Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi Chapter 478

–Aegir POV–

「Isn't this kind of a scam?」

I mutter with a chuckle.

「Hamu, hamu……」

「Mogu, mogu…… delish!」

Elves were wholeheartedly stuffing their faces with fruits in front of me.

「I didn't deceive them in any way.」

I glance over at Leopolt, who quickly resumes his own work.

The elves are eating their justified reward for working……fruit which was promised to them as compensation for assisting the fleet cross the land with their magic.

The black elf takes a big bite out of her apple and puts her hands over her cheeks in pure bliss.

The forest elf carries a slice of peach into her mouth and trembles in pleasure.

「I didn't intend to stick them with something cheap, but fruits are fruits.」

They used powerful earth, water, and wind magic to guide the bizarre plan to success.
I don't think a large box of fruit is enough for a reward.

「It's what they wanted. Do you think giving them gold coins or fiefdoms would have been better?」

They wouldn't be pleased with either of them.

「L-look…… these are grapes. Each one is so big…… and sweet……」

「What's with the redness of this strawberry…… and the taste is too good to be true.」

The two elves feed fruits to each other.
Well, it's a thanks to them, so I guess it's fine as long as they're happy.

「Ah, there you are, Mr. Demon!」

As I was fascinated by the elves, Benel skips over to me.
She leaps toward me with a few feet between us, clinging to my body and kissing both my cheeks before looking up at me with expecting eyes.

「How mean of you to leave me after I passed out. I was so lonely when I woke up!」

Benel puffs her cheeks and playfully pounds my chest with her fists.

Leopolt is gone. Maybe he's jealous.

「Sorry, sorry. I had some business to attend to.」

Ever since the fleet achieved victory, those annoying small scale attacks ceased.
The enemy must be preparing for the decisive battle and concentrating their forces in Altair.

Of course, that's exactly what we're hoping for, so we are amassing our troops and continuing south.
However, we are taking plenty of breaks along the way.
Instead of forcing the soldiers to march at a strict pace, we're preserving their energy so they can fight at the most optimal condition.

「Gosh, are you even sorry!? If you're going to ignore me, I'm not going to suck your cock anymore.」

Benel knocks my dick, which has yet to go limp and is pushing up against my pants, with the back of her hand.

「Yes, I apologize. I'll get down on my knees and apologize, so please do it for me tonight as well.」

When I lament in an exaggerated manner with my arms spread out, Benel cheers up.

「Fufun. If you hug me, I'll forgive you…… don't poke me too much with that, okay? Or I'll get turned on right after waking up.」

That's what she says, but she deliberately presses her hips on my crotch.

Benel is completely in love with me.
Our encounter began with an assassination attempt, but I don't think I have to keep my guard up against her anymore.

「Ahn! You always go for boobs first…… you also touch my ass.」

「Fufufu, it'll be rude if I don't touch such soft breasts and such a squishy ass.」

Benel pinches my cheek as her arm wraps around my neck.
Our relationship has been short, but I can tell the cue for me to take her to bed.

「Jiiiー」

When I pick up Benel, I feel a stare behind me――no, it's just Myla making the sound.

「What's wrong, Myla? Did you want to join?」

「I don't want to unless it's just the two of us. I have something urgent to tell you. And it's a secret……」

Myla glares at Benel.

「It's alright!」

Benel covers both ears with her hands and closes her eyes.

「Let me hear it.」

「……whatever. I don't care.」

I nod, encouraging Myla to give her report.

「South Yuguria's scheming is increasing in activity.」

That's no surprise. With the decisive battle approaching, it's natural for them to accumulate soldiers, send spies to do work behind the scenes and collect as much information on us as possible, or even try interference ploys.

「Our squad is being specifically targeted. First……the idiot Mack divulged the amount of material stockpiled for the siege to the enemy. He reported it himself this morning.」

I don't get what that means.

「Last night, he was apparently seduced and lured into bed by a lewd dark-skinned beauty. He answered after being persistently asked about the engineering corps and when the woman disappeared yesterday, he realized…… According to Mack's own words, “she seemed suspicious, but my sense of reason flew out the window when I saw her enticing curves and tanned ass”.」

「What are you doing, Mack…… drooling over a woman and leaking information, there's a limit to how stupid you can be.」

I unconsciously smile and squeeze Benel's ass.

「We also have a statement from Agor.」

Oh come on, that guy shouldn't be as foolish as Mack.

「……a quiet mature beauty cozied up to him, telling him her house burned down due to the war, and apparently persuaded him into bed by acting like she had no one else to depend on. Sure enough, the woman disappeared after playing around until morning, and although he claimed he didn't speak about anything confidential, he was drunk and couldn't be sure…… According to his own words, “I felt guilty towards the boss, but lost my senses when she wrapped her leg around me”.」

「He's a quiet lecher with a earnest exterior, huh? No woman falls in love that easily.」

I shake my head as my hand fondles Benel's breast.

「Yakov also made a report.」

I knew it. Yakov is dumb enough to get caught in a trap.

「He was apparently tempted by a big-breasted beauty, but didn't leak any secrets. She stole his order document and fled, although it didn't contain anything important. According to his own words, “she had a nice face and body, but it didn't turn me on at all”.」

「That's pretty well done for Yakov. I'm honestly surprised.」

My finger slips inside Benel's underwear and directly traces the outside of her private parts.

I was sure based on his impression that he would crack under the pressure.
Impressive. I'll treat him to some exquisite liquor later.

「He also said, “I seem to be attracted to flatter bodies than voluptuous bodies lately. Moreover, there are times I go soft when I find out the body belongs to a woman”.」

「What is he saying?」

I don't even want to imagine it, let's move on.

「Jim also……admitted……」

What are my subordinates doing? Everyone's falling apart.

「A blonde bombshell seduced him for a one night stand. Afterward, the woman revealed herself to be a spy and threatened to tell his wife what happened unless he changed sides. According to his own words, “I can't yield here or I will not only betray my wife, but also Hardlett-dono, and lose two justices. That I can't do”. I don't know what he's prattling about as he's cheating.」

「I see, that's how he approached it…… I don't know what he's talking about, but that's very like him.」

I stick my finger into Benel's mouth and let her suck on it.

「Also Gido……」

That guy should only have 3 cm left.

「……well, apparently he was lured by an innocent girl younger than him, but he immediately saw through her and drew his sword. If he wasn't stopped by the colleagues around him, he would have cut her head off. According to his own words, “South Yuguria is an enemy. They should be killed on sight”……」

「Hmm, Gido is suffering because his dick didn't come back.」

I tilt my head as I hold Benel by the head and rub her cheek over the crotch area of my pants.

「Oh well, it's fine to ignore them all. What happened to the stupid Mack had more to do with the enemy's skill than anything. Punishing them prior to a critical battle will have the opposite effect.」

There's something more important to……address..

「Yes. Everyone's preferences were perfectly met. I can understand if it was just Lord Hardlett, but to accurately grasp the tastes of mere soldiers as well…… they have a frightening spying ability.」

「It's hard to think otherwise. If they know that much, it's safe to assume everything has been leaked to them. Which means, they'll be able to deal with our fleet crossing the land and our ambush.」

Myla nods slightly, sharing my opinion.

「Yes. If that's the case, then it should be assumed recently…… that the enemy's spy has latched onto someone who knows a substantial part of our secrets.」

My eyebrow raises as I answer with a serious expression.

「We need to figure out who as soon as possible. Leopolt and Tristan are the most suspicious. Stay alert.」

I stroke Benel under her chin.
She happily shakes her plump hips left and right.

「Find the main culprit and strike him down…… geez, exactly where is this idiot?」

As I look into the distance, I see Celia coming over.
By how flustered she looks, she probably has the same thing to say as Myla.

「Aegir-sama, I kicked that stupid Yakov's ass!」

「Good job. You're so cute, Celia.」

Yakov didn't seem to be the problem from what I heard earlier, but that's a trivial detail.

「There was something suspicious that I heard about Leopolt-san. A girl of about 8 years old snuck up on him, saying “please make me an adult”……and was immediately restrained.」

「……I don't think any man would fall for the temptations of such a child.」

「Actually, Leopolt is probably into young girls, so you never know.」

Regardless of the doubt in Leopolt's preferences, I should be the only one with that insight. How does the enemy know about it? This might be tougher to deal with than I thought.

「Regarding preferences……that woman.」

Celia grabs Benel, who is nestling against my arm, and pulls her away.

「Don't you think this woman is much too perfect?」

「Yes, I also agree……」

I follow Myla's and Celia's eyes and look over Benel's body again.

Her height is mid 160 cm……she's got a large enough body I can pound without holding back and she's small enough to fit snugly under my arm.

Her neutral face falls into the beautiful category while her constantly changing mischievous and troubled expressions are both adorable.

She has a sufficiently curvy body with flesh in all the right places……and not only is she voluptuous, her boobs and ass are soft and bouncy, making them great for squeezing and hugging.

She has silky smooth long blonde hair that I'm often captivated by.

「She's smart and lewd…… and she loves muscles, which she shows by caressing my body during sex. Her habit of grabbing me when she cums is also pretty cute.」

「I didn't ask for that much detail. Nonetheless, she's a woman who corresponds to Aegir-sama's tastes from the top of her head to in between her legs! No matter how you look at it, it's too suspicious. If I smack her and stir up the dust……」

Benel looks off into space and whistles innocently.
I knew she's clean.

「Don't tease her so much. I'll be sure to give her a good spanking.」

「「Slapping her ass during doggystyle doesn't do any good!!」」

Celia and Myla are wonderfully in sync. This is reassuring for the decisive battle.

I'll admit I may have been too engrossed with Benel, but it can't be helped that she's so cute.
Even now, she's eagerly pulling me so we can be alone.

「Oh, so that person with the blank face is Tristan? Does he have a type of girl he likes?」

「He said something about liking books and tea more than girls among other things. If you were to ask my opinion, he's the kind of person who prefers girls who lead……or rather, he likes forceful girls who crack the whip and order him to listen.」

「I see, I see……」

Benel is taking notes again, but I just thought of an interesting idea.

「Eh, you want me to wear armor? A female knight? You want me to lose and get violated on the spot? Mmm, then I should bring out the handcuffs to create the mood……」

When consulting about our play, I hear an ally shout a warning from behind.

「Watch out!」

Before I could react to the sound of slicing wind, Benel yanks my arm.
A weak and flimsy arrow passes by and stabs into the ground.

「My apologies. The new recruits were practicing their archery…… geh, Lord Hardlett!?」

I tell the soldier it's no big deal and to go back to what he was doing.
It was a dreadful shot anyway so it wouldn't have penetrated my muscles even if it hit me.

「Why don't we go further than just handcuffs? I'll bind your entire body with rope while I lick you. We can also use soft cloth so it doesn't hurt……」

I resume our conversation as if nothing happened, but Benel is dazed.

「I-I instinctively saved him……it could have been possible if I just left him alone…… Uuu, yet it's fun talking and doing dirty things with him…… at this rate……」

What a weird woman.

A Few Days Later.

We walk along the street somewhat ahead of the main army.
Alteria, the place where the decisive battle is anticipated to be, is already within reach.

「……mmn.」

Celia checks her sword and armor, pats the hidden dagger on her thigh, and pumps herself up adorably beside me.

「……fuu.」

Myla briefly closes her eyes, seemingly in meditation, then suddenly opens them with a face full of determination. She's ready as well.

「There, there…… good girl.」

Luna gently pats her horse and draws the string of her bow to test its tautness.

「Wahahahahaha! ……uuu. Wahahahaha!!」

Irijina brandishes her spear, inviting frowns of disapproval from those around her.
I was slightly concerned about the pause in the middle, but I figured she just tensed her abs to let out a fart.

「According to the map, Alteria will be in view once we cross this hill.」

I give a vague reply to Leopolt and turn to the side rather than look ahead of me.

「I have a bad feeling.」

Leopolt doesn't say anything and stares back with his usual emotionless eyes.

The thunderous roar of horseshoes and the shouting of allied soldiers started at the same time.
That was how well the enemy hid and how perfect the timing of the commence of the attack was.

「Enemy attack from the right wing――!」

「Here they come.」

I immediately kick Schwartz in the belly and change direction.

「They're coming from the left too! All of them are cavalry, we're being sandwiched!」
「We can't determine their numbers because of the smoke, but there's a lot of them!!」

「Jumping out in a scattered fashion and then quickly reconvening into an assault formation……this is a true ambush. Magnificent.」

Tristan nods.

I see, the enemy was fully prepared, waiting for us in the shadow of the hill.
Cavalry move fast. It won't take more than three minutes since they yelled for them to reach us.

Even though the decisive battle is supposed to happen in Alteria, there is nothing dictating they must barricade themselves inside the fort.
On the contrary, if all their forces are together and the city's defenses are flawless, it's logical for cavalry and the like to charge forward aggressively.

I smirk in admiration.

「If they didn't come at us like this, it wouldn't be worth marching in such an intricate formation.」

Leopolt raises his arm, signalling for flaming arrows to be shot up into the air.

Spearmen instantly move to the flanks with their weapons pointed out, creating a wall, while crossbowmen kneel behind.
The bow cavalry aim at each side in a neat two column formation.

Our defense was completed in one minute.

「So fast! The anti-cavalry formation is done!」
「Argh, stop the charge! Turn back!」

The enemy hastily changes direction.
We completely predicted their surprise attack at this location.

「There is also an enemy ambush on the headquarters to the rear. However, the squad on the flank deployed in anti-cavalry formation as planned, successfully warding off the enemy!」

Erich is obviously prepared.
For now, we've managed to thwart the enemy's initial move. It was a big deal that we neutralized their trump card in the cavalry that they threw in.

「This is a sign of things――」

「The cavalry are changing their formation! Chariots are joining the double-rider cavalry from the back! They're going to charge in again!」

How irritating.
I would like to see the face of the enemy commander. I'm sure he's disgustingly handsome.

Celia, leading her own battalion, comes beside me.

「The enemy will charge with a more acute formation…… but our defense is still in tact. We can deal with them even if they try to punch through.」

I rest my hand on Celia's head and toss away the sheath of the Dual Crater.

「No, they'll break through if we leave them alone. Get ready.」

I glance to the side and see Leopolt, as well as Tristan, shout instructions at their respective squads.
The situation might have deviated from the range of expectations.

「Enemy chariots are leading―― arrows and bolts aren't working! A hole is opening in the defense formation!」

「Enemy soldiers dismounted, the double-riders dismounted! Those are…… archers!? The spearmen are getting showered with arrows!」

It wasn't unforeseen for them to try and bulldoze their way with chariots, it was more so the dismounting and quick change of one of the two riders into an archer that caught us off-guard.

The weakness of spears is undeniably arrows.
Forming a spear wall is pointless and they don't have the mobility without shields to distance themselves or separate from the enemy archers.
Unless the spearmen are protected by other squads, they can be decimated even by a small number of archers.

「But if they send out infantry or cavalry to the front, they'll fall prey to our favorite cavalry. The only way to deal with them is……」

By the time Celia looked over, the bow cavalry under Luna had already divided into smaller groups and overwhelmed the enemy archers. Having both long range and mobility, they won't be affected by petty tricks.

Reports come in one after another from the calmed down lookouts.
The enemy cavalry totals a little over 10 000, while we have 30 000 and the main army has 7000.

In terms of numbers, it is clear they are a small force compared to our allies who have more than 100 000 soldiers.

「But……」

I pat Celia's head and turn behind me.

There is no bow cavalry in the main army.
They are using archers and light cavalry, but are being toyed with by the repeated mounting and dismounting of the free-running enemy.

Although there aren't many of them, their mobility can instantly change the state of battle.
I have also led a group of cavalry against an enemy with several times our number and cut through them on multiple occasions.
It's also possible that while our allies are being occupied, the enemy's main force will circle around to our flank.
This can't be left alone.

「Leopolt, take care of it. Hold them at bay.」

I look at Irijina and Myla next.

「Grab your squad and follow me. We're going on the offense. The goal is simple…… charge into the enemy and stir them up.」

「「We're ready to go!」」

Celia's voice overlaps with Myla's.
It seems preparations are finished.
By the way, Irijina is twirling her spear and already moving ahead.

「Fighting offense with offense…… striking the enemy applying a disturbance strategy is a good plan. It's obviously great if we repel them, but it will still stop the enemy's movements if we fail. I would personally refrain from participating, but I'm all for the Margrave doing it.」

Tristan also approves.
Well, he better be prepared to get pummeled with peas after the battle is over.

「Let's go.」

When I smack the part of Schwartz's head covered in armor as he's biting on Tristan's hair, he lets out an unhappy snort.

I raised my hand, about to hit him again for defying me, but he suddenly accelerates.

「Idiot, you think you'll throw me off?」

If he can afford to consider that, then there's nothing to worry about.
After all, it's highly unlikely this guy gets frightened by war.

On the open plains with nowhere to hide, it didn't take long for the enemy to sense our counterattack.

「An enemy squad is setting out to retaliate! It's a mixed team of heavy and light cavalry of about 1000 running at us in a straight line.」

「How bold, but we aren't that easy to beat! Attack simultaneously from the left and right and crush them!」

Rather than stopping, the enemy speeds up and circles around to either side of us.

「We're getting pincered! I…… I can't count how many there are!」

Celia yells.

「Don't stop your moving feet. If you do, they'll swallow you.」

I point my finger at Myla, instructing her to turn left.
Irijina did the same before I gave the signal.

The horse's body tilts to one side. Schwartz turns right without me saying anything.
……he guessed my thoughts correctly, I'll give him that.

Still, couldn't he have waited a few seconds until I told him to do so?
This damn perverted horse, does he have a brain on the same level as Irijina? Hm, that's strange.

Of course, I don't have to say anything to get Celia to follow me, which I'll allow since she's cute.

We engage the enemy right wing head-on.
Both sides are galloping at full speed so the distance between us shrinks jokingly fast.

「Let me repeat, don't stop moving. Run as you fight.」

In a battle between cavalry, the one who stops moving loses.
Looking at it another way, as long as you keep moving, it's possible to escape no matter how many times you're surrounded.

I ready my Keravnos, setting my sights on the first enemy knight approaching me from the front.
I notice my opponent makes eye contact, I can't help smiling back.

「That reminds me, there was something similar to this in a martial game. Running straight at each other……」

We close in as I mumble to myself.

「You know……with our spears pointed!」

The enemy and I thrusted our spears at the same time.

I shift the shaft of my spear to intercept the tip of the enemy's spear aimed at my chest and deflect it, while my own spear heads toward his throat.
No power was put into the thrust, but the momentum of the galloping horse amplifies even the subtlest movement…… I wonder what happens if a spear hits at that speed.

My spear gouges out a large chunk of his neck and the chainmail he's wearing underneath his armor, leaving his head hanging by a little piece of skin.

「Alright, next.」

As I run off, the next enemy targets my face with his spear.
I can't really praise his horseback combat.

I don't have to parry the attack this time.
I carefully watch the approaching spearhead and tilt my head to the side, dodging his strike before countering with a single-handed thrust of my spear.

My spear made a bright metallic clink on contact.
Only the paint coating of my helmet was chipped, while the enemy lost a section of the side of his body and about two handfuls of his guts.

「This is surprisingly fun. If there's a contest like this in a future martial game tournament, I'd like to participate.」

Now is not the time for jokes.
In a battle where we clash spears while charging at each other, the force and speed of everything is on another level, meaning a split second of carelessness can be deadly.

「If Aegir-sama participates, it won't be fair. The other contestants will drop out.」

Celia responds to my joke as she throws a dagger.
Although the enemy blocks it with his shield, Celia doesn't miss the opening created to slice off his arm with her sword.

「Is that so……then I guess I don't need to practice anymore.」

I rest the Keravnos on my shoulder and then send the enemy to my right flying with a large sweeping motion.

I release my right hand once my swing completes, grab the spear with my left hand and unleash a thrust at the windpipe of the enemy on my left.

Immediately after the spear stabs into the enemy's neck and stops moving, I re-grab it with my right hand, twist the shaft as I pull it out and plunge the tip into the torso of the third enemy.

I lift my spear high along with the body and swing it down on the fourth enemy's head like a hammer.

This would be a disqualification and a loss for violating the rules.
I think it's better if I yield the victory to a proper knight.

「Now!」

Celia cries out and waves my flag in place of a championship banner.

「T-that flag……」
「No wonder they were so reckless――it's him again!」
「Call back the attacks of the other squads! He's not an opponent we can fight on our own!」

Our maneuver had outstanding effects at just the right timing.
The enemy cavalry's attention focuses on us, weakening the attacks on our allies.

「We can run and still say that the objective has been achieved, but……why don't we rampage a bit more?」

「「「Yeaaah!」」」

Having given up the championship, I ran around killing the enemies with the forbidden technique, paving the way for my allies.

I wonder if the situation has reversed by now.

「Report!」

I shout as I kick down yet another cavalry.

Before the stretching Celia can respond on her horse, I hear a calm voice beside me.

「Major advantage on the right wing. Minor advantage on the left wing. Allied forces are overall at a slight disadvantage. The bow cavalry are starting to struggle against armored wagons.」
「Ah, stealing my duty!?」

The report divided into short sentences was extremely easy to understand.
I look next to me and see Tikuku running alongside us.
Schwartz does a double-take, unable to believe what he's seeing, but now's not the time to be shocked.

The bow cavalry overwhelmed the enemy squad with a furious barrage, but faltered from the counterattacking ballistae and could not finish them off despite occasionally challenging the enemy at close range.

「You can't blame them. Chariots are a bad matchup.」

The bow cavalry are not effective against heavily armored opponents.
Although they possess a special skill, they are still ultimately light cavalry, and are not strong enough to trample over massive vehicles.
That's why they lack a lethal strike versus foes their arrows can't penetrate.
Chariots protected with iron plating carrying ballistae are literally their worst opponent.

「If we continue running to the left, we'll pass in front of our allies.」

「Alright. Let's do that.」

I call back Myla and the others from the left wing and head towards the mortal battle unfolding between the bow cavalry and the enemy chariots.

The enemy notices us approaching and turns their ballistae in our direction.

「Go from the side! When you get close, aim for the wheels!」

Celia's order is the correct move.
If we attack head-on or from behind, we will look like an unmoving dot in the enemy's perspective.
It will be easier for them to hit us with their ballistae regardless of how bumpy of a ride they are experiencing.

Conversely, if we sprint from the side, the enemy has to match our speed and adjust their aim accordingly.
If we're both shaking a considerable amount, the chances of them missing are drastically higher.

I draw my Dual Crater this time and also charge at the chariot.
……from the front.

「Aaah, I said to go from the side!」

I'm sorry Celia, but it's not like I'm doing this without thinking.

「What a fool, we'll kill him in one shot.」

I can tell the enemy are fixing their sights on me.
So I inhale deeply, hold my breath, narrow my eyes and focus solely on the chariot.

The moment I saw the enemy twitch, I tug Schwartz's mane.
I feel a jerking motion and sense my body floating……then I hear the sound of a heavy object crash into the ground.

「H-he flew!?」

Right as the ballista fired its projectile, Schwartz kicked off the ground, causing the bolt that should have been fixed on us to miss and burrow partially in the spot where we used to be.

As I fly over and look down at the open-mouthed enemy soldier, I swing my Dual Crater.

「OOooooh!!」

After a brief pause, I release the breath of air held in my chest as a roar.
My muscles and the acceleration from both sides combine for a powerful strike…… unfortunately, I'm not aiming for the wheels like Celia ordered.

The Dual Crater slams into the armor on the front of the chariot, raising sparks as the sword slices through the metal and continues on to bisects the driver from the chest, then it also cuts apart the ballista installed to the rear and its operator before the Dual Crater finally exits through the back.

The upper part of the chariot was completely slashed open.

「H-he cut through the whole thing……」

「T-that's not something a human can do.」

「How can we fight against that――gugyaah!」

Sadly, you have to fight me.

I charge at the other chariots, this time destroying the wheel, driver and ballista of one of them as I run past.

The enemy hurriedly attempts to steady their aim on me, but because I rushed into their ranks at such high speed, they are unable to align their sights.

The reason I purposely did such a risky maneuver was this.

Charging in from the front will certainly make you an easier target, but once you get past the front chariot and enter their formation, the shooting angles of the other chariots cross with each other, making it harder for them to shoot.
There is also a possibility of them committing friendly fire, so they can't shoot carelessly.

「Argh, if we're scared to shoot each other, the demon will kill us all! Don't worry and shootー!!」

「That's a little different from what I expected.」

Bolts fly at me from all directions.
More than a few of them end up hitting allies.

「This is because you ignored me~!」

Just when I thought things were getting bad, friendly units came running in from the side.
They throw logs or metal rods at the wheels and toss torches inside the chariots.

「Crap, we were too distracted by the demon!」
「They are pressing us! Don't we have any reinforcements!?」

Too bad, the cavalry you are referring to are fleeing after being shot at by our bow cavalry.

「We can't fight any longer. Retreat! Retreat!」

Resigning at last, the chariots begin to withdraw, abandoning their allies who have stopped moving due to their wheels breaking.

「I won't let you escape! Pur―― mgah.」

I cover Celia's mouth.

「Hey Schwartz.」

When I pull on the horse's ear, he turns to me with an unhappy expression.
His breathing is somewhat heavy, but he isn't drooling. He probably has about half of his stamina remaining.
A regular horse would be near its limit by now.

「Everyone's been running around a lot so I'm worried about their fatigue. We should leave the pursuit to another squad.」

Myla voices my thinking.
Celia looks down in embarrassment.

「Chasing too far isn't a good idea!! One must not get arrogant and think clearly after a victory!!」

Even Irijina is letting her horse rest and petting its back.
Celia drops to her knees.

「W-what's with this chick!? She's chasing us!! We can't shake her even though she's on foot!?」
「She took a hit to the face but doesn't have a single scratch! Is she also some kind of demon!?」

I see Tikuku running after the last enemy chariot in the queue.
I assume something hit her forehead again since she's covering that spot with her hand.

She pounces forward to catch up to the fleeing chariot, but a well-timed shot from a crossbow hits her right in the forehead, causing her to fall short.
She tumbles to the ground in dramatic fashion, raises her head after coming to a stop and then returns to us.

「……try not to act like something out of the enemy's bad dream.」

I say as I twist Tikuku's head so it's facing the front.
The fall turned her head 90 degrees to the right.

「She seems like something from my dream too.」

Myla sighs.

Now that I have time to check, I see the main army has successfully repelled the enemy.

「It is a victory for the enemy, 6 to 4.」

Leopolt muttered.
Really, we fought pretty hard though.

「The goal of the ambush was to gather information on us and exhaust our soldiers…… if they were planning to defeat us, they would have thrown in more of their forces.」

I look around.
Allied soldiers are sitting down mixed with other branches of the army.

「Because we counterattacked with everything, the composition of our army has been completely exposed. Also, it's almost evening…… deliberately coming at this time means-」

「A night raid next?」

「We'll get prepared immediately!」

Myla and Celia run off.

The sun is already changing to a deep orange color.
Considering the work needed to set up camp, the soldiers won't have much time to rest.

「I'll have to show some grit here.」

I growl softly and slap my face to pump myself up, then I feel a tug on my sleeve.
When I look down to my side, I find a female soldier from the bow cavalry. She has her arm in a sling.

「I broke my arm in that battle. While I can't draw a bow anymore, that's the only injury I have…… so I thought I could at least help by healing the chief's body.」

Simply pumping myself with courage will cause me to swell.
I have to release other things to make room.

Chapter end