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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hey! Isn’t your captain hot? Tell him to take off that helmet!”
Knights were lined up in the assault formation.
Scoffs flew towards Pelaine, the Holy Knight Commander, clad in iron armor and helmet.
“Don’t mind them, Commander…”
“I know. Just check on the men’s status again.”
“Yes, sir.”
But Pelaine simply brushed off the taunts, completely unfazed.
He had a reason for keeping his helmet on, and he had anticipated this ridicule.
Perhaps it was also in anticipation of what might happen if he were to reveal what was under his helmet…
‘No. It won’t happen.’
Pellaine quickly shook his head, dismissing the possibility.
He had prepared himself, but that didn’t mean he intended to reveal what was underneath.
It wouldn’t happen.
No, he wouldn’t allow it to happen.
“All units! Prepare to charge!”
“Prepare to charge!”
The commander-in-chief’s order descended.
Then, as if it were thunder, a response struck the plains.
That sound must have been heard by the enemy camp waiting in the distance.
“We are outnumbered! But in terms of quality, we have the advantage! You rookies, just focus on the back of the head in front of you and charge! That’ll be enough!”
The commander-in-chief, the Imperial Knight Commander, crossed in front of the formation, encouraging the cavalrymen.
Indeed, the suppression force was significantly outnumbered by the rebel army.
However, most of their forces were knights, or of knightly origin.
The rebel army, on the other hand, consisted mainly of beastmen of slave origin.
Unless there was a variable, there was no reason for them to be defeated in a head-on battle.
“Fear not! Fear not! The Imperial Knights stand with you!”
Soon, the 10 knights of the Holy Knights also put on their helmets.
They were positioned at the very rear.
A position assigned because they had no practical experience.
“Charge!”
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The ground rose with the sound of horse hooves.
Starting with the 1st row, they accelerated in turn, and finally, a cavalry of three rows began to gallop toward the enemy camp.
The widely deployed formation seemed to completely cover even the horizon.
“D-damn it…”
Southern Republic Army camp.
Beads of sweat were dripping from the nape of the beastman soldiers holding their spears.
As the sound of hooves grew closer, a tremor as if the earth were being overturned was felt.
Under their iron helmets that completely covered their faces, no emotion could be read from their faces.
They were caught up in the pressure as if a war machine were charging at them.
Meanwhile, within the assault formation of the suppression force—
“Enemy cavalry on the right!”
“They appeared from the left flank too!”
The commander-in-chief, who was running at the forefront, quickly turned his head.
On both sides, enemy cavalry, which seemed to be over a thousand, were running aiming at their right and left flanks.
An ambush?
However, such a thing was of no importance at all.
Because they were only light cavalry with thin leather armor.
“Ignore them! Keep charging!”
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!!!”
There was no way they could be opponents.
As the order to ignore them had fallen, there was nothing more to hesitate about.
The knights filled the plains with their rough shouts.
Even the commander-in-chief sighed at the absurd volume that seemed to tear his ears apart.
“I can’t! Fuck, I can’t do this!”
“Hey! Come back here, you bastard!”
At the moment when the cavalry approached right in front of them.
One beastman soldier threw his spear and ran away, unable to overcome the pressure and after that, there was not one or two.
“Damn it! This can’t be!”
“Uwaaagh! Fuck! Save me!”
The soldiers began to flee in great numbers, abandoning their spears.
Even though the cavalry had not yet arrived, their formation had already collapsed.
By the time the cavalry jumped over the low wooden barricade, there was not a single soldier standing there.
There were only those who turned their backs and ran away.
“The enemy cavalry are retreating.”
The enemy light cavalry units, who had been running as if to surround them, began to retreat.
Then there were no obstacles left.
All that remained was to completely subdue this camp.
But the fight was as good as over.
There was no way to stop the knights who had already entered the camp.
It might have been better to deal with a herd of enraged elephants.
It didn’t even take 30 minutes for the rebel camp to be completely subdued.
“How many prisoners are there? Sigh”
The commander-in-chief, passing in front of the prisoners who were kneeling with their hands tied, let out a deep sigh.
It was around 3,000.
The number of enemies they killed was less than 30.
On the other hand, their casualties only included about 10 wounded soldiers.
Even that was mostly from falling off horses.
It was a great victory.
The soldiers shouted, intoxicated by the joy of victory.
“What’s wrong, Commander?”
Pelaine was looking over the barricade at the 3rd fortress several kilometers away.
In the distance, he could faintly see the enemy light cavalry units retreating into the fortress.
“Something’s not right. It’s too easy.”
“They were just a bunch of people who had just been freed from slavery and were holding spears. It’s only natural that it was easy.”
“No…”
However, the movements of the light cavalrymen were strange.
Their retreat through the narrow castle gate couldn’t be simply described as organized.
As if the thousands of cavalrymen were one body, or as if sand was being sucked into a hole, they moved without a single moment of stagnation or a single gap.
It wasn’t just a matter of being highly trained.
Why the hell would they not use such elite cavalry as heavy cavalry… ?
“What is it?”
“I need to talk to the commander-in-chief.”
Those bastards were up to something.
There was no other way to explain it.
Pelaine turned around—
“…”
He glanced at the eyes of the prisoners and then headed towards the commander-in-chief.
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The enemy’s movements are suspicious.
I don’t presume to judge, but in my opinion…
That day as well, a regular report arrived from the Holy Knights.
It seemed that the rebels were intentionally losing again.
They continued to preserve their cavalry forces, and it seemed they were intentionally handing over their less trained infantry as prisoners.
As a result, prisoner management was emerging as a serious problem in the 4th fortress, etc…
Unlike the media, which was always in a festive mood, Pelaine’s voice was full of anxiety.
That insight was admirable.
It was true that Duke Lorraine was losing intentionally.
It was a situation where the rebels could afford to lose a few times.
However, the suppression force couldn’t even afford a single defeat.
Making them let down their guard by losing continuously as if they didn’t even have a decent commander, and dragging them deeper into the swamp… Even if they were to be destroyed in the last battle, the rebels could win.
“I should go.”
Pelaine, who usually wrote very concisely, unusually wrote a long report.
What was worrying.
What was concerning.
It was full of such stories.
It seemed he’d decided he should go, judging that the suppression force would soon be defeated.
Even if he went and ran around for a week during his break from the academy, he’d be able to turn the tide of the war at least once.
“Go where?”
“Oh. I meant the Imperial Palace.”
“…”
He couldn’t go right away though.
He had to go meet Aria today.
He glanced back and saw Emilia was fixing his clothes and began to tie a necktie around his neck.
“You can check the letter when you get back. Aren’t you nervous, oppa? You’re meeting Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
“You’ve met her too. She’s a real airhead.”
“The person you call an airhead can make or break a nation with a single word…”
It seemed that Emilia was still wary of Aria.
If she had met her a few times, she would have known she was an idiot who was easy to deal with.
Of course, that was only when Aria had what she wanted.
“Why aren’t you wearing your maid outfit?”
Come to think of it, Emilia was wearing the casual clothes he had bought her yesterday.
Saying she had to wear appropriate clothes for the job, she always changed into her maid uniform even when going out.
He was a little less embarrassed, but it felt strange.
Because it felt like he was living with a younger girl, rather than an attendant.
“Hehehe. I got tired of it.”
“You got tired of it…?”
“Then shall we go, Mr. Hainkel?”
Emilia suddenly opened the door and changed her way of speaking.
She was the bland Emilia of the past.
Even though it was more comfortable for him like this…
“You can be comfortable with me when there’s no one around.”
“Okay. Hehe.”
He still preferred the free-spirited Emilia.
“Oh, Schlus!”
“Ainz.”
As he was walking on the academy grounds, he ran into Ainz.
Ainz was carrying a mountain of books.
It hadn’t been long since the midterms ended, his dedication to his studies was truly impressive.
When he thought he had overtaken such a guy with tricks and abilities, he felt guilty.
“Where are you going?”
“The Imperial Palace. I have business with Her Highness, the Crown Princess.”
“Aha! Are you finally going to take care of that?”
“What? Take care of what?”
“Aren’t you going to set a date for the wedding…”
“No!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Emilia answered from behind in a loud voice.
Ainz blinked his eyes as he alternately looked at him and Emilia.
“Ah. Th-that… I apologize. I shouldn’t have shouted…”
“It’s okay. Hahaha. Sorry. I misunderstood.”
“It’s a relief you understand.”
Ainz scratched his head, but he didn’t seem sorry he had misunderstood at all.
It was closer to an expression of ‘I knew it’.
He was annoyed, but there was nothing he could do.
He had to ask Aria to quell the rumors.
“You’re carrying a sword now? Are you a full-fledged swordsman?”
“Far from it. It’s just in case.”
“But why is it on your right? Aren’t you right-handed?”
“My right hand is for that.”
“Ah…”
As he spread his right hand, Ainz nodded as if he understood.
He thought Ainz would ask about the sword of light, but he just moved on.
He must have been curious because he had never seen it before.
“Then, good luck! I’ll wish for your fortune!”
“What fortune…”
Ainz teased him until the end and went on his way.
Damn it.
From now on, he shouldn’t tell anyone he was going to the Imperial Palace.
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Thump. Thump.
Regular and large footsteps echoed.
All of the soldiers in uniform stood at attention and saluted.
A legend of the Imperial Army was there.
“Yo. At ease. No inspection?”
“Y-you may pass.”
“Come on. Did your superior tell you to do that?”
“Ah…! Please turn around and put your hands on your head!”
He really was something else.
Sergei clicked his tongue and turned around.
Soon after the inspection was completed, Sergei was able to enter the barracks.
There was no one to stop him as he went straight to the Commander’s office.
“I knew it was noisy outside. So it was General Proeist…”
“Damn it! Roman! It’s been a while! Let me give you a hug!”
“…”
Roman answered with a look of contempt.
Sergei, feeling embarrassed, closed his open arms again and pulled a nearby chair to sit down.
“Next time, at least let me know in advance. You scared the kids.”
“What’s there to be scared of?”
“Can’t you see? To them, you are a bolt from the blue.”
Roman pulled back the curtain wide.
The soldiers, who had been stiff until just now, were already cleaning the clean floor two or three more times.
“Sigh. So, what brings you here? You haven’t been near anything military-related for years, and now you’re here? You even avoided me at the Magic Festival.”
“…”
At those words, Sergei’s expression hardened.
It was a well-known story that Sergei had cut off all ties with the Imperial Army after his discharge.
It was a firm expression of his will that he would maintain perfect neutrality in politics and not exert even the slightest influence over the military.
Yet he suddenly visited the 3rd Corp.
Not secretly, but openly.
There had to be a political reason for this.
“Schlus Hainkel. You know him?”
“Of course. He’s the one who saved me at the Magic Festival.”
“That kid is something else.”
“By something else, you mean extraordinary?”
“Hahaha. You mean like me?”
“…”
Despite Roman’s joke, Sergei didn’t even pretend to laugh.
“He pulled a sword of light from his hand.”
“…?”
“It wasn’t magic, and it wasn’t a clump of mana. It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like it.”
“Could it be… a magic sword?”
“A magic sword? No way.”
A magic sword.
A sword that is said to be dormant in a person’s hand, then devours mana and is born.
In the first place, it was a sword whose existence was unknown, appearing only in children’s fairy tales.
“It’s not a magic sword. Anyway, in the past, he would have kept such a mysterious weapon hidden. But lately, he’s been showing it off way too often.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“He’ll be targeted soon. Whether by the Emperor or the Demon Lord, that’s for sure. At that time, that kid will surely ask for your help. Using the debt you owe.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t lend him a hand?”
“The opposite. When the time comes, help him without hesitation.”
Roman couldn’t understand.
Didn’t he say he would be targeted by the Emperor or the Demon Lord?
Then he was as good as dead, so why would he tell him to help him?
“Are you telling me to jump into a fiery pit myself?”
“That’s right. Sometimes, you have to jump into the fire to see.”
“General Proeist…”
“It’s Professor now.”
“Professor. You know something, don’t you?”
“…”
What a sly fellow.
Sergei kept his mouth shut.
He shouldn’t have said more than this.
z
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