokugan. They're already on their way to the western castle. ......!
Where did you get that report?
The report came from the sister of the King of the Frontier, who was gathering information at the Yuanguo Guan. I don't know how she managed to get to the castle before the enemy forces, but ......
I'm a servant of the King of the Frontier. But it was too soon. ......
"Most of the men are cavalry. The rest are infantry and Transportation Corps. They're going to raid the villages with the cavalry and get their food locally. Later, the infantry will take over .......
Either way. Either way, we have to move quickly!
So, what does General Hurka have to say about this, sister?
"...... Oh, that.

　Princess Renesmee looked at the letter and said.

"She says she sympathizes with the enemy army .......
I'm not sure what the king of the frontier did to you. I mean, what happened to you?
I don't know. But let's hurry. We'll move with the troops we have. Inform the generals immediately. This is no time to be lost!
"Yes, sister!

　Then Sylvia and Renesmee started running.