"Pant... pant... pant..."
A soldier looked around at his surroundings with eyes full of disbelief, his breathing heavy and ragged. Beside him stood a colleague who, until moments ago, had been fighting for his life against the Beast Soldiers.
"H-hey... why do you think they suddenly vanished?"
It must have been a desperate struggle. The soldier asked the question while struggling to catch his breath, but the man sitting on the ground beside him simply shook his head in silence, as if even the effort of speaking was too much to bear.
Watching his companion, the soldier had a rough idea of why the Beast Soldiers had withdrawn. It was the Flame Magic that had soared into the sky. Upon seeing it, the monsters had instantaneously ceased combat and retreated. And it wasn't just one or two; every single Beast Soldier in the vicinity had done the same.
(Well, if they hadn't, I’d be a dead man by now.)
Taking a moment to steady his breathing, he surveyed the area once more. Out of nearly a hundred soldiers who had originally been stationed there, fewer than ten remained. A mere handful of Beast Soldiers had inflicted this much carnage. In fact, the soldier was certain that if he had continued to face the one before him for even a few more minutes, he would have been killed. Since he had been saved by the bell, he felt nothing but gratitude toward whoever had released the signal that prompted the retreat.
"Phew... anyway, we somehow survived. Isn't that enough?"
The man sitting on the ground finally seemed to find his voice, muttering the words to no one in particular. The soldier and the other survivors nearby nodded in grim agreement.
"But the damage was massive."
Following his gaze, they saw the corpses of soldiers who had been sliced clean through their torsos. They had been fighting a Beast Soldier that was a mixture of a crab and a human. Encased in thick crab carapaces, their upper bodies had been impervious to swords and spears, while the pincers on their arms had bifurcated men with ease. Those struck by the bubbles spat from their mouths had found their movements slowed by poison, leaving them unable to evade as they were bludgeoned to death by the heavy claws.
That was the specific horror the man had faced, but there had been others—a Beast Soldier with a dog's face and scales on its body, and another that was a cross between a beetle and a human. The soldier felt a profound sense of luck for having survived against such monstrosities.
As the soldier reflected on their survival, several knights mounted on warhorses appeared.
"Are these the only survivors here? Where is the commander?"
The knight's question was met with a heavy silence.
"What's wrong? Is there no commander for this unit?"
When no one else spoke up at the second inquiry, the soldier realized he had to say something. They couldn't stay silent forever, and it never paid to irritate a knight.
"The commander... he was killed by one of those monsters during the battle."
"I see. Forgive my bluntness. But in that case, who was directing the combat?"
It was nearly impossible to resist the Beast Soldiers without a leader. In response to the knight's logical question, the surviving soldiers all turned their eyes toward the man who had reported the commander's death. He had been the first to show any initiative once the fighting stopped.
"Uh, yes. That would be... me."
Under the collective gaze of his peers and the scrutinizing stare of the knight, the soldier spoke up with an air of resignation.
"Then you shall lead them. The assembly point is just ahead. Everyone scattered across this battlefield is gathering there to reorganize our forces. Don't worry, your command is only until you reach that point. Once the reorganization is complete, a proper commander will be assigned to take over."
The soldier let out a reflexively relieved sigh. In truth, even if they credited him with leading them through the skirmish, his "command" had been little more than desperate improvisation. Since soldiers weren't educated in leadership, his anxiety was only natural.
"Understood. We will head there immediately."
"Good. It's a fact that those monsters retreated, but what comes next is entirely unclear. It will depend on Count Alius's judgment, but..."
Though the knight trailed off, his words carried the heavy implication that a counter-offensive was likely. The soldiers understood it well enough. They stood up, letting out involuntary sighs. They were just soldiers; if they were nobles, they might have had the standing to voice an objection, but for them, such a thing was impossible. All they could do was pray for a capable commander at their next post and follow orders to survive this war in one piece.
"Hurry to the assembly point. I must go find the others scattered across the field."
The knight rode off with his retinue. The soldiers watched them go, then used what little strength they had recovered to stand and move out. The soldier who had been told to lead prayed fervently that he would be assigned to a decent commander... but in the end, his wish was not granted. At the assembly point, he was officially appointed as the commander of this unit, with similar stragglers assigned to him as subordinates.
However, the unit led by this man would navigate the rest of the war without losing a single soul. As a result of this miraculous achievement, the man who had merely had leadership thrust upon him was highly praised by the military's Upper Management. He was eventually granted the title of Baron. It is said that many of the subordinates he led during this war would go on to serve as his loyal vassals long after he became a noble.
"Count Alius, are you unharmed?"
Alius didn't bother to reply to the man who spoke to him with such forced concern; he simply snorted in derision. The noble who had spoken twisted his face in momentary displeasure, but he quickly masked it and spoke again.
"The earlier attack was quite a shock. I was forced to act on my own judgment to ensure no further enemy reinforcements arrived... However, because I was guarding the perimeter, it seems the Bestia Imperial Army was unable to send any more troops than they did."
The words were so brazen it was almost impressive, but Alius ignored the noble's speech entirely. He had not forgotten that this man was the very first to flee when the Beast Soldiers appeared. However, because the man's house was of the same rank as his own—and more importantly, held more political influence—he could not simply execute him on the spot. All Alius could do was ensure this noble wouldn't be given any opportunities to distinguish himself for the rest of the campaign.
(Damn it, if only I had more power... if only I held the rank of Marquess, I could punish him right here.)
He suppressed his internal frustration, refusing to let his expression change as he ignored the excuses. Siminal watched Alius's reaction with a wry smile. Siminal’s current position was much closer to the center—near Alius—than it had been previously. This was partly due to Alius's respect for him after they had shared the battlefield, and the sentiment that Siminal was cut from a different cloth than the other nobles because he hadn't fled.
To Siminal, it was common sense that if the Supreme Commander were slain, the war would be lost, so fighting to protect him was the only logical choice. But because so many other nobles had failed to do that very "natural" thing, Siminal’s reputation had risen significantly by comparison.
As Siminal wore a wry smile at his newfound status, he noticed the surrounding soldiers and nobles beginning to buzz with excitement. Alius noticed as well. As he looked around with a suspicious expression, the soldiers surrounding them parted like a tide, creating a path.
"I am glad to see you are all safe."
Elena appeared, exuding her usual dignified aura, accompanied by Ara, the Knight Captain of the Escort Knight Order, and Rei. Iero sat perched on Elena's shoulder as a matter of course, though Seto was nowhere to be seen. Given that the nobles would be terrified at the sight of a Gryphon, Rei had decided not to bring it to the camp.
At the sight of her—specifically, at the sight of Elena—Siminal's heart began to pound, and a faint flush crept into his face. Realizing his own reaction, he let out a mental wry smile.
(This is bad. I can't believe I've fallen for the Princess General.)
Siminal was no stranger to the company of women; he had visited high-end brothels patronized by the wealthy with his subordinates and had experienced the games of courtship that were common in noble circles. He understood exactly what he was feeling.
(I'm from the King's Faction; even if I harbor feelings for her, they'll never be realized. Well, it's likely just a passing whim. It'll fade soon. ...I hope it does, anyway.)
Though bewildered by his racing heart and the sudden desire to speak with her, he gave a small shake of his head and became the first among the frozen onlookers to speak. Others had intended to call out to her, but those who had fled found themselves silenced by Elena's cold, piercing stare, while those who had stayed with Alius were too overwhelmed by her presence to find their voices. To them, the fact that Siminal spoke up first was both enviable and a relief.
"Lady Elena, my thanks for your help earlier."
"Is that you, Lord Siminal? I am glad to see you are safe as well. To fight on equal terms against a Beast Soldier alone... you truly are as skilled as they say."
"No, not really. In truth, that plant woman was leading me a merry dance. ...Now, I'd like to talk more, but we must decide on our next move. Count Alius, what do you intend to do?"
At Siminal’s question, the people around them returned to reality and turned their gazes toward Count Alius. Alius was the only noble present who hadn't been pressured by Elena's presence, and he spoke up with an air of absolute certainty.
"It is true that the Main Camp suffered a surprise attack. But it is also a fact that we repelled it, and we are currently pushing back the Bestia Imperial Army on the front lines. Therefore, we shall launch a full-scale offensive right now."
"That's right! We repelled their surprise attack unit! Then the annihilation of the Bestia Imperial Army must be possible!"
"I agree with Count Alius. Let us organize the units at once."
"If we take too long to reorganize, we might miss the chance for victory. In that case, first with those who can move—"
"Don't be a fool! That's impossible! Our units have been exhausted by the enemy's attack. We must at least reorganize the units that have lost their commanders to restore our strength..."
The nobles present began to reach a consensus to follow Alius and launch an all-out offensive. It was then that a clear voice cut through the noise.
"Would it not be better to desist?"
The words from Elena's mouth reached the ears of the shouting members of the King's Faction with surprising clarity.
"Lady Elena, what did you just say?"
Among the King's Faction, Count Alius—who was desperate to achieve a military feat that would outweigh the disgrace of being ambushed—turned a sharp gaze toward Elena. In that look, the gratitude for having his life saved was already gone, replaced by a cold hostility toward anyone obstructing his path to glory.
Elena, however, was not one to be intimidated.
"I said that further combat is unnecessary. The objective of our Kingdom of Mireana Army was to stop the enemy's invasion. That objective has been achieved."
"No, I do not think so. If we allow the Bestia Imperial Army to return safely now, they will simply invade again in the near future. To prevent that, we must inflict as much damage as possible here."
"...Can you still say that after seeing the strength of the Beast Soldiers? While we succeeded in repelling the Flash, more than half of the Beast Soldiers are still unharmed. Now that their existence has been revealed, there is nothing to prevent the enemy from deploying them to the front lines."
The nobles around them buzzed at Elena's words. They had all witnessed the grotesque monstrosity of the Beast Soldiers and had fled in terror. To be told they might have to face them again was enough to shake even the boldest among them. Only Alius, who remained unnerved, and Siminal, who was mesmerized by Elena, seemed to keep their composure.
"Regrettably, I do not share that view. Lady Elena, you saw the grotesque forms of those Beast Soldiers as well, did you not? I do not believe that even within the Bestia Imperial Army, the regular soldiers will see those creatures as their own kind. The use of Beast Soldiers will likely remain limited."
(The Flash will probably use the Beast Soldiers as a specialized raiding unit,) Alius predicted internally. He watched as his words calmed the agitation of the surrounding nobles before speaking again.
"And unfortunately, the supreme command of the Kingdom of Mireana Army rests with me. Therefore, I will not change our course. Information has reached me that the enemy's Lead Unit has already collapsed and merged back with their Main Camp. I cannot overlook this golden opportunity. Therefore, we shall conduct a full-scale offensive."