Chapter 45 – Fallout
Roswell Knights Commander Felix von Artem did not doubt their victory.
Neatly dressed in armor, a face full of confidence, and a powerfully raised head. It was a confident attitude, as if he hadn’t even dreamed of losing.
He shouted at the top of his voice in front of his men lined up in battle.
“The opponent is weak. Fools who have rotted and twisted themselves by resting on the glory of the distant past! We have already won against them several times. This time, we will have to trample them once again!”
-You’re right!
—Wow!!!
Just before the game starts.
The members of the Knights of Roswell respond with booming voices to the leader’s brief speech to boost morale. Is it true that it is the strength of unity worthy of a traditional stronghold?
Felix nodded his head with a satisfied face as he looked at his men.
As it was a qualifier, I was a little dissatisfied with the fact that the match was played without spectators, but it was fortunate that I was able to start off with an easy victory.
The reason he was ignoring the Knights of the Black Lion this far wasn’t too far away.
“Hmm… Come to think of it, did you say that the leader has changed?
It was because the Black Lion Knights showed an ugly look that fit the expression of a ragtag in the confrontation last year.
At least, the pure weight class itself was not bad enough, but in all other respects, it was pitifully messed up.
A leader who is weaker than the vice-captain, discipline that has flowed, and morale that is almost non-existent. It didn’t take much effort to subdue them, who had no fighting ability as a group.
— Boom boom…
Like that, when the commander of the Knights of Roswell, who had become immersed in complacency unbeknownst to me, was lost in untimely thoughts.
“Here they come!”
“I see. But you have to be moderately polite. Carrying a bag… Uhm?!”
The air over the vast plains changed.
—Kung, Kooung…
From afar, a series of groups clad in pitch-black plate armor reminiscent of an army of hell shook the earth and began approaching the plains.
Seeing them, Felix frowned and muttered in a suspicious voice. He was such an incredible sight.
“What is all that? No way, is it black iron? You supplied that kind of thing to everyone? How the hell?”
As soon as the other party approached, the agitated atmosphere spread rapidly from the commander to the rank and file knights.
“Heh, the leader of the Black Lion Knights is truly ignorant in size.”
“This is definitely the wrong bracket. Look at their momentum! They definitely weren’t like that last year!”
“That blue-haired female knight, did she encounter any kind of enemy?
The Black Lion Knights, who arrived late, quickly completed their ranks, and the battle was about to begin.
The moment when the captain of the knights faced the leader of the black lion to show respect to each other. The intuition of a knight who had reached its own level constantly sent a danger signal to Felix.
‘Crazy.’
The author was different.
Even if you spread the image with all your might, will you be able to hold on to just a few sums?
A friendly match for the purpose of an event, not a real match.
Also, is it really right to feel the fear of death in the preliminaries, where it is set as an unspoken rule to strain each other and face each other?
He paid his respects to his opponents, trying desperately not to tremble in front of his men.
“Are you the new leader of the Black Lion Knights? You have great momentum. The main officer is Felix from the Viscount Artemis.”
“I am Wolfgang of Count Schwarz. The level of the Roswell Knights… Is this high?”
A deep, low-pitched voice resounded terrifyingly, like an animal growling.
It was such an intimidating look that the shameful word of surrender lingered in my mind.
His self-esteem squirmed at the sight of him muttering plainly as if he was looking down from above. Felix was also a leader and a knight.
“Kuh…!”
“Then, please take good care of me. Does the referee over there start on the count of three? I hope it will be a game with no regrets.”
The bosses who met in the middle of the battlefield return to each other’s camp.
After confirming that both sides are ready for battle, the referee announces the start of the match.
-Three! Two…
Just before they clashed, Felix took a deep breath and corrected himself to be weak.
If it was a one-on-one sparring, you wouldn’t be able to deal with that monster, but a group battle is different.
Not all of them are monsters like that leader. So there will be plenty of odds.
-One!
“All, charge!”
“Wow!!!”
With a loud roar, the two knights clashed against each other.
—Kooung!
On that day, the temple located near Viscount Bergson’s territory was put on emergency alert.
* * *
Time flies, and it’s already been two weeks since we played the first game of the competition.
Finally, as of today, the schedule for the preliminaries is all over.
“I wonder if the Roswell Knights I first met were the strongest.”
“Coming to think of it, I think it was. At least it didn’t collapse all at once.”
I smiled bitterly at the vice-captain sitting next to me and sipping tea with a cold expression.
After the first night of qualifying.
As if she was covered by something, she devoted herself to training whenever she had a chance, and the frequency of showing a sloppy or cute appearance in front of me has noticeably decreased.
I must have been very angry.
Vice-captain Agnes is also a woman before his subordinates. Did I do something too cruel? If you look at it badly, it’s no different from playing with her affection.
‘Please fall down for the sake of the captain.’
‘For a moment! This isn’t too harsh… Wow!’
What… Looking at the way he played the rest of the game with all his heart, apart from being angry with me, it seems that his loyalty to his boss remains the same.
Meanwhile, as expected, our journey did not get bogged down in the qualifiers.
An unstoppable victory from the first match.
‘If the balance collapses, it’s the end after that.’
Originally, group warfare between knights was carried out in a way that the leader-level personnel engaged in a fierce melee, centering on the daily discussions of the leader-level personnel.
Of course, in a general case, it would be normal to create various variables by using a weapon called tactics during a melee.
It’s a story when each other’s weight classes boil.
The Black Lion Knights in the preliminary round were predators themselves.
After I subdued the opposing knight commander, the morale of the subordinates under him was broken, and I was able to easily bring victory.
The fact that the vice-captain, who had the image of a manifestation system specialized in large-scale battles, achieved rapid growth also played a big role.
After I rampage first, the vice-captain steps forward and solidifies the wedge. He didn’t even have to try his best.
I don’t know if this tactic will work in the finals, but it can still be described as successful.
“What do the other members think? Let everyone feel free to express their feelings.”
Now, the core command of the Black Lion Knights gathered in one place and were in the process of reviewing the lessons learned from the qualifiers.
You could call it an afterthought of sorts.
“Haha! The captain is always reassuring, but this time the vice-captain was also very active. It was like an incarnation of cold.”
The 1st Centurion, Royce, spoke cheerfully first.
Originally, he had a rather aristocratic personality, but after the last mission, his behavior became noticeably freer, as if he had been freed from something.
“Hmm. A few months ago, it was just a bit of a chilly wind, but it’s not like that anymore. If the vice-captain was the enemy… It’s terrible.”
Pascal, the commander of the 2nd Centurion, who had a nervous impression but had a calm personality, took his words.
After suffering a decision loss to his subordinate, Captain Raul, in the past open sparring.
I was a little worried because I was the one who had suffered a lot among the commanders, perhaps because of bad luck, but fortunately, he seemed to be doing well.
“Sir Agnes… How old are you? Aren’t you in your early twenties at most? I really feel the wall of talent. When will I manifest an image…”
The 3rd centurion commander, Carol, who was the oldest among the commanders, added a word.
He seemed to be secretly feeling a sense of crisis at the fact that his latest direct subordinate, Captain of the Ten, Raul, had manifested an aura.
“Well, it’s all thanks to the captain that we won easily. He’s so strong, to be honest, sometimes I wonder if he’s the same person.”
“Huh! That, that… It’s definitely a compliment, right?”
A word uttered casually by Warren, the 4th Centurion’s straightforward character.
In response, the 5th centurion commander, Kenneth, who was younger than the vice-captain and acted as the youngest, was frightened for nothing and secretly looked at me.
“Sir Warren. What do I look like in your eyes?”
“Uh… Well, I mean. A superhuman with a different level? It’s like someone born to be a leader. Now, I can’t imagine the Black Lion Knights without a leader.”
At most, everyone gathered, but for some reason, the flow of conversation flowed in a direction closer to flattery praising the actions of the leader and vice-captain rather than criticism.
“Whoa…”
I shook my head and let out a sigh.
Well, there was little room for evaluation in the preliminaries. After all, the vice-captain and I destroyed most of them, and the rest of the staff cleaned up.
More than this. Rather, it would be better to prepare for the finals properly while collecting.
Due to the murderous schedule of playing matches almost once every three days, no matter how many consecutive victories, a loss of fighting power was inevitable.
“Is the maintenance of the armament proceeding properly?”
“Yes. All of the damaged armor and weapons were brought to Eitri Elder’s blacksmith’s shop, and repairs are said to be completed before the main event begins.”
“How are the wounded?”
“A total of 12 people, currently visiting the temple near the garrison and are receiving normal treatment.”
Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any major problems.
During the rest period until the finals, I should pay attention to the health and morale of my subordinates as much as possible.
Afterwards, after discussing a few small matters with the commanders, I returned to the office.
It’s because there are still quite a few big things to deal with.
[Share the results of tracking the remaining eclipse]
[Transaction Statement: Eitri Forge]
A very important-looking official letter from the Heavenly Church.
And, a bloody receipt that flew as a result of using black iron armor for his subordinates by diverting some of the rewards he would receive for handling the County of Fersen incident in advance.
The moment I was thinking about what to look into first.
-Hoot!
[Master! Congratulations on advancing to the finals!]
A snowy eagle owl flew through the window of the office.
I had no choice but to press my forehead against the appearance of a truly welcome and troublesome guest.
Alicia. Now, even though I’m at work, I openly come to you.
I need to give my soul properly sometime.
