Published at 22nd of February 2020 10:48 pm

Volume 3, Chapter 1

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translator: Skythewood

Editor: Hiiro

Ⅱ

Holy Nation of Mekia, Holy Capital Elsphere, La Shaim Castle

Holy Capital Elsphere was surrounded by double city walls.

There was a main tower in the center, and 8 watch towers around it. The jade colored roofs, pure white walls and tidy streets could be seen clearly from there. This was La Shaim castle.

Not only was the scenery great, La Shaim was erected into an impregnable stronghold with no regards to its cost, by importing augite, the hardest and toughest stone in the world. This was funded by Mekia’s bountiful reserves of rare minerals.

In a corner of the place known to the citizens as the impregnable castle, there was a courtyard filled with flowers and the statue of the Goddess Citresia right in the center. The statue was made with a rare ore called ‘Blue Quartz’.

(I was wondering why I couldn’t find her, so she was here…)

Lara Mira Crystal found her target beside a delicate round table the moment she entered the courtyard. As the butterflies fluttered amongst the flowers, that person was sipping tea gracefully.

Lara sighed and walked to the round table.

“Lady Holy Angel.”

“Hmm? So you found me.”

The ruler of the Holy Nation of Mekia, Sofitia hel Mekia, shrugged like a kid who got caught in the middle of her prank.

“Why do you sound like it’s a shame I found you? And you don’t have any guards with you. What if something happens? Please be more aware of your position?”

Lara glared at the attendants nearby as she said that. They couldn’t hide the wavering in their hearts, and lowered their heads. Some were even quivering in fear.

After all, Lara could take their lives on a whim.

“Don’t be so harsh on them, I’m the one who insisted.”

“But—”

“Enough about that. The weather is pleasing today, why don’t you have some tea?”

Sofitia gestured with the teacup in her hand and smiled faintly. A breeze fluttered her long lustrous light purple hair.

“Thank you for your kind offer, I will gladly take up on it then.”

It was impudent to sit together with the Holy Angel, but Sofitia detest unnecessary etiquettes. Lara didn’t protest, and sat in a chair that a fearful attendant prepared for her. Another attendant timidly poured tea for her. The refreshing fragrance of the tea rose with the steam and into Lara’s nose.

In the meantime, Sofitia ordered an attendant to prepare another portion of snacks.

“—What brings you here? You seem to be in an ill mood.”

Sofitia faced Lara and asked in a playful mood.

“Pardon my impudence, but may I ask why you dispatch Amelia for this task? Lady Berlietta might be absent, but she would still be facing the Crimson Knights. In my humble opinion, she’s not a suitable choice.”

Amelia was promoted to Chiliarch fairly recently. She was capable, but definitely lacked experience. If anything untowards happens, she might not be able to react appropriately. So Lara felt she would be the best candidate for this task.

“— I understand what you are saying… But aren’t you underestimating the capabilities of your subordinates?”

“Underestimating them? Is that so?”

“Yes. You are judging them by using yourself as the standard, right?”

Sofitia gently put down her teacup and looked at Lara with a stern gaze. Lara was taken aback for a moment, but still reflected on Sofitia’s words. Lara wasn’t confident enough to reject this assertion right away. Sofitia was right, Lara always compares her subordinates to herself, and felt disappointed by their ineptitude.

“It is as you say, Holy Angel.”

Lara admitted, and Sofitia smiled in response.

“Amelia isn’t as formidable as you. She is young, and is still immature in many areas. However, I’m not worried about her at all. If not, I wouldn’t have promoted her to Chiliarch in the first place.”

In ascending order, the military ranks of the Holy Nation of Mekia were 《Sentinel》, 《Decanus》, 《Senior Decanus》, 《Centurion》, 《Senior Centurion》, 《Chiliarch》, 《Senior Chiliarch》 and 《Holy Legate》. Normally, when a commoner graduates from the only Military Academy in the Holy Nation of Mekia, St. Endumion, they would be given the rank of Decanus, while nobles would be appointed as Centurions.

However, things were different when they reached the rank of Chiliarch. Aside from outstanding capabilities, the ability to cast magic was a mandatory requirement. In other words, 《Chiliarchs》, 《Senior Chiliarchs》 and the 《Holy Legate》 were all Sorcerers.

But those with an innate talent for Sorcery were rare. And most of them would die young from their sorcery prowess going out of control. The Pope of the main Church of Saint Illuminas, Krishna Halbert, also lamented the drop in suitable candidates for the past decade.

Because of all these reasons, Sorcerers were like trump cards for the Holy Nation of Mekia.

“… I understand. I’m also a Holy Legate, and won’t have any objections about the will of the Holy Angel.”

Lara got up from her seat, and knelt before Sofitia.

“I understand your concerns, but this mission is to weaken the Crimson Knights, not seize their territories. In that sense, Amelia is well suited for that task. Furthermore—”

Sofitia stopped mid sentence, and silence hung over the courtyard.

Lara raised her head slowly, and saw Sofitia smiling coldly. Lara’s throat felt parched, and she gulped before asking tensely:

“Furthermore?”

“Fufu. Furthermore, her smile is the most beautiful on the battlefield.”

Imperial Army, Fort Astra Main Gate

In the wee hours of the night, two soldiers stood sentry at the main gates of Fort Astra.

One of the sentries, Derek curled himself with his legs trembling couldn’t take it anymore, and complained:

“Hey, is the next shift here yet? If they don’t come, I will freeze to death.”

The middle aged soldier beside him, Kyle, clamped his spear under his armpit, and glanced at Derek before answering:

“Given the damn weather, they are probably hiding by the fireplace.”

“Tch! That’s very possible.”

Derek clicked his tongue and looked inside the gates. He then clicked his tongue grudgingly again. They were assigned as night sentries because of their outstanding skills in the Crimson Knights, even so—

“Hmm? —Hey, there’s movement, and it’s heading our way.”

Derek who sounded tense quickly scanned the area. Aside from having outstanding skills, his keen hearing was another reason why he was selected for night sentry.

Kyle braced his spear and looked ahead warily. A while later, someone in a white cloak appeared before them with quiet footsteps.

“—Woman? Oh~ it’s a woman.”

—Derek sounded much more relaxed.

“Don’t let your guard down even if she’s a woman.”

Fort Astra was built to defend against attacks from the Farnesse Kingdom, and the surroundings were barren. In other words, it was unnatural for anyone aside from their allies to show up.

Kyle stared at the woman that appeared and observed the surroundings, but didn’t sense anyone else.

“You there! What are you doing here, woman?”

The woman didn’t react to Derek’s question, and approached slowly like a phantom.

“Hey, halt!”

Kyle yelled. They had orders from Colonel Gaier to not let anyone near the gates, not even children.

“This is your last warning. If you take another step closer—”

Derek stepped forward quickly and drew his sword. It was clear from his face that this was a threat. But even so, the woman didn’t stop.

“… You have guts.”

A murderous gleam appeared in Derek’s eyes, and he lifts his blade in preparation to strike. How about, a few steps out of sword range, the woman suddenly fell over.

“… She fell?”

“Looks like it…”

They looked at each other and walked forth together. As Kyle checked on the woman, Derek leaned forward and asked:

“Is she dead?”

“No, she’s still breathing. She just lost consciousness.”

“Tch! So she didn’t hear what we said.”

The flustered Derek sheathed his sword and kicked a rock with his feet. The sound of the rock rolling echoed in the night.

“Forget that, look at the woman’s cloak.”

At a glance, this was just a run of the mill cloak, but on closer inspection, not only was the cloak of excellent quality, there was intrinsic embroidery on it from the collar to the shoulders.

“This silver wings emblem… She’s a devotee of the Church of Saint Illuminas?”

Derek looked tense, and Kyle was the same.

“That should be it. And she’s of high standing too.”

“I think so too. So, what do we do?”

“Even if you ask me, I don’t know…”

If she was just a normal devotee, there would be no problem with dumping her out in the wild. But the problem was, she was of high standings. The influence of the Church of Saint Illuminas was wide. If they ignored her, she would freeze to death. If the Church finds out about this, it would get messy.

As Kyle was thinking about reporting this up the chain of command, the woman moaned and turned her body to face down. Her white thighs were fully exposed, and Derek gulped from that lewd sight.

“Hey… Don’t even think about it. She’s way out of your league.”

On a closer look, the woman looked gorgeous. Derek was known for being lecherous, so Kyle warned him in advance.

“Y-You don’t have to tell me that.”

Despite saying that, Kyle’s gaze towards the exposed thighs were incredibly perverted. The girl seemed to be waking up, and she tried to stand up while swaying her head. Her cloak fell off and her long light blue hair turned loose.

“Hey! Are you alright?”

Seeing the girl almost fall again, Kyle quickly supported her. After blinking a few times, the girl sighed in relief. Understanding what was happening, she said timidly:

“I-I’m very sorry for troubling you.”

“No, not really… but what are you doing here?”

Kyle asked. The girl was apparently attacked by bandits during her pilgrimage. Her companions were killed one by one, and she escaped here after a desperate struggle.

As she recounted her tale, the girl started to tremble again, probably from the fear welling up in her heart.

“How terrible.”

“You are right… By the way, did anyone escape here?”

Kyle shook his head in response to the girl’s sincere gaze. He couldn’t say it as this was too blunt, but going on a pilgrimage in the middle of the night was insane. They would be an exquisite meal for the bandits.

He was dumbfounded by this, and couldn’t sympathize with her at all.

“No one else came.”

Kyle answered coldly. Refusing to accept this, the girl asked again:

“Am I really the only one?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, you are the only one who made it.”

“I see…”

The girl looked crestfallen when she heard that, and pressed her face onto Kyle’s chest. When he caught a whiff of her fragrance, Kyle had to suppress his worldly urges.

(How torturing…)

Kyle told himself to stay calm, while Derek complained: “I should have given her a shoulder if I knew.”

“Don’t worry, the bandits won’t pursue you here. If they dare lay their hands on the Crimson Knights, they will have hell to pay.”

Kyle laughed sinisterly after saying that.

“So you are from the Crimson Knights… I escaped here in my stupor, it seems like luck is with me.”

The girl looked at Kyle with passionate eyes, and Kyle’s ears turned red.

“T-That’s right. I can’t let you in, but do have some water to calm down.”

Kyle offered her the canteen hanging on his waist. The girl thanked him, and drank from the canteen.

“—How is it? Do you feel better?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

The girl answered with a smile.

“Good… By the way, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. I’m Kyle. The creepy guy there is Derek.”

“Introductions are fine, but what do you mean by creepy!?”

Derek grunted unhappily. The girl then left Kyle’s chest, got up slowly, and bowed formally:

“I’m saved by you two gentlemen in my hour of need. Sorry for my late introduction. I’m Amelia. How do I put this… Please allow me to return the favor.”

“No no, we didn’t do any—”

“Please look here.”

Amelia cut Kyle off, and reached her hand out, as if she was holding some water in her palm.

Their attention was drawn in, and a blue flame suddenly appeared in Amelia’s hand.

“W-What’s going on!?”

“A-Are you a Sorcerer!?”

The two of them were shocked, and Amelia soothed them with a gentle voice:

“It’s fine, please calm down.”

“How can we stay calm!”

“Just look at this flame… That’s right… carefully… observe it.”

Amelia's hypnotising voice quickly seized control of their bodies. Kyle’s mind turned cloudy, and Derek was drooling with a blank face.

“Isn’t this fire beautiful?”

“Ohh… Yes…”

“This fire… so beautiful…”

The howl of a beast from the distance pierced through the dark night.

And Amelia’s smile was like the crescent moon hanging high in the night sky—

Ⅲ

Fort Astra, Colonel Gaier’s office

“Colonel, you should have a rest. I don’t mean to preach, but you are overexerting yourself.”

Gaier returned his empty cup back to the saucer, and found his aide Vim looking at him with concern. Gaier glanced at the clock, and realized it was late into the night. Gaier put down his pen and sighed deeply.

“That won’t do. It might be temporary, but I’m still the Acting Commander. When Her Grace returns, I don’t want her to yell at me for leaving things in a mess.”

Gaier said with a self-deprecating laugh. Vim shook his head in disagreement:

“Pardon me for being blunt, but Lady Rosenmarie would never say that. Colonel, if you collapse from exhaustion, I won’t be able to face Lady Rosenmarie. Please take better care of yourself.”

Vim bowed deeply with that. Their conversation didn’t converge, like two parallel lines. Gaier was grateful for his subordinate’s concern, and stood up slowly.

“… I understand. Then I will take a short break.”

“Please don’t make it short, and have a good rest.”

Vim pushed open the door, and saluted in an overt attempt to chase Gaier out. Gaier smiled awkwardly in his heart and headed to his room.

“— It’s noisy.”

Recurring footsteps in the corridor woke Gaier who had just slept. He looked out the windows, and saw that it was almost dawn. The troops wouldn’t be so rowdy at this time for no reason.

“Is something wrong?”

Gaier jumped out of his bed and got dressed swiftly. Right after that, one of his guards barged in in a panic.

“What is it?”

“I-It’s a surprise attack!”

Gaier frowned at that.

He suspected the Seventh Army might pursue the Crimson Knights to build on their victory, and gave strict orders to the gate guards. But they were still caught off guard with a surprise attack, and that enraged him.

“Is the enemy the Seventh Army?”

Gaier suppressed his rage and asked calmly. But the agitated guard gave an unexpected response.

“Not the Seventh Army! The enemy is from another nation!”

“Another nation…!?”

Gaier’s face contorted at this news.

The continent unification war had raged on for four years. And now, there wasn’t any nation that would dare defy the Empire, and it was only a matter of time before the Empire ruled the entire continent. Despite these facts, the guards said that Fort Astra was attacked by an army of unknown affiliation. In that instant, the Confederation of Sutherland which controls the south flashed across Gaier’s mind, but given the secret alliance it had with the Empire, the possibility was slim.

(No matter what, the trigger for this is the defeat of the Crimson Knights…)

When that occurred to him, Gaier’s felt that his shoulders were as heavy as lead.

“How’s the situation?”

“W-Well… That’s…”

The eyes of the guard were wavering, which meant they were in serious trouble.

“Is the battle going badly?”

It might be a surprise attack, but the assailants were from some unknown place. They were different from the Seventh Army that had the Death God. Gaier didn’t expect the Crimson Knights to have a hard time. Which was why the attitude of the guard made him uneasy.

“That’s correct, Sir. The enemy had broken into the fort, and there’s intense fighting inside…”

“What…!? Impossible! How did they break through the gates!?”

Fort Astra’s gates were made from the strongest stone, augite. Even if siege weapons like battering rams were used, it would take a long while to destroy.

“The intel we got is a mess, and we can’t ascertain if this is the truth, but…”

The guard’s stammering reports made Gaier doubt his ears. The gate guards on duty killed all the soldiers in the guard room, destroyed the door bar and opened the gates for the enemy. If that was true, it made sense how the enemy broke in so easily.

“You are saying proud soldiers of the Crimson Knights colluded with the enemy?”

The guard nodded with cold sweat on his brows.

“Judging from the situation, there are definitely traitors.”

—Treason in the army.

The unbelievable answer from the guards shocked Gaier, and he wasn’t done yet:

“And the soldiers who betrayed us… possess inhuman prowess and agility.”

“Inhuman?”

“Y-Yes Sir. The elites who tried to stop them were slaughtered in an instant… That’s right, they are like ferocious beasts.”

The reports were getting more and more ridiculous, and Gaier became more confused.

“Colonel Gaier, your orders please.”

The guard looked like he was grasping at straws. Gaier patted his shoulder to calm the guard and himself down, and said:

“I will access the situation personally first.”

Gaier equipped the sword beside his bed, and left the room quickly.

After the gates were opened, the Holy Winged Legion flooded in. The Crimson Knights were in chaos from the betrayal and surprise attack.

Amelia who created this chaos killed ten enemy soldiers, and licked her blade that was stained with blood.

“Hmmp. The Crimson Knights are just wild monkeys. Monkeys should just be like one and go back to their hills.”

As Amelia watched the intense battle between the two sides an out of breath Sentinel ran to her. His collar badge had the marking of a Decanus.

“Chiliarch Amelia, the surprise attack was a success, our army has the overwhelming advantage.”

“— Don’t tell me things that are so obvious. What do you want to report?”

“Mdm Chiliarch, we found our secondary objective, the food warehouse.”

Amelia flicked her long hair and said:

“Then burn it down. If you fail— you know what will happen, right?”

“Yes Mdm!”

The Decanus did a two fingered salute and quickly left the scene. Amelia watched the Decanus go, and slowly raised her left hand. The deep blue Sorcery circle on the back of her hand was shimmering.

“My cute dolls should be reaching their limits.”

Amelia glanced at the yelling soldiers, and headed deep into the fort alone.

After leaving his room, Gaier sprinted up the spiral staircase of a watch tower to get a better view of the battle. Finally, he saw the intense fighting before him along with the morning sun.

“So that’s the enemy…”

“Yes Sir.”

“I have never seen their armor before. Which country do they belong to…”

The enemy soldiers of unknown allegiance wore light green armor and purple waistband. They were definitely not from the Empire.

“The one going berserk in the center is the aforementioned traitor.”

Gaier took the telescope offered by the guard, and looked at the spot indicated by him. He could see a soldier swinging his spear around and shouting something.

“So that’s the one…”

“Yes Sir. If he’s not dead, there should be another person nearby.”

Gaier looked to the side, and saw a soldier riding on top of his enemy, and tearing out his opponent’s neck with his teeth. He was clearly insane.

“I see, they are really like beasts— Hmm?”

Gaier who felt a sense of dissonance looked to the down right. He found a girl who seemed very relaxed in the chaos of battle. She had light blue hair, and was walking towards the city.

She was in shining white armor and wore a purple cloak. She appeared to be the commander, but the strange thing about her was her left hand. For some reason, her left hand was glowing with a blue light.

Gaier put down the telescope and rubbed his eye. He then watched through the telescope again, and saw the same thing.

(What is that glowing blue light...? Could it be!?)

Gaier suddenly remembered something Rosenmarie told him recently.

『According to Felixus, Sorcerers have a Sorcery circle on the back of their hands. When they use Sorcery, their hand will glow.』

『Does that mean if someone’s hands are glowing, that means they are Sorcerers?』

『That is correct — but I’m not interested in that, and didn’t give it much thought.』

And now, what he saw matched the profiles of a Sorcerer described by Rosenmarie. To conceal his fears from the guard, Gaier gulped and said:

“Inform all units. We are taken by surprise, but the enemy numbers are small. We have the advantage in terrain, and with the pride of the Crimson Knights on the line, we must destroy the enemy.”

“Yes Sir!”

“Make sure you relay the message.”

“Huh!? Wait! Colonel Gaier, where are you going!”

Ignoring the cries from behind him, Gaier rushed down the spiral staircase—

After easily infiltrating deep into the fort, Amelia kicked down one door after another. The Crimson Knights that attacked her behind the door were all killed by her.

“This tower seems to be a barrack. So, I have to go further in?”

Amelia flicked her blood stained sword, and continued forward in the corridor filled with corpses. After making it out of the barracks, Amelia stopped when she saw the entrance to another tower.

“They are scurrying around like rats…”

A group stood in Amelia’s path. From their stances, they seemed stronger than the soldiers she had killed so far.

“But I baited out a big shot. White hair and black eyes, Colonel Gaier Neurat, I presume?”

Amelia pointed at a man glaring her way and asked.

“—!! Why do you know!?”

Gaier opened his eyes wide in surprise. The murderous soldiers of the Crimson Knights drew their swords, and Amelia continued speaking calmly:

“Not just your name. Let’s see… For example, you have a beautiful wife and cute twin girls in the Imperial Capital Orsted. I know that too.”

“W-Why do you know…!?”

Gaier’s face turned pale. Amelia wondered if his reaction would be bigger if she told him that his wife was expecting.

“Because the Owl knows everything.”

“Owl…? Just where are you from?”

“We are from the Holy Nation of Mekia. Nice to meet you.”

Amelia told him the truth.

“Holy Nation of Mekia?… The country to the west where the main base of the Church of Saint Illuminas lies?”

“That is correct. The country that had been blessed by the Goddess Citresia.”

“— I don’t understand, why are answering so honestly?”

Gaier looked at Amelia suspiciously. Amelia didn’t get why Gaier was doubting her since he was the one who asked in the first place, and tilted her head.

“I don’t get you. What’s wrong with answering honestly?”

“Do you think the Empire will leave the Holy Nation alone after hearing that? The Empire will crush a small nation like yours in the blink of an eye.”

“Ohh, so that’s what you mean. Don’t worry, the Holy Nation of Mekia isn’t fragile enough to be threatened by the Empire. And so what if you know where we are from? Do you think you will live to tell the tale?”

“… The enemy is a Sorcerer, keep your guard up.”

Once Gaier said that, the Crimson Knights guards charged Amelia. There were six of them including Gaier. Amelia licked her lips, and raised her left hand towards Gaier’s group. She focused the mana in her body, and her Sorcery circle glowed in blue—

“C-Colonel Gaier!? M-My body!?”

“What’s going on! I can’t move!”

“You wench! What did you do to us!?”

Amelia looked pitifully at the soldiers standing still and lashing out at her.

“What a boring question. I want to ask you instead, didn’t you hear Colonel Gaier’s warning? He said the enemy is a Sorcerer.”

“—”

“Isn’t it obvious that Sorcerers will use Sorcery??”

Amelia walked towards the soldiers immobilized by “Movement Bind”, and stabbed their heart one by one. They showed horrified faces before dying after screaming in despair.

“— Alright, you are the only one who is left, Colonel Gaier… What a surprise, you are not completely immobilized?”

“Ughh! Y-You won’t have your way!!”

“It seems you have some talent for Sorcery.”

Gaier was still trying to fight and swing his sword. Amelia felt sympathy at the sight, leaned in to Gaier’s ear and thanked him:

“I will avoid the vitals. You can probably live for 5 minutes. Consider it my thanks for you showing up on your own, and saving me the effort of searching for you.”

With that, Amelia gently hugged Gaier at the waist with her left hand, and stabbed him in the chest. She enjoyed the sensation of stabbing into flesh as she watched the blade exit from Gaier’s back.

Gaier’s pupil dilated as he shivered.

“……”

“Unlike those soldiers, you didn’t scream. As expected of Lady Berlietta’s adjutant.”

“Your Grace… I’m sorry…”

“Well then, may Goddess Citresia be with you, Colonel Gaier.”

Ⅳ

East of the Empire, Liana Highlands

Felixus who was tasked with the command of the Crimson Knights was on his way to Fort Astra with 50 escorts.

“Hmm, it’s great to camp outside occasionally.”

Felixus stretched his back as he basked in the morning sun, and heard someone laughing behind him. He turned, and realized it was his adjutant Second Lieutenant Theresa.

“Did I say something strange?”

“No, I just think you looked more energetic compared to how you are in the office.”

Theresa said as she offered him a cup of Housen tea. Felixus thanked her and sipped on it.

After warming himself up with tea, Felixus sighed with satisfaction.

“How do you find the taste?”

Theresa looked at Felixus and asked.

“It’s much better than the Housen tea I usually drink.”

Felixus answered as he looked at the steaming cup of Housen tea.

“That’s great. I actually added a few drops of honey to sweeten it.”

Theresa smiled brilliantly as she flicked her hair gently. Felixus felt something was off from that, and quickly noticed what was different.

“By the way, why did you let your hair down today?”

Felixus had always seen Theresa with her hair tied up. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he had seen Theresa with her hair down. Felixus was surprised by how much a change in hairstyle affected his impression of her.

“Fufu, it’s rare to hear you say that, Your Grace. I wonder if it will rain today? Or should I say snow?”

Theresa made a show of looking up into the sky.

“Was what I said really that strange?”

“Who knows?”

Theresa smiled deviously. Felixus wanted to ask further, but she left with the excuse that she had to make breakfast.

— Eight am, the sun was completely up.

Felixus’ group rode quickly, and would reach Fort Astra shortly. What Theresa said in jest didn’t turn true, and the weather was clear with no rain nor snow. Even the cold wind hitting their faces was subsiding.

“Your Grace, we are almost there.”

Theresa who was traveling alongside Felixus alerted him. Just when Felixus was about to respond, he smelt something burning.

“This smell…”

“What is it?”

“Halt the unit.”

Theresa nodded after hearing that, and stretched her hand out horizontally and ordered:

“Everyone, halt!!”

On her orders, the men stopped their horses with their outstanding horsemanship. Felixus ordered the unit to watch the surroundings carefully, and used his telescope to look ahead.

“Is there a problem?”

The commander of his bodyguard, Captain Matthew, approached him with his hand on his hilt.

“…Fort Astra might be in trouble.”

The information he could get from the telescope was limited, but there was definitely white smoke rising in Fort Astra’s direction. Theresa beside Felixus picked up the telescope by her waist in a panic.

“…! There’s smoke from the fort— Could it be the Seventh Army!?”

Theresa’s words caused a stir amongst the men. The Death God Olivia was mentioned multiple times.

The Death God Olivia was also famous amongst the Azure Knights.

“No, it’s too soon for them to launch an attack. That’s too unlikely.”

Felixus refuted Theresa’s speculation, and told his men the reason.

“— I see, they will need some time to take over their recovered territories. You are right, Your Grace. The Seventh Army won’t be able to move for the time being.”

Matthew crossed his arms, and looked at the ground in deep thought.

“Then what is causing those smoke?”

Felixus couldn’t give a clear answer to Theresa’s question.

“I don’t know, I hope it’s just a false alarm… But I have a bad feeling about this.”

“And for better or worse, His Grace’s premonitions are really accurate.”

Matthew said with a head scratch.

“Anyway, let’s hurry on over.”

Felixus gave the order to move out, and spurred his horse forth. His trusty steed ‘Red Phoenix’ galloped forth.

—Noon.

“Your Grace…”

Theresa checked her surroundings with a frown.

“Yes, I know.”

After passing through some meandering roads, the group finally reached the slope before Fort Astra. They caught the whiff of blood stench.

It was a stench Felixus was familiar with— the smell of the battlefield.

Theresa immediately signalled the men behind her, and they formed a wedge formation around Felixus. The Azure Knights were transformed into a merciless lance with strong penetrative prowess.

The destroyed fort gate loomed before them, and Felixus saw many soldiers in green armor. The enemy also detected Felixus’ presence, and quickly took action.

“Your Grace! They don’t appear to be from the Farnesse Kingdom!”

“No matter, we will charge right in. Second Lieutenant Theresa, stay close.”

“Yes Sir!”

Felixus ordered his men to shoot arrows to stop the enemy from mustering. Those arrows then pierced the enemy with incredible precision. Felixus was even more formidable, shooting three arrows at once. After breaking through the gates, he saw a pinned Crimson Knight who was about to get stabbed.

In a blink of an eye, Felixus drew out a shortsword from the saddle and threw it at the enemy.

“Ehh…?”

The enemy swayed and fell slowly with surprise all over his face.

“Damn it!”

“I will kill you!”

Felixus jumped off Red Phoenix, and two enemy soldiers immediately pounced on him.

— One aimed for his head.

— The other aimed for the side of his abdomen.

Felixus nimbly dodged their strikes, and used his gaze to mislead them to correct the path of their attacks and hit each other.

And so—

“Ahh—?”

“Ehh—?”

The two soldiers whose chest were pierced had a look of confusion. The troops around them couldn’t believe what they saw.

“What’s going on!? Why are our allies attacking each other!?”

“Azure armor… Could it be the Azure Knights!?”

“The strongest elite of the Empire, the Azure Knights!?”

The enemy shouted as Felixus reached out to the dumbfounded Crimson Knight on the ground and ask:

“Are you alright?”

The soldier nodded and grabbed Felixus’ hand.

“L-Lord Felixus… It’s Lord Felixus!!”

The deeply moved soldier cried out Felixus’ name. Drawn in by his voice, everyone present focused on Felixus.

“It’s Lord Felixus!”

“Ohh! Lord Felixus’ reinforcements are here!”

“““Ohhh—!!”””

The Crimson Knights were in an uproar. Felixus asked a soldier who was looking at him with eyes of admiration for a situation report.

“—I see, so there’s a traitor. No wonder the gate fell so easily… I understand the situation. Where is Colonel Gaier?”

“Colonel Gaier…”

“Colonel Gaier is here.”

A cold female voice cut off the soldier. Felixus looked in the direction of that voice, and a woman in white armor appeared from the shadows.

“Colonel Gaier……”

Felixus tightened his grip on his sword hilt. In the woman’s left hand— was Gaier’s mutilated head.

“—”

Theresa averted her face at that sight.

“Is this what they call a ‘touching reunion’?”

The woman tossed Gaier’s head out. The head rolled to Felixus’ feet with a cloud of dust. Felixus glared at the woman who showed herself, and put his hand on Theresa’s right shoulder.

“Sorry, I retract what I said. Please stay away from me for now.”

“Yes Sir…”

Theresa answered, but didn’t move. Seeing that, Felixus smiled at her and said:

“Don’t worry— Captain Matthew, please protect her.”

“Yes Sir! Leave it to me!”

Matthew patted his chest and acknowledged the order. Leaving Theresa who looked uneasy behind, Felixus walked towards the woman who showed herself. The woman approached Felixus with a blank face too. When they were barely within sword range, they stopped.

After coming nearer, the woman’s icy eyes left a strong impression on Felixus.

“You are the commander, right?”

“That’s right. Can I ask you a question?”

The woman raised a finger as she said that.

“If it’s something that I can answer.”

“I heard them address you as Felixus, could you be one of the Empire’s Tri-General, General Felixus von Sieger?”

“… That’s me.”

“Thank you for your answer.”

“May I have your name?”

“—Amelia Stolast.”

Amelia drew her sword, with a sinister smile replacing her expressionless face.

Ⅴ

“Is this what they mean by ‘getting a free lunch’?”

With an explosive sound, Amelia stepped forth with her right leg. At the same time, a shining blade slashed right at Felixus’ neck.

(Fast. And there’s a strange light too. She probably cast Sorcery on the blade. Because of that, I can’t grasp the distance properly.)

Felixus backdashed, and evaded the attack by millimetres. This surprised Amelia, who said in awe:

“You dodged the secret technique ‘thin ice’ from so close, that’s surprising. By the way, that was almost the full extent of my prowess. As expected of a Tri-General of the Empire.”

She said she used all of her prowess, but Amelia seemed unfazed. Or rather, she seemed to be enjoying this situation. Felixus knew that this reaction meant his enemy had a trump card, which afforded them with such confidence.

“Well then, what should I do now?”

Amelia waved her sword, as if to confirm her body’s movement, before holding it horizontally. She lowered her body as low as she could in an instant, and unleashed a flurry of thrusts.

(She could go even faster…)

Felixus didn’t retreat, and advanced instead. Amelia’s face was colored with surprise. Felixus leaned to dodge the blade aimed at his heart, and punched his left hand out at the instant they passed each other by. It hit Amelia squarely on the side of her ribs.

“Ughh!!”

Amelia’s face contorted from the pain, and she staggered back.

“Fufu, even consecutive ‘thin ice’ didn’t work… And you punch a lady on such a spot too. You might look like a gentleman, but you aren’t gentle when you fight. As expected, a fight has to be like this.”

Felixus furrowed his brows when he saw Amelia’s smile.

“Do you like fighting so much?”

“Not just any opponent can satisfy me, you know? It has to be someone that is powerful enough— be it in games or battles.”

Amelia raised the corners of her lips creepily as she slowly extended her left hand. When he saw that, Felixus pulled out a dagger on his waist and threw it out. It tore through the air and pierced Amelia’s left hand, making her scream.

“Ughh… I was careless. You know I’m a Sorcerer?”

Amelia’s gleeful expression was gone, as she pulled out the dagger with cold sweat on her brow.

“That’s right. There is a queer Sorcerer in the Empire too.”

All Sorcerers have a Sorcery circle on the back of their left hand. According to that Sorcerer staying in the Empire, the place where all the mana in the body flowed to was called a ‘mana nest’, and that was the back of one’s left hand. So when one cast Sorcery, it would be from the left hand.

Also, when casting Sorcery preparation time on par with the power of the Sorcery was necessary. With this knowledge, it wasn’t difficult to stop a Sorcerer from casting their spell.

“So the Empire has Sorcerers too… This is the first time I heard that.”

“That Sorcerer has grown tired of the world and retired to a life of solitude. It’s only natural that you don’t know.”

Because of that person’s wishes, there were few who knew where he lived. And even if someone found out the place, it wasn’t possible for the average man to reach there. Felixus felt that he was the only one who could go there.

“I have no interest in the Empire’s Sorcerer. No wonder you are able to detect my attacks so swiftly. If not you would have been defeated by my Sorcery long ago.”

“Really? Sorcery isn’t as omnipotent as you say.”

“Sorcery isn’t omnipotent? —you sure have guts saying that before a Sorcerer that wields the power of God.”

Amelia smiled wryly as she quickly bandaged her left hand. The bandage was quickly dyed red by blood.

“You say that Sorcery is the power of God…”

“What? You don’t think so?”

Amelia frowned slightly.

“Sorcery is a power beyond the wisdom of men. But it’s not meant to be abused. Because using Sorcery comes with risks too.”

“… You seemed really knowledgeable about this.”

Amelia appeared wary for the first time. Felixus removed the latch on his sheath, and drew out the sword bestowed to him by Emperor Ramza, ‘Godslayer’.

“I dabble in it a little. It’s my turn now.”

As Amelia stood ready with her left arm stained with blood, Felixus sprinted to her face with just one step. Amelia was shocked, but still managed to step to the side. Felixus pursued closely with a reverse diagonal slash.

Amelia blocked with her sword in a hurry, but her footing was unsteady, and she fell down in a cloud of dust.

“Hah, hah!… What’s going on? Your movements just now? —Are you a Sorcerer too?”

Amelia stood up with unsteady steps, and crudely wiped the blood from her lips. Amelia was mistaken, and Felixus replied calmly:

“I can’t use Sorcery. That was just armed combat techniques.”

“You are calling that incredible speed just an armed combat technique?”

Amelia’s gaze was filled with doubt, but Felixus insisted:

“That’s right. But not everyone can pull it off.”

“—Forget it, it’s my miscalculation that you are this strong. I can’t win even if we continue. What a pity.”

Amelia sheathed her sword with ragged breath. Her determined attitude filled Felixus with unease.

“Then yield. There’s lots of things I want to ask.”

First would be the problem of the traitor. Since Amelia was a Sorcerer, Felixus assumed that she used Sorcery to create this situation.

“You want me to yield? Are you serious?”

Amelia blinked her eyes covered by long lashes, and tilted her head. She looked just like a girl that had not grown up yet..

“That’s right.”

“Fufu, how interesting. Are the other Tri-Generals as humorous as you?”

“… You won’t yield?”

“Do you even need to ask? Look at the battle right now.”

Amelia spread her arms out, gesturing Felixus to look around him.

New life had been injected into the Crimson Knights with the arrival of Felixus, but the Crimson Knights were still losing. Rosenmarie was absent, but it was unimaginable that the elite Crimson Knights were being overwhelmed by an army not known for their prowess.

It was clear that the casualties would mount given more time.

— but that was exactly why...

“That’s why I have to capture you.”

“I see, an army is powerless without their commander. It’s a good idea, but unfortunately, I have already achieved my goals. I even got intel about you, who rarely appears on the battlefield. Allow me to take my leave.”

“Why do you think I will let you get away?”

Felixus took a stance, and Amelia extended her left hand for the third time.

“It’s futile—”

“Ahaha! You let your guard down.”

Amelia laughed as she turned her left hand from Felixus to Theresa who was fighting alongside Matthew.

“Oh no—!?”

Theresa’s body froze as if she was bound, and suddenly sent Matthew besides her flying with a kick. That abnormally powerful kick was obviously not possible for Theresa, and Matthew groaned bitterly when he was knocked into the wall.

After that, Theresa slowly pushed her sword towards her throat. She resisted desperately, but it was clear she wouldn’t be able to hold on for long.

“Second Lieutenant Theresa!”

“It seems you don’t have the time to catch me. See? If you don’t hurry, she will kill herself.”

Amelia said sadistically. If Felixus chooses to apprehend Amelia, then Theresa will definitely die. And the fact was, he didn’t have a choice.

“Damn it!”

“That’s right, that’s right. That’s the face I want to see from you— May we meet on another battlefield some day.”

Amelia waved at Felixus behind her, and gave the order for her men to retreat.

Felixus rushed over with Fleet footed dash, and made it to Theresa’s side in a blink of an eye.

“Y-Your Grace……”

“I will save you.”

Felixus tried to snatch the sword from Theresa. But she had a vice grip on it, as if it had melded into her hand. Afraid of crushing her hands, Felixus didn’t dare to use more strength.

“I’m sorry… for getting… in your way.”

Theresa had a pained expression. Felixus held her gently, stroked her blonde hair and said:

“Sorry, but I will have to knock you out. You can scold me later if you want.”

“Fufu… even during times like this… I… I’m fine…”

Theresa tried her best to smile, and calmly closed her eyes. Felixus quickly chopped at her neck, and carried Theresa who went limp after that.

Amelia was long gone.

“— Amelia Stolast. I will return the favor one day.”

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