Chapter 305

“Even if it’s a revenge battle… do we even have a chance?”

Silvan, the temporary commander of the Imperial Knight Order, expressed his unease.

It wasn’t an unreasonable reaction. While it’s a knight’s virtue to never back down in the face of the enemy, it’s not like they’re fearless either. Especially when that enemy is a monster who single-handedly took down seven skilled knights who were once their reliable superiors… Yeah, it’s no wonder morale is low.

“A chance? You won’t know until you fight. Since when has the Imperial Knight Order ever cared about such things?”

Leonor’s sarcastic remark. Friede nodded, as if she shared the same thought without needing to say it. However, Silvan continued with a stern expression, as if dismissing her words as nonsense.

“Lady Leonor. I am well aware of your bravery, but not everyone can be so bold. Ordinary soldiers and knights can’t fight without some hope of victory.”

“…Indeed, that’s a fair point.”

Karl, who had been quietly listening, agreed with Silvan’s argument.

Leonor looked slightly displeased but didn’t add anything further. Though she was the leader of a small knight order, she knew well enough how morale affects battle.

“There is hope. The number of skilled knights has doubled, and the Menes Church Order has sent high-ranking holy knights. We now have the strength to take on five great warriors. And as for Ryurik… we’ll just have to trust the infamous Devourer. The ‘Ghost Sword’ or the ‘Red Empress’—whatever you call him, he’s a legendary knight who’s never lost a battle.”

Friede pointed at me and laughed.

[Ha. Never lost, huh? If it weren’t for me, you’d have been caught by the old Ghost Sword. Isn’t that right?]

…Well, that’s true.

When I first fought Valenstein, I was clearly defeated. Though I got my revenge later.

“…Are you really sure about this, Count Medean?”

Silvan turned his head to look at me. His wavering eyes held a desperate desire to believe, mixed with a strange sense of doubt.

“Well… honestly, I’m not confident.”

“What?”

Friede seemed surprised by my unexpected response. What’s there to be surprised about? It’s only natural to lack confidence.

“-Confidence in losing, that is.”

I grinned and gave Friede a confident look.

“…Looks like the witch hit your head too hard. Your intelligence seems to have gotten worse.”

Friede sighed deeply, shaking her head.

[I agree. Is now really the time for jokes?]

‘Well, the atmosphere seemed too tense, so I thought I’d lighten it up a bit.’

It’s natural to be wary of Ryurik, but being too afraid and letting your thoughts freeze isn’t good.

…Though it doesn’t seem like it worked very well.

“Anyway, leave the wolf to me. I’ll cut off his head and hang it on the city gates.”

Despite everything, I’ve almost fully recovered thanks to the rest. In fact, I’m in better shape than before.

In a way, it’s only natural. The life force I accumulated on the Zeren Plains, combined with the achievements from defeating Isabella, has made me stronger. I don’t know how strong Ryurik is, but I don’t think I’ll lose to him now.

—

We continued the meeting, snacking on tea and cookies brought by the maids. We discussed information about Ryurik, the strength of both sides, the amount of war supplies, and appropriate tactics.

“…What about a duel? I could go outside the city, provoke Ryurik, and lure him out. If I win one-on-one, that should be the end of it.”

“Hmm, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Do you really think those beasts would fight fair? At worst, you might end up facing all seven great warriors and Ryurik at once.”

Yeah, that’s true.

For them, this war is just another hunt. They don’t know honor, so the concept of a one-on-one duel might not even exist.

Then I guess I’ll have to take him down in the chaos of battle. It’s trickier than I thought.

“It’d be easier if he just flew back to us.”

If he did, I could shoot him down mid-air or predict his landing spot and cut him down as soon as he lands.

“We’ve prepared for that, but… the chances are slim. No matter how clever a strategy is, it won’t work twice. They probably know that too.”

“True, most tricks are like that. Effective the first time, but usually blocked the second, and by the third, they’re used against you.”

Friede’s words made Leonor nod in agreement.

So, no one falls for the same trick three times, huh?

…Or do they? I’m not sure. I feel like there might be someone like that somewhere.

—

With that, the discussion about Ryurik was settled with me taking him on, but the meeting wasn’t over yet. There was still plenty to discuss.

“Ryurik isn’t the only problem. Even if Elpinel’s ‘Ghost Sword’ captures the Winter Wolf, it’ll all be for nothing if the others break through. We need to prepare for that as well.”

Noah, the high-ranking holy knight of the Menes Church, pointed out the core issue.

“True, we have plenty of silver-plated weapons… but that doesn’t mean they’ll be easy opponents. Priestess Flora, how many people can you bless with the Moon’s blessing?”

At Friede’s question, Flora lifted her head slightly, deep in thought.

“Hmm… at most, two to three hundred. The main force of the Church is still in the south.”

“Three hundred… Then prioritize the knights and save enough holy power for a hundred more. If we use it all up, we won’t be able to handle any emergencies.”

“Understood.”

Flora nodded.

—

And so, the meeting continued, with more plans and strategies being laid out. The battle ahead was daunting, but with everyone’s efforts, there was still hope.

The power gap between the blood beastmen and the knights is double.

Whether the walls of Pailun and the blessing of Wolyun can somewhat reduce that gap… we’ll find out in a few hours.

“Shall Sir Silvan and I take charge of commanding the Imperial Army?”

At Karl’s words, Freide nodded without hesitation.

Two hundred knights and six thousand soldiers. Even though it was practically handing over command of the entire force, she showed no signs of hesitation.

“Please do. I’ll probably be too busy to command anyway. Sir Leonor, care to join me in skinning some great warriors?”

“That sounds fun. Can I keep the skins I peel as spoils?”

Leonor responded formally, given the official setting. Freide grinned, seemingly pleased with the bold answer.

“Of course. Want me to preserve them for you too?”

“I’d appreciate that.”

They seemed to get along well.

Watching them laugh together, it felt like there was some kind of understanding between these ruthless humans. I wouldn’t know, though.

[Eating, taxidermy, frying… seems like all the barbarians are gathered here.]

Hersela muttered with a scoff.

Eating aside, isn’t taxidermy and frying more of a product of civilization than barbarism…?

—

The meeting ended about twenty minutes later.

There was a slight disagreement between Karl and me regarding how to deal with the great warriors.

“Lord Damien, how long do you think it would take to deal with a great warrior, not Ryurik?”

“A great warrior? It depends on the opponent, but… I think ten rounds at most should be enough.”

If it were someone like Natalia, whom I’ve faced before, I could probably finish them off in five rounds now. Even I think my growth rate is insane.

“Impressive. In that case, I have a strategy…”

Karl’s proposed strategy was simple.

Once the battle begins, ignore Ryurik and prioritize finding and taking down the enemy’s great warriors.

“Then what about Ryurik? If we try to block him with masters, wouldn’t it just be a repeat of the northern wall?”

“If we try to block him with masters, then yes. So, I plan to let Ryurik roam freely among the soldiers. Even that monster only has two arms. There’s a limit to how many he can kill at once.”

“…What?”

It sounded crazy, but… it was a rational idea.

No matter how strong Ryurik is, it’s impossible for him to kill a hundred people in one strike.

If we use the soldiers as sacrificial pawns and push forward with a human wave tactic, we can keep him tied down for a while.

…They’ll be dying by the second, though.

I opposed it, but in the end, Karl’s argument was accepted.

It wasn’t a result I liked, but what could I do? It was a battle with low odds from the start, so we couldn’t afford to be picky about our methods.

The enemy has seven to eight great warriors. That’s double our number of masters.

If we fight them head-on with equal strength, it would be difficult to win… but if I take down just two of them, the tide of battle would turn significantly.

—

With a click of my tongue and a nod, the day’s meeting concluded.

The deployment of soldiers and knights was left to Karl and Silvan, while the paladins and priests, after bestowing blessings on the knights, were to be commanded by Flora.

Freide herself, Leonor, high paladin Noah, and Damien, who was still in the infirmary, were tasked with stopping the enemy’s great warriors if they made it onto the walls.

I’m not sure if Damien can handle it, but as long as it’s not one-on-one, he shouldn’t be in too much danger.

Wait, should I hope for one-on-one fights?

From what I see, he needs to face as much danger as possible without dying.

Milia was assigned to snipe from the rear tower of the wall.

Though she’s reached the level of a master, her skills are still immature compared to other masters, and as an archer rather than a warrior, she’s not suited for close combat with the beastmen’s great warriors.

Come to think of it, it’s more like artillery fire than sniping.

She’ll be firing arrows the size of javelins from a bow twice her height.

Whether it’s shooting down Ryurik as he flies toward the wall, destroying the enemy’s catapults, or attacking the great warriors fighting our allies from a distance… her role is crucial in many ways.

Once she runs out of arrows, she’ll come down from the tower to support Damien. Together, they should be able to take down a great warrior.

“Can I really do this…?”

“Of course. They’re all over two meters tall, so even if you shoot randomly, you’ll hit something.”

After encouraging the slightly unsure Milia, I returned to my room.

Milia said she’d go see Damien for a bit.

The dagger and javelin Asha had given me.

The Ice Blade, which has become as familiar as my own body, and Durandal, whose performance fluctuates like a rubber band.

Since awakening the Fire Magic, the Ice Blade’s cold hasn’t had much of an effect on me.

Seeing the cold gradually grow stronger, it might become a problem again someday… but for now, there’s no issue.

And, after resting in the castle, I took off the academy uniform I’d been wearing and put on the armor I’d hung on the wall.

Beastmen leather with scales on top, and then a beastmen leather coat over that… it’s like I’m completely covered in beastmen. Wouldn’t they love that if they saw me?