CHAPTER 39: ALENCIA’S DO-OR-DIE

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The night the third battle ended—

I was nodding off in my bed alone.

I heard today was an overwhelming defeat.

The atmosphere of headquarters was already plenty gloomy after the second battle, but now its completely become a funeral wake.

“C-Cheers… to us! Good work!… is what I want to say, but it doesn’t seem like the best time…”

Lihilt’s face stiffened, and he decided to shelve the victory party.

The victory party.

Everyone around us seemed to have an awful time, but we didn’t break a sweat whatsoever.

All I did was indifferently defeat the lizardmen that chased after our squad.

“There’s a lizardman coming from there!”

“Magic Arrow.”

“There’s a lizardman over there too!”

“Magic Arrow.”

“Aah, there’s even a lizardman over there!”

“Magic Arrow.”

“Magic Arrow.”

“Magic Arrow.”

“Magic Arrow.”

“Magic Arrow.”

That’s how our day went.
I endlessly shot the emerging lizardmen with my Magic Arrow.

“Ah… Sticking with Albert was the right play…”

After Firvus spoke—

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“Amazin’! This is a cake-walk thanks to Albert!”

Lihilt spoke with delight.

Was it really that emotionally moving? While it’s true my Magic Arrow was slightly stronger than other magicians, my opponents were lizardmen at the end of the day.
I felt like a magician skilled in their own right would be able to do the same thing.

Speaking of which—

“There were some pretty dangerous guys mixed in this time around.
Those guys covered with tattoos… Maybe we should call ’em super enhanced.
They were way too strong.
How’re we supposed to beat those things…”

When we arrived back at headquarters, I heard the soldiers grumble about this and that.

I wasn’t really sure if it was the same strong guy the soldiers were talking about, but I do recall a lizardman covered with tattoos appearing before us. 

He suddenly roundhouse punched a lizardman who tried running away after seeing my Magic Arrow.

The mid-escape lizardman flew to the ground spectacularly, foaming at the mouth with his neck bent at a strange angle.

“GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The tattoo-covered lizardman struck his own chest, then yelled as if to intimidate us.

Burning with fighting spirit, the lizardman began sprinting at us.

“I’m getting a bad feeling from that guy…!”

Next to me, Lihilt winced and staggered backward.

I held my right hand out and uttered the usual words indifferently.

“Magic Arrow.”

The white arrow I shot directly hit the lizardman.
After letting out a scream, it theatrically flew backward and stopped moving.

“H-Huh…? Another one-shot…”

Lihilt let out a dopey voice.

…And that’s how the tattoo-covered lizardman ended up dying in a single shot.
I didn’t really know if it was strong or not as a result.

After this and that, we safely returned to headquarters—

and we saw the disastrous state of the main squad.

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I thought about Alencia.

The Supreme Commander of this strategy was Alencia; Everything, including both the failure and success of the strategy, was attributed to him.

The current situation was clearly not good.

I had a deep understanding of Alencia.

He was outstanding since childhood.
He handled everything thrown at him flawlessly, and he easily pulled off what others thought was impossible.

He possessed that much talent.

Precisely because of his talent, he’d always take “small gambles” and succeeded like it was just another day.

I had a thought.

It was already time to withdraw.
The soldiers’ morale was low.

The prideful Alencia probably wouldn’t accept that reality.
Then, he might attempt the “all or nothing” that he’s always pulled off so easily since childhood.

I had a feeling he would do that.

However, we weren’t kids anymore.
This was the battlefield, and the situation was deteriorating much more than he anticipated.

This wasn’t the time to gamble.

After I ran back home from the academy, my younger brother gazed coldly at me while I drowned in the depths of despair.

After we reunited for the first time in ages, my younger brother said “Nice to meet you” to me.

I still couldn’t process the sentiment I had for Alencia inside me.

Even so, I couldn’t help but say it out loud.

“Now is the time to retreat, Alencia…”

The fourth battle had begun.

“I express my thanks to the strenuous efforts you’ve shown until now! Although it may have been a hard-fought war, that ends today! We will mark this day with victory and triumphantly return to the capital! Today is your last chance to distinguish yourself on the battlefield! Demonstrate your loyalty to the kingdom!”

Before heading to battle, Alencia attempted to rouse the army.

However, the soldiers’ morale didn’t rise in the slightest.
With the third battle’s crushing defeat still weighing on them, they were told to charge without a single countermeasure against the invincible super-enhanced lizardmen.

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The soldiers didn’t want to die either; It was understandable that they were unmotivated.

Hmph… I’ve already taken into account that you’d all be like this.

Alencia looked at the soldiers with cold eyes.

Alenia had already stopped counting on the soldiers.
It mattered not if they didn’t advance forward. 

I’ll put you to good use as targets.

Without showing a hint of his inner thoughts in his demeanor, Alencia commanded the soldiers.

“The outcome of this battle rests upon you all! I expect your best efforts! All armies, advance! Trample the lizardmen and display the willpower of the knights!”

Together with Alencia’s order, the entire army scattered throughout Glicia Marsh.

That’s right—they scattered.

Up until now, the detached squad diverted the lizardmen’s ranks, which was followed by a concentrated breakthrough by the main army.
However, this time was different.

The entire army—

was scattered thinly.

That was Alencia’s deployment plan for the army.

Why would he do such a thing?

The answer was simple.

He turned the remainder of the main army into detached squads.

Why would he do such a thing?

The answer was simple.

“—I can see it.”

Alencia and an elite squad were lined up on a small hill.

From there, Alencia overlooked the lizardmen colony.
Behind him stood over 40 soldiers; They were Alencia’s direct subordinates.
A fierce fighting spirit dwelled within their eyes.

This was Alencia’s strategy.

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He turned the main army itself into a decoy, using them to clear a path to the colony.
Alencia’s direct squad would directly attack the colony thereafter.

For what purpose?

To take the Crest Master’s head.

The chance to exterminate the lizardmen was already bygone.
However, Alencia couldn’t return to the capital without a single souvenir of battle.

At the very least, if he brought the head of the Crest Master, who was the root of all this conflict, then Alencia would maintain some semblance of honor.

That was the middle ground that Alencia thought of.

…Truth be told, I—the Supreme Commander—don’t want to emerge on the front lines.

However, he needed to.

This was do-or-die.

By standing on the frontlines, Alencia would bring out his subordinate’s fighting spirit.

Alencia felt no fear.
He’s always been told that his gambles were absurd since childhood.
Then, he’d pull it off with a nonchalant air.

He had the talent.

He had the luck.

The gifts I was born with are a level above the plebians.

Alencia broadly grinned.

This predicament would add some spice to his success story in due time.

This was no different.

All he’d be doing is pulling off the usual all or nothing. All or nothing? Wrong.
To Alencia, this was another quick walk in the park.

Alencia pointed the sword bestowed by the king to the colony.

“Charge! We’ll take the Crest Master’s head!”

Together with his voice—

The final battle of Glicia Marsh had begun.