Western Continent Calendar 2812, early October [Eastern Invasion], Part 2:


　Shardina's objective was the destruction of the main force of the Zaruda Kingdom.
　If we can crush the knights directly under the royal family, the only thing left will be the private army held by the nobles of each region.
　The Oltmere Empire's pacification of the Kingdom of Zaruda would advance by leaps and bounds. To that end, Shardina had carried out several conspiracies.
　Before the Beast from the North awakens, we must take possession of all of Zaruda's kingdom as quickly as possible before it awakens.

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(Yes ... I let my guard down at that time ... even though I had predicted Mikoshiba's actions to that extent, I made a mistake in the final stages ... but I have. Meaning that was a good lesson learned. (No matter how much of an advantage you create, there are places where the smallest carelessness can be fatal...)
　Shardina stared at the map spread out on the table in the main camp's grand tent. A man's face flashed in her mind.
　A young man with a chiseled, aged face.
　At first glance, he appears to be a gentle, good-natured man, but his hidden face is a ferocious beast.
　When Shardina and Saito confronted him, his eyes were cold and ruthless, a man clad in the strength of steel.
　A man who ate through the siege she put up with force and escaped from the Empire's pursuers.
(If he was the commander of the enemy...?)
　Meaningless assumptions fill Shardina's mind as she goes.
　It is a winning strategy that has been scrutinized and implemented over and over again. But the shadow of a man who should not be there binds her mind.


Your Highness I think it's time to give you a signal, if you don't mind.

　Shardina, who had been drifting through a sea of thoughts, came to herself when she heard her second-in-command's words.

'What!　Yeah well send a signal.

　She commanded with aplomb, so as not to realize the same inside.
(No ... are you going to make the same mistake again?　(We have to focus on the battlefield now.)
　The battle has already been won or lost.
　This is why they have been preparing for it, taking all kinds of measures. However, there is always a possibility that a little bit of carelessness could upset the war situation.
　You will be able to see that you have a very good idea of what to expect.
　The lessons of the past make Shardina's mind cautious.
(I ... will not lose!　(Absolutely ... I can't lose ...)
　Shardina should have the upper hand. She had a plan, and things were going well so far.
　All that was left to do was to put the finishing touches on it, but her mind was in turmoil.
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Lieutenant Commander!　That's the signal!　The signal gong has been rung from the main camp!

　One of the entourage following beside him raised his voice when he noticed the sound of a gong ringing from the main camp.
　Saito listened in silence. It was quite difficult to distinguish between the sounds of the enemy and allies calling out to each other and the sounds of sword fights, but just as the aide said, the sound of a gong from the main camp behind him reached his ears as well.

''Yes, there's no doubt about it.......it's the signal gong from His Highness Shardina that was ordered beforehand. Gentlemen, you all know the procedure, right?

"'Ha!　Immediately.

　Under Saito's sharp eyes, the entourage scattered to the people.

''Good!　We're going to pull backwards!　Ring the pull-up bell!

　After Saito's shout, the sound of the bell announcing the retreat echoed across the battlefield.

''Pull!　Retreat!

Listen!　Don't panic!　We're going to pull back, covering for each other!

　Even though they are not conscious of cooperation, they cannot act completely alone on the battlefield.
　Although they are not organized, they begin to retreat towards the main camp in the rear, protecting each other.
　They are aware of their surroundings, and if there is an ally who is about to be killed by the enemy, the knight closest to them will go to their aid.
　There's no need to kill the enemy.
　When the order to retreat is given, the attackers and defenders are clearly separated.
　The most important thing for the retreating knights of the Altomere Empire is just one thing: to make sure that as many of their friends as possible are safe. That as many of their comrades as possible can safely retreat to the rear.
　In contrast, the most important thing for the knights of Zaruda is to kill as many knights as possible on the spot.
　For conflicting purposes, the knights of both countries wield their swords at each other.


''General Belhareth!　The Oltmere invaders have begun their retreat!

　The hustle and bustle that had dominated the tent at first came to a halt when the voice of the decree rushed back from the front resounded through the tent.
　Then, when the brains of the people inside understood the meaning of the message, the tent became lively and noisy again.

''What!　Is that true!

　Everyone in the tent understands that this is a battle for the rise and fall of a nation.
　Considering the difference in national power between the Oltmere Empire and the Kingdom of Zaruda, it was supposed to be an overwhelmingly disadvantageous battle.
　And yet, the enemy has begun to retreat, an unexpected opportunity that has arisen. It's natural for the lieutenants to think that there is no chance of victory except to bet on this.

''Oltmere has pulled out an army!　If that's true, then this is our chance!　We should go after them immediately!

Sir!　Give the order to pursue it!　This is the proof that God has not abandoned our Zaruda kingdom!

　One after another, words of authority were hurled at him. While nodding at the words of his lieutenants, General Belhareth, the supreme commander of the Kingdom of Zaruda's army, squeezed his long white beard stored in his chin and pondered.
　While his lieutenants who waited around him were actively advising him to march on, he was the only one who remained meditating alone and did not move slightly.

''Father-dono what do you plan to do?''

　One of the men asked General Berhares a question.
　The words seemed to emanate from a stance of wanting to hear the General's opinion, rather than express it, unlike the other deputies.
　The man who spoke to General Belhareth was a man in his early twenties who looked as if he had rejuvenated the general.
　The lieutenants fell silent and turned their piercing gazes towards the young man.
　Their gazes were filled with contempt, ridicule, and an overflowing amount of negative human emotions.
　If a person with normal nerves were to receive such a look, it would be normal for them to shrivel up, but this man seems to be brazen in a bad way.
　He didn't seem at all fazed by the stares of his lieutenants.

'What do you think?　Joshua.

　The general turns his attention to his third son, who is sitting in the last seat of the table and asks

'Humph!　It goes without saying. If we're going to chase after them we'll just have to cut off Shardina's head with the intention of getting wiped out, right?

　As he said this, he moved his fingertips closer to the cigar in his mouth.

''What?''

　Joshua's words caused the deputies to utter a dumb remark.
　That's how unexpected his words were to his lieutenants. However, with a satisfied smile on his face, General Belhareth nodded at the side of his lieutenants, who had expressions of surprise on their faces.
　Joshua lit his cigar with his fingertip light and inhaled his smoke in the supposedly non-smoking military council room.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're talking about.

I'm not sure what to do about it.　Do you want to pull out here?

　Joshua cowered his shoulders and replied to his father, General Belhareth's testing question.

''If you want to survive, you should pull back...''

　At this point, Joshua broke off his words and turned a sharp gaze on his surroundings.
　The unwillingness that oozed out of his body a moment ago had completely disappeared, and what emanated from his body instead was a sweltering killing spirit and fighting spirit.

''If you want to protect the Kingdom of Zaruda you'll have to play this one out.

　gulping sound

　The sound of someone swallowing spit echoes in the tent.
　It's a sign that the lieutenants, who have survived many battles, were pressured by the young man sitting in front of them.

''Joshua-dono I beg your pardon, but what do you mean by that?''

　Joshua's words were fearfully questioned by the eldest of the lieutenants.
　Until now, Joshua had been a mere hindrance to the lieutenants.
　Joshua has no respect for elders and is dirty with alcohol and money, and if you live in the King's Capital, you will hear about his notoriety even if you don't like it.
　He frequents the taverns of the favelas almost every night, and there is no shortage of gambling, fights and saga.
　He is a man who is a potential criminal, so to speak.

　The fact that his father, General Belhareth, ordered Joshua to serve in the army when he went into battle this time is known to all the lieutenants present here. But the lieutenants thought it was an expression of the father's parental love for his third son, a snobbish man with no future, and wanted to give him an edge.
　So they never asked Joshua's opinion, even if he was present at the military council. They thought he was just a living piece of trash.

'Don't you get it?　It's a trap. It's a well-worn trick, but it's proof that it works and the question is, are you really going to continue to pursue it?　

　Joshua's eyes showed contempt for his lieutenants.

''Silly ... what do you make of such ...''

You're thinking too much!

'General!　This is the ravings of an amateur who has no knowledge of warfare. Are you planning to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity go by unnoticed?

　The deputies turned the contradiction to General Belhareth.
　Inwardly, some of the lieutenants considered the possibility of a strategy on the part of Oltmere after Joshua's suggestion.
　The lieutenants, who are successive warriors, are not stupid. It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of this project. But I can't admit that honestly.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of it.
　You will find that they are not in it for the sake of winning the battle with Altomere, but to protect their pride, they are determined to pursue the chase.

"Everybody shut up for a minute Joshua. What did you mean when you said the two options earlier?　Why did you say something that you knew was a trap, and yet you condone the chase?

　General Belhareth's words caused even the adjutants who had been making a lot of noise to be stifled.
　If you predicted that it was a trap, the only option is to withdraw your troops. It is common sense on the battlefield to return to the camp and make a fresh start.
　And yet Joshua is making statements that seem to condone the chase. I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.
　There is no reason not to be interested.

'Father you don't need me to tell you that, do you?　You know as well as I do that you know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?

I'm gonna tell you again. Explain to the others.

　Cutting off Joshua's words, who shook his head with a somewhat fuming tone, General Berhares turned his sharp gaze to Joshua.

From a strategic point of view, this battle with Oltmere has already been lost.

　Joshua's words caused a hush to fall in the tent as everyone couldn't believe their ears at his words.

''Ki... you!　You know what you're talking about!

　One of the lieutenants breaks the silence and screams in anger.
　He runs towards Joshua, trying to grab onto him with complete disregard for the courtesy the general's son had been mending up until now.
　A bloody battle is still raging on the front lines. Everyone is desperately fighting for the peace of their homeland, risking their lives to protect their land from the hands of the invaders. To say that they have already lost it is nothing short of an insult to the dead knight. In a sense, it was natural that his hand was attached to the sword at his waist.

''Wait!　What do you think you're doing?　This is the place for a military council!

　When his colleague noticed that the deputy's hand gripped the hilt of his sword, he quickly strangled him in a feather-light choke hold to keep him down.
　His anger was understandable to everyone present. But that didn't mean they could sit back and watch him cut down his allies at a military conference.
　Everyone was silent. Because everyone understood that if they opened their mouths, only curses would come out.
　The only person who didn't move his or her expression after hearing Joshua's words was General Berhares.

''Hmmm.......well, that's not a polite word, but it's not wrong.......''

　It was a small murmur. However, the general's words sounded awfully loud in the silent tent.
　Like a death sentence........