The woman snorted and arrogantly raised her nose.
"I don't want to hand over my child to the successor of Count Pervaz, but what can I do? If you send him as a Crown Prince, I'll think about it."
"You've been rolling on this floor for so long that you've become a scoundrel."
"So you wanted me to blush? You'd be really happy then!"
"You should stop talking, really."
Carlyle smiled and shook his head.
"Leave now, before the savages swarm everywhere. I'll give you an escort to Elsir."
"Thanks to the savages, I get to receive an escort from the knights. Thank you."
The woman smiled brightly without saying a word and stepped back. She would be able to escape Pervaz with the escort of skilled knights.
In the room that was once again quiet, Carlyle took out a cigar as if by habit.
"..."
However, he simply held the cigar between his fingers and did not cut the tip or light it.
He crossed his legs and stared into the air for a long time, then laughed as if he thought it was ridiculous no matter how much he thought about it.
"She's a funny woman anyway."
Of course, that funny woman was not the informant who had just left.
The sound of the savages' horns could be heard from far away.
***
Rub-a-dub
The sound of drums, signaling the enemy's invasion and boosting the morale of the allied forces, rang out from all directions.
It had already been 8 months since the war with the Lure tribe had ended, but there had never been a period of truce similar to this during the 28 years of war.
Even during that period, which was disguised as peace, the people of Pervaz did not let go of their weapons. That's why they were quick to respond to the Iglam tribe's surprise attack.
"The Pervaz army is not ordinary, is it? It's clear that they didn't just defeat the Lure tribe by luck."
Lionel, who was looking out the window with Carlyle, said in admiration.
There weren't many territories that had an army with this level of mobility. Even then, most of them were ruled by lords who were rich in resources and proficient in politics and military affairs.
"Don't you remember when we entered? The eyes of the men lined up on the left and right of the gate looked like they would devour anyone."
"Yes, that's right. It's understandable considering how long they've been suffering from the war."
Carlyle recalled the beast-like warriors who had glared at him with rebellious eyes but bowed their heads politely and behaved respectfully towards Asha.
Thanks to their northern blood, they had large and strong frames, but their skin was rough and they were thin, as if they had suffered a lot.
Their hair, which had grown wild, was clumped together like the fur of a wet dog, and their faces were covered in dark shadows under their eyes, but their eyes were as sharp as a freshly sharpened blade.
One of the knights said that they looked like undead soldiers crawling out of a grave, and that was exactly the right description.
"Does she trust those guys more than my help?"
"Yes? What do you mean?"
"It's nothing. Is the Knights Order ready?"
"Yes! I have prepared them according to your orders, but wouldn't it be better to set out at the same time as the Pervaz army?"
Carlyle had prepared his own Knights Order as soon as he heard the news of the Iglam tribe's surprise attack.
"It's rude to offer help when it's not wanted."
"Maybe she didn't have the mind to ask for help because they were in such a hurry to go out?"
"Of course not. She's so stern that she even left a will, so they must have had the mind to ask for help."
Lionel's eyes widened at the word "will."
"If she left a will, doesn't that mean it's a dangerous situation?"
But Carlyle shook his head.
"It probably means she doesn't take any opponent for granted. No matter how great a knight is, they can still be hit by a blind arrow on the battlefield."
In other words, Asha Pervaz is prepared to face even the savages who are swarming in like a mob, determined to death.
Maybe that's why he survived.
Carlyle leaned against the window and smiled.
"Anyway, I guess we'll finally get to see Asha Pervaz's skills in action, who beheaded the Lure tribe chief. Was it just luck, or was it real skill?"
He took the binoculars that Lionel handed him with an expression of anticipation and curiosity.
Puuu!
The sound of the Igram clan's horn was now close at hand.
Riding on wild horses and wearing decorations made from the front legs of animals like foxes and rabbits, the Igram clan were smaller and more compact than the Pervaz, although they had come down from the north.
They were not as threatening as the larger Lure clan, but they felt more agile.
It was about the time when the Igram clan's flag could be clearly seen.
"Hey? Over there!"
Lionel pointed to the very front of the Pervaz army with his finger.
Someone was slowly walking forward.
With his small stature and straight posture, Carlyle realized at once that it was Asha.
"It's finally starting."
As Carlyle let out a nonchalant voice, Asha drew her sword from her waist and raised it high into the air, shouting.
"Fire!"
At that, the archers who had been waiting on the wall began to shoot their bows in unison. The sound of bowstrings being pulled and arrows being fired followed one after another.
One of the military supplies that Carlyle had brought down was arrows, and they were proving to be helpful faster than he had thought.
"Ugh!"
"What, what the hell! Why are there archers?"
The Igram clan screamed and panicked.
No wonder, because at the end of the war with the Lure clan, the Pervaz had no arrows and could not use their bows.
The Igram clan, who had naturally expected the same to be true now, had boldly put their cavalry at the forefront and charged, only to suffer heavy casualties to both the cavalry and the horses in the rain of arrows.
As the cavalry formation crumbled, Asha lowered her sword-wielding hand to her shoulder.
At that, the rain of arrows stopped and the warriors lined up behind her began to stamp on the ground with one foot.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
In time with the drums, the warriors' feet pounding on the ground made the earth tremble like a heartbeat.
"Charge!"
A voice that made the air vibrate.
The owner of the voice, which at first glance sounded like a young boy's soprano, was Asha Pervaz, the leader of the Pervaz who stood at the forefront facing the enemy.
At that sound, the Pervaz warriors drew their weapons.
Asha pointed to the front with the tip of her sword and shouted.
"Attack!"
"Uwaaaah!"
As soon as Asha gave the order, the soldiers of Pervaz began to shout and charge forward.
Even in the midst of all this, Asha was the one leading the charge.
"That idiot!"
Carlyle found himself gripping the windowsill tightly and leaning his body forward a little more.
It was the same on any battlefield, the commander-in-chief leading from the front to boost morale and order the attack.
However, Carlyle thought it was a very stupid thing for a commander to be running at the forefront from the very first battle.
The commander-in-chief was the most important position, and if he was injured or killed, the entire army could be in danger.
"Wouldn't it be better to send out our knights now? If something really bad happens...!"
Lionel suggested to Carlyle, even more tense.
However, Carlyle only clenched his jaw and did not give the order to sortie.
'Do you want me to get hated for stepping out for no reason?'
Asha could not have missed Carlyle's intention that 'I will help you if you ask'. Yet she never asked for help.
It was a clear refusal of help.
Even so, if he ignored her wishes and intervened right away, he might be able to win the battle easily, but his relationship with Asha would become even more rigid than it was now.
'With Gabriel acting suspiciously, if Countess Pervaz's heart turns away, it will be difficult to deal with a sudden attack.'
Although he was a little nervous watching Asha's reaction, he decided to respect Asha's wishes for the time being.
That is, just in case of an emergency.
"She said she didn't need my help because she has a reliable corner. Let's watch for now."
Carlyle kept his eyes on the binoculars and watched the clash between the Pervaz army and the Igram army. To be honest, he didn't think he had ever been this nervous in his life.
The distance between the two armies charging towards each other closed in.
200 meters, 100 meters, 50 meters....
"Oh, oh! Th-that, that, that!"
Lionel, who had been glued to the telescope, exclaimed involuntarily.
Kaang!
Asha, who was running in the front, lowered her body and cut down two of the enemy's cavalrymen. Then she cut and stabbed the other cavalrymen who followed her.
It was an instant.
The 'Lord' of Pervaz was breaking through the ranks of the Igram tribe without the help of high-grade weapons or trained knights.
"She's crazy...."
Carlyle also let out a sigh.
There was no other way to describe it, but crazy.
Although the cavalry unit was greatly disrupted by the archers' attack, there were still many cavalrymen left, and the number of infantrymen supporting them was not insignificant.
No one in their right mind would charge into an enemy camp like that with only a sword. However, at the same time, it was also true that there was no way for the Pervaz army, which was severely lacking in cavalry, to defeat the enemy without that method.
Suddenly, Asha, who had been talking about selling the necklace and wedding ring he had given her, came to mind.
[...I plan to use that money to train a cavalry unit.]
[What...?]
[The barbarians often ride animals, so it's difficult to deal with them as infantry. Now that the Lure tribe has been destroyed, the Igram tribe or the Pire tribe....]
At that time, he thought it was too barbaric, even though it was a marriage of convenience, but now he saw that it was a very natural choice for Asha.
No matter how pretty a sparkling stone is, what good is it if it's the property of a dead empress and an object given by the man who will be emperor?
Such things are of no use in the face of imminent death.
"Your Highness! A decision...!"
Lionel, feeling anxious, urged Carlyle's order from the side.