About as tall as a child. Thin arms and legs. But with his hideous appearance and beastly limbs, people called him Gileno. It means "rude beast.

　They always move in packs and make a living by attacking and eating different species. A concentrated appetite for violence and violence was the only reason for their existence.

　It is said that they are the end result of animals whose souls have been transformed into demons.

　Some scholars have suggested that they are the corpses of children who died young and then started to move again, but this has not been widely accepted.

　They were enough of a threat to peddlers, and even adventurers would catch a glimpse of death if they encountered one alone. In large numbers, they could even attack villages and cities.

　But they were no threat to a well-equipped army. The way they repeatedly rushed forward in a disorderly manner was similar to a small animal jumping into a river, and could be called a deadly assault.

　Now, the skulls, no longer recognizable as man or beast, shattered before the spears, shattering with strange cries. The sight made the soldiers equally uncomfortable. After that, the repeated rushing made them feel fed up even though they were on the battlefield. It seemed as if Gileno himself wanted to die.

　Bernard was next to his horse as Salainio's attendant, but he was no longer paying attention to the death of the Hexenbiest. He had something else on his mind.

　That is, what the Lord Salainio is thinking.

　The heraldic sect of Largud-Anne, and Telsalat-Lewana, the emissary of Elyseald. I know what they're thinking and what they're saying. They're reasonable. That's why I couldn't read the thoughts of my master, Salainio.

　Why don't you just take the offer? It is possible that the conversation itself is a trap, but then we will simply fight it head-on as we had planned.

　But if this is the true proposal, then the Salainio can take direct control of the area east of the Augustus River unharmed.

　If we capture the city of Philos without damaging any of our troops, Saint Matia and Hero Lugis will not be able to refuse to listen to us. In fact, negotiations should proceed more smoothly.

　If that happens, the heraldry will be safely divided into two and there will be a two-headed system of saints and seniors.

　Bernard thought this was for the best. I know that Salainio is of the opinion that two opposing forces should not be in the same organization. So, let's just split the organization up.

　If we can cooperate at times, we will work together, and if we have to confront each other, we will do it. That's the way it should be.

　Bernard looked at the profile of Salainio on the horse. His wrinkled face was slightly distorted and he was looking ahead to the battlefield.

　Bernard, too, followed his gaze. The herd of demonic beasts was slowly disintegrating, and victory would soon be within their grasp.

　But that wasn't exactly what Salainio was looking at. Ahead, in the slightest movement of the forest.

　Bernard's eyes widened. Agitation rushed through his blood. A being that looked like a soldier was crawling through the forest. For a moment he thought it was a hexenbiest reinforcement, but it wasn't. Hexenbiests don't move in such an orderly fashion.

　--Therefore, it was really a group of humans that were moving through the forest.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing. It came, clearly aimed at the weakest part. The distinctive savage voice of the soldiers covered the battlefield.

　Probably bandits. No horses. But the orderly march is strangely fast. It will bite us in the flank before we are fully formed.

　Before Bernard could reach Salainio, he was already on the move. With a wave of his command staff, he bellowed his words to the others.

　The wind whistled and shivered as if in response to his voice.

"Don't follow the hexenbiests too closely!　All ...... soldiers, stay and hold your spears!

　The whole place shook as the soldiers came and went with the words.

　The whole place shook. But Salainio quickly dismissed that idea.

　Already, several of his impetuous men were being crushed by the enemy's battleaxe. If he ordered them to retreat now, they would no longer be able to stop.

　It was human nature that once they turned their backs and ran away, they would be gripped by such intense fear that they would not even be able to look forward.

　Then it would be much better to make him stay on his feet even at the risk of damage. That was what he had decided to do. Immediately, Salainio clicked his tongue. Bernard's eyes widened.

"Mr. Salainio, ...... this is...

　Bernard said naturally. In the past, Bernard had never made a suggestion to Salainio on the battlefield.

　But now that he saw the scene before him, he could not say so.

　The bandits who had come running fearlessly from the forest - no, Bernard thought, that had been a mistake.

　They are skillfully biting into our flanks and breaking our line. They were clearly experienced fighters.

　They can't be bandits.

　First of all, how many bandits would attack a well-equipped soldier, even if he was in the middle of a battle with a hexenbiest? Even if they were looking for supplies, it would be better to attack them at night.

　But if they are not bandits, then what are they?

　To be honest, Bernard didn't have the time to think about it. A cold sweat broke out down his spine, and his throat gulped down spit again and again.



　The only thing my congealed brain was telling me was that this was a crisis. We have the superior force. If we can wrap it up, we can win. If the troops were able to regain their composure and meet the surprise head on, that might be possible.

　But there was an equal chance that they would all collapse. There was no way we could take such a risk. If they were defeated, and we lost our mainstay Salainio, it would be the end of everything.

　A messenger came running up to him. Then he said in a loud voice.

"The enemy seems to be hiding more reinforcements!　Our horses are ready, please leave immediately!

　After receiving the words of Bernard and the messenger, Salainio hesitated for a moment and then said. After a moment's hesitation, Salainio said, his long worn-out teeth creaking.

Retreat!　The soldiers in the front line hold their spears and maintain their line of fire, the rear line begins to retreat!

　Cut off some of the troops and lose most of them in the process. It was one of those decisions that a defeated side makes on the battlefield. What had happened? It was one of the decisions that the defeated side would make on the battlefield. The soldiers didn't fully understand what had happened, so they were forced to follow the orders given by their superiors without thinking.

　In a way, the military may be the furthest thing from the tenets of heraldry. They are not allowed to think for themselves and act on the basis of everything above. It is very incompatible with heraldry, which holds that one of its tenets is to gain knowledge and to think and understand for oneself.

　But it is also true that an army cannot function without it. The soldiers of heraldry knew this and that is why they all followed the orders.

"Lord Salainio, please withdraw with your guards as soon as possible. No one can replace him.

　Bernard, too, drew the long sword at his waist and shouted forwards. The blade itself rippled to leave more wounds on the enemy. It was a sword designed to kill more people.

　How did it come to this? We can investigate the cause later. But for now, I must do what must be done.

　A gleam of silver falls across the battlefield. Salainio sighed as he saw Bernard's condition. It was only then that Salainio truly realized that he had grown old.

"...... Don't die, Bernard. Nothing has begun yet. The curtain hasn't even opened yet.

"Yes, never. Yes, never. We will see you alive again, Lord Salainio.

　Bernard's tall body bounced as he made his way to the front. His brown skin glistened against the dead snow.

　He was first bought for his height and then for his skill with a sword. After a while, his character and obedience to the Faith brought him to his current position.

　Bernard considers himself fortunate. In the village where he was born, his foreign skin was blamed and he was not treated like a human being. No matter how hard he worked, he was treated like a domestic animal or a foreign object.

　He had no choice but to become a mercenary in order to live as a human being, and the only person who could show him the way was Salainio.

　If it were not for the doctrine of heraldry, Bernard would never have learned to read. He would not have even known the word "knowledge" and would have died on some battlefield without knowing the meaning of life.

　So it didn't matter if he died here. Death here is a meaningful death. A death in defense of the master you serve.

　It's better than being persecuted and stoned and dying for nothing. How fortunate.

　Bernard sprang forward. When he saw his enemies wielding battle axes and spears, he finally understood what they were.

　The way they wielded their swords, the way they looked. They were not bandits, after all, but mercenaries. And the quality of their equipment suggests that they are probably Belfain mercenaries.

　Bernard narrowed his eyes. The thoughts that had been frozen in his skull were finally beginning to melt and mix with his blood.

　A mercenary is hired for a purpose. The fact that the Belle Fain mercenaries were attacking the soldiers of the heraldic religion meant that there was a certain meaning to it.

　And so the Belle Fain mercenaries are undoubtedly the affirmers of the hero Lugis.

　In front of Bernard's eyes, he saw a familiar armor. The one leading the mercenaries. He wielded a long-handled battle axe with ease, crushing the heads of his soldiers.

　There was no mistaking him. The Iron Princess of Belle Fain. Even before she became a member of the heraldic order, Bernard knew of her existence as he negotiated with the mercenaries.

　His gaze drifted to the figure of Bernard, whose steel helmet stood out prominently. Then, for a moment, he said as if they were old acquaintances.

Oh, there you are. Well, good-bye. You know the customs of the battlefield.

　The battle axe swung with a fierce sound that cut through the air. Without a moment's hesitation, the very blade of the decapitator swung down in a mass of murderous intent to bounce Bernard's head off.

　Instantly, the sound of iron biting iron resounds.

"Shame on you more than the battlefield, coward. Have you forgotten the pride that comes from lining up in front of each other?



　A battle axe and a surging blade. Two pieces of iron bite each other and roar. The scene was like a beautiful performance.

　If there were any heroes on this battlefield, it was undoubtedly these two.

　One game, two games, three games. And so, countless times, the vivid exchange of killing intent was repeated. When one of the blades drew a beautiful line, the other would deflect it and hold it back.

　At this moment, the mercenaries had stopped their march. The meshing of the chief steel princess and Bernard was now all that was left of the battlefield.

　Bernard had done his job perfectly well. He used his own body to prevent the enemy from escaping his master. That was certainly accomplished.

　On the other hand, Vestalinu-Gerua, the Steel Princess, was also faithfully carrying out her orders and fulfilling her role.

　Suddenly, the sound of steel meshing with steel ceased. Vestalinu's battle axe took a step back, brushing aside Bernard's blade.

"It is not my intention. I don't mean to, but I don't need to hear it from you, who took aim at my commander's absence.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.


　I'll be back.


　In the event that you have any questions regarding where by and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. His hand tightened on the reins, and his brow creased.

　In his heart, he was not so much upset as he was relieved. And there was anger at his own inadequacy.

　Largd-an. That heretic. The saint's fanatic would not so easily give up his faith. Then of course she'd come crawling towards me to kill me.

　And they do it with a smile on their face. Yes, one can be a murderer with a smile.

　Salainio was upset with himself for not being sure and reserving judgment even though he had thought of this point.

　Isn't this a move he often makes? He would stall his opponent's thinking, and in time, he would push him into a place he could not get out of.

　But this time he survived.

　With the sound of horses' hooves clopping in his ears, Salainio made up his mind. There was no longer any hesitation. It was a poison he could no longer handle. Even those who use poison do not love it. Then we have to get rid of it.

　We've come a long way from the front lines and the main camp is almost in sight. If we use the troops we have there, we can save some of the front line troops.

　That was when Salainio let his mind wander. One of the soldiers who had been riding with him as a guard shouted something and stopped his horse. It was a messenger who had brought a fast horse to Salainio.

　The rest of the guards followed suit, pulling on the reins and stopping their horses. Salainio turned to look at the soldier a moment later.

　Could it be that the other soldiers had been caught in the act? Just as he came to that conclusion.

　--Thin silver pierced the cheeks and skulls of Salainio and his guards.

　Brown hair spilled out of the messenger's helmet.

I hate this job, I really do. Well, just chalk it up to bad luck. That's how life works.