How many days had it passed since Kalinz's forces left to attack the castle?x
As expected, the news that arrived was not good.
"You're saying our army is on the verge of defeat?"
"Yes. Currently, about 18,000 men have become casualties, and preparations are being made to retreat using the 5,000 troops positioned to secure our withdrawal route. Though Lord Kalinz hasn't made a final decision yet... I believe he will likely order a retreat."
"Hmm... I see. So it has come to this after all."
Fark, who was in charge of the fortress, let out a short sigh.
The price of recklessly engaging in a battle that even an ordinary commander like Fark knew was doomed to fail had been devastating.
'We have about 10,000 troops remaining.'
Fortunately, it seemed that Irene had somehow managed to convince them to position 5,000 soldiers in the rear to secure an escape route.
A small blessing amid misfortune.
They should abandon the fight and retreat as quickly as possible, but the fact that they were hesitating to make that decision meant—
'Though defeat seems likely, it appears they're somehow keeping it close.'
Kalinz was an S-rank commander in his own right, and Irene had a specialty in "siege warfare."
So they were somehow managing to hold their ground.
Perhaps they were thinking that if they pushed just a little more, they could breach the castle gate. And if they breached the gate, they could turn the tide... That must be why they kept pressing forward.
It would be better if they retreated right away, but considering they sent a messenger instead of withdrawing, that didn't seem likely.
"...I understand. We'll prepare to receive the wounded here. I wish I could send reinforcements, but we only have about 3,000 troops remaining... I'm sorry. For now, let's send word to Kelstein Castle as well."
"Understood."
After sending the messenger away, Fark sighed deeply and then looked at all of us gathered in the meeting room.
"I don't know what we should do now."
"..."
Fark let out a deep sigh.
The six commanders present, including myself, Jack, and Silin, remained silent.
All the capable commanders with decent stats who had originally guarded this fortress had departed with Kalinz, leaving only C-rank commanders with unremarkable abilities behind.
There wasn't much we could do even if we wanted to come up with a brilliant plan.
Just then.
Jack, who was standing next to me, cautiously raised his hand.
"Excuse me, Fortress Commander."
"Speak."
"I've been concerned from the beginning... We have too few troops in the fortress. If we were to face an invasion, we'd quickly lose the fortress. Wouldn't it be better to request reinforcements from Kelstein Castle even now?"
I had been thinking about that point as well.
There was no way Serphina's forces would simply ignore our army after we had essentially stabbed them in the back.
If we had succeeded in capturing the castle, they might have ignored a small fortress like this and focused their efforts on reclaiming the lost Cherien Castle, but that wasn't the case now.
"Hmm... I'm not sure if Lord Rashion will send help, but I'll at least ask."
After that, as expected, no further opinions were offered.
After we dispersed, we hurriedly began organizing commanders to provide support.
It seemed they had decided to send three commanders, including Jack, with the forces that would meet our retreating soldiers.
My only concern was one thing:
Irene's survival.
Irene was an exceptionally strong commander, and since I had warned her in advance that this was a battle they would lose, she wouldn't push herself too hard.
However, if she were to be captured as a prisoner while repeating these meaningless battles, it would be extremely troublesome.
'When she returns safely, I should suggest to Kalinz that we withdraw to Kelstein.'
Continuing to engage in these precarious battles here was extremely dangerous.
After such a crushing defeat, Kalinz wouldn't insist on continuing.
Though arrogant, he was fundamentally a rational person, so he should make a cool-headed and calm decision this time.
His pride might be severely wounded, but compared to the lives of the soldiers lost due to his judgment and what those soldiers could have accomplished, it was merely cheap pride.
With these thoughts, I waited for our retreating army for several days.
Then, a soldier keeping watch on the fortress wall shouted loudly.
"I see flags in the distance!"
Soldiers were rushing toward the fortress, carrying sky-blue flags emblazoned with the symbol of the Brands army.
Judging by the considerable number of troops visible, it seemed they had fortunately managed to retreat safely.
We followed Fark to greet them.
"We've heard the news, General Miguel. Did you retreat after defeat?"
In response to Fark's question, the man at the front—Miguel—answered.
It was a face I'd seen a few times before.
He was a B-rank commander, good to have as an adjutant.
"...That's right. Fortunately, they didn't organize pursuit forces, so we were able to arrive safely. But... the fact that we were defeated remains unchanged."
"That's alright. I'm glad you returned alive."
At Fark's words, Miguel could only bow his head in silence.
At that moment.
We, including Fark, noticed a subtle change.
Kalinz, who should have been at the vanguard, was nowhere to be seen.
"Um, what about General Kalinz...?"
"..."
Miguel couldn't say anything at first, then finally spoke in a devastated tone.
"General Kalinz... has become a prisoner of Ian's forces."
"What did you say...?"
He must have been captured while leading from the front, commanding deep in enemy territory.
And then.
'...?'
Looking more carefully, I realized Kalinz wasn't the only one missing.
Irene was... nowhere to be seen either.
'No way...!'
Feeling my heart sink, I quietly slipped away to check the rear, wandering among the retreating soldiers to find her.
This can't be happening.
I didn't care about someone like Kalinz. He got himself captured because of his own stupidity—who could he blame?
But Irene couldn't be captured. I needed to raise her favor and get her to defect to Lunarienne's forces, but if she was captured here...!
No.
That wasn't it.
Only after thinking that far did I realize.
If that were the only reason, there would be no cause for my heart to pound so anxiously like this.
There were many other excellent commanders besides her.
From the beginning, Tifa, who was already deeply loyal to Lunarienne, would become an SS-rank commander incomparable to Irene once she awakened to magic.
I was—
Worried about her as a person.
Not as an S-rank commander who would serve in Lunarienne's army in the future, but simply as Irene Juliet, the woman. I wanted her to be safe.
'Lady Irene...!'
I ran frantically from place to place, panting.
How long had I been searching through the crowds of soldiers?
Amidst the painful groans of the wounded—I heard a now-familiar woman's voice.
"Just hold on a little longer. We've reached the fortress."
"...!!!"
I looked toward the source of the voice.
There was Irene, wearing armor engraved with her pride, tending to a wounded soldier.
"...Haa, haa."
Only then did I realize how frantically I had been running, and a deep sigh escaped me.
My stamina was poor to begin with, and running around wildly had made me slightly dizzy.
Then she—who had been tending to the wounded—noticed my gaze and turned her head toward me.
"...Swen?"
"Lady Irene."
I slowly approached her.
When I reached her, my legs nearly gave out, but she caught me.
"S-Swen?! Are you alright?"
"Lady Irene... I'm so relieved, so relieved that you're safe."
Damn it.
I felt like I was going to cry.
It felt similar to when I parted with Lunarienne.
Was I always this emotional?
Irene, with a surprised expression, held me as I gasped for breath.
Then, with an incredibly benevolent smile—
She gently patted my back.
"Didn't I promise you? That I would return alive."
"..."
It was warm.
I could feel this woman's body heat.
Stripped of all modifiers—S-rank commander, siege warfare specialist, a commander oppressed by her ruler—
The simple fact that Irene as a woman existed here, breathing, was being conveyed to me in its entirety.
And.
That fact was a great comfort to me.
"Um, well."
"...?"
"It's... not that I mind, but how long do you plan to stay like this? It's... a bit embarrassing."
"Ah."
Only then did I realize that I had been resting my face against her chest.
Since she was wearing armor protecting her chest, it felt hard and I didn't feel much... but from her perspective, it seemed rather embarrassing.
After moving away from her somewhat, she cleared her throat a few times and said:
"Ahem. More importantly... though we managed to retreat safely without pursuit forces, in the end—"
"You mean Lord Kalinz has become a prisoner, right?"
"So you've heard the news."
"What exactly happened?"
Irene spoke with a grim expression.
"It's exactly as it sounds. The soldiers at Cherien Castle were much stronger than we expected. There were no signs of their morale dropping or their formation breaking. Though we were able to inflict significant damage, our losses were naturally greater. It's fortunate that I somehow convinced them to position 5,000 men in the rear; otherwise, the soldiers at the vanguard were almost completely annihilated."
"Then the casualties...?"
"...About 28,000 in total."
So excluding the wounded, only about 2,000 soldiers had returned alive, apart from the 5,000 positioned in the rear for retreat.
"It was a close defeat. If we had just a few more soldiers, we might have captured the castle."
Irene said this with a bitter smile.
She too had realized.
That this battle had ultimately only benefited Serphina's forces.
Hearing her words, I looked around.
Everywhere were soldiers groaning in pain.
If one were to capture only this scene, it would truly be a vision of hell.
'A devastating defeat.'
I was newly grateful that I had suggested keeping Irene from the vanguard.
If I hadn't, she might have been the one taken prisoner.
"Anyway, I'm glad you returned safely. It's good to tend to the wounded, but let's go report to Lord Fark first."
"Yes, let's do that."
Just as we were about to turn and leave.
"...Ah."
As my strength gave out, I nearly fell after a misstep, but Irene caught me.
"Are you alright, Swen?"
"Thanks to you, I survived. Thank you."
A body with low strength is truly inconvenient.
As I was thinking this, she blushed slightly and said:
"If... if you don't mind, I could... hold your hand and walk with you."
"My hand?"
"No, I mean, um... support you. Swen, you look like you're having great difficulty even walking. I... I'm okay with holding your hand."
The way she tried desperately to hide her embarrassment while clearing her throat seemed somehow cute.
Perhaps I should honestly accept her kindness here.
"Then I'll take you up on that offer."
"Mm."
I took the hand she extended.
It was warm.
I could feel the warmth I had wanted to save.
How many days had it passed since Kalinz's forces left to attack the castle?
As expected, the news that arrived was not good.
"You're saying our army is on the verge of defeat?"
"Yes. Currently, about 18,000 men have become casualties, and preparations are being made to retreat using the 5,000 troops positioned to secure our withdrawal route. Though Lord Kalinz hasn't made a final decision yet... I believe he will likely order a retreat."
"Hmm... I see. So it has come to this after all."
Fark, who was in charge of the fortress, let out a short sigh.
The price of recklessly engaging in a battle that even an ordinary commander like Fark knew was doomed to fail had been devastating.
'We have about 10,000 troops remaining.'
Fortunately, it seemed that Irene had somehow managed to convince them to position 5,000 soldiers in the rear to secure an escape route.
A small blessing amid misfortune.
They should abandon the fight and retreat as quickly as possible, but the fact that they were hesitating to make that decision meant—
'Though defeat seems likely, it appears they're somehow keeping it close.'
Kalinz was an S-rank commander in his own right, and Irene had a specialty in "siege warfare."
So they were somehow managing to hold their ground.
Perhaps they were thinking that if they pushed just a little more, they could breach the castle gate. And if they breached the gate, they could turn the tide... That must be why they kept pressing forward.
It would be better if they retreated right away, but considering they sent a messenger instead of withdrawing, that didn't seem likely.
"...I understand. We'll prepare to receive the wounded here. I wish I could send reinforcements, but we only have about 3,000 troops remaining... I'm sorry. For now, let's send word to Kelstein Castle as well."
"Understood."
After sending the messenger away, Fark sighed deeply and then looked at all of us gathered in the meeting room.
"I don't know what we should do now."
"..."
Fark let out a deep sigh.
The six commanders present, including myself, Jack, and Silin, remained silent.
All the capable commanders with decent stats who had originally guarded this fortress had departed with Kalinz, leaving only C-rank commanders with unremarkable abilities behind.
There wasn't much we could do even if we wanted to come up with a brilliant plan.
Just then.
Jack, who was standing next to me, cautiously raised his hand.
"Excuse me, Fortress Commander."
"Speak."
"I've been concerned from the beginning... We have too few troops in the fortress. If we were to face an invasion, we'd quickly lose the fortress. Wouldn't it be better to request reinforcements from Kelstein Castle even now?"
I had been thinking about that point as well.
There was no way Serphina's forces would simply ignore our army after we had essentially stabbed them in the back.
If we had succeeded in capturing the castle, they might have ignored a small fortress like this and focused their efforts on reclaiming the lost Cherien Castle, but that wasn't the case now.
"Hmm... I'm not sure if Lord Rashion will send help, but I'll at least ask."
After that, as expected, no further opinions were offered.
After we dispersed, we hurriedly began organizing commanders to provide support.
It seemed they had decided to send three commanders, including Jack, with the forces that would meet our retreating soldiers.
My only concern was one thing:
Irene's survival.
Irene was an exceptionally strong commander, and since I had warned her in advance that this was a battle they would lose, she wouldn't push herself too hard.
However, if she were to be captured as a prisoner while repeating these meaningless battles, it would be extremely troublesome.
'When she returns safely, I should suggest to Kalinz that we withdraw to Kelstein.'
Continuing to engage in these precarious battles here was extremely dangerous.
After such a crushing defeat, Kalinz wouldn't insist on continuing.
Though arrogant, he was fundamentally a rational person, so he should make a cool-headed and calm decision this time.
His pride might be severely wounded, but compared to the lives of the soldiers lost due to his judgment and what those soldiers could have accomplished, it was merely cheap pride.
With these thoughts, I waited for our retreating army for several days.
Then, a soldier keeping watch on the fortress wall shouted loudly.
"I see flags in the distance!"
Soldiers were rushing toward the fortress, carrying sky-blue flags emblazoned with the symbol of the Brands army.
Judging by the considerable number of troops visible, it seemed they had fortunately managed to retreat safely.
We followed Fark to greet them.
"We've heard the news, General Miguel. Did you retreat after defeat?"
In response to Fark's question, the man at the front—Miguel—answered.
It was a face I'd seen a few times before.
He was a B-rank commander, good to have as an adjutant.
"...That's right. Fortunately, they didn't organize pursuit forces, so we were able to arrive safely. But... the fact that we were defeated remains unchanged."
"That's alright. I'm glad you returned alive."
At Fark's words, Miguel could only bow his head in silence.
At that moment.
We, including Fark, noticed a subtle change.
Kalinz, who should have been at the vanguard, was nowhere to be seen.
"Um, what about General Kalinz...?"
"..."
Miguel couldn't say anything at first, then finally spoke in a devastated tone.
"General Kalinz... has become a prisoner of Ian's forces."
"What did you say...?"
He must have been captured while leading from the front, commanding deep in enemy territory.
And then.
'...?'
Looking more carefully, I realized Kalinz wasn't the only one missing.
Irene was... nowhere to be seen either.
'No way...!'
Feeling my heart sink, I quietly slipped away to check the rear, wandering among the retreating soldiers to find her.
This can't be happening.
I didn't care about someone like Kalinz. He got himself captured because of his own stupidity—who could he blame?
But Irene couldn't be captured. I needed to raise her favor and get her to defect to Lunarienne's forces, but if she was captured here...!
No.
That wasn't it.
Only after thinking that far did I realize.
If that were the only reason, there would be no cause for my heart to pound so anxiously like this.
There were many other excellent commanders besides her.
From the beginning, Tifa, who was already deeply loyal to Lunarienne, would become an SS-rank commander incomparable to Irene once she awakened to magic.
I was—
Worried about her as a person.
Not as an S-rank commander who would serve in Lunarienne's army in the future, but simply as Irene Juliet, the woman. I wanted her to be safe.
'Lady Irene...!'
I ran frantically from place to place, panting.
How long had I been searching through the crowds of soldiers?
Amidst the painful groans of the wounded—I heard a now-familiar woman's voice.
"Just hold on a little longer. We've reached the fortress."
"...!!!"
I looked toward the source of the voice.
There was Irene, wearing armor engraved with her pride, tending to a wounded soldier.
"...Haa, haa."
Only then did I realize how frantically I had been running, and a deep sigh escaped me.
My stamina was poor to begin with, and running around wildly had made me slightly dizzy.
Then she—who had been tending to the wounded—noticed my gaze and turned her head toward me.
"...Swen?"
"Lady Irene."
I slowly approached her.
When I reached her, my legs nearly gave out, but she caught me.
"S-Swen?! Are you alright?"
"Lady Irene... I'm so relieved, so relieved that you're safe."
Damn it.
I felt like I was going to cry.
It felt similar to when I parted with Lunarienne.
Was I always this emotional?
Irene, with a surprised expression, held me as I gasped for breath.
Then, with an incredibly benevolent smile—
She gently patted my back.
"Didn't I promise you? That I would return alive."
"..."
It was warm.
I could feel this woman's body heat.
Stripped of all modifiers—S-rank commander, siege warfare specialist, a commander oppressed by her ruler—
The simple fact that Irene as a woman existed here, breathing, was being conveyed to me in its entirety.
And.
That fact was a great comfort to me.
"Um, well."
"...?"
"It's... not that I mind, but how long do you plan to stay like this? It's... a bit embarrassing."
"Ah."
Only then did I realize that I had been resting my face against her chest.
Since she was wearing armor protecting her chest, it felt hard and I didn't feel much... but from her perspective, it seemed rather embarrassing.
After moving away from her somewhat, she cleared her throat a few times and said:
"Ahem. More importantly... though we managed to retreat safely without pursuit forces, in the end—"
"You mean Lord Kalinz has become a prisoner, right?"
"So you've heard the news."
"What exactly happened?"
Irene spoke with a grim expression.
"It's exactly as it sounds. The soldiers at Cherien Castle were much stronger than we expected. There were no signs of their morale dropping or their formation breaking. Though we were able to inflict significant damage, our losses were naturally greater. It's fortunate that I somehow convinced them to position 5,000 men in the rear; otherwise, the soldiers at the vanguard were almost completely annihilated."
"Then the casualties...?"
"...About 28,000 in total."
So excluding the wounded, only about 2,000 soldiers had returned alive, apart from the 5,000 positioned in the rear for retreat.
"It was a close defeat. If we had just a few more soldiers, we might have captured the castle."
Irene said this with a bitter smile.
She too had realized.
That this battle had ultimately only benefited Serphina's forces.
Hearing her words, I looked around.
Everywhere were soldiers groaning in pain.
If one were to capture only this scene, it would truly be a vision of hell.
'A devastating defeat.'
I was newly grateful that I had suggested keeping Irene from the vanguard.
If I hadn't, she might have been the one taken prisoner.
"Anyway, I'm glad you returned safely. It's good to tend to the wounded, but let's go report to Lord Fark first."
"Yes, let's do that."
Just as we were about to turn and leave.
"...Ah."
As my strength gave out, I nearly fell after a misstep, but Irene caught me.
"Are you alright, Swen?"
"Thanks to you, I survived. Thank you."
A body with low strength is truly inconvenient.
As I was thinking this, she blushed slightly and said:
"If... if you don't mind, I could... hold your hand and walk with you."
"My hand?"
"No, I mean, um... support you. Swen, you look like you're having great difficulty even walking. I... I'm okay with holding your hand."
The way she tried desperately to hide her embarrassment while clearing her throat seemed somehow cute.
Perhaps I should honestly accept her kindness here.
"Then I'll take you up on that offer."
"Mm."
I took the hand she extended.
It was warm.
I could feel the warmth I had wanted to save.