The battle between the Mireana Kingdom and the Bestir Empire on the Selemus Plains. In terms of the exhaustion of their forces, far more damage had been dealt to the Bestir Empire, whose vanguard had been half destroyed. The Bestir Empire had also launched an ambush from behind the Mireana Kingdom’s main army using transition stones and Demon Soldiers. But the Royalists, who had seen the power of the fire whirl with their own eyes and was worried that all the credit would go to the Neutral and Nobles factions had headed for the battlefield. Because of that, they had fortunately not suffered any fatal damage from the ambush.

Although they had suffered some losses, the damage taken by the Bestir Empire was overwhelmingly greater as far as the bigger picture was concerned.

That said……speaking of the advantages and disadvantages in this war, although they hadn’t caused much damage, it was safe to say that the Bestir Empire forces that had ambushed Arius, the chief commander of the Mireana Kingdom’s army, was at an overwhelming advantage……

If Theorem, who was currently leading the Demon Soldiers, had been the chief commander of the Bestir Empire’s army, the Mireana Kingdom might have been at a greater advantage considering the overall losses as the two chief commanders fought each other. However, although Theorem was one of the greatest generals in the Bestir Empire, he was just one of many generals. Because of that, it was still clear that the Mireana Kingdom was at a disadvantage as the Bestir Empire’s chief commander was still completely unharmed in their main army headquarters.

 

 

「……What the hell is going on now?」

Theorem muttered to himself as he calmed his warhorse.

Next to him, Cyanus looked around as she also calmed the warhorse she was riding.

Just a few seconds ago, the two of them had been running on their warhorses in search of Count Arius, their target on the battlefield, followed by 50 Demon Soldiers when something suddenly appeared on the battlefield. It was the head of a Dragon. yes, there was no body, just the head……yet, that contradictory existence made them feel a sense of overwhelming fear, even though it was only illusory. Opening it’s mouth with sharp fangs, a flash of light came out from it as it tore through the ground. At the same time, the blast reached Theorem, who was several kilometres away from where the light beam had occurred, sending the warhorses that Theorem and Cyanus had been riding on into a state of panic.

Fortunately, only one beam of light had been emitted from that illusory Dragon, so they were successful in calming their warhorses. That said, it was still the first time that their warhorses, that had been bred with magic, had entered such a panicked state. It was the first time Theorem and Cyanus had ever seen that happen, despite having experienced many battlefields.

Furthermore……

「Theorem-sama.」

Theorem looked around at his aide’s whisper.

What he saw was the sight of some of the Demon Soldiers somehow enduring their fear.

No, those that could endure it were already doing better. Some had fallen to the ground, literally curling their tails around themselves.

「I didn’t think that even from such a distance it would instinctively cause the Demon Soldiers to be scared.」

Theorem’s first thought as he muttered those words was, of course, the extraordinary person who had managed to tame a Griffon.

So far, all the information he had heard pointed to the fact that Rei like to use fire magic. Of course, he knew that Rei could use magic other than fire magic. He had seen Rei use wind magic to create an air slash, and above all, create that disastrous tornado that had still been raging until a short time ago.

(But it’s not the same?)

He thought for a few seconds before shaking his head.

The magic that had just been used belonged to light magic. Theorem had no information that Rei had used light magic before.

That said, the only reason why he couldn’t be completely certain was because he had just seen such a magic used.

「Theorem-sama, what do we do? If we keep going like this……」

When Cyanus called out to Theorem, he looked around at the Demon Soldiers.

There were still a few of them on the ground, but most of them had recovered from their shock. However, if he gave the order to move towards where the Dragon head had appeared, they would probably be fearful.

Of course, they wouldn’t refuse……no, rather they couldn’t. But with their morale so low, he wouldn’t be able to expect much from their combat power, which was the greatest strength of the Demon Soldiers.

(It looks like it’s necessary to raise morale.)

Theorem spoke as he looked towards the Demon Soldiers around him.

「Listen, you are the strongest in our Bestir Empire. And because of that, you offered yourselves up and abandoned your former appearance. Then don’t be afraid. Because you are the strongest swords of our Bestir Empire. Show your strength to those who have blocked our path to the blessings of the sea numerous times. And obtain the blessing of of the sea for your country!」

In this situation, it was fortunate that the Demon Soldiers around him were willing to abandon themselves due to their great loyalty to their homeland, the Bestir Empire.

If the Demon Soldiers here had been the ones who were torturing Mireana Kingdom soldiers earlier, they probably wouldn’t have recovered. On this battlefield, there were many who were in such a state.

(Of course, this won’t last for long……but every minute, every second is precious right now.)

Even though they had become Demon Soldiers, a being more powerful than humans, it wasn’t without drawbacks. Although it was unexpected, it wasn’t all bad because they knew what they had to do next. It was hard to be positive in this situation, but they convinced themselves as they looked back at the direction where the Dragon head had appeared earlier.

「What do you think, Cyanus? Do you think Count Arius is where that Dragon head appeared?」

「That’s very likely. Perhaps it’s magic, but I can understand why such a crazy thing would be used if it was to protect the chief commander. ……Honestly, going towards a place where there are people who can use that kind of power feels like suicide.」

「However, in order to end this war quickly……without exhausting too much of our strength, it is best to defeat or capture the enemy’s chief commander.」

「Our strength, is it?」

Murmuring those words, Cyanus turned to look at where their main army was.

The area where the fire whirl had been present until a short time ago. She couldn’t imagine how powerful it had been, but there was no doubt that it had caused enormous damage to their army.

Theorem nodded as well as he looked in the direction of their main army.

「That is why.」

「……Could it be the work of that mage, Rei, who created that fire tornado?」

「There’s definitely a possibility. But I think it’s probably someone else.」

「May I ask why you think that?」

Cyanus continued her question, knowing that the Demon Soldiers around her were listening.

Their morale had returned at Theorem’s previous speech, but he could still tell there was some fear in their eyes. Because of that, it was necessary to give shape to the source of their horror and to conclude that there was no possibility of a second fire tornado used to attack them in the near future.

「I know the person who created the fire tornado. He basically only uses fire magic. Of course, if he wanted to use other attributes, he probably could, but even then, never such powerful light magic.」

At the words he spoke without any sense of impatience, the fear in the Demon Soldiers gradually faded.

This will do for now. Inwardly relieved, Theorem and Cyanus led the Demon Soldiers to where the illusory Dragon head had appeared. The warhorses that had been panicking earlier had settled back down and the Demon Soldiers moved forward as they kept an eye on their surroundings. ……Eventually the sound of fighting could be heard.

「……Over there. Look, we’re only aiming for Count Arius’ head. Ignore the others.」

Beyond the battlefield, Theorem turned to speak to the Demon Soldiers following in the trees behind him.

Cyanus and the Demon Soldiers nodded at his words.

「Of course, we’re going to kill Count Arius, but it doesn’t matter who takes the credit. Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance if you need, understand?」

「Theorem-sama knows everything. Everything is within Theorem-sama mind.」

Cyanus replied to Theorem as he repeated his words. The Demon Soldiers around her nodded in agreement at the same time.

「That is right. Let us go. To end this war, to obtain the sea and to achieve victory. ……Soldiers, follow me!」

With those words Theorem’s warhorse started running. And next to him was Cyanus, whose expression barely changed even in this situation, followed by 50 Demon Soldiers.

「Enemies, new Bestir Empire forces have appeared! Everyone be careful!」

One of the knights who saw them approaching quickly shouted out. But in their current situation, they could only barely match the enemy. ……No, because the forces on the Mireana Kingdom’s side had been at a disadvantage, there was no way they could cope with the additional forces that Theorem had brought with him.

In the first place, they had been at an overwhelming disadvantage until Elena and her knights had rushed over to reinforce them. Aside from Elena’s reinforcements, the main army was already on its way to the vanguard while the forces of the other nobles had scattered everywhere. The result of all that was their current situation where the faces of the Mireana Kingdom’s soldiers were dyed with despair.

The total number of enemies wasn’t that high, no matter how you estimated, it was only around 200. However, each of them was a strange monster that had the strength to fight 10 to 20 people by themselves. It would take nearly 30 soldiers attacking in waves without rest to defeat one. They had such strength. It was no wonder that they would despair when 50 more of such monsters with tremendous power appeared.

But……

「Don’t panic! Focus your strength to stop the enemy’s advance first! Archers and mages support from behind! Ara, I’m heading to the front! Please follow me!」

Elena’s voice spread throughout the battlefield.

It was a battlefield where more than 1000 people were present, but for some reason, her voice echoed unmistakably through all the noise.

And that voice succeeded in connecting the feelings of the soldiers, knights and adventurers who were about to lose themselves in despair.

「Yes, the General Princess is with us!」

「Elena-sama has repelled the invasions of the Bestir Empire many times. She will win this time as well!」

「For the General Princess!」

「Elena-sama, Elena-sama, Elena-sama!」

One sentence. With just one sentence, the morale of the soldiers, that had fallen to the bottom, suddenly rose.

Her beauty and charisma may have had some influence, but above all, the soldiers’ enthusiasm came from her history of defeating the Bestir Empire’s army many times before.

「……I will follow you.」

However, Ara, who was standing beside Elena simply nodded at her orders as she looked at her superior anxiously.

At first glance, Elena looked the same as usual, but her face showed the faint colour of fatigue. She was very worn out from her use of Dragon Language magic, which she was still learning, and the continuous combat against the Demon Soldiers that followed.

However, Elena was only able to deal with the Demon Soldiers after using such an attack. If Elena and her knight guards hadn’t been here, the war would have ended by now with Arius being decapitated or captured. Considering that there were already more than 10 dead Demon Soldiers spread around Elena and that the Laser Breath she had cast using Dragon Language magic had killed more Demon Soldiers than that, this battlefield could be said to only be held in balance due to Elena’s own strength.

Of course, it didn’t mean that the others weren’t strong. Ara used her Power Axe to slash through bodies, necks, limbs and other parts of Demon Soldiers, dealing deadly blows to the Demon Soldiers who prided themselves on their hard scales, shells or crustacean bodies. Her physical strength, which used to be her weakness, was no longer a problem due to the stamina recovery of the Power Axe. There was also Arius, who was cleaving through Demon Soldiers with his great sword, and Siminar, who had recovered from the poison and was now using his swordsmanship that focused on speed to deal with the Demon Soldiers.

Even so……even if Elena and her subordinates were playing an active role, they couldn’t deal with the strength and numbers of the Demon Soldiers. Several people had already started to fall, like teeth missing from a comb, as they managed to inspire themselves to continue supporting the front. But then 50 new Demon Soldiers appeared. Leading them was one of the few humans within the ambushing force, that was mostly made up of Demon Soldiers. Elena knew his title. Just as as the title of General Princess was well known, the title of this man was also well known.

「Flash, Theorem Enerji」

Muttering his name, Elena called her own horse over and moved with Ara to confront the force lead by Theorem before his name demoralised the soldiers of the Mireana Kingdom.

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