Chapter 136: The Side Story Ends in Humiliation

“Tch… This is the end. Let’s move.”

The battle was decided.

Most of the rebel forces fled, and those remaining either surrendered or met their end in combat.

Seeing the defeat was inevitable, a man hurriedly withdrew from the battlefield.

He was a man with a bearded face clad in cheap leather armor. His rough appearance resembled more of a bandit than a soldier.

However, what only a few knew was that this man was the commander of the soldiers from the Gazelle Empire, an allied nation of the Iwood Kingdom.

As a loyal “hound,” he had disguised himself as a mercenary and infiltrated the Iwood Kingdom, fighting as a member of the rebel forces.

There were other soldiers who had drifted from the Gazelle Empire, but they were all mere mercenaries hired for money. Only he directly received instructions from the dignitaries of the empire.

(“I was told to weaken the kingdom’s forces as much as possible… But it’s already beyond hope.”)

To begin with, the outcome was decided with the first strike.

Due to an unknown attack launched by the kingdom’s army, ten percent of the rebel soldiers were rendered combat ineffective.

Witnessing overwhelming magic attacks, half of the remaining soldiers lost their will to fight and either surrendered or fled.

Driven by his loyalty to the empire, the man had intended to persist until the bitter end and even take down one of the enemy commanders… However, unfortunately, he didn’t encounter any renowned generals.

Having killed several small fry, he seemed destined to flee.

(“That idiot prince Rodel showed some guts in the end… But in the end, he was defeated. Pathetic.”)

The man sneered.

Having achieved nothing as a puppet or a soldier, he collapsed.

Whether he would be buried in the darkness of history or executed as a traitor… either fate seemed fitting for a fool like him.

(…Well, at least I gained some valuable information.)

From a distance, the man had been observing Rodel’s final battle.

In other words… he saw Rest, the man who defeated Rodel.

(He used light magic… It’s just a possibility, but he might be the one who delivered that initial strike. The soldiers of the kingdom were calling him ‘Viscount Clover’ or something… I must bring this information back at all costs.)

There are few who can wield light magic.

Anyone can illuminate their surroundings with light, but only a few have transformed it into an offensive magic.

Because using fire or lightning is far more efficient in terms of consuming magic power.

(After delivering such a blow, I wonder how he could still fight that idiot prince without running out of magic power… That brat will undoubtedly become a devil for the empire. Depending on the situation, we might even consider assassination.)

The man’s master was a leader of a faction known as the “main combatants” within the empire.

They aimed not only to conquer the northern barbarians but also eventually to annihilate the Iwood Kingdom to the west.

In their fight against the Iwood Kingdom, Rest was certainly considered an obstacle.

(Viscount Clover… Just bringing back information about him is sufficient accomplishment. I must somehow survive and return to the empire…)

“Tou!”

“Nuooh!?”

While lost in thought and attempting to leave the battlefield, someone suddenly kicked the man.

The person swiftly passed over the man’s head, and their feet struck the ground behind him, causing an explosion.

If he hadn’t lowered his posture, his skull would likely have been shattered by the kick.

“W-What the!?”

“Ah, dodged it, huh.”

In a relaxed tone, the person who had launched a surprise attack—a woman dressed in lightweight armor that allowed for agile movement—spoke.

She was Yuri Catreya, the daughter of the knight commander and also a friend of Rest.

“My kick wasn’t something you could just dodge like that! You may look like a mercenary, but you seem like a notable commander!”

Yuri pointed her finger sharply at the man.

“From now on, you’re going to be my trophy! Surrender quietly and accept your fate!”

“E-Eh, um…”

The man’s intuition told him trouble had found him.

The woman wasn’t carrying any apparent weapons, which in itself was eerie.

(I don’t have time for this, and I can’t afford to engage with her properly…)

“U-Um, isn’t this a misunderstanding? I’m just a humble mercenary.”

The man stooped low, wearing a pitiful expression and pleading for mercy.

“M-My, uh, wife and kids are waiting hungrily back home. Please, I beg you. Please let me go…”

“Mu… Is that so? Just a common foot soldier?”

“T-That’s right. I’m just a regular mercenary who hasn’t found a steady employer… I’m everywhere…”

“I see… My apologies then. You may go.”

“T-Thank you very much…”

(…Is this woman an idiot? She fell for it too easily.)

Things were going too smoothly, and it was starting to get scary.

Since he had been granted permission, the man attempted to slip past Yuri and escape.

(I don’t know who she is… She’s the type who can be easily deceived and manipulated, only to have her body devoured. It’s a shame about her intellect, but her face and body are quite…)

As the man glanced at Yuri’s body, he suddenly noticed the necklace she was wearing around her neck, and his eyes widened significantly.

The necklace spilled out from her neckline, which was unusually open for the size of her lightweight armor.

The ornament on the silver chain bore the emblem of a certain noble family.

“Marquis Catreya…!”

The moment he saw it, his body moved before his thoughts could catch up.

Drawing his sword, the man attempted to sneak attack Yuri’s body…

“Oh?”

The next moment, along with a curious sound, his body shifted.

The sword he was swinging also fell, and the upper half of the man’s body collapsed to the ground.

However… strangely enough, what should have been his fallen “torso” was standing right in front of him.

“A-A leg…?”

In his fading consciousness, the man muttered.

And then… in his final moment of awareness, he realized. Somehow, his upper and lower halves had separated, and only the legs from the waist down were standing there.

The man, divided into upper and lower halves, breathed his last. Without ever revealing himself as the Commander of the empire’s soldiers.

“Ah, that startled me. I ended up kicking him away.”

Looking down at the man who was now just his upper body, Yuri muttered in a troubled tone.

“I’ve been studying ‘swordsmanship’ at the academy… and after a month of learning the sword, I noticed something.”

“K…uh…”

“Kicking with your legs is stronger than slashing with a sword.”

Yuri proudly puffed out her chest, looking into the man’s face and blinking as she said, “Oh, he’s dead.”

“I promised Rest I would achieve something… but he almost managed to escape. Luckily, maybe there’s a commander lurking around here somewhere?”

Puckering her lips in a troubled manner, Yuri dashed across the battlefield with the nimble steps of a wildcat.

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