Chapter 106

Blair appointed Odelliana as a strategic adviser. The knights protested fiercely at the notion of granting a woman any authority over command, yet the moment they convened a council to pick apart the operation and tactics she had devised, they found themselves forced into logical submission instead.

It was an unprecedented decision. She had never marched to war, nor was she a renowned mercenary of proven skill. And yet the plan she had constructed was so precise and professional that it was almost astonishing such ideas had come from a young lady raised gently within castle walls.

When questioned, Odelliana offered a modest excuse, saying she had always been an avid reader and had taken a particular interest in military treatises. The flimsy explanation somehow sufficed. In truth, the commanders cared less about the source of her talent than about resolving the crisis pressing down upon them.

Amid that tension, the enemy’s force of nearly ten thousand swept over the ridgeline and descended along the cliffs, taking control of the entire Eisenwald region. They sealed every road connected to the city and deployed their troops in encircling formations. Travelers in the vicinity were either captured or killed, and several scouts failed to return.

Eisenwald locked its gates. Oil was spread along the battlements to prevent ladders from being set, and skilled hunters were conscripted and stationed along the walls. Even the civilians took up farm tools lying about their homes and joined the watch.

Those assigned to each tower observed the enemy in rotating shifts. Their sole objective was to buy as much time as possible until reinforcements arrived, and preparations toward that end were organized with careful discipline.

The standoff to hold the walls and gates continued while all other civilians were evacuated into the inner keep. Food, weapons, daily necessities, and military supplies were moved inside as well. Every able-bodied man, unless elderly or severely infirm, was conscripted and given basic military training, while women and children learned emergency treatment and other support duties.

Poison was distributed to coat arrowheads. Oil-filled bottles were prepared to be ignited and hurled as improvised fire projectiles. Tunnels were dug, earthen mounds raised throughout the woods, and underground shelters carved out as hiding places and emergency escape routes. Around defensive positions they scattered stones and sharpened iron stakes, setting crude traps. Training drills were conducted using rocks and trees as cover.

Odelliana involved herself in every step of the process. Each day she visited the refugee barracks, personally checking on the displaced residents.

“The Saintess is truly remarkable,” one woman whispered in awe.

“She really is,” another agreed warmly. “She is diligent, strong, and incredibly clever.”

“Some nobles already fled along the river, yet she stayed to protect people like us,” a third said, shaking her head. “Who would go this far for common folk?”

Odelliana’s ability shone brilliantly.

Having once commanded troops and fought through battlefields, she knew how to steady frightened people. She reassured the residents, gave them tasks they could accomplish, and ignited their determination to defend their home. Those who would become destitute refugees if they lost this land followed her with fierce loyalty.

Despite her limp, she moved tirelessly through the refugee encampments, as though even ten bodies would not have been enough for all she tried to do. Her passion and diligence stirred the hearts of the people. Her leadership was undeniable. Many quietly agreed that had she been born a man, she would already have been hailed as an outstanding commander.

“Wasn’t it also the Saintess who insisted on repairing the walls?” someone asked.

“I heard that too,” another replied. “If we had not reinforced them back then, they would have collapsed long ago. We are still holding because of that work.”

“We rebuilt them higher and stronger this time,” a laborer said with a tired laugh. “All that backbreaking work finally paid off.”

“Do you think the Saintess might possess some mysterious foresight?” someone murmured half in jest.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” another scoffed, then lowered his voice. “Still, there is something unusual about her.”

Anyone could see she was extraordinary. She no longer appeared to be a frail woman dependent on others’ care.

She possessed knowledge of poisons and enough medical skill to treat wounds. She handled weapons such as swords and bows with surprising competence, and when she managed to ride with only one good leg, people could not hide their amazement. Most striking of all was the fierce will concealed beneath her gentle, composed demeanor. Her mental fortitude rivaled that of any seasoned man, lending her an almost mystical presence.

While Lord Blair responded to enemy negotiations with deliberate hesitation, dragging them out to buy time, preparations for battle progressed smoothly under Odelliana’s guidance. When talks repeatedly collapsed, the enraged barbarian army attempted to break the walls and gates with siege engines, yet the newly reinforced stone and the heavy iron gate did not yield easily.

Eisenwald’s walls held for four full months.

Because food had been stockpiled in advance and the fortifications repaired, the city endured the long siege. The soldiers’ morale did not break despite the encirclement. Instead, they focused even more fiercely on defense. As the war of attrition dragged on and winter returned once again, the enemy’s momentum weakened. Then, at last, reinforcements advancing south along the Klug River arrived.

“Reinforcements!” a sentry shouted from the wall.

The taut thread of tension snapped. The residents embraced one another in relief and joy. With allied troops finally here, they believed it would now be possible to drive out the barbarians surrounding Eisenwald. The atmosphere felt, for all intents and purposes, like the eve of victory.

“A portion of the allied forces has arrived,” a messenger reported briskly. “The barbarian troops encircling Eisenwald have scattered toward the Razagal Forest. Some of our forces are currently pursuing them.”

Odelliana, who had secretly hoped it might be Matthias, could not hide her disappointment when she recognized the familiar figure stepping through the opened gate. The allied unit that slipped inside during the brief breach in the enemy’s encirclement belonged to the Second Knight Order, and the man before her was not Matthias but Jocelyn.

“It has been a while, Princess,” Jocelyn greeted her with an easy smile. “Nearly a year, has it not?”

Having finally rid herself of that nauseating intruder once before, she found she could not even pretend to smile at the thought of facing this ordeal alongside him again.

In truth, even the allied command had doubted whether Eisenwald would still be standing by the time they arrived. Yet when they returned, the fortress remained astonishingly intact. Though several clashes had erupted along the walls, the barbarians had failed to breach the reinforced defenses.

The residents praised the wall repairs as a masterstroke. Jocelyn agreed. Had the old, crumbling walls remained, they might have fallen within a month. Moreover, the people’s fervent support for Odelliana had already reached his ears.

As he discussed strategy with Blair, Jocelyn’s evaluation of her rose even higher after he happened upon the operations dossier.

“Are you telling me this was devised by Lady Odelliana?” he asked, genuinely startled.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Blair replied earnestly. “It was so meticulous and impressive that everyone was taken aback.”

Jocelyn recalled the small figure who had turned away coldly at the entrance when he first arrived. He could hardly believe such a plan had come from someone who appeared so frail.

He studied the document again, murmuring under his breath, “She has maximized the terrain and positioned each unit where their strengths are most effective.”

“Surprised, are you?” Blair asked with a faint, tired smile.

“Who would not be, after seeing this?” Jocelyn replied quietly.

“I was as well,” Blair admitted. “Odelliana enjoys reading and has apparently studied many military texts. She even practiced drafting strategies herself. Even to a layman like me, it is an excellent plan.”

Adas, who had been reviewing the dossier beside Jocelyn, spoke with visible reluctance. “It is certainly detailed and sophisticated, but a strategy that intentionally lures the enemy inside the city to annihilate them carries enormous risk. I question whether it can be executed reliably in real combat.”

“The concept is undeniably novel and strikes at the enemy’s blind spot,” Jocelyn countered, his tone thoughtful. “If it succeeds, it could inflict severe losses and secure a monumental victory.”

As Jocelyn subtly defended and praised Odelliana’s plan, Adas fell silent, reading the room.

Jocelyn reread the document several times, unable to suppress his admiration. The strategy was dangerous, but if successful it could earn dazzling military merit in a single stroke. For knights hungry for distinction, and especially for someone like Jocelyn who needed a decisive achievement, it was an irresistible opportunity.

How far does this woman intend to astonish me, he wondered.

It was difficult to believe such a plan had been conceived by a lame young woman. Most would have sought evacuation the moment war broke out. Blair, so protective of his sister, should have sent her away first.

Yet Odelliana had remained, tending the refugees and leading them. Recklessly brave for someone so seemingly delicate, her actions had raised both civilian and military morale. She had even prepared an excellent contingency for the moment the walls might fall. Her defiance of all expectations left Jocelyn quietly impressed.

“More reinforcements will arrive soon,” Adas added cautiously. “Since this plan assumes the walls have already been breached, it may no longer be necessary.”

At that remark, a calculating light entered Jocelyn’s eyes.

Lycan Droif is here. Whatever happens, that man’s head must be secured. And it would be a waste to let the princess’s strategy rot unused.

The dazzling exploits of the First Knight Order under Matthias flickered through his mind, stirring impatience. Though they served the same alliance, each contingent still competed fiercely for military glory. Jocelyn had marched here precisely to earn such distinction. Letting Odelliana’s tactic slip away without trying was deeply unsatisfying.

After leaving Blair, he returned to his private quarters and summoned Adas in secret.

“Open the gate at dawn,” Jocelyn ordered calmly.

“…Pardon, Your Highness?” Adas stammered, stunned. “What do you mean?”

“This is our last stage to claim merit,” Jocelyn said softly. “Will you let it pass us by?”

“…But opening the gate now is far too dangerous,” Adas protested.

Jocelyn merely looked at him. His expression was gentle, yet devoid of kindness. Adas hesitated, then quickly shut his mouth.

He did not understand the decision, but understanding was never required in a lord and vassal relationship. A master gave orders. A knight obeyed. Though he felt the prince had chosen an extreme course uncharacteristic of him, Adas lacked the courage to oppose him.

“…As you command,” he said at last, bowing stiffly.

Flash.

The blare of a horn shattered the stillness of dawn, and Odelliana jolted upright. For a fleeting moment she wondered if the rare, peaceful sleep she had enjoyed had blurred into a dream. Then reality struck, and she rushed to the window.

The gate.

It had been breached.

The horn sounded in short, broken bursts, the unspoken signal that the wall had been compromised. Had the sturdy defenses from just hours ago truly collapsed? Staggering to her feet, she seized her cane and hurried out.

The interior of the fortress was already in chaos. Jocelyn’s knights, fully armed, moved in urgent formation, gathering equipment and assembling ranks with ominous purpose.

Odelliana rushed to find Blair.

“What happened?” she demanded sharply. “How could the wall be breached so suddenly?”

“…I do not know,” Blair admitted, pale. “I received a report that the gate was open.”

“Open?” she repeated, stunned. “Not broken?”

“The walls and gates that held this long would not simply collapse overnight,” he said grimly.

That meant an inside job.

Her mind raced. Who would do such a thing, and why now? If there had been a spy, they would not have waited three months. The guard had been strict, but not impossible to bypass with intent. And now, just as reinforcements had arrived and the enemy’s position weakened, the gate had opened.

Could it be Jocelyn?

Who needed military merit most right now? He was exactly the sort of man who would sacrifice Eisenwald without hesitation for glory. The timing was too precise to be coincidence. Knowing his methods, Odelliana could not dismiss the suspicion.

“Odelliana,” Blair said urgently, gripping her shoulders. “Go to the Klug River.”

“…You are telling me to evacuate?”

“The encirclement has loosened. This is our chance. Cross the river by boat and get out.”

She said nothing.

“It is dangerous here,” he insisted, brushing a trembling hand over her pale cheek. “They will try to seize the city immediately. If you stay and resist, you could die.”

“I will manage,” he added quickly, forcing steadiness into his voice. “Prince Jocelyn’s reinforcements are here. If we hold a little longer, more troops will arrive.”

“…But—”

“Hurry,” Blair cut in firmly. “The riverbank will soon be crowded with refugees. Leave before it becomes chaos.”

He pushed her toward the door. Malena, who had been waiting anxiously outside, caught her.

“Malena, I am counting on you,” Blair said hoarsely. “Protect Odelliana at all costs.”

“Do not worry, my lord,” Malena replied with fierce resolve. “I will guard her with my life.”

When Odelliana resisted, Malena hoisted her onto her back outright and began to run. Odelliana struggled, demanding to be put down, but Malena did not slow. Tears spilled from Odelliana’s eyes.

“My lady, trust the lord and the knights here,” Malena urged.

“Trust the Second Prince and his knights?” Odelliana snapped through her tears. “If things turn against him, he would use my brother as a shield and flee without hesitation. I am certain that bastard opened the gate himself!”

“Even if that is true,” Malena shot back, breath ragged, “what changes if you stay?”

Odelliana fell silent.

“You have already done more than enough,” Malena continued, her voice cold but painfully sincere. “You prepared for this day. Now the fighting belongs to them. If you remain, you will only become a burden to the lord.”

The blunt, miserable truth robbed Odelliana of any reply.

Malena was right. This cursed body would only weigh them down. She could become a hostage used to pressure Blair.

“…Damn it,” Odelliana hissed.

The fact that Jocelyn’s troops were stationed here filled her with dread. He would not prioritize Blair’s safety. If the tide turned, he would abandon him without hesitation. The thought of that man standing beside her brother was unbearable.

Was she really supposed to leave him behind?

Blair had always been gentle, more accustomed to pen than sword. Even if he took up a blade now, what chance did he have?

What meaning was there in surviving like this? In her previous life she had no family to protect, but now she did. If she fled, she would regret it forever. She feared a life that would feel worse than death.

“I…” she began.

Before Malena could mount, Odelliana suddenly seized the reins of a nearby horse.

“I am not running.”

Everyone here was in danger. With barbarian forces already spread throughout the region, there was no guarantee escape would be safer. If anything, remaining where allied troops were stationed might offer better odds.

“I will do what I can and help my brother,” she declared.

“…My lady?” Malena called in alarm.

“I am going to the refugee barracks. Follow me.”

“W-wait!”

Odelliana spurred the horse forward and rode off at once. Having lost her right in front of her, Malena hurriedly saddled another horse and chased after her.