Towards Breitenfeld (3)
When I opened my eyes, my legs felt heavy. I tilted my head to see Anastasia fast asleep, using my calf as a pillow. She really is a total dog, isn't she?
I was just about to kick her off when I felt it. Thump— thump— A strange vibration. Anastasia was fast asleep with a truly blissful expression on her face. Despite that peaceful look, she was shivering, muttering that she was cold. I covered her with the fur I’d bought with the money the Emperor had granted me, then headed toward the source of the tremors.
“Lady Elena.”
“Go Sugil.”
“Were you already awake?”
“I felt an ominous vibration.”
As expected of a member of the Hero’s party, her instincts are sharp. She spoke with a serious expression.
“My gut tells me it’s an ogre…”
“An ogre!”
My eyes snapped wide open. An orc would be one thing, but an ogre? That’s a pretty good playmate. Besides, aren’t we still in the capital region? Why is an ogre roaming around here?
Seeing my expression, she must have read my thoughts, as Lady Elena entered full-on exposition mode.
“Monsters naturally occur everywhere in the Empire. The Demon King was called the Demon King because he took those creatures as his subordinates and used them as his army.”
“Ah.”
So that means every unexplored area we pass through is crawling with monsters. My luck is great from the very first day of the journey.
“Yee-haw!!”
I shouted as I sprinted in the direction of the vibrations. I wasn’t going to bother projecting weapons from the air. That wouldn't be any fun.
Weapon Warehouse
Which weapon would you like to retrieve?
“The iron sword I used first.”
Command executed.
The iron sword I’d used to slice my first goblin head at age ten appeared in my hand. Was it always this small?
Disturbed by the commotion, Elizabeth and Anastasia woke up. They stumbled over to where I was. Elizabeth rubbed her eyes and asked, “Count… what is this noise…”
“An ogre has appeared,” Lady Elena answered for me.
Elizabeth was startled. “An, an ogre? Isn’t that a fairly strong monster?”
“Do not worry, Your Highness.”
“Count… !!”
Once I reminded her that I was holding my sword, she seemed relieved and let out a sigh. Anastasia just had that usual look of, ‘As expected of the Legion Commander.’
“I’ll take this one alone.”
“What?! But at least let me cast a buff on you. You haven’t even fully purged the demonic energy from your body yet.” Lady Elena tried to stop me in a panic, but no one could stop my fighting spirit. I said seriously, “This is my fight. Don’t interfere.”
“… Yes.”
Sensing that she couldn’t stop me, Lady Elena lowered her staff.
Thump— thump— thump— The ogre revealed itself.
“A Blood Ogre?! Go Sugil! That’s no ordinary opponent! It’s a monster among monsters that even a full company of knights would struggle to stop!”
“But it’s no match for me.”
Lady Elena was making a fuss, but it was a justified one. A Blood Ogre. That bastard was the reason the Northern Wall had nearly been pulverized. No matter how many weapons I projected, no matter how many arrows, crossbow bolts, or even ballistae we threw at it, it would just keep healing and charging at the wall. I didn’t know why such a thing was roaming the middle of a forest in the capital region, but either way, it was a good thing for me.
“Hey, I’m your opponent.”
“Grrrr…” The beast let out a low growl. I’ll take that as an acceptance of the duel.
I coated my entire body in mana and filled the worn-out iron sword with it as well. The chipped blade sharpened instantly under the influx of mana. The sun was beginning to rise. If it rose fully, the beast would likely flee back into the dark forest to avoid the light. I’d finish it before then.
I leaped from the ground, slashing at its legs, arms, and neck. “Gaaaaah!!” But as expected of a Blood Ogre, it healed those wounds almost instantly. It swung its fist, but I didn’t bother dodging.
“Hoo.”
Instead, I sliced its fist to ribbons. That would take a while to heal. I vaulted up its arm in one motion and slashed both its eyes with the iron sword. Blinded, the beast uprooted a tree and began swinging it wildly, but it never came close to hitting me.
“Ha!”
At most, I only suffered a few scratches. I was a bit worried about the three girls, but Lady Elena must have cast a barrier, as all physical attacks were being blocked.
I dodged its attacks until its vision fully recovered, and the moment it did, it hurled the tree at me. I sliced the tree in half and landed on top of the beast’s head.
“Die!”
I drove the sword straight into its skull, shattering the bone. “Gaaaaah…” It wailed in agony, trying to regenerate its body, but it was futile. I’d pierced its crown perfectly; it would be dead soon.
It reminded me of the old days. The time I’d leaped from the wall and driven my blade into the crown of this same bastard—the one that wouldn’t die even to ballistae—to kill it. If my few remaining comrades hadn’t thrown me a rope back then, I’d be dead already. Thanks for the memory. Much appreciated, Blood Ogre.
When I walked back to the group after finishing the battle, Anastasia approached me, looking horrified. “Legion Commander, the blood, the blood… !!”
“It’s not my blood. It’s the ogre’s.”
“Waaaaaaaah!!” Why is she like this? I really want to take her brain apart and see what’s inside.
I walked up to Lady Elena and said, “What was it, cleaning magic? You have something like that, right?”
“… Hoo. Yes.”
With a strange sigh, Lady Elena cast the spell. The sticky ogre blood vanished, and I felt as fresh as if I’d just washed. Elizabeth… she was just trembling, unable to do anything. She glared at Lady Elena, as if blaming herself for her own lack of strength.
“I’m… I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help…”
She was shivering; it must have been her first time seeing a battle like this. Ah, Elizabeth is even prettier when she’s fighting. I gently stroked her hair and headed toward the campsite. It was a peaceful scene, as if nothing had happened.
***
My hands were still trembling.
A Blood Ogre. I’d heard it was a disaster that even the Imperial Knights avoided fighting head-on.
When such a monster appeared before my eyes, all my pride as a member of the Imperial family vanished, and I just wanted to collapse, my legs turning to jelly.
But the Count was different.
“Hey, I’m your opponent.”
Grasping that crude, worn-out iron sword, he laughed and flew toward the ogre.
He looked like a holy knight from a novel. There was no wavering in his eyes. He looked even more at ease than when he was at the Grand Banquet or at Lady Weisswaltz’s mansion. The sight of him driving his sword into the ogre’s head and leaping to the ground made him look so massive. He was taller than me, but he looked even larger than that.
“…”
What had I done? I, who had sought out Count Go Sugil as his fiancée—what could I have possibly done to help? There was nothing I couldn’t do in the capital. I am the only daughter who receives all of my father’s love. I am the only younger sister that Lucas cherishes. I am the First Princess, Elizabeth von Schwartzvalt.
Yet here, I could do nothing. I could only tremble inside the barrier Lady Weisswaltz had cast, watching the battle. She had been of help to him with her magic. She had protected me and Anastasia with a barrier, and she had cleaned him with magic.
I had certainly received swordsmanship training. I’d received private tutoring from an Eastern swordsman who was hailed as the best in the continent. ‘What’s the point of learning swordsmanship!’ I’d complained, not taking it seriously. I regret it now. If I had devoted myself to my lessons, I could have been of help to him. I could have proven that I, Elizabeth von Schwartzvalt, was a woman worthy of him.
“I’m… I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help…”
That was all I could say. He walked up to me, gave my hair a light pat, and left as if nothing had happened.
Thump-thump. My heart raced. I have to ask him to teach me swordsmanship. I swore to myself that I would become a strong swordswoman who could protect him and stand by his side.
***
“What was it, cleaning magic? You have something like that, right?”
He asked bluntly. I had no choice but to sigh and answer. I was truly shocked when he returned covered in blood. Even though I’d watched the battle, the blood of a Blood Ogre contains demonic energy. He hadn’t even fully purged the demonic energy from his body yet, and he comes back covered in blood? It was enough to make me feel like my head was going to explode.
How can he move so normally despite being in a state of severe demonic energy poisoning? How can he enjoy battle so much?
As I cast the cleaning magic, I caught a glimpse of his mana circuits.
“…… !!”
The moment my magic touched his body, I couldn’t help but be startled. ‘… Just what level of mastery have you reached?’
The reason he could move normally despite the demonic energy poisoning was simply because his mana circuits were that sturdy. And the near-infinite mana circulating endlessly through those circuits. Even with my mana detection, which was on the verge of reaching Archmage level, I couldn’t measure the amount of mana he possessed. He wasn’t a patient at all. He didn’t need treatment; in time, his own mana would naturally drive out the demonic energy.
That made me feel a little sad. I will become an Archmage quickly and stand proudly by his side. That thought alone filled my head.
***
With a single swing of the Legion Commander’s blade, the head of that massive, terrifying Blood Ogre burst open. The monster’s blood covered the Legion Commander’s body. In that blood-soaked place, the Legion Commander just shook his sword once. As if he didn’t want to get blood on his blade.
Behind his back, I felt as if the day ten years ago, when I left my father behind and fled the Northern Wall, was overlapping. That’s right. I am a pathetic runaway. He, Legion Commander Go Sugil, is a noble judge. A judge who came to condemn me.
“Legion Commander, the blood, the blood… !!”
I’d said it without much thought, but suddenly, I felt a wave of terror. Will I eventually become like that ogre? Will the noble judge condemn me? Those thoughts kept swirling in my mind.
“It’s not my blood. It’s the ogre’s.”
But at his indifferent answer, I lost my composure and burst into tears.
“Waaaaaaaah!!”
The judge did not condemn the runaway. He did not kill me. My sins have been forgiven. The collar around my neck is the symbol of that forgiveness. I will repent. Forever, by his side. He alone is my salvation. My life now belongs to Legion Commander Go Sugil.