[Another Perspective] The King’s Astonishment

He was a strange boy.

Not to compare him to my own children, but no matter how many times we exchanged words face to face, I never felt like I was talking to a child.

But he is not a bad person and has no ill will toward the kingdom.

Besides, he is the same age as Pista and is surprisingly competent.

If that is the case, it would be foolish to go out of our way to antagonize him.

Give him what he wants most and sell him a favor.

With the boy’s personality, he would be able to keep him mentally bound to the kingdom just by doing so.

If that power that can build a fortress in the blink of an eye is handed over to a hostile country, it will surely be to the detriment of our country.

Well, as far as I have heard his straightforward spirit as a lord, he would not attack other countries by himself, but it is certainly better to have him as an ally.

“Indeed… the Marquis of Fertio has an extraordinary son.”

Aperta said.

“But I heard that the Marquis had Baron Van removed from his house, as I recall. Because the Marquis is one of the most successful warriors among His Majesty’s valued nobles. Perhaps one of the reasons is that he was not a four-element mage.”

“…That sounds painful to my ears. Is it also influenced by the fact that the nobles have changed their mindset in order to build a strong country?”

We must take a fresh look at each of the magic arts.

People tend to think of the four elemental magic as the top magic, dividing each magic into intermediate and inferior magic.

However, a person with magical aptitude, who was recognized by everyone as an inferior magic user, has done such a great job.

When I return to Royal Capital, I will redo the research of each magical aptitude under my name.

“Now all that’s left to do is to slay the dragon.”

Aperta raises an eyebrow when I tell him this.

“It’s a pity that we went in small numbers so that the king’s absence would not be known. This group of people can probably defeat a medium-sized dragon, but…”

I laughed at Aperta, who said this in a troublesome manner, and looked at Van’s back as he went ahead of me.

“Maybe we’ll see something interesting again.”

“Although I have a feeling that I’ve seen enough.”

“Ha ha, indeed.”

Laughing, I followed Van to the top of the ramparts.

“Um, Your Majesty! We can’t go any further to the front…!”

“Don’t worry. I can at least protect myself.”

I lightly ignore the voice of my kinsman’s concern for me and stand on top of the ramparts.

Looking around from the top of the ramparts, I could already see men in unusual armor standing by the baristas, waiting for instructions.

They must be the knights of Baron Van’s organization of villagers.

Looking up, I saw the shadow of a small dragon.

It is flying very high.

“A wyvern, a two-legged flying dragon, flying alone…?”

There is only one dragon shadow, and it is flying in a large arc in the sky.

I feel a great sense of discomfort.

No, I am almost half convinced.

“Prime Minister, your opinion.”

Aperta nodded deeply and held his staff in one hand.

It was custom-made with high-purity magic crystals on the top.

Aperta pointed to the sky with his staff.

“There is rarely a situation where a wyvern will fly alone to attack. If that’s the case, I’m wondering if there is another threat nearby that is different from the wyvern.”

“Agreed. Is it Jiernetta?”

“I’m afraid so, given the location. If they move a large force, they will be noticed, so they must be working in tandem with the knights of local lords in neighboring area or smaller villages.”

Aperta expressed his observations.

Wyverns are relatively small dragons, and would usually move in a pack of five or more.

They form would form packs of up to a hundred, and would hunt in groups.

Because they cannot use breath breath attacks, the greatest threat of dragons, and because they are not agile on land, they are treated as sub-dragons, a lower class of dragon, but even one wyvern is a sufficient threat.

There is a magical aptitude to capture and enslave those wyverns.

Brainwashing and puppet magic.

Brainwashing the wyvern to make it an ally, and then manipulating it like a puppet.

This method of using wyverns is practiced by a few countries in the North, and the Kingdom of Jiernetta has adopted it.

Whatever the case may be, there is a strong possibility that the wyvern is manned by a puppet mage.

If they use the wyvern to do something, it is very likely to be discovered that they came across the border.

But what is the enemy’s goal?

“Why would they target a remote village and not a key fortified city?”

“The fortified city of Scuderia has stopped the advance of the Kingdom of Jiernetta on three occasions. They may be planning to use this village as a foothold. Well, they probably don’t know that this village is in such a situation.”

“That would be true. It is a substandard village that even I, who had heard the reports, could not have imagined. Even Jiernetta’s intelligence network most likely didn’t get all the details.”

I agree and look around.

The splendid walls and defensive facilities almost make me hesitate to call it a village.

But the important thing is that the knights are unique in appearance, and to put it bluntly, it is impossible to judge their abilities and skill level.

“…From the side, it could be taken as a great opportunity, right?”

“That’s right. I’m not sure what to make of it, but it seems to be giving some instructions from above the wyvern. Perhaps…”

Hearing Aperta’s words, I moved quickly.

“Baron Van! The enemy is not only the wyvern, but most likely a small group of elite knights as well! Be careful!”

“Understood! Either way, the adventurers’ town is still not well protected, so let’s evacuate them here! Dee!

“Ha! I’ll ask them to evacuate to the village immediately!

Van quickly responded to my advice and gave instructions to his men.

He is smart, after all.

He is also quick-witted, and his subordinates trust him so much that they do it immediately without worrying.

It is pleasant to watch the highly skilled knights in training.

“Well, how do you plan to defend it?”

“Originally, the Espa Knights were supposed to establish the first line of defense from the adventurers’ town, but unfortunately, we haven’t even been able to conduct proper exercises yet. So, we will have the Espa Knights guide the evacuation of adventurers, and the full-scale defense will take place in this village.”

“Isn’t this the first time you are fighting a human army?”

“We already had it in mind. No problem.”

“Hmmm, however, it is not easy when the opponent is human. If the enemy has a wise man on their side, they may attack with unimaginable methods depending on their moves.”

I gave him the same advice as I would guide my own child’s thoughts, but Van replied almost without thinking.

“Yes. We are considering a variety of surprise attacks, including siege weapons and magic from long distances, means of breaking down the walls, and ways to enter the village without engaging in battle. In some cases, we are also prepared and ready to abandon this village… just in case.”

He replies with a sullen smile.

Like a knight commander who has fought many battles, he answered with a variety of contingencies in mind.

I would like to ask him about each of these assumptions in detail, but I regret that I don’t have time.

“Everyone! We’ll provide covering fire, so don’t be hasty! Don’t forget your valuables and evacuate calmly!”

“Hey!”

“Oh, I forgot the gold!”

“Where is it? I’ll get it!”

“Don’t be stupid, you idiot!”

Van’s nervousness was evident in his instructions, and the adventurers who responded were somewhat distracted.

The adventurers, who promptly evacuate despite all the fuss, and those who may be the Espa Knights.

After accommodating them, the main gate was closed and the bridge across the moat was raised.

The evacuees were all moving without hesitation without instructions, as if their positions had been decided beforehand.

Even if this village were an ordinary fortified city, it would be quite difficult to make it fall.

The number of residents is small, but they are united around Van, and everyone is thinking and acting on their own to protect the village.

“…This means that even if we can’t take the boy back to the Royal Capital, we’ll have to think of something.”

I muttered quietly and took out my own magic crystal wand.