I don't think it's going to fall off it doesn't look very much like a holed up volunteer army of improvised soldiers.

　Kepka plays with the pieces on the board.
　In front of Kepka's eyes is a model of this battlefield.

　The model of the walls of Rezad is surrounded by pieces of Pofenia's soldiers.

　Kepka holds in his hand a piece of the main force that represents himself.

　'I'm supposed to be in control all the way through. But for some reason, I'm being responded to. What's going on?

　In war, it is the attacking side that has the strategic advantage.
　Of course, the defender has an advantage if you consider a single battlefield in terms of tactics.

　But if you consider the entire battlefield, it is a different story.
　The attacker can freely choose where to attack.

　The attacker has the freedom to choose the battlefield, while the defender does not.

　Defense is far more difficult than aggression and defense.

　Therefore, the preemptive victory, speed and quick decision-making will determine the course of the war.

　Kepka's decision-making ability is greater than that of an ordinary general.
　There's no way he could lose to an ordinary general.

　Kepka thinks about it.
　How is it that the enemy is able to predict his actions so perfectly?

　Then he comes to a conclusion.

　'Call the sorcerers.

　Kepka ordered his guards.








　''This blessing is a perfect match for a siege.

　Alexios touches his right eye.

　Alexios has two blessings, the "Eye Borrowing Blessing" and the "Eye Lending Blessing".
　As the name suggests, it is a blessing that allows you to borrow or lend someone else's vision.

　Currently, Melia is flying a hawk in the sky above Rezad.
　By borrowing the hawk's (Melia's) gaze, Alexios is able to have a bird's-eye view of the entire battlefield.

　In addition, the existence of the hawk has not been found for now because the magician of Rezad has cast a spell of concealment on the hawk (Melia).

　Oops, she's moving. The next step is to attack the southwest wall. As usual, they skillfully exploit any weaknesses in our defenses. The mercenaries are also moving fast. You are a man to be reckoned with, to move mercenaries who do not like siege battles so flexibly.

　Alexios laughs happily.
　It's a mixture of the joy of fighting a great general and the pleasure of giving the people of the Barca family, whom he hates, a shot in the arm.

　He looks around the entire battlefield and responds to each enemy's every move.
　The Rezad Army, commanded by Alexios, moves with the minimum amount of movement necessary to prevent the enemy's attacks.

　As a result, there is no waste and they can make the best use of their forces.
　There will be less wear and tear and fatigue, which will lead to the maintenance of succession capabilities.

　''Hm?''

　Suddenly, the hawk's (Melia) gaze changes.
　In the tip of her gaze, she saw several hawks.

　'Oh my God, they found out.

　Alexios counteracts the blessing.
　Now the information advantage was gone.

　'Well, now that we've been able to defend ourselves until the afternoon of the second day, let's keep a positive attitude.

　Alexios immediately changes his instructions.
　He sends the soldiers who had been resting up until now to the battlefield and raises the overall defense.

　Until now, they have responded to the attack by adding troops before they were attacked.
　However, from now on, they will be forced to move after they are attacked. This is because Alexios does not have the ability to predict things.

　''That was tough....''
　Melia! You're tired, are you okay?

　After returning safely, Melia walks up to Alexios.

　''Well, you see, my hawk is big, and it's easy for me to get away from a few hawks. I even had some help from a Rezad spellcaster but I guess they found out.
　Really, I'm in trouble. Does this mean that Kepka has found out that I'm a commander?

　Alexios cowered his shoulders.







　'As you instructed, I flew over Rezad and observed it closely, and there was a falcon that hid itself under a cloaking spell. ........What is that thing?
　"This is Melia Cranstal. The Great Falcon, a sorcerer from the Kranstal Orphanage. You know her as well as I do.

　The sorcerers' eyes widened when they heard Kepka's words.

　''So that means.........''
　'The enemy commander is Alexios Barca... no, Alexios!　That man not only abandoned the Barca family and ran away, but he turned on Pofenia!

　Kepka slams his fist on the desk.
　The glass cup on the desk shakes, falling to the floor and breaking.

　The sound of the glass shattering echoes in the tent.

　'That's why me and brother Ceal told you to choke that iridescent (odd-eyed) little shit when he was born!　The eye will surely bring misfortune to the House of Barca... or Pofenia!

　It has long been said in Pophenia that a child with a different left and right eye is said to bring misfortune to the house.
　Hence, like children with physical or mental disabilities, they are often strangled at birth.

　Alexios was likewise nearly strangled at birth by the birth mother and other adults, but he escaped death through the desperate persuasion of his mother.
　Alexios's mother died when he was five years old.

　The rumour is that he was cursed by the curse of the iridescence (odd-eye).

　Incidentally, this tradition has been handed down since ancient times in the Eastern Tetis, the homeland of the Pophenians.
　In Cilicia, the degree of the curse differs from region to region, but it does not give a good impression.

　It is a common tradition among the maritime peoples.
　Therefore, this tradition has not been handed down to the Adelnians, Gauls, Germanis, and others who do not ride ships.
　That is why Germanic mercenaries do not have much of an aversion to Alexios.

　'Tell the whole army. That Alexios and Melia Kranstal be taken alive!　I'll give a hundred gold pieces to whoever catches him!

　Kepka's stomach was boiling with rage.
　With his eyes burning with rage, Kepka thought about the punishment of Alexios and Melia.

　''I will thoroughly humiliate them and then kill them. Both of them are not bad looking. The color-starved mercenaries will f*ck them both with great pleasure. 　........Then I'll strip you naked and put you on a donkey and expose you all over Pofenia. Finally, we'll bury him in a barrel full of manure and suffocate him to death.

　The traitor must be punished accordingly.
　The blood dripping from Kepka's clenched fist created a red stain on the carpet.






　'Kepka must be very angry. If only I'd strangled that brat right then and there!　And he's mad at me. I guess he's thinking about taking me alive, humiliating me a lot and killing me or something.
　...Are you okay?
　Don't worry about it.

　Alexios hugged Melia's worried shoulder and smiled as he pressed his lips to her cheek.

　 He kicked me many times when I was little and beat me up. I've been pushed into the sea and doused with boiling soup, and I still have the burn marks from that time. Even after I became a soldier, they harassed me a lot. Without the backing of the anti-Barka family, I could have been killed by that man at any time, disguised as an accident...

　Alexios's voice was filled with deep hatred and anger.　
　The corners of Alexios's mouth rose.

　 Kepka Barca deserves what he deserves I will give him a gift called death.

　Melia looks at Alexios like that with concern.

　''Well I won't interfere. This is a matter between you and the Barca family. I think you can take your revenge until you feel like it. But don't let vengeance consume you. You are a father, aren't you?
　I know. You're the most important thing in my life, and my son is next. And next to that, I'll be defending Rezad. I don't want any personal grudges to come between us.

　Barely, his wife, his children, and his sense of responsibility kept Alexios' resentment at bay.
　This would be a happy thing for Alexios.

　For there is nothing more foolish than to be trapped in revenge and to overflow the happiness in front of him.





　The second night.

　'Hmmm, it's May.
　'Well, it's the classic way to attack a castle, isn't it?

　Alexios and Melia surround the ramparts and watch the Pofenian army that continues to shout loudly.
　A number of torches are raised, drums and whistles are blaring, infantry are shouting, and cavalry continue to circle the walls as well as the city walls again and again, making noise.

　This is a measure to disturb the sleep of the Rezad soldiers, who are not used to fighting, and to exhaust them.

　Night raids are rarely done because of the damage they cause, but pretending to attack by night is a common practice.

　Siege and siege warfare are psychological warfare.
　The one whose morale is frustrated is the first to lose.

　For the time being, I'll tell everyone in Rezad not to worry about it and go to sleep. Well, I'll be prepared for the worst case scenario.

　However, the human mind is not as simple as being told to feel safe.
　The psychological attack of the Pofenian army was sure to wear out the people of Rezad.




　The third day.

　'Third Corps, move quickly to Point 6. Seventh Squadron, move to Point Twelve!　Ninth Squadron, that place has been cleared. I want you to go to the thirty-second point for reinforcements.

　Alexios flies through a series of instructions.
　In front of Alexios is a model that represents this entire battlefield.

　Whenever information about reconnaissance or transmissions is received, the position of the enemy's pieces on the model changes.
　In response to these changes, Alexios also moves his allies' pieces and sends out instructions.

　The battlefield changes at a dizzying pace.

　If there was even the slightest opening, the Pophenian army would invade from there.

　''The Sixth Squad!　Move to point twelve!
　'Captain!　The Sixth Squad can't move!
　What do you mean?
　And it's too prominent to deliver the message!

　The soldiers there are desperate.
　So they can't make an accurate decision.

　Therefore, they are often a little too forward.

　This happens even in sophisticated armies.
　This is even more so with volunteer soldiers who are not well trained.

　''d*mn it it can't be helped. Call the Second Squad!　........our defenses may be down, but we can't turn our backs!

　Part of the city walls had already been occupied by the Pofenian army.
　Alexios is not a jack-of-all-trades.
　He makes a mistake or two.

　That's where Kepka has poked him and allowed him to enter.

　However, what is to be admired is Alexios' skillful military tactics to keep defending with such a large difference in force and skill level.
　If it were an ordinary general, they would have fallen on the first day.

　''Ta, it's bad!
　What's up?　Which place fell?

　The transmission answers Alexios' question.

　'The flag!　It's the flag of King Rosais' country!　It's heading straight for us!
　You're in time.

　Alexios meditates lightly.
　Then he stands up and raises his voice.

　'Don't let up. Tell the whole army. Reinforcements will be arriving soon. Hold out until then!



　Thus, Rezad was spared from the plundering of the Pofenian army.