Published: January 13, 2026
[Earlhardt Asbach Yelinetta]
“What did you say!?”
He shouted, slamming his hand on the table. The sharp sound echoed off the stone floor and walls, ringing through the room. Glaring at the messenger soldier who flinched at my words, he opened his mouth again.
“Repeat that ridiculous report one more time!”
“Y-yes, sir! The southwestern Werner Fortress has fallen! After the Border Knight Order retreated, the Scuderia Kingdom’s knight order left in the fortress was said to be only a small force, so we immediately launched a counterattack—but that also ended in failure! The damage is severe, and currently, we have fallen back as far as Fortress City Gloser, where we are regrouping!”
“Impossible...!”
Hearing the messenger’s report again, he threw a ceramic vessel he had in hand at the kneeling soldier. It struck the shoulder plate of his armor, causing the soldier to stagger slightly.
“This is no trivial joke! After all the preparation we made, to be defeated disgracefully on all three battlefields, and now our own base has been taken?! With all those weapons at their disposal, how could they possibly lose!?”
He slammed the table again, shouting angrily. The soldier trembled at the shoulders and stared hard at the floor, sweat dripping from his forehead, wetting the ground.
“I... I’m sorry... but there were various threats in Scuderia Kingdom unknown to us. Because of these, not only the Black Orbs but even large dragon species were neutralized. Perhaps our information was somehow leaked to the enemy...”
“Silence! We’ve heard that excuse too many times already!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
The soldier tried to speak excuses but was cut off by a sharp rebuke, replying in a quivering voice. Feeling irritated at the soldier’s fearful appearance, he worked to grasp the current situation.
At first, the plan was to defeat the Scuderia Kingdom with the aid of the Solstice Empire, the hegemon of the Central Continent, and seize control of the Grant Continent. Anyone would be ambitious when faced with Black Orbs and artillery capable of changing the tide of battle, even without magicians.
Of course, there was some unease about being forced into an alliance under unfavorable terms with the Solstice Empire—and the Hesel Federation, which lies across the sea—unable to oppose it. But the rising power of the Scuderia Kingdom in recent years was an even greater concern.
To defend their own lands, they bought large quantities of Black Orbs and artillery, showing submission to the Solstice Empire, and using those to gradually seize Scuderia Kingdom territories one after another. If they could gain enough trust from the Solstice Empire, they could obtain the manufacturing methods for Black Orbs, albeit under certain conditions.
Eventually, they aimed to build enough power to confront the Solstice Empire itself. That was the ultimate goal.
But now, such goals have become nothing more than idle talk. After all, they have suffered one defeat after another against the Scuderia Kingdom, which lacks Black Orbs and artillery. Anyone hearing this would scoff at the nation's miserable state as the folly of fools.
“...Why? Why has it come to this?”
Grinding his teeth, he murmured under his breath. When their kingdom clashed with the Solstice Empire’s knight orders, they were unable to fight properly after witnessing the power of Black Orbs and artillery. The Hesel Federation knights, who allied with Solstice earlier, were present but frankly insignificant. Or rather, the Solstice Empire was simply too strong.
The Solstice Empire’s knights arrayed twenty artillery pieces in a line, and their infantry carried Black Orbs. Although they had top-tier four element magicians, they could only manage to destroy two artillery pieces. While attempting to take out a third, one of their knights was struck by another artillery blast and severely wounded.
They also tried attacks with bows and cavalry charges, but it was utterly ineffective. Simply carrying large shields that could fully cover a heavily armored infantryman neutralized their attacks. Forcibly breaking through only made them easy targets for artillery fire the moment they paused.