The corpses of wyverns and dragon knights lay scattered across the earth.
Since the wyverns were the primary targets of the killing blows, many of the dragon knights had still been alive when they hit the ground. However, surviving a fall from an altitude of a hundred meters was nothing short of a miracle.
Before Rei and Seto, that miracle manifested.
"Ga... guh..."
The dragon knight had survived only because his wyvern had served as a cushion, but his state had merely transitioned from instant death to a lingering one.
"I'll put you out of your misery," Rei muttered, swinging the Death Scythe in a swift arc. The dragon knight’s head was severed instantly.
"That's the last of them. So, Seto... what do you think they were trying to accomplish with this?"
As he spoke, Rei picked through the weapons scattered across the field—spears and longswords that had miraculously remained straight despite the impact. He began storing them in the Misty Ring while awaiting a response.
Seto merely tilted its head, looking as puzzled as its master.
"I know. I don't get it either. Why throw dragon knights away like this? If used effectively, they’re a formidable force. Training them must cost a fortune. Under normal circumstances, no one would ever use them as disposable pawns..."
"Guruuuu."
Seto let out a low trill, suggesting that rather than worrying about the enemy's motives, they should finish gathering the wyvern carcasses and weapons. Rei considered this for a moment and nodded.
"You're right. Whatever they're planning, they’ve gone and thinned out their own ranks for us. We might as well take what we can. Though, because of that aerial combat, collecting all these bodies is going to be a pain."
Since the fight had ranged across the sky, the debris was spread over a vast area. Rei flew around, storing the wyvern corpses scattered over several kilometers into the Misty Ring, eventually piling the dragon knights' bodies in a single spot.
As he finished, the knights of the White Rose Knight Order, led by Videre, finally arrived from the main Frizion Army.
"Lord Rei, are you unharmed?"
"Yeah, we’re fine. It was just a small group of dragon knights. I've already stored the wyverns in my Item Box. Was there any trouble on your end?"
Rei replied nonchalantly as Videre slowed her horse, her eyes widening at the mention of dragon knights.
"Dragon knights... I see. No, Her Highness Frizion is safe. Did you see the red signal fire earlier?"
"Yeah. It went up a little while after I passed that area."
Videre let out a soft sigh at Rei's comment.
"Lord Rei, that signal fire went up almost immediately after you passed. The 'while' you felt was simply the result of Seto's incredible speed."
"I suppose that makes sense. So, what about the person who lit it?"
"Unfortunately, it seems they vanished as soon as the signal was ready. It was undoubtedly the signal to launch this dragon knight attack. That confirms they were agents of either the First Prince Faction or the Second Prince Faction."
Given the state of the civil war, the possibility of a third party could be ignored. Rei nodded in agreement with Videre’s assessment.
"With the way things are, they’re the only ones worth suspecting. But why do it like this?"
Rei turned his gaze back to the pile of dragon knight corpses. Falling from a hundred meters had left their armor mangled and useless. If they had been wearing leather armor, it might have survived, but no one would want to salvage gear caked in the gore, brain matter, and viscera of both man and beast. Only the weapons Rei had gathered—swords, spears, and bows—retained any value.
Those who had died instantly from broken necks were, in a grim sense, the lucky ones.
Looking at the five corpses, Videre nodded slowly.
"Dragon knights are an elite branch of the military. They are a nightmare when raining fireballs down from the sky where ground troops can't reach. To send only five against you and Seto... what was the point?"
"Captain Videre, maybe they just thought five would be enough to win?" one of the female knights suggested. "As you said, five dragon knights are usually a terrifying force."
Videre shook her head immediately, dismissing the idea.
"Have you forgotten the Spring War? Rei and Seto faced twenty dragon knights and annihilated the entire squadron alone. I cannot imagine His Highness Cabajid or His Highness Schuls believing five would be enough to take them down."
"But they did send them, didn't they?"
Videre went silent at her subordinate’s point. The corpses were proof enough that the enemy had attacked with specific intent. The use of the signal fire proved this wasn't a random encounter, but a calculated move.
"It’s eerie. I have no idea what they’re thinking."
While Videre and Rei pondered the mystery, a few of the other female knights were already relaxing, feeding Seto dried meat—a rather surreal sight amidst the carnage.
Eventually, Videre seemed to lose her patience with the scene. She shot a sharp glare at the subordinates playing with the griffon.
"Eep!" One of the knights let out a small yelp as a chill ran down her spine.
Rei watched the exchange before speaking up.
"Anyway, even if we don't know their goal, they've lost an elite unit. By the way, I assume I'm clear to keep the wyvern corpses?"
"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem. You and Seto were the ones who defeated them."
"That helps. Now, what about these dragon knights? We can't just leave them here; they need to be cremated. I can handle it. I'm a specialist with fire."
"My apologies, but I'll leave that to you. I need to report this to Her Highness Frizion, so we'll head back first."
"Wait, Captain Videre! We're leaving already?" the knight who had been playing with Seto asked, seemingly undeterred by her captain's earlier glare.
"That's the plan. Is there an issue?"
The question was phrased as an inquiry, but Videre's eyes brooked no argument. The knight bit back her desire to stay and help Rei, nodding quickly.
"No, no issue! We should definitely report to Her Highness and Commander Angela immediately."
"I'm glad you understand. Let's move. Lord Rei, we'll leave the cleanup to you."
"Yeah. I'll rejoin you as soon as I'm done here."
"Though with Seto’s speed, you’ll likely beat us back anyway," Videre said with a wry smile before leading her unit away.
Once they were out of sight, Rei drew the Death Scythe and faced the corpses.
"O flame, take my magic power as your fuel and consume those who have fallen. Let their lingering regrets be purified by my blaze. Grudges, bitterness, envy, and hatred—all are meaningless before my power. Flame consumes even the deepest resentment. Return to the heavens on the strength of my mana."
As he chanted the incantation, a blue flame flickered to life at the butt end part of the Death Scythe. The color was strangely tranquil, a fire that seemed to bring peace to the soul.
"Funeral Flame."
The blue fire erupted, engulfing the corpses and burning them to ash. It was a holy cremation, a spell designed specifically to prevent the dead from rising as undead.
Normally, Rei wouldn't be able to use this spell because it contained an element of Holy Magic. However, he was able to bypass that limitation through his immense magic power. He was essentially brute-forcing the spell formula into functioning. To use an analogy, instead of piercing a target with a spear of ice, he was trying to batter them down with a relentless torrent of water droplets. It was a horribly inefficient use of mana that only someone with Rei's absurd magic power quantity could achieve.
"Whew..."
For Rei—who rarely felt the drain of magic—to feel even slightly winded was a testament to how much mana he had just poured into the task.
"Guruuu?"
Are you okay? Seto purred, nuzzling him in concern. Rei stroked the griffon’s head, assuring it he was fine. The dry autumn air felt refreshing against his light sweat. He lowered his hood, savoring the breeze. His Dragon Robe featured a function similar to a simplified air conditioner, but the natural wind still felt superior.
"All right, that's that. I could have just used normal fire to burn them faster, but these guys were dragon knights. To be thrown away as disposable pawns... they deserved at least this much, right?"
He muttered to the empty air and looked around. Throwing away an elite unit like dragon knights had to serve a purpose. He scanned the horizon, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"So, the trap isn't for me... it's for Frizion and the others? Or the Rebel Army?"
Rei pondered the thought. It was likely the latter. It wasn't a deduction based on evidence, but rather a gut feeling. If he had to justify it, he knew that as long as he was with Frizion's force, he could handle almost any direct threat.
(If they’re planning a strike, it has to be against the Rebel Army. But the Empire doesn't have infinite soldiers; they've lost a lot of men in the recent battles. It shouldn't be as simple as a total assault before we join up. Which means...)
Try as he might, Rei couldn't see the full picture.
"What do you think, Seto?"
"Guruuu?" Seto tilted its head.
"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't know either. Anyway, the dead are settled. Let's get moving."
"Guruuuu!"
Seto immediately presented its back. The griffon was likely thinking about the treats it would receive once they rejoined the Frizion Army. Rei said nothing, simply climbing onto Seto's back and handing it some dried meat from the Misty Ring.
Seto snapped up the snack, took a few running steps, and flapped its wings, galloping upward into the sky.
"Well, no matter what they're plotting, a squad of dragon knights is gone. That’s a net win for our side."
He repeated the thought, trying to convince himself. The fact that he couldn't read the intentions of Cabajid or Schuls remained a source of unease.
"If they'd just come at us from the front, things would be a lot simpler."
Rei was confident he could crush any enemy in a fair fight. It was the fact that they were avoiding him and using underhanded tactics that made things difficult. He shook his head, deciding that his role was to be a guard and a blunt instrument. Complex strategies were for Mercurio, Theoreme, Tilleul, and Vihera.
"My job is to be the shield. As long as I do that and crush whoever stands in our path, it'll work out... right?"
"Guruuu."
Seto chirped in affirmation, and Rei finally felt his tension ease as the Frizion Army appeared on the horizon below.
"...Wait, I don't think we passed Videre’s group?"
"Guruuu."
Seto’s cry sounded like agreement. Between a galloping horse and a flying griffon, the latter should have been significantly faster. They should have overtaken the knights long ago, yet they hadn't seen a sign of them on the way back to the main force.
"Did they somehow beat us back? No, not at a horse's pace. Did something happen... or am I just overthinking it? We won't know until we ask Frizion or Angela. Seto, let's head down."
"Guruuu!"
With a sharp trill, Seto spread its wings and glided toward the camp below.