Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord

【Cosworth Yelinetta】

Inside a large crimson tent, sunlight streamed in through the wide-open entrance. This was the only source of daylight inside. Because of this, the interior of the tent was dim, like being in a forest. Supplies, armor and weapons, and liquor were piled carelessly along the edges.

The ground was a grassland covered with short grass, but a thick carpet had been laid over it, and I was sitting on it. Sitting cross-legged, I looked down at the men sitting before me. When I tried to look at their faces, my gaze dropped because their faces were closer to the ground than mine, since they also sat cross-legged but with their heads lowered.

Kneeling on one knee on the ground, my younger brother Istana, together with the Hellenic knight commander, pressed their forearms to the ground and bowed their heads. This was an old ritualistic gesture in the Yelinetta Kingdom. It expressed either the utmost respect or the deepest apology.

Now, what sentiment were Istana and Hellenic trying to convey? It was difficult to tell.

“...Report in more detail.”

I instructed the two, who still had their heads bowed. Hellenic twitched in response, and Istana slowly lifted his face. He looked quite exhausted, which meant the battle had been intense. But despite being my brother, he was still hard to read.

As I was thinking this, Istana let out a thin breath, steadied his breathing, and began speaking.

“...It may be the same as the previous report, but I will explain again. Werner Fortress has fallen. We attempted a swift counterattack, but that also ended in retreat. Although the Kingdom of Scuderia’s army suffered damage in the two battles, our losses were greater. The cause of defeat was that we did not anticipate such a large army crossing the Wolfsburg Mountains. Also, they managed to build a fort between the fortress and the mountain path, a location advantageous by terrain.”

Istana gave a brief explanation of what was already in the report. Was he saying there was nothing more, or was he waiting for my response? He fell silent and looked up at me.

I mulled over the report in my head, trying to understand the situation. But it was not easy. Even the defense of the critical base assigned to Istana was baffling, and my other brothers had launched simultaneous attacks on three fronts with what should have been sufficient confidence, but all had failed, with unbelievable circumstances.

Though I had received detailed reports on everything, there were still parts I could not understand.

Feeling a headache coming on, I tilted my head and asked.

“...Werner Fortress is built immediately after crossing the Wolfsburg Mountains. In other words, they had to attack the fortress while risking a large demonic beast attacking from behind. If possible, building a fort there was the best choice. But I thought it wouldn’t be that easy... Was I mistaken?”

When I asked this, Istana furrowed his brows, appearing to ponder, then spoke.

“I thought so too. But the fact is, the fort was built. Probably through earth magic, but right after a small child came with knights and made what seemed like a declaration of war, a huge wall appeared. We immediately tried to change the situation using Black Orbs to attack, but even if we broke the wall, it was instantly repaired, and we couldn’t keep up... That rapid fortification technique is clearly a threat. If mishandled, it could be an even greater danger than artillery.”

In the end, Istana offered no more information beyond the report. I sighed and turned my gaze to Hellenic.

“...I understand what happened at Werner. Well, I’m not convinced, but that’s that. And I’ve heard about the other battlefields, yes? Large crossbows with terrifying range. And the immortal knight... Such unbelievable reports keep reaching me.”

“That is indeed the story of a mysterious force that appeared in Count Ferdinand’s Domain. It didn’t show up at Werner Fortress, so the initial assumption that it was the main force of the Kingdom of Scuderia’s army has weakened... I suspect they might be receiving assistance from another great power on the Central Continent,” Hellenic said, lowering his chin and gaze, sharing his opinion.