468

Episode 468 Something feels off. (2)

Jiselle didn't feel like making a move.

After hearing about my mother, I began to think that the Salvation Church would somehow try to take over the royal family, regardless of whether the South was eaten or not.

I had been suspecting this since I had been watching the Duke's movements, but now I was almost certain of it.

"It would be faster for the Duke to sweep away the Kingdom forces we missed than for us to sweep away the South. We should first organize things to some extent and then move."

"If it's organized… … ?"

"I must destroy the Delphian army heading to the capital, and then meet with the king. Send a messenger and tell him to vacate the capital if he can."

If the Duke's target is the King, their strategy will change somewhat when the King is in hiding. I wanted to check that part.

But realistically, it was an unusable method. Claude answered in absurdity.

"Your Majesty, aren't you in a state of constant state right now? Would you run away? No, I would never run away, even for the sake of royal pride. If you run away, all the lords' minds will change."

"I'll tell him first, and if it doesn't work out, let's meet up and talk about it."

Jiselle didn't really have any plans to do anything right away. This time, since she didn't have any information about her past life, she mostly went with her intuition.

He was just going to ask her about the Salvation Church, the Shadow Knights, and his own mother to see if there was anything he didn't know.

Claude scratched his head and asked.

"But where would you like to help me first?"

"hmm...."

There is still no news about the remaining two legions of the Delphian army and the royal army guarding the pass.

If one place is defeated, they will quickly push their way to the capital. If both places are defeated, it will be even more of a headache.

The army that was advancing on the capital by making a detour from the east was also a problem. They had set up a defensive line, but it was unclear what would happen here as well.

"It should be fixed by now, right?"

"Yes, I guess we'll hear from you soon."

The Northern Army was positioned a little further north to meet the Allied Forces. The Royal Army, which was near the Southern Front, would have engaged and fought before the Northern Army.

Dark was sent to find out the situation, but the war report might have arrived before Dark arrived.

"You will send a messenger from there as well, and Dark has sent one too, so let's wait a few days. We will decide as soon as we hear news."

There was a war zone all around, so we couldn't move rashly. We had to get information as quickly as possible and then formulate a strategy.

The Northern Army completely blocked the path and deliberately induced a turn, but the other kingdoms' armies did not. They are fighting along each fortress on the southern front.

With the Allied Forces joining in, we may be able to hold out for quite some time.

"Be prepared to move at any time. Whether to help somewhere else or to go to the capital, we'll move as soon as information comes in."

"All right."

"Then I guess I'll have to train Elena and Rachel in the meantime."

Claude, who saw the two of them together, shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious that they would both die. The lord's training was that intense.

* * *

Elena, who was dragged to the Northern Army, was very angry.

I wanted to be an elegant lady, but I was dragged to a battlefield filled with the smell of blood. I couldn't go back alone.

Elena grumbled when she and Rachel were left alone in the tent.

"Ah, my fate. Well then, that's right. I heard that things have been going really well for some reason these days."

Now that I have some land to live on, I find myself using up all my energy instead of enjoying the benefits.

I wanted to swear at him to my heart's content, but I held back because I knew that the Northern Army was protecting the kingdom and its territories.

Rachel said with a smile.

"It'll be okay. Elena has divine powers, right? I'm more worried."

"Huh, what use is divine power to a noble lady? That doesn't suit her."

"But let's just think of it as learning it for self-defense."

"Oh, okay, okay. Are you really okay? Aren't you scared?"

Rachel smiled and nodded at Elena's blunt expression.

Having suffered from illness since childhood and having no friends, she seemed mature for her age.

He lost his mother early, and his father, Gillian, was also blunt, making it even worse.

'Everything is fine when I'm with you.'

So she didn't mind being dragged into the Northern Army.

Because it was Giselle who cured his illness. And thanks to her, he was able to meet his precious friend Elena.

Every day was a day to be thankful for. Although she was a little scared, she felt like she could overcome any hardship as long as she was with Elena.

"You said that protecting yourself is the priority, and that even if you fight, you're fighting a monster that's just like a crack. You said that unless it's something special, we won't kill people."

"Huh, you shouldn't believe everything your brother says. Huh? Do you need to kill someone right now? Then you'll just be sent in. He's just someone who lives as he pleases."

Elena grumbled. She had seen Giselle's temper a lot since she was little.

While the two were talking like that, Jiselle appeared.

"Elena, Rachel. From today on, whenever I have time, I will teach you combat techniques."

Elena glared at Giselle, then turned her head away and said.

"Okay, I'll choose the weapon instead."

"Huh? A weapon? What weapon?"

"I want to do it with a rapier."

Now that she was learning, Elena changed her goals.

An elegant knight wielding a single rapier.

He will become a beautiful and noble flower on the battlefield. He will become a proud knight who everyone can only admire when they see him.

'Heh, that's cool in its own way. What? You want me to fight like a raging bull? Don't make me laugh. I don't fight like that.'

An image of an elegant swan-like knight in full flight appeared in her mind.

A beautiful, proud, elegant and splendid knight who will be remembered in the kingdom and history! Isn't that really cool?

'I will become a lady later on, but... ... I guess I can take a detour for a while.'

Thinking about it that way, I thought maybe it would be okay to practice a little.

But Jiselle tilted her head and asked.

"What? Ray… … Peer?"

"Yeah, rapier. Isn't that the most elegant?"

"Phew!"

Jiselle covered her mouth with her fist and held back laughter. It was the first time in her life that she had heard such a funny thing.

"What! Why are you laughing! What's wrong with the rapier!"

"No, you're using such a flimsy skewer? It doesn't suit you. It'll break right away if you poke it."

"Ugh… … Then it's a sword?"

I thought I would learn the sword since it is a basic skill for knights. It is not as good as the rapier, but it is not bad.

You can change it to a rapier later when your skills improve.

But this time again, Giselle shook her head.

"Kendo doesn't suit you."

"Then what! What are you going to teach me? Fists? Huh?"

As an angry Elena raised her fist, Giselle turned her head and shouted outside the tent.

"Hey, bring that!"

Soon two knights came in, groaning and carrying something huge.

thud!

What the knights put down was a very large and hideous-looking double-edged axe.

It was so large that it surpassed the size of an average adult male. The blades on both sides had an ominous reddish color.

That's not all. The center of the axe was engraved with a horrifying skull design. The writing underneath was even more impressive.

[Death is the path to my glory, and my enemy is hell.]

Elena trembled at the sight of the axe.

"What, what is this? This is my weapon?"

"Ah, yes. This axe is called the 'Bringer of Doom'. It is a weapon that suits you perfectly. I stole it from a disobedient lord before, but Gillian has specially given it to you."

"Turn it off, turn it off."

Where did you get that hideous axe and tell me to use it? If you carry an axe like this, you will look like a butcher of people, not an elegant knight.

Not knowing Elena's speed, Giselle smiled brightly and said.

"This is a weapon that not just anyone can lift! It's a weapon that was truly made for you!"

'The Guide of Destruction' is so heavy that it is impractical. Those who have mastered mana can lift it, but it consumes a lot of mana.

But Elena, who has divine powers, will be able to lift it without difficulty.

Elena clenched her fists and shouted.

"I can't take this kind of thing!"

How can you possibly lift something that two knights are carrying around?

Still, Giselle gestured and urged him on.

"Just listen. Listen once and then I'll tell you. You can listen. It's a weapon born for you."

"Ugh… … . You really… … ."

As Elena was about to explode, Rachel stopped her.

"Don't be like that. Since you say that, listen to me."

"Ugh… … ."

At Rachel's request, Elena had no choice but to grab the axe handle and apply force.

It was really heavy, so I had to put strength into my arms. But… … does it sound easy?

It felt quite heavy, but I was able to lift it anyway. I felt like I could swing it.

If you learn mana, you will be able to use it like a sword with less force than you do now.

Jiselle shouted, clapping her seal hands.

"Wow! Look! This is not a joke! You lifted that all by yourself? Without even a single bit of mana! Belinda! Belinda, come and take a look! That thing is a total monster!"

Belinda poked her head out of the tent entrance and looked around, then said:

"Oh, miss, that, that suits you well."

There is not even a shred of sincerity in it. Even the knights next to me said it with awkward smiles.

"That, that seems to be a weapon made for you, young lady. I, it really suits you."

It was a tone that showed no sincerity at all. It was obvious that Giselle had forced her to do it.

Elena, who even heard the monster's sound, ended up exploding.

"What goes well with it! How can a weapon like this suit a lady like me?"

Boooow!

"Whoa!"

Jiselle was startled and stepped back as she dodged the 'Head of Destruction' that suddenly swung around.

Just swinging it caused a strong wind to blow. This was truly a weapon made for Elena.

The knights also hesitated and stepped back.

Elena's eyes lit up and she smiled wickedly. She looked just like my brother.

"This suits you well. Then everyone, get a taste of my axe."

Boohoo! Boohoo! Boohoo!

As Elena swung her axe wildly, Giselle and the knights ran out of the tent.

Even though I hadn't learned anything, just swinging the sword around was destroying everything around me. The tent collapsed like a rag in an instant.

"Hey! You said you'd teach me combat skills! Aren't you coming? Why aren't you coming? Come at me, you punk!"

Elena shouted as she swung the axe wildly with both hands. Everyone watched Elena go crazy from afar.

Jiselle muttered as she watched her younger brother running around like a crazy punk.

"Hmm, I wish I was a raging bull rampaging on the battlefield… … but now that I look at it… … I look like an angry stag beetle."

It looked exactly like he was swinging an axe bigger than his body.

Elena, who had been going wild for a while, finally calmed down after Rachel tried to calm her down. She also felt embarrassed because everyone had gathered around to watch.

Eventually, Elena accepted the training on the condition that she would change weapons later.

Jiselle's lecture began right away, but unfortunately it ended with teaching the basic posture.

Because Dark, who was sent to the battlefield, informed us of the situation.

―Master… … The situation is not good. There are only corpses… … . I am looking around now.

Soon after, messengers covered in blood came rushing in one after another, one after another.

"The eastern defense line has been destroyed and the commander of the eastern army has died! The Delphian army has begun to advance towards the capital again!"

"The 3rd and 8th legions of the Royal Army have been defeated! The Delphian army is advancing on the capital!"

"The 6th Corps of the Royal Army and the Allied Forces that went to support the 3rd and 8th Corps were defeated!"

"Some of the Allied forces were annihilated. The Kingdom of Ceylon, the Kingdom of Moltona, and the Kingdom of Lombarth."

"The lords have gathered their troops and formed a defensive line again, but they are significantly outnumbered!"

Including the eastern part, there were three remaining Delphian advance routes. In two of these, the royal and allied forces were completely destroyed.

There is still no definitive news about the remaining legion.

―Master… … I guess… … .

Even after receiving Dark's report, Giselle did not move right away.

Dark only relays what he saw in the area. He doesn't know the current situation of the Kingdom's forces, how they think, or how they move.

To get an accurate picture of the whole situation, Jiselle left Dark to search the surroundings and waited a little longer.

News about the remaining legion soon arrived.

"The Southern Front has been completely destroyed! Marquis Maurice Macquarie, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army, has fled with only a small force!"

Jiselle put her hand to her forehead. She didn't know the power difference could be this big.

Although it is said that superhumans have a great influence on the battle situation, it is not the case that the difference between one or two superhumans determines victory or defeat. If that were the case, it would have just been a fight between superhumans.

This crushing defeat meant that the knights, soldiers, and commanders were no match for the Delphian army.

Ascon, who had been listening, clicked his tongue and said.

"Oh man, you idiots. None of you guys know how to fight properly."

Ascon's words were absolutely correct. They had really lost every single place. There wasn't even a single unit that made a strategic retreat.

It was dangerous to continue like this. The nobles who had withdrawn from the duke's faction would be terrified when they heard this news. If they noticed and went back under the duke's command, it would be even more of a headache.

Jiselle's aides also all had stern expressions when they heard the news. They had no idea where to start to handle the situation.

The war can continue as long as the Northern Army remains, but it will be meaningless if the capital falls and the king is captured.

In the still atmosphere, Giselle quickly gave orders.

"Tell the troops gathered in the west not to join the royal army and the lords' army, but to go straight to the capital. For now, tell them to defend Cardenia. Tell Ferdium to send all his troops to the front-line fortress of Fenris and strengthen their defenses."

"What should we do?"

After pondering Claude's question for a moment, Giselle soon made a decision.

"The Northern Army is divided into two."

The situation was too bad to move as one.