The Battlefield (1)
A few days after obtaining the Holy Shroud, the Holy Knights finally marched out for the battlefield—and I was among them.
At the moment, I was sitting blankly inside a carriage that rattled steadily forward. Being alone in the carriage left me a little restless, but I knew full well that this, too, was one of the privileges I enjoyed as a Saintess. While every last Holy Knight rode on horseback, I alone sat in a carriage; if anything, I ought to be grateful. Of course, I had never learned to ride in the first place, so the carriage had been my only real option.
The Fairy of Bombardment says this is the first time she is seeing a battlefield with her own eyes.
"Huh? I was taught that the first Saintess went to the battlefield, though?"
The Fairy of Bombardment replies that the moment an owner of the Holy Shroud is decided, her consciousness normally enters a dormant state, so she never got to look around the outside world.
The instant I heard the Holy Shroud's words, I understood. That was why the Holy Shroud's trial had been such a mess. She was a hikikomori who had never properly talked to people even once.
"I basically dragged you out of there, so you'd better treat me well, right?"
That was that, and this was this.
The Fairy of Bombardment assumes a posture of submission and declares she will devote herself in loyalty.
……What the hell even is a posture of submission.
Anyway, we still had a long way to go before reaching the battlefield. Getting bored this early would not do, yet with nothing to occupy myself, boredom was inevitable. If the Fairy of Bombardment had not been here, I would have had no one to talk to and might have died of sheer monotony.
"When are we supposed to arrive, anyway."
Whether from nerves or something else, my palms felt clammy. Boredom mixed with tension made time crawl even more slowly. Come to think of it, I was about to experience a real battlefield for the first time—something I had never even gone through in the military—and I was doing it as a woman. My life really was spectacular.
"Saintess, we have arrived."
Andreus's voice reached me. I shot upright and immediately threw open the carriage door. What met my eyes was a sea of tents—and soldiers hurrying about with weapons in hand. A scene straight out of a movie was unfolding right in front of me.
"……Whoa."
Even seeing it with my own eyes, it still did not feel real. While I stared blankly at the landscape of the Imperial army's camp, a booming voice stabbed into my ears.
"Andreus, so you've come!!"
"Kalpas!!"
The man was a giant—not quite on Andreus's level, but close. His features, however, were far more ferocious than Andreus's. Anyone who knew nothing about either of them would probably look at the two side by side and decide this one was the stronger.
As the massive man approached, the Holy Knights fell into neat ranks and snapped to attention. High-ranking, then—that much was certain.
The man Andreus had called Kalpas looked me over and slowly opened his mouth.
"This person…… could it be."
"Indeed. She is the Saintess."
At those words, Kalpas could not hide his shock.
"Good heavens. The Church actually permitted it? Does this generation's Saintess possess Grace of that magnitude?!"
"Not only that. She has even learned close-quarters combat directly from me. She has talent."
"Hoh. Has the Goddess finally begun to turn her gaze upon the battlefield."
Having said that much, Kalpas bowed his head toward me in greeting.
"Commander of the Empire-Church Allied Knights. Kalpas."
The Empire-Church Allied Knights—partners who had coordinated with the Holy Knights countless times and carved their way through battlefields together. Comrades who would fight the demons at my side from now on. The leader of those comrades was the man bowing before me.
I closed my eyes, clasped my hands together, and inclined my head slightly in return.
"Saintess of the Church of the Goddess, Maria."
"Indeed. Rumors have been circulating that this generation's Saintess is the foremost flower of the Empire, and I believe I understand why."
"……Excuse me?"
What the hell was that supposed to mean? What kind of rumors had been flying around while I was stuck inside the Holy See?
The Fairy of Bombardment says one must not be deceived by a face alone.
……Huh? Have we not had enough honest conversations yet? She's getting cocky?
The Fairy of Bombardment senses murderous intent and frantically attempts to retract the words she just spoke.
Where does a piece of clothing get off mouthing off like that.
In any case, Kalpas heard my dazed reply, declared it had been a joke, wiped the smile from his face, and assumed a formal salute.
"Saintess. And comrades of the Holy Knights. For coming to support the Twenty-First Front against the demons—this hell spread across the present world—for the sake of humanity, as commander of the Allied Knights, I offer you my deepest thanks."
Inside the Holy Knights' headquarters tent, I was alone. The other Holy Knights were all busy pitching their own tents, while Andreus and a few others had gone to a strategy meeting with the Imperial knights.
I had considered helping with the tent work myself. The moment I approached to offer a hand, however, the knights adamantly refused, so I gave up in the end. Thinking about it, it was exactly like a four-star general wandering over to help the enlisted men pitch tents. A person ought to know when to stay in her place. Yeah.
I had been half-zoning out for who knew how long when Andreus and the Holy Knights finally entered the headquarters tent.
"Ah, did the strategy meeting go well?"
"It did. Combat will likely take place as early as tomorrow."
According to Andreus's explanation, the force disparity with the demons on the Twenty-First Front had continued to widen. A full-scale frontal engagement would have meant certain defeat, so Kalpas had been avoiding a decisive battle even while absorbing losses. Allied support was desperately needed. Yet the demon offensives on the other fronts were equally fierce, making it difficult to receive reinforcements.
Then support had arrived from the Church. The news that reinforcements had come spread through the entire force, replenishing morale that had been freefalling without end. On top of that, Kalpas had actively publicized the fact that I had come, pushing morale as high as it would go. The plan was to seize that momentum, carry it straight into battle, and completely reverse the unfavorable flow of the battlefield.
"Then tomorrow's battle will be truly critical, won't it?"
"Yes. It would be no exaggeration to say the fate of the Twenty-First Front hangs upon it."
Hearing Andreus's words, I made my decision.
"……As expected, I should fight on the front lines tomorrow."
The instant the words left my mouth, every Holy Knight present spoke with one heart and one mind.
"Absolutely not!!!!"
The Fairy of Bombardment complains that she was startled.
I was startled too. I had expected them to refuse, but I had never imagined it would be this intense.
"But if I fight on the front lines, it would help boost morale as well, wouldn't it?"
This was not just anyone—this was the Saintess herself fighting bravely on the front.
"Please don't worry. I have no intention of straying far from Andreus. My own life is precious to me as well, you know?"
"……Saintess. People who value their lives first try not to come to the battlefield at all."
That was a bit of a low blow. It left me with nothing to say.
Even so, the rear still did not feel right. If I had never obtained the Holy Shroud, of course I would have stayed in the rear. But to properly verify the performance of the Holy Shroud—and of the Fairy of Bombardment—the front lines were the correct choice over the rear.
I knew full well it was forced. If I stood on the front, the Holy Knights might become so preoccupied with protecting me that they could not fight properly. Nevertheless, driven by nothing more than the selfish desire to obtain what I wanted, I had made up my mind to go to the front. That meant I somehow had to persuade the Holy Knights.
"In any case, the fact remains that my presence on the front lines helps our side far more than my presence in the rear, doesn't it? Don't say anything else. Yes or no. Which is it?"
"……It is true."
"Then going is the right choice. I understand everyone's worries. But even so, I believe that possessing power and still hiding in the back is not the right thing to do."
Having said that, I paused for a moment. Persuading someone with emotion rather than logic required an atmosphere to match. I smiled as much like a Saintess as I could manage and spoke.
"As a Saintess, for everything I have received from everyone—now it is my turn to give back to everyone."
Oh. That line just now actually sounded pretty cool.
"How shameful."
Those were the words Andreus muttered alone while breathing in the night air of the battlefield. Yes—he was ashamed. The moment he heard the Saintess's words, Andreus had felt shame. Ashamed of himself for opposing her when he ought to have been helping a Saintess who held such profound resolve. Ashamed, still, of the anxiety that kept him from fully trusting her.
Because there had already been a Saintess who martyred herself once upon a battlefield. And because he feared becoming a Holy Knight who failed to protect his Saintess. Andreus had committed a shameful act of his own. Even so, he had been unable to break the Saintess's will. To that degree her resolve had been firm—and noble.
How could he stop it? That heart which sought to prevent even a few more from dying in vain upon the battlefield. Andreus had come to realize that even when a Saintess was too excellent, it was not entirely a blessing from the standpoint of those who had to protect her.
"…Tomorrow will be a somewhat harder battlefield than usual."
As the strongest Holy Knight, no matter what happened, he would protect the Saintess at the very least. With that resolve, Andreus offered a prayer to the Goddess—that everything would end safely, without problem or trial.
Somewhere in the Demon Realm.
"Is that so."
"It seems the Demon King intends to force the issue a little this time, if that is what it takes to seize a decisive advantage."
At Annihilation's command.
"Very well. Four Heavenly King Vexetia. In accordance with the Demon King's will, I shall annihilate the enemy."
"A time-limited massacre, is it. It has been a while—this should be a little entertaining."
The monster began to move.