This was a new kind of problem. Glen now had the unenviable task of trying to swipe Lowellmina from her horse and make his escape amid a battle of clashing steel and flying arrows.
“Ngh…!”
Glen looked over his shoulder. Whether by coincidence or fate, Lowellmina turned at the exact same time. Their eyes met, and she smiled.
“Do your best, Glen! If I die here, we both lose!”
“You would use your own life as a last-minute shield, Lowa?!”
Lowellmina was at her wit’s end. She had no riding experience outside of carriages and had obviously never darted across a battlefield before.
“Your Highness! Please keep hold of the reins no matter what!” a guard called to her.
“I know, but what happens if I don’t?!”
“You’ll fall!”
“And if I fall?!”
“You’ll die!”
Lowellmina’s scream was drowned out by hooves beating against the earth.
I take it all back! This was a terrible idea! The worst!
Regardless, she was out of options. Tremors in the ground traveled up Lowellmina’s steed to pass through her, and she held back a wave of nausea to avoid tumbling.
A show of strength won’t help me win against this enemy. I need to highlight my weakness!
Had she taken a carriage, Glen’s unit would have targeted the horses and coachmen to stop it. Likewise, if Lowellmina had faced the enemy with weapons and armor, they would have interpreted this as aggression and attacked without mercy.
But what about now? Lowellmina was an unarmed young woman desperately clinging to a horse. She’d fall to her death if they targeted the animal, and threatening her with blades would be the height of shamelessness. Bardloche’s proud soldiers were no doubt at a loss on how to deal with her.
Glen’s steady advance will cost them significant energy! I can take full advantage of my position as a “frail female” to wear them out and buy time…!
Lowellmina’s assessment was correct. The majority of Glen’s soldiers had no idea how to stop the princess and stood frozen. Eventually, they’d have to contend with Lowellmina’s troops and, in their desire to make it a quick fight, run themselves ragged. This would obviously dull their movements, and Glen’s forces would be overtaken. Lowellmina was certain of this.
Unfortunately, she’d made a single error—something visible but unseen.
“Impossible…”
Glen’s warrior strength blasted away the guards as he caught up to Lowellmina in an instant.
“Lowa! Hand me the reins!” Glen shouted as he pulled his horse up alongside the princess’s.
“What?! No, you big, dumb idiot!”
To Lowellmina, the reins were a lifeline. She’d be forced to a halt if she handed them to Glen. Actually, it was more like she couldn’t let go. She’d fall if she so much as tried.
“You’re the idiot! Watch where you’re going!”
Lowellmina looked up in time to see a giant boulder approaching fast.
“Gyaaah!”
Lowellmina screamed, and Glen yanked the reins from her to turn the horse around. It dodged the rock at the last minute and obediently slowed down. Unfortunately, Lowellmina was not immune to the laws of inertia. She hardly knew what hit her before slipping from the animal’s back.
“Gwah!”
Lowa let out a pitiful yelp as her bottom struck the ground painfully.
“Oww… Sheesh!”
“Are you okay?”
“My tush just died!”
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’” Glen dismounted and stood next to Lowa. “Well, I’ll ask just to be sure. Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?”
“…No,” she answered wearily.
Use my own life as a shield, race across the battlefield, and run Glen’s unit into the ground.
That had been Lowellmina’s plan, yet it had been foiled so easily.
“Anyway, what will you do, Glen? I admit not everything has gone according to plan, but I was able to make it quite far onto the battlefield. Will you carry me away on your shoulders?”
Lowellmina’s nearby soldiers were fanning out. They hadn’t noticed the situation yet, but if several caught sight of Glen and Lowellmina or if she called for help, they would all come running. Those pursuers who saw what happened were sure to catch up before long.
“They’ll stay their bow hands if I’m carrying you. I’ll cut through until I reach my comrades.”
“My, that’s the exact kind of answer I’d expect from a muscle head. Using a girl as your human shield? How deplorable.”
“You’re one to talk.”
“I simply used what was already mine, so it doesn’t count.”
Such a schoolyard argument stood at odds with the battle around them, but Glen and Lowellmina didn’t find it odd.
“I’ll give you a hand, so sit behind me. I’ll tie us together with rope so you don’t fall.”
“So I’ve been reduced to luggage… Very well. I shall oblige,” Lowellmina replied haughtily as she touched Glen’s horse quietly. “Oh, but do travel with care. Our chase has left me feeling ill.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. I admit, I’m a little surprised you aren’t putting up more of a fight, though.”
“If I did, you’d silence me with a punch to the stomach. I’d rather avoid such unpleasantness.” Lowellmina was right, of course. “Besides, I already mentioned that I’ve run out of options.”
“Are you taking back that statement?”
“No, that’s the truth. However…” Lowellmina grinned. “I never said I didn’t make a move in advance.”
Glen’s spine tingled. An alarm signaled trouble in Bardloche’s camp in the distance behind him.
The conflict between Bardloche and Manfred was reaching a fever pitch. Manfred’s forces launched a full-scale assault, as though laughing in the face of the expected stalemate. Not about to take this lying down, Bardloche’s army issued a counterattack. Casualties mounted on both sides, and the growing likelihood of a long, difficult skirmish weighed heavily on each commander. Manfred’s men in particular, an assembly of inexperienced, provincial soldiers, buckled under the unimaginable pressure.
“Prince Manfred! Our front can’t hold out much longer!”
“We have requests for reinforcements on all sides!”
“We should withdraw from this melee for now and regroup!”