“A woman?” Julius asked.
As he listened to the soldier who bowed low as he gave his report, Gaius raised an eyebrow. “Just who is she?”
“Well… according to one commander who recognized her, she is Excel Walter, Admiral of the Elfrieden Navy,” the soldier said.
“Did you say Excel Walter?!” Gaius doubted his own ears. “You say that one of the three dukes was inside that castle?!”
It was hard to believe. The King of Elfrieden, Souma, had issued his ultimatum to the three dukes only a few days ago. Certainly, Admiral Excel Walter had sworn loyalty to him there, but by the time the spies had delivered that information to them, the armies of the Principality had already besieged Altomura.
Her base of operations was Lagoon City on the northeast edge of the Kingdom, while Altomura was close to the southwest edge. No matter how quickly she traveled, it should have taken three or four days to travel that distance. If Excel had been in Lagoon City when the ultimatum was issued, she couldn’t possibly have gotten inside Altomura.
“Why?! Why is Excel there?!” Gaius screamed.
Unlike the bewildered Gaius, Julius looked as if things suddenly made sense to him. “…Most likely, Excel was in communication with Souma prior to the ultimatum.”
The identity of that sensation which he hadn’t been able to put a name to… the one that he had been feeling from Altomura. Had it been Excel’s shadow?
The moment he realized it, Julius figured out the enemy’s ploy and turned pale. If Excel and Souma had been secretly in contact, it was possible the other two dukes had been, as well.
If that ultimatum was a farce…!
That was where Julius finally realized the enemy’s true aim.
“Father, prepare to withdraw posthaste! We’ve been lured here!” he shouted.
Julius took a knee before his father, regretfully offering that advice. Gaius blinked at the sudden suggestion of retreat. “Lured here? What do you mean?”
“Most likely, Excel was in Altomura when she took part in the meeting where that ultimatum was issued,” Julius said. “We have a Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel in our country, just like they do, and it certainly wouldn’t be impossible to transport one.”
“Why would she need to do that?” Gaius asked.
“To keep us pinned down at this city, I’m sure,” Julius said bitterly. “The enemy’s target is…”
“This is an announcement which concerns all citizens of Elfrieden.”
Cutting Julius off mid-sentence, a voice loud enough for all the Amidonian soldiers encircling Altomura to hear it echoed through the area. When they turned to look, there was a giant silhouette standing on the walls of Altomura.
It must have been around 20 meters tall. If that were the man himself, he would truly be a giant, but the scenery behind him was see-through. It had to be an illusion of some sort.
That silhouette was the provisional King of Elfrieden, Souma Kazuya.
Today, he wasn’t wearing the casual attire he usually did; he was dressed in a proper military uniform. They say the clothes make the man, and he did look much more intimidating than usual.
Gaius and Julius looked hatefully at Souma.
“I repeat. This is an announcement which concerns all citizens of Elfrieden. I am the provisional King of Elfrieden, Souma Kazuya.”
Meanwhile, up on the castle walls, Excel was looking up at the giant image of Souma in military uniform with a complicated expression on her face.
The mist this supersized image of Souma was being projected on had been produced by Excel’s magic.
With the magical power Excel held as a descendant of sea serpents, it was easy for her to imitate one of the mist-dispersing receivers used for the Jewel Voice Broadcast. Right now, Excel was using that power to show the Amidonian army Souma’s Jewel Voice Broadcast.
Souma began by giving a straightforward explanation of the sequence of events that had led to the current situation.
How the General of the Army, Georg, had been sheltering corrupt nobles, and so the Forbidden Army and the Army had come into conflict.
How the General of the Air Force, Castor, had rebelled against him, ready to martyr himself for his friendship with Georg.
And how, of the three dukes, only the Admiral of the Navy, Excel, had expressed her intention to serve him loyally from the beginning.
Of course, he was just laying out the facts one after another, not delving into the details, but details mattered little to these people. What they wanted to hear was whether they were going to be caught up in the fighting or not.
“A lot has happened to bring us to this point, but at present the Forbidden Army, Army, Navy, and Air Force are all under my command,” Souma announced. “As such, I hereby proclaim the civil war to be at an end.”
The conflict between the king and the three dukes was over.
For the citizens, just knowing that was enough. However, Excel wore a pained look on her face.
It had been only two days since the ultimatum. This announcement meant that, in that time, Souma had defeated both Castor Vargas’s Air Force and Georg Carmine’s Army.
She could understand Castor. He had only rebelled with his personal troops, and Excel had shared her knowledge of routes that could be used to invade Red Dragon City in order to aid in his capture.
However, she sensed something contrived in the way that Georg had surrendered so easily.
The amount of time I was asked to buy was so short, I thought there might be something up, but… I never expected they were working together from the very beginning, she thought. It looks like Castor, myself, and even His Majesty may have all been dancing in the palm of Georg Carmine’s hand.
Despite her youthful appearance, Excel wondered if this was what it was like to grow old. As she began to comprehend Georg’s plan, she gazed off into the distance with a sigh.
If this was how it was going to be, I should have pressed harder to make Castor stop…If I risk this old neck of mine, is there some way I can save their two lives?
That was what Excel thought as she looked up at the image of Souma.
Souma’s speech was rising towards its climax.
“The civil war has come to an end. Yet it is too soon for us to sheathe our blades! The armies of the Principality of Amidonia have crossed the border and invaded our country! At this very moment, Amidonian forces have besieged the southwestern city of Altomura!”
When the king suddenly revealed the Amidonian invasion, roughly half of the population grew tense, while half reacted with shock. The ones who grew tense were those in the west who had already received information of the Amidonian incursion, while the ones who were shocked were those in the east of the country where the news had yet to spread.
Not many days had passed since the Principality of Amidonia had launched their invasion, so the information hadn’t fully spread yet.
The people of the east reacted to this sudden news with panic. However…
“But fear not,” Souma declared. “I had anticipated this might happen, and so I sent Duchess Excel to Altomura. Thus far, the enemy has been unable to capture Altomura.”
When the people heard these words from Souma, it helped calm them a little. He continued.
“I already have the Forbidden Army, Army, Navy, and Air Force under my command. The invading force from the principality numbers 30,000. With the Forbidden Army, Army, and Air Force combined, we can mobilize roughly 55,000 troops. If we marched on Altomura now, it would be a simple task to drive these barbaric invaders back.”