As the moon in the night sky shone brightly over the ground, the group was running at full speed without looking aside.
　Everyone is riding, running, running like mad.
　If the horse was running at this high speed, it would normally have loosened its legs, but now the horse continues to run as if it didn't feel tired at all.
　The horse knows it. The place where we had just been is full of death, and we need to move away from it as soon as possible.
　Therefore, even though the horse himself knows that he must rest from fatigue, he pushes away from the fear that comes from behind.
　Meanwhile, the captain of the cavalry running beside Bratta screams.

"My lord Bratta! If you don't give him a break, his horse will collapse! Fortunately, there is a small river not far from here, so let's head over there!"
「……」

　Bratta nods silently at the captain's words and follows the cavalry off the road leading the way.
　The usual noisy appearance of Bratta leaves the cavalry with a touch of displeasure towards the river they are aiming for.
　The horse also slows down to match the fact that the riders are beginning to relieve their tension.
　We have about twenty minutes to go. Eventually I hear the sound of running water.
　And what appeared was a river... or rather a stream that should be described as a stream.
　It will be only about two meters to the other side of the river. It's only as deep as an adult's knee.
　It was still a resting place for a horse that had run at full speed, or a knight on it.

"... Phew. I'll take a break here first. The horse has sprinted as fast as he can. You must be quite tired. I wish I had a replacement, but it's strange that I've survived. I can't say luxury."

　All the other cavalry nods to the captain of the cavalry.
　Everything but Bratta is a cavalry... to be exact, a cavalry under the direct control of Schles.
　Originally, the punitive force was formed of members of the First Prince's faction, and the cavalry in front of Bratta was a small exception.
　But... the position is now completely reversed, and Bratta is the minority here.

「……」

　But Bratta doesn't seem to care at all about it, and when she gets off her horse, she takes her directly to the river. 　
　Even for a horse, he must have been too tired from running so fast. give a short cry to the water of a mouth
　Bratta gently caresses the horse's back as it continues to drink water.

"I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble. But I think I'll make you go crazy again, so do your best a little bit more."

　I don't think I answered the word, but the horse bawls up from the river.

"This, Mr. Blatta," I've been moving this far since the midnight battle, so please try to recover my strength even a little."

　The captain of the cavalry handed me dried fruit.
　The sufficiently sun-dried fruit fills your mouth with sweetness when chewed.
　Blatta, who is not so good at sweets, scoops up the river water while frowning slightly at the taste that spreads through her mouth.
　Then... he realizes for the first time that he was thirsty, scoops up water many times, and carries it to his mouth.
　He was in a position where the fire whirlwinds were raging until the very end. The heat emitted by the fire whirlwind rapidly raised the temperature in the camp, as if it were in the middle of the summer sun in the middle of the night in autumn... or worse, it would have been acting in temperatures higher than that.
　That's because of the cool autumn night temperature.
　Moreover, they have survived in a situation where everything is determined by luck, regardless of their skill, in which they can easily lose their lives depending on the movement of the fire whirlwind. On top of that, he must have been exhausted and thirsty more than I expected because he had run all the way from his position to here without a break.
　Drink the river water until your stomach is full of water, and then you can take a rest.
　And when you look up at the night sky, you'll see the moon and countless stars.
　The stars knocked me off my consciousness... and eventually I remember that Soble used to look up at the starry sky despite his calm and calm nature.
　simultaneous outpouring of hatred
　He was a friend, partner, understanding person, and even a semi-guardian.
　Such an opponent was shot with an arrow. Having come so thoroughly to kill themselves, it's not difficult to predict the fate of the future, though perhaps the Sobble had fallen off the horse.

"d*mn it... d*mn it, d*mn it!"

　Bratta hits the ground with emotions that come from within.
　Its power is tremendous, and the ground caved in a few centimeters.
　But even with all my strength, I could not defend one of my friends.
　It was not until then that Bratta understood Rodos' feelings.
　Of course, I understand that the hatred I feel is very different from what Rodos has.
　Still, it would be the same in terms of negative feelings.
　Lie down on the ground, sniffing at the grass, turning to the stars in the night sky, muttering the names of friends who don't know whether they are alive or dead.

"Sobble..."
"I understand the frustration, but now I think I should give priority to returning to the imperial capital."

　It was the captain of the cavalry who spoke to Bratta, either rightly or not.
　It is only natural that all the cavalrymen, except the captain, could not speak to Bratta because of his near-killing anger.
　Even this captain was sweaty on the palm and spine, not to mention on the surface, and in his heart he was frightened of the murder he felt from the man in front of him.
　Bratta, one of the most powerful of Kabazid's men, and Shurus's direct subordinates, are after all only men in charge of a cavalry unit. The difference in ability is evident.
　Still loyal to Schles, the captain had to pull Bratta to the imperial capital.
　The reason for this is that if they return to the imperial capital by themselves, they could be manipulated strangely by Kabazid.
　If they say they have joined forces with the rebels and invited their troops into their positions, there is no material evidence to overturn them.
　It is unbelievable that, unless they do so, nearly six thousand men, combined with military forces and supply forces and their escorts, would be in a state of lukewarmness, even in terms of annihilation or destruction.

(It won't really be total destruction.) Other than us, there must be survivors, and there may be prisoners there. but... still this man is absolutely necessary.)

　The captain said so in private, but it was an unexpected reaction that came back to him.

"I know... I know." I was entrusted to him. I have an obligation to inform Prince Kabazeed that the crimson is over there... no, I have a right."

　The sound of Bratta clenched his teeth around him.
　It represented the anger in Bratta.
　Seeing Bratta's appearance as if he were a volcano that could erupt at any time, the captain takes a few steps back.

"Anyway, let the horse rest here... well, we'll start in about an hour." After that, instead of driving the horse to the limit like this, we move it with some leeway."
"... Oh, I know."

　The reason why they ran so frantically from their position to this point in the first place was because of the fire whirlwind that had become a symbol of despair and the crimson that created it.
　Then, in order to escape, he had sprinted at full speed for a long time at which the horse could be crushed.
　The reason why it did not collapse was probably because the horse used in the cavalry unit under the direct control of Schles was so capable. 　
　But even the horses are so exhausted that they can't push them any further.
　For the captain's sake, the horse should have been more... rested for about a night if possible, but what happened earlier... given the destruction of the punitive force, it was necessary to inform the master of his service of this information as soon as possible.

"Then, Mr. Blatta, please rest a little longer until we leave." I'll take care of the lookout."

　Bratta glances at the captain's back, telling him nothing but that.
　This is because I understand that I should listen to their opinions here.
　Bratta himself was full of the desire to jump out of here and head to the imperial capital at once, but there was no way he could imitate it.
　In the end, as the captain of the cavalry said, he had no choice but to rest until the time came.





"Well, are you ready?"In response to Ray's confirmatory question, Perenicus nods silently.
　They are already fully prepared to leave, and even the captive Sobble is tied up in a carriage seized by Ray from the punitive force.
　In such a carriage, there were men of the short‐range corps sitting on the cab, and they had a few other passengers in the car, except for the Sobble, on guard.
　In addition, the horse that pulls the carriage was the horse that they rode.
　Soble's true character is the brain. It was a common idea among Ray and Perenicus that they could not imitate strangely in this situation.
　Soldiers from other short-range units are also riding horses.
　Due to the characteristics of the unit called shortstop units, horse riding skills were essential as mobility was naturally emphasized.
　However, it was the elite who were chosen as short‐range troops in the first place. Naturally, everyone has the right horse‐riding skills.
　in Ray's case, not a horse, but a Gryphon set.

"I'm going back to my post, but be careful not to be found by the enemy. I should have liked to start in the morning, but that fire... no, the nobles, knights, adventurers, mercenaries, and others around me who saw the tornado of fire, might send out reconnaissance troops to see how things like that way. Few people will send out scouts in the night, but in the morning there will certainly be more."

　I nod to Ray's words that everyone knows.
　Because everyone understands it, the battle is over for a few hours. It's not dawn yet, but we're ready to withdraw and we're not complaining.
　...however, when asked if anyone could complain about Ray, everyone here... including Perenicus would say no.
　Ray is showing off his strength to everyone, and above all, the fire whirlwind he saw in front of him.
　It would be quite a person to be able to say something to Ray, while watching a fire whirlwind closely, which could be called a symbol of death.
　In addition, although soldiers of the shortstop unit took part in the battle, they were actually only shooting arrows at the enemy coming out of the fence door from a distance. I can't say I'm not tired because I fought, but I'm less tired than I was when I actually fought.
　This enabled us to set out, ready for withdrawal, even though it had not been long since the end of the fighting.

"I think it will be safe at this time of day, but as I did when I came this far, I'll make sure that I don't scout from above and bump into other forces."

　The airs of relief at Ray's words.
　After all, as it's night, the surroundings are still dark.
　Of course there was moonlight, but it was only natural that visibility was severely limited compared to that of the daytime.
　With that in mind, Ray and Sett, who have a good night vision, can't be more helpful to see if anyone is approaching them from above, considering the hassle of marching at night.
　Of course, Ray and Seto don't miss everything perfectly, so there may be people like Goblin approaching in the dark at night, when monsters are active.
　But as long as it was done by horse or carriage, the Goblin could not have caught up.
　You don't have to deal with them because they're already out of range when they find them approaching and are ready to attack.
　There was no damage done to the shortstop, and the punitive force of about 6,000 soldiers in total was destroyed.
　With the greatest results of the war, the Rays return to rebel positions.