Tadac. Tadak.
And.
"Huck, heuk!"
Elmud arrived at Seitil's side.
Seitil was covered in blood and fighting a monster.
He had fallen completely into the trap he had set.
Seitil breathed heavily and thought to himself.
'Ack. Damn it. When is Raymond coming?!'
No, it wasn't about Raymond anymore; he was going to be killed by the monsters.
'Why aren't my men coming, damn it, you assholes!'
There was a reason for that, too.
He had told the knights leading his men to stay away from Raymond in order to kill him secretly.
So Seitil's men were completely unaware of his predicament.
Just then, an eerie cry rang out.
"Krrr."
It was Shabel Wolf!
A wolf-like monster with teeth as long as blades.
Individually, they weren't powerful enough to be class D, but in packs, they were a problem.
The exhausted Seitil didn't have the stamina to deal with them.
'N-no.'
Then his eyes caught sight of Elmud.
Seitil seemed to see a light in his despair.
He was saved!
"E-Elmud? I need you to save me! Come on! Now!"
But Elmud had an unexpected response.
"But first, apologize."
"...For what?"
"For insulting Mr. Raymond."
He was overly loyal!
Seitil made a choked face.
"What the hell is that...! Just shut up and save me already!"
"Apologize, and swear on your sword that you will never insult Lord Raymond again. That's first."
"Ack, you!"
Seitil made a face as if he had eaten a million sweet potatoes.
"Keureureung!"
Just then, one of the shabel wolves leapt at him.
Seitil hastily blocked the wolf's attack.
"Hurry up and save me!"
"Apologize and swear!"
"Ack! You!"
Elmud's unyielding grip on the sweet potato drove Seitil mad.
"Yes, I apologize! I apologized!"
"That doesn't sound sincere, please apologize more sincerely!"
"Ack!"
The wolves' attacks intensified.
"I'm sorry! I mean it!"
"Please be more specific."
"Ack! You!
He had never felt so frustrated in his life! Feeling threatened for his life, Seitil finally managed to say something ragged.
"I sincerely apologize! I will kneel down, beg for forgiveness, and promise not to repeat my actions! I swear!"
"Do you mean it?"
"Yes, I mean it. I mean it, and I'll never touch Raymond again! Help me!"
Elmud drew his sword.
"I don't like it... but you are a patient, and I will protect you as my lord commands, for I am a proud Relief Knight who protects the sick."
Elmud took great pride in his title as a relief knight, a title bestowed upon him by his lord.
Above all else, loyalty to his master was paramount.
Anyone who dared insult his master, even if they were a patient, would face severe consequences.
Swish!
Elmud's sword sliced through the air, cutting through the Shabel Wolves, D-class monsters, as if they were mere paper.
The wolves crumbled and vanished.
Glancing at Seitil, Elmud noticed that he was already bleeding heavily and had lost consciousness.
Elmud carefully carried him back, ensuring his safety.
Once Seitil regained consciousness, he left the castle immediately.
"He left? Immediately?"
"Yes."
"...his arm was injured, and it sounds like there will be lingering effects if it's not properly treated."
Raymond shook his head.
Seitil would take care of that.
Elmud looked pleased.
"His Highness Seitil asked me to tell you something."
"What?"
"That he sincerely apologizes for his past misdeeds, and that he will never do you wrong again."
"..."
Raymond made a grotesque face.
"His Highness Seitil really said that?"
"Yes."
'...What the hell happened'
Seitil was quickly put out of his mind.
An incredibly shocking piece of news had hit the castle.
"Something's happened, Baron!"
It was Lord Ingel, his face white as a sheet. Raymond's heart sank as he realized something terrible had happened.
"What has happened?"
"Our allies in the center have been defeated!"
"...What?"
Lord Ingel exclaimed in a howl.
"His Royal Highness Prince Remerton has been caught in the Marquis Durak's handiwork. Over twenty thousand confirmed dead! The entire front has collapsed! We must retreat as quickly as possible!"
***
Allies Defeated!
It was unbelievable news!
Here's how it went down.
Having gained the upper hand, Remerton and his foreign reinforcements continued to win in the center.
Remerton was greatly encouraged by the successive victories.
He felt that he was bringing victory to the Kingdom of Droton thanks to his brilliant strategic skills.
'As expected. Durak is no match for my genius, and now everyone realizes who the real genius is.'
As time went on, he grew more arrogant and less careful, unaware that all his victories had been a ruse by Durak.
And now.
Remerton and the soldiers of other nations reached the Plains of Nelsha, deep in the heart of Droton's kingdom.
"Your Highness, why don't we halt our march for a while and join up with the follow-up forces?"
Duke Borne of the Macy Kingdom said.
They were advancing so fast that the Houstonian and allied forces behind them stretched from north to south and longitudinally.
If they were attacked from the flanks, it would be a disaster.
They needed to form up.
'It is what it is. It is the mark of a wise monarch to listen to advice.'
Remerton nodded.
A nearby tributary provided a strategic location for the army to regroup, and the rest of the forces swiftly converged on the Nelsha Plain.
As their numbers swelled to 20,000 soldiers, an unimaginable disaster loomed on the horizon.
Without warning, a raging torrent surged forth, resembling a tidal wave.
It was a water attack.
***
Marquis Durak had handicrafts in mind from the start.
He realized that he had no hope of defeating the well-morale Houstonian army with formal methods.
'There is only one way to turn the tide. We must inflict great damage on the enemy, either by fire or by hand.'
He chose the latter.
It was the rainy season, and the central region of the Droton Kingdom was well-suited to watercraft, with many tributaries branching off the Peter River.
Dikes were built to block the flow of the tributaries, and thanks to the timely rains, they were able to trap a huge amount of water.
They then lured the enemy to Nelsha's estate downstream of the weir.
Luckily, the leader was the arrogant bastard Remerton, so he was easy to lure.
The result was this annihilation.
Not a single Houstonian and other allied soldier survived the arrival on the Nelsha Plains.
The top commanders, including Remerton, barely survived with the help of their superior knights, but that was it.
The rest were all dead.
Of the other allies, only Prince Enrique's Clever Kingdom army remained unharmed.
'In the name of victory, I have committed a great sin, taking so many lives.'
Durak looked out over the flooded plains of Nelsha and closed his eyes tightly.
He had fought many wars, but he had never seen a hell as terrible as the one before him.
'I am surely bound for hell.'
His lamentation echoed, yet he knew there was no turning back.
He must prevail.
Even if it meant descending into the depths of hell, he could not afford to falter.
"We begin the second phase of the operation."
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
Second phase.
Surprise and destroy the Houstonian army, which is in disarray from the loss of its leader.
A staggering loss of 20,000 men had befallen them.
Caught in the midst of chaos, they struggled to mount a cohesive response to the sudden onslaught.
"Retreat! Fall back and regroup!"
However, Durak refused to grant the Houstonians any respite.
At every turn, he had orchestrated devastating ambushes.
The Houstonian army crumbled entirely, and what followed was an unrelenting massacre.
They found themselves trapped deep within enemy territory.
No matter how far they retreated, they remained firmly entrenched within hostile lands, and Marquis Durak showed no mercy, relentlessly pursuing them, determined to leave no Houstonian alive.
In the midst of this dire situation, it was Duke Leif who emerged as the savior of the entire army, averting total annihilation.
Taking up the rear, he severed the enemy's pursuit.
"Your Excellency, no! You must retreat!"
His subordinates pleaded with him, but Duke Leif shook his head, his countenance resolute.
"I shall stay behind and hold them off. You must spare at least one more soldier to retreat to the Kingdom of Houston."
"No!"
"Please!"
Duke Leif clenched his teeth, drawing blood as he looked up at the sky.
'This shall be my final stand.'
Duke Leif's decision to hold the rear carried a weighty purpose.
As the commander-in-chief, he bore the burden of every defeat.
He was determined to fulfill his final duty as a captain.
In that pivotal moment, a cloud of dust billowed before him.
Sir Alfonso.
The renowned Swordmaster of the Kingdom of Droton approached, leading his knights.
Their armor was stained with blood, likely belonging to fallen Houstonian soldiers.
Duke Leif stood prepared to meet his end.
"A life without regrets. I have but one regret."
Raymond.
He lamented not being able to witness Raymond's growth into one of the greatest of all time.
He regretted not having the opportunity to mentor and guide him.
'If only... If only I could get out of this alive.'
In that moment, he yearned to spend the rest of his days nurturing the brilliant prodigy-a wish that would forever remain unfulfilled.
"Come."
Boom!
Dark aura surged from his sword as Duke Leif engaged in a fierce battle against the forces of Droton.
***
"....That's how it happened: 20,000 soldiers are buried in the waters alone. We estimate that over 10,000 were killed in the ensuing assault. That's not counting those who scattered unaccounted for, and only ten thousand who retreated to preserve their strength."
Raymond swallowed hard. It was a terrible disaster.
"If it weren't for His Grace Duke Leif, they would have been wiped out."
"Was His Excellency Duke Leif a fallen soldier?"
"It is unconfirmed, but it seems more likely than not that he was killed."
Raymond's head was spinning.
This was the worst.
'This war... Lost. There's no turning back.'
The central region had already slipped back into the hands of Droton.
The remaining Houstonian forces had retreated to their former front, the Rafalde, but they struggled to hold their ground.
'Rafalde Province is not the problem, Marquis Durak will cross it and advance into the Houston Kingdom.'
Raymond's eyes grew dim.
It was a lost cause.
'I never thought we'd lose.'
"This is no time for this. We need to retreat now."
Raymond snapped to attention.
With their other allies wiped out, they were now isolated.
They had to retreat now.
"But is there any way to retreat? I'm pretty sure all the escape routes are already blocked."
"If you go to the coast to the east of here, there is the Peninsula Kingdom's fleet, and you can use it to retreat."
Raymond patted his chest.
At least there was a way out.
'No, that's not lucky. We're going to lose the war.'
So many had died.
As a healer, Raymond had been among the soldiers, and he couldn't take their deaths lightly.
His heart was heavy as a stone, but there was also the practical matter.
'...Now that we've lost, we're out of luck for land.'
The territory he was supposed to receive was predicated on victory.
Now that he'd lost, the land, the bounty, everything was for naught.
'No! Then I'm broke!'
Raymond screamed inwardly.
He'd spent so much money to get the yolk estate, and now he was in astronomical debt.
He'd be damned if he returned empty-handed.
'It's good to know, but what am I going to do about the debt?'
Even in this situation, it may be about money again, but it was inevitable because it was in a situation of bankruptcy.
Anyone in his situation would have the same worry.
'Is there anything I can do?'
But he shook his head.
'Damn it, there's no way. I'm lucky to be alive. How did this happen?'
Raymond choked back tears and prepared to retreat.
An unexpected figure grabbed him.
"Are you returning to the Kingdom of Houston?"
It was Sir Nickels, the knight serving the young king of Droton!
He wasn't going back, he was waiting for Raymond's help.
"Please save our King!"
Sir Nickels fell to his knees in supplication, but Raymond shook his head.
Unfortunately, he was in no position to help now. But then Lord Nickles spoke.
"We Drotonians never forget a favor, and I shall set an example to save His Majesty's life!"
"An example..."
It started to sound skeptical.
A thought flashed through Raymond's mind.
'Wait a minute. This is our chance, our last chance to win.'
He swallowed hard.
'Let's save the king and get rid of Archduke Berard!'