Chapter 51

With the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

Having entrusted the training to Shishuru and Gurukaka, Aohi decided to return to the town of Bornis with only the main members of his group.

As they passed through the open gate, attention gathered on Aohi and his party from all around.

However, it was not unreasonable.

The group included the two great figures representing the Zoan, Garam and Zugg, the dwarf Dovarin with his magnificent long beard, and the dinosaurian Jahangir, who followed along despite his complaints. It was impossible not to attract attention.

Among them, the one who attracted the most attention was the human boy, Kizaki Aohi, who walked at the front, accompanied by Shemul and Shaha, as a guard. To the Zoan and former slaves, he was a sudden and mysterious leader. To the town's residents, he was an invader who controlled terrifying subhumans.

While almost overwhelmed by the curious and fearful gazes of the people, Aohi observed the town.

From what Aohi could see, the town of Bornis seemed to have regained much of its calm.

Initially, when the town was taken, all signs of people had disappeared. But now, after a few days, residents could be seen here and there on the main streets. However, to avoid unnecessary conflicts with the Zoan and former slaves, the residents averted their eyes and walked along the edges of the roads. Especially when they saw Aohi leading his group, they scattered like ants, which secretly hurt Aohi.

However, the atmosphere of the town had improved significantly.

This was because Aohi's policy of not oppressing the town's residents had spread among them.

Of course, in this world, there were no newspapers or radios to disseminate information. Therefore, when a lord or someone similar needed to announce something to the residents, they would call the influential figures of the town, known as "faces," to the mansion and directly inform them of the announcement. These faces would then pass the message down to the people under their control, spreading the lord's words pyramidally throughout the town.

However, Aohi and the Zoan were completely unaware of this system.

It was Maklornis who helped them.

"The residents are trembling with fear. I would like you to address this immediately."

While he said it was because his subordinates were being held hostage, this unusually cooperative adjutant of the Holmea army's company gave his advice. Immediately, Aohi gathered the town's faces and conveyed that they had no intention of needlessly harming the residents, trying to alleviate their fears.

Among Aohi's words, the one that most reassured the faces was the promise that if anyone wanted to leave the town, they would not be stopped and could take their belongings with them.

Although he had decided this himself, Aohi secretly feared that most of the residents might leave. However, in reality, only a few people actually left the town.

Aohi did not understand, but in this world, leaving the land where one was born and raised was a matter of life and death. Once outside the cities or villages guarded by security forces or vigilantes, it was almost a lawless area. There were not only natural disasters and wild beasts but also many more dangerous bandits and thieves.

Even if one managed to escape these dangers and reach another town or village, it was difficult to find work or a place to live without strong connections. Towns and villages were worlds unto themselves, and to Aohi, who had lived in modern Japan, they were surprisingly closed and exclusive to outsiders.

Therefore, unless there was a clear and present danger, there was no reason to leave a familiar place.

However, the fact that Aohi had granted the freedom to leave the town did give the residents a sense of security.

Returning to the confiscated lord's mansion after passing through the town, Aohi and his group sat in a circle in the sunlit courtyard and discussed future strategies.

"I think we should continue the training as it is for the time being."

At Aohi's words, Garam nodded.

"I have no objections. There are many things I want to do, but it's better to do them one by one rather than fumbling around."

"Training is good, but what about the weapons and armor?"

In response to Zugg's question, Dovarin, who had taken charge of managing weapons and materials, answered.

"There are enough weapons if you don't mind the type. However, the problem is the armor. All the ready-made armor is for humans, so it doesn't fit us. We need to take them apart and remake them to fit us."

"How long will it take to make enough for everyone?"

At Aohi's question, Dovarin stroked his rich beard and thought for a moment.

"Well... We also need to prepare for training and materials, so even if we work hard, it will take about ten days."

"Will that be enough? Wouldn't it be better to just tie the human armor to our bodies with ropes or something?"

Given the uncertainty of when the punitive force might arrive, Zugg's suggestion was not wrong. However, Dovarin, a dwarf with a strong pride in craftsmanship, could not accept this.

"Are you trying to mock us?! Such shoddy armor would be a disgrace!"

To this, Aohi said in a persuasive tone.

"I want you to prioritize everyone's lives, even if it's a disgrace for now."

"...I understand."

Dovarin understood Aohi's point but struggled to reconcile it with his pride as a dwarf. He pouted.

Still, Aohi believed that Dovarin would do what needed to be done, so he said nothing more. Because of this, Dovarin could not be too forceful and eventually gave in.

In the midst of the heated discussion about strategies against the punitive force, Garam noticed that his sister, Shemul, seemed distracted.

"What's wrong, 'Noble Fang'?"

Garam whispered quietly so as not to interrupt the discussion, but Shemul did not seem to notice. Reluctantly, Garam nudged her shoulder, and finally, Shemul snapped to attention.

"…! T, 'Fierce Fang'?! Is something wrong?"

Shemul's reaction, which was unlike her usual self, who always kept a tight rein on herself in such discussions to support Aohi, who was unfamiliar with the world's norms, made Garam frown.

Reflecting on it, Shemul's behavior was also strange when Jahangir called Aohi a brat earlier. The Shemul he knew would have likely snapped at Jahangir.

"You've been acting strange lately. You seem to be deep in thought at times. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"…'Fierce Fang.' I am a woman too. Even if you are my sister, I don't think it's right to pry into a woman's affairs."

This was a subtle rejection. Once said, Garam could not press the issue. He reluctantly backed down, though he was not satisfied. Shemul felt guilty towards her brother.

For the past few days, a dark shadow had been cast over Shemul's heart by the mysterious girl she saw on the night Aohi declared his intentions to everyone.

Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine and cold sweat down her back.

It was something very evil.

A powerful and malevolent force that could not be resisted by human strength, like a great storm that could blow everything away or a swarm of pests that could devour all vegetation, according to Shemul's intuition.

The response to encountering such a force was clear.

One should not confront it head-on but avoid it and wait for it to pass.

Shemul would have preferred to do the same.

She could have pretended that everything she saw that night was a dream or an illusion, that she saw and heard nothing.

However, this time, she could not. Because the girl had mentioned Aohi's name, her "Lord of the Navel."

Moreover, the girl had even left a prophecy that Aohi would become a terrible monster.

Shemul glanced at Aohi.

Aohi, who was sitting up straight and earnestly debating with everyone, did not seem to have a hint of a terrible monster. Shemul thought it might have been just an illusion, but she could not shake the feeling of unease in her chest.

Shaking her head lightly as if to dispel the feeling, Shemul tried to focus on the discussion.

Whether it was a dream, an illusion, or a demonic visitor in the night, she could not let such things distract her now. She sternly told herself to concentrate on the discussion.

While Shemul was troubled, the discussion continued.

"Still, it's a pain that we can't get information about the punitive force."

Aohi muttered, frustrated that they could not even estimate the size or timing of the punitive force.

This was because Aohi and his group had failed to gather information about the Holmea Kingdom.

There is a saying that "information is power." In the manga and novels Aohi knew, enemy information was highly valued and sometimes used as a trump card. Therefore, Aohi had tried to obtain information about the Holmea army from the captured soldiers who were part of the town's defense force.

However, this attempt had failed.

The prisoners, believing they would be quickly released by the punitive force, refused to speak to avoid being blamed for leaking information.

Jahangir, frustrated by their attitude, suggested torturing them to make them talk, but Aohi could not allow this. Not only did he hold modern ethical views about humane treatment of prisoners, but he also feared it would create deep-seated resentment in the town's future governance.

However, if they could not repel the punitive force, all his efforts would be in vain. Without this information, they could not fight effectively, and Aohi could not help but wonder if he should have resorted to torture to get the information.

"For now, we don't know how large the enemy is or when they will come. We can only increase our reconnaissance and wait for their move."

Reluctantly, Aohi proposed a second-best solution, but an unexpected response came.

"The size of the punitive force is probably no less than four thousand and no more than six thousand."

This was said by Maklornis, the adjutant, who had somehow joined the discussion.

"What do you mean?"

Garam said, looking at Maklornis as if he were a suspicious character.

This was a response to Maklornis's voluntary disclosure of important military information. However, Maklornis deliberately misinterpreted it as a request for the basis of his numbers.

"The Holmea Kingdom's military strength is about twenty thousand. Half of this is allocated to defend against the eastern kingdom of Romania. The remaining ten thousand includes the royal guard and various security forces that cannot be moved. After accounting for these, only about four to six thousand can be mobilized immediately."

Saying this, Maklornis joined the circle as if it were the most natural thing.

"The number of troops you used to attack this town has already been reported by the messenger from the defense force. Even with the former slaves you freed, it's probably no more than a thousand.

"To capture a walled city like this, it is generally considered necessary to have at least three times the number of defenders. Therefore, a punitive force of at least four thousand is required. The immediately available national army can just about meet this requirement."

Everyone listened intently to Maklornis's logical explanation.

"Unlike the standing national army, the private armies of the lords cannot be mobilized quickly due to the management of their territories. If there were more time, it would be a different story, but the Holmea Kingdom does not want the rebellion to spread to other regions. They will want to crush you as soon as possible."

Maklornis scratched his head and smiled wryly.

"Another reason they want to crush you quickly is that the prince you captured, Vritas, is the younger brother of the current king."

At this, everyone present was surprised.

The reclamation of the Solbiant Plain was led by the Holmea royal family. For this purpose, Prince Vritas was appointed as the lord of this front-line town, Bornis. However, with the prince in your hands, the royal family's face is completely ruined. The king will want to suppress the rebellion and free the prince as soon as possible.

"Considering this, it would be more efficient to crush you with the immediately available army rather than taking the time to mobilize more troops."

Aohi recalled this.

When Garam confronted the lord he had captured, the man had repeatedly claimed his importance and the large ransom he could fetch. Reflecting on it now, it was a strange claim given that his territory had been taken. But this was the reason.

"Still, the soldiers' equipment needs to be inspected, and food for several thousand people needs to be gathered. Siege weapons will also be required to capture a city with such strong walls. This preparation alone will take more than a week."

"A week?"

Aohi looked at Shemul, unsure if it was the same as in his world. She immediately understood and explained.

"It's a seven-day cycle starting with the day of the fire god, followed by water, earth, wind, beasts, birds, and ending with the day of the human god."

Although the names of the days were different, it seemed to be the same seven-day cycle as in modern Japan, and Aohi felt relieved.

"Once all these preparations are complete, it will take at least three weeks for the army to travel from the capital through the city of Luoma to get here."

In the current situation, where command was not yet unified, three weeks seemed long but also short. Aohi, thinking that gaining as much time as possible would be advantageous, had an idea.

"Is it possible to negotiate with the Holmea king using the prince we have captured?"

"That's not possible."

Maklornis was firm.

"To be clear, Prince Vritas has a very bad reputation. He is incompetent, lazy, and hedonistic. He has thrown lavish feasts in his private residence in the capital, gathering not only human but also subhuman female slaves, and has neglected important state affairs multiple times. This is why he was appointed as the lord of this town, almost as a form of exile.

"Even if I were to use the prince as a bargaining chip, the king would ignore it and attack the town. If the prince were killed, it would only serve as a rallying point for the soldiers to avenge him. I would bet all my wealth that the king would do this."

Given his certainty, it seemed best to abandon negotiations using the prince.

Aohi looked at the map of the surrounding area spread out in the center of the circle.

The enemy was at least four thousand strong. They could not win in a straightforward battle. Conversely, they needed to think of a way to fight without a straightforward battle.

If they were to fight, it had to be here.

Thinking this, Aohi focused on a specific point on the map. He then placed his finger on his chin and thought deeply.

Dovarin, assuming Aohi had fallen silent because the discussion was at an impasse, spoke up.

"At this point, there is no choice but to fortify the town."

Garam, however, showed reluctance.

"But we Zoan are not good at fighting from a fortified position."

Currently, the Zoan were the largest fighting force among those following Aohi. However, in a siege, their greatest strength, mobility, would be useless, and they would not be able to fight effectively.

"Then, are you going to charge into a punitive force of more than four thousand?"

Garam was speechless at Dovarin's response.

Garam was brave but not foolish. He had heard the story of his parents' disastrous charge against the Holmea army so many times that he could recite it in his sleep. He could not afford to repeat their mistake.

Garam raised his hands to shoulder height as if surrendering.

"There's no point in being stubborn. If it comes to a siege, we will follow your orders."

Dovarin nodded in satisfaction.

"With three weeks, we can do a lot of work on the town gates and walls. We also need to check the food and materials."

In this world, dwarves were not only known for their manufacturing skills but also for their strength in fortification battles. Dovarin felt a thrilling excitement at the prospect of using his skills in his area of expertise.

"Soma, I think a siege is our only option, but what do you think?"

Dovarin's words seemed to seek approval rather than opinion, and no one objected. Everyone thought a siege was the only option given the current situation.

However, Aohi said something that shocked everyone.

"I think we should go out and attack rather than defend the town."

Aohi began preparing to meet the punitive force.

Meanwhile, in the Holmea Kingdom, General Darius's army began its march towards Bornis.

Next Chapter: "Marching Out"

General Darius's punitive force begins its march towards Bornis!

6/27 Typo corrections & map addition