As soon as he returned to his mansion, Raviara snapped at his brother''s treatment.


    "It''s too much!　You told me to go to Fort Nagrad!　It''s like you wanted to kill Mr. Arsrod from the very beginning!"


    "It can''t be helped. It is true that the fort must be defended, and it is true that morale will be higher if someone close to the lord goes.


    "Then why don''t you go yourself, my lord!　The only reason you won''t go there is because you''re afraid of war!　If the fort falls anyway, the Nevre territory will be in danger!"


    That''s, well, you''re right.


    I said something stupid to my brother and made him angry. He''s really an idiot, so I hit him back.


    "Well, why don''t you inform the enemy Minerian territory?"


    Laviala''s eyes were serious. Serious, but a dangerous subject.


    "You ....... What would you do if one of my brother''s agents was here?


    "A lord is beloved by his subjects because of the favor he owes them. If he does not show such favor and only treats his subjects in a despicable manner, he has the right to abandon them. Besides, in the time of the , betrayal should not be uncommon!


    Raviara is desperate to keep me alive somehow. That''s how hard the defense of Fort Nagrad is. Although it stands on a terrace right next to the river, making it difficult to be attacked, it could fall at any moment under repeated attacks.


    "Mr. Arsrod, we are nothing if we die in a place like this!　Besides, the enemy Minerian side must think that they can use it as a banner if the brother of the Lord of Navre betrayed them!　It is not even a dream to rule this Nevre territory in the position of Mineria''s vassal!"


    Laviala''s words almost swayed my heart a little.


    It is true that I might even be able to raise my own position if I play my cards right.


    But then my sister Altia staggered in.


    "Welcome back, brother. ......"


    As soon as she greeted me, she started coughing. She has always been sickly.


    Althea, if you''re sick, don''t come out.


    "But I heard a voice saying he was going to the fort. ....... Then you won''t see me for a while. ......


    I sighed.


    "Raviara, I still don''t think we should go through with the betrayal plan. We can''t take Altia with us. If we betray him, Altia will--"


    "Yes. ....... To make an example of you, the life of Lady Altia is ......."


    Probably from the beginning, my brother Geisel knew I couldn''t betray him.


    I could never put Altia in danger.


    On the other hand, taking the sickly Altia to an unhygienic fortress would be no better than putting her in a house on fire. Besides, there is no way I can explain myself when people accuse me of taking her sickly sister with me.


    It would be strange to think that there is no one in the fort who has the brother''s breath, and any suspicious activity would be reported immediately.


    "I guess I''ll have to go myself. I have to go and win."


    "But there are at most two hundred and fifty men packed in the fort. ....... The enemy probably has about 2,000 men. ....... I suppose you could take about a hundred men with you, Arsrod, but it''s not much to go on anyway. ......


    They say that an attacker needs about three times as many men as a besieger.


    In other words, to defend against 2,000 enemies, you need about 700 men. On the other hand, if the number of soldiers is doubled, there is a high possibility of plague, and more food is needed. If a small number of elite soldiers can prevent the outbreak of disease, it is better to have a small number of elite soldiers.


    The problem is that there is always a lack of room to spare when defending with a small number of men.


    It is almost impossible to keep a war going for a long time with extreme tension. If you are relaxed at any point, you may be dropped. At the very least, you can never push back the enemy.


    "We have to do it even if we don''t feel comfortable. That''s my job."


    Please, may Oda Nobunaga be an amazing profession. .......


    ●


    One hundred and twenty soldiers, led by Raviara and myself, set out for Fort Nagrad.


    This fort is located on this side of the river that borders Minerian territory.


    It is true that the war spirit was temporarily raised when I arrived. The soldiers seemed to realize that they had not been abandoned.


    This is important because the moment they think they are abandoned, they will run away or betray you. No one dies willingly.


    But the enemy attacks continued to be sporadic and unpredictable. In fact, there was even talk that the enemy was about to launch a full-scale attack.


    I had a secret talk with Shivik, the general who had been holding the fort.


    "As a matter of fact, the enemy''s operatives are surely building a route up to the fort,...... and I think they will attack at once,....... I don''t know when that will be."


    "If that happens, do you think this fort will hold?"


    "The fort itself is strong. That''s why it has lasted this long. But the soldiers are exhausted. Once they break through the gate, they will be able to ......"


    The situation is worse than we thought.


    If anything, that''s why I''m here. If the fort lives longer because of my coming, so much the better, and I''m sure my brother will be personally happy to see me dead. d*mn, I''ll get my revenge on my brother Geisel someday!


    But first I have to survive.


    The very night I was talking to Sivik.


    "The enemy is attacking!


    I jumped awake when I heard such a voice.


    I knew the enemy was going to take down our fortress in one fell swoop!


    But then something absolutely impossible happened.


    The gate is open! Where''s the kan-nuke? Even the gate''s latch has been removed!"


    The gate had become useless.


    The fact that our gate was open meant that some of our soldiers had been turned over to the enemy.


    We are outnumbered. If they get inside the gate, we are finished!


    "Laviara, never leave me!　I''ll take stock of the situation first!"


    "Yes, sir!　I will use the recovery magic I learned from my Elven mother, so please don''t move away from Raviara, Arsrod-sama!"


    Laviala was born a little earlier than me, so she is old enough to take up her profession, but she has not yet been to the temple. I guess she was worried about becoming an adult before me, her lord. Perhaps that is why she is not yet married, even though she is old enough to be married.


    Nevertheless, even without a profession, Laviala was already powerful enough. She had personally mastered magic. Perhaps this is the reason why a high percentage of the elves excel in magic. His skill with bow and arrow is also quite good.


    A large number of enemy soldiers had already entered the grounds of the fort. The crests on their armor were clearly from the neighboring Minerian territory.


    "Once the enemy has entered, it is probably a general attack. It could mean a night attack, so there is a possibility that 500 men, if not all of them, are attacking.


    "Five hundred men!　You can''t win that!"


    Some of them were able to use attack magic or were cutting enemy soldiers with their kamaitachi, but they were outnumbered. The soldiers were moving slowly, even though they were attacked at night.


    If there was a magic swordsman here, he might be able to defeat the enemies one after another by himself and break the situation, but such a thing is a story in the military world.


    Common sense tells us that the castle will fall.


    Sivik, the general of the castle, has come to me. He already has a bow and arrow in his leather armor.


    "I''m afraid it''s all over now. We must all die. ......"


    It is true that we will not be able to retreat in time.


    My life was too short. I''ve only just grown up, and it''s been less than a month.


    It''s so quick, it doesn''t even make me sad. That''s why I didn''t want to be the second son of a weak lord.


    I wish I could just let Raviara go.


    Raviara! You get away! I can handle you alone. Don''t let the men catch you. You''re so cute!"


    "Please stop calling me cute at a time like this: ......"


    Laviala was crying, but she had not yet given up.


    "Laviala will fight. That is the job of Laviala, who has served Master Arsrod!"


    "Well, what can I do to help you?"


    "Get rid of all your enemies."


    Laviala said mischievously.


    You can''t do that. It''s a joke.


    But then...


    But then... for some unknown reason... I felt a kind of confidence.


    --I can get through this. After all, you have a job with the potential to become the High King.


    I thought I heard something like an inner voice.


    Don''t tell me that the profession of Oda Nobunaga is ...... such an extraordinary one?


    I drew my sword.


    I don''t have time to put on my heavy armor, but it makes it easier to move.


    "Raviara, I will protect you. Watch me carefully.


    "Wow, okay. ......!　That''s why you are Arsrod!"


    For a moment, Laviala was taken aback, but she still smiled at me.


    I''ve learned a lot of swordsmanship. You won''t die so easily.


    He leaps toward the enemy.


    At that moment, he hears his inner voice again.


    --He activates his special ability, the power of the High King. Physical ability, only during battle, is doubled.


    Special abilities are supposed to be something that can only be acquired through a great deal of skill in one''s profession. A person who does not even know what his profession is cannot use it. And doubling is absurd. It is a dimensional change that immediately turns an ordinary person into a superhuman. .......


    But if it sounds like that, we have no choice but to believe it.


    Please, ODA Nobunaga!