386 385 words, "Jake, you're right in the middle of a ...




 The smoke rose majestically over the capital, flickering. At the base of it, a great fire crawled, and at the same time a white flash was visible.

"He's doing something terrible. It's a shame he can't change that part of himself.

 Richard Permiris was certain that it was his student's work.

 The demons don't use fire like that. And they wouldn't want to damage the city they had just acquired. At least they were completely rational about it.

 Then it was the humans who did this. And the only person in King's Landing who could burn things like that without hesitation is my student, aside from myself.

 The very authority that has been sitting there for hundreds of years. The capital of the Garlist Kingdom, Arche, is a cultural hub.

 It's hard to put an indelible scar on it if you're attached to it in any way. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

 I'm sure Lugis has no attachment to King's Landing.

 He is aware of the fact that it is the place where he was born and raised, but he has no desire to damage it.

 I'm sure that Lugis would feel nothing if this whole area was burned to the ground. At most, he would be a little emotional. He doesn't even think about a prestigious city or culture. He's not interested in those things one bit.

 Richard was different. Surprisingly, he is at least patriotic toward his country. He had a will to make it a great empire, to make its former glory once again adorn the breast of King's Landing.

 Richard is not like Lugis, who tramples down the authority of the state itself without even thinking about it.

 --He decided to kill King's Landing consciously, quite honestly.

 A demon is such an enemy. Richard knows that any laxity in trying to reduce them will end up strangling him.

 It's better to cut off a part than to lose everything. When a limb of a human being is decayed by disease, he will tearfully cut off that part. It's the same thing. King's Landing is just a building. Richard thinks all that matters is the crown at the end.

 No, how much would that crown be worth?

 At that thought, Richard wrinkles up in self-mockery. It was really something he did unconsciously, unbeknownst to those around him.

 The king fled with his army and abandoned the city. That in itself is fine. In a true crisis, a king may have to leave the city. There have been many histories in the past where kings have taken their cities and taken their revenge.

 That's not what this crafty old man can't tolerate. It's that the king clung to another authority, the Great Sage.

 Religion is just something to be used and glowered at.

 At least that's what the Daishonin has been to Richard since the day he was once disappointed. It's a community of bats that can only suck up to others. And for a king to cling to it...

 The cunning expression on his face deepened into wrinkles as he stared at the great fire. Richard heard his back teeth chattering.

"Captain. We have a message from Neymar. He wants me to inform you that all preparations for the siege are in order.

 Richard showed his hand lightly to his subordinate, who put his hand on his chest and let out a squeal, and told him to get ready on our side as well.

 Neymar has become an excellent second-in-command, Richard said, narrowing his eyes. He can command without you now. That's more than enough for a little girl from the provinces.

 And she can think for herself, not just take orders vaguely. Richard knew that people like that were rare. That's why he had Valerie educate herself.

 He continued, his lips pursed.

"We'll finally get the army into King's Landing. Tell them not to let the heraldists get ahead of us. Tell them not to surrender the initiative.

 Her eyes flickered with age and her lips quirked up.

 The heraldists' intentions are clear. They want to take advantage of the state of emergency to gain effective control of King's Landing and expand their influence.

 That is unacceptable to any Richard. They must only be collaborators in a common front. For that reason, we had to avoid letting the heraldic forces enter King's Landing ahead of us.

 After all, the heraldry is only a group of pagans. That should have been the common understanding of both Richard and the soldiers.

 But there was one thing. Richard had a question. How did the heraldry get to King's Landing in one piece?

 There is a reasonable distance from the heraldry sphere of influence to the capital Arche. In the meantime, they would have to pass through several noble domains.

 And yet they had few signs of battle. If a group of soldiers like that entered the city, the nobles would surely try to defend their territory, no matter how upset they were by the fall of the capital.

 No, because they don't know what's going to happen in the future, the nobles will think that they have to protect their lands and people.

 So why have they been able to go beyond the nobility's territory without hesitation? Not just one or two local nobles, but many nobles have overlooked them.

 How is that possible against mere infidels? I can only assume that they've recruited the nobles to their side.



 If so, how do you do it?

 The unanswered question crawled through his thoughts. Stroking his beard lightly, Richard deepens his wrinkles and says.

...... One more thing, a message. Tell them again not to hesitate with the soldiers they have hidden throughout King's Landing.

 The messenger's shoulders shook with fear as he heard those words. Richard didn't miss the way his gaze wandered for a moment.

 So he added one more word in response to that sentiment.

I'm the one who's responsible for all this. I'm the one who's responsible for everything. Look, when something goes wrong with the actions of a general, it's not the one who did the action that's responsible. It's the one who gave the order. Now go.

 He didn't want his men to question him.

 It's okay to have doubts while they are still in your mind, but once you say them out loud, they don't go away easily. A soldier who can no longer erase his doubts is no longer useful on the battlefield.

 To have doubts is to be lost. In a war where split-second decisions are critical, a soldier who is lost is useless.

 So, Richard made sure to tell him.

 --Don't hesitate. Don't hesitate to burn King's Landing to the ground as ordered.


 I'll be there.


 A fort south of the capital Arche. It's probably the busiest time inside the fort since it was built.

 I'm not sure if it's the Garristian army or the heraldic army. Both must keep in constant contact with those within and act accordingly. If there is no contact, then they will continue to choose the best course of action.

 This means that the situation and the actions to be taken will continue to change rapidly over time. In these situations, those who stand on top as well as those who are below have no time to rest. This is because they are required to think, judge and deal with things incessantly.

 The same was true for the saint of the heraldry, Mattia. Every decision, including trivial ones, clung to Mattia's shoulders. I felt as if my throat would dry up before I could speak.

 Listening to the report of the messenger, Mattia looked at the parchment and said.

The Garristian army is ready to storm King's Landing. There will be no retreat.

 I don't know who she was referring to. Picking it up as a matter of course, Philos-Treit says as he runs his pen across the parchment. Like Mattia, he remained motionless at his desk.

No doubt. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that none of us will be able to retreat. If you do, that's the end of the line.

 He adjusts his glasses and says with a sigh. Fatigue was clearly evident on his forehead, but he couldn't stop himself.

 At least for now, Philos is on the side of the heraldry. I'm not going to stop my hand. I didn't want to stop thinking about it.

 The humiliation of having my city fall to me and surrendering everything is enough for me once.

 But the trouble is that this time, I have to win not only against the demons, but also against the Garleist army.

 Even if you take back the capital from the demons, it will be meaningless if you don't seize control of it, or in other words, the right to rule. Especially for the expeditionary forces of the heraldry, if they don't have it, it would be as if the whole thing would collapse.

 Even if we have to go spear to spear with the Garristo army, we must at least seize the right to rule. If we don't, we're all as good as dead. Lugis and myself.

 Philos asked Mattia if he had any thoughts on the matter.

 To be honest, Mattia knows more about military operations than Philos does. Philos knew this very well. The most he could help with was dealing with the nobility and taking care of political affairs as he was doing now.

 Mattia nodded and said.

I have been in contact with the surrounding nobles, the ones who have promised to help us this time. Besides, I have a hidden hand over there.

 A hidden hand over there. Philos had no idea what he was talking about, but he nodded and ended the conversation. Mattia was the only one who wouldn't be talking about it anyway.

There's been no word from the inside, has there? No one seems to want to make it easy for us.

It's as unlikely that he'll contact us as it is that the cat will run away and come back. I'll take care of that.

 Philos could see that Mattia's words contained a kind of trust and affection for Lugis. It was rare for this saint to have such a color of emotion in her words.

 He understood that she was a person who never forgot to calculate and account for profits at any time, but was the part about him different?

 Letting out a breath, Philos looked at Mattia for some reason. His hands continued to move busily, his eyes on the parchment. His fingertips didn't even pause.

 He was watching her with admiration. Suddenly, Philos's spectacles tilt up and his eyes narrow.

 --The saint continued to move, and I saw an unfamiliar ring on her fingertip, but it was on another finger.

 Philos's distinctive white eyes twisted wide.