“Aye. Then I will go too.”
At the side was Brain Unglaus. Apparently he was a first-rate warrior who was the equal of his trusted vassal, Gazef Stronoff. Brain had entered this war as Renner’s subordinate. In other words, they were in similar positions.
“Are you sure? The two of you are not exactly the Princess’ subordinates.”
“Ah? Well, don’t worry about that. During the demonic disturbance we were on the frontlines, and somehow we still made it back alive. This time, we’ll just hope that luck is with us. And we hope that luck is with you too.”
“The gods will not watch in silence. During that disturbance, a hero came to save us. I trust they will change our fate too.”
In front of Ranpossa III, Brain joined his knuckles in salute, to bid the vice-captain farewell.
“How did it end up like this…”
Where had it all gone wrong?
Ranpossa III moaned softly. He knew that none of the men in front of him would survive.
The vice-captain and Climb would die as bait.
And Gazef, who had vanished into the chaos after saying he intended to stop the Dark Young, who knew what had happened to him?
His eyes were hot.
Spare me, he wanted to say.
They were going to throw their young lives away, for him, an old man.
But he couldn’t say that. They were fighting desperately while aware of their imminent deaths.
Then-
“Return safely to E-Rantel, and I shall grant you any reward you desire.”
Climb and Brain paused mid-step and turned around.
“There’s no need for a reward, your Majesty. I exist to aid Renner-sama. That is reward enough.”
“As for me, well, how about marrying the most beautiful princess in the country to this kid here?”
“…Hahahaha. Well, that is a lavish reward.”
“Brain-san! What are you saying?”
“Well, we’ll have to start by giving the kid a lordship. Work hard!”
“Then you must return alive, Climb-kun.”
Climb’s empty eyes and open mouth no longer had the warrior’s spirit they had possessed just now.
The King, however, had inadvertently allowed a bright smile onto his face.
“Then, we’ll be off, your Majesty.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
The now-unarmored Ranpossa III was borne aloft by a soldier.
“Your Majesty. Even now, our flight is still a matter of luck. If the worst happens… I pray you will forgive me.”
“Very well. It was my decision to use your idea. If it fails due to misfortune, then I will have no complaints.”
“Then! Your Majesty! May we meet again in E-Rantel!”
The vice-captain galloped off on his horse. As though it were waiting for them, one of the Dark Young changed its direction.
“Alright! Let’s go while they’re drawing it off!”
Amidst the chaotic surge of routed men fleeing in random directions, Gazef fixed his eyes to his front, and slowly drew the weapon that was the treasure of the Kingdom, Razor Edge. As long as he held the shining blade in his hands, Gazef’s victory was assured. In other words, this sword was the proof of his triumph.
However, today it seemed far too weak and small.
It seemed puny and pathetic in comparison to the gargantuan body of the Dark Young which had charged straight in.
“If this place falls, the King’s main camp is next. I need to stop it here.”
As he said that, Gazef smiled, as though he were mocking himself.
There was no way for Gazef to beat that monster. Even being able to delay it for a second was worthy of praise.
Even a man hailed as the Warrior-Captain of the Kingdom, — a warrior renowned throughout the nations— could only do so much.
“Take his Majesty and flee. Pave his way home with your lives.”
These orders were whispered — almost like a prayer— to his subordinates who were not here. The strongest soldiers in the Kingdom had stayed behind to protect their King. However, even if they stayed behind, they would not be strong enough to as a shield for the King in the face of those monsters. Even putting their lives on the line would only allow them to take a single hit from their enemies before crumbling.
However, that was enough.
They would die if the enemy hit them, but as long as they could make sure that hit was wasted on them, the King’s life could be extended just a little more. Maybe it would work if 80 men were there to be shields, he thought optimistically.
“I’m sorry.”
Gazef apologized to his subordinates as the monster approached with uncanny speed, churning up sprays of flesh and gore in its wake. He knew that an apology to absent comrades was nothing more than satisfying his own ego. Even so, he did not want to die without having spoken those words.
As he felt the earth trembling under his feet, Gazef exhaled forcefully.
He gripped the sword in his hands tightly, and raised it.
His sword seemed so useless in front of that vast body that crushed humans into red paste.
If it were a runaway horse cart, he could easily get control of it. If a ferocious tiger pounced him, he could evade its first blow and strike off its head.
Yet, in front of the Dark Young, his chances of survival seemed very low indeed.
“Huuuuu—”
As Gazef breathed out, a dramatic change appeared in the flow of people around him. Until now they had gone in all directions, but now it seemed like they were moving to avoid Gazef. It looked as though they were creating a clear path between Gazef and the Dark Young.
The Dark Young drew ever closer, splattering humans under its hooves with every step it took.
As Gazef raised his sword, he studied its body. Where could he attack for the best results?
He activated a martial art — ‘Sense Weakness’.
However—
“—It has no weaknesses.”
Whether it truly had no weaknesses, or any which appeared could not be seen because of the overwhelming difference in strength, Gazef did not know.
Still, he did not despair. He had expected an outcome like this, after all/
He activated another martial art.
This was a secret move that was truly worthy of being called a secret move, a technique that would strengthen his extrasensory perceptions, ‘Possibility Sense’.
With the astronomical difference in their physical abilities, it made no difference if he shrunk a gap of miles by an inch or two through augmenting his own physical attributes. In that case, he decided to rely on something else — if it was his sixth sense, it might be more effective.