Northwest Marukoku.
Border Line.
A Demoted Man, staring down the sheer cliffs as he had every day.
The chirping and whistling of the birds nesting on the cliffs signaled peace, as they did every day.
“…Huh?”
The sound of horse hooves neared, and I turned around.
Hmm? They’re moving quite fast.
Something must have happened. But does it concern me?
I was stripped of my General’s rank, demoted, and now all I do is stare at these sheer cliffs in my current state. What business could they possibly have with me???
“General White—-!?”
“Please, hurry back to the homeland (Royal Capital) with us!”
As soon as a group arrived, accompanying a whirlwind of horses, they declared they wanted to transport me back to the homeland.
If it’s a Royal Command, I have no choice but to comply.
What in the world is going on?
Ah, I see. The epidemic is still ongoing.
It was a forced march of two days to the homeland by horse.
Upon arrival, my horse collapsed.
“How are you?”
“General White, please hurry.”
“We’ll take care of your horse.”
An escort of Civil Officials guided me, and I stood before the King.
“General White, I apologize for summoning you so suddenly.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty. If the King commands me, I will come from anywhere.”
I must have heard wrong. The King definitely called me “General.”
This means something has happened to a newly appointed general.
And that’s why they sent for me.
Am I to return to a fiercely contested zone?
I already miss staring at the sheer cliffs.
After much deliberation, I was ordered to repel, or rather, annihilate, the Barbarian Army that had broken through the Southwest Front.
I would lead half of the homeland’s defense forces to halt the invading Barbarian Army and drive them back.
“We will establish a defense line here! Drive stakes in sparsely! Create a makeshift fence! The majority of these barbarians are infantry—! We can win if we attack from inside the fence!”
“Yes!!”
By Royal Command, the morale of the soldiers was quite high.
By the time the defense line was ready.
I regretted that the villages along the way had been attacked by the barbarians.
However, we will deal with the enemy precisely.
Rest assured, you can depart this world in peace. If they were to become Yok and cause secondary damage, fighting successive battles would be too difficult.
“Barbarians! The Barbarian Army has appeared—!!”
“Alright, you lot—! They must not have had much of a break at all up to this point! Avenge your comrades to your heart’s content!”
“OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!”
Our fighting spirit was high.
The defense line, though hastily built, was prepared.
The chances of defeat were extremely low.
Now it’s a matter of their combat readiness versus the barbarians’. Even if they’re exhausted, they have the power of a charge.
Whether we can withstand the initial blow will determine victory.
AAAAAAARGH!!
“Form up with your spears! Archers! Fire just before the barbarians are impaled by the spears!”
With a good response, I too took my position with my spear, bracing myself with all my might.
BOOOOM!!
“GYAAAAAH”
“SHAAAAAA”
Thrust, thrust, and when one gets stuck or breaks, quickly draw my sword—alone.
To the one approaching from behind, I elbowed him.
“Gya, gah.”
While they were stunned, I slit their throat with the returning blow.
WAAAH! SHA! GYAAAAAH…
We must have been fighting for tens of minutes.
Not a single barbarian could stand properly.
Our damage was minimal: the fence was broken, but there seemed to be no serious injuries.
We won due to the difference in fatigue levels and equipment.
“Finish them off!”
“OOH! ♪”
“Report!? A new enemy—!”
“What!? Where did they find such leisure… Hmph, we’ll meet them!”
“Yes.”
The soldier who had been watching the perimeter discovered Warrior Paul, alone.
“I thought it was a new wave, but it’s just one person? There might be others. Attack them all without letting your guard down!”
“Yes! UOOOOOOH, Get out of this country, NOWWWW!”
“Yikes, WAAAAAH.”
Paul realized this was the scene where his fellow warriors had been annihilated. He turned on his heel and sprinted into the forest, his exhaustion seemingly gone, to report this. He skillfully evaded the General’s pursuit.
“…What a fast runner. Perhaps they were a scout. It seems we are not yet allowed to rest. This may be the new wave. Maintain strict vigilance, and take turns watching.”
“Yes, General.”
