Published: January 15, 2026
【Jarpa】
"Welcome, Your Excellency. We are honored to have you."
In front of the gates of Fortress Centena, a tall man with long reddish-brown hair that almost covered his eyes looked down at us. This was Talga Brescia, the chief of the Border Knight Order guarding Centena. Talga was an imposing giant, standing over two meters tall. Coupled with muscles as solid as walls, he seemed like he belonged to a race of giants.
The knight order protecting Centena was formed by gathering troops from surrounding high nobility such as the Marquis Fertio family, House of Count Ferdinand, and Count Venturey, along with soldiers from the Wang family and ducal houses. By its nature, the knight commander was always selected from the Wang family or ducal families. Meanwhile, two deputy commanders were chosen from knights dispatched by the high nobility.
Until now, knights selected from the high nobility held a fair amount of influence in the order, but since Talga's arrival, they have been completely suppressed. That speaks volumes about Talga’s martial prowess and tactical abilities.
Talga continued in a deep voice fitting his stature.
"…If Your Excellency has come leading the knight order, I assume you are already aware of the situation."
"Of course. From this fortress onward is the territory of the Marquis Fertio family. We have several means to obtain information on the Shelvia Confederation."
Upon hearing this, Talga nodded slightly. Judging that no further conversation was necessary, he immediately turned on his heel and passed through the gates.
"This way," said a deputy commander and led the group forward. When Stradale glanced over, he nodded silently and looked back at the knights.
"Half the knight order will enter Centena! The rest prepare for camping!"
Stradale said no more and quickly followed behind.
As we walked through Centena, the walls and floors of bare stone without any elegant interiors bore witness to the fortress's scale, a sign that the threat from the Shelvia Confederation had been underestimated. Centena was a fortress housing around five thousand soldiers, medium-sized for a fortress or fortress city guarding the border.
Its design meant corridors were only wide enough for a few to walk side by side, shoulders nearly touching.
In front of the walls facing the Shelvia Confederation were a courtyard and supply warehouses to gather troops, but otherwise, the narrow grounds were efficiently used with no waste.
Feeling a bit claustrophobic as we proceeded down the corridor, we were led into a large room. A big table dominated the center, covered with a map which was immediately recognizable as that of the Shelvia Confederation.
Talga moved to the far side of the table and gestured silently for me to sit near it. I took a seat and glared down at the map.
"…So, what is the current situation?"
I asked, and Talga pointed to a spot on the map. It was a fortress city of the Shelvia Confederation not far from here — a key defensive point for them.
"There was quite some chaos, but movements have finally begun. The knight orders gathered here are being reorganized, and we have largely grasped the flow of supplies. We’ve also confirmed the existence of certain special weapons."
"…Black Orbs and cannons, huh. So, the Yelinetta Kingdom is indeed active."
"Exactly. Moreover, there are reports of wagons bearing the Yelinetta Kingdom's military flags and emblems. It seems the Shelvia Confederation’s cooperation with Yelinetta extends across both the eastern and western regions."
Hearing Talga’s words, I let out a deep, heavy sigh.
"…Yelinetta is really thinking foolish things."
I muttered, and all eyes turned toward me.
"Are you referring to the alliance with Shelvia and the allied forces to attack us?"
One of the deputy commanders asked, making me involuntarily click my tongue.
"Fools! Anyone can see that such a thing would be exposed immediately! Why do you think they ostentatiously prepared their own military flags? Think about it!"
Shouting this, the foolish deputy commander who had asked the question shrank back, shoulders trembling in shame. What kind of knight is this? Just watching him irritated me.