When the sun emerged from the eastern sky... Mercurio and punitive forces were already facing each other in the battlefield.
　The battlefield was called the Brissa Plain. From spring to summer, green grass grows and you can see green carpet scenes, but now that autumn has deepened, the lush meadows are dead.
　There were withered grasses, gray, white and brown, beneath which brown ground appeared.
　On such a plain, Mercurio's army of over 10,000 men and the punitive force of nearly 40,000 men face each other.
　Originally, this Brissa plain was not a battlefield for Mercurio.
　No matter how individual Ray is and how powerful he is, he is after all alone.
　As long as the troops collide with each other, it is only natural that the number of soldiers will affect the outcome of the battle.
　And this plain has swamps and forests here and there, sometimes like mazes made of rocks, but overall there are still more empty places.
　In other words, it was a place where the difference in numbers could have a major impact on the outcome of a battle if it was to be fought head on.
　Still, Mercurio chose it as a battlefield because it was the best place to go.
　Of course, there are many other places where Mercurio can fight.
　Mercurio was left to choose the battlefield, but Frederick would not have been chosen by the cabbages to negotiate if he had left everything to Mercurio.
　As a result of negotiations between Mercurio and Frederick, Mercurio could choose a battlefield, but within a specific range.
　The range is within two days of Mercurio's position, and it is large enough for a certain number of soldiers to move freely.
　This is quite natural, isn't it? For the expeditionary forces, a cliff in the mountains... if they were chosen as a battlefield where only a few people could fight, Mercurio's army, like the White Rose Knights, the Magic Beasts, and the Armoured Corps, would be overwhelmingly advantageous.
　Of course it does not mean that only the quality of the soldiers in the punitive force is inferior.
　Still, it was out of the question that there were places where they could not use their advantageous fighting methods, because they had enough numbers to overwhelm their opponents.
　In the midst of this, Mercurio's military leaders struggled and chose the battlefield of Brissa Plain.
　Some terrain is somewhat obstructive and large enough to move numbers.
　The location of the Brissa Plains was not far from both Mercurio and the punitive forces, and Mercurio sent soldiers in advance to prevent the punitive forces from setting traps when the battlefield was decided.
　Of course, the punitive force is the same in the sense that they are wary of enemy traps.
　...no, the punitive force would have looked more harshly at the trap.
　Mercurio's army chose the battlefield, and Mercurio's army also had Theoremes who made extensive use of alchemy-generated magic items and demagogues during the war.
　Furthermore, since there's a Ray with an item box, I don't think there's anyone better suited to set a trap.
　As a result, Mercurio's army's advance team, which decided on the battlefield, first arrives at the Brissa Plain, and the expedition's advance team arrives hours later.
　The two armies met in this way, but there was no particular skirmish between them, and the time passed just because they were wary of each other.
　and now the time has come for a decisive battle."

"Are you ready, Mr. Ray?"
"Oh, that's all right. When a battle begins, they rush into the enemy from above and fire away at the enemy's rear. Well, I'm sure they have a way to fight it... but I still don't think there are so many magic items to absorb that flame. Above all, that only prevents fire. If it comes to a crunch, I will go down to the enemy's rear and run riot with the armor of the hegemonic king."

　In Widale's words, Ray caresses his side set
　In a sense, when the fighting began, the first offensive was what Ray called carpet bombing from above.
　If this goes well... no, if it doesn't go well, we'll have to fight head-on with a nearly four-fold difference in military strength.
　It was a pre-emptive strike that was absolutely necessary for Mercurio's army to win this battle.
　Then they destroy morale while inflicting a lot of damage on their opponents.
　If the flames are contained during carpet bombing, the dropping can be changed from flames to spears or rocks, or, in other words, direct attacks using the armor of the hegemphasis.
　Ray's understanding was that that alone would cause more damage and confusion to the punitive forces.
　Also, it would be better if we could defeat the enemy's commanders in the attack at the same time.

(Well, besides the commander, there's a possibility that Rodos might be damaged, but... he must have had some magic items to recover from. When it was over, he attacked the enemy wearing the armor of the hegemony from behind. ...to be honest, I think it will take less than a few hours to decide the outcome. Well, that's what Mercurio want.)

　As long as this is a civil war, the longer the war goes on, the more power the Westian Empire consumes.
　the Mercurio and punitive forces Whichever side wins, they won't be happy to see their national strength drained.
　I had heard from Elena, especially in pairs, that countries that were once conquered and neighboring countries that always felt threatened by the Westian Empire were moving.

"If Mr. Ray says so, I'll be relieved."

　Widere, who has seen Ray fight many times before, has great confidence in Ray's fighting power.
　...however, I envy Ray, who has all the same time.
　Rey and Widere communicate side by side at the head of Mercurio's army, which is in a position to start marching at any time.
　Since Mercurio's army is already familiar with the scene, many people are motivated by the sight of Seto, or by the sight of Ray, telling themselves that the battle will definitely be won.
　It is only natural for the punitive force to understand such a situation.
　I wonder why they are not trapped in despair when they are nearly four times more powerful than they are...not many.
　It's not that they're not here, but most of them have been brought in by Cabazide and Schles, who have never fought against the Mercurio army... or by Ray.
　Those who have experienced other battles with Mercurio are terrified to see the Gryphon in the front row.
　It's been a few days since the battle ended, but my fear of Ray is still deep in my mind.
　Who is following that Gryphon as a slave?
　Knowing that, I can't take it easy like the soldiers I know nothing about.
　The reason why they don't run away in such a situation is probably because they know they're behind the scenes... Rank S adventurers, there's a constant noise.
　information released last night when it was decided that this battle would take place.
　Naturally, Mercurio's forces infiltrated this expeditionary force.
　But the information was completely blocked by Kabazid and Shurus's forces.
　Thus, even though the expeditionaries know that there is Ray in the Mercurio army, the Mercurio army is about to go on to the final battle, completely unaware that there is noise in the expedition.
　have an unfamiliar military power That was the reason why the soldiers of the expeditionary force stood here without running away when they saw Ray again.

"Oh, will it start?"

　Not knowing this, Ray mutters, looking at the man who has moved forward from Mercurio's army.
　clothes made of thin cloth that can be seen through the other side
　In the morning, it's not surprising to describe it as cold. clothes that cold weather will come first, even for those who see.
　However, as long as they are dressed like that, they naturally have the ability to protect the wearer from the outside, if not as much as the dragon robes.

"Isn't that... Your Highness Vichela!"
"No... It's really Prince Vihela." The rumor that it's on the other side..."
"That's enough for him," A man of Vichela's rank ought to be able to exercise my power to the fullest extent."
"If you catch Prince Vihela alive, the reward will be at your disposal. --maybe I could have his own Prince Vichela..."

　While each soldier on the expeditionary side is surprised by the appearance of Vihela, one person comes forward from the expeditionary side.
　the Confident Female Knights' Perfir of Kabazid
　Two women, each of whom is confident in their own power, face each other just in the middle of the Mercurio army and the punitive force.

"It's been a long time since I saw you, Your Highness Vihela,"

　With a serious expression on his face, he tells the royal family in a formal tone that he cannot speak in his usual tone.
　Vichela reminds me of Ray's funnyness, who never loses his attitude to anyone.

(Well, I wonder if it was because she was my sister... that her tone of voice toward her sister was not polite?)

　The idea suddenly crossed my mind, but soon erased it and returned to Perfeil.



"Well, the last time I saw Perfiel... was it a party before I left this country?"
"Yes, I'm sure it was." and yet he came back to the Empire of Bestia, for he had run away, and the rebels -- no, now Mercurio's army -- to help him -- to tell me what he really meant."
"Really? Don't you think it's only natural to come and save your precious brother?"
"But this has resulted in civil war, a wasteful act of national power?"
"Well, that wouldn't have happened if Cabazid hadn't improved his grip on Mercurio."We talk on horseback.
　The word may have been deliberately loudened. Both armies were magically playing to everyone.
　This is a battle outpost.
　A verbal battle aimed at blaming the opponent for his faults, making them aware that there is justice on their part, improving the morale of their own forces, and lowering the morale of their opponents.
　Still, the reason why representatives of the respective armies, Kabazid, Schles, and Mercurio, are not appearing is probably because of the danger of an emergency.
　If you kill the other person here, everything will be done with all your might.
　There are more than 50,000 soldiers in total, and that's the way some people think.
　Was it a runaway loyalty or a runaway attempt to monopolize the feat?
　No matter what the reason is, as long as there may be someone who imitates you, you can't do it lightly, even if you have magic items to protect yourself from.
　That's why Vihela, who has always said that she is already running away from Perfeil, who has a strong confidence in Kabazid, has been chosen as the person to fight this war of words.

"Isn't the defeat in the Spring War the main reason why Prince Mercurio was detained in the Spring War? If I had won that battle, there would have been no problem. And yet, not only did you lose that battle, but you also think it's a good idea to take the cause of that defeat into your own hands, were you aiming at this development from the beginning?"

　Wasn't he deliberately defeated in the war in order to bring the situation to its present state?
　Those who were listening to the two men's stories were loud and noisy, regardless of whether they were friends or foes.
　However, the buzz was very different between Mercurio and the punitive force.
　Mercurio's army is buzzing with anger, telling them not to insult Vihela.
　In response, the punitive force was in a state of doubt.
　The fact that Vichela did not speak ill of Vichela all at once must be a sign of her popularity within the Vichela Empire.

"Huh, you can't imitate that, can you? If I can manipulate the situation that much, I'll take it to my victory before it gets to this point?"

　Indeed, those who have heard Vihela's words are convinced.
　If we were to be able to manipulate such a large‐scale situation, we wouldn't have to go out of our way to fight.

"Is that so? Your Highness Vichela is originally fond of fighting. If that's the case, can't you think that you want to fight a stronger opponent?"
"Well, if I were to call for a fight, I wouldn't go out of my way to do it in the fenced Vestian Empire." If I were to do it, I would say it would be better in a country where there are more strong enemies I don't know. though I think my elder brother Kabazid and my elder brother Schles know if I can do such a trick."

　Vihela glances toward the punitive force.
　Beyond that gaze, we can't see Kabazid and Shurus.
　It's natural, isn't it? It's wrong for the royal family to fight on the front line.
　In the end, the war of words ended here, and both sides ended in a draw... and the final battle of the civil war was about to begin.