Published: January 13, 2026
【Murcia】
Van narrowed his eyes and said, "There is a traitor." His expression was anything but childlike, and I felt cold sweat run down my spine. Usually, Van is kind and gentle, but at this very moment, he seemed like a battle-hardened veteran who had survived countless fierce battles.
Was it because he inherited the strong bloodline of my father, Jarpa? Or was it Van's innate temperament? Either way, there was no doubt he possessed a talent for warfare that I lacked.
"…But I don’t understand why anyone would conspire with the Yelinetta Kingdom…"
I managed to say only that before Van gave a wry smile and looked outside.
"There are several possible reasons, but they’re all just speculation. Well, for now, there are other grounds to suspect a traitor. For years, the Kingdom of Scuderia hasn’t been able to expand its territory, and the fact that the Scuderia side was completely unprepared for the initial surprise attack is also troubling."
Van spoke as he cautiously observed the movements of the Yelinetta Kingdom’s army on the ground. He explained it as if it were nothing, but what he said was terrifying. Listening to him made me feel as though my thoughts had finally caught up.
"…In other words, the reason why our country couldn’t expand its territory until now is because someone was leaking information to the Yelinetta Kingdom. If that’s also why the surprise attack succeeded, then that traitor must be one of the nobles from the eastern part of the kingdom…"
As I spoke, I shuddered at the dreadful thought. Even though Scuderia is considered one of the great powers, if a noble responsible for defending the border is colluding with the enemy, there’s nothing we can do. At a critical moment, they’d be attacked and lose territory. Depending on how that information is used, the enemy might even advance to the capital city.
However, Van gave a vague smile.
"That’s true. But I think it’s dangerous to suspect only the nobles."
"Huh?"
Just as I gave a half-hearted reply to his unexpected words, a violent roar shook the ground from the direction of the castle walls. The shock and noise, which I had heard many times before, were from the infamous Black Orbs.
"Oh, I wonder if the walls are holding up."
Van leaned forward with only the mild surprise of someone who accidentally knocked over a glass on the table, while I shrank back in fear. He squinted and stared into the distance.
Then, as if on cue, a series of fierce explosions from the Black Orbs echoed.
Irregular and widespread explosions like frantic attacks were happening beyond the castle walls.
"Ah, they’ve pulled back."
Amid the deafening sounds, Van said with narrowed eyes.
Indeed, now that he mentioned it, the Yelinetta Kingdom’s army seemed to be keeping some distance from the walls, maybe to avoid being caught in the explosions.
After confirming that, Van turned his gaze to a small castle diagonally ahead and spoke.
"Are the ultra-powerful catapults ready?"
"Yes! They’re ready!"
"Alright! Let’s do a test shot!"
With that casual order, something moved deep inside the small castle. It wasn’t very clear from here, but it looked like something had been mounted on the side.
Curious about what would happen, I watched as a dark object was launched with a rushing sound of wind. It arced through the sky.
As if it had eyes, the object fell toward the rear ranks of the Yelinetta Kingdom’s army.
Immediately, it exploded with a loud bang. Though the flame was not as visible as with the Black Orbs, its power was considerable. Scores of soldiers in the rear ranks tumbled to the ground, and their formation was thrown into chaos.
To make matters worse for the enemy, Van’s ballistae were firing one after another. They must have been overwhelmed.
At this point, it might be safe to say the battle was decided. Just as I thought that, Van spoke with curiosity.
"…Huh? They’re not retreating?"
I turned my gaze back to the battlefield at his words. Indeed, despite taking heavy damage, the enemy showed no sign of withdrawal.