Blood spilled across the plains where sparse shrubs grew. Leo gathered the still-warm corpses of the enemies and tied a small knot with a branch nearby.

The knot had the date, along with Lena and Leo’s squad number written on it. It was a record of when the enemies were taken down and who had captured them.

A month had passed since Leo was released from prison. Despite being demoted to soldiers, he and Lena were recognized for their skills and, like proper knights, were paired together and thrown onto the battlefield.

Yet the front lines stretched far beyond imagination. It required moving hundreds of meters just to find another squad. Leo rummaged through the recently slain enemies’ gear to gather supplies and lifted his head.

“Did you make it?”

“Yeah, that guy was pretty fast on his feet.”

Lena returned after dispatching the fleeing enemy. Clanging, she plopped down beside Leo, jangling her gear that hung loosely around her waist.

“Then take it off.”

“I forgot, okay?”

Only then did Lena loosen her belt.

Hanging from the belt were a slender leather pouch with water, a wooden sword, various small tools, flint and steel, and spare leather straps. As Lena organized her belt, she asked,

“Did anything to eat come out?”

“A little. But again, it’s something you don’t like.”

“Ugh. More boiled beans. How do the Belitans survive on this stuff? It would be fine if they stewed it in sugar water, but they mixed in some weird spices…”

“It’s probably soy sauce.”

“Whatever it is, it’s not to my taste.”

Lena grumbled as she grabbed a bean the size of her fingertip. Still hungry, she chewed on it, the sweet and salty flavors mingling in her mouth.

Leo felt sorry for her struggles over food, but he had no solution to offer.

The food situation was dire.

It wasn’t enough to skip meals, but rations had been cut to two-thirds of what they used to be. A harsh decision. However, the Austin Kingdom Army had no choice.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Belita Kingdom declared total war. Peasants who weren’t even subject to conscription were drafted en masse, seriously infringing on the rights of the nobles who owned the territories.

The Belita Kingdom wasn’t a single nation. It was a coalition of dozens of noble families, each owning their own territories and peasants, with a few rules in place. Even the decision to participate in the war lay with them, but the Commander-in-Chief, a Swordmaster faction leader, forced participation by declaring total war.

As a result, the political situation became chaotic, and accusations and lawsuits were bound to follow, but for the moment, the war situation favored the Belita Kingdom. Soldiers rose from those regions that had been watching the war unfold, causing the Austin Kingdom Army to face a suffocatingly vast front line.

Towns that had previously been ignored became guerrilla strongholds. The knights of the First Knight Order under Count Forte caused chaos in the supply lines alongside the peasants, and to march forward, they had to occupy every visible town. Frustratingly, the Belita Kingdom Army set fire to the towns they seemed about to lose and fled.

Caught in a dilemma.

With Count Hermann Forte now dead, retreating was not an option. Giving the Belita Kingdom justification would allow them to prepare thoroughly and counterattack.

After much deliberation, the Austin Kingdom Army’s high command arrived at a conclusion. It was a favorable opportunity.

Now that it had come to this, they resolved to take the Asgard Plains and declare their victory to the world, while defending the fortress of Toridom nestled in Astoro Mountain. They would negotiate a peace agreement in exchange for abandoning the fortress and the plains.

They didn’t give up on the possibility of negotiation. Prince Anolf de Klaus explained the political situation in the Belita Kingdom, leading to a shift in perspective.

The Swordmaster faction that had been split in Belita’s politics had lost its leader.

With the disappearance of Count Hermann Forte, who had wielded military power freely, even appointing a baron as Commander-in-Chief, the royalist faction led by Marquis Benard Tatian would likely rise to prominence, meaning that with just a bit more pressure, there was a possibility that the current enemy Commander-in-Chief, who was fiercely resisting, could fall from power.

So they had to win first. And then concede.

They once aimed greedily to claim Asgard Plains, taking advantage of the prince’s humiliation, but now they were in a position to be grateful just to use the river in front of Languzla as a border.

As a result, the Austin Kingdom Army chose to advance. And this was how things ended up.

The Austin Kingdom Army poured all their efforts into maintaining the massively enlarged front line and the thin supply lines. Reinforcements that arrived late bolstered the rear, while existing troops spread out over hundreds of meters across the horizon of Asgard Plains. Leo and Lena stood at the forefront.

Given this situation, supplies weren’t being delivered properly. The Hundred-man Commander gave orders, sending messengers occasionally with food and water, but the rations were reduced, arriving only once a week.

Lena, her hunger sated with supplies from the Belita Kingdom, raised her head.

“Ugh, here comes another one.”

She clicked her tongue and drew her sword.

The chilly autumn wind deepened. A white breath painted the air as Leo stood up, his expression heavy, gazing ahead. Far on the horizon, the towering “Astoro Mountain” watched over them.

*

Sometimes sincerity is valued over brilliance.

Leo Dexter, who was engaged in tedious fighting at the front lines, thought, ‘This won’t do.’ contemplating summoning a steed to disrupt the enemy ranks. But he quickly abandoned the idea.

In a battlefield where tens of thousands clashed, he didn’t want to be the one bragging about how great he was. So he continued to fulfill his duties quietly alongside Lena. If the Hundred-man Commander ordered advancement, they advanced; if retreat, they retreated. He learned to conform like a small wave belonging to a larger tide.

It wasn’t that he didn’t feel anything bubbling within him. However, he realized that his abilities weren’t truly his own, and he was bound to Lena’s life and happiness.

The price of his reckless freedom was Lena’s demotion.

The sadness of that outweighed the pride of being a Swordmaster. Leo calmed himself, much like a trained horse.

In truth, he had tried summoning a steed the night before. Taking turns on watch with Lena, when she fell asleep, he blew a long whistle toward Asgard Plains.

The horse that galloped trustingly through the expansive plains and moonlight was not Bante. While the horse summoned by Reb was affectionate and quick-witted, what answered Leo’s call was a pure black stallion.

“…Kus.”

– Purrk.

With wide hooves suitable for ‘farming’ rather than riding, it was a strong and diligent creature. Satisfied with just a carrot after being worked for days, Leo couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

He realized what the deity wanted from him.

It wanted him to raise Lena as the protagonist without having to carry her. To be satisfied with her happiness like a carrot…

Yeah. I admit defeat.

Leo had never been to church. Except when Lena was injured by the Old Phantom Fox. Unlike Reb from the Childhood Friend scenario, who frequently visited because of Leah, or Lean de Yeriel, who returned to the Cross Church in the ninth cycle while searching for his younger sister, Leo had never gone, and it seemed he hadn’t during the past either.

The reason why was unclear.

Until now, he had rejected the idea of treating people like tools. But now, he had to acknowledge that he was the tool of the deity… of Minseo. If that meant making Lena happy… he would accept it. Though it was frustrating.

Leo turned to see Lena sleeping soundly in the bushes. Under the endless night sky, the dark horizon met the plains, but in his eyes, only Lena was visible. She was all he had been given.

As a meteor fell, Leo looked away. He began to stroke Kus’s mane, clearing his thoughts. Then suddenly, he figured.

‘For me it’s Kus, for Reb it’s Bante… for Lean it’s Woody.’

An ordinary mare. One with a shiny coat that attracted many women would suit him well. Being a white steed also fit the prince… I hope it doesn’t end up being lame when summoned.

─ With that thought, Leo sent Kus back. Kus vanished into the darkness, blending with it as if avoiding the red moonlight.

The war continued.

As if being punished, the squad that had only consisted of Lena and Leo expanded when Lena was promoted to Lieutenant.

Recognizing their achievements made amid the tough war situation, Lena soon reached the rank of Hundred-man Commander.

Leo did not advance, as he had sins to pay for. Remaining as a squad member under Lena suited him better. Being by her side was far preferable than parting ways as a commander.

He advised Lena, now a Hundred-man Commander, on tactics. Lena Ainar had the potential to become an excellent swordsman, and she already was one, but she was not cut out for command.

Lacking understanding in strategy and logistics, even becoming a Thousand-man Commander was an impossibility for her. Leading ten squads as a Hundred-man Commander was her limit.

Understanding this, Leo didn’t push. While inter-squad connections could yield significant results, he advised her within a range that Lena could comprehend.

“Ugh. My head is killing me. I’d much rather go out and fight myself.”

“That’s one way to do it.”

“Huh? How?”

“If you were to face the enemy Hundred-man Commander… what would you do?”

“I’d take him out right away! How dare a commander jump out in front? They’d die. Ah!”

“Exactly. Now sit here. I’ll explain it to you with a drawing.”

“Ah~ Wait a second!”

Lena raised her palm high.

With narrowed eyes, she glared at Leo, who was about to draw on the ground.

“I’m not that dumb, you know? So if I charge forward waving the Hundred-man Commander’s flag, the enemies will just rush towards me, right? They’re all hiding in the bushes, making it hard to find them, and you’re saying I should be bait. Okay! Sounds great. I’ll go right now…”

This time, Leo raised his hand.

Just as Lena was about to give orders to her squad, he pressed his finger gently against her lips. The squad members pretended not to notice, as if this was how it was now.

“Cough cough! What’s with you?”

“You can’t go just like that. You need to decide who will take your place. And the enemies aren’t fools. They’ll probably think it’s a trap. So you should expose some other squads… act like a very impatient Hundred-man Commander… It’s fine if a knight comes, but a sorcerer might show up. When that happens…”

“Right. Right.”

Leo quickly drew on the ground. With him and Lena around, losing a small skirmish was unthinkable, but he wanted to ensure that she would achieve results as a commander leading her troops.

That would be more beneficial for her when it came time for knightly recognition.

Knights sometimes also serve as field commanders. Like those from the Belita Kingdom leading the peasants in the rear to disrupt their supplies. If they had tactical ability, that would be great, and they already had sufficient strength with recognized routes. Jensen Bailei would surely handle it.

“Oh…”

Lena nodded as if she understood. “Got it. Thanks.” she said, giving orders to the soldiers, and Leo quietly watched her.

This is my role.

To let Lena shine.

He thought this didn’t feel so bad as he readied himself. Lena’s Hundred-man squad began quietly making a name for itself amid the struggling Austin Kingdom Army…

“There are no enemies in sight.”

By the time winter arrived and the Austin Kingdom Army had pushed halfway into the Asgard Plains, a messenger rushed in to report to Lena.

“We thoroughly searched the area you ordered to advance. There are no enemies. What should we do, continue advancing?”

The messengers kept arriving in succession. They all reported “no enemies,” and as Lena Ainar went to meet the Thousand-man Commander, she realized this wasn’t just happening on their end of the front line.

There were holes everywhere on the front line.

Knights who had been fiercely engaging in guerrilla tactics disappeared somewhere, and the sorcerers who used to patrol the battlefield on horseback had also vanished for some time now. Only conscripted peasants who hadn’t even received proper training were left on the front line, unjustly dying.

What’s going on?

The high command of the Austin Kingdom was puzzled yet continued to advance. It seemed they had decided the enemies would take refuge in Toridom to defend themselves. Arriving at the cliffs towering majestically in front of Astoro Mountain, they gazed at the massive fortress, but even that stood empty.