Chapter 10: The Tide of Battle

The war began almost exactly as many had predicted.

Before either the Rosha Empire or the Kingdom of Friez could formally make any declaration, the Kingdom of Lunoa acted first. Using interference in the Austin Empire as its justification, Lunoa swiftly declared war on both nations.

As originally planned, Lunoa left only a minimal border defense force along the frontier of the Austin Empire. The bulk of its military strength was redirected toward an aggressive offensive against the Kingdom of Friez.

“…Still no reports from the front lines?”

The great offensive had begun.

Two weeks had already passed since the royal palace officially announced the start of the campaign to the people. Yet even now, no clear information from the front had reached the Willard Marquisate, where I currently lived.

“You’d think we’d know something by now…”

Only a month and a half.

That was the hourglass Lunoa had been given for this war.

The Rosha Empire, which lagged behind in modernization, was expected to require roughly a month longer than Lunoa to mobilize its forces and begin marching toward the border. Based on that estimate, Lunoa intended to launch a lightning campaign—crushing the Kingdom of Friez and forcing its surrender within a month and a half.

By doing so, they hoped to avoid a two-front war entirely.

That was the fundamental strategy guiding this conflict.

Two weeks had already passed.

The initial offensive should have concluded by now. Whether the plan had succeeded or failed should already be becoming clear.

And yet…

No information had reached us.

Even through the merchant network I had spent several years expanding—one that had grown large enough to rival a major trading company—I had been trying to gather news.

But even those channels had produced nothing substantial.

“…Noah.”

As I paced restlessly around my room, my mind churning with worry, someone suddenly called my name.

“…! F-Father.”

I turned toward the door in surprise.

At some point, it had quietly opened.

Standing there was Father.

He had returned to our territory three days after the war began, just as originally planned.

“You should hear the information regarding the war,” he said heavily. “Information from the front.”

“…!”

The tone of his voice was stiff and weighty.

A bad feeling crawled up my spine, and my body instinctively tensed.

“I will say this first,” Father continued. “The opening battle was favorable.”

“That’s—!”

Those words were good news.

For a brief moment, hope surged inside me.

“But it is merely favorable,” he added immediately. “The plan’s success remains distant. And more importantly… it seems our assumptions were far too slow.”

“…Too slow?”

The faint light of hope dimmed almost immediately.

“…According to reports from the front,” Father said quietly, “the era of nobles… the era of magic… is over.”

“…What?”

For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what he meant.

“Magic… is over?”

I repeated the words blankly.

“…No,” I muttered a second later as realization struck. “Anti-magic barriers?”

“…Yes.”

Father nodded grimly.

“They appear to be demonstrating overwhelming effectiveness on the battlefield. According to the reports, magic is virtually absent from the front lines. The battlefield has become a place where rifles and artillery shells fly instead.”

“What…!?”

My mind reeled.

If that were true—

If magic had truly been neutralized—

Then what about…?

“What about Shia-neesama!?”

Panic broke through my voice before I could stop it.

Father answered without hesitation.

“She is alive. However… Ryuk is dead.”

“…!”

My breath caught in my throat.

“…Eisen is hovering between life and death,” Father continued. “All three of them returned to our territory this morning.”

“…What?”

My voice barely came out.

My thoughts froze, struggling to process what I had just heard.

“Where… are they?”

I forced the words out.

“The infirmary.”

“…!”

Before Father had even finished speaking, I rushed past him.

My legs were already moving before I could think.

“Shia-neesama!”

I ran through the corridors until I reached the infirmary.

I knew it was improper to burst in like this.

But the moment I reached the door, my hand moved almost instinctively.

I pushed it open.

“…!”

Shia was lying on a bed.

At the sound of my voice, she slowly turned her head toward the door.

Our eyes met.

“…Shia-neesama.”

“…!”

She had pushed herself halfway upright.

Beneath the blanket, the shape of both her legs could be seen. Her face bore no major wounds, and there didn’t appear to be any injuries around her torso.

But her arm—

From slightly above the elbow down, it was gone.

In its place, thick bandages were wrapped tightly around the stump.

“…N-Noah.”

To me, Shia had always been strong.

Reliable.

Someone who always stood in front of me, shielding me from everything.

But now…

The sister who had always seemed so invincible trembled slightly as she looked at me, her voice thin and fragile.

“…Noah.”

“…Welcome home.”

The words slipped quietly from my lips.

“…!”

“Your life… being safe… that’s what matters most.”

There were so many things I wanted to say.

Questions.

Thoughts.

Words of comfort.

But above all else, the overwhelming relief that she was still alive was the only thing I could manage to express first.