Chapter 34

"Well, shall we launch the fourth attack?"

The morning after Raidor entered the Brain Fortress, General Gracos Bazen of the Western Front Army of the Arslane Empire stroked his chin beard.

Standing on a hill, Bazen's gaze was fixed on the fortress they needed to capture.

The last stronghold defending the capital of the Zain Kingdom stood majestically, blocking the path of the imperial army.

Beside Bazen stood his adjutant, Colonel Dallas Safaris. Behind them was the third imperial princess, Seria Arslane.

While Bazen was properly dressed in his military uniform, Seria had mismatched her buttons, and her shirt was poking out from the bottom of her trousers.

The beautiful girl's eyes were half-closed, as if she had just woken up.

"Ugh, fighting in the morning is tiring. Can't we start at noon?"

"Oh, if you're sleepy, you can rest in the tent. We'll handle the troublesome battle for you."

While rubbing her eyes and yawning, Seria was addressed by Bazen in a gentle, doting voice.

To the general, who treated her like a real grandfather, Seria pinched her cheeks and pulled them to wake herself up.

"I'm technically the commander of this army. I can't leave everything to you, grandpa."

"Ho ho ho, how kind of you to worry about my old body. I, Gracos, will do my best to repay the princess's kindness."

"…So, how will we attack today, General Bazen?"

"Hmm… Safaris."

Their conversation, which resembled that of a doting grandfather and his granddaughter, was interrupted by Safaris.

Bazen glared at his adjutant from the corner of his eye, annoyed that his time with the beloved princess was disturbed.

"Well… today, let's attack in earnest."

"Oh? Weren't you planning to hold back for a while?"

Safaris raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked his superior.

In this campaign to capture Brain Fortress, the Western Front Army led by Bazen had no intention of attacking seriously.

Or rather, there was no need to attack seriously.

In this war, the imperial army had captured the border fortress of Balmes in just one month and occupied most of the eastern region of the kingdom.

As a result, some of the nobles serving the kingdom had defected to the empire, and the empire's spies had already been dispatched to various parts of the kingdom to carry out subversion.

In other words, the preparations to dismantle the Zain Kingdom from within were steadily progressing, and the collapse of the kingdom was only a matter of time without wasting soldiers' lives.

"Moreover… our goal is not just to destroy Zain. If we suffer losses in the army, it will hinder the 'next' step."

Safaris sighed softly, looking towards the future after the destruction of the Zain Kingdom.

There were several small countries to the west of the Zain Kingdom in the western region of the continent. After destroying the kingdom, they would face battles with these countries.

To prepare for the next war, the imperial army wanted to win without fighting as much as possible.

"Then why are you launching a full-scale attack now? Are you changing the strategy to aim for a political victory without unnecessary battles?"

"Hmm… I didn't intend to fight unnecessarily, but I feel the atmosphere of the fortress has changed."

Bazen's face, which had been doting on his granddaughter, suddenly turned serious as he glared at the fortress. Safaris swallowed nervously, recognizing the face of the old general who had long protected the empire.

"Until yesterday, the kingdom's army defending the fortress seemed to have a resigned air, but today it feels different. There's a sense of vitality, as if they've been revived."

"Is it… related to the reinforcements that entered the fortress yesterday?"

The lookout guarding the Brain Fortress had reported that reinforcements from the capital had entered the fortress.

The number of soldiers who entered the fortress was only about five hundred, a number that didn't seem particularly alarming.

"Or perhaps, the key lies with the person who entered the fortress in a carriage."

"Carriage… could it be!"

Safaris's eyes widened. The young man, who was usually composed, blushed with excitement.

"Is it the king, Granado Zain, who has entered the fortress? If so, it makes sense that the morale of the kingdom's army would rise!"

"Hmm… that's a possibility."

Bazen nodded, calming his excited adjutant with a hand.

Until now, King Granado of the Zain Kingdom had remained in the capital despite the country's crisis.

However, it was entirely possible that he had finally decided to move, realizing that they couldn't win otherwise.

"If this fortress falls, the kingdom will be finished. It seems he finally took action… but"

What was concerning was the lack of communication from the nobles in the royal palace.

Some of the nobles serving in the royal palace had already been subverted by the empire and had made secret agreements to defect. They had been reporting the situation in the capital.

However, they had not reported that the king had moved.

"Perhaps he realized the defection? Or maybe he's weighing the possibility of the kingdom's recovery against our side."

Safaris spat out the words with a displeased expression.

For Safaris, who was deeply loyal to the emperor and his family, the nobles who betrayed their lord when cornered were objects of hatred.

Even if it worked to their country's advantage, he couldn't suppress his negative feelings.

"That's possible with the bat-like nobles. The royal palace is a den of devils, more so than any battlefield. It's the same in any country."

Bazen sighed heavily, his gaze distant as he looked up at the sky.

Bazen himself had been caught up in the plots of the empire's nobles and politicians in the past, suffering painful consequences. He had even lost a trusted subordinate due to their machinations, and he harbored no good feelings towards those in power.

The old general, who seemed to have lost his spirit, was addressed from behind by Seria.

"I don't understand the plots and all, but you can't let your guard down, grandpa."

"Oh? Does the princess have something to say?"

Until now, Seria had only wielded a sword on the battlefield and had never interfered with military strategy. Her sudden warning made Bazen's eyes widen in surprise.

"Yes… for some reason, Clausolas has been restless. There's something in that fortress. Something that threatens us."

While stroking the hilt of the sword, the holy sword 'Clausolas,' which was sheathed at her waist, Seria's words made Bazen's eyes narrow.

"If the princess, the wielder of the holy sword, says so, her words are as valuable as gold. We must strike the kingdom's army before whatever it is changes the tide of the battle… hmm?"

There was movement at Brain Fortress.

The gates, which had been tightly closed until now, opened, and soldiers emerged.

The soldiers who came out of the fortress were forming ranks under the direction of a commander-like figure.

"Coming out of the fortress!? Do they intend to fight us in the open field!?"

According to the reports from the spies, there were about ten thousand soldiers in Brain Fortress. The imperial army, on the other hand, had thirty thousand.

While a siege in a fortress or stronghold might be different, in a field battle where numbers mattered, the empire would surely win.

"Vaser Galsht is not so incompetent that he doesn't understand this! Therefore, he must have obtained a trump card for a last-ditch effort!"

"Safaris, prepare our ranks immediately! We will crush the kingdom's army here!"

"Yes, sir!"

Safaris ran off to carry out Bazen's orders.

The old general and the princess knight, left on the hill, glared down at the Zain Kingdom's army, which was forming a crane wing formation.

"Grandpa"

"I understand. We cannot afford to be careless in this battle. Depending on the situation, I may need the princess to take the front lines."

"Yes, that's what the holy sword is for."

When Seria gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, Clausolas responded by emitting a blue-white spark.

"Until we know the identity of the enemy's trump card, please be cautious. If the princess is defeated, we will have lost."

"Yes, I understand. But when the time comes, I won't hesitate!"

Seria, puffing out her modest chest, spoke resolutely. Bazen nodded, his face tense with determination.

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