12. Let's Give It a Try.

More than I expected.

Walking through snow consumes quite a lot of stamina.

How long had we been walking?

We set out just as dawn was breaking and walked until the sun was high in the sky.

That much was clear from the fact that even Ascal, whose stamina had risen dramatically through diligent training and actual combat, was visibly exhausted.

On top of that.

Even though they were knights and wore light armor, the equipment they carried was still fairly heavy, making the strain all the worse.

"Time for a brief rest!"

The knight at the front met Asilie's eyes, nodded, and raised his voice.

It wasn't only Ascal; the other knights were visibly exhausted as well.

The only ones who still seemed relatively fresh were Asilie, me, and……

"You have surprisingly good stamina."

"Because I never take a break from training!"

"You should be ashamed, Ascal."

It was Rowen.

When I remarked on Rowen's surprisingly unstrained appearance, she…… no, he smiled brightly and nodded.

He was far smaller than Ascal, yet showed no sign of fatigue. I turned my gaze to Ascal and looked at him reproachfully.

Ascal apparently knew enough to feel embarrassed, for his face turned red and he let out a small breath.

"I'll make an effort……! I'll give it a try."

"Good."

At Ascal's reluctant answer, I let out a chuckle and slowly looked around.

'If things stay like this.'

It was obvious that it would take quite a long time to reach our intended destination.

'It would be more efficient to send some troops back even now, lighten our equipment, and increase our marching speed.'

If we continued moving like this, there was no way the enemy wouldn't notice a force this size on the move.

Therefore, it might be better to lighten our equipment somewhat, reduce our numbers, and increase our marching speed.

But……

'Asilie is afraid.'

Putting on a brave front.

Though she was pretending to be calm, Asilie was clearly shaken by a situation that differed from what she had expected.

Of course, that agitation itself wasn't a bad thing.

War demands caution, and only by being cautious can losses be minimized.

But because of that agitation, she was actually becoming frightened.

That was why she couldn't easily make a decision, afraid of what might happen if she sent some of the troops back.

'If only there were some reliable people nearby to help Asilie make her decision……'

Everyone was equally unable to make a clear judgment.

No, rather than that.

She was hesitating because her decision could determine whether those sent on this mission lived or died.

Well, it's not as though I intended to let anyone die……

Even so, I couldn't rashly intervene, since I hadn't earned enough of Asilie's trust for her to heed me, and

if I voiced an opinion contrary to hers here, there was a very real possibility that the chain of command would waver.

"……What is it?"

Ascal asked curiously when he saw me frowning and looking up at the sky.

As he sat on a nearby rock, brushing the snow from his clothes and shoes, I let out a long breath and shook my head.

"Prepare yourself."

"……Pardon?"

There was one thing I had forgotten.

Drawing the sword at my waist, I inhaled deeply and shouted,

"We're under attack!!"

We had already entered enemy territory.

And the enemy had already finished preparing to ambush us.

"……Everyone, battle positions!!"

"They're closing in from all sides."

As soon as I sensed the enemy's presence in the distance and raised my voice, the knights finally noticed the anomaly and rose to their feet.

I turned away from Ascal, who was scrambling to his feet a beat late, approached Asilie, and spoke.

"……So we'd already been spotted."

Asilie also hurriedly rose, surveyed her surroundings, and bit her lower lip.

As a commander, Asilie's decisions were not yet swift, but she was by no means slow to assess a situation.

The moment she heard that they were coming from all sides, she quickly assessed the situation and surveyed her surroundings.

"That way!!"

"We have to go back the way we came."

Asilie carefully surveyed the area in search of an escape route, and I shook my head and spoke.

The fact that enemies were approaching from all sides wasn't the problem.

Visibility was poor, and this was a battlefield where the enemy held the greater advantage.

Returning to the Great Wall might be the more rational decision.

"……We've come too far. This won't be easy."

"We can't think about saving everyone. We have to focus on preserving as many troops as possible."

Each knight was a precious fighting force.

They say all lives are equal, but that isn't true on a battlefield.

A single knight's life is worth more than the lives of dozens of soldiers. The same goes for the knights here.

At the Great Wall, every one of them would be a valuable asset.

If they all died here, it would not only mean the commander's absence; we'd suffer an enormous loss in fighting strength as well.

In other words, we can't save everyone.

"……"

Asilie looked at me with wavering eyes.

She was intelligent, so it was convenient that she understood my intentions without needing a lengthy explanation.

"Retreat!!"

Her deliberation was not brief, but her decision was swift.

Even if several people fell behind on the way back, we would have to abandon them.

It might be cruel and heartless, but only that way could many knights survive.

"……Retreat!! Fall back!!"

Surprisingly, turning back the way we'd come was simple.

"I'll break through the front!!"

All we had to do was follow the path we'd taken to return.

It hadn't snowed, either, so our footprints remained intact.

Since we'd already broken a path through the snow, it would be much easier to advance along than any other route.

The knights headed down our path and drew their swords to deal with the magical beasts charging from that direction.

"Ascal."

Once the retreat was decided, I headed toward Ascal.

Ascal had also shaken off his momentary agitation. Holding his sword, he watched his surroundings with a grave gaze.

"Yes."

"Go stand beside the commander."

"……Yes?"

"I'm going to the rear."

There was no time for a lengthy explanation.

Ascal would normally have argued, but he understood the gravity of the situation. He nodded for now and headed toward Asilie's side.

He'd at least be safe there.

Ascal wasn't suited to fighting in a formation like this.

He had to swing a greatsword larger than anyone else's. Therefore, he couldn't be considered suited to the current situation.

Thus, he was better off over there.

"Sir Rowen."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Please look after Ascal."

"……Pardon?"

After hearing my words, I patted Rowen's shoulder twice, let out a short breath, and turned around.

Kicking off the ground, I headed toward the rear. Only then could I make out, roughly, the swarm of magical beasts charging toward us.

"They just keep coming."

The endless stream made it obvious at a glance that they'd come fully prepared.

I gently curled my hand around the sword's hilt and slammed my foot down hard.

"Boom……!!"

With a small rumble echoing, I swung my sword.

A strike brimming with aura shot forward.

It wasn't a strike I'd launched with the same intense concentration as before, so it wasn't as powerful, but

it was enough to cut down the magical beasts charging madly at the front.

I exhaled softly, raised my sword, and began running at the very rear.

Even though we'd forged a path through the snow on foot, our movement speed was inevitably limited.

Even if that weren't the case, humans were generally slower than magical beasts on flat ground.

Therefore, even after breaking out of the encirclement to some extent, the rear would inevitably remain under attack from the magical beasts.

"Keep your eyes on what's ahead and run."

Pushing the back of a knight who was falling behind, I swung my sword without pause.

We had to move as far away as possible and cover as much ground as possible, but

it was clear that we wouldn't manage at this rate. Because I kept watching the rear, the entire group's speed continued to fall.

We would probably keep getting bogged down.

If that happened, some people would inevitably be abandoned and die.

I glanced behind us. The magical beasts were right on our heels, their mouths open as they howled.

'……Soon.'

Having calculated the timing in my head, I gradually reduced my pace and let out a long breath.

"Sir Allen?"

One of the knights barely eluding the magical beasts' pursuit noticed me and called out at the same time that

Asilie, who had been focusing all her attention on the situation at the rear, hurriedly turned around.

"Commander, don't forget what happened today. That is the path forward."

The surroundings were noisy.

The magical beasts' howls and the faint screams

along with the knights' shouts and harsh breathing, drowned out my voice, making it impossible to know whether it carried.

But I knew for certain that my voice had reached her clearly.

After all, her eyes had grown even wider upon hearing my words.

I smiled faintly, came to a complete stop, and stared at the swarm of magical beasts charging toward me.

"Go on ahead. I'll hold them back."

With a loud shout, I unleashed my aura with all my might.

The magical beasts were not only at the rear; sizable swarms were still charging in from both sides, but

it wasn't beyond me to hold those off as well.

Simply holding back the beasts charging at the very rear would dramatically increase the chances that every one of them survived.

Exhaling slowly, I curled the corners of my lips upward.

"Let's give it a try."

Allen Debert.