Chapter 129
Adige, Gione, Cesena...
Under Caligo's offensive, which actively utilized numerical superiority, the allied forces retreated slowly but steadily.
"...We'll have to retreat to Rento."
"What? Are you saying we'll give up even Cesena!"
Looking at Vittorio, who was indignant at the idea of giving back all the land they had just reclaimed, Blake forcibly smoothed his frown of fatigue.
"I know the elves have been working hard. However, it's a fact that the damage keeps accumulating."
"That's..."
The biggest problem plaguing the allied forces was the manpower issue that arose as the Labria elves actively engaged in scouting battles.
They had been continuously pushing troops into positions that suffered constant losses against the enemy elves' capable scout units, like pouring water into a bottomless pot, and,
"Just yesterday, I heard that the elf scout unit in the left forest was attacked again. Do we even have additional troops to dispatch?"
"..."
Even Vittorio, who was pulling in people who weren't originally scouts, couldn't deny Blake's words.
However, he couldn't say anything about the imperial army, which had almost no losses compared to them, because,
"Why are you looking at me?"
"...It's nothing."
Regardless of personal feelings, now it was the imperial army that deployed the most scout units and defended the largest areas.
"Does Commander Viktor think we should retreat too?"
"It's true that I feel Cesena is not suitable for defense."
"Is that so?"
Vittorio looked at the expressionless Viktor for a moment, then pointed to a nearby map he had set up.
"I won't talk about before Commander Viktor arrived. We advanced to this place, Adige, and then..."
He turned the map so that Adige was facing upwards, and,
"...We'll end up retreating to this place, Rento."
He slid his finger from Adige all the way down to Rento.
"And from Rento, where will we retreat to? West? The border with the Ecrini Kingdom will open. To the east is the capital, Tania, and if the northern road is Ilimen, it's fair to say the enemy can bypass all places within the Este Kingdom. The empire won't be safe either."
"..."
Although the elves had been confident from their initial victories,
The raids that had continued for over a month reminded them that the enemy was at a level that the Este Kingdom alone could never withstand, and,
"Until now, we've accepted retreats believing it was unavoidable, but Rento is truly the last stronghold. If everyone isn't prepared to bury their bones in Rento, we'd rather die fighting in Cesena."
To move the elves who were anxious that the allied forces might completely run away, Vittorio also needed to confirm the allies' will to not give up Rento like other points.
"Of course, I know Rento is an important point. That's why we've prepared defenses in advance, haven't we?"
As Vittorio took a hard line, Blake, who couldn't burden his home country that was barely fending off attacks, fumbled for excuses, then,
"Rento is an important point for both the empire and us. How could we abandon Rento!"
"Hmm..."
"This retreat will truly be the last. Commander Viktor, isn't that right?"
"Well... I suppose so."
He asked for the opinion of Viktor, who had seemed indifferent.
"He says so. Commander Vittorio, it's not the time for us to argue among ourselves. We can't hold off the enemy here."
Although Vittorio didn't like that Blake was bringing in Viktor rather than trying hard to persuade him,
"...If that's the case, I understand."
In the end, since the imperial army had the greatest influence in most areas including scouting activities, there was a limit to the bluffs he could make.
Before Blake could make the strong move of saying he would retreat on his own first, Vittorio also accepted the retreat request proposed by others.
"..."
Vittorio, who had been holding on with pride until now, only truly felt the lack of forces after experiencing the helplessness of having to be dragged along by the decision of the imperial army, which he particularly hated.
"Salvatore."
"Yes."
"Tell the capital. Ask them to dispatch Lady Benedetta Bianchi."
"...What? Of all people, her..."
"Isn't Lady Benedetta the closest? ...I know her personality, but we have no other choice."
He requested the dispatch of a High Elf, which he had been putting off.
---
The allied forces moved to Rento and prepared for defense.
The dwarves repairing fortifications, and our imperial forces assisting them while also taking on scouting roles were busy moving, but,
"..."
"..."
-Thud! Thud!
The busiest were the elves who were suddenly digging in front of the fortifications we were constructing and planting trees.
Although there were lush forests just a short distance away, they were deliberately transplanting various trees brought from elsewhere, and,
-Thud!
"..."
-Thud! Thud!
The atmosphere was too grim for ordinary construction work, and it looked somewhat desperate.
Sharp glares were the norm, and occasionally even violence broke out.
"Commander-in-Chief Vittorio. What are they doing?"
"Preparing to welcome reinforcements."
"Reinforcements? Ah. I see."
"You see?"
"No. My words slipped."
"Hmm. It happens."
I waited for Vittorio's proud additional explanation, and,
"There's an empty space in the center. Can you see it?"
"Yes. I can see it."
Only after checking the site where their construction was roughly finished could I understand why the elves were so busy.
"Anna."
"Yes, General."
"You can listen comfortably. By any chance, do we have something like plant fertilizer?"
"...What?"
"It seems quite an important guest is coming."
"...I'm sorry, but what is fertilizer?"
"Ah. That... Something like odorless compost. Or do we have rice or something?"
"We have rice."
"Good."
I recalled various High Elves described in the game and made some preparations.
A few days later.
"...What is that?"
"It's presumed to be the reinforcements."
"Reinforcements...?"
A palanquin that looked like it had been uprooted from some tree arrived at our camp.
I stood with the officers and watched their movements.
"Hmm? Where is that going..."
The palanquin that came from the east, from the direction of Tania, surrounded by dozens of elves, crossed through the soldiers and headed straight for the front of the fortifications.
We followed at a distance.
"..."
"..."
As if receiving someone's instructions, a few elves were silently adjusting the surroundings in the mini-forest that the elves had prepared in advance, and a few others were controlling the surroundings to prevent others from approaching.
The expressions of the elves around showed both fear and respect simultaneously.
The elves carrying the palanquin set it down precisely in the small space in the center, and along with other elves around, quickly fled.
"Oh."
"Wow..."
Not long after, the tree that had been in the form of a palanquin moved on its own and rooted itself in the ground, then,
"...Huh."
"...?"
The trunk of the tree opened, revealing a female elf with green hair sitting with her legs crossed.
She, wrapped in leaves and branches, was looking at the sky with a slightly dazed expression as if trying to adapt to the unfamiliar environment.
"She's beautiful."
"There's a mystical atmosphere."
"..."
The officers praised her appearance, but I recalled the attitudes of the other elves and her capabilities as seen in the game before her appearance.
"This is Lady Benedetta Bianchi, the High Elf who came as reinforcement."
Vittorio stood in front of the officers who had come out to see the strange sight and opened his mouth.
"Make sure that elves, and especially dwarves and humans, don't come within 50 meters of her."
"Alright."
"50 meters? Will she stay in that position continuously?"
"Yes."
"Huh..."
I nodded, recalling her in the game grinding down only enemies that approached her, but Blake frowned as if he couldn't understand right away, so,
"To put it simply, she's someone who has difficulty distinguishing between friend and foe. If you approach carelessly, you'll be attacked."
"At that level, we can't even touch that area."
"No need to worry. At least within that radius, the enemy won't be able to set foot either."
"...You said High Elf. Right. I understand."
As Vittorio explained a bit about Benedetta's tendencies, Blake also retreated with an uneasy expression.
"She doesn't particularly enjoy being stared at, so I recommend dispersing. Let's continue with defense preparations."
"..."
Although Vittorio's unnecessary swagger was a bit unpleasant to see, knowing that if a High Elf had come as reinforcement, he had reason to swagger, and that he probably had his own hardships,
I shrugged and returned to the fortifications with the officers.
"Benedetta... Bianchi. Hmm."
"Is it a name you know?"
"Well, a little?"
Answering Anna's question on the way back, the gazes of the surrounding officers focused on me.
"...If you know something, could you tell us too?"
"It's not difficult. I don't know much either..."
As Gottfried cautiously asked me,
"As a force, she's reliable, but... aren't all High Elves like that? I hear her personality is quite unique."
"..."
"Let's be careful. You should warn the soldiers well not to approach out of curiosity."
"...Understood."
I informed the officers of the most crucial facts.
Of course, this is what I said, but.
"Anna, the preparations?"
"I've prepared as you said, but..."
"Thank you."
Unlike other High Elves, Benedetta is relatively approachable, and it's a shame to leave such a useful force solely in the hands of the elves.
I have a separate plan to meet her.
Although my approach might not work now as this isn't a game,
Because it's not a game, I might be able to utilize her more usefully than just as a simple automatic turret.