While the Kingdom of the Black Sun (Alrodena Kingdom) was mobilizing the full power of their eastern expeditionary force to face off against the Iron Country of Elfa, the former Sacred Kingdom, now Sacred Empire, Altigand, decided to send the Wyvern Knights as reinforcements.
There were no squabbles in the process leading to that decision. Even in the imperial council, the ‘hero’ gave his advice, and the military and the civil officials readily nodded.
Even the nobles that had to attend the imperial council readily accepted any advice from the hero. It was as though that great nation, once known as the proudest among the human nations and full of slanderers, had fallen silent.
3 days after the imperial council, a company of 100 wyvern knights was sent off to Elfa with a cheer. Leading them was a girl still in her teens.
Their purpose was to reinforce Elfa and buy Altigand more time. Meanwhile, Altigand decided to reform their army.
The Alrodena that the goblins built was likely the strongest military nation in the continent at present. To resist their power the hero introduced the concept of an ‘aerial force’, but he believed that alone to be insufficient.
The main military force of Altigand is the national army that’s under the direct control of the king, as well as the private army that’s made up of mostly noblemen.
But even with their numbers added up, they only exceeded 10,000 soldiers at most. Moreover, the chain of command was all over the place. With that, it was dubious that they could even fight properly with the minor nations.
That’s why the noble’s private soldiers were directed to help Elfa.
But while that order maintained the etiquettes of an imperial decree, the stance behind it to decisively coerce soldiers was evident. Of course, there were nobles that resisted. Of those was even a margrave that rarely showed himself in the imperial court, Margrave Mordred. He was a distant relative of the king, so he resisted the imperial decree resolutely, but the very next day he expressed his stance, he died a mysterious death.
Several other nobleman suspicious of the order to mobilize their soldiers also died, and before long, no more voices openly opposing the mobilization of the private armies could be heard.
The nobles that served in the imperial court were enthusiastic, while the nobles that ruled the remote regions were terrified, but no matter who it was, they all mobilized their private armies to support Elfa.
“Hero, the reinforcements have already reached 5,000 men. This should be about all of the private soldiers of the nobles.”
A woman, with jade-green hair cut up to her shoulders, called out to the youth from behind.
It was from the watch tower of the castle that they looked down below to a city that has been growing ever since with its history.
Then a black hair swayed and a pair of reddish-brown eyes grasped her. That was enough to send sweet numbness rushing through her back.
“I see.”
The hero had to look down at her because he was two heads taller than the average man, but she still couldn’t help herself but look down as her cheeks blushed.
“But what are you going to do with them? It’s true that the private armies are in the way of a unified chain of command, but… Soldiers are soldiers.”
The beautiful hero smiled as he listened to the words of the talented woman before him.
“Soldiers? But we have plenty.”
The hero looked down from the watch tower once again.
The woman found it unfortunate to lose his gaze, but taken by curiosity, she too looked down the watch tower. As she followed the direction the hero was pointing at, she saw a group of tents outside the city.
“The refugees? But…”
“We have time. Please take care of it.”
Just a little touch on her shoulders was enough to lit her face aflame, and give rise to a thin voice that no one would think possible from her.
“You’re really kind.”
As the hero descended from the watch tower and headed to his room, someone called out to him.
“Really?”
“Yes, if you just gave the word, those girls would throw themselves at your feet.”
With black hair reaching down to her waist, she was the maid of the hero. She wasn’t a day past 15, yet already, she boasted beauty perfected, and she walked behind the hero with a smile.
“Misha, Charlotte, Rafa, they’re all good kids.”
The girl that led the wyvern knights, the military officer just now, and the messenger that was sent to Elfa just recently. As he muttered each of their names, the black-haired girl pouted.
“I don’t remember the names of commoners.”
“That’s troubling. I’m expecting much from you too, you know?”
The hero stopped, then stretched out his hand to pat her on the head.
“We’ll make it work. I have a minor business to attend to.”
“…As you will, Hero.”
10 days later, the hero suddenly vanished from the Imperial Capital of Altigand.
◆◆◇
The periodic reinforcements from Altigand delayed the goblins’ conquest of Elfa. It felt as though one moment they had the Iron Country of Elfa surrounded, and then in the next, there was an army behind them.
The minor nations under the influence of Altigand also sent military supplies and reinforcements. Despite having already sent out refugees, these minor nations still maintained some military strength, so they were able to take on the role of threatening Alrodena’s encirclement from behind.
There was also the navy.
When Altigand swallowed up the Oceanic Kingdom of Yarma, they succeeded in acquiring what was almost the only shipping nation in the continent intact. Hence, not only could they purchase goods from the island nations, they could also rely on the neighboring nations to quickly transport goods to Elfa.
That’s why Pale couldn’t help but consider that perhaps the hero had thought of using Elfa as a shield to buy time the moment they took over the Oceanic Kingdom of Yarma.
