Chapter 57
Chapter 57
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Knight's Last Command
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“…You’re here.”
Begman smiled faintly.
“Captain! Get a hold of yourself!”
“You’ll burst my eardrums, you punk. *Cough*!”
“Ca-Captain!”
“Why did you come… to save me… It’s dangerous… *Cough! Cough, cough!*”
Blood gushed out every time Begman coughed.
“Son of a bitch!”
Wilson pushed Begman’s intestines back into his belly and pressed a white cloth firmly against the gushing wound to stanch the bleeding.
Meanwhile, Kudo wrapped a bandage around Begman’s half-severed left arm and tightened a tourniquet, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
But such basic, conventional methods were not enough to rekindle a fading flame of life.
“Go… quickly… Don’t die a pointless death trying to save me…”
“Captain! Stay with us!”
“There’s no… *Cough! Cough, cough!* N-no hope for me… Hurry and save the others… return to the for… *Cough*!”
“Captaiiiin!”
Wilson wailed, clutching Begman.
*Whimper! Whimper, whimper!*
The silver wolf, having reverted from its therian form, whimpered as it licked Begman incessantly.
“To Lady Helen… tell her I was grateful… that it was an honor to serve her…”
A faint smile touched the lips of Begman, who stood on the threshold of death.
“Just a moment.”
Carlyle said, roughly shoving Wilson aside.
*Whoosh!*
*Thud!*
Wilson was sent flying.
“Wh-what was that?”
“Was the rookie always that strong?”
The reconnaissance team members were flabbergasted.
Carlyle was tall, but he didn’t look like the strong type.
To think he possessed the monstrous strength to send the burly Wilson flying…
“The rookie…”
Begman stared at Carlyle with fading eyes.
“You came… too. *Cough, cough!* But… wasn’t that insubordination…?”
“Looks like you’ve still got some fight in you, seeing as you noticed that while on death’s door.”
“*Kgh…*”
“And if you have something to say to Lady Helen, you can say it yourself.”
Carlyle rummaged through his large subspace inventory and pulled out a bottle filled with a liquid that was red as a ruby and sparkled like stars.
*Gush, gush, gush!*
Carlyle poured the sparkling red liquid onto Begman’s wound.
The wound began to heal at a visibly rapid pace.
“Ah.”
“…!”
“I said, ‘ah’.”
“Ah.”
*Gush!*
The liquid poured into Begman’s open mouth.
“Swallow if you want to live. Don’t you dare spit it out.”
*Gulp, gulp!*
Begman desperately forced the red liquid down his throat.
“*Khaaah…*”
Begman grimaced as if he had just downed a shot of strong liquor.
“How do you feel?”
“Huh?”
“I asked how you feel.”
“Well, obviously, I’m at death’s… huh?”
Begman’s eyes went wide.
Begman wasn’t the only one with that reaction.
“He’s… healed?”
“How could a man on the brink of death…?”
The reconnaissance team members looked on in disbelief as the dying Begman became perfectly fine.
And for good reason. The liquid Carlyle had used was a [Superior Health Potion] from the Sigmund family’s secret vault.
Although it wasn’t the highest grade, a sufficient amount of a superior health potion could easily save a dying person, so long as they were still breathing.
“W-well, I guess a rich kid is on another level.”
Russell looked at Carlyle with envy.
It was understandable. For an ordinary soldier, a health potion was an unimaginable luxury.
Potions were so expensive that only officers, at the very least, might be issued a single low-grade health potion for emergencies.
“Have a sip of this, too.”
“Th-thank you.”
After the health potion, Begman drank a stamina potion and performed the miracle of sitting up on his own.
Just moments ago, he had been a man with one foot in the grave…
“Thank you so much…”
“Save the thanks for later.”
Carlyle urged them on.
“Let’s hurry. The faster we move, the more people we can save.”
“R-right.”
Just as Begman nodded.
“*Screee!*”
“There are two over there! Looks like that Delont fellow is with two combat engineers!”
Marder, who was conducting aerial reconnaissance by sharing vision with Hugin, pointed in a specific direction.
“How far?”
“About 500 meters?”
“I’ll lead the way.”
As it happened, a green arrow was already floating in the direction Marder had pointed, so Carlyle could advance toward their allies without a moment’s hesitation.
***
Searching for scattered allies in enemy-controlled territory was nothing short of a suicide mission.
One wrong move, and they would be surrounded and annihilated in the blink of an eye.
Yet, the reconnaissance team strode through the battlefield without a trace of hesitation.
This was possible not only because of Carlyle's pathfinding ability, but also thanks to Marder's crucial role.
“*Screeeee!*”
Marder actively used his shared vision with Hugin to pinpoint the locations of their allies.
He even sent Hugin to guide their allies along safe paths, helping them avoid enemies.
It was no wonder Carlyle had been envious of Marder for drawing Hugin.
Thanks to this, the reconnaissance team achieved the remarkable feat of rescuing two of their own and five combat engineers.
“Where to next?”
“There is no next.”
Marder shook his head at Carlyle's question.
His eyes were white from sharing vision with Hugin.
“We can’t. We have to go.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are too many.”
Marder broke the visual link and said.
“Any further operations are impossible. We’re already running late. We have to go now.”
“But…”
“It can’t be helped. From now on, it’s every man for himself. We can only hope a few of them survive.”
“…”
Carlyle bit his lower lip.
*I haven't found her yet...*
He couldn't bring himself to leave, his thoughts lingering on Gwen.
Why? They weren't close, having only spoken a few times…
“If we linger here any longer, we’ll all die. This is our last chance.”
“Marder’s right. It’s not my place to say, but… when it’s time to go, you have to go.”
Begman chimed in to support Marder.
“You said they scattered, so there’s a chance they’ll survive. The enemy’s goal isn’t just to kill, after all. We’ve done our best.”
Kudo also lent his support to the idea of retreating.
Carlyle knew this as well.
The reconnaissance team had done their best.
They had carried out the rescue operation to the point where their own safe return was uncertain; they had done all they could.
It was just that he couldn't get Gwen off his mind.
If he at least knew whether she was alive or dead, he might have found some peace…
“…Let’s go.”
Carlyle reluctantly started to move.
“When we get back to the fortress, I’ll immediately send him out to guide our allies to safety, so don’t worry too much. Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
And so, the withdrawal began.
“This way.”
Carlyle led the reconnaissance team and the surviving soldiers, following the green arrow shown by [Earth’s Guide].
“*Screee!*”
Hugin continued to scout, flying above the team’s heads.
“This path is rarely used.”
“This is my first time coming this way, too.”
At Begman's words, Kudo also looked around, finding the area somewhat unfamiliar.
“They say this place used to be a real hell.”
“Hell?”
“Can’t you tell by looking?”
Begman gestured to their surroundings in response to Kudo’s question.
Heavily rusted scraps of metal and bleached white bones were scattered everywhere.
Furthermore, the remnants of what were once outposts and fortifications remained intact.
“I heard that until about 50 years ago, this was the biggest battlefield in the region. Something about massive mana stone deposits?”
“I see.”
“I can’t even imagine how many people died here. To think bone fragments are still scattered about after all this time…”
“Looks like you’re feeling well enough now, Captain.”
“Hmm?”
“A moment ago, you were on death’s door giving your last words, and now you’re telling old stories like a grandpa.”
“Why you little… *Ugh!*”
Begman flared up at Kudo’s mockery but ended up clutching his stomach in pain.
No matter how much [Superior Health Potion] he’d chugged, his body still needed at least a month of rest and steady treatment to fully recover.
“I guess I spoke out of turn. Let’s get going.”
Just as Begman grimaced and was about to start walking again.
“*Screeeeeeeeee!*”
Hugin, flying overhead, let out a long cry.
“Share vision.”
Hearing the unusual cry, Marder quickly linked his vision with Hugin’s.
“Ah…”
A sound close to a groan escaped Marder’s lips.
“What’s suddenly wrong?”
Begman asked Marder.
Carlyle didn’t need to hear Marder’s answer.
*Vrooom…!!!*
Grimungandr was vibrating intensely.
The direction was behind them.
The way the reconnaissance team had come.
*Th-th-th-th-th-th!*
Soon, a tremor that shook the very earth was accompanied by a roar, and dozens of boars carrying barbarian warriors could be seen charging toward them.
Their name was the [Raging Hoof Cavalry].
The barbarian cavalry of the Butcher Tribe, who rode boars into battle.
***
“E-everyone, scatter! Now!”
Begman roared, hiding behind a tree.
*CRASH!*
*CRACK!*
The tree, struck by a boar, toppled over.
The charging power of the helmeted boars was terrifying enough to fell a massive tree in a single blow.
Fortunately, thanks to the experienced Begman’s timely command, no one was trampled to death by the boars.
But the boars’ charge was only the beginning.
“Valhallaaaaa!”
“You damn rats!”
“I’ll kill you all!”
More than fifty barbarian warriors from the Butcher Tribe quickly dismounted their boars and began to attack the Decaron soldiers.
And so the battle began.
“Son of a biiiitch!”
“Aargh!”
“Y-you bastards!”
The reconnaissance team and the surviving combat engineers gritted their teeth and fought back, but the barbarians’ assault was more ferocious than ever.
The Decaron soldiers could only struggle to hold on, and it was only a matter of time before they fell one by one.
And yet, in this desperate crisis, Carlyle did nothing.
*Did he freeze up?*
Watching Carlyle stand there motionlessly as if possessed, Kudo thought it might be possible.
In fact, such cases weren’t uncommon on the battlefield.
It was quite frequent for someone who usually fought bravely to simply give up and despair when faced with a hopeless situation like this.
Or they might lose their nerve entirely, freezing on the spot, unable to move.
*Is he finally breaking down? So unlike a Sigmund.*
But Kudo’s assumption was nothing more than a groundless fear…
Carlyle, who had been standing motionlessly as if frozen, slowly reached out his hand toward a rusty sword stuck in the ground.
It was clearly a sword abandoned back when this area was a battlefield.
*Grip!*
Carlyle’s hand closed around the hilt.
*Swoosh!*
An auspicious light began to emanate from the rusty sword.
“Go. Now.”
Carlyle’s voice had changed.
“Do not stop. Do not look back. That is my final command.”
These were the last command and final words of a knight who had once stood alone against his foes.