Chapter 238

A week heading towards the Zeren Plains.

While Leopold and the three Electors were racking their brains over strategy and deployment, I spent my time honing a new technique.

Well, it was more of a tactic than a technique.

“How about it? Think it’ll work in real combat?”

[Hmm… precise control would be tough. But even at this level, it should be somewhat helpful in chaotic battles.]

Every time I swung my sword in the air, a pair of red tendrils writhed and pierced through the surroundings.

It was like a person with four arms wielding three weapons.

There was no sharpness like a blade, and there were only two of them, but the pointed ends were sharp enough to pierce human skin.

It wasn’t under my control. I had consciously let go of controlling the Life Force.

What I was wielding was solely the power of my own achievements. The Life Force being wielded wasn’t by me, but by Hersela’s own will.

The idea came to me right after the battle in the east.

When Hersela was enraged by the insults towards Ai-mel-ra. At that moment, the Life Force responded to her anger and tried to writhe on its own.

Even though I had control over my body.

I could have suppressed it and made it obey my control… but what if I had given up control of the Life Force?

Hersela, who could only chatter in my head, might have been able to wield this power as she pleased.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I brought it up with Hersela.

She seemed to have similar thoughts and said it might be possible.

From then on, whenever we had time, Hersela and I tried it out.

While I fought with my own strength, Hersela manipulated the Life Force to cover my gaps and attack other enemies around us.

Giving Hersela a freely wieldable blade was a bit… no, quite unsettling, but it was worth the risk.

If she tried to run wild and skewer even allies with the Life Force, I could forcibly take back control.

When we actually tried it, our idea surprisingly succeeded quite easily. Though there was still much to improve in terms of performance.

[Even in this state, there are limits to the sensations I can feel. Power, anticipation, speed, precision—none of it is fully utilized. It would be better if you handled it directly.]

“So, it’s impossible to use it like when you take over my body?”

Even though Hersela was directly controlling it, unlike when she took over my body, this method couldn’t compress the Life Force into something sharp like a blade or thin like a thread.

It could only condense the power enough to stab like an awl. And even that was limited to about two strands.

[You have the audacity to spout such nonsense. Do you have no conscience? I only temporarily regained my body that you stole. How dare you say the opposite?]

“Ah, right. Sorry about that.”

I’ve gotten so used to this body that it feels like my own now.

[Don’t forget. That I’m leaving you be is only a temporary reprieve. Since you also said you don’t know how to return to your original body, I’m merely showing mercy until a way is found. If you test my patience or try to deceive my mercy… not just you, but everything you cherish will pay the price. Understood?]

“…Yeah. I’ll keep that in mind.”

I muttered, trying to soothe Hersela’s faint anger.

A reprieve until a way is found…

Is there a way to go back?

…I hope not.

To soothe the slight tightness in my chest, I lit a cigarette. A sigh turned into smoke and drifted away.

She’s really a headache.

I can’t set her free, but leaving her like this is also ambiguous.

And so, a week passed.

—

As we got closer to the Zeren Plains, the marching speed slowed, and the frequency of scouts coming and going increased.

According to their reports, the enemy also seemed to have chosen the Zeren Plains as the battleground, setting up camp on the other side, waiting for us.

Thirty thousand infantry, including conscripts, about three thousand archers, and two thousand cavalry. Around four hundred presumed knights.

Except for the infantry numbers, we had the upper hand. The infantry difference was threefold, which was the problem.

Ludwig adjusted the marching speed appropriately, setting up camp at a distance where the enemy couldn’t easily launch a night attack, but close enough to reach with a couple of hours of marching the next day.

That night, few could easily fall asleep.

Excitement and anticipation for finally having a chance to earn merit, anxiety and fear towards an enemy nearly three times our size, and a sense of duty and faith to bring peace to the Empire by defeating the witch’s forces filled their hearts.

In the middle of the bustling camp, inside the command tent where the commanders of each legion and master-level knights gathered, the final strategy meeting finally took place.

“Half…”

The appearance of Crown Prince Ernst leading the troops has been confirmed. Given the scale of the army, it seems like he’s brought every last soldier. By now, the Venes territory might be completely empty.”

“If they’re planning to end this quickly, it’s good news for us… but I don’t get it. They could’ve split their forces to delay us or fortified themselves in Venes Castle for a more advantageous position.”

“With a three-to-one advantage in numbers, they probably think it’s enough to crush us. Either way, it’s a good thing. If we wipe them out, this rebellion will be over.”

We couldn’t predict the enemy’s formation, but our strategy was the only option.

A breakthrough by the Medium Cavalry.

We deployed all three thousand cavalry and two hundred knights at the front, charging like a tidal wave to crush the enemy lines.

The conscript soldiers, trampled and pierced, would break morale and scatter like ants in terror.

Meanwhile, the remaining four hundred knights and one hundred and fifty holy knights would hold off the enemy cavalry alongside the infantry.

It was an all-or-nothing strategy, but in a full-scale battle, there was no other way.

The key was to break and scatter the enemy as quickly as possible.

At the forefront of the two hundred knights, four masters were positioned: Nigel of Randenburg, Hayden, Richard of the Holy Order, and… me.

[Standing at the vanguard of an army of over ten thousand, isn’t it truly an honor?]

…Yeah. A damn honor.

The Durandal at my waist felt unusually heavy.

—

That night, unable to bear the unease in my chest, I went to Lacey’s tent.

Bels was inspecting his gear in preparation for battle, while Lacey was praying in the middle of the tent, a small idol placed before her.

“Got a moment? I need to talk.”

“Of course. Just give me a second.”

After finishing her prayer, Lacey sat on a nearby chair and poured me a cup of holy water.

Bels glanced at my expression and excused himself, saying he’d check on the holy knights.

“Did I interrupt your prayers?”

“Not at all. I just finished. What’s on your mind?”

“It’s about tomorrow’s battle… I’m not sure if this is the right thing.”

Lacey tilted her head.

Yeah, that was too vague.

“The role I’ve been given tomorrow… it’s to charge through the enemy infantry and slaughter them. But most of them are just conscripts forced into this. Is it right for me to kill them indiscriminately? You once told me to avoid killing innocents to accumulate life force. Isn’t that exactly what I’m being asked to do? Slaughter over ten thousand innocent people.”

Yeah, that was the biggest worry.

Of course, I knew. Even if they were forced, once they picked up a spear, they were the enemy, and to win, we had to kill them.

Besides, after all the people I’ve killed, complaining about killing innocent conscripts now was laughable.

But with the battle just a day away, and me at the forefront, trampling them… I couldn’t help but hesitate.

Even after crossing the barrier, I’ve killed many, but most of them were villains who deserved it.

Men who imprisoned women as slaves, nobles who slaughtered civilians to break morale, corrupt priests who sided with witches, invaders who came to plunder.

But this time, it was different.

Most of them were just farmers forced here by Isabella’s threats. Innocent people who’d committed no crime.

If I cut down hundreds, thousands of them just to win, what kind of person would I become?

I couldn’t shake the unease, perhaps because I felt something fundamental would change.

That’s why I came to Lacey.

Even though I don’t believe in Elpinel, I hoped she, as a saint candidate, might give me an answer I could accept.

Seeking comfort from a priest of Elpinel, even I thought it was pathetic.