Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 39

Chapter 39
  Meanwhile, in the core city of Aizel in Rigsia territory, located north of the Legald territory where the Aius Empire’s capital is situated, the two Nightshade units that had carried out the aforementioned attack had returned.
  
  Neither side suffered any major damage, as they had avoided full-fledged close combat upon the death of their fellow knights and successfully retreated using a special weapon called “Acoustic Flashbang” whose main component is magnesium.
  
  However, the expressions of the exclusive knights were extremely gloomy.
  
  “There were six of us when we left here.”
  “I’m sorry, Jix… It’s all because I, the commander, was inexperienced.”
  
  Unable to bear the shame of the young officer, the slightly older knight turned away as if embarrassed… and his eyes met with Elnea, the mage assigned to the commander’s knight, who was staring at him sharply.
  
  “Leo did nothing wrong, the original plan was just reckless… Are you stupid?”
  “No, I don’t mean to blame him.”
  
  As the girl tried to add more words to the person who was scratching his head in exasperation, Leonardo, who had been defended, shook his head.
  
  “I appreciate your sentiment, but it’s disrespectful to say that the unit commander bears no responsibility at all.”
  “… Well, if you say so, I’ll obey.”
  
  After a pause, Elnea, perhaps judging that it was pointless to argue within the unit, snuggled up to her partner who had admonished her.
  
  Seeing this, Jix, who had exchanged glances with his own mage partner, was dumbfounded and gave a wry smile when a guard sent from the castle brought a message.
  
  “Well, I’m going to get scolded by Lord Heisel for a bit.”
  
  Responding to the Marquis’ summons upon learning of the return of the attack force, Leonardo told his subordinates that it was his job to take the blame for the failure and walked away.
  
  Unable to keep him waiting any longer, he quickly walked through the stableyard and headed for the castle gate, where Valph, the Knight Captain of Rigsia territory, was standing.
  
  “What are you doing in a place like this?”
  “I’ve been summoned too… I thought I’d hear the results first.”
  
  The robust warrior, who had his own office in the castle due to his position of leading the knights, and who had arrived ahead of Leonardo who was coming from the knight workshop, asked in a low voice.
  
  “It was a failure, I apologize. We failed to achieve sufficient results and lost four of the newly built knights entrusted to us.”
  
  “… I see, you’ve had a hard time.”
  
  Valph, with a grimace, turned around and started walking, followed by Leonardo, towards the Lord’s office.
  
  They arrived without much delay, and when they entered with permission, they found not only the stubborn-looking elderly Lord but also a bewitching beauty with skin so pale as to be unhealthy.
  
  As the woman with long white hair that reached her waist turned around with a faint sway and smiled, her light-colored eyes fixed on them as Marquis Heisel Ballenstein of Rigsia spoke.
  
  “First, let me hear your report.”
  
  At the resounding words, the young officer who had commanded the attack in another territory stepped forward, checked with the Knight Captain with a glance, and then bowed to the Marquis sitting in the chair at his desk.
  
  “Excuse me. Regarding the attack on the core city of Winzard, which we carried out under the cover of darkness the other day…”
  
  Unable to do anything but tell the truth, as he spoke in detail about the damage they had inflicted on the surrounding area by destroying the east and west defensive gates, and the encounter with the enemy on the main street… the Marquis’ mood visibly worsened.
  
  “… In other words, despite the success of the diversion, you failed to achieve your objective, were defeated by the White Fox’s meager forces, lost valuable knights, and shamefully fled back, didn’t you?”
  
  Perhaps because he was a hardened Imperial Faction member, the Marquis tended to demand lineage and pedigree even from imperial nobles, and he felt aversion to Nina Valer, a Rare Human who was nothing more than a “lowly commoner,” ruling the territory.
  
  Moreover, it was unacceptable for a filthy existence to possess such a large military force, and he had acted in secret to restore the Aius Empire to its proper form… but all had ended in failure.
  
  “I am deeply sorry for the unsatisfactory results, and I have no excuse.”
  “D*mn it, do you have any idea how much money and time we’ve invested, you fool!”
  
  The Marquis, in a fit of rage, threw a bottle of gallic ink, which hit Leonardo in the chest, leaving a black stain on his knight uniform.
  
  “Marquis-sama, please calm your anger. As they say, ‘a small force can defeat a large army.'”
  “That rarely happens in reality, Fau.”
  
  “Oh, is that so?”
  
  Glancing at the head of knight development in Rigsia territory, who tilted her head and smiled, he said curtly with a frustrated expression.
  
  “Aren’t you frustrated that the state-of-the-art Rigsia-made knight you designed yourself has been outdone by the White Fox’s knight?”
  
  “No, I think it’s more a matter of the user than my giant knight being inferior to a counterfeit…”
  
  While smoothly shifting the blame to the incompetent pilots, the woman called Fau continued.
  
  “Also, we can’t overuse tactics like this that rely on surprise. If tricks don’t work, I think we should try a direct approach next.”
  
  “That’s a bit too hasty. In the current situation where the authority of the Imperial Family has declined, it could lead to an uncontrollable situation.”
  
  Although Knight Captain Valph intervened to change the direction of the conversation, things had already begun in areas that the military officers were unaware of, and the truth was that they were gradually making approaches to the nobles of the Imperial Faction and the Neutral Faction.
  
  “We will make our decision based on the groundwork we have laid in advance and the timing. It’s too dangerous to leave the White Fox as she is.”
  
  The giant knights belonging to Zephyrus Domain, which were currently deployed on the western front, were also pieces that the opponent could move freely, so they could potentially turn their spears towards the Imperial Faction or the imperial territories.
  
  The possibility of that actually happening was low, but… the Marquis, who had become increasingly suspicious of the somewhat alien Nina Valer, was filled with anxiety and was obsessed with the distorted idea that he had to weaken her disliked military force while he could and gain an advantage over her.