Chapter 100: Outbreak of Civil War
「Captain, a force has arrived at Gantz. We estimate they’ll advance on Ares next.」
It was not even a month after we’d safely finished moving the settlers when a shocking transmission came in from Iris.
What?
A feed opened in the virtual window. Bathed in the morning sun outside Gantz’s familiar city gate, soldiers were massing. Which noble house commands them?
The crest zoomed in and was run against the database.
「So it’s the Count of Gantz. How many?」
「Total strength, approximately 3,000.」
That many, huh.
The Count of Gantz was one of the Kingdom of Belta’s foremost nobles. Even so, the number was excessive.
「What about troop movements from the prime minister and Count Khalifa?」
「No activity within the prime minister’s domain. A body presumed to be Count Khalifa’s—eight hundred strong—is marching toward Gantz. ETA is roughly one week.」
Erwin had apparently stopped the prime minister’s private troops as planned. However, at most, our estimate for the prime minister’s private army had been four to eight hundred.
So why is this headcount so far off?
A map popped up in the virtual window. One glance, and I understood. Distance.
「The Count of Gantz is a local great noble, so his movement time is minimal. He likely called on neighboring nobles and swelled his numbers.」
Marquis Burke’s and Count Khalifa’s household troops had been calculated with the march into the Forest in mind. The longer the distance, the higher the cost. That’s why Erwin’s original read had been that eight hundred was the ceiling for lords whose domains lay far from the Great Demon Forest.
When a local great lord like the Count of Gantz raised the levy, the army would balloon not only to the limits of his own musters but also by how many allied nobles joined him.
Troublesome numbers.
We have about a hundred clan members at hand. I’m confident our quality eclipses theirs, but taking on an enemy thirty or forty times our size would be rough.
Should we hole up in Ares?
No—Ares still isn’t fully functioning as a city. If we were attacked, the craftsmen we’d hired and the settlers would panic.
We’ll finish this in the Forest, just as planned. There’s no other choice.
「Captain, if a hundred of us crash into them head-on without drone support, our win rate drops below twenty percent.」
「We’ll build a plan. Selena, Sharon.」
「「Yes.」」
「We’ll meet them in the Forest with a hundred Satellite Squad members. Keep that assumption in mind and start organizing the situation. I’m calling a council.」
「「Understood.」」
「Iris, show me projected numbers if we raise troops inside Ares. We should have backup beyond the Satellite Squads—some of those who escorted Roberto’s vanguard. I want an exact count. Also tally potential adventurers we could ask to help defend Ares.」
「Calculated.」
I ran my eyes over the figures in the virtual window. About seven hundred eighty. Not bad. But that looked like we were stretching.
「Iris, exclude those in high-priority posts within the city and any adventurers; give me numbers for people who can focus solely on soldiering. We don’t need a full-mobilization scenario this time.」
「Revised.」
About four hundred thirty. Roughly forty percent of the vanguard’s eleven hundred—that tracks. Even this is probably a stretch. We had moved a total of 2,650 people to Ares. Together with the Satellite Squads, that gave us around five hundred forty. If we were to hold a siege, Iris likely judged we’d need at least that many.
Against an attacking force of three thousand, a bit over five hundred on defense isn’t bad. We could hole up in Ares if we had to.
「Shall we change our plan to a siege?」
Selena’s question came through.
「No. We have no scheduled relief. Given that, a siege isn’t wise. Our operation remains an interception in the Forest. Even a hundred versus three thousand can be a win if we drop the commander.」
「Target the commander—understood.」
Selena’s acknowledgment came back.
If we used Iris’s and the drones’ capabilities to the fullest, identifying the enemy commander would be easy. We could even assassinate Count Gantz by drone. But a decapitation strike aimed only at the commander is a double-edged sword. This time, we needed to drive the enemy to withdraw after making both sides understand we’d won by our own strength, not by fickle fortune.
「Iris, unless there’s an unforeseen emergency, limit the drones to recon and support. That’s an order. If a member of Shining Star is about to be harmed, lift that restriction. Use your own judgment to scout and preempt threats—but execute as inconspicuously as possible. Questions?」
「None, Captain.」
We gathered the principals and convened a war council: the members of Shining Star main party, each Satellite Squad leader, Lord Leister, and Roberto—the usual faces.
「Bad news: Count Jurgen of Gantz is marching on us with around three thousand men.」
A murmur rippled through the room.
「My intent is to form an interception force centered on a hundred from the Satellite Squads and meet them in the Forest. That said, we’ll make basic preparations to hold a siege as well. Roberto, form a defensive unit for Ares from the eleven hundred in the vanguard. Let’s say… four hundred.」
「As you command, Alan-sama. I’ll see to the organization as soon as we adjourn.」
「A total of five hundred on our side, then. Even if we hole up, we can manage against three thousand.」
「Right, Adjutant Dalshim. The Great Demon Forest is our home ground. It crawls with monsters. An expeditionary army will advance jumpy and off-balance. We’ll strike from ambush and cull their numbers.」
I laid out the plan I’d gone over with Iris.
「Rout the enemy after their long march and fall back to Ares—quite achievable, I should think.」
Dalshim, having weighed the contents, offered his assessment.
「We’ve also got Gloria. While they’re quaking in their boots over her, we might even take Count Gantz’s head.」
「If that happens, do we press straight on to Gantz?」
The squad leaders took it as morale-building banter and the room lit up. A probing attack before a siege was standard practice anyway, so the proposal went over smoothly.
「As for those remaining in Ares—Ria, Roberto, can I ask this of you?」
「Alan, I can fight too. Why?」
「I need you and Roberto to turn those four hundred into an effective force. Roberto knows them best, and they gathered here for your sake, Ria. I need you to be the banner they rally to and to guard the home we’ll return to. That’s something only you can do.」
Dalshim nodded. As a former royal guard, he would be concerned for Ria’s safety. With the possibility this would turn into a full-force strike to fell the Count of Gantz, having Ria along risked throwing the chain of command into confusion. And wanting Ria somewhere safe—that was a sentiment we all shared.
「Cleria-sama, Alan-sama is worried for you because you’re dear to him.」
With Roberto’s gentle prod, Ria finally dipped her head.
「All right, Alan.」
She had, no doubt, grasped the weight of taking charge of Ares and those four hundred lives.
「Roberto, support Ria. Only you can organize four hundred for her sake.」
「Yes, please leave Ria-sama to me. I’ll give it everything.」
「Allow my son and me to fight at your side as well.」
Lord Leister volunteered. His knowledge would be invaluable if negotiations with the enemy became necessary, and he’d know their force compositions inside and out.
「In that case, I’d like the two of you to remain by my side as advisers this time. We may not end up facing Burke—but is that acceptable?」
「Of course. Let our swords be of use.」
For them too, if we fell here, they’d have nowhere to go. They are desperate.
「I can promise nothing on a battlefield, but so long as you remain close to me, I’ll do everything in my power to keep harm from you.」
I swept my gaze over everyone.
「We’re short on hands this time. I want every Satellite Squad member—the elite—with us.」
「Yes, Alan-sama.」
「Elna, you’ll come too, won’t you?」
Elna glanced to Ria for a heartbeat, then nodded.
「Alan, take care of Lady Norian.」
「Ria, on my honor I swear I’ll protect Elna—and everyone else—as far as my strength can reach.」
I looked around the table. Everyone except Ria and Roberto would sortie for the interception.
「It may sound like wishful thinking, but let’s bring everyone back alive after we crush the enemy. With this team, I know we can.」
「「「「「Yes!」」」」」
We fixed the time of departure and broke to make ready.
「Alan, are we taking the pulse rifles with us?」
「Of course. If you judge there’s danger, don’t hesitate to use it.」
We can’t afford to lose valuable people here. Until troop numbers roughly even out, we’ll use what we have.
Fortunately for us, the number of horses has increased for transport, so everyone can fight mounted. Cavalry outmatches infantry. It won’t magically erase the disparity, but the mobility edge would matter.
I attached Squads 7 and 8 to Selena, and 9 and 10 to Sharon, sending them on separate assignments. They were to move ahead and secure designated points.
Strictly speaking, the Satellite Squads had an eleventh: the team Heinz had led—the one we’d rescued in the capital. Until now, they’d been excluded from the rolls to focus on recovery and training, but it was time to bring them back.
Elna, who’d once been in that squad, was now out, leaving them at nine members, so I temporarily added Julian—Erwin’s nephew. Not the hundred I’d first envisioned; one hundred and ten. Up by ten percent. As a squad leader, I have to tell Heinz to join future councils.
Until now, Julian has been working under Katolle, partly to keep him under watch and partly because I didn’t know where to post him, but we need every single combatant we can get, and he should have considerable combat strength being part of an intelligence unit and all that.
Considering Heinz’s men might not be at full strength yet, I put them on wagon-guard for the supply carts. Lord Leister and his son were placed with them as well.
「Adjutant Dalshim, are we set?」
「Alan-sama, we are ready across the board.」
With Elna and me were seven Satellite Squads—seventy people. Add eleven drivers for the wagons. Add the forty-two who’d already gone on ahead in the two forward squads—that made one hundred twenty-five. That was the entire interception force.
「Let’s move out, Adjutant Dalshim.」
「To arms! Open the gate!」
At Dalshim’s command, Ares’s main gate swung wide. With every Satellite Squad deploying, from today Ria and Roberto’s subordinates would take up the city’s defenses.
「I’ll be praying for all your safe return.」
Seeing us off, Ria watched as we left Ares behind.
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