Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Refusal-4
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Even if the Demon King had been defeated, not every monster scattered across the lands would collapse in an instant.
The monster legions that had infiltrated every corner of the empire were rampaging freely on their own.
"When the hell are reinforcements coming?!"
"We sent the request for aid, but... the empire probably doesn't have any troops to spare!"
And the vacuum right after the Demon King's subjugation was a hellish moment for the legions guarding the provinces.
Once the Demon King was defeated, the mobilization order would be lifted. Soldiers conscripted from the south had to return home.
Cities or fortresses suitable as bases would suddenly be overcrowded with troops. Since they'd come prepared for all-out war against the Demon King's Army, it was only natural for soldiers to flock there.
But these nameless provincial forts had to endure double hardships.
Monsters bent on rear disruption—or simply uncontrolled hordes—didn't give a damn about strategic value.
They just headed for places teeming with people, reveling in the plunder and slaughter of civilians.
To top it all off, they couldn't avoid pulling soldiers from the front lines against the Demon King. Before they could even withdraw troops from the borders, chaotic monster assaults hit them.
"Don't run! Hold your ground!"
But few soldiers would stand firm with spears against an orc's club—one or two heads bigger than any ordinary man.
Even if such a soldier existed, if those around him fled, he'd be left alone to fall pathetically.
Well-trained soldiers with both skill and courage had already been deployed to the fiercest battlefields.
"I-I don't wanna die!"
"Run! We'll die like dogs at this rate!"
If the Demon King were still alive, soldier morale would hold somehow. Fleeing anywhere in the empire—or even abroad—would mean nothing the moment the Demon King triumphed.
But now, the burden on their shoulders was different. The Demon King was dead, and beyond seizing a few minor territories like this, they couldn't rack up any real victories.
If they could just hide their identities and start fresh somewhere new, they might survive.
It wasn't easy, but watching comrades beside them burst open from monster clubs or get devoured alive, the soldiers figured that was better.
"The lines are collapsing! We should retreat for now..."
"Damn it, they said reinforcements are coming! Even if we survive by running, we're all finished anyway!"
The noble's castle ruling this territory was so shabby it barely qualified as one.
But against mindless monsters, even simple wooden palisades and low stone walls could play a big role. Strategically, the adjutant's call for retreat was spot on.
Politically, though, it was a different story.
They'd promised to fight alongside reinforcements on this very plain.
Rashly abandoning the area might send distant reinforcements turning straight to some 'more urgent' spot.
And if the noble leading those reinforcements outranked him, dodging blame would be impossible.
"Regroup in the center! Just buy time somehow!"
A soldier rushed up beside the lord commanding the battlefield and dropped to one knee.
"R-reinforcements are here! They say to retreat!"
"What?"
By all common sense, it made no sense.
Reinforcements from the empire were just marginally better-trained soldiers, at best.
Without the local troops risking their lives swinging blades, even they couldn't dispatch monsters lightly.
"Got it. Everyone, retreat! Hold formation and fall back to me! Reform ranks here!"
The lord's position was a short distance from the blood-and-guts frontline. Fleeing this far was practically a half-retreat anyway.
But the lord was desperate enough to believe it. If worst came to worst, he'd sacrifice the messenger's head to cut losses.
"That true?"
The messenger was panting like he'd run nonstop, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"It's true. We won. We won!"
"What do you..."
At that moment, massive hoofbeats thundered from beyond the hill.
Horses. Towering, muscle-bound warhorses emerged first. Atop them gleamed white armor, flashing in the light.
"Th-that's...!"
The lord went momentarily speechless, but he knew exactly what to do.
"Reinforcements are here! Hold on just a bit longer! Don't give up!"
The adjutant and nearby soldiers echoed his cry.
Hearing "Reinforcements are here!" instead of the tiresome old "Reinforcements will come!" gave the soldiers a morale boost.
The armored riders gradually formed ranks, then charged the monster horde at blinding speed.
"Charge! Leave not a single one alive! For His Imperial Majesty the Emperor! For the Empire!"
Leading them was a streak of light, black hair whipping in the wind.
The flash pouring from her sword was a touch different from the mana infused in the other knights' blades.
That brilliant, warm glow was unmistakably the power of the Hero.
"Waaaaah!!!"
The knights roared in response. The horses charged undaunted even against giant orcs, trusting their riders utterly.
And the Princess at the vanguard moved like a war god. Her longsword was standard size, but the Hero's power extended it by a couple of handspans, toppling everything it touched.
"Grraauk! Kweeek!"
The monster legion was carved apart in seconds.
Orc arms, legs, and heads severed by knight blades.
Their crude formation—no, their very cluster—was split clean in half by the charge.
"What... is that."
Even the strongest knight among the local defenders couldn't have scraped the bottom rung of that Platinum Knight Order. The gap was that vast.
It was the Princess's order: talents gathered and forged through training as grueling as any monk's asceticism.
They weren't the sort to be deployed for some nameless provincial skirmish.
"It's the Princess! The Hero! Reinforcements are here!"
Soldiers gripped their spears tight once more. The earth-shaking hoofbeats carried more weight than any battlefield drum.
"Fight!"
The Hero pierced enemy lines at impossible speeds, her roar never faltering.
Few had laid eyes on the Princess's face, but she wasn't the type to hole up in the palace.
She'd trained alongside the knights since childhood and even visited villages with fellow Heroes.
Even without that, anyone with a passing interest in the imperial family would recognize her instantly.
The Platinum Knight Order's radiant sheen, the Hero's light, and that beautiful face were identification enough.
"Don't block the knights' path! You there, halt! Sir William's unit, pull back further! You'll get trampled by hooves!"
But they couldn't afford to stand around gawking.
The local defense was still useless, but they couldn't let those splendid knights be hindered.
Going from fretting over fleeing soldiers to corralling overzealous chargers was a welcome shift, all the same.
"For the Empire!"
"""For the Empire!"""
Every time the Princess's shout rang out, the knights responded as one. A few soldiers joined in, stabbing orcs with renewed bravery.
A short while later, the monsters were either scattered in flight or collapsed as bleeding corpses.
"Th-thank you! Your Highness!"
"Sorry for stealing your glory. It was sound command. You would've claimed victory even without me."
"N-no, not at all!"
The locals had fought well despite the odds, but battlefields were unpredictable.
Morale could've crumbled faster, collapsing the lines entirely—or monster reinforcements could've shown up from somewhere.
"Even in victory, our forces would've been all but wiped out. Every soul in this territory owes Your Highness their lives."
A faint smile touched Elenor's lips.
"Good. A true lord cherishes those under him. I'll remember your name."
"Th-thank you!"
Such a rural noble held no real power or influence.
But catching the Princess's eye might make him part of her faction.
"We're honored you came all the way to a backwater like this. We won't forget your grace, Your Highness."
"Just as you cherish your people, I—as a knight—have a duty to protect civilians, and as Princess, a duty to safeguard the empire's subjects."
The lord felt something pounding in his chest.
Many spoke boldly of duty; fewer lived it.
And even rarer were those who, mere days after the Demon King's fall, would personally lead knights out for the empire.
"It's nothing fancy, but please, rest a moment..."
"I'll accept the thought. My knights have rested enough—now we mop up the remnants. Even orc packs that size threaten villages and merchants."
Without even dismounting, she spurred the other knights and rode off.
The exhausted soldiers, not bothering to clear the corpses, simply watched the Princess and her order recede into the distance.