The man who spoke to the king was the Supre Commander, a man in his thirties. After the previous king passed away five years ago, this talented individual had taken the position of Supre Commander at a remarkably young age.
"Muu…"
The king only groaned and gave no clear answer. It would be more accurate to say he *couldn't* answer. After all, he had never been enthusiastic about this war in the first place.
Since the ti of the previous king — his father — the two nations had continued a pointless conflict limited to small skirmishes on the border plains. They would inflict a few dozen casualties on each other and then refrain from escalating further. Over the years, a strange sense of camaraderie had even begun to form between the two sides. A few years ago, they had even invited the Goussel Marquis family to the capital in an attempt to deepen friendly relations.
(Just why has it co to this…?)
The face of a single boy rose in the king's mind.
(Rigel von Goussel…!)
He had heard that this boy had served as the enemy's supre commander in every battle — on the plains, at the fortress, and in all the towns leading up to this point.
(Was it because Nina insulted him years ago? Though back then, he certainly seed like nothing more than a useless boy…)
Several years ago at a social gathering, his second daughter Nina had harshly insulted Rigel. But it was rely a quarrel between children. The leaders on both sides were not so shortsighted as to start a full-scale war over sothing like that.
The king had actually hoped that Nina and Rigel would get along. However, he had never been desperate enough to force an engagent between his daughter and a boy who was widely mocked as incompetent at the ti.
(To think that boy would accomplish this much…)
Honestly, it was completely beyond his expectations. The tad earth dragon being defeated, the fortress commanded by an excellent officer falling, and then the successive fall of Sashoi, Futa, and Mitsu — it all felt like a nightmare.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. The walls of Tosh are extrely sturdy. Even if the enemy brings siege weapons, they will not be breached so easily," the Supre Commander said to the deep-in-thought king.
It was true that Tosh was surrounded by tall, robust walls. Even if a large enemy army attacked, they could likely endure a long siege. However, that wasn't the real problem.
"Supre Commander! Are you not forgetting sothing?"
The one who raised her voice was the First Princess — Natasha Valenstein. She glared at the man with sharp eyes inherited from her father.
"The enemy is holding my beloved little sister — the Second Princess Nina — captive. Do you intend to simply sit here and defend?"
Just as she said, Nina, who had been captured by Rigel, was currently being held as a prisoner.
"…Of course we intend to rescue her, but…"
The Supre Commander gave a vague reply. While he understood Natasha's point, in reality it was quite difficult. One could not wage war while constantly worrying about prisoners. At best, recovering them alive would be considered lucky depending on how things played out. If they absolutely wanted her returned safely, they would need to offer appropriate compensation. However, given the current war situation, they simply didn't have that kind of leeway.
"…For now, we can only focus on repelling the enemy. Where is Norn right now?"
When the king asked, a nearby royal guard answered.
"Third Princess Norn is currently in the research lab. She appears to be continuing her efforts to ta a second earth dragon…"
"I see."
The king nodded. Their opponent had already proven capable of easily defeating an earth dragon. Even if they succeeded in taming a second one now, it was unlikely to turn the tide of the war. Still, it was better than doing nothing. At the very least, there was still a sliver of hope.
"Very well. Everyone, return to your posts—"
**DOOOOOOOON!!**
A trendous roar suddenly shook the ground violently, cutting off the king's words.
"…What!?"
Everyone present was shaken. They first thought it was an earthquake, but that wasn't the case. The sounds of battle could be heard coming from outside.
"—What is happening!?"
As the king shouted, one of the guards rushed in to report.
"Y-Your Majesty! The enemy army has launched a frontal assault!"
"What!?"
The king raised his voice in shock, but quickly regained his composure and issued orders.
"—Intercept them! Repel the enemy with all our strength! Supre Commander, you will take direct command!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After giving a short reply, the Supre Commander imdiately left the room. Once he was gone, the king turned to Natasha.
"You should evacuate imdiately."
Natasha shook her head at her father's words. Her expression was deadly serious, and her eyes burned with strong determination.
"I refuse."
With just those words, she turned on her heel and began walking away.
"Where are you going!?" the king called after her as she tried to leave the room.
Natasha stopped and looked back over her shoulder. A bold, fearless smile was on her face.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to rescue my adorable little sister — Nina. I'll pierce those bastards with my spear."
Having said that, she left the room for good.
---
[Supre Commander's Perspective]
The Goussel Marquis Army's offensive had begun.
In response, the Supre Commander of the Valenstein Kingdom and the First Princess Natasha hurried to the ramparts. However, they did not head straight to the front lines.
The two went up onto the top of the defensive wall.
At a height equivalent to three stories, it offered a wide view of the surroundings. From here, they could clearly observe the state of the battlefield and issue commands. Of course, it wasn't entirely safe — if they let their guard down, they could be targeted by magic or arrows.
"…It really has started," Natasha muttered.
Her gaze was fixed on the enemy forces continuously attacking the wall.
"Haha! I was worried and rushed over, but it seems my concern was unnecessary!" the Supre Commander laughed.
Just as he said, they currently held the advantage. The enemy's attacks were being blocked by Tosh's proud, sturdy ramparts, and they were successfully defending without suffering major losses.
"We should consider it a miracle that they even made it this far. The fortress commander was one of my subordinates and a capable man… He must have been too eager for achievents and left an opening."
The man bit his lip with regret. At the sa ti, his attitude showed so composure.
He believed that Rigel's rapid advance with the Goussel Marquis Army was rely the result of luck and unfortunate coincidences. Seeing the enemy forces struggling to breach the wall in front of him only strengthened that conviction.
(As I thought, that man was incompetent.)
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