“Should we also mobilize our forces for attack?” Nozomu asked.
“I wouldn’t recommend that. We’re pretty heavily outnumbered still. Best to avoid a head-on confrontation if we can help it.” The crease between Arness’s brows deepened as his expression grew more severe.
Next to them, Rungr nodded. “For sure. Father might be able to manage it, but we don’t have his battle experience, nor do we have his cheat abilities.”
“Right.” Nozomu gave an unamused snort. He didn’t need to be told he couldn’t measure up to his father. He’d already learned that five years ago. Sure, it still frustrated him a little, but he was done trying to deny it.
“But, you know, if Babel really is coming here to destroy this fortress, it might work out in our favor.”
“Huh? How?” Nozomu had no clue what Arness was talking about.
“This fortress is on the outskirts of Steel Clan territory. The boonies, if you will. There’s no land to guard here, nor are there any civilians.”
“I mean, yeah, isn’t that why dad chose it?” He still didn’t understand. Why was this getting rehashed now? Dellingr Fortress had originally been built to guard against bandits from the east. Yuuto had chosen this fortress because he hadn’t wanted harm to come to any innocent bystanders, and this one was located far away from civilization. That way, when war finally broke out, the people would at least be safe. Furthermore, the fortress was located near the shore, which made it easy for ships to dock and supply the army with rations. Either way, this was all old news. Nozomu couldn’t understand why Arness would state the obvious at such a critical juncture.
“Right. So there’s no problem with using that to our advantage.”
“Uhh...”
“You don’t get it? If they’d cross over into Claw or Wolf Clan territory, we’d have no other option but to come to their aid. And if they invaded Horn Clan territory, Haugspori would have to go back there to handle it.”
“Ah, right.” Nozomu struck his palm with his fist as though he understood. These people had gone out of their way to aid Nozomu, placing themselves under his banner. He had a duty to help them in return.
“But the enemy, on the other hand,” Arness continued, “would want to avoid having their own territory laid to waste. That’s why instead of bothering with the other clans, they’re heading here directly to put you, the rebel leader, out of commission.”
“So it seems,” Nozomu muttered, then he frowned with confusion. He still didn’t know what Arness was getting at, and it was beginning to irritate him that his brother was able to figure out something he couldn’t. “So, what should we do then? Get to the point.”
“Ah, sorry. Dragging out the exposition has always been a bad habit of mine. Basically, if there’s nothing to protect and no one to rescue, there’s no need to send out the troops at all. We can just fight from the safety of this fortress, right?”
“I see!” At long last, Nozomu understood. Normally, there would be more disadvantages than advantages to doing so. Lords often taxed their subjects under the pretext of keeping them safe, but if that lord was spineless enough to hole himself up in his castle while his land burned, he’d lose the trust and loyalty he’d built up. While a lord might want to avoid that at all costs, Nozomu didn’t have to concern himself with any of that, and he had access to a steady supply of food for everyone as well. Arness was trying to say that if the enemy outnumbered them, then all they had to do was stay in the fort and on the defensive—the side that always had an overwhelming advantage during a siege.
“I’m in favor of Arness’s plan. Let the enemy come to us. While we’re holed up in this fortress, we can look for an opening, attack when we find one, and if they retreat, we go for the jugular. I don’t see any disadvantages,” Sigurd said, offering his opinion.
“But wait, isn’t keeping the troops in line during a siege incredibly difficult?” Nozomu, however, was unsure. He remembered something similar happening in one of Yuuto’s tales from the past. But Sigurd just gave a confident grin.
“Truthfully? That won’t be an issue,” Sigurd replied confidently. “Considering there is already a hefty supply of provisions in this fort to get us started, we can easily hold out for a good three months. Also, the more resources the enemy wastes to attack us, the higher likelihood of their troops defecting to our side. In this case, time is actually our ally.”
“You’ve got a sharp eye, kid. I like that. But then again, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the son of Fagrahvél and His Former Majesty.” Haugspori sighed in admiration.
Nozomu felt a slight prick of pain in his chest. Back during the great war of Yggdrasil, Haugspori had been Linnea’s right-hand man. Since she herself wasn’t fond of war, he’d heard that Haugspori had picked up the slack, displaying in full his almost superhuman talent for combat. Put simply, he was a legend among legends, and for Haugspori to recognize Sigurd’s skill made Nozomu realize all over again how gifted his younger brother was. Why couldn’t he have inherited any of Yuuto’s talents? From that jealousy, negative thoughts inevitably began to take root in his mind.
“So, what do you think, Big Bro? Are we going with the siege plan?”
“Wha?! Oh... Um...” Arness’s question brought him back to earth. Indeed, Arness and Sigurd’s opinions made sense. But something still bothered him. Something didn’t add up.
“Are you worried about something?” Arness asked.
“N-No, not especially, it’s just...” But even as he said it, he felt his heartbeat quicken. He didn’t know why, but something was keeping him from agreeing. He just—had a bad feeling.
“Is it just because I’m jealous that I didn’t come up with it first?” Honestly, that would make more sense, but he quickly denied it. He didn’t want to believe he’d fallen that far. But—what if he actually had? He wasn’t sure. He was aware his inferiority complex had gotten especially bad as of late.
“Something on your mind, Big Bro?”
“Ah... Well, I’m not actually sure why, but for some reason, I just can’t help but feel that this siege plan is a bad idea, I guess,” he admitted sheepishly, scratching his head in uncertainty.
At first, he’d considered concealing his disapproval. He didn’t have a good reason to refuse, so he’d only embarrass himself by speaking out. The plan was clearly the wisest course of action. Going with the flow and accepting the proposal would have let him save face. However, five years ago, he’d told himself he was done putting on airs. In the end, he’d always be seen through. He had to grow on his own merits. Would he rather speak up now and endure a little embarrassment in the short term, or suffer a lifetime of it for not speaking up at all? Even if it made him look like a fool, wasn’t it best to keep asking questions until things made sense? Maybe then, even if it was just a baby step, he would be able to take a step forward in his own growth—at least, that was what he hoped.
“Hmm... You don’t know why, huh?” Arness looked troubled as he put his hand on his chin. That just made Nozomu feel worse.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled apologetically. “It must sound stupid for me to reject your proposal without a concrete reason. It might just be that I’m jealous of you for being far more capable than I am.”
“Nah, you’d never let something like that get in the way of an important decision.” Arness’s reply was immediate. His younger brother’s confidence in him made him happy, but he wasn’t as confident in himself. Nozomu knew himself the best, and he knew that he deeply envied his younger brothers.
“All right, let’s break it down, then. Exactly what part of this plan has you apprehensive?” Rungr asked.
Nozomu thought for a bit before responding. “Well, probably the suggestion that we have nothing to protect.”
“Hm, so you’re saying we’ve overlooked something we do have to protect?”
“But the area around this fortress is barren. That’s why Father chose this place to begin with, right?” Arness and Sigurd both looked stumped.
“They’re smarter than I’ll ever be,” Nozomu thought, “so if they can’t see an issue, then it was probably just my imagination. Time to stop pretending like I have anything to contribute and leave it to them.” But just as that thought crossed his mind, someone delivered a swift kick to his back, sending him flying. When he got up off the ground and turned around to see his attacker, there stood Wiz, a look of disdain on her face.
“What the hell, Wiz?!” he screeched.
“You’re slouching, Big Brother. ‘In strategy, it is imperative to be able to see distant things as if they were close by and nearby things as if they were far away. Do not see, observe.’”
“Huh?” Nozomu had never heard that one before. At least, it wasn’t anything Sun Tzu had said.
Wiz put her hand on her hip and sighed. “Miyamoto Musashi’s The Book of Five Rings. He was known as the strongest warrior Father’s home country had ever known. When you’re hunched over like that, you can only see what’s in front of you, Big Brother.”
“Hmph.” He understood what Wiz was getting at. Telling him he was “hunched over” was her way of saying to him that he was being spineless. When one became spineless, they turned their gaze inward, getting so caught up in themselves that their worldview became narrow. He of all people should’ve known that by now, yet before he knew it he’d been stuck in the swamp of self-doubt once more.
“‘See close things as if they were distant, and distant things as if they were close,’ huh?” He’d frequently heard those words from Sigrún during his training sessions as well. In that context, it meant that focusing too much on your opponent’s sword could leave you unable to react to their attack. By adopting a wider perspective and paying attention to the opponent’s entire body instead, an opponent’s tells would become more apparent and easier to respond to. It was the most basic of basics. Just now, Nozomu had been only looking at what was in front of him. If he expanded that perspective...
“Ah! I got it! I see now!” Suddenly, a bright flame lit the candle in his mind. He was so surprised by the sudden revelation that he ended up shouting out. He finally knew exactly what had bothered him so much about his brother’s plan.
“It’s wrong to say we don’t have anything to protect. I returned to Tarshish to claim my rightful spot as the new þjóðann, didn’t I?” he explained.