Episode 185: The Fateful Battlefield

The Kirchhen Kingdom army steadily continued its advance and finally reached the border with Serodonia. The Serodonia side, for their part, was by no means lagging behind. Under Garfilia’s command, a massive military force was swiftly assembled to defend the homeland and immediately dispatched to the border region.

And the place where both armies would face each other was, by a twist of fate, the very site of their connection—the western edge of the Serodonia Kingdom. It was the location where the Western Corps’ encampment had once existed.

The Serodonia army established a defensive formation on that ground, while the Kirchhen Kingdom army approached it.

“The enemy’s forces number… roughly seventy thousand, I’d say.”

Standing on the observation deck of the tower that had once served as the Western Corps headquarters in that corner of the land, Lazro quietly murmured. He was serving as the supreme commander of the Serodonia army in place of Garfilia, who had remained in the royal capital.

“That’s fewer than we expected.”

The man standing beside him responded. He was a man clad in armor adorned with lavish decorations. A Serodonia noble and military man—General Vidarie.

“I had fully expected them to attack with far greater numbers.”

“No, on the contrary—we should praise them for managing to assemble as many as seventy thousand troops.”

Lazro spoke in a calm tone.

“With the king having just changed, Kirchhen’s domestic situation can hardly be called stable. To commit a military force of this scale to an expedition under such circumstances… King Siegfried has made quite a bold decision indeed.”

Within Kirchhen, there existed no small number of nobles who did not look favorably upon Siegfried’s ascension to the throne. It wouldn’t be surprising if they were to rise in rebellion, and such situations must be swiftly suppressed before they gain momentum. In some cases, an anti-Siegfried noble coalition could even form, threatening the very foundations of his regime.

Under normal circumstances, he would want to keep as many troops as possible within the country to prepare for such eventualities.

“Does he foresee that no rebellion will occur… or does he have the confidence to suppress a rebellion with a small number of troops…?”

That said, Garfilia’s side harbored similar sources of unrest, making their situation comparable to Siegfried’s. The danger of rebellion against his regime was also very real.

However, in Garfilia’s case, he had originally held the first right of succession. Many of the domestic nobles had been brought under his control in advance, making the risk of rebellion incomparably lower than Siegfried’s.

(That’s why we were able to prepare a military force of one hundred thousand for this battle. —Though Garfilia-sama’s personal deployment was not possible…)

In the Serodonia royal capital of San=Serodia, the wedding ceremony between Third Princess Sylphirosé and Dobrüil, the noble who had fled from Kirchhen, was scheduled to be held soon. At that ceremony, there was no denying the possibility that nobles aligned with the Sylphirosé faction might attempt some form of interference.

To prevent that… and furthermore, to respond swiftly should a rebellion break out anywhere in the country, Garfilia had remained in the royal capital.

(Garfilia-sama strongly desired to deploy personally, but… given that the opponent is Siegfried, it’s safer to have him remain in the royal capital)

If Siegfried were the opponent, it was conceivable that he might employ unconventional strategies beyond common sense. To prepare for such moves, the king’s presence should remain in the rear, overseeing the whole situation—that was Lazro’s judgment.

After glancing at the enemy army gradually approaching, Lazro shifted his gaze to the senior commanders lined up on the observation deck.

“We hold the advantage in terms of troop numbers. However, it’s also true that they are a formidable enemy. After all, this is the military force that defeated the likes of Zefard and Karlheinz. But—we will surpass even them.”

There was unwavering confidence dwelling in that voice. Leading the Serodonia army were the brave generals chosen by Garfilia. And there were contingency plans prepared as well.

“Let us repel these invaders and make known to the world that Serodonia is the nation destined to hold hegemony over the eastern kingdoms.”

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The Kirchhen Kingdom army, facing the Serodonia Kingdom army, had deployed their seventy thousand troops divided into three forces. Their composition was as follows:

First, the right wing was commanded by Leon’s corps of fifteen thousand. Most of them were heavy infantry clad in thick armor. Though they lacked mobility, they would not easily crumble in a frontal clash on open ground.

Next, the left wing was led by fifteen thousand under Fen’s command.

The majority of this unit consisted of gray wolf beastmen and beastmen troops dispatched from Sylphirosé. Additionally, there were soldiers selected from among the beastmen within Kirchhen who had previously been relegated to slave-like status but gained standing when Siegfried became king

. Many of them made their living through hunting and were skilled with bows. They also possessed the mobility to easily traverse difficult terrain.

And advancing through the center was a force of forty thousand led by Beatrice, the Grand Master of the Royal Knight Order. The core of this force consisted of elite knights she had personally trained.

While this corps’ primary objective was breaking through enemy lines, they had arranged their formation so they could immediately rush as reinforcements to either flank should danger threaten the left or right wings.

(Finally—the battle will commence)

Beatrice advanced clad in crimson armor. Ahead of her gaze, she could see the enemy’s great army. This was not her first battle where they were outnumbered. Even so—there was a tension in her chest different from previous battles.

(Siegfried-sama… is not present on this battlefield)

That’s right—Siegfried’s figure was absent from this battle. She had received the pre-planned strategy, but the actual command was entrusted to Beatrice, who served as the supreme commander this time. Unlike during the royal capital siege when he would appear at the very last moment—there would be no such development this time.

In other words, this would be a battle where Beatrice, the new Grand Master of the Royal Knight Order, would have her true worth tested.