3 bar menu

Volume 6 Chapter 2 Part 9

「What in the FUCK?! 」

Doni was suddenly overcome by an urge to beat every single one of his soldiers to death.

Of course, he was aware that the enemy forces numbered twice as many soldiers as his own. However, only now that he’s actually seen it did it began to upset him. But even more than that, when he saw them marching so relentlessly while ignoring the sacrifices that they had to make, even he was beginning to feel fear creeping all over him.

But most of all, his subordinate Lords who were supposed to lead all of the soldiers under the influence of his Banner had difficulties reining the ones who escaped it in.

(At this rate, everything will crumble apart without us putting up a fight at all!)

Doni felt that almost instinctively.

「We’re going to charge at them as well! All of you, follow me! 」

Doni drew his sword, and rushed towards the rebel army with a yell. The soldiers who were under the spell of his Banner followed up after him immediately, and his subordinate Lords did the same after they managed to get their troops back under their control. Since The Wild Beast of the Rossini had finally moved, there was no other choice for them but to obey if they didn’t want to end up dead.

「I thought things were going to collapse right now, but he managed to pick himself back up again. 」

Standing on the nearby hill overlooking the battlefield, Juzel Rossini muttered that to himself involuntarily.

His older brother was adamant that he’d be able to handle the matter of Theo Cornero’s rebellion on his own, and so he asked his father to leave it all to him.

Doni was the kind of warrior who was ill-suited for standing at the back of the army and retreating at the first sight of danger. He was much more accustomed to commanding his troops on the frontlines, and since Theo Cornero was also commanding his troops at the very front of them, it was inevitable that the two of them would soon clash swords in combat.

(I’m sure that Doni will try to avenge Salvador’s death.)

That kind of thing is exactly what made him strong. So if Doni really manages to kill Theo Cornero here, he might be able to actually turn the tide of the times back in the favor of the Rossini family.

(As a member of the Rossini family myself, I have no choice but to believe in his success.)

Juzel continued to tell that to himself.

Due to the charge of the Rossini family’s troops, both armies have already clashed with one another in various places on the battlefield, filling it with the flashes of light, angry roars and the sound of metallic weapons clashing against one another.

However, since neither of the clashing armies received a proper combat training, the entire battle quickly devolved into a series of chaotic encounters.

(The enemy engaged us in close combat… just what we were looking for.)
Siluca thought to herself.

Now that both armies had clashed with one another, the difference in the sheer number of soldiers became even more visible. Under normal circumstances, the slum-dwellers would probably be stronger than your average villager, but Sistina’s villagers had more endurance than your average villager from the continent since they needed to adapt themselves to constantly enduring fieldwork in harsh conditions. On this current battlefield, that endurance should give them all the advantage over the Rossini family’s soldiers they needed.

However, that is all under the assumption that they’re going to be able to hold out long enough.

Siluca saw that in the center of the battlefield, where Theo was now crossing swords with Doni, the battle was especially fierce.

It was a battle of two Lords who led their respective armies with them. Nowadays consolidating the peerage into a personal battle between the Lords became something of a rarity, but according to what Siluca heard and read, such a practice was not all that uncommon in the past a long time ago.

Theo was standing at the frontline of his army, and Doni was doing exactly the same thing, so it was inevitable for the two of them to clash with each other, but since their battle was not a one-on-one duel, Siluca thought that she’s be able to support Theo with her magic. However, the soldiers who were under Doni’s direct control due to his「Omerta」Banner did not allow her to do so as easily as she would’ve liked. In order to even think about doing something to help, Siluca first needed to fend off the attacks of the incoming soldiers with her magic wand and dagger.

(Damn it… if only Irvin was here…)

Siluca couldn’t stop herself from thinking like that, but right now, Irvin and the twins were probably in the middle of their own deadly battles.

「Oh, you ordered a luxurious dinner for me? My oh my, you shouldn’t have… but I’ll partake of it anyway. 」

Just then, Siluca heard a familiar voice, and in the next moment, His Highness Balgary has emerged from within Siluca’s shadow, and proceeded to rip the legs of the soldiers who were getting too close to Siluca apart with his claws. The enemies were falling on the ground without realizing what happened to them, and before they could figure it out, Siluca was already piercing their throats with the short rapier that she produced from her side.

「Lord Doni… we have fulfilled our duties… loyally. 」

The soldiers were dying with their eyes wide open while sounding like they were out of breath.

「Protect Lady Mage! 」

About five residents of Marza Village from the main unit led by Theo surrounded Siluca and crossed their weapons with enemy soldiers.

「We will become a wall that’s going to protect you! 」

Fabio was the one who said that.

His house was a tenancy owned by Theo’s father. But after Theo’s father was executed by the goons of the Rossini family, he took the entire field as his property. He bullied Teo because of his guilt, and probably because he didn’t want the fields to be replaced or owned by someone else.

However, it seems that Theo didn’t care about that at all, because right now he was occupied with a much bigger purpose. In order to prepare the villagers of Marza village for the battle against the Rossini family, he gathered the youths from the village, had them go through rigorous training sessions with Aishela and formed vigilante groups that were meant to patrol the village and its surroundings. Fabio was among these youths.

Eventually, Theo is going to make him his subordinate Lord and give him his own Crest. That was the perfect arrangement for the two of them, since Theo needed someone who would protect the village and govern it in his place when Theo will inevitably need to come back to the continent to finish the Great War once and for all.

「Thank you. 」

Siluca thanked the youths who came to protect her properly.

The truth of the matter is that even though Siluca was hoping for their army to draw the army of the Rossini family into close quarters combat, such an arrangement was not favorable for Siluca herself, or any other Mage, for that matter, since all Mages are incredibly weak when it comes to purely physical combat. On the battlefields of the past, many Mages were being sent to fight on the frontlines where they died because they lacked actual combat experience.

「Does the main force of Doni’s army consists primarily of the residents of the slums of Laxia? 」

Siluca asked Fabio about Doni’s army.
「Not entirely. There are also landowners who were allies with the Rossini family since long ago. They have large farms around Laxia, and in exchange for their loyalty, their taxes have been sufficiently reduced. The Rossini family might be hated by everyone on the island, but these guys have always been loyal to them, and that won’t change anytime soon. 」

「If these people have loved them for so long, then why didn’t their love spread to the rest of Sistina? 」

Siluca involuntarily asked another question.

Of course, she already knew an answer to that question as well. it’s precisely because the Rossini family’s rule over the island was a tyrannical one, and it was that tyrannical rule of theirs that made Theo into a hero he was today. Without them, Theo probably would have spent the rest of his life as an ordinary farmer on Sistina.

(It’s easy to imagine…)

A part of Siluca felt taking care of the fields would suit Theo much better than fighting in wars as a Lord. He would’ve probably taken Rebecca as his wife, and the two of them would lead simple, but fulfilling lives.