Ch.238Eve

One week marching toward the Zeren Plains.

While Leopold and the three electors were racking their brains discussing strategy and deployment, I spent my time honing a new technique. Though it was closer to a battle tactic than a technique.

‘What do you think? Could this work in actual combat?’

[Hmm… precise control would be difficult. However, this should be somewhat helpful in the chaos of battle.]

Each time I swung my sword through the air, a pair of red tentacles undulated, stabbing and tearing at everything around me. Like a four-armed person wielding three weapons at once.

They lacked the sharpness of blades and were only two in number, but their needle-sharp tips possessed enough power to pierce human flesh.

I wasn’t controlling them with my will. I had completely relinquished control of the Karma of Murder.

The only power I was exerting was my own accumulated might. The one manipulating the Karma of Murder’s energy now was not me, but Hersella’s own consciousness.

I came up with this idea right after the battle in the east.

When Hersella became enraged at the insults toward Imelia. At that moment, the power of the Karma of Murder responded to her anger and tried to writhe on its own. Even though I had control of the body.

I could consciously suppress it and make it follow my control… but what would have happened if I had given up control of the Karma of Murder?

It was possible that Hersella, who could do nothing but talk in my head, might have been able to dominate this power and wield it as she pleased.

As soon as that thought occurred to me, I spoke to Hersella and discussed it with her.

She must have had similar thoughts because she answered that it would probably be possible.

From then on, whenever we had free time, Hersella and I tried this approach.

A tactic where I fought wielding my sword with my own strength, while Hersella manipulated the Karma of Murder’s energy to cover my blind spots and attack other enemies around me.

Putting a freely wielded blade in Hersella’s hands was a bit… no, quite unsettling, but it was worth the risk.

If she tried to go berserk with the Karma of Murder and impale allies, I could forcibly take back control of the power.

When we actually tried it, our idea succeeded with surprising ease. Though the performance itself still needed much improvement.

[Indeed, in this state, there are limitations to what I can sense, so neither power, sharpness, speed, nor precision can be fully manifested. Even if you handled it directly instead of me, it would be better than this.]

‘So you’re saying it’s impossible to utilize it as effectively as when you take over my body.’

Even though Hersella was controlling it directly, unlike when she seized control of the body, this method didn’t allow her to compress the Karma of Murder’s power into something as sharp as a blade or as thin as a thread.

She could only condense the power moderately and stab it down like an awl. And even that was limited to just two strands.

[The audacity is astounding. How dare you spout such nonsense? Have you no conscience? I merely reclaimed my body that you stole from me for a brief moment, how dare you suggest the opposite?]

‘Ah, right. I apologize.’

I’ve become so accustomed to this body that it feels like my own now.

[Don’t forget. My tolerance of you is merely a temporary reprieve. You said you don’t know how to return to your original body, so I’m showing mercy and enduring until a method is found. If you try to test my patience or deceive my mercy… not just you alone, but everything you care about will pay the price. Understand?]

‘…Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.’

I muttered as if to appease Hersella, who was showing slight anger.

A reprieve until a method is found…

Is there a way to go back?

…I hope not.

To ease the tightness in my chest, I lit a cigarette. My sigh scattered as smoke.

Truly, what a troublesome woman.

I can’t set her free, but leaving things as they are is also awkward.

And so a week passed.

—-

As we approached the Zeren Plains, our marching speed became more moderate, and scouts began moving back and forth with increasing frequency.

According to their reports, the enemy had also chosen the Zeren Plains as the battlefield and was waiting for us on the other side of the plain, having set up camp.

Thirty thousand infantry including conscripts, about three thousand archers, and two thousand cavalry. There were approximately four hundred men estimated to be knights.

Except for the number of infantry, we had the advantage in everything else. The problem was that their infantry outnumbered ours three to one.

Ludwig set up our camp at a distance that was a bit too far for the enemy to launch a night attack, but close enough that we could reach them after about two hours of marching the next day.

That evening, no one could easily fall asleep.

Their hearts were filled with excitement and anticipation for the opportunity to finally achieve military merit, anxiety and fear toward an enemy nearly three times their size, and a sense of mission and faith to destroy the witch’s army and bring peace to the Empire.

In the command tent at the center of the bustling camp, where the commanders of each division and Master-level knights had gathered, the final strategy meeting was finally taking place.

“The traitor Ernst’s departure has been confirmed. Given the size of his forces, it seems he really has brought his entire army. Benes territory might be completely empty by now.”

“If they’re also planning to end this with a short decisive battle, that’s welcome news for us… but I don’t understand. They could have gained a much more advantageous position by dividing their forces for delaying tactics or strengthening their defenses at Benes Castle.”

“With a force nearly three times ours, they probably think it’s enough to defeat us. In any case, it’s a good thing. If we annihilate them, this rebellion will come to an end.”

Though we couldn’t know what formation the enemy would use to attack, we only had one strategy to employ.

A breakthrough by the heavy cavalry.

Deploy all three thousand cavalry and two hundred knights at the front, crashing into the enemy lines like a surging wave.

So that the conscripts, trampled and pierced, would scatter like ants in terror with their morale broken.

Meanwhile, the remaining four hundred knights and one hundred fifty paladins would hold off the enemy cavalry’s charge alongside the infantry.

It was an all-or-nothing strategy, but if we were going to engage in a full-scale battle, there was no other option.

The key was to break the enemy as quickly as possible and make them scatter.

Four Masters were assigned to the vanguard of two hundred who would become the sharpest spearhead to penetrate the enemy.

Nigel and Heiden of Landenburg, Richard of the Holy Corps, and… me.

[To stand at the vanguard of an army over ten thousand strong, isn’t that truly an honor?]

…Yes. A damn honorable position indeed.

The Durandal at my waist felt unusually heavy.

—-

That night. Unable to bear the uneasiness in my chest, I visited Lacy’s tent.

Bells was checking her equipment in preparation for battle, while Lacy was in the middle of prayer before a small shrine placed in the center of the tent.

“Can you spare some time? There’s something I’d like to talk about.”

“Of course. Please wait a moment.”

Lacy made the sign of the cross, stood up, and sat on a simple chair, pouring me a cup of holy water.

Bells glanced at my expression and excused herself, saying she would check on the paladins for a while.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt your prayers.”

“Please don’t worry about it. I had just finished praying. So, what’s the matter?”

“About tomorrow’s battle… I’m wondering if this is really okay.”

Lacy tilted her head.

Indeed, my expression was too vague.

“You see, my role tomorrow is essentially to penetrate and slaughter the enemy infantry… but although we call them enemies, most of them are conscripts who were forced to come. Is it right for me to indiscriminately kill such people? You once told me to avoid accumulating Karma of Murder by cutting down innocent people. Isn’t that exactly what I’m being asked to do now? To tear apart more than ten thousand innocent people.”

Yes, this was my biggest concern.

Of course, I understood well. Even if they were forced to come, once they raise their spears, they are enemies, and to win, we must eliminate them.

Besides, given how many people I’ve killed, it seemed ridiculous to now complain about being reluctant to kill innocent conscripts.

Still, now that the battle was just a day away, and I was to stand at the very front to trample them… I couldn’t help but hesitate.

I had killed many people since crossing the Wall, but most of those I had fought were evildoers who deserved to die.

Men who imprisoned women and used them as slaves. A nobleman who brutally slaughtered countless civilians to break the enemy’s morale. Corrupt priests who sided with the witch, and invaders who came to plunder.

But this time was completely different.

Most of them were just farmers forcibly conscripted due to Isabella’s threats. People who had committed no crimes.

If I cut down hundreds or thousands of such people just to win, what kind of person would I become afterward?

Was it because of a premonition that something fundamental would change? I simply couldn’t shake off this anxiety.

That’s why I sought out Lacy.

As a candidate for sainthood, I harbored a small hope that she might give me an answer I could accept.

For me, who didn’t even believe in Elpinel, to seek comfort from a priest of Elpinel—even I thought it was pathetically absurd.