The Mercenary Group Of The Demon Lord Army's Former Dragon Knight Chapter 36-38

…We have done a lot of small work. 

That's right, in order to win a war, we have done a variety of those. But I shall receive the punishment of that. I am a dragon knight. I don't run away from what I rightfully 'deserve'.

My many underhanded tactics…I will be paying for the price of all of those from now on.

The song of Zephyr from the northern sky resounded in the battlefield, and I unsheathe the dragon longsword from my back.

My magic dispersed, and I stopped being General Renault. If it were a princess who was released from a curse, a handsome prince would sing his love, but…there's a difference when it is a man being released.

A man like me…for the old men knights that are angered to the depths of their spirit, they would just glare at me, and from now on, will begin a killing where there's zero love or friends.h.i.+p!!

"Hahahahahaha!! I have introduced myself, knights of the Empire! I will give you the chance to cut me down!! If you want to clear your shame, speak with your swords!!" (Solje)

"Keep talking, you fool!!" 

Big build knights take their swords and attack from left and right. Pretty fast. As expected of knights by profession. Even when they are wearing heavy armor, they can still pull off this kind of movement, huh. Swordsmans.h.i.+p style where there's partners, that's the Faris Knight Style!

Nice movements!! And because of that, there's no way it would work on me!!

I have been drilled this into me since I was a brat -the way to kill a knight wearing armor.

I take a step and, while maintaining a distance where I can release a killing attack, I raise my spirit and speed up. By controlling speed and distance, I can win against a battle with knights.

That's right, when I was a brat, I danced and avoided.

But it has already been 9 years. My muscles have gotten stronger and polished in technique. There's no need to dance. It is a pure storm of speed!! With that, I attack the knights!!

Plain fast and…heavy!!

The slashes unleashed by me with my dragon longsword had cut the meat of the knight, that was coming from the right, vertically all the way together with his helmet and armor.

Blood spurts out from the knight's body. 

I spin my body while receiving the blood and hit my next prey with my longsword.

Hoh. This one read my attack and intends to take it by covering with his sword? …How shallow. 

Don't think you can take on a dragon longsword! This is a specially sharp sword made by melting the horn of Ares!!

"As if you can take this with a mere sword of Faris!!" (Solje)

*Claack!!*

"Gahaaaa?!"

The sword of Ares had smashed the Empire metal in two. And then, the dragon longsword continued its down motion and was cut down in one stroke. 

"I-Impossible! His sword and armor was cut?!" 

"A true dragon longsword and a true dragon knight are this way." (Solje)

I laugh…and then, I glare at the sky.

"GHAAAAAOOOOOHHH!!"

The roar of the dragon once again resonates, and the black shadow created from those wings moved. 

The fire breath that was spewed at the ground pa.s.s by the knight, Lamia, and I.

What the fire was aiming at was the cavalry. The cavalry that was lined up to charge onwards were being bathed in the fire of Zephyr, and you could clearly see that from on top of the hill where this encampment is located at.

The horses are in panic. The roar of a dragon was bringing about an instinctual fear from them, and the horses that were bathed in a huge heat were running amok without caring about anything. The horseback soldiers were falling and were once again engulfed in the fire of Zephyr.

"W-What?! The cavalry is being burned by fire!!" 

"A d-dragon?!"

"They are supposed to be extinct!!" 

…Right, I thought that as well. I also thought that might be the case, but Zephyr waited for me. Waited the whole time for me in the depths of the iron-reeking valley. 

"Dragons are alive, and he has become my wings!!" (Solje)

"You monster who can communicate with wicked dragons!!" (Lamia)

The brave Lamia stands in front of me. She continued to glare strongly at me with those amethyst eyes. She looks like she might jump at me at any moment.

But I have no intentions of cutting you down… Because you have a role to fulfill after all!!

"Oi, knights of Faris, don't let the princess stand in front of me!!" (Solje)

"No need to tell us!!"

"Lamisama, please stand back!!" 

"From here on, it is the job of us knights!!" 

The knights were trying to hide Lamia from this battlefield. Lamia doesn't seem to be pleased about this.

"B-But…I also want to contribute with everyone…!!" (Lamia)

"…Listen well, Lamia." (Solje)

"Don't call me so familiarly!!" (Lamia)

"There's a reason why I want you to keep on living." (Solje)

"W-What?!" (Lamia)

"…Send the fear of the name Solje Strauss to the people of the Empire." (Solje)

"What fear is there to have from you?!"

"We are going to cut you down right here!!" 

The vigorous knights shouted and charged towards me. 

Lamia was retreating from this place with knights pus.h.i.+ng her out… That's right, that's how it should be.

Go tell them, Lamia. 

Just how fearsome of a monster I am!!

"Haaaah!!" 

I receive the slash of the knight with my dragon longsword. The other side used both hands and I used one.

"You can take it?! What kind of inhuman strength you have?!" 

Indeed, there's an overwhelming difference in physical strength. And sadly to say, that's not all the difference there is between you guys and me. 

I gather mana in the palm of my left hand which is not holding anything. 

I direct that at the face of the knight that is trying to push me with the strength of his sword.

"[Fire Burst]" (Solje)

"Eh?" 

It was not a big spell, but exploding in such close proximity, the helmet was damaged, and his face was destroyed.

"Guwaaaaaah!!" 

He raised a scream of pain, but I didn't pay it any care. I kick his trunk with the sole of my metallic shoe and have him roll on the ground, and then move to my fight with the next knight. 

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you can use magic too?!" 

"That's right, the dragon knights of the Demon Lord army are monsters!" (Solje)

The dragon longsword and the knight's sword clash. The metals sing and the sparks s.h.i.+ne.

Nice, my blood is heating up more and more!!

The knight and I clash blades several times, and when the knight lost balance due to being overwhelmed by power, I used a reverse sweep and sent this skilled man to the afterlife.

The cut armor had blood gus.h.i.+ng out and a rain of blood falls on me. That's right, I love being bathed in this red color.  

I go through the fog of blood and bring h.e.l.l to the battlefield!!

"Come at me, people of the Empire!! You liars who betrayed Garuna!! I will kill every single one of you!!" (Solje)

Give it to me!! Give them all!! It is not enough!! Betraying my homeland and destroying it, that blood of yours, give me more of it!!

"An attack!! GATHER HEEEREE!!" 

There's many. The knights were calling the soldiers and were trying to surround me.

"…Kukuku!! Nice, that's how it should be! Bring me more!! If you don't, I won't be able to make up for it!!" (Solje)

"What are you talking about?!"

"You sc.u.m won't be able to understand the pride of a dragon knight!!" (Solje)

That's right, we used only underhanded tactics —me, Solje Strauss.

This is the punishment of it. My atonement.

I have done something unfitting of a Strauss, so in order to clean myself from this filth, in the very middle of this battlefield, I will push a lone struggle and recover my honor!!

The Strauss storm blows together with my dragon longsword!!

While laughing, while singing my bloodl.u.s.t, I jump into the ma.s.s of enemies!!

I kill with my dragon longsword, destroy them with my fire, and crush them my lightning!!

A happiness that felt like it would burst my body was being sent into me as the blood, screams, and roars were being melted into my sword-dance!!

Kukuku!! Nice, their numbers are incredible. As expected of the center of the Imperial army!! That's how it should be, this is how it must be, or it wouldn't be worthy of being a Strauss battle!!

"Surround him!!" 

"Even if he is a monster, we should be able to win with numbers!!" 

"Don't seek honor, cling to victory!!" 

It is welling up… Good. You are entertaining me!! As thanks, I will give it to you, you Empire pigs!!

I take a vertical stance with my dragon longsword.

The Empire soldiers were cautious of magic and their movements stop for a second. Idiots, that will cost you your life. It is true that I will use magic. However, it is not against you guys. It is a magic for myself.

"[Dragon Flame]!!" (Solje)

Giving the speed of a gale to my legs, granting inhuman strength to my arms with lightning, and blessing my dragon longsword with the embers of slaughter. The ultimate technique of a dragon knight, the Dragon Flame!!

I look for a prey in my line of sight…

I immediately run pa.s.s the enemy crowd and hit the archer I set as my target with my longsword. 

The meat was cut and the bones were crushed by the fire. 

The gale lightning ran through the battlefield while enjoying the feeling of destroying life, and with the fire demonic sword, the enemies were being cut down.

"Impossible!!" 

"He is way too fast!" 

"T-This isn't good! Gather, crowd, and tighten the def—"

Even when his head departed from his body, the knights reacted to the instructions that he had said. By putting their backs together, they are not allowing an 'opening' against the speed of the gale.

If they were to concentrate their defense in one point, they will certainly be able to defend themselves instead of dying defenselessly. 

…But…

"…That's a bad move, you know?" (Solje)

If you do that, I don't even need speed. I turn off both the wind and lightning magic. I am not so free as to tag along with your countermeasures.

If you are gathering, that works out for me. Only the Fire residing in my dragon longsword is still active. Or more like, the fire cladding my sword has increased in fierceness.

"…Hiih! T-The dragon's flame is…!!" 

The more sensitive soldier says this. He is intelligent. It has the magic of Ares clad in it. The fire of a dragon that Ares left inside of me!!

"Magic Sword…! [Burst Sapper]!!!" (Solje)

The fire of Ares once again burns the world!! 

When the fire slash touches the ground, this blaze mixing with a gale gave it speed as it rides the land. The Empire soldiers were having their bodies cut by the blade of fire and wind. Even the screams of agony were engulfed by the Burst Sapper.

Cut, burned, and exploded, the corpses of the soldiers were rolling as they were scorched in the fiery flames.

"Hiiih!!" 

"A monster!!" 

The soldiers that just came were struck with fear at the ma.s.sacre. 

I see, looks like you guys haven't fought truly fearsome enemies until now.

I welcome you. I will be your first 'absolute fear' in your lives. 

I fix my stance and direct my fangs at those young soldiers…

"COME!! PIGS OF THE EMPIRE!!" (Solje)

Chapter 37

—Seeing the sky where the dragon sings, the slave giants learned of it.

The time of freedom has come, we shall regain our pride.

The Imperial Army sounds its horn, 'Giants, pull your bows!'.

'Fine, taste our arrows as much as you wish'.

—The maidens at the back of the dragon shoot with bow and slingshot.

The soldiers who survived the fire were being attacked by these maidens.

Who can kill the most?

The brave maidens were smiling with a warrior's expression.

—The Queen orders, 'Everyone, attack!!'.

Archers, shoot your arrows to cover the front!!

The brave warriors of the Demon Lord army raise their voices.

The 13,000 run through the battlefield together with the dragon soaring the skies!!

—The giants' arrows were shot.

The arrows shot from those tightly drawn bows of those 2,400 didn't aim for the dragon.

What they aimed at was the frontmost cavalry of the Empire.

Right before they could clash against the cavalry of Ludo, the arrows suddenly attacked them.

—Chaos is born.

The arrows that came from the back, the arrows shot from Ludo; being caught in between those two, the cavalry falls into confusion.

The confusion deepens with the fire of the dragon.

The fire released from the dragon burned the land, the horses stirred, and the soldiers were falling from their steeds.

—The Dragon Formation opens its big mouth and shows its true nature. 

What was hiding in that formation was not a straight on charge, but the gluttonous killing fangs.

The dwarf Gyarigan was riding his beloved cattle steed Dolga as he attacks the Imperial cavalry. 

—That's right, the Dragon is a formation for the sake of devouring.

Swallowing the enemy whole, killing them.

Being shot by the giants and burned by a dragon, 10,000 of the cavalry crumbled in the blink of an eye. 

The cavalry had lost their momentum, and they couldn't stop the cavalry of the Demon Lord which has their elites gathered.

——–

"Uoooohh!!"

"Too soft!!" 

Right after opening the chest of an enemy soldier who had come attacking…I grab an arrow that seemed to have been shot as if aiming for an opening. However, different from 9 years ago, I have both eyes working!!

"Whaat?! He caught an arrow?!" 

"Yeah. There were some guys in the Union who could also pull this off, you know?" (Solje)

I approach the archer. There's the need for punishment.

But I show compa.s.sion towards this soldier who threw away his bow as I got closer.

"…Run away to the very backlines just like that. If you do that, I won't kill you." (Solje)

"Y-Yess!!" 

The soldier began to run away. Seeing this, I could tell that the other soldiers were watching as if jealous of it. 

It is the dragon's magic eye. It lays bare the hearts of the people in the battlefield. This place is covered in despair and fear.

Of course it would be.

The people here are the elite of the elite. But I have already killed 65 of them. 

The ground was dirtied by blood and the pieces of cut meat, and when the soldiers look at me, their teeth clacked. 

A boar clacks its teeth to intimidate, but it isn't the case for a human… I have to ask.

"Choose. Do you want to be killed by me, or will you run away?" (Solje)

"…Ugh…!" 

"What's the matter? I am a compa.s.sionate man. I don't mind sparing your lives, you know?" (Solje)

"…As if we could do that!! We are proud Imperial soldiers!!" 

"That's right." 

A man appeared after a voice without fear resounded. 

It is a knight. 

I think I remember him. One of the men that was called by the General last night… His name was…what was it? I don't know.

The knights are all wearing a similar helmet, so it is hard to see their faces. It is not as if I am simply a forgetful idiot, okay? 

Anyways, he throws something by my feet. Ah, it is the head of the archer that ran away not long ago. So he cut off his head? Quite the hardy att.i.tude there.

"We don't need fleeing soldiers in our Imperial army." 

"Looks that way." (Solje)

The knight swings the blood and fat off his sword, and walks right in front of me. 

I see, that's a nice expression. He also has a different aura compared to the weaklings… 

The knight speaks.

"My name is Grey Vangarz." (Grey)

"My name's Solje Strauss. Dragon Knight." (Solje)

"…Dragon knight. So you are the one behind that black dragon." (Grey)

"Yeah, however, it is not only the dragon, but a variety of other things as well." (Solje)

"…Variety of things?" (Grey)

"Allow me to brag about it to you. You also want to know what is happening, right?" (Solje)

"You are crazy." (Grey)

"Really? But it looks like we are stronger than you guys in war." (Solje)

"…What is it you did?!" (Grey)

"First, I made the giants our allies." (Solje)

"Impossible, those guys have the chokers—" (Grey)

"Too bad, those don't work anymore. The giants will act as if they are working, but the moment the soldiers approach them unknowingly, they will choke them to death. And then, we will take your weapons." (Solje)

…Isn't that right, Gandalla? As a close friend of yours, I can tell what's your strategy.

With the power of my left eye, I switch to the view of Zephyr. The giants have succeeded in their revolt. See? Just as I thought. They are in the middle of breaking the necks of the Imperial soldiers.

And they are trying to regroup with General Gyarigan.

Nice pace. With this, the giants won't be isolated. 

Well, now that I have confirmed the situation and gained peace of mind, I shall resume my 'bragging'.

"At the beginning, we had our new comrades shoot the cavalry while they were confused and burned by my dragon." (Solje)

"So dirty to attack from behind!!" (Grey)

"No, it is not just from behind. We also have our own archer giants. The Ludo Kingdom shot their arrows from the top of the hill. We have an advantage in distance and angle. Our arrows reach further thanks to the wind. With a rain of arrows from the front and back, chaos befell your cavalry." (Solje)

"T-There's no way our cavalry would fall with just that much—" (Grey)

"That's right, that's not all. They were burned on the sides by a dragon. See that?" (Solje)

"W-What?!" (Grey)

"GHAAAAAAOOOOHHH!!" 

 Zephyr shouts as he flies over us. The fireb.a.l.l.s spit by Zephyr exploded on the ground and, naturally, the soldiers there were burned.

"That's how much firepower it has. They got shot several times with that. Add that with the rain of arrows and your cavalry falls into a chaos that the brave General Gyarigan charges into." (Solje)

"Gyarigan?" (Grey)

Hm? Hehehe, old man, looks like you are not that famous. 

If General Gyarigan were here, he would have killed this rude and ignorant youngster with a hammer.

"Yeah, he is a scary strong dwarf. He rides a 'cow' the size of a wagon…or more like, it is a monster…he rides a behemoth." (Solje)

"Another monster?!" (Grey)

"Yeah, a monster. You have to be quite the strong guy to be able to tame something like that." (Solje)

My brothers wouldn't have been able to. Meaning that the physical strength of Gyarigan rivals that of a dragon knight.

It still isn't higher than mine, but…I am currently stronger than any past generation. In these 9 years, I lost a lot, and I gained a lot. I have gotten strong like a vengeful spirit.

"In the end, your panicked cavalry faltered and were unable to fulfill the core of their attack that is speed. And in that moment, the cavalry of the Ludo Kingdom which may be lower in numbers but higher in quality had clashed with their whole force. Behemoth was definitely the one leading." (Solje)

The horses raised by running in the wasteland and mountainous areas of the Ludo Kingdom are on a whole different level, you know? 

The Ludo cavalry may have had ma.s.sive arrow support, but they easily broke through the Empire's cavalry and kicked about the p.a.w.ns holding s.h.i.+elds at their back. 

And in this way, Gandalla and the others grouped up with them.

The central part of the Empire's formation has the cavalry at the frontmost.

At the back of that, there's the infantry units.

Then, at the back of them, there's the archer giants of Gandalla.

The types of soldiers obviously have their strengths and weaknesses. 

Cavalries are strong against infantry. 

The weapons of infantry don't reach the mounted units well, and a normal soldier can't match a giant animal like a horse. They just die trampled by them.

There's no point to armor and spears. There's few people who can do something against a stampede of horses.

Infantry is strong against archers.

The s.h.i.+elds that infantry hold easily get crushed by the weight of a horse, but it can take on as many arrows as it wants.

The big s.h.i.+elds that are a combination of wood boards and iron plates won't allow any arrow to pa.s.s. Of course, the story is different if it is an arrow shot by a giant at close range though. But in close range, a sword or a spear works better to injure the opponent. 

Archers are strong against cavalry.

On horseback, attacks are harder to hit you, but against arrows, that advantage disappears. The target gets bigger instead, so it increases in effectiveness. Even without hitting the soldier, if the horse stumbles and they fall, it would lead to heavy injuries. 

Of course, we are simply talking affinities here, so it is not as if it is set in stone. But it is great that it went well this time around.

"This is a nice flow of events. Crumble the cavalry with archers, and crumbled infantry with cavalry. And then our infantry finishes off any fallen cavalry units or infantry that were not trampled on. It smells like victory." (Solje)

"…Don't get c.o.c.ky, Dragon Knight." (Grey)

"No, I am not. I am simply speaking facts here. In a calm and cool manner." (Solje)

"Don't joke around. There's no way a surprise attack will last!!" (Grey)

"Yeah, if that were all there is to it, that is." (Solje)

"…What?" (Grey)

Grey Vangarz was obediently listening to what I am saying. What a straightforward man. And he is probably trying to get as much information out of me. Going so far as to maintain the soldiers here at a distance.

What a nice soldier. If you weren't from the Empire army, I might have scouted you to our group.

"What other poison have you mixed in our seventh division?" (Grey)

"It isn't in the seventh division. Perk up your ears." (Solje)

"Huh?" (Grey)

"You should be able to hear it. Their song at the right-wing of your Trident." (Solje)

"…That's…!!" (Grey)

You really are one honest man, Grey-san. You are full of openings, you know? …Well, I won't be stabbing you from behind or anything like that though.

That's right, you should be able to hear it. 

Hitting the ground with their soles, they sing. The soldiers of Vaireid.

Chapter 38

"Galleon Dale!! Galleon Dale!! Galleon Dale!!" 

A song extolling his name could be heard from far away.

The knight who picked that up after listening carefully soon understood whose name that was. He is a pretty likeable knight. I liked Galleon to a decent degree. 

"…Galleon? …I see, the brave soldier of yesterday." (Grey)

"They have returned from the 'afterlife'." (Solje)

"The afterlife?" (Grey)

He really fulfills the exposition role well. Nice, Grey-kun.

No wonder you managed to become a knight in such a young age. That inexperience and honesty of yours can grab the heart of old men. 

"That's right. But well, they are obviously fakes… The real ones have died long ago. Yesterday night, he was burned to death with the others." (Solje)

"You did it?" (Grey)

"Yeah. But Galleon-kun has returned. He is most likely running and shouting all over the battlefield: 'My name is Galleon!!'." (Solje)

"A fake one is." (Grey)

"Correct. And so, where do you think this fake Galleon-kun is?" (Solje)

Quiz time. How intelligent are you, Grey Vangarz? I have given you a h.e.l.la ton of hints. 

Must have been too easy, Grey-kun's face darkens.

"…Could it be…in the Ludo Kingdom's army?!" (Grey)

"Correct. It is only a few hundreds, but there's a number of soldiers 'dressed-up'." (Solje)

"…I see, as Vaireid soldiers." (Grey)

"Of course. They will enter the left-wing of the Ludo Kingdom and…ah, it would be the right-wing side of yours." (Solje)

"…You are making us think that their brave Vaireid soldier, Galleon Dale, has betrayed us and joined the enemy?!" (Grey)

"That's right, but that's not all. This is also to show the seventh division soldiers that they have been deceived and have 'reacted excessively'. After all, their mission is to—" (Solje)

"…Wipe out the Vaireid if they were to show signs of betrayal!!" (Grey)

Even though the fun part of explaining is to say the climax…

Saying things before I do feels like a waste…

"…Ah, the reason why the right-wing isn't coming to a.s.sist is because they can't." (Solje)

"You are having them kill each other?!" (Grey)

"I would like to show it to you." (Solje)

"What?" (Grey)

"My left eye is a special kind, you see. I can see things from far away." (Solje)

"…What can you see?" (Grey)

"Zephyr had unleashed fireb.a.l.l.s to only the seventh division's side. That said a lot. With that, it looks like the 6,000 separate soldiers of Vaireid have actually become enemies. Vaireid is already our 'ally'." (Solje)

"d.a.m.n it!!" (Grey)

"Oi, wait. Even if you go now, it is too late. There's deep hatred between the seventh division and Vaireid. Once it turns into a battle, they won't stop. You know that, right?" (Solje)

Because their relations.h.i.+p was bad to begin with, our job of destroying you from the inside went well. And then, with 'General Renault' giving them h.e.l.l, their honor had been stolen away. There's strong suspicion and hatred between them.

"A breaking of relations.h.i.+ps… Don't tell me you are the ones who attacked the supply units?!" (Grey)

"Yeah, sorry." (Solje)

"Sorry?! Like h.e.l.l you are!!" (Grey)

"This is also a strategy of ours. But it served to reduce the difference in fighting force, don't you think? When you left, you surpa.s.sed the 50,000. We were a little over 10,000. But with the 'betrayal' of Klauri, several thousands died, and with the order of General Renault, 6,000 of the Vaireid disappeared, and now there's 2,400 archer giants and 6,000 'Vaireid' on our side." (Solje)

"…The links between the Empire army won't be destroyed so—" (Grey)

"There's no 'ruler' within the Vaireid soldiers. The higher-ups had their heads cut off by 'General Renault' and the n.o.bles and merchants who were supposed to be attending officer school had been returned. Meaning that there's no soldiers who can do planning or can take command." (Solje)

"Did you know? The Vaireid lower soldiers are aware that they are only sent to the frontlines to be consumed. That's why they are not the eldest sons of their family and are not even engaged." (Solje)

I am the fourth son, so I can understand. My treatment wasn't that good.

"They clearly understand that they can't return to their homeland. They must feel like they have been abandoned… That's why, even if they finish their military service, they can't return home, and there's many who become mercenaries or thieves. They are in despair. But they don't want to die, so they will bite against the 'enemy (seventh division)' that's attacking them and will rely on their 'allies (Ludo Kingdom)'." (Solje)

Garf Cortez scouted those kind of people. Garf must have also been the fourth son or somewhere around that. He knew way too well about the feelings of one after all.

"…Are you saying we can't command the Vaireid anymore?" (Grey)

"Yeah, they are haunted by fear and the right-wing has entered a big melee. They don't have the time or energy to send help to other units. They are falling together." (Solje)

"What have you done?! …No, wait!! What about the left-wing?! They should have come if there was an abnormality!" (Grey)

"Don't ask for the impossible. The left-wing is filled with wounded people, right?" (Solje)

"Why do you know that?!" (Grey)

That's right, they are composed of injured. With the 'betrayal of Klauri', the seventh division soldiers and Vaireid were killing each other.

A ma.s.sive amount of injured came from that. In order to 'not push those injured'…they were placed at the left-wing.

The left-wing was weak from the beginning.

"Under the orders of 'General Renault'." (Solje)

"…Eh?" (Grey)

"You must have received it as well, right? The 'secret message'. Yours was to stay in the Knight Unit force and defend the headquarters to the last." (Solje)

"Why?! Why do you know my orders?!" (Grey)

He is panicking. But I ignored his question and continued. Don't think I will answer every question you ask. I am an enemy, you know?

"Isaac-kun and Jean-kun at the left-wing were given these orders respectively. For Isaac-kun, advance at once and get to the back of the Ludo Kingdom's army. And Jean, to have the injured step back." (Solje)

"You divided the left-wing?!" (Grey)

"That's right, and Isaac-kun will bring along his prided lightweight cavalry unit, that's famous for its speed, and will try crossing the shallow river that flows in the battlefield." (Solje)

"There's a trap there as well?!" (Grey)

"Obviously. This is the home of the Ludo Kingdom. There's a variety of plans to use. Well, this wasn't a plan of ours but an idea proposed by the Queen." (Solje)

Her Majesty is also quite the strategist. She is intelligent, brave, and holds an incredibly kind heart.

But when it is war, she is merciless. Seriously my type.

"Isaac-kun will try to get the back of the enemy as fast as possible. Because of that, the fastest way would be to cross the river. It isn't deep, so of course he would make the 'shallow' choice, right? …He wants speed, and when the skin of a horse gets wet, they weaken. But when he entered that river, he must have noticed." (Solje)

"What did you set?!" (Grey)

"Oil is flowing there. Because the upstream and downstream are dammed up, there's almost no flow of water, but the surface has a ma.s.sive amount of oil drifting about… Before the cavalry finishes crossing, the soldiers hiding will light it on fire with fire arrows." (Solje)

"More fire?!" (Grey)

"That's right, a fire river is made." (Solje)

The legs of the horses will get burned. They will soon be useless, and then we will light up the dry gra.s.s mountain we set around the river.

A sea of fire in the blink of an eye.

There's a ma.s.sive amount of oil spread below the dry gra.s.s after all. There's no escape.

In a normal situation, they would have noticed because of the smell, but with horses running at full speed, they already advance to a point where it would be too late by the time they smell it.

With his excitement, he is trying to accomplish the mission given to him with flying colors after all. He wants to become the husband of Lamichan, so he had to gain points.

In all the secret messages, it is written that the one who obeys the orders and brings out good results is the one who is worthy of being the husband of Lamia. That's how it is written in order to drive the point.

…In other words, the one with the biggest achievements will obtain Lamia. That's why, even when morning came, the husband was not announced; that's how they must have taken it.

To become the groom, they must obtain big results in this war. So they were hurried as if it were a race.

"But…just where did you get enough oil to burn a river?!" (Grey)

"Thanks to you guys." (Solje)

"Huh?!" (Grey)

"You lack the knowledge. You don't know the specialty product of the Ludo Kingdom?" (Solje)

"Where are you going with this?!" (Grey)

"Olive, rapeseed, and sunflower oil. Ludo Kingdom is a country that builds itself from the production of those and the commerce of it, but thanks to you guys closing their trading routes, they couldn't do business anymore. As a result, there's so much oil left at the national borders to the point of throwing it away." (Solje)

"Are you saying you burned the knights with something like that?!" (Grey)

"Yeah, they must be very well fried by now." (Solje)

"Quit the jokes!!" (Grey)

"I am not joking. Do you think war is solely supported by war resources? You must use everything at hand effectively, no matter what it is. Whether it is magic, or oil, it can bring fire." (Solje)

Well, it is kinda ironic though. This was the merchants' way of getting back at the Empire for closing the routes. The anger of merchants is scary, you know?

They are burning the enemy with the oil that couldn't be sold after all.

The merchants offered to do it. The reason why we could gather more soldiers than we expected was because of their help. Their hatred of having their business interrupted is on a whole other level.

"In that place the fire is swallowing, the archer giants led by Gandalla -my adjutant- gathered with a number of the Ludo army, and they are shooting arrows at them from above. The finis.h.i.+ng touches are done by my dragon." (Solje)

A shadow once again covers us. Zephyr is heading south. He is finis.h.i.+ng the lightweight cavalries' horses with fire, and with a roar he is throwing them into panic.

Well, with that light equipment, there's no way that they would be able to go against giants, so they are being killed one-sidedly. 

This is one nice vantage point. You can see the battlefield pretty well.

"How…did you manage to control us to this extent?!" (Grey)

"I met you yesterday." (Solje)

"What?!" (Grey)

"I was disguised as the General. Didn't you know? Lamichan was shouting that." (Solje)

"T-True…you apparently disguised as the Commander, but…it was since yesterday night?!" (Grey)

"No, it was further before." (Solje)

"S-Since when?!" (Grey)

"Trade secret. But I managed to do a variety of things. Stellar acting, right? You guys danced to the tune of my orders all the time." (Solje)

"That's low!!" (Grey)

"…True. I apologize for that. That's why, to make up for it, I went through the trouble of standing right in the middle of your camp, you know?" (Solje)

"What?!" (Grey)

"I want to do something braver than anyone for all the lowly things we have done. If I don't, I won't be able to recover my pride as a dragon knight." (Solje)

"…Y-You are doing this for the sake of pride?!" (Grey)

Is he pulled back by my way of living?

Well, I am not asking for admiration. I got to know society and learned from it. The philosophy of the Strauss is way too hardcore.

'Die and become a song!!'…my beloved mother was also a weirdo.

"There's no 'fair-and-square' anymore, but well, forgive me with this. I am giving you guys the chance of taking my life." (Solje)

I approach Grey Vangarz.

"See? I have been surrounded by the enemy -this villain." (Solje)

"Hmph! Don't think this is enough to erase your lowly acts!!" (Grey)

"That's fine with me. And so, are you all coming at me? …Or are you going to try attacking me one by one like a knight would?" (Solje)

I don't mind either way. I don't have any intentions of letting anyone go after all.

…I am truly grateful for keeping me company for this h.e.l.la long. Thanks to you, my stamina has recovered. 

As thanks, I will let you choose how you die.

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