Chapter 6 — Final Steps Towards Subjugation

The following day saw a third attack from the raptors. The first had caught them unaware, and they had lost a village, then had barely managed to pull off a counterattack during the second assault.

Now, as the third attack began, the men took the lessons they had learned to successfully destroy even more of the raptors, ultimately repelling the swarm.

The greatest success was that Xavier and the hunter were present and able to confirm that the raptors were the same as those they had faced on the salt road. The bearded hunter’s reasoning was that “there were several with identical markings and coloration”—something only an expert would see—while Xavier’s reasoning was simpler: the arrows sticking out of the creatures’ backs were clearly, upon removal, those from a wyvern bow. They had much greater force and range than a standard bow and arrow, and the arrows themselves pierced much deeper. There was not a single soldier in the duchy who used a wyvern bow. In other words, the arrows had been fired by General Pujol’s Drake Marksmen Knights. It was proof that the raptors were the same as those that had attacked the salt road.

Moreover, the hunter had confirmed that close to half of the attacking raptors were female. It would seem that all of their assumptions were correct. In that case, all they had to do now was follow the plan. The Valentian army, with Zenjirou at its head, had moved towards their endgame to ensure that the fourth attack was also the last.

The forest lay to the east of Valentia. Xavier Gaziel had been given command of a unit by Zenjirou—the commander in chief—and was faithfully carrying out his assigned mission.

“Keep your weapons sheathed until I give the order. We need to ensure we leave as little metal scent among the trees as possible.”

His expression was more tense and eager than it would normally be, as he hadn’t met these men until the day before and was used to working with his own, more familiar, men.

“Yes sir!”

“Understood.”

But in spite of their commander’s youth and relative lack of experience, his efforts had gained their respect, and the soldiers dutifully followed his orders.

Xavier’s impression of the men was that they were about as well trained as his own army, which he had led from the Gaziel March. In other words, they were neither exceptional nor particularly bad. Of course, even if the soldiers had the same abilities, there was practically no trust built up between them, so lacking the same sense of them as with his own army was a painful lesson.

Still, Her Majesty said she was recommending that I be given command, but... Xavier thought to himself as he watched the soldiers investigate each tree in the dark forest. His current role was as a direct subordinate to Zenjirou, the commander in chief of the Valentian forces. During this subjugation, all of the units were under Xavier’s command but one, so he couldn’t deny that he had essentially been given command.

However, while the rank was only a formality, Zenjirou was still commander in chief and had Rafaello as a “staff officer” at his side. The forces that Rafaello led were only the single unit dedicated to guarding Zenjirou, but he held the same rank as Xavier. Also, while they were few in number, there was a unit from the Northern Continent participating, and Xavier was not commanding them either.

Will I have a place in the actual battle? he wondered uneasily to himself. It was no surprise that he was concerned.

Despite that, pessimism here wouldn’t help the situation. He shook his head and focused on the job in front of him. As he did, the familiar voice of the bearded hunter entered his ear.

“Sir Xavier, they’re here! The trees in this area most definitely have the swarm raptors’ guidance markings.”

“They do? Then we proceed as planned!”

“Sir!”

At his order, two of the soldiers took a large wooden barrel to the trees indicated by the hunter.

“Right, down it goes... Now!”

The soldiers lowered the barrel into the undergrowth and wiped the sweat from their brows. Then, they immediately followed up by opening the lid and plunging a long wooden ladle into the contents: a fine white powder.

“Spread it evenly around this tree.”

“Here we go.”

“You’ll regret it if you get it in your eyes, so fall back and wash them out if you think that’s happened!”

“Understood!”

“Let’s go!”

The men had towels around their mouths as they spread the white powder around the tree the hunter had specified.

The dark brown trunk and deep green undergrowth were soon covered in white.

“Is this really going to fool the raptors’ noses?”

“Who knows? But we may as well try.”

“Guess so. Either way, we just do what we’re told.”

The powder the soldiers were spreading somewhat dubiously was, in fact, slaked lime. When he had found out that much of Valentian cuisine involved shellfish, Zenjirou had it made as a gift for Aura as she focused on glass manufacturing by baking it at a high temperature and then grinding it with a mortar. Lime made this way—quicklime—was a hazardous substance. It reacted with water rapidly to produce a temperature change of several hundred degrees. Allowing it to react with water stabilized it into slaked lime.

Slaked lime was used fairly commonly even in modern Japan as a deodorizer. It worked without any especially harsh impact on the human body or the soil, so people who kept pets in their garden used it on their pets’ excretions out of consideration for their neighbors.

That said, this particular example had been made under Zenjirou’s direction, and he was a complete amateur, so had they truly succeeded in creating slaked lime? They had tried to seal it in the barrel to preserve it, but had it continued reacting to form calcium carbonate? Would slaked lime, even though it effaced the scent of cat and dog excretions, have the same effect on that of the swarm raptors? Even if it did, would the deodorizer be enough to fool them, given the hunter’s statement that they had such a strong sense of smell?

There were multiple problems, but the men, unfortunately, had no other ideas for how to manipulate the drakes’ movements. Therefore, they had nothing to lose by trying it.

“Will this really let us direct the swarm raptors?” Xavier asked once his commands had been given, speaking to the hunter, even if it was somewhat late.

The older man scratched at his thickly bearded cheek. “I wonder myself. If this deodorizer works as Sir Zenjirou says, I think it’s possible. We’ll need to find the same kind of trees and rub their hides against them and spread their urine around. Yeah, it seems plausible, at least.”

The drake hides had been gathered by skinning the raptors they had taken down in the third attack, and they had also extracted urine from the creatures’ bladders. If they used those items on other trees, they could deceive the raptors and guide them towards a prepared battlefield. That was the foundation of their strategy.

The suggestion to use the raptors’ skins and bladders had come from Zenjirou as well. He remembered seeing a TV show where they had done the same with a bear to make wild monkeys and boars believe the area was a bear’s territory, to defend against attacks from them.

In any case, if they could direct the raptors to a prepared battlefield, there was a much greater chance they could actually exterminate them rather than merely repel them.

“We’ll settle this next time,” Xavier muttered to himself.

There was, of course, a desire to finish it by his own hand lurking beneath his conviction. It would cement his position as heir to the Gaziel March. However it had happened, this was prey that had slipped through the fingers of the General Pujol. If Xavier could deal with it, even a simple drake extermination was well worth accolades. However, he still felt a simple responsibility to carry out the duty he had been given as well as to alleviate the suffering that the raptors were causing to the region.

“We can’t draw it out any longer.”

Xavier’s small frame shook with both his sense of duty and will to fight.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Meanwhile, work was proceeding apace to turn the chosen farming village into a battlefield. The village was alongside a river and was relatively large. It had been chosen first because it was the farthest village from the trees. Secondly, the area was generally lowland, with small hills to the north and south of the village. Lastly, the village was a relatively new one.

The first reason was due to the difficulty the large raptor would have in ordering a retreat from the trees. Even the cautious beast might show itself here. If it decided not to leave the trees then things would be slightly more difficult, but they had measures in place for that as well.

The importance of the village being a lowland with a hill to both the north and south was simple. They could leave the meat drakes and other livestock behind and deploy the soldiers to the hills. Doing so made the village a rather convenient trap.

The third point was linked to the second. Turning the village into a trap meant that its entire population would need to at least temporarily be evacuated to safety behind the walls of Valentia.

The village’s recent creation meant that when the oldest residents had been young, they would have lived in Valentia. They would instruct the rest on how to live within the city, even if the officials did not, which would, in turn, lead to fewer problems with harboring the refugees.

“Sir Rafaello! The defensive stake wall has been completed at the village’s entrance!”

“The ambush burrows on the southern hill are complete!”

“Likewise to the north!”

“Very well,” Rafaello Márquez stated, moving to give orders with his usual calm smile. “Once your duties are finished, escort the villagers to Valentia. Do not let your guard down until this is over.”

“Yes, sir!”

Naturally, the number of soldiers would have been insufficient for the task, so they had recruited villagers, particularly the younger men. They would be paid for their labor. The livestock they were using as bait would be paid for, as would the village itself. The expenses for this operation were all from Zenjirou, from the money Aura had given him to buy whatever he fancied.

Fortunately, Freya had decided to give him the goats he wanted for free, so he had retained the entirety of that allowance. As a result, he had managed to keep everything under budget, but the money for their living expenses within the city would also have to come from him.

If their operation was prolonged, the money would run out. Of course, there was still some slack in the Valentian treasury, which was said to be even greater than the capital’s. Zenjirou very much wanted to finish this without using money that Aura had not permitted him to use, though.

Rafaello had the most accurate understanding of the prince consort’s concerns. “He is exactly as my stepmother said,” Rafaello mused as he looked at the distant city walls now that his orders had been given and he had a moment to himself.

Rafaello Márquez’s stepmother was Lady Octavia, Zenjirou’s tutor. Rafaello had heard a fair amount about the man through that connection, but now that they had met, he was once more certain of his stepmother’s observations. Her evaluation had been, “He is wildly intelligent and logical, with decisiveness to spare. Above all else, he has a sincere affection for and loyalty to Her Majesty.”

She certainly had a tendency to exaggerate any praise she gave, but if he ignored the “wildly” then his short association with the man had shown that Zenjirou did indeed possess sufficient intelligence, logic, and decisiveness. The fact that never since his arrival had he acted with initiative was because he knew that careless proactive behavior could potentially hinder the queen. Going out of his way to make things easier for her while also earning the stigma of incompetence and apathy showed that his loyalty to her was significantly more than average.

“I can only imagine how much he must dislike the current situation, then.”

Rafaello could understand Zenjirou’s suffering over taking on the role of commander in chief, even if it was in name only, to deal with the subjugation of these swarm raptors. The current command structure was clearly at odds with his goal of showing himself as little as possible and avoiding any fame.

Rafaello had initially been placed in charge, and then Xavier Gaziel had been sent from the capital. It had resulted in a complete reshuffle, with Zenjirou was now in charge in name, while Rafaello and Xavier had the same apparent power beneath him. However, Xavier commanded eighty percent of their manpower.

With Rafaello’s role as staff officer, he had as much say in the strategy as Xavier did, but he would have almost no opportunity to take command on the battlefield. It was a blatant sign of a conflict between personnel assignments by Aura in the capital and Zenjirou here in Valentia.

“This might make a good tale to report to father,” he murmured, his usual gentle smile on his face.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Meanwhile, Zenjirou was in the center of Valentia, within the duke’s residence, as he stood hard-faced before the governor’s—Lord Damian’s—plea.

“Sir Zenjirou, I beg of you, will you not reconsider?”

Zenjirou looked back, keeping any expression from his face as he answered the entreating middle-aged man. “I will not.”

“Sir Zenjirou...” Damian’s eyes seemed to be covered in a thin film of tears. Causing a beautiful maiden to make that face would be one thing, but seeing it on a middle-aged man was just depressing. “Frankly, I cannot consent to you standing on the battlefield in person. If you were to be harmed, there is no way I could report such to Her Majesty Queen Aura in the capital,” he continued in his attempt to persuade the prince consort. His warnings focused mainly around taking to the field personally and commanding the soldiers.

“Calling it a battlefield is excessive. I will be far away from the planned fighting,” Zenjirou pointed out. He would be deployed a significant distance from where Xavier would be waiting in ambush, to provide defense to the unevacuated villages if the troops failed to guide the swarm effectively.

Naturally, Zenjirou would not personally be commanding the troops; that would be done by his staff officer, Rafaello. In other words, he would be a mere figurehead, even in battle.

Damian, however, wanted him to delegate the entirety of his role to Rafaello and stay within the city walls. In regard to overall efficiency, Damian’s opinion was correct.

Zenjirou didn’t want to expose himself to danger and was all too aware that he’d be nothing but an impediment on the battlefield.

I wish he wasn’t arguing against it so ardently. I’m starting to doubt my decision now.

With no way of knowing his inner thoughts, Damian continued trying to persuade Zenjirou. “Still, the chance remains. If I may speak freely, your safety is more important than that of the city.”

Zenjirou was one of only three royals in the country with the royal family’s lineal magic. On top of that, he was the only adult male among them.

In hopes of increasing the number of holders of that lineal magic, it was no exaggeration to say he was more important than Aura or Carlos, a woman and infant respectively.

With that being stressed to him, he began to worry that his decision may be wrong. However, he shook off those thoughts and replied, “Regardless. This is an opportunity to build fame with very little risk. It is not something I can overlook.” He was acting the model of a persistent, short-sighted man, ignoring the governor’s advice.

Of course, Zenjirou wasn’t aiming for acclaim in any way. In fact, once this situation was dealt with, he intended to work behind the scenes to make sure it was known that he had been nothing more than a figurehead.

So why was he going out of his way to leave the walls despite knowing it would be an impediment? Because this was a subjugation of the swarm raptors. In a defensive campaign, the commander could remain safe behind the walls, but that would not be allowed while on the offensive. In that case, the frontline commander would be seen as the highest authority involved, while the high-ranking people behind the walls would automatically be seen as having ceded all authority to that person.

With the operation being carried out as a subjugation, it was a full-fledged offensive. You could argue that it was defensive from the perspective of defending Valentia against the threat of the swarm raptors, but Aura had taken it as a continuation of the subjugation of the salt road swarm raptors, so it was therefore officially classified as an offensive campaign.

If Xavier ends up taking the most responsibility, it will look like I, as a full proxy for the Duchess of Valentia, allowed interference from Queen Aura to change people’s assignments.

If that happened then it would mean that the queen was interfering with the autonomy of a fiefdom. On the other hand, if Xavier was not placed in a leading position, it would mean that he, the prince consort, was ignoring directions from the queen.

Either way, it would cause problems, and his agonizing over it had produced this outcome. He would ensure that he personally had the responsibility on paper. On top of that, he would make sure it was obvious the actual operation was Xavier’s domain while also appointing Rafaello—to whom he had entrusted the responsibility originally—as staff officer, to ensure that on paper both Rafaello and Xavier were equally responsible. At the same time, he would delegate the command of his personal guards to Rafaello so that he had command during the operation itself to a minimal extent.

Xavier, having been promised the role by Aura, would have to deal with it being in practice only, while Rafaello—who had already been given the role—would need to compromise with it being a strategic responsibility. Zenjirou himself, despite his reluctance, would have to take the “official” place as the responsible party. There were compromises to all three of their ideal solutions this way.

It feels more like balancing along a tightrope than sharing the loss, Zenjirou thought to himself as his stomach churned.

It still wouldn’t entirely avoid political issues, but this was the most amicable situation he could think of. The main problem was that it would seem like he was trying to make a name for himself, but he would just have to discuss that carefully with Aura later and deal with it.

“Then what of Princess Freya? If your guards are with you, only her own will remain here.”

As Damian continued, Zenjirou’s opinion of Damian rose while he commented internally on the fact that even if part of it was self-preservation, the man was certainly dedicated to his job.

“That will not be an issue. I have already discussed it with Her Highness and she happily agreed to accompany me. Of course, her guards will do so as well.”

While his tone was easy, what he said was far from inconsequential.

“She did? Impossible...” Damian was lost for words.

That was no surprise. To hear that it would not only be Zenjirou—one of the foremost nobles in the country—on the battlefield, but also Freya—who was officially recognized as a foreign princess—sounded like nothing more than a joke.

The issue was that they could not allow Zenjirou and his guards to leave the city while the princess remained. If his guards had left, the only remaining military force in Valentia would be the coastal guard patrols. If the worst came to pass and Freya decided to act maliciously, they might not be enough to stop her. Therefore, they needed to remove that possibility entirely by taking Freya and her guards out of the city with them.

“The decision has been made,” Zenjirou told him decisively.

“Very well,” the man managed eventually, his head lowering in dismay.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Two days later, the swarm raptors commenced their fourth attack. They struck the village along the river, where Xavier’s men had prepared their trap. The single instance wasn’t enough to tell whether it was due to Zenjirou’s idea or just a simple coincidence. Either way, it was the best result they could have asked for.

“The swarm raptors are here!” came the cry.

“Good! All hands, to your positions! All commands until the battle commences will be via hand signals. Don’t make a sound until then!” Xavier ordered.

With this final command given, he moved with his men to their shallow hole on the hill. They were coated from head to toe in grass stains and mud to hide their scents and were not the prettiest of sights.

The damp mud itched on his scalp, and some had gotten into his ears as he covered himself, making the inside of his ear feel gritty. He’d even gotten some of the grass juices by his mouth, so a harsh bitterness assaulted his tongue when he wet his lips. Everything about the situation was unpleasant and uncomfortable, but even so, Xavier held down his mental discomfort and waited.

Things have gone to plan so far. It ends here! he told himself as the acrid taste made his teeth clench.

He was eminently aware of how privileged a position he held. This was initially a duty that his father, the Margrave of Gaziel had acquired for him as a path to secure his succession. He had renounced his leadership role when it was beyond him and sought reinforcements from General Pujol, and now that the operation was in its final stage, he had overall command of the forces that would finish it. If he failed here, he would have no excuse to offer his father—who had made this possible for him—or to General Pujol or Queen Aura. That zeal, almost excitement, for the battle ahead, burned in his chest as he clenched his fist until, finally, the swarm raptors appeared.

“Grrargh!”

“Geegeee!”

The swarm was vast, certainly close to the hundred they had been told. Xavier’s rough estimation was perhaps a little less than ninety. The fact that the numbers didn’t reach a hundred could well be because of those slain in the second and third attacks.

The raptors halted for a moment at the village’s entrance, which was covered by a line of stakes set into the ground, their sharpened points facing out. However, it was only around shoulder height for a human; a little less, in fact.

“Gyaagyaagh!”

Its height was rather easy for the swarm raptors to jump. One by one, the mass of raptors leaped over it until one particularly large raptor from the original swarm jumped into it rather than over and destroyed the fence. It had proven utterly useless for stopping the beasts, but that wasn’t an issue for their strategy.

The fence had never been meant to stop their advance; it had been to stop the bait in the form of the meat drakes from escaping. They, in comparison to the bipedal swarm raptors with their immense leg strength, were quadrupeds with short legs and heavy bodies. While the fence had been barely a stumbling block for the raptors, the cattle would never have been able to cross it.

The meat drakes squealed in panic as the horde of predators suddenly appeared.

Where’s the huge boss? Xavier suddenly thought, poking his head up from the hole on the hill and seeing nothing that could be their leader. This means that huge one won’t leave the trees even for the bait.

While it was somewhat disheartening, it wasn’t really an issue. Part of the reason the village had been chosen was due to its distance from the trees. With the boss not making an appearance, they had succeeded in separating the forces from their commander.

The swarm raptors’ tendency towards a quick flight was all due to their leader’s decisiveness. Other than the anomalously intelligent massive example of the species, the other swarm raptors were merely wild animals, with the only intelligence they had being their instincts. The probability of the soldiers’ success had just increased substantially.

As Xavier wet his lips, dry as they were from nerves, the cruel game of tag between the swarm raptors and meat drakes in the deserted village was reaching its finale.

“Geeegeee!”

“Wreee!”

“Gragh!”

Ordinarily, the meat drakes would be unable to escape the swarm raptors, but that was a problem for Xavier’s men, so they had erected large wooden poles horizontally between the buildings to restrict the raptors’ movements. These were at roughly chest level for a person, so the short-legged livestock could scurry underneath without issue, but the bipeds, significantly taller, had no choice but to jump over them.

As a result, the majority of the meat drakes managed to escape to the village square. The swarm raptors followed them, somewhat slower, and arrived there as well.

While it was called a square, it was really a small village’s center and wouldn’t fit all of the near-hundred swarm raptors. Regardless, Xavier wanted to ensure that their first strike was as effective as it could be, so he held back the urge to give the attack order and waited for the best moment.

Every one of the raptors was already within the village, and close to forty percent of them had now gathered in the square. As one might expect, there was no way the entirety of the livestock had managed to escape, and several swarm raptors could be seen happily gorging themselves on their catches, but it was within acceptable levels.

Okay, now!

Xavier felt the time was right and lifted his hand from where he lay, command whip in hand. He could hear the soldiers around him inhaling, tense. The men on the other hill could probably see him too, but if by some chance they couldn’t, he had no way of checking.

His decision made, he swung the whip down through the air. A moment later, the men around him stood and drew their bows, then fired. Hundreds of arrows rained down on the swarm raptors chasing their prey, cutting swiftly through the air. There were three hundred archers on this hill and three hundred on the other. Combined, it was a volley of six hundred arrows.

“Gragh?!”

The creatures that could cry out in surprise were the lucky ones. Most of them had no idea what was going on and simply perished in the deluge of arrows from the sky.

Ordinarily, their resilience was impressive. One or two arrows wouldn’t even be noticed (depending on where they hit), let alone kill them. However, it was another matter when there were less than a hundred of them, with six hundred arrows raining from the sky.

In addition, the Valentian soldiers were wielding longbows. Xavier’s men in the march’s army carried short bows, and there was a distinct difference in both range and strength. Naturally, they fell short of the wyvern bows of the Drake Marksmen Knights, but the terrain compensated for that. The archers were firing from atop the hills into the gathering of swarm raptors in the valley. With the terrain on their side, their weapons stood equal to wyvern bows on flat ground.

It went without saying that they couldn’t pull off a miracle at this range and aim at only the swarm raptors without touching the meat drakes, so having wonderfully fulfilled their role as bait, most of the drakes were slain as well. It was an unfortunate but necessary sacrifice.

Despite that, a single volley wouldn’t take out nearly a hundred raptors on its own. Many of them had been sheltered by houses and the like and had escaped unscathed.

“Greeee!”

Several of the survivors chose to counterattack the now-visible soldiers on the hills rather than flee. A slight incline was nothing to them. Using their two massive legs and even bigger tail, they rushed up the hill faster than any human would be capable of. However, this too was as expected.

“Archers, fall back; pikemen to the front!”

In response to his command, men wielding long spears took the place of the archers. The spears were around twice their wielders’ heights, so of course, wielding them freely was impossible for normal soldiers. Still, simply thrusting their points into the charging raptors was enough.

“Gyahh!”

“Geegeee?!”

However impressive their jumping abilities were, the beasts couldn’t leap over the wall of spears on such a steep incline. The tips dug into the raptors’ flesh, and they could advance no further.

Ordinarily, a human would have no chance of standing against the raptors’ charge, but this was another advantage of the terrain. The overall effect of the soldiers thrusting their spears down the slope with the raptors rushing up meant that the difference in momentum was just about equalized—or maybe even overcome—by the greater elevation.

“Guhgyaa!”

Several of the creatures slipped back from the spearmen, and those that managed to stay upright were shot from between the spearmen by the archers as they had established their formation once again.

“Gee!”

Before long, the few attacking raptors had been laid to rest without reaching their goal. Throughout the string of battles, Xavier watched the fighting almost distantly.

“Amazing... So, this is what General Pujol meant back then.”

Something the general had said came back to Xavier’s mind. He had said that the strength of humanity lay in their techniques, weapons, and cooperation. At the time, the general had just taken down one of the raptors on his own, so Xavier had let it pass in amusement, but seeing the situation unfolding in front of his eyes let him feel the truth of the general’s words.

With the constraints of the battle on the salt road, the march’s army had been forced into a difficult conflict. In the mountain hunt following, even General Pujol’s elite Drake Marksmen Knights had struggled to kill a few of the raptors. But with the terrain and numbers on their side, their own strength was visibly overwhelming. With the short spears and bows swapped out for long spears and bows for open terrain, coupled with no longer rushing in towards the enemy but rather luring them to a prepared battleground, the soldiers were all in sync as they attacked.

Such a simple change had led to a vastly more favorable outcome. Keeping his excitement in check, Xavier took another look at the battlefield. The outcome was already decided, but they were still mopping up the remnants of the assault. The sight before him offered a sudden temptation. With the state things were in, could he not also attack? While he wasn’t boastful of it, he was sure his archery skills were at least on the level of the other soldiers around him.

However, as he looked at his hands with those thoughts in mind, he saw the item he was holding, which soon doused the flames of his frenzy. Gripped within his fist was not his familiar bow or spear. No, he held a command whip. It was a thin stick of wood, with nearly no offensive capability.

Right, my role isn’t to defeat a raptor or two on my own, it’s to command my subordinates so that they can take down far more and aren’t sacrificed, to the greatest extent possible.

The young commander, once more recognizing his role in the battle, surveyed the field again and gave his orders.

“Northern hill, by the river! Four raptors fleeing. They’re aiming for the water—take them down before they make it!”

In the end, under Xavier’s command, only a few of the raptors succeeded in getting through the trap.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

A while earlier, when Xavier and his men were lying in wait as the swarm raptors entered their trap, an exceptionally large raptor was visible in the trees. Its size would confuse anyone with even minimal knowledge of the species by how far away it was. The creature was at least two heads taller than the average swarm raptor. The species was normally classed as midsize, but the excessive size of this particular specimen would make one want to classify it as a large drake.

However, its size was not the reason it had concerned the elite of Capua despite merely being a meat-eating drake. The cause for concern was that it had grown in intelligence as it had in years, and that intellect made it both prudent and decisive. Even as its subordinates gave in to hunger and charged at the village, the massive drake alone remained within the trees.

Of course, this was a right afforded to it because its subordinates would return with meat, but it still showed an unusual amount of caution. One might even call it cowardice. This prudence, however, was now on full display.

Xavier had just waved his baton on the hill and signaled for the volley of arrows to descend upon the swarm raptors. The sound of six hundred arrows cutting through the air barely reached the raptor’s ears along with its subordinates’ death throes as it lurked in the wood.

“Grrrr!”

The sound was not enough to get a clear understanding of the situation, but both its instincts and intelligence told it that there was something off about the situation. Should it run? The option flashed through the massive drake’s mind, awfully sharp for its species. However, even if it roared its loudest to signal retreat, its subordinates would not hear it in the midst of the battle. Despite that, the creature didn’t have the option to flee alone and abandon its pack.

Its size and intelligence had grown with its age, but it had lost things in exchange. One of them was its agility, while another was its resistance to hunger. The too-big raptor had lost its maneuverability in exchange for its strength, leading to its hunting skills deteriorating. Despite that, it needed vast amounts of meat to maintain its huge body. So the creature had become dependent on its subordinates and the meat they provided for its survival. It was parasitic on the swarm in some ways.

“Guhhh...”

It took a step out as if it had made a decision after its thought. There was nothing to provide cover and hide it between the trees and the village. Its orders wouldn’t reach those attacking the village unless it could cross around half of the plains between them.

It continued in this way for a while before it stopped upon spotting a figure standing in its path.

“Gruuu?”

It was a fully armed human warrior. The raptor was aware of the dangers an armed human represented. If there had been a hundred of them, it would have decided to abandon its subordinates and flee. Actually, considering the current lack of subordinates around, it might have made the same decision if there were only ten. That was just how careful and timid the creature was. That cowardice could be said to have allowed it to survive this long and grow beyond the norm for swarm raptors.

However, there were not a hundred warriors in front of it. There were not even ten. There was, in fact, only one. Considering the differences between the huge raptor and the human, the phrase “standing in its path” wasn’t quite correct.

The warrior in its way—Victoria Kronkvist—had her golden hair tied behind her, and it swayed in the wind as she examined the creature, not an ounce of aggression on her face.

“I see, so this is the huge raptor? It certainly is exceptionally large,” she said, hefting her beloved short spear in both hands.

While Xavier guided the main force, Zenjirou and Freya had taken up a position some distance away as a precaution in case the plan failed. The first problem with that strategy was how to deal with the raptors’ massive leader.

With the distance between the bait and the trees being what it was, the assumption had been that even the boss would have joined the attack this time. However, such assumptions were only assumptions, and they knew that might not be the case. What would they do, then? It didn’t even need thinking about: they would require a separate force specifically for the boss raptor.

However, the one in charge of such a force had a massive dilemma. After all, their assumptions were based on the likelihood of the boss attacking the village. In other words, if things went as planned, they would finish the operation having done nothing.

However, if their concerns were realized, defeating the boss would bring the most renown, particularly with its habit of fleeing now being common knowledge. It was a position that would either see those involved left with nothing to do or attaining the greatest accolades. It also required the ability to prevent the beast from fleeing.

The decision was an extremely difficult one. Initially, Rafaello had even suggested handling it himself. However, having heard their plans, Victoria Kronkvist had nominated herself.

“I have a plan to prevent it from fleeing,” she had said, her face brimming with confidence. “The beast runs at the slightest disadvantage. How would you deal with it without letting it escape?” she mused to herself unconcernedly. “The answer is simple. You confront it with an extremely small force that seems to be no threat.”

She was now approaching the creature with an utter lack of visible wariness. The average person would never call this “a simple answer” if they heard it. It was “an insane answer.”

Humans could not win against drakes in a one-on-one fight. Even though swarm raptors were considered weak for carnivorous drakes, a fight without ranged weapons was said to take at least three average soldiers to manage a win. Even the elites of the Drake Marksmen Knights would suffer losses if each knight faced a swarm raptor using only a spear and sword, to say nothing of the fact that this huge specimen was well outside the norm. It had a tendency towards caution and flight, but that did not mean it was weak. After all, other raptors wouldn’t follow a weak leader in the wild. The creature had led up to five hundred raptors, so an average soldier would be nothing in the face of its might if the creature felt like flexing.

“Greee!”

Right now, the raptor most definitely felt like showing its might. The beast was scared of groups of intelligent humans, but it didn’t see itself as so lowly that it would fear facing a single one. Yet, the warrior standing before it was much the same in her lack of fear.

“I have heard the great witch Skaji took down a wicked black dragon unaided. As the partial successor to her name, I would be unworthy of the honor given to me by my country if I could not handle a drake of this level.”

As she spoke, the warrior—Skaji—pointed the tip of her spear at the center of the raptor.

“Graaah!”

Even the warrior, with her abnormal height for a woman, was clearly outmatched in size. If the raptor had been able to see her alongside an average woman, it would probably consider the difference in height “within reasonable error.”

Skaji was completely covered by the beast’s shadow as it thundered across the ground. However, the Northern warrior showed no sign of concern. In fact, she took a quick step towards the oncoming drake and swung her spear to the side.

“Gyah?!”

The raptor roared in rage at the slice across its abdomen, flailing its short forelegs. It was, obviously, an attack with no technique behind it. Regardless, it still had more force than a trained man could achieve with a sword.

Skaji stopped the attack with the spear in her hands. Well, strictly speaking, she didn’t stop it. Her skillful spear handling allowed her to move at exactly the right moment and angle to direct the descending claws away from her head. So far, she hadn’t taken a single step in retreat.

“Incredible. I suppose such force should be expected from a drake.”

While her words indicated some wariness of the huge raptor’s attack, she had just taken that attack head-on and deflected it. It wasn’t a defensive battle either. While the ratio was one attack to the two swipes the beast had taken, Skaji was still using her spear to attack as well. While she had turned all of the raptor’s attacks aside, each time she swung her spear it cut through the beast’s thick skin, causing scarlet blood to well forth. Within moments, the green of the grassy plains was dyed red by the thick drake blood.

“Geee!” the raptor roared in fury at the realization that the battle was not going as expected. The wounds it had received so far were no real detriment. However, not one of its attacks had landed, and the fury at the one-sided slicing that was currently ongoing made it forget its hard-earned intelligence and grow more aggressive. “Guuuh...groooah!”

The raptor stopped swinging its clawed forearms and instead moved to collide bodily with the warrior as if saying that she wouldn’t be able to block that. And indeed, even Skaji was unable to turn aside a direct charge. However, she didn’t make any major movements to evade it.

“There,” she decided, having seen that the creature lacked maneuverability. She took a small step to the side, and the two of them passed close enough that her left shoulder rubbed along the raptor’s left leg. Of course, she wasn’t taking such a risk for some test of courage.

“Hah!”

As they passed, Skaji thrust her spear with her right hand. It went diagonally, and with an almost metallic screech lopped off the tip of the raptor’s tail.

“Gyah?!”

Compared to its length, the severed piece was only the smallest amount of the tail. Not even ten centimeters. However, the raptor struggled to deal with the pain of losing part of its body. The raptor bellowed loudly enough that the faint of heart would weaken.

Naturally, Skaji was practically the antonym of faint of heart. She didn’t even flinch at the roar, merely pressing her offensive as if this was a good chance.

“Shagyahh! G-Geee!”

Thus, it continued, the raptor flailed its forelegs while Skaji counterattacked and parried its attempts.

Closer inspection made it clear that the battle was steadily falling Skaji’s way. Earlier, she had got in one attack for every two swipes the raptor made, but now she swung her spear each time the beast charged.

There was, of course, no change in the way each of the raptor’s attacks was turned aside, while every attack that Skaji made found its mark. The difference was that the raptor was missing part of its tail. Almost all tailed animals, not just swarm raptors, used their tails as a large part of keeping their balance. That was particularly evident in bipeds like swarm raptors. Even if it was just ten centimeters, a loss of what it centered its balance around would inevitably have a huge impact on its movements. With enough time, the raptor might be able to learn how its shorter tail and body interacted to overcome the imbalance caused, but Skaji would never permit that.

“Gyah, gyah, gahhh!”

The raptor’s roar grew gradually more panicked as its flailing attacks failed to land. Attacking even more when panicked like this was the act of a third-rate combatant.

“It’s going well,” Skaji said, dispassionately repeating her actions, her expression unchanging. She would ward off a blow from above with her spear, then use the raptor’s loss of balance to attack again.

These attacks only resulted in shallow wounds. A thrust or stepping in closer to slash more deeply and damage it more ran the risk of the spear getting stuck. Taking just a single blow would result in a complete reversal of their situation. A veteran warrior would never forget that, no matter how much of an advantage they had.

Every wound, even small ones, led to the beast losing blood more quickly. The battlefield was already covered in a pool of red flowing from the creature. If the viscous liquid managed to trip Skaji up, the situation would change, but she’d expected this to happen and so her shoes had small spikes in their soles. Even with the pool of slippery blood beneath her feet, those spikes drove holes into the ground beneath her feet and kept her footing firm, so there was very little chance of her slipping.

“Gyahh!”

Anger had turned to panic, and panic had turned to hesitancy, and that had eventually turned into fear. This small human was strong—stronger than the raptor itself, even alone. That realization, albeit rather late, led to an immediate decision.

“Geee!”

However intelligent it had become, it had no human emotions like shame or fear for its reputation. Therefore it pivoted in place and sprinted towards the trees at full speed. The loss of blood and its tail meant that its movements were slower than normal, but it was still far faster than a human could run. If she chased after it, it would escape.

However, there was not one sliver of unease on Skaji’s face, even now. Her ever-calm gaze was focused on the fleeing raptor as she gripped her spear just below the tip with her right hand and began to chant.

“Imbue my spear with the power of fire, hot enough to melt the very earth! As payment, I give 108 offerings of mana to the spirits of flame!”

The chant soon took effect, and the spear tip began to glow with scarlet flame. Anyone who saw it would be shocked by both her audacity and calmness. That was how difficult casting magic on the battlefield was.

Magic required the correct pronunciation, the correct amount of mana, and a correct mental image. Using it while in battle was most restricted by the third of those points. The successful use of magic required the only thing in one’s mind to be an image of the spell’s result, even if it was only for an instant.

It left an absurd number of openings for error. On the battlefield, it was akin to being completely unconscious for up to several seconds.

What was more, the caster had to purposefully put themself into that defenseless state. The average person would be too concerned with the situation they were in and unable to muster the necessary concentration.

However, it had not seemed particularly difficult for Skaji. Once she had seen the magic take effect, she held it across her back with both hands.

A moment later, she began to spin. One step, two, three. The third step marked exactly 360 degrees, and Skaji used the force of her rotation to hurl the spear at the fleeing raptor.

It was less like the method used in a javelin throw and more like that with a discus. Her movement didn’t stop there, though; before the projectile could travel far, she made another half turn and used a reverse roundhouse kick to strike the butt of the spear.

The weapon had already had the force of her spin behind it before her kick accelerated it even further as it sped towards the fleeing raptor. Even disregarding that additional kick, spinning gave more force to the spear than a standard throw. However, it also hindered the combatant’s control over where that throw would go.

Such concerns were unnecessary for the superhuman warrior, however.

“Gya?!”

Her spear pierced the raptor’s head without issue, jutting out, having easily passed through the thick skin and skull.

As drakes had relatively little space in their skull taken up by their brains, it wouldn’t necessarily be a fatal wound, but that was not all the spear had done. The tip of it was alight with magic fire. That fire quickly expanded within its skull and heated the creature’s brain, boiling it.

“Guh...guuuhh...”

It managed a single last step towards the trees before falling to the floor with a huge crash.

“It looks like I managed to take it down safely,” the warrior said, her expression finally softening slightly as she approached the drake she had defeated with light steps. Just in case, she drew the sword at her waist and held it in her right hand, her prudence visible in the act as it always was.

However, there was a rustling sound before she could reach the corpse as several figures appeared from the trees and approached the giant corpse.

“Whoa, she really took down that huge thing all on her own.”

“That’s our Skaji; common sense don’t apply to her.”

“Is she really a woman?”

“I think you mean ‘is she really a human?’”

These were warriors from the Glasir’s Leaf who had hidden in the trees at her direction. Even Skaji wasn’t conceited enough to assume definitively that she would be able to defeat her enemy alone. Therefore, she had ordered the men to stay in the woods to cut off its retreat. If the raptor had proven too much for her, she would have given the signal for them to aid her.

Fortunately, both precautions had proven unnecessary, but there was no way of being certain of the outcome beforehand, and she had no intention of abandoning her liege in these foreign lands and returning to the earth.

As a precautionary measure, she picked up some stones as she approached and threw several into the creature’s still-open eye. When it didn’t react, she was finally convinced of its death and planted her foot on its huge head to pull the spear from where it was deeply embedded.

“Phew!”

The spear was stuck through the beast’s thick skull but Skaji was both skilled and strong, so she was able to get it out without issue. Thick, hot brain fluids leaked from the hole it had created. Skaji moved back quickly to avoid the hot fluid landing on her feet before checking over the spear’s tip.

“I’ll need to sharpen this some,” she murmured as she did.

Even her beloved spear, made from a tusk, had lost some of its edge in the vicious fight.

“I hope I can find something fitting until I get it sharpened,” she added in a murmur before facing her subordinates for the first time and speaking with a small smile. “Right, everyone muster. If we’re not missing anyone, we’ll return. Come on, the princess is waiting for our report.”

The men all knew she was a warrior beyond them, even being a woman, and trusted in her completely.

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Got it!”

“Understood!”

While the words didn’t match, the burly men all followed the tall woman willingly as they left the place.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

While Xavier’s men took down the main swarm and Skaji faced the alpha in one-on-one combat, Zenjirou’s detachment was far away from the battlefield and ready for any unforeseen eventualities.

In truth, that was just a pretext, and it would be more accurate to say they were being kept from the battlefield. Of course, Zenjirou was well aware of that distinction and didn’t feel at all dissatisfied with it. If anything, when he compared that to the possibility of something unforeseen actually happening, he was nothing but grateful for such a distinction.

He had only persisted in his own deployment for political reasons and would have been a detriment to the actual events. From that perspective, he felt some obligation to the girl standing next to him for making her go along with his political actions.

Zenjirou was clad in leather armor that suited him even less than his formalwear as he addressed Freya at his side.

“Are you well, Your Highness? If you are tired, I can have a chair brought out.”

The Uppasalan princess smiled gracefully at his question before answering with a much more poised expression than his own. “My thanks, Your Majesty. You need not worry, though.”

It was a simple fact that however low the chance of the swarm raptors coming here was, it was far more dangerous for them to be there than to stay in Valentia.

Zenjirou was on the verge of delirium from his nerves even now and continued with some pointless questioning to distract himself.

“You seem rather calm. Have you taken part in such operations before, perhaps?”

It seemed to be something she hadn’t expected, though, as her emerald eyes widened.

“Not at all. This is the first time I have stood waiting for an attack. I’ve been rather excited, to be frank. I seemed calm to you?”

“Well, how should I say it? I suppose you are bolder than you look...”

He would have been able to understand if she’d said that she was on edge, but excitement was beyond his expectations for the princess. Freya’s skin hadn’t darkened in the slightest under the Southern Continent’s sun, and her pale face curled into a refined smile.

“I had heard that land drakes were used as livestock here, but it is still impressive to see.”

As she spoke, her gaze was on the dash drakes the knights were riding.

“Are land drakes rare on the Northern Continent?” Zenjirou asked casually.

“They are,” she answered dutifully. “There are very few land drakes that live on the continent. We have the aquatic species even in the North, so drakes themselves aren’t particularly rare.”

“I see. I suppose it is due to the sea being continuous, unlike the land.”

“Indeed. Hence why the sea route is considered much more dangerous on the Northern Continent. Of course, ships and sailing are far more advanced nowadays, so it is not as dangerous as it might sound.”

The call came as Zenjirou and Freya were continuing their meandering conversation.

“Sir Zenjirou.”

The words came from the approaching man who held command, Rafaello Márquez, rather than Zenjirou, who was nothing more than a burden in this military situation.

While it might have been Zenjirou’s imagination, the man’s smile seemed brighter than usual.

“What is it, Rafaello?”

Rafaello answered the prince consort’s short question with a full-faced smile, giving the best news possible. “A moment ago, a messenger arrived from both Lord Xavier’s forces and Lady Victoria’s almost simultaneously. I am told Lord Xavier faced the main force and killed the majority of the swarm with no fatalities on our side. Lady Victoria fought the alpha in another location and killed it.”

Zenjirou couldn’t restrain a cheer at the long-awaited news. “Oh! They managed it?!”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty,” Freya offered with a soft smile as if she had expected this result.

“Thank you. It was only possible with your aid. Your guards are truly capable.”

Zenjirou incorrectly assumed from the report that Skaji’s forces had fought the boss raptor as one rather than the warrior woman facing it on her own.

“Thank you. I am sure she will appreciate hearing that you think so.”

For her part, Skaji had already informed Freya that she would be challenging the beast alone, but she didn’t correct the misunderstanding and merely smiled politely. She was certain that her trusted confidant had indeed taken the beast down with no assistance, but Skaji had stated that if things looked bad, she would immediately call for aid. If Freya spoke carelessly and contradicted the truth, it would bring shame on Skaji.

“Sir, Your Highness, the battle has now finished. I apologize for the rush, but I believe it would be best to begin our return to Valentia at once. Would you be willing?” Rafaello asked.

Naturally, Zenjirou didn’t disagree. “Understood. We’ll leave as soon as the preparations are complete.”

“Very well, sir. Lord Xavier’s report stated that a small number of the raptors fled and managed to escape. They have likely returned to the trees, but the risk remains.”

“Indeed.”

Zenjirou shuddered at Rafaello’s explanation. The fight had taken place on the opposite side of Valentia, so the probability of the fleeing raptors coming this far was essentially zero. Even so, the possibility weighed on him.

Rafaello seemed to intuit his discomfort. “Do not worry, Sir Zenjirou. If they do arrive here, we have the forces on hand to easily deal with a few raptors,” he told Zenjirou, smiling.

“I know,” Zenjirou replied somewhat quickly as it felt like Rafaello was looking through him.

Rafaello had readied a carriage drawn by two dash drakes for Zenjirou—despite the fact that it was much slower—as he was incapable of riding one himself. The carriage was relatively small and could carry four people, but only three were currently seated within: Zenjirou, Freya, and Zenjirou’s maid, Ines. The two royals were seated side by side, while Ines sat opposite Zenjirou.

It was certainly much better than walking, but the lack of any real suspension meant that riding over unpaved grassland was by no means comfortable. Opening one’s mouth carelessly offered a good chance of biting one’s tongue. The outbound trip had made Zenjirou painfully aware of that, so he didn’t speak. Therefore, the carriage ride progressed in silence.

Freya also remained quiet, not actively questioning Zenjirou’s disposition, which increased his sense of patheticness.

After a long period of silence, the carriage came to a stop almost halfway along its route back.

“What?” Zenjirou blurted out, breaking the silence.

“Perhaps it is a rest stop?” the princess suggested. “The soldiers do need to heed the call of nature as well.”

“Ah, I see.”

The phrase “the call of nature” made Zenjirou understand what was happening. Essentially, this was a toilet break. While ready for battle the soldiers were probably told to “hold on for the big ones, and go while you fight for the little,” but when they had the latitude, a good commander would set aside time like this.

Of course, the “good commander” in this instance wasn’t the figurehead, Zenjirou. Here and now, it referred to the commander-in-truth under him, Rafaello Márquez.

“Well then, Sir Zenjirou. If I may excuse myself for a moment?” Ines asked, standing.

Zenjirou wasn’t thoughtless enough to question her and simply nodded with as short an answer as possible. “Indeed.”

Time passed as they waited. Then Zenjirou thought he could hear a bit of a commotion outside.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

“Perhaps? Things do seem somewhat hectic out there.”

He and Freya were alone, so their puzzlement would find no answers inside the carriage. The long period of sitting had made Zenjirou’s joints stiff, so he decided to get out for a while.

“What is it? Did something happen?” he asked as he exited.

There were several soldiers guarding the carriage. One of them, apparently the highest-ranking, rushed over to Zenjirou and gave a somewhat agitated report.

“Sir, your maid just sighted some swarm raptors.”

“What?!” he exclaimed, unable to keep his voice down at the shocking statement. “Is she safe?!”

The soldier realized from Zenjirou’s reaction that his explanation had been lacking and hurriedly corrected himself.

“Ah, m-my apologies! I misspoke. Madam Ines discovered their corpses. It appears they had already expired when she found them, and the three had all fallen together.”

It went without saying that Ines wouldn’t relieve herself in the same place the soldiers were using. She had moved to a space where she wasn’t in sight of the soldiers and found the corpses there. They had probably been wounded during their engagement with Xavier’s men and barely managed to flee with deep wounds before they finally died, the soldier explained.

“I see, thank you for your report,” Zenjirou replied now that he was assured of Ines’s safety before moving towards the curious onlookers himself.

He knew that Ines was unharmed, but he still felt slightly worried about a woman seeing the animals’ bodies like that. Also, corpses though they may be, he wanted to see the swarm raptors that had caused the country so much trouble.

“Please wait, Sir Zenjirou!”

His guards hurriedly formed a perimeter around him as he moved, and he finally reached the crowd of onlookers with Ines in its center.

“Ines,” he said. His voice parted the crowd.

“Oh, Sir Zenjirou. I apologize for worrying you,” she replied with a deep bow. At least on the surface, she didn’t seem to have been particularly affected.

“As long as you are safe, that’s all that matters. I suppose it was somewhat unpleasant. Are you hurt?” As he spoke, Zenjirou’s gaze found its way to the thing behind her.

“No, my clothes were somewhat soiled due to the shock, but fortunately I am unharmed,” she answered.

Indeed, her long skirt’s hem and her tied-up hair had some flecks of red in them.

“I see. You should change when we return.”

Even as he answered, he was no longer concerned about her.

So, this is a swarm raptor!

The image of a carnivorous drake, even a dead one, was a rather large shock to him. It was roughly the same size as a dash drake, but the main differences were the claws on its forelegs as well as its fangs. The claws were the size of Zenjirou’s arm, while the longest and thickest of the fangs were about the size of his hand.

A closer look revealed that all three creatures had horizontal slashes across their throats. The wounds were deep enough that an average animal would be unable to even cry out their death throes before expiring.

These beasts had fled this far from the battle with Xavier’s forces? Their resilience was far beyond anything he had ever imagined.

Having seen their corpses now, Zenjirou understood all too well. A hundred of these monsters being in the area was something I called “relatively safe” when I walked around.

He was finally aware of just how big of a deal they were, even if he had been guarded. His head felt chilled, his limbs too, even his very heart.

While he had understood intellectually, he had to admit he hadn’t had an intuitive sense of the dangers of this world. Damian was most certainly a loyal retainer. While a formal apology might have been difficult with his position as prince consort, Zenjirou would have to see the man rewarded for his advice in some way.

I’ll never do this again. I’ll stay behind the walls. Aura would forgive a little political upheaval for that, at least, he vowed to himself. That vow was perhaps the greatest thing to have come out of the entire affair.