A hoarse voice echoed through the room of the royal palace. There was no hint of urgency or composure in the voice, but rather a pallid voice that seemed to have lost all emotion.

"Erdis, his life must be shot on the battlefield. I repeat, always. Surrender and pleading are all unacceptable.

　At the sound of Ragias's earth-crawling voice, the messenger saluted and immediately ran out of the room. His gnarled fingers stroked the beard on his chin.

　Erdis, Princess of the Elves, and Beloved Son of the Spirits.

　What a pain in the ass, what a pain in the ass. Largias' eyes narrowed as they crinkled.

　Is it an elven tradition, or is it now a custom? As a rule, it is not permitted to execute a beloved child who has a great blessing from the spirits. We are told over and over again as children that if we kill them, the winds of misfortune will blow and the rainwater will pour down with poison.

　It's a ridiculous legend. Of course, a custom like that can be crushed with the Finn's position.

　But even if that were the case, Largius could not choose to do so.

　His eyes looked down at his wrinkled hands. There is evidence of great age. Even with the longevity of the elves, death was already in sight for Largius. At best, he has a few decades left.

　So be it. In order to change Ghazaria, which has festered and decayed due to this stagnation, we can't offend the people in vain. After all, we're about to rewrite the whole thing from the ground up.

　The old elf, Largias, understood well that politics is all about balancing emotions. On the one hand, he repaints conventions, and on the other hand, he shows respect for them. By doing so, we should embed the seeds of change in the people.

　Yes, and so. That niece must die on this battlefield today.

　Dying on the battlefield can be a tragedy. You can play Finn as a grieving man who can't protect his beloved niece. I didn't want to antagonize him. But you can make him feel like he had no choice.

"Finn. The attackers on the side roads are gaining momentum and we are in danger of being breached at this rate.

　Without knocking on the office, the chief of staff steps in. It's not that I don't like it.

I don't care, just let me think about buying some time. Don't let up your assault on the front gate. Trample the enemy's main force without a single loose end. Then the game is over.

　Once the enemy had split into two groups, the policy was set in stone. Use the garrison on the side road as an abandoned stone and let the main body advance to defeat the enemy army. This seemed to be the most reliable and the least troublesome.

　It would be a race against time, but that was from the beginning. Yes, from the beginning, Ragias had no time to spare in this civil war. The enemy's head must be chopped off quickly to decide the winner. A siege is not an option.

They will decide the game before the soldiers of the human nation arrive. Don't let them take their time to interrupt us.

　The country of Ghazaria has just undergone a regime change. It is about to formally establish diplomatic relations with the human nation. In the midst of this, how can we expect to see a country in turmoil due to civil war, and struggling against rebel forces? There is no way that such a weak country can establish equal diplomatic relations. Rather, it must show that it is a strong nation by cutting down the rebels with a single blow.

　It was the same in governing Ghazaria itself. The one who sits on Finn's throne will tell the world that he is a powerful ruler, worthy of ruling Gazalia. This is a touchstone battle for Largius. He cannot make any mistakes.

　So there will be no slackening of his hand. He will grab the enemy's heart without reservation, without a moment's delay.

What about the troops gathered in front of the city gate? Did you give the order to attack from behind?

　The chief of staff nodded his head and spoke plainly.

The message has already been sent. But there's no response or sign of movement. It's possible there's some kind of interference or enemy movement.

　Ragias puts his hand on his neck.

　The soldiers concentrated in front of the castle gates are intended to be used as a decisive strike on the battlefield or as an auxiliary force. They don't move, and there is no way to contact them. It's hard to imagine that it's just an accident or a problem.

　So, it seems that the enemy was not only repeatedly assaulting us, but also thinking about it.

That's not good. If we can't stop them, they'll buy us time. Very bad.

　We have the overwhelming advantage in numbers. But in the narrow streets, the situation suggested a certain degree of rivalry. This battle is not just about winning in the end.

　It had to be overwhelmingly and quickly settled. And the longer it takes, the more likely it is that the enemy will be able to penetrate the side roads. A double-edged sword can't be wielded indefinitely.

　We need troops. A force with the momentum to reap the enemy's surplus and swallow up your allies.



　Rahgias' fingers stroked his beard a few times, then he opened his mouth.

"Mm, get him to ---- call Valianne.

　I'm sorry.

　The purple flashes across the street in front of the royal palace, which has turned into a battlefield.

　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you have. A splash of blood covered his vision for a moment, staining the world with fresh blood. I now realize that elves are no different from humans in that their blood is red.

　Her breathing became erratic and her shoulders shook. Fine lacerations, abrasions, and bruises had formed all over his arms, stitching them together.

　It's not good, it's not good, it's definitely not good. And I knew it in my head. While I was separating the enemy's head and body, there was a thought in the corner of my mind that was trying to calmly assess the situation.

　That cold-hearted thought was telling me. That the end of defeat was now at my back. An icy chill rose up from my heels. A numbing despair runs through my extremities and into my brain.

　At present, the battlefield on the street seems to be in a seemingly even keel, despite the horrific situation it has created. But this will eventually break down. In the end, they have far more men than us. If we are swallowed up by the enemy's momentum, it will be the end.

　There are no soldiers with enough energy to push back the momentum. The best we can hope for is to stay here and hope for the advance of the troops on the side roads.

　And there is one more thing that is not good. It's that we're starting to see the bottom of our strength.

　I saw an elf with a round shield in front of me on the right. He leaps to his feet and charges, as if to surprise you. The shield slips and deflects the sword, so it's better this way. He ripped off the sky and smashed the elf's skull with the hilt of his sword from the top.

　When I looked up, I saw that the threat that had been constantly looming had ceased.

　Perhaps they thought that a melee would cause too much damage, so they regrouped their troops and attacked. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was breathing normally.

　Immediately, my knees began to shake convulsively, and my shoulders rose and fell. I'm thirsty to the point of being bizarre. My mouth opened involuntarily in search of air and water.

　This is it. Maybe it's because I've been standing around like a fool, or maybe I'm just not strong enough. I've already used up most of the strength I have in my body. I can't do it anymore, I can't last. I don't know if I'll be able to land a blow when the next troop charges. I can't maintain the momentum I had earlier.

　The only thing those who lose momentum on the battlefield are met with is the humiliation of defeat and the Grim Reaper.

　Momentum! I want momentum. Fortunately, we are not yet in a catastrophic situation where we can be attacked from behind. So, if we have the momentum to cut through the enemy's forces here, the situation will change dramatically.

　---- I wonder how far Valianne's troops will go.

　It's a shame, but the presence of Valianne, who is infiltrating the enemy's ranks as a soldier of Ra's Geass, is significant.

　As long as she can betray the enemy at key points and break their momentum and strength, victory could very well come to our hands. It's not that I don't think she's a bit too selfish. His thirsty lips twisted and his throat shook as if he was taunting himself.

　Suddenly, I began to see many shadows again in front of me. Even though I still hadn't caught my breath, it seemed that the enemy still had a surplus of soldiers. Rather than regrouping their troops, they have left new units in front of us.

　You look into their eyes and look at them. My eyelids blinked and shook.

　What I saw was a swarm of silver-armored menaces. The savage voice of the fierce soldiers, walking forward with clear hostility and murderous intent, is definitely directed at me.

　That hostility I have been exposed to once. That murderous intent has already been directed at us.

　Yes, the first time we entered this country, Gazalia.

　And the commander of that unit remains the same. The elf's gaze tightened and confidence filled her body. There she was, Valianne.