Chapter 80: Fate of The Battlefield
The death toll was 2,300 in the Christand army. Hilkintos army lost 10,200 men.
The battle, which began with the inferiority of the Christand army, however, ended in an overwhelming victory for the Christand.
In the end, the final number of troops was about the same number with the Christand having slightly more troops, and for a battle that began with an inferior force, it was truly an overwhelming victory.
However, the right wing of the Christand army suffered heavy damage, and the Fourth Battalion led by Varga suffered more than 60% of its losses and was completely wiped out. Varga himself was slightly wounded, and they lost seven centurions.
While receiving enemy arrows, they maintained the battle line without any archer support.
Rather, if one considered that 30% of them survived, it can be said to be an excellent result.
The Fourth Battalion needed to be reorganized, but there were many undertrained soldiers to begin with.
The 30% that survived can be regarded as excellent soldiers who returned alive from hell and will be the pillars of the Fourth Battalion in the future. It was not bad if one considered it to be a rough training.
As in the previous battle, Krische worked hard to deal with prisoners of war, doing miscellaneous tasks such as arranging reorganizations, and in the evening.
She visited one tent.
In the center of the tent----the one lying on the bed was Dagra.
His brow wrinkled, his eyes were closed, groaning, and he was sleeping with a grim look on his face.
Around the bed stood a circle of soldiers in black armor.
Krische stared at them, her brow furrowed, and she looked around.
"...Krische heard that unclean air will make the wound worse. Go outside."
"Yes ma'am. ...as you've all heard. The one remain----"
"Krische will stay here for a bit. Everyone go outside."
It was a cold tone that did not allow any objections.
Mia was momentarily frightened by Krische's appearance, and she saluted as she lowers her eyes sadly.
One by one, they went out of the tent.
After they left, Krische slowly traced Dagra's side torso.
The stab wound in his belly. It was by no means shallow.
The military doctor said that making it through the night will be harsh.
"Bald Eagle is silly. He came after Cliche, so why didn't you just let him be?"
Sighing, Krische closed her eyes.
Surrounded by his surroundings, Aurugorn was helpless.
Aurugorn's individual ability was not low, but it has already surpassed the situation that can be overturned with just one brute force.
Commanding the cavalry and light infantry, Bagil's force, which raided the central rear of the Hilkintos army, numbered over 1,000, and all of them were excellent elites in the First Corps----a man as skilled as Aurugorn's could see the extent of their skill.
A unit that was in disordered formation and did not lose command and control was a sign of high quality.
Aurgorn gritted his teeth in front of First Battalion Commander Bagil, who pointed his sword at him and urged him to surrender.
The battle was still going on on the battlefield.
In order to minimize the damage, they needed him to surrender or take his head.
Any further resistance was meaningless----the only difference was whether or not he would still have his neck or not.
It was a total defeat.
Aurugorn dismounted his horse, lowered his spear and fell to his knees.
The surrounding flag-bearers who saw it knocked down their flag------and the people around them followed suit.
"I swear by the name of the First Battalion Commander of the Christand army, Bagil Linea Sandika, and by the name of the Kingdom------Her Royal Highness the Princess, that I will abide by the Holy Spirit Covenant. It was a valiant battle, General Hilkintos."
Aurugorn didn't answer.
A silver-haired girl appeared with black-clad troops, splitting the line of soldiers at his side.
Krische took one look at the defeated general------her purple eyes and exchanged glances with Aurugorn's.
"...Krische will take you, prisoners, in accordance with the Holy Spirit Covenant. Naturally, Krische will swear on her name that Krische will protect your rights as a margrave of the kingdom... Please accompany us for a while. As you know, Krische (we) must go to the Dragon's Maw."
Those were the only words she said to Aurugorn.
The bare minimum of words.
Without a shred of interest, Krische then turned to Bagil.
"Bagil, send the cavalry to the battlefield and let the whole place know that it is settled."
"Yes ma'am!"
Even though she had announced the settlement with her voice augmented by magic power, the skirmish still continued in the frontline.
Krische gave instructions one after another while raising the flag of Christand.
Without hesitation, as if the outcome had been decided from the beginning that this would be the case.
The girl was not basking in the afterglow of her victory over Hilkintos------the undefeated general of the west.
The girl must have taken it for granted while inflicting a complete and utter defeat on Aurugorn.
A cold glance was directed at him as if he was just an insect or a stone on the side of the road.
Aurugorn looked at Krische, his eyes harboring darkness.
"Hahaha, it's a perfect victory, Krische-sama. ...My, my, what a trouble, with this consecutive sweeping victory, I'm afraid I would grow overconfident."
Due to the circumstances, Grunmeld, who finished cleaning up earlier than the others, approached Krische with a smile.
"Yes, it's a relief. Woof Woof was also very active."
Starting with the Black Century, the surrounding soldiers looked at the Krische in astonishment.
Woof Woof.
The place froze for a moment and then looked at the speaker, Krische.
"Woof Woof has done a great job breaking them up, so Krische and the others had it easy."
Krische tilted her head as everyone looked at her.
Then she finally realized that she had made a blunder, and she frantically covered her mouth and her eyes swam around.
Then she stared up at Granmeld.
Looking up, Grunmeld was so confused that he froze with a smile still on his face.
"Uhh, well, Krische, was thinking of giving the Corps Commander Varkus a nickname, but Krische accidentally..."
As if embarrassed by her own bad manners, she put both hands on her cheeks and shook her body.
Her silver hair swayed like a tail, and her lovely figure was completely unsuitable for the battlefield.
"H-ha... t-that, un... Woof Woof is?"
Remembering the other day when he was laughing at the nickname Skeleton, Grunmeld began to sweat.
He is a warrior. Grunmeld Varkus is one of the best warriors in the kingdom.
He is proud of that.
He has silenced those who deny or taunt him with his fists and war club.
He has proven his strength, passed through deadly situations, and crushed many enemies------
"Yes, it's the nickname!"
------Woof Woof.
It was much too cruel.
"See, Corps Commander Varkus has a kind of dog-like smile, ehehe, and when Krische saw it, Krische was struck by it. There were many candidates like Wauf Wauf, Grrr, but Krische thought that Woof Woof would be the most appropriate."
Krische, who was in a good mood, leaned over and looked up at Granmeld happily.
It was different from the look she sent to Aurugorn------a pumped up puppy eye look.
This was tough.
Even the mighty Grunmeld was no match for the twinkling purple eyes of this girl looking up at him.
In front of the delicate girl no taller than his chest, Grunmeld took a step back.
"Hey, can Krische call you Woof Woof from now on? Hehe, you can call Krische whatever you like. Krische was told by Selene to get along with a lot of people------"
Feeling pity for the situation, Dagra sighed and approached the enemy general, Aurugorn Hilkintos, who was surrounded by soldiers.
"...Pardon me, General. We will need to bind you."
Still sitting down Aurugorn turns his gleaming eyes from inside his helmet, which is modeled after a goddess face.
His eyes were filled with anger and hatred.
A defeated general who was caught in a scheme----it was not unreasonable, Dagra thought.
He continued in a soft tone of voice, trying not to irritate him as much as possible.
"Pardon me for any inconvenience this may cause you. We will keep the sword at your waist, but in accordance with the Holy Spirit Covenant, we will take the appropriate steps to return it to you later."
He motioned with his eyes to the two men at the General's side.
The two black-coated soldiers approach Aurugorn with a rope.
Then Aurugorn bloodshot eyes turned to behind Dagra.
----In that split second, Dagra felt the murderous intent that could not be concealed.
"Hold him down!"
But he was too late. Aurugorn stands up vigorously and drew the sword from his waist.
He then cut off the head of one of the two men who were trying to tie him up.
He stepped forward without stopping his momentum in the direction of Dagra back----to Krische.
'----Why should I be humiliated as a prisoner of war!?'
'I can't allow it! Why!?'
Unbearable humiliation and anger. These mixed feelings was directed at one girl.
'...Krische will take you prisoners in accordance with the Holy Spirit Covenant. Naturally, Krische will swear on her name that Krische will protect your rights as a margrave of the kingdom.... Please accompany us for a while. As you know, Krische (we) must go to the Dragon's Maw.'
After saying that one-sidedly, she didn't show even a shred of interest in Aurugorn.
Like looking at livestock and insects, like looking at roadside stones, Krische Christand has no feelings and interest whatsoever for Aurugorn Hilkintos.
He was looked down upon as a piece of trash.
Not Eluga Faren. It was also not Grunmeled Varkus.
It was probably this girl who led this battle.
He doesn't consider himself incompetent. But in fact, the girl in front of him surpassed him.
The word "genius" was not false----that was fine.
However, it was unforgivable to look at Aurugorn Hilkintos, who has won countless battles and is said to be a name known to everyone in the kingdom, with such eyes.
It was an unbearable disgrace.
And now she was going to exhibit his captive body in the Dragon's Maw and humiliate him.
As an incompetent general who had failed miserably.
She intended to rot his reputation and everything else in mud.
She wanted to take away all the pride that Aurugorn has, without even changing a single look on her face.
'----That is the one thing I cannot stand.'
He wouldn't allow such a little girl to deny him everything he has done for the past decades.
It was not a matter of logic.
Simply refusing to be dishonored rather than death, Aurugorn moved forward.
The girl who smiled at Grunmeld looked at Aurugorn again.
Seeing him approaching her, there was no surprise on her face.
She just looked at Aurugorn coldly.
Anger so fierce that his gnashed teeth cracked.
He directs all of it at the girl----but his body was flung off from the side.
"Stop!! Don't do anything unsightly!!"
It was a man with a black-painted armor----Dagra.
His anger turned to the man who interfered.
"Who do you think you're raising your hand to!!"
"Ggh!?"
His mind may be in the midst of the red-hot fury, the sword was accurate.
Against a very skilled centurion, the sword pierced the side of the body.
But the opponent was also skilled.
Aurugorn puts force in pulling out the deeply inserted blades, but the Centurion Dagra grabbed Aurugorn's arm and sealed his movement with force.
"Bastar----g, gh!?"
And then, in a moment.
The arm that was gripping the blade----the sensation was suddenly lost.
He didn't even feel any pain.
His right arm----his upper arm was cut off along with the steel armor.
His body fell down, losing its posture.
His neck was tightened by the girl's slender, gauntlet right hand, and he was suspended in the air.
----Aurugorn's eyes captured an inorganic purple light.
The darkness behind the cold glow.
What he saw was fear.
"... Mia, immediately treat Bald Eagle."
It was a cold voice that was the opposite of the tone that she had been used to Grunmeld.
Kalua supported the falling Dagra, and Mia gave instructions as in a hurry.
"Y-Yes! Birza, first aid."
"Y-yes."
"Adol, Bagu help Kalua! Kels, get the army doctor! As soon as possible!"
Krische's eyes never turned away from Aurugorn.
Her expression as blank as a puppet's.
"Krische-sama, I understand how you feel, but if we don't do anything, he will die. First of all, we have to stop the bleeding. It would be pointless to just kill him after having captured him and caused so much damage."
The only one who could speak to Krische's bizarre appearance was Grunmeld.
He traced the wound on his cheek uncomfortably and looked at Aurugorn.
"...You're right."
"Gh, ag!?"
Aurugorn, whose face had turned blue, was thrown away and crushed by the heel of the reinforced boots.
Her face was cold, showing no emotion at all at the high-pitched, ear-shaking Aurugorn's screams.
Smiling bitterly at the way she treated Aurugorn, Grunmeld slashed at Aurgorn's cloak with his knife and bound his severed right arm over the top of his chainmail.
It was a violent hemostasis, with no thought for what would come after.
He then looked at the severed surface of the arm.
The armor was elegantly carved.
The steel that had encased the arm had been cut into two pieces.
The cross section looked as if it had originally been made that way.
And the curved sword held by Cliche, while cutting through the steel, was without a scratch.
"Mia, please temporarily take over command on behalf of Bald Eagle."
"...Yes."
"Tie it up and put a gag on it. Burn the cut surface to stop the blood. Someone"
"...I will."
It was Bagu.
His frivolous-looking face, that was always smiling, was laced with rage.
He had no parents and respected Dagra like a real father.
"...You can't kill. Hurting him too. Later we will execute him, but until then, no matter how he is treated, he is a prisoner of war. Krische does not tolerate violations of the Holy Spirit Covenant. Punishment for sin must be imposed by punishment, even if that's just the official stance."
"...Yes ma'am"
"That's all. After that just take a big break appropriately. we will run from the morning, tomorrow."
She looked at the fallen Dagra.
The sword that had been thrust into it was still stuck. It is only to hold it down and lay it down so that it does not move.
It was necessary to prepare enough salt and liquor and wait for the arrival of the army doctor.
Looking at it, Krische sighed quietly.
Although she was worried, there were a number of things that needed to be done.
"Mia, Krische leave it to you. Krische will go to where the skirmish is still continuing."
"Yes, take care."
----In the tent, Krische breathed quietly while stroking Dagra's forehead.
Dagra should have just left Aurugorn alone when he charged at Krische.
But it must have been a spur-of-the-moment reaction.
It was the same with Grace.
If they had stayed quiet, everything would have ended without incident.
There was nothing she could do about that.
Krische is just Krische, and she couldn't just freely bend their will.
If everyone could only think logically, Krische would have ended the war already.
She had a vague understanding that this is how human beings are.
She knew that, so she couldn't blame him, but she also didn't want to commend him.
Somehow, she felt like she wanted to scold him.
And to do so, he needed to be alive.
"... Bery, probably won't get angry right?"
As she muttered, she closed her eyes.
She stretched her magical power and go to the bandaged wound.
A faint bluish-white light fills the tent.
A great number of geometric patterns were floating there.
She felt the inner wound using magic and grasp the laceration of the flesh there.
The surface was cleaned by alcohol and salt, sewn, and compressed, but not inside.
Sensing it with her magic, Krische squinted slightly.
There was a slight laceration in the intestine.
When a magic possessor eats, they will proccessthe food into magic before excreting it.
Dagra too, handled magic power, and such filth did not overflow from his wounds.
That was a fortune among disasters.
It was not a knowledge that she had since long ago.
She had read a few medical books and learned a lot because of Bogan's death and the fact that she had to rest the other day because of severe pain in both limbs and body.
Wounds must be cleansed with alcohol and salt and kept clean, and lacerations must be closed.
Otherwise, the wound would become infected and inflamed, and new miasma would enter the body through the wound and eat away at the body.
It was said that even the miasma that a healthy body could withstand becomes intolerable.
She had never verified this, but when she felt the amount of blood overflowing inside, she could not just leave it there.
It was the first time she did something based on that knowledge, but it would be better than not do it.
The principle was the same as moving the imaginary muscles.
Carefully move the laceration that had ripped inside Dagra's belly and corrected it to the shape it would have been in originally.
Carefully and slowly.
The idea was that if there was a tear, it should be physically held there.
It is no different in theory than suturing a wound.
"Ughh..."
Dagra groaned a bit because of the pain, and Krische took care not to overburden him.
And when she was done, she weaved the formula inside Dagra.
Heating things, cooling, or emitting light.
It was the same principle as such magic engraved on the magic crystal.
The formula was engraved and created with the magic power that had been submerged inside Dagra.
To keep the wound sealed.
The geometric patterns that were unfolding in the tent entered the Dagra as if being sucked into it, and when finished she felt dizzy.
While it does not take much strength to construct and move virtual muscles, it was more consuming when handling them on outside the body in this way.
The more complex it is, the greater the consumption of magic power, and it's something that Krische, whose body was constantly being moved by magic power, couldn't ignore.
"...Maybe Krische should practice these things properly at least once"
Just as it happened to the Bald Eagle, it could happen to Selene.
There was a good chance that the slightest carelessness could result in a wound.
Even she couldn't relax about Bery and Kreschenta.
----It was very different from the time when Grace died.
It's a shame, it can't be helped.
It was easy to dismiss it as such.
But if she had reflected and studied better at that time, maybe Krische would be able to treat her as well as she does today.
Perhaps she would have been able to help Bogan, too.
But by dismissing it as inevitable, she felt as though she had dismissed even the chance for reflection.
She was thinking that the next time she met with Berry, she should discuss it with her properly.
There were so many things that have happened in the past few months that she needed to reflect on.
She should think of a solution to each and every one of them.
----Speaking of whose fault it was this time, it was that General.
But it can't be said that Krische was not one of the causes.
The reason was that others misunderstood that they could kill Krische if they caught her by surprise.
As a result, Bald Eagle was stabbed meaninglessly.
Kriche thinks that it would have been nice to just kill everyone who was in that place.
This time it was Bald Eagle. But there were many other things that were important to Krische.
There may be more in the future.
Mia and Kalua, Skeleton----little by little.
It was not a bad idea to physically silence the enemy so that he could not hold the sword.
But it would be difficult to kill them all that way.
There was a limit to what Krische could do alone.
That said, if she use someone else, sacrifice would be inevitable.
More, she needed to make them fear her more.
Make an example of everyone who defied her and kill them so that they won't even have the will to defy her.
Teach them thoroughly what will happen if they oppose her.
Then one day, those who defied her will disappear, and the damage will be much less.
In the first place that was what the military is for.
The military is an organization that is allowed to do so.
"Usa-chan, it seems that the Corps Commander Skeleton is calling you."
"......yes. Coming."
Krische stood up responding to the voice from the outside.
Outside, the black-coated soldiers were watching the tent, concerned about Krishce.
Dagra was a strict, but gentle man.
He was strict when he needed to be strict, but always considerate of the soldiers' feelings and guided them.
There was not a soldier in the unit who does not respect him.
Not just Dagra, but one member of the century has died a meaningless death.
If it had been during the battle, it would have been understandable, but the story was different if it was after the victory.
The soldiers' faces were dark.
"Whatever the case may be, we will let Bald Eagle rest for a while. Even if he were able to move, it would be impossible for him to accompany us any further in this battle. The temporary commander is the adjutant Miaseeing her work so far, even if she's not sufficient, at least Krische thick she is suitable. Is that fine?"
Mia pondered for a moment and looked at the two captains, Corinth and Tagel.
She saw them nod with a meek look on their faces, and then turned to Cliche.
"...yes. Then, from now on, I will take charrge of this unit as Commander Dagra's representative."
"The adjutant-equivalent officers are the same as the regular Century, corporal Corinth and Tagel. Unlike Bald Eagle, Mia is a bit stupid, so please follow her up."
"Yes ma'am"
Krische's words caused a slight laughter, and Mia blushed embarrassedly.
"Birza...the 17th squad is the right team for taking care of Bald Eagle. Until Bald Eagle is sent to the rear, you guys will take care of him."
"Yes ma'am"
Birza, a slender young man, was formerly from a family of apothecaries, and although he was not a doctor, he seemed to have done something similar to a doctor in the village.
Examining injured people was mostly Birza's role.
Because of that the 17th squad was accustomed to first aid.
"That's it, disband. From tomorrow, everyone other than Squad 17 will move quickly. Let's rest early today."
Kalua then handed over a bag of nirkana to Krische, who sighed.
"I thought Usa-chan might be hungry."
"Thank you"
Kalua asked something she was curious as Krische thanked her.
"Usa-chan, were you doing something in the tent earlier?"
"No. What's wrong?"
A wave of magical power, she must have noticed it.
Krische shook her head nonchalantly.
To begin with, Krische didn't feel any guil about lying.
"Nn... Is it just my imagination? No, it's nothing. It's a little far away, can I borrow a horse?"
"...Krische will be walking"
"Usa-chan really hates riding horses huh"
Sighing in exasperation, Kalua patted Krische's head.
"Well, don't worry too much about Bald Eagle. He's though after all."
"Yes."
"He love Usa-chan sfter all. He won't die without seeing Usa-chan's face."
"Kalua, talking nonsense again..."
"I want you to say that you I'm kind."
Probably it'll be fine.
But she's not sure.
As much as she liked Douglas, she also didn't want him gone.
She hoped that the thing she did earlier will work.
Something swirled in her chest------perhaps her emotions were in turmoil.
That's why the feeling of being caressed like that was comfortable.
Krische quietly leans in close.
Kalua laughed and hugged her.