I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart - Chapter 228
It’s much easier to raise horses in the South, but it’s difficult in the Northern Empire. Instead, there is an abundance of minerals to produce many weapons, but there needs to be people to wield them!
Damn Southern Empire, why do they invade?
“Those bastards.”
I swung my sword forcefully. Blind arrows flew from a distance, but I deflected them, and the infantry in front of me methodically attacked the Southern Empire’s cavalry.
“Grah!”
“Ugh!”
As knights or soldiers fell, our forces struck them down.
What lay before my eyes was a scene of meaningless slaughter.
The spilled red blood and anguished screams created a sense of unease and discomfort, unlike the monsters we faced.
“Die!”
The Southern Empire’s troops, thinking I was the Commander, rushed towards me.
Being on horseback didn’t change anything.
Having fought on the battlefield, Tess’s horse remained calm, and I calmly sliced through the enemy forces.
Strike one, then two, then four would come. It wasn’t hard, but it was annoying.
Honestly, I worried a lot about slaying fellow beings of my own kind. Could I really do this? Would I only cause harm? But just like with the monsters, I felt nothing.
They seemed no more significant to me than stones on the road.
“Kwah!”
I was fine, but a soldier running beside me was struck by a sword. As his body collapsed forward, the flag fell alongside him.
The flag was the pride and power of that army.
If the flag was out of sight, it meant the situation was dire, so it couldn’t be allowed to fall. I quickly snatched the flag from the fallen soldier’s hand and waved it.
“For the glory of the Northern Empire!”
“Waaaaah!”
The soldiers, who had hesitated for a moment, began to charge forward again, and I urged my horse on.
The flag, weighing about half as much as an adult man, was difficult to handle because of its length.
Moreover, I had to keep hold of the reins. Wielding my sword while holding a flag that was roughly twice my height was cumbersome, so I ended up just swinging the flag.
“Get out of the way, get out of the way, get out of the way!”
One by one, enemies were knocked away by the flag, and the fallen soldiers trampled over their comrades. Soon, the space in front of me was clear, allowing me to run swiftly.
“The path is open! Follow me!”
Seizing the moment, the Commander shouted, and the soldiers yelled as they advanced.
We successfully split the once-solid enemy in half, and as our forces penetrated their ranks, the arrows flying towards us ceased.
If the enemy was approaching in a rectangular formation, our forces had backed up against each other, effectively slicing through half of them. Soon, we had surrounded the enemy’s flanks.
Now the enemy was under attack from all sides by our troops.
What followed was one-sided slaughter.
Since there was no need to move the horse, I let go of the reins and continued to strike down the enemies. The flag was still in my left hand, and I remained tense, wary of becoming a target for any stray arrows.
“Uwack!”
Cries of despair erupt from all directions.
As before, the spear units first took down the horses, followed by the sword units that dealt with the fallen soldiers. It was an incredibly efficient method.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
The Commander of the Southern Empire troops shouted, finally recognizing the seriousness of the situation, but it was already over. In fact, he had only exposed himself, making it easy for someone to strike him down.
“You!”
As I approached, the enemy commander shouted fiercely, and I responded by swinging my sword.
“What!”
He blocked the attack, but the sword shattered, and soon his body followed suit.
Had it been about 30 minutes since we surrounded the Southern Empire forces? Only the Northern Empire troops stood firm on the ground.
The path between the mountains, which I assumed the Southern troops were using for their retreat, was still blocked by the accumulated hail that had formed a wall, and there was no risk of additional attacks.
Perhaps the Southern Empire’s forces across the hill had yelled loudly to be heard. I cast a spell to slightly amplify my voice, but surely no one would notice.
“This is our victory! Long live the Northern Empire! Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Long live! Long live!”
“Long live the Northern Empire!”
The ground, marked by alternating flames and hail, was muddy, and there were indeed some injuries.
However, unlike before, there was hope in the soldiers’ faces.
They believed they could win.
* * *
“Pathetic.”
“What do you mean?”
“My fiance is risking her life for the Empire, and I have to just sit here and watch.”
“Your Majesty, you are working tirelessly alongside the soldiers as well.”
I could hear cheers from a distance.
If I listened closely, I could hear Euseniel’s voice ringing clear among them.
– For the glory of the Northern Empire!
She, who was unafraid, would be at the forefront, rallying their spirits.
I know that no stray arrows will harm her, but I also know that she will shine brightly because of that. It’s this very brightness that makes me anxious.
Perhaps sensing my silence differently, General Panet offered me comfort.
“Lady Hardland will return safely. I’ve instructed Gilton to provide support—”
“—Even if a hundred Giltons charged in, Euseniel would still be unbeatable. Even if she faced three battalions alone, she’d return unscathed.”
The best way to minimize our troops’ losses is to send Euseniel out on her own.
She would willingly do so. It’s just that I would rather not.
I want to cross the river right now and take that bastard’s head, but there’s no guarantee of victory, and neither of us is easy to kill.
We would probably have to pour out all our magical power just to see who would survive.
Or would we die?
At least, in the devil’s memory, the Emperor of the Southern Empire has never succeeded in killing the Emperor of the Northern Empire. All they’ve done is capture and imprison.
Moreover, this is a matter of nations. It’s a fight to protect the people and the land.
Fighting while preserving meaningless lives is exceedingly bothersome.
“Such a hassle…”
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