*

"d*mn, I knew they'd attack us!

　As Roy emerged from the tent with his beloved spear prodded, smoke billowed around him.
　Ordinary soldiers ran around with their weapons, and the sound of papa-pangs echoed in the distance.
　Each time that happened, the ordinary soldiers cowered.
　That was just a sound, but those who didn't know anything about it would be terrified.
　You'll get used to it if you hear it over and over again.
　No, I remind myself.
　You might get used to the sound itself.
　But what about fear?
　After the sound stops, you may continue to be afraid because you don't know anything about it.
　And more importantly, the threat of the magic item was shown to them so much.
　No wonder he was so skeptical.
　He thinks that far and shakes his head.
　Would Crono be thinking that far?
　It didn't seem likely.
　He might just be harassing her for a profit if it was effective.
　But--.

''Ahhh, stop, stop!''

　Roy raggedly scratched his head.
　There was no way to ascertain Crono's true intentions.
　It's better to deal with what's happening now than to think about it.
　It may be symptomatic, but it's the best way to be sure.
　Roy headed for the strategy tent.
　In the meantime, the daddy-paddy-panning sound could be heard.
　After a while, the tent came into view.

''........They're already here?''

　Roy let out a small sigh.
　In front of the tent stood Algena, dressed the same as in the daytime - in essence, fully armed.

'You're late!'
I was resting.
And what's with the outfit?

　Glaring, Algena glared at him.
　Roy looked down at himself.
　His trousers were on, and he had his jacket on.
　He didn't have time, so he was naked under his jacket - but he was naked underneath his jacket.

'What's that, a military uniform?'
'Are you not prepared for the ever-present battlefield?'
'Get the hell out of here and tell me what to do before you accuse me of being prepared. This is a war zone.

　Roy muttered in a disgusted mood.
　I can see what Argena is trying to argue, well, I can see the point.
　I understand, but right now we should be dealing with a rebel attack.

What's the situation?
We're being taken by surprise from two directions.
Two directions?

　Roy muttered to himself, parroting.
　Once again, there was the sound of a pap-pam-pam sound.
　As I recall, it came from the same direction just now.
　That means that the enemy might not be coordinating well either.

''What instructions did you give them?''
I've just ordered a unit to form up and give chase.

　Arjena said irritably.
　I know how you feel.
　It wouldn't be fun to have Roy, who is only an assistant, check the situation and the instructions.
　This is the kind of man he is.

I'm on my own.
Wait. What are you doing?
What? I'm going into battle.
You don't have to do that.
The situation is evolving. If you don't deal with it, it's out of control.
.....
I'm going in.

　Argena grunted huskily, and Roy started walking in the direction of the flowing smoke.
　Argena must have known that he didn't stop with all his strength.
　It is Argena who knows and yet tries to follow the rules.

'Hey, I'm going to go crush the rebels now. Follow me.
Yes, sir.

　Roy proceeded to call out to his men who were moving around.
　By the time he reached the outer edge of the camp, there were about twenty of them.
　At the outer edge, there was a line of ordinary soldiers with their shields at the ready.

''Hold on until our allies are ready!

　One of the soldiers raised his voice and Roy's eyes widened lightly.
　The one who raised his voice was the man he had entrusted with building the position.
　He ran up to the man and ducked behind his shield.

'What's the situation?'
"-Oh!

　The man stared at me with a murderous look on his face and peeled his eyes away a bit.

'What's the situation?'
We're under attack by a rebel army. There are about fifty of the enemy over there.

　Then the man looked behind him over his shoulder.
　A distant papa-panning sound could be heard in the distance.

''If you add in the people who are taking us by surprise from the other direction, there will be about a hundred of them.
Are you sure?
We're at least trying to establish a line of communication.

　The man sounded miffed, as if he thought he'd been mocked.

'What's the damage?'
About two dozen of the men who stood up to them were killed.
Twenty?

　Roy couldn't help but ask back.
　It's hard to say, but it's a very small number.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. And when we retreat, they come after us.

　'He's a nasty opponent,' the man spat.

'Tch, you're not going to fight him properly, are you?
But we can't hide in plain sight.
Yeah, I'll try not to let you get carried away.

　If you don't show them you can give them a shot, they'll go along for the ride.
　Then they'll be more and more daring.

"Do you have any ideas?
I have one.
What's the idea?

　Roy asked, and the man's eyes widened in surprise.



"We can't lure him out, that we can't.
It's like collecting branches while I'm here!

　Tyga blurted out, and Alideed gave his men instructions.
　If he wanted to, he wanted to lure the enemy soldiers out a little more, but what he couldn't do was inevitable.
　It was an action that was originally done with an idea.
　That's how I was able to kill about twenty enemy soldiers.
　Crono wouldn't be angry.

"Did you get the gift?
"The enemy is on the move, that it is.
Mmm, it's like you can't ignore it.

　Alideed stood on his toes and stared at the enemy lines.
　Up until now, the enemy soldiers had lined up in a horizontal line behind the shields, but they lined up on top of them as well.

''What is your purpose, that is?'' (GASP?)
I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about it.

　Alideed moistened his lips with his tongue.
　A few moments later, he heard the sound of a horse neighing.
　Could it be that they were planning to launch a mounted charge?
　But, said Alideed, looking behind him over his shoulder.
　The forest stretched out behind him.
　If it was against heavy cavalry, he was confident that he could escape to the forest.
　If we don't have the right numbers, we can eradicate them.
　The machine gun bow has the power to pierce sheet metal armor and even the engraving technique.
　Nevertheless, I can't shake my anxiety.

''What should we do?'' (GASP?)
....

　Alideed ponders silently.
　What would Crono do in a situation like this?
　The answer was immediate.
　Crono would run away without thinking about annihilating the heavy cavalry.

''Retreat--!

　The moment Alideed opened his mouth to give the order, the shields that had been lined up were blown off.
　It was the horses that appeared after the shields were blown off.
　It wasn't just one or two horses.
　At least twenty horses, at least twenty, that many horses were rushing towards us.
　It was before I gave the order, and the arrows fired by my men pierced the horses.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get the best out of them.
　As a member of the archers' cavalry, Aridid knows the nature of horses.
　Horses are timid creatures.
　If they are not trained, a loud noise will cause them to panic.
　The horses of the imperial army have been accustomed to loud noises so that such a thing doesn't happen.
　But can they be trained to rush straight at you even if they are attacked?

''Retreat ... no retreat!　It's like you have to pull them to the very edge and duck!
Yes, that I do! (GASP!)
Yes, sir!
Copy that. (GASP!)

　Tyga replied briefly, and his men replied as well.
　He considered turning his back on them and running away, but it wouldn't be good enough against a bareback horse.
　They would catch up with us before we could reach the forest.
　It's worse to be rammed in from behind.
　The horses rushed in with the sound of horseshoes and accompanied by dirt smoke.
　The trembling that comes from the ground makes me feel nauseated.
　Even though I've mastered the imprinting technique, it seems I can't overcome my instinctive fear.
　But I think that's okay.
　Fear is an important emotion.
　If you can't see the danger, you'll die prematurely.
　Alideed pulled his horse to the edge and jumped to the side.
　The horse rushes at the end of the jump.
　This one pulled it to the very edge and ducked--.

''Huh!''

　Furthermore, the next horse rushes forward.
　There should have only been about 20 horses, but as if they were aiming well... haha, this is like a daily routine, and I avoided the horses while thinking about that.
　A horse rushes ahead of me as I dodge.

'Like what-oh-oh!

　Immediately after Aridid twisted and ducked, a yell rang out.



　Roy runs on the battlefield with his beloved spear in hand.
　Of course, he's the lead one running.
　The No. 2 of the legion is running in the lead.
　You may think it's foolish, but twenty men have been killed by the rebels.
　It's even in the daytime.
　Aside from the knights in the Kingsguard, the ordinary soldiers are scared.
　So this is where Roy has to run ahead and show that the Imperial Army can fight.
　Well, there's a chance that he'll die easily and morale will be rattled - but.

''Bastards, let's raise a yell!
""Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

　A wild yell pushes me back and speeds up.

''Where's ... the commander?　It's him!

　Roy looks around and fixes his gaze on the female elf.
　A woman with long blonde hair tied up on her right side, or should I call her a girl?
　No, no, no, she may be a girl, but she's still a woman.
　To be honest, I don't want to kill a woman, but I can't say I don't like her.
　This is a war.

I'll take your head!
"-Oh!

　She increased her speed even more and thrust her spear out with all her strength.
　However, the female elf lightly ducked Roy's blow.
　A great leap backwards. This kind of leap is impossible for a beastman to make.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what to expect.

"The Marking Art!

　Roy exclaimed shortly.
　A red light colored the female elf's body.
　It looks like a barbarian's war veneer, it's an imprint - a pattern that is said to emerge when a barbarian is united with a spirit.
　How could an elf use the imprinting technique - I wondered, but after thinking it over, Crono had made the barbarians of the Areos Mountains reverent.
　It was no wonder that he was able to perform the imprinting technique on his own men.
　By the way, if there's such a useful jutsu, then you should suck up the technique neatly, Roy blurted out in his mind, throwing his spear with all his might.
　Of course, the target is the female elf. It's not just because they just landed, but the female elves were unable to react.
　The spear went straight ahead and--.

''I won't let you do it, that I won't! (GASP!)

　He was knocked down by a tiger beastman who jumped out from right beside him.
　It wasn't just any beastman.
　It's a beastman with a red imprint emerging from it.
　Tsk, Roy clicked his tongue and kicked up the fallen spear with his foot.

I said I wouldn't let you do it, didn't I! (GASP!)

　There is a roar, and the tiger beastman accelerates like an unleashed arrow.
　But Roy's grip on the spear is faster.

''Ha!''

　The spear is launched along with the spiritedness of the cleaver, but the tiger beastman closes the distance while taunting him with his great sword.
　The guy who isn't used to it will duck backwards and die, but this guy seems to be a master at it.
　This guy might be able to make me feel the heat.
　However, I can't help but be impressed.
　This is a fight for your life.
　The first thing to do is to flip the spear and unleash a stone thrust.
　If it were a human, it would have crushed his throat.
　But the one in front of him is a beastman - a beastman strengthened by the power of the Mark.
　The tiger beastman's form scrapes away before his eyes.
　A red afterglow burns into the space.
　Reflexively, he stabs the spear into the ground and clenches it with all his strength.
　In the next moment, a shock was felt.
　A tremendous, numbing impact to the core of my body.
　When I looked down slightly, I saw the tiger beastman crawling on the ground.
　That's how he finally realized that the tiger beastman had released a horizontal slash from his crawling position.
　The imprint shone strongly and the tiger beast-man raised his great sword along the spear.
　Roy removed his hand from the spear and jumped backwards.
　The spear exploded in half.

''Tch, don't do it.''

　Roy kicked up the spear that had fallen with his foot and grabbed it in the air.

''Ohhhhhh!''

　Yells and metallic sounds could be heard from behind them.
　The ordinary soldiers must have finally caught up with them.
　Roy stared at the tiger beastman while holding his spear.
　The tiger beastman held his great sword as if to hide the blade with his own body.

''You do it. I'm Roy. Roy Akbens, Commander of the Fourth Order of the Kingsguard.''
"I am the emperor ... Captain Taiga of the Thirteenth Konoe Order, that I am.

　The tiger beastman - Taiga said proudly.

'What's an emperor?'
"We call ourselves the Imperial Army, that we do.
The Imperial Army?　Oh, you mean the Emperor's Army. No, the Imperial Princess?　Either way, I can't stand it.

　Roy frowned.
　If the rebels claimed to be the Emperor's army - the Emperor's army, this one would inevitably be a bandit army.
　If Argena heard this, she would have a stroke.
　Aside from that, the fact that he went out of his way to rephrase it as the Thirteenth Konoe Order means that Taiga's sense of belonging is not to the Imperial Army itself.
　He has sworn allegiance to Crono personally.
　The Imperial Army is not a monolithic force either, but it seems that the rebels are rebels and have a lot of things going for them.

''So what do we do now?''
"I have no intention of fighting you, my lord.
Don't be a dick.

　Roy focuses on the sounds echoing from around him as he looks at Tyga.
　The metallic sounds diminish and a short scream echoes with a pause.
　The rebels seem to be getting back on their feet, despite the confusion they caused by ramming their horses into the ground.
　It must be a difference in skill level.
　The Thirteenth Konoe Knights have experienced actual battles many times.
　Besides--''

''I was a bit surprised, but there aren't that many enemies out there!　Like if you keep calm and fight, you'll be fine!

　The female elf slaughters the imperial soldiers with the dagger in her hand while raising her voice.
　Her skill itself is not high, but her physical ability is enhanced by the imprinting technique.
　Not only are ordinary soldiers inferior in terms of physical ability, but also in terms of skill, they can't be beaten.
　If I can defeat this guy, I can turn the tide, but just when I was thinking about it, something fell on me.
　I think it's bad, but I don't have time to look at my feet.
　If I did that, Tyga would come at me.
　Immediately after, I heard a papa-panning sound from underneath my feet, or rather, from all over the place.
　My body stiffened at the light and sound.
　It was a magic item that had fallen.

'It's backup!　I'm covering you!

　Roy glanced at the female elf.
　The female elf was fighting a common soldier.
　It was the same voice as the female elf's, but from a different direction.
　It was the same voice from a different direction as the female elf's.

"Retreat!　Get out of here!　Like I'm never supposed to leave a wounded person behind!

　The female elf raised her voice and Taiga turned her back to us and started running.
　It was as if she was convinced that Roy wasn't going to follow her.

'Wait!　Rebels!
You wait.

　Roy let out a sigh and controlled the general soldier who tried to chase him.

''But!''
You don't want to chase him, it's more dangerous for us.

　The rebels have fled to a forest far away.
　It's not too late to chase them now.
　He must be setting a trap because he's running all the way into the forest.
　If it were in the daytime, it would still be nighttime, but now it's nighttime.
　They won't be able to detect the existence of the trap.
　I looked behind me over my shoulder and saw that the rebel detachment had also retreated.
　Roy carried his spear and looked around.
　It was only the ordinary soldiers who had fallen.
　The only people who had fallen were ordinary soldiers.
　Anyway, a victory is a victory.
　We were able to show that even if we were taken by surprise, we would not be killed unilaterally.
　As I was thinking about this, a familiar face approached us.
　It was the man who had been entrusted with the construction of the field position and had lined up his shields to make the attackers surpass him.

''Ah, are you safe?''
You saved my life. What's your name?
'This is Richard. Richard Arkwright.
Arclight, that means you're an aristocrat?
Yeah, well, I'm still out of military school for this. I didn't do too well, but...

　The man - Richard scratched his head in embarrassment.

'You're being too modest to get bad grades.
'I had really bad grades. My boss wasn't very receptive.
I see.

　A mouth that was sent to the imperial capital because his superiors hated him, he added in his mind.
　Anyway, it's reassuring to have a competent officer.

''But thanks to you, I'm ready to give up.
Meaning?
When this fight is over, I'm going to go back to my parents' house and get married.
Congratulations to him.

　I don't think it's safe to say this at this point in time, but sometimes a thought can bring you luck.

'Well, I'll have to make it out alive.
...Yes!

　The man nodded emphatically.

*

"General, Arid has returned.
I'm coming.

　Called by his second-in-command, Crono stepped outside the tent.
　When he looked over, he saw a chair near Tyria's tent.
　Arideed, Deneb, and Tyga were propped up on one knee near the chair.
　Furthermore, behind them sat a human who appeared to be an Imperial soldier.
　They were tied behind their backs and surrounded by Imperial soldiers.
　But still--''

''What about that one?''
What's that? (Bum?)
It's because Aridid and his friends are kneeling in front of the chair.
"It's just a show.
...direction.

　Crono muttered while holding his bite.
　I think I've heard this somewhere--''

It was an idea from the old man. It's a good idea from the old man, and he said the theory was that since the volunteer soldiers are all amateurs, theatrical performance was necessary.
You only tell them what they need to know.

　Crono muttered sincerely.
　He prioritized what was necessary for a volunteer soldier - it would sound good if he said that, but he only taught them the minimum necessary.
　We don't teach them almost anything about how to behave as soldiers.

''Since you took the trouble to make a traveling entertainer as your subordinate, you should have taught him in the style of a play.
"I can't deny that the timing is a bit late, but it's a good idea.
If there's a next time, we'll do it.

　I don't want something like this to happen again, but this kind of talk isn't bad if you think of it as part of communication.
　Crono headed down to Aridid and the others.
　Slightly later, his second-in-command followed him.
　Is this part of the play?

''Good job.''
I'm glad you're looking so well, Master Crono.

　I sit down in my chair, thinking I may have made a selection error.

'Alide, report in.'
Ha!

　Alideed replied shortly and began to explain the circumstances.


Like.
Guru.

　When Alideed finished his explanation on behalf of the group, Deneb and Tyga followed.

'Any injuries?'
The doctor at the field hospital said the wound was minor.
I see.

　Crono poked his cheekbones at the armrest for support.
　The soldiers entrusted to Alideed were his men from the time the Holy Argo Kingdom invaded the Marquis of Erakis' territory - the oldest soldiers.
　If possible, I'd like to have them return immediately, but--''

''Alright, let the ten injured men concentrate on healing.
Are you sure? (Bum?)

　Crono looked up at his deputy standing next to him.

'He's an important subordinate, you know. I'm sorry, but--'
Understood, sir. I'll pull you out of the trenches, sir.
You're the man, Mino. You know what you're doing.
"We've known each other a long time, so it's easy to understand.

　The lieutenant said as he let out a sigh.

If you're replenishing your troops, may I assume that the night attack will continue? (Bum?)
Of course.
"I understand.

　It's not a bad idea to check it out just in case.
　I hope the volunteer soldiers will see it properly.

'Speaking of which, Tyga,'
"What is it? (GASP?)
You said you fought Roy in the war. How did it feel to be at the table?
"That's a very difficult question, that it is.

　Taiga grunted.

''It's just my personal opinion, that I have, but despite your seemingly fearless behavior and rough tone, you are a person who gives off a sense of calmness, that you are.'' (Gau-gau)
...I see.
"It's just my opinion, that it is.

　When Crono nodded, Taiga said as a reminder.
　I'll refrain from rushing in about whether it's a mail-order show or not, as it doesn't seem to make sense.

''........I don't think it's surprising.

　Crono recalls the way Roy fought in the arena.
　He reigned in the arena as an absolute champion, and it wasn't just because of his brute strength.
　He knew how the audience would react to him, and where he could get them going, he would get them going.
　If you remember well, he was trying to produce a fight on the edge, but he never fought recklessly.

''I see...''

　Crono muttered again.

'Is it Lord Roy's plan to have his horse rammed into it?
"It's hard to say, that it is.
Well, I can't help but think about it.

　Now, Crono shifted his gaze to his captors.
　Then Aridid and Deneb moved to the right and Taiga to the left.

'Get on with it!' (GASP!)

　The Imperial soldier is driven away by an Imperial soldier, and the Imperial soldier - a prisoner of war - steps forward.

''I'd like to ask you about the Imperial Army, but first, I'd like you to tell me who the legion leader is.　Well, it's easy to--
The commander of the legion is Lord Argena Dios of the Third Kingsguard, assisted by Lord Roy Akbens of the Fourth Kingsguard. The legion is made up of 2,000 members of the Kingsguard, 20,000 ordinary soldiers, and 10,000 mercenaries hired by the Treasurer of Bowties.

　The captive interrupted Crono's words and began to speak flippantly.
　He looked at his captive without thinking.

'Why were the Imperials muddling through building their positions?'
'I'm not sure, but I've heard a rumour that Lord Argena has ordered a do-over.
...I see.

　Don't tell me the inside story so easily, Crono pouted in his mind.
　He had meant to, but it must have been in his expression.
　The captive snorted mockingly.

I don't want to die in a fight like this.
You're a soldier in the Imperial Guard.
I didn't want to be a soldier.

　The POW said, sounding miffed.

'What's your response to the southern frontier?'
I have heard that you have sent 10,000 men.
How is the Imperial City?
'It's a mess. It's not safe, and the prices are especially high. I was going to buy the woman a souvenir but I can't buy her anything.

　Hmmm, Crono groaned.
　'You're in a war and you're trying to buy a souvenir for your girlfriend, you don't have enough sense of urgency.

''Really?''
I'm not lying.

　There's no way to be sure he's telling the truth since there's only one prisoner.
　Crono changed arms and poked him in the cheek.

'Do you want to be tortured for a bit?
f*ck you!
Be quiet! (GASP!)

　The next moment as the prisoner leaned forward, an Imperial soldier restrained him.

''Let's start with the little finger.
You're kidding me.
Mr. Mino.
"I understand.
Here comes Princess Tyria!
'High head!　Get down on your knees!

　The next second the deputy stepped out, Manchausen and Alonso's voices rang out.
　Crono rose from his chair and looked at the tent.
　Tilia stepped out of the tent and approached us, led by Manchausen and Alonso.
　Tilia wore a white robe with a hood pulled over her eyes. The only things exposed were her hands and mouth.

'Come on,'
I know it's a bit dirty, but please, sit down.
....

　Tyria sat quietly in her chair.

'Princess Tyria is in mourning because she is heartbroken that we are fighting!
'Oh, how kind-hearted!'

　Manchausen and Alonso said with tears in their eyes.
　Tilia beckoned to Manchausen.

'What is it?'
....

　As Manchausen pulled his ear to his mouth, Tilia blurted out.

'Quite the Tyria Princess!
What's going on?
'Princess Tyria does not like the blood of her subjects to flow. She told me to let him go.

　Crono asked, and Manchausen exclaimed with an excited look on his face.

'What?　And I don't understand how you can release someone who's been injured!
Oh, you're arrogant!　And it's arrogant!
Shut up!
Yes, sir.

　Aridid and Deneb fell silent as Manchausen blackmailed him.

''With all due respect, Princess Tyria. We've caused no small amount of damage as well, and--'
'The Marquis of Erakis!　How mindful you are of the orders of Princess Tyria!
Okay, okay.

　Manchausen raised his voice and Crono nodded.

'However, your release is at dawn, and I don't want you to know any unnecessary information until then, so I will blindfold you. I want you to accept these terms.
....

　When Crono offered a compromise, Tyria nodded and put her hand in the embers of her robe.
　What he took out was a carefully folded piece of paper.

''........''
What's that?

　Tilia beckons and now Alonso puts his ear to his mouth.

'Ha!　I've got it all figured out!

　Alonso took the paper from Tilia and walked over to his captive.
　He knelt down and shoved the paper into his pocket.

'What's this?'
Give it to Baron Bowties. I can tell him you received it from the Princess of Tyria.

　Alonso quickly explained to his captors.

'That sort of thing...'
No!

　When Crono walked up to him, Alonso flashed his arm, perhaps to keep him from getting closer.

'You don't have any information to put us at a disadvantage, do you?
....

　Tilia nodded quietly at Crono's question.
　After being told this much, she had to admit it.

''Mino-san, I'll leave the rest to you.
"Hey, I understand.

　Crono went to his tent.