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“The battle will begin soon! Prepare to depart, everyone!” Lance ordered, having received news that Arthur’s army was approaching. He was holding a new meeting with the influential people of Berwick. “We need to move fast and make camp on the plains west of here before Arthur arrives.”
“We’re gonna fight there? Isn’t it more advantageous to hole up in the city?” Caim asked, cocking his head with his arms crossed. Naturally, he was also part of the war council. At first, he had just been an outsider who happened to be Millicia’s lover, but now, the others recognized his worth. Not only had he proven his strength against the Knights of the Blue Wolf, but he had also wiped out the Ladies of the Lake, saving Count Atlaus.
“Indeed, this is a solution to make up for our lack of manpower,” Lance started to explain with a smile. “Fighting in the city will only work if reinforcements come to aid us, however. If they don’t, the defense line will slowly collapse, and we will lose.”
The defenders held the advantage during a siege battle, and it was often said that the attackers would need five times the number of soldiers to defeat the defenders. Unfortunately, holing up in a city wasn’t enough to actually win. Provisions would steadily diminish, and it wasn’t possible to replenish weapons, materials, and soldiers. If no reinforcements came to help, the defenders would eventually lose.
“I see... Sorry, I should have known that an amateur like me shouldn’t interrupt,” Caim apologized.
“I don’t mind. Don’t hesitate to point out anything you notice. But anyway, let’s talk about our positioning.” Lance had his secretary hang a large map depicting the territory west of Berwick on the wall so that everyone could see it. “Arthur will attack head-on. He can use tricks and schemes when he needs to, but he generally prefers a direct confrontation for the decisive battle. So we’ll meet him the same way.” Lance pointed at a part of the map with a stick. “In the center will be the Knights of the Blue Wolf. The Knights of the Black Dragon will take the right side, with reinforcements from the neutral faction on the left. I’ve hired foreign mercenaries via ship to assist the Knights of the Black Dragon, who are now down to half of their numbers. The leaders of each force will be Ildana, Ikkaku, and Count Atlaus.”
Lance paused for a moment, then turned toward his sister. “Millicia, you’ll help treat the wounded soldiers in the rear. As for you, Caim, you are free to move as you wish. You don’t need to wait for my instructions—just go and attack Arthur directly.”
“Understood.” Millicia nodded.
“My task’s pretty important, huh? Oh well, that suits me.” Caim grinned. Going for the enemy’s general was a big job, but for Caim it was easier than cooperating with others to fight rank-and-file soldiers.
“Knowing Arthur, he won’t stay safely in the rear. He’ll be on the front line, giving commands. However, he’ll have Ser Gawain and Dame Merlin near him, so it won’t be easy to take him down,” Lance added.
“That’s perfect. I’ll be able to take my revenge against all of them.” Caim clenched his fists, ready to fight and dispel the humiliation from being forced to flee at the imperial palace.
“Also, I have one more request for you, Caim. I heard you could use large-scale magic. Could you please perform the opening strike?”
“You want me to use my magic to do the very first attack of the war?”
“Yes. A large-scale spell should greatly impact the enemy’s morale. Can you do it?”
“Well, sure, I don’t mind.” Caim didn’t have any reason to refuse. The enemy’s army outnumbered them, so reducing their numbers with the opening strike would make the rest of the battle easier.
“Well then, now I’ll explain the plan in detail. First, based on what I anticipate the enemy will do...” Lance then explained their course of action while listening to everyone’s opinions.
The meeting only ended late at night, when they’d finally completed the strategy they would use against Arthur.
✦ ✦ ✦
〇 〇 〇
The war council ended, and everyone was assigned their roles.
Caim would go out on his own to strike at Arthur.
Millicia would tend to the wounded in the rear.
Lenka and Tea would accompany the Knights of the Blue Wolf and the Knights of the Black Dragon, respectively.
Rozbeth would, just like Caim, move freely around the battlefield.
And Lykos...would wait in the city. Of course they wouldn’t let her participate in the war. When they announced that to her, she whined, swinging her arms around in protest.
“Sorry, but I won’t let you stand on the battlefield,” Caim said firmly.
Lykos started to cry and clung to Caim.
“I won’t budge even if you cry... Or rather, don’t cry.” Caim was troubled by Lykos’s tears, but he wouldn’t change his decision. He would never agree to let Lykos participate in the war.