Chapter 74: The King Enters the Fray
A few hours prior, at the time Belfast began its all-out assault.
Suddenly, large rocks fell from the sky, and the earth continued to shake as if an earthquake had struck.
Yurisia, who had volunteered for the sleepless watch, was the first to point towards the epicenter of the tremors.
“Wha- What in the world is that…?”
“Judging by the sound of them hitting the ground, those must be Rock Bullets. But how are they being launched from so high up, and in such rapid succession…?”
From a slightly elevated, open area within the forest.
From there, the continuous fall of rocks could be seen, small in the distance.
They soon turned into flames.
Simultaneously, the sounds of battle erupted from all directions.
This widespread chaos, in terms of both distance and numbers, was spreading.
It made the veteran soldiers realize this was unmistakably an all-out war.
“Why attack now… And an all-out assault, abandoning the fort at that!?”
“Your Majesty, if they have such an advantage, wouldn’t it make sense for them to press the attack?”
It was Genzou who refuted the soldier’s words.
“The speed at which they abandoned Fort Fondale, the deployment of their troops in the forest. That was clearly a waiting posture. A brilliantly constructed battle plan designed to avoid casualties. For someone like that to launch a large-scale magical attack as a surprise, and then follow it up with an ordinary all-out assault that would inevitably lead to heavy losses… It’s unthinkable.”
That’s precisely why he had been resting in a secluded spot, intending to conserve his strength until Daltone made his move.
“I don’t understand their intentions… but it looks like we have no choice but to go.”
“It would be good if we could rendezvous with soldiers who know us… but we can’t afford to get caught in that overly wide-ranged attack.”
From the explosions to everything else, the scale of the magic was so immense it defied all common sense.
Genzou expressed his concern, stating they couldn’t risk exposing Royce to such danger.
“No, there’s no need for such worry. It’s an all-out war where they’ve dispersed their troops.”
“Mmm. Since they’ve been employing one cunning stratagem after another, I can’t be so sure… No, you’re right. It’s about time we made an appearance and showed our presence.”
Though anxieties remained, Genzou ultimately agreed to take the risk.
It was a decision he would never normally make.
Perhaps it was because this was the decisive battle, or perhaps he was influenced by the dramatic turn of events; it was an uncharacteristic decision for him.
However, the morale of the former Belfast Army was abnormally high. Even that of the Wind Chime Mercenary Group.
“If we’re going out, where to?”
“The main road, where there’s still a chance of Greater Magic being used, is out of the question. In that case, it would be safest to continue providing support from this side of the forest.”
Royce, nodding at Genzou’s words, glanced over his soldiers.
“Alright! Looks like your spirits are high. This is the decisive battle. Let’s reward them for all their hard work up until now!”
We can’t let all the times they performed miracles and brought us to the brink of victory go to waste.
Though the weight of their feelings differed, everyone shared that understanding.
They raced towards the battlefield, each trying to be the first.
Within the forest, where the clash of swords echoed continuously.
Soldiers of the former Belfast Army fell, one after another.
Even though they had only just arrived, the former Belfast Army was already being pushed back.
“Damn it! Are the Imperial Soldiers really this highly trained!?”
“Even after Lady Yurisia thinned their numbers the other day, we still had many casualties…”
“But that doesn’t mean I expected every single one of them to be an elite!”
The place they headed for was a part of the forest near the main road, untouched by the area-of-effect magic.
There, two thousand Imperial Soldiers lay in wait.
They were elites, on par with the Imperial Soldiers they had fought the other day; opponents so formidable that even fifty Imperial Guard Knights, despite having superior numbers, would still see several of their own injured.
The majority of the soldiers Royce and the others led were high-ranking soldiers. On top of that, the enemy outnumbered them many times over.
It was inevitable that casualties would mount.
They had only avoided being surrounded and annihilated because the enemy also had to be wary of the main Belfast Army.
The regular soldiers of the Belfast Army had not yet reached their position.
The situation was dire. Even if they tried to rendezvous, in this chaotic melee, they would undoubtedly be mistaken for enemies and attacked unless they encountered someone they knew.
The quickest way was to be seen fighting Daltone or other Imperial Soldiers.
However, the Imperial Soldiers they needed to engage were too strong.
Yurisia continued her sniping, desperately trying to reduce their numbers, but with such a disparity in forces, she couldn’t keep up, and they had been in a tight spot from the very beginning.
“We need to somehow circle around to the west! The closer we get to Belfast, the sooner we should be able to rendezvous!”
“Now is the time for us Imperial Guard Knights to show our valor!! Create a path with all your might!!!”
Roars of affirmation answered Genzou’s cry.
And so, their desperate, sacrifice-laden movement somehow succeeded. They could hear the sounds of fighting behind them.
At this rate, if they fought while retreating, they could rendezvous soon.
Just as relief began to set in.
“Well, well, well. I was wondering how you were holding out for so long, and look, it’s a familiar face, isn’t it? This is a problem, you know? I’m supposed to be exterminating that thing rampaging along the main road.”
He was supposed to be with Ignat, prioritizing the elimination of the source of their disadvantage.
Estoc had left the small fry to the soldiers and was guarding the main road, but the unending sounds of battle had lured him towards the forest.
“Kuh, you’re…!!”
“This one’s a formidable enemy. I’ll hold him off. Evelyn, provide support. Lord Royce, take command!”
They were already at a disadvantage. Genzou, knowing the danger, decided to fight alongside Evelyn, realizing they couldn’t let this man run rampant.
However, Royce did not nod in agreement.
“No. Genzou, we’ll take him on together. This is too much for Evelyn.”
“But!!”
“Enough!!”
Seeing Royce so resolute, Genzou fell silent. Evelyn, perhaps sensing this too, closed the distance she had put between herself and the enemy and resumed fighting.
She was worried about Royce, but she wasn’t so lacking in emotional control as to violate military discipline while her comrades were dying one after another.
“Hmm. Just the two of you against me? Ah, well, I guess you don’t have anyone else. Can’t be helped. But I’m busy today, so I won’t play around.”
A faint red light flickered at his feet, and Estoc’s figure vanished.
“Genzou!!” Royce shouted, but Genzou, as if he had anticipated it, unleashed a kick behind him.
“Huh?” Estoc, letting out a questioning sound, took the kick in a defensive stance, leaped backward to parry the attack, and then spoke with displeasure.
“You, were you pretending to be weak?”
“Don’t say that just because I startled you a bit from behind. Are you scared now, all of a sudden? If I recall correctly, you were the one acting all high and mighty, pretending to be weak against a young girl with just enough power to be dangerous if she let her guard down, weren’t you?”
Since he didn’t usually say such things, those who knew him immediately understood his objective: he was trying to draw Estoc’s aggro towards himself.
And for Estoc, who possessed absolute confidence in his own strength, it was remarkably effective.
“Fine. I’ll carve you up… until you realize your foolishness!!”
No sooner had he declared this than he activated his magic, darting around Genzou and repeating hit-and-run attacks.
However, after Genzou matched his timing a few times, Estoc was caught by a sword strike and, overpowered by Genzou’s physical strength, was sent flying. Yet, he twirled and landed neatly on his feet.
Genzou and Royce moved to pursue, but the moment Estoc’s feet flashed brightly, their advance came to an abrupt halt.
“What…?” Genzou, a sword thrust into his stomach, stared at Estoc before him with eyes wide in astonishment.
A sudden, terrifyingly fast step-in.
He had barely managed to block it with the flat of his sword, but even that had been shattered and pierced through.
Genzou, who had been fighting consecutive battles against Imperial Soldiers, apparently didn’t have enough Magical Power left to offset the directly thrust sword, and the blade that pierced him emerged from his back.
“You fool. ‘Carving you up’ means tormenting you without killing you. I’ll praise you for not letting me cut you until I was satisfied, but did you really think someone of your level could kill me when I’m going all out?”
With his sword still piercing Genzou’s stomach, Estoc, in his thrusting stance, turned his gaze to Royce.
“You’re next… Are you prepared to die?”
Genzou’s sword hilt swung towards Estoc’s head, who was about to twist the impaled blade, but Estoc vanished just before impact.
The sword was violently pulled out, and a spray of blood erupted from Genzou’s stomach.
Seeing this, Evelyn rushed over in a panic, but Estoc was clearly faster to move. Royce had also taken an intercepting stance, but his expression was bitter.
And the moment Estoc’s feet flickered with light, a gunshot rang out.
In that fleeting instant, he lost his balance and shot past Royce.
He failed to land properly and went tumbling across the ground.
“You againnnnnnn!!”
Estoc sprang to his feet and roared in the direction from which the gunshot had been heard.
His cheek was deeply gashed, and blood was dripping from it.
Yurisia, knowing a normal shot would be deflected, had predicted his direction of movement from his thrusting stance and fired the moment she saw his magic activate.
Yurisia’s determination to protect Royce-sama, no matter what, had led her to act covertly, ensuring she wouldn’t be noticed until there was a fatal opening or Royce-sama was in absolute dire straits.
That’s right; she had stopped firing after Estoc appeared.
That caution inflicted a significant wound even on Estoc, who still had Magical Power remaining.
However, he still managed to narrowly avoid it.
There were no more moves left.
Just when it seemed that way, an out-of-place, leisurely voice was heard, “Phew, feels like I finally made it to the battlefield.”
“Huh? Wha…? Whaaaaaaaat!!!? Y-Your Majestyyyyy!?”
“Viscount Dora! You came at a good time!”
“W-w-w-w-w-what in the world is going on heeeere!?”
An Imperial Soldier, drawn by Viscount Dora’s conspicuous shout, attacked him.
He roared, “Out of my way!!” shattering his opponent’s sword and cutting him down.
“Hey, Dora, I thought I heard ‘His Majesty,’ did something happen to His Highness… Your Majestyyyy!!!”
“More importantly, Urbain, Dora! I’m in a pinch. Lend me a hand!”
The two froze in bewilderment. Viscount Dora was the first to recover from the confusion.
The corner of his mouth curled up, and he ran to support Royce-sama, laughing.
“Kuhahaha, I don’t really get it, but I’m all in!! I don’t care if this is a dream I’m having as I die!”
“Ha, hahaha, following His Highness, what a grand blessing from the gods! Everyone, His Majesty Royce is alive!!! Charge forth!!”
The two of them exuded a sense of euphoria, as if they were tripping. Urbain fired a rescue flare, signaling to nearby soldiers that they were short-handed.
Immediately after, he took a position to protect Royce-sama and readied his weapon.
“I’m fine, that bastard… wait, Yurisia-jouchan is in danger!”
Seeing Estoc, who had vanished, Royce-sama sensed Yurisia’s peril and dashed off.
“Y-Your Majesty!? You mustn’t act alone in a place like this!!”
“Exactly! I won’t stand to lose you again!”
Urbain and Viscount Dora ran to stop him.
While running, Urbain turned to the soldiers and shouted, “Keep heading east!” letting them know that allies were a little further back.
Evelyn desperately wanted to follow Royce-sama, but she couldn’t abandon her long-time comrades to die.
She had Genzou carried and ordered her unit to fall back, at least until they could rendezvous with friendly forces.
Fortunately, in the forest, neither side could carelessly unleash widespread flames.
They continued their retreat, believing they could manage as long as they dodged the flying rocks.
All the weaker soldiers had been taken down, but they somehow managed to retreat to their allies.
There, she saw several familiar faces.
When Evelyn cried out for help, she was immediately noticed, and voices called back.
“What’s this, little lass… you came to rescue us…?”
“Honestly, if you were coming, why didn’t you show your face from the start!”
“Mmph, isn’t that Genzou-dono who’s injured over there!?”
Veteran soldiers of Belfast poured in one after another.
Slipping past the retreating soldiers, they moved to the front, and the fierce sounds of clashing swords echoed, but it seemed they weren’t in a superior position.
Evelyn grimaced, wondering if even they were being pushed back; the former Belfast Army soldiers were covered in wounds.
Deciding to at least do what she could, she leaned Genzou against a tree and stepped forward.
“Hyooh, a fine woman on the battlefield, how rare. Hey, wanna go at it with me? If I win, you’ll let me have my way with you. I won’t kill ya, see!”
The man, with the face of a bandit, hopped around bow-legged like a Goblin.
At that moment, Evelyn’s anger reached its peak.
Worries about Royce-sama’s safety, the deaths of her comrades, Genzou’s injuries—amidst all this suffering, the most irritating type of person she didn’t want to deal with had appeared before her.
Glancing towards her own forces, she saw that a unit clad in white fur had arrived and was finally starting to push back.
She knew that unit. It was alright to leave it to them now.
Thinking this, Evelyn surrendered herself to her uncontrollable rage.
“Ahahahaha, you won’t kill me? That’s a relief! Then I can easily kill a piece of trash like you! Die, you bastardddd!”
To become a strength for Royce-sama, she had continued an unorthodox training regimen until she was told he had died. Even after that, burning with vengeance, she never forgot to train herself.
Her strength, while not reaching Genzou’s level, was among the top ranks of the former Belfast Army.
Seeing her snap and go berserk like that, the battered members of the Wind Chime Mercenary Group stood up, fearing the danger to themselves that would follow.
“Woah! This woman’s scary! No way! Scary! Stop, stop, even a love that could last a hundred years would cool down! First, let’s smile and introduce ourselves! I’m Tsutomu!”
Overcome with terror, Tsutomu focused solely on fleeing, but Evelyn, thinking, ‘I won’t let you escape,’ relentlessly chased only him.
“Just die! You wanted to go at it with me, right!? Huh!? Hurry up and dieee!!”
And so, Tsutomu, having surpassed the limits of his fear, used his allies as shields repeatedly before vanishing from the battlefield.
Realizing he had escaped, Evelyn, letting out beast-like pants of “Fuu! Fuu!”, lashed out and cut down enemies at random. But, perhaps having vented some of her anger, she regained her senses, realizing this wasn’t the time for such things, and she too left the battlefield.
“His Majesty Royce, I’m coming for you now…”
She murmured with the face of a maiden worried for her beloved, and ran off, searching for Royce-sama’s back.