The conquest of Nargst Province itself, where Yagmouri Castle is located, had already been almost completed by the units of Kosivik and Maissel Uige.


    However, the communication with the royal capital was still in a difficult state of progress. Otherwise, there would be no time to build Yagmouri Castle.


    Kerala returned to Yagmouri Castle much earlier than planned. Perhaps she had used a fast horse.


    "Kerala, I am leaving this castle in your hands for the time being. Do with it what you will.


    Kerala politely thanked me.


    "I humbly accept your offer. I will make sure that this castle will be protected.


    "No matter how stupid you are, this place will not fall. Your biggest job may be taking care of Rumi.


    I have taken care of your wife.


    I laughed at her, thinking she was a woman who couldn''t take a joke. That''s why Kerala was in charge, so I guess it was my fault too.


    "The next time I come back here, it will be in triumph.


    I believe it is.


    Then Kerala approached me and whispered in my ear.


    "Your Majesty, if news of the rebellion reaches us, we will contact you immediately."


    "Okay. I believe you."


    Before leaving for the Giant Island Division, I took another look at Yagmouri Castle from the outside.


    It was an unprecedentedly large fortress.


    Probably no other castle in the country has such a large moat. Even a royal castle should not be this big.


    "This castle will not fall no matter what. If you have a hard time in the Giant Island area, you can come back here.


    "You have to take a boat to get to the giant island section. ....... Laviala is not good at boats ......"


    For those of Elven blood, the people of the forest, the prospect of going out to sea is apparently daunting.


    "If you are worried, go to sleep as soon as you get on the boat. You can cross the Sanado Strait while you nap.


    "You''re not going to sink, are you ......?"


    It seems that being rooted to the ground is not good for being on a rocking boat.


    "If the boat sinks, let the other boats pick it up. As long as all the boats don''t sink, it doesn''t matter. If they all sink, swim."


    I led my army to a port called "The Nose of the Earth" at the western end of the Nargust Province.


    Here I joined up with the troops of Kosivik and Maissel Uge.


    There are already numerous fleets of ships at the "Snout of the Earth". Some of them are owned by Solstice Nistonia. For this reason, we had our ships assembled ahead of time.


    Soltis Nistonia itself was not taking part in this battle, but his brother, a man named Ordana, was leading the troops.


    I greet Ordana. Compared to Soltis, Ordana had the tan of a man of the sea.


    "The marines are already ready. We have been here for a while and have learned as much as we can about the tides. Please, don''t worry.


    "You have the look of a pirate. I trust you more than I trust the pale merchantman''s ship."


    "Since I didn''t have to take over the family, I was asked to organize the men at sea. They are all fired up, feeling that it would be a shame to be outdone by the men of the Giant Island Division. If you wish, we can go directly to the former king''s stronghold without going ashore.


    "Not a bad move, but the former king is based inland. Let''s start with the front and take it from there. Many of our men are not accustomed to long boat rides.


    The former King Pahtus has "moved" to the city of Soferi, right on the border of the territories of the two great island lords, Count Talmud and Count Samyus. This may be a result of his concern for both of the two lords. A state of war between the two would be the worst thing that could happen to the former king. It will take all the power of the people of Giant Island to retake the capital.


    We must rally all the forces of the Giant Islands.


    We moved our warships into the Straits of Sanado.


    The voyage itself was uneventful. The other side of the strait was in sight.


    We already knew which of the enemy''s Talmudic strongholds were ready to fight.


    Absy Hanistra, Count of the Talmud, is a great lord who controls the three northern provinces of the Gigantic Isles. He is of noble blood, descended from an ancient military aristocracy, and has been a financially wealthy man, trading with foreign countries for generations.


    The reason why the Talmudic counts could not rule was that the Giant Islands were remote from the capital.


    There must have been a regent who acted as a regent for a time, but he had to rush back to the capital in a hurry because of the rebellion while he was away from his home base. Therefore, they do not like to leave their lands too much.


    Besides, the great lords of the Giant Islands are proud that their lands are inherently more culturally advanced than the Giant Islands. In the past, there was a vassal who suggested that the whole island should be independent from the Kingdom of Thirlwil. In fact, it used to be a separate country.


    So there would have been no resistance to welcoming the former king Pahtus.


    --I don''t know if the Talmudic Count is Otomo or Ouchi, but either way, he is a survivor of the guardianship. It doesn''t matter.


    On board the ship, Oda Nobunaga was somehow more enthusiastic than usual.


    --As a matter of fact, I never set foot on Kyushu soil myself. My life had run out before that. So I''m somewhat elated.


    Not that Kyushyu, though. But what we do is the same.


    Fortunately, there are many sunny days in the Giant Island area at this time of the year. It was perfect for boarding.


    I''m not afraid of storms. I''m afraid we''ll be out of our element.


    --By all rights, guns should''ve come from Tanegashima. I feel sorry for our enemies who don''t know how to use guns.


    You don''t feel sorry for them.


    They will try to hold us back with a small fort and destroy us on the plain.


    That''s where we''ll show them the power of our guns.


    My army has landed safely on the giant island.