「Hold the line! Every second counts!」

A mustached officer shouts at the men in front of him as they step over the mixed corpses of attackers and defenders. They hop over the bodies, careful not to trip, pointing their spears forward at the light skirmishers in front of them, who are pelting their shields with arrows.

「Incoming!!」

A ball of fire flies through the air in an arc, descending upon the formation of the spearmen. Some of them drop to the ground in panic, covering their helmets.

「『Disrupt Mana』!」

A voice shouts out from behind the formation, and a cone of shimmering air appears above them.

Ffffffwooooooooooo-fwop

The screaming fireball unceremoniously dissolves into rainbow dust, which further dissolves into nothing after it harmlessly showers the cowering men below the spell.

「Ahh… Thank fuck for that mage…」 「We're saved…」

Amidst nervous and relieved chuckling, the men collect themselves and stand up from the ground to rejoin the barely cohesive formation.

「Idiots!! We are dead men already! Get it through your thick skulls! All that matters is how many hours we can make our lives worth! Now stay in formation, so they sing songs of our death! Advance!!」

Hooves rumble in the background, and the officer's shouts provide a grim reminder to his men. Most of them nervously swallow, and continue blocking the flood of arrows coming from the enemy short bows ahead of them.

「『Freeze Ray』!」

As the hooves get louder and the earth rumbles, a voice shouts from behind the formation. Heavy armored cavalry charges over the crest of the hill from the flank with their long pikes couched. A blue ray hits one of the mounted knights, and ice explosively engulfs him and a few others, but the remainder continues charging downward.

「Right face! Right face!!」

The officer screams at the men. The formation starts breaking up, as the soldiers are unsure whether they should cover each other from the arrows, or point their spears at the cavalry charging at them. Some of the men brace their spears exactly as a spear wall formation should in preparation for a cavalry charge, but then they are hit in the vitals by the skirmishers' arrows.

Seeing this, some of them take a half measure of holding their shield up with one hand towards the archers, and haphazardly pointing the spear at the incoming horses. The formation quickly loses the last bits of its cohesiveness, and the best the spear wall could be in this state is a mere spear grit. The cohesiveness further decays as a small trickle of deserters starts fleeing in panic.

「Right face, you idiots! I said right face! Stand closer, brace the spears!!-」

The officer shouts. His eyes widen when he turns his head, only to realize the cavalry fanned out, and a pike is at arm's length away from his chest…

…

Meanwhile, in the capital city's streets…

Straf is casually walking along the road with his hands in his pockets, looking for a means of transport.

「I ought to learn a teleport spell or something…」

He thinks to himself out loud, and notices a horse wagon waiting on the street.

「Hey, can you give me a ride? I'll pay.」

Straf says to the man at the reins.

「Hm? Of course I can give you a ride, but you'll have to wait until I get more passengers. I'm heading to Murusburg-」

The man turns his mustache at Straf, wiggling its bushy painting brush-like tips up and down.

「I'll pay you two gold coins right now, if you shut up and take me to the northern border.」

Straf holds up two gold coins up in his hand in the man's reach. He looks at them, his brows rise, and he takes them.

「The northern border?… Well, hop on then. That's an uncommon destination, usually it's people coming from the north. What's your business there? Family? Friend? Wife?」

The man asks, as Straf climbs on.

「War.」

Straf nonchalantly answers, and sits down next to the driver.

Whip!

「Ho ho ho! Mercenary, huh? I get types like you every now and then here. Off to the frozen north to fight the northmen for some coin?… Wait, you seem pretty well off…」

Speaking to Straf, he whips the horse with the reins, and it starts trotting onward. The man furrows his brows as logical inconsistencies in his perception of Straf start to set in.

「No, I'm off to the north to fight what's-their-face-kingdom. Well, off to kill their commanders, really.」

Straf shrugs, watching the city people go about their morning lives unaware there is a war is going on.

「The… What kingdom?」

The man shakes his head in confusion, and wiggles his mustache.

「I don't know. You tell me.」

Straf looks at him, and shrugs his shoulders with a squinting eye.

「Ah, so you are going to fight the Rankor Kingdom on the side of the northmen? Well, people like that exist too…」

The man believes he understand Straf, and nods his head, whipping the horse with the reins as he drives out of the city onto the road north. Straf snaps his fingers.

「That's what it was called. I'm going to fight on your side though. You're welcome.」

Straf points at the driver beside him with a smug smirk.

「Huh? My side? You mean our kingdom?」

The completely perplexed driver looks at Straf with furrowed brows.

「Yeah, what else?」

Straf shrugs, and looks onward down the winding road.

「Heh… Heheheh… Well, I don't know if you've heard, but we've been at peace with them for over 40 years. There's not much fighting you're going to do against them as a mercenary!」

The driver starts chuckling, then outright laughing, and shakes his head. He lets out a big sigh, and looks at Straf with an amused grin.

「Yeah. You were at peace. Not anymore. Your countrymen are dying, so whip the horse into going faster. Unless the idea of nationality hasn't been invented yet, in which case, carry on.」

Straf sticks his index finger out and wags it to emphasize that there is, in fact, a war going on.

「Heh… With us? With the Rankor Kingdom?」

The man grins at Straf, but concern starts to set in on his face as well.

「Yeah, were you not listening, or something? Clean out your ears.」

Straf looks at the man with bored eyes and a mouth aslant in frustration.

「But… But- You mean there's a war?」

「Yup.」

「Right now?」

「Yup.」

「And people up north are dying?」

「I dunno. Probably. I mean, how much trust do you have in your military? You think a guy who pokes at stuff with a spear is immortal?- Wait, this example in particular is bad…」

Straf gives the man monosyllabic answers, and shrugs each time. An image of an improverished and under-equipped levy spearman appears in Straf's mind as he speaks of the military, but it quickly transforms into a memory of Shien.

「Fuck me… It's dangerous up north then, isn't it!?」

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The man asks with a raised and worried voice as the realization sets in.

「I don't know? Maybe? Maybe not? I just want to turn off my brain and get to the action, so can you stop asking me the taxi driver-level questions and let me turn my brain off? Thanks.」

Straf sighs, and stares blankly down the road with bored eyes.

「Huh? Alright… I hope we don't run into trouble… Man, I should just turn back, but two gold this quick…」

The driver mumbles to himself quietly, and the horse keeps trotting along the highway to the northern border…

…

「Commander Kerul! Battle report!」

A lightly armored young man runs up to a knight in highly ornate armor, and exclaims as he kneels with his head hanging low.

「Go ahead.」

The commander turns his head towards the kneeling man, and nods.

「The enemy resistance is breaking! We have lost approximately half of the men in the initial assault, and the heavy cavalry that was sent to flank has been decimated by an enemy mage! However, they have reported slaying him!」

「Good. But not good. A few more battlefield victories like this, and we'll have to limp back home with our tails tucked between our legs. Suicidal bastards… Why won't they just run?… How many of them are left?」

The commander asks, observing the burning landscape down the tall hill he's standing on with his men. His mage in the distance hurls another fireball towards a burning forest. When the fireball flies past the trees further inward, a red glow illuminates the shade within, and the fire wildly spreads further as if spilled gasoline.

「Aside from the resistance in the forest, there are a few scattered survivors from the remaining destroyed units! We are greatly overwhelming the enemy! Commander, it may be the time to press the advantage and hunt down the remainder of the enemy forces!」

The man continues speaking in a loud and clear tone as the commander listens.

「No. This is what they are waiting for. They want to lay down their lives and do some damage to us. They want to go out in a glorious last stand and inflict as much harm as they can on their way out. I won't let them. Send more skirmishers out, locate where they are hiding, and guide the mages to dislodge them from a distance. That's an order.」

The commander turns his eyes away from the man to observe the infantry and archers maneuvering on top of a hill, in an almost perfectly uniform wide rectangle.

「Yes, Commander Kerul!」

The man shouts, and stands up. He runs to a horse, mounts on, and rides off in haste towards a formation of men at the foot of the hill…

…

A few hours later, Lily wakes up in the palace room she picked at random. She lets out a big yawn, and stretches in the giant bed before hopping up to her feet. She puts her tall boots back on, and ties their laces tight.

「Well then… It's about time for my first edict.」

Lily mutters under her breath as she finishes tying her boot, and gets up off the bed. She leaves the room and heads straight for the throne room, where Cycelia is already sitting on the throne.

「Ah, Lily. Is there something you need?」

Cycelia straightens out of her sulky slouch and smiles gently when she sees Lily enter the throne room.

「Indeed. I want you to make an announcement to the masses. You will order them to assemble under the bell tower at night to listen to my address.」

Lily walks up to the throne, and up the steps. The palace guards are still unnerved at the sight, but it has almost become a normal and frequent occurrence to them.

「…Your address? You mean you want to address the citizens too? Why not do it now?」

Cycelia tilts her head, and blinks in confusion at the little vampire.

「What an incredibly foolish question, Redwing girl. Do you not understand why I am coming to you with this demand?」

Lily scoffs, and her mouth angles into a slant out of disbelief.

「N- No?…」

Cycelia shakes her head, furrowing her brows a little.

「…It's so the vampires hiding amongst them listen as well. They will be unable to blend into the crowd if you only order the vampires there, won't they? Vampires are not suicidal. And since most vampires are not dawnwalkers like me, addressing the rabble is pointless, there won't be any amongst them during the daylight.」

Lily sighs, and crosses her arms to explain.

「Ahh… That makes sense, now that you put it like that. That's no problem. Captain, could you tell the town criers to have the people assemble outside the address balcony in two hours' time?」

「Yes, your highness!」

The young captain of the guard nods, and runs down the steps and out of the throne room.

「Has Straf woken up yet?」

Lily asks an off-hand question.

「Huh? Yes, he did…」

Cycelia nods, and looks down and aside with a concerned face, while fiddling with her medallion. Lily looks at Cycelia's face, taking in her body languge.

「…What is it?」

Lily decides to cut out the middle-man and ask a direct question.

「Huh?」

Cycelia lifts her gaze up at Lily's scarlet eyes, and blinks in confusion.

「Something is bothering you. What is it? Are you concerned he'll join me, after all?」

Lily smirks at Cycelia, but there is a hint of concern in her scarlet eyes as well.

「No, it's just… He left for war… For my sake, again…」

Cycelia once again lowers her head, and looks down on the ground with guilt in her eyes.

「…What?」

Lily's eyes widen, and she glares at Cycelia.

「Why didn't you tell me!?」

Lily grabs Cycelia by the shoulders, and glares straight into her eyes, closing her face in towards hers. The guards glance at each other with tight-lipped nervous grimaces.

「Huh? Well I thought- You said that what happens during the day doesn't concern you, doesn't it!? You rule the night, I rule the day, remember?」

Cycelia waves her hands in front of herself, as Lily is intensely staring into her eyes.

「Keh. When did he leave? Maybe I can catch up to him-」

She scoffs angrily, and lets go of Cycelia, crossing her arms with a scowl.

「Don't you have an address coming up?」

Cycelia asks, gesturing with her her palms up as she talks.

「Tsk.」

Lily clicks her tongue, still scowling, and walks down the steps. The guards collectively sigh in relief.

「That's why I'm worried, Lily. I'm sure you are too, but… Maybe I'm worried over nothing. Straf is strong, after all, but…」

Cycelia once again looks down, and once again starts playing with her medallion.

「Yes, Straf is strong. That's why if you are concerned about him losing to mere human garbage, it is so idiotic that I fail to find succinct words for.」

Lily steps away, scoffing at Cycelia's worries. She looks outside the throne room windows into the distance.

「Ahhh, what a bother! If I were to chase after him, my credibility would take a hit instantly! I have to make this address, if I am to rule a stable domain!」

She places her fists on her hips, groans in frustration, and angrily taps her foot in a rapid pace.

「Lily, it's okay if you are worried… I am too, but I'm sure he'll come back fine. It's Straf, after a-」

「Worried!? You think I'm worried!? About what!? Straf can cut down entire armies if he wishes to! He'll slaughter millions if that's his whim! Do not dare to underestimate him again!」

Lily glares at Cycelia, pouting heavily at her heavily as she returns a troubled smile…

…

In the late evening, the wagon driver stops some distance away from a burnt forest, the trees are now as mere sticks of charcoal towering upward.

「This is as far as I'll take you! My life is worth a lot more than measly two gold coins! Take it or leave it!」

He turns his head towards Straf, and says with an urgent, nervous tone in a raised voice.

「Whatever, close enough, probably. Thanks for the ride. Next time shut up, or you'll lose the introvert customers」

Straf hops out, and nonchalantly walks further along the road with his hands in his pockets.

「…Don't get yourself killed, madman!」

The driver shouts at Straf, and turns the wagon away. He whips the horse to run, looking at Straf over his shoulder.

《What is this guy planning? Is he trying to kill himself?- Forget it. It's not my problem.》

The man thinks, and turns his head to look ahead at the road back, leaving Straf behind. Straf walks past the charred forest, then comes across a handful of dead men on the ground.

「Hm. Must be going the right way then.」

He shrugs, and continues onward, stepping over the patches of dark, dried blood and hopping over corpses. He walks onto a small hill, and in the distance, he sees a large amount of tents at the foot of a large hill. The tents teem with soldiery life and up the hill Straf sees one larger tent, surrounded by a few smaller ones.

「…Guess the commander is going to be there? Ahh… I should have planned a way back. Walking all the way to the capital is going to take forever.」

Straf sighs, and heads straight towards the large hill, walking with his hands in his pockets and ignoring any possible battlefield dangers…