Chieftain Kakula

I had practically cut Heiri off unilaterally, but since she was the one unilaterally approaching me despite my repeated refusals, I didn't particularly care.

Of course, I dealt with her as sincerely as possible when it came to topics unrelated to that leech of a princess. I couldn't know exactly how Heiri took my reactions, but at least when we talked about other subjects, she didn't give me a sanpaku-eyed glare, nor did dissatisfaction seep into her tone.

After resting for about an hour as if nothing had happened and receiving updates from Bisquente and me on the distance to the orcs and the status of our forces, she ordered the knights to perform maintenance. Then she attended the meeting being held at the Pantheon and was the first to offer her opinion.

"We go to total war."

Correction. She issued an order.

Now that she was the highest-ranking officer and commander, it was a perfectly natural response. But it wasn't an order that could be understood in one go, given that not a single condition existed for them to coordinate with the wyvern knights. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one who felt that way. Kal Guls cautiously raised his hand.

"Would it be alright to ask for a detailed explanation?"

"It's simple. Our wyvern knights will strike the orcs, and your follow-up force will handle the fleeing remnants. It'll be about half a day slower than if the wyvern knights flew ahead and fought alone, but that's better than carelessly leaving loose ends."

A plan built on absolute confidence. Heiri spoke with such natural certainty that engaging the enemy meant annihilating them completely—she was a wyvern knight through and through.

If some reasonably well-known ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knight had spouted that, I would've scoffed inwardly and been curious to see just how skilled they really were. But because she was a Royal Wyvern Knight, the weight of her words felt different.

Regardless, the plan itself seemed sound, so I nodded as the adventurers' representative. But Kal Guls thought for a moment before opening his mouth.

"The bastards know the exact location of the village. Some orcs might break through the encirclement and target it, so I want to leave a minimal guard force behind before we go."

"That's a valid point, but the wyvern knights will handle it. Maybe during the season when greenery is growing lush, but in this winter, they can't escape the forest and avoid our eyes."

Heiri didn't say it boastfully. She simply recited the fact flatly, like stating that the sun rises in the east. At that, Kal Guls, Yekaterina, and Bisquente let out short exclamations of "Ah!" in admiration. I, meanwhile, admired inwardly as I looked at the residents of this fantasy world who still didn't fully grasp the advantage air superiority provided.

It was admiration composed half of the pride of a modern man—something I rarely felt—and half of the pleasure of knowing that aerial raids would probably work damn well in the future.

"Sir Ega, you seem to understand immediately, perhaps because you already have experience moving on a wyvern."

But because I'd failed to react properly while feeling that pride, I ended up receiving Heiri's peculiar gaze.

Had she been given orders to observe my every move or something? I could let that slide, but she'd just been speaking down to everyone else, and now ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she used honorifics only for me. It was making me unnecessarily self-conscious.

"It wasn't much experience, but it was definite experience. Even I, who can't attack from atop a wyvern, felt the advantage. So a wyvern knight capable of magical bombardment is beyond question, isn't that so?"

At my answer, the others looked at me with surprise, and Yekaterina, who had witnessed the Eldmia Landing attempted in this very village, showed an oddly stiff expression. She might have been scared I'd make her do a bungee jump like I did.

Back then, the ground was close, so it was mild compared to skydiving without a parachute.

"It seems speed will be the key... so, shall we prepare two days' worth of rations generously and have everyone assemble immediately?"

As the hastily concluded meeting reached its end and Bisquente asked his question, Heiri rolled her eyes briefly in thought, then nodded lightly.

"Hmm. They'll handle cold-weather measures on their own. And once assembly is complete, make sure to clearly relay the warning not to approach the battlefield if combat breaks out unless there's a separate order. I don't intend to burn the whole forest, but if the enemy numbers are high, the firepower may exceed expectations."

"It's the same principle as attacking after the cavalry has withdrawn, I see."

Watching Kal Guls mutter with rounded eyes at the unexpected warning, Heiri let out a small laugh.

"Worse than that. The cavalry don’t leave flames behind."

It seemed wyvern knights had the disposition of arsonists.

◈

After the meeting concluded, the mercenaries and adventurers who received the orders moved with truly perfect discipline.

The adventurers in particular moved faster than when I'd beaten them senseless. It was because a ridiculous rumor—one I'd never heard before—had spread that with the royal family directly intervening, any wrong move could get you charged with treason and your head sent flying.

Their ignorance disgusted me anew, but since the result was good, I decided to just leave it and see to my own business. Guys who could exercise their right of refusal and get deported even if a forced conscription order was issued were worrying about treason. It was laughable.

Thanks to that, the personnel who assembled in an instant—without a single one dawdling—were truly a motley bunch, but they were putting on a headache-inducing display of rigid military discipline. Since I had to move with Gies, I was able to watch that sight from a bit of a distance aboard the wyvern, and I openly snickered with Gies as we laughed at the bastards' stupidity.

"Hey, look at those morons. They don't even know what rights they have, so they're trembling over treason charges and playing soldier."

"Aren't they just being diligent?"

"The hell they are. That's not diligence, it's insanity. If those bastards had been diligent, I wouldn't have come here and gotten my stomach turned inside out. Those fuckers, that was orc laissez-faire-ism."

It was a relief that things were getting resolved well now, but a single misstep could have led to a truly horrific outcome. Gies, who had been giggling at first while listening to my grumbling, began to shudder at the adventurers' character just like me by the time he heard about the worst-case scenario the orcs could have brought about.

"The logic that monsters need to remain in the world so they can make a living exterminating them... it's utterly horrifying."

"Who says it isn't? They're completely insane, I tell you."

While we were catching up after a long time by talking behind the adventurers' backs, Heiri finished a simple speech, delivered her instructions, and ordered the departure.

At that, the ten-odd mercenaries moved in perfect order like an elite unit, but the adventurers, having never even done such training, were no better than a ragtag mob. Asilie, Laika, and Yekaterina were among them, but maybe because their faces were radiant, the atmosphere around them felt different.

Even without the overall grandeur of an army marching out, they exuded a peculiar solemnity, perhaps because so many of them were on edge. Maybe it was also thanks to the residents who saw them off, praying for their safety.

"Then, we depart!"

As I was eyeing the adventurers who couldn't even march in step with displeasure, Gies exchanged hand signals with Heiri and gripped the reins. The wyvern spread its wings elegantly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and took to the air.

Unlike the slow descent, the ascent happened quickly. The moment we reached the target altitude, I felt my body rapidly cooling despite having clearly bundled up as much as possible.

I'd been pleased that I was flying while others walked, but I'd completely miscalculated!

"Whoa, this thing is seriously unrideable in the dead of winter?!"

My efforts to dress warmly were rendered meaningless—it was bone-chillingly cold! At the shriek that escaped me involuntarily, Gies burst out laughing and shouted back.

"It's only that manageable because you're behind me! There's a reason we practically turn into bundles of cloth, I'm telling you!"

Laughing in the face of someone else's suffering—his character was starting to warp.

But since it was an undeniable fact, I hunched my body as much as possible and desperately hid behind Gies's back. Naturally, my size made it a pointless act, but I had the illusion that it felt less cold.

Of course, it was an illusion. Seriously, I don't know about anything else, but I absolutely could not endure this.

"Spirits, who must be busy holding joyous festivals in winter, I beg you not to be angry and to look the other way just this once. Fire Spirit Lord, if you take pity on me, forced to face this biting wind in the high sky on this cold day, please, the slightest warmth, please. Fuck, I'm seriously going to die."

But an illusion was still an illusion, so not long after, the fear of hypothermia set in. I earnestly pleaded with the spirit for the first time in a while, my words polite but filled with desperation. Though I spoke quietly, Gies, who had ears like a ghost, picked it up and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! I mean, you ask a spirit for that, not a god?"

"Why are you laughing, man. You keep that up and you'll get scolded by the spirit!"

"I may be a layman in spirit arts, but I know a bit about spirit mages. I've never seen anyone earnestly beg a spirit like Eldmia! Do you perhaps follow something like spirit worship?"

"I believe in the Demon God Epaga."

"Uahahahat! Ah, seriously, stop it! I'm going to fall off laughing!"

It was the truth, but he thought it was a joke. Sigh, Epaga. He's a bit simple and naive, so he gets scammed, but he's a good kid. Please don't be angry... oh?

"Oh...? Spirit?"

Warmth!

The Fire Spirit Lord had seen me! Just as the warm energy that began spreading from my chest was circulating throughout my whole body, Gies noticed the change and asked.

"Huh? Eldmia? Your back is suddenly starting to feel a bit warm. Did you perhaps bring something like a magic stone heater?"

"How dare you utter such blasphemy! The spirit has bestowed its grace!"

"What? No way? Seriously? You even know how to use spirit arts?"

Gies seemed genuinely flustered. Partway through, he even turned his body to confirm I wasn't holding any heater, then looked at me with an expression of sheer disbelief.

"Hey, that's dangerous. Face forward and drive."

"I can manage this much. Anyway, good heavens, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spirit arts? What in the world can't you do?"

"It's just receiving help, not something to call spirit arts. They don't intervene in combat, after all."

"No... whew, I don't know anymore, seriously. You've got a talent for startling people every time I see you, you know that."

As I watched Gies let out a hollow laugh and then grip the reins again to focus on his duty, I smiled leisurely.

Now that I could enjoy a warm flight with four wyvern knights at my back, I felt so refreshed it was as if I could forget all the rage and annoyance I'd felt until now.

Now this is a picnic.