V: The Last Battle
GARDON, the capital of Eyland, was a massive fortress city. It was surrounded by tall, solid walls and protected by a legion of soldiers.
How am I supposed to capture this thing? Isn’t it impossible?
I could have just leaped over the city walls, but I didn’t want to be the first one to attack. The Hundred seemed to have regained their composure somewhat, and they had the sense not to go charging in.
“What do you think, Your Majesty?” Ogma asked. He asked me for my input right away, perhaps bitterly remembering his experience of being taken out by crossbows.
That’s right, I’m your king, so you should ask my opinion first.
“We just have to wait,” I said. Naturally, I had no desire to attack. I mean, assaulting a castle with our numbers would have been just plain ridiculous. The capital of Dorssen had only fallen to Carmilla because she had secretly stationed her own forces in the city beforehand. Also, she was Dorssenian, and the troops guarding the city had lacked morale. The circumstances now were wildly different. That was why I wanted to get into a standoff against Vulcan for a while, then find a good spot from which to sue for peace. I just had to pray that the enemy wouldn’t go crazy and sortie against us in the meantime.
“Wait, sir?” Ogma replied. Confused looks flashed across his face and the faces of Chrom and some of my other high-ranked subjects, but they seemed to quickly rethink their misgivings. “No, this is His Majesty we’re talking about, so he must have deeply considered reasons,” Ogma said after a moment. “Come to think of it, Lady Frau should be returning from Vulcan soon enough, so time should be on our side.”
Oh, that’s right. If I take too long, Frau will show up. There was no telling what sort of ridiculousness Frau and Keely would get up to if they joined us. I mentally called out to the king of Eyland, shut away in Gardon: You know, if you don’t negotiate for peace now, you’ll be in danger.
After I finished speaking with my high-ranking subjects, Maria, who had gotten too friendly for comfort, brought her face close to mine and asked, “Your Majesty, what do you think I ought to do?”
Nothing at all. In fact, why don’t you go somewhere far away and take it easy? I know you’ll just get up to no good if you’re here.
“Umm, I’d like you to go west,” I said.
“West? What should I do there?” she replied.
“Make the people there eat monster meat. That’s what you’re good at, right?”
The consumption of monster meat had already spread to most of northern, eastern, and southern Eyland. If I wanted an excuse to send her somewhere, the only place I could send her was the west.
“Monster meat, in the west…” Maria seemed to be thinking about something.
“I’ll assign a few of the women in the Hundred, like Karen, to go with you. Use them as you please.”
Karen and I had known each other for a long time, and she was strong enough to have participated in the Consort Selection Tournament. I could place my trust in her, and there would be no one better to serve as a guard. When Maria heard me, a smile blossomed across her face.
“As I please! I see, so that’s what you mean!”
I had absolutely no idea what Maria thought I meant. She was probably going to use Karen and her other guards to work on increasing her followers in the west. And if that was all, I could tolerate it.
“Exactly. Now, can you go do that for me?”
“Yes, sir, gladly!”
I called five of the scant female members of the Hundred, including Karen, and instructed them to escort Maria before sending them on their way. I hoped that now, Maria would fulfill as much of her ambition as she wanted to—out of my sight. With her gone, the Hundred wouldn’t push themselves too hard, either.
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“FARUNE’S army has positioned itself outside the city and isn’t attacking,” Count Wolf said, irritated. He was at yet another war council. The Eylish army had hardened their resolve in expectation of a fight to the finish, and were making every preparation to meet the Farunian army in battle. Now, they felt let down.
“In all likelihood, they’re waiting for Frau to arrive,” Count Broome said, pushing his glasses higher on his nose and scrunching up his face in disgust. “The Lightning Empress’s magic will be effective in a siege. The monster army she has with her is also dangerous. If you think about it, waiting is Farune’s best option. I expected them to keep up the momentum and attack, but I suppose that’s King Mars for you.”
“If they don’t breach the walls and attack, the king will never be able to escape. He’ll stand out far too much if he leaves the city under these conditions,” Count Wolf said, his anguish showing on his face. They needed to fight with a certain degree of showiness to draw the enemy’s attention away from their king’s flight. That wouldn’t work if Farune continued to do nothing but wait.
“There’s a danger that once the formidable wizard Frau is here, she’ll spot the king’s escape even in the midst of battle. He won’t stand a chance if the Warwolves in the monster army pursue him as he’s fleeing. Now that it’s come to this, is our only option to go on the attack ourselves?”
“We have no other choice.”
The corners of Count Broome’s lips turned upward in a smile, and he laughed. “Come on, you and I are two of Eyland’s famed Three Counts, aren’t we? How could we ever lose to that Farunian rabble?”
He was putting on a brave face. However, he was also a seasoned general, so it didn’t seem like an act. His laugh made Count Wolf laugh as well.
“You’re right, we are. As Counts, we’ve long borne the burden of Eyland on our shoulders. It isn’t like us to fear something as trivial as the Hundred.”
“You two…” The king of Eyland, who had been silently watching their exchange, spoke with a shaky voice. “I’m sorry.”
“What is there to apologize for, Your Majesty? You must have some faith in us,” Count Broome said, shrugging his shoulders in a stilted gesture.
“Indeed.” Count Wolf grinned, flashing his teeth. “We are Eyland’s strongest knights. We must show our pride, and make sure no one can say that Eyland was a weak country.”
The Eylish army began preparations for a sortie. Count Wolf and Count Broome solicited volunteers and selected knights and soldiers to fight by their side. There were quite a few of them; all those who were afraid had already fled. The counts ordered the volunteers to say their goodbyes to their families, to make sure they were leaving no regrets behind. Finally, after the soldiers spent one final moment together with their loved ones, they made their promises:
“I’m going to fight to protect our country.”
“This is for your future.”
“There’s no way I’ll lose to Farune.”
Count Wolf and Count Broome did the same, on top of giving detailed instructions for what to do once they passed. Then they headed into battle with grim resolve.
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“YOUR Majesty, the Eylish army has come out on a sortie!”
Chrom, who had been observing the enemy’s movements, rushed into the tent to report to Mars. The king had been hoping for peace, and his expression warped slightly.
“There are armies coming from the east and west gates, and they appear to be attempting to execute a pincer movement,” Chrom continued.
Battle cries resounded from afar. Clearly, the Eylish army’s morale was high.
At this, Mars instantly issued instructions. “The Black Knights and the Red Knights will take care of the east gate. The Hundred will meet the army from the west gate at headquarters.”
“Yes, sir!” Chrom hurriedly exited the tent.
“Why now?” Mars wondered aloud with a long sigh, unable to read the enemy’s intentions.