Volume 5, Chapter 17 – The Battle to Rescue Chi Tien (3)

“Saint-sama!”

The General’s unit, which was supposed to be out fighting, returned to me.

However, Shizuku-san and the General were nowhere to be seen.

“Where are Shizuku-san and the General?”

“The two of them are currently engaged in combat! The General ordered us to come alone to request a Blessing from Saint-sama!”

Oh, wonderful. It all got through properly!

“I understand. In that case, I shall grant a Blessing to everyone’s weapons as well.”

“””Understood!”””

The soldiers dismounted their horses and knelt before me.

“Also, for those of you who have already received my Blessing, would you mind going to help the General and Shizuku-san?”

“Leave it to us!”

A man who seemed to be in a sub-leader position replied, and then they all mounted their horses and galloped off in unison.

After applying Purification Magic to about thirty weapons, we moved toward the battlefield.

◇ ◇ ◇

By the time we arrived at the battlefield, the combat had already ended.

There, dozens of wounded soldiers lay on the ground, having been injured by the Undying Beasts.

“Fiene-dono!”

Shizuku-san spotted us and ran over.

“Shizuku-san, thank you for your help.”

“No, it was because your instructions were precise. Moreover, the General made the decision to send them back without hesitation.”

“I see. General! Thank you very much.”

“Hmph. I simply made the logical decision.”

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“More importantly, I heard you fought with ordinary weapons, General. Are you injured?”

“I would not be defeated by mere small fry of that level.”

“Eh? You defeated them?”

“Hmph, naturally.”

Yikes, this person is seriously cheat-tier if we’re talking purely about strength.

The General seemed to have lost interest in us and walked away toward his subordinates.

“Shizuku-san, just how did he defeat them?”

“Well, he held the spear-axe horizontally like this. Then he just gave it a good blast, like—whoosh!”

Shizuku-san explained using exaggerated gestures.

“He blasted them and buried them… that’s just reckless…”

“He… possessed a nonsensical strength… I began to doubt whether he were even the same species as us…”

“True… Ah, but then again, we aren’t exactly human either.”

“Haha, now that you mention it, that is true.”

Exchanging light banter, we approached a collapsed pile of rocks.

“Gi… grrr…”

Uwah, this is…

It was at a level of grotesqueness where I actually regretted looking.

I had Shizuku-san deliver the finishing blow with a little stab of her blade.

“How many more are in this state?”

“As far as I have counted, there are 32 more.”

“Ugh… I need to replenish the Mana in my blade, so could you go finish them off with the others? I’ll go treat the wounded.”

“Leave it to me.”

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And so, having—not “escaped,” but rather “assigned tasks based on aptitude”—I left the scene to Shizuku-san and approached the wounded.

And lo and behold! Chris-san had already set things up to make treatment easier.

“Fiene-sama, there are 17 critically wounded, and 79 in total including those with minor injuries. I have gathered the critically wounded here.”

“Ah, the situation here is quite dire as well. The wounds are… the same as before?”

The wounded lay there unconscious, and a faint, black mist-like substance could be seen around their wounds.

“Dispel Curse! Purification! Healing!”

I treated them one by one with a three-hit combo.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Saint, are you finished?”

I turned around to find the General astride his horse.

“Yes. I am finished.”

“Eh? General Lu Fei!? What happened to your  horse?”

Shizuku-san, who had finished cleaning up the buried wolves and was waiting beside me, asked the General with a look of surprise.

“What do you mean, ‘what happened’?”

Yeah, I don’t really get it either.

“Didn’t you leave your horse behind during the battle? Ah, no, excuse me. Is that a different horse?”

“Hmm? Of course it is the same horse. I would never abandon a fine steed such as this. What on earth are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

Um? I have absolutely no idea what this conversation is about.

I understand the words being said, but the meaning is completely incomprehensible.

“Shizuku-san, what is going on? What happened?”

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“Nay, Fiene-dono. During the battle, General Lu Fei leaped off his horse while it was running. The horse then galloped away, yet for some reason, the General is now riding that very horse.”

“Let me get this straight: the General’s horse went missing during combat, but now he’s somehow riding the horse that was supposed to be missing?”

“Precisely.”

“Hmph, is that all? I obviously just ran after it and caught it. If you have time to ask such trivial questions, hurry up and get your strength back. Then, fight me!”

“Eeeh…”

Can you actually catch a horse by running? I mean, isn’t the whole point of riding horses that they’re faster than humans?

“Hmph, well, whatever. Saint. Let us hurry and go kill those small fry.”

“Pardon?”

“If left alone, they will surely return. Therefore, we should simply exterminate them all.”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you idling! Let’s go!”

“Um, right now?”

I can no longer keep up with this development. What is happening?

“Of course right now.”

“…”

As I stood there unable to find words, Chris-san stepped in.

“General, the sun will set in a few hours, so entering the mountains now is dangerous. First, let us enter the town of Chi Tien and prepare for a mountain hunt.”

“…What are you talking about? It is because you say such weak things that you are so frail despite being a Holy Knight. If you cannot see, then feel. If you are sleepy, then cut them while you sleep. It is as simple as that. With the Saint here, those beasts can be annihilated. Where is the reason for hesitation?”

No, no, I seriously don’t understand what he’s saying.

The General is completely deadpan, so he probably thinks he’s being perfectly serious, but this has left even Chris-san and Shizuku-san speechless.

The General’s subordinates around them looked like they were thinking “here we go again,” so he’s probably always like this.

No matter how you look at it, this is a black company ¹ A “black company” is a highly exploitative and toxic workplace. These businesses typically overwork their employees, violate labor laws, and use manipulative practices. .

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Wait? Could it be that His Majesty the Emperor agreed to let the General accompany me just to get rid of him?

No, no, more importantly!

First, I need to figure out how to avoid departing right now…

As I was thinking this, Lu-chan arrived bringing Yihua-san. And Yihua-san spoke up to the General on our behalf.

“General! This will not do. Unlike the General, Saint-sama is an ordinary human. You must not treat a frail woman in such a manner!”

“What!? A mere court lady dares—!”

The General glared at Yihua-san with an intense, murderous aura.

Yihua-san flinched at the sheer intensity of his demeanor… wait?

Rather, her face is turning red… is she… could she be enjoying this!?

“Wh-what! You…!?”

Hm? Now the General is the one flinching at Yihua-san’s reaction?

Oh, I don’t really get it, but this is a chance, isn’t it?

“Now then, we are tired, so we shall take a rest. Yihua-san, Yihua-san! Please guide us to today’s lodging.”

I patted the shoulder of the dazed Yihua-san to trigger her Awakening.

“!? Y-yes! As you wish!”

Leaving the flustered and speechless General behind, we hurriedly climbed into the carriage and headed toward the town.

Inside the carriage, I praised Lu-chan for her fine play.

“Lu-chan, your decision to bring Yihua-san was a great move.”

Lu-chan tilted her head with a puzzled expression and said:

“Eh? I told them I was hungry and they said I had to be with Onee-sama… Ah, maybe Onee-sama was hungry too? Then let’s eat lots of food today!”

“Eeeh…”