Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: 14. Salvation (1)
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As night fell, Yuri returned to the Brioll army's camp outside the walls of Gid.
Raymond was sitting by the campfire, poking at the flames with a stick.
"You're back early, Your Highness."
"I've seen all there is to see."
"And warmed yourself plenty, I imagine."
"Word's already spread?"
"Hahaha..."
Yuri sat down across from him.
Every flicker of the flames accentuated the deep wrinkles on Raymond's face.
He was older than Yuri, even counting both lifetimes combined. That meant more experience.
Yuri tossed some dry twigs from the ground into the fire.
Raymond spoke up.
"I heard you met Fenek."
"Fenek?"
"The Holy Knight from the Holy Kingdom."
"That guy's name is Fenek? I didn't know."
"He's a skilled knight."
"Didn't look it."
"Character and ability don't always go hand in hand. He's arrogant, but he's got the skills. The issue is they're limited to swordsmanship."
"Swordsmanship or whatever, Rolang's better."
Raymond burst out laughing.
"Well, Brioll knights are the exception. Speaking in general terms, of course."
It was a statement laced with pride.
Yuri couldn't help but smile too.
"Wouldn't it be better to sleep at the inn in Gid?"
"I'm fine."
Yuri glanced back. A makeshift tent had been pitched using tarps.
"This is plenty for me."
"You're unpretentious."
"On the battlefield, this is luxury."
When he'd wandered as a mercenary, sleeping on bare ground had been the norm. Using rocks for pillows, the sky for a ceiling, and comrades' groans as a lullaby.
"True enough. This is a battlefield."
Raymond ran his hand over the sword lying beside him.
"War will break out soon. Aren't you afraid, Your Highness?"
"I am."
Yuri answered honestly.
No one could face a blade filled with killing intent without a care. It was the same in his past life and now.
"But there's a reason bigger than that fear."
Raymond's eyes widened before he nodded.
"A fine answer. You always surprise me."
"Don't be impressed yet. Plenty more surprises ahead."
"I'll look forward to it."
Raymond smiled, wrinkles crinkling around his eyes.
Yuri could sense he'd largely let go of his wariness toward him.
I wonder if he has kids.
"Fine moon tonight. You're not of age yet, but care for a drink?"
"You have booze?"
"Brought a few bottles, just in case."
"Thorough preparation."
"Well-aged wine."
"My favorite."
"I'll fetch it."
Just as Raymond stood,
the gates of Gid swung open, and a rider galloped toward the camp.
The horseman pulled up sharply in front of them, kicking up dust.
"Your Highness. Forgive my rudeness."
It was a messenger from the lord.
"It's fine. What is it?"
"A message from the lord. The Holy Kingdom's main force has been ambushed by orcs."
Yuri clicked his tongue.
What he'd feared had come to pass. Once across the border, complacency was fatal.
Raymond, standing nearby, asked,
"But why you, and not someone from the Holy Kingdom?"
"Yes. That's how it turned out."
"The lord of Gid sent you separately?"
"Yes."
The situation was clear enough.
Raymond gave a wry smile.
"Prideful bunch."
"Sure seems that way."
The Holy Kingdom wanted to handle it themselves, but the lord was worried enough to send a messenger.
It wasn't strictly necessary for the lord to step in. The Holy Kingdom might even object later.
Even so, he'd informed Brioll.
Yuri took a liking to Gid's lord.
"Tell the lord thanks."
"Yes, sir!"
"Raymond."
"Yes."
"Before that drink, how about a stroll?"
Raymond grinned like a young boy.
"Sounds good."
"They might treat us like unwanted guests."
"I'm used to that. Was an unwanted guest in my own territory too."
"Quit the allied forces after this."
"Hahaha..."
Yuri asked the messenger,
"What's your name?"
"Roy."
"Roy. Mind doing me a favor?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Head back to Gid and find Brioll's knights. Probably at the tavern. Tell them: first come, first served. Whoever gets here fastest."
"Got it."
"No need for pleasantries. Go now."
"Yes, sir!"
He mounted up and spurred his horse.
The messenger kicked up dust as he rode back toward Gid.
The moment word spread of the main force's ambush, Sibylla donned her armor.
Fenek and the Holy Knights, who'd been drinking, hurried back.
Fenek grilled the herald.
"What's the situation?"
"Not sure. They were still fighting when I slipped away."
Blood stained the herald's clothes.
He'd barely shaken off the orc pursuers, he said.
"Numbers?"
"Not that many, but every one was a monster..."
"Figures."
Regular soldiers trained in mana circulation methods too, but their proficiency was lacking. Orcs, meanwhile, were born with monstrous strength.
Without reaching knight-level, you couldn't take an orc one-on-one.
Sibylla said,
"We move before casualties mount."
"Understood."
Fenek nodded.
They couldn't afford a retreat before even joining the allied forces. The Holy Kingdom's honor was at stake.
They rushed their preparations and readied their mounts.
The lord arrived upon hearing the news.
"Princess, you're leaving right away?"
"Yes."
"Shouldn't you request aid from the Brioll forces...?"
Fenek bristled from behind.
"What're you saying? The Holy Kingdom handles Holy Kingdom matters. You think we'll lose to orcs?"
"No, I mean to minimize losses."
"Better we go alone than drag along incompetents who'll just get in the way."
"Well..."
Fenek's resentment toward Brioll stemmed from the day's events.
He was confident in his skills too. They could handle this on their own.
Sibylla agreed with Fenek.
"Lord, don't worry. It'll be fine."
"I hope so, but still..."
Anxiety lingered on the lord's face.
Sibylla deliberately looked away. She didn't want to beg aid from foreigners before joining the allies.
Sibylla steeled herself and mounted.
"We are the Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom."
She grasped the holy symbol at her neck and invoked holy magic.
"Lord, your servant seeks to ride. Push us forward, I pray."
A white glow emanated from Sibylla's body.
The light enveloped her and her horse, then spread to the others, boosting their speed and stamina.
She gripped the reins and shouted sharply.
"Move out!"
With Sibylla in the lead, the Holy Knights charged through the gates.
Townsfolk scattered in surprise, but they ignored them and picked up speed.
They left Gid behind.
Suddenly, Sibylla spotted the Brioll camp outside the walls.
Yuri Brioll's face flashed in her mind, his warning about ambushes.
His judgment had been spot on.
Sibylla murmured,
"Shouldn't have come early."
Originally, the full force was set to arrive in Gid by morning.
But Fenek had insisted on going ahead to meet the lord, and she'd seen no reason to refuse.
She hadn't anticipated trouble overnight.
She regretted the hasty decision.
But no time for dwelling. Focus on the now.
Sibylla gauged the battle ahead.
"Fenek."
"Yes."
"Herald said one leader commands all the orcs. The moment we hit the field, we take it down."
"Understood."
Fenek nodded.
"Together?"
"Yes."
He chafed at her leading, but he wasn't fool enough to clash needlessly now.
Fenek shouted to the knights behind.
"Charge straight in on contact. No hesitation. You break the line, and the princess and I follow to strike the leader."
"Yes, sir!"
They shifted formation while riding.
Holy Knights up front for the impact, Sibylla and Fenek bringing up the rear.
The Holy Kingdom's main force wasn't far.
"There."
The lead knight said.
"I see it."
The Holy Kingdom's banner fluttered on the distant horizon.
Sibylla felt relief.
The flag hadn't fallen. They hadn't been wiped out yet.
"Orcs?"
The lead knight scanned ahead with a spyglass.
"Still fighting!"
"Troops?"
"Holding formation."
The frontline came into view.
Fierce combat raged.
Each swing of the orcs' massive weapons pushed soldiers back.
A handful of remaining knights fought valiantly, but orcs swarmed them two or three to one, pinning them down.
Bodies of humans and orcs littered the ground.
Sibylla gritted her teeth.
She'd never fought orcs before. Never even seen them up close. No time to scout now.
She tensed her body.
White mana poured from her.
Horse and rider merged into one, wrapped in light.
The Holy Kingdom's signature mounted charge.
Man and mount became one, thundering forward.
"Pick up speed!"
The Holy Knights' arrival lit fire in the main force's eyes.
"Reinforcements!"
"The knight order's back!"
But it was short-lived.
As Sibylla charged toward the orcs, she felt her body tilt.
"Ah...?"
No ground rebound.
Something was wrong, but too late.
Lead knights plummeted one by one.
A pit trap.
They slammed into the hole.
Horses, men, armor all tangled.
Sibylla's head cracked against another knight's armor.
Her mind blanked. Vision blurred, ears rang.
She couldn't steady herself.
"No."
She shook off the daze.
"Everyone, snap out of it!"
Even her own voice sounded distant.
Leaning on her sword, she rose.
"It's a trap!"
The orcs had dug a wide pit.
But it hadn't looked like one until they fell. They'd tricked it somehow.
"Orc shaman..."
She muttered the name.
She'd heard orcs had magic users like wizards. They could enrage their kin or deceive enemies' eyes.
Too easy.
Sibylla kicked a writhing knight at her feet.
"Get up, now!"
Fenek rose after her, rallying the others.
Knights began recovering. Most horses had broken legs.
"Out, now!"
The pit was deep, but they could climb out.
Then Sibylla noticed the odd smell.
The bottom was slick and wet.
"Oil."
She looked up.
An orc stood at the pit's edge, holding a torch.
A sneer twisted its ugly face.
Something was very wrong.
As the torch flew down, Sibylla's heart sank.
Thoughts raced.
Should she block it?
Sparks would fly.
Catch it?
No room to jump.
Never dreamed orcs could dig such an elaborate trap and lure them in.
One moment's carelessness.
The price: death.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Suddenly, childhood memories flashed.
The day she first manifested holy magic, all praised her. The moment she bested her brother in swordplay, those gazes turned hostile.
After Mother's death, she was always alone in the palace.
The Holy Kingdom's "God's proxies" bore no resemblance to the god they preached.
Did heaven even exist?
Once that torch fell, would her soul burn to ash with her body?
I want to live.
That thought alone remained.
An eternity passed in an instant.
"Sibylla."
A voice at the end.
"Open your eyes."
Sibylla lifted her eyelids.
"Ah..."
It was like magic.
Blink, and everything changed.
Instead of a falling torch, a headless orc corpse tumbled into the pit.
Replacing the mocking orc, a torch-bearing youth peered down.
The orc's body hit bottom. Blood from the stump spread across the oil.
No one spoke.
Brioll's third prince.
Yuri Brioll looked down at them, smiling.
"You all look priceless."