Published: January 15, 2026
As the sun was setting, the sky ahead was beautifully painted red by the sunset, gradually darkening as if the fire was dying out, leaving only faint traces of the red glow behind.
The mountains in the western sky remained as silhouettes, with everything below them dyed black. Normally, this scenery wouldn’t change, and until you got closer, you wouldn’t know what lay at the foot of those mountains.
But this moment was different.
In the distance, flames flickered, followed by the echoing sound of explosions reaching us. Intermittent bursts of fire illuminated the shadow of buildings at the mountain’s base.
“...It feels like they’re under a heavy attack.”
“I think they definitely are.”
Row, appointed as the interim knight commander of the Seato knight order, replied with a serious expression after I muttered that. If you looked closely, you could occasionally see the shadows of flying dragons appearing at the mountain pass.
“I feel like it might be dangerous to get closer... am I just imagining it?”
“No doubt about it. It’s dangerous.”
When I asked if it was dangerous, I was firmly told it was. That put me in a pretty blue mood.
“...You seem pretty calm about this, but isn’t Marquis Feltio at the fortress currently under attack?”
Panamera’s voice came from behind, probably unable to stand my relaxed attitude any longer. Her tone carried a hint of exasperation.
Yeah, I get it. Even from a distance, I saw flames shooting into the sky clearly, and I figured My Daddy must be holding back the combined forces of Shelvia and Yelinetta while grumbling on the front lines. Well, there’s no way My Daddy would just die easily. If he wasn’t there, the fortress would probably have already fallen.
Since the battle was still ongoing, I assumed My Daddy was energetically playing with fire on the battlefield.
“...Well, with that much exploding going on, it’s probably tough. I might get scolded, but maybe I should quietly join in.”
My Daddy, huh... can’t help him.
With that, I turned my back on Fortress Centena and looked at our Seato knight order. We only had a few dozen members, while the Panamera knight order numbered over five hundred. Compared to the high nobility, our numbers were sadly small, but we were certainly elite. Feeling a bit down comparing the two, I quickly gave instructions to the Seato knight order.
“All right! Now, I’ll explain the strategy! Everyone in the super strongest rapid-fire mechanical bow unit, prepare the ballistas on the armored car and follow at the rear! Miss Arte’s puppet will lead the front and advance at the right moment! First, everyone must reach Fortress Centena! After that, we’ll focus on repairing and reinforcing Centena to maintain its defense! Any questions?”
Since the Panamera knight order was present, I gave a somewhat more polite explanation than usual. The Seato knight order didn’t seem to have any questions, but Panamera crossed her arms and tilted her head.
“Wait a moment, boy. That puppet of Miss Arte — is it that puppet magic? I’m sorry, but what effect do you expect one or two puppets to have on such a fierce battlefield?”
Panamera said in a somewhat stern tone, probably because she knew how harsh the battlefield was. However, that worry was misplaced. In this current situation, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Arte was our greatest asset.
Smiling with a mysterious sense of superiority toward Panamera, who didn’t know this fact, I answered.
“Rest assured. Arte is capable.”
Panamera’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“...That smile somehow annoys me. Well, fine. If you say so, I’ll allow Arte’s puppet to participate inside that armored car.”
Sensing my confidence, Panamera compromised and awaited my response. She was somewhat overprotective of Arte. If it was because she was a girl, I wish she’d show the same overprotectiveness toward Van-kun, the genius boy.
No, I didn’t have time to think about that now.
“Now, about the deployment of Viscount Panamera’s knight order — what do you want to do? Personally, I think it’s better for you to act in small, scattered groups to minimize casualties.”