"Alright... that went well."
Rest let out a sigh of relief as he confirmed the results of his efforts.
[Amaterasu]. It was his original magic, designed to harness and discharge concentrated sunlight. He was well aware that its power was sufficient to slay even a Master of the Magical Wilds, but he still felt a weight lift from his chest once he saw the mission through to completion.
The beam Rest unleashed had incinerated a section of the rebel army before swallowing their camp whole. Because he was facing a massive force this time, he had diffused the light to broaden its range.
While the power had dropped as he loosened the concentration, the results were still staggering. Roughly ten percent of the enemy force—seven thousand soldiers—had been scorched and felled by the light.
(If I had narrowed the focus to its limit, they would have been erased without a trace... but with the range spread this wide, I suppose this is the expected output.)
Rank-and-file soldiers were easily dealt with, though someone with sufficiently strong mana might have been able to defend against it.
Regardless, the fact that a portion of their army had been vaporized and the attack had reached all the way to their main camp sent the rebels into a frantic panic, like a poked hornet's nest. The chaos was causing more damage than the actual death toll. If the Kingdom’s forces moved in and charged now, the enemy would undoubtedly collapse.
The operation was a success. He had more than fulfilled his role as the First Spear.
"His Highness the Crown Prince, Knight Commander... is this satisfactory?"
"..."
"..."
Rest looked toward the two commanders who had been observing from a short distance away, but neither Richard nor Marquis Catreia moved. They stood with stunned expressions, staring blankly at the chaotic enemy ranks.
"Um... once I attacked, weren't we supposed to advance the army and charge...?"
"..."
"Your Highness? Knight Commander?"
As they remained silent and motionless, Rest’s anxiety began to mount. Had he fallen short of their expectations? Perhaps they were disappointed because the power was lower than they had anticipated.
"Uh... I-I'm very sorry! Please, give me one more chance! I can fire another one!"
"Hm... Ah, no, no, no! Stop!"
Marquis Catreia finally snapped out of his trance and stopped Rest just as he was preparing to launch another [Amaterasu].
"That is quite enough! Your work here is done!"
"Oh? It is?"
"Yes. In fact, if you distinguish yourself any further, the others won't have any glory left to—no, it's nothing. You've surely consumed a great deal of mana. Fall back and rest."
Marquis Catreia cleared his throat and placed a hand on the shoulder of the still-frozen Richard.
"Your Highness... please, give the order to charge."
"Hm... Oh! Yes! Right, of course!"
Richard hurriedly raised his hand and shouted to the troops.
"All forces, charge! Strike down the wavering rebels!"
"..."
Richard’s command echoed, but his allies were slow to move. Rest didn't understand why, but just like Richard and Marquis Catreia, the soldiers had been turned into stone sculptures.
"Charge! Take the enemy's heads!"
In the midst of the silence, a single unit burst forth from the Kingdom's lines and cut into the enemy ranks. Leading the charge on horseback was Wilhelm Lyubase, the newly made Baron known as the "Woman-hating Sword Saint."
The soldiers following him were those he had borrowed from the Lyubase House and mercenaries hired with the reward money granted by the King. Among all the soldiers present, Lyubase was the only one who had witnessed Rest’s victory over Subnock from afar. Because of that, he was able to react faster than anyone else.
"F-Follow them! Charge!"
"Don't let a youngster outdo you! Advance! Go!"
The knights and soldiers of the Kingdom Army finally followed Lyubase’s lead. They crashed into the enemy territory where chaos still reigned, cutting down the disorganized rebels one by one.
"Wow... they’re really fired up."
"I think you're the one who should be called 'impressive' here," Professor Dieble said, coming up beside Rest.
Though he was Rest's magic teacher, Dieble looked more exasperated than admiring after seeing that strike.
"Rest-dono. It won't just be the Marquis Rosemary House anymore; many people will be unable to ignore you after this."
"What's that all of a sudden?"
The comment felt quite out of the blue to Rest.
"Your talent far exceeds our initial estimates. His Majesty intended to push you forward as a symbol of the new age... but you might truly be the one standing at the center of the next era, and not just in name."
"You're exaggerating, Professor Dieble," Rest said with a wry smile. He felt he'd done a good job, but surely not enough to be called a hero of the age. Wilhelm Lyubase and many others were bound to distinguish themselves even more from here on.
"Well, more importantly, shouldn't the Rosemary soldiers be moving?"
Aside from the rearguard guarding the main camp, the majority of the Kingdom Army had rushed to the front to capitalize on the opening. Only the Marquis Rosemary House’s unit, which Rest led in name, remained in their original position.
"Hmm... frankly, it is likely preferred that we don't do too much more."
"Is that so?"
"Rest-dono has already produced more than enough military merit. It's a bit awkward for us to stand around doing nothing, but we should yield the glory to the other units for now."
"I see. If you say so, Professor, then let's do that."
Rest watched the battle from the ridge, literally taking a bird's-eye view of the conflict.
The Kingdom Army numbered 100,000, while the rebels had 70,000. The Kingdom had held the advantage from the start, but Rest's First Strike had decisively tipped the scales of victory in their favor. Within half an hour of the charge, the rebel forces had already been reduced to half their original size.