Chapter 23 - Aurora Storm

"I see.

Zio-Gilberth did not raise an eyebrow at the report brought to him by his subordinate. Gio-Gilberth did not raise an eyebrow at the report that came from his subordinate: that Gandia was moving to retake Balcer Fortress. But it was something he had expected and was not surprised by.

Geo-Gilberth. He looked to be a man in his mid-thirties. He was in his mid-thirties, but his hair was beginning to turn gray, and his face was covered with wrinkles.

His tawny eyes, however, had not lost any of their vitality, and upon hearing the news of the advance of Gandia, they lit up with light.

The time he had been waiting for had come.

Five years had passed since he had become the general of Rognor. He had been appointed as a general in his twenties, which had initially brought him into the limelight both inside and outside of the country, but he had been unable to achieve much in the way of success despite his flying around the battlefields, and eventually the generals and people of Logner had grown tired of him, and he had even been silenced.

I can't help but wonder where he went wrong. As a general in his twenties, he was supposed to have a rosy future ahead of him. As long as he didn't make any major mistakes, and as long as he behaved himself, he was promised a glorious life.

But he had gone astray. He couldn't even cross the bridge to a brighter future and took a sudden turn. He was now the incompetent general of Rogner.

(That ends today. ...!

Gio clenched his fists tightly. The various hardships he had endured up to this point flashed through his mind like a flash of lightning.

He had crawled on the ground and slurped up mud to make it to this day. No matter what kind of criticism I received, I was determined to return to a rosy future. It was painful, but I could bear it. It was more painful for him to remain an incompetent general.

Yes, Gio had done everything in his power to become the commander of Balcer Fortress. He was able to get into the hands of royalty and aristocracy, increase his voice in the military ..., and was finally appointed as the commander of Balcer Fortress.

Balcer Fortress is the fortress in Gandia that Rognor, with the help of Zarwaan, was able to finally defeat six months ago, and is the key to the defense of the territory and the invasion of Gandia. It was the key to the defense of the territory and the invasion of Gandia. Considering Geo-Gilberth's achievements to date, it was an unworthy role. Gio himself understood that the slander against him was increasing because of this.

However, he believed that this could change depending on the outcome.

In other words, if he could defeat the Gandian forces that would eventually come to retake the fortress, and then use that momentum to crush Mardar and even conquer the royal capital of Gandion, everyone would have no choice but to shut their mouths. And admire them.

(With Logner's hero ...)

Gio immediately issued an order. Gio immediately issued an order for the entire army stationed at Balcer Fortress to intercept and destroy the Gandian Kingdom's forces.

The Balthar Plains stretch across the northern part of Gandia. It is about a two-day walk from Mardar.

This area of the plains, which used to be Gandia's territory, instantly came under Logner's control after the fall of the fortress that bears his name. However, a change in the ruling country would not bring about any change in the terrain.

There was nothing to see but a wide expanse of unobstructed land, lying in peace.

The wedge that was driven into the earth was the Balcer Fortress. The huge, thick walls of the fortress resembled a pentagonal star, and it was said that the appearance of the fortress was so magnificent that it made one forget to breathe.

Having defeated Logner's invasion several times, even with Zarwaan's help, Balcer Fortress has become synonymous with impregnability. And it was not lost even after the fortress fell into the hands of Rogner.

It was not only the enemy that could not get rid of this strong image. The soldiers of Gandia can't get rid of that strong image either. In fact, for the people of Gandia, the existence of the Balcer Fortress may have become too big. It must have been instilled in them by the fact that they had thwarted the repeated invasions of Rogner, and by the hype of the Gandian army.

However, Setsuna had no idea how great the Balcer Fortress was.

During the march, she had heard a lot of talk about the fortress. It's a bit of an exaggeration to say that I had an octopus in my ear, but I'm sure I heard enough to make me sick. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

Except for a single incident.

(Quon ...)

She mumbled the boy's name in her mind, then shook her head in panic. This is not the time to be thinking about trivial things. No matter what the boy had done in Balcer Fortress, it was irrelevant to Setsuna now.

Right now, she had to put all her energy into what was in front of her.

If not, you will die.

"Come on! I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

Sigurd's loud voice rang out under the blue sky just as the sun was reaching mid-heaven. The sun was extremely strong, and it was hard on Setsuna, who was wearing armor. Of course, it would be the same for the others.

The mercenaries of the Blue Wind and the other mercenaries were all wearing their own armor. Unlike the regular armies of other countries, there was no need for them to match. Some of them were covered with steel armor, while others wore only a breastplate. I don't know if they are more confident in their skills or if they simply don't want to wear them.

In any case, among the mercenaries who seemed to be all sorts of crooks, Setsuna and Faria might be the two who stood out the most. It is natural that Faria, the red-headed one, stands out, and it is also natural that Setsuna, who is as amateur as they come, stands out.

There was no way around it.

The two of them were working together with the Blue Wind under the direct orders of Leon Gand. In the first place, they are not in the service of the Kingdom of Gandia. Therefore, it was difficult for them to act as a regular army. So they were assigned to a mercenary unit, and as a result, they came under the control of Sigurd Fogliar, the leader of the Blue Wind, who took command of the mercenary unit.

This is the first time that I've ever seen such a thing. She just thought that was the way it was. Although she had entered the war at Leongando's request, that did not mean that she expected special treatment. It's not like everything was going to go smoothly from the start.

(Mercenaries: ... mercenaries, huh?

As it sounds, it's not bad. Although I don't know what it really is, it would be nice to see an unknown mercenary play a big role. But first, you have to be good enough to play an active role.

Setsuna suddenly took a glance at Faria, who was standing right next to her. She was wearing a light armor made for women, and it was surprising to see that her style had not been compromised at all.

Faria was meditating and seemed to be mumbling something to herself.

Setsuna had no idea what she was doing, but decided to leave her alone. He wanted to call out to her, but he didn't want to interrupt her.

"Do you remember me properly, Setsuna?

What?

The one who suddenly called out to Setsuna was Lux Vane. I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not.

"It's about tactics.

Lux was the only one in this army who was dressed in what could be described as plain clothes. He didn't even wear a breastplate. He wore a leather jacket over his simple clothes and carried an incredibly long sword on his back.

"No, well, that's just the way ... it is.

Setsuna squirmed, at a loss for a response. I'm not sure what to make of it. In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

It was impossible for her to picture the terrain in her mind. It was impossible to picture the formation in her mind, and she couldn't even find the right words to describe the formation. The only thing she could think of was a vague outline floating in her mind.

(I'm too stupid for my own good: ...)

It was Lux's cheerful words that saved Setsuna from falling into a pit of disappointment.

I think that's fine. I think that's fine. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. Leave the brain work to the XO.

Setsuna wanted to thank Lux for telling her this as if it was a matter of course. His words had saved her heart. There was nothing more gratifying to Setsuna than not having to think about difficult things.

And.

"Armed summoning.

With a voice that sounded like a cool breeze, a dazzling light shone into Setsuna's vision. Faria must have summoned her own weapon. I'm not sure what to make of this.

Setsuna turned her attention to Faria.

After the summoning was over, she had an ecstatic expression on her face. I'm not sure what to make of it.

"Aurora Storm - my summoning armament.

In Faria's left hand, she held an unusual bow that looked like a monstrous bird flapping in the sky.