*

　Peter looked behind him over his shoulder, holding the reins.
　There were forty wagons and guards of soldiers, and the walls of the imperial capital, Alfiruk, in the distance.
　He turned forward and let out a sigh for what seemed like the umpteenth time.
　It was the gaze that I remembered.
　The inhabitants of the imperial capital were staring at Peter and the others - the supply team - until we left the castle gates.
　I know the feeling.
　The food situation in the imperial capital is not good, to say the least.
　Logistics have been slowed down and the price of food is skyrocketing.
　If they were to take out forty wagons worth of food and fodder, they would be staring at me.
　Even military military military cavalry fodder could not last three days at that time.
　How happy we'd be if they thought the Tyria princes were to blame for everything.
　I'm not saying that the rebellion hasn't had some effect on us.
　But it's the fault of the idiot emperor and his cronies that things have gotten so bad.
　With the loss of an influential chamber of commerce, it's only natural for logistics to be slowed down.

''No........''

　Peter gave a small shake of his head.
　The price of food seemed to have gone up even before the rebellion.
　He couldn't remember when it started, but the price had certainly gone up.
　Maybe it was when the previous emperor collapsed, or maybe it was when Prime Minister Arkol was removed from office.
　If he could remember the details, he should be able to remember what triggered it, but unfortunately, Peter's brain is not that good.
　If he had a good head, he wouldn't have been the captain of a supply unit, nor would he have stayed in the army.
　Peter is an ordinary man.
　Even such an ordinary man can understand some things.
　That is, the previous Emperor and Vizier Alcor had run the country well.
　Unfortunately, they weren't perfect.
　He is an ungodly man.
　They can't be infallible.
　Still, he was running things much better than the current idiot emperor and his cronies.
　I let out a sigh thinking about that.
　There was no point in thinking about the circumstances surrounding the imperial city or getting nostalgic about the past.
　It's the same with the excuse that he needed to fight the rebels.
　To the inhabitants of the imperial capital, Peter and the others are the hateful guys who take away the food.
　We rocked our horses for a while and continued on the street.

''Hmm?''

　Peter's eyes narrowed.
　Something had fallen on the street.
　No, falling was not the right word.
　Something had been scattered on the street.
　He raised his right hand and alerted the rest of the group that something was wrong.
　Carefully advancing the horse, the identity of something is finally revealed.
　It was a stone.
　A stone the size of a clenched fist had been scattered across the street for several dozen meters.
　It's not enough to cover the street, but it's not enough to advance a wagon.

''What the hell?''

　Peter stopped his horse and yelled out in disbelief.
　Could it have been the rebels?
　I have no idea how they got here, but it's very likely.
　But still--''

'What a humble harassment...'

　Peter covered his face.
　Although he calls it a rebellion, he knows that this is a battle that will decide the future of the empire.
　And yet the rebels came to this place and scattered stones.
　That's weird. It's too cheap for a battle to decide the future.
　No, Peter shook his head.
　It's a really effective strategy, if you don't take your personal feelings out of it.
　All you need is a few rocks here and there.
　And Peter and his men don't have any tools to remove them.
　Making space for the wagons to pass by hand is a bit of a pain.

"...d*mn.

　Immediately after he spat, the horse's snorting sounded from behind him.
　Reflexively, I turned around and saw smoke rising far behind me.
　An enemy attack.
　Is it natural? This is a battle.
　This is a battle, and it can't just end with the scattering of stones.
　He forgot that this was a cheap operation.
　His men's lives were at stake, and he had made a mistake.
　It was a terrible mistake, I thought to myself, but that's just human nature.
　Humans make mistakes even when their lives are at stake.

'd*mn it!　Let's get some people to follow me!　The rest of you, remove the stone and move on!

　Peter shouted and circled his horse's neck.
　He led about ten men to the horses.
　Soon the tail end of the line was in sight.
　The hindmost, or rather the third wagon from the hindmost to the third, was engulfed in flames.

'Oh, dammit!'

　Peter spat.
　The smoke obscured his vision.
　This wouldn't allow him to see the situation.
　Just as he thought that, the smoke broke off.
　His men had their shields up and were about to intercept the rebel army - the enemy cavalry.
　The enemy cavalrymen were on horseback, their bows at the ready.
　Once again, his vision was blocked by smoke, a sharp pain in his arm, and a short scream went up.
　An arrow that flew through the smoke snatched his arm and pierced his men behind him.

''K--!

　The next moment he opened his mouth to swear, the horse fell forward.
　Perhaps it was an enemy arrow that pierced the horse.
　Peter was thrown off his horse and rolled on the ground.
　But it was for the best.

'Gah!'
Gag!
Heeeee!

　An intermittent short scream echoed.
　The subordinate who was following him was pierced by an enemy soldier's arrow.

''d*mn it!''

　Peter swears and gets down on all fours to hide behind his shield.
　He calls out to a nearby subordinate.

'What happened!'
Enemy attack!
'I know it when I see it!　Be more specific!
'Suddenly a jar was thrown behind me and the liquid in it caught fire!
Isn't that the magic item?
I don't understand.
Gah!

　Suddenly - no, I think I heard something crack - the subordinate who was holding a shield next to him burst into flames.

'Fire!　Fire!
Roll, roll, roll!

　Peter shouted, but his men in flames wouldn't obey.
　No wonder.
　They are in a panic.
　Whatever he says will not fall on deaf ears.

'Oh, hey!'

　The man who had been crawling on the ground stood up and ran to the man who was engulfed in flames.

''Roll--!

　The man couldn't get the words out until the end.
　An arrowhead was sticking out of his mouth.
　He had been attacked by enemy soldiers.
　Somewhat late, the man who had been engulfed in flames also fell.
　Were they friends or were they trying to protect their friends?
　Or was it an act of duty to protect his friends?
　I don't know now, but I do know that cowards live longer than cowards.
　As much as I would like to be a coward, it's the hardest part of being a commander that it doesn't work out that way.
　How can we get rid of the enemy soldiers?

''The bow!　Archers, come here!
Ha!
I understand!

　My men have bows and run towards us.
　I bend down, but some of them get shot through by the enemy's arrows.

'Discharge arrows at will!
Ha!

　My men fired arrows at each of them at different times as they replied.
　Although smoke is blocking our view, this should prevent us from being attacked unilaterally.
　Just as we avoid the enemy's attacks, the enemy will also avoid our attacks.
　It's an obvious logic, but because they couldn't do that obvious, they got hit in a good way.

'Unleash!　The enemy is scared!

　Peter shouted.
　Lies to inspire allies, but sometimes lies can be salvation.

*

　Arrows flew through the smoke.
　However, they fell far in front of Kane.
　The Imperial Army is using a longbow, and this one is an improved machine gun bow.
　Their performance is different.

''Alright, stop!''
Captain Kane?

　The archers - the elves - obeyed the order, although they shouted somewhat accusingly.

'Alright, we will retreat.'
Why, sir?
Why?

　Kane raggedly scratched his head and looked at his men who had gone through the hardship with him.
　They are grinning and laughing, as if they don't intend to help you.
　Does he enjoy seeing them in trouble?
　Bruno and his team of job changers turned away awkwardly.
　'It can't be helped,' they let out a sigh.

''You know, as you can see we're........''

　He punctuates his words and looks around.
　Twenty-eight cavalry and twenty-five archers - a total of fifty-three men were the entire force given to Kane.
　If you include yourself, it's fifty-four.

''There aren't many of them!
It is!
What's that?
No, it's nothing.

　Kane asked back, and the elf shushed him.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you can't get rid of it. But if you persist here, if you shoot all the arrows, that's it. It's not going to result in much of a fight.
Yes, I understand.
Good. Well, let's get out of here.

　Caine turns his head away from the Imperial Guard.

*

What do you mean, attacked by the rebels?
'Ha, while we were stranded, we were attacked from all sides.

　When Algena raised her voice, Peter, the captain of the supply unit, replied in a flat position.
　Both reactions were in order, since they had lost forty percent of their sustenance when they were attacked by the rebels.
　Good thing we're in the tent, Roy said, feeling relieved.
　It was also good that Treasurer Bawties was out there to get the mercenaries in line.
　It would be nice if he kept quiet, but he had a feeling he was going to rant and rave.

'Why couldn't you protect your sustenance?'
Because the rebels have been using burning water.
Flaming water?

　Algena tilted her head.

'You mean the elves' strange potion, don't you?'
Do you know?

　As I utter a thought, Algena turns her gaze to me.

'It's a drink with a touch of the elves using it to heal their wounds a long time ago.
Booze?
I heard it makes the wound less likely to get infected if you spray it with, so I'm not gonna lie about it being a drug. That's why it burns so well.

　I've heard of a man who was taking a strange elven potion that turned him into a fireman.
　I thought it was just a rumor, but maybe it was true.

'It's a pretty famous drink, though. You really don't know about it?
I'm not as much of a drinker as you are.

　Arjena said with a miffed look on her face.
　She turned away from Roy and bit her nails in frustration.

'Stone, booze? Are the rebels kidding around?'
I know you're serious about this.

　When Roy made a light comment, Argena glared at him with a snap.
　The rebels are fooling around - if they're not serious, they should surrender immediately.
　I really mean it, but Arjena didn't seem to get it.
　He cowered his shoulders, "Good grief.

'But how did you get around to our rear?
Of course he has a horse.

　How many days do you think it has been since the rebels captured the port?
　At least ten days have passed.
　With this much, it would be easy to get behind them.

''The area around the imperial capital isn't the rebel's sphere of influence, you know?　I knew it was the lords of the neighborhood that betrayed us.
You don't know when you've been betrayed. There are lots of ways to screw a guy over.

　You can negotiate with the lords, or if you can't come to an agreement, you can use the intervening roads.
　You could also move in at night.
　Pretending to be a peddler would not be impossible either.
　There are many ways to move through the Empire's sphere of influence.

''Besides, you can't afford to think about that right now.
I know!

　Algena shouted aloud.
　Only sixty percent of their provisions had reached the rebel army in a surprise attack.
　If they didn't, the Imperial army would starve.

I will write a request to the military director for more military provisions and send them to the military chief. Wait outside for a while.
.... haha.

　After a long silence, Peter nodded and walked out of the tent.

'So, what do we do now?'
It won't change what we do. We will break through the obstacles and destroy the rebels.
The same thing that happened yesterday and the day before.
Yes.

　Arjena looked miffed.

''If those mercenaries die, we'll have more room in our provisions for them.
No one likes a mercenary with an axe to grind.
You got a better idea?
You know.

　Roy cowered lightly.

'But hey, how are you going to get through it?'
"The obstacle is half neutralized.
There's another obstacle in front of the people hiding in the hole.
It's okay. I got it.
Really?
Yeah.

　At Roy's words, Argena smiled wryly.

*

Gentlemen!　Today is the day to neutralize the obstacle!
....

　Treasurer Bawties raised his voice on his horse, but the mercenaries were silent.
　It's no wonder that three thousand people have died in just two days.
　Well, it's possible that they were timing their escape and stayed up all night.
　Roy looked over his shoulder at the field position.
　There, the soldiers led by Richard are digging a moat.
　They've been working on it since yesterday, and it looks like they've been able to dig it up to about waist deep.
　I'd like to at least get my hands on some tools, I thought as I turned to face the front.

It's going to be six hundred people today!　Six hundred men, come forward!
....

　Treasurer Bawties gives the order, but the mercenaries just look at each other.
　Unable to watch, Arjena's men raise their voices.

''Step forward!　You have no choice but to move forward!
....

　The mercenaries stepped forward in silence.
　They stared hatefully at Arjena's men, but unfortunately, you can't kill people with hatred.
　If it could, Roy would have died several times.

'Come on, move on!　Brave men!
Move along!　Do you want to die!

　Treasurer Bawties and Arjena's men shouted, and the mercenaries staggered off.
　Even the old man must be walking more briskly.
　Beyond the foremost obstacle, an enemy archer fires an arrow.
　A rain of arrows poured down and a short scream went up.
　But there are fewer of them than yesterday.
　They weren't able to keep the mercenaries well within range.
　Were they unable to deal with a different pattern of behavior than yesterday?
　Or was it due to fatigue?
　Or--''

''Chance!　Run!

　Treasurer Bawties shouted, and the mercenaries rushed out as if they were nowhere to be found.
　A scream goes up, but the majority of the mercenaries have escaped the arrows.

'What's going on?'
I don't know!
Anyway, let's put a blanket over the obstacle!
That's it!
Whatever. Let's do it!

　Whoa!　And the mercenaries shouted and ran off.
　They picked up their blankets and ran towards the obstacle.
　No one picked up the lid of the barrel.
　It may have been damaged, but it was probably because they knew it would be useless in preventing arrows.
　Maybe he figured that if he was going to trust his life to the lid of a barrel, he might as well surrender to fate.
　They were close to their target.
　Suddenly, the mercenaries were blown away by the sound of an explosion.
　They rolled on the ground in a rumble and raised their bodies.
　He looks around as if he is confused.
　Maybe he doesn't know why he's alive.
　It was obvious from Roy's position, but the magic item exploded before the obstacle.

'Good!　The rebels are in a hurry!

　Treasurer Bawties shouted on his horse.
　'Are you sure?　Roy tilted his head inwardly.
　An enemy archer missed an arrow and further misjudged the magic item, causing it to explode far in front of him.
　It was too good to be true.
　It's unbelievable.
　But there was a feeling that it might be like that.
　No matter how careful you are, mistakes can happen.
　That doesn't change, even if it's a fight for your life.

''Ohhhhhh!''
I got it!
They've put a blanket over the obstacle!

　Roy came to himself at the sound of the mercenaries' voices.
　If he looked, he could see that a blanket had been draped over the obstacle.
　Again, there were many casualties, but they had achieved their goal.

'Gentlemen!　That's the last time!

　Treasurer Bawties shouted and Algena's men put the crate on the ground.
　He opened the lid.
　Inside it contained a number of red, clear spheres.

'Wha, what?'
Jewelry?
Isn't that a glass ball?
This is a magic item given to me by His Majesty.

　Treasurer Bawties said proudly.
　'This is something that the Director of Military Affairs, Ralph Libra, has entrusted to Algena, but I'll keep it quiet.

'Chant 'Fire!' and throw it into the enemy's ranks. That's how you'll win!　Whoever throws this magic item into the air will be rewarded!　Come on, go!　Brave men!

　Treasurer Bawties' tone gradually became more enthusiastic and finally seemed to be euphoric.

'Yo, alright, that's the last time I'm going to do this!
I'm going to do it!
I'll kill the rebels!

　The mercenaries rush to the magic item.
　They push and hack each other and fall in a chain reaction.
　Eventually, the mercenaries who had won the fight start running, and the unruly ones follow.

''Annihilate the rebel army!
Oh!

　The mercenaries shouted a bullhorn, as if in response to the command of the head of the finance bureau, Bawties.
　The ground shook as they headed towards the enemy field position.

''Really?''

　Roy held his temples and muttered.
　All the mercenaries had rushed in.
　I've heard that sheep tend to follow the leader of the flock and can go on a rampage.
　That's exactly what the mercenaries were doing.

''Oh, hey!　Why are you coming?!
Stop!　We're not--!
Oh!

　The mercenaries who were trying to return to their positions are swallowed up by the wave of people and become invisible.
　An enemy archer fires an arrow and the mercenaries in the lead fall.
　Magic items fall out of their hands--.

''Yes!　I dropped it!
Move!
You're kidding me!　That's mine!
Shut up!　The sooner the better!

　A fistfight begins here and there.
　Of course, the rebels aren't good-natured enough to sit back and watch.
　A rain of arrows rains down and screams rise.
　Perhaps it's because of the sheer number of mercenaries, but it's like a chorus.
　With a clatter, the mercenaries die.
　Still, the flow does not stop.
　The mercenaries advance, pushing and snapping at each other, fighting for magic items.
　The mercenaries who tried to climb over the incapacitated obstacles fall, and the chain of events falls.
　The magic items unleashed by the rebels explode and the mercenaries are blown away.
　They are shot through with arrows and gradually close the distance as they are blown away by the magic items.

''Oh!　O daredevil heroes!

　There must have been something about the scene that made him feel it.
　Treasurer Bawties exclaimed in an impressed tone.
　But what he went on to do exceeded Roy's expectations.
　No, I should say it was oblique.

'I'm going with you!
Oh, hey!

　Ignoring Roy's attempts to stop him, Treasurer Bowties drove his horse into the enemy field position.
　It's insane.
　Oh, no, it's understandable.
　Hatred and a sense of merit must have robbed him of his normal judgment.
　Just when almost all the mercenaries had climbed over the obstacle, the front row of mercenaries fell down in a flurry.
　They had been hit by a crossbow arrow.
　''Flame!　With a voice, the mercenaries threw magic items.
　Some fell in front of the fence, but many fell into the hole where the rebels were hiding.

''Drop it!''
Don't drop it!

　Immediately after such a voice sounded, an explosion occurred in front of the fence - and in the hole where the rebels were hiding.

'All right!　We did it!
"We just blew up the enemy in front of us!
Now they can't fight back!
Break the fence!

　The momentum of the mercenaries ran towards the fence.
　After a while, the mercenaries were shot through by the crossbow arrows and fell.

''Nah, what the hell!''
Arrow!
Why?　I've defeated the enemy in front of me!
Yeah.

　Perhaps he was trying to say sideways.
　The mercenary was shot through by a crossbow arrow that flew in from the side and fell.

''Why is an arrow flying from the side!

　It was Argena who shouted.
　The arrows would only fly from the front.
　That's what she thought.

''Ah!''

　Roy looked at the enemy field position and involuntarily shouted.
　When he reached this point, he realized the true nature of the uncomfortable feeling he had been having.
　The rebels are not digging a hole straight down.
　They were laying out a crane wing formation - curved to wrap around us.

Spread the word!
'Yes!　Run to the side!

　The mercenaries tried to spread out to the side to escape, but were stunned and shot through by a crossbow arrow.

''Don't spread out!''
Front!
Step forward!

　The mercenaries resume their advance.
　It's true that the front is thin right now.
　It would be easily dealt with, but it would give them a little extra life.
　Just then, a dirt-covered enemy soldier appeared and fired an arrow with his crossbow.

''Gah!''
'Why not?　I thought you were dead!
'd*mn it!　The rebels are a bunch of bastards!
The magic item was defective!
I don't want to die!
Mom, Mom!

　Attacked from three directions, the mercenaries fell in a heap.
　Roy clicked his tongue and rushed to Argena.

'Retreat!　Pull them out!
'What are you talking about?　I've just neutralized the target!
"Don't be ridiculous!　That was a lure!

　Roy yelled back at Algena.

'That one!'

　Roy pointed to the enemy field position.

''Those are crane wings!　It's the Tsurukewa no jin!　The reason there were so few obstacles in the center and the rebels didn't try to move the blanket was to lure us in!
What did you say?

　Arjena's eyes widened from astonishment.

'Quickly give me an order!　We're all going to die!
Okay, okay.

　Ooh!　The voice of Algena was interrupted by a shout of "I'm sorry, but...".
　Roy looks at the enemy field position.
　Then the rebels flew out of the forest.
　There were about two hundred of them, but the imprint colored the bodies of all of them.
　They were mercenaries from the Bethel Mountains.
　They took up positions in front of the incapacitated obstacle.
　This completely blocked their retreat.

''Hiiiiii!''

　A pitiful cry echoed across the battlefield.
　''It's the head of the Treasury, Bawties.
　He swings his sword on his horse, perhaps to keep the mercenaries in the Bethel Mountains away from him.
　The young mercenary jumps and kicks him.
　Treasurer Boutis falls off his horse and doesn't even move.
　It's not like he's dead--''

''Everyone, line up side by side!

　A bearded man shouted, and the mercenaries of the Bethel Mountains lined up in a line.
　It was a commanding move, no less than his own men.

''Let go!''

　A red light swelled up, and the flames burned the mercenaries - no, the vagrants - from behind.

''Gaaaaaah!''
Hot, hot, hot, hotyyy!
Hey, don't come here!

　The hobo turned to fire and collapsed with a hair-raising scream.
　Hell, hell had appeared in front of him.

'It sucks, doesn't it?'

　Immediately after Roy spat, the infantry stationed at both ends of the enemy field position held their crossbows at the ready.
　That's not all.
　The heavily armed infantry - minotaurs and lizardmen - used their throwing strings to throw stones.
　The stones that flew in a straight line hit the vagrant and his head exploded.
　More magic items rain down, and the sound of explosions is heard.
　Each time that happened, the poor vagrant flew through the air.
　After making it this far, it still wasn't enough.
　They flew up to the jar.
　The next moment it cracked as it fell onto the hobo and the ground, the surroundings were engulfed in intense flames.
　It was completely too late.
　It would be impossible for the vagrants to escape on their own.

'Arjena!　Let me go!
No!
f*ck you!

　Roy shouted.
　I know where I stand, but even as a vagrant, it would be demoralizing to abandon my allies.
　Why can't you see that?

Okay.....
Okay.

　Roy turned around with his fists pounding, but the battle was already over.
　The attack had stopped and the Bethel Mountains mercenaries had disappeared.
　There was no sign of Treasurer Bawties, either.

''What do we do now?''
Of course I'm going to help!

　The vagrants have not been wiped out.
　Some of them are standing there as if abandoned, and others are moving.
　If you listen carefully, you can hear them moaning.

'You're going to die.'
When that happens...
Lord Roy!
.....

　Roy grunted as Richard interrupted him.
　I looked at the direction the voice came from and saw Richard almost running towards us.

'What's the matter!'
It's an arrowhead!

　Richard knelt at Roy's feet and reverently offered him an arrow.

'Lend it to me!'

　Arjena snatched the arrow away with an exasperated look and untied the paper that was tied to it.

'What does it say?'
Request a truce to bring the injured to safety. How much more of this is bullshit!

　Arjena crushed the letter and slammed it to the ground.
　She stomped on it further with her foot.

'You'll just have to take the joke of an offer, won't you?
It's a trap!　Have you forgotten what the rebels have done?
Okay.

　Roy let out a deep sigh.

'I'll go.'
I am in command!
That's why I'm going.

　Even if the application for a temporary truce was a trap, if Argena was safe, the disruption should be minimal.

''Okay. It's up to you.
Oh, I'm on it.

　As Roy replied, Algena walked away.
　A few moments later Richard opened his mouth.

'Lord Roy, would you mind if I could accompany you?'
What if this is a trap?
No, I don't think so.

　Richard said in a tone of conviction.

'What makes you think that?'
'The rebels are trying to get the wounded soldiers treated and consumed for supplies. That's what we think.
I think so.

　Roy lifted the corners of his mouth.