Chapter 45:
My First Kiss
AT THE ROYAL CASTLE OF VILLENDORF, IN THE throne room, I kneeled and paid my respects to Queen Catalina.
“Are you leaving already?” Her Majesty asked. “Why not stay a touch longer? I’ve used the communication device to inform Anhalt of the results of our peace negotiations. You don’t need to fret over that.”
Honestly, I wanted to kick back and take it easy for a while longer, but I didn’t have the luxury of time.
“I’d like to return my citizens back to their fief as soon as possible, Queen Catalina,” I said. “What’s more, we have an urgent matter to address.”
You remember that bomb you dropped on us as a gift? I wanna hurl it toward Queen Liesenlotte as soon as I can, I thought. You haven’t spoken about Lady Yue to Anhalt, have you? While Anhalt might have received news from the Holy Gusten Empire that a dynasty far beyond the Silk Road had fallen to ruin, they likely had no idea how serious this threat was. This piece of important info was far too heavy a burden for a weak lord knight like me to bear.
“But we still have much to discuss,” Queen Catalina insisted. “How were you raised? What sort of lifestyle did you lead? I’d love to know. I’d also love for you to know more about me as well. I’ll tell you how I was raised and the lifestyle that I’ve led. Is it a crime for me to have this wish?”
She cocked her head to one side like a cat begging for treats. The strong aroma of damask rose hung in the air. A massive number of roses decorated the throne room. I told her just yesterday that I’d head home. I can’t believe she managed to gather so many roses in a day. As I thought, princess-elector households are wealthy. And Villendorf has a better centralized government than Anhalt, frankly. But that also means that the lords expect the royal family to wield far more power. Unnecessary thoughts ran through my mind as I quickly realized that I had to respond to the queen’s words.
“I’d also love for us to share details about our lives with each other,” I said. “However, if our kingdom is in immediate danger, I must speak directly with Queen Liesenlotte to devise a plan. You’re partially to blame for this, Queen Catalina.”
“Ah, you must mean Yue,” Her Majesty replied. “I shall be blunt, Faust von Polidoro. I cannot possibly imagine that Anhalt, a kingdom that treats you so crudely, could come up with a plan to overturn this situation even given the full picture. Villendorf has already come up with several plans, and we’ve informed the Holy Gusten Empire of our thoughts. Of course, we’ve also asked for reinforcements and support should the worst come to pass.”
“Your Majesty.”
That’s not nearly enough. I know that you’re an excellent ruler and have done what you think is necessary, but you’re vastly underestimating your enemies. You’re being far too naïve.
“If you will allow me to speak, I do believe that that is not enough,” I said. “Even if Villendorf and Anhalt work together and receive assistance from the Holy Gusten Empire, it still won’t be nearly enough to overcome this threat.”
“If the very existence of the kingdom is at stake, Villendorf can amass an army of twenty thousand. I imagine Anhalt can create an army of a similar size, making us forty thousand in total. We’ll receive reinforcements from the Holy Gusten Empire to top it all off. Is that still not enough?”
“It isn’t, Your Majesty. But please understand that this comes from the mouth of a man with limited abilities.”
I didn’t have enough information to reach a proper conclusion. Why did God give me only combat prowess? Why wasn’t I blessed with intelligence too? I knew that Villendorf and Anhalt could muster up an army of forty thousand if necessary. If they utilized farmers and forced them into service as well, they could assemble an even greater army. Unfortunately, that would make our forces a mix of skilled and unskilled soldiers. Even if a general was an expert, if their soldiers were horribly inept and incompetent, teamwork would break down. Above all, the enemy was far more mobile than we ever could be. We wouldn’t stand a chance on flat terrain.
We had to lure the enemy into forests or marshlands that could kill their mobility. But if we were to steel ourselves for a major battle at a place that would cause the least amount of damage to our citizens, we had to use flat terrain. Think back. I pressed my hand against my head, trying to squeeze my brain for more information from my previous life. I vividly recalled the outcome of the Battle of Legnica where Europe suffered a crushing defeat, but I struggled to remember the details.
Back then, the strategy of European knights was to fiercely attack the center of the enemy formation. The Mongolians splendidly dodged these attacks and did a feigned retreat to flank the Europeans. The Mongolians’ light cavalry peppered them with arrows from horseback and made a crossfire formation on the flat terrain, which allowed them to attack while the German and Polish armies fell into a state of confusion. A smokescreen was used behind the cavalry, separating them from the infantry in the back. The Mongolians’ heavy cavalry then shot down the confused soldiers and ended the battle.
A quick summary of the strategy made it seem like a very simple one—I remembered it very well. And no way was I dying as I fell into the traps of the Mongolians’ strongest formation. This world had magic, miracles, and legends, but I couldn’t possibly find the key to turn the tide of war against these hypothetical Mongols. This wasn’t ideal for us.
“We lack many things,” I said. “If the nomads that are capable of the Parthian shot are few, we might be able to handle them, much like how Lord Claudia von Reckenbell completely destroyed the nomads in the north. However…”
“If their numbers are equal to ours, a few superhumans won’t be enough to change the tide of the battlefield,” Queen Catalina finished.
“Indubitably. We still need superhumans in our forces, of course.”
But a few of them wouldn’t be enough to attain victory in this grisly battle. This would turn into a fierce clash of tens of thousands of people. What are we lacking right now? An incredibly charismatic leader who can unify an improvised force of tens of thousands of soldiers? A strategist who can turn the very concept of war on its head and devise a plan that the enemy can’t even predict? Or is it a smooth chain of command where a replacement can swiftly appear on the battlefield even when several commanders die, preventing any sort of confusion among soldiers? Maybe it’s proper logistics that can never be disrupted. Or perhaps it’s a diverse collection of soldiers that would allow us to implement a myriad of flexible plans.
Toqto’a Khan had all of those things—the theoretical Mongols didn’t lack a single aforementioned point. Yet, I, Faust von Polidoro, possessed none of them. All I owned was the greatsword that I’d inherited from my predecessors, a longbow that I’d borrowed from House Reckenbell, a superhuman body that my mother had given birth to and raised, three hundred citizens in my fief, and my lowly rank. That was all.
I had to use my few possessions to tackle the Mongols; I knew that it was nothing short of reckless. Hence, all I could do for now was to tell those above me the severity of these threats. That was my top priority at the moment.
“I must return home,” I said. “I must tell people of the danger that looms.”
“Is that so…” Queen Catalina replied. “I shall keep your warning in mind as well and rethink my strategy. Your merchant… What was her name again?”
“Ingrid of Ingrid Company, Your Majesty.”