A knight kneels before me, Caron, and Orca. He was a large man in his mid-thirties, with a stubble beard and a rough appearance. His manner was respectful, but the expression on his face was somewhat aloof.
"Did the Knight Commander conduct the reconnaissance himself?"
I let out an exasperated voice.
That's right. The man in front of me was the commander of Foranada's Knights. His name is Brazelda.
He was one of the youngest Knight Commanders in the noble family, but there was a reason for that.
When I took over the Foranada, I demolished the Knight's Order. Because of my incompetent father, it had become very corrupt.
So most of the people who had joined the Order through connections were corrupt, and they were all in the upper echelons of the Order, and as a result, the young Brazelda was given the job.
Brazelda was a commoner, and his character was as rough as he looked, but he was a very talented man. Although he wasn't good at magic, he was a great swordsman. His level was 45, which was considered quite high.
Hearing my words, Brazelda replied with his head bowed.
"I was the best at reconnaissance this time."
"Brazelda-sama!"
Shion tried to reprimand him for speaking without permission and for not using language that was appropriate for the son of a lord.
But I stopped her.
"It's all right, Shion."
"But…"
"I already said, it's fine."
"...I understand."
She still wanted to continue, but when I repeated myself, she reluctantly backed down.
I completely understand how she feels. If an aristocrat was looked down upon, it was the end for him. It would be unforgivable for a subordinate to talk to me in a casual manner.
But with Brazelda, it was acceptable. It wasn't easy to bring in someone as strong as him.
To be honest, Foranada's military strength was weak. The elite we brought along this time, excluding Brazelda, was level 37 to 40, but the rest of them were all around level 25.
The Holy Kingdom uses the academy system to gather talented people. After all, it was difficult for local nobles to get good quality personnel. In order to strengthen their own territories, they had no choice but to train their own people.
That was why the corruption of the knighthood was a hard blow to us. Because of the previous top management's laziness, the younger generation was not properly nurtured.
That was why current Foranada required a strong individual like Brazelda. In addition to defending ourselves, I want to focus on nurturing the next generation.
As a result, I am willing to overlook some rudeness. It was also significant that Brazelda, despite his rough demeanor, has a serious personality at heart. He has no malicious intent.
"So, how was it?"
I inquired about the results of the reconnaissance after a brief pause.
Then, Brazelda answered in an aloof manner.
"They're outnumbered. They're holed up in the castle with the survivors, but they haven't been able to fight back at all, and it's only a matter of time before they break through. Even if we come to their rescue, it will be difficult for them to hold the baron's territory."
"I see, then should we prioritize rescuing the survivors?"
"I believe that's a good idea. It's a losing battle after all."
"Then direct the Knights to first evacuate the survivors."
"Your order is my command."
I thought we had acted quickly, but we barely just made it in time. The enemy invaded too quickly.
After deciding on a course of action for the rest of the day, I asked the most important question.
"Is Baron Byakudai still alive?"
The fate of the Baron, the flag bearer, was an important factor in deciding the course of this battle.
Then, Brazelda's eyebrows furrowed deeply.
"...I don't know. I wasn't able to learn much. But, aside from the rest of the family, the Baron himself might be difficult to find out."
"Why?"
"Morale in the baron's camp was frighteningly low. I don't think it's because they don't stand a chance of surviving—"
"It's because their leader is dead, huh?"
"Yes."
"Impossible, Father is…"
The Baron was most likely dead. Orca, who was listening to our conclusion by my side, had tears in his eyes and showed a despairing expression.
I wanted to help him when I thought of his feelings, but…we didn't make it in time.
I rubbed my fingers across my brow and asked about the hope that still remained.
"But the Baron's family is still alive, right?"
Brazelda nodded broadly.
"I think so. Morale was low, but it didn't feel like they were giving up. The instructions were accurate, and there's no doubt that there are other leaders."
"If that's the case, the Eldest Son probably took over the command."
Baron Byakudai has three children. The third son, as you know, was Orca. Besides him, there was an Eldest Son who was twenty years old and a Second Son who was sixteen.
Because the second son attends the academy, there was a good chance that the Eldest Son, the next baron, would have taken over the command.
"If it's Caiser-nii, then it's possible! He's the smartest of us siblings, after all!"
Orca came to his senses when he remembered the existence of the Eldest son.
His evaluation of the eldest son seemed to be good. If he excels in the brain area, it seems that he could maintain the siege as it was.
While correcting the Byakudai family's data, I then continued the conversation with Brazelda.
"What about the opposing forces?"
"Thirty infantrymen, twenty knights, and five magicians. Us, Knights, and Young Master Zechs should have no problem in this area. However, the enemy general is a serious issue."
"Who was it?"
"Faebern. Wessel Airul ga San Faebern."
"...Are you serious?"
I couldn't help but let out my own voice in response to the information Brazelda provided.
Faebern was a well-known name. They were a Count's family with a Military household that belonged to the Monotheistic faction, and they boasted of their devilish strength. A member of the Faebern family currently held the title "Sword Saint," the most powerful title in the Holy Kingdom.
In the game, the Faberns have appeared many times as enemies. Most of them were over level 45, and they serve as bosses in the middle to mid-bosses at the end of the game.
And because they were basically battle maniacs (Berserkers), they don't stop attacking until they die, which was a nuisance. They also come out as small fry enemies towards the end, but they were the most troublesome when I had to deal with more than one of them.
But, the most important one was Wessel. In the game, he was a boss-level character who appears at the beginning of the third year of the academy. He was the head of a branch of the Feibeln family, with a level of 53, I think. He was a Power Attacker who attacks with fire and wind magic, focusing on his highly skilled swordsmanship.
Since the time frame was prior to when he was introduced in the game, his level was probably lower, but it didn't change that he was a troublesome enemy.
If possible, I don't want to fight him. That's because he's going to attack with the intent of self-destruction, using fire magic bolstered by wind magic on his sword. Moreover, no matter how much damage I inflict on him, he doesn't get scared, so I would be forced into close-quarters combat. It was nothing but fear.
The game was on the screen, but now it was real, and I have to face him directly….
There would be no choice but to fight. If he was the general of the opposing army, he had to be crushed, and given my abilities, I was the right man for the job.
I think Brazelda, who has a lot of experience, will be on the right track, but as for that, the opponent was on the same soil. I have a better chance of winning here because I deal with magic that my opponent is unfamiliar with.
Well, in the worst-case scenario, we can just take the survivors and run away. Let's take it easy.
I let out a sigh and tell Brazelda,
"I'll take care of Faebern."
"Are you serious?"
Brazelda asked me with a surprised expression on his face.
I've fought with him several times, so he knows what I'm capable of. I think he understands that my opponent was stronger than me.
But I had no other choice.
"I have the best chance of winning. Or the Knight Commander want to be burned at the stake?"
"I'm just joking…But, I understand, I'll leave the enemy general to you."
Brazelda huddled his shoulders when I smiled wickedly.
He too has had his fair share of experience. Depending on the situation, he should be able to provide a way out.
I exhaled and raised my voice.
"I'll tell you the plan right here. First, the three knights will work with me to disrupt the enemy soldiers. Basically, I will wipe them out with my magic and leave the knights to take care of the rest!"
Brazelda said that he could deal with anything other than the enemy general. If that was the case, there was a high probability that [Intimidation] will be effective. I would be able to finish him off by myself. The three knights were my insurance in case of an emergency.
"While we are disrupting the situation, the rest of the Knights, Caron, Orca, and Shion, will sneak into the baron's castle. I want you to take care of the survivors and guide them to evacuate. Keep in mind that combat should be avoided as much as possible and that retreating with the survivors should be the top priority!"
""""""""""Yes!""""""""""
I nodded in agreement with everyone's unanimous response.
"The enemy general is Wessel Airul ga San Faebern. That's right the Faebern family. If you encounter him, run away as fast as you can. I will take the lead in dealing with him. Are there any other questions? .....All right, we will depart after 30 minutes!"
The strategy was decided after everyone silently agreed.
Finally, full-scale intervention in the civil war had begun.