“…………”
A devil was smiling behind the girl.
Although I have never witnessed the existence known as the devil in my entire life, ‘what’ exactly people referred to when calling something the devil, I now understood in this moment.
“All……”
Every single nerve in my body was sending warning signals to my brain.
That wasn’t allowed. That was something that shouldn’t be allowed to exist above ground.
Of course, it was a hallucination. Once I blinked again and gazed at the top of the hill once more, the angel-like girl had returned.
“All forces……”
However, my instincts were screaming. The intuition that I’ve polished for 50 years was shouting with all it had. That it was dangerous, that remaining here for even one more second was tremendously dangerous. Following the intuition of mine that has saved my life countless of times, I opened my mouth.
“All forces…… retreat! This is a trap!”
And at the same time.
Thousands of arrows rained down from above the hill.
Screams resonated from all sides. Blood splattered. The once silent march of departure had instantly become a living hell. Left and right, the enemy troops that were split in half were firing their crossbows without end. Our troops, who had left behind their weapons, could not even consider the option of resisting and were slaughtered like livestock.
“Escape! All forces, do not fall to your knees. Do everything you can to run away!”
Despite having shouted as if I was vomiting blood, my soldiers did not respond. They were merely swept up by the panic, and were running about in confusion. There were even soldiers who had lowered their heads to the ground and began trembling.
“Your lordship. You have to escape!”
My adjutant shouted.
“This place is dangerous! Please consider the future!”
“But the soldiers—”
“We do not consider men who are unable to take care of their own lives as a part of the free company. Hey! Take his lordship margrave and retreat quickly! If our lord gets even a single scratch, then I will personally shove a nail in your ass!”
The cavalry came to my side, but I did not move. I was the commander. I could not run away while leaving behind my soldiers. Even if they were not a citizen militia but hired soldiers instead, it was still the same.
“Pardon my rudeness.”
My adjutant extended his leg. He then stabbed the heel of his shoe into the thigh of my warhorse. My warhorse, having been jabbed by a sharp heel, let out a loud neigh and started to run at full speed.
“Adjutant!”
“The Goddesses shall protect Rosenberg!”
In mere moments, I had crossed over the hill and escaped from the battlefield. I turned back for the final time and saw my adjutant doing whatever he could to get the soldiers in order.
An arrow came flying from somewhere and pierced my adjutant’s head. He fell from his horse. My adjutant’s facial expression, and the sight of him falling to the ground, I was not able to see any of it. The infantry were completely covering the area around him. My adjutant’s corpse fell into the center of remnant troops…… like being swallowed into an ocean……
“—Kuuuuuh!”
The taste of blood spread in my mouth. Unbeknownst to me, I had bit my tongue. Wrath travelled through my veins and raged on. The inside of my head became so hot that my skull felt numb. I glared at the hill.
“I will kill you……!”
It was certain that that girl was the enemy forces’ commander. That greeting, the greeting that appeared so modest, was nothing more than a signal to commence fire. That girl was the pawn of Demon Lord Dantalian. The main culprit to bestow onto me disgrace. And my, Rosenberg’s, enemy!