Episode 92: The King’s Personal Army

“We’re going on the offensive!”

“Yeah! This is where… the real fight begins!”

　With those shouts from the soldiers, the Kirchhen Kingdom’s army began advancing all at once.

　Similar movements could be seen in various places, and gradually, the tide of the battlefield started to shift.

　The Kirchhen forces, which had been on the defensive until now, launched a counterattack as if it had all been orchestrated.

　And then, as if to bolster that, a cry echoed across the battlefield.

“Reinforcements from His Majesty the King have arrived! It’s King Luverios’s personal army!”

　That voice rose from everywhere in the Kirchhen Kingdom’s forces.

“The personal army… you say…!?”

　Mauricio muttered in shock.

“It can’t be… Did Luverios himself make a move!?”

　Normally, it would be unthinkable for Luverios to leave the capital.

　After all, the Kirchhen Kingdom had multiple hostile nations besides Serodonia, and concentrating forces in one place was an extremely dangerous act.

　As the king, Luverios should remain in the capital, overseeing all fronts.

　For him to personally lead an army and charge in—that was completely beyond Serodonia’s expectations.

(…But if that’s the case… it all makes sense.)

　Until now, they hadn’t been able to figure out why the Kirchhen Kingdom had suddenly mobilized its troops.

　After years of staring each other down, why launch an offensive at this exact moment—the motive hadn’t been clear.

　But if King Luverios himself had moved, that explained it.

　As if to confirm that fact, signal fires clearly rose above Forssa Fort, indicating thirty thousand reinforcements.

　And—faced with this shocking reality, the morale of the Serodonia Kingdom’s army began to crumble all at once.

“Th-thirty thousand reinforcements… That has to be a lie, right!? Is there really such a huge army!? I can’t see them from here!?”

“The signal fires are rising from Forssa Fort! It can’t be a lie!”

“And Luverios is known as… the ‘King of Icy Blood’!”

　The man who had killed his father and brother to seize the throne—tales of his ruthlessness had echoed even in Serodonia.

“W-we’re gonna get killed… All of us!”

“Wh-what do we do!?”

“What do you mean, what do we do…? There’s nothing we can do! The enemy outnumbers us more than two to one!?”

　And then, as if to drive the point home, merciless news spread across the battlefield.

“—Captain Iago has been killed in action!”

“Wha…!”

　The death of the man who could be called Mauricio’s right hand. It was a message to all the soldiers that the current situation had exceeded anything Mauricio had anticipated.

　Right after that—.

“Ooryaaaah!”

　Raising a roar as he charged forward with spear held high was the infantry unit led by Leon Vague.

　His momentum truly evoked the image of a lion.

　That said, the size of Leon’s unit wasn’t particularly large. If they handled it coolly, stopping them shouldn’t be impossible.

　But—even if they stopped them, what then?

　In the end, Luverios’s thirty-thousand-strong personal army would come after.

“U… uwaaaah!”

　One soldier threw down his weapon and fled, driven by terror.

　That sparked a chain reaction, and the Serodonia forces began to rout in succession.

“Run! It’s hopeless! This battle’s… already lost!”

　There was no longer any reason to fight.

　If they couldn’t win, then to survive—they had no choice but to flee.

　But a shadow blocked their path of escape.

　A man with skin dull like lead, wrapped in a somber presence—Mauricio Peligrano.

“Now, where do you think you’re going?”

“C-Commander Mauricio…!”

　As Mauricio directed a sharp gaze from horseback, the soldiers cried out as if clinging to him.

“B-but Commander Mauricio! There’s no chance of victory anymore! At this point, the only option is to flee and regroup…!”

“Do you think I’d allow such a pathetic move?”

　The one entrusted with full authority over the defense here was none other than Mauricio himself… even if only temporarily, he was the commander of the entire Western Army Group.

(A shameful defeat under my command… I absolutely won’t accept that.)

　The reason Mauricio had maintained his position in the military despite committing countless atrocities was purely because of his ‘strength’.

　For the army to lose its nerve and flee in the face of the enemy—that was something he couldn’t tolerate.

　With such a disparity in numbers, winning was impossible at this point.

　But—if that was the case, then at least he’d make them fight until their lives ran out, inflicting massive damage on the enemy.

　That was the conclusion Mauricio reached.

“I believe I told you… desertion in the face of the enemy is punishable by death.”

　Mauricio pointed the tip of his long sword toward the soldiers.

“Now… return to your posts. If you don’t want me to kill you—”

　Right before he could finish saying that.

“U-Uwaaaah!”

　One soldier, overwhelmed by fear, ignored Mauricio’s command and ran away.

　Then, as if a dam had burst, the other soldiers all started running at once.

“—! You bastards…!”

　Mauricio’s sword flashed.

　Its blade perfectly caught the soldier’s body, slashing across his throat.

“Gyaaah!”

　Leaving a sharp scream behind, one of the soldiers collapsed to the ground.

　But—the other soldiers didn’t stop.

　Everyone understood. Sure, if they fled, Mauricio might cut them down.

　However, one man alone couldn’t possibly slash hundreds or thousands of soldiers all at once.

　If they all fled together, most of them had a high chance of surviving.

　On the other hand, if they stayed here and kept fighting… the end would be total annihilation.

　It was a conclusion that didn’t even require choosing.

“You cowards… Fleeing in fear of the enemy… You’re not even worthy to be called soldiers…”

　Mauricio clicked his tongue in irritation.

　To him, a cold voice was directed.

“Rule by terror—that can be an effective method at times. But its weakness is also terror.”

　When Mauricio turned toward the voice—there was a silver-haired youth astride a black horse.

“If the chain binding the soldiers is terror, then the moment a greater terror appears—that chain is easily severed.”

“…Who are you?”

　To Mauricio’s question, the youth quietly stated his name.

“Siegfried von Kreving.”

　The smile on his lips was delicate like an ice flower, beautiful—and chillingly cold.