by Dojyomaru
“What do you mean?” Aisha asked.
“He seems... like he’s pushing himself too hard, don’t you think?”
“Well... yes, I think you’re right.”
Even to Aisha’s eyes, as one who offered her unwavering loyalty to Souma, his expression lately had been frightening. No... she wasn’t frightened of him, she was frightened for him.
There was something fragile about him.
Of course, considering they were in the middle of a war now, it would have been just as worrying to see a stupid grin on their ruler’s face. Still, she couldn’t help but feel Souma was straining himself to act like a king. Aisha wanted Souma to be smiling.
“Once this war ends... do you suppose His Majesty will smile again?” Aisha asked.
Liscia’s eyes widened for a moment, then she smiled broadly. “We’ll make it so he can smile.”
“Ah! Right you are!” Aisha raised her head, getting back into a fighting stance with her great sword, then stood in front of Liscia. “However, princess, please, stand back. If anything were to happen to you, His Majesty could never smile again.”
“...Right,” Liscia said. “I’ll try to show more prudence.”
“Leave the fighting to me!” Aisha cried.
“No, that I can’t do. Aisha, you do know that if anything were to happen to you, Souma would never smile again, right?”
“...Do you think so?” Aisha asked.
“I do.”
“You do?”
The two looked at one another and smiled. Then, a moment later, they wore the faces of warriors.
“Then, princess, let us both take care of our lives.”
“Yes,” Liscia agreed. “Let’s end this agonizing war together.”
The two of them rushed across the battlefield.
◇ ◇ ◇
The battle between the armies of Elfrieden and Amidonia had reached a turning point.
In the center of the principality’s army, which was slowly being encircled, the Sovereign Prince of Amidonia, Gaius VIII, had a grim look on his face.
His initial plan to ambush the kingdom’s army as they encircled Van, then catch them in a pincer attack with the garrison troops, had gone up in flames. The forces of the kingdom hadn’t laid siege to Van. Instead they had waited on the plains for the main force of his army to arrive.
The principality’s army had been exhausted from marching and from the ambush at Goldoa Valley, and they then had had to go into battle against the well-rested army of the kingdom, which had had nearly twice as many soldiers.
The kingdom’s army hadn’t been aiming for the capital city Van, but for the main force of the principality’s army, or to be even more specific, for Gaius VIII’s head. That was a fact that made Gaius VIII gnash his teeth.
The forces of the principality had fought well at first, but they were exhausted, and their quality had been watered down with fresh conscripts, so they couldn’t have hoped to hold out for long. Soldiers had already started to flee, and there was no hope of regrouping.
At this point, Gaius made up his mind and called Julius back from commanding on the front line.
When he returned to the main camp, Julius stood before Gaius filled with anger. “Father! What have you suddenly called me back here for?! You know if I leave the front line, Elfrieden may push through it!”
“...Julius.” Gaius spoke to Julius with a thoroughly calm demeanor. “Withdraw from this battlefield.”
“Wh-What are you saying? The war has only just begun...” Julius stammered.
“We’ve lost this war,” Gaius said to his bewildered son in a self-mocking tone. “The soldiers of my army are strong. They’ll not be found lacking compared to the kingdom’s. However, in their exhausted state after our long march, it will be impossible for us to overturn the difference in power between our forces. I will buy time, so you cut a bloody swathe out of here while their encirclement is yet incomplete and escape by yourself.”
Gaius had accepted defeat.
When he realized that fact, Julius felt his legs begin to give out underneath him. However, if he considered what Gaius was saying, he couldn’t let himself collapse here.
“No... If anyone should do that, it’s you, Father!” Julius cried. “I will be the one to buy time!”
“That is not possible,” said Gaius.
“Why not?!”
“Because Elfrieden is aiming to take my head.”
Having chosen this as the place he would die, Gaius VIII’s mind was now more clear than it had ever been before. It let him see Souma and Hakuya’s aim.
“I am a constant irritant to Elfrieden,” said Gaius. “Many of the nobles in their country are beholden to us. By striking me down, they must hope to remove that threat.”
Julius fell silent.
“What’s more, I am the flag bearer of the anti-kingdom faction in the principality,” Gaius went on. “The reason we can take a hard-line position against the kingdom is that the hard-liners have been keeping the moderates down. But, if I were to vanish, the moderates in the principality would gain momentum.”
The difference in power between the Principality of Amidonia and the Elfrieden Kingdom was clear. Be it territory, population, number of soldiers, or prosperity, they lost in all respects.
On top of that, Amidonia shared borders with the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria, a theocracy to the north which had its own unique set of values; the Republic of Turgis to the south, with its policy of northward expansionism; and the mercenary state Zem, the neutral state that would dispatch troops anywhere for the right price, to the west. There was no telling when those who were weak of heart might cozy up to one of these other states in an attempt at self-preservation.
That was why, in order to keep Amidonia as Amidonia, Gaius had needed to keep a lid on such things. Now Elfrieden was trying to remove him.
Julius’s eyes went wide. “No... You mean to say Souma plotted all of this solely to take your head, Father?! He even used his own land as bait?!”
“Be careful, Julius,” said Gaius. “This new king is nothing like Albert.”
Gaius no longer underestimated Souma because of his youth.
He continued, “That is why Elfrieden will never let me escape. If I attempt to retreat, they will pursue me to the very depths of hell. Their only goal is to slay me, after all.”
Julius said nothing.
“That is why I will remain here, to show them the pride of Amidonia,” Gaius finished.
“Then I will stay with you!” Julius cried.
“You mustn’t! If we lose you, too, what will become of the principality?!”
“We have Roroa,” Julius said.
“Hmph... She’s not good enough.” Even though he was speaking about his own daughter, Gaius spat the words out with distaste. “It takes a venomous snake to lead Amidonia. A venomous snake that will one day sink its fangs into the kingdom and strike her dead. Roroa may have the blood of a cunning snake, but she lacks venom.”
Even as Julius trembled with fear at the madness his father was starting to display, he asked, “Father, what is this ‘venom’ you speak of?”
“The burning desire for revenge against Elfrieden,” snapped Gaius. “Even while surrounded by powerful states, our Principality of Amidonia has maintained her independence, developed her unproductive land, endured through hunger, dug mines under harsh conditions, and preserved herself as a state solely because of our drive for revenge against the kingdom. Our hatred for the kingdom which stole our fertile lands from us has driven us to become ever stronger, ever more prosperous. ...Unfortunately, Roroa may have a gift for finance, but she lacks that drive for revenge. The only one who has at least somewhat inherited my venom, Julius, is you.”
With those words, Gaius rose from his seat and placed his hands on Julius’ shoulders.
“That is why you must survive. You are the only one who can carry on my desire for revenge and keep Amidonia as she ought to be.”
Did that venomous blood flow in his veins? Certainly, Julius saw the kingdom as his sworn enemy. However, could he burn with the same passion he saw in Gaius?
While Julius was still nonplussed, Gaius said to him, “At this point, we can’t afford to worry about being made into a puppet state. You should seek the Empire’s aid. If you do, it should at least prevent the kingdom’s annexation of Amidonia.”
“But... Like you were saying before, will the Empire forgive us for going against the Mankind Declaration?” asked Julius.
“Lay all of the blame for that on me,” said Gaius. “The vengeful fiend of Amidonia refused to heed even his own son’s warnings and plotted to invade the kingdom against the Empire’s wishes. That is all there is to it.”
Julius gulped. Gaius didn’t only intend to die here, he meant to take all of the ill repute for their actions onto himself. Even Julius, who was known for his coldness and composure, felt his heart stirred by that. Though, at the same time, there was an anger towards the kingdom in his eyes.
When he saw those eyes, Gaius nodded in satisfaction, then pushed Julius away from him. “Go, Julius. You must never let the soul of Amidonia be erased.”
“...Forgive me.” Julius saluted, then turned on his heel and departed.
Even after watching his back until he was out of sight, Gaius stood there for a while. He took a deep breath, and his expression changed.
He no longer felt haste or indecision. He drew the sword at his hip with the stern expression of a warrior.
“Now, all that is left is to do my duty as a warrior and show them the spirit of Amidonia.”
◇ ◇ ◇
“...That looks like it could be bad,” Carla, who was standing at my side, suddenly said.
The principality’s army was already showing decisive signs of defeat, with no shortage of soldiers fleeing or surrendering. The soldiers near the main camp who were still resisting were completely surrounded. It felt like all that was left was to wait for them to be eliminated.
What about that could possibly look bad?
“What’s the problem?” Souma asked.
“There’s no sign of Gaius VIII fleeing,” Carla replied. “He’s chosen to die here.”
“I have no intent of letting him escape, so isn’t that convenient?”
“...The cowardly have fled, the weak have fallen, and, as a result, the elite are gathering around Gaius as he continues to resist,” she said. “If they were to form a suicide squad, no ordinary man would be able to stop them. Especially since, once an army’s victory is assured, its soldiers hold their lives all the more dear.”
When I looked at the battlefield after she pointed that out, I saw 40,000 soldiers from my own army seemingly unable to eliminate the enemy’s main force, which must have already been reduced to less than 500 troops. No matter how many tens of thousands of soldiers we had, only around three people at most could attack any soldier at one point in time. If they were clustered together, that number was even lower.
To say nothing of the fact that the enemy had accepted their deaths and were now fearless while, as the victors, our people held their lives all the more dear.
There would be no rewards or glory if they died. That was why they couldn’t press the attack.
A cold chill ran down my spine. I knew historical examples of this.
For instance, in the Siege of Osaka, Yukimura Sanada had led 3,000 men into a suicide attack which had broken through Tadanao Matsudaira’s army of 13,000 and nearly reached their supreme commander, Ieyasu Tokugawa.
Another example had been in China, after the Battle of Gaixia, when a pursuing force of several thousand men sent out by the victorious Liu Bang had been defeated multiple times by the defeated Xiang Yu and twenty-eight of his retainers.
When there was too great a difference in will to fight, the difference in number of soldiers lost all meaning. An army without the will to fight could never win, no matter how great its numbers.
...I’ll bet that force is going to come straight for my head.
Honestly... I was scared. Sun Tzu had said never to fight a suicide squad.
However, even so, I couldn’t let Gaius get away from here. If I did, all our sacrifices would have been in vain.
But... if, by some chance... if the worst were to happen...
“Listen, Carla,” I turned and spoke to Carla.
“What?”
“...We need to talk.”
◇ ◇ ◇
“Seek only the head of the enemy king, Souma Kazuya!” Gaius VIII shouted from up on horseback.
Gaius had gathered the five hundred knights who were his most elite retainers around him. He was about to carry out a suicide charge towards Elfrieden’s main camp. The area around him was crowded with tens of thousands of enemies. It would be a road to death filled with enemy soldiers, one from which he would never return.
Even if they were successful in striking Souma down, it would only mean that the king fell at the hands of common soldiers. However, their grudge against Elfrieden, which had been passed from father to son for the past fifty years, had seeped into the very marrow of his retainers’ bones. They would not falter.
“Let us show Elfrieden the spirit and valor of the Amidonian people!” Gaius shouted.
“““Yeahhhhhhh!”””
Hearing that war cry from his retainers, Gaius pointed his sword towards the center of the kingdom’s army and swung it down. “Chaaaaarge!”
The nearly five hundred knights of his elite cavalry raced towards the center of the kingdom’s army.
They put any soldier in their path to the sword, crushing both enemy and still-resisting ally alike under their hooves as they advanced with the force of a windstorm. They were like a flame shining one last time before it was extinguished. That was why they shone all the more powerfully.
“Gaius VIII?! Has he gone mad?!” Ludwin, who was defending the center, looked at that rampaging group from up on his white horse with a look of obvious distaste. This sort of reckless charge was nothing less than suicide.
Well, it probably is suicide, he realized. Now that they’ve accepted their overall loss, they’re looking for a place to die. Honestly, I’d rather not have to play along with that...
Ludwin put on the helmet which he had taken off, hoisting his cavalry lance skywards. He shouted to the knights of the Royal Guard behind him, “His Majesty is behind us! We are this kingdom’s shield! In the name of the Royal Guard, we will stop that group even if it costs us our lives!”
“”“Yeahhhhh!”””
“Let’s go!” Ludwin called.
The nearly two thousand knights of the Royal Guard under Ludwin rushed forward. It didn’t take long for them to slam into the front of Gaius’ five hundred retainers.
When they collided, roughly half of Gaius’ retainers were blown away in an instant. Nearly as many of the Royal Guard were knocked flying as well, but considering that they had had the numerical advantage to begin with, it could be said that they had taken less serious losses. From there, it devolved into a melee with the sound of hooves echoing.
In that jumble of friend and foe, Ludwin searched for Gaius. “I’ve found you, Gaius!”
The man who appeared to be Gaius was in a group of knights charging intently towards the main camp, and he wore a magnificent cloak. When the man in the cloak saw Ludwin, he pointed his drawn sword towards him.
“You! Who are you?!” the man shouted.
“I am Captain of the Royal Guard, Ludwin Arcs.”
“Hmph, an ornamental unit from the capital, is it?”
“Say what you will! Once we strike you down, this war will be over!” Ludwin spurred his favorite horse forward. When he did, the retainers surrounding the man in the cloak split off in different directions, as if they had signaled one another to do so.
Gaius’s retainers have abandoned him?!
Ludwin thought their b
ehavior was strange for a moment, but right now he needed to focus on the man in front of him. It seemed to be all the man in the cloak could do just to parry Ludwin’s lance thrusts with his sword.
“Guh... You fight well, considering your unit only exists to look pretty,” grunted the man.
“No matter where he puts me on display, my lance exists to pierce His Majesty’s enemies!” Ludwin declared.
Ludwin knocked the sword that was swung at him aside with his lance, thrusting with all his might at the man’s now-undefended torso. His lance struck true, impaling the man and piercing through his cloak.
The man spat blood and hung his head, but he was smiling. “Well done... However, it means nothing...”
“What?”
Then, the man raised his face and shouted, “Your Highness! Make our greatest wish come true...!”
Looking at the expiring man, Ludwin was shocked.
When he thought about it, he’d had no idea what the face of the ruler of a country they had no diplomatic contact with looked like. For instance, if Gaius had just had one of his retainers wear his cloak, Ludwin would mistake that person for him.
What if Gaius was one of those knights who had scattered in different directions before...?!
Ludwin inhaled sharply, then shouted, “His Majesty!”
When Ludwin turned around, he saw a lone knight charging towards the main camp.
◇ ◇ ◇
“I have a report! There is an enemy knight bearing down on this main camp at incredible speed!” a soldier shouted, rushing into the main camp.
It was just as I was finishing making my request to Carla.
...Thank goodness, I thought. It looks like I made it in time.
Carla’s eyes were wide in surprise, and she gnashed her teeth and glared at me. “Is that... an order?”
“No, I don’t think it needs to be,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll accomplish it whether I make it an order or not.”
I went to touch Carla’s slave collar, but she batted my hand away.
Immediately, Carla groaned in pain. She had struck her master while wearing a slave collar, so of course she did.
“Urgh... Don’t be ridiculous...” Carla said, glaring at me even as she was in agony.