696 Episode 0696



"I didn't know it was so fragile,"

 Ray mutters unconsciously as he watches from the rebel headquarters as the punitive force begins to flee the battlefield.
 He must have agreed with Ray's opinion. In addition to Ray, most of those who were left as Mercurio's bodyguards nodded.

"Huh, as I've said before, the punitive force was organized with the assumption that it was going to be defeated. I suppose it was intended to expose even a little of my hand."

 In front of Mercurio's eyes are the troops of Vihela, Gurgast, Tiyur, and Theorem, who are chasing the expeditionary forces fleeing at full speed.
 They were attacked while they were withdrawing, and we can see that they are doing a lot of damage.

"Originally, if there was a force that would become a dead soldier and prevent the pursuit of the enemy, the damage to the troops that withdrew would be less... Unfortunately, the punitive force, which could not even unify its intentions, seemed to be helpless."
"... well, that's right,"

 Mercurio nods, and so does others.
 If you become a dead soldier, it literally needs to keep fighting.
 I didn't think there was a soldier in this expeditionary force who could imitate him.

(It might have been different if there was a commander with a high commanding ability, but the line of command of the punitive force was not even clear.) though the troops who had fled at full speed had a good eye for the battlefield.)

 Ray muttered in private, but in reality some surrendered when they couldn't do anything about it, and others surrendered when they saw it, so the damage to the punitive force was less severe than Ray had expected.
 Soldiers, in particular, are taken prisoner without being attacked if they drop their weapons.
 But it's only soldiers. The aristocracy is grossly rampant, and many are crying out that even those caught are not treated.

"Shouldn't it be better to clean it up?"

 Ray muttered while looking at such a noble family, but what he replied was Mercrio smiling happily.
 However, even though he looks happy, he still feels something black... a vicious smile.

"You can't do such a thing like that. and I'll have them serve me as prisoners of war.
"Is it useful?"

 Ray shakes his head at the sight of the aristocratic prisoners of war who are calling in obscurity.
 It seemed to me that even as a prisoner, it would be nothing but a waste of money.
 Mercurio, however, opens his mouth with a smile on his face.

"Of course. First of all, you can receive a ransom when you hand over the prisoners, and for that negotiation, you should be at least in a state of truce with the second prince's faction."
"...do you go out of your way to help someone who is said to be incompetent to pay a ransom? I've heard that it's pretty realistic, that people use it, but they don't look at it."

 It was already a stipulation in Ray that the statement was true, despite what he had heard.
 It was because they were trying to gather what was said to be incompetent and analyze the war potential of the rebels, creating a scene that was beyond their eyes.
 Even Mercurio would understand Ray's idea. go on with a small smile again

"I certainly don't think he will pay the ransom himself. But what about the families of the captured aristocrats? The aristocrats gathered this time have basically many heads and heirs. We'll sort out the people who can't even be used as elder brothers here, and then we'll put the talented ones in charge. I'm sure that's what you thought."
"...the head of the family or the heir,"

 Beyond Ray's muttering gaze, there are a stream of people shouting at the soldiers led by Theoreum, or even trembling and unable to speak.
 This would have seemed aristocratic, for example, if some had been dignified. However, the scene beyond Ray's gaze was not very impressive, but it was not to be seen by such fine figures.

(Well, it was already understood in the kingdom of Milliana that there were many aristocrats like that

 the nobility of the Milliana kingdom I have seen several times Some of them, indeed, were dignified like Dusker, but many of them were bent on their own sense of privilege and condescending just because they were commoners.
 That's how Ray thinks, but Mercurio comes back to life when he opens his mouth again.

"No matter how much you are older than Schles, you can't carelessly enter into a ransom negotiation with us. If you touch it here, you may not be able to negotiate a ransom when the rest of the faction is caught. That's how you get suspicious. From the perspective of older brother Schles, we would like to pay ransom to recover the talented, but if they come out this time, we would like to get rid of them. Don't hold me captive and waste my time negotiating ransom. I think that's the truth."

 Mercurio says it's hard.
 But it was the muttering himself who was trying to put his brother in that difficult situation.
 There's something scary about it. When Ray saw Mercurio, it was only natural that he felt that way.
 Carruther, who was no better off this time than Ray, opens his mouth, wondering if he wanted to do something about the atmosphere.

"More importantly, you mentioned that there was a cavalry under the direct supervision of Prince Schles, but is that a good way to deal with it? Theorame's forces seem to be aiming first, but they are still cavalry. It's almost impossible to kill everyone. Wouldn't it be better for you to go to Ray, who is accompanied by Sett?"

 It is true that the atmosphere in the headquarters was somewhat relaxed by Carraza's words.
 But...

"I certainly wish I could do that, but I haven't brought Sett this time. Do you want me to run and chase you? ... No, isn't it?"

 Ray comes to mind in the middle of his speech.
 Considering the speed at which the king is dressed in armor, it will be easy for a cavalry to catch up. But the question is that Ray has not yet mastered the armor of the hegemony.
 If he is not good at it, he cannot defeat his cavalry because of the power of the armour of the hegemony, and it could only be to inform Schles... and thus to the Empire that Ray, a huge military force, is cooperating with the rebels.

"I wish you would stop it if you could." When it comes to Ray's military strength, that's the trump card that can turn the tables. I don't want to risk it being discovered here, even if it's hopeless. Besides, I suppose you haven't had the skill of armour of the hegemonic king yet?"

 When Mercurio asks her confirmation, Ray responds with a small shrug.

"And we need to let them know about our strength to some extent. It's a little difficult to adjust the tablespoon around there... but I think Teoreme and her elder sister will adjust it well."

 As Mercurio mutters, Vihela on horseback stands side by side and touches her armour lightly.
 The next moment the cavalry collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness, just touching it from above the armor.
 The skill of immerse yourself in a magical impact on the inside just by touching the enemy makes it possible to strike more quickly than attacking with weapons such as long swords and spears.
 The passing blow knocked him unconscious, which in Ray's eyes seemed a handy skill.

(Compared to the armor of the hegemonic king, which cannot even be controlled properly, it is very convenient.)

 Even Ray understood that the skill of immerse himself seems simple and requires a lot of skill to actually use.
 It's certainly a handy and convenient technique. However, compared to the armor of the king used by the noise, it still seems to fall one or two steps.

"Under the current circumstances, it's OK to participate as long as you're not as prominent as Ray. Ray is good enough as a bodyguard here, so I want you to join us. To be honest, I don't like such a one-sided battle, but I want to take this opportunity to reduce their strength as much as possible."

 Mercurio says Carruthers here look at each other.  
 It's certainly a battlefield, and it's a blessing to be able to breathe the air of the battlefield in a safe situation.
 But is it okay to leave Ray alone here? That's how I thought.

"Don't worry,"

 Ray muttered as if to break such hesitation.

"Lady Ray?"
"I'm here," That alone will protect you from most dangers. That's as long as there's no noise."The nobles here, including Carruther, were convinced without hesitation by Ray, who smiled in a way that suited him.
 If Ray is here, Mercurio, the leader of the rebels, will not be harmed.

"And... no, it's nothing." Anyway, there may be many battles tomorrow, but it's better to get used to it here than to breathe the air of the battlefield for the first time."
"...well, this is not our first recruit."

 A noble man near Carruther muttered in an involuntary tone to Ray's words.
 But the only thing Ray replied to was a slight shrug of the shoulder.
 For Ray, who has survived countless battles within two years of coming to Elgin, the battles that those in front of him have experienced are beyond material.

(though, in fact, it would be a different story if there were any legendary brave men among them.)

 That's what Ray said, but it's a different word to come out of his mouth.

"And I'm not the only one left here,"
"...not just Mr. Ray? What does that mean?"

 When asked so by one of the nobles, Ray turns his eyes to Mercurio.
 But the only thing that came back was to shake my head silently.
 When Ray sees it, he understands Mercurio's intention to stop revealing the existence of the Mystery and misleads the story.
 Still, the reason I turned my gaze to the ground for a moment was probably because I sensed the presence of a person hiding in the ground.

(Is it a demon soldier who uses a mole-like monster?)

"Well, you'll find out in time about that, won't you?" Rather than that, it's all right here, so just get going."
"Yes, I will,"

 If it were Ray's own words, it would be impossible to obey Mercurio.
 Even so, there is really no way we can go to the battlefield without anyone left here, and in the end, each of us will leave a few people here.

"Well, your Highness Mercurio, my Highness Ray. We're off."

 Saying so, he glances at the aristocrats who are leaving the headquarters to lead the troops and turns to the battlefield again.
 It was already a battle to be described as hunting for remnants, and even that was already on its way to an end.

"I hope they can make it in time."

 At Ray's murmuring, Mercurio opens his mouth with a smile.

"It's certainly best if you can make it in time, but if you can't make it in time, don't make it in time. If you can experience the atmosphere of the battlefield, that's all right. I'm more grateful to you for keeping silent."

 As he says so, Mercurio gently kicks the ground.
 Realizing it's about a demon soldier believed to be hiding underground, Ray's mouth is twisted into a smile.
 Although Ray had many connections to the existence of the Mystery, his ability as a military force was more than anyone else's... he thought he knew better than those of the Vestian Empire.

"Well, what on earth?"

 Soldiers questioned Ray and Mercurio's meaningful conversation, but only a vague smile returned.
 There's no point in trying to hear more...or rather, they've decided it's dangerous. The soldier himself looks away with a vague smile.

"Oh, Carruthers are out. It's faster than I expected."

 Ray muttered and looked at the battlefield with a look of relief.
 In the end, the battle between the rebels and the punitive forces ended in an overwhelming victory for the rebels.
 In itself, it was predictable for Schles, but the biggest miscalculation was that only one of his direct cavalrymen survived, and Schles was frustrated to find out that.