With a low, snarling sound, Merlin's arrow closes in on me.
　I flick the arrow away with my sword.

　A strong impact strikes my right hand and my hand goes numb for a moment.

　''A dragon bow........''
　Yeah. You're well aware of that. I mean, is it any wonder that the person behind you also has the same dragon bow?

　As if in response to the question, an arrow passes right by me.
　It's an arrow fired by Gram.

　The arrow roars and flies straight into Merlin...

　You're good with your hands.

　Merlin grabs the arrow by the hand.
　Then he shows it to her with a grin.

　(Funny....)

　Merlin's arms are the thin arms of a woman.　
　It's just that she's been out on the battlefield for a while, and although she has a good amount of muscle, it's still not enough to be able to draw a dragon bow.

　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.
　There's something about it, a trick.

　Maybe.........

　That seance. Can you even get a dead man's blessing?
　Yeah, you're sharp.

　Merlin throws the arrow back at me like a dart.
　The arrow headed straight for my brow and was bounced off my sword and fell.

　A physical ability as good or better than mine........

　Crew and Merlin.
　It's going to take a lot of work to deal with these two...





　Merlin's arrow snatches my cheek.
　The arrow slices through the flesh of my cheek and blood spatters.

　The strengthening rain washes away the blood in a flash.
　I can't tell if it's blood or raindrops already running down my face.

　The shape was leaning heavily on Roselle's side.
　Ron did his best to hold Alice back.

　Gram and Muzio's arrows were doing their best to impede the movement of Cru and Merlin.
　I'm doing my best to take on the onslaught of Cru and Merlin.

　'You've got good instincts at all. You dodged a paper-thin line.
　You're not very good at this, are you?

　When I say this, Merlin frowns unhappily.

　He takes out an arrow from the arrow barrel and holds it up.

　'Die!

　At the same time, Merlin shoots an arrow as Cru swings the large sword and brings it straight down.

　I forcefully twist my body while catching Cru's big sword and duck the arrow with a paperweight.
　The arrow snatches my side and I feel a delayed pain.

　''You missed again. If you don't finish me off soon, it won't be good.

　I'm going to challenge you both.
　The battle in the center is tilted against us.

　But we should have a huge advantage on both right flanks.
　We are close to completing the siege.

　And then we will be victorious.
　There is no need to defeat these two men here and now.

　Even if we lose the battle, we will win the war.

　(And then ... where do you get your spell power from?　(Plus, the wound regeneration mechanism is...)

　The woman named Merlin is either a reincarnation or a transferee.
　I can tell that from the fact that she spoke Japanese earlier.

　I don't know why she spoke Japanese but she probably needed it to invoke a spell.
　When was it that Yulia said that a spellcasting technique must be chanted in the internal language for good effects to appear.

　As I recall, Gryphon-sama had said that transitioners had no small amount of blessings.
　In other words, Merlin also has some kind of blessing.

　Since the séance you are currently exercising is a spellcraft it's natural to think of physical regeneration as a blessing.
　Sorcery is originally only capable of hallucinations, pain relief, and a little spark. Physical regeneration is technically impossible.

　Would it be better to call it a zombie blessing?
　How do I die?
　A zombie will die if you hit him in the head, but will Merlin die?

　We can't afford to be the first to try it, but...

　Another question is the spell power that maintains the séance.
　Julia also said that she could handle a little bit of séance, but she said it was quite difficult.

　It can finally be done by preparing a huge ritual field, supplementing the spell power with sacrifices and spell power stones, and chanting spells for hours.　
　That's séance, he said.

　This woman completed the séance that made Julia say that much with a few spells.
　The more the spellcraft skipped the rituals, the greater the burden.

　She maintains it for a long time.

　It's hard to imagine that she has more spell power than Julia.......
　Or rather, I don't want to think about it.

　Julia has a spell power that would make the top spellcasters say that they can't believe they're the same person.
　If she has more spell power than that, it's not a human, it's a god or a spirit.

　That's why they have secured their spell power by some means.....
　But where does it hide its spell power........


　That's a lot of time to sit around in a daze!

　As he said that, Merlin closed the distance between them at once.
　His bow was tucked into his back and he had a sword in both hands.

　You came to win the game at once........

　'Cru!　You're a distraction. Get out of my way.
　But, but...
　Get back to your commanding officer!

　Merlin and Kryu exchange something in Gallic.
　Kryu looks lost and walks away.

　''It's time for you to die.''

　Gram's bow shot through Merlin's heart as he said that.
　A large hole is made in Merlin's body.

　But.........

　That's not enough to kill you, though.

　The wound will regenerate before your eyes.

　"You monster!

　Gram shouted.

　'Gram, Muzio!　Aim for the head!

　I'll tell them both what to do.
　Maybe they're right.

　I turn to Merlin and grin at him.

　'A zombie's weakness is its head. It's a classic.
　Do you think it'll kill me?

　He grins.
　'Bluffing I'd like to believe it's a bluff....

　'Well, you're going to die!

　Merlin's sword and mine intersect.
　My hand goes numb....

　It's even faster than a crue, and the thought, and ... better technology!

　'You bastard. You didn't even try, just the power someone else gave you...
　It's a gift from my dead husband, not a stranger. It's love. In fact, you got your strength from a f*cking fairy. We're even now.

　You're right.
　The power you get from hard work and the power you get from others are both the same power.

　'Normally, you lose because your body can't keep up with the skill, right?　It's a cartoon.
　'So, no blessings, no magic?　I'll probably win. Let me tell you, if you've had a taste for five hundred years, you'll learn a certain amount of skill.
　You mean old age. You old b*tc*. Die.
　You're gonna die. You little shit.

　The sound of rain drowns out the sound of metal clashing with iron and steel.
　The battle situation is 50-50.

　I'm the only one who's got the upper hand because Kuru is out.

　We can't keep this woman alive.
　You can kill her now. If I let this moment pass, I can't kill her.

　I'm going to wrestle with the pain that runs through my body, and I'm going to exert myself.
　Right now, right now, I need my strength.

　I need the strength to break through the wall of power that lies between me and Merlin.

　'Hah!
　Pssst!

　My sword strikes Merlin's sword hard.
　Merlin's body flips backwards wide.

　'Die!'

　As I swung my sword, Merlin turned his body wide open.
　The sword cuts through Merlin's clothes and fresh blood splashes out.

　''Why did you suddenly gain strength ... a new blessing?　Well, it can't be....

　Merlin makes a panicked sound.
　I clench my hands tightly together.

　My grip, which was on the verge of fading, has returned.
　I don't know what it is but....

　Thank the elves....
　No, I guess I just came here and added to my army.

　Seeing me being hunted down, the soldiers must have wished me victory.
　Win!　I feel a strong desire to do so.

　'Hey, what's this guy's blessing?　Are there more now?
　How am I supposed to know what to do? f*cking idiot.
　I'm not talking to you!

　I don't know, but there's a lot of gaps.

　I flesh out Merlin and swing my sword at him.
　Sword and sword clash violently.

　A momentary clash of strength.
　I win.

　"Die!

　My sword slices through Merlin's right hand.
　Merlin's right hand flies through the air and fresh blood gushes out.

　''Kuk!''

　Immediately, things like particles of light begin to gather in Merlin's right hand.
　It begins to regenerate.

　But we can't let this opportunity pass us by!

　Huh, tell me now. What is his blessing?　Don't be so reluctant!

　Merlin starts talking to someone as he catches my sword in his left hand.
　Are you out of your mind?

　'What?　

　Merlin holds a spare sword in his regenerated right hand and prevents my onslaught.
　Couldn't I attack enough........

　One word of advice. Don't rely on that blessing too much. You won't be able to tell the difference between 'King Loseys' and 'Almus', will you?
　Thanks for that. Don't worry about it. I'm aware of the side effects. But the thing is, I can't stop now.

　We have built a bridge of corpses and crossed a river of blood to this point.
　There's no turning back now.

　We've got to cross it.

　"This is how it's done.
　'Well no, I'll stop doing that. You don't look like you can beat me right now.

　Merlin said and turned on his heel. Alice, seeing this, follows Merlin.
　At the same time, a gong is made.

　It's the sound of the Roselle Kingdom's gongs.
　Hearing the sound, the Roselle soldiers all started to flee at once.

　This is.........

　Mr. Alms. Thank you for your help. It looks like both wings have moved to a flanking attack.

　Bartolo reported that.
　So ... we won!


　Let the chase begin immediately!
　'Oh ... all the troops!　Let's go!　Don't give the Gauls back alive!


　The death toll of Roselle's army in this battle was 4,000. The wounded were 8,000.
　The number of prisoners of war was 10,000.

　In total, we lost 12,000 men.

　On the other hand, the Allied troops lost 1,000 men. The number of wounded was 4,000.

　It was a great victory for the Allied forces.







　Ouch!
　Don't move, Alms. I can't take care of the wound.
　Couldn't you find a wound that doesn't hurt a little more?
　No.

　Julia's merciless voice slams me into despair.

　'Hey!　I'm not running away!　Tetra, catch me.
　Yes, sir.
　Hey, let me go. Ouch, ouch!

　I scream from the bottom of my heart.
　Julia's wound potion sticks to my wounds without mercy.

　'I'm going to die!　I'm dead!
　Sounds like fun.

　Bartolo came in with a drink.
　He smiled disgustedly.

　'Good for you. No major injuries.'
　'Well. It's all just a graze.......ouch!　Because it hurts!
　Don't move!

　I'm going to get a half-hearted treatment.
　Make me a wound potion that doesn't sink in....

　Then I'll go into my report. We lost about 1,000 men killed and about 4,000 wounded. We don't know what the enemy's losses are, but we've confirmed the number of corpses to be about eight thousand. My prediction is that the enemy still outnumber us. But the enemy is greatly demoralized by the defeat. Perhaps there won't be a next time.

　In short, we won the final battle..............
　It's not a complete victory, but let's be happy about it.

　''As for the prisoners of war, we captured two ten thousand generals and five thousand generals. This one is a greater victory than the other.
　Where are Cru and Merlin?
　We're not sure. I'm afraid he got away...

　Halfway through, Cru left the fight with me.
　I think Merlin realized then that he was about to be surrounded.

　So he let Cru leave and fought me alone.
　I thought I was stalling for time, but I was being forced to.

　However, if I had fought with Cru, there's a high probability I would have been killed.
　You can't blame them.

　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm a good person. I've captured her. Did you say Alice or something like that?
　Is that true?　How did you catch me?
　I heard he was caught defending Prince Aldo. He's been quiet since his capture. Should we go see him?

　Hmmm, I'm inclined to meet and talk to him.
　Or rather, I'd like to recruit him if I could.

　It would be a shame to kill someone with that much strength.
　I'll see what I can do...

　He seems to have a strong loyalty to Prince Aldo, and if we take Prince Aldo hostage, will he follow us?


　Well, good. I'll see you later. And I hope you got the ivory.
　Yeah, it's perfect. I've scraped it all up. I fooled Domorgal and Equus appropriately. .........Is that really worth the money?
　I can be, maybe. The Cilician merchants will jump on it.

　I hope this adds to our finances...



　King Alms!

　I heard a voice from behind the tent.
　It was Raimondo's voice.

　'You may come in.'
　Excuse me.

　Raimondo comes straight to me.　
　He had a tube in his hand.

　'What's that?'
　A messenger from Roselle's army came to me.

　I take the tube from Raimondo.
　I untie it and take the letter from the tube.

　I crack the seal and unfold it.

　....　
　.........　
　Hmmm....

　What does it say?
　I want to make peace. We need to make peace.