Chapter 32
The next morning.
We were summoned to the headquarters of the Duke of Scotty's army again.
The same map of the battlefield as yesterday was spread across the large table.
A letter lay beside it.
The red wax seal bore the crest of Count Belgrant's house.
"A letter has arrived from Count Belgrant."
The Duke of Scotty said.
"Is it a reply to the letter we sent yesterday?"
I asked, and the duke shook his head.
"No. It seems the count sent it separately when he dispatched your adventurer mobile force here. It arrived at headquarters this morning."
That meant it had left Belgrant well before yesterday's letter.
The duke lowered his eyes to the letter.
"Regarding the adventurer mobile force dispatched from Belgrant, he says I may give you a direct request for any task necessary to defend the Duchy of Scotty.
However, adventurers are not regular soldiers. It also says that whether you accept a mission is up to you."
"That sounds like the count."
Claude-san gave a small laugh.
"That's fine by me, too. I don't intend to treat you like my own soldiers.
I'll explain the mission and its risks. Then you can decide whether to accept it."
"Understood."
Claude-san looked at us.
"I'm willing to take it. What about the rest of you?"
"No problem."
Bork-san answered.
Lydia-san, Cecil-san, Raoul-san, and Ena-san nodded as well.
"I'll do it, too."
"So will I."
Felicia answered, too.
"It's settled, then."
Claude-san turned back to the duke.
"Just tell us if there's a mission you need us for."
"I appreciate it."
The duke nodded, just as—
"Urgent report!"
A loud voice came from outside the tent.
A knight rushed in. Sweat glistened on his forehead, and outside, the horse he'd ridden was breathing hard.
"Your Grace! The Imperial army is moving west of the Seil Bridge!"
The atmosphere in the tent changed in an instant.
"How large a force?"
"More than a thousand confirmed so far! More troops are following from the west!"
"So they've come."
The duke went over to the map.
The knights and staff officers gathered around the table, too.
"Send the Second Unit to the Seil Bridge. Have the Fourth Unit follow them."
"Yes, sir!"
"Establish a defensive line on the east bank. Have the cavalry guard the northern crossing. We can't assume the enemy is only targeting the main bridge."
"Understood!"
Only a few pieces moved on the table.
But outside the tent, messengers began running, horses whinnied, and soldiers' voices rang out.
One small piece could set hundreds of soldiers in motion.
So this was war.
"We'll concentrate our main force at the Seil Bridge."
A staff officer said.
"Yes. We can't let them break through there."
The duke's finger stopped over the Seil Bridge.
Another knight rushed in.
"Your Grace! A report from the southern scouts!"
"What is it?"
"Imperial soldiers are advancing southeast!"
"Where?"
The knight approached the map and pointed to a spot.
It was the southern road Claude-san had been watching yesterday.
Beyond it was another bridge over the Seil River.
"The Lahn Bridge..."
A staff officer murmured.
The Lahn Bridge was made of wood and wasn't as large as the Seil Bridge.
It wasn't suitable for many wagons to cross at once, but it was wide enough for infantry and cavalry.
"How many?"
"We don't know the exact number. At least a hundred, and it seems more are following."
"Are they trying to circle around from the south while our main force is drawn to the Seil Bridge?"
"If they take the Lahn Bridge, they'll be able to attack the flank of the troops defending the Seil Bridge."
The staff officer's words hardened the duke's expression.
"Shall we send troops south?"
"If we move a sizable force now, our defenses at the Seil Bridge will be weakened."
The duke studied the map for several seconds.
Then he raised his head.
"Claude."
"Yes, sir."
"I have a mission for you already."
"What is it?"
The duke tapped the Lahn Bridge with his finger.
"I want you to bring down the bridge."
Claude-san's eyes narrowed.
"Destroy it before the Imperial army can finish crossing the Lahn Bridge. We can't spare regular troops to send south.
Besides, your squad is the one that can reach the site fastest."
"Will we encounter the enemy?"
"It's unavoidable. Their numbers could grow to several hundred."
Claude-san looked at us.
"What do you say?"
"We'll go."
I answered at once.
Everyone else felt the same way.
"We'll take the mission."
"I'm counting on you."
The duke said, still pointing at the Lahn Bridge.
"You have one objective: destroy the Lahn Bridge before the Imperial army can break through to the east."
◇
When we left headquarters, horses were waiting for us.
"...I'm sorry."
Felicia raised a hand apologetically.
"I can't ride a horse."
"You've never ridden one before?"
"No. Most people don't get many chances to."
Back when I lived with the Valdis family, I'd been taught to ride as well.
But that didn't mean everyone could ride.
Fortunately, it seemed everyone except Felicia could ride.
"Then ride behind Allen."
Claude-san said.
"Me?"
"You can ride, can't you?"
"Yes."
"Then you'll be the safest choice."
I climbed onto a horse and held out my hand to Felicia.
"Take my hand."
"Okay."
I took her by the arm and pulled her up behind me.
"Are you all right?"
"P-probably."
"If you feel like you're going to fall, hold on to me."
"I will."
"Let's go!"
Claude-san set off at a gallop.
I followed him.
"Eep!"
Her arms wrapped around my waist.
"S-sorry!"
"It's okay!"
I didn't have time to look back.
Seven horses raced south along the road.
Hooves pounded the earth, and the wind beat against our faces. The woods, fields, and wagons carrying evacuees streamed past behind us.
◇
"Stop."
After we'd been riding for a while, Ena-san halted her horse.
We slowed down, too.
"What is it?"
"I can see the bridge."
The Lahn Bridge was still quite a distance away.
I could only make out the river.
Ena-san rode up to a slight rise and narrowed her eyes.
"Far Sight."
I hadn't known she had that Skill, too.
A few seconds later, Ena-san's expression changed.
"...We're too late."
"What do you mean?"
Claude-san asked.
"They're already crossing."
"How many?"
"Around forty or fifty."
"On this side?"
"Yeah. Seven cavalry. The rest are infantry."
"What about on the bridge?"
"They're still crossing. There are over two hundred on the far bank. Maybe more farther back."
"Archers?"
"Some."
"Mages?"
"Six with staffs... no, seven."
Claude-san immediately turned back toward his horse.
"Hurry!"
◇
The Lahn Bridge came into view.
It was a large wooden bridge made from thick, interlocking timbers, wide enough for two wagons to pass each other.
Imperial soldiers had already deployed on the east bank.
There really were more than fifty of them.
There was cavalry, too.
Soldiers lined the bridge, crossing to our side one after another.
"They'll keep coming if we wait!"
Lydia-san shouted.
"Lydia! Scatter the ones across the bridge!"
"Got it!"
"Felicia! Prioritize the archers and mages! Can you do it?!"
"Yes!"
Lydia-san pointed her staff.
A fireball flew through the air and exploded at the western end of the bridge.
Boom!
"Enemy attack!"
The Imperial soldiers scattered.
"Magic Bullet!"
Felicia's Magic Bullet flew through the air.
An archer clutched his arm and dropped his bow.
Then she targeted a mage who had raised his staff.
"Guh!"
Her shot hit one of the mages, interrupting his incantation.
The flow of Imperial soldiers crossing the bridge slowed for an instant.
But the enemy reacted immediately.
"Archers! Fire!"
"Arrows!"
Ena-san shouted.
"Get down!"
Bork-san raised his greatshield.
Clang-clang-clang!
Several arrows struck the shield.
More arrows struck the ground one after another.
"Magic coming, too!"
Light gathered across the river.
A fireball came flying toward us.
Boom!
The ground exploded, sending up a cloud of dust.
The Imperial soldiers on our side of the river started moving, too.
"Take out the mages!"
"Go!"
About ten infantrymen charged toward Lydia-san and the others.
My hand went to the Flamefang Sword.
"Let's take those guys out first—"
"No!"
Claude-san said.
"The bridge comes first."
"But there are more than fifty of them!"
"If a hundred more cross while we're fighting these fifty, it's over."
Claude-san looked at the bridge.
"Our mission isn't to defeat the enemy. It's to bring down the bridge."
He immediately began issuing orders to everyone.
"Lydia! Hit the eastern end of the bridge!"
"Huh?"
"Make a path for us!"
"Got it!"
A fireball flew.
It exploded in front of the Imperial soldiers, sending several of them leaping to either side.
"Bork!"
"On it!"
"Open up a path there!"
"Leave it to me!"
Bork-san charged forward with his greatshield raised.
"Out of my way!"
Boom!
Two Imperial soldiers were sent flying.
The enemy line split apart.
"Raoul! On Bork's right!"
"Got it!"
"Felicia, keep the archers and mages in check! Ena, watch our flank and the far bank! Cecil, stand by behind us!"
"Yes!"
Finally, Claude-san looked at me.
"Allen!"
"Yes!"
"Now!"
Claude-san ran forward.
I followed him.
◇
"Stop them!"
A cavalryman at the front charged toward us.
The soldier on horseback thrust his long spear at us.
I shifted my body to the side and dodged the spear.
I swung the Flamefang Sword.
"Guh!"
The soldier fell from his horse.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 130P】
I kept running without looking at the display.
An infantryman tried to slash at Claude-san from the side.
I stepped between them.
I blocked his sword and shoved him back.
Then I swung the Flamefang Sword.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 70P】
"Don't stop!"
"Yes!"
Claude-san cut down the Imperial soldier in front of him with a single stroke, too.
Another thrust his spear.
Claude-san shifted his body just half a step.
He deflected the spear and moved straight into his opponent's reach.
One flash.
The soldier fell.
Fast.
He wasn't overpowering his opponent like I did.
By the time his opponent moved, Claude-san's sword was already in position for his next strike.
"Allen! The bridge!"
"Yes!"
We rushed onto the bridge.
Claude-san looked over its structure.
Numerous thick supports and main beams were joined together.
"We don't have to destroy the whole thing."
He pointed to two of the main beams.
"We'll take out these two, one on either side. The middle won't hold."
"Understood."
The beams were extremely thick.
Normally, no matter how many people you had, they wouldn't be easy to damage.
Claude-san looked at me.
"Allen. Can you do it?"
"I can."
Claude-san smiled briefly.
"Good. Then let's do it."
"Yes!"
I brought the Flamefang Sword down on the wood.
Bang!
Wood chips flew into the air.
I struck it again.
"They're trying to destroy the bridge!"
"Stop them!"
Voices rose from the opposite bank.
Archers took aim at us.
"Fire!"
Arrows flew.
"Magic Bullet!"
Felicia's Magic Bullet pierced an archer's arm.
Even so, several arrows reached us.
One grazed Claude-san's shoulder.
"Claude-san!"
"Ignore it!"
Claude-san set his sword down.
"We don't have time."
He put both hands on the main beam.
"Rigid Body."
Strength filled his arms and shoulders.
Creak.
The thick timber groaned.
"Allen!"
"Yes!"
I put my hands on the main beam on the other side, too.
"Here we go!"
We both put our strength into it.
The whole bridge creaked and groaned.
"Harder!"
"Yes!"
We put even more strength into it.
Crack!
A large fissure appeared.
"One more time!"
Crack-crack-crack!
"It's collapsing!"
The bridge tilted sharply.
"Allen! Get back!"
We both leaped toward the east bank.
Immediately after—
Rumble—!
The main beams snapped, and the middle of the bridge fell into the river.
A huge column of water shot up.
The Imperial soldiers on the bridge hurriedly retreated to either bank. Several of them stumbled as they made their way back to the west bank.
Now no more troops could cross.
"The bridge!"
"Our retreat is cut off!"
The Imperial soldiers who had crossed to the east bank were thrown into confusion.
Claude-san picked up his sword.
"That'll stop them from bringing in reinforcements."
Then he looked at us.
"First Squad! We'll clear out the ones on this side!"
◇
"Break through to the east!"
The Imperial commander shouted.
"If we break through here, we can still make it! Cavalry, forward!"
The remaining cavalry started moving.
The infantry charged all at once, too.
Even though the bridge had fallen, the enemy hadn't lost the will to fight.
If anything, they were desperate.
"Allen! Stop the cavalry!"
"Yes!"
The first rider.
I dodged the spear coming straight at me and moved alongside the horse.
I grabbed the soldier's armor and pulled him down.
Before I even landed, I swung the Flamefang Sword.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 55P】
The second rider.
This one tried to ignore me and slip past on the side.
His target was Lydia-san and the others.
"I'm not letting you through!"
I caught up.
I raced ahead of the horse and blocked its path.
"What?!"
The soldier swung his spear.
I deflected it and cut him down.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 90P】
"Target the mages!"
The enemy commander's voice rang out.
Six infantrymen circled around Bork-san's side.
"Felicia-san!"
I ran.
The first man.
I blocked his sword and slashed at his stomach.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 120P】
The second man came from the side.
I grabbed his spear and pulled.
"Whoa!"
When he lost his balance, I swung my sword.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 65P】
The third man.
He moved differently from the others.
He dodged my sword.
"Die!"
Fast.
But not as fast as Claude-san.
I shifted my footing and moved around to his side.
One strike.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 150P】
"Allen-san!"
Felicia's voice.
I turned around.
Another soldier was raising his sword over Felicia.
"!"
I closed the distance in an instant.
I swung the Flamefang Sword.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 80P】
"Are you all right?"
"Y-yes!"
"Stay behind me!"
I looked ahead.
More enemies were coming.
Claude-san was fighting in the center, too.
Three men had surrounded him.
He dodged the first man's slash.
His returning sword struck at the man's neck.
He knocked aside the second man's spear.
Then he stepped in and cut him down.
The third man tried to circle around behind him.
Claude-san didn't even turn around.
He lowered his body, dodged the sword, and thrust his own behind him.
The soldier crumpled to the ground.
Three men.
It had happened in a brief moment.
"Push forward!"
The enemy commander bellowed.
"We're still outnumbering them!"
Just as he said.
There were still many enemies.
More than ten rushed Bork-san all at once.
"Guh!"
The greatshield was pushed backward.
"Bork!"
Raoul-san stabbed one of them from the side.
Even that wasn't enough to stop them.
"Bork, fall back!"
Claude-san shouted.
"On it!"
Bork-san stepped back.
The Imperial soldiers surged forward.
They'd bunched together.
"Lydia! Now!"
"I know!"
A fireball flew.
Boom!
"Agh!"
The soldiers were blown away.
Claude-san charged into the opening.
One.
Two.
His sword didn't stop.
A soldier came at me, too.
I slashed him across the torso.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 95P】
I didn't have time to check the numbers now.
Swords.
Spears.
Shouts.
The smell of blood.
Every time I cut someone down, a display appeared in my vision and vanished again.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 110P】
"Left!"
Ena-san's voice.
I turned.
Two men.
I blocked one man's sword.
The other thrust his spear at me from the side.
I lowered my body.
The spear passed over my head.
I shoved back the first soldier and cut him down.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 60P】
The spearman came at me again.
I stepped forward.
I moved inside his reach.
I swung the Flamefang Sword.
【Human Subjugation Confirmed】
【You acquired 180P】
"...!"
That was a lot.
But I could think about it later.
"Allen!"
Claude-san called to me.
"Yes!"
"Hold the right for thirty seconds!"
The Imperial commander was in Claude-san's line of sight.
He was still shouting orders.
"Understood!"
Claude-san headed for the enemy commander.
That drew more enemies toward me.
Three men.
No, four.
"Don't let him through!"
Swords and spears came at me at once.
I blocked a sword with the Flamefang Sword.
I shifted my body and dodged the spear.
The third man tried to circle around behind me.
I kicked him.
"Guh!"
The soldier went flying, taking the man behind him with him.
I didn't have to defeat them.
I just had to keep them from getting through.
I looked ahead.
Claude-san's sword clashed with the enemy commander.
Bang!
He was strong, too.
One strike.
Then a second.
The commander lunged at Claude-san.
Claude-san didn't block his sword.
He shifted half a step.
The enemy's sword cut through empty air.
In that instant, Claude-san's sword flashed.
"Guh...!"
The commander dropped to one knee.
Even so, he tried to raise his sword.
Claude-san struck once more.
The man fell.
"Captain!"
The Imperial soldiers stopped moving.
Claude-san immediately shouted.
"Listen up!"
His voice rang across the battlefield.
"The bridge is down! Your commander is dead!"
The Imperial soldiers looked at the collapsed Lahn Bridge.
Their allies were on the opposite bank, but they couldn't reach them.
The cavalry that had been trying to break through to the east had mostly stopped moving, too.
More than twenty soldiers had already fallen on our side.
"No reinforcements are coming!"
Claude-san held his sword ready.
"Drop your weapons!"
Nobody moved.
"If you surrender, we won't kill you!"
Only the sound of the river could be heard.
At last—
Clatter.
One soldier dropped his sword.
Another saw him and laid down his spear.
Then one, then two more, until the remaining Imperial soldiers began dropping their weapons on the ground one after another.
"...Is it over?"
Felicia said softly.
"Yeah."
Claude-san lowered his sword.
"Here, at least."
"Here?"
Claude-san looked at the collapsed Lahn Bridge.
"We haven't won the war. We've only completed our mission."
The mission we'd received from the duke hadn't been to wipe out the enemy.
It had been to bring down the bridge and stop the invasion from the south.
I might have focused only on how many enemies I could defeat right in front of me.
Claude-san was different.
He considered more than just the number of enemies.
The bridge.
The terrain.
Our allies' positions.
The enemy commander.
He'd fought while keeping track of all of it.
Being strong wasn't enough on the battlefield.
I felt like I was beginning to understand what that meant.
"Claude."
Ena-san's voice came.
It was lower than usual.
"What is it?"
Ena-san was looking west.
She stared into the distance in silence for a while.
"...They're here."
"Who is?"
"The main Imperial army."
I looked west, too.
At first, I couldn't make anything out.
Then I saw a huge cloud of dust on the distant road.
In it were numerous flags and countless spears in formation.
"Where are they headed?"
Claude-san asked.
"Northeast."
Ena-san answered.
"The Seil Bridge."
We'd brought down the Lahn Bridge. We'd blocked the route from the south, but the battle against the main Imperial army was only just beginning.
After the battle, I opened Membership.
【Membership Rank: Gold】
【Balance: 2,690P】
【Total P Acquired: 27,500P】
"...Over twelve hundred?"
I'd earned more than a thousand this time alone.
But every single one of those points came from cutting down people.
I didn't feel the excitement I did when clearing a dungeon.
After looking at the display for a moment, I closed Membership.
【P Acquired Today: 1,205P】
【Balance: 2,690P】
【Total P Acquired: 27,500P】
Total P Acquired = 27,500P