23 – Those Who Do Not Lose Courage
“Fleamia. Explain the battlefield in detail.”
As soon as I spoke while moving towards the battlefield, Holly Trust briefly explained.
“Our Karelden Empire has been expanding its resources, capital, and manpower by attacking and absorbing neighboring countries one by one. Our growth has been rapid. Whenever a neighboring country perishes, the Karelden Empire gains tremendous wealth and military power. The Emperor’s greed eventually led to an attack on the Phebron Empire.”
“Are we currently only at war with the Phebron Empire?”
“Yes. That’s right. But once we absorb the Phebron Empire, we will seek out and attack another country or empire. Although war requires massive amounts of money, the rewards are immense, including vast lands, manpower, and all the resources produced there. The Emperor will not stop.”
“Give me a brief description of the Phebron Empire. Who are those guys?”
I had to make a decision. Whether to kill the Karelden Empire guys along with them, or to spare their lives.
“After establishing a certain level of power, the Phebron Empire stopped waging wars. Most of the small fights were initiated by the other side, and they took on a defensive stance. Even after the surprise attack by the Karelden Empire, the Phebron Empire repeatedly requested cease-fire negotiations, stating that they did not want meaningless sacrifices. But Emperor Lecan did not listen. As a result, this prolonged battle continued.”
“I see.”
Now I understood. In short, the Karelden Empire invaded the peaceful Phebron Empire. The fact that they offered a cease-fire despite being under a surprise attack was evidence that the Phebron Empire was open to dialogue to some extent.
Initially, I thought that both empires at war should be annihilated, but as I listened to the internal situation, I decided to modify my plans to allow the Phebron Empire to survive.
“What’s the name of that knight who cut off his arms and legs and fled from the battlefield?”
Trembling, Fleamia held her hands together and spoke.
“Gallad… His name is Gallad. He used to be a knight, but now he’s the commander of the knights.”
“Do you remember the name of the Phebron Empire’s knight commander who helped you back then?”
“Knight Commander Tecloman.”
The person to kill and the person to save were decided.
I would kill Gallad, who betrayed Fleamia, if I crossed paths with him. And if possible, I would try to spare Tecloman, who showed mercy even as an enemy.
When you want to kill someone on the battlefield, you must clearly distinguish the boundaries and lines and hold onto your beliefs. Otherwise, your mind will deteriorate. Even while killing countless enemies, I can maintain my humanity because of these clear standards.
If I have to kill, I will gladly do so. But for those I can save, I will show mercy. Of course, only when circumstances allow.
However, there would be no mercy in this battlefield.
Through Flemya, I learned how brutal the knights of the Kaorelden Empire could be.
— — —
A battlefield littered with countless corpses. At its center stood the commander of the Tekelloman Knights, Tekeroman. On the opposing side stood Galad, the commander of the Kaorelden Empire’s knights, adorned with a dazzling uniform. While Galad’s position was that of a knight, he had been promoted to commander due to his achievements in saving hundreds of knights after being ambushed and displaying outstanding performance in various battlefields.
The reason Galad was able to be promoted was because he planned operations for the sake of efficiency, disregarding his comrades, and attacked the enemy by targeting only their vulnerable points.
Tekeroman shouted.
“You cowards! This is a residential area for civilians. Why are you trying to attack here?”
“Well, this side had the weakest defenses.”
“Aren’t you ashamed? These people have nothing to do with the war! They are civilians who don’t even know how to properly wield a sword!”
Galad scoffed in response.
“So what? That’s your fault for not properly deploying your forces in the border area.”
“You coward. I wouldn’t have just let you go back then. I should have somehow caught and killed you, even if it meant abandoning the Saintess.”
“That’s all in the past. Now, I’m not a useless piece of sh*t like back then.”
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When Galad made a gesture, the knights immediately started charging forward. Like in a siege battle, they formed a formation to protect the magicians. From the safety of the interior, Galad shouted.
“Come in. Let’s repay our past misfortunes.”
In a battlefield, the defending side is overwhelmingly advantageous compared to the attacking side. Especially in a place where magic exists, it would be foolish to charge forward towards the enemy without knowing what kind of traps lie in wait. Naturally, Tekeroman did not respond to Galad’s provocation. However, Galad smiled and made a gesture.
“As expected, I knew you wouldn’t come in first. Magicians, attack the civilians immediately!”
The magicians behind them immediately began their incantations, as if they had been waiting. The targets of their magic were the civilian areas behind them. The magicians mercilessly began slaughtering the evacuating civilians. Helpless ordinary people had to face a futile and tragic end every time magic rained down from the sky.
The screams of the people could be heard. People who couldn’t even wield a sword, with no will to fight, were mercilessly slaughtered.
“Damn it…”
I know. If the opponent is inducing such an approach, then they must have prepared a thorough trap. I know better than anyone that once we enter there, we will all face meaningless death.
However, Tekeloman gave the order.
“Charge, everyone!”
“T-Tek… Commander Tekeloman. There must be a trap!”
“If we leave it like this, the civilians will all die at the hands of the magicians.”
“That’s true, but… at the same time, the enemy magicians don’t have infinite mana either. Eventually, they won’t be able to continue their attacks. It might be better to wait a little longer…”
“Are you afraid?”
Tekeloman said, looking into the trembling eyes of the knight.
“Let me ask you again. Are you afraid of the enemy?”
The knight answered, tears welling up.
“Yes, I am afraid. How can I not be? I don’t possess the exceptional skills of a commander like you, nor have I achieved great accomplishments. I am just a replaceable knight who exists here.”
“I am not afraid, either.”
Tekeloman said, placing his hand on the knight’s shoulder.
“I am also afraid. I am afraid that the enemy’s sword will pierce my heart at any moment, and I am afraid of when the enemy’s magic will penetrate my head. I am terrified and scared that I might not be able to see my waiting wife and child. But I am not afraid of myself.”
“But… Why don’t you just pretend not to know? When the magicians run out of mana, we can charge then!”
Tekeloman said with a kind smile.
“I can’t do that. If I were to live so cowardly, I wouldn’t be able to face my child with pride. Even if I end up buried in a grave, it doesn’t matter. When my child grows up and sees me, and learns of my journey. When that time comes, I want to be a proud father to my child. Moreover, I want to be a proud knight to my country.”
Tekeloman shouted, leaving the knight behind.
“If there are those who are afraid, I won’t punish them if they run away. But if there are those who want to protect the people, if there are those who want to stab a knife into the throats of those despicable enemies, follow me. But promise me one thing.”
Tekeloman shouted, facing the enemy at the forefront.
“In this battle, I will be the first to die.”
Without any orders to advance, Tekelloman charged forward.
Tekelloman began to bleed from the start due to the concentrated onslaught of the magicians. But he did not stop.
Bang!
An explosion erupted from the ground. Tekelloman was lifted into the air, but after falling to the ground, he immediately stood up and limped forward. The enemy knights rushed forward. Tekelloman roared and cut them down.
One. Two. Three.
He began to slaughter the enemies with his dying body. As a result, the enchantments of the magicians from the Kaorelden Empire ceased. They could no longer attack civilians and focused their attention on Tekelloman.
“Damn it…”
A knight who had fallen to the ground tightly clenched his fist and groaned.
Fear. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to meet his end in a place like this. He wanted to turn his body around and leave the battlefield right now. But…
“I… I…”
But he knew. There was no paradise waiting for them wherever they ran away. Even if they escaped from the battlefield this time, they would eventually die in the endless war. The reason he had been able to survive until now was because of an exceptional commander.
Tekelloman always took risks and minimized the deaths of his allies with clever strategies. Tekelloman said it as a habit. Whether alive or dead, a knight must remain a knight.
He thought it was a cliché. But the knight was willing to sacrifice his life to uphold those words.
Even though he wanted to escape, his feet wouldn’t move. He kept watching Tekelloman’s back as his eyes were continuously insulted by the enemy. His heart began to beat wildly.
The fallen knight screamed and grabbed his fallen sword.
Only then did he realize his own feelings.
It was admiration.
The knight he had admired since he was young had a back like that.
And the knight always wanted to stand by his side.
“Ah-ah-ahhh!”
As the fallen soldier picked up his sword and charged, the knights who had been watching from the side also rushed into the battlefield. Their hands no longer trembled, and they were no longer afraid. The soldier muttered with determination.
“I am… a knight.”
A fierce battle began to protect the border area.