Reincarnation into the Barrier Master

"All right, all troops halt!　We will stay here for three days. You will take turns guarding. Do not be violent or disorderly!

At the commanding officer's order, the soldiers solemnly proceeded to their posts, some unbuttoning their military uniforms and others taking up their guard posts. Watching from high above the town was King Ville of the Kingdom of Thana. He nodded his head with a look of satisfaction on his face. He then glances at his retainers who are standing by his side.

"You may rest now. I too shall take a hot bath and rest comfortably.

At these words, everyone hung their heads.

"...... what the hell is going on?"

It was Nike, the king of Sandanj, who was muttering to himself as if to throw up. In front of him was his retainer, who was lying flat on the ground, rubbing his head.

"...... stay on your guard and continue to keep watch."

"Ha ......."

At the sound of the king's slightly angry voice, the retainers quickly left the room. He looked around at his staff and muttered to no one in particular.

"What in the world is the army of Thana thinking? ....... They left Koga, the capital, three days ago. It is three days from Koga to the border of the Kakona River. ....... But at this stage they are still not in Kueh ....... From Koga to Queue is far enough to get there in a day. But they are still going slow like a slug crawling on the river. ...... Is there some kind of a plan?　What the hell are they thinking ......?"

"Father, ...... with all due respect."

What is it, Sin?

Are not the armies of Thana afraid of us? They are only going to war at the behest of the Crimean State. They will not have time to rebuild Sulphate, which they have swallowed up. Then they will not be willing to fight. Father, why don't you send an envoy to Thana to make peace? We can ask them to discuss the matter so that both sides can minimize the damage to each other without the suspicion of the Church of Crimea.

Nike looks at the face of the crown prince, Shin, with a grim expression on his face. He sighs loudly after a while and speaks to his son slowly, chewing as if to include it.

"You ...... are a good boy. Why didn't you have to be born a little worse?"

Shin's face was unsure of what he was saying. Nike stares at her son's face. He has a handsome face, even though he is his own son. He is only sixteen years old, but I think he has all the makings of a king. But he is too kind. Such gentleness would work in a peaceful world, but now is the time of war when blood is being washed with blood. His son's gentleness is very dangerous for a king. Nike knew that this kindness could sometimes lead to the loss of lives of many of his retainers and people.

With this in mind, Nicæa sends her son back. Then, in front of the assembled officials, he sighs loudly and mutters in a small voice

"If I die, ...... this country will be ...... destroyed."

"The King of Kings ......"

"Just kidding."

Nike laughs and shakes her head.

"But Shin's hawkishness is precious in this country. One day we will need that personality. For that, he will need a ...... good companion. An older, solid ...... woman like you, Lady May. ......"

"The king!"

"Hmph. You mean to tell me that we can't afford to think about such things in the midst of a war for our country's survival?　But soon there will be no time for such thoughts. For the time being, please bear with my nonsense."

"Haha ......"

Nike closes her eyes, folds her arms, and looks pensive. The staff members in the room just watch him quietly.

"...... You didn't notice our plan, by any chance, did you?"

Nike mutters something to no one in particular, and his retainers all look at him.

"We'll have to think about what happens then, too. ......"

He slowly raises his eyes and turns his gaze behind him. There was a small green dragon - a faerie dragon - waiting there with a bored expression on his face.

There will come a time when you will be busy. For now, you should rest.

With these words, he stood up.

In fact, the Sandanj were on the brink of defense. Many forts had been built, making the whole country look like a hedgehog. Nike was confident that he would win if he had to fight at home. No matter how magic-disabling Tana's army was, if they were lured into the country to fight, the front would be stretched to the limit, even with an army of hundreds of thousands. If they could keep it that way and then attack the main army, the number of troops would no longer be a problem. Rinos had sent a dragon as a means of emergency communication in case of emergency, but Nike knew that when he used it, it would mean either a great victory or a great defeat for the Sandanjis. He went back to his room to meditate alone.

"...... Okay, I get it."

After hearing my words, Sadakichi quickly disappeared. I closed the window and sat down on a chair in my office.

"I checked with Sadakichi, but so far there seems to be no movement."

"Hmmm."

It was Lafayence who was roaring in front of me. Behind him were Matkal, Knogen, and Princess Rufana.

"You are marching at an exceptionally slow pace, aren't you?

Knogen is the one with a "yay me" look on his face. The one whose face is tense as she glances at him is Princess Rufana. She has actually fought against Thana's army, and is now serving as our advisor.

"I don't understand. I thought they were going to raid the borders of Sandanj. ....... Why are they sealing their mobility now? ....... I don't understand their move. Are they looking for an opportunity to shift their forces together?"

"Hmmm, maybe they are aware of the Sandanji side of the operation."

"What are you talking about, Mister Knogen? If they are aware of our plan, they can either use force to break through the trap or take another route. If you take too much time, your men will get tired and you will run out of supplies. Nothing good can come out of it for Tana's side. Why are we taking such a foolish measure? ......"

"......Lufana, you've got me."

"No, rather, can't you think of something like this?"

Saying this, Matkal steps forward to my desk. There was a map of the world, a gift from Vieille, spread out on the table.

"The Thanatian army must be watching their backs," he said.

"You say ...... behind you?"

"Here."

We all surrounded Matkal and stared at the place she pointed.

"Isn't this the country of ...... Midei?"

Yes, that's right. This land of Midea is now protected by the ward of Linos-sama. If the forces of Agartha were to pass through here to the side of Thana, the capital of Thana would be at their doorstep. Thana is marching with all her forces. They have few men left to defend the capital. If we attack, we can take the city almost bloodlessly.

"I see. ......And that's why ...... they are always aware of what's behind them, which is why they are marching at such a slow pace. ......So, as expected of Matocalu-sama, this Rufana Zin Sarfate, I am impressed."

She quickly bowed her head to Matkal. Matocal glanced at her and immediately shifted his gaze to me, staring into my eyes.

"...... don't think so."

Rafaience and Knogen nodded at my words.

"Attacking the enemy's capital through the Midei country...... sounds good, but what about after we occupy it?"

"It's ......."

"How many people live in that royal city?　I'm guessing it's in the hundreds of thousands. We have to hold them back, and 100,000 of Thana's troops are still intact. On the other hand, if they attack the capital you have occupied, you will not be able to defend it. That's right, they know the city inside and out. Even if we close the gates, they will easily invade. If they do, won't we be rats in the sack?"

"d*mn ......"

Matkal looks frustrated. Lafayence, who was watching him, opens his mouth.

"I still don't get it. As Rufana said, the Thanatians are merely playing the game. I don't think that's what they're after. ......"

Are they waiting for us, by any chance?

"What do you mean, Mr. Rinos?"

"No, maybe they are waiting for the Sandanj soldiers to come out to the border. Or, ideally, they would like us Agarthans to come out too. The enemy will probably want to settle this in one battle anyway.

Lafayence rolls his eyes in amazement. At that moment, there was a knock at the office door and a member of the staff entered the room.

"Excuse me, sir. I have a message from Mr. Meilius and Mr. Considine who would like to see you as soon as possible.

"May and Sidie?　...... got it. Generals, please continue to monitor the movements of Thana's army. Let us know immediately if there is any movement. Bye!"

With that, I left the room.

"As long as we have the ...... Lord Linos, we can't lose."

Looking at the empty chair of Linos, Lafayence mutters with a smile. Then, he looked at the three people in front of him and gave them a look of dismay.

"That man is the god of war.