Chapter 490: Unconditional Love and Respec (1/2)

I jerk my chin with my sword pointed at my allied soldiers.

Although my voice doesn’t come out, the meaning of my action is conveyed clearly, and my allies collide head-on with the advancing enemy.

Spears intersect, swords cross, and strikes and kicks fly back and forth.

Sounds of battle fill the air from the cracks of spearheads breaking against s.h.i.+elds and the piercing clanks of blades. .h.i.tting each other to the dull gush of metal sinking into flesh and cries of pain.

These are the noises of fighting I’ve grown accustomed to from hearing them everyday lately.

「I’ve got to say, it feels quite different.」

The enemy soldiers have matching armor and equipment, with the commander-cla.s.s personnel wearing decorative ornaments on their shoulders and cloaks.

Meanwhile, my allies disguised as volunteer soldiers are dressed in ragged clothes and appear closer to brigands.

「Looking at it this way, I can understand why only half was sent.」

Despite being outnumbered by double the troops, the enemy must have still believed they could rout us.

Unfortunately, that estimation is wrong.

「It’s no good, we can’t push them back! They’re formidable!」

「They’re wearing chainmail underneath! Furthermore, they are organized and their weapons are well-maintained! These guys aren’t bandits, they’re an army!」

Momentum played a part in helping the enemy push in the beginning, but the 400 individuals here are not only part of my personal army, they are all veteran soldiers with a wealth of experience and aren’t cowards who will back down from a little pressure.

「The enemy’s momentum has ceased. Align your spears and drive them back.」

「The rearguard will circle to the left and right and aim at the enemy’s torso and a.s.s.」

「It’s a rare win by numbers. Let’s take it easy and try not to die.」

「Uwaaaaaaah!!」

The tides quickly start to s.h.i.+ft in our favor.

It’s an expected outcome. Crus.h.i.+ng the enemy with a small army requires them to be in disorder first.

Having to be in disguise gave the enemy the upper hand in terms of bows and heavy equipment, but that wasn’t enough to fill the gap created by the difference in troop count.

「There are exceptions though.」

Sekrit mutters beside me. An image of a group of red-caped men surfaces in my mind from her words which I erase right away.

「By the looks of things, we’ll win like this. Are there any methods left for the enemy?」

「Well, yes.」

Sekrit answers without leaving my side.

「We don’t have enough troops! At this rate they’ll collapse from the rear flank!」

「Confuse the enemy! Target the boss, search for the commander……that must be him.」

「It’s definitely him. Rather, it’d be strange if that isn’t him.」

The distressed enemies stare at me.

「Hooh, so they saw through me in an instant.」

Defeating the enemy general is the best means of overcoming a predicament.

With that said, it isn’t so simple to find me when I’m hidden in such a chaotic battlefield.

「Even a child can do it. Hey, here they come.」

The enemies charge at me without a shred of doubt.

「Let’s go, you ma.s.s of vanity!」

More than a few mounted soldiers brandish their swords.

「I am the hero of salvation, Golden Lager!!」

Saying it myself makes it sound pathetic.

I allow one of the enemies to swing down his sword so I can deflect it outside……in other words, in the opposite direction of his body.

This results in the arm of the rider to be pulled away from his body, revealing his more vulnerable area, the torso.

I pa.s.s right by him and, with a sharp exhale of my breath, slash his side.

Sensations of my blade cutting flesh, entering into the enemy’s body and slicing through sinew travels up my arm.

He groans and eventually falls limply to the ground.

Bundles of tendons and blood vessels are located in that part of his torso.

If they get cut, he won’t die immediately, but he won’t ever swing his sword a second time and even if he were to wake up, he won’t be able to fight.

「This guy, acting like a show-off!!」

The next enemy rushes in. While he is on foot, he is a man of large build, wearing a set of full plate armor and equipped with a sword and s.h.i.+eld.

Hey, I’m doing this unwillingly too.

I stick out my left hand to stop the s.h.i.+eld he’s using to push with.

My feet slid half a step backwards on the ground, but the enemy’s momentum was completely halted.

「I’m not done y――」

Before he can complete his sentence, I whip a front kick at the center of his abdomen.

The heavily-protected enemy soldier twirls in the air and then drops to the ground.

「Such fort.i.t――」

Again, before he can finish, I close the distance and thrust my sword into the hole of his visor.

The lump of metal twitches and then becomes motionless.

「You guys talk too much.」

I pull out my sword.

「I can say the same about you, s.h.i.+ny b.a.s.t.a.r.d.」

As I turned around, an enemy jabs his spear at my face, using the same weak point of full plate armor that I previously aimed for.

「Be careful next time.」

My left hand grabs the spearhead and then I pull the weapon toward me with all my might.

Not expecting his attack to be caught, the enemy doesn’t let go in time and is pulled together with the spear.

I hold my sword steady at waist level rather than thrusting it out, confirm that the blade stabs deep into the belly of the lightly-clothed enemy, and then twist the sword once to either side before tossing the body away.

「Experienced knights in succession……and ambushes from behind are ineffective. He isn’t your average show-off!」

「Don’t be tricked by his foolish appearance! He’s a skilled pract.i.tioner!」

They gouge my heart everytime.

「I see, it seems the person Leopolt-sama told us to listen to isn’t an ordinary man. He’s got some bad fas.h.i.+on sense though.」

「Yeah, I thought he was a deviant when he came dressed in the s.h.i.+ny armor, but he’s not someone to sneeze at.」

I can’t accept the praise either.

「Wait a minute. I didn’t realize because of the abnormal appearance, but that frame and fighting style, the only difference is the weapon he wields……」

Not good, they’re going to discover my ident.i.ty.

Is it because I’m fighting like I usually do?

If I’m exposed, it’s all over.

I have to change how I fight.

「This is the end of the side show.」

I ignore the suspicious way of talking and observe the next enemy.

He is high-spirited, but he moves sluggishly and his center of gravity is off……he’s either a new recruit or a bungling idiot.

I abandon my sword on the spot.

Such an action on the battlefield attracts everyone’s attention.

「Here I go.」

I run empty-handed toward the enemy soldier.

「Is this guy for real――」

The enemy, dictated by anger, prepares to swing his sword.

I hold the blade filled with all of his strength aloft with the palm of my hand.

「Wha- Bare-handed……!?」

A swing from above is powerful, but that’s only if a certain amount of force is used.

The moment the swinging motion changes from up to down, there is no power in the sword and a blank s.p.a.ce is born.

Since this soldier is clumsy, the blank s.p.a.ce was long enough for me to interrupt.

If he was more skilled, he would have retracted his sword without delay.

Doing so would slice my palm in hopes that the pain would remove my hand.

Well, it’s not like I would let go that easily though.

Now then, I would usually crush the opponent’s hand at this point, but that would arouse suspicion.

「I am Malt’s hero of salvation, Golden Lager. Let me burn the essence of war into your eyes. It is an inevitability for this martial art to send you to heaven.」

I twist my body as soon as I release the enemy’s arms.

「Lager Lariat of Salvation!」

I whip my body forward and slam my arm into his chin.

The enemy somersaults and falls on his head, knocking himself unconscious.

「Haa!?」

I move on to the next enemy.

「H-he’s coming! He’ll use either his body or fist, get into defensive positions……」

I’m not using either.

I use the running start to leap and then kick the enemy’s face with the soles of both my feet, sending him flying.

「Guaaa!!」

I don’t think he thought a drop kick was an option since he failed to defend himself.

It’s an unfitting attack on the battlefield no matter how you look at it, but the strike contained my entire weight, propelling the enemy like a marble, who bounced several times on the ground before laying lifeless.

「That was just one of three secret techniques, the Malt Lager Kick!!」

My voice alternates from low to high volume and the speech pattern is something I think of on the spot, so that’s why it sounds shaky.

But that’s fine.

The usual me definitely wouldn’t talk unnecessarily in front of the enemy, but most importantly, surely no one will believe such an insecure person is me.

「Forget what I said earlier. The feudal lord is a demon in battle……this can’t be him.」

「Did the Malt Kingdom always have such secret techniques? Uhh, sure, I guess. They sound strong.」

I cleared the doubts. Now I’ve just got to endure the embarra.s.sment from all the staring.

My attention s.h.i.+fts beside me and I notice Sekrit, who had been fighting next to me this whole time, is defending and retreating against a smallfry.

Apparently, she burst out laughing from what just happened and the enemy took advantage of that.

In any case, my allied soldiers have pushed further and it’s safe to say that the battle has been decided during the farce.

Suddenly, a small shadow wrapped in black robes lines up beside me.

The beautiful blonde hair sticking out from the hem of the robes tells me the individual inside is Brynhildr.

「Oh, you came. I appreciate it.」

I grin despite knowing it can’t be seen from under my armor.

However, I was greeted with a cold emotionless face.

「……do you have anything to say to me?」

「Mmm, well we’re in the middle of battle, so……」

I don’t think this is a good time to have a casual conversation.

「Like I care. Because I am here, you don’t have to worry about leaving yourself open.」

Brynhildr peeks at me with eyes full of antic.i.p.ation.

Alright then, don’t mind if I do.

「About the time in that forest…… erm…… she is in good health……」

Brynhildr’s eyebrow raises and the corner of her mouth lifts up, revealing her sharp fang.

c.r.a.p, wrong answer.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, an enemy soldier slips past the other allies and runs this way.

「I’ve got you now, Golden! A clown like you will die here…… huh? I can’t feel my body……?」

Obviously not.

Your arms and legs weren’t severed.

Your spine was pulled out along with the removal of your head. He screams in agony as plenty of indescribable things dangle from what is left of him.

It goes without saying Brynhildr is the offender. n.o.body besides her could manage such a feat.

She whacks the enemy’s shoulder with the man’s completely separated head and backbone as she glares at me.

「I’m never, eevveeerrrr, going to tell you!!」

Then she puffs her cheeks and looks off in another direction.

Anyways, we’ve won here.

I’ll apologize thoroughly to her at night, praise her beauty, spoil her, and then persuade her to tell me.

「Shout out――shout out in victory!!」

「You’re breaking character. Also, stop the falsetto, it freaks me out.」

I guess my talent for acting is nonexistent.

After defeating the enemy on the border, our march continued steadily.

We didn’t annihilate the enemy in the battle so news of their loss should have reached them, but they must either be thinking it’s fine to ignore a mere 400 enemies or the Vandolea army must have advanced further than expected and aren’t giving them any leeway to respond, since no new enemies showed up.

As of this time, we have arrived at a certain village.