第４８４堀：一応の勧告と結果 (Part2)
"……Is this truly a surrender?"
For the time being, the fact that they were bound meant the princesses had been captured. That is, if they were the real deal. As I pondered this, the old man returned.
"Your Highness. Those three are the real ones. There has been no formal declaration from the enemy yet, but given this lack of resistance, it is likely a surrender."
"I see. It seems we can avoid meaningless sacrifices."
Just as I felt relieved, a booming voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
『Testing, testing. Ah, ah. Mic test, mic test. Er, can the people of the Empire hear me?』
What is this!? What is this voice, louder even than the old man's?
『Ah, no. I suppose it’s enough if the bigwigs of the Empire can hear me. Er, if you can hear me, could you wave the flag at the main camp? I am currently using a special magic to amplify the volume of my voice. Can you hear me? The source of the sound is the person atop the defensive wall.』
I see, so that’s how it is. If it’s Haiden, a nation of magic, they would be capable of such a feat.
"Very well. Wave the flag to let them know we hear them."
"Yes, sir!!"
I gave the order to my subordinates, and they waved the flag. Perhaps seeing that, the voice returned immediately.
『Thank you very much for your response. Now, I shall proceed with the discussion. As I am sure you have already confirmed, the three women bound in straw mats here are indeed Princess Carrie of the Kingdom of Haiden, Lady Kagura, daughter of Duke Kamishiro, and Catherine, the feudal lord of Baide.』
"Bound in straw mats"... he could have phrased that better. But wait, there was no mistake after all. However, this voice belongs to a man.
"Old man, which of the men on the roof is speaking?"
"No, there is only one man."
"What?"
"The rest are all women, and, well... more than half of them are small children. I suspect they are from an orphanage or something similar..."
I see. So they stepped out desperately to protect the children.
"……I understand. They are courageous surrenders. Ensure they are protected. Divert troops to guard the orphanage. If they have surrendered, they will likely be resented by the townspeople."
"Yes, sir."
As I was giving those instructions, the man continued.
『Now, I apologize to everyone in the Empire, but as you can see from this situation, Baide has already fallen and is now the territory of our Weed.』
"……What?"
I didn't understand what he was saying.
"Hey, old man. What did you hear?"
"W-well, has my hearing gone senile as well? I could have sworn he said it was the territory of a faction I've never even heard of."
"I see, so you heard it too."
It seems my ears haven't failed me after all.
『Normally, I would say that since it is now the territory of another country, you should withdraw, but I assume you wouldn't believe that either.』
That much is true. That man must have lost his mind in this battle.
"Shoot that man down immediately!! He has gone insane!! We cannot allow the princesses to be killed!!"
"Yes, sir!!"
A messenger ran off, and sharp arrows flew toward the man. But they were deflected by something and fell to the ground.
『Well, thank you for the predictable reaction. With that, I have confirmed your hostile and invasive actions against Weed. Now, we shall counterattack in self-defense.』
What is that man actually saying... No, the point is that the enemy says they are going to move. I was about to order an interception formation, but then...
*Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble...*
The ground shook with a thunderous sound. No, it was shaking continuously!?
"Waaaaah!? The ground, the ground is...!?"
"What is this!? The city is rising..."
"No, aren't we sinking!?"
Such voices reached me from all around. Indeed, the ground was rising, making the city seem higher, but I couldn't deny that we were sinking. In any case, I had no idea what was happening!!
"Damn it!? What is going on!?"
"Imperial Guard!! Protect His Highness!!"
When the tremors ceased, we found ourselves surrounded by walls of earth.
『Right. Well, I'm going to put a lid on this, so please prepare some light. I wanted to provide a light source from this side, but we're a bit strapped for cash, so please wait about two days. We can talk then. I would appreciate it if you could stay calm until then. Well then, enjoy your dungeon life.』
With those words, a lid was placed over the ceiling, and we, who should have been bathed in the morning sun, were plunged into darkness.
In the end, whether you have military strength or not, if you can manipulate the terrain, you can do anything. A pitfall is the foundation and the entirety of it all, is that it?