Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Chapter 264

-Aegir POV-

3000 out of the 15 000 Royal army soldiers were assigned as convoys to deliver the prisoners back to Odoros while the remaining 12 000, led by me, will head to provide back up for the governorate army .

「If we meet up with the governorate army, we won't fall behind in terms of numbers even if we redirect a portion of our soldiers now . 」

「If we're going to crowd in this small base, it'll be impossible either way for Karudia to be conquered without reinforcements . 」

Leopolt and Tristan offer their insight .

「If the chief is going, the enemy will quickly be routed!」

Gido is speaking in an unusually cheerful tone .

Sweat seems to be dripping down his healthily tanned forehead even though it's not hot .

「「……」」

「It's not good to fuck one of the town girls! Cumming down her throat and choking her isn't good either . 」

Celia, Myla and even Irijina pressures him, making him feel uncomfortable .

He still has much to learn .

「I returned Malin back to her husband and did everything I could for things to go smoothly . 」

We matched our stories and told him nothing happened so their relationship was not affected negatively .

「It couldn't have gone well!」

Myla snaps back .

「Who is going to believe you when you bring her back covered in hickies while supporting her unsteady legs and then say 'nothing happened'?」

Celia also follows up .

「You heard her ask 'will I see you again?' in front of her husband while blushing, didn't you? Her husband was slamming the ground frustratingly!」

Oh, he was?

「Not to mention you said 'thanks, it was fun' while giving her a kiss right in front of her husband . 」

「That girl, she replied with 'It felt so good I thought I went to heaven' . 」

Well, don't sweat the small details .

「Anyways, we should be able to see the enemy base soon, right? The information we received prior made it seem like a small base . 」

If we were to assume the enemy actually drove the 10 000 soldiers of the governorate army back, does that mean the base has been turned into a fortress?

Or perhaps they had over 5000 soldiers stationed there?

「We can't form a plan based on the limited information from the messenger . We need to assess the situation in person . 」

In any case, the one who formulates the plan is Leopolt or Tristan, so I can leave that to them .

What eventually comes into our sight is black smoke rising into the sky .

It looks like they had a fierce fight .

「It seems like the governorate army constructed their own encampments . They suffered quite some damage . 」

Myla's voice becomes grim .

The governorate army positioned themselves in an area outside the town where arrows wouldn't reach them and set up camps .

They propped up simple fences and dug shallow moats .

And then they launched flaming rocks accompanied by that familiar sound .

They probably put together the catapults within their camps while continuing their attack .

The rocks crashed into the enemy camp, causing flames to spread and smoke to rise, but the enemy quickly controlled the damage .

From that, they determined that it won't be easy to bring down the city .

「Are they planning to drag out the battle?」

This fight is supposed to prepare us to conquer Karudia .

They were supposed to finish this base off quickly so we can move on to the main event .

「R-reinforcements!」「Thank goodness…… with that we can pull through somehow . 」

The governorate army soldiers cheer when they see us .

I wave my hand in response, but I'm surely not smiling .

「Get me Governor General Dunois . 」

That strict-sounding voice surprised even myself .

A soldier quickly runs to the headquarters .

「Their morale is in ruins . It's like they weren't prepared to attack at all . 」

Wittmann comments in an exasperated tone .

I wonder why their morale is so low .

Soon after the Royal army entered the camp, Dunois and the other commanders gathered .

I can also see some familiar faces among them .

If I remember correctly, they're Baka, Aho and Oroka . 1

「Awawa, what a blunder . 」「A truly frightening situation . 」「I deserve to prostrate . 」

The worn out and trembling trio plus Dunois, who casually lowers his head, don't seem particularly shy .

Nothing will come of them apologizing, so seeing them be so excessively grateful kind of annoys me .

I speak to Dunois who is standing in front of me .

「Tell me what happened . 」

Honestly, if he tells me that the attack failed because of his subordinates' incompetence, I can only reply with 'I see' .

When it gets to the point where these three idiots are the only choice to handle leading soldiers, you can't help but feel sorry for them .

「We conducted two total attacks; the first one didn't get over the wall while the second barely made it inside only to be counterattacked by a strong enemy, isolated, and destroyed . Ever since then, our morale hasn't gone up and we weren't able to mount a decent attack . 」

「How many casualties?」

「1000 deaths, plus another 2000 who are injured and immobilized . 」

The enemy should have at most 2000 soldiers, how one-sided was the battle for it to turn out like this .

「DIdn't I tell you that it was lazy to launch rocks endlessly?」

Myla flares up at Dunois .

As a soldier, she probably can't agree with the shabby way he does things .

「Wha-, how dare a mere Baron like you speak to Count Dunois like that!」

「How arrogant of someone so useless as you to speak to the Governor General in that manner!」

「You deserve to be impeached!」

As the three of them get angry, they start surrounding Myla .

What unpleasant things are these guys doing to my woman?

「Shut up . 」

I kick over a table, which makes a loud slamming noise as it hits the ground .

Crap, it shattered to pieces .

「「「Hiiiiiiiih!!」」」

The three of them grab each other and collapse on the spot in fear .

「If you have time to pick a fight after a single thing was said, then go quickly reorganize your squads . Along with the Royal army-……」

Before I could say 'start attacking', Leopolt whispered something in my ear from behind .

「The enemy is in high spirits, trying to conduct a siege with just brute force will likely result in many casualties . I have plan so let's have them attack on their own for now . 」

「……after reorganizing, the governorate army will quickly resume attacking . Mount your third all out attack . 」

「At once!」「Awawawawa!」「Hiieh!」

If Leopolt says so, everything should be fine .

It was probably worth destroying the table, since it didn't take long for them to completely reorganize their armies and get ready to attack before evening .

「Begin the attack . 」

At Dunois's command, the 7000 of the governorate army marches out altogether towards the city walls .

The city's defences are not much different to that of the base we brought down earlier .

The simple fences and empty ditches scream out hurried construction .

「The morale of the soldiers are abnormally low . 」

Myla mutters as she watches the governorate army advance forward .

I don't know if they're disappointed that neither us or the Royal army will be participating but they seem to be moving unwillingly .

Their pace is slow and out of sync, plus they seem uncoordinated and unstable .

「They've entered the range for arrows . 」

As soon as Celia reports, arrows from both armies fly past each other at the same time and towards each respective side .

Despite losing some soldiers, the governorate army still has close to three times the enemy's forces and the number of arrows is overwhelmingly many .

However the side which seems to panic from the soaring arrows is clearly the governorate side .

No more than 100 were taken down yet their formation is scattered and their marching speed slows down further .

Because of that disorganization, the next volley resulted in even more casualties .

Wittmann and I scowl .

When we look at each other, we could tell the other was thinking the same thing, 'what a horrible sight to see' .

「They're past the wall . They're starting their attack!」

Gido shouts .

It didn't matter how disorganized they were, with close to three times the enemy's numbers, arrows alone couldn't stop their advance .

I don't know if demolishing that table had any effect, but the commanders are desperately shouting at their soldiers .

The axe-wielding soldiers broke apart the fences and gates, those holding ladders put them against the wall and start climbing up .

And then soldiers start clashing within the gates and on top of the walls…… .

「Aaah-ah, that's no good . 」

Tristan sighs .

Their allies have invaded past the gates, yet the rearguard doesn't appear enthused . .

In fact, they're trying their best not to move forward, their steps becoming lackadaisical .

They seem almost apologetic when they release their arrows and weakly prop up their spearline to threaten the enemy only .

「They're not giving their all . It's so obvious they don't want to fight . They won't win like this even if they had ten times the number of soldiers . 」

Tristan's exactly right, the situation is gradually worsening .

The soldiers fighting on top of the walls were chased down and killed while those fighting within the gates are quickly routed .

Since no allies followed behind, the invading squads within enemy territory were waiting to be surrounded .

Although orders were given for the others to provide support, the soldiers didn't react in time to help .

I glance at Leopolt and he nods like everything was going as planned .

「Move the rearguard up more . Get Viscount Bonsho's battalion……」

Dunois tries to regroup his army by giving out instructions .

「We won't win if we continue like this anyways . Let's retreat . 」

「……alright . 」

Trumpets sounded to signal the retreat and the soldiers of the governorate army ran backwards, seemingly with a look of relief on their faces, while the commanders look pale .

The enemies chased all the way up to the gate, then gave up after seeing the Royal army waiting outside on standby .

It looks like the enemy's commander is superior to Dunois .

「The soldiers aren't listening to what we say, so that's why we were defeated!」

「It was because the other battalion didn't help that we lost!」

「The headwind reduced the power of our arrows, that's why we lost!」

The three idiots each gave excuses for their defeat after returning .

They went with the classics; 'it was my subordinates' fault', 'it was my ally's fault', 'it was the weather's fault' .

「That's enough, go reorganize again . 」

I don't bother reprimanding them before dismissing them and then look to Leopolt .

「You're satisfied with that, right?」

Leopolt nods slowly .

「Yes, thank you for being patient . The enemy feels that they've defeated us but feel a new threat from the reinforcing Royal army」

「What should we do next?」

「Set up camp for the night, light up many bonfires and illuminate the catapults . 」

I think for a second .

「So the fires will be in the camps while we have the soldiers wait somewhere else . 」

Leopolt's movements stop for a split second .

He's as expressionless as ever but his eyes seem to widen slightly…… I think that was just my imagination though .

「I didn't expect Lord Hardlett to understand . 」

That was the only thing Leopolt said before he left to make his own preparations .

Fufufu, so I surprised even him .

I take a look around feeling good about myself .

Then I see Myla look troubled .

I take a deep breath and it suddenly came to me .

「……If I think about it, that guy's been treating me like a fool . 」

I look for Leopolt so I can complain but he isn't around anymore .

Whatever, you'll do .

「Wah, what are you doing!? Stop that! I'm not involved at all . 」

I pull the ear of Tristan who was yawning on the side .

You're a staff officer too, this is called joint liability .

「That's so mean . This is tyranny . That's why I hate the army . 」

I continue dragging the grumbling Tristan, pulling his ear not hard enough to tear it off, as I look in the distance at Dunois .

He gives an excuse like the three idiots and gets happy when he doesn't get scolded, meaning he probably doesn't have much sentiment about it anymore .

He doesn't get mad, he doesn't seem urgent, he doesn't even seen sad either .

It appears he is indifferent to everything he does

「It's bad enough with Leopolt like that……」

Unlike his sour face though, Dunois looks like something in his head is completely broken .

「I need to stop . I'll start feeling depressing too . 」

It's not like I'll be living my whole life with him .

After this rebellion is suppressed, I can say farewell to him .

Let's not think about this too deeply .

Late night .

In the dead of night, only our allied camps are brightly lit up .

I rest my chin on Schwartz's head and gaze at the light .

「Do you see anything out of the ordinary?」

「No problems here . 」

Celia reports promptly .

We secretly left the campgrounds and hide ourselves in the dark night .

Besides us, the Royal army have also hidden themselves in several other places around the camps .

Of course, they did not light any fires .

「Without campfires, it's cold at night . We might just end up catching colds if the enemy doesn't come . 」

Thinking I could at least keep my hands warm, I shove them inside Celia's armor .

While reluctant at first, she eventually guides my hands to the warm pocket in her crotch to warm my fingers .

Fufufu, when it's dark like this the others can't see anything we're doing .

「They'll definitely come . With an inferior number, high morale among their allies and their recent victory…… adding to that the carelessly lit campfires, all the conditions would be met for them . There is only one way the enemy can win . 」

Leopolt seems sure of himself .

「In a certain sense, I'm grateful for the incompetence of the governorate army . After fighting so poorly that many times, the enemy won't be wary of our traps . 」

Tristan doesn't seem to have any doubts either .

The plan is simple .

We pretend to set up camp and position our entire army in the surrounding area around the campgrounds .

We invite them to ambush us and turn the tables of them instead, instantly wiping out the enemy forces .

In preparation, we knowingly had the governorate army make a failed attack and carelessly set up camp .

Illuminating the catapults is to threaten them, saying 'we'll be using these things to hurl rocks tomorrow' .

That will trigger them into wanting to destroying those siege weapons before we can use them .

I stick my fingers deeper into Celia's pocket and when I start feeling a warm liquid, I start hearing a faint sound .

「They're here . 」

「Aau . 」

When I quickly remove three fingers, Celia lets out a soft moan .

When I strain my ears, I can hear the rustling sound of dry grass being stepped on .

「The enemy is here . Their numbers are unknown…… but they probably have no more than 100 or 200 . 」

That's to be expected .

We have more than 20 000 .

They might be ambushing us, but it's not going to have any effect unless they gather a certain number of soldiers .

It won't be strange even if they sent their entire army .

「I don't hear any metal scraping sounds from their armor . That works in our favor . 」

Myla turns to me and smiles .

In order to prevent themselves from being sensed, they're wearing light equipment rather than heavy armor .

That's common sense when carrying out an ambush but the worst choice for them .

「We'll engulf the enemy in time with their attack . 」

The enemy while still on the move remains alert since they don't know when they'll be discovered so they'll end up escaping if we attack too hastily .

The best timing to spring the trap is right when the enemy is about to attack .

That time soon came .

「Chargeee!!」

The enemies who approached with bated breath eventually stood up and, along with the commander's shout, ran forward while yelling out their own war cries .

「Charge!」

I also gave out the order at the same time and our soldiers rush out from the sides of the enemy who ran into the unmanned camps .

Having been fully prepared from the start, ally archers immediately nock flaming arrows to their bows .

「They got us! We walked right into a trap!」

An enemy exclaims, but it's already too late .

They've ventured in too deep for them to do anything at this point .

They can't regroup their disorderly ranks after their charge spread them apart .

Ally soldiers hidden around the enemies instantly loose their flaming arrows .

A rain of light poured down on the heads of the enemy, shining light on the entire field .

「The enemy has roughly 2000! I believe that is pretty much the entire army . 」

「Alright, then we can move on after cleaning them up . Go!」

「「「Ooooooooh!!」」」

The collective shouts from our ally soldiers drown out the voices of the enemy as they close in from all directions .

The governorate army with low morale is waiting behind us, but even without them we have more than 10 000 to the enemy's 2000 .

On top of the enemy being surrounded on all sides except the back, they're only equipped with light armor geared for ambushes .

They have no way to win at this point .

「I was going to head out…… guess not . 」

「There is no need anymore . Please hold back . 」

In just a few minutes after the start of battle, the enemy has already collapsed .

Resistance has decreased to almost nothing and they're only focusing on running back to their own camp .

「After them . We'll follow them right into the city!」

Wittmann roars, deploying his troops to chase the enemy .

「Oh, he did it . 」

A soldier is waving a torch above the gates of the city walls .

「Agor's battalion has secured the gate . Our entire army can push through . 」

Wittmann states happily .

We'll return the ambush by stealing the gate .

If we can finish them off as cleanly as this, it makes even me feel good .

「It's over . The enemy has no more moves available . We'll wait until dawn before the whole army steps in . 」

Leopolt remains expressionless as he speaks .

Your plan worked like a charm .

I still haven't forgotten how you treated me like an idiot though .

One day I'll get you to spill the beans on your sex life with Nina and then expose it on the bulletin board for all the people of Rafen to see .

And so the enemy's night raid squad was annihilated, most of whom got either shot to death or completely surrounded and forced to surrender .

It was doubtful whether ten percent made it back to the city safely .

We've already captured the gate so we have no need to hurry .

We'll wait for the sun to rise and slowly make our way inside .

The Next Morning .

「What is this?」

With the enemy powerless to put up any resistance, we waited until sunrise to invade the city…… there we saw a shocking scene .

「……I believe they're corpses of the residents . 」

「I know that . 」

I unconsciously snap back at Wittmann's honest answer .

Sorry, this is making me quite heated .

After walking into the city, we were about to head towards the feudal lord's mansion to search for any remaining enemies holding out, while also doing a brief investigation of the city to ensure there were no traps .

Then we found this .

It was the rubble from tearing down several residential homes to create a defensive structure of sorts and the mountain of corpses .

None of the bodies were armed and the corpses were clearly that of ordinary residents .

All of them were killed with swords or spears, and they ranged from young men to elderly to girls and children .

「Aegr-sama, I've searched the town and all the houses are empty . Probably these are-……」

Celia gives me the report .

This town is about the same size as the other town we took over so it should similarly have around 1000 residents living in the houses .

The number of bodies laying in front of me just happen to be around that amount .

「Killing even women and children…… what devils!」

Myla angrily slams her sword into the ground .

Agor remains upright and motionless but I can feel his anger .

I crouch down in front of a woman's corpse .

Her clothes are disheveled and anybody could surmise what had happened to her .

After I cover her with a blanket and close her eyes with my hand, her face seems to become a little more relaxed .

「To not just kill citizens…… but women in particular, what a fool . 」

I don't know these people so I'm not sad .

I just feel anger building up from thinking about how these guys from the independent faction tormented harmless women who can't defend themselves .

If the girls of this city were still alive, they may have eventually become my women .

Those guys took that possibility away .

「Aegir-sama! Survivors!!」

My attention shifts to Celia when she shouts .

So there were some still alive .

Agor nods and sends some soldiers in their direction .

「There are twenty of them, just young females!」

「What did you say!?」

I run past Agor and the other soldiers after hearing this unexpected follow-up news .

The girls were hiding in a shed-like building .

All of them weren't wearing any clothes, probably because they were used to comfort soldiers .

「S-starting from noon time?」「U-understood……」

Seeing armed individuals, the girls sadly laid on the ground and spread their legs .

Their abused genitals were swollen red and painful to look at .

Given the circumstances, this isn't the time to be mounting them .

「It's alright now . We chased away the independent faction . 」

I tightly embrace one of the scared women .

「Are you perhaps from the governorate faction!?」

The woman looks relieved for a split second before tensing up again .

How strange, the governorate faction are not allies to them?

I hug the girl again .

「We are an army of Goldonia . We won't do anything cruel to you . You're all safe now . 」

After saying that, I kiss the girl softly .

And then, not only the girl I kissed, all of them after making a blank face, slowly relaxed .

「……u……u, ueeeeeh!! We're saved!」

The girls burst into tears and cling to me .

I reluctantly separate from them and let Agor's soldiers watch over them .

「No matter what, don't lay your hands on them . Your heads will roll if you do . 」

「Yessir!」

All of them belong to me now .

I smile at the sobbing girls before glaring towards the feudal lord's mansion, the final place occupied by the independent faction .

Even I can feel my expression change rapidly .

「Follow me . 」

I take the lead and climb the stone steps toward the mansion .

「Yessir!」

Nobody can stop me .

After taking a look at my face, the Royal army soldiers standing in front turn their hips and let me pass by .

There is a pitiful barricade in front of the mansion .

A man resembling a commander appears and shouts at me .

「T-the Honorable commander has prepared to negotiate with the Goldonia army and…… gyaaaaah!!」

I don't let him finish his sentence, skewer him with my longsword, then throw him onto the stone stairs .

Blood sprays out of the commander as he rolls down all the way to the bottom step .

「Hmph!」

Without wasting time, I swing my sword again and knock down the barricade .

The temporary construction consisting of tables, chairs, and the like stood no chance against my sword .

I ignore the blankly staring soldiers on either side of me and kick the door of the mansion .

The door creaks loudly, meaning there must be a bolt placed behind it .

「T-the commander-dono wants to negotiate terms for surrendering……」

I pay no attention to the voice coming from the other side of the door, take my sword and cut down the door .

As the thick door falls over, I see that man who was trying to say something sliced in half, following the door and collapsing to the ground .

Behind me, my escort squad is taking out the soldiers I ignored with their spears .

「Now, where's the ringleader?」

In response to my rhetorical question, an enemy soldier readies his spear and charges at me .

I see, it's where the soldiers are coming from, right?

I deflect the spearhead up with the middle section of my sword then bash my fist into his face .

「Gabbeh!」

I grab the neck of the soldier as he coughs out blood from his mouth, crush his throat, lift him up and throw the body back where the other soldiers are coming from .

The man wrapped in armor had enough weight to knock over the two soldiers he crashed into .

I silently run past the soldier who fell on his ass, cracking his head with my longsword open on the way before moving on and stomping on the head of the other soldier completely fallen on the ground .

「Now, which way?」

The path splits in two directions .

I guess I'll have to pick one side and take a peek .

「Uwaah!」

My body moves on its own as I encounter three enemies after I turned the corner .

Before the enemy could react, I slash diagonally at one soldier, turn my blade to another and slice his stomach .

I bash the last one with the mid part of my sword and break his arm, forcing him to drop his sword .

I tear off his helmet before the man could scream, grab him by the hair and pull him close to me .

「Where is your commander?」

「Hiiiiiiiih! S-spare me!」

A wet stain appears on the man's crotch and he shakes like a wet puppy .

Am I making such a scary face?

I might actually be since I'm in quite the bad mood right now .

「I'll think about it so answer me . 」

「At the end of the hallway on the right! Please, just spare me!」

I see .

I pause for a few seconds while holding the man by the hair .

「I thought about it and I still can't do it . This is farewell . 」

「N-no way! Guaaaaah!」

I hurl the man against the wall .

The man's neck bends in a strange direction after he flies head first into the wall, then he spasms once before going limp .

I didn't lie, I really thought about it .

Celia and the others caught up to me just now too .

Now it's time to meet this boss .

The place the enemy soldier told me about is a remarkably large room, most likely the dance hall .

Seated on a chair on the elevated stage is a man in his forties .

「Y-you're the commander of the governorate army aren't you? I am Agrum and I want to negotiate with your commander……」

So he's apparently mistaking me for a simple commander .

I don't have any intention of listening to him so I speak over top .

「Were the residents massacred on your orders?」

Taken aback slightly from being interrupted, the man pauses before objecting to my accusation .

「Let's not talk about-」

「I asked if you were the one who killed those women . 」

I don't remember being that angry .

But the man felt pressured and looked like he was about to fall off his chair .

I really didn't need to ask, I was just checking to make sure .

「W-well, it was revenge, besides the one who committed the barbaric act in the first place was-」

「I've heard enough . 」

I'm not interested to know the background behind it .

All I need to know is that you were responsible .

I hold my sword firmly in my right hand .

At the same time, Celia and the escort squad run into the room .

「Kuh, Peritos, get him!!」

The old man hastily retreats to the back and another man steps forward to take his place in front of me .

He is about 170 cm tall with a slightly smaller build and can be considered thin .

「Move aside . 」

「I can't do that . 」

Then I'll cut you down .

「Will it…… go that smoothly!?」

The man draws the sword at his hip and comes at me with consecutive thrusts .

「Nn!」

I wanted to casually sidestep and counterattack, but the man's sword is faster than I thought .

I lost sight of the quick-moving sword, then tilt my neck to the side on instinct .

The tip of his sword manages to graze my cheek, making a small cut and drawing a trickle of blood .

「So you dodged my killer thrust!」

I swing my sword to try and respond to his attack, but the man ducks under my longsword and once again charges at me .

I widen my eyes to determine where the strike is coming from, then dodge by a hair's breadth .

「Tch, that was close!」

Still, the thrust was sharper than my expectations and my other cheek got scraped too .

「S-so fast! I can't see the thrust!」

「Aegir-sama! Please pull back for now! Let the escort squad overpower him . 」

Gido and Celia try to plead me to do something, but I'm not listening .

I don't think relying on pure strength is a good idea against this opponent .

I inspect the man again .

Being a lightweight and smaller man, he can dish out swift attacks repeatedly .

He only has a thin and slim one-handed sword without a shield, meaning he fights under the pretense that he will dodge all blows, also signified by the light armor he's wearing .

「It's my turn next . 」

I get into a stance with my longsword raised above my head .

「Hmph! You can't hit me with a sword that only has size!」

I wonder about that .

I rush at the man and swing down my sword as hard as I can .

The sword slams into the ground and shatters the stone floor .

He was able to barely dodge it .

「So I missed……」

「Ooh, Peritos has the advantage!」

「He is a swordsman who went undefeated at a tournament in Magrado, he won't lose to anyone if it's one-on-one!」

The men from the independent faction cheer from behind him .

Meanwhile, cold sweat runs down the back of the man called Peritos .

「How can he move that fast with that body…… no, ignore that! S-such a sluggish attack won't hit me! I'll finish this right here!」

He proceeds to unleash his third thrust .

This time, he aims for my eye .

His aim has been really accurate from the start .

If I rely on the dragon skin armor too much, it feels like he'll aim for the gaps .

I block his thrust with my arm guard and take a step in before sweeping my sword horizontally .

「Hiih!」

Peritos drastically decelerates and crouches, narrowly avoiding my blade .

That was close…… I was sure I cut him in half with that .

「Aegir-sama swung and missed twice……」

「But the chief, he can see that thrust now . 」

As expected of Gido to notice .

I couldn't see the first thrust at all and used my instincts to dodge .

I thought I saw through the second thrust but I was a bit overly optimistic .

I was able to completely see the third thrust, though his nimbleness helped him avoid my counterattack .

Anyways, this guy is fast .

Watching him once or twice was enough though .

「The next strike will end it . 」

I grin at Peritos, who flares up in anger when he sees it .

I wasn't trying to provoke him, what a short-tempered guy .

「Nonsense! I'll stab through your head!!」

He thrusts at me with his sword the fastest he has done so far, however I've already gotten used to his attacks .

I raise my longsword and easily parry the thrust .

His sword and his body are both lightweight so blocking the attack doesn't throw me off balance .

「Take this!」

I distort my body and once again deflect the follow up thrust .

It'll be hard to hit this nimble man, so it might be worth trying .

Using the momentum from repelling his attack, I unleash a horizontal sweep with my sword, but he just dodges the way he did last time since the speed and method of my attack were the same .

My stance opened up .

「I've got you now!!」

Peritos adjusts the trajectory of his sword and slashes at my leading body .

My sword is being held in my right hand and moving to the far side so I couldn't defend myself .

My left hand was empty so he smiled, feeling certain of his victory .

That's right, like this…… .

「I got you . 」

As his sword targets my neck, I read the line of attack and grab it tightly with my left hand .

「Wha- impossible!!」

He hastily tries to pull his sword back, however my arm guard is also made form the dragon's skin so he can't cut through, he would have no way of winning if he tries to compete with me in terms of pure strength .

「It's over . 」

I exert my strength into my left hand and break the thin sword with a crisp metal snap .

The front kick I delivered at the same time lands cleanly to the pit of his stomach .

Peritos gets sent flying backwards amusingly, rolls on the floor and then crashes into the wall .

「Gahh! Goh! I-I still haven't lost……」

As he coughs and tries to get back up, I'm already in front of him swinging my sword .

「When did you-!?」

I just chased after you .

I'm not trying to brag, but I don't move that slow .

「P-please wait! Let's start over……」

Unfortunately this isn't a tournament .

The fight won't stop even after your weapon breaks .

I bring down my longsword as Peritos sticks out his half-broken sword .

His right arm…… more like the entire right half of his body was cut off, and he dies instantly without so much as making a sound .

A fountain of blood squirts out and covers my body .

After getting stained from head to toe, I slowly turn towards Agrum .

「Now, let's continue where we left off . You were the one who killed the defenseless girls, right?」

「Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiih!」

I stab my sword into the ground, and squeeze the old man's head in between my hands .

「It was for revenge! Besides, you as part of the Goldonian army has nothing to do with this……」

But when I found that pile of corpses, it made me feel horrible .

I won't be able to enjoy my time with women with a clear mind in the future if I don't kill you .

I squeeze his head harder .

「Aagghghagh . 」

His head makes creaking sounds as it stretches vertically .

The man foams at the mouth and he flails his arms and legs .

「Mungh . 」

I continue squeezing until the man's head explodes like a watermelon and his resistance ceases .

「His head was crushed by his bare hands……」「M-monster!」「Demon!」

The independent faction nobles curse at me .

I take a look at all those present and don't see any girls among them .

Good, I'm glad .

I look to Gido and give an order like it was the most natural thing .

「Kill them all . 」

「Yessir!」

The escort squad immediately take action and rush at the nobles .

They draw their swords as well, but I don't expect a few lightly armed nobles to do anything to several dozens of heavily armed soldiers .

Cries of death and the sound of blades piercing flesh can be heard resounding throughout the mansion .

-Third Person POV-

Side Story: 40

「Mel-sama, how do you like this one?」

「It has a nice fragrance~」

Mel takes the perfume presented to her by the merchant and tests it by applying some on her arm .

「This perfume has an effect of making the skin smooth . The nectar of a special flower which only grows in the city state Diace was used in the making of this product . 」

Mel happily applies the perfume and tilts her head cutely .

「That is fine, the one I've been using also makes my skin silky smooth . What makes this different . 」

The merchant deliberately pretends to look around, checking to see if anyone is watching .

「In fact, there are ingredients mixed into this perfume which would make men aroused . On top of that, the scent will last even after you take a bath…… it will surely improve your life with your husband . 」

Mel elegantly covers her face with her hand .

「Geez, what are you recommending to a mature lady like me!?」

It was clear Mel was happy through her blushing .

「What do you think? I can prepare a small bottle for you . 」

「Gosh…… just give me all of it . 」

「Thank you very much for your purchase!!」

Mel was a good customer for this merchant .

The legal wife Nonna was hard to please and fussy, yelling after finding one thing she isn't satisfied with .

The amount of products she buys is too much in the first place, if he sells at too high a price he would risk clashing with the Flitch company .

If that happened, a small makeup peddler like him would be stripped naked and thrown to the wastelands .

Nobody would pay attention to him if he kept transactions small and didn't sell through the company .

As for Carla, she has certain unprecedented traits and also doesn't have a desire to purchase luxury items .

She would not be a likely buyer of products like makeup or perfume .

In comparison, Mel is a good customer who makes up a large portion of his total sales, has a gentle disposition, and doesn't cause problems .

In the past when he accepted advance payment for goods he couldn't secure - a fatal problem for merchants - Mel just smiled and said 'get the product to her as soon as possible' .

He could not imagine an angel like Mel could make an angry face .

It was because of that .

「Mel-sama has such pretty skin . Totally……」

The merchant made a mistake .

「It totally doesn't seem like the skin of someone at 40 years old . 」

The air froze .

It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop .

It was as if the world stopped moving .

The smile on Mel's face disappeared and her kind, narrow eyes slowly opened .

The merchant couldn't move a muscle, as if being held down by an invisible force .

「Pretty skin, you say . Ufufu . 」

An icy smile appears on Mel's lips .

「How old do I look to you?」

While the merchant struggles to open his mouth, the sounds around him seem to grow strangely loud .

My stomach hurts, oooh, I'm going to let out a big one2!

You ate too much, madam!

「Ah, ah…… thirty si-……」

Mel's eyes narrow .

There is a limit to flattery too .

Saying something like "An obese lady is thin" or "An ugly female is otherworldly beautiful" would sound sarcastic and would have the opposite effect .

But right now, it was fine just to subtract five years from her actual age and call her 36 .

The background noise once again became loud .

I made it somehow, hnngh—-

Madam, please try not to be so loud, It will echo in the halls!

「3…… 2…… about 18!?」

The merchant took a gamble .

He looked to the ground after saying that .

「……」

When he realized there was no response, he slowly lifted his head up…… .

Mel was smiling warmly again .

「Geez, my eldest daughter is already 20 years old, how could I be 18? Ufufufu, flattery won't work on me . 」

That was the smile he knew and loved .

（Let's forget that, she is a kind and important customer . ）

The merchant erased what happened from his memory, then quietly left the mansion after selling Mel the perfume .

Clara, Clara, look . It looks just like a giant serpent!

Don't show me something like that—- eh, uwah the toilet broke!

The merchant carefully puts away the hefty sum of money he gained from selling the perfume and makes his way to the capital, promising to procure the face lotion for Mel as quickly as possible .

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett . 24 years old . Winter .

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 .

Citizens: 175,000 . Refugees: 1000

Major Cities - Rafen: 26,000 . Lintbloom: 5000 . Vandolea Special Town: 9000 .

Accompanying:

Leopolt (staff officer), Tristan (staff officer), Celia (adjutant), Myla (angry), Irijina (angry)

Gido (angry), Christoph (escort troops), Wittmann (Royal army corps commander, angry), Agor (angry)

Dunois (Magrado Governor General)

Army under command:

Royal Army - 4th Army Corps: 14 700 men, Governorate Army: 6500 men

Escort Squad: 100, Retinue of Trio: 100

Assets: 19,570 gold (toilet repair + reinforcement -20)

Sexual Partners: 408, children who have been born: 55 + 555 fish