Dragged Into the Fight

"You seem rather relaxed."

Whether it was because his guards were excellent or because he had nerves of steel, Kelves wore a cool expression.

Gloria radiated tension, but didn't seem particularly flustered.

"Well, I was prepared for this. I thought the chances of it actually happening were low, but if you don't prepare for these things, you won't have enough lives."

"Is that why you used the house where your guests were staying as a decoy, making it look like you were there?"

Finn spoke with irritation.

We'd essentially been used as bait.

If there had been only non-combatants, we would have been wiped out.

"Let me lodge a protest. Even just a word of warning would have made a difference."

"They say to fool your enemies, first fool your allies… my bad. Don't glare at me like that. I did have people stationed there too."

"I had them pull back as soon as they confirmed the attack."

"Huh?"

Kelves looked surprised.

"Naturally. Your Highness is our employer, and we're in this together. It would be too late if something happened."

"A communication error, huh. I forgot that working with people other than my usual subordinates would be different. My apologies."

Even if it was just words, the Crown Prince had apologized.

Demanding more from our position would be difficult.

An apology was better than nothing.

"More importantly, the attack seems mostly dealt with. They were numerous but not much of a threat."

"Good work. But the problem comes now. These situations usually don't end here. What's happening outside?"

"Troops are moving from the encampment. It seems word of the assassination's failure has spread."

A girl who appeared to be Gloria's subordinate reported something, which Gloria then relayed.

The rival imperial faction must have decided to eliminate the Crown Prince here and now.

What a nuisance.

The stalemate had held until now, so why…

Perhaps the ship's arrival had been the final push?

But if the ship hadn't brought wheat, food would have run out before long and they'd have starved.

A dilemma.

In the darkness of night, ships couldn't sail.

If they lit torches, they'd be shot at from shore.

"Since you're here anyway, you need to protect yourselves too, right? Lend us a hand."

"… It's not like we have anywhere to run anyway. Scattering and fleeing won't guarantee survival."

"Exactly. Lives are won through battle. I shall grant you the honor of fighting alongside the future Emperor. Payment will be deferred, though."

"We're only protecting ourselves. We have no intention of dying for you."

I had to brush off trouble that came my way, but I didn't appreciate being used any further.

I wasn't going to dirty my people's hands for something like this.

"Yes, yes. That's enough. We'll take soldiers and sortie. At that point, if we're attacked from behind, it'll be troublesome, so guard one of the city's entrances."

He pointed to a spot on the map spread across the desk.

Sounds of soldiers gathering could be heard around us.

And sounds of corpses being dragged too.

Citizens who had been asleep were starting to wake up and make noise.

"Guarding all the entrances made counterattacking difficult, but if we can delegate one to you, that changes things. That's acceptable, yes?"

It was better than being told to join the battle line.

Besides, even if we refused the proposal here, if enemy soldiers broke into the city, it would be the same.

Helping with war was something I'd rather avoid, but helping defend the city… that was just wordplay.

"If we hold this spot, that's good enough, right? If the other entrances are breached, we'll escape on our own."

"That's fine. More than enough."

Kelves donned his armor and left the house.

When he raised his hand, everyone who had gathered turned to look at him.

The crowd's gazes were filled with anxiety and fear, but the moment they saw Kelves in his armor, those emotions visibly softened.

"Everyone, there is no need for worry. I have kept soldiers in reserve for just such a time. If there were to be no conflict, that would be best, but if they desire war, I shall crush it and bring peace. As your future Emperor!"

The citizens erupted.

"As expected of His Highness," "Now we can feel safe," and so on.

Though we were the same age, his bearing was impressive.

When spoken to that clearly, people drowning in anxiety would believe him.

"Regardless of reality, that's what he has to say. Otherwise riots would break out and our allies would become our worst enemies."

"I agree. I thought the opponent would settle for just posturing, though."

Alexia seemed to think it unavoidable.

Elza nodded too. The prevailing assessment had been that there wouldn't be civil war, but things don't always go as expected.

They were already outnumbered in soldiers.

Even an amateur could see that if unexpected trouble arose due to morale or training, they'd lose.

All I could do was pray no one came to where we were stationed.

"Alexia, I'm leaving the basics to you. Orleans and I will hang back, so give us the signal if we need to flee."

"Very well, I'll take charge. I don't think they'll send a proper force, but there's a chance they'll send a small group to cause panic, so be careful."

I left it to Alexia, who was used to this sort of thing, while the non-combatants would stay in the rear.

"Alexia-sama, I believe the fire magic will be strengthened."

"With two Fire Elementals present, yes. In terms of firepower alone, it should be quite something."

Alexia smiled.

And so we moved to the designated location.

The citizens we passed were heading back to their homes, but carried farming implements like hoes and pitchforks in case of emergency.

They too were resolved to protect their own lives if it came to that.

Cities that lost in conflict met terrible fates.

Even if the opponent was from the same country, there was a high chance they'd permit looting to maintain morale.

People could be captured and forced into military service.

The gate we'd been assigned was not particularly sturdy.

The kind of place that could be climbed over if left unguarded.

Alexia immediately used earth magic to reinforce the gate and climbed atop it.