God exists, and He is right by my side. I know this.
There... is also another god. I can feel them among the enemy.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ah... This is a battlefield, all right.
It’s sharp and cold, as if an invisible thread is stretched between heaven and earth. A stinging stench is mixed in with the clouds of dust. The sky is so vast and the land so narrow; it makes one want to hold their breath. Steam rises from my horse’s body. My belt, tied around my waist, is hard and hot.
This is where I belong. I’ve arrived at the place where Willow men must live and die.
“Form ranks!”
Whoo! Agias’s orders are something else. They really strike a chord in my heart, clearing my mind. They turn a man into a soldier—that’s the power his voice holds.
“Felipo, form a tight right wing with your brave eight thousand foot soldiers. Son Peine, go even further right with your three thousand cavalry. Odysson, form a line in the center with your thousand mages. Zakkow, your four thousand fireproof soldiers and familiars will form the left wing. Marius, your Bomber Knights will form up on the far left.”
I see. So he doesn’t intend to clash head-on, then. The right wing looks denser, but our elite are all stationed on the left. He’s placing the importance on keeping certain groups together, even if it makes our strength lop-sided. That way, our formation is completely adaptable. We’ll show off an imposing army while looking for an opportunity, one small opening...
“Origis, your two thousand cavalry will be our reserves. You are to remain on standby in the rear.”
And there it is. This is my role: I am to stay farthest behind, yet am also required to respond the quickest. Wherever Agias deems me necessary, I will fly like a flung spear. In other words, we will ride like the riders we are.
This is it; this is what I want. This... is all I can do. I’m not quick-thinking like Marius, nor flexible in my tactics. I’m not a great leader like Agias. Honestly, I don’t love poetry or dancing either... they’re embarrassing.
I am a soldier. That’s all. I know this better than anyone.
I don’t have a gift for government or social life like Nazarus; I couldn’t stand the stench of the palace. My love for our country is middling at best. Moreover, I hardly have my father’s guts.
So at the very least, I want to be bolder as a soldier than anyone else. If I can’t be... then, how can I face them? I will do this. No matter what hell Agias points me towards, I will charge forward without hesitation. I will fight bravely.
“As for me, I will position in the center with a thousand cavalry—”
My role cannot be compared to Agias’. He represents not only the Frontier, but the entire north. He’s also recently become the central figure of House Willow. He is the commander of our most elite soldiers, and one of the founders of our revolution. Just being the commander in this battle would be a grave responsibility, and yet he shoulders many more burdens. I’m surprised his spine doesn’t snap under the pressure. Instead, he stands with absolute majesty, which speaks to just how amazing he is. I will be the first to admit, however, that his singing, dancing, and training routines are... unconventional.
He has the magnanimity to take on everything without bending. Is this not the quality of a king? Is this not what we need most now, with the human lands in chaos? He must not be allowed to die. And yet, he must stand at the forefront of our army. We require him as a representative of our wills, as a symbol of our army—the enemy needs to see that we follow this man.
“—and follow after Lady Kuroi.”
Yes, Lady Kuroi. The avatar of our revolution and hope. She looks so regal in her new flaming red battle cloak. Protected by her light rider’s armor, she looks like the very definition of a warrior. I can feel my heart beating faster at the sight.
“Behold!” I wish to shout, yet my voice won’t come out. “Before you stands Kuroi, God’s Apostle and Hare of Flame! From the north she rode, cutting this country in two! She sits atop her immortal black horse, no sword or spear to speak of, but still unmistakably the strongest knight in all of humanity. A thousand cavalry are her sacred guards, and behind her are twenty thousand of the bravest soldiers humanity has to offer, flying a banner of flame. She is the embodiment of God’s blessings; even from far away, she can set one’s heart aflame!”
So what now? What now, you traitors? Their main force consists of five thousand royal knights and ten thousand soldiers, plus another almost ten thousand fully-equipped spearmen squeezed out of the palace and its neighboring cities. Large numbers, that’s for sure, but...
It’s just pathetic.
Their horses whinny and fight their reins, their spears clatter together despite there being no wind, and the ceaseless chatter among their ranks... there’s nervous, and then there’s this. Their soldiers’ morale is so shriveled; it’s like someone dumped freezing water on all of them.
I just want to grab and shake some sense into those bastards.
Defending the palace should be a soldier’s honor. They should be pumped to fly their country’s banner. Did they not have the gall to claim we were rebels? Stop looking so pathetic! Don’t make us fight against fellow humans. Please.
Look at us: our battle lines are already formed. We’re ready for an attack at any time. The sun’s still high in the sky, too. We could finish this before nightfall, if we wished. Without using fire magic, to boot. That’s how fragile their “formation” is—they’d crumble at the first touch.
Oh, here we go. Lady Kuroi’s started to ride. Her horse’s hooves clopping against the ground, she moves slowly toward the palace. She’s unarmed. There’re no red-black summoned warriors around her, either. Her raven hair waves in tandem with her horse’s tail.
“Hold your positions!” Agias shouts.
He’s right; we shouldn’t move. This isn’t a battle yet. Sure, we could rush over and crush them, but that would just be friendly fire. Our enemy is the vampires. Where are they? Where? An Apostle should be here—the one who brought down a mountain, like his name suggests. Surely he isn’t watching from some high perch in the palace, is he? I could see that being the case. Is he content to just watch humans killing each other? I bet he is. I can almost see his smug fanged face now. After all, they do enjoy a bit of brutality.
“Mage Company, bombs at the ready!”
Huh? Agias, what are you planning? Lady Kuroi isn’t stopping, either. How far is she going to go? Is this one of those “the lone rider gallops ahead” scenarios? I mean, if Lady Kuroi got serious she could cut through an army of thousands—no, tens of thousands—like a hot knife through butter... No. No, that’s not what this is. These two wouldn’t misuse their strength. Lady Kuroi is the symbol of humanity’s hope, and Agias is her top man. They wouldn’t trample over their fellow humans, even if it were to avenge their family and country.
Hope is wonderful. It mustn’t come at the cost of someone else’s despair. For us humans, hope mustn’t become despair for the weak and defeated. Noble, soldier, or commoner, in the end, we were all pathetic. We were crushed by the weight of the world, had our spines stripped from us, and fell into despair. Even the ability to cherish others was taken from us. We closed our eyes to the world, sacrificed, and desperately sought something good out of it. In doing so, lots of people died. Lots of people were killed. And they will continue to die, I’m sure.
I’m tired of it. So tired. We need to unite our strengths, not to kill each other, but to fight and break free from this enclosing absurdity. We need to work towards a future of hope. Isn’t that right, Agias? Lady Kuroi? ...God?
Lady Kuroi raises her hand straight up. Her fingers seem to reach towards heaven. Everyone’s watching, perhaps even God Himself. If she swings her arm forward, that’s the signal to attack. But she wouldn’t do that; that’s not why we came here.
Huh? Her arm’s starting to droop... Oh, she raised it again. This time, her salute reaches even higher. She stretches it upward earnestly, with all her might. What is this?
“Mage Company, aim for the sky.”
A thousand Fire Shots rise into the sky, illuminating and warming us, and then scatter on the wind as cinders. It’s beautiful—as bright as the sun, the pillar of flame is so tall it might even reach the heavens.
That’s right. I knew you were different, Lady Kuroi! Agias! And Odysson, too. You see this, traitors? Can you feel God’s presence? This is our spirit. This is what we wanted you to know!