Chapter 30: Hope for Sun

After burning Carness, Noel corps succeeded in safely returning to Coimbran territory as they had been able to move without direct pursuit having suitably slowed the Baharan march. That aside, the situation within Coimbran territory had dramatically changed in the past month. A majority of the local lords had defected, and their numbers were increasing by the day. Most of the villages had started to understand the situation and had begun independently removing their own Coimbran flags. As for Noel and the others, anything resembling a safety zone had already vanished. On top of that, the Baharan army fifty thousand strong that Amil was leading had completely retaken all Baharan territory, and had invaded Coimbran lands with a plan for taking the capital city of Madress; all while bearing the venerable banner of the sun which had been bestowed upon him by Befnam himself. All who opposed the venerable banner were rebels. Amil had pompously commenced his march west as if to proclaim that he was the successor to the Empire of the Sun.

“Riglette will sound the attack on her bugle as always. Of course an actual attack is no good, though.”

“It’s… meaningless even if we do this, you know. It’s a great place for some futile efforts, though.”

“You’re at it again with that fuckin’ shit. You’re a real genius at lowerin’ morale, ya know.”

Riglette’s tone started to rise, “Silence! With such a large army against us, all we can do is rely on these little tricks day in and day out. I just want to know if there’s any point to it all!”

At first Riglette had approved of hit, hoping it would be successful, but actually putting it into practice had been wearing her out. And so she complained. With how things were going, her opinion of Noel’s ability to command was going right back down to where it started. Riglette was the type who wasn’t able to implement the plans that she had liked in theory. Naturally, Noel wouldn’t bring up that point directly as it would hurt her feelings. What was important was putting the right person in the right place. Implementation was her own speciality, which was why she dragged the ever complaining Riglette along by force. Sometimes she had something interesting to say after being dragged out, and that was just how it was supposed to work between a commander and her aide.

“We have to do what we can. Also, war is all about making the enemy upset. Even if they were laughing at first, we’re going to make them squirm.”

“Hmph, it’d be good if it worked. We’re the ones squirming right now.”

Barbas glowered at Riglette as she tutted, and Kai was trying not to get involved. Everything was proceeding as usual.

Noel stationed soldiers in the particularly hilly and wooded areas along the highway that the Baharan army was advancing down. They would blow the attack order on their bugles or beat it out on their drums regardless of whether or not it was day or night. The troops who had witnessed the incident at Carness would hurriedly take up positions in preparation for an ambush. They had developed an anxiety and fear of what the fiend was doing, and so always went on high alert. The other day, the truth about the loss of the twenty cavalrymen had spread to the troops and was disseminating down through the ranks, but they never saw the enemy. The attacks would be sounded, and the twin hammer banners would fly, but not once had an attack actually come. Even the troops that had been wary at first slowly became accustomed to it over time, despite their best efforts. Gradually, they lowered their guard, and began to ignore the sound of the bugle. They began to show composure as the thought that the fiend was a rumor after all, spread among them.

Having waited for that exact moment, Noel led the White Ant Bloc in an attack targeting the slow moving baggage train, thoroughly burning it down, and disappearing before the enemy arrived on the scene. Basing those kinds of guerrilla tactics out of a mine was the speciality of the White Ant Bloc, and they ranged freely across the land with the highly lethal Noel as their leader. In lieu of said guerrilla tactics, the Baharan army decided to place a guard on their baggage train, instructing the men to never let their guards down, and threatening them with beheadings if they ever did. As the Baharan soldiers were forced to maintain caution, and Noel had struck two major blows, their willpower had been drastically cut.

“They’ve assembled quite the defence, but the enemy seems rather tired, don’t they? It had plenty of meaning, didn’t it, Riglette?”

“Hmph… I wonder about that.”

Barbas scoffed as he looked through his telescope, “You really don’t shut up. It’s workin’ no matter how ya look at it. They’re all fuckin’ dead tired. They don’t look like a just and glorious army like that banner o’ theirs suggests.”

He could see that their footfalls fell heavy, and their faces fell pale, likely due to the large pressure of impending attack. Noel tapped her fingers in pleasure that things had worked out according to plan.

“If I was in the enemy’s position, I don’t think I’d be able to help much. An unseen foe is difficult to prepare for. If they prepare every day, they will exhaust themselves, and if they let their guard down, they will be swooped down upon by the fiend. If they come after us, we should evade them at full speed… you wouldn’t happen to be a genuine fiend would you?”

Kai had asked with an earnest expression, and Noel laughed pleasantly as she responded, “And what if I am?”

“Let’s see. I believe I’d want to know the secret behind how you became that way. I too wish to protect my country by becoming a fiend.”

“Ahaha, if you stick horns on your head, anybody can become one! I’ll teach you how to make them later. Riglette even leaked some…”

“Is now really the time to go on about such foolishness!? While it is true that the enemy is tiring, they are still advancing into Coimbran territory. We have to consider how we can deliver a crushing blow!”

While Riglette was speaking the truth, if there was a plan to deliver any substantial blow, it would have already be in progress. Which was why they were laying bait. They only needed maybe one more good opportunity. If they let it slip, their chances of winning would also escape.

“Even if you say that, there’s nothing else we can do. We number under one thousand, and the enemy numbers over fifty thousand, right? Our advantage is our mobility, so I think it’s fine for now.”

“I’m sorry for interruptin’ but now might be a good time, Captain.”

“It seems so…”

Noel raised her hand in signal to one of the White Ant Bloc as she spoke. It was a signal to light the Baharan army aflame. They had placed dry grass and would light it with simple oil soaked fire arrows. The enemy was afraid of arson attacks, and so they needed to make sure to live up to their reputation from time to time, though the scale was small, so it wouldn’t do much damage. As far as lowering their morale was concerned, though, there wouldn’t be any problems. The archers of the White Ant Bloc, and Noel with bow in hand, began to ignite their arrows, though they would also be trying to hit as many of the Baharan cavalry in the vanguard as they could. Suddenly in an uproar, the Baharan troops turned to face them, but due to their position in the trees, it wouldn’t be easy to direct a charge towards them. Their opponent still had to move, though, in response to the ambush.

“That’s enough for today, let’s get ready for the next time. The enemy can rot a bit more.”

“Yes sir!”

At Noel’s signal, they began to disappear into the brush.

Able to move freely, Noel was able to actually implement everything she could think of. She had previously always had to get permission, or at least tentatively ask or inform her superior officer about her intentions, but released from her constraints, Noel was as free as she felt need to be. Noel’s plan to rob them of the road was simple. They would publish captured banners, and make a show of visiting a small town that had deserted. Their equipment was Coimbran, but if they claimed to be Wilm’s men, the gates would be opened without any doubts. There was almost no one siding with Coimbra, so it was only natural. Wilm had quite the debt they needed to collect.

“What’s the situation like for the townsfolk?”

“They were frightened at first, but now they’re playing along. We’re all Coimbrans so they feel relieved,” Barbas responded.

Having easily entered the city, Noel had restrained the local lord who had come to meet her, on the spot. They had seized the weapons from the trembling guards and quickly taken control of the city. Continuing to impersonate Baharan soldiers, Noel had taken other rebel cities at the same time. Supplies could be acquired and places of rest could be set up in the cities, and there wasn’t a single man who wouldn’t think to take advantage of that. They weren’t allies anymore, so they could do whatever they wanted to them. Incidentally, five cities had fallen to them. It might seem ridiculous at first glance, but lies were effective tools. In times when it was impossible to tell friend from foe, the only indications were the banners that they published which gave birth to negligence that thought it would probably be fine and that everything would work out in the end. There wasn’t a shred of tension in the garrisons of the lords who did not depart for the front. For them, when faced with the option of fighting the Baharan army, the choice was obvious.

“I see. That’s good. It’d be a pain if they resisted.”

As far as she could tell, the people had simply shut themselves in their houses, refusing to go out. It had never been particularly prosperous there, but now the place looked as abandoned as a ruin.

“They don’t have much courage. They should be praying desperately to the sun god that things don’t go horribly wrong right about now.”

“If praying was enough to be saved by god, the world would surely be a happier place.”

The surrounding men of the White Ant Bloc nodded in agreement with Noel’s mutter.

“By the way, the lord’s tied up now, so what should we do with him?”

“Mn? We have to kill the traitors. If he gets away, it’ll only add to our enemy’s number by one. We’ll take his head and put it on a pike like usual.”

“He’s crying as he begs for his life, though, is that fine? He says he’ll do anything.”

“Of course. I’m tired of hearing the cries of these lords, so there’s no reason to talk to him now. There’s no reason to forgive an enemy. I can’t think of anything he could do that’d be useful, anyway, so just get it over with.”

Noel drew her thumb across her neck. Dirk had said it too, that military regulations had to be respected. Treason was a capital punishment, so killing them was the correct thing to do. It seemed that Dirk himself had died, but she figured that she could protect his words at the very least. Well, as much as she could.

Riglette seemed to have thought of something, “Okay, well if you’re going to execute him, could you leave it to me? I’ve got an idea.”

“That’s fine. What’re you going to do?”

“It’s about the stories of the fiend that have finally spread. I thought that we could do something practical with them. There’s merit in trying.”

“Okay, I suppose. I’m a little concerned about it, but go ahead. Sorry Barbas.”

“No, it’s not a problem. In that case, I’ll release the garrison after giving them a good scare.”

“Good. Make sure they won’t even think about taking up the sword again, okay? It might be fine to break some limbs.”

“That’s the plan… to think they were allies just a month ago… it’s a harsh world, eh? I’ll be thorough.”

“Such is the way of the world. If you really think about it, it might be better to just die and get things over with.”

Noel accepted the flask Barbas handed to her, and put it to her lips. The content was wine. She wouldn’t drink a lot, but a little couldn’t hurt.

“I’d like to replenish our stocks somewhere. Tryin’ to drag it out like this makes me not want to drink.”

“Ahaha, when the war’s over, let’s drink enough to bathe in. I’ll invite Cynthia.”

“If you invite her, she’ll get angry at you again. She was displeased with how useless you became when you drank too much earlier.”

“Yup, she’ll get mad for sure… she’s kind of annoying, but if she isn’t around I get lonely. Ahhh, continuing to fight is really draining, isn’t it?”

“That’s how wars are. You might not fully understand this Captain, but war is generally painful and tragic. I spent a long time up in the Bolk mines, so I’ve seen it all.”

Noel responded appropriately, “Yup, it’s an experience thing, right? I learned something new.”

In regards to the people of the town, Noel took up a forbearing stance. She wasn’t going to go as far as killing them all. The guards were to be released after some punishment, and the town was not to be pillaged. Noel was not an ally to them, but she did not see herself as an enemy either.

“Ahh, I want more wine.”

Noel poured one last glass of wine from the lord’s stock. Downing it in a single swig, the astringent flavour spread through her mouth. Having thought it would be sweeter, Noel was slightly disappointed. It looked expensive, but the contents were not so good, so Noel washed it down with some water.

“Captain, let’s not burn this town down either.”

“I know that even if you don’t say it so many times. I promised I wouldn’t, so I never will. I always keep my word.”

Noel’s expression soured. She didn’t like being pestered about the same things over and over again. It made her feel like she wasn’t trusted, though it might not have been something she could ever do anything about. Barbas had been enraged when Noel had executed all of the town guard and burned both the city and its surrounding fields. He had gotten angry enough that he still might kill her. She wondered just what she would do if her companions were ever beheaded. Not wanting to be killed herself, she’d probably go on the attack as expected, and then be sad afterwards, or so she though.

“I’m very sorry. I just want to drive home the point.”

“You’re a good man Barbas. I’m sure you’ll be a great dad.”

Barbas spat some of his wine when he heard her, “Don’t tease me like that, it’s bad for my heart.”

“Even though your hair’s white, your face went red, how fun!”

“Captain! That’s enough of that!”

“Ahaha, sorry I went a bit too far.”

“Sheesh, I got a bit too worked up myself. Sorry about that.”

“Hehe, pops, yer gettin’ worked up there.”

“Shut it!”

At first Noel had thought that if the lord had betrayed them, the city had too, and it’s always better to have even one enemy removed. Naturally all the guards had to die. It would also have been a waste to leave the supplies there for the enemy. She figured that it was best to make an example of what happens to traitors, maybe leave a single survivor to spread the tale of the fiend, but since her companion Barbas had been so utterly opposed to it, she’d properly stopped.

“The betrayal of the lord has nothin’ to do with the people. Burning their houses won’t change a thing. Actually it’ll just make more enemies,” he had said, and that, “You said that Coimbra was your castle, Captain, so it’d be a problem if the people living there were suffering.”

Having seen his point, or at least thinking that she had, Noel had promised to stop burning the captured towns.

“Then once we’ve taken only what we need, you can distribute it to the people. We can’t carry it all away, and they’re the ones that made it after all.”

“I say this every time, but is it really okay to give it away? Once its been given, we can’t take it back.”

“I say this every time, but it’s fine. The Baharan army is going to pass through here soon enough, and they have nothing to give them.”

Noel was distributing what the lord had levied as tax in place of burning the town because they couldn’t carry it all away, and anything they left would be reappropriated by Bahar. That being the case, giving it away seemed like a good idea. If Bahar still reappropriated it, they would surely sow the seeds of resentment. Those seeds would grow into something useful, and, more importantly, Noel had nothing to lose by it. Not only the present, but also the future was taken into account. That was one of the teachings of the sun emperor. She didn’t have any intentions of bringing honour to the empire of the sun, but she had finally remembered it, so she was going to try it out.

“It’s about time, isn’t it?”

At Barbas’ question, Noel took out her treasured glasses from her breast pocket and started acting as if she was good with her head, “Yup, just about. If it’s going to be an ambush, we’re going to have to take that position. There are lots of places to hide, and the road’s really thin so they’ll have to stretch out their troops. Their troublesome cavalry won’t be able to move clearly. It’s clearly the best location.”

When she put the glasses on, she felt as if her thoughts really did become clear. She also felt like she had listened to Cynthia’s lectures, and that part was fun too, but it would be a problem if they broke, so she usually kept them safe. What Noel was aiming for was Amil’s head, no, it was more accurate to say that if she couldn’t kill him, she would never be able to overcome the difference in numbers. She planned on fighting to the end either way, but it wouldn’t be foolish to think that with that, she could turn the tables on them. Noel had though of all sorts of things. The battleground would be halfway down the Kanan highway, and was located in the mountains. Lying in wait there, if they could lure in and defeat the vanguard, sewing unrest, Noel’s main force could slam into wherever Amil himself was located. It was for that time that Noel had continued to employ her disruption tactics. Their guard would be up, but maintaining it would have tired them out. What she wanted was for their morale to be affected by the exhaustion because low morale caused them to ignore their orders and bred negligence. She’d confirmed it with the military police, so there was no mistaking it. A fear of fire had been fostered in the enemy after all the arson attacks. If the troops that were there to lure them out used what looked like another fire plan, they wouldn’t mount up. The whole thing was a fairly small scale operation, but in the confined area, it could inflict a fatal blow. Even if they didn’t want to, the enemy would be disrupted, and forced to pursue while Amil stopped in the middle of the procession. There her target lay.

“It’s going to take some skill. If it goes well, this’ll be the feat of feats. You’ll get a massive promotion, captain Noel, and become a hero of Coimbra in one go!”

“Hey pops, w-wouldn’t that make us the companions of a hero?”

“That’s right it will. If we butcher Amil, everything will work out. I don’t know what’ll happen to that Grohl guy, but Bahar’ll fall into chaos for sure, and it’ll take them a while to sort everything out.”

It seemed a little optimistic, but Noel thought it was the best way. For the moment, it would force the Baharans to fall back. Grohl was absolutely going to have to answer for things, but Noel didn’t care either way as long as Cynthia and Elgar were fine.

“Hmmm, but I wonder what’ll happen.”

“What?”

“Will it really go that well? Our enemies are no fools.”

“Why so timid? We’ve done all we can. All that’s left is to do it. Make that bitch blow her bugle more than usual and there won’t be anything to worry about.”

It was just as Barbas said: Noel had done everything that she could; everything she intended to do. She had put all of her efforts towards the five minutes it would take to claim Amil’s head. Nothing could clear Grohl’s infamy, but if Amil was unable to be enthroned, the war would lose all meaning. Amil’s death was necessary for Noel’s victory, but the weather wasn’t very good. Usually, poor visibility would be helpful, but Noel was a special case. Troubles reared their heads on rainy days. At present the weather was cloudy and she couldn’t tell where the rain would fall. Noel hoped that it cleared.

“But it can’t be helped now that we’ve done all we can. No being helped at all. Nothing to do but go for it.”

Noel stood, removing her glasses, and informed Barbas that they would attack tomorrow. This was their final rest before the decisive battle. Enthusiastic, Barbas led his men out of the room, Riglette was in charge of the execution, and Kai was checking their supplies. Noel was alone in her room.

“It seems like I’m free, but I need to save my strength.”

Hitting herself to clear her thoughts, Noel clapped her hands together and gave a shout to psyche herself up. Things had to go well. She had to give it her all. She would attack the enemy’s supreme commander, Amil; for everyone; for herself.