Chapter 5

Laviala and I returned to the fort triumphantly. The opposition was gone, and the fever pitch of battle had passed. “We sent those Minerian bastards packing! Their bodies are all the way up to the fort!” My comrades’ voices boomed out as I raised my sword. We didn’t have time to get too relaxed, though. I needed to consult Commander Kivik about what was to come. The commander bowed low before approaching me. “I will notify the viscount at Nayvil Castle of your success at once. All the men here are witness to it!” “No, we can’t be sure how things would’ve gone with me alone. This victory belongs to everyone.” “The enemy has been positively eradicated. We are currently dumping the bodies into the river before they rot.” The precipice behind the fort adjoined the river, conveniently enough. “Thank you, commander. I was just wanting to speak with you about what we do next.” “You are the real commander. Please just call me Kivik.” “Sure, Kivik. Let’s start the war council.” Kivik and I, together with Laviala, spoke alone in the fort’s innermost chamber. “We managed to defend ourselves, but we’re not truly out of danger yet,” I explained. “In fact, we’re in trouble if we can’t take the fight to them.” A wide river ran between Nayvil and Mineria. The current itself wasn’t that fast, but the eastern shore—where our fort lay—formed a large terrace. The hills on the other side were smaller and gentle. “The enemy is building their own fort on the opposite shore; if we don’t evict them, it doesn’t bode well for us…” Kivik brought his finger down on the map. This man was a seasoned leader; his claims had to be true. Indeed, if that many enemy troops were stationed on the other shore, we’d have a perpetual crisis on our hands. Laviala looked perplexed as she stared at the river area on the map. She seemed to be trying to work out a plan. Laviala had always enjoyed strategizing. “Why don’t we attack them at night?” she suggested. “The sound of the river should mask our troops’ footsteps, so I don’t think the enemy would hear our approach.” Interesting. So we’d be giving them a taste of their own medicine. Still— “I’m afraid we don’t have enough troops to capture the fort…,” Kivik lamented. The enemy, like us, would want to protect the fort they built. It would be too small to house all their troops inside, but still, their ability to attack us long-term was thanks to that foothold. Their troops who didn’t fit into the fort must have been recruited as additional attack troops. “If we could just land a good hit or perhaps create an unfavorable situation for them…,” Laviala went on. “But I just can’t come up with anything.” Even Laviala’s smarts seemed like no match for this. However, once again I thought I heard a voice in my head. Fear not. You have access to my experiences. The strangest idea just came to me. I wasn’t sure whether I could make it work, but with a few sappers at my command, I could sure give it a shot. “I just had a great—no, an ingenious—idea.” I glanced at Laviala and then Kivik. “Listen,” I said to them. “I’m gonna make something that’s such a pain in the ass it’ll drive the enemy crazy.” Their reaction was better than I’d expected. I’d thought for sure they would say it was ridiculous or couldn’t be done. “If we don’t at least try something so unexpected, we’ll never turn the tables. Let’s do it!” Kivik shouted jovially. We executed the plan two days later, at night, crossing the river when our foes were asleep. They’d notice us if we were to ambush them right then and there, but we weren’t going to do that. Our destination was the hill on the north side of their fort. We got there safely and got straight to digging. In particular we built a wall into our south side—where the enemy would attack from—to prevent our opponent’s advance. If they did attack, I planned to have archers shoot them from high up, but there was no movement from them. “Listen, everyone! We’re in a race against time! If we’re not mostly done by morning, this’ll all be for nothing! I’m giving all the directions here! I want your absolute trust!” The men toiled with all their might. Honestly, they were working more diligently than I’d expected, probably because I’d gone out to the front line in the battle two days prior. The surviving troops were prepared to die for me. Up until then, the only person I’d ever felt I could count on was Laviala, whom I’d grown up with. My brother looked down on me and had never even given me a proper army, so I’d been worried about how effectively I could even command… Maybe I had a gift for leadership. Or perhaps my success here, too, was because of that mysterious Oda Nobunaga job? Assuming Oda Nobunaga was the name of some hero, maybe I had the charisma of a hero in me, too. But I needed to worry about that later; there was so much to do. Dawn finally arrived; the sky began to brighten. “Thanks, everyone. We made it in time.” On the enemy fort’s north side, our dirt fort had been made ready in just one night. Yes, that was what my plan had been. With a fort next to theirs, we could garrison troops right there. The enemy couldn’t let their guard down, and above all, they had our fort on their land now. There was no way they could let that stand. Still, we couldn’t get complacent. They might come attack us right away. Besides, the fort had been constructed hastily. We’d made dirt ramparts for an efficient defense with bows and spears, but many parts of it weren’t finished; even after daybreak we needed to keep working. Well done. Now, this is a plan I would think of. By building a fort on their territory in one day, you can crush your opponents’ morale and sow confusion. Use this power to your heart’s content. I heard the voice again. I tried asking a question back. Hey, are you Oda Nobunaga? Some kinda hero? Indeed, Oda Nobunaga was once the name of a conqueror, but now it’s nothing more than the name of a job. However, since you have what it takes to follow in those footsteps, I’m merely lending you my power as your profession. Be at ease, for I have neither the right nor the power to manipulate you. I suppose you could say this is just my way of passing the time. I got a response back. Talking with my profession? What the hell? Pretty unorthodox, if you ask me, but I’ll just take his word for it. Even if I don’t, there’s no way to get rid of a suitable profession anyway. If he was an evil spirit, there’d be no way to counter him, and if he was an evil spirit that rescued me from death, I’d happily be his follower.