After His Highness Astina had left for Wendell's chambers with a few of his kinsmen, we gathered in the round table room with Raquel's call to arms.

'Glass Weed, sir. Excuse me.

　When I enter the room, all the troop leaders are gathered together - Presha-san, Brigitte, and Chloe, the attackers' captain, and Deethe-san and Sorfa-san of the archers' squad. They don't wear armor to conserve their strength before going into battle, and all of them are wearing the official clothing of the Order.

　We sit at the prepared seats - now there are nine of us seated at the round table, including me.

The two mages, Lendl and Noin, will also be participating in the mission as mages. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this, but I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. Do you have any objections?

　We expected to hear something from Bridgette or so, but she just took one look at us and didn't say anything in particular. Instead, Chloe, who is sitting next to her, looks at Noin and says.

''We haven't been told about her either, though we haven't been told how she came to this fortress. To have her participate in an important operation like this one, does that mean she's of reasonable ability?

　Raquel didn't answer right away and looked at Noin. Noin got up from his seat and revealed his identity without any deception.

''I am the Court Mage's Seventy-Third Grade, Noin Flores. Until the other day, I was an internal spy for Zirconia.''
How did a person like that get into this fortress ......?
You mean the ...... you came in contact with when you infiltrated the zirconia.

　Chloe-san usually speaks in a hard tone like a warrior, but she uses awe-inspiring language in a military congress - I guess it's a sign of respect for Raquel-san.

''Yes. Lord Noyn had infiltrated Zirconia with an unwanted order, but he no longer has to obey that order. Not all of the court mages will be like that, but there are those who are trying to undermine this country ...... that's why His Highness made the decision.

　We will attack Zirconia - and eliminate the immediate threat on the western border.

　To do so, it is not enough to achieve a small victory in this battle. We must break the heart of General Alejandro - the 'White Raven' who is in command of the enemy forces.

'I have already taken part in one attack on this fortress. I have lent a hand to the Zirconian army.

　Noin confesses - a fact that he can't help but receive a reprimand here and there.

'If I had been part of the next operation, I would have caused more damage. If you think I should be cut down here, then I feel that I have no choice.
'There is no need to rehash what has already been decided about the treatment of Lord Noyn. Glass has proven that it was not done by Lord Noyn on his own volition.

　Raquel-san mentions my name, so everyone's attention is on me - Noin also looks at me, but he seems to have some kind of faith-like emotion in him, and he's uncomfortable.

'Dr. Glass is ......?　Sister Deethe, what's that about ......
'Solfa, your slackness is fatal. You and I are equals, so refrain from calling me anything indulgent.
...... is, yes, hey ...... Captain Dite, sir.

　Sorfa-san hurriedly straightens her back. Even though they are both archer captains, there seems to be a clear hierarchical relationship between them - senior and junior in knight school or something like that.

''I know that I was giving to Zirconia's side at one time, but I know that I can't be trusted immediately by contributing to the Knights ......, but could you please evaluate me by looking at my future work?

　Noin bowed deeply. Seeing that, Bridget and Chloe seemed to have listened to Noin's arguments.

''Although I have not swallowed the entire situation, I have no objection if it is the decision of Your Highness and the Knight Captain. Relying on mages is different from the previous policy of the Order, so we need to ask the soldiers to understand as well, but .......
'I have no objection to that. I think I understand what it means to have mages in this military council.

　This would be the first time in the Isle Rose Knights that a mage would formally participate in a military action.

　It's very big that Noin, who can influence the war situation alone, has followed us. The canal, which until now was only an obstacle to entering Zirconia from this side, could be used in a completely different way with her being a water mage and having a military ship in her possession.

　Ms. Deethe spread out a map on the round table - it was something she had brought with her when she had infiltrated Zirconia's fort.

'We deactivated the fort and took our commander, Vale, as a prisoner of war. When we interrogated him, we found that Vail was about to send a messenger to the king to report that he was not to blame for the failed attack under General Alejandro's command. It is likely that Alejandro sent Lord Noyn to Vale in order to contain it and to move Vale's forces more effectively.
''So you're saying that ...... Lord Noyn had even infiltrated the White Raven, that's what you're saying.
What makes you think that sending Lord Noyn to the Vale is going to work?　Bale isn't the only one who knows about the defeat. If you think we should win while we're buying time, then I'd have to say it's shallow.

　Bridgette's opinion was a good one, to say the least. But Alejandro had a certainty. If he used Noyin's magic better, he could make the Isle Rose Fortress fall.

　How would Alejandro move once he learned that Noyin was gone? Will he retreat to the center when he sees that he no longer has an effective way to attack the Isle Rose - or will he retreat to the center?

　Will a soldier who can make such a decision ever become famous? Isn't Bridgette right, and isn't she still thinking of ways to win?

''This eastern military camp ...... is the base of attack for Zirconia to attack us. With Lord Noyn using water magic to blind the warships and move them to the east, they have attacked us across the river from two points.

　The effectiveness of that strategy is best understood by Raquel and the others who were attacked. Sixty-two dead and several times that number of wounded - everyone's expression shades when they remember that day.

　But the Zirconia Army's surprise attack was one that had been established by relying on Neun's magic. If they were to attempt to invade again, it would take time to get into position.

'In that battle, we were able to repel the Zirconian army ...... and the damage was far greater on the Zirconian side. If they still think they can drop this fortress, it's nothing short of pride on their part.
His Highness Astina thought it was now or never. ...... We will win a ceasefire with Zirconia and gain ground. Then we will have a chance to find out what the center wants.

　The center -- the general headquarters of the Knights of the Kingdom of Raiseneier. Brigitte-san, who had a strong sense that she was fighting for the kingdom, felt evasive about disregarding orders and rebelling against the kingdom.

　However, after fulfilling the original mission of 'defending the Western Territory', then a certain basis can be obtained for breaking the order 'Do not invade Zirconia'.

' ...... I've been thinking about this ever since the incident with Lord Vysek. I've been wondering whether not to do anything against Zirconia in this situation is to encourage us to fight hard, or whether there is a lack of central interest in the ...... western territory, and I've been thinking that there is no way that such a thing is possible. That there is no way His Majesty the King would give up on the Knights led by His Highness Astina.

　Mr. Raquel's statement was a thoughtful statement about Bridget's feelings. Perhaps sensing this, Brigitte revealed her feelings.

　She thought that she was just evading 'violating the central order', but that was not the case. After some thought, she had chosen to endure the situation as it was.

''His Majesty the King has not abandoned the people of the Western Domain or our Order. But if I want to find out his true intentions, I have to move. We have not fought to this day to wait for this fortress to fall.

　At Raquel's words, Bridgette nodded - the intentions of everyone gathered here were unified.

''Bridget can be counted as a force, right?
'I must also prove to you that it is not a decorative sword. Lord Deethe, I want to make a full apology for what I said at that time. I am sorry.
I'm the one who's gone too far for words.

　Bridgette and Deite are reconciling. I'm glad to see that we have an end to this coiling before the battle.

It's a good thing that we've been able to get our hands on some of the most important pieces of glassware in the world," he said. The scale of the operation will be completely different from the last time, but His Highness said that the current Glass can do it.

　The last time they crossed the river, they summoned the 'Floating Demon Lotus'. Before, it was a path of a size that could be crossed by one person at a time, but in theory, it could form a bridge to pass a large army.

　Summoning would also be necessary when returning to the Isle Rose side - not that it was impossible to retreat, but it would take time to re-summon them to form a retreat path.

　Ideally, we have to get the enemy forces to surrender before reinforcements arrive. Even though the situation is confused by our infiltration operations, Alejandro can't sit on his hands forever in that state.

However, if we just go at it head-on, there will be more damage. It's a good thing that the main unit can surround the enemy's camp after shaking it up. We want to avoid being forced to go out into the field on the plains.

　The key to the measure of swaying - and the key to it - is the warship.

　Simply moving the warships closer to the enemy camp is not enough to attract their attention. That's where we're getting what we need. Other than that, Zirconia has brought it to us.

'Sir Knight, may I have my say?

　Noyn was allowed to speak and stand again. She points to the map on the round table and points to the point where the enemy camp and the canal are closest to each other.

'To this point, I can use my magic to move the warships under cover. If we appear in a position where the guards can see us, we can effectively induce unrest.
'Hmm. But if they can intercept us, it would be difficult to prevent them from doing so with a single warship, wouldn't it?
'On water, I can defend the ship. But my magic isn't enough to attack an enemy on land.

　The idea of attacking with a bow from the ship's top was also conceivable, but Zirconia's fort is surrounded by high towers and walls, and cannot be effectively hit.

　And since rainfall is expected, we can't normally use any kind of gunpowder weapons - which means that the enemy can't use any kind of artillery either.

　I asked Raquel for permission and proposed my opinion for the first time in a military council.

'If we can load our warships with cannons and fire them even in the rain, we can greatly upset the enemy camp.
'Cannons...... Well, there's one brought in by an enemy crafting unit. It's a good idea to load them onto a warship, but what about the weather? But what about the weather?
'With my magic, that problem can be solved. It's not hard to keep the gunpowder dry and protected.

　Leslie didn't have to say anything to guess. If the air magic protected the cannons, this one could fire the cannons even in rainy weather, and the enemy side could block any kind of gunpowder if they weren't prepared for the rain.

'...... Everyone is speaking on the assumption that it will rain, though. Did your highness expect it to rain in this sunny weather?
'If it's what Your Highness says, there's no doubt about it. There has never been a time when the weather predictions have been off.
If it's going to rain reliably, ...... there's another way to fool the enemy forces.

　Noin seemed to think that one role was not enough in this battle.

　That was probably what His Highness had in mind as well. A strange plan that could only be done because of Noin's presence in the rain - it must be a nightmare for Zirconia.

''Sister Raquel, I'm not in the 'main force', am I?

　Presha-san, who has been listening quietly for a long time, speaks up - smiling. Raquel-san's eyes widen faintly.

'It's a race against time, but me and my horse can do it. It doesn't matter if it's in the rain.

　There's a fire in her eyes as she says that - not anger or hatred, but the fire of knightly pride and fighting spirit.

　Presha-san's change, Bridget-san and the others are also watching her eyes. And then they look at me - they've started to ask me for a reason as soon as something happens to them.

'Lord Noin, Presha. Could you explain it to me so that everyone can understand?

　Raquel begs me, and they reply. They are amazed that they can do so much with magic.

　Double and triple measures are piled on top of each other, and the road to victory is being built. I exchange glances with Leslie, who sits next to me - she's surprisingly calm, even though she's going to play an important role aboard the warship.

　--Brother Glass, I'm sure she'll be fine.

　Leslie says in a voice that only I can hear, using the spirit of the air. I wanted to reassure her, but Leslie smiled as if she could see it all coming.