“Understood!”
Glen steeled himself.
“Let’s go on the offensive,” Strang suggested.
Back in Manfred’s camp, the prince and his commanders deliberated over this proposal.
“Weren’t we going to wait and let Lowellmina and Bardloche wear each other down?” Manfred asked.
Glen had correctly surmised their strategy, and everyone questioned Strang’s proposal to change tactics. He offered an explanation to ease their concerns.
“Lowellmina has opted for a similar method, putting us in this deadlock. At this rate, Bardloche’s army is liable to recover.”
“We surround them, so we’re at a major advantage.”
“Still, we mustn’t underestimate our foe. Bardloche’s soldiers are powerful, and it’s possible they could take on Lowellmina and us if they find their morale again. We must goad his army beforehand and wear them down in body and spirit.”
“But won’t that hurt us and handicap our forces in the later battle?” Manfred asked skeptically.
“There’s no need to worry,” Strang replied. “Defeating Bardloche will rob Lowellmina of her claim to the throne. It’s in her best interest to let us fight him and wait until the last minute to jump in and take out the Second Prince, but Lowellmina’s ragtag group lacks patience and a keen, strategic eye. If we attack, her forces will immediately rush in as well.”
Strang further explained that Manfred’s soldiers would search for an opening to eliminate the Second Prince while Bardloche and Lowellmina were busy tiring each other out.
“All right, I’ll leave it up to you,” Manfred declared.
“Understood.”
Strang gave a deep bow.
“Princess Lowellmina, both enemies have begun to move.”
The princess’s well-protected tent sat in the very heart of her camp along the plains.
“Manfred is on the offensive while Bardloche focuses on defense,” the messenger continued.
“What about us?”
“Headquarters has commanded us to remain defensive, but skirmishes have broken out along part of the front lines, and they’re spreading gradually.”
“I see… I hoped to wait longer until we spotted an opportune moment, but I suppose it can’t be helped. We’re a patchwork militia, after all.”
Despite this admission, Lowellmina hadn’t expected her soldiers’ patience to be tested so thoroughly. Self-discipline was challenging to maintain where deadly combat was involved. It wouldn’t be long before Lowellmina’s forces succumbed and launched a full-scale attack on Bardloche. A certain scheming four-eyes smirked in her mind.
“There is one other matter I must report. A small unit from Bardloche’s camp is apparently headed this way. Shall I urge headquarters to remain alert and bolster our security?”
“No, I’ll leave the situation up to them. My opinion would only invite needless chaos.”
Lowellmina was the supreme commander, but the generals of her faction made all the combat decisions. Their main stronghold was a short distance away from her tent. This was because Lowellmina lacked the skills necessary to command an army. Still, the princess wasn’t indifferent to such matters, so she elected to remain nearby.
At any rate, it was no exaggeration to say modern politics and warfare were strictly limited to the realm of men. Despite Lowellmina’s political acumen, sticking her nose into military affairs would spark a wave of protest even at the best of times. When it came to achieving her goals, Lowellmina was akin to a hurricane, yet she preferred not to go about stirring up unnecessary conflict. She refused to bend the military to her will, and so long as no one else cared, she was content to leave it alone.
The leaders of Lowellmina’s army were hardly first-rate—such people served other factions—but they could be trusted to handle command until her plan was complete.
“That small unit is most likely after me. We’ll be unable to function if I’m captured.”
The top commander was typically an army’s backbone, but Lowellmina’s force was different. The princess was far more vital to her soldiers than any general.
“In that case, Your Highness, I suggest reinforcing our guard.”
“We’ll be fine,” she answered breezily. “I’m well aware that the enemy will stop at nothing to storm this camp. We’ll employ our ample defenses, the unwieldy terrain, and traps to double and triple our safety. Bardloche could send half his men, and we’d still prove we won’t be defeated so easily.”
“W-well, then…”
“I don’t know what our attackers are like, but their mission will end in failure. At the very least, we should wish them peace in the afterlife.”
Lowellmina seemed to be the very image of composure. Yet no sooner had she given her declaration than a commotion erupted outside the tent.
“What was that? I’ll go check.”
Fyshe left to investigate and returned several seconds later. Her expression was grim.
“Your Highness! The enemy has breached our defensive line!”
Lowellmina’s smile froze.
“Run! And keep running! You’ll drown in a sea of enemies if you stop!”
Glen shouted to his warriors as he raced across the battlefield on horseback. He’d been tasked with leading a brutal attack and was now in the heart of Lowellmina’s camp with only a few of his best men. Waves of enemies rose from every direction to stop their charge.
“Out of my way!”
However, Glen repelled each attempt, and his valor emboldened the soldiers trailing behind him. Brushing aside hostile blades and arrows, Glen rode ahead of the pack like an unstoppable force of nature.
But he did more than simply plunge forward.
“We’re changing directions! Turn left!”
“But the enemy is more spread out straight ahead!”
“It’s a trap. We’ll be crushed if we go that way,”
Glen steered his mount to the left, just as he said. His followers were quick to follow suit. Looking back, they spotted an ambush that had been concealed from their earlier position.
“What…?!”
“The captain saw right through their trap!”
Glen’s subordinates sang his praises, but this brought him no joy. Failing to accomplish something like this meant he’d never match his friends.
Ultimately, I’ve done nothing except learn to swing a sword.
Born into a military family and raised as a soldier since childhood, Glen had pushed himself tirelessly. He didn’t consider himself particularly talented, but Glen took pride in his work ethic despite those shortcomings. In truth, he felt a secret sense of superiority over the many peers he’d left in the dust.
Then Wein and the others came and smashed that confidence.
Glen understood that Wein, Ninym, Strang, and Lowellmina were all his equals regardless of their differences. No, their genius surpassed him. This truth threatened to overwhelm him anytime they were together.
However, it gave rise to a desire within Glen.
He didn’t want to lose.
His was a drive to win, to succeed. He wanted to stand side by side. He wished to be their friend and their equal. Glen believed that feeling had fostered his growth. Indeed, his swordsmanship had grown by leaps and bounds after meeting them.
Nevertheless, the gap remained.
Knowledge, resourcefulness, eloquence, skill, courage. His friends honed their individual arsenals and combined various skill sets to produce stunning results.
Glen, on the other hand, had military expertise and nothing more. Compared to the others, who observed every situation in broad, overhead strokes and reacted accordingly, what value was there in a soldier who could only reach out at arm’s length? As Glen watched everyone thrive, he held fast to those scorching emotions and briefly considered abandoning the sword to find another calling. Perhaps some soul-searching would reveal a hidden talent that could help him catch up.
However, Glen took a good, hard look at himself and concluded that, yes, the sword was all he had. Thus, he resolved to make the most of it. He didn’t have a sharp political mind and couldn’t devise ingenious battle tactics. Once Glen had accepted this, he continued honing the combat abilities his friends praised. Even if the blade was his only talent, he’d prove it could take a dragon’s head.
“Captain! I see it! That’s their headquarters!”
Before his subordinate said anything, Glen had spied the heart of Lowellmina’s camp beyond the enemy lines.
Lowa…!
He immediately took note of his foes’ positions and movements, as well as the tents’ locations.
That one in the center has to be their base of operations. The commanders must be inside. Yet their formation is…
Glen’s gaze drifted to a tent off to one side just as a group of cavalrymen emerged from behind it.
“Your Highness, with all due respect, I must insist that we retreat…!” exclaimed the commander, who acted as the true leader of Lowellmina’s army.
Once she’d learned he was coming, Lowellmina understood the gravity of the situation.
“Will that small enemy incursion reach us?”
Lowellmina immediately regretted her insensitive question.
“N-no, of course not. However mighty our foes, we have sworn to protect you, Your Highness, and we’ll not allow them to lay a single finger on you.”
A commander could give the Imperial Princess no other answer.
“However, you must expect the unexpected on the field of battle. It is always wise to prepare for that one in a million, no, one in a hundred million chance!”
Lowellmina sensed peril when the commander stood his ground on a point he’d normally concede. She had detected something in the air earlier, as perhaps the commander had as well. Defense was one matter, but escape was another entirely. As Lowellmina’s opponent drew dangerously close, her mind raced at lightning speed.
I’ll only be a burden on the battlefield…
She accepted this undeniable fact. Still, it didn’t mean Lowellmina was entirely useless. Glen likely commanded the group that was after her. She could tell that he was behind this inexplicable attack. As such, she had no way to turn the tide.
What else could be done?
“…Fyshe.”
“Yes!”
“We’re going to cross a very iffy bridge.”
Glen kept his sword readied as the cavalry came rushing out, but he swiftly froze. His faltering resulted from two factors: First, the riders charged straight for him instead of riding to escape. And second, Lowellmina rode at the forefront.
“Lo—”
Glen wasn’t the only one surprised. His men were stunned as well. The sight of this defenseless young woman taking to the field could only be described as bizarre. And she was grinning.
Their hesitation didn’t escape Lowellmina’s notice.
“You seem confused, Glen.”
There was no mistaking the voice that flew past him.
Lowellmina and several others sped past Glen’s unit, but instead of fleeing to safety, they plunged straight into the tumultuous war zone.
“Wha—!”
Glen’s eyes widened with shock, but he and Lowa immediately understood each other.
✦ ✦ ✦
Lowa is the key to her soldiers’ morale! She can’t leave the battlefield if she hopes to win!
Glen needs to capture me to stop my army!
Retreat means forfeiting the protection of her guards! I need to capture Lowa, so that will be to my advantage!
So I’ll escape by charging forward instead of back and will shield myself in the chaos!
If Lowa is fatally struck by an arrow or falls to her death, the enemy will go berserk and attack our army! Even if her demise comes from friendly fire!