The Border Fortress 5

Ben, who opened the door, stared at Liliana and Gild with wide eyes. He looked intently at Gild, who was wearing only a cloak wrapped around his body, then snapped back to his senses and hastily ushered them inside. Closing the door behind them, Ben let out a deep sigh.

“—Really, what are you doing here?”

Though he didn’t specify, it was clear he was questioning Liliana. Liliana smiled faintly and shrugged.

“Something was bothering me, so I came. It has been a while.”

“Yeah, it has. I’m glad you’re well, but—to meet here of all places.”

“Can you call Petra?”

When she asked the wryly smiling Ben, he blinked in surprise for a moment, then quickly nodded. “I think I can,” he said, taking out a magic stone. It was the same kind of communication magic tool that Liliana had.

As Ben had said, Petra was still awake and responded immediately. She had heard before that researchers of magic and curses tended to be night owls and often lived a nocturnal lifestyle. It seemed Ben and Petra were no exception.

When Ben asked if she could come now, Petra agreed without a second thought. And the next moment, she appeared before them. Gild’s expression was one of exasperation.

“—If teleportation magic is used this casually, aren’t there some people who’ll lose their standing?”

“At least the mages at the Ministry of Magic would lose face completely, so they wouldn’t say they could use it. I can use it too, though.”

“You too?”

Gild couldn’t help but retort at Ben’s words. He thought to himself that this was a gathering of inhuman beings, but he hadn’t realized that he himself, as a special ability user, was also a cut above the average person.

Petra, who had teleported in, was wearing a loose-fitting robe, and had probably been relaxing in her assigned room. But when she saw Gild, her face contorted slightly, and she looked at Ben, who was standing next to her.

“Hey, it’s cold just looking at him with only a cloak wrapped around him. Doesn’t he have any clothes?”

“The clothes in this room are mine, so I probably don’t have anything big enough for him to wear.”

Ben shrugged, and Petra let out a theatrical sigh. But as if she had given up, she averted her gaze slightly from Gild and asked, “So?”

“What happened, calling me in the middle of the night like this?”

“That’s what I’d like to know too. She’s the one who asked me to call you, Muirulainen.”

Ben indicated Liliana. Liliana, who was the focus of three pairs of eyes, smiled brightly.

“Yes, that is correct. I have some information I would like to share with you both. And I would like you to convey it to His Excellency the Margrave so that we may devise a strategy.”

She stated her request before giving the details. She didn’t explain why she was asking Ben and Petra to relay the message, but as expected, the two of them immediately understood.

“It’s a secret that you’re here, right? Marianne is at the mansion, but if that big bear finds out, it’ll automatically get back to your handmaiden.”

“—By ‘big bear,’ do you mean His Excellency?”

“Don’t you see the resemblance?”

Ben and Gild stared at Petra’s face as she nonchalantly said this to the blank-faced Liliana. The margrave was indeed muscular and well-built. But he wasn’t exactly a big bear—they thought.

“It’s not his size, but his seasoned warrior vibe. He looks like a big bear who’s lost an eye in a bunch of fights, but he’s not one-eyed, so it’d be weird to call him a one-eyed bear.”

The three of them wisely gave up on interjecting into Petra’s explanation. Silence was about to fall, but Ben, with a nonchalant expression, looked at Liliana and calmly asked, “So, what is this information? Coming from you, it must be strategically important. Where did you see what?”

Liliana nodded. It was undoubtedly important information. And at present, no one on the margrave’s side knew. The enemy was probably also unaware that Liliana knew. Only Gerulf might have realized that Liliana was on the margrave’s side. But since he didn't seem to be on good terms with the border lord, the baron, it was safe to assume that the possibility of him hinting at Liliana’s existence to the baron and risking their strategy being compromised was low. In other words, by conveying Gerulf’s aim and the possibility of the “northern immigrants” being neutralized, they might be able to break the current stalemate and gain an advantage.

With a powerful light in her eyes, Liliana began to speak. As she continued, the expressions of Ben and Gild grew harder and more serious.

＊＊＊＊＊

The margrave, seated in a chair, listened with a difficult expression to the information brought by Ben Draco, Petra Muirulainen, and the mercenary who called himself Gild.

“I see. That story certainly aligns with the reports I have received. And it explains the unnatural replenishment of personnel and supplies.”

The first thing Ben and Petra had reported was the disproportionate number of soldiers and frequency of supply replenishment for the size of the castle. It seemed the enemy had set up a teleportation circle inside the castle and were teleporting soldiers and supplies from another location.

“Can we stop the supply by taking out the mage?”

“I believe so. But the mage handling the teleportation circle will likely remain in the castle—I wish we could somehow draw them out.”

If they could draw out the mage who was hiding in the rear, they could do as they pleased with them. The problem was how to draw the mage out onto the main stage.

And the other problem was the cause of the loss of stamina among the physically superior “northern immigrants.” One of the knights had mentioned the same thing right after they arrived at the fortress, and reports of declining morale and stamina, as well as increasing injuries, were gradually on the rise.

Therefore, he had already ordered that the “northern immigrants” among the knights belonging to the Kennys Knights be removed from the front lines. He had told them to focus on rear support, but if the enemy was plotting to kidnap them, further measures were needed.

“To kidnap them under the cover of war. A despicable method, unworthy of a knight.”

The margrave muttered in a low, spitting tone. It was clear that Gerulf’s methods were not to his liking. He had always disliked cowardice. Though he had resigned himself to the fact that it was necessary to protect the border, he did not want to condone methods such as assassination and kidnapping. Of course, if those two methods were strategically effective and were certain to result in fewer casualties than other methods, he would consider them as options. But so far, the margrave had never dabbled in assassination or kidnapping.

“Very well. As for the ‘northern immigrants,’ they will be removed from this battle and their safety will be the top priority. If things go well, we may be able to draw out the enemy’s mage in the process. Gild, are you familiar with methods of protecting the ‘northern immigrants’?”

“Well, sort of.”

“Tell me those methods.”

Gild nodded. But there wasn't much he could do.

When protecting an ally, it was normal to assign a mage in addition to guards to put up a barrier. Using magic was a more reliable way to protect the target. But magic didn't work on the descendants of Alvaldi. In particular, the man named Gerulf, whom Liliana had encountered, had a special ability value so high that he could even see through her top-tier magic. Therefore, rather than a mage, a knight, and one with a way to counter special ability users, was needed to protect them.

And there was another secret plan that Gild had no intention of revealing to not only the margrave, but also to Ben and Petra.

“Gather all the ‘northern immigrants’ here. And then—I want permission to temporarily stand above them.”

The margrave, who had been silently listening to Gild’s stoic explanation, widened his eyes slightly. He opened his mouth, his gaze searching for Gild’s true intentions.

“Vice-Captain Maurice is currently in charge of them. Do you wish to replace him?”

“No, not really. I’m also workin’ as a bodyguard for the little missy—the Duke Clark’s daughter, was it? Just for as long as it takes for this threat to pass is fine.”

The margrave frowned and let out a suspicious sound.

“So you do not mind serving under Maurice?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

Not much time had passed since Gild had arrived at the border, but reports were coming in that he was indeed stronger than any of the knights belonging to the Kennys Knights. He himself had grumbled that he wasn’t in top form, but even so, his endurance, strength, and reaction speed easily surpassed those of the other knights. Not only that, but he had such a good grasp of the overall situation on the battlefield that one would think he had eyes in the back of his head. He would likely be effective not just as a common soldier, but also as a commander.

The margrave, who had confirmed this not only through his subordinates’ reports but also with his own eyes, understood why Gild had been such a successful mercenary. At the same time, he felt a sense of unease at the fact that no other knightly order had ever approached him. He even wondered if the man disliked groups and nobles that much.

That was why he had been so surprised to hear that Gild was willing to bend that conviction, or so it seemed, to help them this time. He even questioned if it was right to conclude that it was simply due to camaraderie.

As he asked in a testing manner, the margrave’s mind raced, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of placing Gild under Maurice and having him lead the “northern immigrants.” But there was no need to even think about it. The Kennys Knights would welcome him with open arms; there was no reason to refuse.

“Understood. We will decide later whether this will be a temporary measure. I will speak to Maurice myself. From this moment on, you will lead the ‘northern immigrants.’ However, we will also use the ‘northern immigrants’ as bait. I want to make them think that they cannot kidnap the ‘northern immigrants’ without using a mage—is that possible?”

Gild didn’t answer. But the color of his eyes suddenly faded. It was clear that the atmosphere around him had changed. Gild and the margrave stared at each other for a while. And it was Gild who was overpowered. With a disgruntled expression, he shook his head.

“Impossible. They’ll probably just ignore the barrier. If you wanna lure out the mage, the front line is better. Or if you wanna cut off their supply line, you could just sneak into the castle and destroy the road.”

The margrave gave a slightly exasperated look at Gild’s nonchalant proposal.

“Are you sane, suggesting we sneak into the castle?”

“We’re not the ones doin’ it. We’ve got other work to do. You can have those two over there do it.”

So saying, Gild turned his gaze to Ben Draco and Petra Muirulainen. The two of them, who had suddenly been brought into the conversation, blinked. However, it was not the two of them who objected to Gild’s proposal, but the margrave himself.

“That would be difficult. The only mages who can fight in the Kennys Knights right now are those two. I need them to hold back the enemy mages on the front lines.”

Furthermore, sneaking into the enemy camp was a great risk. It was one thing for a knight belonging to the Kennys Knights, but both Ben and Petra belonged to the Ministry of Magic. He couldn’t send them to the most dangerous place.

Furthermore, this matter had to be kept as a “skirmish between lords.” To end the war with no fault on the part of the margrave, it would be bad if it were known that someone from the margrave’s side was in the enemy camp.

“Then lurin’ them out is the easiest way after all.”

“I see, the front line.”

“If the mages hangin’ back in the rear are gone, the castle guys will have to come out, right? There ain’t that many mages around.”

The margrave barely managed to suppress his laughter. The margrave sensed from the aura around the mercenary standing before him that the power he held was even greater than what he had seen so far. The margrave had seen many warriors in his time. Not just knights, but mercenaries, wandering knights, magic swordsmen—many had appeared and disappeared. And among them, Gild was one of the top five in terms of skill.

“Then we shall proceed in that direction.”

Gild snorted at the margrave’s solemn nod.

“—A pity.”

The margrave’s murmur seemed to have gone unheard by anyone. To be precise, only Gild had caught it, but he ignored it as something that had nothing to do with him.

The margrave, on the other hand, truly lamented the loss of the mercenary Gild’s power. If he were not working as Liliana’s bodyguard, he would have invited him to join the Kennys Knights. He wouldn't say it out of respect for Liliana, who had sent him here, but he wondered if it would be alright to say that the Kennys Knights would always be ready to welcome him if he were to quit his bodyguard job.

There were many excellent knights, and they could be created through education and training. But excellent commanders were not the same. No matter how much you educated them, some would never learn. But Gild seemed to have a natural ability to lead a group. For the margrave, who had seen many young men, it was a simple matter to see through that.

The margrave, who had nodded magnanimously, picked up the staff that had been propped against his chair and stood up. He then told Gild to follow him.

“I will explain the situation to the knights. Maurice should be with the knights, so I must speak to him first. After that, Gild, it is your turn.”

“—Understood.”

Though Gild’s way of speaking was blunt and could be taken as disrespectful, his eyes were looking at the margrave seriously. It was undoubtedly a sign that he had acknowledged the margrave. But no one noticed.

—-

ToC

Chapter 170