What?

　In the main tent of the Imperial Army, a report delivered by the right wing troops had astonished the Grand General.

''Is that solid information!

　The general's question to the messenger soldiers is mixed with confusion, and the officers around him are incredulous.

I'm not sure at the moment ....... However, we have received the same report from multiple sources.

　The news that the commander of the right wing had been killed in action threw cold water on the Imperial Army, which had been loosening its cheeks after an unprecedented victory.

''Does this mean that the enemy had enough reserve troops to bounce off the right wing troops?''

No, the kingdom can't afford it.

　To the officer's words about the possibility, the general immediately replied with a denial.

　But the question now is whether the information is true or not.
　If the information was true, then there was a big problem.

　The commander of the right wing troops was Viscount Lautria.
　He is the legitimate son of Duke Tangram, a great aristocrat who leads the largest faction in the Empire.

　The Duke of Tangram has no second son.
　In other words, if Viscount Lautria, the only direct descendant, had really been killed in battle, the question of succession would surely arise.

　What's more, the Duke of Tangram, who had lost his heir son, would not remain silent.
　No matter how much the empire is a tyrannical state with the emperor at the top, the Duke of Tangram could not be ignored.
　Even if his opponent is an ordinary nobleman, the Duke of Tangram is a great aristocrat who has supported the empire since its founding, and his faction has nearly half of all the nobles in the empire.

　Depending on how the Duke of Tangram, who had lost his heir, would come out of the war with the kingdom.
　Even if the Empire won this battle, it was obvious that the country would be plunged into chaos.

''The battle that we were supposed to win was ....... d*mn it!''

　The longed-for victory was ruined, and the general spat with regret and resentment.

　In order to prevent the nobles from being harmed in the unlikely event that they were to be harmed, he placed them on the right flank where they would be relatively safe and able to make their achievements with certainty.
　They knew that the enemy's soldiers would be reduced to half their number on the way, and they were so thoroughly concerned about their safety that they were forced to refrain from attacking until they had an overwhelming advantage.
　None of the generals or the officers in the main camp had expected such a result.

　But he was responsible for the command of the entire army.
　No matter how unexpected the events were, and no matter how much he could anticipate an undesirable post-war, he would not let go of what needed to be done.

'What about the right wing troops?　Let me know what's going on and give you the details.

　After regaining his composure, the Grand General gave his order.

　After some time had passed, he finally learned from the report delivered to him that Viscount Rathrya had been killed in action, and he couldn't believe his ears when he heard the words of the subsequent message.

''Breaking ......, you say!

Ha!

'What do you mean?　Even if the unit commander is killed in action, there will still be someone to take his place!

That's .......

So what?

'All the officers above the platoon commander were killed in action. There was no one to give orders, and with Viscount Lautria killed, confusion led to confusion and confusion. ......

"All platoon leaders and above died in battle ......," you say?　What a joke, that is.

　The general was shocked to the point where he felt dizzy for a moment.

　While there are officers from the commoners in the center and left wing units, the officers assigned to the right wing units are all nobility.
　Some of them are headed by the head of the family themselves, while others have sent their children to fight in the war as a foil.
　The fact that all of the platoon leaders and above were killed in battle means that the aristocracy had suffered such a high level of casualties.

　The damage was so great that the joy of the overwhelming victory over the kingdom was blown away.

''How much reinforcements did the kingdom send in?

　Every single officer in the unit had been killed in action, and the troops, which had numbered three thousand before the war began, had been destroyed in a short time.
　The reserve strength that the kingdom must have concealed must have far exceeded the expectations of the Imperial Army's top brass.

　But the information that came out of the mouth of the messenger was unclear.

''We have no information about that yet. However, I heard that the soldiers are calling out, 'A monster has arrived. ......

'A monster, ......?　Are you suggesting that we've encountered a group of demons instead of the Royal Army?

　The question did not mean that the messenger had the answer to the question.
　Feeling an unfathomable cold, the general shuddered slightly.



　By the way, the battlefield after the Imperial right wing troops left.

　Aldis watched as the Imperial troops moved away and then ducked down to where Kirill and the others were.
　Kirill had apparently joined up with the students who were left behind on the battlefield but survived, as instructed by Aldis, to repel the attack of the Imperial soldiers.

　The students had died nine deaths without causing any new casualties, but the superior officer who was already leading the troops was nowhere to be seen.
　Kirill was pleased to join up with Ardis, but he immediately expressed his doubts with a troubled face.

''What should we do in a situation like this?''

　The students who were brought to the battlefield without proper training have no guidelines for how to act in the event of an unforeseen situation.
　It is only natural that they would look to the only mercenary in the room for answers.

''Normally, we should find out where our troops are and return to them.

　I didn't say anything about the possibility of returning to Japan, but I didn't want to say anything about the fact that there were still troops left to return to.

If not, we should leave the battlefield immediately and try to get to safety. The imperial troops have withdrawn, but there is a possibility that they will regain their footing and attack us again.

Won't they punish us later if we run off on our own?

　A strong-looking girl interrupts from the side.

It's not like we're running away. It's just a 'search and rescue action to return to the original unit'.

It's all a matter of fact. You're looking for your unit to return to your superiors' command, but before you know it, you're away from the battlefield.

　Understanding what Aldis is trying to say, the girl chews up the explanation in a way that the students around her can understand.
　Nodding lightly, Aldis looks around at the students around her and says.

''The kingdom will lose this battle anyway.

　The students' gazes focused on Aldis, who spoke openly about his side's defeat.

''Even you guys wouldn't want to die here, would you?　Right now, your first priority is to get out alive. In the unlikely event that you encounter friendly troops on the way, then you can ask your officers for instructions.

　Some of the students may have come to the battlefield of their own accord, but at least the people here don't seem to fit into that category. There was no one who would disagree with Aldis' words.

　After administering minimal treatment to the wounded, Aldis and the others immediately began to move in.

　All around them were people, people, people. -- filled with things that were once people.
　There were some imperial soldiers among them, but the majority of them were the kingdom's militia, and in some places, they looked like students from Mariusius Academy.
　Occasionally, a student would let out an inarticulate cry when he or she saw the cruel appearance of a classmate.

　However, each time this happens, it's not a situation where you can stop and mourn or collect a memento.
　We had to go and beat it out of the back of our heads.

　Then I stepped forward with the sun at my back for about ten minutes.

'Hmm?'

　Aldis, who was standing in the lead, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
　Kirill, who was walking right behind him, asked what was going on.

''What's going on, Mr. Aldis?''

There's a small group of them to the east.

　About thirteen human-like beings were caught up in Aldis' exploration.
　That group, which is moving slowly towards the north, is advancing in parallel with Ardis and the others.

''Are they Imperial soldiers?''

There's no chance of that happening, but ......

　It's also unnatural to have a group of just a dozen or so people wandering around the place after the entire unit has pulled out.
　They were numerous and slow-moving, even for a scout. They were clearly moving at a speed that was on foot.

''It would be more natural to think of them as survivors of the kingdom's side.

　They were probably retreating to leave the battlefield, as were Aldis and the others.

'Would you like to join us?'

"There's nothing we can't do, but it will cost us time. The longer you stay in the field, the more danger you'll face.

I know that, but ......

　Kirill's expression falters.

　If that group is a survivor of the kingdom's army, it's either the militia or the student soldiers.
　Neither of them would have come to the battlefield willingly.
　If cooperating with each other would increase the chances of returning to King's Landing alive, then it's better.

　And if they were student soldiers, they were fellow alumni to Kirill and the others.
　Even if you can't compare the dead with your own life on a scale, if the other person is a living person, it's a different story.

　For students other than Kirill, it would seem that the more people in the group that join up and increase the number of people in the group, the safer they would feel.

'Well, I don't mind either way. If Kirill and the others want to join up, I'm not going to oppose it.

　Even if the number of escort targets increased by ten or so people now, it wouldn't make much difference.
　The right wing troops of the Empire have just been destroyed.
　If they are encountered, it will be by scouts, troops hunting the remnants of a defeated army, or a group of soldiers separated from their unit.
　To that extent, Aldis alone can handle it, even while protecting the students.

　After Kirill explained the situation to the students around him and asked for their opinions, they chose to join the group.

　As they approach the group, their appearance becomes clearer and clearer.
　The design of the equipment is similar in color scheme to the equipment worn by Kirill and the others.
　There's no doubt that the group dressed in the armaments provided by the Marieles Academy are school student soldiers, just like Kirill and the others.

''Good. So there were still survivors.''

　Kirill patted his chest in relief beside Aldis.
　The students around him light up with joy, and some of them find their friends and wave to them.

　But after joining them, their expressions darkened as they explained the situation to each other.

'Oh no!　Are you saying that the commander of the unit abandoned us and retreated on his own!

　One of the students is indignant.
　Others around him are as angry as he is, and others lament being abandoned.

　Cut down the small and make the most of the big.
　That is not an uncommon thing on the battlefield.
　Depending on the situation, it could be said that the ability to make such a ruthless decision is a requirement for a general.

　However, it is unfair to ask students, who are neither soldiers nor mercenaries, to understand this.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with us.

　The number of people in the group will increase to thirty-three in total with the students who have joined the group.
　No more human-like reactions could be felt in the vicinity.

　The right wing forces of the Empire, which had already been attacking from the front, had retreated, and it was unlikely that a large force was deployed in the vicinity.
　There is no reason for Ardis alone to retreat while defending thirty-two students.

　Rather, it's more of a problem to run into an allied unit.
　If he wielded his commanding authority and gave reckless orders, or if the students were incorporated under his command, it would be difficult for Ardis, who participates as a mere mercenary, to prevent it.

　But Aldis's expectations were off in another way.
　A short time after starting to walk, Aldis caught a number of magic forces approaching at high speed.

'From the northwest ......?'

　This is because they found a cloud of dust standing in the northwest direction, opposite to the direction of the Imperial Army from Aldis and the others.

　To the northwest is the main camp of the Kingdom Army.
　An existence coming from that direction. Moreover, there are so many of them that they are so large that they can create a cloud of dust.
　Normally, one would consider that to be an ally.

　However, according to Moore, who was leading the mercenary troops, although there is unconfirmed information, the main camp was destroyed by the enemy's assault.
　If this is true, the possibility that the army coming from the direction of the main camp is unlikely to be our allies.

　Aldis had only assumed that the enemy forces that had attacked the main camp would move directly into a chase battle.
　But that was only Aldis's prediction.

　Is the main camp of the kingdom so badly damaged that there was no need to conduct a chase, or was a different unit than the one that attacked the main camp moving in? We don't know that.
　But at least we can predict with a high degree of certainty which camp the troops coming towards us belong to.

"The Imperial Army, huh?

　Aldiss's murmur permeated the students, who gasped in nervousness, with a clear echo.