Published: January 15, 2026
After all, Van-kun is a boy. Well, there’s no “after all” about it—he’s clearly a boy, and that’s fine.
There are several things boys tend to like: vehicles, large creatures, scientific matters, new machines… Van-kun loves all of those. But there’s something else he likes—history.
I’m aware of the existence of history-loving girls, as the term “rekijo” shows, but among those around me, many favored the Bakumatsu period. Van-kun, however, is all about the Sengoku era. Especially Oda, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa—they’re fascinating to compare, with turbulent and captivating episodes. Of course, he also likes Takeda, Uesugi, Date, and Sanada.
If I were to go on at length, it would get out of hand, so I’ll skip it. Personally, I get most excited by stories of small forces defeating large armies. Next, I enjoy tales where, using wisdom, a smaller force successfully defends their territory or castle against overwhelming numbers.
This very Centena defensive battle fits perfectly.
Because of all that, Van-kun was fired up to the max.
“All right! As planned, the Centena knight order and the Feltio knight order will jointly defend the top of the castle walls! Also, Talga and the earth magicians will work with me to reinforce the fort! Mr. Panamera and Arte, are you ready?”
“Y-yes...!”
“Leave it to us.”
After giving the orders, the burly older men all sprang into action, and the beautiful women like Mr. Panamera and Arte gave enthusiastic replies. Oh, it really feels like I’ve become a warlord.
Cheerfully issuing instructions, I set about building ballistae. We had already made ten of them, so next came iron arrows. Wooden blocks pack enough punch, but iron extends the range. Iron is still the best.
“...! Just as Baron Van predicted, the Shelvia Confederation seems to have started moving early! According to scouts, though we can’t see them yet, a large army is forming up!”
“Oh, I thought so. So, have the flying dragons already taken off?”
“No, no wings of flying dragons in sight!”
From the castle walls, a member of the Seato village knight order confirmed via semaphore. But no wyverns yet—are they waiting for something? True, if the ballista fires first, it would be hard to quickly adjust aim upward to target wyverns. But are they that strategic?
“...No, capable commanders never underestimate their opponents. Hmm, maximum caution is required.”
I chided myself, feeling like a great strategist from history. Lost in such thoughts, I gave orders to everyone on the walls.
“The enemy might be delaying wyvern deployment to avoid ballista fire! For now, proceed as planned!”
“Understood!”
With that reply, the Seato village knight order spread out to guard different points. Their members possess exceptionally sharp eyesight, so they are deployed on the walls and the highest levels of the fort.
As I smoothly continued making arrows, a tense voice rang out from the walls.
“Th-they’re coming...!”
Everyone began to stir. I was preparing alongside Kamushin, Til, and Arte beneath the walls, and even their expressions looked tense.
“What’s their formation?”
I asked a member of the Seato village knight order. An immediate reply came back.
“It seems to be spread thinly to the left and right! Two units at the front, one in the center, and two at the rear!”
“I don’t quite get it, but... is it like a string or belt stretched out, divided into five units?”
“Ah, yes! That’s the formation!”
We joked a bit, imagining it. Considering the map, the path narrows due to hills and forests in the back. Perhaps they formed a vertical line and then changed formation when they reached open ground? If so, these knights are quite disciplined.
If they were marching in a long, narrow line, we might have been able to pull off a bucket-harbor attack by charging from the side where the commander was. What a missed opportunity.
No, now it’s important to grasp the enemy’s movements and plan the next action.
“They’re clever too! That means the effectiveness of the ballista attack will be halved, so let’s switch to targeting their cannons!”