episode_0135

I hurried down the hill where I could clearly see the battlefield. The camp was already noisy due to signs of an offensive.

The soldiers grabbed their weapons, and shouts calling for people rang out from all over.

Because I remembered the road, I was able to immerse myself in the bustling crowd and quickly return to my tent.

I immediately put on my armor and tied my weapon to my belt.

It wasn’t something I had done once or twice in my life, so even in an urgent situation, my hands moved as my body remembered.

After skillfully preparing to fight, I turned my head to the sound of a low voice calling from behind.

“Laven.”

“Yes, I am listening.”

“I hope this is the last battle.”

“I hope so too. That’s why I’m going to fight now. Rather, are you okay now?”

The girl’s hands were shining slightly, although you could only notice them if you concentrated hard enough. It meant that I was healing someone even at this very moment.

Although the battle had just begun, a drop of sweat was already forming on Lisia’s forehead.

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Because I might just lose my mind.”

“I also know what the limit is. And most of all, I have someone I can rely on now.”

Lisia, who was looking at the battlefield through a gap in the tent, immediately caught my eye and smiled softly.

“This might be a bit of a strange question.”

“Yes.”

“Raven is… Are you dependent on me?”

“I always owe you a lot. So I am grateful.”

“Not magic, what about the mental part?”

I thought for a moment. Am I really mentally dependent on Lisia?

It was an answer that came out even without thinking about it for a long time.

“That’s right.”

“Isn’t that just like family?”

It’s family.

From a biological perspective, if I cross the swamp from here, my biological father will be there.

However, considering his history of being driven out onto a road full of thieves since he was a little kid, he wouldn’t have expected the Count of Ravenna to be treated like a father anyway.

Even when I traced back memories of my past life as well as my current life, I was still unfamiliar with what it felt like to be a family.

Nevertheless, I was still able to say this.

“It’s been quite a while since I’ve been alone. So I’m not sure, but I think it might be so.”

If I think about it, the situation was similar for me and Lishia. The life trajectories of living alone without family overlapped to some extent.

“I’m saying it in that sense.”

“Okay.”

I want to “. Creating a family.”

Does this mean you want to get married?

However, expressing it that way doesn’t make sense… little.

I was about to say that it wasn’t time to discuss such things yet, but then I suddenly remembered that Lisia was no longer a child.

Now I have decided to acknowledge that reality. So what should I say? Are you going to have a good trip? Or something else-

-pook

“Hehe.”

“… … .”

As I sat there lost in thought for a moment, the girl just fell and came into my arms.

“Have a nice trip. I’ll be watching to make sure nothing happens.”

Then, as if he had finished what he wanted to say, he took a step back and waited for me to leave.

It was a familiar sight as I had experienced it many times. He usually says he wants to get married, but then immediately laughs it off again as if it’s not that important.

Normally, I would have just said that I would get back from here safely and left.

“If the war ends with today’s battle.”

“Yes.”

When Licia revealed her true feelings, I couldn’t treat her harshly.

“Let’s go on a short trip together.”

“… Yes!”

I decided to let them know that I was taking the suggestion seriously.

*****

“Is everyone gathered?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please give me an order.”

The knights of the Rudolph attack party gathered safely without any stragglers.

Some of the squires who had not had enough time to prepare themselves because they were busy equipping their teacher were still joining late, but that was not the important thing.

“… Should I really leave?”

After a little hesitation, someone suddenly asked.

The one who initiates the attack tends to be more confident. It meant that there was something to believe in, such as numerical superiority.

But that didn’t mean running away. If I had been thinking like that, I wouldn’t have been standing here in the first place.

Rather, it was closer to expressing an opinion about changing the goal.

There were some plans made to assume a situation where Rudolph attacked earlier than expected.

One thing on the agenda, honestly, is to go to the front line where the fiercest fighting takes place and wait until reinforcements arrive.

It would be difficult to catch Rudolph right away and end the battle quickly, but if reinforcements joined, all you had to do was rest for a while before starting the operation.

Of course, we will be very tired, so the probability of success will drop significantly.

“If Duke Vritislav arrived soon, things would be better… … .”

“ If so, would it be okay for us to help our allies on the front line and carry out operations afterwards? ”

I turned my gaze towards Heine, who was drooling in worry.

The emperor granted Heine the authority to exercise a certain amount of discretion.

The original goal was to attack only Rudolph, but it wouldn’t be much of a problem if you helped your allies in other ways.

It was difficult to say exactly what was better. However, as a knight, he had to follow orders given by his employer.

So I stayed silent and waited for the judgment of Heine, who probably knew a lot more information than I did. Since he was smart enough to enter university, I had faith that he would not make any strange decisions.

And the princess, who had roughly completed the calculations in her head, immediately opened her mouth.

“No, let’s just keep going.”

“Then I will prepare it right away.”

The hand that had been reaching for the spear was withdrawn, wondering if it was necessary to make that friendly cavalry charge again.

Its place was taken by swords and maces for close combat.

*****

Making a preemptive strike started with a slight disadvantage.

The disadvantage was that the soldiers had to be pushed into the swamp first.

Of course, after doing my own preliminary research, I followed the route that I judged to be safe.

However, as with all things in this world, plans do not always work out the same way. It was inevitable that small mistakes would occur from time to time, such as taking a wrong step and falling into a swamp.

But in Rudolph’s opinion, it was worth it.

“Master! The number of troops you mentioned has been gathered.”

“Okay, then what is the situation in Heinrich’s camp?”

The first thing I looked at was my team’s attendance list, but the next most important thing was the opponent’s attendance list.

Fortunately, a few gold coins were all it took to blow even the heaviest-mouthed soldier everything he knew.

And sure enough, several names were still empty in Henry’s army.

“It is said that one duke and four counts have not arrived yet. Among them, Duke Vritislav is scheduled to arrive in less than half a day.”

“Okay, then we can decide the game within that.”

All that’s left is to wait.

Being on the battlefield, he couldn’t fight them directly, and he couldn’t transfer them using mysterious magic.

The only thing that could be done was to pray to God to send an army quickly.

And soon after, Rudolph, who successfully summoned the troops and made an Indian rain offering, got up immediately.

“Europa answered me! This is a revelation that God wants us to win!”

“You all know the plan. Then, generals, start fighting immediately!”

Nobles who guarded the emperor’s surroundings or waited to replace those who were tired later remained in their seats.

And the nobleman who had been given a special mission was also standing closest to Rudolph, waiting to receive orders.

“Count.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“The road to Heinrich will soon be wide open on the left. If that happens, let’s sneak back and surround them from both sides.”

“I will accept it.”

There was no need to surround the entire army anyway.

If they surrounded just one person, Heinrich, they would be demoralized and run away on their own.

Of course, the Count of Ravenna, who was supposed to command them, would want to get rid of the illegitimate son whose mere existence would threaten his position.

“If there’s anything you’re worried about, I’ll cover it for you after you win, so don’t worry.”

If it was a problem like that, he could easily handle it himself when he was completely victorious.

Even if he survives, he may be ‘unfortunately killed in a foreign land’ or his record may be erased as if he never existed.

The Count of Ravenna nodded heavily.

And not long after, the knights led by the count rode out to make a long circle around the battlefield.

*****

The first moment of battle when soldiers and knights collide for the first time.

A group of cavalry moved leisurely toward Rudolph’s camp, taking advantage of a time when it became difficult to even distinguish between factions and factions.

“Push it into the swamp! Okay, hold on and stab me!”

“Archers, stand by! Fire when given the signal. Three, two, one-”

“Ahh! Wait, wait! I, I am Baron Anton’s soldier! He’s an ally!!”

The sound of the blade letting out a scream, the arrow cutting through the air, and the subsequent deathly sound gradually receded.

I rode along the solid ground to the place I had seen in advance.

And soon, the horses stopped only after reaching a place where their strength was too much.

-Slap

“It’s starting to get damp. I think this is enough.”

“It will be difficult to go any further. Let’s get ready soon.”

“Hamahara!”

And without anyone saying anything, he drew his sword and lowered his posture.

Beyond the grass, in front.

Although he only looked the size of a fingernail here, Rudolph was in the most luxurious barracks.