Chapter 265: The Fall of the Border 1

The day after concluding their inspection of Baron Navy’s domain, the party was scheduled to depart the town of Senf. Liliana and the others made their travel preparations just as they had for the journey out, enjoying a leisurely breakfast filled with pleasant conversation. But just as they were about to set off, a panicked attendant burst into the room.

“What is the matter?”

Riley asked sharply. Under normal circumstances, one was expected to request permission before entering. Dispensing with such protocol entirely could only mean an emergency had occurred. Pale as a corpse, the attendant gasped out his report.

“F-Forgive the intrusion, Your Highness! A red smoke signal has risen from the border—from Fort Phinis!”

“—!”

Every single person in the room caught their breath.

Fort Phinis was one of the fortresses in Margrave Calvert’s territory, a vital bulwark of national defense against the neighboring Yunatian Empire. For a red smoke signal to rise from there meant only one thing: the fort had fallen.

Why had there been no prior warning? Was the smoke signal genuine? How could the Calvert Knights have been defeated so easily? Were Margrave Calvert and the knights safe?—A flurry of doubts raced through their minds, but one thing was certain: every second counted.

Though momentarily at a loss for words, Riley swiftly regained his composure.

“What is the situation in the royal capital?”

“There is still no response, Your Highness.”

“And the other domains?”

“...No response from them either. Only Margrave Kennys’s territory has sent up a yellow smoke signal.”

At the attendant’s reply, Austin and Clyde both grimaced.

“What was that?” Austin blurted.

“Is that true?” Clyde pressed.

A yellow smoke signal was the sign for “unable to send aid”—meaning the Kennys Knights had their hands full defending their own territory. That should have been impossible.

Feeling the weight of everyone’s gazes on him, Riley gave a low growl before issuing orders to the attendant.

“Keep a close watch to see if any smoke signal rises from the direction of the capital. It may just be that their preparations are not yet in order. As for Margrave Kennys’s domain, dispatch scouts immediately and report back on their situation.”

“At once, Your Highness!”

Wiping away beads of sweat, the attendant bowed deeply. Left alone in the room, Riley, Clyde, Austin, and Liliana exchanged glances. Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was present, Austin spoke up in an informal tone.

“So, what do we do?”

Under normal circumstances, there was nothing Riley and his companions could do. For their own safety, they should return to the royal capital and dispatch the Royal Knights to the border, while sending urgent requests to neighboring lords to mobilize their knight orders.

Yet Riley could not bring himself to make that call. The whole situation was far too strange.

“The fall of Fort Phinis is shocking enough, but there was never any report suggesting Margrave Kennys’s territory was in such dire straits that their knights couldn’t deploy,” Riley pointed out.

Troubled by this anomaly, Clyde and Liliana both furrowed their brows. Austin’s scowl deepened visibly.

“Did you use the Shadow?” Austin asked.

“No, I already had arrangements in place so information regarding the border would reach us without needing to mobilize the Shadow every time.”

“Which means either someone deliberately cut off our intel, or a critical crisis struck faster than any message could reach us... Is that it?”

“Precisely,” Riley affirmed.

From Riley’s explanation, Austin had easily deduced several possibilities. Everyone in the room had arrived at the very same grim conclusions Austin had voiced.

“...We are changing our plans,” Riley announced.

There was no time to hesitate. His eyes gleaming with resolve, Riley declared his intent.

“We are heading to Fort Phinis at once. If Phinis has truly fallen, there is a high likelihood the Yunatian Empire will march straight on the capital. If that happens, our kingdom will have no choice but to surrender to them.”

“You’re right. And with that emperor on their throne, there’s no way in hell we’d walk away in one piece if we bent the knee.”

Knowing the Empire, every noble family in the Kingdom of Slibegrandia would be slaughtered down to the last relative. Nor would the commoners be spared. To crush Slibegrandia’s strength, the Yunatian Empire would trample fields, plunder wealth, abduct women and children, and set villages ablaze all along the route to the capital. It was a calculated, deliberate tactic—meaning the highway leading from Phinis to the capital would be drowned in blood.

And that was not the only problem. Losing territory meant losing the trust of the feudal lords. Leaving Fort Phinis in enemy hands would inevitably lead to the collapse of the Kingdom of Slibegrandia in the near future.

Seeing the sheer determination written across Riley’s face, Austin flashed a grin.

“Count me in. Looks like this’ll be our first real battle.”

“Indeed. Let us take care not to hold anyone back.”

“Well, aren’t you humble?” Austin teased.

Austin offered a lighthearted jab, but Riley paid it no mind, turning his gaze toward Clyde instead.

“Clyde, what will you do? If the worst should happen to you, there will be no one left to inherit the ducal House of Clark.”

Riley’s point was entirely valid, but Clyde did not hesitate. Shrugging, he shook his head.

“I will accompany you. The guards I brought should be of assistance to the Calvert Knights as well. They are the finest elites handpicked from our domain.”

“I see... Sasha.”

Finally, Riley turned his attention to Liliana. Though she wore a gentle smile, the light shining in her eyes was sharp and resolute. Anyone else would have been hard-pressed to read her thoughts from her expression alone. Yet with a wry smile, Riley took a step toward his fiancée.

“Sasha, will you come with us as well?”

“Your Highness?!”

It was Clyde who voiced his shock, his eyes widening in rare astonishment. He reflexively stepped forward in protest.

“Taking Liliana along is sheer madness!”

“Is it? She may not be a vanguard fighter, but I believe she can fully demonstrate her worth in the rear guard. Besides, I would also like to borrow the strength of Sir Gild and Lady Olga if possible.”

Riley responded with a serene smile. Yet beneath that flawless expression lay an unmistakable authority that made Clyde catch his breath. Furrowing his brows, Clyde pondered the matter for a moment.

He certainly harbored reservations about bringing his only sister to such a perilous place as a battlefield. Above all, trying to connect Liliana to a blood-soaked war inevitably brought back the memory of her using magic to slay their father.

Yet her magic back then had been magnificent. Facing their father’s spells—which even Clyde could not withstand—Liliana had fought without yielding a single step. If she participated not on the front lines but in the rear guard as a mage, there shouldn't be any issue.

As if trying to convince himself, Clyde muttered a quiet, “Very well.”

“In that case, let us set out immediately. We do not have a moment to lose.”

“Agreed. And Sasha—are you willing to come?”

Though Clyde had interrupted earlier, Liliana had not yet answered Riley’s question. When he asked once more, Liliana nodded with a calm, placid expression.

“I would be honored.”

“I shall accompany you, Your Highness,” Liliana replied. But Riley was the only one who realized that in her heart, she had resolved to teleport to the scene by herself if they had tried to leave her behind.

＊＊＊＊＊

When the smoke signal rose from Fort Phinis, Margrave Beverly Calvert stood stunned by the intelligence brought before her. A substantial distance separated Phinis from the heart of the Calvert domain, where Beverly usually resided. The knight who had galloped the ten-day ride in a matter of days had been stationed at the fortress itself.

“The fortress fell in a single night... you say?”

“Y-yes, my lady... Regrettably so.”

Collapsing to his knees, the knight answered with ragged breaths, his shoulders heaving. Only after gulping down the water brought by a maid at Beverly’s command did the exhausted man finally begin to settle.

Beverly sank into deep, grim contemplation. Fort Phinis was critical to national defense. For that reason, even though they rotated on shifts, the garrison was composed solely of elite knights handpicked from the Calvert Knights. Naturally, they maintained vigilant watch by day and by night. No matter how formidable an elite force the Yunatian Empire had mustered, taking Phinis in a single night should have been out of the question.

Still half in disbelief, Beverly asked a question.

“Where is the knight order now?”

“They appear to have set up camp on the plains seven umlis away.”

“Were there any captives taken?”

“...Three apprentice knights who failed to escape in time are currently unaccounted for.”

Which meant three apprentice knights had fallen into enemy hands. Beverly swallowed the sigh threatening to escape her lips.

Once the initial shock faded, she was able to assess the situation calmly.

That the enemy had taken the fort in a single night was a grave concern. Ten to one, mages were involved. It was also entirely possible there had been a traitor within the fort’s walls.

To recapture the fortress, they had no choice but to accurately assess the enemy’s situation and lay siege to it.

“Gather everyone. And dispatch a fast rider to Angus, ordering his immediate return.”

“At once, my lady.”

Beverly summoned her butler and issued her commands. From that moment on, she moved swiftly. Gathering the relevant personnel in the great hall, Beverly barked out orders with crisp precision.

Not a single person present looked down on Beverly simply because she was a woman.

“First, ascertain the enemy’s fighting strength. In parallel, gather timber to secure our footing—feel free to enlist the mages for this. Do not forget to prepare the catapults either. Gather an ample number of battering rams just in case. Can we secure sufficient sappers and engineers?”

“There will be no issue with that, my lady.”

“Very well.”

Unlike the private armies owned by most feudal lords, the Calvert Knights were an exceptionally well-trained force. Though sizable in number, a portion of the knights normally worked as farmers or hunters. Most of the sappers and combat engineers were drawn from these militia ranks.

“We would prefer to take back the fortress intact if at all possible.”

Among the men listening intently to Beverly’s commands with sharp gazes, a burly, elderly gentleman spoke up. Though his name was Eugene Preston, he was far better known by his moniker: the Laceration Death General. True to the title, a massive scar ran across the general’s cheek.

In his youth, he had served as vice commander of the Calvert Knights, but wounds sustained on the battlefield had forced him to step down from the front lines. Even so, his prowess as a warrior remained sharp as ever, and he not only served as an advisor but also oversaw the training of the knights.

The grim news had clearly stoked his fury. Fort Phinis falling into enemy hands was nothing short of an outrage. Sensing his bitter regret that he hadn't been there to stop those imperial bastards from having their way, Beverly allowed a faint smile to touch the corners of her lips.

“General, shall I delegate full command to you until Angus returns?”

“I’d rather you grant me permission to knock some sense into that boy with a good punch.”

The general gave a derisive snort. Referring to the heir of the margraviate as “that boy” was dreadfully disrespectful, yet Beverly did not scold him. It was the general who had served as Angus’s instructor from the start; to him, Angus was merely a troublesome pupil.

“Very well. Once we have reclaimed the fortress, you may do as you please.”

“As you command.”

Hearing Beverly’s response, the general arched an eyebrow. His expression barely shifted, but an amused glint sparkled in his eyes.

“Ah, one more thing.”

The council had not lasted long. Just as everyone began moving to return to their posts, Beverly added as if an afterthought.

“I shall be joining this siege myself.”

Her voice carried the tone of an indisputable decree. Every man gathered froze in unison. Like creaking clockwork, they turned back, staring at Beverly as though she were a ghost. Yet Beverly remained entirely unruffled, looking back at them with serene composure.

“...Am I to assume you mean observing from the rear?”

It was the general who asked.

“Oh, my.”

Beverly let out a delighted chuckle, though her eyes held not a trace of humor. Displaying an exquisite smile that sent a shiver down the spine of all who beheld it, she spoke as softly as a whispered dream.

“That depends entirely on the situation. I simply wish to lay eyes upon whatever sort of person managed to take Fort Phinis.”

“......I see.”

Realizing no amount of persuasion would sway her, the general conceded with a resigned murmur. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and when he opened them again, a feral gleam shone within as he broke into a grin. His expression was nothing short of a savage predator baring its fangs.

“Then we shall draft our battle strategy accordingly.”

With those words, the war council was adjourned. Though it had hardly been a council so much as Beverly’s personal stage, the fact remained that their future course of action had been decided. Beverly returned to her private quarters with light, graceful steps and set about donning her battle attire.

Her attire was not designed for heavy protection like a knight’s armor. While styled somewhat after a knight’s uniform, her defense consisted only of minimal pieces like gauntlets and greaves, and her sole weapon was a longsword. It was a blade disproportionately long for a woman, yet it was the trusted sword Beverly had wielded for years.

“It has been quite some time,” she murmured.

Beverly smiled darkly. She had trained diligently every day so her skills would not dull, but she had rarely set foot on an actual battlefield in recent years. For that reason, the younger knights would undoubtedly look upon her with bewilderment, while the veterans would almost certainly react just as the general had.

“Now then, let us be off.”

Finishing her preparations in short order, Beverly set out for Fort Phinis alongside the general and his men. Riding at full gallop would take several days—a grueling forced march no ordinary noblewoman could ever endure. Yet Beverly showed not the slightest trace of exhaustion, galloping down the road alongside the general and his warriors.

—-

Toc