The Girl Raised by the Death God Holds the Sword of Darkness in Her Arms - Volume 1 - Chapter 3.2

II

The Royal Army on the Canalia Highway

The combined legions under the command of Lieutenant General Paul and General Lambert departed Galia Fortress and advanced west along the Canalia Highway without meeting any opposition from imperial forces. They marched under the banners of the Seventh Legion to conceal the presence of the First Legion; the longer they could keep the empire believing that the First Legion was still committed to defending the capital, the better. Paul and Lambert rode side by side at the center of the forces, discussing the battle to come. Their personal guards, clad in silver plate, formed a tight circle around the pair of them. The guards were in turn surrounded by a ring of foot soldiers in heavy armor, creating an impenetrable line of defense. The foot soldiers kept their eyes on their surroundings, never letting their attention waver as they pressed forward.

Neinhardt, meanwhile, led the vanguard, while Otto commanded the rear guard.

“Things seem to be going smoothly so far.”

“Indeed. Apparently, all the imperials in these parts went running with their tails between their legs.” Lambert surveyed the collapsed remains of army tents that lay strewn about them. Through the splattered mud, he could make out the crossed swords of the imperial army. They’d also gotten word that the royal army had liberated the town of Canalia.

“I have to say, I’m impressed you got the king to approve this plan.”

“Ah, yes... The field marshal was kind enough to argue our case to His Majesty,” replied Lambert. He said it lightly, but in truth, persuading Alfonse had been no mean feat. At first, the king had doggedly insisted that they retake Kier Fortress, turning a deaf ear to Cornelius’s attempts at dissuasion. Cornelius had not been discouraged, however, returning to the palace time and time again to argue their case.

Eventually, Alfonse had grown so weary of the old man that he tried to ban him from any further audiences, at which point Cornelius had threatened to resign from the army. Alfonse had panicked and backtracked, giving them his approval. Cornelius might’ve grown old, but the invincible general resigning at a time like this could’ve had devastating repercussions. They were already in a dire situation—one wrong move and people might’ve started questioning Alfonse’s fitness as ruler, which would’ve only made things worse. Lambert assumed that this had been Alfonse’s reasoning for allowing the plan to move forward.

Paul scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Oho ho... A hard-won victory, by the sounds of it,” he said. Lambert looked at Paul, taken aback. He might have gotten older, but the other man was as keenly perceptive as ever.

“Yes, well. Thanks to him, the First Legion’s been spared a slaughter at the gates to Kier Fortress,” said Lambert with a deliberate shrug.

“What’s this? Lambert the Bold, shrinking from a fight? If you’re not careful, you’ll lose that title.”

“It’s poor taste to make jokes when you know full well what I mean,” said Lambert, exasperated. The corners of Paul’s mouth twitched.

“Sorry, sorry. Of course, even for the mighty First Legion, that would have been tantamount to suicide.”

“Exactly. I want nothing more than to die with a sword in my hand, but I’d rather wait for when it’ll mean something.”

Paul and Lambert’s eyes met, and they both laughed.

“That’s why we have to win this time, no matter what. The Seventh Legion is taking the lead on this plan, so I’m leaving everything up to you, Paul. Are you really sure about this? About...what’s-her-face. The girl.”

“Second Lieutenant Olivia?”

“Yes, her. I heard she’s only fifteen years old! Isn’t your granddaughter around that age?” Lambert said, looking at Paul with concern. He had met said granddaughter at a party some ten years earlier.

“That’s quite a memory you’ve got! Yes, she’s the same age as the lieutenant.”

“Hmph. I might be getting old, but my memory’s as sharp as ever, I’ll have you know.”

“You can’t be much past fifty.”

“Fifty is old enough! The point is, you’ve made this girl the same age as your own granddaughter central to our whole plan. From what I hear, she’s a force to be reckoned with... But are you sure this is wise?”

Lambert had heard the whole chain of events, starting from Samuel’s defeat. Under normal circumstances, he’d have written it off as fantasy. More than that, it had all transpired in a mere two months. The part where she’d skewered a unicorn, in particular, had been so ridiculous that he’d laughed out loud.

“Believe me, I understand your misgivings,” Paul answered. “But we can trust Lieutenant Olivia with this. Besides, she’s got that marvelous aide with her now.”

“Warrant Officer Claudia? Don’t even get me started... Poaching one of the First Legion’s best soldiers like that,” said Lambert, unable to keep the resentment off his face. Claudia had graduated second in her class at the royal military academy. She was highly knowledgeable and boasted a first-rate skill with a blade. Her youth and inexperience showed through in places, but she was still far ahead of anyone else her age. Lambert had been keeping an eye on her progression, so he’d been all the more indignant at her transfer to the Seventh Legion.

“Don’t try to put this on me, Lambert! It was your aide who recommended her transfer in the first place,” retorted Paul.

“I know that, of course... Though why Neinhardt thought he needed to do that...” muttered Lambert with a resentful glare towards the vanguard. Just then, a soldier slipped through the ring of heavy infantry. He had seven silver stars on his red epaulets, marking him a messenger of the Seventh Legion. Paul pulled on his horse’s reins and raised his hand to signal a halt.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, General Paul.”

“You have news of the enemy?”

“Yes, ser. The imperial army is advancing towards the Plains of Ilys with a force of around fifty thousand.”

“Ilys, just as we thought. There’s nowhere else for them to go, of course,” Paul said with an approving nod. Lambert gave a sidelong look at Paul.

“Fifty thousand, you say?” he mused. “That makes our forces exactly matched, if you don’t count our detached force. They’ll have left at least five thousand defending the fort.”

“Likely so. All well within what we predicted.”

“Oh, yes, no problems there. Now, what’s happening at Kier Fortress?” Lambert asked, trepidation just audible in his voice. For their current strategy, this was what mattered most.

“We’ve seen no signs of troop movements at Kier Fortress, ser!” replied the messenger, and Lambert breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been ready to order an immediate retreat if there’d been any sign of reinforcements arriving. He looked at Paul, and saw the same relief in the other man’s face.

“That’s our biggest fear off the table, then.”

“Yes, if they’d opened by calling for reinforcements, that would have been the end.”

“Everything comes down to the detached force, then,” said Lambert. It was as much a question as it was a statement. Paul nodded, not a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

“Lieutenant Olivia won’t let us down. Not our Silver-Haired Valkyrie.”

“...Excuse me? ‘Silver-Haired Valkyrie?’” Lambert echoed in confusion.

“You haven’t heard that before? The maiden, flying heroically across the field of battle? It’s what the recruits who were with the lieutenant when she took back Fort Lamburke are calling her. Suits her perfectly, don’t you think?”

Lambert stared at Paul, who grinned stupidly. He’d heard about some of Paul’s affliction from Neinhardt, but hadn’t realized how advanced the symptoms were. That was not the face of a man about to lead an army into battle—no, that was the face of a proud grandfather. The soldiers around them looked at Paul with something like concern.

Is this really the same Paul they used to call the God of the Battlefield? His horse whinnied. Lambert stroked its neck, before letting out a deep sigh.

A week before Paul and Lambert’s combined force moved out from Galia Fortress, another regiment set out from Fort Lamburke. The royal army had been sending small platoons of soldiers to the fort to avoid detection by the empire, until it housed a garrison of five thousand. Meanwhile, three thousand mounted soldiers, led by regimental captain Olivia, formed the combined army’s detached force. They quietly departed Fort Lamburke, heading for the Forest of Arc.

Olivia sat at ease astride her black horse as they made their way through the forest. Beside her rode Claudia, her specially selected aide. Claudia, who took her duty extremely seriously, was therefore on constant alert.

“Claudia, I told you, you don’t have to glare at everything all the time. You’d be so pretty if you’d just smile,” said Olivia, tapping Claudia on the back with a giggle.

“I don’t mean to be rude, ser, but it’s hard to take being called ‘pretty’ by you as anything other than sarcasm.”

“Sarcasm? I’m not being sarcastic though,” said Olivia, cocking her head. Claudia sighed. The fact that Olivia meant it just made it worse.

“I’d encourage you to take a look in the mirror, ser... But to your original point, we can’t afford to relax until we’ve put the imperial army behind us. The outcome of our mission will dictate the course of the war.”

The battle plan was based around a surprise attack carried out by the detached force, who would go through the Forest of Arc and sneak up behind the imperial army spread out across the Plains of Ilys. Just as the main force of the royal army met the imperials head-on, they would strike at the heart of the enemy’s command. If the daring plan succeeded, the imperial army would fall apart in a single blow.

Olivia’s job was to kill the enemy’s commander, and Claudia’s was to lead her there. Claudia was also responsible for the most crucial decision—the timing of the surprise attack. Feeling all that responsibility weighing down on her, Claudia watched Olivia, who didn’t seem to have a care in the world. As their commanding officer, that was how she should act—anything else would only distress the troops unnecessarily. Claudia was the aide, which meant she had to be nervous for the both of them. Balance was the most important thing.

“By the way, ser,” said Claudia, “you really have a way with horses. That black one has a reputation for being difficult to handle.” The black horse was both larger and faster than the others. This should have made it the ideal warhorse, but it rarely actually made it to the battlefield. The beast had a wild temperament and usually broke its riders rather than the other way around.

Claudia could count the others she’d seen ride the black horse on one hand. Yet here it was now, apparently unconcerned about having Olivia on its back. Occasionally it whinnied like it wanted attention, and Claudia found herself questioning if this was really the same horse.

“Really?” Olivia said, leaning forward to stroke the horse’s mane. “Horses are so calm, though. I rode a unicorn once when I was little. That really fought back.”

“What?! You don’t mean a unicorn like the one that’s classified as a class two dangerous beast?”

“Um, I don’t know about class two-whatever, but it had a white horn in the middle of its head. And it didn’t taste very good.” Olivia held her index finger up to her forehead and began growling in an impression of a unicorn. There was no menace in the display whatsoever—on the contrary, she was so adorable it hurt. Claudia couldn’t think of anything to say to this confession. In what universe did children ride unicorns? Or adults, for that matter? The idea that she’d actually eaten a unicorn strained Claudia’s credulity to its limits.

She’s not teasing me, is she? thought Claudia. She stared into Olivia’s eyes, but couldn’t see any trace of a lie there. Olivia watched the awestruck Claudia from the corner of her eye and continued to pet the black horse’s neck. Then, of all things, she sprung up to stand on its back.

“Look! Perfectly calm, just like I said!”

“H-Hey, get down!” cried Claudia, reaching out for Olivia, but the black horse stepped sideways out of her reach. Don’t you touch my master, it seemed to say. Olivia took advantage of this to do a flip in the air, plant her hands on the saddle and push up into a handstand. Claudia heard gasps of amazement from the other soldiers, oohing and aahing at the display.

“Your acrobatic skills are undeniably superb, ser, but please—not now!” reprimanded Claudia, her tone cold. “We’re in the middle of an important military operation, and you currently command three thousand soldiers. Remember your position, ser.”

“Okay, okay,” giggled Olivia. “Don’t be mad.” She poked her tongue out at Claudia.

She heard a pair of other soldiers laugh at each other. “That’s the captain for you,” one said. Claudia didn’t know what to make of how laid-back they were. Some of the soldiers, it seemed, had experience with Olivia.

“You know Lieutenant Olivia?” she asked.

“Yes, ser! We served under the captain at the liberation of Fort Lamburke,” came the cheerful reply. The speaker was a black-haired youth who’d called himself Gile.

“Oh? Did you really?”

“Yes, ser. We were all too terrified to move, though... But thanks to the captain’s training, we’ve all gotten stronger! We’ll be able to pull our weight this time,” said Gile, puffing out his chest. His friends all nodded. The lot of them brimmed with confidence.

How naive. You don’t just get stronger overnight—it takes years and years of never-ending hard work, thought Claudia. They’ll learn soon enough... She herself had only acquired her current skills through such grueling training. She knew all too well that there were no shortcuts on the path of a warrior. Even so, she decided not to douse their high spirits. It would only lower their morale on the eve of battle, and there was nothing to be gained from that.

“Hmmm. I don’t think you’ve gotten that much stronger, though. Honestly, you’re all still pretty pathetic, so try not to die, okay?”

Olivia’s words crashed over them like a bucket of ice water. Claudia put her face in her hands. So much for morale, she thought—but then she saw that the soldiers were actually smiling at each other. They didn’t look downtrodden at all, but rather like they were totally used to this.

Olivia hadn’t finished her onslaught.

“And Ashton, you’re the worst. You let your guard down for a second and you’re dead.”

“What—?! Hey, leave me alone! I tried my best!” yelled back the young man who had to be Ashton, sounding highly offended. Olivia only cackled back at him. Claudia found herself staring intently at the man. So this was the mysterious Ashton Olivia kept bringing up? She hadn’t dreamed that he’d be a mere recruit.

“Humans are suited for some things and not others—that’s just how it is. You’d be better as an advisor, Ashton. When we played chess back at the fort, your strategy was really solid!”

“You... You really think I’d be a good advisor?” Ashton sounded delighted.

Or, at least, he did until Olivia cackled again and added, “You still couldn’t even beat me once though.” The other soldiers around them were smiling good-naturedly. Ashton, lifted up only to be thrown back down again, wore an unreadable expression.

“Are you talking about your time defending Fort Lamburke?”

“Yeah, after they said they wanted me to train them,” said Olivia. “But we were kicked out of the fort almost straight away, so I didn’t get through to them much.”

I wonder if that’s really true, thought Claudia, unconvinced. From what she’d seen, the soldiers marched with good form, and the way their eyes surveyed their surroundings even as they chatted showed her that they weren’t letting their guard down. These were little more than basic points, but far more than Claudia expected from new recruits.

I did hear that they sent a bunch of new recruits with no battle experience—basically amateurs—to retake Lamburke, thought Claudia. Privately, she was impressed. The second lieutenant must be an excellent teacher too. Where in the world did they find her?

She heard Olivia’s excited voice from beside her.

“Oh, I wonder what sort of reward I’ll get from General Paul this time!”