“Little girl, this is no place for children. How did you wander in here?”
The adjutant, looking at Hanako gripping Elnet’s sleeve, spoke with a gentle expression, as if addressing a small child.
“Mmm, from over that way.”
“Is that so? You seem to know Elnet.”
As Hanako pointed in the direction of Tiol’s town, the adjutant responded in kind and then asked Elnet if she knew Hanako.
“Ah, a friend. We work at the same shop.”
“Marie’s Bakery, wasn’t it? It’s a famous shop in town, my wife is fond of their bread. Oh, I’ve gotten off topic. Even if it’s training, we don’t know when we’ll be attacked here. Whether we’re talking or delivering this child to safety, we stand out here. Also, we need to organize a unit to deliver her, so let’s move to our scheduled rest stop quickly and have our discussion there.”
“Is that okay with you, Hanako?”
“Mmm, understood.”
Elnet told the adjutant that Hanako was an acquaintance. He couldn’t just send Hanako away alone, so he proposed taking her to a safe place. He also stated the need to relocate to a safe area for the purpose of organizing a unit, and suggested moving to their planned rest location.
“Well, if we move to this location, we should be safe for a while.”
“Indeed. We have assigned guards and are maintaining a perimeter, so I believe there will be no problem.”
Elnet’s unit took up position in the area where the enemy had been hiding during their earlier engagement and began their rest. The soldiers took out their insulated water bottles, replenishing their fluids and warming themselves with hot drinks. Elnet and the adjutant sat down on the provided folding chairs to rest.
“So, Hanako, you came here alone?”
“Mmm, yes.”
“It’s quite something for you to come all the way from Tiol to this training ground alone.”
Elnet asked Hanako as if to confirm. The adjutant, listening next to her, showed surprise at Hanako’s initiative. Elnet, knowing she could travel to this location without difficulty, didn’t change her expression. However, the adjutant, unaware of these circumstances, completely mistook her for a small child.
(As always, her expression is unreadable.)
Hanako rarely showed emotion, and even Elnet, who had known her for a while, found it difficult to gauge her feelings.
“Alright, let’s get straight to the point. You came here with a reason, didn’t you?”
“Mmm, yes.”
“Then, what is it?”
“Mmm, I’ve come to tell you that the castle is under attack.”
Hanako directly stated the reason for her visit.
“What! You mean the castle, the Royal Castle where the King resides?”
“Mmm, affirmative.”
Elnet exclaimed in shock upon hearing the shocking news from Hanako. The soldiers around them also overheard that the Royal Castle was under attack. While they didn’t interrupt, they strained to listen, curious about the details.
“Come now, that’s a joke. Even if many soldiers are away for training, the castle has its impenetrable walls and at least minimal defenses remain. The idea that it could be attacked is unthinkable. Isn’t this child lying?”
“Mmm, if you think so, then that’s fine.”
The adjutant, having heard the exchange, dismissed it as Hanako’s nonsense. Since her job of delivering the message was done, she didn’t try to force them to believe her, responding without changing her expression.
“Excuse me, but please be quiet for a moment. I wish to speak with Hanako.”
“I apologize for overstepping. I was out of line.”
Elnet, judging that the conversation wouldn’t progress if she listened to the adjutant, firmly told him to remain silent.
“Hanako, I apologize for interrupting. Did you come here at Kent’s instruction?”
“Mmm, I was told by Master to cooperate to the fullest extent possible.”
“It’s reassuring to have Hanako’s cooperation. Now, let’s get to the main issue. Do you know the current state of the Royal Castle?”
After confirming that Hanako’s actions were indeed directed by Kent, Elnet inquired about the condition of the Royal Castle.
“Mmm, I confirmed the castle’s current situation before coming here. The attackers are a unit from the neighboring country, comprised of 50 people and several fairies.”
“Neighboring country, you say? If we consider diplomatic relations, the Duchy is the one we’re on the worst terms with. Is it them?”
“Mmm, among us, there’s no concept of a country like humans have. We perceive it as territories of fairies called Country Gods. We don’t have a classification based on human governance, but if you use the terms of humans in this country, that’s the name it would take.”
“Hmm. However, I’ve heard that there’s a vast forest between the Kingdom and the Duchy, and that it’s impossible to pass through due to some strange power.”
When Elnet heard from Hanako that the attackers were from the Duchy, a question arose. It was widely known among people of the Kingdom that a vast forest lay between the Kingdom and the Duchy, and that attempts to pass through this forest to reach the neighboring country were inexplicably blocked. The Kingdom’s repeated military expeditions towards the Duchy had been thwarted by this strange power, resulting in heavy losses, a fact so well-known that it was even recorded in school textbooks.
“Mmm, it’s true that you can’t pass through. But there is a way to get through the forest.”
“Is that so?”
“Gya-gya-gya!”
Elnet and the soldiers, who had been eavesdropping on Hanako’s conversation, were astonished by the revelation that there was a way to pass through the forest, as it overturned their previously held common sense.
“Mmm, putting that aside for now, let’s return to the topic. Currently, an intense battle is underway within the castle walls between those defending it and the attackers.”
“Inside the castle, not outside! They’ve managed to invade that fortress of a castle?”
“Gya-gya-gya!”
Upon hearing that the battle was taking place within the castle, Elnet and the eavesdropping soldiers were once again surprised. The number of soldiers listening in on Hanako and Elnet’s conversation had grown, and they all appeared worried about the current state of the Royal Castle.
“Mmm, affirmative. That castle can be entered easily if one intends to.”
“I-is that so? And what’s happening inside the castle now?”
“Mmm, the defenders have lost their command and are suffering heavy losses. It’s only a matter of time before the castle falls.”
“W-what!”
“Gya-gya-gya!”
Hearing the despairing news from Hanako, Elnet and the others wore dejected expressions.
“Captain, if what you’ve just said is true, then even if this child rushed here, at least a day has passed. We can’t afford to be training. We should immediately cease training and head for the Royal Castle.”
The adjutant, who had been silent at Elnet’s behest, spoke up and advised that they should immediately stop training and proceed to the Royal Castle. Not knowing Hanako’s means of travel, he assumed that a day or more had passed since she obtained the information and arrived here. He recognized that if the information was true and time had already elapsed, it was a desperate situation, but argued that as a unit belonging to the Kingdom, they must go to the rescue.
“Adjutant, please calm down. As captain, I cannot issue an order until I hear the whole story. So, Hanako, how far will you cooperate?”
“Mmm, lend me your ear.”
Up until now, their conversation had been open, but it seemed the next part was not meant for others to hear, so Hanako told Elnet to lean in.
“Hmm, is this alright?”
“Mmm, yes.”
Elnet did as Hanako instructed, moving her ear closer to Hanako’s mouth to listen.
“Mmm, I have a restriction that prevents me from directly participating in battles between countries. I’ve been ordered by my Master to cooperate to the fullest, but since the enemy is a regular army, I cannot directly engage and repel them. Therefore, as a compromise, I will teleport the unit currently here to the castle’s inner courtyard. From there, you will have to resolve the situation yourselves. Of course, this involves danger as you will be thrust into a battle. Naturally, this is not mandatory, and you can refuse. Please make your decision.”
“I see, so Hanako will not engage in direct combat and will provide assistance up to the limit her restrictions allow, leaving us to resolve the situation ourselves. The enemy may be 50, but the addition of fairies makes them troublesome. I received training at the Sanctuary and have had the fearsomeness of fairies ingrained in me, but those here have no experience fighting fairies. There’s a possibility of casualties, or even complete annihilation. Is it right to put everyone in danger?”
Elnet pondered Hanako’s words. Even though it was training, as the commander of a detachment, she could order her subordinate soldiers to act. However, this was not training; it was actual combat, and she had to be prepared for casualties and deaths. She hesitated, knowing that a single command from her could put her soldiers’ lives at risk.
“Captain, you want to go help, don’t you? All of us feel the same way as you, Elnet. Come on, give the order.”
“Captain!”
As Elnet hesitated to give the order, thinking of her soldiers, the adjutant tapped her on the shoulder and pushed her back gently. The adjutant spoke in a loud voice, and the soldiers around them waited for the order.
“You’re going to teleport everyone here, right?”
“Mmm, the destination is an open inner courtyard. If you gather closely, this number of people should be fine.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Elnet made her final confirmation with Hanako and then made up her mind.
“Everyone listen carefully! The Royal Castle is currently under attack by the Duchy’s army and is in a perilous situation. We will cease training and reinforce those fighting at the Royal Castle. Each of you, discard your training weapons and supplies here, and prepare your combat equipment. Assemble!”
“Ooooh!”
Elnet issued the order in a loud voice, audible to all members of the detachment.
“Sigh, it’s tough being in a position to give orders. This will be the last of my complaints. Now, I need to send a messenger to the Duke’s main force. Inform them of the Royal Castle’s situation and that our detachment is heading there immediately, canceling training. The messenger is then to follow the main force’s orders and not return to our unit.”
“Understood.”
Elnet dispatched a messenger to the Duke’s main force to inform them that training was being canceled to proceed with rescue operations due to the attack on the castle.
“Captain, no, Elnet. Everyone is ready.”
“Understood.”
When the adjutant informed her that everyone had finished their preparations and assembled, Elnet took a deep breath.
“We are heading to the battlefield to aid those struggling at the Royal Castle. Let me say it again. From here on, this is not training, but actual combat. We have a great God with us. Borrowing that power, we will now instantly move to the inner courtyard of the Royal Castle.”
“Eh?”
The soldiers, who had expected to move by running, were bewildered by Elnet’s unbelievable words.
“The transfer will be completed shortly. It will be a battlefield. Everyone, stay alert!”
Elnet cautioned the soldiers to remain vigilant, as she did not know the situation in the inner courtyard after they arrived.
“Hanako, I’m counting on you.”
“Mmm, understood.”
Hanako used Teleportation Magic to transfer Elnet’s Duke’s Army Detachment directly to the inner courtyard of the Royal Castle.
