Map Typesetting: Shadowsky
Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Hiiro

Royal Army, Fortress City Emreed, Command Center

Two weeks after the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment arrived at Emreed, Paul"s main force of 25,000 men linked up with them. When he learned the details of the earlier battle with the Crimson Knights, Paul summoned Hosmund to the Command Center despite being tired from the long journey.

“—Well? Major General Hosmund, why did you start the battle before linking up with the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment?”

“Yes Sir, I thought it would have an adverse effect on the troop"s morale if we wait…”

“Imbecile!”

The furious Paul shoulted, which made Hosmund and everyone else in the Command Center flinched. The only exception was Otto who was always by Paul"s side.

(Things have gotten difficult.)

Hosmund wasn"t completely unreasonable. The scouts were mutilated and their corpses exposed out in the open. If he didn"t react in some way, morale would definitely plummet. However, it was obvious there would be a trap. And the result showed that Hosmund"s actions was a complete failure.

If Olivia"s Autonomous Cavalry Regiment didn"t arrive in time, Hosmund"s units would have been annihilated. They won in the end, but military law wouldn"t forgive everything just because of a victory. Hosmund lost half his troops for nothing, a total of 1,500 men. With a major battle looming before them, this was a painful blow.

On top of that, the enemy was the famous Crimson Knights. The two armies would clash in a bid to retake the north of the Kingdom. They couldn"t afford to lose their troops on futile endeavours, since numbers was power.

“Are you so eager to earn war merits and get promoted?”

“—!? N-Not at all, I just want to protect the city—”

Hosmund"s eyes started to waver, and he started making excuses. Paul cut him off and said:

“You are a general, d.a.m.n it, stop with that bulls.h.i.t! No matter what you say, it doesn"t change the fact that you are responsible for losing half of your men.”

“Yes, my deep apologies…”

“I will mete out your punishment in the future. In the meantime, standby in your room.”

“Yes Sir.”

Paul glanced at Hosmund who was leaving the room, and leaned heavily into his chair. He bit into a cigar.

“—Even though he is a capable man when he stays calm.”

Paul blew out a puff of smoke and commented with a sigh. Otto said with a wry smile:

“Major General Hosmund was probably too anxious.”

“Promotion, huh… The Kingdom is like a flickering candle in the wind right now, and he is still thinking about all that?”

“Your Excellency is right, but it doesn"t sound convincing from us, who had just been promoted…”

Otto did have a point, but Paul couldn"t forgive Hosmund whose selfish actions cost the lives of many soldiers.

There wasn"t anything wrong with the decision to keep the city away from the flames of war. If Paul was in his shoes, he would have made the same judgement. However, rashly taking the bait of the enemy and attacking without thinking properly was utterly moronic.

Selim who persisted in advising Hosmund was much calmer. Hosmund"s actions were not acceptable for a general.

“This is really difficult.”

Paul was troubled, not knowing what to do about Hosmund. He heard footsteps approaching the Command Center. The steps had a rhythm to it, and felt light hearted.

“Looks like our ‘problem child" is here.”

Otto glanced at the clock, and looked back at the door.

“She"s not really a problem child though. Otto, aren"t you too strict on Major Olivia?”

“It"s because Your Excellency is spoiling her too much!”

Otto"s veins were popping from anger. Just as Paul was feeling troubled, a cheerful knock came from the door, followed by a bell-like voice.

“Major Olivia, reporting right on time!”

“Enter.”

Otto permitted her entry with a bitter voice. The door was opened, and Olivia appeared with a pocket watch in her hand.

A girl with l.u.s.trous silver hair and delicate doll-like features entered the room. The dark green uniform brought out Olivia"s beauty even further. He had not seen her for a month, but she was as energetic as ever.

“So, you have come.”

“General Paul, it"s been so long! —Oh, you too, Adjutant Otto.”

“…Major, why is your greeting towards me so slipshod?”

“It must be your imagination!”

Olivia was smiling brilliantly, but Otto"s gaze was really cold. Paul smiled gently at their interaction, and got into the main topic:

“Major Olivia, you performed splendidly this time. Thanks to you, Hosmund"s unit was saved from annihilation. I want to thank you for that.”

“Yes Sir! Thank you for your compliment!”

“Good, good. Well then, what are your thoughts after fighting with the Crimson Knights? I already got the report from First Lieutenant Claudia, but I still want to hear your opinion.”

“My thoughts on the battle?”

Olivia rested her cheeks on her palm, and looked a little troubled.

From the report, the Crimson Knights were as formidable as expected. If they didn"t deal with them carefully, they might lose the battle.

Paul thought as he waited for Olivia.

“— They are well disciplined, and the prowess of their individual soldiers are remarkable. On the whole, I feel that the enemy is a cut above us.”

“I see… This won"t be easy after all.”

If the skilled Olivia said so, then it must be so. They could make up for the difference in quality with quant.i.ty, which was an unspoken rule. Unfortunately, the Seventh Army didn"t have the numerical superiority.

“But don"t worry, General Paul, it will be fine.”

Olivia said with a bright smile.

“Hmm? Can you explain why?”

There wasn"t any basis on why he shouldn"t worry. In response to Paul"s enquiry, Olivia explained happily:

“I will defeat the enemy"s commander. I already ask gutter— a Heat Haze agent to pa.s.s the message to the enemy commander. No matter how strong an army is, it will turn weak when it loses its commander. It will be fine.”

Olivia"s confident words turned Paul"s frown into a smile. As the person who killed the enemy commander in Iris Plains, this was very convincing.

Olivia was now an indispensable existence in the Seventh Army. Paul"s conscience was hurting because he was exploiting such a young girl, but she was a light in this arduous campaign. Paul felt it was necessary to use her to the fullest extent.

“Hahaha, I see. I will be counting on you this time.”

“Yes, leave it to me ! —No, please let me handle it!”

Olivia answered in high spirits.

“There"s something I want to confirm with you, Major. Will that be fine?”

Paul granted Otto"s request with a smile and a nod.

“Major, in the report on your encounter with the Heat Haze in Desert City Keffin, you mentioned the Imperial Army in the north— Let"s call them the northern army for now. The northern army"s objective is to destroy the Seventh Army, is that true?”

“Yes Sir. I got this information from the Heat Haze agent. I don"t think it"s true. Ashton"s deduction was right.”

Olivia emphasized again how great her strategist was, and Otto"s face turned sour. This was a slap to Paul"s face, since he refuted Ashton"s proposal during the war conference. To be honest, Otto didn"t expect Ashton to have such an outstanding grasp of the situation, and had increased his evaluation of Ashton further.

“But why is the enemy so worked up about us retaking the Kasper Castle? I can"t tell what the Imperial Army is thinking.”

The successful recapture of the Kasper Castle had expelled the Imperial forces from the south of the Kingdom. But that was all, the Empire still had a firm hold of Fort Kiel, and threatened the Kingdom. In short, it wasn"t a decisive enough victory to affect the big picture. But why was the northern army treating the Seventh Army with such hostility? The reason was unclear, and Otto concurred with Paul on that.

“For the Imperial Army, losing Kasper Castle isn"t exactly a heavy blow. If I have to say—”

Otto"s gaze sharpened as he stated his speculation:

“—Maybe it"s a personal grudge? For example, someone close to the enemy commander died in our hands.”

“Personal grudge, huh…”

Paul pondered about Otto"s speculation. Was the commander of the northern army someone who put personal grievances above official duties? Otto was the one who said it, but he wasn"t sure about it either. The best evidence was how he kept stroking his chin.

Paul extinguished his used up cigar in the ashtray, and took out a new one from his breast pocket.

“Never mind, we can"t get an answer no matter how much we think about it. There is one thing that is certain, the northern army"s real target is us.”

The enemy"s action was obviously a probing recon, since there was only one regiment of Crimson Knights in that battle. The northern army might come out in force at any time, and they should plan for future battle with that in mind.

“You are right, Your Excellency. I will prepare for this carefully.”

“I will leave it to you— Also, Major Olivia.”

“Here!”

“Major Olivia will be the core of the Seventh Army"s battle plans from now on too. I hope you can make good on your words then.”

“Yes Sir! I hear and obey!”

Olivia saluted perfectly, and her eyes were filled with fighting spirit as usual. Paul felt something seemed off.

(Hmm? What"s with her today? She is in high spirits… and isn"t asking for cake like usual.)

He looked Otto"s way, and found him looking at Olivia with dubious eyes. Otto seemed suspicious too. The reason wasn"t clear, but her morale being high was a good thing.

“That is all. Dismissed.”

“Yes Sir! I will take my leave!”

Olivia left the room as ordered, and muttered something. Paul perked up his ears, and heard things like fishman and library.

Paul was completely lost and confused by all that.

Ⅱ

As it served a dual function of a stronghold and a city, Fortress City Emreed was divided into three districts: the residential district, the warehouse district that stores the grains harvested from the north, and the military district for the garrisoned forces.

Ashton and Olivia set off from one of the many military facilities and headed to the place in the residential district that had the largest number of shops— Central Street.

“Ashton, there are lots of shops, but very few customers.”

Olivia said as she browsed the street stalls intriguely. Before the war, this place was bustling with life, but it wasn"t half as crowded right now. Ashton felt the faces of the pedestrians looked a little grim.

“It can"t be helped, that"s how the world— hmm?”

Olivia who was beside him just now suddenly vanished. Ashton searched frantically, and found her standing like a statue in front of a street stall. He breathed a sigh of relief, and smelled something good.

“Don"t just disappear without a word. You will make me worried.”

Olivia didn"t answer, all her attention was on the kebab before her. The freshly cooked bird meat was covered with a layer of tempting golden sauce.

The kebab looked really good, and Ashton would have bought some if not for the fact he just ate breakfast.

“This is a famous snack in Emreed. It"s delicious, so try some.”

The shop owner lady in her forties with a great figure promoted her product with a business smile.

“Ashton, I want to eat this.”

“Ehh? You still want to eat? You just had breakfast an hour ago?”

“Yes! I"m still in my growing spurt!”

“Sigh… Whatever will I do with you. How much is this?”

Ashton gave up easily when Olivia looked at him with expectant eyes. The lady shop owner said calmly to Ashton who was taking out his purse reluctantly:

“One stick will be one silver coin.”

“That"s expensive...!? Isn"t that too much/ Let me say this first, I"m the son of a merchant, so I have an idea of the prices.”

It was normal to jack up the price if the customer"s status was high. To Ashton, a kebab would cost just ten copper coins at most. He noticed that the lady owner was looking at his rank insignia. Since Emreed had a military district, then she should be used to dealing with soldiers, and it would be no surprise if she could tell his rank.

“Mr Warrant Officer, I"m not charging extra because of your rank. Do you really think commoners like us would dare fleece money from soldiers?”

“Ehh!?”

Ashton was surprised that she completely saw through him. The lady owner then sighed with resignation.

“Since Mr Warrant Officer is the son of a merchant, then you should know that the prices of food have been inflated a lot.”

Ashton knew very well about the problem raised by the lady owner. But compared to prices in the capital, this was abnormally expensive. If the lady owner didn"t jack up the price, then there was only one reason for this. The invasion of the northern army had affected the entire north of the Kingdom.

Ashton took out two silver coins from his purse, and gave it to the lady owner.

“I"m sorry for doubting you. Please give me two kebabs.”

“Ahaha, it feels like I"m using a sob story to sell my wares, sorry about that.”

The lady owner laughed loudly, and pa.s.sed two sticks over with practiced movements. Olivia received them with a big smile, and ate them eagerly. The lady owner looked at her with warm eyes, as if she was looking at her own daughter.

“Ms Major, how is it?”

“It"s very yummy!”

Olivia answered with a cheerful tone. When she heard that, the lady owner"s face suddenly turned gloomy.

“I see… when I heard the Imperial Army was closing in on Emreed, I thought it was all over, but you chased them away, right? Because I have not seen you here before.”

“Well, I guess you are right.”

“So my guess is spot on. Putting Mr Warrant Officer aside, Ms Major is still a child… Is the nation done for?”

The lady owner looked to the distance with a blank stare. She might not know it, but she had violated the 《Public Order Act》. If a military police heard her, she would get arrested. Ashton pretended that he didn"t hear, since sending a girl like Olivia off to battle was not abnormal. The lady owner probably felt a sense of danger from this fact.

After finishing the first kebab, Olivia looked at the lady owner curiously and asked:

“If this country falls, will you feel sad? Will you cry a lot?”

“Well… It has its fair share of problems, but this is the place where I was born and bred. If it falls, I will probably cry.”

“Fufu… Don"t worry, we will drive away the Imperial Army in the north. You will never need to cry.”

Olivia rolled up her sleeves and flexed her muscles, which made the lady owner laugh.

“Ahahaha! I see, I see. Ms Major will drive the Imperial Army away, right. I look forward to the day that happens.”

The lady owner packed all the cooked kebabs together, and pushed them all to Olivia. Olivia blinked in surprise after getting so many kebabs in one go.

“Ehh!? Can I?”

“Here, take these. In exchange, can you promise me something?”

“Promise? No problem, I will definitely drive the Imperial Army away.”

“Not that.”

With that, the lady boss gently hugged Olivia.

“Huh…?”

“— Listen, you mustn"t die. Because you still have a long life ahead of you, Ms Major.”

What she asked for, was Olivia"s safety. Olivia was shocked, and slowly smiled.

“Yes, I will promise you. After all, I won"t get to eat delicious food and snacks if I die. And these kebabs too.”

With that, Olivia left the lady boss and took a large bite out of the second kebab.

Ashton bid farewell to the lady boss, and headed with Olivia to their original destination.

“Hey, where are we going?”

“Don"t worry, just follow me.”

Olivia asked as she ate the kebab, and Ashton still didn"t give a clear answer. The two of them walked along Central Street, pa.s.sed a few alleys, and finally reached their goal.

“We are here, Olivia.”

Before them was a plain brick house surrounded by a wooden fence. A column of smoke rose from its chimney, and if you missed the inconspicuous signboard, you would never know this was a shop.

In fact, Ashton went around in circles during his first visit here.

“Is this … a blacksmith?”

Ashton didn"t answer Olivia"s question, opened the door and entered. With a pleasant ‘clank", the shop owner who was focused on smithing appeared before them. He looked every part of a professional smithy, but the pink ap.r.o.n he was wearing looked out of place.

“Excuse me, I"m not taking any orders right now— Oh, it"s you…”

The shop owner glanced at Ashton, returned the hammer to his toolbox, then stood up lazily.

“Sorry for disturbing while you are busy. Is my order ready for collection?”

“Yes, I just finished it yesterday. I"m not trying to boost, but that"s a masterpiece. Please wait a moment.”

The shop owner smiled arrogantly and went deeper into the shop. A while later, he came back with a wooden crate.

“Take a look.”

As instructed by the shop owner, Ashton opened the cover of the crate on the worktable. Inside was a beautiful armor with silver markings. On the left pauldon and chest were the Valedstorm"s coat of arms— Two crossed scythes with a skull surrounded by crimson rose in front of it.

It was better than he requested, and Ashton nodded with satisfaction.

“As expected of the top three blacksmiths of the Farnesse Kingdom. The workmanship is impeccable.”

“I won"t give you a discount even if you say that.”

The shop owner grunted as he crossed his thick arms.

“Of course, this is worth every penny.”

Ashton said his father"s catch phrase. The Senefelder Merchants were a huge organization, thanks to his father"s eyes for good wares.

“Hmmp, you have good senses for your age.”

The shop owner laughed heartily. Olivia who saw the armor from behind Ashton said in awe:

“Ashton, is this…”

“We are in for a hard battle soon, right? You might be strong, Olivia, but you might get hurt too. So I prepared a set of st.u.r.dy armour for you.”

Ashton explained, and the shop owner elaborated:

“That"s right, I can guarantee its toughness. This is crafted by layering several pieces of thin steel together, and normal attacks won"t even scratch it. — I had my doubts when I heard about it from you, by now I can see why. I can"t explain it, but there is more to this girl than meets the eye. If I see her on the battlefield, I will be the first one to flee.”

The owner looked at Olivia with fearful eyes. When he was young, he made quite a name for himself as a mercenary. His experience probably helped him sense something from Olivia.

“I"m glad you believe me.”

Ashton turned to Olivia.

“What do you think? It"s the same colour as your sword, Olivia. I hope you like it.”

“… Can I touch it?”

“Of course, this is custom made for Olivia.”

Ashton put his hands on Olivia"s shoulders, and pushed her to the armour. Olivia felt up the armour with a serious face that was rarely seen.

(Actually, the colour is meant to make the blood less prominent. The recruits are all scared of Olivia when she is covered in blood.)

Ashton was also very spooked in the beginning, so he understood how they felt.

“Thank you Ashton! This is wonderful, I really like it!”

“I see, I"m happy that you like it.”

Olivia"s smile was so beautiful that Ashton was mesmerized to his very soul. He tried to cover it up with a cough, and found the owner looking at him with a devious smile.

“—What?”

“Oh, it"s nothing. I"m just thinking that youth is great~ or something.”

The owner said as he rubbed his bald head, and his smile deepened a little. That made Ashton uncomfortable, and he quickly paid the outstanding bill.

“Let"s hurry back to the base! I want to show this to Claudia!”

Olivia suddenly grabbed his hand, and pulled him towards the exit.

“I-I can walk by myself, you don"t have to pull me!”

“Oh~ do your best then.”

As they left, the owner continued smiling deviously.

Ⅲ

Kingdom North, Welsh Zone, Fort Larswood

“—Kiluz, do you know? That rumoured person will show up during moonless windy nights like this.”

The sentry Lloyd looked up at the night sky as the clouds covered the moon, and said to his partner Kiluz who was yawning.

“Huh? —Oh, you are talking about that Death G.o.d. That seems to be the case.”

Kiluz said with another yawn.

“Hey, aren"t you too relaxed?”

“Even if you say that, I don"t think anyone will attack a worthless fort like this out in the boondocks. You are probably the only one who is taking this so seriously.”

Kiluz looked around the makeshift wooden fort, and scoffed. Faint sounds of soldiers making merry could be heard from inside the fort. Lloyd sighed at the lack of discipline.

It all started one month ago. A silver haired girl in dark armour attacked the Imperial units stationed at the various captured territories repeatedly. The garrisoned soldiers were wiped out, and the place ransacked. And now, that girl was rumoured to be a Death G.o.d that could appear out of nowhere.

Maybe the G.o.ds were watching over them, and the unit in Welsh had not been attacked yet.

“Even if that is true, you guys are too relaxed—”

“Wait! —Are there movements in the gra.s.s?”

Kiluz put his finger to his lips, gesturing for silence. Lloyd thought he was playing around to change the topic, but Kiluz looked very serious. Despite what he said, he was keeping watch properly.

“I don"t see anything… Maybe it"s a spotted rabbit?”

Lloyd looked at the gra.s.s patch, but didn"t hear anything.

“No, it"s not that… I will take a look.”

“Will you be fine alone?”

“You are kidding me, right? We are the only sentries here, and we can"t both move away from the gate.”

Kiluz"s exasperated face had a red tint from the bonfire. He was right, and Lloyd couldn"t refute that.

“You"re right. Holler if you detect anything.”

“Of course… Be careful of your surroundings too, Lloyd.”

“I know.”

Kiluz held his spear parallel to the ground, and approached the gra.s.s patch cautiously. When his figure could no longer be seen, Lloyd heard rustling noises. Kiluz was probably sweeping the gra.s.s with his spear to check for abnormalities.

Lloyd looked at the whistle hung around his neck. If anything happens, he would need to use it as an alarm immediately.

A warm wind blew in from somewhere. Lloyd was on high alert, but still couldn"t detect any abnormality. He slowly relaxed his wound up nerves.

(Kiluz is probably mistaken. But isn"t he taking a bit too long?)

It had been more than ten minutes since Kiluz went into the gra.s.s. He didn"t have a pocket watch, so this was just Lloyd"s estimate, but he couldn"t be too off. This made him a little anxious, and the rustling sound had stopped too. The rumours of the Death G.o.d suddenly flashed across Lloyd"s mind.

(Haha, that"s not possible. Like Kiluz said, the Death G.o.d won"t come to this boondocks.)

His mind rejected the idea, but his body remained honest. Lloyd knew that he was breaking out in cold sweat. His nervousness started gaining ground again.

“Hey, come back already. You didn"t find anything after searching for so long, so it"s fine!”

Lloyd pretended to be calm, and called out to Kiluz with a clear voice. He wouldn"t be able to stay calm if he didn"t do that. But no matter how long he waited, there wasn"t any answer from Kiluz. Lloyd yelled loudly again, but the results were the same.

There were only the sounds of crickets.

(Something"s wrong, he must have heard me.)

Lloyd reached for his whistle— and was killed.

“Phew, that"s a close one. Splendidly done, commander.”

“Ahaha, you won"t get anything extra even if you praise me. But you can have any good wine that we can find here.”

“Hehe, I"m looking forward to it.”

Olivia put away Chachamaru and stood up from the gra.s.s. Gauss followed with a bloodied sword on his shoulder. Behind them was the soldiers of the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment.

“Speaking of which, just how good are your eyes, commander? Even with the light of the bonfire, at this distance, your aim is incredibly good.”

Gauss was shocked by the corpse that had a bolt in its forehead.

“You are exagerating. With enough practice, you can do this too, Gauss.”

“No no no, there"s no chance of that happening.”

“Is that so.”

Different people have different things that they were good at. For example, Ashton couldn"t wield a sword properly no matter how much he trained.

Olivia stopped her train of thought, and ordered the troops to prepare fire arrows. On Gauss" instructions, they quietly surrounded the fort, and readied their bows.

“—Commander, we are all set. Are we doing this?”

Gauss asked, and Olivia nodded.

“This fort has no strategic value for the Royal Army right now. In that case, it will be more efficient to burn it down together with the people inside. This will minimize our casualties too.”

Olivia smiled gently. Gauss nodded stiffly as he looked at her.

“Do it.”

Olivia ordered, and the fire arrows, rained down like meteors. The air was dry from the dry weather, and the fort was engulfed in flames in no time.

As the fort crumbled in the fire, Olivia turned her gaze to the gate.

“The survivors will probably escape from the gate, shoot them. I will work hard too.”

Olivia said with Chachamaru held high. The soldiers were hyped up from her words. Most of the enemy would die in the fire, but they had to keep their guard up.

“Uwaaahhh! Fire! Fire!”

“Hurry up and open the gate!”

Screams and angry cries came from the fort. As expected, there were survivors. With the sound of the gate bar being removed, the gate slowly creaked open. When there was enough s.p.a.ce for one person to escape, the Imperial soldiers started squeezing out.

They were hit by a hail of arrows, turning them into dead porcupines. Despite that, there were still soldiers who survived the volley fire and charge desperately at the Royal soldiers.

“d.a.m.n it, you fiends! You won"t get away with this!!”

“—Hmm? I"m out of bolts.”

Olivia kept Chachamaru on her back— and slashed with her sword at the charging enemy soldier. Blood and offals splattered everywhere from the bisected soldier. Olivia flicked away the blood on her sword and sheathed it. She could hear the gasp of the recruits behind her.

“… By the way, do you know what the Imperial Army are calling you, commander?”

Gauss looked at the left pauldon on Olivia"s dark armour and asked. Olivia wondered why he used the term ‘by the way", and answered:

“Death G.o.d, right? That"s much better than calling me a monster.”

“So monster is no good, but you are fine with Death G.o.d?”

“Yes!”

“They don"t sound too different to me. What"s your reason?”

“Well, I wonder why.”

Olivia smiled gently, and issued the order to retreat to Gauss. As Fort Larswood burned to the ground, the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment disappeared into the darkness—

Ⅳ

Autonomous Cavalry Regiment executed the strategy of defeating the enemy separately. The landlord in the north of the Kingdom had turned towards the Empire, but the people still bore hostility towards the Empire. A spark might turn into a revolt in no time. To prevent this, after Rosenmarie conquered the region, she deployed her troops all over the place.

This strategy exposed the flaw in Rosenmarie"s plan. As the northern territories were captured by the Empire in one go, the success of their campaign made them forgot about the danger of spreading their forces too thin. The repeated night raid by the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment had decimated 15 Imperial companies and three small forts.

As a result, the landlord who betrayed the Kingdom unintentionally created a favourable situation for the Seventh Army. Ashton who formulated this plan was enjoying a late dinner beside a bonfire together with Olivia and Claudia.

“Ashton"s plan has been proceeding smoothly so far.”

Claudia had a piece of appetizing bird meat in one hand, and marked a cross on the map with her other hand.

“That seems to be so.”

From the intel they gathered, the northern army had more than 70,000 troops. In contrast, the Seventh Army numbered just 28,000. Even after shaving the enemy"s number down to around 60,000 with their divide and conquer strategy, they were still outnumbered 2 to 1. They will definitely lose in a direct confrontation.

“Our opponents aren"t fools too. They should realize the cons of spreading their forces out by now. It will be bad if they muster their forces now.”

“You are right, First Lieutenant Claudia. We have to stop the divide and conquer plan for now.”

“Hmm? I don"t get what you mean. Shouldn"t we reduce their numbers as much as possible before they concentrate their forces?”

Claudia frowned as she returned her gaze back to the map.

“Sorry for not explaining clearly. More accurately speaking, there isn"t any need to continue this operation. You will understand if you read this.”

Ashton took out a letter and pa.s.sed it to Claudia. This was from the intel unit Ashton setup for this operation.

“Let me see it.”

Claudia opened the letter and read it. It said that the achievements by the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment had raised anti-imperial sentiments to new heights. Ashton also sent agents to infiltrate the enemy, and spread rumours that the ma.s.ses were planning to revolt.

“— I see, you did all this in secret. And now, the enemy will hesitate about concentrating their forces. No one wants to be stabbed in the back after all. Is this the true goal of your divide and conquer strategy?”

“That"s right. There"s a limit to how much we can shave off their numbers. Like what the letter mentioned, the anti-imperial sentiments are rising, and the Empire must have caught wind of that, and they won"t be able to ignore it. Do you know how many residents there are in the northern region of the Kingdom?”

“I think… there are 3 million.”

Claudia thought for a moment, and quickly gave the correct answer.

“That"s right. This fact alone should be enough to tie the garrisoned Imperial units in the region.”

The intangible chains of ‘suspicion" was more secure than real chains. Ashton deduced that at least 30,000 Imperial soldiers had been tied down.

“You… are really a scary man.”

Claudia looked at Ashton with a hint of fear and respect. Ashton scratched his cheeks a little bashfully:

“I"m just racking my brains in order to survive. And now, we are even in numbers with the Crimson Knights" main forces. Our chances are now fifty fifty.”

The Crimson Knights had 27,000 troops garrisoned in Windsam Castle. He might be saying that the chances were fifty fifty, but Ashton didn"t feel optimistic about the battle. After the battle in Almheim plains, he knew very well how strong the Crimson Knights were.

“Yes, you are the one who got us this far, Ashton. Leave the rest to us, after all, you are useless in fighting, Ashton.”

“Haha, you are right.”

Claudia"s ridicule made Ashton laugh bashfully. Olivia would teach him from time to time, but his swordsmanship and sportsmanship showed no improvement. Guile who enlisted at the same time as him showed talent in this area, and was completely different from the rookie that trembled in fear of bandits. This was true for all the recruits who partic.i.p.ate in the retaking of Fort Lamburg.

Recently, Olivia had started soothing Ashton with a gentle tone “There are things that humans are capable of, and not capable of.” Guile mentioned that tactfully in the past too, so Ashton took it well.

People should be used to their best abilities. This balance was the most important, so he wasn"t too upset about this.

“By the way, the Major is really sleeping soundly.” 

Claudia looked at Olivia who was leaning against the tree trunk and sleeping. She must be exhausted, and was still holding a half eaten piece of bird meat in her hand. Her oil stained lips were drooling. It was hard to imagine her being the Death G.o.d that struck fear into the soldiers of the Empire.

“We have been running all over the place for the past few days, it must be hard on her.”

“That"s true… but they are calling the Major a Death G.o.d, how infuriating. How can such a pretty girl be a Death G.o.d. Calling her an angel will make more sense.”

And so, Claudia started complaining while waving her fist. Her argument runs contrary to common sense at times, but she was actually serious. Ashton felt speechless at first, but decided to entertain her with a casual grunt. However, that earned Claudia"s ire for some reason, and she looked at him with grudgeful eyes.

“Why are you so dismissive about this. Besides, it"s all Ashton"s fault. You added the Valedstorm"s coat of arms to her armour.”

Claudia was getting more ridiculous, so Ashton turned her eyes to her silvery white armour— and her coat of arms which was a shield and winged helm.

“But don"t all n.o.bles add their coat of arms to their armour and shields? First Lieutenant Claudia, your armour also have the Jung clan"s coat of arms, correct?”

“T-That might be so, but…”

Claudia squirmed her body as if she was trying to hide her coat of arms. Recently, she would admonish Ashton whenever they talked about the coat of arms, as if Ashton was the main culprit that caused all that.

She seemed very unhappy that Olivia was called a Death G.o.d. When Ashton asked her why, she would answer vaguely, and he still didn"t understand what she was unhappy about.

“The Valedstorm"s coat of arms does feel ominous, but I don"t think that is the reason why others are calling Olivia a Death G.o.d…”

A skull surrounded by crimson rose, and two scythes crossed behind it. That emblem was very relatable to a Death G.o.d, but Ashton felt that Olivia"s actions contributed much more to it. She was ma.s.sacring the Imperial soldiers as if she was mowing gra.s.s.

Thanks to that, Ashton has gotten more used to bisected corpses. Guile even called it 『the finest work of art』. Guile was a hard core fan of Olivia, and it wouldn"t be long before he starts calling her a G.o.ddess.

But things didn"t seem that way from the perspective of the Imperial Army. It was that simple.

“Then what do you think is the reason, Ashton?”

Claudia leaned closer with a serious face. Ashton didn"t dare to say “Because she kills people like she is mowing gra.s.s.”

“Well… Erm… Anyway, Olivia doesn"t mind being called a Death G.o.d.”

“Yes, I know that too. Even though she"s so upset when she"s called a monster.”

Claudia was baffled by that.

Olivia didn"t mind being called a Death G.o.d. Or rather, she was happy about it. This was why Claudia couldn"t complain too much about this, and had built up a lot of frustration. The way she tossed the branches angrily into the campfire was the best proof of that. The hapless Ashton became her venting target.

“Well you see, Death G.o.d is also a deity. Maybe she"s happy that people are calling her a G.o.d?”

“What"s that bulls.h.i.t you just say!? —Cough cough, s-sorry. I misspoke just now.”

Claudia faked a cough. Ashton kept staring at her, so Claudia shot a sharp glare at him before turning her head away. Ashton realized that her cheeks were red, it seemed that she was embarra.s.sed about her outburst earlier.

“Heehee, so First Lieutenant Claudia will say things like that too.”

“… What are you laughing about?”

“No, I"m just a little surprised. This might sound impudent towards a senior officer, but I think that"s very cute.”

“C-Cute!? S-Shut up! You are just Ashton, stop acting so arrogantly!”

Claudia"s cheeks turned red, and she threw the branch in her hand at him. Ashton guarded his head as he laughed.

“Ashton and Claudia are so noisy!”

They quickly turned around and saw Olivia still asleep. She was just sleep talking. Ashton and Claudia locked gaze unconsciously, and laughed.

“— Well then, next will be the main event. Both of us have our work cut out for us.”

Claudia smiled gently, and offered Ashton a hand.

Their numbers were evenly matched, but their opponents were the Crimson Knights. This will be a difficult fight against a formidable foe.

— Even so...

“Yes, I will be in your care from now on.”

Ashton grabbed her hand firmly. As long as he was with the two of them, Ashton felt he could face whatever trials and tribulations that might come their way.

He looked up at the bright stars in the night sky.

Imperial Army, Windsam Castle Conference Room

In the room that was originally used to entertain guests was a big and solid table. A war conference was being held around this round table. The agenda was the Death G.o.d girl that had hit all over the place.

“Your Excellency, the Death G.o.d"s hara.s.sment attacks had led to an increase in anti-Empire sentiments with the locals. Rumors of revolts are spreading, and all the units are requesting for reinforcements.”

Rosenmarie furrowed her brows at that report.

“Reinforcements? Hah! Are they sleep talking?”

“Shall I reject them?”

“Of course. Tell the units to solve the issues with the forces they have on hand. If there really is a revolt, then destroy a village or two as a warning.”

The ma.s.ses were easily influenced by the mood. Even if they started a revolt, their heads would cool down if a village or town was sacked. Rosenmarie gave this order with that in mind.

“Yes Mdm, I will relay your orders.”

After the officer finished his reports and left, another officer entered and whispered into Gaier"s ears. The wrinkles on Gaier"s head slowly deepen.

“What happened?”

“My Lady, the soldiers monitoring Emreed sent in a report. The enemy"s main forces are coming out in doves, and marching on Windsam Castle.”

“Their main forces? Fufu, I see. We got played by them like a d.a.m.n fiddle. The Seventh Army"s strategist is pretty good.”

All the officers were confused by what Rosenmarie said, so Gaier asked:

“What do you mean, My Lady?”

“I mean that literally.”

Rosenmarie said with a grunt. Gaier turned stiff for a moment, and stood up.

“Your Grace, you are saying that the Seventh Army set up this situation intentionally!?”

A moment later, the place was in an uproar. They finally realized that this was a trap laid out by Seventh Army. It was regrettable, but Rosenmarie didn"t notice until just now too, and was in no position to berate her subordinates.

“All of you are officers too, so think about the big picture too. The enemy launching a major offensive at this time is the best evidence.”

Considering their pace, the two armies would clash in three or four days.

“… In other words, except for the Crimson Knights, our other forces are tied down.”

A young officer lamented gently.

“That"s right.”

As the conference room erupted, Rosenmarie intentionally shrugged. Gaier was dumbfounded, and his eyes looked glazed.

“… I-If this is all true, then how can you be so calm, Lady Rosenmarie? The enemy"s advantage had grown so much, so why aren"t you worried?”

An old officer was confused, and the others felt the same too.

“Hmm? You want to see me panic? I don"t mind showing that to you if you wish.”

“N-No, not at all!”

The old officer didn"t take up on her offer, and the other officers averted their faces awkwardly. Rosenmarie was just joking, but no one caught her drift.

“Never mind, in any case, there is no need to panic. According to the report, the Seventh Army is 28,000 strong. Our forces are 27,000 in total. Are you suggesting that we, the Crimson Knights, will lose in an even fight?”

Rosenmarie asked the officers with a glare in her eyes, and they all grit their teeth and nodded.

“Of course not, but...”

Gaier said with a meaningful look. He didn"t finish his words, but Rosenmarie knew very well what he meant, but still decided to ask since it would be more interesting.

“But what?”

Gaier hesitated for a moment, then made up her mind and said:

“The enemy has the Death G.o.d who had bested Lieutenant Colonel Volmar. That"s something we can"t take lightly… And she is also targeting Your Grace too.”

“Haha, that"s an honor. The girl who upgraded from a monster to a Death G.o.d is aiming for my life. I have to prepare a grand welcome.”

Before Gaier said anything more, Rosenmarie ordered him to prepare for battle. This concluded the war conference, and Rosenmarie left the room in high spirits.

(Wait for me, Death G.o.d Olivia. I, Rosenmarie, will personally reap your head. I will then present them along with the report of the Seventh Army"s demise to General Osborne"s grave to mourn him in place of flowers!)

Chapter 6: Battle of Carnac

Ⅰ

— Message.

Autonomous Cavalry Regiment had tied down the 30,000 Imperial soldiers deployed all over the region, and request the main forces to proceed post haste.

After receiving that report, Paul immediately ordered his 25,000 army to march for Windsam Castle. The Autonomous Cavalry Regiment linked up with this main force along the way, and headed north as they cleared the Imperial forces in their path.

“—Your Excellency, what do you think the enemy main forces will do?”

Paul stroked his chin and answered:

“Well… They probably won"t hole up in the castle. Windsam Castle doesn"t have any advantageous terrain, and wasn"t suitable for defences. Besides, they can only bring out their full potential when fighting in the open.”

Otto agreed and nodded:

“I think so too. The small catapult we seized from the Imperial Army would probably be useless then.”

Otto was shocked by the small catapult seized by the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment from the enemy. After investigating its performance, the small catapult turned out to be much more powerful than the Kingdom"s catapult, but was two sizes smaller. This reduced the personnel needed to operate it, which would revolutionize siege battle in the future.

This fact made Otto realize that the Empire was more technologically advanced than the Kingdom. But for Otto, the difference in technological prowess wouldn"t affect the war directly, and the deciding factor would always be in the hearts of the people. However, this was still a factor that showed the strength of the Empire.

“Sending them to the engineering department in the capital will be a better choice. Besides, it might be in the hands of the enemy right now, but Windsam Castle was still built through the great efforts of that hero, Tristan Windsam. I can"t bear destroying that monument with my own hands.”

It was rare to see Paul speaking melancholically. Otto knew about Tristan Windsam, and that name was tied to the 《Theodor Revolt》 of the 8th century.

During the revolt, Windsam defeated the 20,000 rebel army with 2,000 men in just two days. Not just Paul, everyone recognized him as a legendary hero. But it didn"t matter what kind of fort it was, all things would crumble to dust one day. Otto understood that logic, so he couldn"t make sense of Paul"s sentiments.

“Shall we make our plans with the a.s.sumption that the Crimson Knights will engage us out in the field?”

“That"s right. There are a few places that are suitable for battle, and honestly speaking, I can"t tell where they will deploy.”

Otto thought as he scanned the map in his mind. As for a suitable battlefield, there were only three places around Windsam:

The Salz Plains.

The Carnac valleys.

The Tollful Highlands.

Like what Paul said, there were many other suitable venues too. Predicting the enemy"s movements would be a futile exercise.

“Your Excellency is right. There are too many options, we probably can"t figure out which.”

“Otto, send out scouts to the possible locations.”

“Yes, Sir, I will make the arrangements.”

Otto quickly issued the order to the scouts, and they quickly set off.

“In any case, thanks to the efforts of the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment, our chances are now even. Major Olivia"s performance will be crucial from now on, so keep in close contact with her unit.”

“Yes Sir.”

Otto answered with a nod as he thought about Olivia"s cheerful smile.

On the other hand, Rosenmarie and her Crimson Knights were preparing for battle too.

Just as Paul predicted, Rosenmarie decided to engage the Seventh Army on the field, and had chosen the valley to the southwest of Windsam Castle— the Carnac valley, as the battlefield. The Carnac valley was centered around the Vetnam river, and was surrounded by small hills. For the Crimson Knights who were proficient in fighting in the mountain ranges, this was a great battlefield.

Rosenmarie set up her basecamp in one of the small hills, and watched the ground dyed in red with from the setting sun. The wind blowing through the woods brushed against Rosenmarie"s flame-like hair.

— How beautiful.

Gaier sighed in awe in his heart. As expected, Rosenmarie was the most beautiful on the battlefield.

“All the units had been deployed.”

Gaier snapped back to his senses and reported. Rosenmarie nodded firmly.

“It"s finally time. Now, we wait for the Seventh Army to show up.”

“Yes, my Lady. The Seventh Army will fall in the hands of our Crimson Knights.”

“Of course— Well then, what will the rumoured Death G.o.d Olivia do now? I"m looking forward to that.”

She flicked her sanguine cape that had the coat of arms of crossed swords on it, then entered her large tent—

—The next day.

With the clouds covering the sun, the Seventh Army arrived at the Carnac valley in its full majesty. The two sides quickly detected each others presence, followed by the sound of war drums and deafening roars of the soldiers.

The Seventh Army— numbering 28,000 men.

The Crimson Knights— with 27,000 troops under their command.

Paul"s mission was to recover the northern territories of the Kingdom that had been captured by the Empire.

Rosenmarie"s goal was to avenge Osborne.

With both commanders bearing their own unyielding conviction, the battle of Carnac begun.