Chapter 603

Ai-shan’s main light cavalry, the Blue Army, was absolutely furious. The past few days of pursuit had been an incredibly grueling forced march even for them.

Ha-shal-leur’s Special Forces had only been running for three days, but the Blue Army had been galloping non-stop for nearly six days from Ordos to here.

And they had to bypass and break through all sorts of obstacles along the way.

They scattered pieces of armor or whatever metal scraps they could find, set fire to the grasslands, turning vast areas into ash.

Even the once-solid ground was now torn apart, as if two earth dragons had mated and left it in ruins.

They even polluted every water source along the escape route with filth, poison, and horse corpses. Because of this, the Blue Army’s horses and soldiers had to chase them without even being able to drink properly.

Ha-shal-leur thought the Blue Army, which had finally caught up to the Special Forces, was a bunch of relentless bastards, but even the Blue Army cursed and swore, saying they had never seen such a vicious woman in their lives.

After all that suffering, they were finally close enough to see the culprit.

“I see her! That bitch who deserves to be torn apart is right there!”

“Finally caught up, that damn bastard!”

Even though she was technically a direct descendant of Ai-shan Gi-or, the warriors, now enraged, hurled every vulgar insult they could think of.

======[ Ha-shal-leur ]======

I chewed on the cigarette in my mouth, trying to suppress my anxiety. The distance between us and the Ka`har was slowly closing.

If Ludwig’s calculations had been correct, we could have barely shaken off the pursuit… But of course, things never go according to plan.

Whether we moved a bit too late or those bastards became even more relentless than before, it was clear that we would be caught before reaching the barrier’s influence zone.

“…What do we do, miss? Seeing how they’re charging at us with fire in their eyes, it doesn’t look like they’ll spare us if we surrender. Should we try offering a ransom?”

Leonor, who had slowed down to ride beside me, muttered something that sounded like a joke, her face covered in dust and cold sweat.

Her guts are admirable. To crack a joke in a life-or-death situation like this… It seems her encounter with the evil god left her with a gift of gallows humor.

“They might spare you. Not by paying a ransom, but by paying with your body.”

A princess knight captured by barbarians. I can already imagine the humiliation. She might end up in a situation similar to a female martial artist defeated by goblins.

“Ugh. I’d rather die.”

Leonor shuddered at the mere thought.

[ ……Tsk. ]

Hersela clicked her tongue softly, seemingly annoyed by our conversation. The idea of a female knight being captured and humiliated by barbarians… It probably reminded her of her own mother.

“…At this rate, we’ll make contact within an hour. If you have no plan to deal with them, scattering might be our best option.”

Yan Ridel, the Eighth Sword of Landenburg, spoke with a grim expression.

“Scatter…?”

You mean we should split up and run? So that at least some of us can survive?

That’s impossible. Unless the enemy is small in number, scattering against thousands of pursuers would only lead to being picked off one by one. Breaking formation won’t make us run faster.

…No, wait.

There is one person among us who could reach the barrier without any issues if they scattered and ran.

Someone riding a tireless mythical beast instead of a regular horse, someone who could run faster than a horse even if they lost their mount.

[ If we scatter, you could escape alone. ]

Right. Me.

Yan’s suggestion, in short, was to sacrifice everyone else to get me inside the barrier.

It was a rational decision. From the perspective of Landenburg and the Empire, losing a hundred and seventy cavalry and five masters was replaceable, but I was an irreplaceable core asset.

Even if it meant sacrificing five masters, saving my life would still be a net gain. Logically.

……It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

– Sssss.

I spat out the cigarette that had burned down and looked at the cavalry riding ahead of me. They turned their heads, trembling eyes waiting for my command.

Fear, trust, anxiety, resolve, sorrow, determination, despair.

A flood of emotions pouring through their eyes.

Like stars shining, like the deep sea darkening, like a swamp clinging, like fire burning—the torrent of emotions filled my chest, showing me the path I must take.

My mind felt clear.

[ …If you want to survive, following that man’s suggestion would be wise. What will you do? ]

Hersela asked, as if testing me.

The answer was already decided.

‘Sorry, but… I decide how I live. Running away and clinging to life isn’t my way.’

That kind of choice was enough when I left Ka`har.

“The suggestion to scatter is rejected. Continue forward! Run with all your might until we reach the barrier! I’ll be right behind you!”

I drew Durandal and pointed forward, shouting.

A blue light, like the sky, shimmered along the blade.

—-

[ Are you choosing a reckless death? That’s not like you. Haven’t you been saying all along that there are reasons you must not die? ]

‘I never said I wanted to die.’

Right. There are reasons I must not die. I have to cut down all the bastards in this world alongside that unreliable Damien and protect the world heading toward destruction.

If I die and Damien fails, it won’t just end with our lives. Everyone I know, everyone in the world, will die. Or worse, end up in a fate worse than death.

How could I bear that? Just imagining it fills me with rage.

That’s why I must survive and protect the world. That’s why I’ve been repeating that there are reasons I must not die.

[ Then… ]

‘But not like this.’

Because I must survive, should I run away and save my life every time things get tough?

That’s no different from being dead.

‘I won’t live by running away and clinging to life.’

Surviving like that has no meaning. Just being alive won’t solve anything.

I must fight. Win. Protect. Survive. That’s the way I’ve chosen to live.

Hersela was silent for a while.

In the silence, only the sound of hooves thundered like lightning. She spoke again after about ten seconds.

[ …A warrior’s life is a struggle. ]

‘What…?’

I tilted my head at her sudden, out-of-context remark.

[ Proving life through struggle. That is the essence of a warrior. Just as you are now. ]

[ You are a true warrior. ]

It was an unexpected compliment from Hersela.

To me, it felt like the chief of barbarians praising me, saying, “You are the barbarian among barbarians! A true barbarian!” It was a bit awkward.

[ If you wish to fight, I will join you. Let’s go. Fight, win, and survive. As warriors. ]

‘Yeah. Let’s do it.’

I chuckled and nodded.

—-

The distance between us and the enemy was closing with each passing moment. In a few minutes, their arrows would be within range of our backs.

If possible, I wanted to fight after advancing further… But that wasn’t an option. The soldiers, who had discarded their armor for mobility, couldn’t withstand Ka`har’s arrows.

If we delayed here any longer, all our resolve would be meaningless as our forces would be wiped out by a rain of arrows, leaving only a few masters and knights.

So, we had to stop them before the arrows rained down.

“Let’s go! Cascador!”

I lightly tugged the reins, turning my horse around.

Like a bike skidding on an unpaved road, Cascador dug its hooves deep into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that covered Nigel’s back.

“Ha-shal-leur?!”

“Miss, are you crazy?”

Nigel, Ja-han, and Leonor, realizing what I was about to do, shouted in shock, trying to stop their horses.

Karim and Yan also turned to look at me in surprise.

“Keep going! I’ll buy us some time and catch up!”

“But…!”

“This is an order! An order from ‘Ha-shal-leur Median Ai-shan Gi-or’! Do you understand what that means?”

I directed this at Ja-han, who looked ready to follow me. This wasn’t just my order, but Hersela’s—the real Ha-shal-leur’s—order, so he shouldn’t refuse.

“Even if it’s Ha-shal-leur’s order, we can’t…!”

“You guys can’t hold out anyway! You’d just be in the way!”

It was a harsh truth. Besides me, no one else could stand against that army. Even masters aren’t invincible to swords and arrows.

One-on-one, they could fight hundreds of times without a scratch, but against hundreds of warriors, they wouldn’t last long.

“Grrr…!”

Ja-han, understanding my words, gritted his teeth and turned his head. He knew he would only be a hindrance.

If Ja-han died or was captured, it would disturb Hersela’s focus.

“…You must come back. Do you understand?!”

“Yes! If you die, I won’t let it slide! If you die, the Empire and the Holy Kingdom will be turned upside down!”

Nigel and Leonor shouted at the top of their lungs as they galloped forward. Their rough words were filled with worry and anxiety.

And so, I sent all my allies away and stood alone to face the enemy.

‘…Good thing I changed my pants.’

[ Though you look utterly ridiculous. ]

I shrugged, looking down at the leather pants that barely covered my thighs.

When we decided to retreat, I had changed into them and wrapped my exposed legs with bandages, just in case. Now, that foresight had paid off.