Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 56

Chapter 56   The Secret Underground Passage

The Fletcher Republic, the dominant power of the Eastern nations, is true to its name, a republic.

In recent years, however, Ernest Collette has emerged as a Consul, securing election for three consecutive terms and effectively assuming a position akin to a head of state. The Republic’s vast farmlands make it an agricultural giant, producing the equivalent of 1.8 million dinars’ worth of Ishtar wheat.

Despite this, the Republic’s nobles have a strong sense of independence and are generally peace-oriented. Historically, it has rarely engaged in invasions of other countries. This current military campaign marks a significant shift, likely influenced by Collette’s rise to power as Consul.

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“Set up camp over there!”

“Understood.”

The position I chose was on high ground to the northeast of the royal capital, Shampur. I sought a location that would avoid immediate confrontation with the enemy while still maintaining visibility with our allies.

“Build barricades! Fortify our position so the enemy can’t approach!”

“Yes, sir.”

We had taken the high ground, but our numbers were only around a thousand. The enemy’s thirty thousand troops largely ignored us, focusing instead on surrounding the walls of the royal capital.

“Attack!”

The Republic’s army encircled Shampur and launched their assault. Magic missiles from their spellcasters exploded, and the sky was darkened by a hail of arrows from their archers.

“This is bad…”

“What’s wrong?”

Stallon reacted to my involuntary mutter.

“From what I see, the enemy numbers thirty thousand, while our forces within the castle number about three thousand. They won’t hold out for long. We must do something…”

“But even if our thousand men join the fight, it won’t change much, will it?”

Driven by the desire to aid the Queen, who had elevated me from a mere mercenary to a noble, I had led my small force here. Yet, in the face of such overwhelming odds, our actions seemed almost futile.

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Two nights after setting up camp on the high ground, I was surveying the surrounding terrain, hoping for a breakthrough strategy to turn the situation around.

“Poko~♪”

Pokorina cheerfully descended the cliff. I carefully followed, watching my step with apprehension.

“…Poko?”

We were now close to the enemy’s encampment that surrounded the royal capital, Shampur. Pokorina was pointing at an old, large well.

“…”

I couldn’t communicate with Pokorina. However, she persistently ran around the well.

…I should probably go down. Resolute, I decided to descend into the well.

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I picked up Pokorina and slowly descended into the old well. It seemed the well had been dry of water for a long time.

“Alright.”

I placed my feet at the bottom of the well. Removing the grating in front of me revealed a well-maintained stone-paved passage.

“Spirits, heed my plea! Night Vision!”

I cast the Night Vision spell and proceeded deeper into the stone-paved passage. Despite being startled by the sudden appearance of rats and bats, I continued along the seemingly endless underground corridor.

After navigating several winding turns, I emerged into a place where light was streaming in from above. Pushing open the ceiling through which the light came, I found myself in an indoor space of some sort.

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“Eh? Is that General Rillburn?”

“…Huh?”

At the end of the underground passage, I emerged into the office of the kingdom’s prime minister. It seemed the prime minister was also unaware of the existence of the underground passage, his eyes wide with surprise.

“General, how did you get here?”

“Well, I arrived here from an old well outside the castle…”

“Hmm, it must be one of the underground passages created by the previous generations of the royal family. You’ve arrived at just the right time. We’re about to hold a military council!”

“…Yes, sir!”

I found myself unexpectedly participating in the military council of the Kingdom of Shampur.

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Shampoo Castle, Kingdom Army Grand Conference Room.

Despite the size of the conference room, the number of attendees was few. This reflected the dire state of the war.

“The fate of the castle is clear! We should die fighting here, our castle as our tomb!”

The castle’s garrison commander expressed his radical stance.

“Hold on, are you planning to sacrifice Queen and the land’s majority just because the castle is in danger?”

The leader of the White Rose Guard, who protected the queen, countered.

“Indeed, that is true, but even if we stay in this castle with its dwindling food and arrows, it won’t last much longer! Moreover, why haven’t the invading forces returned?”

“…Well, first and foremost, the safety of Her Majesty is the priority. We should consider that first and then proceed.”

The prime minister spoke up, trying to mediate. His suggestion was to use a decoy for the queen and have her escape through the underground passage I had discovered.

“If such an option exists, then we should certainly pursue it.”

The leader of the White Rose Guard and the castle’s defense commander agreed with the plan. I was to guide the queen out of the castle.

“Everyone else, defend the capital with all your might! Protect the kingdom’s people!”

“Yes!”

With the queen’s safety assured, the commanders reached a consensus. They would do their best to defend the castle for as long as possible.

“Your Majesty, this way!”

“Yes.”

The queen, dressed in plain armor, followed behind me. The White Rose Guard, her escort, followed closely.

“This way.”

“Understood.”

With a torch in hand, I guided the queen to the underground passage. We successfully reached the surface.

…However, by the time we emerged from the well, the sun was already rising.

“There’s a suspicious person!”

“Catch them! Catch them!”

“…Damn.”

Unfortunately, we were spotted by the enemy.