Chapter 33

While Roselia was trudging through the mountains, covered in mud—

To the north of Castle Torunia, in a certain fortress within the Duchy of Larknoll, two men sat across from each other with a map spread out before them.

One was the lord of the castle, Thor El Larknoll. The other was his close aide and former tutor, Courtrayle.

Colored stones had been placed atop the map.

They indicated the positions of factions involved in the current turmoil within the Duchy of Budoudarl—forces such as the Imperial Army and the troops of Count Couranbell.

“…Would it still be a bad move to send aid to Princess Roselia now?”

Courtrayle considered how best to respond to his lord’s question before giving a nod.

“Yes. If milord wishes to take Princess Roselia as your consort, I would advise against it.”

“…Hm? I feel like going to her rescue would actually earn me some points.”

A fantasy swept through Thor’s mind—“Lord Thor… thank you so much. This is… my token of gratitude… chu ♥”*—and for a moment, his lips nearly curled into a grin. He quickly tightened his expression.

“There’s a better way.”

“Let’s hear it!”

“Break the ceasefire and launch a full-scale assault on Castle Torunia. Capture Princess Roselia.”

“What!?”

Thor’s brows drew together in displeasure at Courtrayle’s suggestion.

“…I doubt Roselia would ever agree to marry me if I went about it that way.”

“Is that so? I imagine once her belly swells, she’d come around to the idea.”

“Her… belly? …You don’t mean—”

Realization dawned on Thor, and magical energy flared from his body.

It was laced with fury and killing intent.

“Watch your words carefully from here on.”

“If His Grace, Grand Duke Plumera, were to see his granddaughter’s swollen belly, even he would have to concede. And if regaining the Duchy of Budoudarl depended on your cooperation, Princess Roselia might even come to love you willingly.”

In the western continent, marriage is synonymous with sexual relations.

Thus, the consummation of the act is often taken as de facto evidence of marriage.

Naturally, mutual consent is the customary requirement for becoming husband and wife—but that consent can be after the fact.

This is known in this world as “marriage by abduction.”

It was common practice during times of war, and even today is still seen among the knightly class and below.

By the ethical standards of this world, it is indeed considered a crime.

However, due to the prioritization of “self-help” and the “principle of effective control,” even criminal acts can be legitimized if the facts are firmly established.

“What do you think?”

“……”

Thor glared sharply at Courtrayle.

His expression remained thunderous, but the emotional waves his magic radiated began to gradually subside.

“Such a barbaric method… won’t fly in this era. I’ve no intention of inheriting my grandfather’s or father’s vices. It would only lead to diplomatic isolation.”

What Thor desired was Roselia’s heart.

He had no intention of choosing a path that would win him her body only to earn her hatred in return.

“Still… I understand now that if I force my way into Castle Torunia, Princess Roselia would only misunderstand. I’d just be getting in her way. Thank you for your counsel.”

“I’m relieved to hear you say so. If you truly care for her, then trust her and watch quietly.”

Of course, Courtrayle had never seriously meant to suggest that Thor “violate” Roselia.

That earlier proposal had been a roundabout way of saying, “That’s how it will look to everyone else, so don’t do it.”

Even if Thor claimed he was mobilizing the army “to rescue Princess Roselia,” no one would believe it.

It would simply be seen as a flimsy pretext for invasion.

Rather than saving her, he’d end up in battle against her.

The only ones who’d benefit from that would be the Imperial Family.

“…But I still can’t bring myself to just sit back and wait.”

If Roselia were to be captured by Count Couranbell or by Bard… what would happen to her?

The mere thought made Thor feel like his brain was splitting apart.

“Right now, we’re in a position to turn the tide of this war. To stay neutral is like throwing a golden opportunity into the manure pit.”

As things stood, the House of Larknoll could either side with the Imperial Family and attack the Duchy of Budoudarl, or lend aid to Budoudarl and gain a powerful debt of gratitude.

Thor believed it would be a waste not to act in a situation where any diplomatic move would result in gain.

“Is there no way to aid Princess Roselia, earn her gratitude… and gain her debt?”

Courtrayle thought deeply for a moment before answering Thor’s question.

“…There is one way.”

“Tell me.”

“I believe a man should devise his own way to rescue the woman he loves.”

Thor furrowed his brows at Courtrayle’s words.

Ordinarily, it was a knight’s duty to propose strategies on behalf of their lord…

“But asking knights to lay down their lives for a lord’s personal ambition—that is something they must be persuaded into. And for that, milord must think it through yourself and present the path forward. Otherwise, I doubt the knights will be willing to act.”

Courtrayle was insisting that doing nothing—for now—was the safer course.

Most of the knights would likely support that stance.

If Thor wished to overturn it, then he himself would need to present a plan compelling enough to win them over.

“…You’re absolutely right.”

Convinced by Courtrayle’s argument, Thor turned his eyes back to the map and began to glare at it in thought.

After several hours of deliberation, Thor proposed a plan to Courtrayle.

“A sound approach. Some revisions will be necessary, but the core is solid. The only remaining question is whether it can actually be carried out.”

“You mean… it might not be?”

“That’s not for me to decide. It depends on the knights who follow you, milord.”

No matter how motivated Thor was, no matter how promising the plan looked on paper—if the knights had no will to act, it would all be for nothing.

Having said that, Courtrayle rose from his seat.

“Please prepare your speech. I’ll gather as many knights as I can.”

And thus, the operation was set into motion.

---

The day after news arrived of the Imperial Army's defeat.

At last, a rough outline of what had taken place within Imperial territory was starting to emerge.

To sum it up simply…

• While the Imperial Army was invading Count Osen’s domain, the Duchy of Larknoll took the opportunity to launch an incursion into the Empire.

• They destroyed a major Imperial supply depot, then raided the surrounding regions on horseback.

• The Imperial Army, caught off guard, hastily retreated—only to run headlong into the Larknoll forces.

• The Larknoll Army emerged victorious, and the Imperial forces fled in disarray.

…Something like that.

Listed out like this, it seemed straightforward enough. But the more I thought about each step, the less sense it made.

“First off, there’s quite a distance between the Duchy of Larknoll and the Imperial supply depot, isn’t there? …At a glance, it looks like it would take at least two weeks under normal conditions. What kind of magic are we talking about here?”

Pointing at the map, I posed the question to the knights.

They fell silent—until Knight Sunbrag finally opened his mouth with a heavy tone.

“…No, if we’re talking about a small, elite unit—under a hundred mounted knights—then the journey can be reduced to about a week.”

“Like what we did?”

“No. Not like us. Not in stealth. I mean a forced march on horseback, using physical enhancement magic.”

I see…?

There were plenty of things to question about that, but for now, let’s assume that’s how they did it.

“But according to your own calculations, Lord Thor made the journey in four days. What happened to the other three?”

Normally, this would take two weeks.

Pushing it, one could shrink that to one week.

Yet Thor had cut that even further, down to four days?

Is your math broken?

“…This is purely speculation, but…”

“Yes?”

“If they marched both day and night, it’s theoretically possible to reduce the time even further.”

I see.

If you don’t sleep, a day becomes effectively twice as long. That's… what they’re going with?

Wait, no, that’s insane…

“My apologies, Princess. Please disregard my earlier nonsense. I’ll re-gather information and recalculate.”

“…No, for now, let’s just assume they marched day and night. You can revisit the calculations when more data becomes available.”

There were still plenty of other points of concern.

“If the unit was marching with physical enhancements, wouldn’t they be detected and intercepted somewhere along the way?”

Moving that boldly would inevitably draw enemy attention.

They’d be surrounded in no time and cut off deep behind enemy lines.

That’s why we moved cautiously, in secrecy…

“…If the marching speed is fast enough, it’s possible to break through before the enemy has time to prepare for interception.”

True enough. Most wouldn’t expect a force to be moving around the clock, and if their speed was as estimated, they might indeed be able to defeat enemies piecemeal before resistance could mobilize.

Let’s go with that, then.

“Lord Thor supposedly moved with fewer than a hundred riders… yet the force that engaged the Imperial Army numbered five thousand. Where did they come from?”

“They most likely landed via river, traveling inland from the sea.”

Knight Sunbrag answered quickly.

It didn’t seem to strike him as particularly odd.

“As you’re aware, their roots lie in the Garzasian pirates. They specialize in tactics where they sail up rivers from the sea using shallow-draft vessels—longships—to launch attacks.”

“I’ve heard of that before… but weren’t those meant for small, elite raiding parties focused on looting?”

They could probably manage to sail upriver with a few hundred and abduct some people.

But the Larknoll Ducal House deployed a force of five thousand.

“Yes. To land an army of five thousand, they would first need to seize a sizable port in advance.”

“…Ah, I see.”

So Thor led an elite unit to break through enemy lines and secure a supply hub that also served as a port.

From there, they landed the full five-thousand-strong army.

As for provisions, they could just use what was already stockpiled there, so the supply train could be minimal.

Now that it’s being explained like this, it does make strategic sense.

“A large-scale operation like this… It would be impossible without careful planning ahead of time.”

At the very least, they had to mobilize more than two separate units, which would require meticulous coordination.

In other words, the Larknoll Ducal House knew from the start that war would break out between us and the Empire.

…So they knew, and didn’t tell us?

N-no, I’m not hurt by that or anything.

“…No, that can’t be. It’s unthinkable that the Imperial House would leak such critical intelligence to the Larknoll Duke.”

“But wouldn’t it take time to get your father’s approval to move a force of five thousand?”

If the estimates are correct, Thor acted with immediate decisiveness from the castle granted to him as his base of operations.

There shouldn’t have been time to explain the plan to the Duke of Larknoll or get permission.

“Exactly. That’s why I believe he didn’t seek permission. And frankly, I don’t believe the Duke would have approved of a plan like this in the first place.”

“But still, I can’t imagine Lord Thor having the authority to move five thousand troops on his own…”

Thor, like me, has been named a successor. He has his own court, castle, and the title and land of an earl.

Since he was originally tasked with defending a castle near the Imperial border, he could probably move around a hundred knights on his own authority.

But five thousand soldiers? That’s impossible without backing.

“He most likely made himself a hostage.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

I tilted my head, and Knight Sanbrag furrowed his brow.

“This is a reckless act I must ask Your Highness never to imitate, but… Lord Thor is the Duke of Larknoll’s only legitimate heir. Once he charged ahead, the Duke had no choice but to follow—he couldn’t abandon him.”

“That’s… an extremely dangerous move, isn’t it?”

If the Duke of Larknoll had turned his back on him, Thor would be dead.

If reinforcements hadn’t arrived in time, Thor would have died.

It was like walking a tightrope.

“Yes. To take on such risk in order to attack the Empire…”

“…He was thinking of me that deeply, wasn’t he?”

“…”

…Oops. That just slipped out.

I felt my face flush with intense heat.

“I-I mean, well… I was just saying that it might be possible. It just came to mind, you know? Um… It was a joke! I’m definitely not thinking that he risked his life fighting just because he loves me or anything like that…”

I desperately tried to cover it up, but… it was too late.

The knights responded firmly, as if warning me: “That’s impossible,” “Don’t get your hopes up,” and other flat denials along those lines.

Y-you don’t have to be that angry about it…

“B-by the way, there are reports that he defeated an enemy force of fifty thousand with just five thousand men. Is there any truth to that?”

I forcefully steered the conversation back on track.

Overcoming a ten-to-one disadvantage in a pitched battle is no small feat.

“At this point, we don’t know the details… but let’s say the Imperial forces had stretched their lines too thin while prioritizing retreat. If Lord Thor launched a surprise or frontal assault under those conditions, defeating them wouldn’t be out of the question.”

They didn’t seem particularly surprised by the idea that Thor had crushed a force ten times larger than his own.

In fact, it felt more like “If it’s Thor, that’s not surprising at all.”

“Lord Thor is a battle-hardened noble—a commander who uses even himself as a piece on the board and moves freely across the battlefield. Facing someone like that in a direct engagement is impossible unless you’re also a combat-type noble.”

In this world, the standard method of warfare is long-range magical exchanges.

Just like what I did with Prince Bard—firing off attack spells, countering them, and gradually closing the distance. Once close enough, conscripted commoner soldiers are pushed to the front lines, and the fight shifts to close combat.

Whoever breaks formation first, loses.

Naturally, this kind of battle favors the side with more troops.

They can lay down more magical fire, and sheer numbers can overwhelm the enemy.

That’s why most nobles and knights favor this approach—it’s the safest.

The longer the distance, the weaker attack magic becomes.

On top of that, the defensive magic nobles and knights cast on themselves tends to outperform most offensive spells, meaning that even if they get hit, they don’t die.

There’s also time to surrender before you reach fatal damage.

In short, the prevailing rule is: defensive magic > offensive magic.

But there are exceptions.

Those come in the form of point-blank, or even zero-range, magic attacks.

By concentrating magical energy into a fist or weapon, one can unleash a blow that easily pierces through defensive spells.

Encased in defensive magic, these nobles charge into enemy lines alongside their knights, blasting aside the common troops as they push straight toward the enemy commander—and kill them.

Nobles capable of this are generally known as “combat-type nobles.”

When fighting such an opponent, you always have to stay on edge—when, where will they charge in?

A war that would normally be “non-lethal” suddenly turns into a battle where you might actually die. For other nobles, that’s terrifying.

It changes the entire rules and logic of war itself.

The reason the Duke of Larknoll and my grandfather are so feared… is precisely because of that.

And Thor is the same type.

That said, I’ve never actually faced a berserker noble like that myself.

This war, after all, ended with us just flinging magic back and forth at each other.

So no matter how scary people say it is, I still can’t really feel the danger.

More than anything, the Thor-kun in my mind is a cute boy who gets all shy when facing girls.

I know he’s strong, but I can’t picture him overturning a ten-to-one difference in troop numbers...

"It’s likely that a large proportion of them were knights. The House of Duke Larknoll maintains a number of knights disproportionate to its size... so the actual difference in combat strength may not be as significant as the numbers suggest."

"I see... In that case, let’s adjourn today’s meeting. We’ll reconvene once we have more updated information."

After understanding Thor-kun’s actions and his passionate feelings toward me, the meeting ended for the day.

And then, the next day...

"The army led by Lord Thor is requesting passage through the County of Osen. How shall we respond?"

That was the report I received from a knight.

Why? I wondered, but apparently, while pursuing the Imperial Army, they had ended up approaching the County of Osen.

It seems they judged that returning via the same route would be riskier than heading back to the Duchy of Larknoll through Osen territory.

"Very well. I grant permission."

"Princess!?"

When I gave my answer, the knights, including Sanbrag, visibly showed their disapproval.

They apparently didn’t want the Larknoll forces entering our domain.

Saying things like, “Who knows what they’ll do,” or “If they go on a rampage, we won’t be able to stop them”...

As if Thor-kun would ever do something like that.

"Whatever the reason, we fought the same enemy. As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If we refuse them passage here, we’ll only look small-minded."

That said, while I trust Thor-kun, I don’t necessarily trust the knights under his command.

The condition for passage is that they don’t cause any disturbances in our territory.

"Since this is a rare occasion, let’s prepare a proper welcome."

"There’s no need to be that friendly..."

"The immediate danger may be gone, but our country’s situation remains unstable. Making my friendly ties with Lord Thor visible to others would be a significant asset in terms of security. Am I wrong?"

"It may invite... unfounded speculation."

"Is there a problem with that?"

The knights were reluctant about me allowing the Larknoll army in.

But none of them could come up with a strong enough argument to overturn my decision, so they reluctantly nodded in agreement.

What exactly are they so unhappy about?

Do they hate the idea of my military achievement being seen as Thor-kun’s doing?

But I feel like gaining Thor-kun as an ally is worth more than any small personal glory of mine.

"By the way, when I go to greet Lord Thor, which would be more appropriate—armor or a dress? Would he prefer a dress? But then, wearing a dress during a crisis might make me seem oblivious to danger..."

"...I don’t think either would have much impact, to be honest."

Knight Sanbrag spoke with an exasperated expression.

What’s with that look?

I’m being serious here!?

---

Bonus
Abridged Summary of the Battle between the Imperial Army and the Larknoll Ducal Army

The Imperial Army was marching in three divisions: the vanguard, main body, and rearguard.

The first contact occurred between the vanguard and the Larknoll Ducal Army.
It was an unplanned encounter—neither side had anticipated it.

The Imperial Army assumed the Larknoll Ducal Army's objective was either opportunistic looting during the chaos or a diversion to support Duke Budoudarl’s forces, and believed that if confronted by their numerically superior army, Thor would choose to retreat.

Additionally, the Imperial vanguard had no intention of engaging until the main force arrived, and thus had not planned for aggressive combat.

On the other hand, Thor of the Larknoll Ducal Army interpreted the enemy vanguard’s purpose as an attempt to delay his forces.
In his view, the Imperial Army was still attacking Castle Osen, and the situation there was critical (including potential NTR implications).

Thus, Thor immediately decided to strike the vanguard. Maintaining a column formation, he executed an oblique charge toward the Imperial Army’s left wing.

This assault was completely unexpected by the Imperial side. The noble commanding the vanguard failed to respond effectively.
The Larknoll Ducal Army succeeded in flanking and crushing the enemy’s left wing.

Thor then pressed into the Imperial Army’s main camp and slew the noble commanding the vanguard.

---

Next, the Larknoll Ducal Army clashed with the Imperial Army's main force.
The Imperial center, fearing another surprise attack from Thor, arranged their formation with deep vertical depth.

Even then, the Larknoll Ducal Army launched a preemptive strike at the Imperial left wing.
Commander Bard and his senior knights, having understood the reasons for the vanguard’s defeat, shifted reserve forces from the center to the left to respond.

However, this was all part of Thor’s feint.
Once the Imperial Army had concentrated its troops on the left, the Larknoll Army swiftly wheeled around and redirected its main force to strike the now-exposed right wing.

The Imperial side interpreted this as the Larknoll Army’s main assault, led by Thor himself, and committed their reserves accordingly.

As a result, their formation became severely distorted, with troops heavily concentrated on both flanks in an awkward imbalance.

The Larknoll Army successfully pushed back the Imperial right wing, while the Imperial Army also managed to drive into the Larknoll right.

This created a brief gap in the center of the battlefield.

At that moment, Thor, who had been lying in wait with suppressed magical energy in the center of his formation, moved.

Confirming the central gap, he charged with elite heavy cavalry, still cloaking his magical power.

Evading enemy magical attacks while hiding his own aura, he released his power only at the moment of contact.

This surprise strike shattered the Imperial central frontline.

Thor, along with a small group of knights, broke into the Imperial Army’s main camp and inflicted a severe wound on Bard.

The Imperial Army, prioritizing Bard’s survival, immediately ordered a retreat.

This left a gaping hole in the center of their formation.

Though Thor missed the chance to finish Bard off, he chose not to pursue him.
Instead, he shifted focus to breaking the enemy’s organizational structure, going on to cut down Imperial knights one after another.

As a result, the morale of the main Imperial army completely collapsed, and they fled in disarray.

Almost simultaneously, the Imperial rearguard arrived at the battlefield, but upon seeing the main force in full retreat, they too immediately withdrew.

Thor then pursued them relentlessly for three days and nights.

---

*1: Thor’s older brothers, who had rushed in as reinforcements, strongly objected, but Thor wouldn’t listen.
*2: In truth, it was Thor’s brother who was in command.
*3: In conclusion, this was also a diversion.
*4: The head knight took the blow to protect Bard, saving his life. The head knight, however, was cleaved in two.

---

The five thousand troops dispatched under Thor’s command were elite forces personally trained and readily mobilized by Duke Larknoll.

The unit had a high proportion of knights, and even the regular soldiers weren’t mere conscripted serfs—they were freemen (pirate-fishermen, who normally work as fishermen but turn to piracy when necessary).

When Duke Larknoll received the report that Thor had charged into the Empire, he initially entered a “space-cat” state of stunned disbelief, then burst out laughing hysterically—only to erupt in fury moments later.
Right now, he’s holding his head in his hands.

In wartime, Thor was basically high on his brain’s own chemical cocktail, so he doesn’t always perform at this level.
At this moment, he surpassed even Duke Larknoll and Grand Duke Plumera—but under normal circumstances, he doesn’t come close.