Ch.291Chapter 291. Against the Chel, Battle of Alcanwood Castle (2)

* * *

Until that moment, Chel, who had been freely roaming the battlefield, thought everything was going according to his plan.

“Haaaaaah!”

He didn’t care about his life at all.

As long as he could inflict maximum damage on Serpina’s forces—

The act of charging forward while abandoning any hope of survival certainly succeeded in giving the enemy unexpected pressure.

He probably didn’t need to worry about magic either.

Whether they cast spells at the castle or not, it made no difference to Chel who had already abandoned the castle—

If they cast magic where he was, they would inevitably harm their own Serpina forces who were mixed in the battle.

Even if Serpina’s side decided to cast magic while accepting some casualties, it would still be profitable for Chel.

Giving the impression that she sacrificed her own troops would inevitably deal a significant blow to her in the long run.

A charge focused solely on inflicting damage on Serpina!

When thinking strictly from the perspective of “inflicting damage on the enemy,” this was certainly the best decision Chel could make.

The proof was—

Weren’t Serpina’s soldiers now in disarray, not knowing what to do!

“Focus on destroying the siege weapons first!”

If he could destroy as many siege weapons as possible before they were even set up, that alone would be enough to inflict damage.

Was it because he had the wind at his back, or because the enemy forces were scattered?

The weapons, not yet prepared, were being eliminated by Chel’s forces at a speed beyond imagination.

So fast!

Intoxicated with battle, Chel smiled with satisfaction as he watched the siege weapons crumble.

‘Good. If I can continue fighting like this and take out their armed officers one by one…’

At that moment.

Instead of burning with fighting spirit, Chel should have realized that the pace was too fast.

He should have questioned why his soldiers were subduing the siege weapons so easily.

But before he could think about it in detail—

“Chel Brans!”

From beyond, a delicious prey was rolling toward him.

Clang!

“Kransis! It’s been a while, you damned old man!”

He had encountered Kransis before, back when the continent was still unified.

In those days when order was collapsing with no ruler decided between Algot and Sidmid, he was the foolish general who rejected Chel’s father Orlando Brans’s proposal and remained loyal to the Einhart side until the end.

“What an ugly struggle. They call you the First Sword of Brans, but that’s too grand a title for a rat throwing a tantrum in a battle he can’t win!”

“You must be burning inside! You may mock me with words, but I can see what’s behind them! I can see you trembling with fear!”

After exchanging a few more blows, Kransis began to be pushed back one-sidedly.

This was all within Kransis’s calculations.

“Commander!”

From beyond, another person began galloping toward them on horseback.

The blonde knight Irian.

A man who had risen to become the de facto most influential figure in the “next generation of generals” line in Serpina’s army.

He immediately came to Kransis’s aid, attacking Chel from the opposite side.

“Two flies buzzing around me!”

Clang!

“Did you think I would be pushed back?!”

For an ordinary person, feeling disadvantaged in a 2-on-1 battle would be natural—

But not for Chel. The more people attacked him, the more he felt a kind of catharsis, a true battle maniac.

Moreover, he had a body that thoroughly supported such a temperament.

Although he was relatively weaker compared to his prime—

He was still more than capable of handling both Irian and Kransis in this situation.

And so, after exchanging several more blows between the three—

Despite two people striking at one person with precision, the momentum wasn’t shifting at all.

No. In fact, the advantage was gradually tilting toward Chel.

‘He’s really pushing us back…!’

Although Irian had somewhat expected this based on Kransis’s cold assessment that even two people would be pushed back, actually experiencing it firsthand made him feel dizzy.

But… they couldn’t afford to be pushed back here.

Kransis and he had an important mission assigned by the strategist.

‘Somehow we need to drain Chel’s stamina…!’

After clashing like this for a while.

“Ah…!”

With the sound of metal clashing, Irian lost grip of the spear in his hand.

The battle-crazed Chel didn’t let this moment slip by and rushed toward the now weaponless knight with gleaming eyes.

“I’m getting bored! Let me deal with you one by one! You’re first, youngster!”

‘Damn it…!’

They hadn’t even properly drained Chel’s stamina yet, and if they let things continue like this, the plan could go awry.

But battlefield time flows too quickly to even allow for self-reproach.

“Die!!!!”

‘I need to dodge sideways!’

Even if he took some injury, he could survive if he dodged sideways—

As Irian was thinking this and trying his best to move his body.

“Ugh!”

“C-Commander…!”

Kransis, who had somehow intervened, took Chel’s attack with his arm instead.

Of course, the word was “took,” but… he had taken the attack in Irian’s place.

“Ugh… urgh…!”

“…!”

After a moment of shock, Irian quickly grabbed the axe that Kransis had been holding—

And immediately swung it at Chel.

“Gah…!”

With a crunch, part of the armor shattered—

For the first time, he was able to land a proper effective hit.

In the situation that unfolded in an instant.

Chel quickly pulled his sword out of Kransis’s forearm, turned his horse around, retreated slightly, and covered the wound where Kransis’s axe had grazed him.

“You damn brat…!”

“I-Irian… well done. As expected, your judgment is quick…”

“Commander! Are you alright?”

“Rather than asking about my well-being… it’s him… if we can finish that monster at our level…!”

“But then, Commander’s life would…!”

In reality, despite having an axe briefly embedded in his body, Chel was taking a small breath and regaining his battle stance.

Though he must be bleeding, he showed no sign of wavering and glared at them as if he would burn them.

A monster.

The title of First Sword of Brans was not just for show.

If they continued to fight him like this, they might be able to win with reinforcements, but Kransis would certainly die.

So what decision should be made? What would be best for all of them?

As Irian was unable to decide either way.

Clang!

“Y-You…!”

The one facing Chel, who had resumed his battle stance, was the red-haired female knight Irene Juliette, deputy commander of the occupation forces.

“Sir Irian! Take the Commander and retreat! Leave this place to me!”

“General Irene…!”

Instead of adding any more words, Irian gave a light bow, took care of Kransis, and quickly withdrew from the battlefield.

This should be… enough of what the strategist had ordered.

The rest would be left to Irene.

“Well… Irene Juliette. The face of a dirty traitor… I get to see it clearly with my own eyes again. I’ve been waiting. I wanted to kill you with my own hands more than anyone else.”

“In terms of betraying one’s lord, aren’t you and I no different?”

“I too have Brans blood flowing in me… how can you call that betrayal? With your dirty self having smeared mud on the face of your father who served the Brans family his entire life…!”

“…”

“What remains in your life if you exclude the Brans family?! The Juliette family was created solely for our Brans family! Nothing remains! You are left alone in this world!”

Irene slowly closed her eyes.

Normally, such words would have shaken her mercilessly… but not anymore.

What centered her was no longer the Brans family.

And, she was no longer alone.

“You’re pitiful too, Chel.”

“What…?”

“Crushed under the name of Brans, you raised an army you didn’t even want. Because you couldn’t trust your siblings. In that we cannot trust even our own kin, you and I are not qualitatively different.”

“…!!”

Chel’s face visibly twisted rapidly.

That someone bearing the name Juliette would… sympathize with him…?

Even the pain from the axe wound gave way, and what filled that empty space was… overwhelming anger.

“…Irene. You… really want to die, don’t you?”

“Unfortunately, I have no intention of dying by your hand. I have too much to do.”

“What?”

Just as Chel was about to continue speaking.

—BOOM!!!!!!!

‘W-What?!’

Suddenly, a tremendous explosive sound came from behind.

It sounded like something exploding.

‘Magic? Did they use magic…?!’

But using magic in this situation would cause considerable damage to their own forces…?

Well, it wasn’t completely unreasonable.

Especially considering who he was fighting against right now.

‘Serpina, that villainess… she’s trying to clean up this side even at the cost of her own troops…’

Just as he was thinking that his plan to inflict damage on her was correct.

Irene turned her horse around and began to move away from Chel.

“Are you running away, Irene?!”

If he left this place, there was a possibility of being hit by magic—

But from the situation, it seemed the mage had already been deployed on the battlefield, and with only one, there was no need to be overly afraid.

Besides, although he was holding up somehow, he could feel his vision gradually blurring.

Even so, I can still defeat that woman.

Before I die, I’ll kill her with my own hands—

With only that thought, he followed after Irene.

* * *

After moving some distance from the battlefield.

“Take this!”

Chel finally turned his horse around again and continued exchanging blows with Irene.

Surprisingly, Chel wasn’t pushed back even here.

Despite having fought two people earlier, he was now evenly matched with Irene.

In fact, he sensed that Irene was gradually being pushed back.

“…!”

Seeing Irene’s movements, which seemed to be continuously leading him somewhere, suggested she had some kind of plan…

But to judge that in detail, Chel had lost too much blood on his way here.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking!”

Clang!

“But this… is the end!!!”

Just as Chel raised his sword toward Irene.

—Thunk.

“Huh…?”

Thud!

Chel dropped his sword before he could swing it.

He slowly lowered his head to look at his chest.

And then he realized.

A green rapier wrapped in bright red flames had pierced his chest.

And then, a man’s voice was heard.

“It’s not Irene who’s finished, but you, Chel.”

“This… is.”

Before he could even comprehend what was happening, what he saw as he turned his head—

Were the silhouettes of a man with snow-white hair and a woman with pink hair.