Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: The High Elf Reinforcement
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Adice, Gione, Cesena...
Under Kalligo's relentless assaults that fully exploited their numerical superiority, the allied forces retreated bit by bit, yet steadily.
"...We'll have to fall back all the way to Rento."
"What? You're saying we're handing over Cesena too?!"
Blake forced a weary smile as he watched Vittorio bristle at the idea of surrendering the lands they'd only just reclaimed.
"I know the elves have been pulling their weight. But the fact remains that our casualties are piling up."
"That's..."
The biggest headache for the allied forces had emerged when Lavria's elves aggressively engaged in scouting skirmishes, creating a manpower crisis.
They kept throwing troops into battles against the enemy's skilled elven scouts, suffering losses like pouring water into a leaky bucket.
"I heard even yesterday that our left-flank forest scouts were ambushed again. Do we have any more troops to spare?"
"..."
Vittorio, who had even pulled in personnel not originally meant for scouting, couldn't refute Blake's point.
"..."
That said, he couldn't criticize the imperial forces either, whose losses were practically negligible by comparison.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...It's nothing."
Setting aside personal feelings, the imperial troops were now deploying the most scouts and covering the widest areas.
"Does Commander Victor think we should retreat too?"
"It's true that Cesena doesn't feel like the best spot for defense."
"I see."
Vittorio glanced at the impassive Victor for a moment, then pointed to a nearby map propped up beside him.
"I won't bring up the time before you arrived, Commander Victor. We advanced as far as here—Adice..."
He rotated the map so Adice pointed upward.
"...and now we'll fall back to here, Rento."
His finger, which had tapped Adice, slid all the way to Rento.
"And from Rento, where do we retreat next? West? That opens the border with the Ecni Kingdom. East has the capital, Tania, and if the north road falls, the enemy can bypass everywhere in Este territory. Even the Empire won't be safe."
"..."
The elves had grown confident from their initial victories.
But the ambushes lasting over a month had reminded them that the enemy was far too strong for Este alone to hold back.
"We've accepted the retreats so far because we had no choice, but Rento is our absolute last stand. Unless everyone plans to die there, we'd rather fight to the death at Cesena."
To rally the elves, who now feared the allies might flee outright, Vittorio needed confirmation that they wouldn't yield Rento like the other points.
"Of course I know Rento's importance. That's why we've already prepared defenses there."
As Vittorio dug in, Blake—who couldn't burden his homeland further while barely holding off attacks—stammered excuses.
"Rento is vital for the Empire and for us. How could we abandon it?!"
"Hm..."
"This retreat will truly be the last one. Isn't that right, Commander Victor?"
"Well... yeah, probably."
He asked the listless-looking Victor for his opinion.
"There you have it. Commander Vittorio, this isn't the time for us to argue among ourselves. We can't hold them here."
Vittorio didn't like how Blake sought to persuade him less than he pulled Victor into it, but...
"...Very well, then."
In the end, with the imperial forces holding the most sway in scouting and most other areas, he had limits to how hard he could push.
Before Blake preemptively offered to retreat first, he accepted the others' proposals.
"..."
Vittorio, who had held out on pride until now, finally felt the full weight of his forces' shortages after being dragged along by the hated imperial troops' decision.
"Salvatore."
"Yes."
"Send word to the capital. Request Lady Benedicta Bianchi be dispatched."
"...Pardon? Her, of all people...?"
"She's the closest option, at least. ...I know her temperament, but we have no other choice."
He finally made the request he'd been delaying: for a high elf.
The allied forces moved to Rento and prepared defenses. The dwarves repairing the fortifications and our imperial troops assisting while handling scouting were busy enough, "..."
"..." -Thud! Thud! But the busiest were the elves suddenly digging up the ground in front of our construction site and planting trees there. There was already a dense forest just a short way out, yet they hauled in various trees from elsewhere and planted them right there, -Thunk!
"..." -Thud! Thud! It didn't feel like ordinary construction—the atmosphere was ominous, almost desperate. Sharp glares were standard, and violence occasionally flared up.
"Supreme Commander Vittorio. What are they doing?"
"Preparing to welcome reinforcements."
"Reinforcements? Ah. I see."
"You see?"
"No, slip of the tongue."
"Hm. It happens."
After Vittorio's smug explanation, "See the empty space in the center?"
"Yes. I see it."
Only after their work was nearly done could I grasp why the elves were so frantic.
"Anna."
"Yes, General."
"Speak freely. Any plant fertilizer or the like?"
"...Pardon?"
"A pretty important guest seems to be coming."
"...Sorry, but what's fertilizer?"
"Ah. You know... odorless manure or something. Or do we have rice?"
"We have rice."
"Good."
I recalled the various high elves from the game and made my own preparations. A few days later.
"...What is that?"
"Presumed reinforcements."
"Reinforcements...?"
A palanquin shaped like a tree uprooted whole arrived at our camp. I stood with the officers, watching their movements.
"Hm? Where's it heading...?"
The palanquin from the east, toward Tania, was surrounded by dozens of elves as it crossed through the troops and headed straight to the front of our camp. We followed at a distance.
"..."
"..."
As if under orders, a few elves quietly adjusted the miniature forest the others had prepared in advance, while others kept bystanders away. The faces of the elves nearby showed a mix of fear and reverence. The elves carrying the palanquin set it down precisely in the central clearing, then scattered swiftly with the others.
"Whoa."
"Wow..."
Soon after, the tree-shaped palanquin sprouted roots into the ground on its own and began to move, "...Huh."
"...?"
Its trunk split open, revealing a green-haired female elf sitting cross-legged. Wrapped in leaves and branches, she gazed at the sky with a slightly dazed expression, as if adjusting to the unfamiliar surroundings.
"She's beautiful."
"Such a mystical aura."
"..."
The officers praised her looks, but I thought first of the other elves' attitudes and her combat prowess from the game.
"This is High Elf Benedicta Bianchi, come as reinforcement."
Vittorio stepped forward before the gawking officers and spoke.
"Elves aside, keep dwarves and humans out of a 50-meter radius around her."
"Got it."
"50 meters? She's staying put there?"
"Mm."
"Whoa..."
I nodded, recalling how she'd mow down only approaching enemies in the game, but Blake frowned, not quite convinced.
"To put it bluntly, she doesn't distinguish friend from foe well. Approach carelessly, and she'll attack."
"That severe? Then no one can touch that area."
"No need to worry. At least within that radius, enemies won't set foot either."
"...A high elf, you said. Right. Understood."
Once Vittorio briefly explained her nature, Blake backed off with a sour look.
"She doesn't enjoy being stared at, so I recommend dispersing. Let's get back to defenses."
"..."
Vittorio's smugness was a bit grating, but with a high elf as reinforcement, he had reason to strut—and I could guess his own headaches. I shrugged and returned to camp with the officers.
"Benedicta... Bianchi. Hm."
"Do you know the name?"
"A little."
As I answered Anna on the way back, the nearby officers' gazes turned to me.
"...If you know something, could you share with us too?"
"It's not complicated. I don't know much myself, but..."
Since Gotfried asked cautiously, "She's reliable in combat... but isn't that true of all high elves? Word is, her personality is quite unique."
"..."
"We must be careful. Make sure no soldiers approach out of curiosity."
"...Understood."
I shared the key details with the officers. Of course, that was just talk.
"Anna, preparations?"
"As you said, but..."
"Thanks."
Any other high elf might be different, but Benedicta was relatively approachable—and leaving such a valuable asset solely in elven hands felt wasteful. I planned to meet her separately. This wasn't the game, so my approach might not work.
But since it wasn't the game, I might use her as more than just an automated turret.