A wind of blood blew through the people as they caught their breath after a day’s march.
“Wha, what are you doing!? Stop it!”
“Help!?”
Coxon slashed at anyone who caught his eye, one by one.
The area was suddenly becoming noisy.
Those who came to see what was going on, seeing the slaughtered corpses and Coxon’s figure alongside them, tried to escape, but were unable to do so and were killed.
The area around Coxon was a section where only knights were sleeping, but even so, they were unable to deal with Coxon properly. This was not surprising, since most of them were not even wearing armor.
Generally speaking, few armies marched in full gear.
Although they might wear some light equipment as a precaution against monsters, armor was basically carried on horses and carts and worn while on the battlefield.
Adventurers, on the other hand, usually trudged through dangerous areas with a small number of people.
They were usually equipped with gear that did not interfere with their activities even while wearing it, or they were relatively lightly equipped to begin with, and it was normal for them to keep it on while on the move.
And then, Coxon was grossly alarmed by the presence of what felt like a wave surging in from diagonally behind him.
–Magic…!
A knight in robes was pointing his staff at Coxon from a distance of ten paces.
“≪Blizzard Arrow≫! “
The wind, which seemed to be covered with powdery snow, swirled through the air and produced a multitude of icicle-like arrows.
Coxon plunged toward it without a moment’s hesitation. He held his gauntlets together and raises them above his head to guard.
A life-freezing rain of ice rained down on Coxon.
They were bounced by the gauntlets, bounced by the armor, scratched his thighs, and rained down on him. A path of piercing icicles formed behind Coxon’s rush through the air.
The magician’s face contorted in horror.
“Hee! Ah… ≪Ice Arrow≫! “
An additional icicle arrow, released in agony and without chanting. Aimed at close range, it was a clear shot.
However, Coxon flashed his sword in a sideways cleave. With a sound like breaking glass, the arrow shattered.
And the next blow.
“Gghhh…”
The magician’s body was smashed together with his staff.
“Whoa, what the h*ll?”
Just then, another scream came from another place.
There was a gleam of light at the river.
–It has begun.
Coxon cut off the carnage and headed toward the river to see what was going on.
The river was dimly lit.
There were several supply boats floating in the river, now moored at the riverbank.
The boats were on fire.
They were burning heavily. Sparks of fire were flying up and lighting up the night sky.
Hopping around as if playing on the river were the spirits of little girls dressed in loose-fitting robes, wearing pumpkin masks, and holding up lanterns.
Jack-O-Lanterns. They were undead, a low-grade spirit form.
“Damn it, stop!”
A soldier picked up a stone from the riverbank and threw it at the Jack-O-Lantern, but of course, the stone slipped through the spirit and made only an empty ripple on the surface of the river.
“That won’t work, idiot!”
The girls blew into their lanterns, and their breath turned into flames like a dragon’s breath, setting the soldier on fire.
“It’s hotttt!!”
Unable to resist, the soldier jumped into the river.
The Jack-O-Lanterns burned the boats one after the other, spewing fire as they reared up the shore.
“Bad! Put it out! Put it out!”
Someone shouted.
And there was nothing that could be done.
The flames spread like a fire leaping across a string of anchored boats. The view looked like a giant serpent of fire was lying on top of them.
As it should be, the Transportation Corps, under orders from the Princess, came from the rear and jumped on board, smashing one after another the oil jars they had brought with them as supplies.
They fulfilled their duties and disappeared into the flames. Coxon watched their noble deaths and was inspired to do the same.
“Damn … [Performance Deviation: Harness] ≪Waterfall≫!”
The knight who rushed to the scene used magic.
Then, a stream of water sickled up from the surface of the river. Against gravity, the water stream rose to the sky and formed a huge ball in the air.
And when it became large enough, it poured down as a waterfall with several times the volume of water.
The stream of water created by elemental water magic was not really water, although it could extinguish fires. Most elemental magic was merely an imitation of the phenomenon, a mirage that would vanish with it once the magic wore off. Just as Jack-o’-lanterns now used fire-breathing magic to create real flames by igniting oil, it was necessary to devise a way to ensure that the magic would remain after its effects wore off.
This knight seemed to be scheming to soak the boats and protect them from the flames while boosting their power by sucking up the river water and mixing it with the magic.
The boats that caught the falling water would be extinguished and would not burn as easily.
Anyone would have noticed the flames if they were this large. Soldiers arrived one after another and began to extinguish the fire, seeing the devastation of their precious supplies. They began to draw water from the river using not only hand tubs but even helmets, and also to cover them with water-soaked cloths.
The priests seemed to have arrived as well, and the light of holy magic flashed, sending the scattered Jack-O-Lanterns fluttering away from the fire.
The fire that had been lit was gradually extinguished.
Water fell through magic, and water was poured over the area by human labor, and the area, which had been bright as daylight for a time, was being engulfed by the cover of night again.
The piles of supplies had been burned, but the bottom part of the piles was probably still intact. The boats were carbonized on the surface, but they appeared to be in navigable condition.
Coxon, however, did not move and watched in the darkness, far away from the flames.
There was no need to stop the firefighting. Coxon knew this was a diversion.
It was okay to destroy them after they had done their job as a diversion.
“[Performance Deviation: Harness] ≪Frost Phalanx≫”
It was sudden.
The creaking sound of ice was approaching faster than a horse.
The river had begun to freeze. The ice eroded upstream from the downstream. Thick spikes stuck out of the frozen river like the shell of an Adamant Turtle.
The galloping ice swallowed the convoys before they could see it.
The huge ice spikes skewered the ships, splattering wood chips.
And those who had stepped into the river to extinguish the fire.
“Whoa!”
“Hii!?”
The ones who screamed were those who had been launched when the spikes sprouted.
They were fluffed up in the air and slammed into an undesirable place, either on the ice spikes or on the riverbanks full of hard stones, and stopped moving.
The elemental magic of water showed its intense power by spreading through the water environment. Even more so if [Performance Deviation: Harness] was cast.
Now, the river had turned into a frozen fiery mountain.
The pierced boats were iced in mid-air, nearly disintegrating as they were pushed up, standing still as if they were a bad-taste painting of a water disaster.
And yet, the view was hellish, with fires burning that had not yet been extinguished.
Destruction by ice and fire. It was a devastation that everyone could not help but stare at.
For a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity, everyone was speechless and gazed at the cruel, beautiful, and overwhelming magic.
Then the magic was broken.
The ice created by the magic disappeared, leaving only the water from the river that had been frozen by the involvement of the magic. Of course, it was impossible to continue raising the remains of the boats with such scant ice.
The ice spears collapsed at once, and the wreckage was smashed onto the surface of the river in an icy drift.
The river, which had swallowed a large amount of wood chips and debris, splashed down and even the riverbanks were flooded.
The boats, which still had some shape, were already full of holes and tilted, spitting bubbles and foam.
“Come onnnnnnnn!”
“”””Wooooooooooooooooooo!!””””
The battle cries rose from the rear of the convoy at the same time as the ice magic was broken.
The army came charging, bloodshot-eyed and shouting.
They were knights of the Transportation Corps, human footmen with appropriate blunt weapons like hammers, and horses so agitated that they were foaming at the mouth.
They charge toward the people, who seem to have no idea what has just happened. And.
“What, stop… Gyaaaa!”
“You two, Gghhh…!”
The carnage began as the rolling pins ran over the bread dough.
Not only knights, but even rampaging war horses were fearsome. If kicked with their feet, they could be killed instantly. They were much more fearsome enemies than half-baked monsters.
Somewhere a trumpet sounded messily. It was a warning that there was a surprise attack.
However, it was too late to notice.
While everyone was distracted by the fire, Coxon had killed the general and the Princess had taken control over the rear of the convoy.
The relatively safe rear of the column was mainly made up of the Transportation Corps.
There were probably some knights among the guards who were as skilled as experienced adventurers, but the rest of the “Blue Silver Bond” members had them under control. If the Princess joined them, she would be able to kick the knights out of the way. The rest were just non-combatant foot soldiers and accompanying bouncers of alcohol merchants, so there were only so many of them.
And now they had become the Princess’s soldiers. While they were distracted by the burning transports, Princess-sama took control of them and had them further prepare for battle.
Above the crowd that was rushing forward, even sparing their lives, there floated a black shadow that blended into the night.
“This is ridiculous…why…”
A Dwarf soldier, who had apparently come out with only an axe before putting on his armor, looked up at the heavens and was astonished.
Dwarves who have adapted to a subterranean life were able to see the landscape even with little light.
Dwarven eyes could see. The beautiful Princess, spreading her wings and soaring through the night sky.
A girl with silver hair and silver eyes. A rose painted in blood.
No one could mistake her for anyone else.
The name … was imprinted more strongly than anything else in the minds of all those who participated in this march.
“Why is the ‘Rose Princess of Hellrage’ in a place like this!?”
Boss Monsters usually stayed in their strongholds and did not move.
Especially in the event of a battle, they would retreat to a dungeon in the middle of nowhere and have their minions fortify their defenses.
It should have been easy to win … if an overwhelming majority surrounded the royal capital and whittled down the enemy forces from the edges.
But.
The Boss, who should have been in the Royal Capital Terra Ruale, showed up here of all places.
She showed herself in order to attack the supply troops.
The Dwarf soldier was surprised to see the Princess and was trembling with fear.
However, the next moment he turned on his heels and slashed at his allies behind him.
“Wha, what are you doing!? Hey, I’m an ally, ally… Ugh!”
A double-handed great axe was driven deeply into the chest of the knight, who was not even wearing chainmail.
The people around him followed the dwarf soldier and attacked those who were supposed to be allies just a moment ago.
One wondered how many of them realized that this change of heart was due to the vampire’s ability, “Charming Evil Eye”.
The evil eye was designed to charm the opposite gender, regardless of race, and turn them into loyal servants.
Even if a person could not see the vampire’s form clearly, it would be effective if they saw those eyes glowing vermillion at the moment of its activation.
For some reason, it was said that vampires were almost exclusively male. The reason for this was not clear, but in fact the most reported cases were of male vampires.
However, on the rare occasion that a female vampire did appear, she was considered to be a far greater threat than a male vampire. This was because the overwhelming majority of those involved in battle were male, and they are all targets of the “Chaming Evil Eye”.
Incidentally, warhorses and military cavalry were also basically male.
It was no longer a battle, but rather an overtaking.
It could be that the attackers were not prepared for battle, but more than that, those who fought to save their lives and those who fought to die were too different in their work. A man with a hammer could kill a well-trained knight.
‘Kill as many as you can and then die.’ That was the order of the Princess.
However, the battle gradually became more and more fierce.
Several of the Princess’s soldiers were blown to pieces and poured down on the rest.
“There’s no way to help these guys!?”
“Too many! There are too many of them!”
A large Fighter was wielding a large sword like a club, and was reaping them with the sword. It was Igor, the leader of the “Clasp of the Dunes”.
Igor led the way, followed by the adventurers.
The “Charming Evil Eye” didn’t seem to have any effect. On the contrary, none of the surrounding soldiers turned. They were probably using some kind of ranged defensive magic.
–You’ve come, “Clasp of the Dunes”!
Similar to the “Blue Silver Bond”, the “Clasp of the Dunes” was a formidable party that had joined this march for the purpose of defeating the Princess-sama.
No matter how many of them who were less than mere foot soldiers gathered together, to the “Clasp of the Dunes”, one person or a thousand people would be the same.
–Well then, this is my job!
Coxon held his sword in the air and took off.
It gave the illusion that his legs had exploded. In fact, the energy was equal to an explosion.
The “Flash Legs” skill art.
Coxon’s legs and boots, which were integrated with his leg armor, sprayed magical energy and he moved. This was the technique that Coxon had mastered.
As Coxon’s legs swung around, he gently rotated and danced in the night sky.
When Igor’s figure approached, Coxon braced himself and closed the distance at once with a backward kick in mid-air. He caught Igor with his sword and slashed at him with it while spinning around and landing on his feet.
Igor caught Coxon’s sword with his gauntlet hand and yelled out loudly, piercing his eardrums.
“You stupid b*stard Coxon! Come back to your senses!”
Behind Igor, who was holding Coxon back, a magician was chanting a spell.
–This wording is … a healing type?
“«Callum»!”
Almost at the same time as the magician used his magic towards Coxon.
“N-Nii…?”
Coxon was vomiting blood.
Igor in front of him was also astonished.
His body was hot.
Several swords and spears were piercing through Coxon’s body from behind, cutting through the gaps in his armor.
Wrong. Something is strange.
–What is happening? Why did I … risk my life to fight for the “Rose Princess of Hellrage”?
Until just a moment ago, Coxon had never questioned any of this.
He thought it was only natural that he should devote himself to the “Rose Princess of Hellrage”, and he was satisfied with himself.
The “Charming Evil Eye”. Coxon, who had been carrying a charm as a precaution, was instantly smashed to pieces and was enchanted by the Evil Eye.
He was killed before he could regain his senses.
…The objective of this battle for the “Rose Princess of Hellrage” was to stop the supply and crush the reinforcements. Coxon had done his job of assassinating the general, so it didn’t matter if he was alive or dead.
“≪Create Undead≫”
Evil magic invaded Coxon’s dying body.
The senses and consciousness that had almost disappeared returned.
It no longer belonged to a person, but a truly faithful servant to the Princess…
＊ ＊ ＊
The battle was over before long.
By the time those who had begun fighting each other in a frenzy were defeated, the ringleader, the “Rose Princess of Hellrage”, and her followers, the undead, had disappeared.
All that remained was the burning wreckage of the floating transports on the surface of the river. Downed tents. The groans of the wounded.
And many corpses, both of men and horses… About half of the dead were those who had been manipulated and attacked by their allies.
Many knights and adventurers were safe. Most of those with a certain level of ability survived. The only notable casualties were the four members of the “Blue Silver Bond”.
However, the transport supplies were almost completely destroyed, and the footmen and horses that carried them were killed. The Hippogriffs of the airborne cavalry had also been taken.
Those who had survived were just standing there in the darkness, stunned.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the headcount was down. The remaining rations alone would be sufficient to return home.
However, all means of transportation had been destroyed. There were even knights abandoning their armor to carry food on the way home.
They could barely make it home. It would be impossible to ride into Ciel-Terra and fight. Even if the lives of the combatants were safe, it was not equal to the safety of the army.
The troops who had returned to Noacurio, frightened by the attack, were reduced to less than one-tenth of what they had been when they left.
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