Sevens

Battlefield Tactician

Riding May to the back lines of Galleria’s camp, I set course for the tent Leold-kun was in.

“Whoa, you can even see them from here. Fiddlesticks... if it was going to be this interesting, I should’ve gotten a box seat.”

On my voice, May looked to the side. A large hole had been formed, as the earth was gouged out by the magic that had come flying over.

“Don’t worry about it. In a sense, I think you always have the box seat, Lyle. I’ve come to understand quite a few things these days.”

A giant serpent boasting nine heads, and an eight-armed beastly warrior. Next door, a giant soldier of flames was fighting a monster of womanly form made of ice. That side likely saw Novem and co.’s magic, were impressed by its output, and decided to test it out for themselves.

(When it comes to magic, those two have talent. In contrast to Aria’s specialization in close combat, their fortes both lie in long-ranged magic battles, huh.)

Thinking this was truly interesting, I arrived at the bustling tent of Galleria. Leold-kun looked at me.

“Lyle-dono!!”

He clung onto me. With teary eyes, and a face so pale he might fall over at any instant.

“Yep, I’m Lyle-dono. Now then, Leold-kun... how about we get you some medals on your first campaign?”

As I stuck up my thumb, I notified Leold-kun of how a squadron of Rusworth was approaching. It seems a portion of the feudal lords had intentionally let Rusworthian soldiers slip by.

It was because I had observed such a scene, that I had come to the tents of Galleria. While the others were flashily stealing the eyes of the battlefield, I planned to have this side plainly earn some exploits.

“No, um...! Can we not do that after stopping my sister!?”

I gave a laugh.

“No, that one’s quite interesting, or rather, it’s necessary, so let them continue. They have to run out of gas. And having them worn out is most convenient for me.”

Saying that, I had Leold-kun gather the surrounding soldiers, and get in formation to intercept the Rusworth squadron.

I moved to pure support, stopping at answering questions if asked, as I looked over Leold-kun’s command. His deployment wasn’t bad or anything, and if I had to say, it felt safe.

He had the fundamentals down, and he was doing alright, so I let him surround the soldiers trying for a surprise attack, pincering them when they came in.

On such a flashy battlefield, this was the only place you’d find simple warfare, but achievements were still achievements.

Even if fifty soldiers who infiltrated, resolved for death, were surrounded and defeated by close to three hundred, achievements were achievements.

“You’ve earned some merit in your first campaign. Okay, with this, you’re now a splendid knight.”

I had Leold-kun earn some service, and as I put him on the cleanup, I watched the battlefield of giant golems.

“... If the Fourth were here, he’d probably say we could charge money for that one.

Muttering that, I called May over.

–

–

–

... Gracia manipulated a giant of fire.

“I see, with this, the output increases, and the scope grows!”

Similarly, having produced a giant of ice, Elza latched onto the female-shaped giant’s hair ornament as she controlled it from atop its head.

Sitting on the flame giant’s shoulder, Gracia, dodged the magic flying at her from the side, as she sent a glance in that direction.

One of the serpent heads was turned her way. To be more precise, Miranda’s golem had wrenched it that way, but it was still a fact she was attacked.

“Getting in the way...”

When she thought to get back it, Elza’s golem came in for a body blow. Passing straight through the flames, the ice golem grew more slender.

But Elza’s figure had disappeared from it.

“... Above!”

Gracia looked up, to see Elza make a giant sword of her staff, and lower it.

But Elza’s body did a sudden turn in the air as she shot away. Gracia looked in Novem’s direction, finding the serpent heads entangled around the beast, the beastly warrior’s mouth turned this way.

Mana gathered, and a blast of air shot out of the beast’s mouth.

Dragged into the gale, Gracia’s golem of flame lost shape. Proof that she had yet to get used to the art of controlling and maintaining golems.

There, from behind, the melted slender hand of the ice golem grasped her body.

Elza raced down the arm of her own golem, as she approached her.

“Got you!!”

She tried to draw a line across Gracia’s neck with her sword. But perhaps Elza was also immature in handling, as Gracia enveloped her body in flame, melted through the hand, and continued her downward plummet.

The melted and gouged out golems fell onto the devastated plains, giving Gracia a shortness of breath.

Elza’s ice split, her golem crumbled, and she descended in front of her. Both sides were taxed for air.

They had performed an unfamiliar art, but for both of them, this was also the first they had given their all to fight for so long. Their stamina distribution was in a disarray..

With Novem and Miranda’s battle carrying out above them, the two faced one another, holding up their weapons.

This strike would be the end of it... or it would have been, when a voice came down from the sky.

“Both sides lower your weapons! Look around!”

It was Lyle...

–

–

–

... Aria had come all the way to the point from which the elves had been observing the battlefield.

Using her Skill consecutively, racing all around the battlefield, Aria collapsed before Eva, out of breath.

“... Where’s Lyle?”

As Aria’s sweat flowed and fell, Eva held out a flask, and pointed to the sky. She heartlessly informed Aria that it was too late.

“He’s over there at the moment. See, it’s already the climax.”

Receiving Eva’s smile of despair, Aria looked towards the indicated direction. There, in the light streaming from the gaps between the clouds, she could see the form of Lyle atop a quilin.

Still on the ground, Aria felt her consciousness grow faint. Within all that.

“I’m definitely never forgiving you for this one, you hear. Lyle...”

She put her anger at Lyle to mouth...

–

–

–

Everyone looked at me as I straddled quilin-form May.

Receiving the eyes of the battleground’s soldiers, I slowly had her descend.

All eyes gathering, Novem and Miranda returned the giant golems they had produced to dirt.

The grounds were terrible.

That Novem and Miranda’s further Grown power had risen this far was a happy miscalculation. My heart was filled with laughter, but the eyes both of them sent me were colder than usual.

Novem looked like she was truly angry, while Miranda looked like she wasn’t satisfied yet. She likely planned to win against Novem.

Descending onto the ground, I wrung out my voice from atop May’s back.

“Look around you!”

It wasn’t just Elza and Gracia around, the soldiers of both cams dragged into Novem and Miranda’s battle were strewn around the earth.

It was truly a horrid spectacle, but it’s also true I was aiming for it.

(Betraying, and trampling others underfoot to make tasty memories for themselves, but come this far, they do have my pity.)

Those cowering in fear, or rendered immobile were the majority. Thinking of all they had done up to now, perhaps it was a considerably light punishment.

(But we’ve trampled the weak to get here ourselves. Now then, the time has come to put the Fourth’s teachings to practice!)

I looked around me.

“How deplorable! Not just enemies, enveloping allies as well! There are no winners to be found in this war! If you fight any more, than I, Lyle Walt, shall be your opponent!”

Drawing the sword Aria had entrusted to me, when I held it out towards the heavens, the soldiers of both camps fell to their knees.

They likely never imagined it would be a fight of this level. And at the same time, they had never realized the level of the existences they had been making use of.

To add onto that, I was able to show them there were even more of that level in the world outside.

(Perfect. I’m perfect!)

Gracia and Elza... if the two of them worked together, and fought Novem and Miranda, what would have happened... it’s possible they would have lost.

But at present, with their pacing out of order, the two of them looked like they would collapse. Timing-wise, isn’t that just the best?

Moving some things behind the scene, small as it may be, I was able to get Leold-kun some achievements. The result of this bout had become something I could be satisfied with.

Of both camps’ soldiers came those that dropped their weapons. One, and then another, the armaments fell.

I dismounted May, and walked across the muddy ground, looking down over the two women who had collapsed at the knees.

“... Good grief, doing something like that.”

When I said that with some tiredness in my voice, the two women older than me awkwardly lowered their eyes. I thought they had no immunity to men, and this is truly fantastic.

“This shouldn’t have been part of the plan, was it.”

Gracia-san began to mumble.

“No, at first I wanted for you to see Leold at his hour of triumph, and... that was all. Yet you pulled out all the automatons, and didn’t leave say a word.”

Elza-san looked up at me.

“T-that’s wrong! It was because the messenger kidnapped... that I...”

I shook my head. After that, they kept speaking of how they dispatched messengers because I was taken, raising each other’s shadows into monsters. It was just as I thought, making me fear my own wit.

(Now then, I’d best get them to fall first.)

Looking over the two with a cold look, I spoke with a freezing tone.

“Since when was I your subordinate? And by your bearing, it’s as if you see me as some sweetheart, do you not? Let me say it clearly. I belong to neither of you.”

Boldly, I said it full of self-confidence. Both Gracia and Elza looked down, their expressions turning regretful. It looked like they were embarrassed of themselves.

It seems they were aware they were counting their chickens before they hatched.

(Now.)

“I belong to neither of you. But you’re both already mine. I won’t forgive it if you go and get injured by yourselves. Look, show me your faces.”

When I crouched and brushed the dirt off their faces, they stared at me blankly. And their faces flushed. As I thought, my face must be top-class in the continent.

If I smile, most things tend to work themselves out. When the two of them stood, I spoke.

“Your everythings belong to me. So serve me henceforth. If you do... I’ll give you the future of the man who shall get the continent in his hands.”

Extremely worn out, the fact their judgement had been dulled was an important point. Wear them out enough that they wouldn’t feel something off in this peculiar flow, then be kind.

(Fourth... at this moment, I’m putting your teachings to practice. Build a mood, wear people out to steal their judgement, and be kind to women... it’s all because of what you’ve taught me.)

He said that making the mood was important. But weakening decisiveness and making them panic was supposed to be about battle. I’ve never heard anything about being cold to women before being kind to them... but think of it as a practical application, and there isn’t a problem.

There, both of them looked quite moved...

“Yes. I swear it on this spear.”

“And I on my staff, Lyle-dono... sama, I shall work for you.”

Perhaps they really didn’t have any immunity to men, as they were both looking at me with sparkling eyes. How cute, is it not. But there were quite some different eyes coming at us from around.

Looking just at the result...

(Alright, Mission Compleeete!!)

–

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–

I carried Elza and Gracia to their respective camps on May.

While that was happening, I was surrounded by Rusworthian officials, and interrogated.

‘You said it, did you not!? That the queen belonged to you!? You’ll take responsibility for those words, right!!?’

Galleria was the same. The lords surrounding Leold-kun.

‘You’ll take her, won’t you? If that was a lie, it will truly be troubling. Truly, truly troubling, you hear!’

They said. They had rampaged around too flashily. Both sides had come to understand just how dangerous a situation they were in.

And after clashing seriously for the first time, Elza and Gracia should have gotten a measure of their own abilities.

Ending this and that, I returned to my own tent, to find my own comrades in wait, with dubious expressions on their faces.

I had worried Novem, so she was looking at me with harsher eyes than usual.

Miranda was smiling, but her eyes were not. I’m sure she was angry that I disappeared some time along the way.

Aria made an enervated expression as she glared at me. I’m sure she had looked around for me everywhere, unable to capture me.

Shannon was looking around nervously. The bad atmosphere prevented her from depending on anyone, so she didn’t know what to do.

Clara was complaining to herself. She was taking some fleeting glances at Miranda, so I’m sure she was irritated at the fact she concealed her ability to use golem magic.

Eva was... looking over her notes, completely ignoring the surrounding air.

May was the same. Rather, she was the accomplice who ran away with me.

(Good goddess, they get angry over something of that level... how cute, to be honest.)

Monica was trembling, as she made her way to me.

“C-chicken dickwadddd!! The line! The line that connects us has yet to recover! The bond of love that binds us together!!”

To her, Unit One who boasted an external battery spoke.

“Then what a frail bond it must have been.”

She said behind Monica’s back. There’s no doubt Unit Two and Three thought the same as they looked at her.

I couldn’t help but notice Monica’s movements were strange, so it must have been because I was still using the Magic Tool. I gripped the hilt, and thinking how everything had ended, just what would become of the rage of my ancestors and Milleia-san...

(Crap. I forgot. Well, it doesn’t change the result, so I guess it’s fine. Even so, it would be dull if I just left them angry.)

“Okay, all of you, line up for a bit. It’s time for a reward.”

... I thought up a plan.