Finally, I decided to entrust transporting the airship to the Shadows and Braham’s unit. They would have to be ready to cope with any subterfuge that our enemy could throw at us in an effort to destroy the airship, so I wanted the best soldiers we had available watching over the vessel like hawks. The Shadows and Braham’s people fit that bill. They would begin escorting the airship the moment the fort’s construction was completed, so until then, I decided not to deploy them to the front lines.
With that, our meeting came to an end. We were ready to begin making our preparations toward the commencement of our invasion of Seitz.
○
The days flew by, and soon, the eighth month was entering its home stretch. My fifteenth birthday came and went, but the situation being as it was, this felt like no time to celebrate it.
Finally, Couran’s reinforcements arrived in Canarre County, accompanied by the Maitraw Company. All together, they numbered fifteen thousand strong. Speaking of manpower, the band of mercenaries seemed larger than it had been the last time we fought together, and its members were also better equipped than before. They had done remarkable work during the defense of Canarre, and it seemed that Couran had rewarded them generously for their service. They’d turned right around and used that money to upgrade their equipment and hire new members, apparently.
“What’s the plan this time?” the Maitraw Company’s leader, Clamant, rather bluntly asked the moment he met up with me. He’d always felt like a rather brusque man, and that hadn’t changed in the time since we last met. It also happened that he was calm and levelheaded, though, which made him a very reliable ally on the battlefield.
Rietz began by thoroughly explaining our strategy to Clamant.
“Wait. You have a flying ship?” Clamant interjected when the subject of the airship was broached. For once, his perpetual expressionless deadpan was replaced by a look of shock.
“Yes, we do,” Rietz confirmed. “Its development was completed just recently, and I have reason to believe that it’s more than capable of aiding in battle.”
“‘Reason to believe,’ meaning you haven’t actually fielded it yet?” asked Clamant.
“This will be its first sortie.”
“And you’re positive it’ll do the job?”
“I’m inclined to think so, yes.”
Rietz went on to explain the airship’s full specifications to Clamant. Clamant, for his part, seemed keenly interested in the airship, and shot off a rapid-fire barrage of questions the moment Rietz was finished.
“I see. Yes, I could see that being of use, considering Canarre’s capable mages,” Clamant finally said. He’d instantly understood why the airship would be so useful. “And, on a note unrelated to the upcoming battle, would you have any interest in selling an airship to the Maitraw Company?”
“Huh?” I grunted with shock. His question had come from so far out of left field, it left me bewildered.
“We have more money than you might expect,” Clamant continued.
Judging by the look on his face, Clamant was dead serious. He genuinely wanted to purchase the airship. He and his men made their living on the battlefield, so maybe a mighty new weapon was just that appealing for them.
“I’m, umm, afraid that we’ve only completed one of them so far. As such, selling it is rather out of the question,” I explained. We just weren’t in any position to be putting them up on the market.
“I see,” said Clamant. “Once you’ve made more, I would like to purchase one of them for my company.”
I hesitated for just a moment longer.
“Understood. I’ll take your offer into consideration,” I finally said. I hadn’t been expecting to discuss this sort of business, so it was a wonder I managed any response at all.
Soon afterward, Rietz resumed his explanation of our strategy.
“So, our role is to prevent the enemy from obstructing the fort’s construction by driving off any forces that may attack. All right, then,” said Clamant once Rietz was finished. He’d understood his role in the operation in an instant. I knew very well how capable he was, and was confident that he would play his part to perfection.
Once the explanation was finished, I gave the order for our armies to march. We would go into battle in the hopes of forcing the Seitzan army that was invading Missian to withdraw. At the moment, Lund County was under attack and fighting a losing battle. The longer we spent taking the fight to Seitz, the more difficult a position Couran would end up in. Simply put, there was no time to waste.
Thus, the battle of Fort Purledo began.
○
The plan commenced, and Rietz led a force of troops to build the new fort needed to carry Missian’s invasion. Ars himself would not be taking to the front, this time, instead standing by in Fort Coumeire. As such, he’d placed Rietz in formal command of his entire force. That force included Mireille, Thomas, and Charlotte, each of whom led their own unit of soldiers.
Rosell wound up staying behind in Fort Coumeire with Ars, where he would help issue instructions from the back lines. The Shadows and Braham’s unit stood by in the fort as well, ready to begin escorting the airship the moment they were given the order. Needless to say, Clamant and the Maitraw Company were participating in the operation as well.
Rikuya and his siblings had been entrusted with a unit of soldiers as well this time, albeit a small one. This would be their first time engaging in a major conflict since joining House Louvent. That was not, however, to say that they lacked battlefield experience. All three of them had made their way through a number of bloody warzones on their way to the Summerforth Empire, and they were so calm about the prospect of going into battle, it caught Ars somewhat by surprise.
There were also a number of nobles among the reinforcements, sent from other counties to lead their troops into battle. Some of them seemed less than pleased by the fact that Rietz, a Malkan, was leading troops into battle, but at present none of them had shown signs of defying his authority. Couran himself had ordered them to ride to Canarre’s aid, and if their lack of cooperation led to the county’s defeat, their reputations would be forever sullied in the eyes of their king. It wasn’t hard to imagine him going so far as to strip them of their title, even. As such, in spite of their misgivings, they had no choice but to behave themselves.
Rietz led his force toward a particular location that had been chosen in advance, situated perfectly between Fort Purledo and Fort Coumeire: a place known as Heine’s Hill. The new fort would be raised atop that hill. Situating it on high ground meant that it would not be easy to storm, impromptu though its construction may be. Rietz could hardly have asked for a more ideal site to present itself.
A few days after the army began its advance, Clamant arrived to deliver a report to Rietz. “No sign of any movements from the enemy yet,” he said.
Needless to say, Rietz’s force was keeping careful watch for enemy activity over the course of their march. The Shadows, however─who typically served as scouts for Ars’s army─were tasked with protecting the airship during its transit, and weren’t available to help the main force. Thankfully, while the Maitraw Company’s scouts couldn’t equal the Shadows, they were exceptional in their own right and had taken on the task of gathering intelligence.
“I can’t imagine they haven’t noticed that we’re on the move… Are they hunkering down in the fort and preparing for a siege? If so, that would work in our favor,” Rietz said, breaking the situation down.
Fort Purledo was very defensible, and it wasn’t out of the question that their enemy would choose to fight a purely defensive war, never sallying forth from its walls. There was also a chance that their defensive stance would only last until the construction of Rietz’s fort began, at which point they would go on the attack─but by that point, they would be too late.
With earth magic on Rietz’s side, the fort would be completed in no time at all. In fact, a functional, no-frills fort of that nature would likely be possible to raise in just a single day. Rietz intended to make a fort that was somewhat more sturdy than that, which meant an increase in the time he’d have to invest, but it would still be finished within three days, in all likelihood. If the enemy waited until construction began to send out troops, they would not make it in time.
“I suppose we’ll just have to hope that they’ll stay committed to defense…” muttered Rietz.