He stomps around, and I sway with every step. I have to keep my helmet on. His shiny head is too slippery for me to get a grip on.
“Behold, our five thousand warriors! Wah ha ha!” Standing on the balcony, we look down into the courtyard. The man laughs loudly. “If we include their mothers and fathers, that’s ten thousand warriors! Of course, some of them are siblings, so that’s just an estimate, but... there’s also their grandparents! That at least quadruples our numbers. Humanity’s unbroken history is on display right here, with these warriors. In other words, they are the product of tens of thousands of ancestral wills!”
Everyone’s looking at us. They’re flying banners and waving their hands at us. Their armor, swords, spears, and eyes are all glittering.
“And, Sira, you are a child. A brave, pious girl whom we all love like a daughter. One could even say that you are humanity’s brightest star. You are the source of our fighting spirit, and the symbol of our will. We will not let you die. Your survival is our victory!”
I want to tell him he’s wrong. I want to tell him that I’m worried about everyone else... but it’s no use. No one here wants to die, but they will anyway. That’s why I can’t say anything. I have to accept their feelings.
Oh, Lady Kuroi... this is your job. It’s so hot. Everyone’s passion is raining down on me... I feel so sad and lonely—my heart is about to rip in two. It’s like I’m burning. Resisting the urge to cry grants me strength. The mana is building up inside me.
“Lady Ange, I’ve prepared a messenger party and horses. Do you understand?” asks the man.
“If the time comes, Sira and I...”
“Yes. I will burn the fort if it comes to that. We will buy time for Agias to heroically scoop you up. Be sure to tell him of the supplies we’ve hidden in the mountains.”
“I swear on my life.”
“Sorry, and thank you. It’s not a gigantic cache, but if worst comes to worst, I pray even one cup of soup made from its stores will support humanity’s pride, and that each grain, imbued with our citizens’ wills, becomes your strength.”
I think the fire engulfing me is calling for God. I hug Dad’s sword tight. God poured power into this blade. It’s hot. It should burn me, but it doesn’t; I don’t even sweat. It’s a strange heat.
“Now, my warriors! It is time for battle!”
Right, I’m coming, too. Ange watches as we march towards the south exit. We go to fight, together. Our bootsteps are in harmony. No one cries or is afraid.
“Heavy armor to the center! Form ranks! Cavalry, form two wings!” commands the bald man.
A red banner unfurls and flutters in the wind like a giant fire. I wonder if God is watching. This banner is saying: “We won’t lose! Watch over us, God!”
The vampires’ banner is black and gold, like lightning at night. I can see lots of them across the field. The gray shacks dotting the horizon are camps made of stone. They’re waiting inside them for night to fall. That’s when they’ll attack.
Which is why now is our time. We have to act now, before many die later.
“All right! My honored fifty knights! Go forth!”
“Yes, sir!” they answer, and spur their horses into a gallop. In their hands are vials of oil. They pour mana into them... Oh, no, the vampires have noticed them! Boulders smash them, they crash into stone walls, holes open underneath their horses’ legs—many, many perish. And yet...
They manage to throw their bombs. They’ve done their best. All over, the vials break and explode into a mass of flames. Some even land inside the stone camps and set them on fire. I can hear the vampires scream.
Only nine knights return.
Even so, everyone bangs their swords against their shields and cheers loudly. “We did it!” they cry.
“Good, good! An excellent first strike! Behold! The blood-sucking badgers are afraid of the fire! Wah ha ha ha haa!”
He can’t be happy. He can’t be celebrating... yet he smiles. To smile is to fight as well.
Moving on to the next assault, another troop of a hundred soldiers gallops forth. Again, they’re unable to get close before dying, but they still unleash their bombs. About half of them return.
“What’s the matter? Not going to counterattack? Cowards! I figured as much! You had to dig a detour through an entire mountain because you were afraid of the fort our army defends! All you can do is attack defenseless towns! Weaklings! Wah ha ha!”
The soldiers nod in agreement. They move. Oh! The vampires are coming. So many. An incredibly large number of them approaches.
“Center soldiers, maintain position! Those to the left and right, back up! Cavalry, form an opening!”
I’m in the center, so those of us here have to stand their ground. The soldiers in the front line set their shields in position, forming a wall, and dig into the earth with their feet. The rear line of soldiers brace their backs. Some grip spears in their hands; others, oil vials. United, we wait.
“We are the army of the fort! Defenders of humanity! Let yourselves be heard, men!”
Shouts and noises fill the air. Humans and vampires collide. It feels like the world itself is shaking; like my soul is being compressed. We push and are pushed back, losing little by little. We’re going to be squished, and yet...
“Push! Puuush!” the shiny-headed man shouts. I push on his butt, too.
I won’t lose. We won’t lose!