Chapter 42

Sword at the ready, Harold went through a silent internal dialogue.

Why did Cody chase after me? Because Harold, a squad member, deserted.

Why must I fight Cody? Because he intends to bring me back by force.

In other words, the entire situation was the result of Harold’s own actions. A classic case of reaping what he had sown.

Since he had acted selfishly during a state of emergency, he had anticipated the risk of being intercepted, but having Cody as his pursuer was nearly the worst-case scenario.

What made it even more problematic was the fact that Cody was no longer by the side of Robinson and the others. Harold had assumed that even if they were caught in the crossfire, they would be relatively safe as long as Cody was nearby to help.

The situation was spiraling in the wrong direction. In his attempt to dismantle Robinson’s death flags, it felt as though he had only succeeded in reinforcing them.

Furthermore, now that every second counted, he couldn't afford to waste another moment here. He wanted to bypass Cody and sprint to the rendezvous point with Yuno, but Cody didn't look like he would let that happen easily.

Harold relied on his speed and an overwhelming volume of strikes to press the attack, even aiming for Cody’s blind spots, yet every blow was parried as if the man had eyes in the back of his head. Conversely, whenever Harold focused too much on his offense and left a gap in his defense, a sharp, punishing strike immediately came his way. He could evade them for now, but even a momentary lapse in concentration would be fatal.

As expected of a series regular, Harold thought. Cody was a character who joined the protagonist’s party, albeit temporarily.

Even more troublesome was his gear. Cody was wielding a standard-issue Knight Order longsword—entirely different from the equipment in the original story. It was a combat style far removed from what Harold knew.

In the game, Cody used a highly eccentric setup: dual-wielding a Willow Leaf Blade and a bow. While Harold had always questioned the practicality of such a combination, the game character had used it to devastating effect, switching weapons instantly to dominate at any range.

The current Cody used only a longsword and occasional magic for diversion. That might have made him sound like an easier opponent than his game counterpart, but Harold's attacks were being perfectly deflected. He couldn't find a single opening to exploit.

Cody was likely playing it safe, focusing entirely on defense. From his perspective, all he had to do was stall for time until reinforcements arrived.

If that happened, it was checkmate for Harold.

Even if Harold tried to escape using his superior speed, Cody was on horseback; he would be caught in no time.

He had to take Cody down here. And he had to do it fast.

Unable to suppress his mounting impatience, Harold unleashed his magic.

"『Trident Blitz』!"

With a deafening roar, three bolts of lightning spiraled like a helix, screaming toward Cody.

It was a strike powerful enough to paralyze an ordinary man with fear. But Cody was far from dull; he wasn't the type to be hit by a spell thrown out without any tactical setup.

"『Flame Column』!"

Harold ignored the miss and maintained the magical pressure.

A massive pillar of fire erupted from beneath Cody’s feet. However, the captain evaded this as well by leaping backward, his figure momentarily vanishing behind the wall of flames.

An instant later, the pillar of fire was snuffed out as if it had been torn apart.

"Oh, scary, scary. 『Wind Fang』!" Cody called out in a lighthearted tone.

Invisible fangs of wind—usually unseen by the naked eye—bore down on Harold, wreathed in the lingering flames. The speed of the counterattack was noticeably faster than anything Cody had thrown so far.

Harold was forced to defend rather than evade.

He triggered the technique known as the 『R Guard』.

In the game, if one pressed the R button while performing a physical block with the D-pad and square button, they could consume MP to block magical attacks as well.

Of course, Harold wasn't holding a controller, nor was it a simple matter of pressing buttons. It was an extension of the sensation of casting magic—the mental image of a shield formed from raw mana.

The shield manifested before him.

The flaming fangs crashed into the barrier, shattering with a grinding, metallic screech. No damage got through.

However, stopping Harold in his tracks seemed to be Cody's true goal. The captain instantly shifted from a defensive stance to an all-out offensive.

Cody’s blade howled. Its sheer power was leagues above Harold’s.

Pushed back by the sheer intensity of Cody’s intent to cut him down, Harold’s footing faltered. Cody capitalized on the opening immediately, completely reversing the flow of the battle.

Harold had assumed Cody would stay on the defensive, but he had misread the man. Cody intended to subdue Harold himself without waiting for backup.

Perhaps he was that confident in his victory. In truth, Harold still couldn't see a winning move. Cody wasn't soft enough to be beaten by speed alone. Harold was being slowly, surely cornered.

(At this rate, I’m going to lose...!)

Harold made a snap decision.

Instead of parrying to gain distance, he met the next blow head-on, intentionally letting the impact blow him backward.

"Gugh...!"

Even though he had caught the strike on the flat of his blade, the sheer force made his bones creak.

He struggled to stabilize his posture and swung his sword down with everything he had left.

"『Grand Punisher』!"

The ground surged upward, attempting to pincer Cody between slabs of earth.

Because the spell lacked speed, Cody evaded it effortlessly. But Harold had expected that. He fired off several more Grand Punishers in rapid succession. His accuracy was poor, and to an observer, it looked like he was just recklessly spamming magic to keep Cody at bay.

"Do you really hate me so much that you want to stay that far away? I’m hurt," Cody quipped.

"Shut that mouth of yours. It does nothing but spout nonsense," Harold spat back.

The relentless magic kicked up a thick shroud of dust, obscuring their vision. The ground was gouged and excavated, making the terrain so treacherous that it would be difficult even to walk. In these conditions, Harold’s one advantage—his speed—was neutralized.

It was a desperate move that seemed to throw away his own chance at victory. A gamble with terrible odds. If Cody closed the distance again, the scales would tip decisively in his favor.

That was why Harold seemed so desperate to prevent him from approaching. But even by maintaining his distance, he was only exhausting his stamina without landing a blow. He was slowly bleeding out his options.

As far as Harold was concerned, he had to neutralize Cody here, no matter how low the probability.

But after a few more sharp exchanges, Harold’s sword was finally knocked from his hand. As he stood there, disarmed, it was clear: the current Harold was no match for Cody.

"...Is this the end, then?" Cody asked.

"...Yeah."

However, that was only the case if it were one-on-one.

"—It's my win."

Despite his desperate situation, Harold declared victory. Hearing those words, Cody let go of his own sword and raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

Standing directly behind Cody were three figures in black, including Yuno. They held knives pressed firmly against the captain’s neck and back.

"Shouldn't that be our win~?" Yuno chirped.

"Quiet. I merely let you handle the very end," Harold snapped.

"I really think Lord Harold should learn how to praise people honestly~."

Yuno was entirely correct. Harold himself felt that he really ought to master "praise" right after he figured out "gratitude" and "kindness."

Cody, watching the two of them bicker, burst into a delighted laugh.

"What's so funny? Have you finally lost your mind?" Harold asked.

"No, no. You said so firmly that 'comrades are unnecessary' that I completely forgot to look out for backup. You got me good."

From Harold's perspective, that had been unintentional. When Cody had asked if he had friends, Harold had simply snapped "I don't!" because he was annoyed. He’d thought Cody was mocking him, but he decided to roll with the result.

"Was the rapid-fire magic just to ruin the visibility so I wouldn't notice them?"

"That wasn't the only reason."

The flashy magic had also served as a signal to let Yuno and the others know he was engaged in combat.

According to their plan, the shadow operatives were to tail the patrol units, contact Harold if anything went wrong, and rendezvous at a pre-determined location. Since that location wasn't far, Harold had used his magic as a literal smoke signal.

It had been a haphazard gamble relying on luck, but thanks to the competence of Yuno’s team, it had succeeded.

"Bind him. Quickly."

"We don't want to be rough, so please surrender quietly~," Yuno said.

"Yes, yes. This is awful treatment, really," Cody sighed.

"I could tie your limbs and leave you here as monster bait if you'd prefer?" Harold offered.

"Give me a break! I have no desire to end up as a snack!"

Cody surrendered without further resistance. They stripped him of his weapons and tied him up like a bundle of grain before hoisting him onto a sturdy tree branch. Since large monsters didn't frequent this area, he would be safe enough as long as he was high off the ground.

The Knight Order’s support unit would be passing through soon anyway. To ensure he was found, they tied his horse to the same tree.

"A comical sight. It suits you," Harold remarked.

"Are you really leaving me here after all that trouble? This only buys you a little time, you know. Is that okay?"

Even while dangling from a tree, Cody spoke with his usual nonchalance. It was a very "Cody" way to be.

"You still have a role to play. Sway in the breeze for a while."

"A role?"

"I'm saying you should fulfill your duty as a Platoon Leader—assuming you actually are one. Let's go."

Harold had already lost too much time. Casting one last cryptic remark over his shoulder, he hurried toward the rendezvous point and the Bertis Forest beyond.

After another two hours of hard riding, they finally reached the forest's edge. Harold sought a status report from a scout who had been sent ahead.

"What is the situation?"

"Combat has already broken out between the Knight Order and a mysterious group—likely the Sarian army disguised as the Stella Clan, as you predicted, Lord Harold. There are numerous casualties on both sides."

Numerous casualties. The words felt like a physical weight on Harold’s shoulders. If he had acted more efficiently, those lives might have been saved. A wave of bitter regret surged within him.

Harold forced himself to swallow it.

『But even the most exceptional human has their limits when standing alone.』

Erika’s words of warning echoed in his mind. He had to abandon the arrogance of thinking he could change every single outcome just because he had knowledge of the original story. He wasn't some noble saint who could casually shoulder the weight of everyone’s life.

"Additionally, we’ve confirmed a skirmish between the actual Stella Clan and Sarian soldiers disguised as the Knight Order."

"Tch, the worst-case scenario. And the battle between the real Knight Order and the real Stella Clan?"

"The Order is being skillfully lured. They will likely breach the Stella Clan’s settlement shortly."

"What are your orders~?" Yuno asked.

"Split into two groups as planned. I will show myself to the Knight Order while wearing a Sarian uniform. While I draw their attention, you capture the bastards attacking the knights from the shadows."

"Understood."

"The rest of you, head to the Stella Clan’s side. You remember your instructions?"

"Of course~."

After this, Harold could only trust in their individual skills. The future awaiting him—and many others—depended entirely on how they navigated this clash. It wasn't just about his own survival anymore; it affected the Cody Squad, Rainer, and these shadow operatives as well.

"...Listen."

Harold’s voice was quiet, but it commanded immediate attention. Everyone’s gaze snapped to him. Harold met them with a fierce, unwavering stare.

"You are all here by Tasuku’s order. And that man told me to take charge of your lives, didn't he?"

"Yes. That is correct," the leader replied.

They all nodded. If they were willing to accept such a command as part of their job without complaint, their professionalism was staggering. Harold decided that if he survived this, he would have a few choice words for Tasuku about "loading him with such a heavy burden."

"In other words, your lives belong to me. Do you understand what that means?"

"Does it mean... we should be prepared to die for your sake, Lord Harold?"

"Are you an idiot?" Harold cut the man off bluntly.

The operatives looked at him with genuine confusion.

He supposed he had to make it clear. Suppressing his inner anxiety, Harold let a sharp, predatory smirk spread across his face—the arrogant, cynical mask he wore so well.

"Your lives are my property. None of you are permitted to die without my express permission. Burn that into your minds."

With those words, the curtain rose on the greatest battle Harold had faced since arriving in this world.