“It’s the demon lord! Siti is a blue mage. She can make a portal for him!” Lydia cried out.

“This doesn’t change anything.” I sighed. “All of you. Listen. Take control of your respective units. Follow me. Do as I do. That is a Slave Order. Anyone who doesn’t follow my orders will be severely punished!”

In truth, the morale of the troops was at an all-time low. They were going into a battle they didn’t want to face. Even the arrogant and prideful nobles saw this battle against civilians to be pointless. It wasn’t that they didn’t think they’d win, it was just that they felt the entire battle was a waste of resources, especially with the real enemy on our doorsteps.

The girls gave me pleading eyes, and I could only shake my head. “You’re just going to have to trust me.”

Although my voice wasn’t convincing, they all nodded and returned to their spots. I reached out and grabbed the horse offered to me by a knight. I could see Deedee similarly mounting a horse. Basic Horse Riding had appeared in Hero at some point. After all, how could you have a hero ride on a white steed if he didn’t know how to ride? At the very least, it was enough that I wouldn’t embarrass myself. She’d have the exact same riding skill as me.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

With my eyes locked on her and her eyes on me, the pair of us lifted our hands as one. The girls had tried to convince both of us to stop numerous times over the last week. Yet, we still had ended up here. This was just part of the plan.

“Attack!”

“Go!” I heard her yell as well.

Both of us dropped our hands at the same time and then kicked our horses. The armies wouldn’t march against each other if we didn’t lead by example, so it turned out we were riding out in front of everyone else. The rest started moving forward, one step at a time. However, as we started to pull away from the main army, they started to quicken their pace. Still, the acceleration was slow, and it soon looked like Deedee and I would face off long before everyone else.

“One last thing.” I messaged the girls. “If I should fall in battle, do not seek out vengeance. Immediately join Deedee…”

It was an order I had forgotten to give earlier. It was the only concession I could offer. Now, I just had to reach Deedee. The sooner I got to her, the sooner this battle would turn, and the less harm would come to everyone else. Behind me, I could hear shouting and roaring. With the heat of battle in front of them, the army was finally growing more animated. This may not be a battle any one of them wanted to be a part of, but this was a battle their leader had asked them to fight.

Our horses would reach each other first. I pulled out my sword. She did as well. Our eyes met, and the pair of us nodded to each other. It was time to make our move!