“There weren’t many dropouts, were there?”
“Hmph! It’s not for nothing that I’m a knight of the Sumner Family!”
Riding side-by-side on horseback, I was advancing while talking with Lady Isabel.
After a final training exercise against the undead, we were given five days of leave before heading to the lizardman settlement. The break was partly to refresh us mentally and physically, but also because some people dislike fighting. I wanted to give them time to escape.
During the vacation, they were allowed to do as they pleased with alcohol, food, and women, with as little restraint as possible. Fortunately, the number of dropouts was less than ten, and there was no problem with the organization’s functionality.
Regarding Lady Isabel, on the third day of my leave, she tearfully told me in bed, “I won’t rely on you anymore.” I want to believe it was a tear of determination about many things. I don’t want to think it was because I was unskilled.
There was also good news. One of the enslaved spies, codenamed “Shadow,” that Orietta had been working on for a long time had arrived. She was one of six beautiful dark elf sisters, the one who wet herself and was kicked flying by Priscilla. Her name was Reina, with silver hair and blue eyes, lightly armored in leather with a short sword. Her chest size… satisfactory.
Her sharp eyes seemed to well up whenever she looked at me. It’s because I’m her master, of course. I want her to do all sorts of things, like absolute obedience. All sorts of things… First, I sent her to scout the lizardman settlement.
“Master.”
It’s a nice-sounding phrase, one that could become a habit. She’s already back; her work is fast.
“There are about seven hundred lizardmen, and a considerable number are equipped with human swords and armor.”
“What?! They’re armed?”
“Yes, and there was a defensive fence built at the outskirts of the settlement.”
Hey! Hey! Hey! I wasn’t told anything like that. Having more numbers is fine, but being armed is bad, isn’t it? And holding human weapons, did someone pull strings from behind the scenes?
“That much can simply be kicked away.”
If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be doing exercises. But this is troublesome. There will likely be over two hundred men capable of fighting for the lizardmen, and if the women join, it might exceed three hundred. Three hundred against five hundred; we have the numbers, but in terms of quality, we need three times as many.
The White Lily Corps will probably have to go to the front lines, or we’ll lose. Considering the treatment of the injured, I can’t deploy Sophia to the front lines either. It will be tough without Rufina, who can use area-of-effect magic, and Orietta, who is heavily armored.
“Please continue your reconnaissance and report back to me once more before we engage. That would be helpful.”
“Understood, Master.”
With those words, Reina dashed off. It’s okay to run if you get into trouble. Also, while “Master” is fine, “Captain” is also acceptable.
“Lady Isabel, I’ll be returning to the White Lily Corps for a moment. Please station the supply troops five kilometers before the settlement and have the 6th Knight Order advance.”
“Understood. You’ll leave the subsequent command to me, won’t you?”
“Of course, Lady Isabel. However, as the White Lily Corps is treated as part of the training corps, I cannot hand over command authority.”
“Naturally. I’ll manage even without the White Lily Corps.”
Isabel seems to be trembling slightly. Is it the thrill of battle, or my love for her?
That said, I need to talk to the White Lily Corps. The enemy’s strength exceeds expectations. If we start as is, we will undoubtedly lose. Should the White Lily Corps go ahead and crush the lizardmen? That’s something we can do. It will lead to a strategic victory by weakening the lizardmen to some extent.
But if I could do that, I would have done it from the beginning. It’s not just about subjugating the lizardmen anymore. We need to win while giving the 6th Knight Order confidence.
This is annoying… Even Priscilla wouldn’t like this. Moreover, having to fight with two fewer members than expected puts us at a significant disadvantage against the lizardmen.
“Captain, what’s wrong?”
“Nyan-ta?” Did something happen, Priscilla? Did you get a makeover? If you’re going to say “nyan-ta,” you should say it to Alana. If you’re going to add a verbal tic, “nyaa” is cuter and better than “ssu.”
“Ahhh! What are you doing?! Why are you drinking!”
“This time, I’m just watching. It’ll be over if I sleep.”
I want to sing a song like chasing after a lycanthrope holding a sake barrel… Honestly, how can I express my current feelings? Anger and exasperation… I want to drink more.
Calm down, me. No, *I*. This is bad. I’ve never seen anyone this drunk before. She must have hated the exercises that much, I thought she was enjoying them. What was Christine doing? She’s usually the brake, but she deliberately averted her eyes.
“Priscilla, can you fight? We’re going to be killing lizardmen soon.”
“I’m not doing anything with lizardmen, nya. If I’m going to do anything, it’ll be with Mikael, nya.”
Priscilla’s hand beckons towards my chest. First, I’ll knead, knead… No! It’s not no! I… I don’t know what to do anymore. Is it only three people participating like this? How much can I do with just Christine and Alana?
“Priscilla, please drink slowly. I’ll finish this quickly.”
“When you’re done, we’ll do it, nya…”
Ah, I’ll kill them. I want to end this kind of work. But I didn’t expect Priscilla to be out of the fight either. Without regard for my predicament, she reached the planned supply point.
From now on, the combat unit and the supply unit will be separated, and only we, the combat unit, will advance. Let the supply unit manage weapons, prepare meals, and take care of Priscilla here.
Only the combat unit advanced, and about a kilometer from the settlement, my lovely black shadow appeared. Bringing unwelcome news.
“Master, the lizardmen are prepared for battle. The males have taken up arms and moved to the defensive fence. The females and children are moving to the south.”
That means they know we’re coming. Considering their armament, someone must be helping them. The lizardmen were probably scouting too. They’re waiting for us.
“Please convey that to Lady Isabel as well.”
“Understood, fine person.”
Wasn’t I their master? Well, it’s fine. This means we’re in for a tough fight, and the White Lily Corps will have to deploy. I thought we might manage with a surprise attack, but it seems we’ll have to go all out.
The White Lily Corps and the 6th Knight Order set up camp on the lake shore, which will be our battlefield. To the left is a lake with reeds, the center is a gravelly lakeshore, and to the right spreads a forest.
The lakeshore can only accommodate about fifty people from the Knight Order, but we can also reach the settlement through the forest. I wish we could surround them more and attack, but there’s no other way. We need to be careful with the cavalry.
When I went to Lady Isabel’s, a strategy was in place: one unit from the lakeshore and four units in the forest. The cavalry was stationed on the lakeshore side, ready to charge.
“Lady Isabel, shall we strike soon?”
“Ah, let’s start with a skirmish.”
The trumpet of advance sounded, and the knights moved forward. The three of us from the White Lily Corps were also assigned horses to participate as dragoons.
With unease and a sake barrel in hand, the battle on the lakeshore begins.
