"So in the end, your sister had to go rescue old Niki herself?"

At Maria's question, I sighed and answered.

"I keep telling you, I'm not going because of Nikephoros."

"Oh come on, you must have him at least a little on your mind. Maybe half?"

"Half? Absolutely not."

"Then? A third? A quarter?"

"Not that either. I don't even see why it matters..."

When I waved my hand to signal her to stop, Maria brought her small white hand to her cheek and smiled like a princess.

"Still, it's so romantic... jumping into danger for someone you love. Will something like that ever happen to me?"

"Isn't it usually the man who does the rescuing?"

"Oh please, that's nonsense. Besides, I want to rescue Niki myself! Just like John Synas."

Maria nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I chuckled and leaned back against the plush sofa, wondering if this was a positive influence of professional wrestling.

"Well, helping others is a good thing if you can. Though obviously jumping directly into battle is out of the question."

"Why not battle?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Isn't it obvious? A battlefield is no joke."

"You go to them all the time, even though you're shorter than me."

"Being an adult isn't determined by height, my sister."

If it had been my past life self, I might have been petty enough to get upset about height comments from a child, but not anymore.

I took a sip of my coffee with a relaxed smile. Maria immediately scrunched up her face and asked:

"Ugh... does that black water actually taste good?"

"It does. It's an acquired taste—an adult flavor, you might say."

One of the most surprising things after landing in the Eastern Roman Empire was discovering they drank coffee beans brewed raw like medicine. Even that was so rare that the price was exorbitant.

Recently, I'd finally made contact with Egyptian merchants traveling to Ethiopia, so now I could obtain coffee beans regularly. I was currently planning to open Rome's first Starbucks-equivalent for noble ladies.

"If something this bitter is an adult flavor... even Father said it didn't suit his taste."

"That's because Father secretly has the palate of a child. Mother enjoys it, doesn't she?"

"Well, that's true..."

Maria hesitated before bringing the coffee cup to her lips again. The tip of her small pink tongue gently licked the surface of the coffee, like a curious kitten.

"Blech, I still don't want it."

In the end, Maria put down the coffee cup with her face completely scrunched up.

"I guess the adult flavor is too early for you."

"Fine, if this is what being an adult tastes like, I'd rather not become one."

Maria sighed and changed the subject.

"So when will you be back from this trip?"

"It depends on the situation... but probably about three weeks."

Since the main mission of the fleet was to transport supplies and reinforcements, it shouldn't take too long. Though I did have this ominous and strange feeling that something annoying would get in the way and hold us back.

"You'll come back with old Niki, right?"

"Yes. After all, his mission was originally just to escort the crusaders to Philomelion."

It was the Emperor's wish to bring Nikephoros back to the capital. Well, knowing him, he'd probably be depressed about not completing his assigned task.

"By the way, why do you suddenly ask?"

"Just that I'll be really bored without you around."

Maria replied as if it were nothing, then continued:

"Still, I'm jealous. A journey by ship with someone you love."

"What are you talking about..."

This kid really finds the strangest things to envy.

"Aren't you excited? You'll be on the same ship with someone you love for over a week."

"And you'll probably share the same cabin," she added playfully.

Though it wasn't worth responding to... I swallowed a deep sigh and forced myself to nod.

"Y-yes, of course I'm excited."

I felt like I'd buttoned the first button wrong, but it was too late to reveal the truth now.

As I listened to Maria's list of "Things I Want to Do with Little Niki," I suddenly turned my gaze toward the window.

"I wonder if Nikephoros is really okay..."

The Mediterranean Sea, looking particularly deep blue today, gave no answer as expected. It just quietly rippled along.

※※

The most frightening aspect of nomads becomes apparent when the enemy formation begins to collapse.

"Excuse the interruption during our meeting, Your Excellency. The detachment of about two hundred men led by Bardas has safely rejoined our main force."

"Well done. Provide the soldiers with sufficient food and water."

"Yes, sir!"

A small smile crossed Nikephoros's face at the welcome news he hadn't heard in a long time. He turned his head to address the generals in the tent.

"Even with Bardas's arrival, my plan remains unchanged. We will cross the Anamas Mountains, where the Sultan's cavalry will have difficulty maneuvering, and head toward Attaleia."

"Isn't that too passive a response?"

Godfrey immediately objected.

"Although our forces have suffered a defeat, we haven't taken critical damage, have we? I think it would be wiser to establish a solid position and wait for reinforcements from the main army."

"Your view has merit, Duke. However, we don't know the location or arrival time of those reinforcements. I believe it's better to wait for support from the main force after we reach Attaleia."

Nikephoros answered calmly. But Godfrey immediately shook his head in disagreement.

"Even if support is delayed, couldn't we fight the Sultan's army with our own strength? The collateral damage from crossing the mountains would be about the same anyway."

Crossing the rugged mountains would be hellish for knights in heavy armor. It was clear that both horses and soldiers would suffer considerable attrition.

Nikephoros nodded but continued his explanation.

"But if we suffer another defeat, the soldiers' morale will collapse beyond recovery. If we lose to the Turks again... we might have to prepare for near-annihilation."

The crusader vanguard, having already lost once to the Sultan, was maintaining its military formation only because the Sultan's guards had also accumulated considerable fatigue during the cavalry battle.

If they were defeated again with their cavalry forces significantly weakened, the Sultan's fresh light cavalry would surely devastate the broken allied forces.

"If we don't lose, there won't be any annihilation, will there? You know very well that the cause of our defeat was being caught by surprise, Doux."

Despite such advice born from Nikephoros's experience, Godfrey firmly raised his voice. He looked alternately at the Roman and crusader generals as he argued his point.

"If we face the Sultan at this moment, we can certainly achieve victory. But with troops exhausted after crossing the Anamas Mountains... we definitely won't be able to handle the Sultan."

It was essentially a complete rejection of Nikephoros's plan.

But Nikephoros calmly responded without flinching.

"I don't think we'll necessarily be defeated either. I'm simply saying that if we do lose, we'll face an irreversible situation."

He looked directly at Godfrey.

"Isn't your goal also not to defeat the Sultan, but to safely reach the Holy Land? What I want to emphasize is that you need to return safely to be able to return at all."

Avoiding the worst rather than pursuing the best—that was the wisdom of war Nikephoros had learned from the Emperor. It was also a virtue that a commander-in-chief responsible for tens of thousands of lives should possess.

As Godfrey fell silent, Nikephoros slowly turned to the other generals and continued.

"Our opponent is not simply an infidel. He is the mighty ruler of Asia Minor, the first to appear since Lucullus conquered Bithynia long ago."

Casting a sharp glance at Godfrey, Nikephoros concluded firmly.

"In other words, Duke, he is an opponent to whom the word 'certainly' does not apply."

Nikephoros's somewhat sharp remark left Godfrey with a hardened expression, unable to respond. Then his brother Baldwin stepped forward.

"But we can't be certain that the Sultan's army is definitely pursuing us."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you just say that the detachment led by General Bardas safely rejoined us? That's evidence that the Sultan army's encirclement has loosened."

Baldwin's point was reasonable. It had been quite some time since scouts had spotted the Sultan's main force.

"Then rather than sacrificing our forces crossing the treacherous mountains, wouldn't it be a better choice to bypass the mountains along the road?"

Even time-wise, there wasn't much difference between forcibly crossing the mountains and bypassing them via the road.

The problem was that using the maintained road would clearly make the Sultan's army much faster than the crusaders.

"That's right! We must preserve our strength to march toward the Holy Land again! What use is crossing the mountains if we lose our horses and armor?"

Voices of agreement erupted among some crusader commanders supporting Baldwin's argument. Several Roman generals leading cavalry units also quietly expressed their approval.

"Just because the Sultan's army isn't visible doesn't mean they aren't pursuing us. Perhaps Bardas's passage itself is part of the Sultan's clever strategy."

"A strategy... It seems Your Excellency thinks the Sultan will 'certainly' pursue us."

"..."

A small crack appeared in Nikephoros's calm expression.

While such wordplay might be everyday fare for nobles, it still didn't feel good—especially considering they knew nothing about the Turks.

Nikephoros sighed slightly and opened his mouth to counter. But at that moment, Tatikios, who had been silently listening to the conversation, abruptly interjected.

"Let's decide by vote."

All eyes turned to him at the calm yet strangely powerful voice.

"A vote?"

Nikephoros was the first to speak. He looked surprised, apparently having expected Tatikios to take his side.

"As it happens, we have an odd number of commanders present. We'll proceed with an anonymous vote, so please give your honest opinions."

Tatikios first looked around at the commanders, then continued. He then approached Nikephoros and whispered in his ear.

"The crusaders are, after all, allies of Rome. Forcing something upon them would not be good for either side."

It was a reasonable point. The crusaders had just begun their journey, and maintaining good relations with them was a common request from both the Emperor and the Princess.

"But you know very well, Lord Tatikios, that this is likely a trap set by the Sultan."

It was the duty of a superior to assert his will firmly when necessary.

Nikephoros even clenched his fist, uncharacteristically. But Tatikios continued calmly without wavering.

"Don't worry. Even if we encounter the Sultan's army on the road, we can hold out for days if we maintain a defensive posture."

"A few days isn't what matters..."

The situation was still unclear as to where the crusader main force's reinforcements were.

Nikephoros looked as if he couldn't understand why Tatikios, who should know everything, was acting this way. However, Tatikios smiled and added:

"I hear His Majesty has sent reinforcements. The entire imperial navy is heading south with massive supplies and thousands of soldiers."

"The navy?"

'Why is the navy involved? Did the imperial navy even have such large-scale transport capabilities to begin with?'

Nikephoros was confused.

But Tatikios's next words made his eyes widen even more.

"And the one personally leading that fleet is none other than the Princess herself."

Big Niki was dumbfounded.