Chapter 4: The Fifth Campaign to Take Fort Volks

The commander of Fort Volks hadn’t changed in twelve years.

General Weingartner was an old veteran who would turn fifty-five this year. Ever since his promotion from chief of staff at the age of forty-three, he had achieved no shortage of victories against the Belgarian empire and the neighboring lands of the Federation.

Thanks to his skillful command and resultant low casualty figures, he had garnered quite a bit of trust from not only the grand duke of Varden, but also his commanders and men.

His hair had already grayed, and in appearance alone one would think he was well over sixty. He was a rather habitual man: he would wake up at the same time every day, eat the same meal, patrol the same route, and perform the same training regimen. It was said his conduct was more precise than the hands of a clock.

One off-day, when he happened to wake up fifteen minutes earlier than usual, the maids panicked, assuming they had overslept, and the cook apologized for being late.

After that incident, General Weingartner made sure not to leave his bed until the clock struck five, even when he did wake up early.

Such an endless string of repetitive days. That was, until a report came in that would disrupt his normal routine.

“Imperial army marching from the south!”

Fort Volks was overcome with both tension and excitement. Their reputation as an impregnable fortress had bred a certain arrogance, so there were many who carried on with their usual banter. But everyone knew the strength of the Belgarian empire.

Had the empire gathered troops from all of their numerous warfronts, they would have just over one hundred thousand men. The preliminary report estimated only two thousand, but from their past experiences, not a single person in the command room believed that would be the extent of their forces.

Weingartner and eight staff officers had gathered in this strategy room. It was devoid of all furnishings and decorations, bar a long dark-colored table and the flag of Varden which hung on a white wall.

The new chief of staff perused the report from start to finish.

“—so I presume the imperial army will be in sight around noontime tomorrow.”

A young general rose from his seat.

“Fort Volks cannot be breached! Let’s teach them a lesson!”

“Hear, hear!”

“The empire could send ten thousand men and they still wouldn’t even reach our defenses!”

One by one, the others joined in to voice their vigor. Weingartner kept silent, his arms folded as he listened to what the staff officers had to say.

After a long while, he finally opened his mouth.

“We haven’t obtained any intel on the empire mustering their troops, nor have we received a report of any grand expansions at Fort Sierck. Going by what the fort can house, they can’t have more than ten thousand men. In any case, this is the empire we’re talking about; this is probably no more than one of those petty royal squabbles again... We shouldn’t drop our guard... but there’s also no need to lose our minds.”

The officers nodded in silent agreement.

A few had just been putting up a strong front, shaken by the news that such a powerful nation was approaching. But all worries in the room were eased by the old general’s words.

“Commander, what measures shall we take?” the chief of staff asked.

“First, we require a proper grasp of our enemy.”

“Very well. I suggest we send some mounted scouts; we should have more accurate intel on our enemy within the hour.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

The chief promptly issued orders to his subordinates waiting behind him. The other officers began to exchange plans and assessments.

“We’ll bring forward the cannon inspection that was scheduled for next week.”

“Good.”

“I’ll make sure the soldiers are prepared for war.”

“We need to replenish our food stock in anticipation of a long battle.”

“We should check the outer wall.”

Their roles decided, each officer rose from the table to go and perform their respective duty. As they began to move, Weingartner gestured for one man to stay.

“Have we received any news on that cavalry unit?” the commander inquired.

“...I’m afraid their whereabouts are still unknown. We’re pretty sure they were ambushed by barbarians. We dispatched a five-hundred-man search party on two occasions, but we haven’t even found any remains.”

“I see... It’s unfortunate, but when this engagement is over, we will ensure their families receive word of their bravery and be given a solatium.”

“Sir!”

The officer stood at attention, then raised an arm in salute before exiting the conference room.

Weingartner was left on his own.

“......”

Fort Sierck had definitely become a point of interest. He had heard a rumor that, as the previous year had neared its close, the regiment’s much-acclaimed general had lost a duel against Fourth Princess Marie Quatre, who was in turn recognized as its de facto commander.

Even though the black knight was known to be audacious, he was still a margrave of the empire. It was understandable that he could never turn his sword against royalty.

And then this news of a campaign. Was the young and oblivious princess driven by foolish ambition? Or were there other circumstances involved? Whatever the case, he found it rather hard to believe this expedition would be any better prepared than its predecessors.

Standing from his seat, Weingartner returned to his usual routine. He arrived at the dining hall at his usual time, where the cooks had prepared his usual meal.

✧ ✧ ✧

The next day, afternoon—

The chief of staff in charge of reconnaissance sprinted into the conference room.

“The imperial army is here!”

“They took longer than I expected.”

“That’s because... it seems they’ve set up cannons in the f—”

The burst of an explosion interrupted the already hesitant officer before he could finish.

Weingartner furrowed his brow. He exited the conference room, rounded the cave-like passageway of what had once been a mine, and stepped out onto the observation deck carved into the cliff face. From a slim crack in the rocks, he looked down over the land on the fortress’s southern side.

A withered winter forest spread out before him. A trampled wasteland with barely any vegetation; his soldiers had used the space for training just moments ago. The imperial army was positioned just beyond the forest—42 arpents (3 km) away, if he were to guess.

The fortress’s cannons were the latest model purchased straight from High Britannia, and their elevation served to increase their firing range. Even so, they were just barely out of range.

According to the reconnaissance report, the imperial army had prepared medium-sized cannons. Their range would likely be somewhere around 28 arpents (2 km). At this distance, neither side would be able to reach the other.

“Those accursed imperials... What are they thinking, lining their cannons up at that distance?”

Another ignition. White smoke rose from a distant cannon, quickly followed by another thunderous boom.

The shell didn’t even reach the outer wall before planting into the dirt.

“...A misfire?”

Not that any of his officers could provide an answer.

Following on, a different cannon spouted white smoke. Another roar. Another impact in the distance.

A deep crease graced Weingartner’s forehead.

“Did the recon squad see anything else? Only cavalry, infantry and cannons?”

“Yes, sir! Along with what were assumed to be large stores of food.”

“‘Assumed’?”

“A vast quantity of wooden boxes and a large tent were sighted.”

“They’re prepared for a prolonged battle?”

“That is indeed what it looks like!”

The staff officers grew anxious at the empire’s incomprehensible actions. Weingartner paused, deep in thought.

“...It’ll be hard to investigate further with those cannons there. Increase the number of people manning the watchtowers, and be wary of night raids.”

“Sir!”

“Also, send some scouts on a large detour to Fort Sierck. Perhaps they sent a small force ahead to buy time while they gathered large-scale reinforcements.”

“I-I see!”

The unknown was always the greatest source of fear.

Weingartner had presented but a single possible explanation for the imperial army’s curious behavior, but the staff officers accepted his words as though they were the one and only truth. To set up a base of operations right in front of the fortress, steadily fortifying it as the number of soldiers gradually increased was definitely a tactic that the empire would adopt.

On the other hand, with that strategy, unless they assembled an army larger than he had ever seen before, he knew in his heart of hearts that Fort Volks would never fall.

“If there are large-scale reinforcements in the empire, we must beat down their forerunners before they can arrive. We might have to leave the fortress to fight. Be ready for that possibility.”

“Sir!”

On Weingartner’s orders, the staff officers clicked their heels together in salute.

That was the first day.

Three days since the engagement had begun—

The bombardment continued night and day. While the shells never reached the fortress, each shot rumbled like thunder.

The very ground beneath them shook. The officers appeared somewhat weary.

“Some of the soldiers are complaining that they can’t work due to lack of sleep. Others are worried they’re trying to cause a cave-in with the tremors.”

Weingartner shook his head.

“An unnecessary worry. These mines were excavated using gunpowder; such paltry vibrations won’t do a thing. What’s more, in our previous battles, there have been times where the shells actually struck the outer walls. They would never crumble from shells that can’t even reach us. Silence anyone who spouts such nonsense. If they insist on stirring up trouble, lock them in the dungeon.”

“Sir!”

Everyone in the room who had shared those worries fell silent. Another officer stood.

“The unit we sent to Fort Sierck has returned. They reported no sign of reinforcements... Not yet, at least.”

“Tell them to keep watch.”

“Sir!”

“Commander, we should go out to confront the attackers! There are only two thousand of them! We have over four thousand soldiers! We should be able to win even on the open plains!”

“...They have the black knight.”

“What can one horseman do!?”

The name of this fiery youth was Zechmeister. He was twenty years old with curly copper hair, and his eyes were a deep black. He boasted enough strength to match his sturdy body and undaunted face. His deeds in a skirmish with their neighboring land of Bayerburg had recently earned him a medal from the grand duke.

“I was there during the battle on the Erstein plains...” Weingartner said, narrowing his eyes. “Between the kingdom of San Preussen, the kingdom of Sturmgart, and our own nation, we had amassed twenty thousand troops. We had a vanguard of three thousand armored cavalry.”

“I’m aware...”

“Then you should know he’s not someone to be trifled with. Our armored cavalry was torn apart by Black Knight Jerome’s five hundred horsemen. The campaign was a failure.”

“But commander! Our bronze knights are different from San Preussen’s cavalry of rusted iron! Theirs are knights in name alone! We were entrusted with silver spears by the grand duke!”

This new brand of steel was produced by a Germanian who had learned the craft in High Britannia. It was an alloy reputed to match even trystie in quality.

As weapons made of trystie—also known as faerie silver—were only possessed by Belgarian royalty, generals, and selected elites, the two metals had never actually been compared in combat. But there was no doubt the weapons made of this new alloy were different from the swords and spears they had used before.

Zechmeister had been granted one hundred of these spears from the grand duke, which he had in turn bestowed upon his men.

Weingartner had also considered the possibility that Black Knight Jerome’s heroic exploits had been possible only because of his treasured spear, Les Cheveux d’une Dame. Regardless, the cautious old general still shook his head.

“The empire has not landed any shots; our outer wall is untouched. There is no point in leaving the fortress. Rather, couldn’t that be our enemy’s true objective?”

“T-That’s...”

“Zechmeister. You would do well to sharpen the spears you have been granted. We’ll no doubt be needing them soon.”

“......”

The young man’s eyes dropped.

Weingartner let out a sigh. He’s still so young...

As the third night passed, the air was littered with the continued roar of bombshells.

✧ ✧ ✧

The morning of the fourth day—

Plagued by the endless, reverberating rumbles of cannon shells, not even Weingartner could keep to his usual sleep schedule. “Even if you can’t sleep, lie down and let your body rest,” he had convinced his soldiers, and he was attempting to put those words to practice himself.

All of a sudden, a frantic knocking came from his door.

“Commander!” a voice called in from outside.

“What is it?”

“The bronze knights have sortied!”

“Gnn!?”

Weingartner leapt out of bed. He was still wearing his uniform, having lain down knowing there would be no time to change the moment something happened.

Throwing open the door without a moment’s delay, he was briefed on the report on his way to the conference room.

Half of the officers were already gathered on the viewing deck; naturally, Zechmeister was nowhere to be seen. The chief of staff pointed through the crack in the rocks.

“They’re initiating hostilities!”

“How could this be...?”

Now that it had come to this, he could only pray that the bronze knights really could stand against Black Knight Jerome.

Evading the barrage of cannonballs and enduring volley after volley of musket fire, Zechmeister’s five hundred bronze knights closed in on the Belgarian battalion.

“Uooooooooh!!”

Only 10 arpents (715 m) remained between them and the irritating line of cannons. And there, at that very moment, the Black Knight appeared, three hundred mounted troops at his side.

«Hmph... And there I was thinking I’d die from boredom. I would’ve rather faced men, but maybe I can get some entertainment from whacking moles!» the knight declared in Belgarian.

Due to its deep, protracted caverns, those stationed at Fort Volks were often rather mockingly compared to moles. Zechmeister couldn’t follow everything the Belgarian knight had said, but understood enough to know it was an insult.

He clenched his teeth.

“Hmph! The black knight is no more than his rusted lance, clinging to his past glory! My silver lance shall put a swift end to him!” the young man retorted in Germanian.

«Don’t you know? A mole pulled from his hidey-hole is even weaker than a rat!»

“Silence!”

Zechmeister spurred his horse into a furious gallop, charging toward their foe until—

The bronze knights of the grand duchy of Varden collided with Jerome’s black knight brigade.

“TSUOOOOOOOOH!”

Urging his horse forward, Zechmeister thrust out his new alloy lance. Black Knight Jerome attempted to parry the attack with Les Cheveux d’une Dame.

Their weapons met, and the alloy lance was knocked aside.

«What’s this? Is all that glimmer just for show?»

“Shut your trap! Blocking’s all you’re gonna be able to do!”

Zechmeister followed up with a stream of consecutive thrusts, not giving his opponent any room to counterattack.

...I’m pushing him back! He can barely even manage to parry my thrusts!

Jerome’s spearmanship was splendid, but his fabled spear—said to be able to shatter any weapon with a single strike—had seemingly been matched. And, in a battle dependent only on skill, Zechmeister was certain he had the advantage.

“I can do this!” he exclaimed. “I can defeat the black knight!”

Jerome chuckled to himself. «Kukukuh... I heard your lance was made of new stuff, so I wanted to see how great it was, but... there’s not much I can learn when it’s in the hands of an amateur. I’ll have to test it out myself.»

“Huh!?”

«Now!»

Matching the next lunge, Jerome leaned into a large, powerful sweep with his lance, and Zechmeister’s own weapon was forced aside with such incredible force that it very nearly escaped his hands.

He had managed to hold onto it, but it was already too late; Jerome had been given an opening.

In an instant, offense and defense switched sides.

«Try this!»

“Khh!?”

Then came a flurry of stabs faster than anything Zechmeister had ever seen before. He neglected to even breathe as he desperately dodged each strike, parrying with his own spear when he could. But even then, his shoulder and neck were nicked.

Is he even human!?

A chill ran down the young man’s spine. He could feel Death looming over his shoulder.

Jerome’s blows were so quick and heavy that Zechmeister could no longer feel his hands, and the target of each strike seemed completely impossible to read. It was as though he were trying to block bullets.

Even when following its point closely with his eyes, he could only barely repel Jerome’s lance. Each time their weapons met, Zechmeister was shaken by an impact so great he thought his arms might break. He couldn’t see an opening to launch a counterattack.

«Kukukuh... You’re surprisingly good. But could you handle me going even faster?»

“You’re bluffing!”

His opponent’s movements were near impossible to follow; surely he had already been going all out.

But, before he knew it, an intense warmth was spreading down to his left elbow.

“Gah... Khh...!?”

Jerome’s lance had sunk into his upper arm.

Zechmeister barely managed to thrust out his own weapon in a frenzied attempt to push back his encroaching attacker.

«Hmph. Amateur. At times like these, you should aim for your opponent’s hands...»

Zechmeister’s thrust was easily dodged; he had failed to distance the black knight.

The lance impaled in his arm was retracted and then immediately launched forward once again. It was too late; he had no time to block.

He twisted his torso in a desperate attempt to dodge, but to no avail. Jerome’s spear plunged deep into his flank.

“GAAAAH!!”

Feeling its rider collapse into its mane, Zechmeister’s horse immediately took flight, apparently having realized defeat. The members of the bronze knights hurriedly followed suit.

Jerome raised one hand, stopping his allies from giving chase.

«Go any further and they’ll open fire on us! Pull back!»

The black knight brigade receded. It wasn’t long before the empire had returned to its ostensibly aimless cannon fire.

By the time his horse reached Fort Volks, Zechmeister’s body had already gone cold. Weingartner and his officers met him with solemn faces, having climbed down to the open space just beyond the gate.

The bronze knights respectfully lowered him from his horse, laying him to rest on the ground. The young man who had attempted to become a hero would never open his eyes again.

Weingartner had been on the battlefield since before the man was even born. Even so, he could never grow accustomed to death. He touched a finger to the corner of his eye, then offered a moment of silence.

Some time later, once he had placed the youth’s body in a casket, Weingartner gave the order for him to be returned to his family.

He glanced toward the gate. It had already been shut, so he couldn’t see the imperial army.

“...The cannons have stopped,” he muttered.

“Did they finally run out of ammo?” the chief of staff asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

“No, they’ll start again soon. They continued their bombardment right after the battle and only stopped a moment ago. Perhaps they’re also honoring our dead with a moment of silence.”

“Eh!? No, that’s... Perhaps.”

A general had been slain, his remains returned on a horse. It was normal to offer a silent prayer on the grounds of religion. However, would the Belgarian army really show such consideration to a fallen enemy—let alone one they could no longer even see?

“As far as I know, General Jerome is not an emotional man. Which means the new commander, Marie Quatre, must have ordered it...”

“The empire’s royals do love their ceremonies. I can imagine her showing such consideration.”

“I thought it was utter nonsense for a little fourteen-year-old girl to become commander... but she may be more skilled at warfare than I gave her credit for. But, in that case... What’s the meaning behind this bombardment that can’t reach us?”

“Could it be a ploy to lure us into impatiently rushing out like Zechmeister?”

“It’s possible. Any unordered outings are to be strictly prohibited. Pass the message to the other units.”

“Yes, sir!” the chief of staff answered with a salute.

✧ ✧ ✧

On the seventh day of battle, the chief of staff came to report at noon on the dot.

“Reinforcements from the capital are scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning. We should then be able to take on the enemy.”

“Good.”

It took less than two days to move an army from the capital to the fortress. It had already been many times that since the enemy had started their attack; he was starting to think the capital were taking their situation too lightly.

“Additionally, while they haven’t caused any casualties, the noise from the cannons has caused many soldiers to complain of a lack of sleep. As a result, there’s a very long line to the infirmary.”

“Do what you can.”

“Yes, sir! It also seems soldiers have recently begun hallucinating sounds other than cannon fire.”

“Other sounds?”

The chief of staff gave a nod, to which Weingartner cocked his head.

“I can’t say I’ve heard anything... Have there been many reports?”

“Quite a few from the soldiers on the first-floor barracks. Perhaps because they’re the ones who bear the brunt of the tremors.”

“Hm. When I’ve been on patrol, I feel it’s the higher points that shake more.”

The whole situation was strangely unnerving. The enemy had brought far too few troops to take a fortress, and yet showed no signs of receiving reinforcements. The cannons continued to fire incessantly even though their shells would never hit. They had set up a large tent and brought with them numerous wooden crates presumed to contain food. Perhaps the cavalry who had disappeared into the barbarian forest some time ago were somehow related...

And now the soldiers on the first floor had started to report hearing strange sounds.

Sounds.

Weingartner suddenly looked to his feet.

“...Don’t tell me...”

“Something wrong?”

“Gather the soldiers. Secure the basement armory—”

A conspicuously larger tremor assailed Fort Volks, knocking a number of officers to their knees.

Immediately, Weingartner raced out of the room.

“Gather the soldiers! They’re in the basement! They’re coming in through the armory!”

“General!?”

No staff officer could immediately understand what he meant.

From the hundred-cubit-high conference room, he rushed down several fights of ramps and stairs. As he descended further, his vision became clouded by white smoke.

The scent of gunpowder.

He could hear the sound of clashing swords.

“It’s the enemy!” one of the soldiers screamed.

Weingartner knew then that the imperial army had already invaded Fort Volks. They had come from below.

✧ ✧ ✧

Two hours before the infiltration—

An open plain bordered the forest, littered with rocks and boulders of all sizes. The earth looked hard, dry, and nigh uncultivable.

Regis spread his map out over one of the rocks, using it as a table. The commanding officer of the construction team stooped down beside him.

“Looks like we’re finally about to breach, Mr. Tactician.”

“So everything’s finally ready?”

“We would’ve finished last night had we been aiming for the front gate...”

“It couldn’t be helped. If we came out at the front gate, we’d just increase the casualties on both sides. We wouldn’t be able to secure a decisive victory right away: they’d likely notice our tunnels, and if they were to then bombard us with cannon fire, our hasty constructions would surely collapse...”

“Yeah. Though the ground here is so hard, I was more worried we wouldn’t be able to dig through than I was about a cave-in... Sorry it took three days longer than expected.”

“There were a lot of rocks.”

When excavating the tunnel, they would often be stopped by colossal boulders hard enough to bend an iron shovel. In order to pass, they would need to make small cracks in the surrounding rock, which would then be loaded with a small amount of gunpowder and detonated. They also had to bore into the ground to lay the foundations for the support beams they used to reinforce the cave walls.

As such, the process created quite a lot of noise. By incessantly firing their cannons, Regis had masked the noise caused by their tunnel digging under the various other blasts and impacts.

Incidentally, with the tools available to them, the construction team were able to excavate around 40 palms (296 cm) in half an hour. Regis had hired specialists, and rotated between several teams to ensure they could work day in and day out.

Many of the crates disguised as food stock in fact contained mining and construction tools. Rations were much less of a priority as Regis hadn’t planned for a long campaign to begin with. The excavated dirt would be hidden under a large tent, and then discarded far away at the dead of each night.

“So, our final move is to detonate the floor above using gunpowder. We’ll dig a hole just as deep below to ensure the debris doesn’t block our path.”

“Just as planned,” Regis nodded. “We’re going in through the armory, so it should be fine, but... it seems their gunpowder is stored in the next room over.”

“Yes. According to the blueprints, the powder room is just next door.”

“I don’t want to think about it, but... if we’ve done our measurements wrong, a four-thousand-man fortress is going to be blown sky high. Neither our construction nor our infiltration teams would get away unscathed, either.”

“The empire’s measuring techniques are the best in the known world. Have a little faith, Mr. Tactician.”

“Yeah... I’m counting on you.”

The information drawn from the bronze knights taken prisoner only confirmed what they already knew: The gunpowder cache was located exactly where the blueprint said it was.

But there were always exceptions.

Even after the work squad captain left, Regis continued staring at the diagram. Then he heard the sound of heavy footsteps pressing down dirt.

“You’ll catch another cold.”

“...Hey, Altina.”

“Looks like the tunnel is almost complete.”

“Huh!? How could you tell?”

Was there something he’d overlooked? Some obvious giveaway that might alert the enemy?

Altina stretched over and pinched his cheek between two fingers.

“Because you have a scary look on your face.”

“Urr...”

“You look like you could collapse at any second. Is everything going all right?”

“Yeshh.”

Altina let go of his cheek. It still stung a little.

“We win if we can break into their armory, right?”

“...I think so. Even the most well-prepared soldiers—those who would have worn a full set of armor on the first day—would likely carry no more than a sword this long into the campaign.”

“Right. It’s hard to go about your day-to-day business in a full suit of armor.”

“Indeed... And they’re likely short on sleep, to boot...”

“So are we. The earplugs weren’t much of an improvement.”

“...Yeah.”

As the plan was to keep up the bombardment day and night, the empire had prepared enough earplugs for everyone. As well as a means to alert everyone in case of an enemy attack.

“If we take the armory, they lose access to their armor and spears...” Regis continued. “Well, the corridors are rather narrow, given that the place was a former mine, so we can’t use long spears either, but having shields and armor should be a huge advantage. More importantly, they’ll no doubt be panicking.”

“They won’t even know how the imperial army got in.”

“Yeah... All we need to do now is split into teams. One to hold back the enemy forces, one to take the cannons, and one to secure the gate.”

Once the gate and cannons were taken care of, the imperial army could break through with ease.

“They have greater numbers than us, don’t they?”

“They do. But, considering our momentum and the limited access they’ll have to equipment, everything should work out in our favor.”

“What about capturing the enemy commander?”

“...It doesn’t really matter where a fort commander who’s lost his cannons and soldiers goes.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, as long as we can suppress the cannons, it’s the empire’s win,” Regis said. He then pointed to a point on the map. “...Right here.”

Halfway up the outer wall of Fort Volks were the holes that served as windows, where the deep black cannons were lined up.

“...Once we take them, we raise the flag,” he continued.

“And then we’ve won?”

“Yeah. Our remaining forces will charge at the signal, and that’s that.”

“What if we can’t raise it?”

“The plan fails, we retreat, and... well, I pray they’re at least somewhat merciful at my hearing...”

“Hmm... Then I’m joining the first infiltration unit.”

“Huh!?”

“The most important step is securing the cannons, right?”

“That’s true...”

“Then I really should go!”

“Don’t be silly, Altina... You’re...”

“I’m what? Royalty? A woman? A child?”

“Injured.”

“Hm. So I could go if I weren’t injured?”

“...Yeah, that’s right. The limited space in the tunnels means we can only send so many people. It’d be unreasonable to send anyone who wouldn’t be able to fight. I’ll leave the infiltration to Sir Jerome, and once the flag is raised, I need you to charge in with the cavalry.”

The injury was an excuse. He just didn’t want to put her up to the most dangerous task.

He did think having the commander stand at the forefront was a noble ideal, but that depended on the plan. Failure meant she would be isolated in enemy territory, buried alive, or—worst case scenario—blown up, fortress and all.

“Yeah. Got it.”

“Do you really get—?”

“I just have to not be injured!”

Altina picked up a rock by her feet. She grabbed it with her left hand, which was supposed to be out of operation. It was a rock about the size of a human head.

Fshh. She took a deep breath.

“Haaaaaaaah!!” came a rending cry. Nearby soldiers who had been drawn in by the commotion surrounded at a distance to see what was going on.

Regis’s eyes were fixed on her as well.

“Tsuaaaaaaaah!!” Altina’s voice rose remarkably louder.

A great distance away, an imperial cannon fired off as per usual. An explosive noise that shook the earth. At the same time—

The rock shattered.

Crumbled pieces of stone fell to the ground. This was no longer an issue of whether or not Altina was still injured; Regis was starting to wonder whether what he had just seen was even humanly possible.

“I did it!”

Altina balled her left hand into a triumphant fist. The soldiers raised cheers, perhaps having seen the display as some kind of performance to raise morale. Regis had no words.

Altina was looking at him, giddy, as if she was expecting him to praise her. “See? I’m not injured!”

“That’s crazy!”

“I’m all better.”

A month and a half earlier than the doctor’s diagnosis!?

“B-But... Having the princess and commander crawling through a dangerous tunnel is...”

“What now? Were you lying to me?”

“Well... N-Not exactly...”

“Then it’s decided! If you dare leave me behind, you’ll really be in for it when the battle’s over, you hear me!?”

“...I’m already in for it. You’re about to give me a stomach ulcer from all this stress...”

“You need to take better care of yourself.”

“Look who’s talking... In that case, I’m joining the infiltration unit as well.”

“Eh? Regis, you know how to fight?”

“I don’t... but I’ll take command on-site. That’ll make it easier to handle problems as they crop up, and I think it should increase our chance of success... So, Altina, I want you to be with me.”

“Feh!?”

Her cheeks flushed a warm shade of red.

“I’ll come up with the ideas, and you can make the decisions. Is that not the duty of a commander?”

“Y-You might be onto something...”

“Then have we reached an understanding?”

“Yeah.” Altina nodded.

Regis patted his chest, relieved. It was impossible to exclude her from the infiltration, but...

“Thank goodness... Then we’ll be on the fourth team.”

“Eh?”

“The first team is responsible for stalling the enemy. The second takes the cannons. The third secures the gate. And the fourth provides general assistance, dealing with problems as they occur. They’re all important duties, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I wanna raise the flag! I wanna be on team two!”

“...Huh? Are you not going to honor your words? You just agreed to stay by my side, didn’t you?”

“...!?”

Tears started to well up in Altina’s eyes, taking Regis by surprise. She wiped them away, then immediately took off running.

“Waaah! Regis is a cheateeer!!”

“Hey...!?”

He couldn’t deny her words, but the glares from the surrounding soldiers were starting to burn through him.

What are we going to do if weird rumors start spreading!?

Consumed by his thoughts, Regis was feeling the darkness start to close in around him when the construction team captain came over.

“Err, Mr. Tactician.”

The sudden voice pulled him back to reality.

“Hm...? Did something go wrong!?”

“No, uh... Would you mind if I took those stone fragments?”

“Huh? From the rock the princess crushed? Why?”

“As a good luck charm! What a magnificent sight. Such a beautiful princess, able to shatter a chunk of iron ore with just one hand! I’m sure these pieces would grant a divine blessing that would help in smashing rocks!”

“S-Sure...”

And so the religion spreads, Regis wearily noted over his pounding headache.

✧ ✧ ✧

Everyone in the tunnel held their breath. As they endured the silence before the mission, the pout Altina had previously been wearing was replaced with an expression of severity, and sweat had started to bead on her forehead.

“If I don’t accompany you here, there would be no point in my joining the expedition.” That had been Eric’s justification for tagging along.

Soldiers lined the tunnel both ahead of and behind them. The cave was dim and gloomy, their only source of light being a single lantern held by the man leading the formation. Everyone breathed as quietly as possible, trying not to make a sound as they awaited the breakthrough.

Each team contained thirty troops; with a fifth and sixth team accompanying them as reserves, the infiltration team totaled one hundred and eighty soldiers.

The work team captain at the lead ignited the explosive that would breach Fort Volks. The spark traveled along the fuse, following it up the wall toward the ceiling.

The soldiers covered their ears with their hands, and opened their mouths in preparation for the blast. Regis, Altina and Eric did the same.

With a tremendous boom, dirt and rubble poured down from above. Regis feared they might be buried alive, but... as luck would have it, he was covered in no more than dust and sand.

“Charge!!” shouted someone at the front.

“Chaaarge!!” Altina echoed from beside him.

Belgarian measuring technology was praiseworthy indeed. Despite having restricted space and nothing more than a forty-year-old map of the enemy’s fortress, they had opened a hole directly in front of the armory.

Granted, the hole was supposed to have led into the armory.

The first team stepped out. This was the first time a Belgarian soldier had ever set foot inside Fort Volks.

As gunpowder smoke and dust clouded the air, the imperial soldiers with short spears stepped into formation.

“Go! Go! Go!”

«What in the—!?»

A soldier from the fortress rushed into the room, only to be met with the point of a spear.

“Hyah!”

«Gwah!?»

It easily pierced through his chest, and the soldier moved no more. It seemed the man hadn’t even considered that this might be an enemy attack, having instead assumed the tunnel had collapsed; his hand was cast not on a sword, but a shovel.

Another defending soldier who had seen his comrade impaled before him practically shrieked.

«It’s the enemy!»

Then he, too, was permanently silenced by an imperial spear.

Following after the first team, the second team made for the stairs; the third headed for the gate.

Regis and Altina belonged to the fourth team, who moved in behind them.

“Pah!”

Altina gasped for air the moment she was out of the hole.

She was dressed much lighter than the Belgarian soldiers, who wore full plate armor and were armed with shields, but the massive sword at her hip meant she still had a hard time climbing the rope ladder.

The blade was about the length of a short spear, meaning it could probably be used even in the narrow tunnels of the mine—or so Altina insisted as she dragged along the legendary double-edged sword.

It was the Grand Tonnerre Quatre—one of seven swords once wielded by L’Empereur Flamme; a sword that was treasured by the Belgarian empire, and had been temporarily bestowed upon Altina when she was appointed the commander of Fort Sierck.

Given the fact she had been injured, it had only been brought on the expedition to serve as a symbolic decoration to motivate the troops. But seeing her actually wield the colossal weapon seemed to boost morale just as well.

Despite him carrying nothing at all, Regis took the longest to climb the ladder. As he fumbled around on the rungs, Eric slipped ahead and grabbed him by the hand.

“I’ll pull you up!”

“Ah...”

He felt as though he was floating through the air, a sensation that ended with a strong embrace.

“Are you all right, Mr. Regis?”

“...Oh, thank you.”

“Mind your head.”

“Got it.”

“Mrh...” Altina tapped her lips.

They had entered the main passageway of Fort Volks. It was considerably wider than the other tunnels, perhaps even spacious enough for a long spear to be used. There were tracks on the floor, seeming to indicate the repeated use of carts or wagons.

The walls were bare stone, completely devoid of windows. While there were candles fixed on them at semiregular intervals, most had been extinguished by the blast wave from the breach. The infiltration team had already prepared for this, however, and had equipped themselves with torches.

Altina moved in close.

“Regis, what do we do?”

“Our role is to help out any teams who run into trouble—”

As the words passed his lips, a body toppled down the staircase, raising a terrible din as it fell.

“Gaaaah!”

It was a heavily armored imperial soldier. His armor had been dented and his helmet caved in.

And he wasn’t alone. One by one, fallen Belgarian soldiers tumbled down from the upper level.

It appeared a problem had indeed broken out. Regis wiped the sheet of sweat from his sand-covered face.

“Gnn... Are the cannons better protected than we anticipated?”

“Mr. Regis, I’ll accompany the fifth team!” Eric declared, drawing his sword.

“That’s—”

Altina’s safety was his priority, but Eric was a young knight entrusted to him by Everard. When Regis looked upon the soldiers who had been so easily pulverized, their armor knocked through as though it had been hollow, he couldn’t stand by and allow him to join the attack.

But if they took too long to secure the cannons... The infiltration team consisted of less than two hundred troops; they would easily be quelled and crushed by the four thousand soldiers of their enemy.

Regis was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by the gravelly squeal of metal scraping against the ground.

Altina, with the treasured sword in her right hand, sprinted toward the staircase.

“Here we go, fourth team!”

“Wha—!? Alt— Princess!?”

“Our duty is to jump in and help when a problem occurs! Isn’t that what you said!?” she exclaimed, already bounding up the steps.

“Follow the princess! Move! Move! Move!” the soldiers screamed as they ran after her.

Regis held his head in his hands.

“I-I definitely said that, but... Okay, yes! That’s what I said!”

Then he chased after her as well.

Eric matched his pace, running beside him.

“I see you believe,” he said.

“Eh?”

“That the princess won’t lose to anyone.”

“...I promised to believe... But...”

He was still worried. The enemy side had been quicker to react than he expected.

He could feel the chaos around him dissipate. Had they actually trained for this situation?

Inadequately equipped as they were, the soldiers of Fort Volks had begun their counterattack.

If they were going to suppress the cannons, there was certainly no time to waste.

✧ ✧ ✧

Once she’d cleared the stairs, Altina readied her blade. The soldiers around her held spears and swords.

The room they were in now had been used to store tools when back when the fortress had been a mine, so it was a little more spacious than the other areas.

“Let me guess,” Altina spoke aloud. “You’re the commander here?”

Across from her stood an old man wearing the uniform of a commissioned officer. Though his hair had grayed, the glint in his eyes was as sharp as ever.

“Correct. I am Weingartner, the commander of Fort Volks,” the man responded in fluent Belgarian.

“My name is Marie Quatre Argentina de Belgaria. I serve as the commander of the Belgarian border regiment.”

“I’d heard the rumors, but... you sure are young, princess of Belgaria.”

“Oh, I’ll be fifteen come springtime. Aren’t I already a splendid lady?”

Weingartner heaved a weary sigh.

“You’ve done well to lead an army at your age, let alone make it all the way here. To think you’d invade from underground... Very commendable.”

“Fufu, isn’t it? Though I can’t take credit for that.”

“Hm?”

Altina looked to Regis who was standing behind her.

Upon seeing that Regis was completely unarmed, Weingartner gave an understanding nod. “Your strategy officer.”

“That’s right. He’s my tactician!”

“Once upon a time, young lady, tunneling in combat wasn’t an uncommon stratagem. Because even if you knew it was coming, it was tough to prevent... But nowadays, the tactic has gone out of practice: tunnels are all too easily collapsed under cannon fire... To think you would use those very cannons to conceal the sounds of your digging...”

“Fufu.”

Altina puffed out her chest, her delighted expression practically screaming: Isn’t my tactician amazing?

Weingartner gritted his teeth in vexation, his eyes fixed on Regis with a ferocious glare. The tactician gave a feeble shrug.

“Erm... Sorry about that...”

“Once again, I must commend you. I feel ashamed of my own ignorance. However...” His fists began to tremble, and the old man’s voice rose into a mighty boom. “You shall not go any further! You shall return to the earth from whence you came—either of your own accord, or as corpses!”

Weingartner took up a stance with the iron cane in his hand. It had no spear tip or blade; it was just an iron pole. Yet, as could be seen from the defeated soldiers on the floor below, he struck with enough force to smash heads through their helmets.

Altina gripped her treasured sword in both hands, preparing for battle...

...but Regis simply shook his head.

“Princess, don’t be reckless... There is only one enemy; we have plenty of options here.”

“That’s right, Princess!” Eric exclaimed, his voice cautionary. “Allow me to fight in your stead!”

“No! ...I can’t. Unless I take this on myself, no one will see reason to follow me in the future. I need to keep demonstrating my strength—for the sake of my cause!”

Altina took a pace toward Weingartner. The nearby soldiers retreated a step, then another, so as to avoid becoming caught in the crossfire. After all, they had all seen the duel from a month and a half prior.

Be that as it may, this time, their eyes were not those of spectators.

Through this gesture, the soldiers here had placed their faith in Altina, just as they trusted Jerome and Everard. Her appearance, age and position were irrelevant; here, in this situation, they only recognized her strength on the battlefield.

To Regis, the disparity between himself and the soldiers was unquestionable. His values and way of thinking were completely different from theirs; no matter how hard he tried, Regis couldn’t focus so resolutely on her skill alone.

To him, she was the fourth princess of the empire and a fourteen-year-old girl. Her sword and teacher may have been first-class, but she was still just a girl.

Regis was anxious to the point of nausea; he didn’t know what to do with himself. The sight of the soldiers’ crushed heads at the bottom of the staircase wouldn’t leave his mind.

“...Princess.”

“What? You won’t be able to stop me, you know.”

“I know... Just, please... don’t do anything crazy...”

“All right. It’s a promise.”

Altina turned to face her enemy head-on, watching him carefully as she called back to Regis and the others behind her.

“I’m going to win! Keep up with me!”

Altina kicked off of the ground.

Weingartner swiped with his cane in response.

“I can’t lose either! I won’t relinquish the land of the grand duchy to the empire!”

“I’m going to change the empire! But I need this fortress to do that!”

“Gnn!?”

Altina’s sword swung high above her head...

...and caught on the low ceiling of the mine tunnel.

Weingartner’s lips curled.

“Hah. A careless mistake, Princess!”

“What mistake!?”

The sword carved through the hard bedrock above as it continued its arc. The eyes of the white-haired man opened wide.

“How in the—!?”

“Teyaaaah!!”

The sword had not been stopped by the ceiling. Altina had used her considerable strength to drive the blade through the stone, taking advantage of its weight to further increase the power of her downward strike.

Had Weingartner swung with all his might, perhaps he could have struck first. However, decades of experience had taught him to be wary of the unknown.

His momentary hesitation granted Altina the decisive opening she needed, and the Grand Tonnerre Quatre came crashing down on him.

A shrill, ear-piercing wail rang out as the old general blocked the attack with his cane.

But the sword didn’t stop.

“Guoh!?”

The cane of solid iron bent effortlessly, and the tip of Altina’s sword grazed Weingartner’s chest before stabbing into the ground. He collapsed to the ground on his side.

The soldiers surrounded him, spears readied, without a moment’s delay.

“Don’t move!”

“Gh... Kh... Alas... my greatest failure of all—a vital point of national defense, lost. I can no longer face the duchy or its people... Kill me.”

“Sorry, but it’s not over yet! There’s one more thing I need to do!”

And, with that, Altina charged ahead, making her way to a higher floor.

Regis speedily listed off orders to the soldiers.

“Ten remain here, two pass a message below! Tell them we’ve taken the enemy commander! The rest of you, protect the princess!”

The soldiers unanimously voiced their understanding and moved to take action. Regis joined those tasked with following Altina.

Running along beside him, Eric began to think aloud. “She’s amazing... That princess... To think she could slice through bedrock.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth. It’s ridiculous.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine what she’ll be capable of once her arm has healed.”

“Oh, her arm’s already healed. She made a point of proving it earlier by crushing a rock in her hand.”

“Eh? But her hand wasn’t injured to begin with, so as long as... Ah, but no matter how strong her grip was, it would’ve put a lot of stress on her upper arm, so... wouldn’t crushing a rock still hurt like crazy? Maybe her bones really are fixed.”

“...Excuse... me?”

“You didn’t notice? Back there, she was only using her right hand. Her left was barely even offering support.”

“‘Only using her right hand’!?”

“Come to think of it, you did say you had a hard time understanding swordplay no matter how closely you watched.”

“S-She cheated...!”

“That’s... quite troublesome...”

Eric offered a dry laugh.

Regis could feel his emotions boiling over. Had I known that, I never would’ve let her join the attack!

They proceeded up what Regis could have sworn was an endless number of stairs. By the time they neared the top where the cannons were supposed to be stationed, Eric was forcibly dragging him by the hand.

When they reached their destination, the subjugation had already been completed by Altina and her soldiers. The cannoneers had been herded into a corner, their hands raised above their heads in exhausted surrender.

Among them was a man in a commissioned officer uniform similar to Weingartner’s.

“M-My position is chief of staff... In accordance with our treatises, I request proper treatment as a prisoner of war. Any abuse or excessive torture is in violation of paragraph eight, section—”

“Regis, all yours!”

She boasted the obstinate valor of a true warrior, but Altina was admittedly bad with such negotiations.

Short of breath and having only just arrived, Regis hobbled his way over.

“Hah... Hah... Hah... Hah...”

“......”

“Hah... Hah... Hah... Won’t... kill...”

“M-Many thanks.”

Much to the contrary, the breathless Regis felt as though he was the one who should be worried about death right now.

“Are you sure that was enough? Shouldn’t you recite some passages or laws?” Altina interjected.

“Hah... Hah... That much’ll... kill... me...”

“You really need to get out and exercise more. Get your nose out of those books every once in a while.”

“...I’ll... consider it.”

It was an arduous task trying to keep up with this princess, especially for someone who was so physically inept.

Thanks to the holes that had been dug for the cannons, Regis was finally afforded a long-awaited breath of outside air. The breeze he had earlier thought of as drearily cold now seemed comforting to the soul. Regis pulled at the collar of his uniform in an attempt to air out his torso.

It had been less than an hour since they had entered the tunnels, but the other soldiers also seemed to be appreciating their return to the outside world. Many stood with their eyes closed, basking in the gentle sunlight and allowing the wind to brush their skin.

Altina pulled out the flag she had prepared earlier. Eric handed her a spear.

“Princess, use this.”

“Thank you.”

“I picked it up from an enemy soldier.”

“Fufu... It’ll give our flag that extra battlefield flair.”

After tying the banner to the spear, Altina leaned her body through one of the holes. Regis felt a chill run down his spine.

“T-The wind is pretty strong, so...”

“Ahahaha! I’m fine, Regis!”

“But if you fall—”

“Absolutely fine! A-OK! You worry too much!”

Swish. Swish.

Altina waved the flag—a flag that both depicted and represented a shield to protect the people.

I pray this battle will be an advantageous first step, Regis thought.

“Hey, everyone!” Altina cried. “We got them!”

At that signal, the black knight brigade charged toward the fortress with Jerome at the lead. The front gate opened in concert; it seemed the third team had succeeded as well.

And so ended Fort Volks’s forty-year standing as the grand duchy of Varden’s impregnable fortress.