Of course, Ultel was trying to catch Zich mainly for the reason of recovering the Brushel System, but there was no need for Zich to explain this fact to the two. Thus, he simply tried to sway the topic of conversation away from that reason.
“I feel so wronged. What did I do that was so wrong to them? You really can’t expect any decency from these Bellid guys.”
“...I agree that the Bellids don’t have any sense of decency, but if you consider how much they have been affected by you, isn't it rather normal that they have a lot of negative feelings toward you, Sir Zich?” Although Lubella had absolutely no intention of siding with the Bellids, she couldn’t accept Zich playing as a pitiful, innocent victim right now either. It seemed like Weig agreed with her by the expression on his face. However, he changed the topic of the conversation as he asked, “Then, are you going back to the Cronon Kingdom, Sir Zich?”
While pretending to look heartbroken, Zich nodded. “Yes, I have to.”
“Then, I suppose we should also decide what to do from now on.”
“Aren’t we just going to help the Cronon Kingdom along with Sir Zich?” Lubella asked in surprise after hearing Weig’s response.
“If those guys are focusing on the Cronon Kingdom, there’s a high possibility that their headquarters will be empty. Thus, we can use that opportunity to aim for their main base.” Of course, if the Karuwimans chose to do that, the Cronon Kingdom would face much greater losses from the lack of help. Yet, there were times when sacrifices need to be made for a better future. Thus, Lubella realized what Weig meant and fell into deep thought.
Zich stated, “I have a plan.”
Both Weig and Lubella turned to Zich.
“Would you like to hear it?”
The two nodded their heads senselessly. Zich had never failed their trust before, and the two were prepared to accept Zich’s plan even before listening to what it was.
* * *
The Cronon Kingdom fell into an uproar once they heard that Bellid forces were heading toward them. They had already heard of the Brodstock Empire’s fall while fighting against the Bellids; although they didn’t directly border the Brodstock Empire’s lands or witnessed its might first-hand, tales of the empire’s strength were well-known across the world. Thus, it was alarming to hear that the Bellid forces that had swallowed up an empire like that were heading toward them. This was an extremely high state of emergency.
“We have to draft soldiers immediately and tell the nobles to give up their troops! We must call forth all the troops on the borders too!”
“We need to request help from neighboring countries! Seeing their movements, it doesn’t appear that the Bellids will stop after just defeating us. I’m sure they won’t hold back on sending out all their forces.”
“We should also request Karuwimans for help. Since we are fighting against the Bellids, they have no reason to refuse.”
“Is there a need for the war to take place on our lands? There are other countries between the Brodstock Empire and our country. It would be much better for us to send out support to their lands. After all, those countries are also within the Bellids’ invasion route. If they don’t want their countries to fall too, they wouldn’t be able to refuse our recommendations.”
People gave out all sorts of opinions. If there was anything that could be put into action to ease the situation, it was carried out no matter how menial it appeared. Fortunately, several plans were carried out according to the kingdom’s intentions.
“The neighboring kingdoms we requested help from decided to send us their troops. They were also well aware that the Bellids wouldn’t stop with just trampling our country.”
“The process of gathering fighters for our army and conscription is going smoothly. Nobles are also cooperating with our request for troops without any complaints.”
“The Karuwimans promised extensive support. They already sent us all the holy knights and priests they could muster and told us that they are gathering the priests scattered across the continent.”
All these things would’ve been impossible at normal times, but that was how much shock the event of the Brodstock Empire’s fall had instilled to the world. This was certainly fortunate for the Cronon Kingdom right now. Yet, not everything went according to the kingdom’s way.
“We were just informed that the Bellids invaded the Olan Kingdom!”
“Already?”
Olan Kingdom was the country bordering the Cronon Kingdom. Although they had been waiting for reinforcements, the Bellids had advanced too fast for them to receive any support. Due to how fast the Bellid army advanced, countries fell one after another without being able to make the proper preparations, and that was how the Bellids already wiped away four countries from the map. However, it was going to be different now. Unlike the kingdoms that had fallen before it, the Cronon Kingdom had finished its defense preparations. Reinforcements from other kingdoms and the Karuwimans were gathered at the border between the Cronon Kingdom and the Olan Kingdom.
Among these forces, there was Zich.
***
The Cronon Kingdom centered its defensive strategy around Tusti Fortress. Although the Olan Kingdom wasn’t a strong kingdom, the Tusti Fortress had been built with great effort as strategists once thought that the Brodstock Empire could swallow up the Olan Kingdom and try to extend its reach to even the Cronon Kingdom. Thus, the fortress could accommodate a large number of troops and there were wells everywhere so that there was no worry of running into a water shortage. Yet, because there were too many reinforcements that were dispatched to the Cronon Kingdom, the fortress couldn’t fit the size of the allied forces. Thus, two more defensive walls were built on the hills on both sides of the fortress. After bringing boulders from a nearby mountain and securing them with trees, a considerably sturdy wall was completed.
Since the walls were built on steep hills, the enemy would have to go through considerable pain and difficulty to overtake the walls. Building a wall of this level in such a short time was only made possible by the superhuman knights and holy knights in the forces. Even the nobles had personally fetched trees and rocks to complete the wall. It was thanks to these efforts that the walls were completed in basically an instant, and this accomplishment highlighted how seriously the allied forces thought of the Bellids’ invasion.
Zich and his companions arrived when the walls were almost finished. The kingdom’s army greatly welcomed Zich’s participation. A famous dragon slayer had joined their ranks, and those who fought with Zich all praised his strength. It was only natural that the Cronon Kingdom, which was desperate for more power, would welcome Zich with open arms.
Zich exchanged a short greeting with the army commander and went outside. Many people were moving out and about between the fortress and the walls. People weren’t very tense, because the Bellids hadn’t appeared yet, and Zich moved toward the wall left of the fortress because he heard that there were familiar faces there.
“Sir Zich!” A familiar voice he hadn’t heard recently called out to him.
Zich looked at the two people rushing toward him. “Long time no see.”
It was Hans and Snoc. After Zich granted their independence, they had remained at the Steelwall Estate, so it wasn't unexpected that they appeared on this battlefield.
“As expected, the Steelwall forces are here as well.”
“Yes, sir, since the kingdom is in a crisis.”
“They’re really shameless when they all turned a blind eye to the Steelwall Estate when they were in crisis.”
Hans nodded as he thought that Zich’s criticism was justified. “But it was the Count’s will to participate in this battle as long as Steelwall is part of the Cronon Kingdom.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Zich began to climb up the defensive wall with Hans and Snoc. He asked, “How have you two been?”
“We’ve been doing well, sir,” Hans answered.
“They’ve been extremely accommodating.”
Koo! Hans and Snoc as well as Nowem seemed to have no complaints.
“Yeah, that’s good to hear. How are Lara and Elena doing?”
“They’re inside the walls.” As expected, they didn’t seem to have left the Steelwall Estate. Considering their relationship with Hans and Snoc, it was unlikely for them to leave Steelwall.
“It’s not just Lara and Elena. Most of the people who participated in the last war are also inside the walls,” Hans added.
“Really? I should say hello to them too.” It wasn’t that big of a surprise. Walwiss Dwayne probably stayed behind because his granddaughter, Elena, remained in the Steewall Estate. The other mages probably returned to the magical tower, but they were probably mobilized for a national crisis since they were all citizens of the Cronon Kingdom. The Wolf’s Canine had also been absorbed by the Steelwall forces.
“What about the elves?” The elves had fought in the last war to pay off the debt they owed Zich, but there was no reason for them to participate in this war. No matter how evil their opponents were, it was just a war between humans for the elves.
“They haven’t returned to their homes, but they remained in the estate, saying they didn’t want to join this war,” Hans replied.
“Then we have to get them involved too.”
“Do you have a plan, sir?” Hans was also well aware of the elves’ strength. If they could successfully bring them in as their allies, they would be of great help to the Cronon Kingdom.
“Of course.” If the elves found out that the Bellids were the ones who supplied information and supported the Iron Tribe and thus caused great confusion in the elf society, the elves would want to jump straight into battle. Zich, Hans, and Snoc continued to catch up while they walked. At one point, however, Zich suddenly closed his mouth and looked at Hans and Snoc.
“Sir, what’s the matter?”
“Is there something wrong, Sir Zich?”
Koo?
Three pairs of eyes looked inquisitively at Zich.
“It’s good to see that you’re both doing well after gaining independence.”
The two humans and one animal slightly blushed. Zich patted them on the shoulders, then climbed on top of the wall. Even the harsh winds seemed to slightly ease their momentum at the sight of their warm comradeship right before a bloody war.
Soon after, the Bellids made their appearance.
* * *
Zich looked toward the fortress from the defensive wall. There were many enemy soldiers. For the past few days, the Cronon Kingdom’s army had been receiving a lot of reinforcements and was now more suited to be called the allied forces rather than the kingdom’s army. From mere foot soldiers, who existed simply to fill the headcount, to elite soldiers like knights, mages, Karuwiman priests, and holy knights—an army that boasted formidable strength all gathered in the same place. The allied forces, with impeccable quality and quantity, seemed as if they would be able to defeat any opponent easily. With their current forces, they would have been able to easily crush the Brodstock Empire, which used to be the strongest on the continent, at their peak.
However, as soon as one turned their eyes away from the allied forces and looked at the enemy camp, their insurmountable confidence would quickly die down with feelings of humility. The Bellids’ formation was disorderly, but no one laughed, because the creatures that formed their disorderly formation were monsters. The sight of numerous high-ranking monsters, which hadn’t even appeared in front of the Brodstock Imperial Army, was a threatening and terrifying sight to behold. Bellid priests and knights were standing behind the monsters, and Zich saw that the Karuwimans’ eyes immediately grew fiercer as they came into view.
However, what Zich was most interested in was the group next to the Bellids.
‘They’re Demon People.’ Zich intently observed the people wearing robes and letting out ominous auras.