*

　On the evening of the sixth day, the imperial army, having lost its generals in the battle and reduced in size to less than 8,200, had reached a bottleneck beyond the hills.
　Their rations, which were about to run out, were being replenished thanks to the Ninth Kinsman Guard.
　This was despite the fact that Rio, the leader of the group, had thrown away his work and participated in the night raid.
　The old knight, who is the deputy commander of the group, has all-back hair and a full beard, says that the old knight who is the deputy commander of the group has no business being a member of the Ninth Kinsman Guard.
　Crono exchanged a few words with the old knight as he received his provisions.
　The conversation lasted only a few minutes, but it was somehow uncomfortable to feel how much the old knight cared for Rio.
　If you betray Rio-sama, you'll die, the old knight tapped Crono on the shoulder.
　He had a soft smile on his face, but a horrifyingly icy light was in his twin eyes.
　According to the information I got from such an old knight, the Holy Argo Kingdom has more and more highlands the closer you get to the royal capital, and inevitably the roads will be in the form of gaps in between.
　If it were in spring, we would be able to enjoy the scenery that would make us want to hike, but unfortunately, it is winter now.
　The flowers and plants on the slope are dead and the trees have lost their leaves.
　Yet, despite this, we feel a sense of intimidation as if the earth is closing in on us.
　The reason why we feel that way is probably because we are more vigilant than necessary about the enemy's surprise attack.
　That's how easy it is to imagine enemy infantry and cavalry rushing down the slope, or huge rocks rolling down the slope.
　If I were the commander, I would lure them into the bottleneck and hit them where the battle lines are stretched out," Crono said as he sat down on the rock.
　While Crono was thinking about this, his second-in-command was giving orders and setting up the camp, and the subordinates with free hands were beginning to help the landlady.
　As expected of a subordinate who had just become a subordinate, the subordinate was not very handy, but this was managed by the old soldier lending a hand.

''When I come back alive, I'll have to apply to the Military Affairs Bureau to transfer him to the Marquis of Erakis' territory.
The Cronos look so difficult.
You're not going to make me do it again, are you?

　As Crono pokes at his cheekbones, Deneb and Alideed lean against a rock.
　Maybe that thing is a sniper tactic.

'With that thing, you can cut down the enemy's forces with fewer troops and lower their morale.
Well we don't mind, but we don't mind.
It really hurts our morale when they do that, you know?

　Yeah?　Crono nodded his head.

'It's like he was scared of his men torture and mutilate the enemy and mutilate their bodies.
Deneb and Aridid seem to be doing okay?

　When Crono asked, Deneb and Aridid looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

''You see, we have a rather tragic past and so on.
That's why I can move with my mind detached from it.

　If you think about it, even Crono is resistant to hurting people, so the same is true for his subordinates.
　In order to carry out sniper tactics and psychological attacks like this one, does this mean that we also have to overcome the psychological constraints?

''You say so, but that doesn't change the fact that it's an effective tactic, does it?
So why don't they choose someone who is capable of doing that, like us?
It's bad for morale.

　Deneb and Alideed's suggestion seemed appealing.
　If they were going to continue with sniper tactics, it would be better to organize a sniper squad by selecting suitable subordinates to maintain the overall morale.

''It won't change the fact that Crono-sama will still be called a coward, though.
I don't mind.

　Ehhh,'' said Deneb and Alideed, puffing out their cheeks in frustration.

''It's thanks to Crono-sama that we were able to win the battle the day before yesterday in an overwhelming manner.
I don't know, I'm not sure.
That was all thanks to Mr. Mino.

　The only thing Crono did was to take Ignis by surprise and set him on fire.
　I drove a dagger into his side pretty deep, but if it wasn't for his second-in-command, I would have died there.
　At least that's what Crono has decided.

''Crono-sama, you're not thinking about getting ahead or anything?''
Not much ... I mean, I don't think there's much more you can do to get ahead.

　Even if he was able to rise in the ranks, Crono would choose to manage the territory steadily rather than risk his and his subordinates' lives.

''........Marquis Erakis!
"Count Piske.

　Suddenly, he was about to stand up when his name was called, but Count Piske restrained Crono with his hand.
　Count Piske walked up to Crono without his second-in-command with him and looked away from him as if he was in a bad mood.

''Ah~, Marquis Erakis?''
What is it?
Well as a matter of fact, I was summoned by Master Alfort the day before yesterday.
Huh.

　When Crono replied live, Count Piske cleared his throat awkwardly.

''I was told that you would give me the territory because of the matter the other day. I am grateful for the offer, but it is with great determination that I have recommended the Marquis of Erakis.
''Does this mean that Crono-sama's territory will increase?''

　Count Piske scowled uncomfortably as Deneb and Arididid leaned forward.

'I was only recommending you, but you can take it as such. Anyway, I think we've fulfilled one of our promises now.
What?
What, you're not happy in your own land?
No, thank you.

　To put it bluntly, Crono was surprised and thanked Count Piske because he thought he was the type to not keep his promises.
　Crono didn't have a good impression of Count Piske because of his sticky harassment of Faye and his attempts to kill Deneb and Alideed in order to maintain military discipline, but he didn't seem to be a bad person.

''No, it's no thanks to you. In the future, I hope to maintain good relations with you, at least for the duration of this war.''
Yeah, I hope we have a good relationship.
Totally.

　After shaking hands with each other, Count Piske returned to his tent with a somewhat light step.

''Master Crono, when did you become so close to me?''
He tried to kill us and he tried to kill Master Crono, too.
'There was a lot going on when I proposed the night raid.

　Perhaps Count Piske saw the value in using Crono.
　As long as Crono can provide convenience, he's willing to be used.

''I have a little while before dinner.
At last, the time has come for me to be invited to the tent of the Chronosphere!
'Ehehe, would you be happy to be nice to me?'

　Chuckling, Deneb and Alideed rubbed up against Crono.

'We have some time until dinner, so we need a meeting.
I'm ready to give my body and soul to this thing!
I don't know how to get Lady Crono to fall!

　Deneb and Alideed stepped on the ground in frustration.



　His breath smells bloody, and Ignis leaned back against the slope, repeating his breathing with his shoulder.
　The wielder of the Divine Majesty Art........Ignis's faith in 'Crimson and the God of Destruction' is, as his name suggests, a god who controls destruction.
　It is the most powerful of the six pillar gods, but its healing power is far inferior to the Mother Goddess of Ocher and the Goddess of Fertility and the Goddess of Blue and the Goddess of Life.
　It's all you can do to seal up life-threatening wounds as a priority.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
　When I looked around while contorting my face in pain, my subordinates were sitting on the ground as well.
　The number........the number of subordinates who had survived was probably less than two thousand.
　Everyone was wounded and in the extreme state of exhaustion.

　Why?

　It's obvious.
　Because we were attacked by night.
　That night raid had changed the tide of the war.
　More than five hundred men had been killed in a single night, and those who had survived had their will to fight discouraged by the enemy's despicable tactics.
　The next day's battle quickly broke up the battle lines, and the surviving soldiers said in horror that the carnage was not even a battle.
　If only Ignis hadn't been seriously wounded, or at least hadn't fainted, he might not have had to suffer such a cruel defeat.
　Could he escape?　And Ignis looked at his wounded men.
　It took three days to get from the city of Markab to the hillside.
　Now that he had a wounded soldier, it was safe to assume it would take longer than that.

'General Ignis!

　The Gion Officer walked up to Ignis with a screaming voice.
　While receiving a night attack and suffering a heavy defeat, the Jinyu Officer was completely unharmed, with only a little bit of dirt on his clothes.
　The answer is obvious.
　This man had escaped faster than anyone else when he was attacked by night, and he was the first to escape in the next day's battle.

'Why, why aren't there any reinforcements coming from the border fort, or even from the city of Markab!
I don't know.

　The lack of reinforcements coming from the border forts is probably because the roads are blocked, and the lack of reinforcements coming from the city of Markab is probably because someone is trying to unseat the priesthood officers or because they are unable to gather sustenance and peasants from the neighboring villages.

''We must retreat to the city of Markab to regain our position once and for all.
Perhaps the enemy will catch up with us before we reach the city of Markab.
Then what do you want me to do?

　The Gion Officer rumbled hysterically and stared at his subordinates, who were sectioned off.
　Ignis couldn't help but notice the lowly light in his eyes.

*

　Early in the morning of the seventh day, the Imperial Army resumed its march towards the city of Markab.
　Since the rations had just been replenished, the amount and freshness of the food was improved...a little better than before.
　Crono thinks that even if you can't hope for freshness, the amount of food you eat is important.
　'You can't fight a battle if you're hungry' is a given, but the amount of food you eat can make you imagine the war situation and make you anxious.
　At least that's how Crono thinks of things in a bad way.
　The hard bread was provided for his new subordinates, and Crono touched his pouch.
　He asked the landlady to do the same as last time, but she demanded quite a bit of hassle, as she was known to be in possession of a large amount of gold coins.
　I tried to negotiate that I would pay with my body, but if I discounted it, I'd lose a lot of money!　And the landlady kicked me off.
　How could I be in debt for a hundred gold coins for being so solid?　The moment he stepped out of the way, Crono almost fell over.
　He stumbled over a stone.

''General, are you alright?'' (Bum?)
Thanks to you.

　Crono answered his deputy in mid-air.
　If the deputy hadn't grabbed his belt, he would have fallen.
　Of course, the deputy wouldn't help him as much as he was about to fall.

'It's a rock,'
"Well, you're right.

　Crono stood on his feet and stared at the stones ... not just one or two, but the entire street ... spread out across the street.
　Honestly, Crono's eyesight couldn't tell how far the stones were lying around.

'Someone must have done it to delay the march.
Ignis? (BUMO)

　When I looked up, I saw that part of the slope had been burned and gouged wide open.

'I hope not. It's insane that I stuck a dagger in his side and cut him up all over and he's still alive.'
"The fireball is coming loose. Well, isn't it only the users of the divine power technique that receive divine blessings? Bumpy?
I'm the one fighting for my life, and you're a coward.

　When Crono spat out, the second in command let out a breath through his nose as if he was dumbfounded.

''Well I don't know what they're thinking, but let's proceed with caution anyway.
"I understand.

　The deputy nodded and pulled out a magic item for communication.
　Crono stopped and looked around.
　The Imperial Army was advancing in two columns of vertical troops through the bottleneck, which made it difficult to grasp the overall situation.

''We have no choice but to keep in touch with the blisters...!

　He was hit in the side of the head and his vision went blank for a moment.
　Unable to stand properly, Crono poked one knee.
　Blood trickled out.
　The wound he received three days ago had opened up.

'Oh, isn't this a familiar sight?
　Looking up as he suppressed his wounds, Count Piske's second-in-command.......Cecily looked down at Crono with a mocking smile on her face.

　He must have taken his feet off the stirrups on purpose and kicked Crono.


I was just letting my horse go ahead as usual. It's not my fault that a nobleman would never march on foot. Excuse me....you are the son of a lowly mercenary.

　Crono was beyond angry and disgusted by Cecily's flowing quibbles and sarcasm.

'If I'm not a nobleman, then it's no wonder you're walking around. So, what's your apology for kicking the son of a lowly mercenary?'
If you're not a nobleman, you don't need to apologize to me. You'll just cut me down for making my feet dirty.

　Sliding out of the sword, Cecily's smile deepened.
　What shall I do?　And Crono looked at Cecily.

''I've decided,''
Have you decided to go down swinging?
'I just thought it was a bad idea to wake up and let a woman die.

　Crono grabbed Cecily's wrist and pulled her to him with force.

'W-what are you doing?!

　A moment later, an arrow snatched Cecily's neck and stabbed her to the ground.

''Enemy attack!''

　Crono pulled a stunned Cecily off her horse and they both jumped into a nearby slope.
　No, I should say that he pushed Cecily down a nearby slope.

''Keh, beast!''
"I saved you. What a bunch of crap!　I should have abandoned you!

　Covering the rampaging Cecily, Crono shouted into the magic item for communication.

'Enemy attack!　Mr. Mino, Deneb, Arididid, and Tyga, get down on the slope with your men!　Rizad, the Horus Squad also moved away from the cart and waited on the slope!　And whoever is nearby will defend the landlady and the doctor to the death!

　Immediately after Crono shouted, a rain of arrows rained down on the street.
　A soldier pierced by the falling arrows fell, and the horse that had been hit by the arrows jumped up on its hind legs.
　Unfortunately, a soldier nearby was kicked in the face and slammed into the slope.

''........gee, gosh.''
Hee!

　Cecily screamed as she seemed to get a decent look at the soldier's face as his jawbone was kicked in and blood bubbled out of him.

'Is everyone safe!'
It's okay with me! (BUMO!)
We'll be fine, I mean, the landlady and the doctor, too!
"I'm okay too.
"...safe." (Shoo)
I'll be fine, that I will.

　Alright, my men are fine, Crono was relieved as he covered Cecily.
　Meanwhile, a rain of arrows rained down intermittently, causing some soldiers to panic and rush forward.
　Someone stumbled over a stone, and the soldier who ran away from them was knocked down by a general.
　Of course, the enemy wouldn't miss it.
　The soldier who was hit by the concentrated attack sank into a pool of blood.
　The worst part is that he just sank and didn't drown.

"General!　What are you doing? (BUMO!)
'When the enemy has shot out their arrows, Deneb and Aridid let loose with a flame dance!　Everyone gather around the flame dance!　Anyway, we're going to get ready in a circle!

　The arrows stopped with a snap, and an ear-aching silence dominated the surroundings.
　The silence was broken by the voice of the enemy and the explosions of the flaming dances released by Deneb and Alideed.
　The reddish flames explode and swell up.
　It's about a hundred meters away from where Crono is.

''Look, don't be stunned, I'm running!
"I will not have some lowly mercenary's son touch me!
Just run!

　Yelling, Crono grabbed Cecily's hand and started to run.
　He looked behind him over his shoulder and saw that a group of enemies were about to run down the slope.
　There were no more than a hundred of them.
　The soldiers nearby returned fire with arrows, but there were too few of them to kill all the enemy soldiers.
　When the enemy soldiers landed on the street, they raised their voices and attacked the imperial army.

''General, be safe.'' (Bumo)
Somehow. She's looking good.

　Crono successfully joined his subordinates and exhaled when he saw that the proprietresses were safe and sound.

'You don't look fine!　We have to get you out of there fast!
I don't think it's necessary.

　Cecily tried to wave her hand away, but Crono wouldn't let her.

'I'm flailing about with all my energy, but I'll soon run out of energy and strength.
"Oh, that's a commander's line!

　As Crono had said, the enemy soldiers' struggle did not last long.
　The enemy soldiers were annihilated so easily that it was anticlimactic.

*

What are you thinking about?
'Wow, I was just doing my duty as a commander!

　When Ignis grabbed his chest, the priesthood officer turned his voice inside out and defended himself.

''Your duty as a commander, as you say, is to let your soldiers die in vain?''
Yeah, yeah!　It's a commander's duty to cut down on the small to keep the big alive!

　'Yes,' said a lowly gleam in the priesthood officer's eyes.

''They had deeper wounds than the other soldiers. If we proceeded while protecting them, other soldiers would be sacrificed. I sacrificed them with a desperate desire to protect them. I'm sure they understood that.

　Ignis let go of his hand in dismay as the Gion Officer muttered to himself.
　In a way, his words were correct.
　Since we can't win without sacrificing a single man, we must do everything in our power to ensure that as many of our men as possible survive and be prepared to sacrifice if necessary.
　Ignis slowed the speed of the imperial army's progress by blowing up the slopes and covering the streets with pieces of stone.
　Despite the fact that the Gion Officer knew this, he hid more soldiers than necessary on the slope.
　It seems that the Gion Officer deployed six hundred soldiers in five locations, but from Ignis' point of view, it can only be called meaningless.
　It would have been more effective to select soldiers who are geographically savvy or familiar with the mountain roads and repeat the breakout process, and there is a better chance that the soldiers would have survived.
　But the Divine Officer does not understand Ignis' true intentions.
　Perhaps they would not understand it even if they spent their entire lives.
　In order not to let their deaths be in vain Ignis chose to reach the city of Markab and regain his position as soon as possible.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

　Over the course of two hours after the surprise attack, the imperial army changed ranks.
　Ahead of them was a mixed unit of twenty lizardman heavy infantry led by Crono, fifty beastman infantry led by Taiga, and a hundred elven archers.
　The archers are led by an old elf soldier, a man named Nasr.
　He looks no older than twenty years old, but his real age seems to be about thirty-five.
　His hair is the shade of wheat just before harvest and he has a noble face, but he is silent and unfriendly like an eccentric craftsman.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.
　They are uneducated, or they don't have a family register until they join the military, so they don't know their age exactly.
　If you did an age survey in the form of a questionnaire, you would get a very skewed graph with a parade of Kiri's age.

'Crikey, it's humiliating that I'm marching on foot here.
Deneb, Arididid, who are your enemies?

　Ignoring Cecily, who had been complaining since the march resumed, Crono spoke to Deneb and Alideed.

''I'm here.''
"This one.
Do you think we can take him alive?

　Deneb and Alydead respond with a stifled voice sound.
　The two ... a mixed squad of elven archers and beastmen led by Deneb and Aridead to be exact ... are on the slope.

'It's tough, but if you're under orders,'
Me too.
'Don't push it, and when the enemy numbers are down to a reasonable level, we can take them alive.
Copy that.

　Sounds ... grunts, sword fights, the sound of steel slicing through flesh and bone, screams ... echo from the magic item.
　Soon, like beasts driven by hounds, enemy soldiers run down the slopes on either side.
　There are a total of fifty or sixty of them.

''Heavily armed infantry, infantry ready to move at any time.......Nasr.

　Nasr gave a small nod and stepped in front of Crono, accompanied by his men.
　Nasr formed a line of battle in two lateral columns so that the front and rear lines did not overlap.

T-They!

　With a command from Nasr, an arrow was released.
　With a clatter, the enemy soldiers fell and rolled down the slope.
　But only about ten of them were able to neutralize them.
　The enemy ran desperately to avenge their fallen comrades.
　Or if Nasr was a mediocre commander, he might have suffered no small amount of damage.

'Back row..................teh!

　The archers in the rear row release their arrows in unison, and the front row releases their arrows again in turn.
　Perhaps the reason Nasr had the front and rear rows change the timing of their arrows is to reduce the time lag until the next arrow is released.
　As Nasr's aim, the arrows fired incessantly cause the enemy soldiers to fall without being able to close the distance or escape.
　Once all the enemy soldiers were down, Nasr took his own bow and shot through the limbs of the fallen enemy soldiers.
　

''.........capture them.
'Taiga, capture the enemy soldiers, disarm them and just tie them up with ropes!　Be on your guard!　A cornered rat would kill a cat too!

　Taiga and the other beastmen held up their wooden sticks and were inching closer to the enemy soldiers.
　Of course, the enemy soldiers resisted, but they were not able to resist.
　They were beaten by several beastmen with wooden sticks and were captured when they couldn't move.

''........Deneb, Arididid, what's the damage?''
No injuries or fatalities.
I have ten minor injuries, but I didn't die either.
You two stay there as I have to decide how to handle the enemies I've captured. Tyga, follow me.
Guru.

　Crono took a glance at the enemy soldier, "It's going to take a long time to catch him, isn't it?

'You, what's your name?'
Kyle.

　His voice was low to call a boy and high and hard to call a young man.
　It was hard to tell because of the light dirt, but he might be younger than Crono.

'How old is he?'
Fifteen.

　Crono grunted as his prediction came true.

'Are you a regular soldier?'
No, they didn't! I was brought here from the village to fight you. My friends were with me. But the last of us, the last survivor they just killed.
　Crono looked up to the heavens and said, "You shouldn't talk to enemy soldiers.
'Why did you attack us?

　Eyes moistening, Kyle said, his voice choking.

'What are you talking about!　You guys kept attacking me over and over again, so we just had no choice but to attack back!
I didn't, we didn't do anything!

　Cecily put her hand on her sword, but she crossed her arms as if to mend it, as if she thought it would be shameful to slash her bound opponent.

'Quickly take your prisoner!　I'm uncomfortable!

　As Cecily called out hysterically, Taiga and the others hung their ears and tails as if they had no intention of disobeying, and handed over five prisoners, including Kyle, to the Twelfth Kingsguard Knights.

''........What is that, what is that!
Don't listen to the son of a lowly mercenary.
I wasn't talking to you!　I'm ... I'm talking to myself, with all this anger swirling in my chest!　He-t-ri-go!

　Cecily's face turned red and she shouted, as if thinking of an excuse had become too much trouble.

''Well what's going to happen to that girl?''
You fought bravely, and you should be treated with honor.
We don't torture people or anything.
What do you know of the nobility of the Empire?

　Cecily's willow eyebrows arched up in a grim manner as she uttered the words.

'Well, I hope you don't,'
You can't do that!

　Crono cowered his shoulders and returned to the front of the line.
　The day's march was over after preventing a third ambush.

*

　The next morning, five POWs were dead.
　The soldier who was guarding the prisoners said that their wounds had worsened, but their wounds would not be so bad that their nails would come off, their teeth would fall out, or their fingers would be broken.
　Besides, if that battalion commander with one arm hung up volunteered to go on to the front of the line, any fool could imagine what had happened.
　As the encampment was being cleared out of the camp, Cecily watched the bodies being buried with a pale face.

'I thought you weren't going to torture them?'
Huh!

　Cecily let out a small scream as Crono called out to her.

'This is, nah, there's a mistake!
'Did you torture him for some kind of mistake?　Did you kill him by mistake?　Can you explain it to me in a way that this lowly mercenary's son can understand?　Or do you want me to explain it to you?

　Cecily remained downcast.

'One of the battalion commanders ... must have tortured the soldiers on guard with a gold coin in his hand. Why?　Of course it is. The reason for this is to find out the location of the hiding places and get some good luck in the war, just like I did yesterday. If you're that flexible, I really wanted you to agree to a night raid.
Oh, shut up!

　Cecily's slap lands with a slap to the sky.
　It was easy to avoid it if he was this shocked.
　No, he may not have even had to avoid it.

''Marquis Erakis, could you stop there?''
Good morning, Count Piske.

　When Count Piske took one look at her, Cecily hung her head as if devastated and left.

'Is it torture, after all?'
Don't be so obvious. I was just asked the same question by Master Leonhardt, and he finally retired after I promised to investigate the matter responsibly.

　This is the sorrow of a middle management position.

''Is it like the fact that you killed a prisoner of war after the war is counterbalanced by your war service?
'You knew that, and you accused my deputy of knowing that?
'He made fun of me so many times as the son of a lowly mercenary that I decided to bully him.

　Count Piske shook his head in dismay.

''But even so, for a man who says he's proud of being an aristocrat, it's a preposterous thing to do.
The pride of the nobility is just a matter of convenience. Those who shout it aloud are either ignorant of shame or ignorant of the world.

　Count Piske muttered with a sigh.

*

　In terms of results, the battalion commander who hung one arm completed his mission in an orderly fashion, and the next two also completed their missions without causing any significant damage.
　On the evening of the tenth day after leaving the frontline base of the Nauji Empire's direct control territory, the Imperial Army reached the city of Markab.
　The correct place was the hill at the end of the bottleneck, and if it was daytime, they should be able to view the city of Markab from there.

''........''

　Crono couldn't help but feel uneasy as he watched his subordinates set up their encampment.
　Because according to the plans of the Military Affairs Bureau and the Knights of the Kingsguard, they had to reach the city of Markab in four days, but it took more than twice as long.

''General, what's wrong with your difficult face?'' (Bum?)
'I'm worried. Because even though things aren't going according to plan, if you just look at the progress, it looks like things are going well.

　That's what war is all about, if you ask me.
　Crono scratched his hair.

Sorry!　We'll change the encampment to near the bottleneck!
'Yeah!　I thought I could sleep on the grass!
I can't sleep over there with all those rocks lying around!

　Deneb and Alideed quirked their lips in frustration, but soon began to fold their tents.
　The other men seemed to be somewhat disgruntled as well, but they followed Crono's instructions.

'I'll go check on the city,'
I'll take care of this one. I'll take care of this one.

　Crono headed for the top of the hill by moonlight.

'....Wait for me!

　A familiar voice sounded from behind him, but Crono ignored it.
　After a while, a clattering sound came closer.
　Sound.........Cecily passed Crono and reversed with a graceful gesture.

''Why do you ignore it?''
"I don't want to be called a lowly son of a mercenary.
Wow, I told you to stop.

　It was somehow unreasonable, but it was not hard to understand Cecily's feelings.
　Those who claimed to be as proud of their aristocracy as he was had committed a certain barbarism.

''Well, it's unsettling, isn't it?''
What do you mean?

　You don't realize it, or you pretend not to notice it.
　If the pride of a nobleman is meaningless, then the prestige of a nobleman is meaningless too.
　In short, he realized that he was a woman and he had to protect himself.
　At the top of the hill there were three people ... Leonhardt, Count Piske and Alfort standing at the top of the hill.
　Standing at the top of the hill, I didn't know exactly how Marcab was doing.

''Oh, we're going to attack down there tomorrow, aren't we?
"Ha, let's attack Markab as soon as possible and show them the power of the Empire.

　When Alfort asked in an excited tone of voice, Count Piske replied with what he called enthusiasm.
　It was when Alfort turned his gaze from Count Piske back to the city of Markab.
　A small, tiny fire was lit on the outer edge of the shadowy city of Markab.
　The fire spread like a flower breaking out and filled the perimeter of the city.
　There were so many bonfires that it was ridiculous to count them.
　The anxiety was on target, Crono clicked his tongue.
　The Sacred Argo Kingdom had bought time and regained its poise by alerting them to an ambush.
　No, it might be too early to think that way.
　If they had regained their posture, why would they do something that would make the imperial army wary of them?
　A strange sound resounded, and the smell of ammonia and feces drifted through the air like a stinging nose.

''Ah!''
"Hold on, Mr. Alfort!

　As Alfort rolled away down the slope, Count Piske ran down the slope after him.

''Well Lord Crono, what do you see?''
I think you're bluffing about the number of bonfires.

　Asked by Leonhardt, Crono gave his honest opinion.

'Why do you make that decision?'
There's an army down here!　Because I think it's a poor idea to let them know that.

　At least Crono would pretend that he didn't have the troops to resist and attack with all his might.

''That doesn't mean we can't bluff our way out of it.
Well, that's for sure.
I'll go on ahead.

　Leonhardt walked down the hill with his usual gait.
　'I wanted to go too,' said Crono, looking at Cecily, who was stunned.

'Look, don't be stunned, let's hurry to the tactical meeting.
I'm not stupid!

　As Crono called out to her, Cecily quickly started down the hill by herself.

'Mino-san, it looks like the wind has changed direction, so be prepared for an enemy attack.
"...I understand.

　I'll use the magic item for communications to give them instructions.
　Entering the tent for the tactical conference, the battalion commander and his second-in-command were standing around the table, just as they were last time.
　The difference from last time was that Alfort was participating in the meeting.
　He looked so pale that he looked as if he might faint at any moment, and he rocked back and forth anxiously in his chair.
　The meeting was proceeding in the direction of intercepting the Holy Argo Kingdom Army until the middle of the meeting.
　There must have been an intention to appeal to Alfort for bravery there, but one of the reasons was probably because of the overwhelming victory in the hilly area.
　The morale was so high that Crono felt that they could win this one, and the will to fight was so high.
　However, Alfort's words changed the direction of the meeting.

''Teh, retreat!　Get out of here!　People don't see the number of bonfires surrounding the city of Markab, so they say they can win!
'Lord Alfort, there is no need to build a bonfire if the enemy has the troops to overwhelm us. That would be a way to buy time. Even if we were to retreat, we should do some damage to the enemy before we do so.

　Leonhard admonished Alfort with a bitter look on his face.
　He couldn't bluff his way out of the bonfire, but it was also a problem to take it as seriously as Alfort did.
　The worst part was that Alfort, an amateur, was the commander-in-chief of the Legion.
　No matter what plans he made, he couldn't move without Alfort's approval.
　At the very least, if Alfort wasn't here, there was a way to trick him with his mouth.

'Ugh, shut up!　Don't fight me!　He's a trueborn son of House Palatium, but now he's working for me!　Don't tell me you've forgotten what happens to those who defy me!
Please wait!　I can't defend myself without Lord Leonhardt!

　Count Piske leaned forward and defended Leonhardt.
　Now, the execution of Josef was also a negative thing.
　With that one incident, Alfort only understood the extent of his power.

''.........That Marcab doesn't need to be monitored?　Whether we fight or run, we need to keep an eye on the enemy.
Yeah, yeah!　Surveillance!　Even as we do this, the enemy may be closing in on us!

　Crono pointed out, and Alfort exclaimed, as if to say it was a good idea.

'I'll have my men watch over you.

　It was the battalion commander who came forward with his name and hung his arms.

''........I understand. Let's retreat so that we don't waste the lives of our soldiers.''
Okay, I understand.

　Realizing the folly of trying to convince him, Leonhardt easily broke off.
　After Alfort walked out of the tent, Crono walked out.
　His mouth involuntarily fell open.

''It's.......weird.
I'm just chewing on the joy.

　Cecily let out a sigh as she pushed Crono away and walked outside.

'Oh my God, are you scared?'
I'm scared.

　When Crono answered honestly, Cecily looked away in surprise.

'I'm not afraid of you.
I'm scared to death and I'm scared to death of my men.

　Crono shook his head.

'Well, you should get to bed early tonight.
You don't have to tell me.

　I was going to skip one of the vulgar jokes, but Crono reconsidered.

'How did it go, General?' (Bum?)
''The wind direction is still bad, but thanks to you, we'll be able to return to the Marquis' territory. Well, we can't let our guard down until the end, though.

　That's right. Don't relax until you return to the base of Emperor Nouzi's direct domain, or even to the Marquis of Erakis, Crono told himself.



　The next day, Crono was awakened by the sound of a horseshoe and the screams of the multitude.
　With dagger and long sword in hand, he rushed out of his tent and saw that the cavalry of the Holy Argo Kingdom Army was about to run down the hill.
　It wasn't a surprise attack.
　Since last night, the enemy had built a bonfire to announce their presence, and the imperial army had set up a lookout.
　The number of enemy cavalry........well over five hundred.

''General, in an enemy attack! (BUMO!)
I know!　Rizad, Horus, shield in hand, block the bottleneck!　Taiga Squadron, take your spears in case they get passed!　Deneb, Aridid, and Nasr's troops, take aim at the enemy cavalry!

　It was fortunate for Crono that he turned the camp into a bottleneck.

'But why?　I was supposed to be keeping an eye on the city of Markab last night...........Deneb, Alideed!　Is that an elf lying on the hill!
I mean, we've got enough on our plate!
Human beings, Mr. Crono!
Oh, God, you're such an idiot!

　Deploying on the left and right slopes, Deneb and Aridead shouted as they aimed at the cavalrymen.
　The battalion commander who hung his arms hadn't used an elf as a watchman.
　It all meshed together in a bad way.
　Soldiers fleeing into the bottleneck were struck down halfway up the hill, one by one, and those who resisted were blown away helplessly by the cavalry coming down the slope.

'I guess we'll just have to strike out.'

　If we don't force the enemy cavalry to retreat, we will inevitably be annihilated, but if we can get rid of the cavalry that easily, there is no need to take care of them.
　The one who overturned the overwhelmingly unfavorable situation was.......as I thought, Leonhardt.
　Dressed in silver and white armor, Leonhardt challenged the cavalrymen with his long sword and struck them down.
　Ten enemy cavalrymen attacked him, but Leonhardt extended his blade and cut down to a single sword, just like Fay did one day.
　The enemy cavalry slows down, perhaps in fear of Leonhardt, who turned the eleven enemy cavalry into corpses in the blink of an eye.

''Now!　Aim and fire!
"Oh, it smells so mean!
....

　Deneb and Alideed complain, while Nasr fires arrows nonchalantly.
　The other elves seem to be less skilled than the three of them, but they don't screw up to shoot through their allies.
　When nearly 70% of the imperial army had taken refuge in the bottleneck, the enemy cavalry turned their necks around.
　They probably chose to join up with the main army rather than pursue deeper and get hurt.
　Most of the corpses lying on the slope are soldiers of the Imperial Army.

''That's why I said we should retreat quickly.
'We have no time for such talk. We'll have a special tactical meeting!　Each battalion commander and first officer here!

　Count Piske sat Alfort in his nightgown on a nearby rock and said in a loud voice that echoed throughout the bottleneck.

'You're alive.'
No, you shouldn't be alive!

　It seems that he didn't have time to put on plate metal armor (plate mail), and Cecily is wearing the white military uniform that is the sign of a knight of the Kingsguard.
　Judging from the fact that it was misbuttoned, she must have escaped in very light clothing.
　The tactical meeting did not take long enough.
　The surviving battalion commander and second-in-command were Leonhardt, Count Piske, Cecily and a pair of others, and if the number of surviving soldiers, including the wounded, was less than five thousand, there was no choice but to retreat.

''........I'm not convinced.''
Marquis Erakis, if someone doesn't serve as a lord, we will all die.

　Crono said, and Count Piske replied admonishingly.
　It was like a replay of last year.
　Because the conclusion drawn by the tactical council was that the 1,500 surviving sub-humans ... including Crono's men ... would hold the enemy back.

''I understand that. But why sub-humans?
It's all settled.

　Count Piske turned his gaze away from Crono and returned to the spot where his tent had been, as if to escape.

''Landlady!''
Yeah, yeah, I'm here. I was just trying to make a little extra money and now I've got a hell of a lot of it.
I'll give you as much money as you want, but I want you to bake a loaf of hard bread right now!　ASAP!
I don't mind.

　Leaving the landlady, who rolled her eyes, Crono headed to his subordinates.

''........General, is it Ashiraga-dono?'' (BUMO)
There are only 1,000 other subhumans. People, we don't need to fold up our tents!　I'll pick up the weapons and armor right now!
Oh, what do you think you're doing?　Don't you really have any aristocratic, no, human pride in taking the possessions of the dead?

　Crono ignored Cecily and picked up his weapons and armor with his men.
　An hour, maybe a little more, passed.
　When Crono returned to the bottleneck with his men, the surviving soldiers had finished preparing to retreat.
　Count Piske, Leonhardt, Cecily, and many of the soldiers were staring at Crono.
　I don't want to die.
　There's still a lot of work to be done.
　We're halfway through the agrarian reform, and the paper workshop just went into operation.
　I haven't even seen the new barracks.
　This is just the beginning.
　I haven't had enough s*x with Leila and Elena and the landlady and even Rio.
　Oh, I should've messed with Faye without looking good.　
　Crono swallowed such whining.
''Landlady, when you get back to the Marquis of Erakis, why don't you try it until you're hip?
'Bah, don't be ridiculous!　I'll be dead if you do that!

　Ahaha, Crono laughed and moved away from the landlady.

'Are you staying?'
'Yes. So the landlady should deliver the letter to the Marquess of Erakis.

　Pointing to the letter tucked into the landlady's cleavage, Crono turned to his men.

'Then I'll put you on the bill for the hard bread. So you'll definitely come back alive!
Of course!

　We're heading to the dead zone.
　There's no way you can be sure of getting home.
　My legs are shaking.
　Still, I gritted my teeth and stepped forward.

"Let's all get out of here alive!

　Staring at his men, Crono bared his teeth and smiled.