Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Leopolt, Tristan, and the others, even including the leaf-covered Celia, are looking at me reproachfully.

Myla is the only one who is grinning with a weird gleam in her eye, she will turn back to normal, right?

「I'm done.」

「That is useless sentiment.」

I smile at Leopolt and assert.

「Well, I'm a man who does many unnecessary things. You've been with me for so long and still don't understand?」

I give my own cheek a slap.

「I tried to advise them to surrender, but they said they'd remain on guard.」

Tristan sighs, expectating as much, Leopolt is expressionless, and Celia makes a funny face in an attempt to be expressionless.

Beating drums can be heard from the royal army side.

That is the signal for war.

「The gap in strength is evidently large without having to look. How should we attack?」

We can afford to use the little time we have to think a bit.

「I won't say――that's not within calculation, but we aren't out of options.」

「Indeed. If we were in complete despair, I would have ran already. The fact that a sliver of a chance is left is worse.」

The entire army changes formation based on instructions given by Leopolt and Tristan.

Movement in the royal army stopped immediately.

Erich seems to want to gauge what we are doing.