“A fair point indeed. In which case it would be safe to assume that Seitz hopes to claim Canarre as well?”
“Precisely, Your Majesty. Though Canarre drove off a sizable army in their previous engagement, Maasa falling to Seitz would force Canarre into a two-front war, with Seitz on one flank and Maasa on the other.”
“A situation that not even the mighty army of Canarre could withstand, I suppose…” Couran muttered, a frown creeping across his face as images of that worst-case scenario flashed through his mind.
“However,” Robinson continued, “none of this is to say that we can afford to leave Arcantez undefended. It’s a troublesome position we’re confronted with indeed.”
Arcantez was a region of undeniable importance. Couran could not, under any circumstances, allow it to fall. The situation was a tricky one.
“Yes… And the enemy’s vast numbers pose a problem as well. Matters would be different if Canarre was able to take Purledo, but alas,” Couran said with a bitter scowl.
If Canarre’s forces assaulted Purledo and presented themselves as a serious threat on Seitz’s home front, there was a chance they would choose to divert some of their attacking forces back to defend the duchy proper. Losing Purledo would be a blow that Seitz would most assuredly prefer to prevent.
Couran, however, was somewhat anxious about Canarre’s prospects of bringing Purledo to heel, even given the reinforcements he’d sent to them. Still, he kept his hopes high: knowing the sort of individuals who fought under Canarre’s banner, there was always a chance they would emerge victorious.
As Couran continued discussing his strategy, a soldier arrived bearing a message─specifically, a letter from Canarre. Couran opened it on the spot and read through its contents.
“What?!” Couran let out an unintentional yelp of surprise.
“Wh-What news, Your Majesty?” Robinson nervously inquired.
“It’s from Ars,” said Couran, unable to disguise the agitation in his voice. “It seems Fort Purledo has fallen and Castle Auros has surrendered, placing the bulk of Purledo County under his force’s control…”
“Wha─?! I-Is that really true?!” Robinson shouted, just as bewildered by the letter’s contents as Couran had been.
“That was far, far too fast…and it is indeed difficult to believe…but this letter bears Ars’s seal, and I recognize his penmanship as well. I find it hard to believe that it’s a forgery…and Ars would never send me a false report.”
Couran had assumed that even if Fort Purledo were to fall, its conquest would take a considerable span of time. A mere three months had passed since Couran had sent the order for Ars to attack the county. Bearing in mind the time that each message had spent in transit, the speed with which Ars had brought Purledo under his control was downright stunning.
“He claims to have used a new weapon called an airship to enable his victory,” Couran added. “I was aware that he was developing such a thing, but I never dreamed it would already be possible to put into practical use.”
“A-An airship…? Do you mean to say he attacked the enemy from the sky?” asked Robinson.
“It seems natural to assume, yes… And if that was the case, he may well have bombarded them with magic from far outside their own range.”
“That would be a mighty weapon indeed─particularly given the wonders that the mage called Charlotte, who works under Canarre’s command, is capable of.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Couran said with a nod. “If this is true, and Purledo is under his control, the enemy will have no choice but to summon troops back to Seitz en masse. Otherwise, they would be asking for Canarre to move on and conquer the surrounding counties in sequence. That means an invasion of Maasa will be off the table…and that our next move should be to reclaim Lund County with all due haste.”
“I heartily agree, Your Majesty. What shall we do after the county is reclaimed, though?”
“Seitz will be moving to take back Purledo, so our first step will be to prevent them from doing so.”
Couran had intended to invade Seitz from the start. They were a troublesome neighbor, exemplified by their attempted invasion of Canarre. The duchy’s hostility toward Missian could hardly have been more blatant, and Couran had planned to order an invasion and nip the threat it posed in the bud before it could cause any real trouble. Purledo County would serve as the perfect foothold to stage that assault from. The enemy would try to take it back, to be sure, but if defended well, it had the potential to make all the difference.
“If we waste too much time taking back Lund County, then Canarre’s armies may not hold out, regardless of how capable they are. We need to reclaim Lund as swiftly as possible,” Couran concluded.
“Perhaps it would be wise to dispatch reinforcements to Purledo immediately?” Robinson proposed. “A few spare soldiers could make all the difference for the county’s defense.”
“We have the troops to send…but we can’t afford to send them until we’ve determined how many troops the enemy has left in Lund County. For now, we should confirm that the report from Purledo is indeed true and wait to see the enemy’s next move.”
“Very well, Your Majesty.”
Thus, Couran chose to bide his time and see what card the army of Seitz would play next.
○
At that same moment, Ashude, the Duke of Seitz, was present at Castle Lund. He had taken command of the invasion of Missian, leading from the front line. Ashude was a renowned commander with a string of victories stretching back long before his ascension to the duke’s throne. He’d led his troops through many a campaign, and since Seitz lacked any commanders with a better understanding of tactics, he still took to the field from time to time when important battles needed to be fought.
Ashude had led his troops to a clear victory in the battle of Castle Lund. He’d lost fewer men than anticipated, even, although the fact that the Count of Lund had escaped was an irksome fly in the ointment. His worries in that regard were justified when the escaped count rounded up the remains of Lund’s army and fled to Maasa County alongside them. Without their count to command them, those soldiers would have been unable to coordinate themselves and escape. Ashude could have either wiped them out or forced them to surrender, depriving his foe of even more soldiers.
Still, the fact that Castle Lund had fallen before any enemy reinforcements could arrive had put Ashude in a strong position. If he could leverage that advantage to claim Maasa County as well, Missian’s overall fighting force would be severely damaged. The war, at that point, would be Seitz’s to win.
An advantage, of course, was no guarantee of victory. The enemy’s numbers were still vast, and that army would have to be crushed if victory was ever to end up on the table. Ashude knew that this would by no means be the last time he would be forced to set foot on the battlefield before the campaign was done.