Chapter 60: Combat
Deflecting the enemy’s sword with the handle of my spear, I turned around and cut down the opponent who was approaching from behind.
Collapsing my upper body forward and stepping in, I dodged the blade of the approaching enemy and forcefully drove a stone pillar into the enemy’s stomach.
(… Dammit, there are too many of them. But…)
Facing the newly attacking enemy, I swung my spear and jumped back while cutting them down.
(These enemies are not ones that my knight brigade cannot defeat…!)
“Leah, up!”
Responding to William-sama’s voice, I shifted my center of gravity to the right.
Avoiding the enemy who was coming straight down at me from above, aiming for my head, I kicked them away to the side and landed beside William-sama without even looking at the enemy who was sent flying.
“William-sama, are you injured?”
“Thanks to you, I am unharmed… Everyone, do not break formation! It seems that the enemy is not accustomed to fighting in the forest. Be careful not to stray from the formation and fall into a trap!”
The knights of the Moore duke’s family responded to William-sama’s orders.
“Since we have received direct orders from His Excellency, the Duke, we cannot lose! Everyone, stay alert!”
Along with such a war cry, the burly man, Captain Maurice of the peacekeeping force, jumped to the front line.”
“Now… is there anyone who wants to face this old bone, Leo Maurice?!”
Roaring as he cut down enemy after enemy, the trembling blades of the enemies dulled.
Seeing this, the leader of the enemy side raised a shout.
“Come on, don’t be afraid! All we need to do is take the head of the general! Aim for the head of Duke Moore!”
Hearing the leader’s instructions, the enemy army changed direction and headed straight for William-sama.
(These fools underestimated us. Thinking they can touch William-sama and even cut him with a blade…)
Without regard for my own safety, I cut down the enemy who was heading towards me with a whip-like motion. Then, using the handle of my spear, I knocked down two more.
Rotating on one leg, I rained down strikes on the enemies approaching William-sama.
“Hey… Captain Flores, your eyes are really scary… She must have taken it pretty hard that His Excellency the Duke was targeted… Stubble, Stubble.”
“Did you say something, Johnson?”
“H-Huh?! N-Nothing, Captain Flores!”
Johnson stretched his back and saluted me.
Seeing this, an enemy soldier aimed their sword at Johnson.
“Hey, that guy looks weak!”
“Yeah, let’s take him down! First, let’s offer this guy up as a sacrifice!”
Saying this, Johnson sighed as he saw the enemy charging at him.
“Geez, “that guy” and “this guy”… “
Johnson’s eyes shone.
“I am Daniel Johnson!”
As he ran through with a sword strike, the enemy that was attacking Johnson all collapsed at once.
I looked around.
The unity of the knights was extraordinary, and the knights of the Moore duke’s family were overwhelming the enemy on all fronts.
“Hiiii?! These guys are too strong!”
“There’s no way we can win!”
As enemy soldiers began to shout and run away, one after the other also started running.
The enemy was no longer able to maintain formation and scattered throughout the forest.
“What are you doing, you fools? Fight! Go forward!”
Ignoring the orders, the soldiers disappeared into the depths of the forest. Seeing this, the leader made a bitter face and clicked his tongue.
“Tch… Well, fine.”
The leader gave a meaningful smile.
“In the end, we will win.”
Leaving these words behind, he retreated as well.
“Your Excellency, shall we pursue?”
Captain Maurice asked William-sama, and he shook his head.
“We won’t pursue them deeply. If we follow and get stranded in this forest, our lives will be in danger. Our goal was to defend Finn from the enemy. We have already achieved that goal enough… Rather than pursuing deeply, I want to prioritize the treatment of the injured knights.”
William-sama began giving treatment instructions to the knights.
The enemy retreated, and in front of us was William-sama standing on the ground alive.
(Did we do it…?)
Suddenly, my strength drained.
(Did I protect William-sama…?)
It felt unreal and fluffy.
William-sama runs towards me in such a state.
“Leah, you also need to take care of your injuries.”
When he told me that, I realized that I was bleeding from various parts of my body.
“This is just a scratch.”
“No, Leah, scratches can also become infected, so don’t take them lightly.”
William-sama wiped the scratches on my cheek with a handkerchief.
In the corner of my vision, which was looking dazed at William-sama, I saw something shining brightly.
I pushed William-sama away and slid my body in an instant.
Along with the sound of cutting through the wind, a heat ran through my abdomen, and it instantly turned into pain.
“…!”
As soon as I realized that an arrow had been shot, I threw a spear in the direction it had come from.
“Guaa?!”
A definite hand’s worth.
At the same time, a man who had been pierced by my spear fell from the tree, screaming.
As I watched and tried to treat the arrow that had been stuck, I suddenly felt a sense of confusion as if my head had been filled with mist.
(Poison, huh…)
My strength drains from my body.
As I couldn’t support my own weight and fell backwards, something soft touched my back. I continued to slide down along it.
As I finally fell sideways to the ground, my consciousness was swallowed by darkness.
