A sorcerous beastie used by the Borvat army. It was probably a lion or a tiger or a wolf that had been collared and puppeted by magic.

　The reason I think this is because, with its magically transformed form, it is no longer possible to even imagine its original form.

　Its fangs are no longer for hunting prey, but for crushing rocks, and its claws are now for cutting through the armor of soldiers. What is the difference between a hexenbiest and a monster anymore?

　The boy soldier, Hayes, was out of place thinking about this.

"Move, move!　Quickly, quickly, into the wall!

　At the back gate of Garouamalia. At the back gate of Garoua Maria, the voices of the old soldiers rang out with a roar.

　The simple walls and protruding fences that had withstood the first day's attack were now being destroyed. Now they were being torn down like paper by the sorcerer soldiers.

　It was a sight that Hayes found hard to take in. The camp he had relied on so much yesterday was being swallowed up in the blink of an eye. No, that wasn't all. The frontline soldiers who had failed to flee were bitten on their backs and quickly turned into rags.

　Hayes watched from the top of the gate. He had been unhappy to be a defender of the city walls instead of a front line soldier, but now he was grateful for his good fortune.

...... This is no good. It's too much for us.

　Hayes came to his senses as he heard the old soldier's near-sigh. Then he opened his mouth as if seeking a way to drown out his anxiety.

What do you mean, Mr. Ziz? No means... We've only just begun.

　Jiz took up his longbow and shot an arrow down out of the field. Originally, longbows were used to roughly aim and rain arrows down on a large group of people at once, but Jiz's arrows strangely hit well. I wondered if it was because of the trick he liked to play with himself.

　Even now, the arrow was pouring into the mouth of the magical beast below. There seemed to be a definite feeling of piercing the flesh, but that did not stop the roar of the aroused beast.

　The wrinkles on Ziz's face twisted into a sullen expression.

"Boy soldier. You see, in war, there are no heroic comebacks. As far as I'm concerned, it's usually decided by the first one or two hits. After that, you either lose gracefully or you lose pathetically.

　And so," Hayes continued. The tension and urgency of the battlefield gave way to a strange comfort with the old guard.

　Following the garrison commander's call to fire, Jiz, and then Hayes, holstered their bows. The fingers that pulled the string began to ache badly.

The captain of the garrison is doing his best, but if he's serious, he's losing the battle. I want to run away with my tail between my legs.

"Why don't you just run away from ......?　You can run away from !

　Hayes said as he shot an arrow into the distance and spat it out. The uneasiness that had been building up in his head unintentionally gave way to anger at Ziz's words.

　A kind of gnawing irritation covered Hayes' skin. His blood was so cold that no amount of screaming could warm his body. But his heart was palpitating as if he were screaming.

　Surely all the guards knew this.

　The onslaught of the magical beasts and soldiers below. And there were enough of them to easily cover us.

　Oh, we'll die here. Even if the army is victorious, this place will surely be our coffin. Such thoughts bordered on resignation.

　Finally, the back gate that held the soldiers was closed, and the great wall temporarily weakened the momentum of the enemy soldiers. But it was only for a moment, and soon they would raise the hammer for a siege.

　Will you be able to withstand it? The answer is obvious.

　As if creeping into the hearts of these soldiers, a voice came to them.

"The defenders of Garouamalia. I'll give you a moment. I will not take your lives if you abandon your armor and open the gates now.

　A woman's voice, probably amplified by magic, shrouded the back gates of Garouamaria.

　Unusually, the enemy commander seemed to be a woman. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

But if you challenge me any further, I will show no mercy. I will slice your ears, split your nose, crush your fingers and kill you. Your intestines will become lunch for my little hexenbiest soldiers.

　Hayes spat unknowingly. Almost all of the guards could easily imagine the scene.

　Because that's what happened to all those who failed to escape. The sight and sound of them being fed alive to the beasts was burned into their eyes and ears.

　Hayes, no, there was equal turmoil in the hearts of many soldiers.

　The heroes and maidens of war were now far in front. In the rear there were only defenders. There is no one who can inspire them.

　And so the soldiers, fortunately and unfortunately, are just people. It is human beings who give in to fear and run away with their backs to the world. The ones who risk their lives and move forward without regard for death are no longer mere mortals.

　Hayes grits his teeth like he's throwing a tantrum. But still he heard them click, click, click. Fear gnawed at his heart and wouldn't leave. He knew he was insane.



　Suddenly, Ziz patted Hayes on the back. Then he said.

"Are you afraid, boy soldier? I'm scared, too. But I'm not running, because I have my daughter behind me.

　Daughter. He forgot his anger and fear for a moment. He looked back at the old soldier, wondering what he was talking about. Ziz opened his mouth wide and smiled.

"Surprising?　When I was younger, I was very popular. ...... But I didn't make it easy for them. Not for my wife, not for my daughter.

　I spent my life in the favelas of Garouamaria, working as a mercenary, but I was too busy feeding myself to even buy clothes. I never even held him in my arms as a child, and before I knew it, he was grown up. He was not a good father.

　Hayes heard the voice of the enemy commander as well as a glimpse of the life Ziz was describing so plainly. He didn't know if the old soldier was telling the truth or not. But there was something that made sense to him.

　--You have to live, even if it's ugly. That's why I'm still a soldier at this age.

　It made sense to Hayes. How could he, a man so eager to live, have joined a war of attrition? Why did he continue to fight like the coward he had been accused of being?

　And then I think. What would happen if the garrison threw down their arms and surrendered? The soldiers might not be killed as promised. But what about the citizens inside?

　Borvat's army is on a march. It's hard to imagine how much food man and beast, said to be close to 40,000, would need. And Hayes could see that they would not be able to provide that much food easily.

　To pay for it, they would probably loot the city. Looting was the best reward the army could offer without hurting their pockets.

　Hayes didn't have time to think about it, he was holstering an arrow.

　It was not out of pity or sentimentality for Ziz. It was a very personal feeling of Hayes. So there was no rationality in it at all.

　There was only one thing to think about. It was an outrage bordering on a tantrum.

　This is bullshit. Why was I freaking out? First of all, it's crazy.

　Why should I be so timidly frightened by a bunch of filthy robbers who strolled into my yard and offered to save my life? Why should we throw down our arms and open the gates ourselves to them?

　A hero would snicker back. Hayes can't imagine him losing like that. If we retreat here, we'll hurt his back.

　Squeezing, Hayes stretched the string to the limit and held the arrow. Only passion moved the boy.

　Seeing Hayes, Ziz also took up his bow. Naturally, the others followed suit. Everyone wanted to do what they had to do.

　--As if in response to the roar of the sorcerous beastmen, the arrows of the longbows were fired in unison. At the back gate, another battle between demons and humans was about to begin.