A large hall set up on the first floor of the central tower.
　As the two sides continue to glare at each other, the sound of clinking armor clashing can be heard.
　Is the rough breathing that can be heard from the surroundings from fear of the ten times more enemy soldiers that surround them in a semi-circle? No, they are feeling something released by the man standing leisurely in front of them.
(I see.........this man is Gaies-sama.......)
　Moore stared at the man's face, a thin smile on his face in front of him.
　At first glance, he seemed to be a well-built, ubiquitous young man.
　A good-natured smile.
　However, Moore certainly saw the swift light hidden deep within those eyes.
　It's a hatred for the thing called the Oltmere Empire.
(Mimicry? I see........this guy is certainly a danger to our country.......)
　Moore had heard the gossip against Mikoshiba Ryoma many times before.
　The most dangerous beast is a beast that deliberately hides its own fangs.
　On top of that, this beast is poisonous. A poison called wisdom.........
(I've heard enough rumors about this guy to disgust me. He's cautious and shrewd. No matter how much of an advantage he has, he would never put himself on the front lines...
　Moore gives a small glance to the entourage standing beside him and indicates with his chin to go up the stairs.
　It was really a small sign, but after years of knowing him, the entourage seemed to understand exactly what Moore was trying to convey.
　One of the entourage, with several soldiers in tow, hobbles up the stairs of the tower.
(That's good ... if we can buy enough time, we can prevent the worst from happening.
　In the archives of this central tower, there are various things stored that can never be given to the enemy.
　With the back of his entourage at his side, Moore gave a small nod and turned his gaze to Ryoma, who didn't move with a smile on his face in front of him.
(Spare time... or is there some kind of aim that keeps him from moving?　Well, good. (We want to buy time, too.)
　After all, when it comes to the Oltmere Empire, its name is known to the other continents across the sea as the hegemonic power in the central part of the Western Continent. There is only one man who has escaped from such a huge empire. A fugitive who crushed the face of the empire by killing Chief Court Judge Gaies Walkland, who was one of the pillars of the Oltomere Empire, on the part of an otherworldly man who could even be considered less than a slave, and crushed the face of the empire.
Ostensibly, Gaies' death is being treated as an accidental death.
　The death of a senior member of the state was murdered in the castle where the emperor resides, and the murderer escaped from the country, a fact that could not be made public.
　As a result of the fact that the event took place in a closed castle under the orders of the emperor with absolute power, the Altomere Empire managed to save face. However, the more you try to hide the truth, the easier it is to leak it.
　Even if it hadn't reached the general public, it was natural for anyone involved in the business of the state to have heard the rumors at one time or another. Although never spoken of out loud out of respect for the face of the country, Mikoshiba Ryoma could be said to be an enemy of the Oltmere Empire.
　However, taking a quick look around, Moore gave a sharp cluck of his tongue.

　I suppose it's not that they don't hate the man who drove the empire into a corner.
　On the other hand, however, a murmur of neither admiration nor fear arose from the knights who solidified around Moore.
It's a simple matter to think that Mikoshiba Ryoma is an enemy to the knights of Oltmere, an enemy they can't stop hating even if they hate him.
　The recent struggles of the Oltmere Empire. If it had started with the death of Gaies Walkland, the first court jury member who played the role of a military strategist.......
　It was no exaggeration to say that the source of it all was the man standing in front of him.
　But as a warrior and a man, somewhere in the back of my mind, I also recognized Mikoshiba Ryoma as a man.
　After all, he had single-handedly escaped from the heavily guarded imperial capital of Oltmere, and had defied repeated attempts by Shardina to flee the country.
　A nation and an individual. There is no need to compare the difference in power between the two.
　A gap greater than that between heaven and earth lies before them. Nevertheless, the man in front of me has managed to slip past the fangs of Oltmere.
　That achievement and ability cannot be unrecognized by the enemy, the knights of Oltmere.
　People admire people who have something they don't have.
　Even if they are divided into friend and foe........
(I can't help it, we'll just have to focus on buying a little time here...)
　A choice that is only slightly better than the worst.
　But right now, Moore had no other choice.
　While anticipating the reactions of those around him, Moore opened his mouth gravely.　

''I see ... he's as interesting as they say. You will draw our country's attention to the front, burn down our food stores and disintegrate the expeditionary force without a fight...''

　I tried to speak as calmly as possible to show as much leeway as possible, but it seems that it was just a useless bad step. At those words, all eyes around them turned to Moore.
　The only person who doesn't move a single eyebrow and is still smiling leisurely is Ryoma standing in front of him.
　That attitude suggests that Moore's expectations were correct.
(Not unreasonable. Even I didn't realize it until I was in this state.)
　Feeling the gazes of his entourage, who were in raptures at his unexpected words, Moore tried desperately to keep his will to fight, which was about to snap.
　I'm sure I've seen it coming. But as soon as you say the words, they become a heavy pressure that tightens on Moore's body.
　He had thought he was using a large army and unilaterally invading the territory of the Kingdom of Zaruda. That was turned on its head in an instant.
　It is natural for the soldiers to be upset.
　They thought they had an overwhelming advantage, but they actually felt like fools frolicking on thin ice.
(What a man.
　Little by little, the pieces of the puzzle came together in Moore's mind to form a single shape.
　In the first place, the towns and villages scattered around Fort Notis were attacked all at once, and the timing of the drop in troops to send in a rescue force was too much of a disadvantage for Moore to lean on.
　It would be impossible to call this a coincidence.
(But how in the world did they get into the country?　(The borders bordering Zaruda and Elnesgulla were supposed to be especially heavily guarded... no wait... no way... this guy)
　There is only one possibility that Moore could have arrived. But it's a tough road.
　As a matter of fact, there was no way they could completely monitor the vast border between Zaruda and Elnesgulla.
　There are no satellites or radios on the Earth World.
　The highways that connect the cities are stretched across the western continent, and their management is clear.
　However, in remote, uninhabited areas, such as deep forests and steep mountains, the borders are very vague, even if you call them borders.
　Even if a border line is drawn on the map, it doesn't mean that there are actual watchers there.
　It was merely a surveillance system that started at key points or cities on the roads.
　Therefore, as long as you avoid the roads, and go beyond the forest areas and mountains that are uncivilized, you can theoretically enter any country.　
　In fact, it is not uncommon for adventurers, mercenaries and other people who make their living fighting or belonging to the underworld, such as thieves, to avoid the roads and go beyond the forests and mountains.
　However, when it comes to running an army, it's a completely different story.
　Starting with the issue of supply, there is the issue of marching speed. And above all, no matter how much risk is taken, if an army moves as a unit, its movements will inevitably be detected by the infiltrators.
　This danger would increase as the size of the army grew.
　But when it comes to safely passing through the frontier, where ferocious monsters are prevalent, there is no choice but to increase the number of troops.　
　Moreover, the maps are not the most elaborate in the world today.
Surveying technology itself is controlled by the state, and the country's geography is treated as confidential military information.
　In such a situation, there was no such thing as a map with detailed geography of a frontier or enemy country.
　To be safe, it was necessary to increase the number of troops; to avoid being read, there was no choice but to reduce the number of troops. These are two conflicting conditions.
　That's why in the long history of the earth world, this is why it is considered more of a gamble or a miracle than a tactic, although it has been practiced several times.
　But now, that miracle had been recreated here. Under the worst possible circumstances for the Oltmere Empire....

This is all your idea.

Yeah, I had to work pretty hard to get it right.

　Ryoma replied to Moore's question by cowering his shoulders.
　It was a short word, but Moore's point was palpable.

'The bandit group's raids were fairly widely scattered around Fort Notis. So you had them cross the border in small, finely divided troops and meet up with them while raiding villages and towns.

'Yes, because I carefully selected people who were strong and skilled in the geography of the frontier from the private army created by Elnesgoula, the Knights of Zaruda, and General Belhareth. It was pretty close to a gamble, but it worked.

'Private army of Belhareth?　You mean the Red Moon Gang....

　A private army created by the late General Belhareth.
　They are vicious and merciless, as they are made up of former thieves.
　You will be able to find out the best way to get the most out of your own personal life.

It seems that from the beginning, they have been ordered to grasp the topography of the Oltmere territory. This time we made good use of it.

Is that what winning is all about... is that what you think?

Yes, even criminals will use it if it's worth it. We'll use it to win...

　Saying that, Ryouma smiles calmly.
　In fact, Ryouma himself, who had crossed blades with them on the way out of the Imperial City, understood that the Red Moon Gang's people were very vicious criminals.
　If it weren't for Ryojin's help, Laura and Saara would have been cruelly robbed of their innocence.
　These people were the opposite of the sense of justice that Ryoma had.
　If it was just a matter of whether he liked them or not, Ryoma hated them. In fact, he wanted to kill them all....
　However, Ryoma had no intention of sticking with it and letting the opportunity to win slip away.
(What a guy.......what the hell is this guy?)
　We don't have to let them off the hook for everything they do.
　It's just a matter of putting up with them for as long as they need their strength.
　I'm sure you'll be able to see such thoughts in Ryoma's eyes, and Moore gulped.
　That was not the idea of a warrior or a knight. It is exactly the way of thinking of an experienced politician or diplomat.
　In the face of that steel-like will, Moore felt fear.
(I can't keep this man alive this man is too dangerous to our country.
　Even under this disadvantageous situation, there was still a possibility that Moore alone could get through it.
　If Moore's abilities and the legal sword clenched in his hand were to be exerted to the fullest, sacrificing the lives of the subordinates protecting those around him....
　But Moore chooses to fight rather than escape.
(We've bought enough time we just have to finish what we started.)

"Fight me in a fight!　Oshisai!

　Tangent words.
　Everyone in this place turned their gaze in surprise to Moore.
　However, Moore had the assurance that Ryoma would never refuse.　
　If he was going to refuse this offer, there was no way he was going to show up here in the first place.
(It doesn't matter what he's planning to do.)
　The will to fight washed over Moore's body, and his fighting spirit roused his broken heart.
　Every muscle in his body swells and his blood boils.
　The eclipse chakra, the Muladhara, begins to spin at high speed.
　It's a raging flow of raw energy, the Prana.
　Moore quietly breathes and controls the flow of raw qi.
　Then, according to Moore's will, two of the second and third chakras, Swadhishthana and Manipura, begin to move slowly.
(I'm ready ... even if I have to stab you ... you're here to kill!
　The beloved sword in his hand obeyed Moore's will, and the patterns carved into the blade began to glow with a blue-white light.