Chapter 409: Paper-thin

-Aegir POV-

Celia, who is being carried under my arm, lets out a shriek after the earth-shaking roar.

Without any delay, a mixture of broken tree fragments, dirt and pebbles explodes and showers on my head.

No trace of the lush vegetation on top of the hill was left over.

If we were a split second slower in getting down from the hill, we would have been sent flying together with the land.

「How many did we lose?」

I bellow at Yakov, who is running beside me.

「I'm not sure, although I saw maybe four or five sluggish people blown into pieces!」

We were lucky if that was all the damage we suffered.

This is no time to be rejoicing.

When I shift my gaze to Tebia, I see the enemy flooding out from the gates.

Leading the charge are the heavy cavalry, kicking up a cloud of dust as they head towards us at full speed.

I can't count them all.

I just know that they have more than we can handle.

We have lost the moment we let ourselves be chased and we wouldn't normally leave the cover of a verdant hill that cavalry can't enter, but......

「Enemy battleship fired a third volley――!!」

「These guys are better than getting blasted by cannons after all.」

I stop watching the enemy, lower my head and push forward.

Immediately after, there was an explosion, and then a violent gust of wind that peppered my back with dirt and sand.

「Boss, please do something.」

「I know the general can at least deflect a shell!」

「Fumu.」

I turn my head to look behind me.

When I squint my eyes and concentrate, I see a black dot appear in the red sky――

「Don't ask for the impossible, are you trying to get me killed!?」

I crouch down and narrowly avoid the cannonball which makes a low whoom sound as it passes over my head.

Supposing I could do something like that, it would be limited to the smaller cannons used by infantry, not the large ones installed on battleships.

If I try to stop it, I'll be blown away.

「It's annoying, but we have no other choice than to run. Yakov, get their asses moving.」

「You got it, general! Run faster, you guys or else you'll be left behind!」

We somehow run down the hill while being under fire.

A mere ten people were killed by the cannons, an insignificant amount compared to the magnitude of the attack.

The battleships likely lost sight of us as the cannonfire didn't continue once we got away from the hill.

Our opponents are three battleships.

They could easily erase a tiny squadron of a hundred people.

「General, where to next!?」

Yakov shouted after we descended the hill.

I stop very briefly and try to grasp the situation around me.

To the east is the hill we were on.

We would get bombarded, so that's out of the question.

To the south is the city of Tebia.

Enemies are pouring out from there. That way isn't good either.

To the north is an open road that leads to our retrieval point.

To the west is opposite the direction of the river and where the wetlands extends.

「We're going west.」

「「Eeeh!?」」

The soldiers express their bewilderment.

「General, then we can't go back. We have to head to the river!」

「If they circle around to the road, we won't be able to move!」

This is no time to argue.

I yell louder than the voices of complaints.

「Just listen and go west!」

They run regardless of their doubts.

「You guys, don't grumble and follow the general!」

Yakov also yells, getting most of the soldiers to comply with the order.

We ran like our lives depended on it.

Those who lagged behind were kicked in the ass by their companions while those who stumbled were dragged along the ground by fellow soldiers beside them, and we somehow entered the wetlands before the cavalry caught up.

「Gueh, it's deeper than it looks!」

「It's full of leeches!! Dammit, what a horrible day......」

The wetlands were deeper than expected and more like a shallow swamp.

We lose our footing and fall over, getting ourselves covered in mud.

「This really sucks...... but it's not the worst.」

I stop and look back.

The cavalry who are hot on our tails plunge straight into the wetlands.

「Uwah!」

A horse could not hope to advance in a place that infantry like us struggle to cross.

Several riders in the front fall off their mounts while the horses of others get stuck.

「What are you doing!? Get off your horses and chase them!」

The heavy cavalry obey their commander and jump into the swamp, but......

「Uu, I can't move!」

「Is it because it rained in the west!? The water is up to my waist...... I-I'm sinking!」

Being on horseback was bad enough, but their heavy armor completely backfires, making it hard to tell whether they're floundering or progressing.

There hasn't been any cannonfire either.

This wetland area must be outside the range of even a battleship cannon.

「General, these guys are idiots. Should we counterattack?」

「Their infantry will catch up soon. We should get as far away as possible.」

I agree with Celia.

Right now, we should focus solely on running.

「Don't stop moving, throw mud and bugs while you run if you have to!」

After saying that, soldiers start hurling unknown objects.

「Me too...... hiih!」

As Celia picked up a clump of mud and grass, she realized it was actually a giant slug.

「At this rate, we'll be surrounded――」

I point to the sun as Yakov brings up his concern.

「The sun will set in two hours. We can manage once it's night with the hills, woods and the swamp around us. No matter how close we get to the point of escape, we wouldn't be able to outrun cavalry on a road after all.」

「I-I see......」

I sigh as I look close by.

「Like that.」

「Those guys...... I told them to follow.」

Before our eyes, a group of soldiers detaches from us and runs to the north.

There are ten or so of them.

「Not good, we've separated with the others!」

「It can't be helped! I mean, running to the west is......」

「E-enemy cavalry are coming behind us――!!」

The soldiers running on the road are several times faster than us in the swamp.

The problem is that the enemy cavalry chasing them are even faster.

「Get themー!!」

There isn't much light infantry can do against a squad of cavalry charging together in a line with spears.

Those people were either impaled head-on, or stabbed in the back as they tried to run away, or worse, trampled by the enemy horses' hooves.

「Hii, we can't stay in open spaces! Run to a place with more cover!」

The surviving allies escape into the woods along the road.

Seeing that, the enemy cavalry don't chase, rather they come to a stop near the vicinity of the trees.

Then a small torch was lit, sending a colored smoke into the sky.

「That's the correct move against cavalry, however...... they forgot one thing. That place is by the river.」

Celia mutters in frustration.

A moment of silence passed, and then booms resound, raining down cannonballs on the woods our allies ran into.

Clouds of dust were raised and trees of varying sizes toppled over.

It appears those who didn't follow me were not able to come out alive.

「We can't afford to worry about them right now.」

After the heavy cavalry crawl out of the mud and scurry to safety, they could only stare bitterly at us until their infantry arrived.

「Everyone, dive into the mud. Go deep inside.」

「Ueeeh...... are you serious, general?」

「This swamp is pretty gross. There are leeches, worms and poisonous insects......」

I push the groaning soldier's head into the mud.

「I-I'll go too...... eei!」

Celia wiggles free from under my arm, takes a deep breath and goes into the mud.

「No, I can't! This is going to ruin my handsome―― gueh!」

That soldier who stood back up after saying he couldn't do it was shot in the chest and head with two arrows.

In a hurry, the other soldiers who saw what happened submerged themselves into the swamp.

Arrows scattered above us.

「We'll continue in this manner and go deeper. Archers can't shoot us that well when we're under there.」

We move beneath the thick layer of mud and deceive the enemy's eyes.

Enemy light infantry come behind the infantry, however they encounter difficulty wading through the mud and can't catch up to us.

「Look at how they're walking. I bet they've never traveled in mud before! Shit, a leech went in my pants!」

「Compared to them, we're used to it. It's just like the times we had to dive into a cesspool and wait until things died down after they found out we brought women into camp. Uooh, a centipede crawled up my ass!!」

As the unsightly chase continues, the sun gradually sets.

「......damn pests. The sun is going down, we're pulling back!」

Night eventually falls and the enemy commander grumbles mortifyingly.

That's to be expected.

With such poor footing and both ally and enemy covered in mud, it'll be hard to distinguish friend from foe in the darkness.

And our chance to escape would be born from such chaos.

「Now then.」

We poke our heads out of the mud and confirm that the enemy has left the swamp.

「It looks like we're safe for now.」

「Yeah, somehow.」

I can't tell who the mud-covered guy is.

I'm guessing it's Yakov.

「Our location is completely exposed. They also know we want to head to the river......」

A lump of mud pops out on this side too who I can tell, judging by her cute voice, is Celia.

I'll pick off the centipede squirming on her head while I'm at it.

Celia hates the creepy-crawly bugs and would scream if she found out.

「You're right. The enemy will encircle the swamp and guard the riverside. If we are to survive......」

We may need to make a huge detour.

In any case, our time limit is when the sun rises, so we have no time to waste.

「Alright, everyone move without a soun――」「Wait a se......abbhbh!」

The muddy Celia stepped in a deep area and sunk all the way to her shoulders, so I pull her up onto my shoulders.

「The movements of the torches are strange. It appears they're heading west...... further inland.」

「What?」

From the perspective of the swamp, west would be inland and east would be where the river is.

The enemy should be fully aware of our need to head in the direction of the river.

I don't understand the reason for blocking the west.

It could possibly be some sort of deception.

「You, go take a look.」

「'Kay!」

I give an order to the dirty face next to me which matched the filthy water it was in.

That guy swiftly runs off to survey the area and returns shortly after.

「It seems the enemy has mistaken us for a group of brigands native to the area.」

「How cruel!」

「Yeah, we're a proud army of the Federation, dammit!」

「It's hilarious you can say that when you were not too long ago clinging to a prostitute's leg for an hour, begging her for a 30% discount.」

The soldiers aren't very happy about the error, while Celia and I acknowledge the logic.

Our clothes were a mess after we tried to disguise ourselves as brigands along the way.

Although the uniforms are from the Federation, they haven't been kept in their original state.

Our lack of hesitation jumping into the swamp and fighting style involving the hurling of mud and bugs also looked horrible.

I recall the time we first appeared in front of that little girl.

How did we look?

Annette was showing off risque tattoos in a rather vulgar manner and provoking the guys.

The despicable soldiers were appreciating and getting aroused by her underwear.

Yakov was leading those soldiers by yelling obscenely and punching them.

And then I was sitting in the center, stroking Annette with a grin while chewing on a stick of meat......

That expression of fear made by the little girl was one that encountered a group of brigands rather than and one that spotted the enemy army.

That meant she reported back to the city that she saw brigands.

「I see, the enemy has not discovered our true identity yet.」

「They might believe the unlikely event that a group of savages were trying to raid the rural city of Tebia.」

「Now it makes sense why they would want to head inland!!」

If we were bandits, we wouldn't be able to escape by going towards the river.

We would want to run inland at all costs.

「This is our chance. Let's make the most of it right away.」

Even with over 5000 soldiers, they can't set up a tight perimeter around this vast swamp.

「If they focus heavily on covering inland, that would leave the riverside short of hands. We might be able to force our way through! While it's dark, the enemy battleships can't fire eith――abhbhb.」

「Not much time has passed since the sun set. They should not have constructed their camps yet......if we raid them now, they'll be thrown into disarray.」

I nod back at Yakov and save Celia from the deep pocket of mud again.

「There's no other way. Let's breakthrough.」

「Leave the torch there. After that, put up a fence too...... this darkness is harsh.」

「Captain, the bandits will want to run inland no matter how I think about it. Do we really have to set up defensive encampments?」

I can hear the voices of the enemy soldiers.

They really think we're some kind of bandits after all.

「......I think so too, but orders are orders. According to the witness's report, we're dealing with extraordinarily vile bandits. You never know what to expect from crazy people. It's best to stay vigilant.」

I tap the ground beneath my foot.

It isn't particularly deep and my foot doesn't sink.

「The fleet just arrived and we have to deal with this.」

「You said it. Since we're dealing with bandits, the fleet went ahead and entered the harbor first. We also just arrived.」

Before the captain could finish complaining, I jump out of the mud.

「Eh.」

「Ah.」

My Dual Crater slices the dumbfounded captain's head off.

In the next second, the part of the stunned subordinate's head above his nose was sliced off.

With two soft thuds, their bodies hit the ground.

My appearance, illuminated by the bonfire, slowly registers in the brains of the other soldiers too shocked to react.

「......」

I inhale deeply and open my eyes wide.

「Get 'em!!」

「「「Uooooooh!!」」」」

Simultaneously, the 105th division caked head-to-toe in mud rush out of the swamp.

「E-enemy attack!!」

「They've gone insane and come to us!! Call the ones who went inland back here!」

As we thought, the enemy's defences are thin.

It's clearly just for show.

「Breakthrough the encirclement! Kick over the torches and the torch baskets!」

Yakov shouts as he swings his sword around.

「Damn dirty bandits! Where did they spring up from!?」

An enemy soldier becomes enraged and attacks with his sword, but I duck under and bisect his thigh, flipping him onto his back.

I meet the following spearman's thrust with my sword and brush it off to the right side.

With his arm and weapon diverted to the side, I gouge out half of his abdomen in passing using my Dual Crater.

「Shit, I can't distinguish any of them while they're covered in mud!」

「Just go for the biggest one for now......」

Three enemy soldiers group up and come at me together.

I lure them in as far as I can and knock over the basket of a torch next to me, bathing the enemy soldiers in fire.

Also battling hard are the guys of the 105th.

「Eat this.」

A soldier grabs a glob of mud and hurls it at the enemy, then slashes him when the enemy falters.

「I'll shoot you.」

When an enemy soldier readies his crossbow at close range, an ally soldier sprays him with muddy water.

「Gyaa, my eyes! My eyesー!」

「Kekeke, not good enough.」

It was easy to take out the enemy as he covered his eyes in agony.

「What foul play!」

「These guys are definitely some of the worst bandits I've seen!」

Did he hold water from the swamp in his mouth and spit it at the enemy?

Dirt or sand would be too hard to hit.

Water has a broader range, plus muddy water is harder to wipe off than clean water once it gets in your eyes.

「The only problem is whether you have the courage to hold the filthy water in your mouth.」

「As for me...... I won't!」

Yakov says as he cuts down an enemy.

「Neither will I.」

I reply and evade the enemy's sword, then grab his helmet, sweep his feet, and slam his face into a rock.

The fierce battle with no regards for appearance resulted in the riverside encirclement breaking.

「That's enough. Now we run.」

「You know the point of escape, right? If you don't, you better not get separated from the general's ass! If you go astray, then give up and die. Let's go.」

I run ahead to lead the charge while everyone follows behind me.

Of course, Celia is keeping tightly beside me.

「They ran, give chase.」

「Wait, some of them are still here...... prepare yourself!」

「I'm on your side! I was pulled into the swamp, that's why I'm covered in mud―― gyaaa!」

The enemy tries to pursue despite being in disarray.

In cases like this, the chasing side has the advantage.

If we run in a straight line, they'll catch us in no time.

Every time the enemy increases their speed, we come to a halt.

「Let's stop here. Hide.」

If we conceal within bushes and the enemy comes along......

「Do it.」

「「「Uooooooh!!」」」

We jump out and pounce on the enemy from the side.

Since they're running in the dark, they can't be wary of their surroundings.

Enemies running while waving their torches around are perfect targets for us.

Multiple enemies get cut down instantly.

「Group up and fight back!」

「Alright, we're running.」

When the enemy sets up formation to engage, we immediately flee. This sequence repeats itself.

「I see, there are fast and slow enemies. After we defeat the vanguard and the rest of them catch up, we run away again.」

Yakov is impressed.

This is also a tactic used by bandits or mercenaries, not an army, though.

It wasn't an honorable way, but it was effective as the enemy was forced to be cautious of our frequent ambushes and gradually slowed down.

And so we arrived at the riverbank before the sun rose.

「Is this the place for sure?」

「Yes, the shore where the boats will arrive...... without a doubt!」

After Celia confirmed it, a torch, which was forbidden until now, was lit.

This would act as a signal for the boats.

There was some concern considering we arrived a few days later than scheduled, however a small light on the water answered ours.

More lights simultaneously appeared and made their way to the shore.

「It was a really close call, but...... we made it somehow.」

「Yes, I was nervous.」

「We made it in time.」

It was right when Yakov and Celia both pat their chest in relief.

「Loose――!!」

Flaming arrows accompanied the order and soared toward the small boats.

The arrows didn't come from the south where we were being chased, rather it came from the north side.

「Celian, my ass...... main Imperial army, my ass......」

It was a voice I've heard before.

「How dare you trick me, little girl!」

Appearing is the cavalry squad deceived by Celia on the way here.

Out of the 200 soldiers, half have dismounted to shoot arrows.

They chased us all the way here?

「We searched all over the north and found no such bandits...... so we turned back at a loss for what to do, only to discover this.」

Tossed at us were the three sets of South Yugurian armor which Celia used to disguise us.

They got in the way after we used them, so we abandoned them in the ruined temple.

「We went to investigate our ally camp to search for clues and found three soldiers who were stripped naked......how dare you, how dare you......」

Burying them would have been a better decision, but it's too late.

Fires break out in the small boats as the returned to the halfway part of the river.

It would be impossible for them to retrieve us while being shot at.

「Get them, annihilate those guys!」

「Arrgh, you should have stayed deceived!」

I draw my Dual Crater and intercept the enemy cavalry.

「Damn liars, go to hell!」

An enemy soldier swings his sword on horseback.

「Get tricked by a woman's lies.」

I slice his sword in half with my Dual Crater, spin and sweep the horse's legs.

「Coward, fight head-on!」

Another soldier lunges with a spear.

「I'll do it now.」

I tilt my head to the side, narrowly avoiding the tip of the spear by a paper-thin margin, then extend my arm and lop off his head.

「Hand me that insolent girl. I'll beat her to death!」

A warhammer swings down from horseback.

This guy is the captain, right?

I promptly crouch and pick up a rotten oar at my feet.

「What are saying you'll do to my cute Celia? I'll kill you.」

I cut the handle of the warhammer with my Dual Crater and knock him off his horse by whacking his face with the oar.

「What was that about Celia?」

「A......agh......」

The man groans in agony.

「I don't want to hear it.」

I swing down the oar at his head three times.

「Now then......」

I check the situation around me after taking out the captain.

「......this isn't good.」

While there is the numerical disadvantage to consider, we aren't losing as one-sidedly due to the cavalry not being able to make the most of their strength at night.

However, that doesn't mean we win overwhelmingly nor can we drive them back very quickly.

Somehow, the boats extinguished the fires, but they can't approach the shore like this.

「If this happens......」

I hear an unpleasant sound.

「There they are! They're on the riverside!」

「They're engaging with an unknown group...... that's an ally, it appears. Although not in the report, it seems an ally unit is engaging with the enemy.」

The enemy finally caught up from the south.

It's hard to determine their exact numbers in the night, but they're somewhere in the thousands.

「Captain has been killedー! Retreatー!」

The first enemy pulled back at last, but it's too late.

No attention is being paid to their withdrawal as the South Yuguria squad chases us to the river.

The enemy has over a thousand troops and the count is still increasing.

We're a measly 80 people...... and the boats can't get any closer to us.

「This is bad.」

I don't reply to Yakov's words.

It's a fact that doesn't have to be stated.

「N-now that it's come to this-」

Celia pulls out her sword and stands in front of me. I simply pull her behind me without saying anything.

「W-what should we do, boss......?」

「Do we have any options, general?」

Naturally, the soldiers can't hide their nervousness.

「......」

I don't answer any of them.

That's because we don't have any means to get out of this.

「Line up. They might charge again.」

「Don't let a single ant escape.」

The enemy has an excessive amount of torches and arrange themselves in an orderly formation.

A forced breakthrough would be suicidal.

「Commence the attack.」

Arrows fly from the enemy ranks and the spearmen walk forward steadily with their spears held out.

「Ready your shields.」

Yakov yells and shields line up.

Fortunately there weren't many enemy archers, so that wasn't enough to collapse us, however that can't be said about the spears.

「Gue!」

「Guha......」

The group of spears thrust repeatedly and gradually corner us, piercing one soldier after another.

「Move it.」

I step in front, cutting off spearheads, brushing them aside or pulling in enemy soldiers by the spear to cut them down when possible, and still they show no signs of panicking.

「Openings will arise if we hurry. Advance with certainty and push the enemy...... push the Goldonian army into the river.」

「We've been exposed, huh?」

I swing my Dual Crater and decayed oar, scattering the enemy soldiers.

Yet, they don't falter or yield, preventing me from overcoming the forest of spears by myself.

Our end seemed more inevitable with every step the enemy took.

We were finally driven into the water.

「Damn...... is this it?」

「I wanted to eat up a virgin before I die......」

When the water reaches up to my waist, I instinctively reach out to grab Celia's hand.

「Aegir-sama...... uuu, I did something that cannot be undone......」

Celia turns pale, although I won't give up so easily.

We can still fight a little longer and I can always swim away with you if absolutely necessary.

「Well, we must at least fight together until the 105th are dead――」

It was right when I turned around.

I heard the twang, like the sound of a bowstring releasing an arrow...... then my vision gets dyed red.

「A catapult!? In this situation?」

Celia rushes out of my arm.

An oil-based projectile was launched, but I don't understand why the enemy would use a catapult now of all times.

Once again, I hear the low twang.

「General!」

Yakov shouts.

I grasp what's going on soon after.

「Men―― they've come. Reinforcements have arrived!」

A flaming mass soars over our heads.

In other words, the catapult is being fired from the river.

Hope returns to our allies who had resigned themselves to death.

「It would be a waste if you died after reinforcements came. Go all out.」

「「「Ooooh!!」」」

A much-needed boost in morale was given to the remaining soldiers of the 105th, which had been reduced to less than half of its initial size.

「It's an attack from the river!」

「Is it Goldonia!? They shouldn't possess any combat ships!」

「No, according to intelligence, the reinforcements are from the Federation――」

Celia realizes something as she glances over at the rattled enemy.

「Aegir-sama, our ally ships should have cannons. Deliberately using catapults is a way to prevent the enemy from distinguishing friend from foe and to stop the enemy's attack! Fire is being used to secure vision!」

「I see.」

I immediately shout at Yakov.

「Be my platform.」

「Fueh?」

I step on top of Yakov without waiting for a proper response.

「Celia.」

I pull Celia up onto my shoulders and hand her my Dual Crater.

「Guooooh, my shoulders...... my back......」

Yakov groans as Celia waves the glowing red sword.

「N-not good! Shoot that down!」

The enemy must have realized what we're trying to do.

Arrows fly toward the three-person tower we made.

「Guwaa! General, I can't hold on!」

Yakov struggles to keep upright as a few arrows hit him.

「Endure it. I got hit too.」

「Uuu, Aegir-sama...... p-please notice soon...... or else Aegir-sama will......」

I can't allow a few arrows to my arm and thigh to knock me down now.

I have to lower Celia and ensure she doesn't get hit as well.

Then, a much smaller pot of oil gets flung near us, creating a modest flame on the surface of the water.

Our three-person tower was illuminated.

That should have allowed them to spot us.

I jump off of Yakov along with Celia.

「Guha.」

「I will extract the arrows right away!」

Yakov falls over and Celia checks on my wounds, but now isn't the time.

There was a resounding boom that instantly lit up the dark river.

Then――

A cannonball drops in the middle of the enemy lines.

The force of the blast itself wasn't as great compared to that of the enemy battleship.

However, the result would be the same if the cannonball falls on a soldier's head.

「More are incoming!」

Consecutive blasts from cannons rain down on the enemy.

「What incredible precision...... this isn't easy to do in the dark.」

There were not that many roars from cannons.

The impact of the cannonballs were small too.

Nevertheless, the accurate bombardment was sufficient enough to disrupt the enemy.

「Sink those crappy ships already!」

The stubborn enemy soldiers shoot a volley of flaming arrows at the river.

I don't think such an attack would be effective against ships with protective plating though――

「Uwaah! They're aiming at us!」

「R-retreat...... wait, the cannons are following us!」

「Run away! Fall back!」

A barrage of cannonballs concentrates on the area where the flaming arrows came from.

「......that's a little over the top.」

The cannonfire chases after the enemy archers even after they disperse.

「I guess Ivanna is leading them.」

I can just imagine seeing her yell, "Insolent! Light that place up!"

「Anyways, this is our chance. Let's counterattack.」

「Counterattack!? No matter how effective the bombardment is, with our numbers......」

Yakov questions my decision as he pulls out an arrow from his body with a big painful groan.

「Defeating them is impossible. However, if we posture like we want to attack, the enemy will falter. Pretend like a fresh supply of troops might come from the boats.」

「U-understood...... guaaahh! I finally pulled it out...... alright, you guys!」

Fewer than 40 of the 105th army corps proceed to counterattack.

It was still enough to force the enemy to slowly retreat.

「Pull back, more of them might come from the boats!」

「Get in contact with the main army! Have them dispatch a fleet from Tebia!」

As anticipated, the enemy goes on the defensive.

With that, we created a small window of time.

「Now they just have to pick us up quick.」

I glance at the river and see the small boats slowly come back toward us.

I know they're going as fast as they can, but they're too slow and it's annoying me.

「Hurry...... hurry...... ah, one of them is fast...... wait, that's too fast.」

One particular boat is moving abnormally fast.

「Being fast is good, but...... it's swaying left and right.」

Yakov tilts his head as he is working on removing another arrow.

「The rowers must be amateurs...... relying simply on strength to row.」

Annette also seems stunned――

「Why are you naked!?」

Celia yells angrily.

「If worse comes to worst, I thought I could swim back.」

Apparently Annette stripped naked in preparation to swim.

「Relying on strength...... I have a bad feeling about this.」

I hear a boisterous voice as if to affirm my uneasiness.

「Wahahahahaha!! Row harder. Show everybody how a man does it!」

「Aah...... he's here.」

Celia puts a hand on her face in disgust.

「This is the first time I've seen a row boat kick up whitecaps like that.」

The small boat runs up onto the shore with staggering momentum, which carries it sliding across the land.

「I'm here!」

「Oh hey.」

Nobody needs to mention who is riding in the boat.

It's Gildress and the Aless soldiers.

「Although I want to enter the fray, I am no fool. I know this is no time to fight. Now, get on. We're going back!!」

Gildress sends a glare at the enemy in front of him before bellowing.

He might be impulsive, reckless, and stinky, but he isn't a pure idiot.

Well, an idiot wouldn't have become king or have been able to garner respect from a certain amount of people in the first place.

He regrettably saved us from danger so I'll have to treat him with respect from now on――

「......hey.」

「What!? Get on quickly! Dawdling is not very manly!」

I want to get on fast.

I also want Celia and Annette to get away safely, plus Yakov and I are hurt.

「Where do we get on?」

The boat Gildress came to pick us up in was packed full with ten Aless soldiers with nobody in the mood to budge.

Looking closer, I see the draft is near its maximum too.

「Wahahaha!! I didn't realize that!!」

While we were going back and forth, the other boats reached the shore.

The reason they were slower was because only two rowers were onboard.

「Retreat, quickly!」

Yakov instructs the surviving 105th army corps, who rush onto the boats.

I take Celia and run on a different boat.

「Full speed ahead. Go as fast as you can row. I don't want to hear you say you're tired!」

The soldiers return to their respective work after I yell.

Squeezing out the last of their strength, the 105th row away from the western coast.

After the final boat gave a signal to notify a successful withdrawal, the bombardment from the river ceased.

The enemy fortified their defences expecting a larger squad to land, but no such squad came.

「It was truly a paper-thin margin.」

「Yeah.」

「......」

I stroke the naked Annette and hug Celia in my arms as she silently tends to my wounds.

「Celia.」

「......yes.」

I ruffle her mud-filled hair.

Oops, a strange caterpillar fell out.

「Don't let it get to you. It's because you stuck it out that we learned the complete numbers of the enemy fleet. The result is a great success.」

「But it all backfired...... we suffered major casualties...... and more importantly, Aegir-sama's life was one step away-」

I tighten the hold I have on Celia.

We certainly took a big hit.

After setting out with a hundred people, not even forty remain.

An appropriate reward will accompany the losses and hard work though.

「Hey now, I was the one who made the decision. The operation was a success, so that should be good enough.」

An especially noisy boat overtakes us.

「First to go! First to return! That's the way of an Aless man, we don't lose to any boat!」

「「「Oh yeah!!」」」

「There are people out there like them who only think 30 minutes ahead. It's fine if you learn from them once a year or so.」

「......yes.」

She's still depressed.

Alright, I've got it.

I wipe mud from Celia's face as my heart fills with determination.

Our boat does not travel all the way to the opposite coast, instead it groups up with the combat ships that fired their cannons during our retrieval.

Sure enough, the one in command is Ivanna.

「Hmp, wiping the ass of an impossible operation that was executed without thinking of the consequences―― nmu!!」

As soon as I see Ivanna, I wrap my arm around her and give her a kiss.

「Nnnーー!! Nmmuーー!!」

Ivanna was starting to say something and tries to break free by kicking my stomach and scratching my back, but I continue kissing her, inserting my tongue into her mouth as well.

My right arm is circled around her waist and my left hand is firmly grabbing her shoulder.

「Nnnnhーー! Nnーー!」

Ivanna sinks down slightly and puts her weight behind a knee to my crotch.

It was a rather nice stimulation to my cock, which is rather erect after experiencing battle.

「N...... n......」

Suddenly, Ivanna loses strength and this time she brushes against my crotch with her thigh.

「Puha! Out of nowhere, you just―― nngh!」

She was able to let out some words during the brief separation of our lips, but I push her against the mast of the ship and resume the kiss.

「......nn.」

Ivanna's body gradually relaxes and she slowly slides down along the mast.

I stick my thigh under her crotch, supporting her before she reached the deck, and continue kissing as we stand.

「W-what a kiss.」

「Yeah, they're definitely going to start after this.」

「It's tough to endure the feeling after a fight......」

I feel the intense stares of not only the 105th army corps, but also the sailors on the ship.

If I go any further, Ivanna will get angry later.

「Nn.」

Ivanna was out of breath and had to prop herself up on the mast after I let go of her mouth and body.

「You...... sex ......maniac...... doing ......something so sudden......」

「It would have been over had you not come. That was my way of showing gratitude, so thanks.」

When I try to embrace her again, she sweeps my hand away.

「Enough. I'm not letting you do it anymore!」

Ivanna catches her breath and once again composes herself.

「That gloomy guy named Leopolt entrusted me with the task after telling me you probably went off and did something stupid again. What a huge pain.」

Ivanna turns aside adroitly.

「They'll need to undergo maintenance again after the long journey too. Simply moving them like this will throw that schedule off by a lot.」

According to Ivanna, she led one of the large combat ships and three small combat ships.

However, contrary to her words, the fleet is composed of ten ships.

Not to mention the ships in the rear are filled with torches and visibly large.

「This should be sufficient. Cut us off.」

Sailors climb across ropes connecting to the large ships behind us.

After they made it over, they sever the ropes and the six ships slowly drift downstream.

「Did they suffer damage? It's a little bit of a waste to abandon them though.」

A proud look forms on Ivanna's face, though she forcibly makes a fed up expression to somewhat hide it.

She must have wanted me to ask.

「You're truly an amateur. Look closely, those are scrapped vessels. We pulled along old transport ships which were sitting uselessly in the harbor. The reason they appear bigger is because we hammered planks onto the hulls and placed torches on the ships.」

Now that she brings it up, I notice holes here and there and the lack of masts.

「It would have been problematic if the enemy chased us. That's why we let the six larger ships go downstream, put out our torches and redirect the enemy's attention in that direction.」

「I see...... but cruising along an unfamiliar place without the use of light is――」

Ivanna smiles before I could finish.

It must be my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw her throw her head back slightly.

「How many years do you think I've been operating ships? After travelling through a body of water once, I can sail across it with my eyes closed.」

「Amazing. I'd expect nothing less.」

It feels like Ivanna is tilting backwards more and more.

Her skill is impressive, but that coupled with a hot-headed personality makes me a little worried.

「Fufun, it's a world of difference compared to 'her', right?」

「You were on board too?」

Standing in front of Ivanna's line of sight was Sekrit.

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett. 25 years old. Summer.

Status: Goldonia Kingdom Margrave. Great Feudal Lord of Eastern Area. Mountain Legend. Friend of the Dwarves. Friend of the King of Aless. Dragon Slayer Hero.

Elf Mediator. Sex King of White City.

Subordinates:

Celia (dejected), Myla (has come), Irijina (free), Luna (commander), Sekrit (enduring)

Leopolt (staff officer, angry), Tristan (staff officer, astounded), Gido (escort unit, perplexed), Yakov (injured), Brynhildr (vampire, sleeping), Ivanna (fleet commander, satisfied), Annette (nude)

Soldiers:

105th Division: 30

Current Location: On the River, heading home

Enemy Force: Confirmed

Western Army: Approx. 50 000, Magrado Local Army: Several Tens of Thousands

Fleet Stationed in Tebia: (Battleships: 3. Large Combat Ships: 10, Medium Combat Ships: 50, Small Combat Ships: Approx. 100)