The Story of a Modest Young Lady Who Formed a New Engagement the Day After Her Engagement Was Annulled - Chapter 12

Several days had passed since I encountered that unbearable scene.

The war situation had begun to exhaust both sides, deteriorating into what could hardly be called favorable conditions.

With a deafening roar, screams and shouts erupted. How many of our allies realized they’d been hit by enemy magic from the front? I narrowly avoided the spell cast by an enemy soldier, escaping harm. The unleashed magic caused several comrades to explode into pieces. The air grew thick with the stench of blood, entrails, and excrement. Those unaccustomed to this situation retched, vomiting up the contents of their stomachs.

“Find the mages! Do you want to be hit by another high-powered spell!? —What do you think, Fels?”

The integrated commander rallied everyone before clicking his tongue and turning to me.

“…They’re hiding mages somewhere with recognition-blocking magic. They won’t be easy to find. I could act as bait, but then I wonder if we could withstand a flank assault…”

The frontal magic might be bait to lure me out. I couldn’t dismiss the possibility they planned to ambush us from the side and split our forces. The quickest solution would be to locate the hidden mages and counterattack with our own high-powered magic, but…

The enemy isn’t foolish either they wouldn’t want to waste their precious mages needlessly. The mages capable of deploying barriers had exhausted their mana on both sides, leaving us in a war of attrition. I wanted some decisive move, but couldn’t find one.

—All forces, chaaaarge!

The enemy commander’s voice echoed from afar. It seemed my prediction was wrong, they intended to commit to an all-out frontal assault. Recognizing the convenient turn, I felt the corner of my mouth twist upward as I mounted my longtime partner, my horse.

“I’m advancing forward.”

“But the mages are still hidden! Fels, if we lose you, our army’s morale—no, our entire nation’s will to fight—will surely crumble!”

The integrated commander’s face paled as he pleaded with me. Indeed, morale would drop, and if my death as the so-called “God of War” were announced, fighting spirit would plummet. But our army and royal family wouldn’t fall for nothing if I died. They’d use my death to elevate me as a hero, loudly proclaiming vengeance and creating the next God of War. I just happened to be exceptionally stronger than others, happened to be called the God of War—that’s all.

“They’re desperate too. If we’re going to break them, now’s our only chance.”

“Understood, go. But don’t die! You must return!!”

Acknowledging his order, I left the commander’s side. Pulling my beloved horse’s reins, I accelerated. Weaving through allies, I rested my hand on the hilt of the sword at my hip.

As I raced past the area where noble-born soldiers gathered at considerable speed, followers appeared behind me. Glancing back with a grin, they seemed to grasp my intent. As nobles, we must set an example for all—hesitation in such a situation is pointless. We should charge headfirst into enemy lines, seize military achievements, and dedicate them to our nation.

After galloping a short distance, I clearly spotted enemy soldiers ahead. Our infantry deployed at the front noticed us and cleared a path. At the edge of my vision, I caught sight of a female unit. The black-haired woman at the forefront struck me as odd. Her gaze alone wasn’t directed at the approaching enemy soldiers. Wondering why in this situation, I followed her line of sight.

“…What’s that?”

I sensed mana flow from a mere distant rock. —A mage hidden with blocking magic… I see. So, her staring at nothingness meant she detected the unnatural mana flow.

“Let’s go, partner.”

My muttered words were met with a short whinny from my beloved horse—just as I raced past the black-haired woman, who was reaching toward the camouflaged mage.

The distance between her and the enemy mage was considerable. She probably believed she could cast a spell from there and wound the enemy mage.

Wasting our allied mage’s precious mana would be regrettable. Now that I knew the hidden enemy mage’s location, it would set the stage for future developments if my horse and I galloped over and beheaded them with my sword. I felt apologetic for stealing her achievement, but resolved to acknowledge it in my report.

“Hah!”

Pulling the reins to accelerate, I closed in on the mage who thought themselves hidden. Once detected, the blocking effect greatly diminished. Narrowing my eyes at their misfortune, I drew my sword and flashed it toward the mage, startled and confused by my approach, then immediately wheeled my horse around. Charging into the all-out battle, I disrupted the enemy and degraded their unit function when I spotted an isolated ally.

“Caius, you’re too far ahead!!”

“Now’s our chance! A little recklessness can’t be helped!”

Turning toward the familiar voice, I saw the noble-born man from several nights ago beginning to be isolated. Lower-ranking officers were sacrificing themselves to protect the nearly isolated man. Gnashing my teeth at his actions, I judged further pointless sacrifices would be a misstep and tried to steer my horse toward him. Just as magic struck right beside the man called Caius, mowing down enemy soldiers.

To think we still had someone who could unleash such powerful magic. Could it be the black-haired woman’s spell? If she detected his predicament and cast it, he was lucky. Had she been firing at the hidden enemy mage instead, she’d likely have exhausted her mana, and he’d probably be dead.

“Now, kill him!”

Deeming the situation improved, the man named Caius shouted loudly, delivered the final blow to an enemy soldier, and roared triumphantly.

Watching him slaughter even those begging for mercy made me tilt my head at his conduct as a noble, but since the crisis was averted, I decided my help wasn’t needed and charged toward the enemy commander. No one guarded the enemy general in his lavish equipment, making my approach easy. From horseback, I pressed my drawn sword against the general’s neck.

“Checkmate. What’ll it be—surrender?”

“Guh! …I’ll disarm the entire army and surrender.”

I would only learn later that those words from the enemy general became the decisive factor ending the twenty-year war.