The invasion plan for the Armes Kingdom was progressing faster than any war before it.
The reason for this wasn’t just the countless battle experiences accumulated in a short time that led to expertise.
“Your Majesty, are you really okay with this?”
“Yeah. No problem.”
“But there are only three hundred of us. The analysis that the possibility of defeat against the Armes Kingdom is slim only applies if we have sufficient forces to match them.”
The biggest reason for the short preparation time for this war was that the troops assembled were overwhelmingly fewer than before.
And Martini seemed uneasy about me throwing myself into such a dangerous gamble.
“But… considering the next step, I believe this is the best option. It’s better for me to push myself a bit than to overwork the regular soldiers at this pace, as they would surely break when it counts.”
As Martini said, if we had sufficient military strength, the current Armes Kingdom would be an easy target.
But then what after we take the Armes Kingdom?
Since the coalition army invaded the Sahelrn Duchy, this would already be three consecutive battles.
And once we occupy the Armes Kingdom, we’ll be facing the Luminous Kingdom or the Empire right away.
In fact, the truly important battle would be with them.
That’s why I didn’t want to send exhausted troops straight into what would feel like a final battle without a moment’s rest.
“I cannot compromise when fighting the Luminous Kingdom or the Empire. But the Armes Kingdom is different. We need to save our strength and buy time to reorganize so that we can face the next battle in peak condition.”
“That’s… true, but.”
Martini bit her lip slightly.
Even though she understood that it was a rational judgment, she couldn’t shake off her worries.
Thinking back to when I first met her, this was a side of her I could never have imagined.
In my eyes, she had seemed so confident, as if she were the type to charge ahead without looking back.
Never faltering, never regretting, trusting her judgments absolutely, and acting with a certain assurance—she had a prophet-like image.
Of course, no one in this world is perfect.
Even those who seem to be worthy of admiration from others carry similar mundane struggles despite appearing worry-free from a distance.
To be honest, I tend to believe that absolute misfortune exists, so I couldn’t agree with the idea that everyone shares similar concerns, but I could partially agree that there is no flawless being in the world.
Martini was the same.
Meeting her again during the war with the coalition, I began to see sides of her I hadn’t noticed before, and I realized she was not some flawless being after all.
“When we exchanged private conversations, she was rather down-to-earth.”
Perhaps that was her true nature, and she had been trying too hard to fulfill her responsibilities as a Grand Duke.
To prove this, Martini had recently shown a relaxed attitude, something she hadn’t displayed before, and sometimes had increased her worries about me like now.
“Is she feeling responsible?”
Watching her, it seemed that she felt relieved to step down from the burdensome position, but also bore some sort of guilt for passing that load onto me.
Well, it worked out for the best.
I decided it was time to show her that I didn’t take the crown against my will, and that I wasn’t weak enough to require her anxious watching over me anymore.
“Trust me.”
With a stronger tone than usual, and a confident expression, I faced Martini.
“I’ll prove that the king you chose will never be defeated.”
Martini’s gaze wavered slightly.
Searching for a reply, she hesitated for a moment, then let out a big sigh and conceded defeat.
“If you need reinforcements, you must request them through the communication hub immediately.”
“Don’t worry.”
“If possible, I’d like to accompany you… but I can only wish for Jeil to do well.”
“Well, it’s inefficient to have Jeil stay back and deal with paperwork.”
This mission would involve Jeil, Plona, Eleonora, and Lavina as well.
Martini, Stella, and Selina still had the mountain of internal affairs to manage and couldn’t leave their posts.
But.
“Yeah, still, I won’t lose.”
I reiterated to myself with determination.
Three days later, leading only the minimal number of troops, I arrived at the border of the Armes Kingdom.
*
At the juncture of the Armes Kingdom and the Bertica Duchy.
The formally built castle wall around the city appeared comically low compared to what I had seen at Ermana Belia.
‘At this height…’
Without even needing to break through the wall, our entire force could easily scale it without any hindrance.
After all, if I take it, it becomes mine anyway.
I reminded myself to take care of this precious object after a long time.
“Master, could it be a trap?”
As she glanced meaningfully at the overly shoddy castle, Eleonora narrowed her eyes.
Perhaps they had hurriedly conducted repairs, as remnants of stone and temporary structures littered both inside and outside the wall. I shook my head.
“No problem.”
Before I even met Eleonora, I had slipped into the city of Envalt among humans in the eastern part of the Armes Kingdom after leaving the Sahelrn Duchy.
I clearly remembered that the defenses there weren’t this pitiful.
Though compared to the Bertica Kingdom, it could still be considered two levels below.
“This really is flimsy. Originally, this castle wall wasn’t for defense.”
The only reason the northern defenses were particularly weak was that historically, the northern border touched another human kingdom, the Bertica Kingdom.
Just because it’s a nation of humans, doesn’t mean there won’t be disputes, and in reality, clashes over supremacy between the Luminous Kingdom and the Empire happen often enough, but those conflicts had their limits.
At least, there had never been any direct confrontations or shedding of blood among human nations since the Great Racial War.
They knew that if they did so, they would be badly punished by other races who were waiting for a chance to strike since the last conflict.
Given this unspoken agreement, there was no reason for the Armes Kingdom to spend big money on its border, unable to go against its powerful neighbors.
After all, from the continent’s perspective, all humans are in a shared fate, aren’t they?
The low castle wall established in the northern Armes Kingdom was effectively only serving as a customs house, more than anything else.
“Hmm, then are we not going to break through the castle gate today?”
For some reason, Lavina asked with a hint of disappointment.
Did she think I was some sort of biological siege engine? She was consistently that way, but in stark contrast to Martini, she seemed far too unconcerned.
As if we hadn’t come to a battlefield but rather a stroll in the park.
Looking around, Jeil’s usual grumpy expression was expected, but Plona didn’t seem especially tense, either.
“Plona, aren’t you nervous?”
“Huh? I’m fine.”
Plona blinked innocently at me as she answered.
As the one who pushed this plan forward, it was not my place to complain, but to be honest, I felt a bit guilty that the warriors consisted only of three hundred vampires and non-combatant beastmen in preparation for post-battle processing, without any complaints.
“There’s no way my sister would lose.”
For a brief moment, I was speechless at Plona’s pure and unwavering gaze.
Right, that’s true.
To be honest, though it may not be an easy fight, I cannot afford to lose anymore. The destinies I carry on my shoulders have multiplied too much.
“I wish Martini could lighten up her worries by half about these things.”
Gently biting the tip of my glove, I removed it and stepped forward.
With the scale of the troops drastically reduced, the outcome of this battle would depend entirely on my performance.
I set aside my relaxed mindset for a moment.
After closing my eyes and opening them, I found myself standing in the familiar, foul-smelling battlefield.
“Once we suppress the castle wall, advance inside.”
No lengthy speeches were necessary.
Displaying reasons that would assuage Martini’s worries, reciprocating my people’s trust, and boosting the soldiers’ morale could all be accomplished with a single action, which renders a hundred words useless.
Having given a concise order, I didn’t wait for a response and started sprinting towards the fortress.
From afar, I heard a gasp, like someone swallowing hard.
A scream-like commotion spread. The humans had certainly recognized me.
But.
“It’s too late.”
Having reached the foot of the castle wall, I jumped with all my strength.
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