Published at 5th of August 2023 4:43 pm

Volume 12, Chapter 5 – War Maiden, Part 3

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

“Have they begun to move?”

Pope Vanir――Stryer was keeping a close eye on Grantz’s army.

The horns of the Grantz could be heard blowing. In other countries, it was said to be the voice of a “champion,” and it was not hard to see why people would think so when they heard that powerful tone.

“Pope Vanir, we are ready.”

“Good, then, let us begin.”

“Yes!”

The staff gave the signal, and the horn was blown. Unlike Grantz, this one had a beautiful tone.

While the Grantz beat their drums and marched, the soldiers of the Vanir Three Kingdoms continued to march forward solemnly. Perhaps it was because all the soldiers wore helmets and acted quietly that they seemed eerie to the other nations. However, they were not wrong. The soldiers of the Vanir Three Kingdoms were very troublesome enemies because once a battle began, they took it as their honor to bathe in the blood of their opponents.

“The opponents formed the crescent moon formation; don’t you find it worrisome that they are so few in number and yet so aggressive?”

Asked by one of the staff members, Stryer shrugged her shoulders as she put her hand on her chin.

“Even though they are outnumbered, if their morale is also outmatched, it is not worth talking about. I guess they are trying to maintain morale by putting the commander in the front line.”

“So this is a formation that only the “Red-Haired Princess,” who possesses the “Flame Emperor,” could make?”

“I wonder if things will end up being that simple… since their chief of staff seems to be the War Maiden.”

Using the destructive power of the “Flame Emperor” to break through to the center of this place must be considered shallow. However, it was also true that the Grantz forces, which were few in number, were left with no other option. They must aim to break through the enemy’s center, divide the left and right sides, and destroy them individually by cutting off their coordination. However, the War Maiden could not let her guard down.

“The War Maiden, crowned with the name of “Black Raven,” is very typical of the Grantz.”

In the Vanir Three Kingdoms, the “God of War” was feared by the people as an evil god. It was said that it was an existence that called for the end of the world. That’s why they swore by the War Maiden, whose name was associated with an ominous being.

“Let’s smash the symbol of bad luck, then, first army, begin the assault from the left flank.”

“As you wish. Bring Grantz to the judgment of the Fairy King.”

Regardless of how strong the walls were, they would be chipped by the torrents of muddy river currents. Just when they think they have withstood it, the next wave would rush in, the water level rises, and the wall crumbles away. Such a fashionable formation was crucial at the beginning, whether or not they could engage the enemy’s right flank, so the left flank was left to the free people―Verona, who were known for their charging ability.

Once a crack was made in the wall, the victory was no longer assured. All that remained was to wait for it to collapse, impacting the whole area.

“Liz-sama―the time has come for the Grantz to perish.”

Stryer looked in the direction of the great imperial capital.

“Whether I win or lose, the fate of Grantz is no longer in question.”

If so, that should be enough for you to give it away.

It should be fine to give up your futile resistance and offer up your head.

“Let us eradicate the Grantz and give peace to their accursed blood.”

Stryer’s smile deepened as she reached out to the center of the Grantz army, where Liz was likely to be.

＊＊＊＊＊

“The enemy left flank is charging!”

Aura looked around on her horse at the report from the staff officer.

She found a large amount of dust and a large mass charging the left flank of the Grantz forces.

A tremendous crashing sound traveled through the air and shook Aura’s eardrums.

The screams, a mixture of yelps and angry shouts, pressed down on her gut. This was something she would never get used to. This unique mixture of elation and fear could only be experienced on the battlefield.

“Chief of General Staff! Enemy forces are moving toward us, starting from the enemy’s left flank!”

“…..Understood.”

Although she had been on the battlefield many times, this was her first experience in dealing with an army that was using a fashionable formation.

Whether or not the military strategy that she had thought out would work would depend on the outcome of the battle.

So far, her reading of the situation was correct.

There was no doubt that the opponent would take advantage of their superior numbers to crush them. That’s why she deployed one of the five great generals, Weiss, on the right flank, where the battle was likely to start first.

“What is the situation on the right flank?”

“It appears that the enemy’s assault has been suppressed by General Weiss!”

“If so, the next order is to send a message to Her Highness Celia Estrella in the center in front, telling her that there’s no need to push back the enemy’s advance. Tell her to hold the front line.”

“Yes!”

Aura looked towards Liz, who would be on the front line, but still could not see her from the rear. But she was not worried. Aura was confident that Liz will be able to endure this.

When the impact of the wild waves hitting the right flank spread to where Aura was, the forces of the Vanir Three Kingdoms were biting at the center of the battle as well. Next, fighting seemed to have begun on the left flank as well, and the sounds of violent sword fights could be heard from all sides. Countless soldiers must have been scattered on the battlefield. Hundreds of lives were shattered in an instant by a single order, by a plan of one’s own devising. What Aura could do for them was offer them victory and not let their deaths be in vain.

“The Vanir Three Kingdoms are on the move in the second line!”

“…..I understand. Send a message to all the places, and endure.”

The staff officer bowed his head vigorously and drove off without a word. Endure on the battlefield was synonymous with death. It was neither encouragement nor support but a ruthless order to stand on the death line until one’s life was exhausted.

This was where the horror of the battlefield began.

Once the first wave had been endured, the next wave would come. Just when one thought one has withstood the first wave, the final muddy stream arrived, engulfing everything in its path. The walls collapsed, and everything was swept away. It would reach the great imperial capital.

That was why they must endure.

Aura glanced at the front line and saw that the second line of the enemy was crashing into the center.

The walls were now cracked everywhere. The water would come all the way to Aura’s place.

“Where is the enemy’s third line?”

“They are coming this way right now.”

“Then signal Her Highness Celia Estrella at the same time as the collision, and the center will fall back.”

“Are you sure about that? The Vanir Three Kingdoms have momentum, and if we retreat from the center, we could crumble from there.”

“Just do it; that’s the way to victory.”

Aura assured the anxious staff members with such force that the staff members could not say anything.

The pressured staff member looked like he wanted to say something, but he bit his lip and pounded his fist on the ground as if he had made up his mind.

“As you wish…!”

Aura took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth. From here on out, anything could happen.

But it was simple and clear: If the center pulled back, you lost; if not, you won.

Aura pulled out the spirit weapon from her waist. This was because she had spotted the shadow of the enemy ahead of her. Numerous cracks in the wall – the third line of the Vanir Three Kingdoms had collided, creating a hole through which a large number of enemy soldiers were avalanching to the rear of the main line.

Liz was not breached. The enemy had reached this way through the gap between her and the main line. A war could never be won alone. Even if Liz possessed overwhelming power, if the main camp fell, she would lose even if she was still alive and well.

Then it must be protected. The place to which she can return must be protected.

“Chief of Staff! Please run away――!”

The blood of the guards fell on Aura’s face.

In her reddened vision, the blade of the long-eared race that had slain the guard was approaching right before her eyes.

“――Ah!”

Aura let out an inaudible cry. She rushed forward with all the strength she could muster in her trembling knees.

She swung her sword with her slender arms, and even when it flicked back at her, she clenched her back teeth and put all her strength into her body to withstand the impact.

Again and again, she attacked and counterattacked, swinging her sword as long as her arm could move, even if she didn’t hit the target.

As Aura swung her sword around like a child, the enemy soldiers felt they had enough time and began to avoid Aura’s attacks simply by moving their feet. Aura felt frustrated that she could no longer make them catch her sword, but that was her own skill, her breaking point. But at the end of the day, it was wrong for a weak person like herself to stand on the battlefield. So, using her wits, she resolved to kill this insolent fellow.

Pretending to have fallen down, she caught the enemy’s attention, grabbed some sand, and hit him in the eyes. While the enemy was frightened, she made a cut on the back of his hand. The wound was not fatal, but it shattered the self-esteem of the long-eared race who had been wounded by someone weaker than himself.

The attack, which had made the blood rush to his head, became a mess, and when the enemy soldier hit the ground with the tip of his sword, Aura thrust out her sword with all her might. The sharp blade easily pierced through the chest of the enemy soldier, causing a large amount of blood to spurt out and Aura’s face to be splattered without mercy.

After watching the enemy soldier fall to the ground, Aura brushes off the blood stuck to her sword blade.

She then raised her arm and shouted.

“Endure! Children of the God of War!”

Ever since his father gave Aura the Black Book, since then Aura has had only one hero.

As a child, she vowed that one day she would stand on the battlefield like him, sword in hand, and lead her people to victory.

However, she could never become as strong as him and could never develop enough power to charm people. So she stopped honing her swordsmanship, which she had no talent for. She convinced herself that she had a good reason. Being short and without strength, it would be futile for her to acquire swordsmanship. She simply gave up on the idea that there was no point in pursuing something she couldn’t have.

But――,

“Fight! Fight to protect your family!”

When was it that she decided to stop giving up?

Oh――it must have been when she met him.

She didn’t know what he was thinking, but his core was firm.

He never bent once he made a decision. Even now, he was running to get something.

What was he trying to get by going through all that pain?

She was interested in him because he looked a lot like the God of War, whom she admired so much.

“Dedicate your hearts! To our God of War!”

She continued to watch his back.

Following his path, sacrificing herself to live a hard life, She continued to follow his back.

And then――She realized.

It was such a painful thing not to be looked back at.

“Dedicate your hearts! To our Red-Haired Princess!”

So, she decided to overtake him.

Regardless of how hard the road would be, she decided she would not give up.

To stay ahead of him.

She had no intention of letting him get away. She would do everything in her power to overtake him.

And then he would look back and say.

Only one thought――,

“Victory! Let our fame roar in the Palace of Heroes!”

Aura’s cry brought silence. Everyone’s attention was on her. No one had expected her to shout so loud, given her normally expressionless face.

So――morale exploded.

The Grantz soldiers roared and pushed back the Vanir soldiers.

“Victory! To our War Maiden, dedicate your hearts!”

The Grantz soldiers shouted in their mouths as they fought.

While Aura, out of breath, gazed proudly at them, she caught sight of a staff officer rushing toward her.

“Chief of General Staff, we are being pushed in quite a bit. I don’t think we can go any further.”

“…Send a message to Prime Minister Rosa, who is waiting in the rear, reinforcements to the left and right flanks, signal to Her Highness Celia Estrella, there is no longer any need to hold back; we will crush the enemy thoroughly.”

“Yes!”

Aura exhaled deeply after watching the staff members who rushed out with great vigor.

They endured and endured and endured the onslaught of their opponents. They had endured with their eyes fixed only on victory.

“There is no need to endure any longer. A lion is a champion only when it is unleashed into the wild.”

In various areas, the units that had received Aura’s order began to move. The two wings that had received reinforcements gained momentum, and as they surged forward, they began to encircle their opponents. This is a siege-and-destroy formation called a dragon wing formation.

However, it would not be effective for some time yet.

They must let the enemy soldiers who were attacking in the center know that the siege was complete. They must be upset and extend it to the whole area.

“We will not tolerate those who would thoroughly… devastate the land of the Grantz.”

Aura was about to launch her next plan, but she noticed that something was wrong with the left flank.

They were not moving fast enough, and if this continued, it would create a hole in the encirclement.

“…..Messenger.”

Aura decided to unleash the next move.

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