And yet...
"The Commander is not in a good mood, aren’t you? Even though the war is probably winnable, plus it is an opportunity to eliminate the Kingdom’s internal woes."
The female knight continued her frown.
She said,
"If it's the old man who set this up, why should I be happy? Why is the most elite of elite Imperial Guards doing here now? A battle in the remote regions against small frys, that brings no meaning even if we win or lose. ...... Ahh, damnit! Not fun at all."
Not long ago, she single-handedly cut into 3,000 soldiers strong enemy. What would be hell if this woman described the battle as meaningless?
"Why are those enemy soldiers so weak? The St. Gallen army boasts the most elite troops in the continent, right? I was so excited to hear that we could go toe to toe with them, but when we fought them, they were as slow as snails! Even though they might be inferior in equipment and could be tired from crossing the mountains, it shouldn’t be that bad should it?"
"This surprise attack is also highly speculative. The St. Gallen side may have reserved their elite and only sent in their second in line troops. The other side can't afford to cut corners in the Allemande area either."
"Ahh, the general of the eastern countries is a fool! The first battle is the turning point of a war. The best of the best can be used as reserve troops as trump cards, but the rule of thumb is to have at least enough troops in the front to hold the line!"
She started stomping on the ground. Her beloved horse, who was being led by the reins, also stamped on the ground with its forelegs as if following its owner's lead.
She did not think that St. Gallen would choose to make such a bad move. In any case, all of the forces defending Volden, except for the Second Order holding onto this fort, have fallen into total disarray.
"Let's be happy about the enemy's blunders rather than blaming them. After all, we are in the midst of a losing battle. If the enemy is capable, even if our country wins in the end, there is no guarantee that our Order will survive until then."
"Hmph, I know what you mean. It's boring to die surrounded by weak soldiers. Al, while the enemy is retreating, restock provisions. If the reinforcements from the royal capital arrives before winter, I don't think we'll have trouble with provisions, but you never know what will happen in war. In the worst case scenario, the current stockpile might not be enough."
Elisha snorted lightly and gave the order.
"I don't care what means we have to take. Tell the knights it doesn't matter if we have to loot. The people will starve as well, but it will be better than filling the bellies of the enemy's soldiers."
It was a harsh decision, but it was the right one. The food and supplies would still be stolen, but if it was St. Gallen that was doing the looting, there would be arson, rape, and even murder. It would be better for them to do it and at least they would show some degree of mercy. They were both losing and gaining from doing so, but at least they were cutting their losses from 100% to 50%.
So Alfred didn't argue with that point, but expressed another opinion to change the subject.
"Oh, you're not going to enter the main city of Volden? If you were to enter the city and assemble the soldiers or recruit conscripts, I believe we could engage in larger battles."
"It's no good. I don't want to speak ill of the previous Count, but the people here are losers at heart. If they were to face a large army, they would immediately turn tails and run. The militia, armed only at short notice, would even be more unreliable. It's not in my taste to get caught up in the destruction of our people, and if we simply show them that we're holding out in this fort, surely they would last for as long."
Rather than joining forces and weakening their average fighting strength, she wanted to keep some distance and show a pretence of cooperation. The soldiers in Volden might be more motivated that way.
She had a point there. This resembles something like a three-legged race. When several people work together, results would be bottlenecked by the weaker in the group. If their elite group of knights mixed up with a bunch of ordinary soldiers, it was certain that their military prowess would be undermined. Thus, it would be a superior strategy to let the enemy focus their attention on them while drawing attention from even enemies that should not be fighting them. This way, the Second Order would be unhindered while their allies have less of a burden.
"That’s true. In addition, there might be some differences in commanding between you and the Count."
Tullius, the new head of the Count of Oubeniel, has yet to show himself. If he were to claim command of the troops when he arrived at the battlefield, it might cause unnecessary trouble. As the saying goes, "too many cooks spoil the broth," having two leaders giving orders is a recipe for disaster. In a situation when they were already outnumbered, it’s best to avoid confusing the chain of command.
At Alfred's comments, Elisha opened her mouth as if she suddenly remembered.
"Speaking of which, has that new Count shown up yet?"
Three days have passed since the war began. Even though the new head of the family has no military experience, it was about time he made some kind of move. And even if the man was ultimately defeated by St. Gallen's army, it would be most preferable if he made some resistance and bought some time. Doing so would create a more favourable situation when the main reinforcements arrive and would also reduce the burden on the Second Order.
However, there was no report from Marlan in the southeastern part of the province that the Count’s forces had moved.
"I don't know. Maybe the message just hasn't reached us, or maybe he really hasn't moved yet. I think it could be either. If that's the case—"
"Then we should assume the worst, huh? Let's not get our hopes up for that supposedly crazy guy."
"I think that would be a good idea."
In any case, it was speculated that this person had burned down the royal capital to save himself. If he decides to move out with his troops, he might just eliminate both the enemy and the Second Order at the same time. Since he could not be counted as a reliable ally, there was no loss if they assumed he chose not to do anything.
With these thoughts in mind, Alfred returned to the fort with his boss.
※ ※ ※
The main street of the royal city of Broussonne. On the street, which ostensibly seems to have been cleared of the remnants of last year's great fire, wagons were lined up and moving without hardly any gap between them. The wagons were fully loaded with grains such as wheat, processed foods such as smoked fish, and liquor such as rum that could be used as drinking water. But they were not being brought to markets or wholesalers.
It was for the army.
The army of the neighbouring country of St. Gallen had invaded the province of Volden, located southeast of the royal capital. These were the necessary supplies for the main body of the Royal Army that was being organised to defeat the enemies.
And that's not all. Everywhere around the city, there were soldiers who seem to have come up from the countryside, mercenaries in dirty armour, and patrolmen running around to verify their identities. The personnel who gathered to join the reinforcements to Volden had temporarily raised the population of the royal capital.
The curious citizens of the metropolis were chatting about the procession of carriages and the unfamiliar soldiers from afar. Which noble do those troops belong to, or which noble soldiers look weak, or a particular mercenary that looks skillful… basically just idle gossip with no proof whatsoever.
The most astute of the merchants had hastily set up stalls all over the capital. Weapons and armour for soldiers going off to war, healing potions, and magical equipment. There were many new food stalls lining the streets. The sudden increase in the number of people in the city meant that food was selling particularly well. Not only the soldiers who came to the city, but also the citizens who came to watch them were buying food.
People and things were flying back and forth, and there was a constant buzz from the crowd, or the shouts from drunks who had gotten into trouble. The disorderly activity that dominated the city was somewhat similar to the atmosphere of a festival.
