Fun Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord (Novel) - Chapter 77 - The King's Astonishment

Chapter 77 – The King’s Astonishment

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Translated by Sylph

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He was an unusual boy.

It is not that I mean to compare him to my own children, but no matter how many words I exchange with him face to face, it never feels as though I am speaking with a child.

And yet he is not a bad person, nor does he bear ill will toward the kingdom. On top of that, though the same age as Pista, he is a human resource of astonishing ability.

In that case, going out of our way to oppose him would be the height of folly. We should give him the very thing he desires most and put him in our debt. Given the boy’s character, if we do only that, it should be possible to bind him mentally to the kingdom.

If that power of his, which can erect forts in the blink of an eye, were to fall into the hands of an enemy nation, there is no question that it would harm our kingdom.

Well, judging from the straightforward and admirable sense of duty as a lord he displayed earlier, he would surely not choose of his own will to invade another country, but it is nonetheless certain that he is better kept as an ally.

“Really now… the Marquis of House Fertio has produced a truly outrageous son.”

When I said that, Aperta opened his mouth.

“And yet, I heard the marquis drove Baron Van from the house. The marquis is one of the nobles most heavily relied upon by Your Majesty, and among them one who has won the greatest merit in war. Most likely, one reason was that the boy was not a mage of the Four Elemental Magics.”

“…That is painful to hear. Has my own effort to reform the thinking of the nobility in pursuit of a stronger nation influenced matters as well?”

I shall need to review all magical aptitudes once again.

No matter what, we have been accustomed to treating the Four Elemental Magics as highest, and dividing all other magics into middle and lower ranks.

And yet, someone whose aptitude had been regarded by all as a lower magic has accomplished all of this.

Once I return to the royal capital, perhaps I should order renewed research into every magical aptitude under my own name.

“Now then, all that remains is to repel the dragon.”

When I said that, Aperta furrowed his brow.

“Our mistake was moving with a small number so that your absence would not be discovered. This group should likely be able to repel a mid-ranked dragon or so, but…”

I laughed at Aperta’s troublesome-looking remark and looked at Van’s back as he walked ahead of us.

“We may yet see something interesting.”

“I confess I already feel we have seen more than enough.”

“Hahaha, that may well be true.”

Laughing, I followed Van up onto the top of the wall.

“Y-Your Majesty! You must not go any farther onto the front line…!”

“Do not concern yourself. I can protect my own life well enough.”

Lightly brushing aside the concern of the royal guard, I stood atop the wall.

Looking around from there, I could already see a number of people in peculiar armor waiting beside the ballistas for orders. They must be the knight order formed from Baron Van’s villagers.

Looking upward, I saw the shadow of a small dragon. It was flying very high.

“A two-legged flying dragon, alone… a wyvern?”

There was only one dragon shadow, tracing a broad arc through the sky. I felt a strong sense of incongruity. No, it was nearly certainty.

“Chancellor, your opinion.”

At my words, Aperta gave a deep nod and took up his staff in one hand. It was a custom-made staff mounted at the top with an extremely pure magic crystal. Aperta pointed that staff toward the sky.

“There is almost no situation in which a wyvern flies alone and attacks on its own. If that is so, then I believe some other threat must be nearby, separate from the wyvern.”

“I am of the same opinion. Yerinetta?”

“Given the location, most likely. If they moved a large army, it would be noticed, so it should either be a small force or one moving in coordination with the knight order of a local lord in the neighboring region.”

That was Aperta’s assessment.

Wyverns are comparatively small dragons, and ordinarily form packs of at least five, at most a hundred, hunting in groups. Because they cannot use breath, the greatest threat posed by true dragons, and because they are not agile on the ground, they are treated as lesser dragons, yet even one is more than dangerous enough.

And there are magical aptitudes that allow one to capture and enslave a wyvern: Brainwashing Magic and Puppet Magic. A wyvern is made an ally through brainwashing and then controlled through puppetry.

This is a way some of the northern countries employ wyverns. Does that mean the Kingdom of Yerinetta has adopted it as well?

In any case, there is a high chance that there is a puppet mage riding atop that wyvern. If they mean to use the wyvern for anything, then there is a high chance that it will be discovered they crossed the border.

Then what is the enemy’s aim?

“Why would they target a frontier village rather than the fortress city that is the key stronghold?”

“Fortress City Scudetto has thrice halted the advance of the Kingdom of Yerinetta. They may intend to use this village as a foothold. Though of course they cannot possibly know that the village is now in such a state.”

“That would make sense. Even I, who heard the reports, could never have imagined a village so absurdly beyond all standards. Even Yerinetta’s information network likely has not grasped the details.”

Agreeing, I looked around. The admirable walls and defensive equipment of this place, which one might hesitate to call a mere village. Yet the knight order itself had a unique appearance, and to speak frankly, I could not judge either their ability or their level of training.

“…Seen from outside, it might well appear to be a perfect opportunity.”

“Indeed. Hm, it seems something is being signaled from atop the wyvern. If that is the case…”

At Aperta’s words, I moved at once.

“Baron Van! The enemy is likely not only the wyvern, but also a small elite knight order! Be careful!”

“Understood! In any case, the adventurers’ town still lacks enough defensive strength, so we’ll evacuate them here! Dee!”

“Yes, sir! I’ll tell them to evacuate to the village immediately!”

At my warning, Van reacted at once and issued orders to his subordinates. As expected, he is intelligent. Not only his own speed of judgment, but the fact that his subordinates trust him enough to execute immediately without hesitation.

It is pleasant to watch, like observing the exercises of a highly trained knight order.

“Now then, how do you intend to defend this place?”

“Ordinarily the Espada Knight Order would have formed the first defensive line from the adventurers’ town, but unfortunately they have not yet even had a proper chance to drill. So the Espada Knight Order will guide the adventurers in evacuation, and the real defensive battle will be fought in this village.”

“It is your first time facing a human army, is it not?”

“I’ve already assumed that possibility. There will be no problem.”

“Hmm… even so, when the opponent is human it is not so simple. If the enemy has a strategist among them, then depending on the tools at hand they may attack in ways one could never imagine.”

As I offered advice the same way I would guide the thinking of my own child, Van answered almost without pause.

“Yes. I’ve considered various surprise attacks, such as siege weapons or magic from long distance, means of destroying the walls, or methods of entering the village without direct engagement. In some cases, I’ve even made the resolve and preparations to abandon the village… just in case.”

He answered all of that fluently, like a veteran knight commander giving an assessment of the many situations he had already imagined.

I would very much like to question him in detail regarding each and every one of those contingencies, but there is sadly no time.

“Everyone! We’re going to give covering fire, so don’t panic! Don’t forget your valuables either, and evacuate calmly!”

“Okaaay!”

“Ah, I forgot my gold coins!”

“Where!? I’ll pick ’em up for ya!”

“Quit screwing around, you idiot!”

Van issued orders in a tone that made it impossible to tell whether there was any tension at all, and the adventurers responding to him were equally lacking in tension.

Yet while making a huge racket, the adventurers and what must have been the Espada Knight Order evacuated quickly.

Once they had all been taken in, the main gate was closed and the bridge over the moat was raised.

Even those who had just evacuated seemed to have predetermined positions, moving without confusion and without needing explicit orders.

Even if this village were merely an ordinary fortress city, taking it would look quite difficult. The number of residents is small, yet all are firmly united around Van and think and act of their own accord to protect the village.
“…This means that even if we cannot bring the boy back to the royal capital, we must still devise something.”
Muttering that quietly, I took out my own magic-crystal staff.