“What’s the situation with our food and water reserves?!”
“We’ve got plenty, thanks to General Chou and the young master’s orders! What are they called, biscuits? They’re great stuff.”
“Tell the soldiers in charge to hurry up with the evacuations! In order of importance, it’s children first, then women with infants, then the sick and wounded, and then the elderly!”
“The riders from the north are approaching at a fearsome speed. Hurry! Hurry!!!”
“Make sure we don’t take our eyes from the west. If you see anything amiss, report it to Lord Sekiei immediately.”
A night had passed in Keiyou since our confrontation with the Gen Empire’s forces. Ever since the initial news about the approach of the enemy forces, people had been entering my room nonstop with reports about the situation. I sat down in my chair, a letter from Raigen in hand. It had been delivered from the front lines first thing this morning.
“We’re under a sudden attack from many enemy ships. It seems that more and more of their generals are arriving on the battlefield. Though we don’t know the exact number of their forces, I’m sure from past experience that they have over two hundred thousand. I implore you to request reinforcements from the capital immediately.”
This was a large-scale invasion that could have only been launched had Gen known of father’s absence in advance. Raigen was an experienced general, and everyone in our army was well trained, but even so...
“Lord Sekiei!”
I was in the middle of racking my brain over what we could do when Teiha ran in. There was blood staining the bandages wrapped around his head, and his armor was covered in scuffs and dirt, but he had managed to survive the battle at Hakugin Castle. I blinked, shaking myself from my thoughts.
“Are you all right?”
“These are mere scratches. Thank you so much for yesterday!”
“Hakurei was the one who saved you. Besides, I didn’t do it out of the goodness of my heart.” I waved my hand as he approached as if to brush away his gratitude. From outside the manor, I could hear horses whinnying and children crying. Evacuations to get the civilians out of the city were under way. “I’m a freeloader of the Chou family. What do you think people will say behind my back if I abandon my soldiers at the very beginning of a war? When it comes to a siege, morale is the highest priority. Considering we’re going up against the fearsome Crimson Wolf and his Knights, I wouldn’t be surprised if people lost their will to fight—the mere thought of his reputation is terrifying. It was my time to put my life on the line. Besides, even if I had died, Hakurei would still be around.”
Teiha didn’t reply, though he scrunched his face up in an unreadable expression. I could feel all of the attendants and soldiers staring at me as well, but I ignored them.
I cleared my throat and, in the brightest voice I could muster, continued, “So don’t worry about it. Since you survived, I’m going to put you to work. Gramps and his army won’t be able to return from the river. I don’t have enough commanders, so I’m going to need you to step up. Make sure you don’t sully the great name of Raigen the Ogre now.”
Teiha’s expression twisted even further and he seemed paler than usual. He took a few moments to collect himself before he asked, “Is it true that Adai Dada has arrived at the enemy’s main camp? Do you suppose that’s a lie Gen concocted in an attempt to scare us?”
“They’re telling the truth, in all likelihood.”
I could hear a young woman’s voice—Asaka’s voice—echoing from somewhere within the manor. It sounded like she was trying to stop someone. Did she fail in the task I gave her? Was she unable to convince her?
Since Teiha was still standing before me looking nervous, I extended my hand and explained, “When I was a kid, I had father and Gramps Raigen tell me all about their war stories. Apparently, this Adai fellow is so small and petite that you could mistake him for a little girl. He can’t even swing a sword or ride a horse—and yet, he survived a battle against them. Those two weren’t able to take the head of a fifteen-year-old emperor seven years ago, nor could they rout Gen’s army even though it had just suffered an enormous defeat. Adai is a monster. Of that, I’m certain. The intel about him sending away the Crimson Wolf was probably a part of his strategy.”
Instantly, the room filled with the murmurs of the soldiers and the attendants, their expressions troubled by what I’d said.
“S-So, Gen did all of that just to trick us?” Teiha asked in a trembling voice. “Impossible. That can’t be...”
“That’s the only way to explain how they prepared enough ships to transport two hundred thousand soldiers. It doesn’t change the fact that the wall of fortresses we built along the river is impenetrable. They may beat us in terms of manpower, but it would still be an extremely difficult task to break through from there. So that’s why...”
I tapped my finger against the map on my table and drew the path I suspected Adai would take: past the forests in the southwestern region of Gen and the harsh environment of the Nanamagari Mountains; past Seitou, which was beyond the two natural barriers; at the end, I pointed to Keiyou, where we were, and the river bisecting the continent. The room had fallen silent. Everyone was staring at me, waiting for my next words.
“The Crimson Wolf led his army through the unexplored region in the southwest. Gen put its plan to attack Keiyou into place only after Seitou surrendered. They must have wanted to wait until the strong northern wind started to blow. The soldiers Gen sent to the northern shore of the river are acting as bait to keep Raigen and his troops there. The Crimson Knights will make up the bulk of the invasion force. They plan on claiming Keiyou and then destroying us after they’ve got us surrounded. Adai’s careful; there isn’t a single weak point in his plan to take advantage of. I can understand why father speaks so highly of him.”
“So you’re saying that we can’t expect reinforcements anytime soon,” Teiha said in a strained voice, his fists trembling at his side. “About a thousand soldiers—old ones, greenhorns, and volunteers—are protecting the evacuees, which means that we’re left with fewer than two thousand. That would be an optimistic estimate too. In comparison, the enemies in the west number...”
“Easily more than ten thousand,” I finished for him. “I hear that Adai doesn’t ever do things in half measures. For all we know, he might have brought ten times the number of our soldiers.”
Everyone in the room fell silent, their gazes fixed on the ground. Keiyou was the Chou family’s base of operations and as such, had steadily strengthened its defensive measures over the past fifty years. Even so, trying to hold out against such a difference in manpower would be an arduous task.
I clapped my hands and made sure I was using a casual tone as I said, “Don’t look so down, everyone. Rinkei knows well enough that they’re next if Gen crosses the river and takes Keiyou. They’ll send reinforcements. In order for us to hold out long enough to receive them, we have to—”
I was interrupted by a horse whinnying, followed by Asaka’s scream of “No, Lady Hakurei, you mustn’t!” Getsuei, Hakurei’s beautiful white horse, was announced by the thundering of hooves as it galloped into the courtyard. Hakurei, her long silver hair tied in a ponytail, leaped from Getsuei’s back in such a smooth movement that it was hard to believe there was any weight to the armor she wore.
As soon as I saw the fury of her expression, I desperately wanted to flee. Hakurei stalked into the room with her hair swishing behind her like the lashing tail of a cat before it strikes. The crowd of soldiers and attendants in my room parted to let her through before they left, escaping the worst of Hurricane Hakurei.
The moment we were the only ones left in the room, Hakurei slammed her hands down on my desk. “Sekiei, I demand an explanation!” Her bellow echoed off the walls.
Asaka, dressed in light armor and surrounded by other female attendants, poked her face out from behind a stone pillar outside. When our eyes met, I saw her mouth at me, “I’m sorry! I gave her the letter, but...!”
“We leave the rest to you!” one of the others added, similarly silent.