Second Day

The Emperor’s promised second day dawned.

The roosters of the capital, which usually crowed to wake them, were silent.

Instead, the damp forest air licked the faces of the cavalrymen, and the chill of the earth, cooled overnight, sent shivers down their spines.

They were veterans of camping, but being used to it didn’t mean they liked it.

The faces of those emerging from their sleeping bags showed a mixture of relief at having barely escaped fatigue and a desire to rest longer.

“Ugh… my back hurts.”

Someone’s voice echoed the unspoken sentiment shared by all.

“My mouth feels grimy.”

Agnes, who had been on the 3rd watch and lacked sleep, mumbled with a disheveled look.

“…Did I eat a bug in my sleep?!”

Yohan, upon waking, immediately spouted nonsense and was promptly struck in the face with a Lute.

With the sound of the Lute’s body cheerfully smashing Yohan’s nose, the day in the campsite began.

The troopers, adept at packing up, shook their bodies to ward off the lingering chill.

Anna, on cooking duty, having finished packing early, began to re-boil the leftover stew, adding water and more meat.

Before long, a savory smell filled the air, and a lively atmosphere arose with the chatter of the troopers.

“Wow, that smells amazing.”

Humila smacked his lips, already lining up for food.

“Why is my neck so stiff?”

Gilbert massaged his neck with his thick hands.

“Uweeheehee, uheehee?”

“Hey, his mouth’s crooked. Judah! You might want to take a look at him?”

“How did he sleep to end up with a crooked mouth?”

Dorian, Tommy, and Judah put on a comedic show.

“My skin is all ruined. This is why I hate camping.”

“Why are you in the cavalry if you’re worried about your skin?”

“I have to stay in the cavalry to marry the captain.”

“…She’s just as bad as Anna.”

Kane made a dumbfounded expression, while Laila worried about the pimples on her skin.

As always, a sense of peace settled over their faces.

Whether in the training grounds of the capital or in the forests near the border, they always felt the same.

“Hey! Food’s ready.”

With the shout of the mess sergeant, they began to line up one by one.

It was a meager stew, but they considered even that to be enough.

If deprivation, hardship, and crisis walked on their left,

satisfaction, cooperation, and optimism accompanied them on their right.

The cavalry always felt like this.

The incident occurred in the middle of breakfast.

A scream from a trooper eating stew at the edge of the campsite drew everyone’s attention.

“What’s going on?”

Murmurs and a restless atmosphere spread.

To find the cause of the scream, they rose one by one and headed towards the sound.

“Huh?”

Those who reached the frozen trooper reacted to the massive figure visible through the bushes.

A sturdy body, bristly fur, slightly protruding fangs, brown skin with stripes.

-Oink?

A larger version of the pig that Anna had caught yesterday stood right in front of them.

One of the troopers rubbed his eyes.

“Hey… that…”

“Don’t turn your back, it’ll chase you if you do.”

“Damn it, isn’t that the parent of the one Anna caught?”

“Maybe. Judging by the size, it looks like a parent. …But, is it the mother? Or the father?”

“What, is it gentler if it’s the mother?”

“No, there’s a difference between dying painfully and dying extremely painfully.”

The troopers who had gathered began to slowly back away.

“Should we hand over Anna? It might go back then.”

“A plea bargain? Not bad. So, who’s going to negotiate with it?”

“I just made a suggestion, I’d prefer someone else to carry it out.”

“You’re full of it.”

The troopers’ banter didn’t last long.

-Squeeeeeaaaaal!!!

The boar snorted and charged towards them.

“Run!!!”

As the massive brown tank charged towards them, the troopers scattered in panic.

But their mistake was choosing the campsite’s center as their escape route.

“What’s going on? What’s happening?”

The troopers were too engrossed in their meal to realize what was happening.

“Aaaah!! What is that!!”

A scream from a trooper who had been combing her hair.

The fleeing troopers and the excited boar turned the campsite into chaos.

“Fighting the Imperial Army is better than this. Damn it. Ack!!!”

Someone screamed as they were sent flying by the boar’s tusk.

Realizing that there was no one to stop it in the campsite, the boar became even more excited and began to rampage.

-Squeeeeeaaaaal

It let out a cry that could not be called pleasant even as a compliment, and now it was even drooling.

While the boar was going wild, the troopers, united as one, confronted it.

“Ugh, cowards. Are you even cavalry?”

A voice came from the midst of the gathered troopers.

Leading the charge was Yohan Sievert. A veteran of the cavalry who always stood at the forefront.

“Yohan!”

His appearance brought a collective sigh of relief.

His usual behavior was unreliable, but he showed a great side of himself on the battlefield.

The current situation was no different from a battlefield. He would surely come up with a good way to defeat the boar in one blow.

Yohan, receiving everyone’s attention, began to explain in a calm voice.

“Alright, listen up. Boars are afraid of animals larger than themselves. Hugo, Dorian, to my position!”

When Yohan called out the two names, the two men sheepishly emerged from the crowd.

“Me?”

“Why me?”

The two large men couldn’t guess why Yohan had called them.

“There’s no time to get the horses, so you guys will become the horses.”

“We’re the horses?”

When Dorian asked, Yohan frowned as if he was frustrated.

“Ah, come here. You two, grab each other’s arms in a cross. Yeah, like that. So I can put my legs through here. Yeah, good. Sit down.”

As Hugo and Dorian grabbed each other’s arms to form a grid, Yohan put his legs through the gaps.

“Alright, stand up!”

At Yohan’s words, Hugo and Dorian stood up.

A giant human tower. A common sight in mounted combat.

“Oh…”

An exclamation leaked from somewhere.

Yohan, riding on the two men who were among the top five in terms of size, looked like a giant animal at first glance.

The boar’s head turned towards Yohan.

Yohan looked down at the boar and crossed his arms.

“Behold, the fusion of courage. The form to defeat the boar. The heart of the cavalry running through the wilderness. Saint Great Yohan… Ugyagyak!!!”

The boar charged straight into Yohan, who was about to deliver some prepared lines. Unlike its massive appearance, Saint Great Yohan collapsed, and Dorian and Hugo, who were linked with Yohan, were also swept away and trampled by the boar.

“Ugh, cough! Kuek!! Saint, Saint Great Yohan is…!!”

“Help!”

“Save me!!”

Watching the three being thoroughly ravaged by the wild boar, none of the cavalry stepped forward.

“Yohan, you idiot!!!!”

Only Anna blamed Yohan.

Squeeeeak!!!-

The boar, feeling triumphant after defeating the strong? one, raised its head and howled.

And someone opened the tent and came out in response to the howl and the commotion in the campsite.

“It’s noisy, what’s going on?”

The captain’s face still held traces of sleep, as if he had just woken up.

Perhaps because everyone’s attention was focused on the captain?

The boar’s head turned towards the captain. It stepped on Hugo’s stomach for the last time before leaping towards the captain.

“Captain! Dodge it!”

Despite Anna’s urgent cry, the captain didn’t even flinch.

“No!!!”

Anna belatedly rushed out as if to grab the boar, but the boar and the captain were already on the verge of colliding.

“…….”

The captain indifferently watched the boar drooling as it came towards him.

And slowly raised his fist, then punched the boar between the eyes as it charged.

Clunk!

The boar’s body tilted and fell to the side.

It was a faint scream.

“…….”

“…….”

Only silence remained in the campsite.

“C, Captain?”

As the troopers stared at him with dazed faces, the captain averted his gaze and muttered.

“We’ll use this for lunch.”

It was a slightly special morning for the cavalry.