Chapter 9: Departure for Battle

The atmosphere was tense—almost suffocatingly so.

Soldiers clad in military uniforms sat astride their horses, lined up in neat ranks. Their expressions were stiff with discipline as they waited in silence for the moment of departure. The faint clinking of metal armor and the restless stamping of hooves were the only sounds that disturbed the heavy stillness of the courtyard.

Standing at the very front of that formation were the members of the House of Willard, beginning with Father himself.

Rayford Willard — the current head of the Marquis House of Willard.
Eisen Willard — the eldest son of the house.
Ryuk Willard — the second son.
Shia Willard — the eldest daughter.

These four were the members of the Willard family who would be participating in the war that was about to begin.

“……”

Watching them off were Father’s wives—four in total, including my own mother. They stood together a short distance away, their expressions restrained but solemn.

I stood quietly at the edge of that group.

Among all the siblings, I alone would not be participating in this war.

After all, I was the only one born with the earth attribute.

“Noah~!”

Before their departure, there had been a formal photograph taken—one meant to commemorate the family before leaving for the battlefield.

Once that was finished, Shia stepped down from the carriage and walked over to me with lively steps.

“Well? How did I look?” she asked eagerly. “Did the picture capture me properly? Was I cute enough?”

“Yes,” I replied with a small smile. “You’re always adorable, Sister.”

“Fufun!”

Hearing my praise, Shia puffed out her chest proudly, clearly pleased.

“Well then, I’m off.”

“Please be careful. Take good care of yourself.”

“Yes, yes,” she said lightly, waving a hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely come back.”

“…Noah.”

Just as Shia and I were exchanging our usual farewell, an unexpected voice spoke my name.

It was Eisen.

That alone was unusual.

“Father will go to the battlefield, fulfill the minimum obligations expected of him, and return immediately,” Eisen said calmly.

“Yes. That’s what I’ve heard.”

If the head of the house died on the battlefield—and then the heir, Eisen, also perished afterward—the Willard family would effectively be finished.

Ideally, Eisen should have remained behind.

But in noble society, war itself was considered the highest honor and the fundamental duty of the aristocracy. For both the head of the house and the next heir to avoid participating entirely would never be tolerated.

Father had married relatively late among nobles and was already quite old. His age made it difficult for him to contribute much on the battlefield.

That was why Eisen would be the one truly participating in the war.

“Father is elderly,” Eisen continued. “If something unfortunate were to happen to both myself and Ryuk… the position of next head might eventually fall to you.”

He paused briefly before adding with clear distaste:

“…Though I would rather not imagine entrusting the house to a lump of dirt.”

“Yes.”

Technically speaking, I was still his son.

Well… there were extended relatives who might contest the inheritance, so it wasn’t guaranteed things would proceed that simply.

Even if it did happen, I could easily imagine how difficult the aftermath would be. To begin with, it was questionable whether Father would even support me.

“…However.”

After that single word, Eisen fell silent for a moment, as if carefully considering what he was about to say next.

“…However,” he continued slowly, “if that responsibility ever does fall to you, I can also imagine a future where the term ‘lump of dirt’ becomes nothing more than a relic of the past.”

“…Eisen-niisama?”

I couldn’t help frowning slightly.

Eisen had always looked down on me as a worthless earth mage. Unlike Ryuk, he never even bothered to bully me directly—he simply treated me as someone not worth approaching.

Yet the tone of his words now carried something different.

“I acknowledge that your abilities outside of magic have always been exceptional,” he said.

“….”

“Remain as you are,” Eisen added firmly. “Protecting the House of Willard is the duty of those born into this noble family.”

“Of course.”

“…Heh.”

A faint, almost amused smile appeared on Eisen’s face.

“Yes. That’s right. You are that kind of man. There is not the slightest hint of falsehood in that ‘of course.’”

“…Huh?”

Was there even a place in that sentence where someone could lie?

“Good,” he said dismissively. “If the responsibility ever falls to you, then do your best. Shia. Hurry up and come back. We’re leaving.”

“Ehh!? You interrupted us, so I didn’t even get to enjoy talking to him properly!”

“Enough,” Eisen said curtly. “…Let’s go.”

Still looking dissatisfied, Shia allowed herself to be pulled away.

Together, Eisen and Shia returned to the formation of soldiers—

The formation that would soon depart for the battlefield.