3
“Al, you stay behind for a moment. I have something to talk to you about.”
Just as everyone else had filed out of the room, Princess Valtrune stopped me.
“Something to talk about?”
“Yes. It’s important.”
‘Important’… Does she mean it’s related to the Kingdom’s army or the Order?
But, completely betraying my mundane prediction, she puffed out her cheeks in an adorable pout and hooked her index finger under my chin.
“My name… It’s not ‘Your Highness,’ is it?”
“Eh, ah…!”
“I made sure to call you ‘Al,’… and you’ve already forgotten.”
It had completely slipped my mind. Maybe because the situation was so tense, I wasn’t paying attention to what I called her.
“You’re my personal knight, and yet you’re breaking your promise to me. Hmph.”
“No, I just…”
“No excuses. It seems a knight who breaks his promise needs to be punished.”
“Punished…”
She gave me a slightly mischievous smile and poked me lightly on the chest.
“It’s already been decided, so you’d better prepare yourself.”
“Ugh… Yes.”
I couldn’t say anything back as Princess Valtrune forcibly concluded the conversation.
4
The southern part of the Dyrst region.
This area, which the Kingdom’s army was highly likely to invade, had to be meticulously surveyed for our defensive preparations.
The clatter of many horseshoes and the heavy, thudding footsteps of the cavalry drakes vibrated the ground.
I was also mounted, riding among the soldiers of the Provisional Elite Corps, my gaze fixed intently on the landscape ahead.
This was a mission that carried enough weight to decide the outcome of the war with the Kingdom.
“Aldia. It’s almost time to move to the next location.”
“Right. How many magic tools do we have left?”
“We should still have about seventy percent of them.”
Petra, her glossy blond hair swaying, looked coolly at the mass of magic tools loaded onto the wagon. She shielded her eyes from the dazzling sun with one hand and gave a slight shrug.
“I have to admit, handling this many magic tools is making me nervous.”
“Nervous? Why?”
“…Isn’t it obvious? Because they’re expensive.”
That’s her reason?
But she was completely serious, grumbling in a miserable voice, “This is one job I would never trust Steano with… I’m sure he’d try to pocket one or two of them.”
Steano… so you have zero credibility when it comes to handling magic tools. Got it.
As I was amusing myself with such trivial thoughts, the riders at the front of the column reined in their horses.
“Sir Aldia, we’ve arrived!”
We were in the vast, open plains of the Dyrst region.
It was a wide-open, exposed place, where a strong gust of wind felt like it could knock you over. The soldiers of the Provisional Elite Corps dismounted from their horses and drakes.
“This place is even bigger than I expected.”
Petra murmured under her breath, staring out at the endless green grassland.
“The Dyrst region is vast.”
“Looks like it… But there’s nothing here. It’s a terrible place for a battle.”
“I know.”
There was no cover whatsoever. Just an enormous, empty space. If it turned into an archery duel or a magic exchange, there would be massive casualties on both sides.
But that’s exactly why it was so vital to rig this flat terrain with magic tools.
I gave a small wave to the soldiers at the rear. They bustled over and began unloading the magic tools, which were packed in large burlap sacks, from the wagons.
“Petra, have the soldiers spread out in a single line. We’re going to set up the tools all over this area.”
“I have to ask… are you serious?”
“Of course I am.”
“…This is just… manual labor, isn’t it.”
“It is. Good thing you were free to help.”
“I wasn’t ‘free,’ but… sigh. I guess it can’t be helped.”
Staring into the distance, she shook her head as if to say, “give me a break,” and picked up one of the tools with a disgruntled look on her face.
I knew exactly how she felt. I was also dreading the mind-numbingly tedious work ahead of us. But it had to be done.
This was a critical step that would influence the entire upcoming war.
“Sorry, but we’re not going home until this is done.”
“I know. Let’s just get this over with.”
There was no brilliant battle to be fought here. Just the difficult, tedious work of burying a massive number of magic tools, one by one, into the empty plain.
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