Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 31

Chapter 31
  At the destination, two armed guards stood in front of the door, silently staring at us with sharp gazes.
  
  “It’s Raizes, Vice-Captain of the Lizel Knights. I’d like you to announce us to the Lord.”
  “We will confirm, so please wait a moment…”
  
  After knocking on the door three times and getting permission for the young lady to enter, the guard who responded to us left his partner behind and went inside. He exchanged a few words in a volume that couldn’t be heard from outside and returned.
  
  “The Knight King and Vice-Captain are fine to enter.”
  
  “Wait here for a bit, Revia.”
  “Yeah, see you later.”
  
  After saying a word, I left the accompanying mage and the squire guard behind and passed through the opened door with Raizes, entering in exchange for the guard who came out.
  
  Sitting in the chair at the desk facing us, Nina had her cheek resting on her hand, and Knight Captain Aynst was standing beside her.
  
  “Excuse me for the late-night visit.”
  “It’s fine, Knight King. We’re the ones making the noise.”
  
  “May I ask the reason?”
  
  Nina, seemingly slightly annoyed at having her sleep interrupted by urgent business, glanced at the Knight Captain.
  
  “Several messenger owls that I had entrusted to the town of Dimer on the eastern edge of the territory have informed me of a large-scale forest fire… I’ve dispatched about six Clawsolas, mainly those equipped with water attribute magic cores, to prevent the fire from spreading.”
  
  “Since it’s a giant knight unit with no other branches of the military, even if they can only travel at cruising speed because it’s nighttime, it will still take about an hour and a half to reach the scene, right?”
  
  If they were late, not only would the scale of the fire expand, but wild beasts and small to medium-sized magical beasts that have taken root in the forest might be driven out and attack the town. The decision to prioritize immediate response was not wrong.
  
  “Hmm… There could be unforeseen circumstances, so it’s an appropriate measure.”
  
  Raizes nodded deeply in agreement, but I could understand why he added a little implication to his words.
  
  In recent years, Zephyrus Domain has been sending troops to three territories adjacent to the Aberrations’ domain, so the number of giant knights we saw at the stableyard and hangar was limited.
  
  If they dispatched six knights in the current situation, it would be unavoidable that the defenses of the core city, Winzard, would become thin. It might be an unnecessary worry, but… I should mention it here.
  
  “Aynst-dono, how many Clawsolas can you mobilize right now?”
  “My Begalta and two Clawsolas… Are you concerned about it, Knight King?”
  
  Due to his responsibilities, the Knight Captain of Zephyrus frowned and pondered, but Nina, who was far from the conflict, seemed to lack a sense of reality and had a somewhat skeptical attitude.
  
  “I told him earlier, but even if the “Hour of Ruin” is attacking the western territories, I doubt there are any fools, even among the Imperial Faction, who would be stupid enough to attack us from behind just because they don’t like me.”
  
  “…It seems like you have a lot on your mind.”
  “That’s also part of my duty, but I appreciate your concern.”
  
  “Hmm, wait a minute! I object.”
  
  The young lady interrupted with a dissatisfied expression, but I shut down her argument as if to say, “Better safe than sorry.”
  
  “In the first place, are forest fires common in the eastern forest area?”
  “There are reports about once a year in the territory, but large-scale ones are rare.”
  
  “Therefore, I feel that the cause of this fire is different from usual, Nina-sama.”
  “…You mean there’s a possibility that it’s artificial or intentional?”
  
  She seemed to have something on her mind and averted her gaze as if thinking about something. Raizes, the cautious one, added his words to her.
  
  “If nothing happens, then it’s fine. Even if it’s a waste, we can laugh it off. But if something does happen, it will be irreversible. If we can prepare in advance, it’s a blessing.”
  
  “That’s true… Aynst, make sure the remaining Clawsolas are ready to be deployed for a while. Also, depending on the situation, we will increase the number of cavalry dispatched later and have some of the giant knights return early instead.”
  
  “Understood.”
  
  With a brief reply and a bow, the Knight Captain, who had received Nina’s orders, left the room with quick movements.
  
  Since I had also given a warning, I would explore the possibility of working with them until we could determine that nothing related to the forest fire would happen.
  
  “…By the way, is the Clawsolas we’re supposed to receive ready?”
  “Yes, it’s ready to move without any problems.”
  
  “Then, let’s wait in the cockpits of our Clawsolas.”
  “Thank you, Claude-dono.”
  
  Seen off by the young lady who bowed her head, I headed to the Clawsolas workshop with Revia and the others. On the way, I asked Raizes to go to the barracks to call back the silver-haired, blue-eyed siblings.
  
  “Dino and the others… Since the fourth Clawsolas is under maintenance, they don’t have a Clawsolas, right?”
  “That’s right, bad timing.”
  
  I kept the blue-haired knight’s position in mind a little, and when we arrived at the workshop, we passed by Aynst’s Begalta L-type, which was making a low driving sound, and went to the back.
  
  “Your Majesty the Knight King, Belphegor is ready!”
  “I was prepared for this! I always maintain it thoroughly.”
  
  I expressed my gratitude to the technicians who didn’t show any displeasure even though they were called in the middle of the night and were working behind the scenes. Then, I followed Revia, who had already boarded the latest model Clawsolas in its standby posture using the lifting wire.
  
  “～♪ I’m somehow happy about the brand-new seat.”
  “It feels like a new car…”
  
  When she, who was in a good mood for some reason, channeled magic power into the magic core and activated the heart of the dormant Clawsolas, artificial muscle fibers extending from various parts of the cockpit wrapped around her body.
  
  Furthermore, the artificial membrane that protects the pilot closed off my vision, and the scene reflected in my eyes switched to that of the pseudo eyeballs.
  
  ‘Well, I hope nothing happens until dawn…’
  
  The moment I thought of such a peaceful thing, a series of shattering sounds that seemed to reach the city center from the direction of the east gate echoed.