“Alnoa, everyone’s in position!” Brusch reported before galloping off to the side. The two armies faced off against each other on the plains near the border under the blazing morning sun. Al glared at the Freiyan army and took a few steps forward. Cecilia, Feena, and Kanon caught up to him shortly after, and with that, he was ready to address his troops.
“Listen to me!” he shouted from the top of his horse, which made everyone cut their chatter and focus on him. Al was never good with public speaking, but he couldn’t show any weakness. Not before a battle. “We stand here today to face the Freiyan army! As has become almost customary, I once again have to say that the odds are against us, as their army is double the size of ours!”
He theatrically slumped on his horse, causing a few giggles in the crowd, but that wasn’t enough. He needed more engagement.
“Their general is none other than the cunning, brutal dictator, Ranbolg! If we are to lose this battle, he will undoubtedly rule our country with fear and tyranny!” Feeling the tension, the soldiers fell completely silent. Al chose his words carefully to illustrate just how grave their situation was, as he truly believed that Ranbolg would transform Althos into a living nightmare.
“But we have three Divas, the embodiments of the great Valkyrie on our side! No enemy stands a chance when we have such powerful allies!” He purposefully decided to exclude Sharon from his speech to avoid creating any unnecessary confusion. He then raised his hand toward the sky while standing next to the three Divas.
A moment later, the crowd erupted. It seemed like the presence of the Divas was more effective at firing the crowd up than Al’s acting.
“I know! Let’s have a feast today in celebration of our victory!”
He unsheathed his scythe and raised it to the sky.
“Yeaaah!” The crowd grew even louder.
Wow, they’re more excited than I thought. Al was starting to gain some confidence in his theatrical abilities.
“Oh my, I will personally pour a cup for the person who does the best!”
“Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
The ground beneath the countless cheers shook as Cecilia raised her weapon to the sky and made an enticing offer. Following her example, Feena and Kanon also raised their weapons high into the air.
“I will pet their head.”
“Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“And I’ll... Just do your best!”
“Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Ah, okay, I see how it is. They’re only in high spirits because of the girls, huh? No, it’s okay, it doesn’t hurt at all. I’m fine, really.
He didn’t want to wait until the excitement died down, so he turned his scythe toward the enemy and put on his coarsest voice.
“Prepare to attack!” He directed everyone’s attention to the battle at hand. “Cecilia, Feena, I’m counting on you.”
“Oh my, leave it all to me!”
“Understood. I’ll show them the power of an angry wife!”
“Let’s go, Kanon!”
After getting cheerful answers from Cecilia and Feena, Al took Kanon and disappeared between his troops.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Gatou, the enemy is right in front of us. Why won’t you order an attack!?”
Gatou ignored Ranbolg’s mad scream and merely stared at Althos’s army from their headquarters. Their forces arrived just as he imagined, but their high spirits and booming battle cry worried the seasoned general. He also found their formation unusual. Their vanguard consisted of heavy infantry, boasting incredible defenses thanks to their full-body armor and metal shields, instead of cavalry, a much more conventional choice for a field battle.
“I wonder what that sly king is up to.”
Hearing Gatou’s whisper, Ranbolg glanced at Sharon.
“Beats me. Who knows what that—Ahem, what goes through Lord Alnoa’s mind.” Sharon answered, looking away from Ranbolg.
“Hahaha! Seems our precious Diva woke up on the wrong side of the bed today!”
Ranbolg’s mood immediately improved upon seeing Sharon’s distressed face. He had ordered the Lost Children—Sharon included—to act as his personal guards, presumably because he didn’t want to risk having the girls change sides on the far-away battlefield. Or maybe because he wanted to see the despair on Sharon’s face once Althos had been crushed.
“You just have to stay by my side. Putting you on display is enough to boost our troops’ morale,” Ranbolg said with a smirk.
“I’m nothing but a pretty doll to him,” Sharon said in the faintest of whispers.
Haah... If things hadn’t turned out like this, I’d be at the head of the army, fighting alongside Al. She lamented her fate. Maybe that’s only because Al’s poor, understaffed country needs all the help it can get, but at least I was more than a living, breathing decoration.
Ignorant of Sharon’s struggles, Ranbolg stared at the enemy army.
“Hmph. Their dirty little tricks will change nothing. They’re an insignificant dot on the map with the military genius of a shepherd. They stand no chance against my fabled Knights of the First Order. Listen up! All forces, attack! Trap the enemy army and destroy them with all your might! This is it!”
This is the final piece I need to get my hands on Freiya!
Sharon made an educated guess as to how Ranbolg’s sentence should have ended, as he couldn’t say something like that out loud in front of Airi and the other Lost Children. Regardless, he ordered his eight thousand troops to engage Althos without giving any heed to Sharon’s feelings. But even if he knew Sharon’s innermost feelings, he wouldn’t have understood why his actions gave birth to a small bud of defiance in her heart.