NOVPUBChel, who had been tearing through the battlefield at will, genuinely believed up until that very moment that everything was going according to plan.
"Haaah!"
He didn’t care about his own life in the slightest.
As long as he could inflict the maximum possible damage on Serpina’s forces—
A charge made with no intention of surviving had, in and of itself, succeeded in striking unexpected fear into the enemy.
He likely didn’t even need to worry about magic attacks.
Whether the castle was blasted with spells or not, Chel had already abandoned it—he had no reason to care.
And if magic were cast where he was, it would inevitably hit the Serpina troops tangled up in the melee with him as well.
Even if Serpina’s side chose to fire magic knowing some losses would be unavoidable, Chel would still come out ahead.
Planting the image that she was willing to sacrifice her own soldiers could only damage her reputation in the long run.
This was a charge made solely to put a dent in Serpina!
From the perspective of "dealing damage to the enemy," there was no doubt this was the best decision Chel could have made.
And as proof—
Look at how Serpina’s soldiers had descended into disarray, floundering like a disorganized rabble!
"Focus on destroying the siege weapons first!"
If they could smash even just one more of the unassembled siege engines, it would deal a serious blow to the enemy.
Was it the favorable wind at their backs, or the confusion among enemy ranks?
Whatever the reason, the siege weapons—still unprepared—were being dismantled by Chel’s troops far faster than expected.
So fast!
Chel, drunk on battle, looked down at the collapsing siege engines with a satisfied grin.
Good. If I can just keep this up, pick them off one by one, especially their armed units...!
Then—
Instead of burning with fighting spirit, Chel should have questioned something else:
He should have realized it was too easy.
He should have suspected something when his soldiers were dismantling the siege engines with barely any resistance.
But before he could fully process that—
“Chel Brans!”
From across the field, a juicy target came rolling straight toward him.
Clang!
“Сransis! Been a while, you crusty old bastard!”
Chel had once crossed blades with Сransis in the old days—when the continent had yet to unify.
Back then, during the chaotic collapse of order, with no ruler between Algott and Sidmid, Сransis had stubbornly stayed with Eingart’s side, even after refusing an offer from Chel’s father, Oland Brans. A foolish general through and through.
“Such a pathetic display of desperation. So you’re Brans’ strongest sword? That’s quite the lofty title for a rat throwing a tantrum in a battle he can’t even win!”
“You sound pretty desperate yourself! Mock me all you want, but I see it—the fear behind your words, trembling behind that mouth of yours!”
They exchanged several blows, but soon Сransis began to falter.
That much, however, was part of Сransis’s calculations.
“Commander!”
Another rider appeared in the distance, galloping toward them.
The golden-haired knight—Irian.
A man who, within Serpina’s army, stood tall as the de facto strongest candidate among the “next-generation generals.”
He rushed straight in to support Сransis, attacking Chel from the other side.
“You think two flies jumping in will change anything!?”
Clang!
“You really thought I’d fall back!!?”
For the average person, being outnumbered two-to-one would have spelled danger.
But not Chel. The more opponents came at him, the more ecstasy he seemed to feel—a true battle maniac.
And he had the physique to back it up.
Though weaker than he’d been in his prime, he still had more than enough strength to take on both Irian and Сransis right here and now.
The three of them clashed repeatedly—
Despite being double-teamed, Chel's momentum didn’t falter in the slightest.
No—on the contrary, the tide of battle was slowly tilting in Chel’s favor.
We’re... really losing to him...
Сransis had predicted it—warned that they might still lose even with two attackers.
But actually experiencing it for himself, feeling that overwhelming pressure, made his vision go dark with despair.
But... they couldn’t lose here.
Both Сransis and Irian had a critical mission, one assigned by their strategist.
We have to drain Chel’s stamina... no matter what!
At that moment—mid-duel—
“Ah...!”
With a metallic clang, Irian lost his grip on his spear.
Chel, the battle-crazed warrior, didn’t let the moment pass. His eyes gleamed as he lunged toward the disarmed knight.
“Getting bored of this! Time to deal with you one by one! You’re first, rookie!”
Damn it...!
They hadn’t even managed to wear Chel down yet.
If he took Irian out now, the entire operation could fall apart.
But there was no time to curse himself. On the battlefield, time surged forward without mercy.
“Die!!!!”
I—I have to dodge to the side!
Even if he took a hit, dodging sideways might be his only shot at survival—
Irian moved with all his might, but then, right in front of his eyes—
“Guh!”
“...C-Commander...!”
Сransis had stepped in at some point, blocking Chel’s strike with his own arm.
Though technically he had “blocked” it... it was really just taking the full blow for Irian.
“Guh... Ugh...!”
“...!”
Startled only for a moment, Irian immediately grabbed Сransis’s axe—
And without hesitation, swung it at Chel.
“Grahh...!”
Crunch—a section of Chel’s armor shattered.
It was the first solid, clean blow landed on him.
It had all happened in a flash.
Chel quickly yanked the sword from Cransis’s arm, turned his horse, and pulled back slightly, clutching the wound where Cransis’s axe had grazed him.
“You little bastard...!”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“I-Irian... Well done. Your judgment was as quick as ever...”
“Commander! Are you alright?!”
“Don’t worry about me—him! If we can finish off that monster here and now...”
“But if we do that, your life—!”
Even though an axe had just been buried in his body moments ago, Chel merely let out a light sigh and steadied himself again, reentering combat stance.
Blood was clearly flowing, and yet he didn’t waver. He stared at them with such intensity, it felt as though his gaze could burn holes through flesh.
A monster.
The title “Strongest Sword of Brans” was clearly no empty boast.
If they kept fighting him like this, there was a chance they could win—especially if reinforcements arrived.
But Cransis would almost certainly die in the process.
So then, what choice should be made?
What path would serve everyone best?
Irian hesitated, unable to decide.
Clang!
“You... You bitch...!”
The one who stepped in to face Chel, now fully poised for battle again, was the sub-commander of the occupying forces—the red-haired knight, Airen Juliet.
“Lord Irian! Evacuate with the commander! Leave this to me!”
“General Airen...!”
Irian said nothing more. Instead, he gave a quick bow, gathered up Cransis, and withdrew swiftly from the battlefield.
That should be enough... at least to fulfill the strategist’s instructions.
The rest was in Airen’s hands.
“Well, well... Airen Juliet. To see the filthy face of a traitor again with my own eyes... I’ve been waiting for this. You, more than anyone—I’ve wanted to kill with my own hands.”
“Is betraying your lord so different between you and me?”
“I carry the blood of Brans. How could that be betrayal? You, on the other hand, disgrace the face of your father—a man who served House Brans his entire life. You disgusting wench!”
“...”
“What else do you even have in your life besides House Brans?! The Juliet family was created entirely to serve the Brans lineage! You have nothing left. You are alone in this world!”
Airen slowly closed her eyes.
In the past, those words would have shaken her to the core.
But not anymore.
Her center no longer depended on House Brans.
And she was no longer alone.
“You’re the one I pity, Chel.”
“...What?”
“You raised your army not out of conviction, but because you were crushed beneath the name of Brans. Because you couldn’t trust your own siblings. In the end, you and I aren’t so different—we both lost faith in our own kin.”
“...!!”
Chel’s face contorted rapidly—visibly, and violently.
Someone with the name Juliet... daring to pity him...?
The pain of the axe wound disappeared. In its place, absolute fury took hold.
“...Airen. You really do want to die, don’t you?”
“Unfortunately, I’ve got no intention of dying for you. I’ve got too much left to do.”
“What did you say?” 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
Chel was about to respond—
——BOOM!!!!!!!
What the hell?!
A thunderous explosion rang out from behind him.
The sound of something being blown to pieces.
Was that magic? Did someone cast a spell...?
But in this situation, wouldn’t their own side take heavy losses, too...?
Still, it wasn’t completely «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» out of the question.
Especially considering who he was up against.
Serpina... That wretched woman would absolutely sacrifice her own troops if it meant wiping us out...
He had just reaffirmed that his approach—hurting her no matter the cost—was indeed the right one...
When suddenly, Airen turned her horse and began riding away from Chel.
“Running away, are you, Airen?!”
Leaving the area might mean exposing herself to a magical blast—
But given the situation, it seemed the mage had already been deployed to the battlefield, and if there was only one, there was no need for excessive fear.
Besides, while Chel was still standing, his vision was beginning to blur.
Even so... he could beat that woman.
If he was going to die, he’d at least take her with him.
Fueled by that one thought, he chased after Airen.
***
After putting some distance from the main battlefield—
“Take this!”
Chel finally caught up. He turned his horse and resumed clashing weapons with Airen.
Amazingly, even here, Chel wasn’t being pushed back.
Despite having already fought two formidable opponents, he was still going toe-to-toe with Airen.
In fact, she seemed to be giving ground.
“...!”
Her movements looked as if she was drawing him somewhere on purpose—there was clearly a plan behind it...
But Chel had lost too much blood just getting to this point to analyze it properly.
“I don’t know what you’re plotting—!”
Clang!
“But this... is where it ends!!!”
Just as Chel raised his sword to finish Airen—
—Squelch.
“...Huh?”
Thud.
Chel dropped his sword before he could even swing it.
Slowly, he looked down at his chest.
And then he understood.
A green rapier, wrapped in bright red flame, had pierced straight through his heart.
A man’s voice followed.
“It’s not General Airen who’s finished. It’s you, Chel.”
“This... what...”
Before he could grasp what was happening, he turned his head—
And saw the figures of a man with stark white hair, and a woman with pink hair.
