Episode 106: The Second Prince and the Deputy Commander

“Almants has arrived”—upon receiving this report, Volfirio hurriedly descended the stairs, heading toward the first-floor hall.

And upon arriving there… indeed, he was there.

Surrounded by Western Legion soldiers, about ten men knelt on the ground. At their center was a frog-faced man whom Volfirio recognized.

He had seen him before, during a clandestine meeting regarding illicit trade with Bertram.

The Deputy Commander of the Eastern Legion, Almants.

“O-oh…! Your Highness Volfirio!”

Almants, too, noticed Volfirio and called out to him.

“It has been some time, Your Highness! To meet you again like this is truly an honor…”

“What are you here for, you scum!?”

Volfirio, his anger laid bare, strode forward and drove a kick into the kneeling man.

“How dare you… how dare you betray me, you traitor!”

While venting his rage, Volfirio mercilessly stomped on Almants’ body.

Even as he lay prostrate on the ground, Almants tried desperately to explain in a hoarse voice.

“N-no, it’s not what you think! There are… circumstances!”

“Circumstances!? Are you saying you had no choice because King Luverios made a move!? Even so—why didn’t you inform me beforehand!?”

Had he known in advance of Luverios’ mobilization, Volfirio could have prepared accordingly.

But neither Bertram nor Almants had sent him any word. That was what he couldn’t forgive.

“N-no, that’s not it! His Majesty… King Luverios has not mobilized at all!”

“…What did you say?”

Volfirio froze mid-motion, his eyes widening.

“What do you mean? You’re not spouting nonsense to save yourself, are you!?”

“O-of course not! I… I’ll explain everything now! This whole affair—it’s all a scheme orchestrated by a man named Siegfried!”

 

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Almants recounted everything he knew to Volfirio.

Namely—that Suneiras’ surprise attack had failed, and instead, Siegfried had seized Forssa Fort.

Furthermore, Siegfried had killed Commander Bertram, taking full control of the Eastern Legion.

And the smoke signals rising from Forssa Fort were a ruse—there had never been any royal army led by Luverios to begin with.

“That’s… absurd…”

Having heard it all, Volfirio staggered backward in sheer disbelief.

(Unbelievable… could such a thing really be true?)

If Almants’ words were true, then Volfirio had been made to dance a ridiculous jig in the palm of Siegfried’s hand.

If the opponent had been a grand army led by King Luverios, retreat would have been understandable.

But to have been outmaneuvered by a mere count, abandoning a battle he might have won and fleeing in disgrace—that was an unparalleled humiliation.

(Absurd! Absurd! ABSURD! To think that I, a royal, was made a fool of by the schemes of a lowly count!? With twenty thousand soldiers at my command… I cowered and fled from a mere fifteen thousand!?)

He didn’t want to accept it.

Yet, when he reflected on the series of inexplicable events, Almants’ story made far too much sense.

“A-and so… I came here seeking asylum in the Serodonia Kingdom…”

Almants cautiously raised his face, gauging Volfirio’s expression.

From his perspective, staying with the Eastern Legion offered no future. Eventually, his involvement in the illicit trade would be exposed, leading to his ruin.

In contrast, fleeing to the Serodonia Kingdom and securing Volfirio’s protection greatly increased his chances of survival.

(By providing this information, I’ve surely earned His Highness’ favor. If I can ingratiate myself with the second in line to the throne… I might be able to live quite comfortably in Serodonia…!)

Almants’ eyes gleamed with calculation and ambition.

Volfirio, however, glared down at him with disdain.

Truthfully, he was tempted to vent his anger at being deceived by killing the man before him.

But—the information Almants brought was undeniably valuable.

“Let me confirm once more, Almants. The Eastern Legion’s total strength is… fifteen thousand. And there are no reinforcements, correct?”

“Yes, exactly as you say, Your Highness. Additionally—if I may add, they’ve sustained some casualties from the previous battle. They also need to allocate troops to guard prisoners, so the number of soldiers actually available for an advance is slightly over ten thousand.”

“…Ten thousand. Just that?”

In other words, their numbers were roughly equal to the forces currently under Volfirio’s command.

(Normally, an attacking force needs three times the defenders’ numbers to take a castle. If we hold this fortress city with ten thousand men against ten thousand enemies, there’s no way we’ll fall.)

Pastrier Fortress City was a stronghold surrounded by formidable walls.

To conquer it, an overwhelming numerical advantage was essential.

But the Eastern Legion lacked such strength.

“Good… we can hold. If we fortify ourselves in this fortress city—we will never lose!”

The fortress city had stockpiles of food prepared for emergencies. It wouldn’t run out of provisions anytime soon.

And above all, buying time would allow reinforcements to arrive. They could wait for that moment and then counterattack.

“…Almants. If your words prove false—I’ll tear you apart and make you suffer the torments of hell. Understand that, and answer me. Is there any lie in your report?”

“O-of course not, Your Highness!”

Almants bowed deeply.

“Very well. Then I’ll grant you asylum. And—our army’s strategy is decided.”

Volfirio looked around at the surrounding soldiers, raising his voice.

“We shall fortify ourselves in Pastrier Fortress City and wage a defensive battle! For the sake of the Serodonia Kingdom—we will stop the invaders here!”

Declaring this boldly, Volfirio smirked inwardly.

(Heh… the tide is turning. If I hold this fortress and repel the enemy, my earlier defeat will be somewhat redeemed. More importantly, I’ll make that count, Siegfried, taste humiliation!)

Thus, the war entered a new phase.

The stage was set for a siege at Pastrier Fortress City.