A few nights after returning to the Wisteria Mercenaries.
Ardis leaned out of his tent onto a small hill and looked up at the moon, which pierced the black sky.
Rona lay with her golden body as if she were sitting beside her.
It is not a night shift.
But it was the one person who approached me from behind who brought Aldis's vaguely thoughtful consciousness back to reality.
"He's finally back."
There is no hostility in the voice of the Lord.
As I gently approached Aldis, I crouched down and roughly turned my hand to his shoulder.
Sark?
"Oh, if I look like an Elion, I guess my eyesight won't be around for a while."
I'm not so bothered that I don't know the difference between Sark and Elion.
"That's right, I guess."
Leaning his hips down to the ground, Sark barked.
It was a reconnaissance mission?
"Oh, wait a minute." I don't want to negotiate like Elion. That's why I've been doing a lot of reconnaissance and messaging and stuff all by myself lately. I went a little far this time too, but I didn't expect Aldis to be back while I was out for a while. I didn't want to give you a single contact, so I thought I was dying somewhere, but I came back safely, so let's do it right. "
Sark suddenly closes his mouth, chatting like water on a standing board by himself.
"...... Elion told me about Lou"
Sark's voice, often voiced in silence, was small.
"I see....."
Has Lou seen off yet?
Aldis nodded at Sark's question.
"buried in a hill near Lixia."
"Over there... I see." That hill will give Lou a good night's sleep. He liked a beautiful place to get up in the morning. "
"Ahh..."
Frequent silence.
"Ah, well...... Ardis......"
Sark opens his mouth to say something, as if he couldn't stand the silence.
However, I didn't say anything clearly, and every time I wandered my gaze, I just gave a pathetic expression.
What?
"Ah, no... yes"
Even if Aldis asks, it's not clear.
At that time, Lorna, who was lying quietly, moved her ears and turned her back.
At the same time, Aldis and Sark turned around to detect the signs of someone approaching.
"... what's wrong, Kyou?"
There was a boy who was the youngest official member of the Wisteria Mercenary Corps.
"Ah, are you...?"
The boy who was summoned blinked his eyes as if he had just noticed.
"I don't think it's a night shift today."
"Eh... ah, yeah"
Aldis asked with a bitter smile as he finally reacted a few moments later.
Are you asleep?
"No, that's not it..." Huh? Why...? "
Kyou looks confused and doesn't even understand herself.
"Tomorrow is a training day, right? I have to go to bed or something.
"Oh, that's right. Yeah, well, I'm going to bed now."
Kyou walked toward the tent when he honestly changed direction after receiving advice from Sark.
While staring behind him, Ardis felt something sinking heavily into his chest.
Grace, the commander of the regiment, is still a child, even if she is a well-known mercenary.
Naturally, it was still a natural age to be protected.
It seemed unlikely that even adults would be able to feel no mental damage in a sick world of mercenaries.
"... it's like I got involved."
"It's the path I chose. Such an idea is the same as taking Kyou's will lightly."
Sark disagrees with Aldis's rattling words.
I'm sure that's true.
Once upon a time, Aldis decided of his own volition to join this mercenary group.
I have my next job, so I'm not going to do it right now, but I can think about it if I'm going to drop you off in a town somewhere.
I didn't think that Grace, who had given Ardis and the others the choice, had forced Reina and Kyou.
"Well, counting a child as a fighting force..." I don't think there's any way I can save you. "
Sark, who had laughed at himself, changed his expression.
"I can't pretend to be that way."
Aldis understood what that meant.
You heard about the operation, right?
"Yeah, that's why I'm here now."
Aldis is in the Wisteria Mercenaries right now to join the operation.
There is no other reason.
"Let that woman get her reward." That's all we've been fighting for. The Wisteria Mercenaries are no longer the usual mercenaries. Just with the Avengers. I mean, it's just weird that I'm the leader of the regiment, and everyone knows that. But we can't move on until we smash that woman. "
The words Sark uttered in his mouth were no different from the vows he had carved into Aldis's mouth, making him feel the flames of hatred that continued to creak.
"This time, I found out why I had to reward her again." So I will think after crushing the woman whether the path we chose was right or wrong. That's right, Aldis. "
There's absolutely no room for denial.
It is not necessary to check it with words now.
Lightly strike each other's wrists with a clenched fist.
That was enough for those who shared the same purpose.
The dark color that suddenly sinks under the starry sky eventually turns into a light ink color by a number of kindling.
Its unreliable light source floats massive structures into the darkness.
“We're ready. We're in good shape. It's not going to work too well, is it?"
Grace's voice, which was never too loud, strangely echoed because she was surrounded by silence.
He who nods mysteriously, he who laughs and smiles, and he who refuses as a solemnity.
The faces of the Westeria Mercenaries await Grace's instructions as they show their reaction.
Two months after Aldis returned to the mercenaries.
For once, and for this day, they have prepared their hands.
They turn their gaze to the castle of General Jeriah, who is said to be the enemy of the enemy.
After a long period of preparation, the Ardis finally made it to Jerry's neck.
"I can't agree that this number is enough, but..."
Grace laughs bitterly at Aldis's crush.
"Well, don't say that." Even though the number of mercenaries has increased to a normal level, we can't bring in new Americans and apprentices. "
The old stocks, headed by Grace, who tasted the bitterness of five years ago, such as Lexi and Joan, are all here.
Meanwhile, the new members who joined after that are not here.
Only old friends and volunteers will participate in this operation.
"It's enough for us to fight for revenge." It has nothing to do with vengeance or revenge. "
As usual, the Wisteria Mercenaries divide their personnel into three groups.
One, of course, was to defeat General Jeriah.
Grace, Viktor, Sark, Elion, and other major mercenaries, as well as Reina and Kyou, wanted to avenge Rouchell. Naturally, Ardis and Rona are the same.
Another unit has already rendezvoused with the Lord's army to help the rebellious lord.
The last unit is the one that stops the main unit from the Rhodelia King's City.
The logging unit is the biggest, followed by the rebel unit and the smallest stranded unit, which are practically for harassing, and the number is less than twenty.
“The fact that Rhodelia's main force is not coming at this time seems like a good sign of success.”
Oh, how long has it been since the rebel troops left?
After agreeing to Viktor's words, Grace asked to weigh the timing of the attack.
"Two hours?" I think it's a good time. ”
The Wisteria Mercenary Regiment's plan was impressive, and as expected, troops were dispatched from the castle of General Jeriah's residence in order to quell the crackdown.
Our forces were due to meet soon, so the enemy may have decided it was no problem, but our allies are stranded, so their arrival is far behind schedule.
At this moment, there are only a handful of soldiers defending the castle.
Moreover, considering that the elite might have been sent to the suppression force, it could be said that it was in a very weak state.
We have over a hundred elite mercenaries on our side.
Although it may not be an overwhelming numerical advantage, we still don't know if we can create this kind of situation in the future.
The result is that Grace and Viktor have been putting their plans forward for nearly five years.
"Look, you guys." Aim for the enemy general, that woman's head. There will be fewer enemies, but there will certainly be defensive tricks with auto-intercept magic. ”
Grace, with a strange face, continued to speak as she looked around.
"But ignore them all." While the enemy was confused by the ambush, we fought. Take them down before they calmly grasp the situation. But after 30 minutes of entering whatever the situation was, we had to evacuate. It's only more dangerous to stay. ”
Each of my friends nodded and responded.
"Okay, don't die in vain."
Just because you won doesn't mean you can get something.
Someone's not ready for the reward.
It was not just a line of words spoken by humans who were trying to go to the dead for reasons that did not resemble mercenaries, just to clear the minds of their fellow men.
But the man who hears it is aware of it and stands here.
None of them would point out Grace's contradictory behavior.
"I know." We mercenaries survive, don't we? "
"Grace, don't die like that."
Joanne, Darwat, and the old stockholders who had walked with Grace for years slammed their mouths.
"Come on, then, let's go."
Lexie asked Grace from the side as she tried to issue the order.
Commander, aren't you going to do the usual thing?
”... there's no such thing as an ambush from now on”
After losing words for a moment, Grace showed a dazed look.
"Why don't you just whisper?"
Is it meaningful to do it in a secret voice?
"Well, don't say that." Somehow, I don't feel like fighting without it anymore. "
"Isn't it okay?" A stage of hatred that I spent five years of my life trying to figure out. It's a battle that means more to us than any other battle. "
Grace broke with a sigh as she finally agreed with Viktor while several people said what they wanted to say.
"Shit, you guys, don't yell at me." If there's an ambush here, it won't be a joke. "
Grace pulled out her sword and stood overhead, prompted by the surrounding gaze.
Mercenaries surrounded the area, and all of them pulled out their weapons and turned to heaven in the same way.
Turning to the tip of the small moon, Grace's mouth spun out words.
"Our sword is for victory."
"For victory."
Half the mercenaries shut their mouths, the other half following Grace.
I don't know how many times I've spoken, but Ardis realizes that I'm part of the Wisteria Mercenary Corps.
"Our hearts are for the good of our people."
"For my people."
This time, everyone opens their mouths and raises their voices.
A battle for a scattered companion.
Battle for the trampled Rouchell.
Carve it back into your heart now.
"Izakayu, glory be upon our banner."
"We are under the banner."
Normally, the voice is raised as much as possible for the sake of exhilaration.
But now, quietly, silently.
The mercenaries with swords in their mouths flow in silence, as if chanting poetry under the moon.
It didn't look like a group trying to kill each other.
But it was only an illusion.
"I'll end here."
A small twitch in Aldis's mouth unexpectedly moves the moment again.
Grace pointed her arms horizontally at the castle with her sword tip.
"Inrush"
At the same time, more than a hundred mercenaries ran silently towards the castle.