Chapter 5 – Battle of Tannwald
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At dawn Tigre and Elen were immediately able to get back to Leitmeritz’s army encampment. When Elen jumped up into the sky with Arifar’s power, she quickly spotted several small pillars of cooking smoke rising into the morning sky.
Then again, it was impossible for Elen to appear in front of the soldiers in her current outfit, and thus Tigre alone went back first. He explained the circumstances to Mila’s group, who had returned safely beforehand, had attendants prepare water and new clothes for Elen, and then took the group to Elen.
Immediately upon arrival, Lim flew into Elen’s army, crying. Elen gently hugged her best friend back. Tigre and Mila were also happy about each other having stayed safe. Listening to the recount of the battle against Leshy, Mila had softly clasped Tigre’s hand and scolded him kindly.
“You have clearly been overdoing it. That’s not good”
“I feel sorry for having made you worry, but it wasn’t an opponent who would have allowed for an easy victory. It was the same for you as well, wasn’t it?”
“That’s true, but… In the end, I shouldn’t have allowed you to head out by yourself,” Mila turned her head away, pouting.
At that point, Lim walked up to them. Tears of joy were glittering in her blue eyes. She bowed deeply towards Tigre.
“Lord Tigrevurmud, you have my deepest gratitude. I shall definitely repay this favor in the future.”
“Don’t worry about it. I also wanted to save Elen.”
Tigre stated his true feelings on the matter, but Lim shook her head, causing her dull, golden hair to sway.
“I thank you for being so considerate, but I will not be satisfied with that. Besides, you not coming back made Lady Ludmila worry all night long…”
Talking up to this point, Lim swallowed the rest of her words, apparently having realized she said too much. Mila stared at Lim and Tigre with a shocked expression, her eyes widened.
――I see now. After I’ve headed over to Leshy, Mila has been constantly worrying about me. And as far as I can tell from Lim’s face, Mila also told her to not speak about it as she didn’t want me to realize that.
Tigre hugged Mila tightly, full of remorse and affection at the same time. Then he whispered into the ear of the flustered ice princess, “Sorry, and thank you.”
“…A thanks is more than enough.”
Mila surrendered herself to Tigre with her face bright red up to the ears. Although she noticed Elen’s stare, she didn’t push her beloved away.
†
Elen’s return was greeted with a cheering so loud that it made the atmosphere tremble. The worries and doubts, which had been hovering in the camp until yesterday, were completely blown away by a storm of delight.
Elen answered the soldiers’ cheerful yelling of her name by raising a hand. Clad in her military outfit, her gallant figure brimmed with dignity as Vanadis who ruled over a principality. Next to her stood Lim in silence. Both had put on a bit of make-up to hide their exhaustion.
Soon afterwards, Elen entered the tent of the supreme commander with Lim. Raphinaque, Galyinin, and Rurick were waiting there in addition to Tigre and Mila. Those two had returned ahead of Elen and Lim to give the soldiers the impression that Elen had returned without borrowing the help of outsiders like them.
If it became known that Elen had only been saved through the efforts of Tigre’s group, the dignity of Leitmeritz’s soldiers would crumble apart. Their feelings towards Olmutz and morale would likely change. Elen wanted to avoid such a situation. And even Tigre had no intention to get Elen indebted to him. Mila laughed at his way of thinking, saying that he was way too naive, but she still respected the will of her lover.
Rurick fell on his knees in front of Elen. With tears running down his cheeks, he kept apologizing.
“Even though I moved the soldiers in order to rescue you, Lady Vanadis, we didn’t accomplish a single thing. On top of that, many soldiers were lost. I cannot find any words to excuse this utter failure. I am prepared to accept any punishment, no matter what you deem fit.”
“Lift your face, Rurick.”
Elen’s voice had a faintly bitter undertone. She placed a hand on the black-haired knight’s shoulder and said, “If we are talking about having no excuses, it should be me to say that. I underestimated the enemy, easily fell for his trap, and caused trouble to many people. The one who let the soldiers die wasn’t you, but me. My position as Vanadis probably should be questioned. You have carried out your duty magnificently.”
Rurick bowed his head once more.
“I think we should have a toast on the safe return of Lady Vanadis,” Galyinin said with a calm look.
He split the work with Raphinaque. They quickly lined up silver cups for everyone and poured wine into them. Since they had already heard that Tigre and Elen didn’t eat anything, they also prepared cheese and porridge.
Elen reported about the battle against Leshy while chewing on a piece of cheese. Not only Rurick’s, Raphinaque’s and Galyinin’s face turned pale. This morning they had been overjoyed that both were safe, but back then they didn’t talk about the events that took place.
Tigre’s loyal aide sighed with a face as if enduring a headache.
“I know I should be happy that you have come back in one piece, Young Master, but…do you plan to fight again, if you happen to run across a demon or monster again?”
Raphinaque’s expression was one of such seriousness that it didn’t allow dodging the question. Why must Tigre get involved in battles against monsters that go way beyond human understanding? That question had grown inside Raphinaque because he himself had crossed swords with monsters as well this time.
After putting down the bowl with the porridge on the carpet, Tigre looked at Raphinaque. He couldn’t answer right away because Zmiy crossed his mind. Apparently guessing some of Tigre’s inner state from his expression, Raphinaque sighed one more in a showy manner.
An awkward silence unfolded between those two. The others silently watched the Brunian lord and his retainer. They knew this was a problem Tigre and Raphinaque had to sort out between themselves.
After some time, Tigre spoke up.
“Raphinaque, for me, this is something absolutely necessary.”
“What is necessary about it?”
“The demon I met――Zmiy said that their objective is death. A death we won’t be able to avoid, no matter that.”
A tense atmosphere spread inside the tent. Tigre continued with a calm tone, “It’s a rather vague way of speaking, but if I consider the methods of Rusalka, whom I fought in Muozinel, and Leshy, whom I fought in the forest, it probably means they’re going to steal the lives of humans indiscriminately and unreasonably with some sort of method. Someday, they’re fangs might even reach Alsace.”
Shifting his eyes, Tigre looked at the block bow which was leaning against the tent’s wall.
“I don’t know why this heirloom resonates with the viralt of Mila and Elen. But, the important part is that it allows me to fight them. In that case, I must fight, is what I believe. For the sake of protecting what I wish to protect.”
“Are you saying that it’s your destiny to fight against those demons, Young Master?”
“Destiny…I really don’t like that word,” Tigre shook his head while smiling, “I won’t say that I came here after deciding everything by my own will. But, I have definitely decided by myself to train myself in archery at a young age, and to go to Olmutz at an age of ten after meeting Lady Svetlana.I don’t think those things were decided before I was born, and I don’t want to think that either.”
Once again, silence reigned between the two. But, it wasn’t as heavy and oppressive as the one before.
“――Understood. It’s fine if you do as you like,” Raphinaque said in resignation while roughly churning through his hair and sticking out his front teeth. “But, I do have one condition.”
Tigre nodded, waiting for his aide’s next words.
Raphinaque put on a sly smile and continued, “I’d like you to make a child as soon as possible. As for the partner, I won’t inquire any further on this occasion.”
“…Why would you bring that up?”
Tigre almost cried out. Feeling the girl’s eyes stabbing him, his face turned red. Raphinaque cheerfully answered with a voice that was dripping with sarcasm, “Young Master, if you had said that you’d stay in Olmutz to train yourself or study at the governmental residence, I wouldn’t have said anything like this. Even if you hunted, subjugated bandits, or took part in a battle due to some sort of circumstances, I’d have accepted it since those things happen. But, fighting against such monsters is doubtlessly a lot more dangerous than a war.”
He clenched his fist and rattled on, “If you die, I will return to Lord Urs whole carrying your child alongside your leavings. If I do that, I might get away without getting strangled to death by Bertrand and Titta. It will also comfort Lord Urs’s broken heart to some extent. I promise I will tell your child about your heroic tales every night as it grows up. Of course, it’d be most ideal if you were to safely return to Alsace, though.”
Tigre felt dumbfounded and then shocked. Raphinaque’s words were rough, but they stabbed where it hurt. For landed nobility, it was very reasonable to pass on their blood to the next generation, if they were going to brave mortal danger.
If the blood died out, the family would perish. And in such a case, a new lord would be assigned from outside. If that new lord was a cruel person, it’d cause unmeasurable pain and suffering to the residents.
“Well, you have a point… I will consider, no, handle it carefully.”
Tigre couldn’t say much more than that while being confused. Given that Raphinaque pulled back after getting a consent, Elen returned to the previous topic with a wry smile on her lips.
“I have heard the broad outline from Lord Tigrevurmud, but could you please explain what happened from the day I entered the forest until today?”
First, Rurick gave his report. Next, Mila added some more. She knew the most among those present about the chain of events during the meeting with Sophy.
Elen bowed at Mila with a deeply troubled expression, “Ludmila, I’d like to request your mediation.”
“That’s a rather honest expression, considering it’s you. Though I won’t go as far as thinking you’re one of the fakes.”
While revealing a chilly smile as she made this questionable joke, Mila swiftly glanced at Tigre. Afterwards, she acted like she had no choice since it couldn’t be helped.
“Leaving you aside, it can’t be helped if it’s for Sophy’s sake. I will also be troubled if annoying matters keep affecting my Olmutz. Of course, it’s not like I’m doing it for free, though.”
“I don’t intend to ask you to work for free either. Allow me to offer you whatever I can. By the way, I would also like to request your help, Lord Tigrevurmud. Would you be willing to lend me a hand?”
Elen bowed towards Tigre next. The youth nodded with a smile, “If it’s something I can help you with, I will gladly lend you my strength.”
At that moment, Mila widened her eyes, suddenly realizing something. Once she looked at Elen, she caught Elen smiling at her as if saying, “Gotcha!”, albeit it only lasted an instant.
――I was played, huh?
Mila had guessed the reason why Elen displayed such a laudable attitude. She wanted to get Tigre to cooperate. If Mila had demanded an excessive reward over this matter, Elen would have likely used Tigre to persuade Mila. And Mila would always be soft on Tigre.
――I’m going to remember this, Eleonora.
Next, everyone present talked about what happened in the forest. The death of Governor Leszek would be a pain in the neck for Mila and Elen. It wasn’t as if they could report it as the deed of a demon.
If Eleonora, Militsa, and I insist on the demons, it’s not like people wouldn’t believe us at all, but…,” Mila said, pulling a grimace.
“There still would be doubts left. Some would rumor that one of us or both have killed the governor,” Elen responded with a sour look.
Records existed about both having had discussions with Leszek about the forest’s ownership. No matter who, they’d suspect those two first.
As a result of their discussion, Mila and Elen decided to pretend that they didn’t know about Leszek’s fate. And since Galyinin, Lim, and Rurick didn’t know a smart solution either, they tacitly consented to go along with their masters’ decision.
“Good grief. I think those two are the most urgent problems for the moment.”
Just when Elen said so with a sigh, someone called for Rurick outside the tent. The knight bowed towards Elen, stood up, and left.
As Tigre and Mila were looking at each other, wondering what was going on, he returned. He knelt down in front of Elen with a pale face and reported with obvious surprise written on his face, “We received a report from Sir Jaronov. People considered to be soldiers of Asvarre have attacked the towns and villages in the north.”
“Asvarre…?”
Not only Elen, but even Lim and Mila looked bewildered.
“There’s no mistake with this? For Asvarre to attack Leitmeritz…”
At this point, Elen shook her head. This wasn’t the important part. A light as a ruler filled her red eyes, and she confirmed, “Whoever they might be, they’re attacking the towns and villages of our principality. That is for certain, right?”
“Yes. We have also been told to quickly return to the governmental residence. However, that wasn’t all. Sir Jaronov mentioned something strange…,” Rurick continued his report while looking perplexed, “It seems to be about the time when Sir Jaronov was away from the governmental residence for a few days… It’s said that Lady Vanadis has shown up there, full of life and spirit. And as soon as she heard about Asvarre’s army, she ordered to gather the soldiers and have them head to the north as soon as possible.”
“What was that?”
The silver-haired Vanadis furrowed her eyebrows. There was no way for her to have done this since she had been kept prisoner by Leshy until just yesterday.
Tigre raised his voice in understanding. The youth looked at Elen with an expression colored by surprise and impatience.
“Elen, do you remember what Leshy said?”
‘The troops of a certain country are attacking your fief.’
Elen widened her eyes. She had completely forgotten about that, thinking it was some demon nonsense to lead her astray. But, that was the same for Tigre as well.
“Does that mean the demon possessed some sort of connection with Asvarre?”
“I don’t know. But I cannot say it’s impossible either. There’s also the issue with your fakes.”
This is also something Tigre almost completely forgot during the deadly fight, but when Leshy produced another fake Elen, there were traces of two more having been born before.
One of the fakes had been destroyed by Mila’s group. So, where did the other go? Wouldn’t that be the one that showed up at the governmental residence?
“You have my thanks, Tigre. Without you, I’d have completely forgotten about this.”
Elen grabbed the longsword, which had been leaning against the wall, and told Rurick, “Gather the soldiers outside camp.”
Arifar responded to her fighting spirit, causing her silver hair to flutter.
†
———– End of Part 1 ———–
The sun was about to reach its zenith, and the sky was blue as far as the eye could see. With the sunshine as intense as it was in summer, the atmosphere was hazy from the heated ground. It was hot enough that one would sweat buckets if they stood still.
Right now, fewer than a thousand Leitmeritz soldiers were lining up outside the camp, maintaining stern expressions and straight postures, despite the sweat gushing out of all pores.
Standing on a pedestal, Elen was looking down at them. Lim and Rurick were behind her. Tigre and Mila stood next to those two.
After taking a short breath, Elen spoke up, “I feel deep regret that I allowed your comrades to die and gave you so much trouble because of my own carelessness. I cannot talk about the details, but a challenging enemy was lurking in the forest behind me. That enemy tried to cause chaos in Leitmeritz by using bandits and mercenaries, with the forest as their base. Lim and I couldn’t contact anyone outside the forest due to enemy interference.”
Tigre looked at Elen with eyes full of admiration. She hadn’t said a single lie. It was true that Leshy lurked inside the forest, and the corpses he manipulated also included bandits and mercenaries. And Leshy tried to increase the number of victims by expanding the forest.
But the soldiers would likely interpret it as the “enemy” mentioned by Elen, who had gathered bandits and mercenaries and was trying to establish a base in the forest. The strange events they experienced were illusions and tricks of their imagination. They had to believe that their comrades, who never left the forest, had been killed by the enemy.
This explanation was believable and thus much easier to accept than the idea that this was a monster’s doing. Elen was trying to push through with this story as it was currently crucial to get their understanding.
And then the silver-haired Wind Princess cut to the chase.
“As for the enemy, we’re still in the middle of investigating them, but we learned that they have connections with a country called Asvarre. Moreover, we received a report earlier from the governmental residence. They say a crowd of thugs, who only speak Asvarrish, are attacking the towns and villages in the north. They seem to number around 3,000 to 4,000.”
Elen’s voice was teeming with intense fury. Her red eyes looked as if they would be popping out any moment now. Her emotions and ambition were clearly passed on to the soldiers, causing the men’s faces to turn red with anger rather than heat. The men also began to groan like beasts.
While sensing the ferocious enthusiasm coming from her men, Elen raised her voice, “It was my blunder that invited this sort of situation. Your anger should normally be directed at me. But, please lend me that rage for the moment. To defeat the thieves ransacking Leitmeritz. Please allow me to fulfill my duty as ruler of this land.”
Elen drew her longsword and held it straight up. The soldiers shouted their Vanadis’s name, thrusting their fists into the air. All of them pledged to fight for Leitmeritz and Elen.
“…Way to go.”
Mila frowned as she stared at Elen and the soldiers of Leitmeritz. It was clear without a doubt that the soldiers were unhappy and suspicious of Elen, who had gone missing just like that. Yet, Elen used their emotions to link them to anger, hostility towards the invaders, and heightened morale. If they now won the battles to come, Elen would be able to recover from her failure.
“Now then, I guess it’s my turn next.”
Mila went on the pedestal, planted herself next to Elen, and looked down at the soldiers with a brazen attitude.
“I’m Ludmila Lourie, the Snow Princess of Frozen Ripples, who governs the Olmutz Principality. I shall cooperate with Eleonora in this battle. You probably know that this forest extends into Olmutz, too. The enemy has also infringed upon our territory. What has been lurking in the forest became a common enemy for her and me. That’s why I have visited this land and joined up with Eleonora.”
“Did you hear, you lot!?” Elen raised her voice, ” Two of the Vanadis, who are hailed for being peerless in battle, have gathered here. At this point, even ten thousand troops won’t be more than a flock of sheep in front of us. Let us head to the battlefield at once. Take down the camp!”
The atmosphere trembled once more due to the soldiers’ roars. The black dragon flag and Leitmeritz’s military flags furiously fluttered in the wind.
Elen had the soldier break up, got off the pedestal, and asked Lim as well as Rurick, “How many cavalrymen do we have in this unit?”
“Three hundred,” answered Rurick.
“Have a hundred gallop to the governmental residence and another hundred to Buszek. They’ll explain the circumstances to Jaronov and Sophy. I’ll head north with the remaining hundred cavalrymen, fight the fake, and investigate the enemy’s movements. Rurick, gather the infantry and follow me.”
“Lady Vanadis, you’re going to personally head to the location of the fake…?”
Rurick clearly wasn’t happy about this. He deeply revered Elen whenever she stood in the heat of the battlefield, but depending on the outcome, it could plunge Leitmeritz into chaos. Hence, he found it difficult to agree right away.
“Lady Eleonora, you must be tired. Please take a rest for at least one day,” Lim tried to stop Elen by using this roundabout way, but Elen shook her head.
“Every koku and day counts right now. Don’t worry. Even I don’t believe that I can somehow handle three to four thousand enemy soldiers with hundred cavalrymen. I’ll avoid being reckless.”
The two sighed deeply. Lim looked at Rurick with an apologetic expression, “Lord Rurick, I will restrain her as much as possible, so I will leave this place…”
“Please do, Lady Limalisha. I think that way will be better than Lady Vanadis moving by herself.”
Elen looked quite sour as she saw the attitude of her best friend and subordinate, but she was in no position to talk back. Leaving the soldiers to the two, she faced Tigre’s party.
“What are you guys going to do? If you want to take a break at the governmental residence, I’ll have them prepare the necessary accommodations.”
“If you’re fine with me, I’ll help you.”
The first to say so was Tigre. Elen’s eyes shone with great interest.
“With delight, is what I’d like to say, but could you tell me your reason?”
“First, it’s a perfect opportunity to get Leitmeritz indebted to Alsace,” Tigre responded with a daring smile.
The fight against Leshy couldn’t be made public, but the battle against Asvarre’s army would be different. It was a chance to promote Tigre and Alsace’s name.
‘Besides, Elen isn’t the kind of person to forget a debt,’ Tigre assessed. ‘If it means getting her indebted to me, Mila probably won’t feel grumpy about it either.
“I see. Just now you mentioned ‘first.’ Does that mean you have other reasons as well?”
Tigre nodded with a serious expression.
“I cannot leave thugs, who attack towns and villages, to their own devices.”
That anger was the very thing spurring Tigre into wanting to help Elen. Exchanging a look with Mila, Raphinaque, and Galyinin, he saw that all of them were smiling wryly. They apparently liked his righteous fury.
“If Young Master says he’s going to earn some deeds of arms, I have no choice but to come along with him, I suppose,” Raphinaque smiled, showing off his front teeth.
Mila shrugged as well, “Just as I told your soldiers earlier, I will have you repel the Asvarran army as quickly as possible since I want you to have a meeting with Sophy as quickly as possible.”
If the demons were related to the invasion of the Asvarran army in some way, Mila couldn’t ignore it. In addition, seeing how Tigre said he’d fight, it was natural for her to stand at his side.
Elen straightened her posture, bowed to Mila and Tigre once again, and shook either’s hand.
“Allow me to thank you for your offer as Vanadis of Leitmeritz. Please get some rest until the preparations for our departure are done…is what I’d love to say, but Ludmila, there’s something I wanted to talk with you about for a bit.”
Mila cocked her head in confusion, but thinking that Elen likely wouldn’t pick a fight with her in this situation, she nodded. Both left the others, walking to a spot where no one else could hear them.
Elen cleared her throat once as if to calm her emotions.
“What I wanted to talk about are the events of last night.”
Mila’s expression froze somewhat. She put power into the hand holding Lavias. This morning, when he came out of the forest, Tigre was naked above the waist. And Elen wore nothing but his overcoat above her birthday suit when they reunited inside the forest. If anyone, not just Mila, heard that they spent a night together in such a state, they’d immediately suspect that something went down.
She didn’t really want to hear it. Neither was she interested. Mila tried to say so, but the words wouldn’t come out. Elen pressed a hand against her hip and spoke up.
“Before we went to sleep, I told Tigre not to do anything insolent. When I did, he answered the following: I don’t have any intention to do anything with another girl since I already have a girl I love.”
Mila stared at Elen with a dumbfounded expression.
The silver-haired Vanadis continued with a wry smile, “Just as he said, he didn’t do anything to me. As for me, he’s the person who saved my life, after all is said and done. I intended to accept things to a certain extent, but…I was surprised in a good way.”
“Why…” Mila asked, her shoulders trembling as she couldn’t conceal her confusion, “…are you telling me something like that?”
“I just believed that you’d be worried about this,” Elen answered with the mischievous smile of a child who succeeded at a prank. But, she immediately put on a serious expression and continued, “I don’t care what you think about me, but I don’t want Tigre to have some wrong misunderstandings because of me. Though it’s up to you whether you believe me or not.”
As if having said everything she wanted to say, Elen turned around and started to walk away. The wind made their silver and blue hair flutter. Mila lowered her eyes to the ground, holding Lavias with both hands as if using it to prop herself up. She had been pouting so as to hide her embarrassment, but her cheeks were dyed deep red.
†
The sun gleamed whitely in the eastern sky, slowly erasing the last traces of night. A wind pregnant with cool air breezed across the grasslands. Although it was already summer, the heat of the day didn’t stick overnight. making it rather chilly before dawn.
A region called Pulsnitz existed in the north of Leitmeritz. It consisted of flat grasslands, only interrupted by a long, narrow river meandering across the region from northeast to southwest. Because the place was away from any main road, the number of people coming here was rather low.
Several days passed since around 1,500 Leitmeritz soldiers built their camp in this region. Their morale was dropping by the day. The reason for that was plain obvious.
Eleonora Viltaria, their supreme commander. She didn’t try to move from this place, let alone make any moves to deal with Asvarre’s army.
Even when the soldiers who went out to scout reported on the villages and towns attacked by Asvarre’s army, she merely ordered them to remain on standby, showing nothing more than a nod to the reports. Even when listening to the recounts of the Asvarran soldiers burning the houses, stealing commodities and cattle, killing those resisting, and kidnapping as well as raping the women, she only said, “I see,” without even batting an eye at this. As if she had absolutely no interest in all of this.
This caused the soldiers of Leitmeritz confusion.
Certainly, the enemy had more than twice their numbers with their 4,000 troops. But Leitmeritz’s army should be able to hinder the enemy’s actions to some degree, thereby protecting the towns and villages. As a matter of fact, Elen had done this on numerous occasions up until now. She had forged plans, racked her brain, and continued to protect the peace of Leitmeritz.
Yet, the present Elen only ordered her soldiers to stay on standby, as if she’d lost all fighting spirit. She showed no sign of using the information obtained through reconnaissance.
As the days kept passing pointlessly like this, each new report about damages and losses caused Leitmeritz’s soldiers to become angrier, but in the end, Elen didn’t try to do anything about Asvarre’s raids. In contrast to Elen’s indifference, Asvarre soldiers ran all over Leitmeritz’s north, attacking towns and villages. Almost as if they were provoking Leitmeritz.
At first, the soldiers suspected that Elen might have a reason for her passivity, but nowadays they were full of suspicion and dissatisfaction, wondering why she hadn’t ordered them to take down the enemy.
While they watched Asvarre ravage the lands, another incident caused morale to plummet even further. Some of Leitmeritz’s soldiers attacked the neighboring villages and towns.
Whenever you amass more than a thousand troops, you will always find soldiers not abiding by military regulations. So far, Elen would have mercilessly punished those people. Doing so had earned her the residents’ trust and solidified her command of the soldiers. After all, the families of the soldiers lived in those very towns and villages.
However, this time, Elen didn’t even give the report about this incident a second thought. Far from it, rumors that she had secretly instigated those soldiers began to circulate.
Seeing how the soldiers were ordered to remain on standby, they could only idle around inside the camp. This was a perfect breeding ground for rumors. And it further incited the soldiers’ anger towards Elen.
At one point, a knight couldn’t bear it any longer and went to confront Elen.
“Lady Vanadis! Please order us to fight! Tell us to defeat those Asvarrans who act like lousy bandits. If we can make the falter by launching a surprise attack against them, they will likely tone down their acts of barbarity, too. Someone like you should know as much!”
The knight frantically pleaded, raising his voice.
Elen listened to his words without a single change in her expression, and when she confirmed that the knight had told her everything he had to say, she bluntly answered, “You remain on standby. Our army is inferior in numbers. Now is not the time for us to make a move.”
Elen took her eyes off the knight and looked outside the tent, calling. In response, the problematic soldiers who had violated military regulations entered. Seeing the sadistic gleam in their eyes, the knight gulped. It was a spectacle that shouldn’t have been possible in Leitmeritz’s army as he knew it until now.
“Take this man away. He’s a scoundrel who is trying to deliberately lower the army’s morale while not understanding my thinking. Punish him in a place where the others can watch.”
“Lady Vanadis…!”
The knight tried to draw close to Elen with a face colored by shock and despair. But the soldiers moved before he could, bound his arms behind his back, and dragged him out of the tent. A little while later, the snapping of whip lashes resounded throughout the camp.
Unable to cope with the bad atmosphere surrounding the camp, some soldiers secretly deserted that night.
†
———– End of Part 2 ———–
In the morning, two days after the knight had been whipped, a certain report was delivered to Leitmeritz’s army. According to it, around a hundred riders have appeared in the south and are headed this way. That group was flying the Leitmeritz and Zchted’s Black Dragon flags.
The one riding at the head of the column was a female knight believed to be around twenty years old. That knight had taken off her helmet so as to show her face. Her dull blond hair was tied into a side tail on the left. Everyone who heard that report immediately knew the woman’s identity. It was Limalisha, Elen’s adjutant.
The news that Lady Limalisha had appeared spread through the camp like wildfire. However, the soldiers weren’t surprised. Elen had told them beforehand that she ordered Lim to act separately. This wasn’t unusual either. It often happened that Elen would entrust the command of a detached unit to her when they pushed their way through a battlefield. Depending on the circumstances, Lim would even be entrusted with the command over the main force.
The soldiers hoped that Lim would be able to talk sense into Elen. However, before the cavalry unit could get close, Elen ordered, “There’s no way for Limalisha to have shown up here. That is an impostor. Attack her.”
However, Elen didn’t summon the commanding officers of each corps to inform them directly. Instead, the rule-breaking soldiers called the captains and ordered them without listening to any complaints. Apparently, they had moved up to a position akin to being Elen’s close aides at some point.
Given that this was the order of their Vanadis, the soldiers of Leitmeritz reluctantly left the camp in groups. Of course, some of them found this order odd. But their trust towards Elen, which she had built as a Vanadis by correctly governing the principality, won out. Moreover, not a few of them couldn’t bear staying idle any longer, even if it meant that they had to fight a battle that didn’t make much sense to them.
More than a thousand soldiers were deployed on the plain. Their armaments and ranks were a mess, but no one was there to put them in order. However, their heavy underestimation of their opponent also played a role in this. Usually, this would have never been possible under Elen.
Around the time when the sun was about to reach the zenith, the cavalry unit became visible in the south. Just as the report stated, they were flying Zchted and Leitmeritz’s flags with Lim riding in front.
Once the cavalry unit spotted Leitmeritz’s troops, they formed a column. They advanced in an orderly manner, closing the distance. Before long, the distance between both sides shrank below four hundred alsin. Just a bit further, and they’d enter the archer range.
At that moment, someone came forward from within the group of riders. Seeing that person, the soldiers of Leitmeritz doubted their own eyes.
Even in the distance, her silver hair was glowing vividly. Her military attire combined white and grape colors. A longsword hung at her waist. She looked just like their lord, Eleonora Viltaria.
Elen ordered the cavalrymen to halt and proceeded onwards with just Lim at her side. That bold attitude made Leitmeritz’s soldiers falter. Some of them had nocked arrows onto their bows, but not one of them drew the bowstring.
According to their lord, Lim was an impostor. In that case, the Elen next to her should be an impostor. But even those soldiers who believed that didn’t attempt to challenge her with their weapons. The sun wasn’t the only reason sweat was drenching their bodies.
At last, the distance of the army to Elen and Lim had decreased to less than ten alsin. Elen’s ruby eyes, teeming with authority and fighting spirit, lorded over the thousand soldiers.
“――What are you doing over here?”
Elen asked in a calm, quiet voice, but her words, carried by the wind, reached each of the soldiers. All of them were staring at Elen, and Lim behind her, with confusion written all over their faces.
Elen lightly drew her breath and then thundered, “What’s with this undisciplined mess!? Are you really the brave soldiers of my Leitmeritz!?”
The soldiers turned pale and cowered as if struck by lightning. And then they looked as if they had finally woken up from a dream, staring up to Elen with eyes full of reverence. They straightened their backs.
With fury blurring her eyes and wind rustling her hair, Elen calmly asked, “Where am I?”
It was a strange question, but those who heard it immediately understood its meaning. Many soldiers looked back, gazing at the camp in the far distance. That was their answer.
Elen kicked the belly of her horse. Lim silently followed her. And Leitmeritz’s soldiers quickly moved to open a path for their true lord, despite no one having ordered them to do so.
Elen and Lim hurried their horses along without sparing the soldiers even a single glance of caution. The soldiers silently saw the two off. At this point, everyone present was convinced that those two were the real Elen and Lim.
†
Five days ago, Elen and Lim had left the Forest of Coryn with a hundred cavalrymen and headed straight north through Leitmeritz. On their journey, they sent out scouting parties on many occasions, searching for Asvarre’s army and Elen’s impostor.
As a matter of fact, it wasn’t all that difficult to find both. Once they compiled all the reports on towns and villages that had suffered death and destruction, they quickly got a sense of the general location of Asvarre’s army. Elen’s imposter had also gathered the soldiers stationed throughout the area.
Elen was enraged by the brutality and cruelty of Asvarre’s army, but that only worsened her fury towards her copy. After all, she could immediately tell that her impostor hadn’t gathered the soldiers to send them against Asvarre’s army. The soldiers probably didn’t move because they believed in Elen, which ironically meant her government thus far had backfired.
“First, I’m going to butcher that fake,” Elen had informed Lim while advancing her soldiers up to Pulsnitz.
And right no,w Elen was galloping with her body clad by a gale, making the roughly thousand soldiers step aside for her. Her face had transformed into the incarnation of indignation as she rushed towards the camp with Arifar drawn.
The soldiers, who had stayed back in the camp, came out, surprised, but the instant they saw Elen, they all froze on the spot, dumbfounded.
With her silver hair disheveled, Elen haughtily asked them, “Where is she?”
Faster than anyone could answer, an ominous wind blew past them. That performed a jump no human could ever pull off and attacked Elen from the air.
A grating noise filled the air. Elen had repelled the powerful slash coming down at her from above. The one attacking was obviously Elen’s impostor. The fake used Elen’s horse as a stepping stone, swiftly leaping backwards.
“Hoh,” Elen said with a bloodthirsty smile, twisting her lips. “You’re my impostor, huh? That demon not only had a warped appearance but also distorted eyes, huh? Except for the hair and eye color, you don’t look anything alike me, don’t you think?”
The fake scowled at Elen with the eyes of a beast without answering verbally. But, she seemed to understand that she wouldn’t be able to get away. After releasing a creepy scream, similar to wood scraping against wood, the fake came at Elen with her sword ready.
Elen readied Arifar and took her on.
The instant the two longswords clashed, you could hear something akin to dry wood breaking apart, immediately followed by the fake’s sword being pulverized.
“――Be grateful. I’ll make sure to put an end to you in one stroke!”
The slash, which she unleashed alongside that roar, split the fake’s head apart. Plant vines could be seen through the crack in her now open head, but Arifar’s wind turned into blades, chopping vines and fake apart. As the impostor collapsed backward, its body dissolved. The surrounding soldiers screamed as they saw this.
Elen took a short breath and faced them with an expression that still had lingering traces of her fury.
“As you can see, you have been obeying an impostor of me up until today.”
As the soldiers watched, the fake’s body evaporated, leaving only a nut behind. Elen used Arifar to crush that nut with one slash.
“Good grief, just how much evil work did this thing do while pretending to be me…”
Just when she muttered this, Lium showed up. Guessing that Elen’s battle had finished, she immediately faced the soldiers and quickly rattled off orders. Within two koku, the one thousand soldiers had all been registered, and Lim had a clear view of the current situation. Even Elen wouldn’t be able to do this so quickly.
Using the camp as it was, Elen and Lim discussed their further steps in the supreme commander’s tent.
“According to the reports, the enemy numbers between three to four thousand, but it seems four thousand is closer to the truth. They appear to be around three days on foot from here. Very likely they’re devastating the Tannwald area right now.”
“What about our side?”
“With the soldiers present in this camp, we can field 1,300 men. Adding our cavalry brings the total to 1,400. In addition, there are approximately fifty to sixty soldiers who have been accused of crimes such as breaking military regulations,” Lim reported matter-of-factly.
Going by what she said just now, the enemy outnumbered them by almost three times, but neither of the girls looked scared in the least.”
“We will give them just one chance,” Elen decided while frowning.
It was her way of dealing with the criminal soldiers this time.
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t know whether they were instigated by the impostor. I won’t forgive them, but depending on their deeds of arms, I’m willing to overlook their transgressions this time. Inform all soldiers of this.”
“As you wish.”
Lim bowed deeply, slight satisfaction showing on her face.
Afterwards, both put their heads together over the maps and discussed how to fight Asvarre’s army. Going by the reports from the soldiers who went out to scout so far, they learned that a certain something had been stolen.
They looked at each other.
“The Big Banner has been taken, huh..?”
Elen grimaced. The Big Banner was a huge flag, twice the size of a normal Black Dragon flag. The Vanadis from two years ago had been given that flag as a reward for her military accomplishments by the then-king. That Vanadis donated the Big Banner to the temple of a small town called Noves, explaining that the temple had taken good care of her before she became a Vanadis.
After Elen became Leitmeritz’s Vanadis, the opinion that the Big Banner should be transferred to the governmental residence had been repeatedly raised until recently. But Elen respected the will of her predecessor and ignored those voicing that opinion. It also played a role that she had no real interest in that banner, which was the result of someone else’s achievements.
However, Noves had been attacked by Asvarre’s arm,y and the Big Banner had been stolen alongside other riches. It’d reflect poorly on Elen and Leitmeritz’s honor if they allowed Asvarre to take the banner like that.
“Just in case, inform the soldiers about this matter as well. So that they make sure to get it back without damaging it as much as possible. Let’s think of it as a possibility for a pretext to encourage them with rewards.”
Elen and Lim both knew all too well just how difficult it was to recover such treasures undamaged on the battlefield. Even so, they had to give it their best shot.
“Come to think of it, how far have Tigre and Ludmilla gone?”
Elen mentioned those two as if having just remembered them.
“They might be unexpectedly close. That person is somewhat hard to read.”
A faint wariness tinged Lim’s otherwise indifferent voice. When they separated at Coryn Forest, Mila made an unusual offer. Unusual enough to shock her.
Elen laughed as if to expel her best friend’s anxiety.
“Worrying too much is just what that girl wants us to do. You should think of it as us having exposed one of her skills. Besides, it’s not a move that she can use so easily.”
The silver-haired Vanadis returned her attention to the map. There were a lot of things they had to discuss about the battle against Asvarre’s army.
†
—————- End of Part 3 —————-
Around the time when Elen cut down the impostor, Tigre and Mila were atop a big river. Of course, they weren’t alone. In addition to Raphinaque and Galyinin, roughly seven hundred Leitmeritz soldiers under the command of Rurick were with them. Those were the infantrymen who had camped outside the Forest of Coryn.
All of them had boarded big rafts made out of ice and traveled down the river. With there being ten rafts, approximately seventy people were riding on one raft. The oars to steer the rafts were also made out of ice.
After she had told Elen that she’d help her, Mila had made one demand.
“Tell me about the nearby bigger rivers flowing northwards. Not the ones with reduced water levels, but the rivers that swelled due to heavier rainfall and such. I’m looking for those. If you tell me, I’ll take care of the infantry.”
Hearing what Mila was trying to do, Elen told her the location of one such river while smiling bitterly. And once Mila checked that the river carried enough water after heading there with Tigre and the troops, she created plenty of frozen oars and ice rafts with the power of Lavias.
“I didn’t expect that I’d be able to have fun with ice in the middle of summer,” Rurick joked around, but he actually considered this to be quite significant.
The other Leitmeritz soldiers got terrified by Mila’s power, becoming unable to speak up.
Just like that, they advanced through Leitmeritz with a speed that was several times faster than a normal infantryman would march. Given that it was ice created through the power of a viralt, it wouldn’t shatter or melt easily. Additionally, the rising coldness made the summer sun’s heat less of a burden.
A few days after their departure, the soldiers got used to it, and they were even able to leisurely chat on top of the rafts. Because Rurick was well-informed about the topography up until the northern regions, there was no worry that they’d get lost either.
“I think I came up with an amazing idea, but…was it really okay?”
Tigre asked Mila, who was standing next to him, while looking anxious. He was worried that telling Elen about this sort of hand was a bad move.
Thereupon, Mila revealed an evil smile and answered, “I thought you didn’t want Eleonora and me to fight. Or am I wrong?”
“That’s true, but still…”
Mila casually leaned against his shoulder and whispered, “It’s no problem. It was an experiment anyway. Thanks to it, I learned that my soldiers won’t be able to use it.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Unable to understand the meaning behind her words, Tigre cocked his head in confusion.
Mila calmly explained, “First off, it exhausts me too much.”
Tigre nodded. Immediately after creating the rafts and oars, Mila flopped down on the ground, completely exhausted. Tigre had carried her until she recovered her strength.
“Besides, the soldiers would start to not look at me, but only the viralt. That’s mother’s opinion, though.”
If she gave the soldiers the strong impression of the viralt’s power by abusing it, the soldiers would start to expect her to rely on it every single time. Eventually, a Vanadis would become no more than a tool to draw out the power of the viralt in the soldiers’ eyes. Lana had warned her daughter of this, prohibiting her from relying on her viralt too much.
“That might be correct…,” Tigre nodded with a bitter look.
It wasn’t as though all of Olmutz’s soldiers were as smart and understanding as Galyinin. It was proper to be careful about the use of a viralt’s power.
“But, it’s not all just bad things either. I was able to somewhat put Eleonora on guard.”
Mila smiled as if having succeeded in a prank so as to give her young lover peace of mind.
In the meantime, the swarm of ice rafts continued to travel on the river while maintaining a fixed speed.
†
Thirteen days had passed since the four thousand troops of Asvarre, led by Prince Eliot, had set foot on the land of Leitmeritz. They had set up a camp in the Tannwald area. It was a grassy plain with several smaller hills and three rivers flowing from north to south, but two of those rivers had dried up, revealing their riverbeds. Asvarre’s army was near the river that still carried water.
After they had successfully invaded thanks to the guidance of Duke Ganelon, they had literally gone around and devastated the northern regions of Leitmeritz. They burned down villages and towns, looted, murdered, and raped the women. Far from holding back his soldiers, Eliot actively participated in the pillaging and raping. One of the reasons was that he had a fetish for loving these sorts of acts, but there were several other reasons for it as well. He wanted to boost his soldiers’ morale, secure water and food, and, above all, provoke Leitmeritz’s army. The unifying force of Elen should continue to drop, the more their side provoked Leitmeritz like this.
Based on the information he had received from the fake Elen, Eliot knew that Leitmeritz’s army was amassing troops in the Pulsnitz region.
‘The 1,400 troops on Leitmeritz’s will be more than enough for a deed of arms, and in addition, my military forces exceed them by more than twice the number. Since the impostor has brought down their morale to rock bottom, we now only need to wait for Leitmeritz’s army to arrive in Tannwald.
And eventually the enemy showed up.
As he was finishing his breakfast of Zhcted wine and Brunian cheese, which he had obtained through looting, while welcoming the morning, Eliot received a report: The Leitmeritz soldiers, who had been encamped at Pulsnitz, were heading this way. And the one leading them was a beautiful girl with long, silver hair.
“I see. I guess the Vanadis has appeared.”
Eliot rejoiced while clapping his knees. Knowing that this was an impostor, this was naturally an act. He had felt like it was about time for her to come here. But his fiercely gleaming eyes, full of violence, were no act.
He thanked the messenger in a good mood, and once he had him withdraw, he summoned his main staff and informed them of the approach of Leitmeritz’s troops.
“It looks like the Leitmeritz cowards finally felt like making a move. Moreover, they seem to believe they can beat an enemy who has their number thrice. It’s time to get this final job done.”
The Asvarran knights all laughed at Eliot’s remark. After having had their fill of looting and robbery, their mindset had become quite close to that of bandits. Not a single one of them tried to investigate the enemy’s aim.
They made three hundred soldiers protect their stolen goods and the kidnapped women in their camp. And just after his subordinates left, a new report reached Eliot. A group, combining cavalry and infantry, had appeared in the southeast.
“They number around five hundred and are hoisting the Black Dragon flag. We couldn’t spot Leitmeritz’s flag, though.”
Eliot frowned, looking displeased. This was something he hadn’t heard about from the impostor.
――It’s probably an army from another place. At least, that’d make sense. We’ve been in this region for more than ten days now. A neighboring lord probably got irritated by Leitmeritz dragging their feet and came to check the situation themselves.
“Leave them alone. But keep watching them at all times.”
Even if that group tries to challenge us, there are just five hundred of them. Combined with Leitmeritz’s army, their total force would amount to 1,900, about half our force. Besides, once we crush Leitmeritz’s army, they’ll likely lose all motivation to engage us. They won’t have any other choice but to silently see us off.
Convinced of his victory, Eliot revealed a broad grin.
†
The 1,400 troops led by Elen formed up with a hill in their back once they entered the Tannwald region. Flat grassland was sprawling all around the hill.
“This is a good place.”
Observing the azure sky and the green plain, Elen smiled cheerfully. She was donning an expression so calm that one wouldn’t expect her to head into battle next. Then again, a terrifying fire of rage was flickering in her heart. She had no intention to forgive even one of Asvarre’s soldiers.
A soldier who had gone out on reconnaissance returned and gave his report. He mentioned that he had spotted Asvarre’s army in the east.
Elen nodded and turned around to her soldiers, “Very soon, the thugs are going to appear in front of us.”
She spoke in a calm voice, but even the soldiers in the back could hear how Elen’s voice carried mysteriously well.
“There’s no need for me to tell you what these rogues have done in this area. We will punish them in kind.”
Fury that was no inferior to that of Elen’s was visible in the eyes of the soldiers. The anger released by them seemed to clump into one big cluster and pierce the sky.
Elen hoisted up Arifar, and they stabbed their swords and spears in the air while roaring loudly.
A little while after this, Asvarre’s army finally came into sight. Besides the supreme commander Eliot and a few others, all of Asvarre’s soldiers were infantrymen. They were holding swords, spears, axes, and shields while wearing leather armor that had been reinforced with iron scraps. The commanders of their units wore breastplates and iron helmets.
The armament of Leitmeritz’s army wasn’t all that different from theirs. The majority of them held swords, spears, or bows and wore leather armor. Only a small number were equipped with iron armor and helmets.
A distance of five hundred alsin separated both armies as they glared at each other. When it came to battle, Asvarre’s soldiers showed orderly and organized movements, as you’d expect of a nation’s army. They calmly advanced with their weapons in hand, showing no agitation.
Elen ordered her soldiers to retreat.
Leitmeritz’s army began to climb the hill in order. Once they reached the summit, Elen split her 1,300 infantrymen into four units, deploying one in every cardinal direction. Furthermore, she had her one hundred cavalrymen remain on standby in the center.
Eliot, who was leading Asvarre’s army from the rear, felt suspicious of the opponent’s movements and frowned.
――Their morale sure is high. They’re moving well, too. Don’t tell me…did something happen to the impostor?
Eliot shook his head.
‘If Leitmeritz’s army had eliminated the impostor, they wouldn’t have appeared here with less than half our numbers. It’ll be fine as long as we crush them with a straightforward way of fighting.
Eliot split up his army. Leaving 1,000 troops close by as the main force, he assigned 2,700 soldiers as an advance guard and ordered them to surround the hill.
“The Vanadis is rumored to be extremely beautiful. I shall grant any reward to the one capturing her!”
With their desire fanned, Asvarre’s advance guard readied their spears and shield, storming towards the hill. A shower of stones and arrows greeted them, signaling the start of the Battle of Tannwald.
A soldier had his nose smashed by a stone and tumbled down the slope while dragging a comrade with him. Others stopped moving after getting spiked by several arrows and crumbling on the spot. Angry bellows and screams flitted through the air, carried by the warm winds. Blood, corpses, weapons, and armor started to litter the ground wherever you looked.
Asvarre’s soldiers tried to overcome the disadvantage of having to run uphill with fighting spirit and numbers. And close to ten people had already managed to break through the projectile barrage by Leitmeritz’s soldiers, drawing close on them.
At that moment, a beautiful woman with silver hair and crimson eyes spurred on her horse and leaped in front of them. It was Elen. She swung her longsword as if to cause a whirlwind. The Asvarran soldiers collapsed while turning into blood fountains, unable to mount any resistance.
“Asvarran soldiers!” Elen yelled with a voice full of fighting spirit after swinging her sword to get rid of the blood, “My name is Eleonora Viltaria. I’m the lord of Leitmeritz, and one of Zhcted prided Vanadis! You people aren’t human. You’re nothing but disgusting, stray dogs without any courage or intelligence. Although it’d be fine for you to scrounge for rotten flesh as befitting for your characters, don’t think you’ll be able to leave this place alive!”
It was a scathing insult, but as far as Elen was concerned, she believed that this still wasn’t enough.
The faces of the Asvarran soldiers turned beet red. They raised their voices in anger and attacked Elen. Likely, some of them had also remembered Eliot’s promise.
But Leitmeritz’s soldiers bravely stepped forward and surrounded Elen as if to protect her like a wall. Blades clashed against blades. Copious amounts of enemy and ally blood were scattered.
Elen brandished her sword alongside her soldiers, cutting down enemy soldiers on the left and right. Each time Arifar drew a white trace through the air, more corpses piled up around her while Leitmeritz’s soldiers cheered.
But, no matter how hard Elen fought, it was impossible for Leitmeritz’s army to quickly gain superiority. After all, there existed a clear difference in number. Leitmeritz’s soldiers were pushed by the enemy soldiers swarming towards them in what appeared to be an endless stream.
Eliot watched as his soldiers gradually cornered the enemy in satisfaction, but then a new report reached him.
The five hundred soldiers in the southeast were headed this way, it said.
“Those guys, huh? I suppose they couldn’t just watch the disastrous situation of Leitmeritz’s army on the hill,” mocked Eliot, but hearing that beauty was leading the five hundred soldiers, his smile vanished.
“Is it by some chance a Vanadis? But Leitmeritz’s Vanadis should have a bad relationship with Olmutz’s Vanadis, and Legnica’s Vanadis is supposed to be bedridden. Or is it another Vanadis…?”
Eliot’s speculations were right. The one leading those five hundred soldiers was a Vanadis with light golden hair, a greenish dress, and a golden bishop’s staff in her hand. It was Sofya Obertas. She was commanding a mixed unit. Three hundred soldiers she had summoned from Polesia, her own principality, a hundred soldiers had been prepared by Viscount Vasilya, and another hundred were provided by Viscount Tetradze.
Twenty days ago, after she got Mila to take her place on the trip to Leitmeritz, Sofy returned to the Brzeg region to talk with both viscounts. Back then, she had summoned soldiers from Polesia. She did so to stop the viscounts as they were about to move their own soldiers.
And thus they had stayed in Brzeg until a few days ago, but then the hundred cavalrymen, which Elen had dispatched, suddenly appeared. Hearing of the circumstances, Sofy immediately grasped Elen’s plan.
“In other words, we’re going to put the blame for everything on Asvarre’s army.”
In reality, it had been Asvarre’s army that attacked the towns and villages in Leitmeritz’s north. Hearing that explanation from Sofy, the two viscounts readily agreed with her. And they assigned Sofy as their supreme commander and came all the way here.
Five hundred soldiers were closing in on Asvarre’s army without any hurry. Sofy’s face was stiff and grave. It was the one she would show as a warrior.
“Let us start then.”
Both sides clashed under the glaring sun. The Polesian soldiers, as well as the troops of the two viscounts, assaulted Asvarre’s army with ferocious bravery, unloading all the pent-up rage on them after finally having found an opponent to fight.
The strength of Sofy as she wielded Zaht was so terrifying that one would never imagine it from her usual gentle demeanor. With one swing of her staff, Asvarran soldiers were blown away, just to collapse in their own blood. The Asvarran soldiers were terrified by this way of fighting, while Polesia’s and the viscounts’ troops mustered more and more courage.
Despite facing an army twice their size, they quickly started to push back Asvarre’s main force. From Eliot’s point of view, this was a terrible miscalculation.
And just at that moment, Asvarre’s camp came under attack as well. The ones assaulting that place were Tigre, Mila, Raphinaque, Galyinin, and seven hundred soldiers led by Rurick.
Eliot had placed the camp close to the river to secure water, but because of that, they were able to reach the camp on ice rafts. While advancing along the river which streamed through Leitmeritz’s north, Tigre and the others had seen many burned towns and villages. Their fury towards Asvarre’s army had become so seething that it was no inferior to the summer sun’s heat.
“Charge!”
Leading the charge, Mila fiercely spurred on her horse. Next to her were Tigre and Galyinin. Raphinaque was behind Tigre. Leitmeritz’s soldiers followed those four riders as they roared.
The soldiers protecting the camp were surprised and confused. They didn’t expect that the enemy would come to them. Although they tried to put up a fight, their movements were slow, and their ranks were a mess.
Mila boldly rushed into the enemy camp. Her fighting style was abnormal. With each flash of her spear, an Asvarran soldier turned into a mute corpse, dyeing the ground red with his blood.
Frost covered the grassland, glowing whitely as it reflected the sunshine.
Tigre, on the other hand, fired one arrow after the other, shooting down enemy soldiers. He weakened the enemy forces by targeting those approaching Mila, thus supporting her advance.
“A Brunian…?”
The one muttering so in clear bewilderment after seeing Tigre’s skill with the bow was Rurick, who was commanding the troops in the rear. He suffered a two-layered shock. One stemmed from him seeing a Brunian, who’s good at archery, for the first time in his life. The other was his realization that a Brunian younger than him was an archer of far superior ability.
“I acted so arrogantly by telling someone of such skill that I’d teach them…”
But Rurick immediately pulled himself together. Now wasn’t the time to ponder such things. He deployed the infantry on either side of the camp, forming an encirclement around Asvarre’s camp.
The fear of being surrounded undermined Asvarre’s soldiers’ morale. They threw away their weapons, turned around, and scrambled to run away as fast as possible while screaming. Neither Tigre nor Mila chased after them. They knew that this place was nothing more than a small section of the overall battlefield.
Learning that the enemy in front of them had started to get routed, Rurick ordered his soldiers, “Alright, light the fires. With a sky as clear as this one, it should be visible from afar.”
A short time later, Rurick received a report that a large army flag had been discovered.
†
————- End of Part 4 ————-
When Eliot received the report of black smoke rising from their camp, he realized his defeat. He turned around, just to spot the many lines of smoke, billowing into the sky, as if to give despair a form.
His face smeared with sweat, he returned his gaze to the hilltop. The battle between Leitmeritz and Asvarre was raging on uninterrupted. Elen and the Leitmeritz soldiers under her had beaten back the fierce attacks by Asvarre’s army many times over. The battle seemed to have ground to a halt, with defenders and attackers advancing and retreating as if to maintain an equilibrium.
But once they noticed the smoke, Asvarre’s army began to collapse in some places. Seeing their rear had been taken, they knew their loot was lost, which naturally caused the soldiers’ morale to plummet. Not to mention that the battle between Eliot’s main force and Zhcted’s mixed army was clearly favoring the latter.
“Why…?”
Why has it turned out like this? Even though we should have an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Eliot ground his teeth out of anger and vexation. The dark hatred towards the Vanadis tainted and twisted his face. His tall figure, clad in a shroud of muscles, trembled. He fiddled with his necklace that tied nuts together.
“…Like hell I will…”
…croak in a place like, he spat out in his mind. I’m the next king of Asvarre. I mustn’t lose everything in an insignificant skirmish.
“We’re withdrawing,” Eliot announced to the subordinates around him with a coldhearted look. “This is how far we go. We’re retreating from this battlefield.”
“T-The soldiers surrounding the hill…,” a subordinate stuttered, implying the question.
Eliot curtly answered, “Leave them behind.”
In other words, he was abandoning them. Asvarre’s second prince cruelly calculated that Zhcted’s army would focus on those soldiers if he left them behind.
It was at this time that the soldiers of Asvarre noticed the smoke rising from their camp. Shock and agitation spread like wildfire, causing them to stagger.
Elen and her soldiers also saw the smoke from the hill’s slope. Their morale soared in no time. Elen hoisted her sword in the air, shouting, “CHARGE!”
The hundred cavalrymen she kept in reserve held out their swords and spears, galloping down the hill accompanied by a thunder of horse hooves. Asvarre’s soldiers were cut apart and stabbed to death as they helplessly ran about in an attempt to flee. Some of them threw away their weapons and surrendered, but their voices were drowned out by the battlefield’s noise before they were trampled to death by the cavalry.
The Asvarran army was cut to pieces and skewered all over the battleground. The main force’s soldiers, who had been dealing with Sofy’s mixed army, were dominated by fear, trying to flee while crying like little babies. Some tried to fight, but they were pushed aside or kicked down by their allies, ending up on the ground.
Turning his back on this tragic sight, Eliot frantically spurred his horse into a gallop. But, suddenly, his horse lost its balance and toppled sideways, Eliot being flung on the hard soil. When he raised his ailing body, he found a single arrow stabbed in the neck of his horse. And then he spotted the silhouettes of several riders in the far distance.
That group consisted of Tigre, Mila, and their aides. After having entrusted Rurick with the management of the stolen riches, their group had headed over.
From atop her horse, Mila thrust Lavias at Eliot, who was sitting on the ground with no will to get up anymore.
Just like this, the battle of Tanwald ended just past noon. Asvarre’s army suffered more than one thousand casualties, and around two thousand of them had been taken prisoner. The less than a thousand remaining soldiers had dispersed, now struggling to reach the river while evading Leitmeritz’s soldiers. In the end less than two hundred of them managed to return to Asvarre.
On the other hand, Leitmeritz’s army had lost less than a hundred. Their voices as they celebrated their victory and extolled the three Vanadis thundered across the grass-covered plain.
†
A shadow walked across the plains, its only illumination the brilliantly shining moon. The black-haired woman was clad in a cloak and wore a mask. She was a demon called Zmey.
Zmey silently trudged through the grass with her hair and cloak fluttering in the wind. After having departed from Tigre’s party, this demon had stood outside the forest. Once she confirmed her own location, Zmey started to walk southwards as if nothing had happened.
Suddenly, Zmey stopped. This place was far from any road, so it was rarely visited. Much less in the dead of night. Even if bandits were to roam the area, it was a time when they’d likely be snoring away in their hideouts.
Yet, a small figure was suddenly standing around ten steps away from Zmey. It hadn’t walked over from somewhere. Rather, it had simply manifested in front of Zmey without any warning.
“They failed.”
A man’s voice, sounding somewhat old, made the night’s atmosphere tremble. Illuminated by the moonlight, his appearance could be vaguely guessed. A bald head, bizarre and big eyes, as well as thin arms growing out of silken sleeves. Maximilian Bennusa Ganelon.
“Why did you create Vanadis impostors?”
“I wanted to know more about the Vanadis,” Zmey answered his blunt question without even looking at him. “Vanadis are chosen by their viralt. Not by other humans, but by a viralt. I thought I’d try to find out what those weapons used as a criterion to choose their wielders. Making them go berserk came afterward.”
“So? Did you find out anything?”
Ganelon’s voice teemed with derision. However, Zmey didn’t show any reaction to that.
“I did not,” and then she continued, albeit not sounding vexed in the least, “The present battle maiden of the sword is a girl who had been abandoned right after she was born. She lived as a mercenary until a few years ago. Even now, I don’t understand why the sword chose her. Her physical abilities are definitely outstanding compared to those of other girls of her age. But, there should be others who are stronger warriors than her.”
“That probably means strength as a warrior isn’t used as a criterion.”
“Then what is? If we know that――” Zmey looked at her right hand. “――it might be possible to eradicate those who could become Vanadis.”
The corners of Ganelon’s mouth went up, as if being appalled by her.
“You probably intend to kill them all anyway. Or did the owner of that body tell you something?”
In an instant, silence swooped down. While wiping away the night air that seemed to have vulcanized with her right hand, Zmey said, “――It’s only natural for you, who doesn’t understand us, to keep losing against us.”
Seemingly unable to endure it any longer, Ganelon’s roaring laughter filled the night, his body shaking.
“You’re an honest one. That’s why you used Leshy to catch a Vanadis and even created impostors of her. Was it all a wasted effort after going to such an extent? No…it might not have been a fruitless effort, I suppose.”
Ganelon opened just his right eye widely and looked up to Zmey as if ridiculing her.
“If you wish for an alliance of demons, the ones who are currently awake shouldn’t mind. Like Drekavac at Thenardier’s place. But you deliberately unsealed Rusalka and Leshy. Why?”
Silence. Only the night wind passed between those two.
Ganelon said, “Is there possibly a seal you want to break, and you used your technique on Rusalka and Leshy as a test?”
Zmey didn’t answer. What she said instead referred to a completely different topic.
“――I came face to face with the king.”
Ganelon stopped laughing and instead looked dumbfounded.
“With the king…? He has appeared?”
His voice was filled with plenty of surprise. Zmey started to walk, the hem of her cloak swaying.
“How about I investigate things from my side for a bit?”
After finishing saying those words, the demon quietly melted with the darkness, disappearing. Only Ganelon was left behind.
“Good grief. Thinking about pointless things after recklessly capturing the body of a Vanadis.”
He muttered with a tone as if making a speech while shrugging his shoulders exaggeratedly.
“There is no way…that we will understand them. Those weapons that were created by the black dragon. However, the frankness in her answers…I guess she’s provoking me to try scheming something.”
Sometimes it might be a good idea to allow myself to go along with stuff like this, thought Ganelon. Eliot entertained me quite a bit. The seed of chaos has been planted. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give it some water.”
“Zhcted likely cannot avoid intervening in Asvarre. Once that happens, King Faron won’t be able to stay silent either. Hmm, I wonder, how is the upcoming war going to unfold…”
At the end of those words, Ganelon disappeared just like Zmey had beforehand.
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