Countess Haida Grizel. A person of memory, who died in the land of Nuyoo.
She was a silver-eyed woman who I met during a previous attack on a noble’s mansion. After the assault, it became widely known what happened at her residence, and she took responsibility by ceding her title to her son.
This is someone who shouldn’t be here. Someone who shouldn’t have died in Nuyoo. …Is the future unchangeable?
“Good day, Mikael.”
We arrived at the main camp last night and were praised for our rear-guard duty. We were then bothered by nobles making lighthearted remarks like, “Your reward can be anything you wish.”
When I went to check on everyone, Alana was in worse condition than I had expected. She was muttering “war compensation… war compensation…” with a dopey grin as she slept. She seems to be alright.
Thanks to Christine’s efforts, our retreat suffered minimal damage, and she even received a new epithet: “Goddess of Support.” She is certainly as beautiful as a goddess, but what does “Yokusans” mean? She shouldn’t use such difficult words.
It seems Sophia was stopped by the captain of the Owl Corps from giving her signal for support, so it looks like we won’t be able to work well with the 8th Unit.
I’ll deal with Rufina and Orietta later. That whip they put inside me was something else. As for a treat, I’ll swing my Buster Sword in bed.
I slept with Alana and Sophia, but Priscilla went out for some “drinking communication.” She’s lively, that one, and her legs are strong too.
First thing in the morning, after confirming Alana was stable, I headed to see our commander, whose name I don’t even know, to confirm today’s roles. On the way, Baron Krisel stopped me.
“Good day, Mikael.”
“Good morning, Baron Krisel.”
“I am no longer a Count. I have passed the title on to my son. I am now a Baron.”
“Is that so, forgive my oversight. Has your son reached adulthood already?”
“He technically had another year, but… various circumstances led me to transfer the title.”
Various circumstances… It was all Orietta’s aphrodisiac, but I thought it was for the best. If my memories are correct, she was supposed to be the overall commander for the assault on Stefan Castle and die in Nuyoo. I saved her life by having her step down, yet here she is in Nuyoo.
I also confirmed that Krisel had demoted from Count to Baron and had relinquished the title to his son. I thought this would prevent him from coming to Nuyoo, that I had changed the future…
“Were you participating in this Nuyoo campaign as well?”
“Not directly… I wanted to see if I could assist my son, Bernolt.”
You don’t have to. I thought I finally had a chance to change the future. If you die here, perhaps I can’t change the future. My memories are becoming vague now, and I wanted to feel like I was changing the future by ensuring you wouldn’t die.
“Are you participating in the campaign…?”
“Yes. There’s a full-scale assault tomorrow. My son has been assigned to the front lines to fill the gap in the shattered right flank. I intend to assist in any small way I can.”
“Then, what is your business for coming all this way? You wouldn’t have come just for small talk.”
“It’s helpful to have a commander who gets straight to the point, despite your youth.”
Baron Krisel chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand. Despite her sharp, silver eyes, she has a charming side.
“I want you to protect my son with the White Lily Corps. With your skill in defeating that Orc last time, and with the White Lily Corps protecting him during this battle, I’m sure my son will return alive.”
That’s asking too much, honestly. I can’t just leave my unit, and I doubt a mere Baron can dictate troop formations.
“Baron Krisel, that’s impossible due to wartime treaties. If we violate them, we won’t be able to take jobs from the Guild.”
“Can’t you make an exception? I’ll pay you.”
It’s not about money, I explained and discussed the penalties for breaking our promises for an hour, but Baron Krisel wouldn’t agree to anything. She finally left after saying, “I’ll think about it.” But I can’t blame her; her child’s life is on the line, so she can’t back down easily.
After being cornered by the Baroness, I went to see the commander and was immediately scolded, told to “stop getting cocky.” It’s disheartening to refuse a parent’s plea first thing in the morning.
The devastation the Baroness mentioned was indeed devastating. Less than ten percent of the vanguard on the right flank, the 5th Unit, survived. The central vanguard, the 1st and 2nd Units, also suffered significant losses.
Unfortunately, our rear guard, the 8th Unit, has been reassigned to the right flank’s rear guard. Who will protect our backs and guard us from magical attacks? Even if we don’t let Alana participate in combat, we’ll need Sophia back, or the catapults will be dangerous.
We aren’t deploying today, but tomorrow’s all-out assault will decide the battle. If they were so easily devastated, they can’t afford to lose this fight. Perhaps I should prepare everyone to escape.
However, I’m still concerned about Baron Krisel. She might be the trigger for changing the future. …Or maybe not. The only certainty in the future is the appearance of the Demon Army. Did God make my memories vague to stop me from retracing them, or is He just being mischievous?
I wracked my limited brain and returned to where everyone was.
“It seems the right flank has been annihilated.”
Upon returning to everyone, I relayed the information from the commander and everything concerning Baroness Haida Grizel, asking for their opinions. It’s a shame Priscilla, who had gone out for “drinking communication,” wasn’t back.
“There’s no need to do it. It violates the treaty.”
I said the same thing.
“If we violate the treaty, we won’t get work from the Mercenary Guild~”
I repeated that many times.
“I agree to killing.”
I didn’t say that.
“Does the captain want to help her? Because the Baroness is beautiful…”
The first part, yes. The second part, no?
“…”
Christine stood up abruptly and began to walk away. I stopped her. It’s not good to leave a conversation midway.
“…If she dies, this conversation will end.”
Today, you are the most frightening.
“If Baroness Haida Grizel fought as a warrior, I wouldn’t care. But she is fighting as a mother. If she hadn’t demoted, she might have stood on the front lines as a warrior. Don’t we bear some responsibility, since we were the cause?”
Even as mercenaries, they are still women. When they heard she was fighting as a mother, no one could speak. Was it too sly of me to use the keyword “mother” for my own objectives?
“Even if we were to do it, how would we do it?”
Priscilla seemed somewhat motivated. Even as a Lycanthrope, she’s still a woman. Plus, she’s beautiful, her chest is large, her figure is great, and she’d be a good cuddle… Let’s get back to the topic.
“I have no idea at all. What should we do?”
Assuming we can get Baroness Haida to handle the catapults, the problem is the Golems. Neither large nor small Golems are opponents we can ordinarily contend with.
“Spare me, Captain.”
I’m the Captain, not “Taisho.” How can we, the people on the left flank, bypass the center and help the people on the right flank… That’s why I’m consulting you.
Everyone who became motivated offered various suggestions. Two people proposed the idiotic idea of “crushing the center and passing through,” which was rejected. The discussion dragged on without any conclusion.
“All forces withdraw.” Unexpected help from Commander-in-Chief Magjull. Please give me a boarding pass too.
