Those Who Did Not Lose Their Courage
“Plimia. Give me a detailed account of the battlefield.”
The moment I spoke while heading toward the field, holly trust offered a concise explanation.
“Our Caelon Empire attacked the surrounding nations one by one, absorbing them to swell our supplies, capital, and manpower. Growth came at a breakneck pace. Every time a neighboring country fell, the Caelon Empire gained enormous wealth and troops. The emperor grew greedy and eventually launched an assault on the Fibron Empire as well.”
“So right now, the only war you're fighting is against the Fibron Empire?”
“Yes, that's right. But once they absorb the Fibron Empire, they'll seek out another nation or empire to attack. War costs a fortune while it's being waged, yet the result is the massive profit of swallowing vast lands, manpower, and every resource those places produce. The emperor will never stop.”
“Give me a brief rundown of the Fibron Empire. What sort of people are they?”
I had a decision to make—whether to wipe out the Caelon Empire scum along with them, or whether to spare their lives.
“After building up a certain level of power, the Fibron Empire stopped waging wars. Most of the large and small conflicts were started by the other side; they were the ones on the defensive. Even after the Caelon Empire's successive surprise attacks, the Fibron side said they didn't want meaningless sacrifices and demanded ceasefire negotiations from us several times. Emperor Lukan refused to listen. That's how this long war ended up dragging on.”
“I see.”
Only then did it make sense. In short, the Caelon Empire had invaded a Fibron Empire that had been minding its own business. The fact that they had offered a ceasefire even after suffering a surprise invasion was proof that the Fibron Empire still left room for dialogue.
At first I had thought both empires locked in this war should simply be erased. But the more I heard of the internal situation, the more I decided to revise the plan so the Fibron Empire could be preserved.
“What's the name of that knight bastard who cut off your arm and leg on the battlefield and fled?”
Plimia clasped both hands and trembled as she spoke.
“Gallard… It's Gallard. He used to be a knight, but I heard he's a knight commander now.”
“Do you remember the name of the Fibron Empire's knight commander who helped you back then?”
“It's Knight Commander Tekeloman.”
The people I needed to kill and the people I needed to save had been decided.
That bastard Gallard who sold out Plimia would die the moment I met him. Tekeloman, who had shown mercy even as an enemy, I would try to spare if at all possible.
When you set out to kill on the battlefield, you have to draw clear boundaries and hold onto your convictions. Without them, the mind breaks. The reason I can keep killing countless people and still retain a human personality instead of becoming a monster is thanks, in part, to these clear standards.
If they must die, I kill them without hesitation. But to those who can be saved, I show mercy—only when circumstances allow, of course.
Still, on this battlefield, mercy would be minimal.
Through Plimia, I had learned just how cruel the knights of the Caelon Empire could be.
A battlefield stacked with countless corpses. At its center stood Knight Commander Tekeloman. Opposite him stood the knight commander of the Caelon Empire, Gallard, a gleaming crest pinned to his chest. Gallard's rank had once been ordinary knight, but after surviving a previous ambush with hundreds of knights intact and posting outstanding results on multiple fields, he had been promoted to commander.
The reason Gallard could rise so high was that he casually abandoned comrades and planned operations solely for efficiency—and that he attacked only the enemy's weak points in the most opportunistic, narrow-minded way.
Tekeloman shouted.
“You cowards! This is a residential district for civilians. Why are you attacking here?”
“Because this side had the weakest defenses.”
“Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?! These people have nothing to do with the war! They don't even know how to swing a sword properly!”
Gallard sneered as he answered.
“So what? It's your own fault for being stupid enough not to station proper troops along the border.”
“You coward. I should never have let you go back then. I should have somehow caught and killed you when you abandoned the Saintess and ran!”
“That's all in the past. I'm not the same useless bastard I was then.”
When Gallard gestured, knights surged forward at once. Forming ranks as if conducting a siege, they protected the mages. From the safety of the interior, Gallard shouted.
“Come on in. I'll pay you back for that humiliation last time.”
On the battlefield, the defending side holds an overwhelming advantage over the attackers. Especially in a world with magic, you never know what traps might wait, so charging straight at the enemy was pure folly. Naturally Tekeloman did not rise to the taunt. But Gallard only smiled and waved a hand.
“I figured you wouldn't come first. Mage corps—attack the civilians immediately!”
The mages behind them began chanting in unison as if they had been waiting for the order. Their magic was aimed at the civilian quarter directly behind the lines. They began mercilessly slaughtering the people still trying to evacuate. Ordinary folk with no power whatsoever met empty, miserable ends every time magic fell from the sky.
Screams rolled across the field. People who could not even hold a sword, who had no will to fight, were being butchered without mercy.
“Damn it…”
He knew. If the enemy was working this hard to lure them in, they would have prepared a thorough trap. He knew better than anyone that the moment they entered that place, they would all meet meaningless deaths.
But Tekeloman gave the order.
“Everyone, charge!”
“Te… Tekeloman, sir. There's definitely a trap!”
“If we leave things like this, the civilians will all die to the mages.”
“You're right, but… the enemy mages' mana isn't infinite either. They won't be able to keep pouring out attacks forever. It would be better to wait a little longer…”
“Are you afraid?”
Tekeloman met the trembling knight's eyes as he spoke.
“I'll ask again. Are you afraid of the enemy?”
The knight answered with tears welling up.
“I am afraid. How could I not be? I don't have outstanding skill like you, Commander, and I'm not someone who's achieved great deeds. I'm just a knight who exists here—someone who can be replaced at any time.”
“It's not as if I'm not afraid either.”
Tekeloman laid a hand on the man's shoulder.
“I'm afraid too. Afraid of when the enemy's blade will pierce my heart. Afraid of when their magic will go through my skull. The thought that I might never see the wife and child waiting for me is terrifying beyond words.”
“Then why… Can't you just look the other way just this once? Once the mages' mana runs dry, we can charge then!”
Tekeloman smiled kindly.
“I can't do that. If I live that cowardly, I don't think I could face my child with a clear conscience. I don't care if I end up under a gravestone. When my child grows up, looks at me, and learns of my deeds—when that day comes—I want to be a father he can be proud of. And more than that, I want to be a knight the country can be proud of.”
Leaving the man behind, Tekeloman shouted.
“If any of you are afraid, I will not punish you—run. But if there are those who want to protect the people, those who want to drive a blade into the necks of those vile enemies, then follow me. In return, I promise you one thing.”
Standing at the very front, facing the enemy, Tekeloman cried out.
“In this battle, the first to die will be me.”
Without waiting for any order to advance, Tekeloman ran forward.
He took the mages' concentrated barrage head-on and from the first moment blood streamed down his body. He did not stop.
Boom!
An explosion erupted from the ground. Tekeloman was flung into the air, but the instant he hit the earth he rose again and limped onward. Enemy knights then charged him. Roaring, he cut them down.
One. Two. Three.
With a body already dying, he began slaughtering the enemy. As a result, the Caelon Empire mages' chanting faltered. They could no longer attack the civilians and poured every scrap of attention onto Tekeloman.
“Damn it…”
The knight who had collapsed clenched sand so hard it bit into his palm and screamed.
He was afraid. He did not want to die. He did not want a dog's death in a place like this. He wanted to turn around and leave the battlefield that very second. But—
“I… I…”
The man also knew there was no paradise wherever he ran. Even if he escaped the field this once, they would eventually die in the endless war. The only reason he had survived until now was because he had an outstanding commander.
Tekeloman had always taken the risks himself and, with clever strategy, kept allied deaths to a minimum. He said it like a habit: whether you live or die, a knight must remain a knight.
The man had thought it was an obvious saying. Yet he was throwing his life away to keep those words.
Even though he wanted to run, his feet would not move. His eyes stayed fixed on Tekeloman's back as the enemy tore into him. His heart began to hammer like mad.
The collapsed man wailed and seized the sword that had fallen beside him.
Only then did he understand his own heart.
That feeling was respect.
The knight he had admired as a boy had worn a back just like that.
And the man had always wanted to stand beside a knight like that.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
When the fallen knight raised his sword and charged, the others who had been watching from the side all surged onto the field as well. His hands no longer trembled. He was no longer afraid of the enemy. He muttered as if sealing a vow.
“I… am a knight.”
A desperate battle to hold the border region had begun.