The Battle of Annihilation

"Sebas... I see. Brother wanted to send forces outside the Imperial Capital..."

"That appears to be the case. Though I imagine he was also quite worried about Leonart-sama."

Sebas said this and gazed at the army surrounding the castle.

They had taken out the commander, but there were still more than a thousand soldiers. What was more, they were centered around mages. Their destructive power was comparable to that of an army several times their size.

"Now then, what will you do?"

"If Leo's raring to go, we could annihilate them, couldn't we?"

"Captain, please stop egging him on. There are villages and major roads nearby. We can't use the Holy Sword, can we? Taking on that many without it will be quite a challenge."

Marc said this as he stopped Elna.

They had accomplished their objective of rescuing Leticia and Leonart.

All that remained was to withdraw.

That was the sensible conclusion Marc had reached.

However.

"Even so—we can't leave that army alone. We'll annihilate them here."

"What!? P-Prince! Are you sane!? We hurried here, so there are only about ten of us!?"

The Third Knight Order had split into two groups to pursue Elna, who had gone ahead.

They couldn't simply abandon all their horses and provisions, so Marc and five others had pursued Elna. The only ones left behind were Sebas and Zeke.

Even including Leo, there were only eleven of them. Challenging an opponent roughly a hundred times their number was far too reckless.

"That's aggressive for you, Leo."

"There are villages nearby, so we can't leave them alone. Without a commander, they'll turn into a mob of outlaws. We should deal with them while they're still organized."

"That's admirable, but we don't have enough forces!"

"I know. But our reinforcements probably won't be limited to you. Isn't that right, Sebas?"

"Yes. Linfia went to Lord Vin as a messenger. By now, Nerve Ritter should be close."

"Then we just need to fight conspicuously and let them know where we are. Though knowing Vin, he'd come here even without that. He was the one who told us where this old castle was."

Leo said this, then took a deep breath and put strength into his body.

He was nowhere near full strength. If he could collapse right now, he wanted to. That desire raced through his mind.

Even so, Leo forced strength into his body.

Retreating would be easy and sensible.

They could simply reunite with Nerve Ritter and then hunt down the enemy.

However, that would cause problems for "what came after."

"That army is a hindrance to us. As long as they're inside the Empire, we won't be able to act freely. If we let them escape here, we'll have to chase after them. We can't allow that."

"What's wrong with that, Your Highness?"

"Sebas is Brother's trump card. The fact that he sent Sebas out means Brother is defenseless right now. He's deliberately exposing himself to draw them out. That's the kind of thing Brother is good at. He must be planning to smoke out the traitors in the Imperial Capital. And what he expects us to do is strike down those traitors from outside. We're Brother's mobile strike force. To remain free to maneuver, the army in front of us is a hindrance. We charge in with a small force and bring them to a halt. Slash, slash, and slash again. We'll annihilate that army here!"

Leo said this and raised his sword high.

Seeing him like that reminded Marc of something Al had said long ago.

At the port of the Principality of Albatro, when Al had decided to enter the harbor despite everyone's attempts to stop him, Marc had told him that it was a decision Leo would never be able to make.

Al had replied as follows.

"He's my brother. There isn't a single thing I can do that he can't... right?"

"What is it, Knight Marc? Still dissatisfied?"

"No... I'll accompany you."

Al's figure from that day overlapped with Leo's current appearance.

Al had played the ideal younger brother. At that point, it had been merely an ideal. But now, that ideal overlapped with Leo.

"I see," Marc muttered as he drew his sword.

"You two are terrifying to think about. When you were children, I never imagined you would become such reckless princes."

"Sorry to drag you into this. But you once saved my brother's life. That's only fair. I'd like you to save me, too."

"Not 'thank you' to the man who saved your brother, but 'that's only fair,' is it? If possible, I would have preferred never to face a prince in danger twice."

Marc said this while rolling his shoulders with a series of cracks.

Though he complained, his eyes were fixed sharply on the army. The other Imperial Guard Knights were the same.

Seeing that, Leo nodded once and shifted his gaze to Sebas and Zeke.

"Will you help me?"

"Of course, Your Highness."

"I don't come cheap. I'm exhausted from getting here. If you want me to work one more time, bow your head and say, 'Please, Zeke-sama,' or something."

"You just rode on Sebas's shoulder. Now is the time to work. If you don't want to, I'll throw you over there as a decoy."

"Heh... Fine. I'm a man, too. A true man doesn't turn down a request from another true man. I'm in!"

Zeke said this and thrust his spear into the air, his legs trembling.

Leo gave a wry smile at Zeke's behavior.

"Zeke's funny. I like you. I like that about you."

"Knock it off. I don't get a kick out of being told a man likes me. Still, looks like you've grown a little. I'll lend a hand."

"Grown? Me?"

"You don't realize it? Then remember this. A man grows stronger when he has something definite to protect. You look like you've grown into a new man."

Leo's eyes widened slightly at Zeke's words, and he turned his gaze to Sebas.

Sebas calmly said, as he always did,

"Indeed. I believe you have changed a little."

"Do you think so...? How do you think I've changed?"

"How you've changed, you ask? That's difficult. Put simply, for better or worse, you've become a little like Arnold-sama. Whether you take that as a compliment depends on who you ask."

Sebas smiled faintly as he said this.

At that moment, the enemy army cast magic at them again.

Elna stepped forward and shot down almost all of it, then charged straight at the enemy.

Leo and the others followed behind her, moving forward while shooting down the remaining spells.

Amid this, Leo looked toward Sebas.

"Was what you just said true?"

"Yes. If I said it, you can be sure it is. Yet you seem pleased?"

"Of course. To me, that's the greatest compliment you could give."

"You truly are as odd as ever."

"Maybe I am. I'm sure I'm an eccentric. That's why I need everyone's help. Can I entrust my back to you?"

"You may, with complete confidence."

With that, Leo and the others charged the enemy army behind Elna.

■■■

About ten people charged an army of a thousand.

To the army that had lost its commander, it was an utterly incomprehensible action.

But if they were charging, then they had to intercept them.

The soldiers moved to meet Leo and the others.

However, their defensive line was spectacularly breached.

"Haaaaaaah!!"

At the front, Elna cut down the enemies before her one after another.

There was no finesse to it. She did not even need to use a technique. She simply swung her sword quickly, and heads went flying.

Leo followed behind her with the Imperial Guard Knights.

Though they were no match for Elna, the enemy trembled in fear before these powerful warriors.

Anyone who approached them lost their head. Precisely because their opponents were so few, the enemy soldiers hesitated.

It was obvious that they would eventually grow exhausted. Having to face them while they were still fresh was the worst possible draw.

Because the enemy kept trying to leave the fighting to one another, Leo and the others were able to rampage even further. Weak-kneed opponents were no match for them.

"Zeke, can you go support Elna?"

"I don't think she needs it. Even a dragon's calmer than she is!"

"Please."

"Fine. Hey, old man. Do me a favor."

"Very well. Have a pleasant journey."

Sebas said this, picked up a fallen spear, and Zeke landed on top of it.

Sebas swung the spear with all his might, sending Zeke flying toward Elna.

Using his agility, Zeke floated through the air, made some adjustments, and landed beside Elna by kicking an enemy archer in the face.

"Oops, sorry. You looked easy to land on."

"A bear!?"

"What the hell are these guys!?"

"Aren't I adorable? Kids love me. I'm not just cute—I'm strong, too."

Zeke said this and swung his spear, blowing away a group that had been trying to aim at Elna from a distance.

He continued toward Elna, lightly stepping on enemy soldiers' heads as footholds. Naturally, every soldier he used as a foothold fell prey to Zeke's spear as he passed.

Zeke eventually caught up with the running Elna and landed on her shoulder.

"Phew... I did my part."

"You're in the way. Get down."

"Come on, that's harsh. I helped you, didn't I? Can't you show a little appreciation to a tired guy?"

"I never asked you to help."

"Yeah, yeah. But you won't get popular if you're so un-cute, you know? You don't have much sex appeal in the chest department, so you could stand to be a little cuter..."

Zeke said this and leaned over from her shoulder to peer down at Elna's chest.

At that instant, Elna grabbed Zeke by the head and tossed him into the air.

"I said you're in the way..."

"Waaah!!?? Wait, wait!!"

"I told you!"

Enraged, Elna knocked Zeke, who was floating in the air, away with the flat of her sword.

Zeke was sent flying toward a place with no allies, and he collided with an enemy soldier while screaming.

"Aaaaaah!!?? That hurt!?"

He hit an enemy soldier in the head, then collided with several others before sliding across the ground.

Then Zeke shouted angrily.

"That woman! She lost it just because I told the truth! She ruined my fur! I'm covered in mud... Now I can't even go into the castle!"

Zeke muttered as he looked over his body.

Enemy soldiers surrounded him.

Noticing this, Zeke glared at the soldiers around him and muttered,

"What? You wanna go? You think even adorable me can be beaten!?"

Zeke said this and looked for the spear that should have been nearby.

However, the spear he had been holding before he was sent flying was nowhere to be seen.

Realizing that he must have let go of it in midair, Zeke broke into a cold sweat.

Even Zeke would have trouble fighting unarmed in his bear form.

"...Wait here. I'll go look for it."

"Like we'd wait for you!"

An enemy soldier tried to attack Zeke, but another soldier was impaled by a spear that came flying through the air. It was Zeke's spear.

"Oh!? My spear!"

"If it's your spear, don't let go of it on a battlefield."

A cold voice echoed through the area.

Then a mysterious melody that invited sleep began to fill the air.

The enemy soldiers within range of the sound began to feel drowsy. The instant their consciousness slipped away,

all their heads had been severed.

"Honestly. You really are a handful."

"...Zzz."

"Wake up."

"Ouch!? That's cruel! Linfia-jou! I was in a harem just now!"

"Perhaps it would have been better not to wake you."

Linfia regretted striking him with the butt of her spear.

After being addressed in such a chilling voice, Zeke broke into a cold sweat and changed the subject.

"W-Why are you here?"

"Now that you mention it, that is a good question. An excellent read. As expected of Vinfrid-dono."

"It was nothing special. I just thought Leo would remember what I told him."

Vin appeared from behind Linfia. Beside him stood Lars, the commander of Nerve Ritter.

The enemy soldiers stepped back at the sudden arrival of reinforcements.

"Shall we charge, then, Strategist-dono?"

"Yes. Please do."

"Hey, if we corner them, they'll escape! The prince ordered us to annihilate them!"

"Don't worry. They're already half-surrounded."

As he said this, Vin waved his right hand.

In response, Lars led his men in a charge.

This was not happening in only one place. Units charged from all directions, gradually surrounding the enemy army in a semicircle.

The only escape route was toward the castle, but Elna and the others were advancing from that direction, and the enemy army suddenly lost its escape route altogether.

To ensure that the disorganized enemy could not escape, Vin quickly sent messengers to completely close the encirclement.

The enemy trapped alongside Elna and the others could do nothing but be mauled like prey before beasts.

■■■

"Hey, Vin. You saved us."

"There won't be a next time. If you're going to do something reckless again, tell me beforehand. When I heard the report, I nearly passed out."

Vin said this with a displeased expression and tone.

The enemy had been completely annihilated, and Leo and the others had returned to the old castle.

As the important figures gathered inside the old castle, Leticia woke up.

"Leticia-sama! Are you awake!?"

"...We won...?"

"It's thanks to you, Leticia."

"No... I'm the one who caused trouble... I'm truly sorry. This was all my fault."

Leticia said this and bowed her head to everyone gathered there.

Leo shook his head in response.

"That's not the apology I wanted to hear, Leticia."

"...You're right. Thank you. Leo, and the knights of the Empire. You saved my life. Thank you."

Leticia expressed her thanks, and the Griffon Knights followed suit by bowing deeply.

Seeing this, Leo's smile deepened as he approached Leticia.

"It would be easy if we could say everything is resolved... but it isn't. The Empire will surely descend into chaos from here on."

"Leo..."

"You're a citizen of the Kingdom. You could choose to head to the Kingdom instead of going to the Imperial Capital. The choice is yours. But I want you to come to the Imperial Capital. With me."

Leo said this and took Leticia's hand.

Leticia still had the option of resolving the Kingdom's problems as its Saint.

Before the Empire and the Kingdom clashed, she might even be able to contain all the problems within the Kingdom.

But that would split the Kingdom in two.

In this tense international situation, the Kingdom could become the stage for a proxy war. In the end, the existence of a Saint was already a spark for conflict, whether she lived or died.

And, strangely enough, there was a boy who wanted to take that spark into his own hands.

Leticia remained silent for a while before quietly speaking.

"—Yes. I will stay by your side. I'm a troublesome woman, but I hope you'll forgive me for that."

"Rest assured. I took you, troubles and all."

Leo said this and smiled.

The two gazed into each other's eyes.

Amid this, someone spoke without the slightest regard for the atmosphere.

"So we're heading to the Imperial Capital, then? I suspect this was a complete diversion."

"I can't believe you... Can't you read the room, Vin?"

"The air isn't something you read. It's something you breathe."

"Whatever. Your past life must have been some peculiar creature that didn't need air. That's why you can speak at a time like this..."

"Say what you like. I'm a strategist. Planning the next strategy is my job. And the next problem is the Imperial Capital."

"Yeah... I know. The Imperial Capital is undermanned. In an emergency, we're a valuable force that can act freely. So let's return to the capital right now. With the remaining Imperial Guard Knights, too. Brother is surely waiting."

"That's right. There's no one around Al."

"Are you sure? I doubt Brother failed to arrange protection for Fine-san. What do you think, Sebas?"

"Well, I may have an idea. That said, the forces that can be moved within the Imperial Capital are extremely limited. There will be little Arnold-sama can do."

Sebas said this, and Leo nodded.

Making good use of limited forces was one of Al's specialties.

But that alone could not defeat the enemy.

Someone had to deliver the finishing blow.

"To the Imperial Capital! Prepare yourselves!"

And with that, Leo gave the order.