*

　Stephen led his men north along the road.
　Three hundred lizardmen pulling a large eight-wheeler, and two hundred humans and beastmen as guards.
　It was the first time he had ever led such a large force.
　Normally, I would feel proud of myself--''

''........Huh.

　Stephen let out a sigh of gloom.
　Perhaps it was the same for his men.
　Pulled out of his battalion by order of his superiors and sent to put down the rebels.
　Well, it can't be helped.
　Even though he is only a soldier, Stephen is a soldier.
　He has no veto power over orders.
　You don't have to stare at me like that, Stephen remembered the looks he got from the guys in the village and let out a sigh.
　He was happy when he was selected to be the Transportation Corps captain, but he should have declined if he was going to be stared at like that.
　Stephen and the others are only here under orders, and it was the Eighth Kinsman Guard that destroyed the village in the first place.
　If they are to be blamed for what they did, then it can't be helped, but I don't agree that they should be blamed for what others did.
　Such lines started to come up, but I couldn't say anything.
　Even I would be outraged if my family or neighbors were involved in a crime, and I would want to make the culprit pay for it.
　The villagers wouldn't know the difference between the Kingsguard and the common soldiers, and now they belonged to the same legion.
　We'll just have to think of it as a solidarity responsibility and give up.
　Stephen regained his composure and continued on the street.
　As the sun was approaching the middle of the sky, a cloud of dust rose far ahead.
　When he saw the vague appearance of the cavalry, he thought at first that it was a friendly army.
　However, I soon realized that it wasn't a friendly army.
　The cavalryman was not wearing the white military uniform that was the sign of a knight of the Kingsguard.
　The next thing I thought was that he was a messenger of Baron Trace, and I immediately recognized him as an enemy.
　Because--.

''Don't stop!　Run by the Transportation Corps!
The elves' elixir is a gift!
No, thank you!

　The Transportation Corps threw a vase - but with a small mouth and a flaming cloth sticking out - as it ran past the side of the Transportation Corps.
　The sound of the vase breaking could be heard and the large eight-wheeled vehicle carrying the military provisions was engulfed in flames.

'd*mn it!　Stop them!

　Stephen shouted, but he knew it was an absurd request.
　The enemy is cavalry, and this is a mixed force of heavy infantry and infantry.
　Even the heavily armed infantry would have to form up to stop the cavalry's rush.
　Transportation Transportation Transportation Corps was formed in a long line to advance along the road.
　The enemy cavalry moved away with a cloud of dust.

'Enough of them!　Put out the fire, put it out!

　Stephen shouted, but he knew this was going to be difficult too.
　After all, there was no way to make it go away.
　Stephen didn't have a background in magic, nor did the Lizardmen or Beastmen.

'At least prevent the fire from spreading!

　The men began to move briskly, following Stephen's orders.

*

　It was evening when Stephen and his companions - Transportation Corps - arrived at the village destroyed by the Eighth Konoha Guard.
　They had only been attacked once by enemy cavalry, but a third of their provisions had been burned.
　Just thinking about what they would do to us was depressing.

At the moment we need water. We'll get some water.

　Stephen walked up to the well and threw the tub in.
　Then, con!　I heard a noise.
　I had a bad feeling and looked into the well.

'Oh come on, give me a break,'

　Stephen covered his face and slumped into place.

'What's going on?'
...see the well.

　He replies to a subordinate who comes running up to him.

"This guy is terrible.

　My men looked into the well and said lamentably.
　Countless stones had been thrown into the well, making it impossible to get water in the tub.
　In order to make it possible to draw water, they would have to go down to the bottom of the well and remove the stones.

'What shall we do?'
What do you mean? It's going to have to come back.

　I'm sick of thinking about the hassle of recovery, but we have to do it.

Maybe that's what you're going for?
Well yes.

　Stephen grunted.
　If you remember correctly, the daytime attack was designed to slow down the march.
　If they wanted to destroy us, they should have used deadly magic instead of setting fire to their military provisions.
　The Transportation Department's goal was to keep them out of the city, and I suspect that's part of the reason the well is now out of service.

'But you could also split the Transportation Corps into two, right?
You're killing me.

　His men scowled.

''We have enemy cavalry. It's like asking me to kill you if you split your squad in two in that state.''
Is that a possibility?

　Stephen was aware that his men were blowing in the wind of cowardice, but he didn't dare to speak.

'So what do we do now?'
"...and we're going to keep going.
What?

　The subordinate's eyes widened in astonishment.

'I said we were going to keep going. Whether the enemy's goal is to hold us back or divide our forces, it's not a good idea to go along with their intentions. If that's the case, we'd better keep walking through the night and join up with our friends.
Do you still walk?
"It's better than spending the night being scared of being attacked by the enemy.
You'll have to take your breaks often.
I know.

　His men said in disgust, and Stephen chuckled.

*

　Lucas had been repeating the 'ripple' maneuvers even after the sun went down.
　The infantry had become more and more sophisticated in their movements, perhaps because they had done it so many times.
　If they had enough rations and military provisions, they would like to continue for many days.
　If they were more skilled, if they had officers they could rely on, they could toy with the rebels.
　No, that commander (Minotaur) wouldn't make such a big mistake, he shook his head.
　Lucas narrowed his eyes and stared at the enemy position.
　He was too late in noticing it because he was watching the whole movement, but the enemy is replacing its personnel.
　It's a shame, he thought.
　It's a shame, I think.
　That way, it would have been possible to replace the personnel without anyone noticing and misjudging their strength.
　Thinking that far, he realizes that the rebels are fighting on the edge.
　The trenches, the wire, the crossbows, the repeated nightly harassment - they are trying to win with all the cards they have in their hands.
　I wanted to sincerely commend Princess Tyria for having great subjects, and I wanted to praise her sincerely.

''Retreat!''
Commander, why don't you get some rest?

　Shortly after Lucas gave the order, Philip approached.

'You guys get some rest first.
I understand.

　Phillip said without any pretense of distress.
　'I'm sure he must have wanted to draw out the word that you guys should go ahead and rest.
　An icy wind blew in and Lucas reflexively turned around.
　Then the fog was about to flow into the street.
　It's an abominable, thick fog, but if you think of it as drinking water, that feeling will fade a bit.

''Charge!

　Lucas raised his voice.

*

Haze Dance!
"Fast and furious!

　The street is covered in fog due to the effects of two magic arts.
　The magic items thrown into it emit flashes and explosions.

''Hmm, another unexpected development.''

　Crono blurted out as he hid himself in the bushes.
　The imperial troops were charging towards the field positions, repeatedly retreating when the imperial forces were poised to intercept them.
　The main strength of the imperial army is the volunteer soldiers.
　They are well supported by the old knights, but if they are constantly tensed up, they will get tired and will eventually make mistakes.

''Are they planning to launch an all-out attack?''
Personally, I think he wanted to weaken it a bit more.
'It's like the candle only gets brighter for a second before it burns out.

　I regret that I should have attacked more aggressively, but there are only two hundred separate troops hiding in this forest.
　Even if you repeat the raids as you did when you served as a lord in the parent conquest, you won't cause much damage, and if you're not good at it, you'll be beaten back.
　Because of the overwhelming disparity in force, though, we set our strategy in the direction of avoiding engagement as much as possible and taking away the enemy's ability to take over the battle.

''As usual, things don't always go the way you want them to, do they?
It's time to kill the enemy commander!
Like I'm going to send my men in white clothes to the other side with them!

　Aridid and Deneb set up their machine gun bows.

''I know it's going to bother the people around me, but...''
I care about myself right now!
And there's no point in letting yourself fall down because you're worried about others!
You don't have to try so hard to convince me that we're the best, and we'll be fine.

　Crono isn't that good-natured, and the only reason he didn't kill Lucas was so he wouldn't turn the Imperial Army into bandits.
　It would have been best if they could have pulled him up to the Imperial Capital, but if there was little chance of that happening, there was no choice.

''Just, is it safe to kill him in this situation?''
What's your heart?
Something tells me that the number two is about to take over.

　Deneb replies to Alideed's question.
　The miffed expression on her face was probably because she wanted to maintain her dignity as a sister.

''It's not like I'm going to let the Eighth Konoe Order take over.

　Crono let out a deep sigh.
　The Eighth Konoe Knights of the Kingsguard have destroyed a single village, despite Baron Treis declaring no defense and showing reverence to the Empire.
　If such a person becomes the commander of the legion, the imperial army must be turned into a bandit group.

''But we won't know that unless we try it out.
You say that, but if you try and fail, it's like you're blind.

　'Mu,' said Aridid and Deneb, looking at each other.

'Then it's like we have to keep our numbers down.
Like, the fewer candidates the better.

　Arididid and Deneb looked at each other again, sloppy and out of sync, happy to be in agreement.
　Crono took out a communication magic item from his pouch and handed it to Arideed.

'Oh, looks like Crono-sama is ready to go.
I'd like to promise you I'll be back.
I'll come back, but I'm not going to promise.

　If I use the Marking Technique, I won't fall behind the average soldier, but I want to carry the experience as much as possible.
　It smells like a death flag that I will definitely come back.

''I'd love to come back for this kid!
If it's a boy, I'll take Claude, if it's a girl, I'll take Elua.
Not an auspicious occasion.

　Finally, I couldn't promise that I would come back.

You're not really pregnant, are you?
I'm sorry to hear that.
Like, kids can do it when they can and when they can't, they can't.

　Crono patted his chest, "You haven't been flagged dead," he said.

'So, like how do I use this communication magic item?
'Like my repertoire of screams hasn't grown yet.
You can talk to me about what we're after, about the Knights of the Kingsguard, about our purpose.

　'Mmm,' they both poked their lower lips out in frustration.

'And I have a feeling we're going to get stabbed in the back, assuming the common soldiers won't come to our aid.
It seems harsh to think that the civilian soldiers won't come to help.
'So we'll take a hit and retreat,' Alideed announced that Deneb would lead the archers to cover and hold back the common soldiers.

　The first objective is to reduce the number of Kingsguard Knights, and the second is to deepen the rift between the Kingsguard and the common soldiers.
　If they don't trust us, they won't follow through with killing Lucas.

''........Right.
Oh, Master Crono's demonic spark!
...Arideed.
It's like a gesture of support. But no tricks, ever.

　When Crono beckons him with his fingers, Alideed brings his ears close to me.
　Hah, I'll try to bite it sweetly.

“--!

　Alideed jumped back, his face turning red.

'I just told you no pranks, and I'm pretty sure I said no pranks.
I thought he was expecting a blur.
I don't have any expectations!
Then we'll meet again.
No pranks, like, ever.

　Alideed honestly put his ears close to his ears.
　The urge to play a prank on him was overwhelming, but he gingerly held back.

''Actually....''
Sort of.
I don't think we need to have a private conversation.

　Deneb's ramble is valid, but atmosphere is important in these things.
　If you don't get drunk on the atmosphere and keep the tension up a little bit, you'll cower.

Got it?
I'd like to see it happen.

　Alideed pulled away from Crono and slapped his chest with a don.
　Crono pulled a communication magic item from his pouch.

'Now let's call Taiga. This is Crono, please respond.
This is a taiga, that it is.
'We are attacking the Eighth Kinsman Guard. The way things are going....
"Yes, that I do.

　Crono tucked the communication magic item into his pouch.

'Moving on,'

　He led his men through the woods and hid in the bushes.

'It's like this reminds me of the old days,'
I don't know why I kept dying, but it just kept coming back to me.
Unlikely things.

　Crono prays to a god he doesn't believe in much, that he won't be dying this time, he says a prayer to a god he doesn't believe in much.

''You're okay with the assault as we attack?
You're in charge.

　Crono stood up and turned to his men.
　The black panther beastman - Edge saluted Crono as he stepped out.

''Crono-sama, it's an honor to fight with you.'' (Gururu)
'I would have liked an easier job if I could.
"We've never had an easy job.

　When Crono chuckled, Edge lifted the corners of his mouth slightly, as if he intended to laugh.
　If he squinted his eyes, he wouldn't look so charming.

'I'm going.'

　Edge and the others nodded and Crono ran off.
　As he ran towards the street, he remembered the time he had conducted a night raid in the parent conquest.
　That time, he was running at the front of the pack, but he was overtaken.
　It's not that I don't mind being overtaken, but--''

''I have an imprint on me now!

　The jet-black light colors his body like a barbarian's war veneer.
　Crono accelerates with the power of the imprint, and the street comes closer and closer before long.

''Tsk!''
Ahhhh!

　Just as Crono kicked the earth and jumped, a scream went up.
　The next moment, his vision turned red.

''Whoa!''

　Crono rolled on the ground, failing to land.
　An explosion sounded and pillars of fire rose up one after another.
　Apparently, the timing was lost due to the use of the imprinting technique.

''The rebels are attacking!''
There is only one enemy!
Surround him!

　Konoe knights jump out of the tent, but there are surprisingly few of them, perhaps loosened up by the daily raids.
　Crono rushed forward while pulling his sword out of its scabbard, cutting down a konoe knight who was close by.

''This guy!''

　The kinsman knight swings his sword down, but his movements are awkward, perhaps because he has been out of training for a while.
　Crono ducks the attack and slashes at him from the back.

''You, you coward!
That's most of it.

　As he dodged to the side, a sword passed in front of him.
　Is it too tough to swing the long sword, Crono pulled out the dagger and thrust it into the abdomen of the konoe knight who had lost his stance.
　As he twisted the hilt and pulled out the dagger, the konoe knight went down on the spot.

''What's the matter!　You cowardly--
There's only one enemy, aaaaah!
I'm not alone.
Kill, kill, kill!
"I will hurt you until I ask you to kill me!

　The surviving kinsman knight shouted loudly, and the kinsman knights came out of the tent in a straw.
　At the very least, there would be at least a hundred of them.

''I'll kill you!''

　The konoe knights rushed towards us.
　Crono materialized the shadows with his imprinting technique and entangled them in the legs of the kinsmen knights at the head of the group.

''Ugh, whoa!
What the f*ck?
Don't stop!

　The knights of the Kingsguard, who were in the front of the group, fall down, and those following them are caught in the middle.

"Charge! (GASP!)
"Charge, that is. (GURU!)

　Beastmen led by Edge and Taiga attacked them from both sides as if they had been watching the timing.
　Not to mention the fallen kinsman knights, those who were not were easily taken down.

''Soldiers!　We're going to--
This is Testes, this is like a communication magic item being tested.

　The words of the Kingsguard Knight were interrupted by Alideed.

''Like we are currently attacking the Kingsguard Knights. And since we won't be attacking the ordinary soldiers, I want you to feel at ease.''

　The sound of explosions could be heard from behind.

''The purpose of our imperial army is to reign by the rightful heir to the throne. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of it.
"Aristocrats and slaves are the same?　Don't be silly!
"The Princess has an idea for a system that would allow her subjects to participate in politics. We aim to abolish the false emperor and return the throne to his rightful heir.

　The kinsman knight shouted, but Alideed's words didn't stop.

''In other words, it seems that the false emperor and his cronies are the enemy and the rest of them are not. But since we can't be killed too, I'd like you to understand that.
A common soldier you didn't think he would betray you?

　The Kingsguard Knight made a dumbfounded expression, but the ordinary soldiers just can't rush in because they're under attack.
　Of course, I don't have the right to explain that to you.
''It's like trivia here. The commander of the army is appointed by the emperor, so it's not like he can easily take over. Even if the current commander dies, the order of precedence for taking over the command authority has been determined, so following the self-proclaimed commander is a death sentence.'

'The only enemy is the Kingsguard!　Run through it!
"Ooooooh!

　Crono shouted, and his men let out a yell.

''Follow me, that is! (Guru!)

　Taiga runs into the knights of the Kingsguard.

''It's only one beastman!
"Don't lick a knight of the Kingsguard!
"I'm going to hang my furs on my wall!
"Poorly! (Guru!)

　The three kinsmen knights swing their swords down, but Taiga catches them with his great sword.
　The crimson light colors Taiga's body.

'If there's a next time, I'll go to study, that is! (Guru!)

　Taiga pushes the three men back and cleaves the great sword to the side.
　The bodies of the kinsman knights are split apart and engulfed in flames.

''I'm going to run through at once, that I am! (GASP!)
"Ooooooh!
Oh, oh!

　Taiga rushed out ahead of them, and his men followed with a heroic shout.
　Crono followed, feeling somewhat unreasonable.
　Taiga was in the lead, swinging his great sword.
　Every time he wielded the great sword, a scream went up, causing the kinsman knight to be blown away and parts of his severed body to fly in the air.
　Furthermore, whether it was the power of the imprinting technique, the magic power granted to the great sword, or both, the great sword left a crimson afterimage in its path.
　The Kingsguard knights who had escaped Taiga's attacks were also taken down one by one by their subordinates.
　The archers' support was also excellent.
　To avoid being pinned down, they shot their magic into the street and shot arrows at the kinsmen knights who were trying to attack from the side.
　Before I knew it, Crono was just following from the tail end.

''.........Crono-sama'' (.......Gururu)
What's wrong with you, Edge?
"I know what you're thinking, but you're living too fast." (Gururu)
I'm sorry. I'll be careful.
　I don't mean to be in a hurry to live, but I apologize at the moment.
'Charge!　Rescue our friends!
Oooooh!

　I heard Lucas' voice from ahead.
　Apparently, he heard the commotion and rushed over.
''Retreat, that is! (GASP!)
　A series of pillars of fire rose in front of them, and Crono and his men split off to the left and right and fled into the forest.
　The pillars of fire disappeared and the general soldiers split into the forest.
　Just when I was thinking about leading them deeper into the forest like this, Lucas raised his voice.

Don't go after it too hard!
Tsk, careful.

　Crono spat and put his glasses on.

*

　What a mess, said Lucas, staring at the camp, where the fire was rising.
　The smell of blood was thick in the air, and he could hear people gasping in pain.
　Before Lucas could step out, an older man stepped out.
　He wasn't a knight of the Kingsguard, but a common soldier.
　He was embarrassed to say that he had only been in the military for so long, but he was very good at organizing his men.

''Commander of the Legion, this is me we'll go ahead and assess the damage.
Please.
Ha!

　The man saluted Lucas and headed to the encampment with a few men.


Are you okay?

　It was Philip who approached us.
　His military uniform was dirty, but he didn't appear to be wounded.

'What happened?'
The rebels have been ambushed.

　I could tell by looking at him, but Philip had a serious expression on his face.

'The rebels--'
I don't need more than that.

　Lucas interrupted Philip's words.

'Gather the wounded soldiers.'
No way.
'You were the one who told me to move the wounded soldiers back because they were a liability.
There's a difference between a Kingsguard and a common soldier!
The same. Whether you're a knight of the Kingsguard or a common soldier, if you're wounded, your ability to fight is impaired.
You made the decision to move backward!
Yes. You proposed it, I decided it. So, whether you are a Kingsguard knight or a common soldier, the wounded men will fall back.

　Philip seems to think he has room to overturn the decision, but if he doesn't respond the same way, Lucas will lose the slightest bit of credibility.

'Legionnaire!'
You're back.

　The older man saluted Lucas.

'Report the damage.'
There were no casualties to the civilians, sir. And the Transportation Corps has returned.
I'm afraid I've pushed you too hard.

　The Transportation Corps was expected to arrive tomorrow, but I think I've pushed them pretty hard.
　But now we can fight.

' '........Corps Commander.
What?
The Transportation Corps has been attacked by enemy cavalry and has lost a third of its provisions.

　Lucas asked, and the man whispered.

'Is there any damage to the Transportation Corps?'
No, sir.
Well.... Anyway, at least the provisions have arrived. You can eat more than enough food today.
I think it's a good idea.

　The older man nodded with a mysterious look on his face.

*

I'm tired.

　Crono sat down between Aridid and Deneb.

'Like a welcome home. Like you're going to eat, bathe, or even sleep?'
The bath is good.
I don't want to have to answer with a straight face.

　I would have liked to take a quick bath to freshen up, but that's a luxury I don't want on the battlefield.

"Master Crono, what is the damage?
And that's all that matters.
No fatalities, no serious injuries. A few minor injuries.

　I thought it would cause more damage, but the Kingsguard Knights - the Eighth Kingsguard Knights - were more fragile than I imagined.

'And the Taiga was strong.
I feel sorry for Master Crono, who is quickly becoming an airhead.
I'm sorry.

　I didn't think Taiga could master the imprinting technique to such an extent.

''I risked my life to learn the imprinting technique~''
Like Master Crono was just about to die because he was engraved in such a short time.
It's less of a risk if you take your time.

　Crono looked at Aridid and Deneb.

'....maybe...'
It's like a secret.
Sue has a stall selling medicinal herbs, so she's easy to talk to.
How's that working out for you?
It's legal.
It's not illegal.

　Alideed and Deneb said quickly.

'We'll hear about the imprinting technique later, but has it changed by the time we get back?
Transportation is like the Transportation Corps is back.
I thought it was tomorrow, but I wasn't expecting it.
Me too.

　Crono let out a sigh.
　He had thought about attacking the Transportation Corps one more time to reduce the sustenance, but it didn't work out as he had hoped.
　I was thinking that I would allow a small amount of food to reach them and gradually starve them out and make the Knights of the Kingsguard and the soldiers in general get along with each other.

''Crono-sama, Crono-sama,''
What's going on?

　I looked next to him when I was tapped on the second arm and saw Alydead pointing down the street.
　There was a kinsman knight on the tip of his finger.
　He was holding his throat, as if he had choked on a piece of bread.
　No, he's scratching.
　Eventually, the Konoe Knight fell down, blowing bubbles.
　A nearby Konoe knight ran over and another one scratched his throat and collapsed, blowing bubbles.

''Crono-sama, this is Taiga, that is.'' (Gau)

　A muffled voice was heard and Crono pulled a communication magic item from his pouch.

'What's wrong?'
"The common soldier is foaming at the seams, that he is.
I'm with you. I need you to keep an eye on him.
"Yes, that I do.
Oh, well, I didn't think Master Crono was poisoned.
It's like he doesn't even care who he is anymore.
I didn't use it.

　He wasn't going to use the poison while he still had strength and energy left in the Imperial Army.

''This is bad.''
Poison.
Like there might be some delicious poison.
That's not what I'm talking about,

　Crono waved his hands from side to side.

'I don't know who did this, but there's poison in the sustenance fodder. What would you two do?
Toxins have a fast and slow effect.
Like I can't check them one by one, so I have to throw them out.
And if it takes so long to get to your next supply drop?
....
....

　When Crono asked, Aridid and Deneb didn't answer.
　If you know that the more time passes, the more worn out you'll be, then you have no choice but to strike while you have the extra power.
　I'm used to things not going the way I want them to, but this is the first time I've had a third party turn the board over to me.