Chapter 290
(Kyle Calendar Year 513: Age 20)
A Silent Testament
Translator : PolterGlast
A short distance away from the entrance of the cave leading
to the underground labyrinth, there were those waiting for their lord's return
with sorrowful hearts. Yes, a lord who would never return alive...
Then, in the line of sight of those filled with sorrow, the
figures of comrades just about to come out of the cave were reflected. As they
returned close with slow steps, the man at the front looked around and opened
his mouth.
"The soldiers seem to have decreased, but Aiyar,
did something happen?"
"..., yeah, following His Excellency's instructions, I
sent them out to search for any other enemy escape routes. Only about 30 of us
remain here now, simply awaiting His Excellency's return."
"I see..." (If it's 30 against 16, a surprise
attack is more than enough. There was no need to trouble
Lord Lugner).
Separate from his treacherous thoughts, the corners of the
mouth of the man who answered briefly rose slightly.
"More importantly, how was it? Did His Excellency...
splendidly achieve his long-cherished desire?"
"Yeah, several of us were also taken down, but... his long-cherished desire was achieved. After slaying all the
ringleaders and the remaining soldiers lurking inside... his final moments were
truly magnificent."
The man who announced that matter-of-factly, and the
soldiers who came out of the underground labyrinth with him, were bathed in
splashing blood all over their bodies, as if telling a story of having gone
through a fierce battle.
"I see... His Excellency... achieved his long-cherished
desire. Did you also see His Excellency's final moments as well?"
At Aiyar's voice that sounded squeezed out, the
soldiers who accompanied them inside the cave nodded silently without
expression.
"I see... I beg of you. Won't you let us bid a final
farewell to His Excellency too?"
Told so by Aiyar, the man handed over the head of the
lord he brought back. And Aiyar fell to his knees, carefully untied the
cover, and faced his master.
"!!!"
Kyrias's eyes...
were opened wide even in death, as if appealing for something. Seeing that, Aiyar
broke down crying.
"Your Excellency! Your long-cherished desire... you
must have... felt so regretful... certainly... we have received it!"
Starting with Aiyar, all the waiting soldiers were
breaking down crying while leaking sobs. The man watching that with cold eyes
silently raised his hand. Simultaneously, 15 men quietly put their hands on
their hilts to draw their swords without expression. To attack them by surprise...
At that moment, Aiyar, who suddenly raised his face,
raised his right hand greatly and shouted.
"Fire! Show no
mercy to the traitors!"
Behind them, 50 soldiers who had been lurking in the shadow
of the rocks appeared all at once and fired their pre-loaded crossbow arrows.
Toward the 16 soldiers who were supposed to be allies...
"Wh-! What!"
Raising a short scream, the man who was the other close aide
died after receiving several arrows all over his body. Aiyar used
a swift step-in and slash to cut down the soldier in front of him who was about
to draw his sword and attack.
"Cut down every last one of them!"
The 80 soldiers who began to move according to Aiyar's
instructions also unleashed slashes following him. Those who originally
intended to surprise them and eliminate them were conversely taken by an
unexpected surprise attack and struck down one after another.
Aiyar had been
secretly told a certain thing by Kyrias before he died.
『When
I have achieved my long-cherished desire, I will close my eyes gracefully and
commit suicide. But... if that is not the case, I intend not to close my eyes
even in death. I entrust this will only to you. They are those who must never be underestimated. If I
regrettably fail to strike them down... sorry, but I ask you to clean up the
mess.』
Aiyar received
the will of Kyrias who bet his life, and took action to clear his lord's
feelings.
"From here on we annihilate the enemies lurking inside
the cave. Everyone, we clear His Excellency's regrets here!"
Saying so, he stepped over the corpses before him and began
to charge toward the cave. On the other hand, near the somewhat open entrance
of the cave, soldiers who received Lugner's intention were secretly
deploying. They were former Hiyorimi soldiers under Lugner's direct
control who received orders to annihilate Kyrias's remaining soldiers
deployed above ground, numbering over 200.
"Tch, it seems catching them off guard failed. What
useless fools."
Saying so, while slightly surprised by the unexpected
development, they sallied forth to crush
the Kyrias soldiers with superior numbers.
"Avenge our lord!" "Don't
let even a single soldier escape!"
Aiyar and the
others attacked while shouting so one after another. 80 against 200, an
overwhelming difference numerically, but the unit led by Aiyar was the
strongest and most loyal unit in the Kyrias Army.
That was why, despite their lord's dishonorable betrayal,
they had continued to follow him to the very end without dropping out...
To clear their lord's regrets, they all fought as soldiers
ready to die. Therefore, even though they were pushed back by the overwhelming
majority, they held out tenaciously, and even tried to push back.
Following the tracks of the Kyrias Army's horse hooves and
something like marks, Takuhir and his group, having advanced deep into
the Cornell territory, had advanced near the rocky mountains spreading
on the territorial border with the Margrave Hastburg territory.
"War cries ahead! It seems battle has started."
"Shannon, direction?"
"Following these marks forward, straight from here,
about 1 km ahead!"
"Everyone, load Estol Bows here for now. Don't forget
the safety catches! After loading, we run at once! Leia, when I raise my
right arm on horseback, confirm the distance, and when I swing it down, cast
all the light magic you have in that direction!"
Having hurried ahead this far, they haven't yet joined up
with the main force of the Demon Territory Knights led by Weiss.
Furthermore, having sent liaison soldiers to various places on the way, Takuhir's
forces were under a hundred mounts. Even so, there was no hesitation.
"From here on, we assist friendly forces currently in
the midst of battle. All forces, charge!"
Takuhir made an
immediate decision, and they all started running at once. For the full-speed
sprint of light cavalry, 1 km is but a
moment.
Coming to a point about 500 m to the combat zone, they too
became able to visually confirm the aspect of the battle.
Here, Takuhir took a gamble.
The enemy's den is inside a cave in a corner of the
mountainous area; that was written in Kyrias's letter. Then, the forces
with their backs to the mountain, those attacking toward here, are highly
likely to be the enemy army.
Slowing the legs of his galloping horse, he raised his right
hand greatly. Bending his thumb, indicating the number 4. Then, confirming that
Leia nodded, he swung it down vigorously.
At that moment, a band of dazzling light spread left and
right over the area 400 m ahead of them.
"Gwah! B-Bright." "My eyes... I can't
see." "Gaaah, my head feels like splitting!"
"What? This light?" "F-Friendly forces?"
"Don't tell me... the Demon Territory Count?"
The reactions of both armies in the midst of battle were
vastly different.
Those who saw the light head-on; they were deprived of their
vision by the flash, and some writhed in a state of confusion. Those who
received the light from behind; although they didn't know the progression of
the situation, they intuitively sensed the arrival of reinforcements.
"Shannon!"
Simultaneously as Takuhir shouted, Shannon,
sensing the intent, brought her horse right next to him and ran parallel.
Because they had accumulated sufficient training previously to treat encountering such flashes of light as one of the
tactics, they knew how to slow their horses down just beforehand and calm them,
so there wasn't even any confusion.
And Takuhir's voice, amplified by Shannon's
sound magic, echoed among those fighting.
"To friendly forces, this is the Demon Territory
Count Army. We
will now provide reinforcements. Open our path."
In front of them who had already approached to under 300 m,
the Kyrias Army reacted instantly, moving left and right to open the
path. With this, Takuhir's prediction turned into conviction.
"Bell, ready! All cavalry, fire at a walking pace! Begin three strokes! Remove safety catches!"
200 m before the enemy army, simultaneously as the bell
sounded its third stroke, nearly 90 arrows guided by wind magic assaulted Lugner's
subordinate soldiers all at once.
"Press the attack! All cavalry, charge!"
With their vision impaired, the 200-strong army, thrown
into confusion by the shower of arrows, crumbled significantly under the
cavalry charge. Furthermore, the Kyrias Army, which had yielded the path
and deployed left and right, coordinated their movements to form a
semi-encirclement.
"Listen well, block the retreat path and let not even a
single soldier escape. Eradication of all evil, this is His Excellency's final will!"
Aiyar, raising the corner
of his eyes, slashed at Lugner's
soldiers. The Kyrias soldiers who had become death-defying soldiers
followed. At the start
of the battle, it was 170 against 200. However, Lugner's soldiers, having taken arrows while defenseless and being
trampled by the cavalry charge, had their numbers greatly reduced. Now, under
overwhelmingly disadvantageous circumstances, they were struck down one after
another.
After mopping up the enemy army encamped on the mountain
side, about 80 elite soldiers lined up and knelt before me.
"I perceive you are His Excellency the Demon
Territory Count. First, for your assistance, we all express our heartfelt
gratitude. Although we are sinful ones, we ask you to overlook us so we can
prolong our lives a little longer."
"I have met you before, haven't I? Although impromptu,
it was splendid coordination. So... where is Lord Kyrias?"
"His Excellency... to atone for his sins... but halfway
on that path... We wish to offer these lives to fulfill His Excellency's final will from here on. Please!"
The man who answered so offered a severed head to me while
shedding tears. Halfway on that path... does that mean the ringleaders are
still inside here, is that it?
"Then we will annihilate their stronghold from here on.
If I remember correctly... Aiyar, was it? I leave the vanguard to you,
so you should fulfill your lord's honor."
"Yes, sir! Thank
you very much!"
The mopping-up operation resumed immediately. Perhaps having
prepared beforehand, they piled firewood at the entrance of the cave and set it
ablaze all at once. With the power of Wind Mages, that smoke was guided
deep inside the cave by the wind.
Simultaneously, I ordered Shannon to advise those
lurking inside to surrender, and conveyed that we would spare the lives of
everyone except the ringleaders, but it was just vain. After that,
sporadically, those who jumped out from inside and attempted resistance that
could never win appeared one after another.
"Aiyar, any other exits?"
"I apologize. Neither His Excellency nor we had any way
of knowing that much..."
We were a little late.
If Kyrias hadn't resorted to the short-sightedness of desiring a
conclusion himself... If we could have brought a few more soldiers...
We could have arranged sufficient forces and laid an encirclement net that
wouldn't let even a single ant escape all the way to the other side of the
mountain, but...
I somehow swallowed the words that floated in my mind.
This mopping-up operation became a battle with a bad
aftertaste, but it continued until the next day, and the stronghold of darkness
built inside the cave was annihilated. By this time, armies hearing the
emergency other than the Commander were also beginning to rush over.
I myself don't believe we managed to strike down all the
ringleaders with this. If it were me, I would definitely secure an escape route
somewhere from a base that could so easily become a rat trap like this.
Especially since they have been wriggling in this country
for many long years; they must be cautious in that sense too.
However, because their base was raided, their wealth was
confiscated, and they lost many of those who served as their limbs. Due to
that, it is highly likely they will no longer be able to take organized action.
Reaching this point, now that the wriggling of darkness has
been exposed under the sun, we just need to proceed with responses solemnly
while being more cautious than before. Thinking so, I decided to accept it for
the time being.
"Aiyar, I will strive to protect the remaining
soldiers and family according to Lord Kyrias's letter. But I also need
you each to atone for your sins. You live to protect them, and I do not permit
you to die! This is the punishment I give."
Once the
battle was over, to Aiyar, who had
been intending to follow Kyrias in
death instead of pleading for the lives of the remaining Kyrias soldiers, I threw those words at him.
At this time, I remembered the final action I took in the
previous history, what I offered to Corps Commander Weiss to save the
remaining soldiers and residents.
"You will be forced to bear the stigma of 'a traitor
who sold his lord at the very end.' I feel apologetic towards your loyalty, but
it is also a fact that you all must bear 'the regrets of those slain by Lord Kyrias.'
I want you to bear the futures and honor of those who followed Kyrias to
the end. I don't want to let such loyalty of yours go to waste like this."
Placing my hand on the back of him who was breaking down
crying, I decided to protect them as my own subordinates from now on.
The next day, I sent them and Kyrias's head to the
Royal Capital. In the letter to the Old Raccoon that I sent along with them...
- The
details of the matter this time and the content Kyrias informed.
- That
the achievement of striking down the traitor Kyrias belongs to
them.
- That
I need absolutely no achievements for myself, and want their sins reduced.
- That
I want to keep these 80 in the Demon Territory Count Army from here
on.
- A
request to re-enforce vigilance against darkness and conduct a
re-investigation domestically.
I added contents like that.
Thus, in a true sense, the entire series of battles this
time brought down its curtain.
Later, placing Aiyar as the unit commander, these 80
were employed by Takuhir. In addition, Takuhir actively appointed
those of the Kyrias Army who objected to the betrayal from the beginning
and defected refusing to fight compatriots, and the Kyrias soldiers who
belonged to the Frontier Knights and fought compatriots.
It seems there were those around who raised voices of
anxiety, but he laughed and replied thus.
"The only ones I can truly trust are those who
fulfilled their loyalty to the end, and those who didn't follow their lord's
unjust orders from the start. I don't trust guys who betray because they get
swept up in the situation, and then abandon their lord this time around. Besides...
I love clumsy guys, you know."
Following those words, it was shortly after the new year of Kyle
Year 514 dawned the following year that a new unit of 500 consisting of former Kyrias
Army members was incorporated into the Demon Territory Knights.
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