Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Leading the Charge
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I didn't need a soldier's report to know.
An unparalleled presence, distinct even amidst the chaos of the battlefield.
The conscripts from the allied cities, who had been frantically thrusting their longspears over the flames, stopped and stared at one corner of the battlefield.
The Empire's elites, who had been advancing relentlessly, halted for the first time.
The fortress's soaring morale wavered precariously.
This was the effect of its mere presence.
It was nothing short of a monster.
But they weren't the only ones with such a monster.
*Gooooooooo.*
From deep within the fortress, a powerful presence bloomed as if it had been waiting.
The sharpest of all the swords the Empire possessed.
The knight of knights.
It was the presence of a high-ranking knight.
It was clearly one of the three professors said to be at the fortress.
I couldn't tell who the owner of that aura was just yet.
Ultimately, their identity didn't matter in the slightest.
None of the Cradle professors I'd met were of a low caliber, so whoever stepped forward would be more than enough to handle an elder-class non-human.
*Fwoooosh.*
A fierce wind blew.
As if recognizing their opponent, the two auras charged directly at each other.
*BOOM!*
An explosion rang out.
A few more roars followed, and then the powerful presences swiftly moved away from the fortress.
It seemed they intended to settle things in a wide, open space without any obstructions.
After all, if monsters like them were to clash in the middle of a battlefield, there would be no greater disaster.
"Alright, let the monsters fight amongst themselves. We advance."
I gave the order.
"U-Unit, advance!"
At some commander's repeated order, the heavy infantry began to advance again.
But before they could take more than a few steps, another presence emerged from a corner of the battlefield.
It was another elder-class non-human.
There was no response from the fortress.
Three Cradle professors had arrived at Elias Fortress.
It seemed that, aside from the one who had already stepped forward, the other two had yet to recover from their injuries.
I'd wondered if something was wrong, seeing the fortress in worse shape than I expected, and I was right.
"Knight."
Fortunately, we had another high-ranking knight to take the place of a Cradle professor.
"I was just about to step forward anyway."
Rangfin Haime, who had been conserving his strength by not joining the battle until this moment, drew his sword.
"Please try to avoid getting our allies caught in the crossfire."
He gave a nonchalant nod at my request and burst from the ranks.
Immediately after, a roar erupted from the heart of the enemy lines.
And it quickly faded into the distance.
Both sides had played two of their cards.
The real battle started now.
They must have confirmed from the fortress's lack of response that there were no more knights to join the fight, so the enemy would make their move.
Nine times out of ten, they would pour out all their hidden forces to try and end this in one fell swoop.
It was just as I expected.
Just as our heavy infantry trampled the non-humans blocking their path and finally reached the fortress gates.
*Fwoosh!*
*Goooo!*
Powerful presences rose from all over.
They were inferior compared to the elder-class non-humans who had appeared first, but to ordinary soldiers, they were a disaster all the same.
"W-What do we do now?"
"What do you think?"
We stop them.
"How?"
Instead of answering, I removed the insignia from my shoulder.
"Centurion...?"
"As of this moment, I am transferring command to the senior officers. Prioritize the fortress's defense above all else, but do not hesitate if you see an opportunity to counterattack. That is all. Go. Hurry."
I kicked the butts of the soldiers staring blankly at me and headed straight inside the gates.
As soon as I passed through the gates, I found the knight of the frontier, Rocarno Matiasi.
His magnificent steel armor, which he must have cherished, was now a crumpled mess. He was catching his breath when he saw me and strode over.
His expression was far from pleasant.
Having been deceived by my sweet talk and gone through all that trouble, his reaction was only natural.
But what could I do?
He'd have to suffer a little more.
"You...!"
Just as he was about to unleash his pent-up fury.
"Knight Rocarno!"
I struck first.
"Please lead us!"
"What?"
"You are the only one who can lead us now, Knight!"
He looked bewildered by the sudden request.
"Us...?"
Instead of answering, I shouted loudly.
"Silver Eagles!"
No sooner had I spoken than youthful faces appeared from all over the fortress.
They were the brats who had arrived at the fortress earlier.
"Yan! You bastard...!"
"Where the hell have you been?!"
"Oh? Look at that uniform. Anyone would think you're actually part of the Imperial Army."
The brats from Team 3 rushed over, surrounding me and causing a ruckus.
"We can catch up later."
But unfortunately, now wasn't the time for reunions.
"You can still fight, right?"
The brats nodded with reluctant faces.
"Then let's go."
"Where?"
"Where do you think? We're going to take down those bastards."
There was no need to explain at length who 'those bastards' were.
Even now, massive auras were approaching the fortress with every passing moment.
"Just us?"
"Is that even possible?"
The brats murmured amongst themselves.
Ignoring them, I turned around.
Rocarno Matiasi gestured with his eyes, demanding an explanation.
I took a moment to catch my breath.
"Knight. If we can't stop them, the fortress is finished. But unfortunately, we can't stop them on our own."
Then, as if coughing up blood, I poured out my words all at once.
"Please, Knight, you must lead us!"
I feigned anguish, clenching my fists and trembling.
"You are our only hope!"
You are the fortress's only hope.
"Me...?"
Staring at me blankly, Rocarno Matiasi's eyes widened.
A myriad of emotions flickered across his naive face.
Watching his expression change by the second, I shouted once more.
"Please, save this fortress!"
"...!"
He didn't answer me.
But it was as good as hearing his answer already.
The constant twitching of his lips and the incessant flaring of his nostrils said it all.
He was completely hooked.
"Very well! I, Rocarno Matiasi, will lay down my life here!"
The answer that followed was nothing more than a confirmation.
"I salute your devotion and righteousness! May the Knight's name echo throughout the world!"
I continued to heap on all sorts of praise for a while after that.
Saying things like I hoped the Knight's heroic deeds would become a song that spread across the Empire.
That it would be an unparalleled honor to be a part of that song.
That from this day forward, children would grow up listening to tales of his heroism.
Rocarno Matiasi's face flushed red from the ceaseless praise.
His face was steeped in ecstasy, as if he were dead drunk.
After a glance at him, I turned to the brats.
"You heard him. We're stopping them with the Knight. Everyone, get ready. We don't have much time."
The brats, who had been staring at me with their mouths agape, belatedly came to their senses and hastily began checking their gear.
"Lian. You should be used to the shield wall by now, right?"
"Bern. Can you prove that Team 1 is the best when it comes to swordsmanship?"
"Amelia, they say those from knightly orders are especially strong in real combat. I trust Team 2 can keep the gnats from interfering."
I grabbed the brats one by one, assigning them roles like defense, offense support, and so on.
"I'm saying this just in case, but if we can't stop them, everyone here will be annihilated. If any of you think your personal honor is more important, leave now. What can I say? Some people value their own honor more than the lives of countless others."
"..."
"Whether that's truly honorable or just cowardly is a matter of personal opinion, I suppose."
If anyone still spouted nonsense about the principle of one-on-one duels or chivalry after that, I was planning to remove them myself.
It was a needless worry.
"Team 1. You heard? We're on offense."
"It's a shame Hummel's not here, but once the battle starts, we'll clear the area so the Knight can focus on his opponent."
I thought at least a few of them, if not the brats from Team 3, would object.
I expected some grumbling at the very least.
Not at all.
"...I'm following the professors' teachings, not yours, so don't get the wrong idea."
As I stared at them blankly, Bern Vigete snapped at me.
"Siding with the weak to punish the wicked. It seems quite honorable. And seeing the soldiers fight... it doesn't seem so undignified either..."
Amelia Justice awkwardly mumbled an excuse.
*Pat.*
Lian Kart patted my shoulder.
"...?"
The model student was giving a rare, sly smile.
Just then, Rocarno Matiasi drew his sword and shouted.
"Children of the Stars!"
His tone, so resolute it bordered on tragic, was like that of a stage actor.
"Follow me! I shall lead you to glory and honor!"
The brats looked slightly fed up.
But the knight of the frontier, completely oblivious, excitedly launched into a long-winded speech.
"Here today, we shall...!"
"Centuria! Clear a path! The Knight is marching out!"
If I let him continue, he'd keep talking until the enemy was right on top of us, so I cut him off at an opportune moment.
*Clack.*
The soldiers passing through the gate moved aside in perfect unison, opening a path.
"...Ch-Charge!"
Rocarno Matiasi repeatedly shouted "Charge!" as he ran forward.
The brats and I followed him, passing between the soldiers.
The flames had died down considerably.
Beyond them, countless non-humans still watched with gleaming eyes.
"We'll take it from here! Get inside, quickly!"
The longspearmen, who had been holding the enemy at bay without being able to enter the fortress, began a hasty retreat.
As the last longspearman disappeared beyond the gate, the waiting heavy infantry raised their shields and blocked the entrance.
Now, we were the only ones outside the fortress.
"Knight. We must fight here."
If we moved too far from the fortress, we risked being surrounded.
"What! The great charge of Rocarno Matiasi has only just begun! Say no more and...!"
"If our allies in the fortress can witness the Knight's brilliant performance up close, it will surely boost their morale."
"Hmph. The outcome of this battle rests on us anyway..."
"And if you give them the chance to witness a legend that will be passed down for generations, would they not be grateful?"
To their sons and grandsons, perhaps even their in-laws and distant cousins. Wouldn't it be beneficial for everyone if they had something to boast about for years to come?
"...Hmph. I suppose you have a point."
At the prospect of having more witnesses to spread word of his heroic deeds, Rocarno Matiasi reluctantly halted his steps.
Feeling a strange gaze, I turned my head to find Lian Kart and the other brats staring at me in disbelief.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I think I have a pretty good idea of how you've been getting by outside the fortress."
"Aha. So this is how it was."
I feigned ignorance and drew the brats' attention back to the matter at hand.
"Save the chatter for later. They're coming."
A few impatient non-humans leaped over the nearly extinguished flames.
Though pierced and slashed by the longspearmen's weapons until they were in tatters, their ferocity and bloodlust remained.
But they were just small fry.
They weren't our opponents.
Our true enemies were right behind them.
The giant with skin as red as if bathed in blood was an ogre.
The giant crudely clad in armor and uncharacteristically wearing a helmet was a troll.
Beside them stood a massive orc covered in scars and a reptilian with three tails.
Though not on the level of the elder-class non-humans, there was no doubt they were formidable foes.
They were the kind who would inevitably rise to the ranks of elder-class monsters if given time.
If they managed to survive today, that is.
"Knight! Please take the ogre!"
"Facing the strongest foe is the duty of the most honorable! Need you even ask?!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Rocarno Matiasi charged toward the ogre.
He seemed to have already forgotten the memory of struggling against an ordinary troll.
Then again, that's a knight for you.
With a small nod, I untied the flame pouches from my waist and threw them.
*Fwoosh.*
The dying flames flared back to life, creating a barrier between us and the small fry.
"Let's go, brats."
"Who are you calling a brat?!"
Someone snapped back in protest, but I ignored them.
I took out Barisada.
I drew the bowstring and nocked an arrow.
And I muttered to myself.
"Time to repay my debt, Witch."