Upon Blanche’s return from the minor nations a month later, she immediately had to go to the battlefield.
The enemy forces have been appearing while she was away, and the enemies in the south have been acting only to threaten them. Blanche couldn’t help but frown.
She had sent the Short Sword Battle Maiden(Valkyria) to keep the Kushain Believers in check, but the enemies were always able to retreat.
“Strange.”
Something made her uneasy.
The way she saw it, there was a tactician on the enemy’s side good enough for her to worry. The effective management of an efficient, united army, and a decisive ruler. She saw them as a country specialized in warfare, but at this point, she became confused.
Did the enemy tactician change? Or did something happen within their forces?
She couldn’t get any information from the country ruled by the goblins, so she’s been relying on the legacy of the Red King, an intelligence unit, to gather information, but the goblins have kept a tighter watch on their information recently.
If so, then they probably haven’t changed tacticians.
—But if that’s the case, then they must be plotting something.
“Or are they trying to make me think?”
This confusion itself was a trap.
A trick. Consecutive attacks with no meaning. Perhaps that was the plan of the enemy tactician.
“But… Surely that’s not all, right?’
The frequent attacks on the slave trade. The southern barbarians that have been moving strangely recently. She had to include all of those in her thoughts.
The plan drawn by the enemy tactician.
A plan to lure out the War Princess by frequently attacking. And behind that, a slave rebellion that would become a seed of doubt… Putting all of that together, their goal could only be to constrict her.
Because of the lack information, Blanche actually figured out what Pale was thinking. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s true that there’s only one of me, but I do have two hands.”
Pale’s trump card was to attack from four directions.
Blanche could see that so she laughed.
If they were to crumble, it would be from behind.
The best place to attack would of course be the weakest point. If so, then the quickest way to resolve this was to crush the rebellion that has taken nest within the Holy Shushunu Kingdom. After all, her aide was employing the fresh concept of a trench encampment in the frontlines.
Another way to call it was ‘a moving fortress’, a new tactic stolen from the Goblin King. She rode often, so she knew exactly what its weakness was.
And with the long-range attacks of the sorcerer cavalry (mana guard), it could literally be transformed into a wall of steel for the enemy cavalry.
“I’ll make you regret looking down on me.”
The War Princess’ shadow could still see through the battlefield.
◆◇◆
The reason Queen Mira of the Kushain Believers declared war on the Holy Shushunu Kingdom was of course because they attacked their country. Well, that was one of the reasons, at least.
The real reason was that ‘the hero, Vilan,’ lost.
The tales of the hero, Vilan, that they so painstakingly built was crushed just like that. It’s true that they were facing a great power, but there was still no denying the fact that the Sword of the War Princess(Valkyria), a clan, was able to push into them. They couldn’t accept this.
They may have allied themselves with the goblins, but they were still an independent nation. In other words, they needed to be able to defend themselves.
If it were some other general who lost, it wouldn’t have mattered.
The consequences would be irrelevant.
But Vilan wasn’t allowed to lose.
Vilan Do Zul was the pillar of the army that would support their country for many years to come. He was the hope of the people. His defeat meant more than just a loss in tactics.
It was the same thing as saying that the Kushain Believers were beneath the Holy Shushunu Kingdom.
Queen Mira couldn’t accept that.
She was even on the verge of starting another holy war, but Vilan stopped her.
“Y-You don’t have to go that far…”
“No! We will go that far! We have to make them think that!”
Like a girl throwing a tantrum, she drew closer to the boy who didn’t understand the gravity of the situation and wrapped her arms around his waist. At that, Vilan froze and stood attention, not daring to move an inch.
“I-I mean… L-Look. I lost, but there are a lot of other people other than me, Your Majesty…”
“Your Majesty?”
Mira’s words were brimming with a strange pressure. When Vilan heard that, he remembered.
He wasn’t allowed to talk to her formally when they were alone!
That’s what she was saying.
“I-I mean there are people other than me.”
Vilan’s eyes swam as he sweated buckets and desperately tried to recover from his blunder. He was still bad with women.
“How many people do you think a replacement would have to kill to gain the same renown as you have now!?”
When Vilan heard that, he felt the sweat pouring down his back change to a chill. It felt like a pack of ice had just been shoved down his back as he found himself staring at Mira.
The shock he felt now was even greater than when that old general hit his head with all of his strength.
Vilan grasped the shoulders of the girl with tearful eyes and moved her away from him.
“…I got it. I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
Although a little clumsy, Vilan looked at Mira.
“Yeah.”
As she wiped her eyes, he declared to her.
“I will bring you victory. Definitely.”
“…Don’t push yourself too much, Vilan.”
“Yeah.”
After seeing Vilan off, Mira smiled.
“Fu fu fu… Maybe with this he’ll finally feel like putting in some effort.”
Not a hint of that meek girl from before could be seen after Mira put on the face of a politician and sat on the bed. Vilan had to win. Defeat wasn’t allowed.
In order for the hero to stand beside the saint, he couldn’t lose.
“You’re there, right? Show yourself.”
When she called out, a female adventurer appeared from the shadows.
“You called?”
“…You like to peep? That’s a bad hobby.”
“I was just hoping to learn a thing or two about winning a man’s heart.”
“H-Heart? I-I don’t particularly like him or anything! Vilan belongs to me!”
“Sure.”
While Mira was blushing, the face of the female adventurer kneeling on the ground couldn’t be seen, but her shoulders were shaking.
“Well, whatever. Let’s talk business.”
Mira placed her hand on her blushed cheeks and made a serious face.
“As you will.”
“Remove any disturbing elements.”
“…It shall be done with the full strength of the Shadow of the New Moon.”
The female adventurer faintly smiled and vanished into the shadows.
A few days later, several unidentified corpses were found at the holy city of Cultidian where the Kushain Believers lived.
