Chapter 29: Crown Prince, Departure to War

“The cannon is a powerful weapon, but it has many flaws. For example, if a cavalry unit charges, the cannon cannot intercept it. Therefore we need to examine a new form of field battle that incorporates this weapon.”

Crown Prince Austro Tolmakia of the Tolmakia Empire was reviewing cannon operations with his trusted staff officers. A new piece—“artillery unit”—had been added to the war-game map. Since this was their first real deployment, they based the projected destructive power on statistics gathered from experiments.

“We assume the center of the Kabachi Plains. The Kingdom, having won the previous battle, will definitely take the same ground. Enemy strength set at three thousand cavalry, five thousand archers, twenty thousand infantry, and two thousand logistics.”

They advanced the pieces one by one. Austro deliberately took command of the Kingdom side. That way his own army’s weaknesses stood out more clearly.

“True, the formation collapses badly under bombardment. If we drive the cavalry in without a moment’s delay, we could shatter even the sturdiest line. But Phalanx is no mediocre general who will sit and wait for his formation to disintegrate. For instance…”

The moment the first volley landed he pushed the entire cavalry forward. They closed six hundred meters in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile the artillery’s mobility was sluggish and the unit was trampled almost instantly.

“If we try to attack with artillery alone like this, we lose without question. The cannon is a weapon for breaking enemy lines, but in other words it is useless for anything else. Moreover we cannot simply abandon the cannons and flee. If they fall into Kingdom hands, the threat will be turned against us. We must prepare for the enemy charge as well.”

“What if we set up wooden barricades against cavalry charges and add archer and spear units? If the enemy cavalry charges, the defensive unit buys time while the artillery withdraws.”

“Or we could pincer the charging cavalry from both sides. If only the cavalry charges forward, three thousand is small enough to grind down completely.”

“Once the formation is disordered by bombardment the chain of command will fall into chaos too. No matter how great a general Phalanx is, if orders cannot be relayed quickly the army ceases to function. If he sends the cavalry, he will probably commit his own direct troops.”

They ran through every scenario, repeating the war-game exercise. Rain, post-rain mud—weather conditions also became issues. Although August on the Kabachi Plains has little rain, it does not mean zero. Proposals included training to extract cannons mounted on carts from mud. Crown Prince Austro Tolmakia accepted every suggestion and planned meticulous preparations.

“Training is necessary. But in my opinion, once Phalanx takes a cannon barrage he will probably not advance. If I were him I would retreat.”

Austro laughed and concluded. Not only Austro but every staff officer shared the same view. The objective of this operation was to seize the river in the center of the Kabachi Plains, secure a logistics route along it, and establish a bridgehead for Valihart Grand Fortress. If they could achieve that without losing a single man, Austro’s position would become unshakable. Even the nobles who had leaned toward Noias would have no choice but to acknowledge him.

“The fifty cannons are already completed and have been smuggled into the Kabachi Plains hidden among the logistics train. As soon as the gunners finish training we depart. Each of you make your own preparations.”

At the Crown Prince’s overflowing ambition every head bowed.

“Ouch…”

“Stay still. This spot’s swollen too. I’m putting a compress on.”

A cold sensation pressed against his flank. For three days after greeting Sofia’s family, Kaito could not leave the Volfort residence. He had been receiving sword training from Sofia’s brother, Leon Volfort.

Elfina, Sasha, and Elsa had each returned to their family homes. When they left the capital they would link up with Sasha, then meet Elfina again at Valihart Fortress where Elsa was. Kaito wanted to head north as soon as possible, but he had been unexpectedly held up.

“I’m entrusting my little sister to you. You have to get stronger, Kaito. Frankly, you’re too weak. I could kill you five times in one second. You need to last at least two.”

Leon Volfort had a carefree personality, yet he was a sword genius who surpassed even his father. When Kaito said he wanted to be able to slaughter fierce beasts alone, Leon laughed and asked, “Is that all?”

“The heir of the Volfort family undergoes one month of training deep in the Great Forest. He enters with only a single sword, the clothes on his back, hunts beasts, gathers nuts, and survives for a full month. I started that training at twelve. There really was a huge bear. Tasted great.”

“Brother, I’ve never heard that story before…”

“Of course not. Sofia, would you boast about your martial prowess just for swatting a mosquito?”

“That’s because Brother is too special! A living human who can fight evenly with Holy Knight Gratina… only Brother in the whole world can do that.”

“Think so?”

Leon tilted his head, but Kaito somehow understood the man before him. Because he possessed overwhelming sword talent he could not comprehend “things he cannot do.” Kaito himself could not understand someone who only went into heat once a week. He never said it aloud, but Leon did not feel like the same kind of male. Leon was probably the same type. For now they agreed to a light spar and faced each other on the training ground, each holding a wooden rod wrapped in leather.

“Begin!”

Sofia dropped her hand. Leon and Kaito bowed to each other. The instant Leon’s head lowered, Kaito snapped his wrist and flicked the copper coin he had been holding high into the air. As they faced each other, a clear chink sounded right behind Leon. Leon instinctively turned. Kaito slashed in through the gap. But—

Clang

Leon swung his rod without even looking at Kaito. It scooped up from below and smashed Kaito’s jaw, sending him flying. It looked like a light swing, yet the blow was devastating. Without the leather wrapping his jaw might have shattered.

“Oh, a copper coin here of all places…”

Leon picked it up and slipped it into his pocket. He walked over to Kaito who had been knocked down.

“Naive. I saw it in the match with Father. Your specialty is distracting the opponent’s mind and striking the gap, right? I figured you’d try something. A true void is mixed into reality. But you have no reality. That’s why your voids are monotonous and get seen through so easily. First you have to forge your reality.”

For the next three days Kaito was beaten relentlessly. He had learned stances and forms from Sofia, but Leon’s teaching was far more practical.

“The opponent isn’t a straw dummy. Stance, form, then strike down… if you move that slowly you won’t have enough lives. You’ve only learned the forms—you haven’t internalized them. The best way to internalize forms is to discipline the body through pain.”

He took a stance and was struck, swung down and was struck. In just three days Kaito was covered in bruises. The Volfort family’s secret ointment compress worked wonders, but even Sofia was starting to get angry.

“Brother! This is too much no matter how you look at it! Are you trying to kill Kaito… my Hero Chevalier!”

“‘My Hero Chevalier’… mm, Sofia has become quite womanly. If I wanted to kill him I’d have done it on day one. He has no talent. The only way is to imprint the instinct of reflex through pain. In just three days his sword skill has improved little by little. Honestly I’d like to continue for a few more years, but tomorrow will be the final session and we’ll end it there.”

“Kaito is a Hero Chevalier. He has no need to take up a sword himself…”

“You can’t say that for certain, can you? Especially in his case—taking four Holy Knight Paladins at once. And those Holy Knights are from the Rogueia marquis family, the Volfort sword instructors, the northern guardian Phalanx family, and the Grupp Trading Company. Any noble who hears that without knowing the details will suspect preparations for rebellion. The danger of assassination attempts is far from zero. At the very least, if he cannot protect himself he will die quickly. He understands that too. That’s why no matter how much he’s beaten he still greedily seeks strength. If you truly care about him, don’t interfere.”

Lectured by her brother, Sofia could only nod.

“Now then, Kaito. Let’s end training here for today. You already understand, but right now you can barely protect yourself. To survive you have no choice but to become stronger. But you have no talent. After beating you these past few days I was utterly astonished at how completely talentless you are. At this rate my sister will have to risk her life to protect you. As her brother I don’t want that. So, sorry, but I’m going to have you die here.”

Facing him on the training ground, Leon drew the sword at his waist. A real blade gleaming silver. Sofia panicked.

“Wh… Brother!”

The usually carefree, gentle-faced brother had completely changed expression. Terrifying killing intent poured from his entire body. The air warped like heat haze and murderous will concentrated on a single man. Anyone weak-hearted would have fainted from the pressure alone. In fact Sofia could not move a single step under her brother’s aura.

“It won’t hurt. It’ll be over in an instant.”

The prodigy swordsman called the second coming of Sword Saint Dominic Volfort slowly stepped forward.

While enduring the violent storm of killing intent Kaito desperately worked his mind. There was a hidden meaning in those words. He had seen the lack of talent at first glance. If he judged it better to kill, he would have done so on day one. Yet he had spent three whole days. This too was part of the training. Kaito saw through it. But the oppressive pressure made him want to doubt that conclusion. Gritting his teeth, forcing down his trembling hands, he still reached for the wooden sword at his waist. The storm of killing intent grew even stronger. Leon closed the few steps in an instant. The sword raised overhead flashed.

“Farewell!”

“AAAAAHHH!”

Kaito swung the wooden sword in desperation. But before it could connect the blade sliced straight down from crown to crotch, splitting his body. The sensation of the edge severing his spine, bisecting his organs, ran through every cell. Every fiber of his being knew death.

“K-Kaitooo!”

He thought he heard Sofia’s scream.

Thud…

When he came to, Kaito was sitting on his ass on the ground. His legs had given out. Sofia had also collapsed limply. Kaito looked up at Leon with an expression that said he had no idea what had happened. Leon’s face had returned to its usual gentle smile, though sweat beaded on his forehead.

“How was it? The recognition of death?”

His legs began shaking violently. He could not stop them no matter how hard he tried.

“You definitely died just now. You should have felt the blade cut your body open and scatter your organs. If things stay like this you will experience that sensation again someday. You have no choice but to become stronger.”

“Th-that just now…”

His teeth chattered so badly he could not speak properly. Sofia rushed over and hugged him. She glared at her brother with furious eyes. But her expression immediately crumbled. Her brother’s face had gone deathly pale.

“B-Brother?”

“I’m fine. Just a little tired. Sofia, that was the ultimate sword technique Sword Saint Dominic Volfort reached—‘Sword of Determined Outcome Ix=Caliburn.’ It is not magic. Killing intent alone forces the recognition of death. A technique that makes the opponent accept defeat without killing them—the pinnacle of the sword of the living. Its only flaw is that it is quite exhausting…”

Leon exhaled and his complexion finally recovered.

“Kaito. This is my parting gift. Become strong. If you do not become strong, your Holy Knight Paladins will taste that same death in your place. If you hate that, continue training. And become a great Hero Chevalier.”

With that Leon left the training ground. Supported by Sofia, Kaito finally stood and bowed to his retreating back.

“You okay? Seriously… Brother went too far.”

She placed compresses on Kaito’s supine body on the bed. The Volfort family’s secret ointment quickly drew the heat from the swollen areas. The cool sensation felt wonderful on his feverish skin. Sofia ran her fingers over his cleanly split abs. This man was by no means weak. Among the first-year Hero Chevalier candidates he stood out in both sword and physical skill. Only his friend Stefan could barely keep up.

“You have no need to become a swordsman. Your sword is me. If you seek strength, I can simply become stronger.”

“That won’t do. I will not be a Hero Chevalier who is protected by his Holy Knight Paladins. I intend to become strong enough that you don’t even need to protect me. I could never bear you getting hurt for my sake.”

At the gaze filled with strong resolve Sofia’s heart pounded. What Father and Brother had acknowledged was not clever little tricks of the mind but the “resolve” hidden in his chest. Even if that resolve had been formed by women other than herself and was directed at women other than herself, she did not mind.

(There cannot be another Hero Chevalier like this anywhere. Such a hero desires me. I will gladly become this man’s Holy Knight…)

Before she knew it his lower half had swollen. Sofia’s face flushed. She slid the hand that had been stroking his abs downward.

“This spot is swollen too. Let me treat it…”

She climbed onto the bed and grasped the swollen, heated throbbing cock. She brought her face close and opened her mouth.

“Your Highness. All units assembled. Give the order to depart.”

Crown Prince Austro Tolmakia raised his sword high.

“‘Luck lies in heaven’… so spoke the warriors of old. But I say different! The one who leads you is the Hero Chevalier who has received the blessing of Goddess Velos. I will say it boldly. ‘Luck lies with us!’”

“HOOOH!”

The soldiers roared. Austro nodded and continued.

“The enemy is the great general Phalanx, but fear nothing! We have exhausted every human stratagem to win. On top of that we hold heaven’s luck in our hands! This battle will surely be won! Not by chance but by inevitability! Future historians will say: on this day the new history of the Empire begins!”

“HOOOH! HOOOH! HOOOH!”

“My peerless warriors, let us march! Together, let us carve history!”

The sword tip pointed forward. The departure gong rang out. Beneath the clear blue sky, thirty thousand troops whose morale reached the heavens marched out of the imperial capital. It was July 23.

Together with Sasha and Sofia, Kaito waited inside the wagon train at the capital’s north gate.

“This is a Grupp Company transport caravan?”

“Yeah. Papa arranged it. Southern fruits had just arrived, so we loaded the slower-spoiling ones. There’s meat, wheat, and weapons too. This is for business. Mama said there might be another clash up north before the year ends…”

“What’s the basis for that? The Empire took heavy losses in the last battle. Yet they’re starting another war?”

Kaito tilted his head. Sasha leaned in close to his ear.

(There are no official relations between Kingdom and Empire, but there are merchant caravans that specialize in travel across the Kabachi Plains. Information from them. Seems the Empire is gathering troops. That’s what Mama said.)

(…When was that?)

(The day before yesterday. Report from a clerk who returned from the north. Three weeks ago one of the merchants doing business at Valihart Grand Fortress let it slip. Normally they’re sworn not to leak that kind of talk, so it was covered up immediately…)

(So there’s no proof.)

Kaito nodded. It took roughly one week to reach the Kabachi Plains. They were scheduled to enter Valihart Grand Fortress at the end of July. They would probably hear more details there. Both Kingdom and Empire had spies mixed among the other side. The information should have reached General Phalanx as well.

“Well, no point thinking about it here. And even if there is fighting, I can’t imagine them beating General Phalanx. Let’s take it easy. Tonight I’ll cook. Sofia, any requests?”

“Meat then. I want that thing you made before—thin-sliced meat pressed together and grilled.”

“Yeah. That was delicious. We’re staying at the deer village tonight so we’ll eat there. Meat, meat.”

Kaito laughed and stroked Sasha’s head. When he looked up at the sky the clouds were starting to thicken.

“Better hurry. Might get a shower.”

Each mounted a horse. Together with the ten-wagon caravan the three left the capital. Coincidentally it was the same day as Austro Tolmakia’s departure—July 23.