Hellenic groaned, looking grim. At length, he said, “Commander Steyr went into battle with the newly deployed cannons and perished in the attempt to take back Werner Fortress. We took pains to catch the enemy by surprise with our new weapons, and we were soundly defeated. We put stock in the report that our enemy left only a skeleton crew at the fortress, but to hear the soldiers who fled tell it, Werner Fortress looks nothing like it used to. I believe this to be a consequence of their new and alarming construction abilities.”
“That much I understand. I want to hear more about this ‘elsewhere’ to which you referred earlier.”
Hellenic nodded firmly. “What I meant is that we need to create a situation in which the Scuderian army will be unable to build a stronghold. We need to return to how we waged war hundreds of years ago.”
I couldn’t help but frown and sigh. Long ago, countries waged wars without training soldiers to fight; instead they forced farmers and other ill-equipped workers into battle. That was why mages, who were powerful even without combining their forces, were so prized as combat resources. They were the terrors of the battlefield. That approach to warfare changed when Chivalric Orders, essentially professional soldiers, came into being, making it difficult for mages to wield their powers to their fullest extent. Consequently, the primary role of mages in battle shifted to long-range defensive combat fought from behind the tall walls of a stronghold. Combat in open fields, meanwhile, became the domain of the cavalry. For a time, that remained the standard method of waging war.
As nations fought over land, however, a new, more effective tactic emerged: adding mages to the cavalry. Not only did mages have mobility, they also had the attack power to alter the entire flow of a battle. In some cases armies could even hide their mages, preventing the enemy from identifying their location on the battlefield. With their ability to use magic on the move, they could also make it difficult for the enemy to defend smaller fortress cities. Capitals of large nations notwithstanding, it was nearly impossible to gather a group of elemental mages together, so most strongholds fell within a month of the first attack.
Multiple strategies were developed to deal with this new mobile threat, the most effective being the idea to plant traps along bridges, cliffs, and mountain roads in the path of the marching enemy. A surprise attack could thwart them before they even began their assault on a stronghold. Applied effectively, this tactic made defending against an invasion infinitely faster and easier.
Recalling these various popular strategies from the long history of war, I raised my head. “You want to plant traps for Scuderia and launch a surprise attack before they can penetrate any deeper into our territory?”
Hellenic gave me another decisive nod. “Precisely. Specifically, we should look at rivers. They can hardly transport their entire stronghold; we need only crush them before they can deploy their baffling construction skills. If we use the black balls to destroy a bridge they’re crossing, we can take advantage of the resulting confusion and launch magic attacks. Whatever madness they used to destroy our cannons will be ineffective against moving targets like horseback mages.”
“So we use traps to launch a surprise attack, then draw them into open-field combat…” I murmured, digesting his words. It was true that it would be fruitless to attack their fortress with cannons or black balls. Preventing them from building another in the first place was the correct move. “The only problem is whether or not Cosworth will bite.”
I sighed quietly, thinking about the hardship that was to come.
We need more hands, I thought, watching Dee direct defense training. A lot more hands.
“Left side! You’re taking too long to make a decision! You still lack comprehension of your enemy’s effective firing range! If we’re within range of the enemy, we’ll be forced into a battle of accuracy and speed! Accuracy and speed are key!”
“Yessir!”
Yes, I’d put Murcia in charge of this new stronghold, but I couldn’t just hand him the Seatoh Chivalric Order and go home. He had no experience leading them. Instead, I decided to leave Dee and Arb behind for a bit so that they could help Murcia manage the order. And it wasn’t just my men training under Dee and Arb; some of House Fertio’s knights—Murcia’s men—were there as well, about a hundred of them. Though I was a bit puzzled to see some of the adventurers who came along to protect us training with them too.
I kept one eye on them even as I turned to Rango, who had climbed up to the castle tower to see me. He was looking around with great interest, almost like a tourist. I said, “Um, are you finished bringing in the goods?”
Rango snapped to attention and turned to me. “Ah, yes. As requested, we’ve brought ten carriages of preserved foods, spices, and alcohol. We also have clothes, so you should be all set. We did not bring any weapons or armor, however. Is that okay?”
“No worries, I made those while I waited for you. We have tons of ballista bolts too, so we’re fine on that end.”
Rango nodded and offered me a strained smile. “Just as I’d expect of Lord Van.” He pointed at the floor then, as if he had just remembered something. “Oh, and Lord Van… Congratulations on acquiring new territory.”
Finally! Those should have been the first words out of his mouth as he entered the room. He was lucky Bell wasn’t present to be upset with him. I mirrored his strained smile. “Land is all well and good, but we need more hands. I think there are something like three thousand people living in Seatoh Village right now, and we need a thousand or so here. Well, truth be told, this stronghold is a cornerstone of our national defense, so we should have up to two thousand knights stationed here, but right now we can barely drum up three hundred people. But I can’t afford to chip away at Seatoh Village’s defenses either.” What was I to do?
Rango offered up an answer like it was nothing. “In your absence, the population has increased by another five hundred or so individuals, but that is still not nearly enough. If you’re in a rush, might I recommend purchasing more slaves? I am certain they would be much happier to live in Seatoh Village than to be shipped off elsewhere. They’ll likely be grateful.”
“Uh, do you really think so? I don’t want rumors going around that I looove buying slaves,” I said honestly. “I get the sense that people don’t exactly look fondly on those types.”
Rango flashed me a vague smile and shook his head. “Oh, no, not at all. This was a very common practice until a few years ago. Every time Scuderia acquired more territory, there would be an excess of war slaves, debt slaves, and orphans, and simultaneously a great number of places in need of more working hands due to the land expansion. It was normal in such cases to buy slaves and use them for labor.”
“So basically what I’ve been doing, then. Wait… If we’re doing battle with Yelenetta, does that mean the war is producing more slaves? You know, like people who’ve been made into POWs?”
Rango frowned and tilted his head. “Well, there appears to have been a significant increase in slaves following both the fight to take back Scudet and the battle in House Ferdinatto’s territory, but I would not recommend war slaves. Both Seatoh Village and this new stronghold will become front lines in the war against Yelenetta. Such slaves might betray you, so I would recommend against their purchase. Personally, I think you should look into debt slaves and people who were kidnapped by bandits.”
“I see. In that case, maybe I’ll have you pick out a few slaves who seem like good people. Could you also ask around and see if any merchants are willing to go back and forth between Seatoh Village and Fortress City Murcia?”
“Understood. By the way, have you settled on Fortress City Murcia as the name of this place? Unless I’m misremembering, I recall one of your family members being named Murcia.”
“That’s right! I put my big brother, Murcia, in charge. He’s currently in the process of assembling his very own Murcia Chivalric Order,” I replied. Rango nodded with an awkward look on his face.
Just then, I heard someone clear their throat from behind me. “Huh?” I turned around to find Murcia standing there, looking conflicted. “The Murcia Chivalric Order aside, I don’t recall hearing anything about this stronghold being called Fortress City Murcia,” he whispered in a voice tinged with displeasure.
This is bad. He might get mad at me. Seeing the writing on the wall, I arranged my features in an apologetic look and played the adorable little brother. “Oh, gosh! I thought you’d be happy… I’m so sorry. I picked the name because I was thinking this would be the start of your very own legend. I just wanted you to be happy,” I said sadly.
Murcia started to panic, waving both hands in the air. “Oh, no, I’m not upset at all! It’s just a little embarrassing for me…”
“Really? Then you’re good with Fortress City Murcia and the Murcia Chivalric Order?”
“H-huh? Um, well—”
“Thank you, Murcia!” I chirped, cutting off his escape route as he struggled to find the words with which to decline. My poor, kind older brother had no choice but to offer me a stiff smile.
Behind me, I heard Till’s voice. “Even I feel a little bad for him…”