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Dungeon Defense (Korean Novel) - Volume 5 Chapter 3 - Hell (Part 2)
Volume 5 Chapter 3 – Hell (Part 2)
▯Demon Lord of Honor, Rank 5th, Marbas
Empire Calendar: Year 1506, Month 4, Day 14
Polles, Near the Vistula Forest
“······Your Highness. Should we not help them?”
The Demon Lords under my command gazed at me anxiously. We were in the vicinity of the Vistula Forest, the dark sea of trees. While placing a fair distance between us and the forest, we gazed at the pillars of flames that were surging up towards the night sky.
Barbatos and Paimon had chosen the worst course of action. They had ignored the advice we, the Neutral Faction, had given them and simply made a dash towards the Black Mountains. Without even a single word of apology or understanding······ now, we have no other choice but to oppose them.
In order to pursue the army of the Crescent Alliance when the moment arrives, I had gathered my troops and brought them close to the Crescent Alliance. However, there was no one who had expected the current situation. The Crusaders had chased after the Crescent Alliance and had bitten them by their tail, causing a battle to break out.
“Your Highness Marbas, your orders.”
The Demon Lords turned to me. They appeared as if they were urgently awaiting my command. It was unbearable. On one side, there was the Crescent Alliance that had betrayed our kind, and on the other side, there were the Crusaders who have always been the mortal enemies of our kind······.
It would be troubling if either side were to gain an advantage. Thus, we could not attack either side or assist them. A mud fight, is it? Do we have no other choice but to sit here and await the conclusion······?
“We will not be taking part in this battle.”
“Lord Marbas!”
“This is a royal command. Be on standby until they have finished vying for supremacy. If there are stragglers escaping from the forest, then hunt them down and capture them regardless of whether they are from the Crescent Alliance or the Crusaders.”
Once the battle is over, both the Crescent Alliance and the Crusaders will be completely exhausted. If we rally our troops at that time and subjugate the two forces, it was uncertain as to whether we would be able to kill two birds with one stone or not. Regardless, that was a problem to be discussed after the battle was over. Right now, there was no other correct answer than to stand here and wait.
“But, how can we look on with folded arms while our fellow kind is dying······?”
“Did they not kill their fellow kind?”
“······.”
“I had given them a single day of leave of absence because of your pleas, but what did Barbatos and Paimon do with that day? They did not apologize. They did not even try to come to an understanding. They were busy ignoring us and carrying out their retreat. Do you still not understand?”
“······.”
“They are no longer our allies.”
The old moon of the Crescent Alliance had finally ended up breaking apart. I had busied myself for the past several hundred years in order to make the Plains and Mountain Factions reconcile, however, the moment the two had finally joined hands, we were the ones who ended up being ostracized. Was this a paradox, or was this a self-evident political consequence? How bitter······.
“Your Highness, over there.”
One of my men pointed towards the entrance of the forest. A single group of soldiers was making their way out of the forest while maintaining their ranks. They were escaping from that Hell. Although we could not tell who they were affiliated with, seeing as how they were retreating through the darkness while fluttering their banners, it seems they were not a rabble of common soldiers who had lost disgracefully.
“Mm. For the time being, we shall capture them.”
“······Is it really all right? Allies. No, they could be a unit that was recently our ally.”
“It does not matter. I shall not order you twice.”
My subordinates obeyed my command and led our troops. Our war horses charged with light steps and instantly surrounded the target unit with ease.
The retreating unit, the affiliation of which was unknown, started to talk noisily once they saw us. They had approximately around a thousand troops. Even while they were retreating, they had managed to take a defensive stance with their spears and raised their weapons at us. It was a well-ordered retreat. Excellent.
I brought my horse to the front and approached them. Once they entered the range of our torches, I realized that they were an army of demons and not humans. They looked terrible. Putting aside the fact that they were covered in dirt, there were people who were scalded, covered in blood, and those who were being supported by their comrades because they had become crippled······.
It was clear that they had most likely survived a fierce battle. They also made a commotion once they realized that we were not humans either. They appeared to be confused as to what was happening. I cleared my throat and shouted.
“I am the Honorable Marbas! If there is a commander who is in charge of you all, then come forth and receive my questioning!”
The soldiers started to talk noisily.
Amongst them, there were even a few fellows who had started to carefully point at me and whisper to their comrades. It’s true, I’ve seen him before from a far distance, it’s really His Highness Marbas······.
Shortly after.
A monarch with a robust frame made his way through the soldiers and came forward. I immediately recognized the man’s face. A man who appeared to be in the later part of his middle-age period and had a neatly trimmed white beard. The close aide who Barbatos referred to as ‘my left atrium’. Rank 16th Demon Lord Zepar.
“This one shall meet the honorable monarch of the Crescent Alliance. Your Excellency Marbas, what brings a noble personage like Your Excellency to a place like this······?”
Even Zepar appeared haggard as he had also gone through the same fierce battle as his soldiers had. The panic on his face the instant he saw me was evident. Zepar was a seasoned general, however, he most likely did not predict that he would encounter me here.
“Is your superior not retreating after having mistreated me? I was disappointed, so I had led my troops and followed Barbatos here. To think that I would helplessly chase the tail of a woman even at my age. I am quite pathetic.”
“······.”
“So what will it be? Will you fight your last battle against me for your superior? Or will you obediently surrender?”
Zepar knitted his brows before letting out a sigh.
“······There is nothing more foolish than fighting against Your Excellency Marbas while carrying out a retreat. We shall surrender. Please bestow upon us your royal grace.”
“A wise decision. I shall treat you with respect as according to our customs.”
I ordered a servant to bring some alcohol for Zepar. Since he had just escaped from the battlefield that was running rampant with flames, he must be parched. Zepar politely bowed his head in order to show his respect and emptied the horn chalice in an instant.
“So, how is the progress of battle?”
“······We were ambushed, so we did not have the time to survey the battle.”
Zepar answered in a subdued tone. How much was he allowed to say? What must be kept a secret? While carefully scratching around these boundaries, the surrendered general continued.
“We heard an explosion in the distance and it was not long after that that an explosion erupted right above the heads of my troops. Although there were only a small handful of people who were actually injured by the explosion, the disturbance was severe. The fire spread faster than we had expected, so we were unable to calm the disturbance. The enemy forces were most likely aiming for the confusion of our troops.”
“Are you the supreme commander?”
Zepar shook his head.
“No, this one is not. Sitri is the one who is holding that position.”
Surely.
If Zepar was Barbatos’ hands and feet, then Sitri was Paimon’s hands and feet. No, referring to her as simply hands and feet would not be enough. The most trusted warrior and the concubine who was favored the most······.
The two Demon Lords had sent their own respective close aides in order to erase the trouble that was behind them. And they had failed. To be exact, they were currently in the process of failing.
“We tried to hastily unite with Sitri’s army, but we were forced to give up due to the intensity of the flames. Since my troops were lying in wait after having been split up into many smaller groups, we could not get in contact with Sitri who is commanding her own troops.”
There was a bitterness in Zepar’s voice. I nodded. When a general has to report about their defeat, then it was natural that a wretched feeling would penetrate deeply into their heart. Especially for generals who have fought earnestly and carried out their duties sincerely.
“Is this all of your troops? Since you have not lost your energy even while withdrawing, more than this should have survived. Where did the rest of your military strength run off to?”
Zepar did not answer. He simply looked this way and shook his head slightly. This meant that he was not going to tell me this bit of information. Since long ago, he has been a man with a right-minded will.
“How much military strength does the enemy troops have?”
“······.”
Zepar shut his mouth momentarily in response to my question.
“······I am unsure.”
“You are unsure?”
“By nature, this is a battle that had broken out in a hurry. I was barely able to figure out which nations of the enemy forces are currently involved as their flags were only briefly illuminated by the fire. Sardinia, Castile, Francia, Batavia······. By the looks of it, it seems that almost every human nation is working in unison in order to pursue our forces. It is a massive army.”
“······.”
“Most importantly······ the first ones who had charged at our forces were not the humans. It was our own kind.”
What was he saying?
I furrowed my brow.
“I do not understand. Explain.”
“······I am referring to the common soldiers that belonged to the seven Demon Lords who were purged. Your Excellency, the humans had placed those common soldiers at their front and pushed their way into the forest.”
“······.”
Our surroundings were silent.
Before I knew it, the flames had reached the edge of the sea of trees and were burning everything to ashes. The trees snapped and groaned as they collapsed. The sound of the now homeless animals wailing in sorrow continued for a while before coming to a stop.
Zepar spoke slowly.
“The humans had used their prisoners as slave soldiers. There is no doubt that they had threatened them with spears and pushed them into the forest. Because of the sudden appearance of our own kind, we could not attack them properly.
Aah.
I lamented. Was that how it was? Was this the price for purging our fellow kind? Barbatos, Paimon, the two of you are receiving the crimes, which the two of you had committed, in full.
“Zepar. I see that you have given me a false battle report.”
“······”
“The enemy did not set their gunpowder ablaze first. I am certain that this happened later. The first thing the enemy had done was push the backs of our fellow kind and forced them into the depths of the forest. Then, while you all were lying in wait, you thought that the ones who were approaching were the enemy, so you had ambushed them. Your ambush did not fail. If anything, you had succeeded and killed your own kind!“.
“······.”
“A battle must have broken out. A commotion must have occurred. While you all were panicking due to the confusion, flames started to rain down from the sky. Do you still not understand? Due to the commotion you had caused while fighting and killing your own kind, you notified the enemy of your position. The humans heard the sound of your fighting and carried out their bombardments on those very spots. Am I wrong?! You, if you are going to answer, then do so!”
Zepar’s shoulders trembled.
The white aspen forest was vast. If the Crescent Alliance had spread their units out and made them lie in wait throughout the forest, then did the humans have something like Apollo’s eyes in order to have pinpointed those positions? Were they able to accurately pinpoint those positions and bombard only those spots out of pure luck?
No. Of course that was not the case. The humans originally did not know the ambush positions. Thus, they had first tossed the group of demons into the forest as slave soldiers.
Under the shroud of the night, Zepar and Sitri mistook our kind as the human armies and assaulted them. They ambushed them. They shot an endless barrage of bolts and killed them. They most likely realized later on that the ones they had shot were our fellow kind, but it was already too late······.
Once the battle occurred, chaos followed after. Once the humans had grasped the locations of the ambush points, they sent out their aerial mages and dropped flames onto those spots without any hesitation. Explosions, booms, flames······.
“That.”
I gnashed my teeth in rage. I grabbed Zepar’s cheeks and turned his head. I forced him to stare at the Vistula Forest. A raging inferno was before us. A Hell that was scalding and burning our kind.
“That, is not a Hell that was made by the humans. You all. That is a hell which the Plains and Mountain Factions had made all by yourselves! Look at it! Can you not see straight?!”
“······.”
“Did you say that you were unsure as to how many soldiers the enemies had? That is obvious. Because the people you had ambushed and shot to death were not the enemy but our own kind! You pieces of trash that will be chased out of even the underworld due to Hades’ curse······!”
I could no longer hold back my anger and pushed Zepar away. The horn chalice fell to the ground and rolled. Zepar only lowered his head and did not say anything in return. Does he have a sense of honor? Did he kill his own kind because he knows honor? Is that your petty honor? I spat.
“What was that, a purge? A purge to thin out the traitors? That is perfect. You did very well. Since it is now your turn to be thinned out, this is retributive justice. The Gods will take extra care of you all.”
“······.”
“Oi! Tie up this defeated general and load him onto the wagon. Disarm the troops led by this man and treat them as prisoners. One day, I shall definitely ask Barbatos about what should be done about these men.”
The commanders dragged Zepar away. Even while he was being dragged, the surrendered general did not utter a word. Once their leader was captured, the rest of the soldiers knelt down and accepted their bindings without any sign of resistance.
I gazed at the Vistula Forest with my still burning heart. It felt as if the sound of our kind burning to death, the groans of our kind killing our own kind and the other way around was flowing out.
Aah. What else was this place other than a raging inferno? Barbatos, Paimon, you two have pushed demonkind into Hell······. Now with what face will you two repent with······?
▯Kinslayer, Imperial Princess of the Empire, Elizabeth von Habsburg
Empire Calendar: Year 1506, Month 4, Day 14
Polles, Vistula Forest
The night had become completely dry. Similar to how a temperature somewhat remains in my heart even after a person has left, a heat lingered in the place where a fire had once burned. White ashes crumbled underneath my feet and the night rustled.
“······This is quite the grand sight.”
The Grand Master of Teuton marveled. He trod through the clumps of ash and stood next to me.
“It was difficult for me to understand why Your Highness the Imperial Princess would go through the trouble of painstakingly dragging those dirty demons here, but······. Surely, now I understand. I now understand that when Your Highness had rescued the Crusaders during that previous battle, it was not by luck.”
“I am merely suppressing fire with fire.”
I gazed at the burning forest. Each passing second, the white aspen trees became darker as they burned, and once they had fully deteriorated, they snapped in half and died.
The Grand Master muttered while brushing some dirt off of his breastplate.
“If a scuffle had occurred within the forest just as the enemy forces wanted, then we would have been delayed. The enemy’s main army would have crossed the Black Mountains during that time, and our forces would have most likely run around like a dog chasing after a chicken. Instead of going along with their plan, we annihilate them within a single night of fire bombardments, huh······.”
The Grand Master lamented. His tone sounded somewhat playful. The language of Teuton and Habsburg had the same root, but the tone and words were different.
“I see that the number of things which I must report when I return to His Majesty has increased. The fact that the heir to the Empire is a monster and that we must avoid facing her on a battlefield at all cost. Sheesh. I thought we would be able to relax after Margrave von Rosenberg had passed away, but an even larger wall has been placed at our border······.”
“You are resting for too long.”
I spoke coldly.
“The enemy soldiers are still resisting while having been spread out here and there. Even if the embers are small, they are still embers. Are you unaware that those embers are what grows into flames? We will not achieve victory by overwhelming the enemy with our military strength, but by simply subduing time itself and pushing ahead. In truth, our forces’ center is more feeble than expected. If you have the time to stand around and tell jokes, then take a banner and sortie.”
“······Despite my looks as an official, I have already carried out six charges tonight. Would it not be acceptable for this one to have a short moment of rest······?”
“You will be able to rest for all eternity once you are buried in your grave anyway. Do you wish to be buried?”
“No, absolutely not. Understood. As Your Highness commands. Haaa······. Shall I sortie with Sardinia’s banner this time······?”
The Grand Master saluted and departed.
How rash. He was a man who spat out a lot of noise.
The Grand Master of Teuton picked up the banner of a noble Sardinian household and disappeared into the darkness. A group of foreign soldiers followed their leader and vanished into the darkness as well. While watching that sight, I thought of the man who was hiding past that darkness.
“······.”
Dantalian.
You had used the busy niche of war and carried out a purge. Like this, you most likely intend to charge into your backline and unite the demon continent. After the demon continent has been unified, they will become so powerful and mighty that they will reign over humanity as an unprecedented evil. That was your groundwork and first move.
It was a terrifying move.
I had utilized your purge and detoxified my own army as well. You were so caught up in your own household business that you were unable to take advantage of the opportunity which appeared while I was cleaning my own home. Although the poison which you had spread using your acting general will infect every corner of the world, it will never be able to seep into my nation. I had used your head start and made it into my own. This was my groundwork and my response.
Dantalian.
You took advantage of the opportunity which had appeared while I was detoxifying my household and retreated within a single night. You must have clearly known that I was in a state which could not pursue you with ease. A purge should be an extremely difficult and strenuous task for you to perform, but you had simply abandoned the common soldiers who you were supposed to purge and passed that strenuous task onto me. You had grasped my advantage in reverse and used it to your advantage. That was your move with your knight piece and your response.
I had used the luggage which you had passed onto me, not as luggage, but as a sharp weapon. The soldiers who you had tried to purge were full of spite. Because they had nearly been killed by their own kind, their resentment was cold. You may have hidden ambush spots within the forest, but how did you feel when those ambush points had foolishly assaulted your own kind? Once more, I had changed your advantage into my own. This was my game changer.
Dantalian.
What will you do now?
Are we not in a relationship where we continue to respond to one another as we desperately turn this into a gamble? Have we not wagered our lives and deaths with one another? I believe that you will not dare to end this high and low here. The time to calmly set down your groundwork has passed. You and I are currently contending with our lives and deaths.
Will you run away? That is also good. That means I will be adding 1 win under my belt in my match against you. I will not refuse the opportunity to win by a wide margin, nor is it an excessively bad thing.
Dantalian.
Hurry and burn me. I cannot see your shadow even though I have set this forest on fire. Do I have to burn down this entire sea of trees in order to reveal where you are hiding? Must I truly go that far? I have come. Elizabeth Atanaxia Evatriae von Habsburg is here. Did you not promise me beauty? Have you already forgotten that hollow ground where that female and male dog mated? Was it a lie? Was it a joke? Was it a rash promise? Was it my greed? Was it another type of my avarice for having expected something from you? Have I overtaken you? Aah, still. Will you still not come? Do you intend to never come?
Dantalian.
Dantalian.
Dantali⎯⎯⎯.
“N-Now.”
“······.”
“We attacked them just as you had ordered, Imperial Princess of human descent. We had stepped into the perilous forest first and fought for your army. We have charged into their positions three times and taken down their positions twice.”
Noise.
I turned towards the noise indifferently. The noise was covered in black ashes and appeared like a clump of ash. The noise also had a maw which humans did not have.
It was unpleasant.
I gave it a single chance.
“Keep silent for a moment.”
“D-Did you not promise us? You promised us that if we followed your orders, then you would spare only our unit. Since your empire is extensive and lofty even among the humans, a promise made by you should also be just as heavy.”
I revealed that the opportunity which I had given it was a chance.
“I had ordered you to be silent.”
“If you back out of your promise now, then in what nation would we be able to live? Our fellow kind had abandoned us. We are subjects who have been thrown away. We had charged at those sons of bitches who had abandoned us because you gave us your word······. I cannot possibly ask you to look at us like your fellow humans. There are caves where beasts can return to and there are nests where feathered creatures can rest. Even if we are not humans, are we beasts? Are we feathered creatures? Are we something below even beasts and feathered creatures? We wish to live. Please keep your promise, Imperial Princess of the Empire. No, are you not the very person who had promised this to us? Please give us permission. If you give us your permission, then we will leave and······.”
“Habsburg had granted their faith to you a single time.”
“What?”
“Trash.”
I glanced at a commander.
The commander pulled out his blade and struck down the noise.
“······, ······.”
The chunk of flesh was penetrated momentarily. The momentarily penetrated chunk of flesh fell to the ground and could no longer get back up. It grabbed at its own neck.
“······Kuh, kack······! Huek······!”
Blood flowed down from the noise’s neck. The forest floor which had become a pile of ashes consumed the blood with ease. I wonder if it saw the sight of the ground of the world, which had given birth to it, consume its blood. The noise laughed while it groaned.
“······Kuh, ha···. Ha, haha······. Ah·········.”
The noise laughed for a long time. Although it was only briefly in my time, as it was a sound it was making as it died, it was surely a long laugh.
As if it had contracted malaria, the noise twisted its body several times. It was a laughter that was similar to a twisting convulsion. It had chosen to leave behind a ridiculing laugh as its final moment in the world. In order to throw away and deny the world which had spat it out. Once, twice, thrice······ four times.
And it stopped.
I ordered.
“By any chance, if the demons we had pushed the backs of come back alive, then pretend to accept them before killing them all afterward. Do not hesitate. They are not our kind. They are pieces of trash which I do not need in my nation.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I gripped the reign of my war horse and went further into the burning forest. The commanders of the Empire followed behind me. The imperial soldiers advanced while raising the banners of all nations.
It was late in the night, so we could not see deep into the forest. We could not see the enemy. The screams of the enemy were the only things to mix together with the flames as they surged upwards to the sky. Even though we could not see the enemy, since their screaming was distinct, we headed towards that direction without reserve.
— Kill the traitors!
— Kill them······!
Demons tore each other apart there. The sound of demons being torn apart and killed was chaotic and overflowing.
With that overflow, the things that were born on the earth simply made the earth which they were born on into a viscous swamp. Since there was no way out if you fell into it, and no way to survive if you were set ablaze, this was a sea of fire. As no one could swim out or survive, it was also a grave.
Demon Lord. A sea of flames has been placed between us.
When will you come? Will you be able to reach here?
Even here?
▯King’s Beloved Slave, Berbere Witch Sisters, Captain of the Royal Guard, Humbaba
Empire Calendar: Year 1506, Month 4, Day 14
Polles, Vistula Forest
“Sh*t! Fuck! Sh*t! Shiiiiiiit! No! I can’t! I won’t! I absolutely can’t! I won’t do it no matter what! Just kill me instead, you crazy bitch! Kill me! If you’re going to commit suicide, then do it by yourself, Your Excellency Acting Generaaaaal! How do you expect to find a path in this forest?!”
“A witch’s life is spent while avoiding being burned at the stake all their life. In the end, it’s a witch’s fate to be burned to death. At that point where life and fate intersect, resolution blooms and eventually sings······!”
“Instead of resolution blooming, I feel like bullsh*t is running rampant!”
Sh*t.
There’s a reason why we’re all desperately shouting. This, crazy bitch general, is currently forcing us to rush through the aspen forest as fast as possible. I’m not sure if you forgot, but it’s night right now! Furthermore, it’s a night where flames are scorching on all sides of the forest! We’re speeding through a place like this while flying low on our brooms, so of course swear words would come out all on their own.
“Whisper······! Whisper······!”
No. You don’t have to shout, Euryale.
What do you mean ‘whisper whisper’? That isn’t whispering anymore, is it? At this rate, we’re going to have to rip the word ‘whisper’ apart and redefine it. Has your heart taken a direct hit from the phrase ‘whisper whisper’ tonight? How? Why?
“Whoa, fuck!”
I urgently turned my broom and dodged a tree. Sheesh, hey. Sheesh.
I nearly died because I got so focused on Euryale’s antics for a second. I nearly collided with the aspen tree that had slipped through my view. Grouchy words emotionlessly flowed from directly behind me.
“······Can you not fly a bit more carefully, Captain of the Royal Guards? If this young lady were to die, then there is no possible way for our allies to win this battle. Pay more attention.”
That’s right. It’s Acting General Farnese.
Of all things, this crazy fellow decided to ride behind me on my broom. It’s a personage that shows how much of a vital responsibility my low-altitude flying has. It’s quite the damn responsibility.
Currently, we Berbere Witch Sisters were leading the unit as the spearhead. General Farnese was also going with us. The cavalry unit was following right behind us. I’m not sure if they’re keeping up with us properly······. Ah, seriously. I should have smoked one more time before this.
General Farnese whispered into my ear.
“Captain. Go left. If we go right, then we will end up in Hell. Blow the horn and give the signal to the cavalry unit.”
“Ah, roger.”
I immediately raised the horn with my right hand and blew into it.
— Baaaah······.
I then turned my broom left.
The witches escorting us also turned the heads of their brooms and flew towards the left side of the forest. I see that they’re doing a good job following us while avoiding the aspen trees. The sound of hoofs followed behind us.
“Right.”
When General Farnese orders this, I would blow a horn that sounded completely different to the one blown earlier.
“Further to the left.”
When General Farnese orders this, I would blow the first horn which I had blown earlier for a bit longer. Yes. This was all there was to the signal system which we had decided prior to the battle.
There were no flags. Hand signals were impossible as well. Due to the flames burning all around us, it was hard to open our watery eyes properly. Even if we tried to open our watery eyes, all we could see were aspen trees.
— Gooooh······.
— Baaaaah······.
Two horn sounds.
By relying on these two sounds alone, Master Dantalian’s Royal Guard and cavalry unit were speedingly fervently through the forest. We also brought the horn that signaled the command to charge, but I have no idea when and how this was going to be used. Seriously.
“With what belief are you so confidently commanding us to go left and right?! We’re actually going somewhere right now, right? Yeah? Heeey? Your Excellency Acting Generaaal? I don’t really care where we’re going, but I’ll be grateful if there isn’t a gravesite there—!”
“Be quiet.”
General Farnese ordered in a subdued tone. Although her voice lacks emotions like usual, the difference is that it feels as if she’s really pissed off somewhere deep in her mind and it’s flowing out.
“Captain. Putting everything else aside, your mouth is too careless. Your voice is noisy. It doesn’t distinguish when it should and shouldn’t shut up. This is this young lady’s command, but right now is the time for you to be quiet. Do you understand?”
“Roooger. If you tell me to shut up, then I’ll shut up.”
“······Haa.”
The Acting General then let out a breath.
It wasn’t a sigh. I could feel a hot sensation on my back coming from the general’s breathing as it seeped through my clothes. Since earlier, General Farnese has been continuously letting out a heated breath like a girl with a high fever. Each time General Farnese let out a breath, my back would gradually become soaked. Whoa, this sticky feeling······.
“Hoo, mm······.”
Honestly, I’m already drenched. At this very moment, the entire body of the general who was latched onto me was as hot as a ball of fire. She’s really sweating nonstop.
Even if the forest around us was burning, we were flying at quite the speed. There’s no reason to be sweating right now. Despite that, General Farnese was sweating so profusely that she had gotten even me drenched.
Fever of Wisdom.
It seems that the general behind me was arduously enduring the fever which Master Dantalian had named as such. I could occasionally feel her shoulders tremble in agony.
“Haa······ mm, haa······ hoo, uu······.”
······At this rate, who knows if we’re going to end up with an unconscious girl.
In any case, we followed General Farnese’s command and darted left and right through the forest.
The trees quickly zoomed in and out of our visions. Occasionally, we’d go by places where flames had yet to reach, places that have completely burned and become ashes, and places that were engulfed in flames. All of those sceneries quickly flew behind us.
“Your Excellency Acting General? Where should we go now?”
“······.”
Instead of a response, there was only breathing.
A sound of breathing that became hotter by the second.
The girl’s breath was sticky like a swamp.
“Generaaal?”
“······.”
“Your Excellency?”
Once I turned around.
⎯⎯⎯The girl was closing her eyes.
oKing's Beloved Sword, Human, Laura De Farnese
Empire Calendar: Year 1506, Month 4, Day 14
Polies, Vistula Forest
...
Noise ran rampant in all d i rections. Th is young lady had no way of knowing where the noise ended and where sound began. The forest, the fire, trees and trees, shadows and shadows, all of these things quickly brushed past this young lady.
There was one thing that was clear. Sweat. On my neck, no, sweat flowed down this young lags entire body. As this young lady's sweat was incredibly distinct, it was more vivid than this young lady's consciousness and soon felt more clear than this young lady's existence.
...
"Trash."
"Even if we think about it, we're really like that"
"Every single last one of them."
"Kill them!"
"You—."
"Kill them all! Charge!"
The sound of fire burning.
"Hold out longer! All units, if we back away even slightly here."
The sound of trees wailing as they break apart
"Charge! For the glory of Teuton!"
"I am not a human! Spare me! I am not a human!"
"All your."
"Whisper whisper."
"Run more. Run faster, you bastards!"
"It's complete hell!"
The cry of a wolf.
"All,"
"This is our last remaining purgatory! Hold on!"
"I can't see anything."
"No, I am sorry, men. This is not it"
"We are on your side! We are not your enemy."
"It's hot Exceedingly so."
"Are things that"
"Defend our position at all costs!"
"There is no place to go. Now."
"Yeah. This is the end of the road."
"I don't know where this is."
The sound of hoofs. Even there.
"No, me."
Even here.
"Fight for the glory of the Kingdom of Sardinia! All right! Follow me!"
"The traitors!"
"I can't see anything."
"We are not humans!"
"Ask for forgiveness!"
"Please spare me! I'll surrender!"
The sound of dead things being stepped on.
"Charge!"
"0 Lord, I am sorry."
"Please."
"This can't be. We shouldn't have done this. From the beginning."
The sound of metal.
"I don't know where my eye went Someone, please find my..."
"Do not deserve to live."
"Whisper whisper."
The sound of crumbling.
"They told us to stay here."
"Die!"
"Even though you're trash, you're good at sticking your mouth in places?"
"Where, do we go?"
This young lady was closing her eyes.
With her eyes closed, this young lady simply listened.
The things that were nothing yelled fiercely. They were things that were being burned. They were things that were screaming as their limbs had been severed. They were things that bellowed as they stabbed their blades into the limbs of those who were burning to death.
Similar to how it was natural for the forest to shake when the wind blows, the things that caught on fire naturally killed and were killed. This young lady, listened carefully to these nothings and tried to feel something out from there.
...!
It was a difficult task. This young lady continued to sweat. It was more difficult to sweep in the noises that were spat out by other bodies than it was for this young lady's small body to spill out the sound that was within her body. It was really slightly, more difficult.
"......."
Therefore, this young lady listened a slight bit more carefully. The language of Sardinia.The language of Habsburg and the language of Francia. The language of Anatolia, the language of Castile, the language of Brittany, the language of Batavia, the language of Teuton, the language of Bernicia, the language of Moscow, the language of Kalmar, the sounds that have a nationality and are confined within borders—on this harsh land, this young lady attempted to listen to all of the sounds that billowed from this land where this young lady lived.
"Trash."
"Even if we think about it, we're really like that"
"Every single last one of them."
"Kill them!"
"You—."
"Kill them all! Charge!"
The sound of fire burning.
"Hold out longer! All units, if we back away even slightly here."
The sound of trees wailing as they break apart.
"Charge! For the glory of Teuton!"
"I am not a human! Spare me! I am not a human!"
"All your."
"Whisper whisper."
"Run more. Run faster, you bastards!"
"It's complete hell!"
The cry of a wolf.
"All,"
"This is our last remaining purgatory! Hold on!"
"I can't see anything."
"No, I am sorry, men. This is not it"
"We are on your side! We are not your enemy."
"It's hot Exceedingly so."
"Are things that."
"Defend our position at all costs!"
"There is no place to go. Now."
"Yeah. This is the end of the road."
"I don't know where this is."
The sound of hoofs. Even there.
"No, me."
Even here.
"Fight for the glory of the Kingdom of Sardinia! All right! Follow me!"
"The traitors!"
"I can't see anything."
"We are not humans!"
"Ask for forgiveness!"
"Please spare me! I'll surrender!"
The sound of dead things being stepped on.
"Charge!"
"O Lord, I am sorry."
"Please."
"This can't be. We shouldn't have done this. From the beginning."
The sound of metal.
"I don't know where my eye went Someone, please find my......"
"Do not deserve to live."
"Whisper whisper."
The sound of crumbling.
"They told us to stay here."
"Die!"
"Even though you're trash, you're good at sticking your mouth in places?"
"Where, do we go?"
......
This young lady was stifled. Within the forest of sound.
This young lady, was stifled, but.
"Trash."
"Even if we think about it, we're really like that"
"Every single last one of them."
"Kill them!"
"You—."
"Kill them all! Charge!"
The sound of fire burning.
"Hold out longer! All units, if we back away even slightly here."
The sound of trees wailing as they break apart.
"Charge! For the glory of Teuton!"
"I am not a human! Spare me! I am not a human!"
"All your."
"Whisper whisper."
"Run more. Run faster, you bastards!"
"It's complete hell!"
The cry of a wolf.
"All,"
"This is our last remaining purgatory! Hold on!"
"I can't see anything."
"No, I am sorry, men. This is not it"
"We are on your side! We are not your enemy."
"It's hot Exceedingly so."
"Are things that."
"Defend our position at all costs!"
"There is no place to go. Now."
"Yeah. This is the end of the road."
"I don't know where this is."
The sound of hoofs. Even there.
"No, me."
Even here.
"Fight for the glory of the Kingdom of Sardinia! All right! Follow me!"
"The traitors!"
"I can't see anything."
"We are not humans!"
"Ask for forgiveness!"
"Please spare me! I'll surrender!"
The sound of dead things being stepped on.
"Charge!"
"O Lord, I am sorry."
"Please."
"This can't be. We shouldn't have done this. From the beginning."
The sound of metal.
"I don't know where my eye went Someone, please find my......"
"Do not deserve to live."
"Whisper whisper."
The sound of crumbling.
"They told us to stay here."
"Die!"
"Even though you're trash, you're good at sticking your mouth in places?"
"Where, do we go?"
This young lady closed her eyes further.
First, this young lady erased the miscellaneous sounds.
The sound of flames blazing. The sound of trees breaking. The sound of metal.
The regretful cries of animals. The witches' mumblings. This young lady first erased these all.
And.
"Kill them!"
"You—."
"Kill them all! Charge!"
"Hold out longer! All units, if we back away even slightly here."
"Charge! For the glory of Teuton!"
"I am not a human! Spare me! I am not a human!"
"All your."
"Run more. Run faster, you bastards!"
"It's complete hell!"
"All,"
"This is our last remaining purgatory! Hold on!"
"I can't see anything."
"No, I am sorry, men. This is not it"
"We are on your side! We are not your enemy."
"It's hot Exceedingly so."
"Are things that."
"Defend our position at all costs!"
"There is no place to go. Now."
"Yeah. This is the end of the road."
"I don't know where this is."
"No, me."
"Fight for the glory of the Kingdom of Sardinia! All right! Follow me!"
"The traitors!"
"I can't see anything."
"We are not humans!"
"Ask for forgiveness!"
"Please spare me! I'll surrender!"
"Charge!"
"O Lord, I am sorry."
"Please."
"This can't be. We shouldn't have done this. From the beginning."
"I don't know where my eye went Someone, please find my......"
"Do not deserve to live."
"They told us to stay here."
"Die!"
"—Go right"
This young lady pointed towards the sound of people shouting.
But not yet This was still too far. If you tried to putyour hand in the nirvana which appeared beautiful when looked at from afar, it was just a chaotic mire. We were far, from the place where Elizabeth Atanaxia Evatriae von Habsburg resided.
The language of demons cannot be heard in the place where the Imperial Princess resides.
Sweat flowed.
This young lady erased the sound of demons.
And.
"You—."
"Kill them all! Charge!"
"Charge! For the glory of Teuton!"
"All your."
"Run more. Run faster, you bastards!"
"All,"
"I can't see anything."
"No, I am sorry, men. This is not it"
"It's hot Exceedingly so."
"Are things that."
"There is no place to go. Now."
"I don't know where this is."
"No, me."
"Fight for the glory of the Kingdom of Sardinia! All right! Follow me!"
"I can't see anything."
"Ask for forgiveness!"
"Charge!"
"O Lord, I am sorry."
"Please."
"I don't know where my eye went Someone, please find my......"
"Do not deserve to live."
"—Go left."
Those banners of all nations were a camouflage.
As this young lady understood the language of all nations, this young lady knew this.
That, was nothing more than a deceitful tactic that disguised their military strength to appear larger than what it seems to be by simply switching out their banners and carrying out multiple charges. The number of languages that could actually be heard, was only a small handful.
There was a direction where the language of multiple nations could be heard all at once. That was most likely where the mercenaries from multiple nations were fighting. It was a boundlessly dangerous battlefield. As the witches had said earlier, this was a dirty battleground. There is noway that the Imperial Princess would appoint unfamiliar mercenaries as her guards in a place like that.The Elite Guards of Habsburg which the Imperial Princess had personally raised since long ago were most likely protecting her.
Sweat flowed.
This young lady erased the chaotic sound of mercenaries.
And.
"You—."
"Charge! For the glory of Teuton!"
"All your."
"All,"
"I can't see anything."
"No, I am sorry, men. This is not it"
"It's hot Exceedingly so."
"Are things that."
"No, me."
"Fight for the glory of the Kingdom of Sardinia! All right! Follow me!"
"Please."
"I don't know where my eye went Someone, please find my......"
"Do not deserve to live."
"—Go right?'
Surely.
Now the words which this young lady could hear were distinct As we approached closer and closer towards the direction of the sounds, the sounds regained the nations which they were born in and remained within their borders.
In this battle, the Imperial Princess could not mobilize a large number of soldiers. His Lordship's stratagem undoubtedly worked out properly.
At most, the only languages that could be heard were of Habsburg, Teuton, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth... Coincidentally, these three nations all shared their borders with the Black Mountains. Did they intend to use this opportunity to make it so that it would be impossible for the Crescent Alliance to come back for a while? Was that their goal?
The language of Habsburg and Teuton shared the same root, so it was easy to confuse. Then all this young lady had to do was erase the Polish-Lithuanian shouting, Similar to how there was no way the Imperial Princess would leave her safety in the hands of mercenaries, there was absolutely no way she would have ordered the cavalry units of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to protect her life. Solely towards the sound of Habsburg.
Sweat flowed.
This young lady erased the sound of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
And.
"You—."
"Charge! For the glory of Teuton!"
"All,"
"No, I am sorry, men. This is not it"
"Are things that."
"Fight for the glory of the Kingdom of Sardinia! All right! Follow me!"
"Do not deserve to live."
"—Go left."
"Roger!"
His Lordship's Captain of the Royal Guards answered with a playful tone and guided this young lady towards that direction. The sound of the horn resonated lengthily and left behind a lingering trace.
Occasionally, a single group of soldiers would appear and block our path, but since they were things that were not in a formation, we simply stepped over them.
The witches chatted with excitement They flew freely between the aspen trees, speeded through the low-altitude night sky on the ground of the forest and shouted as they shot down humans with their crossbows.
"Wait a second."
"Doesn't this, sort of."
"Feel like we're getting somewhere right now—?'
"Doesn't it feel like were gradually breaking through them more?"
"Really? Wait, we're breaking through this? Didn't the enemy forces, have like, at the very least, five or seven thousand soldiers? You're saying that we're breaking through this right now?"
"Wait a second, we're this far in, but why are there so few troops here? Where are the enemies hiding? Eh? What, is this? Seriously, what's up with this?! I'm just seeing things, right? I have a weird hunch right now."
Sweat flowed.
This young lady finally erased the sound of Teuton.
And.
"You—."
"All,"
"Are things that."
"Do not deserve to live."
—Go left Very slightly."
"Fuck, if we live through this, then it really won't make any fucking sense. Ah, fuck. Sh*t Seriously? This doesn't seem like an illuuusion."
"No.We still don't know yet In war, nothing is certain until the end. If the enemy's reserve troops suddenly appear in front of us with a bang, then we'll be taking a luxury liner straight to Hades."
"No. I have a good feeling My instincts have never been wrong before, so you can trust me. It's an objective truth that's as believable as the fact that you're all perverts. Whoa, I was perfectly..."
"You've been illogical from beginning to end, you crazy bitch! Since we're still in the middle of a battle, if you're going to pointlessly flap your lips, then just shoot your crossbow more! You bitch who has noodles for brains! I've already killed seven!"
"Pfft, only seven? Are you saying that as if thats some exploit? I've shot down at least fifteen people now, girl."
"I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I attached a spearhead to the end of my broom, so I've just been bashing it into people. In other words, a ramming tactic. I've killed about three people like this, and the number of people I've shot down with my crossbow is about twenty, so my exploits are roughly at thirty."
Sweat flowed.
This young lady had no more sounds to erase.
And.
You.
All,
Are things that.
Do not deserve to live.
"———Go straight."
"Huh?!"
"This doesn't seem right! This, is real! I'm not seeing things!"
"Sh*t, we're seriously breaking through? This is seriously being broken throoouugh?!"
"Whisper whisper."
"Whisper whisper?'
"Whisper whisper!"
"What is this fucked up situation where our Euryale has suddenly increased to three people?!"
"They're just the girls who're at a lost for words but wanted to continue the harmony, so they imitated the bitch with the easiest line to copy. Now you have no other choice but to acknowledge the fact that I'm perfectly logical, right, you fucking bitch?"
"No, this isn't the time for that nonsense! The horn to charge!
"I didn't think we'd actually use this! Your Excellency Acting General? Your Excelleeency? Hey, you crazy general! They're right in front of our noses! They'll be in front of us soon! That, it's vague because of the darkness, but that's the banner of those Habsburg bastards! The two-headed eagle!"
"It's the leader's military flag! I saw it! I caught a glimpse of it just now! Over there!"
And.
This young lady opened her eyes.
You all are things that do not deserve to live.
———Found You.
"You all, are things that do not deserve to live."
"———Elizabeth Atanaxia Evatriae von Habsburg."
"———Laura De Farnese!"
"Witches! Witches have appeared!"
"The Three Nightmares! It's the Berbere Sisters!"
"Why. No, how did they get here———."
"Its an ambush!"
"Its the Devil of Bruno! The Devil of Bruno is invading!"
"Do not panic! Spearmen, forward! Protect the crossbowmen!"
"Crossbowmen, quickly go to the backline and form a line. Hurry!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Spearmen forward!"
"Crossbowmen retreat to the back and group up!"
"How dare the daughter of a harlot assault the Empire...!"
"Hurry up and call the other units here! This is urgent!"
"But Your Highness, there are still enemy forces in the forest that are resisting...!"
"We must run away! Your Highness! We cannot send out our aerial mages! Because they had cast their explosion magic on the forest, our gunpowder supply has long since been depleted! We have no way of blocking the witches!"
"Make the crossbowmen fire as they slowly retreat. Do not panic. Aim for as long as possible and fire. Do not panic! The moment you all panic is the moment we are defeated!"
"Its the enemy general! That blonde-haired girl is the enemy general!"
"Crossbowmen. Fire! Fire!"
"Heed this young lady's words!"
"Rooooger!"
"Today, we shall resonate the end of life on this dark night! I, Laura De Farnese, shall be the one to personally command you all! During the moment you all accelerate and charge at full speed, and even during the moment you all are looking forward after having penetrated the body of an enemy, you all shall witness this young lady at the forefront with her blade raised high! This young lady shall be together with you all in this moment! On this day, if you all are to die here, then you shall do so after this young lady! Our military strength is completely inferior. Therefore, now is the perfect moment to charge at the enemy's ringleader!"
"Fuck, sh*t I really have no idea now!"
"All soldiers, charge! Blow the horn of Yotvingians!"
"Order to charge! All soldiers, chaaaarge—!"
"Crossbow wielders, fire! Horns! Left-wing, charge! Right-wing as well!"
"That bitch with the pointlessly shiny silver hair is the Imperial Princess of the Empire!"
"Prepare to ram! Prepare to ram! We'll be the ones to strike at those Habsburg pieces of trash first! Euryalel Take your messed-up bunch and fly to the sky! Bombard them from above!"
"Yes. Understood."
"Euryale spoke! She finally spoke!"
"She's always been able to speak well, you crazy bitch!"
"Fuck, the Acting General got hit by an arrow!"
"Heal her! Pour a crap ton of magic and heal her!"
"You crazy bitches, you girls continue your bombing! Don't come down, don't come down! We'll handle things down here!"
"———This young lady is completely fine. If anything, the hole in this young lady's thigh is rather refreshing. We do not have the time to be doing something like this. We must end this all beforethe enemy reinforcements can arrive! All soldiers, be prepared for harm and charge! Sweep them away! Do not stop!"
"This kid is really fucked up even while she's crying tears!"
"Kill them! Set them on fire! Massacre them! Avenge our compatriots! There is only a single command which this younglady has given you all—slaughter! Slaughter them and slaughter them some more! End all of their lives and put an end to this!"
"Yeah. If you complain about a little flesh wound, then you wouldn't be a witch. At the very least, thatd just be a rookie whom you can't even call a witch."
"Now I feel like taking orders! If the person giving orders doesn't have any blood on them and is just flapping their lips, then I automatically want to hit them on the back of their head."
"Uhm, but the general isn't a witch..."
"We, the Berbere Witches, now acknowledge you, General, as an honorable wiiitch! Ahahahah! You imperial bastards, look at their dumb faces! This is why I can't stop going to war! Because I want to keep seeing things like this!"
"Shot! Her Highness has been shot!"
"Mage unit! Where's our mage unit?!"
"Elite Guards, protect Her Highness! This is not the time to be holdingyour blade!"
"Damn it The bolt was coated in poison. Those damn witches... Fortunately, it only grazed Your Highness' hand. If we do not treat it quickly, then the poison will spread throughout the body."
"You bastard, are you telling us to lay our hands on Her Highness' royal body?!"
"We do not have enough time to neutralize it! It is the witches' poison! A decision must be quickly———."
"—————!"
"Your Highness?!"
"Dear Lord. How could Your Highness do that to your own royal body——."
"Right now, is something like my finger that important? What do you intend to do by calling all of the elite guards here? Immediately secure a wider ground! If we can hold out longer, then we will live, but if we were to collapse here, then we will die!"
"Contact with the other un its—. Your Highness, this one apologizes, but because the entire forest has been set ablaze, we cannot assemble the other units. At this moment, even if we have to swallow down our tears, we must retreat We can turn today's disgrace into tomorrow's glory."
"Please withdraw, Your Highness!"
"We commanders will hold them off here."
"Dantalian. Aah, Dantalian. O Demon Lord of Peasants. Have you turned that broken thing, were you finally able to turn that broken thing into a human? Was even that capable of becoming a human? Was that something which was possible? Is your world a place where you pick up those broken things, fix them, and spread them out? Even if you spread them out, would that be a world?"
"Your Highness!"
"......"
"Quickly, Your Highness' decision."
"———Retreat I command you all. Stall for time as I withdraw. Devote your lives to me. I shall live a lifetime with your seconds and minutes. From this day forth, as my life is simply an extension which has been added due to you all, know this and be laid to rest I too shall live while aware of this."
"As you command."
"For the glory of Habsburg."
It seems that I was careless. A single step. Because we lacked a single step, we were unable to catch the Crescent Alliance by their tail. The opportunity to capture both Demon Lord Barbatos and Paimon and display their heads in the Imperial city, has this slipped between my fingers? How regretful. How pathetic. It is all because of my incompetence and lack of virtue. I was careless because I had treated the enemy general as a doll."
"Your Highness?"
"Laura De Farnese."
"Ah- Wait a second. I feel like they're about to retreat..."
"Eh. They put up this much of a fight, but now they're running away with their tails between their legs? As a witch, that doesn't really seem righ..."
"Raise your hand if you want to keep fighting."
"Sorry. My right hand was cut off."
"I got hit in the shoulder by a bolt, so that's a bit"
"I'm not particularly injured anywhere, but my back strangely hurts."
"Fuck. I laughed because the enemy troops looked fucked up, but now that I look at it, my dear sisters have also abruptly become fucked up as well. Even if it was a late night bombing, what's up with your conditions? Carelessly getting hit by arrows and becoming half-dead. And you girls call yourselves the elites of the unit which possesses Quadri phyllous medals—?"
"Even if we hear that from the girl who hasn't died for over 300 years..."
"Leader Humbaba just has some seriously good luck, yup."
"Luck is also a type of skill. Albeit, I believe I've taken a couple of steps up the stairs of adulthood for having said a line like this. What should we do? Your Excellency Acting General, if you tell us to pursue them, then it's not like we can't."
"Pursue them. Pursue them, but do not push after them to the point of dying. Our wounds are deep as well. Do not become intoxicated by the chance of victory and bear in mind the fact that we have no more than a thousand troops. Just focus on finishing off the rest of the commanders that were abandoned here. They are most likely generals whom the Imperial Princess had raised with care. If you take their lives, then the Empire will receive quite the blow."
"The enemy general is not the devil or a monster. She is the same human as you all! Do not be afraid and fight backl You bastards, are you not ashamed for having been born as the sonsof Habsburg? Do you intend to be afraid of some country-bumpkin from Sardinia and die here? Instead of dying in shame, do so proudly!"
"......."
"Not yet. We can still endure. The other units nearby are rushing here to support us! Hold out, men! If you hold out now, then you will be able to return to the homes which you all have been longing for! We will die if we split up! We will die if we break apart!"
"...Her Highness the Imperial Princess has..."
"I saw her get hit by a bolt earlier...."
"No. I saw her retreating with the other commanders. I couldn't see well because it was dark, but Her Highness is the only one who could possess such beautiful silver hair."
"Roger roger. As you command—."
"Then shall we hunt down the pathetic remnants and make them more pitiful? Sorry, but we're actually amazing at things like this."
"Ah. Its not fun now that they're running away... It's like finding out in the middle of intercourse that your partner was never wet... I want to smoke. I want to die..."
"Thais a weird thing to say. If you really did want to commit suicide whenever you realized that then you would have had to commit suicide every single time you had sex."
"What did this bitch says?"
"Whatever. This is over. We've won this battle."
"Yup."
"At this very moment, there's no way that the tables could be turned."
"First, the enemy troops may be unfaltering elites among elites, but their morale and courage rely heavily on their single leader. Since their leader has run away, their morale will quickly plummet and their courage will soon collapse. The only thing that will come to the spot where their morale and courage have vanished, is the fear of death."
"Until now, they probably managed to focus on the fight in front of them because they were either chased by the panic that came from the hurried situation or because the Imperial Princess' urgent situation handling and hasty orders had been kicking them on the rears."
"Similar to how we want to commit suicide whenever our drugs wear out"
"Because of that very reason, they'll become engulfed in fear that quickly."
"When will the reinforcements..."
"We'd be better off making a retreat after having been torn apart! Some of us may get our asses caught by the witches and die, but wouldn't the rest of us survive? Instead of waiting for backup from foreign nations, which may or may not even come, it would be wiser to just save our own lives!"
"Her Highness the Imperial Princess had... us."
"That is not so. We are protecting Her Highness."
"This officer shall attempt to cut through the enemy's ranks. May the blessing of war be with me."
"...Mother..."
"Second, its really simple, but the fact that we've already killed all of the remaining enemy aerial mages. Now there's no need for us to descend arduously. All we have to do is just drop the gunpowder pouches from the sky and set them on fire."
"If the enemy forces maneuvered as fast as they did earlier, then we would have been forced to continuously descend, but..."
"From this point on, the enemy's focus is on stalling for time. Since they have to endure in order to prevent us from chasing after the Imperial Princess, their movement would be restricted, right? In our case, we have no reason to push ourselves like that Ahahah."
"Third, the fact that we're now the ones in control of the fire assault From now on, the sea of trees isn't the enemy's territory, but ours. Since the enemy has lost all of their aerial mages, they have no way of surveying from above."
"Whisper whisper."
"Yup, and whisper whisper."
"What's that supposed to mean? They can't survey from above, so its whisper whisper? You sure you haven't gone completely insane because there's no way to purify your head? Would you like it if I referred to you as a rat in poison?"
"I don't hear hoofbeats anymore.... They're leaving the forest"
"Ahah, all right We immediately have another reason now. Fourth, the proof that our allies, who have been sitting and taking a sh*t this entire time, have finally started to push the enemy back! Time is on our side."
"...it's hot."
"...water..."
"..."
"Except one thing, we can't really do much with this measly number of a thousand troops."
"It'd be difficult for us to chase after them and take them out, and it'll also be difficult for us to annihilate them all here."
"Second, although we can continue fighting, our cavalry unit has become quite exhausted because they had to keep up with us. It'd be greedy of us to want them to not be exhausted after having gone through a forest while it was burning on all sides. We have no reserve troops."
"Third, we just genuinely worried about our maaaster."
"This, because of the four aforementioned advantages, we recommend the continuation of battle."
"And because of the three aforementioned disadvantages, we also recommend a retreat Master's Acting General."
"Your Excellency Acting General may be disappointed that you were unable to capture the Imperial Princess, but that was Your Excellency's goal alone. We have already sufficiently achieved our original goal of putting our pursuers at a deadlock. Any more than this, would simply be excessive greed. Its a bummer that the bolt which I had shot barely missed, but, well, it can't be helped. Your Excellency was also fortunate to only get a hole in your thigh."
"This young lady understands well that you girls wish to hurriedly return to His Lordship and brag about your exploits today. This young lady is tearing up not only because of the hole in her thigh. How could His Lordship have appointed you girls as his Royal Guards and make this young lady shed tears? As expected, His Lordship is undoubtedly an eternal tyrant"
"We can't deny that So, what are we going to do? Fight? Retreat?"
"..."
"——We are returning."
This young lady ordered.
The remnants of Habsburg had taken flight, so they were already a fair distance away from our forces now. It goes without saying that both the witches and cavalry units were incredibly tired. Although we wished to sweep through them more, we did not have the surplus strength to do so. It was quite regrettable. We had missed our golden opportunity.
"Okay. We also believe that that is the wisest decision. Troops that confuse goals with exploits in battle are destined to not last long. Lets withdraw with leisure."
"Wow. Who here saw the Imperial Princess of the Empire's glare when she got grazed by that poison bolt? I bet she's raising a hundred venomous snakes in her stomach. She looked like she had quite the sharp temper, seriously."
"We could have killed her, but it's because you girls didn't listen to my orders. Why didn't you fire when I told you to fire, but fired whenever you felt like it? Is it that? Are you girls in your rebellious period? Are you girls going through puberty again for the first time in 50 years?"
Murmur murmur.
Similar to the way this young lady had come here, this young lady borrowed the back seat of the Captain's broom. A terrible pain spread throughout this young lady's thigh whenever the broom moved slowly, but this young lady stared at the sky indifferently.
As it had happened late in the night.
This young lady had triumphed.
"......."
The sun was rising in the distance.
What remained in the distance were the burnt remnants of the forestThe sun also shined down on the areas which had been burned. While watching the sight of the sunlight seep into the mounds of ash, this young lady let out an inadvertent 'ah'.
If you picked up the pile of ashes, it would be a mere handful. If the sun did not shine and the world was dark,then the pile of ashes would be nothing more than an impurity that made people choke and tear up if breathed in.
Things that remained after having been burned. At most, it was nothing more than a legacy of something which had once lived.
If the afternoon sun shined down upon them, then even those would shine radiantly.Are you a corpse or are you a doll? The Imperial Princess had asked this young lady this question. However, it did not matter whether this young lady was a corpse or a doll, rather, it did not even matter if this young lady was a pile of ashes that no longer had anything to burn.
If I have His Lordship.
If His Lordship calls my name.
If His Lordship will listen to my voice.
This young lady did not know what to call this. Was this an emotion? Was this not too excessively serene to be referred to as an emotion? Was this perhaps rationality, then? Was this not too excessively smooth to be referred to as rationality?
This young lady contemplated.
This young lady contemplated deeply.
And decided to refer to this, which did not have a name yet, as love.
