I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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234th Chapter

“They’re definitely coming through the Yutus region. There’s no other route!”

“But the Tatino region is clearly open, right? Even a fool would choose this path!”

“Would they really implement a strategy so obvious that even a fool would consider it? How can you think just one step ahead?”

The sharp voices pouring in from both sides felt like they were digging into my ears. Leo looked exasperated, and I sighed deeply.

The first meeting in Atara was raucous enough to feel chaotic.

“Enough!”

Bang!

Leo slammed the table. The nobles finally stopped talking after the vibrations echoed throughout the room. He pressed his hand against his forehead.

“There are guests from afar, so keep your voices down. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

At Leo’s cold remark, everyone who had been trying to gauge the atmosphere dropped their heads in unison. It felt like someone might really crack a skull, so I was grateful to him for stopping this uproar.

The burning issue that came up in the meeting was the invasion route from the North.

Various discussions had arisen, but the two most likely routes were considered to be Yutus and Tatino.

“Both options make some sense.”

I scanned the map spread wide on the table, my tongue brushing against my bitter palate.

Yutus connected directly to the Northern region, meaning they could walk straight from there.

When I suggested looking for the weak points of Atara on the map, that was the location anyone would point out first. On one hand, it was standard, while on the other, it was painfully obvious.

Tatino, however, was the opposite. While it was adjacent to the North, the winding gorge in between made crossing it a tedious route for soldiers.

But if one were to ask if it was impossible, that wasn’t the case. It could be crossed.

Choosing the harder route offered the advantage of being less predictable to the enemy. Even I would be surprised if the North opted for that path.

‘Shouldn’t I just write this kind of thing in a novel?’

I suppressed my throbbing temples and thought back to the original of “Fairy’s Night,” but then gave up. There wouldn’t be any useful information in that trashy novel.

If that book was ever in my hands, I would use it as kindling without a moment’s hesitation.

Not being able to predict the route of an invasion doesn’t immediately result in a defeat in war. However, the initial deployment of troops can sometimes create a significant impact. Moving troops is always a complicated matter.

“Sir Jonathan Elmerly, what do you think?”

As the atmosphere calmed down, I tapped the table with my fingers and asked Jonathan, who was sitting next to me.

At my sudden question, Jonathan seemed a bit flustered but soon focused intently on the map. His expression showed clear signs of either confusion or embarrassment, his dark eyes rolling over the map to the point where I could barely distinguish his iris from his pupils.

“Certainly, there’s a possibility for Yutus, but I think Tatino has a higher likelihood.”

“Why is that?”

“While it seems too obvious, if they invade through Yutus, there will be no available water source. But the Tatino region has a long flowing valley.”

Indeed, while Yutus was easy to invade, it lacked an adequate water source, which made it an unsuitable location for a protracted battle. In a situation where the duration of the war was uncertain, choosing that place would be foolish.

“Are you saying that Yutus is in danger right now?”

Bang!

Wilhelm pounded the table. He had been adamantly claiming that the North would invade through Yutus, and his face was extremely anxious. I recalled the information Jonathan had shared with me.

‘Wilhelm’s territory is in the Yutus region.’

It made sense that he would obsessively argue for Yutus if he wanted his territory protected.

It wasn’t necessarily wrong, but such premature thought and parochial mindset as a leader weren’t appropriate.

“Stop being so stubborn. It’s definitely Tatino!”

“What? Who do you think you are, talking like that?”

Voices began to rise louder and louder, and a second battle had started. Sharp sounds exchanged everywhere. I was taken aback to witness the normally dignified nobles raising their voices like this for the first time.

“Is what I’m saying not sensible?”

Eventually, Leo stepped in again. The dagger he threw into the center of the table caused it to split in half as if there had been an earthquake. Considering how sturdy the table was, that was quite a deadly threat.

Everyone clammed up like clams. I briefly thought how lucky I was not to have made Leo my enemy.

“I understand that Yutus and Tatino are both strong candidates, and there are reasons supporting each, but we can’t just speculate. We need to make a solid decision.”

That was true. We couldn’t keep fighting indefinitely.

Just yesterday, we had welcomed the reinforcements with open arms and thrown a banquet, and yet today we were facing such a tough situation—it left me sighing at Atara’s heartlessness.

“Commander Crisis, what do you think?”

“Me?”

While lost in thought, Wilhelm, who had been panting slightly, turned to me with a sudden interest. Caught off guard, I fixed my gaze back on the map. I couldn’t help but sigh.

The reason I was more troubled than anyone else in voicing my opinion on this situation was that…

‘Zigmund Hyde, that bastard…

In the deal I made with him regarding Hilda, Zigmund had provided the invasion route from the North. If that were indeed true, the situation would become simple.

But had Zigmund really spoken the truth? It wouldn’t be surprising if he were caught lying in such a tangled mess.

What if I judged it to be a lie and he had anticipated that I would intentionally exclude that area? That would be a perfect operation. It wouldn’t be surprising for Zigmund to resort to such underhanded tactics.

‘I wish I hadn’t asked this.’

I glared at the region Zigmund mentioned like it would burst into flames.

If it were entirely absurd, I could brush it off as a crazy lie, but even after removing my personal feelings about him, the area still seemed plausible when I looked at it again and again.

However, it didn’t evoke a strong enough feeling to say, ‘This is certainly the spot.’

Did Zigmund tell me the truth?

I was engaged in a battle of wits I never signed up for.

While I was deep in thought, Wilhelm’s patience wore thin, and he scowled at me.

“What on earth are you thinking? Why is your answer taking so long?”

Impatiently, he pressed me.

‘If I don’t know whether it’s right or wrong… I should just spit out something and think it through with everyone.’

In the end, I opened my mouth.

“Perhaps it could be some other area aside from the two we mentioned.”

“What did you say?”

Wilhelm frowned. Jonathan furrowed his brow.

“Weren’t we supposed to decide between the two?”

“You can’t make a hasty judgment. So, what if…”

I pointed to a spot on the map.

“It might be here.”

That was the area of Pavlos, which was defended by a massive river.

“…Are you joking? Do you think there’s even a possibility of crossing over there?”

Wilhelm’s face twisted into an even more menacing scowl. I concealed my troubled feelings and maintained a confident facade as I raised my chin.

“Isn’t it permissible to voice an opinion freely?”

“Hah! Do you think they are so insane they would cross a river? Are they going to make boats out of leaves or something?”

Perhaps spending his life fighting monsters in the North made his speeches quite sharp. I swallowed his knotty words with a sigh and let slip a thought that had been floating in my head.

“They could freeze the river and come across.”

All eyes turned to me at once. While gnashing my teeth in a troubled state of mind, I recalled the geography and ecology of Atara I had studied in my previous life.

“Freezing a flowing river completely would be insane, but Pavlos is a cold region; by early winter, the river water would freeze. If they could cross it, the river would serve as a good water source. The wide road leads straight to the Royal Castle, making incursion quite feasible. It’s a perfect invasion route.”

“But…! The river won’t freeze strong enough for the troops to cross in early winter!”

Jonathan urgently countered. I chuckled as I glanced at his wide eyes.

“Casting ice magic on water is advanced, but reinforcing already existing ice to make it sturdy is something even beginner mages can handle.”

It’s difficult to form the desired shape with swamp muck, but it’s akin to molding clay as much as you want when you’re able to.

While its complete freezing would require a high-level mage, reinforcing the surface that’s already frozen enough to support troops would be easily manageable by multiple beginner mages.

It may seem far-fetched, but it wasn’t impossible. This was the reason I couldn’t shake off Zigmund’s remark.

“Interesting.”

Leo stroked his chin as he muttered. The conversation began to stir among the others, filled with new ideas.

‘The place we’ll invade is at the border of Pavlos.’

I recalled Zigmund’s quiet voice whispering something I couldn’t discern as truth or lie.

Regardless of the credibility of his words, with that kind of statement, I should have harbored doubts. It felt strange. Really strange.

‘Am I trusting him?’

I still hadn’t found an answer to the question he tossed at me.

As the chaotic meeting wrapped up, I left the conference room, exhausted.

In the end, we couldn’t decide where to dispatch the reinforcements among the three locations. Given the circumstances, it seemed like we still had some leeway before the second invasion, so the consensus was to observe a little longer.

At the end, my opinion gained the most traction marginally. Had I actively backed that opinion, the reinforcements would have set off straight for Pavlos, but I didn’t.

Due to my lack of conviction, I adopted a vague attitude, resulting in decisions that never materialized.

I had thought sitting in such a heavy position would make me something worthwhile, yet I still felt inadequate.

‘Should I have pressed for Pavlos…? No, perhaps I should have said nothing about Pavlos at all…’

I raked my hair in frustration. Lately, I had been acutely aware of the weight of the commanding position; I might just end up bald.

‘I suppose a walk is in order.’

As I turned my steps towards the garden, feeling like I would only be burdened with thoughts otherwise,

‘Oh.’

I turned at the familiar presence behind me.

“Shu Shu.”

It was Leo, rushing after me, slightly disheveled as if he had hurriedly followed me, his hair tousled by the wind.

“Is there something urgent?”

After such an unusual display of urgency, I asked cautiously, and Leo chuckled like it was a sigh.

“Don’t forget we were supposed to meet with the Silver Wolf Beastmen.”

“Oh.”

I sighed briefly. I certainly hadn’t forgotten. I remembered our promise made when I had coincidentally bumped into him at the Empire’s tavern.

Leo grasped my fingertips.

“Let’s go now. We can’t wait any longer.”

Leo seemed in a hurry.