Turning The Tides

Hearing the soldier who had first said something about me being a demi human changing his colors kind of irked me. I didn't even say anything and just waved him off. I did not wish to associate with people who disliked demi humans.

"Since I have command, Sir Sliminian, can you give out the orders I just gave? It would be best if I just relayed my orders through you. I highly doubt a bunch of soldiers will want to listen to a twelve year old girl who looks ten." I did not wish to be laughed at by a group of soldiers losing their lives because I am some little girl. It is best to use an intermediary that the soldiers know and trust.

"No problem. This is also for the best. My men are a bit of a problem." I watched as Sliminian shook his head with a bitter smile. I guess his men were a handful. It is not surprising as most of the people sent to the border areas were people that caused too many issues or did things they shouldn't have in the capital. Those sent to the borders usually never got to leave the border unless they died.

"Good. I will be counting on you. I will watch the battlefield from the sky to keep a close eye on the progress. Make sure the mages know  that the fog is to only block the view of the enemy, not our troops." This was the most important part of our attack. The spell for the fog should only blind the enemy, not us. Otherwise, it would be pointless to even use it. 

"I will be sure to make this clear. But… You said you were going to watch from the sky?" Sliminian seemed to be confused by my words. 

"Mmm… My father and I will be in the sky overhead. I will relay orders to you from the sky using magic telepathy. Don't worry, I will be sure we win no matter what." Losing was not an option, at least not for me. I did not wish to see the Norian army advancing anymore. If we did not stop them here, there was no telling how many more troops would cross the border.  If a demi human enslaving kingdom took over I would b in trouble. It was not that I did not trust our kingdom it's more of I did not wish for that slim chance we might lose to happen.

"Sliminian, you better hurry and stop asking questions." My father cut in. It was true that every second counted.

"R-right…" Sliminian did not ask anything more before dishing out orders to the others. 

I walked outside with my father before the both of us hopped into the air. We got to a decent height and looked down at the battlefield to see things were still looking bad. But slowly, as Sliminian got his orders out, the Gravos soldiers began falling in line. Within minutes a massive dense layer of fog covered the battlefield blocking Norian soldiers' view. Some of the Norian mages were quick to react and casted a wind spell to clear them away, but before they even got to see through the thick layer of fog, it was replaced with another fog spell. 

"Not bad, Sliminian's men are moving as he ordered. I guess for a drunkard who has a group of misfit soldiers, he really has good control over them. Faith, what do you think?" My father asked. His eyes were shining. He seemed to be really excited about this new discovery he made about me. To be honest, it was not so bad sitting back and watching the plan I had schemed up working so well. The Gravos soldiers were easily executing my plan without issue. 

There were three groups of five making a push through the middle of the Norian army while the rest of the men were working on weakening the sides by picking off any stragglers and then retreating back. If one of the men in the middle got injured, they would retreat back to get healed, and someone else would take their place. This tactic was working so well that even I, who came up with it, was surprised.

Because the fog was blocking the vision of the Norian army, those in the fog were slowly beginning to be thrown into chaos. This was all to my plan, and I was happy to see it. The best part of this plan was the mages were able to reduce the amount of mana they were using. Since both sides had already used up a lot of mana, mana itself would become the deciding factor of this battle. 

"I think the Norian army will soon retreat. The commander for this group of soldiers is smart." I then reached out my hand and pointed to the rear of the Norian army. "See, they are already pulling back. This is good because it will give us time to recuperate and heal the injured. The mages can also recover their mana. If they do fully retreat for the time being, then we have fully won this fight. However, the war is far from over." Sadly with the condition that the Gravos army is in, they were in no shape to be chasing after the enemy to try to pick off as many as they can. Before anyone did do such a thing, I quickly sent Sliminian a message: "On my word, have your men hold the line and do not give chase. Only kill those within the fog still." 

"I will send word, Young Miss." Hearing Sliminian speaking so respectfully to me sent shivers down my spine. He was an old scruffy man. Way above my years and was calling me Young Miss.  Maybe if he was dressed as a butler, I could take it, but he was scruffy and mean looking. Well, maybe if this was some kind of yakuza family, this would be normal? 

Two hours passed before the Norian army pulled a full retreat. Luckily this battle did end up as I expected. "Healers should be healing the injured! Battle mages should be resting and recovering their mana. The infantry should be taking shifts and looking for enemy movement. Rest while you can!"

As I yelled out orders, Sliminian was repeating them to make sure his men listened. I looked out over the battlefield and sighed, seeing all the dead. I could only hope the Gravos kingdom would at least send money back to their families. Surprisingly this whole entire time, while watching the bloodshed and smelling the thick iron scent of blood, I did not once feel my ancient will react. It was as if my concentration on the battle as a commander had actually suppressed it fully. 

Another thing I found was that I was actually really enjoying coming up with battle plans. It was a fulfilling feeling to see my plans play out so perfectly. "Father…"

"Hmmm?" My father looked down at me with a warm smile. I have a feeling he already knew what I was about to say. 

"Would it be possible for someone like me to join the knights of our kingdom and work my way up through the ranks?" I wondered if I could one day really become a commander of my own army. It is a kind of spur of the moment thought but after this one battle, I really did enjoy this kind of thing.

"I do not see why not. The dragon knights, the most prestigious royal knights brigade, is commanded by a demi humana a Tigerkin named Fromos. He has been in service for over one hundred years and has helped Gravos push back many invasions." My father's answer gave me a light at the end of a dark tunnel. I never thought Gravos would allow such high ranking demi human. "But Faith, to become a knight, you must first go to the magic academy and graduate. Only then can you join any of the knight orders. For someone like you who is good both in sword and magic, you should be able to easily enter the track for magic knights and become the top of your class."

Magic knights, I have heard about them before. They were the best of the best. Both sword and magic. While normal knights could use some magic while they fought, a magic knight was on a different level. They were just as good as a mage in magic and as good as any knight with a sword. They were an unstoppable force, and anyone who graduated from the magic academy as a magic knight would be given a title based on their ranking within the school. It is said that first place will allow even a commoner to become a viscount. To become a magic knight, I could kill so many birds with one stone. 

"Father, how does one join the magic academy?" This was the biggest issue. From what I know, it cost a lot to join. So I was unsure how I could even go to such a place.

"This is not a problem. You just need to bring Silminian to victory, and you will be offered a reward from his majesty. So let's work hard and push back the enemy shall we?" It seemed my father was more scheming than me. I think he planned right from the beginning to get me this chance to get into the magic academy. And I really do need to thank him for it. This was a golden opportunity. The magic academy was a treasure trove of knowledge as well as me being able to maybe make some friends…. But why do I feel like this is the start of some bad otome game? 

Well, if a bunch of handsome men do throw themselves at me, I can always just beat them up. Give them the old one-two! Well, if they are not annoying, I wouldn't mind being friends, but if it's a relationship they are seeking, then they will be waiting for all eternity. Not that any of that would ever happen. With my luck, I would get the one guy who has some kind of strange fetish chasing after me. And my current looks do not help either. I still look like a little girl no older than ten.