Chapter 28 - Already Taken, Or About To Be
"Kratia has decided to return our Imperial Knights."
Lilien looked surprised at Tia's words.
"From Kratia?"
"Yes."
Until now, Kratia had taken Iser's Imperial Knights on dispatch and hadn't sent them back.
They had arbitrarily made use of another nation's knight order.
"It seems they judged that the Imperial Knights would be absolutely necessary for the Holy War we're about to wage."
"Is that so? That's truly fortunate."
Lilien sighed after hearing Tia's further explanation.
'At least they're sending them back this time.'
It was unusual for them to tell Iser to wage a Holy War and then not return the knight order, but Kratia was certainly capable of such a thing.
They had already appealed that the public order in Iser's capital had worsened due to the absence of the Imperial Knights, but Kratia hadn't even pretended to listen.
'But, I wonder if this can really be considered good news...'
The Imperial Knights also represented the cooperative relationship between the Holy State Alliance and Iser.
However, Kratia urgently returning Iser's knight order inevitably made one suspect their true intentions.
"It seems Lilien has similar thoughts to mine."
Tia said, looking at Lilien's expression.
"They're sending the Imperial Knights back, but they aren't providing any support themselves. To anyone, it looks like they're just going to abandon us if things go wrong."
"Your Majesty, we shouldn't simply comply with Kratia's wishes."
"What if we don't?"
Lilien swallowed dryly at Tia's question.
"That would be..."
"If we don't, that would give them an excuse to attack us anyway."
Iser was not a very large nation compared to the countries belonging to the Holy State Alliance, but it had high reserves of magic stones used in artifact crafting.
Moreover, the quality of those magic stones was also top-grade.
Their refining technology, which extracted only the necessary parts from magic stones, was also pioneering, but Kratia had already dispatched technicians to learn it.
"Since they've taken our technology, they might now want to attack us to gain our magic stone mines."
"Such...! Your Majesty, we really can't just let this happen!"
"Yes, if it's a situation where we'll suffer damage whether we act or not, then we'll need countermeasures."
A shadow fell across Tia's face as she spoke.
"Even Clay did as they wished..."
As a result, nothing was gained.
Not even a moment's reprieve was given for this outcome.
CRUNCH!
A screaming friction sound came from the desk where Tia's fingernails were digging in.
"Lilien."
Tia, seized by a sudden emotion, spoke quickly, as if gripped by fear.
"We can't just wait for the Imperial Knights to return. There might be unforeseen dangers on their return journey, so I'll move the Royal Guard. Please prepare them."
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Lilien asked, surprised, looking at Tia who was panting with widened pupils.
But Tia deliberately ignored the question and continued.
"The Royal Guard alone won't be enough. I'll find ways to supplement them soon."
"Your Majesty."
"You may leave now."
Tia held out her hand.
"..."
"Don't just stand there, leave."
Lilien looked at Tia's trembling hand, then bowed her head.
"Understood. Then I will prepare as commanded. Please call me again anytime."
After she left, Tia, alone in her office, breathed even more heavily.
"Hah, haah..."
Tia clutched her chest and bowed her head.
"I had no choice."
Tia muttered softly, as if comforting herself.
But her heart wouldn't stop pounding.
Did Clay really have to die?
If the outcome was this, perhaps his death had no meaning at all.
She asked herself questions, but no proper answers came.
There was only the fact that, in the past, she had no choice but to make that decision.
If she could go back to the past now, would she choose a different option?
But if she were to imagine that, this pain would surely transform into something unbearable.
"I..."
Her head spun.
CRASH!
Her body toppled sideways.
♧
Iser's Imperial Knights, on their journey back home, were just passing through a dense jungle area south of Marpein.
Clank, clank.
Heavy sounds echoed from the armor worn by the knights' horses.
'Just moving is hard enough.'
Lexter, the Imperial Knights Commander, sighed, looking at his tired subordinates.
'I wonder if His Majesty is doing well.'
Kratia, which had committed the unprecedented act of unilaterally drawing out another nation's Imperial Knights, paid no mind to Tia's well-being.
If the Imperial Knights were absent, it would be much easier for the nobles in the capital to increase their power.
He had actually heard that the capital's nobles had secretly gathered more private soldiers.
'Would that truly be for the good of the country?'
It would be fortunate if they had increased private soldiers to improve the worsening public order in the capital due to the absence of the Imperial Knights.
But he didn't think the nobles had gathered troops with such pure intentions.
'I don't know. For now, it's best to get out of this place quickly.'
Due to climatic factors, there were jungle areas, like outer walls, between and outside the nations surrounding Kratia.
It was not a good path to travel with a large number of troops, let alone alone.
One notable point was that taking this jungle path meant they didn't have to go around, allowing for a faster journey to Iser.
Furthermore, they chose this place because there were no particular enemies in the vicinity to attack them. There had been rumors of monsters living in the jungle, but they were just rumors.
There were no enemies here.
That's what he was thinking when.
Whoosh!
Immediately after the sound of wind being cut, a knight who had briefly removed his helmet clutched his neck and fell from his horse.
"Ambush!"
Along with someone's shout, arrows flew in simultaneously.
"!"
Lexter, eyes wide, swiftly drew his sword from his sheath and parried an arrow that flew directly at him.
"What in the...!"
There was no time to be flustered.
Lexter parried countless incoming arrows and shouted to his men.
"Dismount and hide behind your horses!"
He couldn't tell where the arrows were coming from. First, they needed to regroup their formation.
Clink!
The knights dismounted and used their horses as a shield.
Clang! Twang!
The armor on the horses was much heavier than what the knights wore, but it was enchanted with guard magic that made it difficult to penetrate even with spears and swords.
Arrows that hit it bounced off in various directions.
"Mounted Archers!"
The archers who made up the knight order, normally moved on horseback, but now they had to hide behind their horses to face the enemy and protect their allies.
"Form a diamond formation!"
At Lexter's command, the Mounted Archers moved their horses to form a diamond-shaped formation.
"Attack!"
Screech!
The Mounted Archers drew their bowstrings. The aura they emitted enveloped the arrows strung on their bows.
Bang!
Their swiftly launched arrows flew in all directions.
Ugh!
Gah!
Enemies hidden in the bushes screamed as they were hit by the arrows.
'To the right!'
Lexter confirmed that the fewest screams came from the right.
"Break through to the right! Under the cover of the Mounted Archers, the rest of you form a triangle formation!"
Then, everyone except the Mounted Archers mounted their horses.
And they formed a triangle formation to the right.
"Charge!"
Spearhead.
Lexter, leading the charge like the head of a spear, spurred his horse forward.
"Ugh!"
Soon, he spotted the enemy.
Lexter immediately swung his sword.
Crack!
A soldier holding a bow was struck by his aura-clad sword and sent flying high into the air.
"Hyaaaah!"
The horses galloped.
Along with the trailing knights, he cut down every enemy he saw.
Soon, the Mounted Archers also mounted their horses and joined from behind.
'What, what happened?'
Even with the surging momentum, Lexter wore a horrified expression.
'Why are they Yapheon soldiers...!'
The soldiers he had cut down were wearing Yapheon armor.
Thinking there might be some misunderstanding, Lexter shouted.
"We are Iser's Knight Order! Yapheon soldiers, stop attacking immediately!"
The shout was loud enough to make even the small animals, who hadn't fled the commotion, scatter.
Yet, the Yapheon soldiers continued to attack them as if they had heard nothing.
'What on earth...'
It was then.
Someone suddenly flew in and swung twin axes at Lexter.
Clang!
Lexter's instinctively extended sword crossed and blocked the twin axes simultaneously.
"Pleasure to meet you, Lexter."
"!"
In that instant, Lexter confirmed the identity of the person who had just spoken to him while hovering in the air.
'Gagaro!'
It was the moment he instinctively knew this was not an accident.
♧
Barungenia.
At the entrance to that place, the Pitch-Black Gorge, a living legend had just set foot.
"..."
Nael.
She wrinkled her nose for a moment, then lifted her head.
"It's strong."
There was a smell.
But it wasn't Clay's smell.
A lingering scent, as if something had been scorched by fire.
It stretched from the place where Clay's scent was last present, all the way here.
'Beatrice.'
Nael could easily identify the owner of this scent.
Since she had heard that Beatrice had taken Clay's body, there was no need for separate confirmation.
Only certainty existed within her.
"?"
It was then.
Something flew nearby.
『That's far enough.』
It was a group of Gargoyles.
One of them, with red wings, spoke from the air.
『This place is forbidden. Turn back the way you came.』
"Gargoyle?"
She frowned, ignoring the previous words.
"Are you Beatrice's minions?"
『I am Goet, the Gatekeeper of this place. I warn you again. Immediately, from here...』
CRASH!
In an instant, Nael pushed off the ground and leaped directly in front of Goet, the Gargoyle leader.
"Come down and talk. I can't hear you well."
WHOOSH!
Her foot lashed out as swiftly as an arrow.
『!?』
If he hadn't instinctively moved back first, Goet's skull would have been shattered by that kick.
But it was too early to be relieved.
Despite dodging the attack, the powerful wind caused by her kick grazed Goet's wings.
Flap, flap.
Nael glared at Goet, who was losing balance and flailing in the air, and shouted.
"I said come down!"
KWA-AAAAAH!
Suddenly, she raised her foot above her head and brought it down.
Again, the attack didn't directly hit Goet.
But the direction of the already blowing strong wind changed.
An incredible force, powerful enough to feel like being sucked down by a pressure difference.
Goet, caught in the overwhelming physical force that pulled the air downwards, lost his ability to float and plummeted like a moth caught in a hurricane.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The Gargoyles slammed into the ground one by one.
Goet, who held out the longest, somehow managed to avoid an unsightly fall and landed on the ground.
"Yes, you're the leader, after all."
Nael, who had already come down to the ground and was waiting, raised her fist.
"I have no intention of preaching, so I'll just break your head as the Gatekeeper."
Just as Nael's fist was about to extend,
"-Nael."
A familiar voice was heard.
"That's not where your fist should go."
Following the voice, she turned her head to see Clay, who should have been nothing but a corpse, standing there, his eyes radiating vivid life.