#42 Battlefield

The next morning when I woke up...

[Health: 610/610]

Fully healed, nice.

I thought when I took off my shirt to check on my wounds but I couldn't find even a scratch.

"Good morning, Akashi~!" Mez barged into my tent with the same smile as if nothing happened previous night but when she saw me without top her cheeks became slightly red even though she tried to hide it.

...I guess my lesson didn't help and I can't even say 'Can't you knock?' due to this being a stupid tent.

"Good morning, what do you want? You could have greeted me while standing outside of my tent." I asked with a confused expression.

"Will you help me wake up Suzuka?" She asked me with an innocent smile.

"No. Wake her up yourself since you tied her up and let her like that through the entire night." I said with a resolute expression, I had no intention to even take one step inside Suzuka's tent. I don't want to see in which state she is in.

"Boo, you are a party pooper!" Mez immediately stuck out her tongue and left my tent with those words since she noticed that I am aware of her plan.

I shook my head and dressed up, thankfully, I took some spare clothes with me since the clothes I wore yesterday are full of holes from my spar with Esdeath. I will have to ask Aiko to fix them later.

But I have to be careful...this is the last uniform I have with me.

When I was ready, I exited my tent and approached Esdeath's tent, since she was the commander of this operation, she had the biggest tent.

"Hey, it's that kid from Phoenix house...I thought they would send someone stronger or more people and not just 1 kid." When I walked through the camp full of soldiers and other nobles, they instantly started to gossip when they saw me.

"Hey, kid! Be careful not to run into anyone, this isn't a playground." Somebody even dared to shout at me which almost made me even smile but I kept my calm and uninterested expression.

Regular soldiers immediately looked away and ignored us since they didn't want to have any problems with me.

I glanced towards the person who shouted at me and saw a big muscled man with a beard but what caught my attention was his insignia on his shoulder.

...A blue dragon, huh? It seems like fate. They keep on making trouble with me.

I thought and returned my gaze in front of me and completely ignored him.

"Huh? Hey! What was that look in your eyes, brat!" He shouted at me with an angered expression.

Is he stupid? Isn't he aware that I was part of that scouting group? Maybe he thinks that Mez and Suzuka protected me since their identities as Rakshasa Demons are well known...

I thought and shook my head with a tired sigh and continued walking toward the Esdeath's tent while ignoring him.

...

"Esdeath?" I called out when I arrived in front of her tent. Although I should call her commander or Commander Esdeath, I didn't since no one was around her tent.

"Akashi? You can come in." She replied with a slightly surprised voice when she heard me call her name out but she quickly recovered.

I walked in and saw her dressing up. Well, she already had most of the clothes on, she was just finishing getting ready.

"Are your injuries alright?" I asked her with a forced smile.

"Some of them have yet to completely heal but they definitely won't obstruct my mobility, I have grown up in the wildness so I heal quickly and I am tougher. What about you?" She explained and showed me her injury on her shoulder caused by my sword which was bandaged but it didn't look as serious as before. She then proceeded to ask me with an inquiring expression.

She is indeed right, there are not even bruises from our fight...just more serious wounds are visible but all of them are under her clothes so no one will notice anything. She is really amazing.

"I am completely fine." I replied with a small smile.

"Hmm...Really?" She asked with a thoughtful expression while looking at my upper body.

"*Sigh* You can take a look...here." I noticed what she wanted to do so I took off my upper clothes to show her that my wounds already healed.

"?! There isn't even a scar...You have a wondrous body" She looked shocked for a few seconds before she calmed down and praised with a nod.

...I guess she meant my regeneration and not the body in a physical outer form.

"Anyway, can you help me assemble soldiers? I will be out in 10 minutes and I want to resume our march in 20 minutes so could you tell them to use those 10 minutes to break down this entire camp and hide the tents?" She asked me with a helpless smile.

"Alright, I will inform everyone." I told her and prepared to leave.

"Thank you, Akashi." She thanked me with a smile before I left so I turned around and nodded with a small smile.

.

.

.

After 10 minutes passed, everyone was ready to resume the march.

"...Good, it seems that everything is ready." Esdeath looked around the former camp and nodded her head in satisfaction.

"Everyone, be prepared for battle, we are already quite close to where the Rebel army's camps should be located."

"Yes!" Everyone shouted with serious faces.

Since we were already close, Esdeath decided against sending any scouting party ahead.

.

.

.

"Aaagh!" The screams resonated through large plains surrounded by small hills.

We already found out locations of 2 camps that were built on top of those small hills. What's most surprising is that they didn't let us attack their camps which would put them in an advantageous position but they instead decided to meet us head-on on the large plains.

Although they had more soldiers than us, their weapons weren't of the same quality and even if they have confidence to win in head-on battle, they will still lose many soldiers. This is a very reckless action.

I commend them for actually starting an attack which slightly surprised us but Esdeath was fast enough to calm down and arrange the soldier to meet the rebels.

"Aaagh!" *Bang* There were already many casualties but most of them were on the rebel's side. The biggest casualties we received were during the surprise attack and after we calmed down soldiers, we began having an advantage.

I, Suzuka, Mez, and Esdeath were overlooking the battlefield from the back of our horses.

"Why can't we go join them?!" Mez complained to Esdeath with an annoyed expression.

"*sigh* Because their leaders have yet to take any big actions. If any flank loses its advantage due to the Rebel's leaders taking any big actions, another flank will instantly also lose. We need to be ready to counter-attack those situations." I sighed with a tired face and answered in Esdeath's stead.

...At least Suzuka is able to sit quietly but her expression is really frightening while she is looking at those soldiers getting cut down. At least try to hide your excitement and your flushed cheeks!

Esdeath glanced at Mez before she returned to observing the battlefield.

"Its exactly as Akashi said, so quietly sit down and observe the fight. I imagine you don't even want to fight weak opponents so you can wait until their leaders show up." Esdeath said while looking at the battlefield with a calm expression.

"Hm?" Firearms to the right flank!" Esdeath shouted at the soldiers who were at the back waiting for additional orders. She pointed at the right flank with a stern expression and they immediately run there like rabbits.

Yes...even in this world, there are firearms. Although their mechanism is different from the guns in my old world, they still fire bullets. I would have never thought that guns would follow me even to this life...I never liked to use them but in this world, I at least have reason to not use them since they aren't that strong unless they are especially Teigu or magical artifact.

Hmm...As for Esdeath...Not only is she strong individually, but she is also a great leader and strategist.

I thought when I looked more closely at the right flank and noticed some of our men getting pushed back perhaps due to exhaustion.

She was able to see that much earlier than me...maybe she even predicted it just from observing the battlefield. I have never participated in such a big battle involving 2 sides with more than 2 thousand soldiers and definitely not as commander so I have absolutely no experience compared to Esdeath.

"Aaagh!"

"What the hell is that?!"

Although the entire battlefield was loud, we still picked up unusual loudness on both, right and left flank.

When I looked at the right flank, I immediately noticed how our men kept on charging at one lonely man just to get cut into pieces by the thin air.

...Is he using some kind of metal wires? I can't tell from such a distance.

I thought with a slightly curious expression.

Esdeath instantly frowned when she noticed the disturbances on both flanks.

"You two go help left flank!" Esdeath ordered to Mez and Suzuka with a stern expression.

"Hmph! Finally!" Mez snorted and got off from her horse and stormed to the left flank with Suzuka.

"Akashi, we will take care of right flank." She said and wanted to ride her horse there but I stopped her.

"No, you go help the girls. They are strong but there are only 2 stronger individuals on the right flank while there are more than 4 of them on the left flank. They won't be able to stop any further casualties alone so it will be better if you will help them, I will take care of the right flank." I tried to convince her and she froze for not even a second before she nodded her head.

"Alright! Good luck." She said and followed after Mez and Suzuka.

Hm, what a quick decision making, she is really something else.

I thought while riding my horse to the right flank.

I got off my horse a small distance away from the battlefield.

"Okay, go back Roach and don't you dare run off." I said and gently slapped Roach's butt and she ran back.

By the way, that's how I named my horse after spending the entire day with it.

I leisurely walked inside our ranks and started to clap aloud while I also released a bit pressure on everyone thanks to my aura combined with my passive [Contempt for the Weak]. Although it isn't strong enough to have any strong effect on the enemy, they would still feel uncomfortable.

*CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*

Even though the battlefield was overwhelmed with the screams and clanging sounds of weapons meeting each other, my clapping was still louder than those sounds.

Both sides stopped fighting and retreated a few meters from each other while vigilantly looking at each other.

When I finally get into the first row, I took one step forward to show that I am the one who is commanding this flank right now.

"A kid?" The other slightly stronger man wielding a two-bladed axe muttered with a weird expression.

"Don't drop your guard down." The man who was previously cutting our soldiers into pieces in mysterious ways advised the other man with narrowed eyes.

"Um...Lord Phoenix?" The soldier behind me muttered with a confused expression.

"Well, it looks like you are having fun here but Commander isn't very pleased by our losses." I said while looking at the man who was previously shouting at me. He was the one responsible for this flank.

"...We have everything under control. Kids don't belong on the battlefield! Men, follow me, let's avenge our comrades!" He replied with a dark face and then shouted at the soldiers while rushing towards that mysterious man without any weapon in his hand.

Most of our soldiers wanted to follow him but...

"Anyone who will break the formation and follow that fool will be executed right here, right now." I said with a cold tone and stoic face.

"W-What?! What do you mean-!" One of the soldiers stepped forward next to me to question my words but before he could finish, his head slid off his shoulders.

*Thud* His body has fallen down and my sword absorbed the blood so there was no need to clean it.

"*sigh* I warned you." I said with closed eyes and a tired sigh.

"?!" Everyone was shocked by this and the enemy side wasn't an exception.

---

'...I thought that he is just a normal kid but it doesn't seem like that...He killed his own man without any hesitation, as expected of the Empire.' The man wielding axe thought while glaring at Akashi with narrowed eyes

---

"Hm? Why do you look like that at me? Don't tell me you feel sorry for your enemy. He broke the military order which is punishable by death and I even specified that anyone will be executed if they will break my order. I am sure everyone understands it, right?" I said to the man wielding an axe and then I turned around at "my" own men.

*Gulp* Everyone instantly nodded.

"Agh!" I heard a scream coming from the man who was picking a fight with me so I turned in that direction just to see his limbs being cut off by very thin metal wires.

Well, as I expected.

Men on my side looked at him with a pity since no one was there to help him...The man using wires looked at him and when he saw me standing still, he stomped on that man's neck, completely breaking it.

I just smiled a little with my hands behind my back after seeing this.