Areiuse, a fortress which is about half a day south along the highway from Troize.
As a fortress designed as a countermeasure against barbarians, it is in the middle of a valley surrounded by mountains in three directions, a place where the valley itself is a natural fortress.
Having a natural fortress with a large number of supplies stockpiled, and being a geostrategic key point, it is a place where one could barricade themselves as well as actively defend depending on the commander’s skill.
「I’m going, Otou-san」
「Yeah, be careful」
「Un!」
From a distant place where the fortress seems like a grain of rice, Hikari climbed on dragon Olivia’s back and flew up to the sky.
「I-Is the magicians alright? It looks like you left them in Troize」
Rex who I brought with me asked in confusion.
「There’s no problem. Most of all, if we really need themーー」
I took out my Warp Feather from my Different Dimension Warehouse.
I warped to Io who was in Troize.
「Kakeru-san?」
「Come for a moment」
I wrapped an arm around Io and warped.
I came back to where Rex is.
「What?! W-Where did you go……? Oh……?」
「If anything happens, just like this, I can bring her to me in an instant」
「Eh? Ehhhh?」
Rex looked surprised and seemed as if he couldn’t understand what just happened.
I warped again and brought Io back to Troize.
「I’ll leave this place to you」
「Please leave it to me!」
I kissed the lovely Io who showed her eagerness with a guts pose and warped back to where Rex is.
He still looked stunned, unable to understand the situation.
The Warp Feather I got as a prize from the lottery is an ability that doesn’t exist in this world, so he probably won’t understand it immediately.
I looked towards Areiuse.
Soldiers jumped off one next to the other from the back of Olivia who flew towards the sky of the fortress surrounded by mountains.
I’m at a distance where they would normally look like dust from here, but I can see them clearly with my vision multiplied 777x.
Among the drake soldiers that jumped offーーdescended, I could see Hikari.
Within Hikari’s cuteness as she descended together with the drake soldiers was a slight maturity mixed in.
『This doting parent』
「I don’t want to hear that from you」
I flicked Eleanor’s blade with a finger.
Although she would say that to me, the feelings I feel from her tells me that she thought about how cute Hikari is, no less than I do.
……no, she’s just a little bit behind me.
『That’s what a doting parent says』
「I don’t want to hear that from you」
I flicked her with my finger again. This girl, she says that although she thinks more of how cute Hikari is compared to me.
『However, to think that there was such a trick』
「Aerial attack is effective after all. Paratrooping should be effective as well. Although, that’s something that only Hikari and her drake soldiers could do」
『That’s true. Those who would be fine even after falling from that high should just be you……or maybe Nana as well』
「I guess it’s impossible for my slave soldiers」
The platoon leaders Nikki and Neora are quite strong, but they won’t be alright after jumping off from that high.
The only ones who could do that are the essentially immortal drake soldiers that Hikari summoned.
『That fortress, it’s going to fall』
Eleanor said somewhat a bit proudly.
Although I can’t see what’s happening inside the fortress, I could feel from the air, the atmosphere of the battle, that the surprise attack from the air was a huge success.
『It was such a huge fortress too』
「Those kinds of fortresses would be powerless after the appearance of aerial forces. Although, it would take a long time before humans could fly without the help of dragons, so there would probably no countermeasures going to be taken for a while」
At the least, in our era in the future, those kinds of fortresses are still the main defense, and aerial armies are yet to be created.
“For a while”, should be something of hundreds of years later.
After judging that the fall of Areiuse is just a matter of time, I once again turned to Rex who looked stunned.
I brought him here to convince him.
「Have you decided?」
「Eh?」
「About becoming a king」
「Ahh……before that, can I ask something?」
「What?」
「Why me? If you possess such a strong power, shouldn’t you just become the king yourself?」
『Kuku, an obvious question』
Eleanor laughed in amusement. That’s right, it’s an obvious question.
That’s why I answered with a stance I prepared beforehand.
「Look at this」
「That is……a fan? Wait, that emblem」
「It’s Mercouri’s emblem」
I opened the fan I got from Helene and used a certain magic spell, showing the emblem to Rex.
It’s a pattern that could be seen all around Mercouri Village, Mercouri’s emblem.
「Support the one who is connected to this sign and turn him into a king, there is eight good and two bad, eight good and two bad」
「Akanssama’s words?!」
Rex was surprised and I quietly nodded.
Eleanor’s laughter echoed inside my head.
The old fortune teller, Akansa’s words.
Of course, she did not give me such a prophecy. I just made it up.
However, Rex, Cima, Tanya, all of them.
Everyone in this era trusts in Akansa’s words. That’s why I decided to borrow her name.
「T-That was the case……?」
「However, as you know, the people of Mercouri also can’t leave their village because of Akansa’s words」
「Yeah, it’s for fifty years」
「That’s why, I convinced Cima. While exiling you for breaking the law to protect the village, I’ll be able to support Mercouri outside」
「And that is……eight good」
I nodded again.
Rex made a difficult face, but I’m assured that he would definitely fall to the answer I prepared in the end.
「T-That, I understand. But your forces is too small. No matter what, defeating the empire with just that number of people is……」
「It’s not a matter of numbers」
「W-Why?」
「That is……」
I called to Hikari inwardly. Olivia made a sudden descent to the fortress far away and flew back to the sky after bringing Hikari to her back.
I held Eleanor’s hilt tightly. I made a stance using the Demon Sword that changed its appearance using my camouflage aura.
I could feel Eleanor’s spirit rise up. I could feel her excitement, like a maiden who is about to be embraced, coming to through my palm.
I pulled back my right handーーthen threw her using all of my strength.
It’s an attack with all that I have. Eleanor flew in a straight line.
That single attack destroyed the fortress head on. Its sturdy gates disappeared in a blink of an eye, and soon after a few seconds, we heard the explosive sound that arrived late.
「Wha, wha……」
Rex’s jaws dropped and he was speechless.
The demonstration was effective.
「It’s not a matter of numbers」
「It’s because it’s enough with just me alone」
While feeling Hikari’s admiration and Eleanor’s pleasure inside, I waited for Rex’s answer.
The demonstration was effective.
It was so effective, that it unexpectedly took quite a while before Rex regained himself and accepted to become a king.