Volume 2 Chapter 97 Request For Reinforcements From Izerland Fortress II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
McCutchen’s speech, emerging from the numerous armed foreign groups surrounding the Main Castle, could be summarized simply as, “We have come to defeat the traitor Owl who is deceiving the young Princess Maribel,” and “We will grant the same rights to Azraelian and Shin people who do not have citizenship and protect their lives.”
In other words, the imprisoned McCutchen painted Owl as the villain to justify himself.
He believed that he, who had been temporarily expelled from the political arena, was the best person to protect Maribel and conduct politics.
Moreover, the biggest obstacle to his counteroffensive operation, military strength, seemed to have been quickly gathered by accepting the demands of foreign armed organizations lying dormant in various places.
Among them, there appeared to be users of one of Azrael’s warrior monk techniques, ‘Wall,’ who were deploying barriers in preparation for Christy and Owl’s magic.
To be honest, the barriers they set up were the lowest rank of walls and each one was not particularly impressive, but numbers were power.
At the very least, Christy’s magic would likely be easily repelled.
”──It seems everyone is receiving combat training, albeit hastily.”
Owl, peering down from the castle wall, pushed up his ‘glasses’ with his finger and said this.
He turned to Maribel and Christy and continued.
”This is probably the work of Azrael’s apostle, who has been causing a stir in our country lately… According to the captured Insect Master, they infiltrated the area and provided combat training to the amateur armed groups, strengthening their armaments. That’s likely why the weapons of the invading armed organizations are so high-performance.”
”……”
Maribel bit her lip.
When McCutchen finished his speech and stepped back, he demanded the disarmament of the soldiers within the castle and the handover of Maribel within 30 minutes.
Otherwise, he threatened to take Main Castle by force.
It could only be said that his hesitation to attack immediately was a sign of weakness, but for now, it was very much appreciated.
At the very least, they had 30 minutes to devise a plan.
”I mean, why isn’t he attacking right away? Is McCutchen an idiot?”
”If he assaults Main Castle, there will be tremendous damage. He doesn’t have the command structure to force that foreign armed organization into a no-holds-barred attack.”
”So, the ones surrounding us are reluctant to attack the castle? If they’re not going to attack, then why are they here? It’s so confusing…”
It’s just like chess.
Sacrificing pieces to check the king is the same.
If there were 2 thousand soldiers, about 3 hundred would die needlessly.
If the damage would be limited to that, they might as well let them attack──Christy thought.
The leaders of each armed group would never allow such a thing for McCutchen, but a *socially awkward* witch who had never held a commanding position wouldn’t understand that.
”Princess! Lady Natasha has been found!”
Just as Maribel was about to speak to Christy, Fringilla rushed out from inside the castle in a panic.
Maribel gasped, raised her face, and slipped past Christy to stand in front of the lady.
”Fringilla, is it true? Where is she now?”
”In the dining hall! With the other Head magicians!”
”────”
(Showing up late during such a critical time? Lady Natasha is as she always is.)
Christy frowned.
In contrast, Maribel fell silent, as if deep in thought.
But right now, every second counted.
If Natasha had been found, they needed to talk to her and quickly decide on their next course of action.
There was no time to waste.
”Your Excellency? For now, let’s head to the dining hall. Whether we listen to Natasha or discuss what to do next, everything depends on that.”
”Indeed. ────Fringilla, thank you for your hard work. Please continue searching for Archbishop Homolka. If you can’t find him, it’s fine to come back. Christy, Owl, let’s go to the dining hall.”
”Yes.”
Following Maribel, they leave the castle wall behind.
Christy felt the weight of the war cries from the foreign armed forces below pressing on her back.
* * *
Here’s a revised version that keeps the original English level intact but improves the storytelling:
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Upon entering the castle dining hall, Christy saw five Head Magicians waiting, just as Fringilla had reported. All of them were her seniors.
At the center stood Natasha, the blonde witch, her presence bold and unmistakable with the scent of perfume lingering in the air.
Christy couldn’t help but remember McCutchen. The Head Magician still stubbornly tried to break through the barrier blocking teleportation.
For Christy, this person was one of the two she disliked most in the castle.
”Your Excellency, good day.”
As she walked past the wooden tables piled with chairs, Natasha and the others curtsied, hands delicately holding the edges of their skirts. Maribel, glaring fiercely, stood aside. It was Owl who stepped forward in her place.
”Natasha? McCutchen is attacking with mercenaries outside. Were you aware of this?”
”Oh dear. Strange you didn’t hear all that noise yourself.”
A witch, standing to Natasha’s right, added, “Princess Maribel, we’re holding the barrier, but we don’t know how much longer it will stand. We must act fast, or it will be too late.”
Maribel nodded grimly.
”Of course, we have three potential allies. The Adventurer Guild’s mercenaries, the knights from the ‘Knights of the Sun’ outside the fortress, and—though few—the Church Knights under Archbishop Homolka.”
”Are we really fighting? Wouldn’t it be better to just run?” Christy’s voice cut through, her thoughts focused solely on escaping through the teleportation gate. Given the monstrous shadows creeping around the Main Castle, her suggestion seemed practical.
But surprisingly, the room’s response was mixed.
Owl tilted his head, looking serious.
”Uh… Christina? Are you saying we should abandon this Izerland fortress?”
”That’s right. It’s dangerous to fight against so many soldiers. We barely have 50 soldiers combined from Owl and Manon’s forces, right? We have the Head magicians with us, but it looks like the enemy is prepared to defend against magic with a barrier, so I think we should hurry up and escape through teleportation.”
”Ha, there’s no way we can run away.”
Natasha shrugged mockingly.
Christy felt a surge of annoyance at that condescending attitude, but after all, Natasha was Christy’s superior.
She couldn’t afford to respond with clumsy words.
However, unable to even manage a placating smile, Christy could only sulk with a sullen face.
Maribel quietly opened her mouth.
”Christy, there’s no way we can escape from this castle.”
”Huh? Why not?”
”Even if we escaped using teleportation, where would we go? To Ramsey where Oswald is? Or to Châtillon where Renaud is?”
”Well, it should be fine if we escape to either place, right? I feel like Oswald would definitely hide us no matter what──”
”There’s no way that’s true, Christina.”
Owl quietly interjected.
His slit eyes opened, and he turned his inhuman gaze toward Christy.
”They’re both ambitious. They’re not the kind of people you should trust. Once they have Her Excellency surrounded, they’ll start wielding power in the borderlands, under the guise of ‘protecting the princess from McCutchen.’”
”Christina, maybe you mistake Oswald for a kind brother or father. Heh. But we, who hold the advantage, have no reason to abandon Izerland Fortress.”
”Advantage?” Christy’s tone was skeptical, her eyes narrowing with doubt.
”McCutchen and the others won’t break through the barrier we’ve set at the Main Castle. While they waste their time trying, we can contact the knights at the ‘Knights of the Sun’ fortress and have them strike from behind, securing victory for us.”
”Are you sure they can’t break it?” Christy stared at Natasha, distrust heavy in her gaze.
”Oh? What do you mean?”
”What do I mean… Don’t you get it? Lady Natasha already failed to capture McCutchen once.”
”That was Archbishop Homolka’s fault. Not mine.”
Natasha shrugged off the comment, her face unbothered, as thick-skinned as ever. She didn’t seem fazed by Christy’s words at all.
Owl furrowed his brows.
”It was also your mistake that the drawbridge at the East Gate of the outer wall wouldn’t raise, Natasha?”
”No, it’s your subordinate’s fault for contacting me too late, Lord Owl. Or maybe it was the old, faulty gears that didn’t work properly.”
”Don’t lie, Natasha. You received money from McCutchen, didn’t you? He must’ve offered you a reward for delaying the closing of the East Gate, right?”
”Of course not. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you check my bank account?”
”──Hmm, then maybe it was one of your other Head magicians.”
At Owl’s sticky voice, the Head magician sitting to Natasha’s left clicked their tongue and turned their face away.
Cold, murderous intent flickered in Owl’s inhuman eyes.
The atmosphere was on the verge of exploding, but before that could happen, Maribel stepped between them and raised her voice.
”Everyone, the discussion is straying! Right now, we must figure out how to get out of this predicament! We can pursue the culprit later.”
”…As you command, Your Excellency Maribel.”
”Hehe, just as expected from a princess.”
”Of course, I will thoroughly check your bank accounts later, Head Magicians. But for now, it’s McCutchen. Continuing to resist is certain. Fortify our defenses. Meanwhile, I will request reinforcements from the Adventurers’ Guild and the Church Knights.”
”Oh, aren’t you going to request help from the ‘Knights of the Sun’?”
Natasha immediately interrupted.
Maribel frowned.
”I did mention them as an option, but the knights of the ‘Knights of the Sun’ have a magic contract preventing them from entering the fortress beyond a certain number. This is due to the ancient protective magic hanging over the outer wall. To invite them in, I would have to break the magic contract that I had the noble lords sign and shift the ‘Stone of the Steel Dragon’ that serves as the origin of the protective magic on the outer wall to fully dissolve the barrier.”
Everyone present knew this──
For Maribel, allowing Oswald’s or Renaud’s troops to enter the fortress meant being close to death.
If they crossed the outer wall, the Main Castle would be surrounded.
Hence, she had placed restrictions so that Oswald’s and Renaud’s troops couldn’t enter the castle beyond a certain point.
That was the magic contract Maribel spoke of.
”If we remove the protective barrier around the fortress, the noble lords like Oswald and Renaud will be able to advance their armies within 3 kilometers of the outer wall. Of course, they could also enter the castle and seize each stronghold. After defeating McCutchen’s forces, it would be possible to besiege this main castle anew.”
If they only want to capture the fortress, it might be possible with just Oswald and Aisha, or perhaps just Renaud and his son Guy.
However, afterward, maintaining the fortress as a functioning town while also using it as a military base would be impossible with just the two of them.
That’s why, thanks to the magic contract, Oswald and Renaud considered this fortress practically unassailable (or rather, a castle that would be pointless to conquer).
However, if she break the magic contract and remove the barrier, the situation will change dramatically.
Both Renaud and Oswald will be able to seize the fortress with military force and control the border’s politics and the fortress’s economy at will.
Yet, even knowing this, Natasha insists on inviting the ‘Knights of the Sun’ from outside.
”Your Excellency, having Church Knights and adventurers is like trying to pour water on a hot stone. The Church Knights are far too few in number, and adventurers are merely monster hunters. They are not soldiers. Besides, there’s no guarantee the Guild Master will respond to our request. Adventurers are not knights sworn to protect Your Excellency. You should permit the ‘Knights of the Sun’ to enter the castle.”
”──────. What do you think, Owl?”
”If we can’t rely on my cute Bloodsucking Kind, then we have no choice but to seek help from the knights at the ‘Knights of the Sun’ fort… In terms of numbers, it will primarily be 100 knights from Oswald and 3 hundred knights from Renaud. Deciding whether to break the magic contract with Oswald or break the one with Renaud is quite a challenge. Breaking both… might be best to avoid.”
By the way, Oswald returned to his territory in Ramsey the other day.
Renaud is staring down Azrael’s army at the border.
She can’t rely on their individual prowess to turn the situation around.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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