Master and Slaves

"Ah, Hiroyuki-sama. Lord Julius is calling for you."

A maid of this mansion seemed to have come to call me.

"Now? I’d like to rest a little."

"She said it is urgent."

What could it be?

If it was urgent... was it about the war?

"Understood. Muriel also... is that all right?"

"I don’t mind, but..."

"Yes. She said to bring you along as well."

I looked at Muriel, then looked at the maid.

If Helene was telling us to bring Muriel as well, it was almost certainly about the war.

"Then... Sara, sorry, but I’m counting on you to keep watch as before."

I peeked into my room, whose door was open, and asked Sara, who was inside, including the meaning of a guard.

"Ah, yes. Understood."

"Au..."

Sara answered normally, but Cathy, Tiria, Helma, and Ilma dropped their shoulders looking truly disappointed.

"Ah— Cathy. I’ll come back as soon as it’s over."

I at least comforted Cathy, who had spoken her disappointment out loud.

"Yes. Then I’ll get ready and wait."

"Ah, yeah. Then I’m going."

""""""Please take care, Master.""""""

At the end, including Rina as well, they saw me off with their voices together.

I raised my hand in response, then followed after the maid taking Muriel with me.

...Get ready, what?

...

"And so we should depart immediately."

"However, here it would be better after watching the situation..."

"That will be too late! If they get inside the difficulty will jump up."

When I entered the room, a scene I had seen before was repeating.

"What’s going on?"

I looked around the room, found Helene, went to her side, and asked.

"The soldiers we sent as scouts apparently encountered a patrol from Stahleck Castle. They killed the patrol to silence them, but they let several escape..."

Humu.

Because the other side had learned that we were targeting Stahleck Castle, they might request reinforcements.

"Then how about catching every last one of the ones coming out of Stahleck Castle? Those guys are probably messengers."

"...Hiroyuki-sama. In cases like this, they normally do not send messengers. They request with magic."

Helene explained that to me mixed with a sigh.

That’s right, there was magic.

"Which means after that it’s only the marching time of the soldiers from the reinforcement destination to Stahleck Castle."

"Yes. However, even the closest castle takes ten days. A town takes two weeks. But from here we can arrive in five days, so if we go now and can occupy the castle within four days, I think we can deal with it sufficiently from inside the castle."

"Then we should depart now, is that it. But there seem to be people who want to wait and see..."

That was Baldo and Bastian.

"The reason is that preparations are not ready."

Well, of course.

I also still had no grasp at all of the mercenary band that would be under my command.

Far from that, it was doubtful whether they would even follow me...

If we trained properly, it would take three months.

"It’s difficult."

"Yes."

Muriel agreed with my mutter.

"Even so, with our current forces we can take Stahleck Castle even as a disorderly mob. I think we should go immediately."

Helene persuaded Baldo and Bastian.

"...What about Julius?"

"I also agree with Mother. We should attack immediately."

Julius, called on by Baldo, agreed with Helene with heavy breathing.

"Humu... understood. It is the general’s opinion. Let us decide with that."

"Understood. Then let us plan the operation based on that."

Baldo yielded, and Bastian also drafted a plan based on the decided matter.

With this the war was decided.

The time was...

"The departure time will be before dawn tomorrow."

...

"Then we depart."

At the head Julius raised his voice.

Together with that, horses and people began walking in a column.

This was the encampment we had visited yesterday.

All the fires that had been lit were extinguished, and the pitched tents had been folded and loaded onto wagons and donkeys.

The sun had not yet risen.

It was a march through the forest, relying only on moonlight in the dark night.

I was walking among that.

As a high-ranking commander I apparently could have used a horse, but I could not ride well so I politely declined.

Of course the Dules were also walking behind me.

Further behind them Harold’s mercenary band was walking and following.

In front of me the infantry led by Baldo was walking.

In the forest where even the moonlight was frequently blocked, even at this distance I felt I might lose sight of them.

"Hey, Muriel. About yesterday’s talk. Wasn’t the scouts contacting the other side’s watchers too soon? We decided to send scouts yesterday morning, right. But, um..."

"Stahleck Castle...?"

"Yeah, that castle takes five days to reach, right?"

"A march takes considerably more time than acting alone. If it were only Master and us we could go in about two days. The ones who went as scouts used horses so they are even faster."

"...Is this place that close. It’s surprising we weren’t found."

"...Yes."

Something felt off.

Well, but for now we had no choice but to follow.

"Everyone, if something happens say so. Even if you’re tired or it’s hard."

""""""""Yes, Master."""""""

Everyone answered.

Oh my, even Rine called me Master.

Her voice sounded sleepy, so she might have been half-asleep.

Ah, Rina is carrying her on her back.

"Rina, are you all right?"

"I’m fine. Don’t mind me."

Rina answered curtly.

"Rina!"

"It’s fine, Sara. If it gets hard, say so. I’ll take over."

"...I’m fine."

Haa. Same as always.

Now then, there are still four days left, so I must not let them overdo it.

...

And on the morning of exactly the fifth day after leaving Helene’s mansion, we arrived at Stahleck Castle.

In front of the castle the forest opened up, and a plain spread out large enough for us to fully deploy.

In the front center Giacomo’s assault unit had taken position, behind them Marcel’s archer unit and Baldo’s infantry unit, and further behind Hein’s magic unit and Bernfried’s knight unit had formed a square.

As for us...

"...Why are we this far forward?"

"Mercenaries are sacrificial pawns."

"Haa. So the treatment is the same everywhere..."

Muriel answered my question, and Harold sighed.

In other words, we were to take the vanguard.

And they would also see my skill.

I would not betray them.

Because my Dules were in the rear.

Well, that was my own judgment, though.

The only one here was Muriel.

And 120 mercenaries who I didn’t know would listen.

"However, even though we took position this early in the morning, we’re still not attacking?"

"Because we have no siege weapons. The magic unit apparently also doesn’t know siege magic."

Harold explained in response to my mutter.

"And with that they were going to attack a castle."

"That’s why the preparations were insufficient, right?"

"Ah, I see."

I was convinced by Harold’s words.

...Nn?

The castle gate opened.

What came out from inside was... about... 100 soldiers?

"Muriel, the enemy has come out. I think the other side can see them too, but contact Julius just in case."

"Understood."

O leaves of my words. Go through the sky as I will, and convey them to the other party.

"Send Messengers."

Muriel answered and chanted magic.

"..."

She remained unmoving with her eyes closed for a while.

And then...

"Master, the order to charge has been given."

Muriel conveyed it to me matter-of-factly.

"Suddenly? ...Understood. Harold, are you ready?"

"Yeah, anytime."

Harold drew the one-handed sword at his hip.

"All right! Let’s go! You bastards!"

""""""""""Oohhh!!!""""""""""

Then with Harold at the head, the mercenary band began charging toward the enemy soldiers.

The target was the enemy soldiers who had not yet formed ranks.

Julius and the others’ aim was probably to finish it while the enemy was still in confusion.

Muriel and I saw them off.

It was advice from Harold that a commander should watch the whole battlefield from behind.

Fortunately with Muriel’s magic we could inform Harold and the others fighting on the front line of the battlefield situation we saw.

A wave of mercenaries charged with killing intent flowed around me.

At that overwhelming pressure and the ground tremor I felt in my body, I trembled.

"...Amazing..."

From the whole it could be called only 120, but even so it was amazing.

I got goosebumps.

The mercenaries eventually avalanched into the enemy lines, and combat began.

The fierce sounds of clashing swords, angry shouts, and screams echoed.

Seeing combat between armies for the first time, I grew elated.

"...Master... Master!"

The voice calling me right beside me brought me back to myself.

"Muriel..."

"Are you all right? Your body is trembling."

Told by Muriel, I noticed for the first time.

Looking at my own hands, they were trembling slightly.

"Ah, yeah..."

I answered, but that voice was also trembling.

"I think it would be all right to fall back a little more..."

"No, I’m not scared... I think. For now, anyway... warrior’s shiver... maybe?"

I answered Muriel in a trembling voice.

I said that, but I didn’t know why I was trembling.

At least, saying I was not scared was true.

Besides, I was happy for Muriel’s consideration, but I thought it would be wrong for me to fall back while Harold and the others were fighting on the front line.

"...Master, that."

Muriel suddenly, in a tense voice different from the gentle one just now, pointed to the right side of the castle.

I also looked in the direction of Muriel’s finger.

There, something clearly larger than a person was heading toward where Harold and the others were fighting.

Their number was several dozen.

"Those are... demonic beasts!"

"Ogres...?"

Enemy reinforcements?

"Muriel, contact Harold! Ogres appearing from the right! I’ll intercept them! Then contact Julius! New enemies appearing! Request reinforcements!"

"Master!"

Hearing Muriel’s voice at my back, I ran from that spot.