Fun Territory Defense Chapter 223 (Patreon)

[Another Viewpoint] Murcia's Unexpected Talent

[Murcia]

By nature, I was overly cautious. He was often scolded by his father for this, and he did not like his own personality.

However, Van suddenly put him in charge of the castle, and he was also given the command to defend the castle in an important battle in which His Majesty the King was also participating. It is a pressure that makes me want to run away right now. This is the most unsettling situation I have ever been in, but I cannot run away.

At the very least, I would be grateful if the Jiernetta Kingdom did not launch an onslaught. I was hoping so, but my wish was granted, as Jiernetta Kingdom did not challenge us to a short battle, but instead adopted a curious tactic.

"Here they come!"

Dee's yell rang out, followed seconds later by a ground-shaking impact and explosion. Shortly after, the nobles dealing with four-element magic, such as Venturi and Panamera, gave loud instructions to the others.

"Magician Squad, counterattack!"

"I will attack first! Those who think they can follow me, release them one by one!"

"Ha!"

Venturi gave the order, and Panamera took the lead in releasing fire magic. Following that, ice, wind, and earth magic flew wildly. A dozen or more magic attacks. One after another, they headed for the group that had attacked the citadel.

A cannon, the latest weapon of the Jiernetta Kingdom that Van had taught me about. This threat is comparable to a first-rate four-elemental magician. Or maybe even more, depending on how you use it.

Just as you think you hear a roar, the walls of the castle, which are just out of magic's reach, shatter noisily. The iron balls flying at such high speeds that they could not be tracked by the eye, even the walls built by Van crumbled in a few shots.

Walls repaired in the usual way would be destroyed with a single blow if they hit a key point. Considering that first-rate four-element magicians are precious and that it takes many years to acquire such skills, a weapon called a cannon may be more useful.

As proof of this, His Majesty's expression gradually clouded over as he repeatedly drove away the group with the cannon.

"...Your Majesty, it appears that the Jiernetta Kingdom forces have begun their retreat."

Venturi reported so, and His Majesty nodded shallowly.

"...Hm. After all, should we advance with the entire army? However, if those cannons are waiting for us, we may suffer heavy damage depending on the terrain."

Muttering in his mouth as if asking himself a question, His Majesty raised his head and looked at Venturi and the others.

"Let me ask your opinion, Jiernetta seems to be trying to buy time, what is his goal? If they are buying time, what good will it do them to gain time?"

His Majesty spoke in a low voice, and Venturi and the others pondered, then each expressed their own thoughts.

"...Perhaps they are mass preparing those cannons."

Venturi replied. At this, His Majesty raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

"You said that they are getting them from the central continent, but are they on the verge of producing them themselves or have they already done so? If so, the more time we give them, the worse off we are. But I don't think it will be that easy to develop."

His Majesty understands the danger in Venturi's opinion, but doubts that it could actually happen. The other nobles seemed to be put off by this, but when His Majesty turned to look at them, they hurriedly opened their mouths.

"They may be trying to nail us here and invade from the coast."

"No, perhaps they will try to take Scudetto again..."

"Don't be a fool. That would be impossible without taking Scudetto in the first place."

The nobles expressed their own opinions before His Majesty asked them. His Majesty watched the discussion for a while, but there seemed to be nothing of interest, and he looked at Panamera in an uninterested manner.

"...You have been silent for a while ago, do you have any opinions, Viscount Panamera?"

As His Majesty muttered this, everyone's eyes turned to Panamera. If it were me, my voice would have trembled just from that. However, Panamera smiled wryly and opened his mouth in an imposing manner.

"I have been thinking about Jiernetta Kingdom's movements for some time now. There are three possible scenarios: reinforcements or new weapons will be introduced into Jiernetta Kingdom. Or a march on our country from another point. Finally, I think that we will form alliances with other countries."

At these words, some of the nobles rustled. On the contrary, His Majesty nodded shallowly in a calm manner and suddenly turned to us. As I braced myself to see if something was wrong, His Majesty raised one edge of his mouth and opened his mouth.

"The allied forces, huh? Murcia, I will listen to your opinion."

Panamera also turned his head to look at me, as if to observe my face.

Feeling everyone's eyes on me, I desperately tried to put together my own thoughts in my head. However, perhaps due to my natural disposition, I could only come up with the worst-case scenario no matter what. Either way, I couldn't remain silent.

"...Well, I foolishly believe that if an allied force is formed, the greatest threat will be an invasion from many directions. Until now, the knights guarding the borders of our mighty Scuderia Kingdom have been able to defend for long periods of time, so that even if we were attacked from two different countries, we would be able to deal with the situation. However, if the Jiernetta Kingdom were to supply black balls and the like to its allies as well, the situation would change... Furthermore, the majority of our forces are now here, in the fortified city of Murcia. They could nail us here and move to neighboring countries...or even the United Republic of Shelbia invading from the territory of Marquis Fertio, for example..."

I express my own thoughts, imagining the worst possible development I can imagine.

"...I see. It's true that I had assumed that we would be one step down from Scuderia and one step down from Jiernetta, but Shelbia could be an enemy enough if they got black balls and cannons too. So what do you think we should do? Do you think we should leave the minimum number of people here and return to Seat Village?"

He sounded as if he were testing me. I answered His Majesty's question with a straight back.

"Yes...I cannot decide which is the correct answer at the moment. If the number of Knights present here decreases, the invasion operation may not be able to stand. I think the best thing to do is to send a group of Knights who can escort them to Seat Village and send Baron Van to the Marquis de Fertio's territory..."

His Majesty rubbed his chin with his finger and his smile deepened.

"Oh? Baron Van can handle a United Republic of Shelbia army with black balls and cannons. You seem to have faith in him."

His Majesty laughs. His mouth opened faster than he could think about those words.

"Of course. Even if the two countries form an alliance and attack us, Van will be able to prevent it."

I answer with certainty. Instantly, His Majesty laughed aloud.

"Hahaha! I see. If you are so confident, I will do as you say! How about I ask Viscount Panamera, with whom I have an alliance, to accompany Baron Van?"

"Yes, sir."

His Majesty has approved of my idea and immediately acted on it. This is a situation that would have been unbelievable a short time ago. I feel as if I am the center of this meeting. As I was feeling flustered and restless, Panamera, who had been told to go to Van, looked back at me.

"...It seems I underestimated Lord Murcia a little. It is a necessary skill for a commander to be aware of places other than his own battlefield and to anticipate the movements of his opponents."

Panamera says this with a smile on his face, and I bow my head, suddenly embarrassed. I wondered if he would be displeased that I, a man without a title, would speak so highly of him. Such worries passed through my mind. However, His Majesty nodded his head in a good mood and immediately began to talk to everyone about his future plans.