A clear blue sword that seemed to assimilate with the sky was pointed at him, and the young man, who looked like a nobleman, ducked his horse's neck in a hurry.
　The sorcerer and the infantry stayed on the spot to stop Ardis.

The white road to the white road to the center of the world gleams through the pitch blackness.

　The sorcerer's mouth spins out a long chant.
　It's probably the magic of "Thier Cele Qovis" that pierces the target with super hot light.

　But--.

(Do you think you have the time to chant at leisure?)

　There is no need for Ardis to wait until the magic appears.

　While kicking away the imperial soldiers that stood in front of her, Ardis sent a blizzard of snowflakes high into the sky.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it.

"The invisible realm that stands in the way of the pathway is the wise man who forgot his nostalgia--

　The sorcerer's chanting was abruptly cut off with an expression on his face that didn't even know what had happened.

　At the nape of his neck, there was only the hilt of the 'Moonstorm' that had pierced deep into his body.
　Blood gushed out from the wound as if to stain that white sword body that slightly peeked out.

''Kaha--''

　Instead of chanting, blood spat out of its mouth and the sorcerer fell down as it was, losing his strength.

　No matter how many imperial soldiers were left, they were no obstacle to Ardis.
　While kicking away the standing infantry, he let 'Tokiharugasumi' get ahead of him.

''Young!　Quickly!

　Their voices were only faintly reaching their ears.
　The group running away with their horses was already too far away for human feet to catch up with.

　But that is the story of 'in human feet'.

　It was easy for the shortsword, an inorganic object flying in a straight line through the air, to catch up with them.
　It is a good thing that they are not just for the sake of their own safety, but also for the sake of the environment.

　When the cutting edge pierced into his buttocks, the pain was unbearable and the horse flailed and shook the young man off.

　It was lucky that he was not stepped on by the horse that was guarding him.
　Moreover, it is also fortunate that he survived his fall from the attacker's horse.

　But for the young man, that was the end of his good fortune.

　A dark-haired boy with a broadsword was standing in front of him before the guards, who had noticed the young man's fall, ducked their horses and came back.
　Realizing that the boy was the mercenary who had just cut down the imperial army single-handedly, the noble young man opened his mouth in a rush.

''I surrender!　I'll leave the rest of my body in your care!　As a prisoner of war, I demand appropriate treatment!

　The young man is probably injured with fractures and bruises all over his body, but apparently he doesn't have the time to feel the pain when his life is in imminent danger.

''Surrender?''

　The short question from Aldis' mouth brings a false perception to the young man.

'Money!　I'll pay the ransom!　I'm sure your father would have paid a good ransom for me!　That's a lot of money you could play with and live with for the rest of your life and still not spend it all!

Sorry, but I don't need the money.

　In the first place, even if a ransom was paid, only a minuscule (very small) portion of it would be handed over to Ardis, who is only a mere mercenary.
　The reason why Aldis pursued this young man, who is believed to be his commander, is not because he was seeking a ransom or merit.
　The goal is to bring chaos to the enemy's chain of command by defeating the commander and to buy time for Kirill and the others to leave the battlefield.

'Ta, help me!'

　Seeing the lack of restraint and mercy in Aldis's eyes, the young man took a turn and began to beg for his life.

'I've come out to the battlefield to kill people. Of course you are prepared to be killed, right?''

Hi!

　Aldis's answer to this is cold.

　If the other party is a civilian with no power to fight, I won't kill him.
　If the person begging for his or her life is a mere soldier and has no hostile intentions towards Ardis, then you may overlook it.

　But the young man in front of me is the commander who has led the fight.
　I've been forcing the soldiers of the kingdom to go on a journey of death, and now I have no intention of listening to the vain talk of being the only one who wants to survive.

　Even if we missed him, it doesn't mean that the troops would just retreat quietly.
　If command is handed over to another person, the situation will be much the same as it was before.

　So it's a surefire way to finish the job.
　The fact that the commander has been struck down is clearly burned into the eyes of the Imperial soldiers.

　There is no emotion there.
　This is a battlefield.
　Without any hesitation, Ardis thrusts the Aoten Saika into the young man's chest, because that's what he needs to do.

　After annihilating the cavalry guards who turned back to rescue the young man in command, he cut off the young man's head as a precaution, and then looked around the silent surroundings menacingly and left the place.

　The imperial right-wing unit, which had suffered a devastating blow to its chain of command by Ardis, was gradually becoming less and less able to act in an organized manner.
　Even if they were able to lead their squad units, they had no officers to direct them.

　This weakened the imperial offensive and gave the Royal Army a temporary respite.
　Kirill and the others at the front line were not the only ones to benefit from this.
　The militia that had already been defeated and scattered, as well as the student soldiers that were waiting in the rear, were also benefiting from this.





''Captain Remshade!　The enemy's pressure is weakening!

　One of the schoolboy soldiers shouts to the officer on horseback.

'Good!　We'll take our chances and fall back!　Those of you in the warrior program, fortify the perimeter of your units and prepare for the chase!

　The young officer on the horse - Hanslick Remshade - gave his instructions in a strident voice.

　Only a small group of less than fifty people remained around him any longer.
　It is too unreliable a number to be called a fighting force.

　Moreover, it was not regular soldiers, but students who attended the school.
　Hanslick cursed his own misfortune for having been forced to fight with such poor and poorly trained soldiers.

　But now there was no way to survive except to use this small force to somehow leave the battlefield.

''There are still allies in front, surrounded by the enemy. ......

You're abandoning your allies: ......?

　No one says to Hanslick to his or her face, but there are confused voices here and there.

''If we go to the rescue by ourselves, we'll be wiped out, both of us!

　Hanslick shouted at the surroundings, not hiding his irritation.

　In fact, considering that this is a battlefield, Hanslick's decision is not wrong.
　No matter how much the momentum of the imperial army has weakened, as long as the difference in strength between friend and foe is clear, it is only a matter of time before they are pushed in.
　If we are to retreat, now is the only time.

　If we miss this opportunity, the rest will only be swallowed up by the enemy.
　Abandoning a few allies surrounded by the enemy was not a wrong decision for a commander.

　However, Hanslick does not have the luxury of feeling the need to lecture students who do not even know the ABC's of military strategy.
　The reason why the youthful kids didn't speak out is because he didn't want to waste the time to say it, not because he restrained himself.

"Whoever wants to stay here, stay!　If you want to save your people, I won't stop you!

　He says to the students with unconvinced expressions, and then gives them instructions as a troop leader to do as they please.

''Hurry up!　I'm going through the woods to dodge the chase!　Don't get hung up!

　Hanslick takes the lead and moves to retreat.

　Following him are about thirty students. It's not clear whether they prioritized their own lives over rescuing their comrades, or whether they were more interested in following the instructions of the troop leader, Hanslick.
　Hanslick stuck his tongue out at the small number of them, not paying attention to the public eye.

　More than a dozen students had disobeyed Hanslick and remained on the battlefield.

　Perhaps they would understand.
　It was impossible to rescue an ally surrounded by Imperial soldiers in this situation.
　However, their hesitation in abandoning their schoolmates and their inability to adapt to the situation is what keeps them from making a decision.

"Stay lost until you die.

　Hanslick knows this and spits it out.

　I gave you a choice. I've given you instructions. And if you still can't choose your own path, then it's none of your business any more.
　The exasperation of being forced by the higher ups to take a half-formed squad of academy soldiers was painting his tolerance in a dark color.

'd*mn it!　How did this happen: ......

　As the second son of the prestigious Remshade family of warriors, Hanslick's life was smooth sailing as he was educated at an early age as a gifted child and was ranked as the top student in his grade at Mariusz Academy.
　It was when he went off-campus before graduating from the school that it all went awry.

If only it hadn't been for that one incident: ......

　While leading the retreat, Hanslick remembers the bitter past.

　Once, Hanslick and his classmates challenged the forests of Kosuth.
　However, they were a good student, but they were no match for the beasts of the forest and ended up with the help of traveling peddlers and mercenaries.

　When Hanslick returned to King's Landing, the disgraceful reputation of being 'rescued by mercenaries in distress' awaited him.
　He was severely reprimanded by his father for having to pay the considerable expense for his rescue, and looked coldly at the elder brother of the incoming head of the family.
　The school's classmates, who had been friendly to Hanslick, left him and he was forbidden to leave the capital for six months before graduation.

　Even now, more than three years after graduating and enlisting in the army, that reputation is still dragging Hanslick down.
　This was a far cry from Solte, who was steadily gaining a reputation as a clergyman despite being in the same position.

　Fortunately, there was no pursuit from the Imperial Army, and the troops led by Hanslick stepped into the forest not far from the battlefield.

''We're going to blend in with the forest and distance ourselves from the battlefield!　Don't rest yet!　Move your feet!

　Hanslick and the others followed the beast path through the somewhat eerie looking forest.
　The sounds coming from the battlefield faded away, and that's when they finally took a breath.

''Ugh, whoa!''

　A group of students walking in the middle of the line screamed.

''What!?''

　Hanslick turned around in a hurry and saw several students with a net over the top that appeared to be made of plant vines.

''A trap!''

　Instantly, ominous words come out of Hanslick's mouth.
　As if in response, a scream comes from the students who were walking at the front this time.

''Ta, help!''

　The voice caught me and I looked forward and saw a large, deep hollow that stretched the full width of the road.

'A pit!'

　It was clear that it had been artificially created.

'An ambush!　All units, full perimeter alert!　Stand fast.

　It showed Hanslick's excellence that he tried to respond immediately without any confusion.

　But it was already too late for that, too.

　Hanslick, who was about to give orders to his troops, perceives multiple arrows piercing his own body with pain.
　Even that was a momentary thing. In the next moment, he is hit in the head and loses his connection to this world with the sensation that everything is going away and fading away.