Chapter 231: Jalpa’s Struggle [Alternate View]

【Jalpa】

“Welcome, Your Excellency. You are most welcome.”

In front of Fortress Centena’s gate, a tall man shook his long, reddish-brown hair that nearly obscured his eyes and looked at me, chin slightly tucked. This was Talga Brescia, the Commander of the Border Knight Order protecting Centena. Talga was a man of startling size, easily over two meters tall. Coupled with his massive, wall-like muscles, he looked like he belonged to a clan of giants.

The Knight Order defending Centena is formed by soldiers gathered from the surrounding high-ranking nobles, such as the Fertio Marquis, Ferdinatto Count, and Ventury Count families, with troops also participating from the Royal and Ducal houses. By its very nature, the Commander of this Knight Order must always be a knight selected from the Royal or Ducal houses. Two Deputy Commanders are then chosen from the knights dispatched by the upper nobility.

Until now, the knights chosen from the upper noble houses held a certain degree of influence, but since Talga arrived, they seem to have been completely suppressed. That is a testament to Talga’s superior martial ability and strategic command.

Talga continued speaking in a low voice befitting his large frame.

“…The fact that Your Excellency has arrived leading your own Knight Order means you are already aware of the situation.”

“Of course. This side of the fortress is Fertio Marquis territory. I possess several means of obtaining information on the Shelvia Confederation.”

When I replied, Talga nodded shallowly. Judging that no further conversation was necessary, Talga immediately turned on his heel and passed through the gate.

“This way,” a Deputy Commander spoke instead, walking ahead to guide me. I glanced at Stradale, who nodded without a word and turned back to his Knight Order.

“Half of the Knight Order will enter Centena! The rest will prepare for encampment!” Stradale said only that before quickly following us.

We proceeded through Centena, observing the exposed stone walls and floors, completely lacking fine interiors. Perhaps as evidence that the threat level of the Shelvia Confederation was underestimated, Centena is a five-thousand-man scale fortress—medium-sized for a border fortress or fortress city.

Due to its design, the corridors were only wide enough for a few people to walk abreast without their shoulders touching. There was an inner courtyard and storage rooms for assembling troops in front of the wall facing the Shelvia Confederation, but the rest of the layout was built without waste, maximizing the use of the narrow space.

Feeling the pressure of the narrowness, we proceeded through the corridor and were guided into a large room. A large table occupied the center, with a map spread out on it. I immediately recognized it as a map of the Shelvia Confederation.

Talga walked to the far end of the table and motioned with his palm toward a chair near the table, prompting me to sit. I sat there in silence, glaring at the map.

“…So, what is the current situation?” I asked.

Talga pointed to a spot on the map. It was a fortress city in the Shelvia Confederation, not far from Centena. In other words, it was the strategic defensive cornerstone for the Shelvia Confederation.

“They seemed quite disorganized, but we finally detected movement. They are currently reorganizing the assembled knight order here, and we have a general understanding of the flow of their supplies. And also, the existence of a certain special weapon.”

“…The black metal and the cannons. As expected, the Kingdom of Yelenetta is involved,” I stated.

“That is correct. Furthermore, there are reports of carriages bearing the military flag and crest of the Kingdom of Yelenetta. It seems Yelenetta is providing full cooperation not only to the eastern but also the western parts of the Shelvia Confederation.”

Hearing Talga’s words, I let out a deep, heavy breath.

“…Yelenetta thinks up the most utterly idiotic things.”

When I muttered that, everyone’s eyes turned to me.

“Is that regarding their formation of an allied force with Shelvia to attack?” one of the Deputy Commanders asked. I couldn’t help but click my tongue.

“Fool! Anyone can figure out that such an alliance will be quickly exposed! You must think about why they prepared their national flag so openly! Think!”

When I roared at him, the Deputy Commander who had asked the foolish question shamefully trembled and shrank back. Whose knight is this? He irritates me just by looking at him.

As I was thinking that, Talga knitted his brows and spoke.

“…In other words, they are trying to divide our Kingdom of Scuderia’s military strength. Since we have gathered troops for what is close to an all-out war, the Yelenetta side wants to disperse Scuderia’s forces.”

“Precisely. A fool hearing this would immediately concentrate a large number of troops at Centena. But that is exactly what Yelenetta intends. Those who don’t realize this are third-rate. Those who realize it are second-rate.”

“…I shall engrave that into my mind,” Talga replied.

The other idiots hung their heads, dropping their gaze. Amidst this, Talga looked me straight in the eye and spoke again.

“Then, is Your Excellency at Centena, knowing Yelenetta’s strategy? Do you believe we cannot buy even a few months’ time?”

At his words, the corner of my mouth lifted involuntarily. This big man is interesting after all. To speak in a manner that implicitly challenged me, given the flow of our conversation. That is proof of his confidence in his ability to fight.

Undeniable skill, backed by that confidence. One cannot act without self-confidence. Anyone commanding a knight order absolutely needs to possess confidence.

“Lord Talga. Forgive me, but you lack knowledge. You haven’t actually seen the black metal or the cannons, have you? There is nothing more dangerous than estimating the enemy’s strength without sufficient information.”

When I told him that, Talga nodded without changing his expression.

“…That is correct, Your Excellency. We are estimating based on the information received from the royal capital, but none of it is knowledge gained from direct experience. Would Your Excellency, who has experienced it firsthand, be so kind as to inform us? Just how powerful is the Shelvia Confederation now that they possess the weapons of the Kingdom of Yelenetta?”

Talga immediately agreed with my point and sought my opinion. He truly is a good commander. In the first place, if the Commander of the Border Knight Order is selected from the Royal or Ducal houses, he must be a powerful Four Elemental Mage. If this man were exposed to various battlefields, he would become quite formidable.

“Hmm… First, what you absolutely must understand is that the black metal and cannons are completely different from Four Elemental Magic. They require no incantation. Furthermore, anyone can use them. Depending on how they are employed, you might not even notice them until they are about to be used right in front of you. Do you understand what a threat that is? If an assassin from the Kingdom of Yelenetta were mixed in here, they could kill every person in this room in an instant.”

When I briefly summarized the weapons’ information, everyone’s expressions changed.

“…I see. Indeed, we had been thinking of them as simply equivalent to fire magic. Thinking that way, we need to be cautious not only when defending but also when attacking.”

“Exactly. That is why we have come to reinforce you. And to thwart the Kingdom of Yelenetta’s intentions, we must avoid the dispersal of the Kingdom of Scuderia’s military strength. If we do that, Yelenetta will be in trouble because they’ve diverted some of their forces and shared a valuable weapon with Shelvia.”

“O-oh…!”

When I answered, the Deputy Commanders cried out in admiration. Now, we must quickly instill knowledge of the black metal and cannons into the soldiers. Time is of the essence.

【Cosworth Yelenetta】

Frankly, I judged the situation to be highly unfavorable. We had suffered frightful losses in manpower and supplies from losing all three battles that were supposed to be certain victories. Furthermore, the capture of the crucial Fortress Werner forced us to split up the troops that had been concentrated in one place.

Conversely, the Kingdom of Scuderia side can march toward the capital from Fortress Werner. They can invade with their full strength, whereas we cannot defend without scattering our forces.

In terms of the state of the war, the match is practically over.

But that is only if we fight fairly.

Even if our arm or leg is severed, if we manage to cut off the enemy’s neck, the victory is ours. We will suffer severe casualties, but if we can manage to cut into a part of the Fertio Marquis’s territory, the war situation will change dramatically.

Conversely, we can aim for their capital first, or the Kingdom of Scuderia side can attempt to retake Werner. If they realize our situation and try to launch a counterattack, it will be too late. The tide of the war, once turned, will not return.

All that remains is deciding how to scatter their forces.

“We will strike a flashy victory that makes Scuderia hesitate to invade. Once they know of our fierce assault, the enemy’s invasion will halt.”

I have gathered the maximum conceivable force to ensure the quick fall of Fortress Centena. Of course, the necessary defensive forces in various locations and the troops holding the enemy at Werner remain in place, but all other surplus troops have been amassed here.

And I shall personally command them. The possibility of failure is nonexistent.

“We will crush Scuderia… Advance!”

I drew my sword from its sheath and raised it high for all to see. Instantly, a roar that shook the very ground echoed across the plain.