Ch.154War and the Vermilion Bird #10

It was only natural that visibility would be reduced when a thin, whitish smoke obscured the view compared to when it wasn’t there.

Of course, it was less effective than thick fog, but it wasn’t meant to blind eyes in the first place.

It was designed to make people inhale it and draw out tears and mucus.

“Troops are approaching from the left flank. Take them down.”

Amid coughing fits and half-dead groans echoing from all directions, Eve’s calm voice pierced the ears of the entire battalion.

It was a directive possible only because she could look down from above rather than viewing from the front.

The elves who received her instructions nodded silently, aimed their arrows, and fired.

As always, their arrows wrapped in wind cut through the air fiercely, piercing the throats of the imperial soldiers.

So this is why chemical warfare is so terrifying.

I felt anew how frightening chemical weapons could be, and resolved never to accidentally mention anything more potent aloud.

I had a feeling that Eve could create such things even without understanding the principles behind them.

We cut down the soldiers blocking our path, ending their lives, and ran straight ahead without hesitation.

Since our goal was to kidnap the Emperor, stopping to minimize casualties would only waste time.

So we killed only those soldiers who blocked our way or approached us, destroyed tents, and pressed forward, not wanting to waste time taking detours.

We were nothing short of a rampaging herd of cattle.

During the chaos, we made eye contact with several nobles who appeared to be commanders, but Helena, who was leading the charge, personally sent them to join their fallen soldiers.

“We’re getting closer to the Emperor’s quarters. If the Emperor isn’t there, we’ll disperse and search as planned.”

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

Orcus ran behind Eve, responding impassively.

He showed no sign of confusion since he was designated to lead half the battalion if they needed to disperse and search.

They had to consider the possibility that the Emperor might have evacuated during the commotion.

“We’re almost there. You’ll soon see the tent with the Emperor’s flag.”

“Yes. I can see it too.”

Helena responded to Eve’s words and immediately kicked the ground hard, flying toward the Emperor’s tent.

If the Emperor were in place, there should have been guards around, but it was eerily quiet without any sign of people.

Perhaps Helena had realized this and boldly charged forward.

“…No choice then. Ellen.”

Upon arriving at the empty tent a step behind, Helena called out to Ellen who was standing beside me, as if she had been waiting.

“Yes, Duchess. What are your orders?”

“In this situation, it would be much faster for you to rise into the air and search than for Eve to use her sight. Clear the smoke with wind briefly, and if you spot the Emperor, fly there immediately. We’ll follow.”

“Understood.”

As soon as the order was given, Ellen tore through the tent ceiling and escaped through the hole.

It was the obvious choice since only Ellen and Eve among us could fly, and only Ellen could take flight immediately.

Afterward, with a “whoosh” sound, the clear sky and Ellen flying through it became clearly visible.

Thanks to Ellen dispersing the smoke with wind, though soon the whitish smoke enveloped everything again as if nothing had happened.

After watching this scene of wind bursts and smoke sluggishly reclaiming its place for a moment,

Ellen’s voice was heard saying she had found something.

“Fortunately, we won’t need to disperse and search. Let’s go, everyone.”

At that, Helena opened her mouth as if she had been waiting and immediately turned in the direction Ellen had flown.

.

“Your Majesty, this way!”

Damn it. Helix was grinding his teeth internally while rushing toward the rear stables with the dying Emperor.

He had harbored suspicions from the moment the whitish smoke began creeping toward the camp and had rushed to where the Emperor was.

Though the concept of chemical warfare didn’t exist, the instinct that one shouldn’t inhale the smoke flashed through Count Helix’s mind.

However, it merely flashed by without him acting on it.

He couldn’t help but breathe while attending to the Emperor, and it was impossible to hold his breath indefinitely.

As a Master, his physical abilities were exceptional enough to move vigorously while holding his breath for a few minutes, but being human, he eventually had to breathe.

Otherwise, he risked the ridiculous fate of dying from self-asphyxiation.

Damn it.

Helix frowned at the acrid sensation unlike any smoke from burning firewood, yet still tried to maintain his sanity.

Ordinary soldiers were sitting helplessly, coughing and expelling mucus, caught in a vicious cycle of inhaling more smoke as a result.

It was only because of his status that he could move relatively quickly in this state.

Just as the ominous thought crossed his mind that if the horses weren’t safe, he’d have to carry the Emperor out himself,

a sharp line flashed before Helix’s eyes, as ominous as his premonition.

“Ugh…!”

Recognizing the sharp line as a sword blade, Helix groaned but quickly drew his sword and coated it with aura.

It was to fully block the flashing line before him.

“Impressive skill worthy of a renowned Master of the Empire. Excellent.”

With a clang, a woman’s voice that seemed to mock him pierced Helix’s ears.

Helix growled, glaring at the owner of that voice, Helena, with murderous intent.

“You, damned woman… keh?!”

The price for uttering just those few words was too great.

The acrid smoke seized the moment to invade his nose and mouth, hindering his breathing and making his eyes water.

Even his unwavering composure, which hadn’t faltered during life-and-death sword exchanges, was of no use.

All because of the acrid smoke disrupting his physiological functions.

In contrast, Helena had a purification magic circle on her person, allowing her to maintain an extremely calm expression.

“Kuh, kuuuh…!”

Clang. As Helena initiated the same brute force contest as when their blades first met, Helix had no choice but to exert strength and endure.

The acrid smoke robbed him of the composure to think clearly, preventing him from even considering deflecting the blade.

It can’t be helped.

Jion, who had been quietly observing this scene, inwardly pitied Helix while seizing the opportunity to grab the dirty-faced Emperor who was being carried on Helix’s back.

It was the result of hiding his presence and waiting for the right moment.

“Huh?!”

As the weight on his back fell away, Helix inadvertently gulped air.

This caused more smoke to invade his body, but in that moment, he forgot even the acrid sensation.

The shock of losing the Emperor was too great.

This is bad. Helix felt his half-clouded reason flicker as he pushed Helena’s sword away with all his might.

Or tried to.

It was obvious that the longer he stalled, the less he would be able to withstand the pressure from Helena and the numerous presences he sensed around him.

“Ugh…!”

But.

Helix’s ominous premonition had already become reality.

An arrow silently pierced through the smoke and his thigh, causing his leg to lose strength.

That was why he had inadvertently groaned.

Even so, he didn’t fall but rather exerted more strength as if trying to compensate for the pierced muscle.

As a result, he was able to stop the bleeding and reinforce the muscle.

It was a feat impossible for an ordinary person.

Cowardly and filthy woman.

Helix despised Helena for resorting to such smoke and ambush tactics despite being a Master.

From Helena’s perspective, this would seem absurd, but emotions are not rational.

Ironically, Helix himself had been someone who considered ambushes rational.

“Arrrgh!”

Only after the soft sound of arrowheads piercing flesh was heard several times did Helix cry out in agony.

The pain from his flesh being torn and pierced was greater than the discomfort caused by the acrid smoke.

Helena didn’t miss the moment when his face contorted in pain, switching from holding her sword with both hands to one.

Then, extending her skeletal aura like a freely movable branch, she swung it to pierce Helix’s neck.

“Kuh, krrrr……”

The moment his neck was pierced from the side, dark bloody foam bubbled up from Helix’s mouth.

It was the result of the unfamiliar smoke disorienting his mind and the magic battalion’s arrows relentlessly exploiting that opening.

Even as he died, he gave Helena a piercing look as if reproaching her cowardice.

His aura and presence remained unbroken and ominous.

As if knowing this, Helena spoke, thinking he shouldn’t harbor unnecessary resentment.

“It was the Empire that attacked us first while we were living quietly. This is the consequence. So don’t pathetically resent us… just die.”

With a sickening crunch, the light faded from Helix’s eyes.

The aura that had been thrust into his neck had sawed through half of his neck bone like a saw through wood.

Helena grabbed Helix’s hair as his head fell with a thud, then looked at Jion, who had knocked the Emperor unconscious, and said,

inwardly reflecting on the inglorious end of a famously brilliant Sword Master.

“Let’s retreat quickly. I’ll have the battalion take the Emperor. The smoke will dissipate soon, so we need to hurry.”

“Alright. But I’ll carry the Emperor. Thanks for the consideration, but someone with nothing to do should carry the burden.”

“…If that’s what Jion wants, I can’t argue.”

Using magic over such a wide area depletes mana more quickly.

Knowing there was no time for arguments, Helena quietly nodded and issued the retreat order.

Jion stared at her for a moment, then shouted in a deep voice.

“Everyone retreat!”

.

“Huff, huff……”

After running and running, my mouth tasted sweet, and I couldn’t help but pant.

I collapsed on the ground as soon as we reached the camp, exhaling heavily.

The elves, who had been firing arrows continuously during the retreat, were equally exhausted and panting.

In the midst of this, the Emperor was dropped like a sack with a thud, but fortunately, he was in a deep sleep and showed no signs of waking,

his face covered in tears and mucus.

“My Lord! Are you alright?!”

A soldier guarding the entrance cried out in alarm.

With some wounded and several nobles leading troops still remaining, the camp didn’t feel particularly empty.

“Yes… I’m fine. I’ve just never run continuously like this before, so I’m a bit out of breath. More importantly, which nobles are currently in the camp?”

“Ah, yes! Viscount Asemz is here.”

“That’s good. Then… please deliver this old man to him and send him immediately to His Highness in the castle. That will end everything.”

“Yes! Understood! Hey! Someone help move this old man!”

Unable to leave his post, the soldier called out to some passing soldiers in a booming voice to help move the aged Emperor.

They gasped when they first saw the face of the Imperial Emperor but soon glared at him with hatred.

It was a natural reaction with the cause of the war right before their eyes.

I watched the receding figures dragging the Emperor in his splendid armor and clothes, then lay down on the ground.

It might have looked uncultured, but what use is etiquette on a battlefield?

Survival is all that matters.

“Are you okay?”

As I lay on the ground catching my breath, Helena, drenched in sweat, approached with a sidelong glance.

It was deeply moving that she worried about me first when she must have been very tired herself.

“Whew…! I’m fine. How about you? Any injuries? I didn’t have time to check if you were hurt while we were running…”

“Thanks to your concern, I’m not hurt. Eve fainted from exhaustion despite using magic… but otherwise, everyone’s fine.”

Since she lacked physical abilities, she used what people commonly call a “buff,” but couldn’t endure it in the end.

I sighed briefly as I looked at the dark elf woman sitting on the ground, holding Eve in her arms a short distance away.

“I see… that’s good. That’s good, but…”

“What? Do you have some other concern?”

I looked at Helena, who tilted her head, and asked in a voice tinged with slight melancholy.

Although I had committed the act knowing the consequences, my heart felt heavy as the moment approached.

“I’m sorry. This action might spread rumors about our cowardice…”

“Ah… that? It’s fine. I don’t particularly crave honor, nor do I have any attachment to it.”

Helena smiled as if it didn’t matter at all, but to my eyes, it looked like she was forcing herself to smile brightly.

At that, I raised myself from the ground and embraced Helena tightly,

as if showing my determination to comfort her well from now on.