CHAPTER 44

The Fairy Company Commander twitched her ears. At the same time, the events happening around her became vividly clear in her mind, as if she could see them.

Her keen senses were an innate talent of the fairies.

Relying on her hearing, she took two steps to the right.

Whoosh.

This positioned her in front of an enemy soldier thrusting a spear. She was at the forefront of her allies.

The Fairy Company Commander struck upwards at the enemy's spear shaft.

As she deflected the shaft upwards, her sword, moving like a blade of grass carried by the wind, pierced the enemy's neck and returned.

Squelch! Pop!

Blood spurted from the punctured throat.

She flicked her sword downward, scattering the blood on the floor.

She kept moving. Staying in one place would only make her a target for quarrels.

Running, the Fairy Company Commander swung her leaf-shaped sword.

Ting.

Two quarrels were deflected off the blade.

The sword she held was called 'Naidil'.

Shorter, sharper, and more streamlined than a typical sword, it was a piece of fairy equipment resembling a leaf.

When the handle was pulled out, the blade's shape evoked the image of a small boat or a leaf.

The fairy's unique swordsmanship combined three forms: flowing sword, precise sword, and swift sword.

Naidil was a weapon specialized for that kind of swordsmanship.

And the technique the company commander displayed was just that.

There was no soldier who could withstand the technique of deflecting, parrying, and piercing like a ray of light.

'This is not good.'

Despite her overwhelming the enemy, the Fairy Company Commander felt a sense of doom.

Was sorcery always this dangerous?

She had faced a berserker warrior under a curse before.

The berserker, ignoring his own injuries and charging recklessly, was dangerous and fierce, but it was temporary and not something that could dominate an entire battlefield.

Her knowledge of sorcery was limited to that. So, when the fog rolled in, she couldn't help but be surprised.

Was this really sorcery?

Fortunately, she was prepared and reacted accordingly.

When the fog first appeared, the Fairy Company Commander had her unit form a tight circle formation. She executed the commands 'down' and 'shields' precisely.

When she shouted, several platoon leaders echoed the commands like crazed parrots, holding their ground.

Suddenly being unable to see was enough to induce panic.

The dire state of the battle was natural. Even in this situation, she did her duty.

She broke formation and single-handedly cut down and stabbed the enemy's front line. If she didn't, her allies would be wiped out in no time.

The 1st Company might hold out, but just barely.

'Like sprouting potato buds.'

The Fairy Company Commander cursed the battalion commander inwardly.

Potato sprouts are poisonous. Fairies tended to enjoy using plant metaphors.

When a potato sprouts, you must cut off the sprouts before eating it. Eating them as they are causes poison to accumulate in the body.

The current battalion commander was exactly like those potato sprouts.

In this situation, the command should be coming up with some kind of countermeasure, but there were no orders from the battalion commander.

No whistles, no shouts, no instructions at all.

He led the unit carelessly, relying solely on his backing.

Despite countless warnings about sorcery and preparations, he didn't seem to take it seriously.

This kingdom was like a peach covered in mold. Rotten, in other words.

How could they send such a piece of trash to the front lines as a battalion commander?

'Even with luck on our side.'

Would even ten out of a hundred survive?

The fog blinded their allies. That was fatal.

While predicting such a bleak future, the fog in front of her suddenly lifted.

"Huh?"

The Fairy Company Commander stopped, holding her sword, Naidil.

She was bewildered. The fog disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

The enemy was more surprised than she was.

"What?"

The enemy soldier holding a long spear right in front of her was too stunned to think of thrusting it.

The Fairy Company Commander's bewilderment was brief. She fought well even in the fog. She swung Naidil in a sweeping arc. The blade traced a semicircle in the air, slicing the enemy's throat accurately.

"Gah!"

Another enemy soldier fell.

The company commander judged that this was the turning point of the battle.

There was no time to ponder why the fog had lifted.

"Everyone, turn around! Counterattack!"

Her shout was met with responses from all around.

"Charge! Charge! Chaaaarge!"

"Kill! Kill them all!"

"You bastards!"

"Crush them all!"

As their momentum shifted, so did the flow of the battlefield. The Fairy Company Commander sheathed her sword, Naidil, and held her position.

Soon, her company swept past her.

"Company commander!"

The 1st platoon leader shouted.

"Grind them all down."

The company commander replied. The 1st platoon leader answered with a battle cry.

"Raaah!"

The air of the battlefield heated up. The grim atmosphere that had been lingering among the allies vanished instantly.

The Fairy Company Commander then wondered why the fog had suddenly disappeared.

'Could it be?'

That Squad Leader?

She had no reason to believe it, but she felt he had done it. It was a pure instinct. The fairy's instincts were still sharp.

* * *

The captain of the Gray Hound, an independent company of the Aspen Kingdom, was blocking the retreat route from behind.

It was precisely at the point where the fog lifted.

All he had to do was kill the emerging enemies as they came out.

Enemies in panic and fleeing were the easiest targets.

But suddenly, the fog lifted.

"What's this? Why did the fog clear?"

"Captain, the enemy is turning around."

There were no particular hills to obscure vision on the Green Pearl Plains. They could see the Naurillia Kingdom's army turning around.

The captain quickly assessed the situation.

Whether the sorcerer had messed up or the sorcery had failed, there was a problem.

If things continued like this, the strategy their allies had prepared would completely fall apart.

"Attack from behind! Don't break through, cut them down from the side! Follow me!"

The captain charged ahead. They attacked the rear of the Naurillia Kingdom's army.

By attacking from behind, they intended to aid the retreat of their allies on the front lines.

"What the heck."

The captain of the Gray Hound resolved to punish whoever had lifted the fog.

* * *

Encrid realized that his calculations were way off.

The quarrel lodged in his right shoulder blade prevented him from wielding his sword properly with his right hand.

His opponent was slightly more skilled than Mitch Hurrier.

Even when he tried to focus on a single point, enemies suddenly appeared, thrusting spears at him from behind.

It would have been fortunate if there were only spearmen aiming for his back.

Five crossbowmen followed him, continuously targeting him.

Because of this, a quarrel was also embedded in his thigh.

'Running with this leg is out of the question.'

His sword, already cracked, had broken in half.

The enemy used a middle sword technique, employing powerful strikes.

Blood from his thigh and back, mixed with the blood of his enemies, covered Encrid in gore.

Seeing him hold out with a half-broken sword, the mustached man felt a grudging admiration.

Though he was an enemy, spoke irritatingly, and had disrupted the sorcery.

His spirit was remarkable.

Even now, he showed no sign of giving up.

"What makes you keep going?"

The mustached man asked. Encrid, catching his breath, looked at the crossbowmen behind him and replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm asking why you haven't given up yet."

Encrid answered without hesitation.

"Because I'm a Squad Leader."

"So?"

"In my squad, there are friends named Rem and Ragna."

"Huh?"

"They fight so well, it's hard to believe they're just squad members."

"Are they coming to rescue you?"

"That was one scenario."

Having come this far, he thought they'd be nearby.

But no, they were nowhere to be seen. He thought they would have appeared by now.

If they hadn't come by now, they wouldn't be coming.

That was the reality.

At the same time, Rem was pushing through, having decimated an enemy, making his way through the tall grass.

Ragna, hindered by the fog, was dealing only with the enemies charging at him.

Once the fog cleared, he rejoined the allies.

Neither knew where their Squad Leader was.

The mustached man took a step forward with his sword. Encrid, dragging his injured right foot, stepped back.

Despite that, his eyes were still so full of life.

Encrid's eyes were still aiming for something. With that leg? Where was he planning to run?

Looking at the mustached man, Encrid thought he was a meticulous bastard.

But that didn't mean he was going to give up on 'today.'

If he died and repeated, so be it. He knew it all too well.

But he didn't think he was fatally wounded yet.

Above all, if he had spent all those 'todays' meaninglessly, the current Encrid wouldn't exist.

Up until his last breath, Encrid would resist.

He would do his utmost to live today.

Never giving up and struggling until the end was who he was.

"It's a shame you're an enemy."

The mustached man said, taking another step forward. Encrid could retreat no further.

Behind him, an enemy soldier with a spear was glaring at him menacingly.

He glanced back once and then looked forward again. The mustached man gripped his sword with both hands.

The blade of the longer-than-usual bastard sword reflected the sunlight that had broken through the lifting fog.

'Right? Left?'

Which way to dodge?

No matter which way he dodged, he couldn't avoid a fatal wound. But he didn't want to die quietly.

'If I can't dodge.'

Encrid gripped his broken sword tightly. If he couldn't go left or right, and retreating was not an option, then he had to advance.

The moment he decided, as the sword was falling, he rushed forward.

Thwack!

With the sound of a string snapping, a quarrel flew and embedded itself in his left shoulder.

Taking advantage of the moment he was distracted by the sword, one soldier had fired a crossbow.

Encrid let out a short groan, overcoming the pain, and spoke.

"Hmm, dirty move."

"Thanks for the compliment."

The mustached man said, holding his sword. There was no hint of a smile.

Even if he killed the enemy in front of him, the war would likely still be lost.

The life of one soldier versus the outcome of the battlefield.

Even an eight-year-old passing by would know which was more valuable.

But letting him live was even more absurd.

Swoosh.

The sword came down. A strong strike with a heavy sword.

Encrid did not close his eyes. He watched the descending sword to the end.

The Heart of the Beast gave him courage.

Without blinking, Encrid thought.

'If my body were normal, how would I block this?'

Until the very end, he focused on wielding his sword.

And just before the sword struck his forehead.

"Aaah!"

A soldier's scream came from behind.

Simultaneously with the scream, a dark shadow struck the mustached man's sword.

Thud!

Encrid didn't get a proper look at what the shadow was.

He just thought it wasn't a sword or an arrow.

If it were a sword or an arrow, it wouldn't have twisted in the air and landed on the ground like that.

"...What?"

Encrid confirmed the presence of the shadow.

Blue eyes, fur as black as silk.

It was a black panther.

Suddenly, a distant memory surfaced. Normally, it wouldn't be such a distant memory, but thanks to repeating today so many times, it had faded.

A memory that should have been forgotten.

Yet a memory that wasn't forgotten.

Seeing the black fur and blue eyes, the memory came to mind clearly.

It was the beast he had encountered in the tall grass.

"You?"

"Grr."

The black panther seemed to have grown since then, its body a bit larger.

It continued to glare at the mustached man and let out a fierce roar, "Kaaaargh!"

"What is this now?"

The mustached man's eyebrows shot up in astonishment. Then he expressed his anger. In response, two crossbowmen aimed at the panther and fired their quarrels.

"Hey, watch out!" Encrid shouted in surprise.

The panther twisted its body gracefully and kicked off the ground several times, easily dodging all the quarrels.

Then, with a powerful leap, it launched forward.

The mustached man reflexively struck down with his sword.

The panther didn't even come close to him. It looked like a stretch of black silk.

It was that fast. The panther's target was the crossbowmen.

"Gah!"

The panther's claws were so sharp that with a swipe, it cut through the Achilles tendon at the back of the crossbowman's ankle, causing blood to splatter.

Leather boots were no match for its claws.

Clang!

When the panther pounced, the soldier drew a shortsword.

The panther then displayed an even more astonishing move. Instead of targeting the soldier, it kicked the crossbow.

It jumped, using its front paws to break the crossbow string with its back claws. Then, it stomped on the crossbow and kicked it away before pouncing on another one.

It did the same thing again, slashing the string of the crossbow with its front paws.

'Did it aim for that?'

Once could be a coincidence, but cutting all five crossbow strings couldn't be seen as mere chance.

"Such a lowly creature."

The mustached man's face turned red with anger. The panther ignored him.

It swiftly returned to Encrid's side and bit down on the scruff of his neck.

"Grr!"

For some reason, the panther seemed displeased, snorting as it started running.

The panther was incredibly strong.

Though Encrid's legs dragged and his body scraped against the ground, it was as fast as if he were running himself.

His back hurt and fresh cuts appeared on his limbs in real-time.

As he was dragged along, he felt something warm flowing down the back of his neck. He wanted to turn his head to check, but he didn't have the chance.

"Chase them!"

The mustached man shouted.

Even so, it seemed difficult to escape from here.

"Run."

Encrid spoke. Naturally, the panther didn't respond.

Warm liquid kept flowing down his neck while the mustached man pursued them from behind.

Encrid, with the panther biting his scruff, was being dragged across the ground in a desperate escape.

Still, this kind of escape had its limits. The panther's endurance was finite.

The mustached man showed no intention of letting them go. Determination was etched in his bloodshot eyes.

"I said run."

He repeated to the panther, but then a dark shadow appeared above his head.

"We've come to rescue you."

"What?"

It was unexpected reinforcements.

An ally drenched in blood.

A familiar face, once a frequent target of his teasing—the platoon leader.

"Platoon Leader Vengeance?"

"Yes, it's me. I've come."

He stood in front of Encrid, wielding his sword. And he wasn't alone.

More allied soldiers swarmed in behind him.

A platoon had somehow broken through and reached them.

Encrid, or rather the panther, had bought enough time for them to arrive.