Clemente Village, a farming village in Densel, had been transformed into a liaison base and a rare new base for the Arxian army.
The commoners, who were living under the Arxian army’s occupation, held their breath as they looked at the soldiers who were arriving from Jugfena with terror.
… I’ve heard that there’s a treaty in Rindarl that stipulates the treatment of civilians in times of war. Originally, all the kingdoms in Rindarl were created by dividing the large Rindarl Kingdom. It is said that the treaty was enacted in order to avoid needlessly harming those who had become the subjects of their own kingdoms when they won.
However, that treaty had nothing to do with Arxia. Arxia was a closed country that had completely everything on its own and had spent 600 years since its establishment without making any war treaties with any other kingdom.
The war between Densel Dukedom and Artolas Kingdom was only thirty years ago. Clemente Village was once occupied by both the Densel and Artolas armies when they fought at the border.
Therefore, the way they were treated at that time was still fresh in some people’s minds. ――― Unlike thirty years ago when they could maintain their livelihood as long as they were obedient, the more soldiers we had, the more the villagers were forced to leave their homes and the less they had to eat. The villagers in Clemente village were suffocating from fear and distrust since their lives weren’t guaranteed even if they showed their obedience.
They were just like the villagers at Cyril Village when the stone was thrown at me, I thought while feeling like I was being stabbed with needles.
“… It’s not a good atmosphere.”
Wiegra, who had been giving orders left and right without taking any breaks since we started moving, frowned and said as soon as he finally had time to sit down.
I nodded back sympathetically at the man who looked like he was drowning and gasping for air. My Kaldia army, who are involuntarily used to this kind of atmosphere, was still fine, but the knights and soldiers of Jugfena have never been around civilians before and were restless. It’s not a good idea to expose them to a mentally draining environment for too long when they haven’t even been on the frontlines yet.
“I’m afraid that they will revolt if a chance opens up for them.”
“… That’s awfully convincing…”
“I’m ashamed to say that something close to that has happened to me before.”
“I can’t believe that you, a newly pre-adult girl, has had such an experience, but unfortunately, it does seem true…”
Wiegraf groaned with his head in his hands.
From the window of the chief’s house, the largest building in the village, which was turned into a makeshift base of operations, I could clearly see the area where the commoners were crammed.
Food had been collected from this village since it became a liaison base and sent to the frontline. It’s been eight months since then. The commoners, who were being watched by the soldiers as they went about their work, looked awfully haggard, but their eyes were filled with fear, panic and anger.
“… They’re just the same as slaves.”
I said subconsciously. Arxia Kingdom doesn’t accept slaves. But what is the difference between slaves and these commoners who didn’t know if they would live or die, have no freedom, and have their food taken away from them with nothing in return?
I don’t plan on sympathising with the people of Rindarl. I believe they were informed at the time we occupied this village that Arxia would accept them as refugees if they convert to the Xia religion.
I just felt a twinge of emotion seeing them treated as slaves when they were just going about their daily lives without any responsibility for the actions of their kingdom.
“Arxia had been preparing to release the war prisoners to Planates if war is to break out with Densel. We can’t release them until the war is over now that war has been declared because of the conflict with Planates… When the war is over, we can have a new conversation with them about the treatment of the war prisoners.”
Wiegraf answered my murmur with a hint of mockery. Then, he began to open a map on the desk after a short break.
When the war is over, huh? Well, that’s true, all we can do is end this war as soon as possible.
“It would be better if we ended this war sooner. Specifically, sometime last year.”
“Well, it’s important that we don’t interfere with the outside kingdoms, in order for our kingdom to maintain a quiet and peaceful existence.”
Even as he said this, Wiegraf laid out pieces onto the map without hiding his annoyance and piled up the reports of battle situations from the frontline, that had arrived by red pigeons, around the pieces.
I took my eyes off the commoners and returned to the table. It was time for the strategy meeting.
“――― Now I know this is abrupt, but I’m going to have to keep you a little busy.”
Ironically, Wiegraf broke off a red flower from the vase on the desk and placed it on top of the map.
The place where it was placed ――― was not the remnant hills, which had already turned to a battlefield, but further east, in the capital of Eris, the home base of the Densel army.
He said he had made up this plan because of Radka’s existence.
Wiegrad even said, “In fact, it would have been better if Elize (Radka) is here,” to which I replied sarcastically, “That’s quite a fun idea.” I was a little repulsed by the idea of using me, a mere feudal lord of a fief, so much in a foreign war.
Or rather, I’ve never talked to Wiegrad about Radka, nor have I even let them meet.
How long has he been aware of him? No matter how much Radka looks like me, I don’t think people would notice that I made him look exactly like me.
When I grew suspicious, Wiegraf smiled, and I could guess what he wanted to say.
“I heard Ergnard has seen her a few times at the mansion. I hear she’s a cute maid.”
Wiegraf didn’t look like his younger brother, but he had a smile on his face that looked exactly like his little brother’s smile.
“Well, isn’t it an interesting strategy? Yeah, I’m glad to see you enjoying yourself.”
My smile is twitching. I didn’t know what other expression to make when I was told that the operation name would be ‘Earl Kaldia’s Five Men’.
“The fact that they had taken the trouble to order their scouts to confirm your whereabouts only proves that the enemy forces consider you quite dangerous. The enemy must be getting nervous about your whereabouts, as long as there’s no sign of you on the frontlines.”
Well, that may indeed be true. I’m aware of the fact that I’ve gained a good amount of notoriety for my efforts in killing as many people as I can in the past defensive battles. I don’t know how much the Rindarl people know about the domestic affairs of Arxia, but from their perspective, it must be eerie that I haven’t shown up at all even in spring.
In this world, it’s quite rare to have a legal system where all noble children in the kingdom gather to receive education. Since Arxia was isolated and had not made this known, it was likely that very few people knew that I had retreated back to the kingdom to study.
The jokingly-named operation, which was explained to me, was simple: I and the knights who will be dressed as me will be riding on Rashiok and the draconis who are waiting at each of the bases and taking advantage of our mobility and stealth in the air, we will attack the capital, Eris, and the fleet of ships on Teve River to throw the enemy into chaos.
The three draconis from Jugfena will continue their assault on Eris, and I along with Rashiok, will fly back to the fleet of ships at full speed. As soon as we return from Eris, we will join the fight at Teve River.
… I didn’t feel like I was being asked to work unreasonably hard. It was a reasonable assignment. I’m sure I’m the only one who can ride Rashiok to the fullest, even though the Jugfena draconis were used by a large number of soldiers.
“Rashiok, stop here.”
I stroked the neck of the draconis, who obeyed my words but looked uncomfortable as he looked down at the circular city.
Apparently, he didn’t like the large sack hanging from his back, which was prepared for this mission. Well, even I, as a human, could smell if from here. The stench must be unbearable for Rashiok since he had a really good nose. Therefore, I silently accepted the long, snake-like tail that poked by cheek and head from behind. Poking and prodding with their dexterous tails seemed to be a way for draconis to express and vent their frustration with their pack.
From Amon Nohl, where the sun usually sets, I watched as the sky slowly lit up. Together with the Jugfena knights who flew with us and were already scattered in the sky above the targeted buildings, we used the sunrise as a signal to start our mission.
In the short time it took the sun to appear between the white mountain ridges, we threw cigarette matches into the cloth bags filled with sawdust covered in oil. It burnt up easily if you tie the mouth of the bag and shake it a few times.
Now, let’s have the Densel’s get acquainted with fire before they even see the sunrise today.
The draconis descended all at once as the morning sun burnt my eyes.
I cut off the bag of sawdust that was covered in oil and strapped to Rashiok’s belly at our target ――― the castle of Eris’s feudal lord and threw burning flints at it.
“Please, Rashiok.”
As soon as I gave the signal, Rashiok flapped his wings with a loud flap. The flames that had grown by the wind grew even bigger and spread all over the castle.
Most of Eris’s citizens, who were still asleep, weren’t aware of this quiet rising fire.
I watched as the flames swelled to the point of no return, and after confirming that the area around the other targets had also suddenly brightened, I gave the next signal.
“… Alright, let’s go to our next destination. I’ll leave after I’ve grandly announced myself to Eris’s military personnel. It’ll be really rushed though.”
Behind Rashiok, who understood my signal and flew up in the sky again, the sound of wood in the castle exploded. ――― The screams of the castle soldiers, who had noticed this, pierced through Eris’s dawn.
… That was the plan to attack Eris. The following is a recollection of the strategy meeting.
“We’ll begin our assault on Eris tomorrow at dawn. This operation is entirely based on your and my decisions, and judging from the enemy’s strategy, this will probably be our last battle. It’s on me.”
Your and my, Wiegraf said, but the difference in our status is too great, so it’s mostly based on his decisions. I’m sure this was his own decision since there was no time to consult with the palace, nor did he have time to consult with the commanding general at the fourth base, Di Lo Fee.
“Each draconis who is going to Eris will take a bag filled with enough oil for two or three adults and set fire to the Eris’s feudal lord’s castle and the facilities where the soldiers are housed. I want you to use the draconis to fan the flames as much as possible.
… Hah, I see, that really is a grand action. As Wiegraf talked about the strategy in a calm and refreshing way, while smiling, I somehow understood why Ergnard is like how he is. And now I knew that the reason why I, who had followed his example in the battlefield, had become infamous; it was because of this former chief of staff.
It was a clear legal risk for me and the people of Jugfena to plan and carry out this operation entirely on our own, as it was necessary to seek permission from the Upper House of Lords to attack a hostile city. I’m sure I’ll be accused of acting without consulting the proper authorities, but the fact that the royal army isn’t involved will save us from further trouble, and I could pretend that I had borrowed some of the Jugfena soldiers and acted alone.
Even if I am blamed, I’ll give the enemy army a huge blow to thoroughly discourage their will to fight, and this time, they’ll definitely be able to do nothing but shake their heads and agree to the peace treaty. Everyone involved in this war doesn’t want to be troubled or exhausted any more. It’s not like I’m not being considerate towards the Densel citizens.
“You will set fire to Eris to make it known that you have come to Eris, then you’ll leave immediately and travel to Di Lo Fee. After that, the other three who are dressed as Earl Kaldia will cause great confusion and terror in Eris. By the time you arrive on the battlefield at Teve River, you’ll probably be able to hear the screams from Eris…”
“Then, I’ll cause more chaos?”
“I’m sure they’ll be twice as horrified. I can’t wait. Now, it’s time to talk about the plan for attacking the fleets… I’m going to need you to work a lot while you still can, so that you won’t have much trouble after the war.”
After the war? What does that mean? I raised my eyebrows and Wiegraf smiled at me. His smile pressured me so that I couldn’t say yes or no.
Of course, draconis also have wolf-like characteristics. To name one, they have so much stamina that it made you wonder if they can run forever and never get tired.
… ‘You’re the only one who can do that’, someone once said to me with a wry smile. I took a nap on Rashiok’s back as he kept running and flying while avoiding people as we returned to Fortress Di Lo Fee alone.
I’ll be waiting inside Di Lo Fee until the next signal to start the operation. Wiegraf informed me not to let the enemy know of my presence, so I put a hood on and mingled with the Kaldia army soldiers, who had moved here while I was burning Eris, without a care in the world.
After quietly receiving a report on the war situation, I headed to the dining hall to eat and was immediately surrounded by the senior soldiers. If I was called ‘Tsar’ like in the past, and had food shoved into my mouth like an apprentice soldier, because I needed to restore my energy spent fighting, then, not just the army, but even those who have joined the fief army in the past few years won’t acknowledge me as Earl Kaldia.
“Here, eat this too, Tsar.”
“… No, I’ve had enough. I’ll get sick before I go to the battlefield if I eat that much.”
“What are you saying? Your stomach will be fine! You’re the person who eats the most inedible things!”
“Your stomach can handle anything.”
While exchanging trivial conversation, it occurred to me that in the past few years, with the increased number of soldiers, I have not been able to communicate with them in this way.
I hadn’t noticed this because my conversations with Theomer and Gunter hadn’t changed at all, but even though most of them are in the cavalry, I rarely talk directly to them since they are still only foot soldiers… I suppose they were thinking of the newcomers, so they didn’t talk to me themselves.
I felt nostalgic as if I was an apprentice soldier back in the barracks. And in the corner of my heart, I felt an aching feeling like it was being squeezed.
This atmosphere inevitably reminded me of the time when Kamil was here.
I’ll turn this pain into the very sawdust that had absorbed the oil.
It was perfect since it was just before the battle.
The dawn of Eris, which burnt differently than the colour of the morning sunrise, was apparently visible to the Rindarl soldiers who had surrounded Di Lo Yun. From the other side of Teve River, I received a report that the organised movement of the enemy army had gone completely weird since this morning.
Well, of course they’d start acting weird.
After all, the Rindarl army, who were on the other side of the siege, had mobilised a large number of slave soldiers. Their strategy was to build a wall with their dead bodies, fill the moat, and use the cliff as a ladder to advance. Their morale was at its lowest, and if the Rindarl soldiers, who were in control of them, became confused, then it would cause unrest to the entire army.
It seemed that there were a large number of slave soldiers who had run away or defected to Arxia, and it was only a matter of time before their siege broke down.
On the other hand, the army that had pinned down Teve River seemed to include nobles from Densel and Parmigran. Although their numbers were small, they were skilled in wielding bows and swords, so they were effectively defending against the Arxians who outnumber them.
As for Rindarl, they had planned on taking control of Di Lo Yun while holding back the main force of the Arxian army by the river, and then they had planned on using Di Lo Yun as a base of attack to move their army who had been waiting in Eris.
Wiegraf believed that they had divided their troops and were moving around the clock to suppress our movements and exhaust us. It must have been obvious to the enemy that Arxia’s morale was declining due to the prolonged maintenance of the frontline.
From the perspective of crushing the enemy’s plans, the attack on Eris, where the second line of troops and supplies were stored, was the most effective plan. The next step was to take advantage of the enemy’s confusion and crush the fleets camped on Teve River. If we succeed, then we will deal a fatal blow to their strategy.
… Ships take time and money to build. Not to mention training the men to sail them. Those men and ships come from Parmigran.
Before the attack, I received an order from the commanding general who had sent a red pigeon from Di Lo Fee.
It said, “The enemy forces in Teve River must be destroyed. All ships must be destroyed. Turn the Teve River into a red ditch.”
“Vicious,” I whispered, and Aslan, who was nearby, looked up at me as if he wanted to say something.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity to confuse the enemy soldiers, I quickly attacked the enemy soldiers who were holding the shore.
I left my fief army once again and went to the riverbank with Rashiok. I will be participating in the battle as a guest to the Jugfena Knights led by Ergnard, who had set out from Di Loe Tros.
The horn was blown and the knights who were standing in rank started running towards the enemy soldiers who were waiting on the shore.
According to the reports from those who are already engaged in battle, when you approach the enemy forces, you will be attacked by short-barrelled arrows and bows, thart arrive from the three ships that were docked at the shore. The knight ran in front of me and swung his sword down horizontally, confirming that short-barrelled arrows were fired from the ship just like I had heard it would be.
“Rashiok, go! It’s your turn!”
The Jugfena knights broke their formation and made a road for Rashiok and I. The moment Rashiok ran through the path and leaped into the front line, I could hear the enemy soldiers getting noisy.
The two draconis flapped their wings and created a wind that deflected the arrows and bullets that struck almost simultaneously. A gust of wind blew in and seemed to have neutralised most of the arrows and bullets.
“Ka-Kaldia! It’s the Red-Eyed Kaldia! It’s the monster who controls dragons and sips on human blood and flesh!”
Draconis stood out too much in the mass of warhorses. They stand out even more when they’re running in the front row.
In front of the Rindarl soldiers who were holding out their spears, Rashiok and I, who was in front of our troops, abruptly changed the direction in which we were running in. Flanking them single-handedly was an easy task with these speedy draconis since there were only infantry and archers.
“Eat them Rashiok! It’s time to hunt!”
The draconis howled as if responding to my voice. I could clearly see the enemy soldiers scream and fall down as they couldn’t change their course and got entangled.
Rashiok plunged into the enemy line as if he was squeezing his head between the spears. The halberd I was holding to the side struck something heavy and I twisted as hard as I could to keep my arms and shoulders that wouldn’t take the impact.
Rashiok’s huge body, which can knock down a lot of people, bounced around, and each time he did, the people who got crushed by his body raised death cries.
The Jugfena knights came charging into the chaos. The enemy soldiers were crushed by horses, flung around, or were pierced by the knights’ spears; corpses were piled up in a matter of seconds.
“AAAH!”
Of course, there were soldiers who calmly dropped their spears and came at me with their swords, but the reach of a halberd and a sword was too different. If I swing my halberd down at the same time Rashiok rushed forward, then the blade would gain power that was impossible for a person to produce and will easily cave in the skull of the soldiers who have their helmets on. Blood gushed out of them like grapes filled with juice, and the surrounding soldiers fell deeper into despair.
The draconis and I continued to push our way diagonally through the enemy troops.
My role on this battlefield ends here. I pulled back to Di Loe Das while watching as the Jugfena knights trampled on the enemy troops and the vast Royal Army infantry followed behind them and killed every last enemy soldier.
Night fell onto the riverbank where the two factions had retreated. Tonight, the moon was conveniently hidden by the clouds and the area had already gone dark.
I opened and closed my right hand lightly as I watched the lightly armoured Kaldia army pass around Di Loe Tros and Di Loe Das, and moved down the river from upstream on Rashiok’s back.
It seemed that swinging my halberd using Rashiok’s rush as momentum during the daytime was a little more than my body could handle. When I returned to Di Loe Das and the excitement of the battle had cooled down, I noticed a slight twitching pain around my wrist. I had stupidly strained a muscle.
However, it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t move my hand and I’m now going back to the battlefield. Well, unlike in the daytime, my role this time was unreplaceable, so I had to go. After all, I command my fief army.
… All the soldiers in Kaldia army had been mobilised to build the new feudal lord’s mansion and newcomer’s village and were engaged in all kinds of construction work for several years.
Taking into account the war with Rindarl, the Kaldia army is now swelling with a number of unsuitable people due to the size of the fief. However, my Kaldia fief is as poor as ever, so there was no way I could leave people idle. We had to get rid of our tradition of securing our own food at night, and barely prevented ourselves from incurring huge deficits, by putting all our energy into cultivating the land and engaging in agriculture.
And well, because of these circumstances, a good percentage of the Kaldia army is more skilled at swinging a hoe and hatchet than wielding a sword or spear, and all of them have experience working in rivers. They often dove into the lakes and fished when they were short on food.
Wiegraf appreciated their familiarity with working in a group underwater. The number of people was also probably just right for this covert operation.
… So, our Kaldia army, who had switched from swords and spears to hatchets and saws, went downriver to make a surprise attack on the ships. The fief army stopped a little ahead of the fleet of ships, and six guys, who were good swimmers, quietly approached the five small ships.
The large ship belongs to Parmigran. They towed small boats that held the infantry who were deployed on the riverbank, and now it functioned as a supply route, carrying supplies such as rations, arrows, and bullets for the short-barrelled arrows.
It seemed that Rindarl, or rather Densel Dukedom, had their backs against the wall. As if to prove this, the ships weren’t going down the river even though the situation is starting to turn unfavourable for them. They must be in a situation where they had no choice but to wait for the Eris troops to recover and move to battle. Inside the ships, the nobles leading the army must be frantically preparing for tomorrow morning.
Below them, the soldiers had reached the bow of the large ship. Each of them swung their hatchets several times as a signal. I responded with my sword and waited for the signal from Di Loe Das.
“… It’s nearly time. Aslan, are we ready?”
I spoke to Aslan, who was sitting behind me, and he replied concisely, “Yes.”
I gradually started to hear the rustling of the wind. Arxia’s infantry unit began to charge towards the fleet all at once.
Their countless torches swayed and spread in the darkness of the night, and the fire that announced the fight illuminated the blood-filled ground once again.
It seemed that Rindarl finally realised that the Arxian army was attacking, and the silence that existed on the ship up until then turned noisy.
The sounds of people hurriedly preparing for battle and jumping out of the ship overlapped with each other, ――― and in the midst of that, the Kaldia soldiers who were clinging to the hull of the ship began to swing their hatchets at the ship.
They were small one-handed hatchets. Of course, there was no way they could destroy the ship with their hatchets. It would take too much time to break a single plank in their unstable positions in the water.
But the hatchets were enough to make a dent or hole where something could be placed or trapped.
After confirming that the six people had finished their tasks and returned to their ranks, I dropped the cylinder that Aslan had handed to me into the hole.
Twenty. Fifteen. Ten.
… Has everything been put in? Then, let’s leave.
Five, four, three, two, one…
The first cylinder that was thrown into the hole exploded. At the same time, the bows of the six ships blew up in a spectacular explosion.
“Go, my army! This is a direct order from Arxia’s commanding general. Annihilate the enemies on Teve River! Destroy all the ships! Turn the Teve River into a red ditch!”
It was a scene that should be described as nothing more than being trampled over.
Screams, shouts and the sounds of things crushing. Even though it was a battlefield, sobbing and cries for help occasionally pierced the skies.
Arxian troops crushed the encamped Rindarl soldiers, both armed and unarmed alike, and the people who were leading them were, of course, the Jugfena knights.
Like in the daytime, the Royal Army troops followed after them and trampled everything else down. It was as if they were cultivating a field or something.
However, the situation here wasn’t much different from the riverbank. Wiegraf, who still held a grudge from the incident from seven years ago, prepared bombs from gunpowder, that the enemy had prepared to blow up our soldiers with, and instead used it to blow up the enemy. I boarded the large ship which had a large hole blown to the bottom of it and proceeded to rampage, destroying everything. Enemies who were too late or had been too stupid to run were thrown into the river, killed or captured. Once the ship had reached the point of no return, I escaped and moved onto the next ship.
Once all six ships had been destroyed, I got out of the river and went upstream.
“Alright, pour it.”
“Yes!”
Wiegraf’s grand gesture was still going on as the contents of the barrels he had prepared were poured into the river. The liquid, which was lighter than water, formed a film on top of the water as it was poured. I don’t think I need to tell you what it is, but it’s oil.
To make matters worse, the barrels containing the oil were quickly dismantled and thrown into the river, completing the preparations.
“Are we done? Then, get back. Get the arrows ready ――― fire!”
The soldiers shot their fire arrows at the barrel fragments. It was difficult for the Kaldia army to hit the drifting targets, since they didn’t have daily archery training, but those who were good at archery still managed to hit their target to a certain extent.
The fire from the arrows spread to the oil-soaked barrel fragments, which in turn ignited the oil on the surface of the water. Once that happened, the rest was quick. I watched the unusual sight of fire spread as if it was licking the water and the soldiers who were whispering to each other, “Wow~,” “Amazing,” even though we were still in the middle of a battle.
The ships, which had been reduced to rubble, burst into flames and the surviving Rindarl soldiers, who had lost the means to escape, began to throw away their weapons one after the other and raise the white flag. They had completely lost the will to fight. Even those reluctant Rindarl soldiers didn’t seem like they wanted to fight with their backs against the wall in this devastating situation.
Before long, Arxia’s victory cry of “God is with us!” was heard.
The soldiers shouted with joy.
“We’ve won! This is the end of this stupid war! Our lord picks up the ‘victories’ in the end!”
Asyl, who was standing right next to me, also shouted in joy as if he wasn’t tired from marching and fighting all day and night.
… I don’t think I had much to do with the victory of this battle, nor the victory of this war. I didn’t say that now, since it would be too tactless of me to say it while everyone was basking in joy from winning.
Wiegraf had made all the plans for this battle and he also prepared everything we needed. I’m sure his plans are flawless. I only gave orders, and it was the soldiers who did the hard work.
As for the war itself, I did make quite a name for myself, but I don’t think that had any effect on the outcome. At the most, I did increase my pieces and gained a range of tactics.
Even if I hadn’t been here, the fear and pressure on the enemy soldiers would remain the same since Ergnard, the Jugfena knights, and Marquis Lorenzorell’s knights, who are even more feared than me, had all participated in the battles.
… Well, personally, I feel a little better.
I’m aware that I went too far in some areas. I will never forget until the day I die that I did a lot of things that I thought were inhumane. However, when I think about my first battle, which I was forced to pretend didn’t happen, I felt exhilarated when I broke the Densel soldier’s will to fight. I knew I was taking it out on them.
“Shall we go back to Di Loe Das, Milord?”
Calvin, who had led the troops who were standing by the riverbank and were guarding the oil barrels, softly called out to me.
“Ah, yeah,” I nodded, then patted Rashiok’s neck. I got off his back to walk home with the soldiers for a change.
Or that was what I was going to do.
But all of a sudden, the snake-like tail pulled my leaning body back, and the next thing I knew, my vision was shaking violently. Rashiok jumped back.
“――― ack,”
The draconis’s actions were so sudden that I didn’t know what had happened for a moment.
I saw a large object fly in a straight line from the sky to the place where Rashiok and I had been before.
Ah, so he avoided that ――― my mind, which had been dulled by the shaking impact, registered at first.
“―――― Aaaasyl! Calvinn!”
Then I realised that the two, who had been by my side, were lying flat at that thing’s feet.
Taaarrrruuuu, it chirped gracefully and loudly.
There it was; the mysteriously beautiful golden bird ――― that was controlled by the girl who attacked Kaldia six years ago in winter.
Rashiok let out a menacing roar. The wind began to blow painfully, and the giant bird avoided it nonchalantly.
“――― Kaldia army, evacuate! If there are any injured people nearby, then lend them a hand! But don’t approach the large bird to help them!”
I shouted from the pit of my stomach to pull back my panic-induced thoughts. The soldiers, who were just as stunned as I was, by the giant bird who had flown in from the air, came back to their senses and immediately followed my orders to get away from the giant bird.
Even though I had told the soldiers to stay away from the giant bird, every last soldier who had fainted at its feet were being dragged away. Well, the ones doing the rescuing were the soldiers who were lucky enough not to be knocked unconscious by the giant bird, so they certainly weren’t approaching it.
“The wounded should retreat first! Archers get into position! …Rashiok. Protect everyone!”
Isolating ourselves for the sake of the operation had backfired. There was no way for the current Kaldia army, who are equipped with only bows and no other means of attack nearby, to deal with such a big bird.
The soldiers guessed my intentions and quickly ran into the shade of the trees. The giant bird only tilted its head and watched them go… I wondered if it was because the bird’s body wasn’t suitable for chasing small, fast-moving things while it was on the ground. Or was it simply because it wasn’t specifically targeting the soldiers?
But when Rashiok stepped forward to take the place of the retreating soldiers and spread one of his wings widely, the giant bird couldn’t ignore his intimidation and cried out menacingly in a high-pitched tone.
It was like a battle of great monsters.
Do you have time to think about this kind of thing? I thought, but I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that I felt out of place mounted on Rashiok.
――― But that feeling soon vanished.
As soon as the giant bird looked up at the skies and let out a high-pitched scream, ――― where should I say it came from? A bolt of lighting came down from the clear night sky which had no dark clouds in it and struck the nearby tree.
“Wah?!”
A thunderous roar. My ears went numb. The sound faded and my head tilted. My whole field of vision went white.
It was a moment where I couldn’t move.
Someone yanked my arm vigorously and dragged me down from on top of Rashiok.
“Uoaah―――.”
A moan escaped from my lips as I was knocked to the ground helplessly, but something quickly blocked my mouth and drowned out the sound.
What is it? What happened?
My blurred vision gradually returned. I tried to get rid of the hand that was covering my mouth, but they said, “Don’t move, Eliza Kaldia.”
――― I thought I was going to stop breathing.
The voice had changed and was much lower than I remembered… but that voice certainly belonged to…
I opened my eyes and slowly saw his contour.
The fire at the bottom of the cliff illuminated his features and the wind blew up his brown hair which had peeked out from the edge of his hood.
Cold, inhuman eyes peeked down at me. The eyes which were watching me were the same colour as the stones on the chain on my left arm.
A bad burn covered most of his face. Combined with the cuts that were running horizontally across, his face looked nothing like the gentle face that I remembered.
But he is certainly ――― but he is certainly Kamil.
My lips shivered. I tried to call his name, “Kamil,” but my voice wouldn’t come out.
As if sensing my movements, Kamil slowly removed his hand from my mouth. As if taking its place, his other hand which gripped his dagger in an underhanded grip, crawled over my neck. I felt a slight pressure on my throat from the handle’s ornament and my face contorted.
“… Is it painful? But you can talk, right?”
“a… Wh… y?”
“There’s something I want to ask. Reply briefly ――― and I’ll kill you quickly and painlessly.”
I felt as if my vision had gone completely black.
His words didn’t even have any murderous intent behind it. His declaration sounded emotionless.
My throat hurt as if the hand was digging into it. It was hard to breathe, and the area around my eyes was hot. ――― No. It’s because… I’m crying?
As soon as I realised that tears started falling from the corner of my eyes onto the side of my head.
“Uoh…!”
As soon as this happened, the hand around my neck was pulled away. What? … Is he upset? I looked up at him in surprise and saw that he was looking at me with a strange expression on his face. It was as if he didn’t know why he had done that.
“Ka… mi-…”
I still tried to call his name even though I cough from suddenly inhaling air, but the dagger that was held high in the air as if it was going to strike me made my throat tighten.
A sound of something slashing resounded through the air. He hadn’t slashed me. The skin above my ears which had been pulled up lost its sensation. It seemed like he had cut my tied up hair.
My whole body tensed at the thought of the blade being pointed at me even though it wasn’t directly pointed at me. Cold sweat seemed to ooze out from my forehead. Of course, my tears dried straight away.
Kamil himself, the man who had frightened me in such a way, looked at me with his eyes widened, and his lips were trembling just like mine had been a while ago. I’ve seen people look like this before. It was a look of panic ――― confusion and disbelief at what they had done. It was the face of someone who had acted on impulse and made a mistake.
“Ah…”
A gust of wind blew from the sky and my hair flew up. It’s Rashiok. His bark intimidated Kamil, but he also certainly had confusion in his eyes.
The huge bird chirped as if to erase the wind. Another thunderous roar sounded twice. Rashiok’s intimidation ――― the gust of wind turned from Kamil to the giant bird. Even Rashiok couldn’t get to me while dealing with that giant bird.
But in that instant, Kamil had lost his posture. Now ――― I thought as I reached for the sword on my waist.
But Kamil was faster than me. He grabbed my wrist and pressed the dagger blade at my neck.
“I told you not to move!”
He screamed in anger, and I could also feel sorrow in his voice.
“You’re the only one who knows! I’m, I’m…! What is it?!”
――― Hah? What did he just say…?
“Kami―――…”
“Get away ――― from her!”
I reached out at Kamil, forgetting that I had a blade at my throat.
Someone on a draconis rushed at Kamil from above with a sword, and when Kamil noticed this, he pulled his dagger away from my neck and stopped the sword. The metal collided with each other, and Kamil’s body swayed when the metal rubbed against each other.
“That’s enough ――― get off her!”
At that moment. Kamil’s side was kicked. Kamil lost his posture and rolled off me.
“Gah―――.”
Kamil looked at me reluctantly for a moment. But he pulled up the hem of his hood like that time when he pulled me down and ran up to the giant bird.
“aa ――― wait!”
“Kamil,” my voice which had called out to him was drowned out by the giant bird flapping its wings again.
“Are you alright, Earl Kaldia?”
Before I could watch him go away in dismay, someone had come to help me up by pulling my arm.
I’ve seen his face before. Somewhere… Where did I see it?
“Ah, you’re hurt so badly… Ergnard-sama will be sad. How can his foster daughter get this tattered?”
“Ah… What?”
I realised when he said that. Like this man had said, I was in tatters. My whole body, especially my right wrist, started to ache, and my left ear could barely hear any sounds.
“Hmm… Who are you?”
But I was more concerned about the man in front of me. I’m sure he’s an ally, since he rode on a draconis ――― and Rashiok’s sibling at that.
… Hmm, wait, a draconis…? A memory from some time ago was stuck on my mind. Someone who rode on a draconis and came to my rescue…
“Did you also come to save me… seven years ago?”
The man’s stony expression faltered slightly, and he bowed.
“I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself to you yet. My name is Oscar Thelesia. I’m the grandnephew of Siegmund Thelesia, your guardian.”
I widened my eyes in surprise. Earl Thelesia’s blood relative?! I felt déjà vu, and now that he had mentioned it, he made an expression that looked exactly like Earl Thelesia’s, which convinced me that he is related to him.