Southwest of Lake Erie, densely forested. In the warm spring weather, unknown plants were sprouting and growing quickly here and there.
Although there was the occasional noise of birds looking for a mate, the tree-covered forest was as quiet as usual. At that moment, the soldiers of the Intelligence Service who were hiding in a hideout dug into the ground began to stir.
Shhh!
-The Iroquois confederation of warriors moves.
-In the end, they took the bait we threw.
The Intelligence Service soldiers who had been watching the Iri tribe village from their hiding place for several days exchanged urgent glances.
-At first glance, the number of warriors is over a thousand.
-It seems like they're trying to end this tribe with this battle.
-Okay. Anyway, it looks like our mission is over, so let's hurry and report to our superiors.
-Because I can't be later than them.
There are five soldiers from the Intelligence Service hiding in the hideout. After a while, three soldiers from the Intelligence Service who had been in the hiding place opened the cover made of wood and fallen leaves and came out one by one.
-Let's run until our feet sweat from now on.
-I'll take charge of the front, you take charge of the rear.
-Okay, I'll look at the left and right.
Thanks to the special training they received at the training camp, the warriors who came out of the hiding place decided on what they had to do and quickly started moving towards the south.
* * *
Lake Erie, Southern Plains. Several days had passed since we had begun walking towards the border between the Irie and Shawnee tribes.
At that time, 'Heavy Snowstorm', who had been scouting the front line with several of the Royal Guard warriors, returned.
"…There are warriors of the Iri tribe waiting about an hour away from here. There are a little over five hundred warriors of the Iri tribe."
"great job."
As soon as the 'heavy snowstorm' that had been reported had subsided, I immediately called the great warriors and the guardsmen and warned them again.
"… The Iri tribe will have many complaints against us. Even if they intentionally provoke you, don't fall for their provocation. I believe that everyone will know how to behave."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"I will act carefully."
This is enough. I glanced at the 'Humble Bear', who seemed unusually nervous among the group, with a satisfied expression on his face.
It seems that he was worried at the thought of meeting the 'red fruit'.
'…hmm!'
I quietly called out to the 'Honest Bear' and gave him confidence.
"… You can do it. Just keep telling yourself, 'I'm a great guy.'"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Although the answer was strong, the 'stubborn bear' still looked anxious and his eyes were shaking violently. After a while, my group and I moved in formation towards the place where the Iri tribe people were.
At that moment, I could hear the faint voice of the 'honest bear' escorting me from a close distance.
"I am a cool guy. I am a cool guy. I am a cool… …"
* * *
Great Plains, Iri Tribe encampment. The Iri tribe warriors carefully inspected our weapons with sharp eyes.
"Are you the chief of the Lenape tribe?"
Although the title had long since been changed to emperor, they were familiar with the word chief.
"right."
As I nodded as if I was too lazy to explain, the Iri tribe warriors looked at me and my companions with puzzled expressions.
"…Where are the other warriors?"
"That's all."
"…okay."
"But what's the problem?"
"… No." The Iri tribe warriors looked at each other with eyes full of disappointment.
Just then, the 'Red Fruit' and the warriors heard the news of our arrival and approached.
"It's been a while."
The 'Red Fruit' that greeted me was the first to ask for my understanding.
"…Because the Iroquois Confederacy is at war, we have no choice but to conduct more thorough inspections than usual."
I followed her and answered politely.
"I understand."
Meanwhile, the warriors of the Iri tribe who had received a brief report from the warriors of the Iri tribe on the side sneered with an angry expression.
"…You're going to help us with just these people?"
"… I guess we have time to spare."
"…I won't leave you alone unless you offer me a tempting offer."
The 'Brave Wolf', the great knights, and the guard warriors all had unpleasant expressions on their faces as if they were offended by what they said.
However, I did not give in to their provocations, but remained silent, remembering my instructions. Rather, 'Red Fruit' seemed embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.
"…Let's go to the temporary hut and talk comfortably."
"Let's do that."
* * *
I came into the makeshift hut and sat facing the 'red berries'. Before the conversation, the two tribes' leading figures created a comfortable atmosphere by smoking cigarettes.
As a non-smoker, the cigarette smoke filling the makeshift shack was quite a nuisance to me.
"…Thank you for your hard work coming all this way."
"… As the days go by, I pay tribute to the 'Sun of the Sky' Federation."
Simple, everyday conversations took place, and 'Red Fruit' tried to create a good atmosphere. But that atmosphere didn't last long.
After a while, 'Red Fruit' looked very embarrassed at my suggestion and asked back.
"What does that mean?"
Before she knew it, her gaze was turned towards the 'honest bear'. When the 'Honest Bear' saw the 'Red Berry' looking at him, his face turned red in embarrassment.
"Join the Sky Sun Federation? I can somewhat accept that offer. But, my fiancé is not the Great Chief, but that person?"
Red Fruit asked again to confirm my unexpected suggestion. I nodded calmly and spoke calmly.
"Yes. I appreciate your offer, Chief. However, I have a wife, so I don't think I can marry you."
"..."
I tried my best not to hurt her pride.
"How about marrying the great warrior, 'Honest Bear', for the sake of a strong alliance between the two tribes?"
"..."
'Red Berry' grumbled silently as if it was speechless. Having somewhat anticipated this reaction from her, I naturally brought up the 'honest bear' and explained his character and future prospects as if we were going on a blind date.
"… He may look rough on the outside, but he is a friend who is purer than anyone else. And above all, he has outstanding fighting skills, so he will be more than enough to be the husband of the Great Chief."
If I have a flaw, it's that I stutter… But I deliberately did not bring that up.
"..."
At that time, the faces of the warriors of the Iri tribe who were guarding the 'Red Fruit' were distorted greatly, as if they thought that their tribe had been ignored.
"What do you want to do now?"
"I can't stand still any longer. Is this because our chief is a woman and you're joking around?"
"Did you think our tribe would accept such a strange proposal?"
Even one of the Iri tribe's warriors took out the club on his waist and made the atmosphere tense.
"Come out! Let's see if you are a son of God or a warrior."
The 'Brave Wolf' and the 'Honest Bear' who came into the makeshift hut with me immediately reacted to the threatening attitude of the Iri Tribe warriors.
"Put that club down. Don't you want to die here?"
The words of the 'brave wolf', whose eyes turned cold, made the warriors of the Iri tribe explode in anger, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
"What? Say it again."
"I guess you guys have no idea where you are right now."
The 'Honest Bear' didn't stay still either.
"Come on, everyone! I'll show you exactly who I am!"
If anyone moves, it's a tense situation where the shack will literally be covered in blood.
Chiririririririt!
However, I looked at the 'Red Fruit' with a leisurely expression as if I found the actions of these tribal warriors ridiculous.
At that moment, 'Red Fruit', who had been half out of her mind after hearing my suggestion, hurriedly stepped forward to clear up the tense atmosphere.
"You invited us, and now what are you doing? Haven't you ever thought that your rude behavior is embarrassing to me?"
"..."
"Everyone, please take your seats."
At her scolding command, the warriors of the Iri tribe swallowed their anger and retreated.
"I'm sorry, Chief!"
"We made a mistake."
As if to show his majesty as the chieftain, the 'red fruit' once again warned them firmly.
"I hope you will not tarnish the honor of the tribe any further."
"… I will keep that in mind, Chief!"
When she defeated the Iri Tribe warriors first, I couldn't just sit still either. He turned his head and winked at the 'brave wolf' and the 'honest bear'.
The two of them bowed their heads slightly to me and sat back down in their seats.
"..."
The awkward silence continued. As expected, the 'Red Fruit' was the first to speak because of the endangered Iri tribe.
"The chief's suggestion? I heard it very well."
"..."
I didn't say anything, just raised my head and glanced at the map window.
'You're here.'
Dozens of red dots began to appear along the edges of the map window, resembling scouts from the Iroquois confederacy.
As if her mind was complicated, 'Red Berry' continued speaking with a worried look in her eyes.
"To be honest, it was such an unexpected offer, I wish you would give me some time to think about it."
"Of course. Because we have plenty of time."
I wasn't in a hurry. Because this is urgent and insufficient. And whether they accepted or rejected my offer, battle with the Iroquois confederacy was inevitable.
The 'Red Fruit' and the Iri Tribe warriors rose first.
"See you later."
"I hope you make a wise decision."
As 'Red Fruit' and the Iri Tribe warriors went out to the makeshift hut, I secretly gave instructions to 'Brave Wolf'.
"As expected, the Iroquois confederacy has moved. Tell everyone not to relax, and to stand by fully armed."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
And he reminded the 'Honest Bear' of his mission once again, without forgetting.
"Honest bear! What did I say when the battle started?"
"He said that all I had to do was take good care of the bride."
"Yes. Just remember that."
* * *
Iroquois Confederate Faction. The 'Rising Flames' smiled brightly at the report of the scouts who returned after checking the Iri Tribe's camp.
"Hahaha! You arrived just in time."
'Rising Flames' quickly looked around. This was a vast plain, so there were few places to ambush, except for low hills.
It's just a bit of a shame, a surprise attack was definitely possible. 'Rising Flames' consulted closely with the chieftains of other tribes and then immediately called for the great warrior, 'Eagle's Talon'.
"Eagle's Claws! Prepare for a night raid."
The Eagle's Claw hesitated for a moment at the unilateral decision from above, then gave a short answer.
"…All right."
As the 'Eagle's Talon' withdrew, the 'Rising Flame' spoke confidently to the two chieftains, as if he had no doubts about the success of the night raid.
"…Tomorrow, the 'Red Fruit' will kneel before us, crying and hanging."
Meanwhile, 'Eagle's Claw', who was walking towards the place where there were a thousand warriors, gave instructions to the warrior next to him with a serious look in his eyes.
"… Send out a scout party to check if there are any Shawnee warriors in the area."
"Understood, Your Majesty!"
* * *
This is the camp of the Iri tribe. As evening fell, the 'Red Fruit' and the warriors of the Iri tribe reappeared in their makeshift hut.
"… I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long."
"no."
I think the 'Red Fruit' had aged a lot in that short period of time because of my suggestion. After a brief moment of appreciation, 'Red Fruit' brought up the main topic.
"… First, our tribe decided to join the 'Sun of the Sky' alliance."
"You made a good decision."
I was worried that my plan might go awry, but fortunately, things have been going well so far.
"And the second suggestion is…"
'Red Berry' hesitated and looked at 'Humble Bear' who was standing there with a very tense expression on his face.
"Whew! That's…"
Just as she was about to speak with a short sigh, a warrior from the Iri tribe rushed into the makeshift hut.
"Chief! This is a surprise attack by the Iroquois Confederacy."