Chapter 253 - The Battle for Migul and Zeno Leafclout
By the time Marianne’s main force reached the House Wanland mansion, the battle for its control had become a brutal affair.
House Leafclout had apparently brought a battering ram to demolish the mansion. However, the soldiers operating it were now dead, and the ram itself lay abandoned with a broken axle.
Soldiers, friend and foe alike, swarmed over it, while arrows and spells of fire and stone flew over their heads.
The walls had crumbled in several places, showing signs of enemy intrusion. Furthermore, the acrid smell of burning from fire magic hung in the air. The fire was spreading inside the building, flames licking at the structure.
Windows shattered from the heat, showering the street with fragments of glass.
Tursa’s advance mobile unit and the Wandering People had struck the rear of the besieging Leafclout army, nearly turning the tide of battle. But a counterattack from Leafclout soldiers enhanced with immortality magic had brought the fight to a stalemate.
Marianne surveyed the situation and immediately committed her army.
"First, take care of the soldiers surrounding the mansion. After that, we crush the soldiers who have broken in, one by one!"
Voices answering her call ripped through the night's darkness as the army surged forward as one.
We remained with Marianne, watching the situation unfold without joining the battle. Among the fighters, I spotted the Wandering People.
"So far, it's going as you predicted, Mash."
"Marianne…"
Marianne looked at me, her lips twisting into a faint, powerless smile. She seemed a little lonely.
"I know. Mash, you merely suggested a plan. This was my decision."
Originally, I had no intention of getting involved in the fighting or strategy. It was just that I had a grasp of the situation at City Hall and in the northern part of the city. I only meant to convey that, but Wake had asked me if I had a plan. The memory of the battle with the pirate ships must have still been fresh in his mind.
I couldn't tell what kind of expression I was making. Was I frozen in fear at this situation, my face a mask of shock? I clenched my jaw to steel myself.
"Marianne. No matter what happens, I support you."
"I know."
She took my hand, as if to hide the gesture from others. It seemed to be trembling slightly. She, too, had been kept on the sidelines until now. And just as she had officially become the head of House Wanland and begun to engage in politics, this battle had broken out. If she showed even a hint of tension or anxiety, it would affect the soldiers' morale. She had to be suppressing her emotions and putting on a brave face. I, too, had resolved to see this situation through, no matter what. With that thought, I squeezed her hand back tightly.
"The Leafclout army will collapse after this. But the decisive battle with House Airally still remains. It would be better to have Tursa and the Wandering People pull back for now."
Marianne nodded. A soldier waiting by her side immediately ran off to relay the information.
"I'm worried about Karpana and the others. I'm going to head to the Wandering People's position."
"Mash, please be careful."
I nodded at her words and broke into a run. Elisha and Ilisarie followed me. Hyakka's New World group and Komachi's Neko no Ko Koneko group would remain with Marianne in case they needed to fight other transferred individuals.
We had already parted ways with the captured adventurers. And I had entrusted Riley with the task of getting the injured Fang and Beers out of the city. Thinking about it now, her absence made me feel a little vulnerable, but it couldn't be helped.
I drew my sword, and Ilisarie did the same, drawing her rapier. I watched her intently.
"What, is something wrong?"
"How far are you planning to follow me?"
"Mash, you're the one who said you needed a negotiator."
"I don't need a negotiator who carries a weapon."
"When you sheathe your weapon, I will sheathe mine."
She was a woman whose intentions I still couldn't fathom. Although she had the characteristic beauty of an elf, her smile seemed artificial and unsettling.
"I'll have you know, it's far safer for me to protect you than for you to protect yourself, Mash."
Her words reminded me of the time she had thrown me.
The area in front of the mansion was the heart of the fierce battle—a plaza large enough to hold the troops.
With Marianne's main force joining the fray, the Leafclout army was on the verge of a total collapse.
However, the counterattack from inside the mansion was weak. The ones holding out were the knights of House Starunion and the remnants of House Skynorth.
I worried about Marina's safety, but Wake was protecting her. I was sure she hadn't been defeated.
We moved along the outskirts of the battlefield and saw a group of the Wandering People.
They were lightly armored, but they moved in a disciplined formation, confounding the Leafclout soldiers.
I spotted a girl with wavy hair at the rear of the Wandering People's group.
"Karpana!"
Just as I called out and started to approach, a group fleeing from the melee crossed our path. I saw a man among them and my breath caught.
Long black hair, and from it, long, pointed ears. The rapier held in a hand extending from a black robe was stained with red blood.
"Zeno Leafclout…!"
As if he had keenly heard my words, Zeno also spotted me and stopped.
His lips curled up slightly. But the gaze directed at me held no warmth.
"Zeno, what is the meaning of this? I asked you to be my intermediary with Clovis, to cancel the engagement with Mō, to hand over the dog-eared girl, and to let me get along with House Leafclout."
"I told you that all I could do was act as an intermediary and cancel the engagement, did I not?"
"So this is your answer?"
Sensing the anger tinging my words, the soldiers accompanying Zeno moved between us, leveling their spearheads.
There were ten of them. I gripped my sword, raising its tip so I could move at a moment's notice.
"Enemy of the gods…"
Elisha muttered, then her lips tightened and she gripped her staff.
Then, as if to stand beside me, Ilisarie stepped forward, her rapier at the ready. Seeing this, Zeno's eyes widened slightly.
"Ilisarie… you were there? Your enemy is the hero from another world beside you. Why do you turn your blade on us?"
At those words, Ilisarie's lips twisted as if in hesitation. Then, she turned only her eyes toward me.
"For now, and only for now, Mash, I am on your side. Can you believe me?"
Her words seemed to hold a kind of plea. I nodded, not understanding why.
Ilisarie and Zeno locked eyes.
"None of it mattered to me. The words of the gods, the future of the elven race…"
"We are a race that carries the blood of the gods, and my family, the Leafclouts, are in a position to receive the words of the gods and guide the world. It is a position from which we cannot escape."
A particularly loud cheer went up. Marianne's army was beginning to pour into the mansion. The outcome of the battle here was decided.
"The Fifty Gods… only Clovis can hear the words of the elves' god. You should have been free."
If Clovis was the one who could hear the voice of the gods, like Karpana's grandmother, did that mean he was the one who instigated this battle? Zeno tilted his head as if considering Ilisarie's words. The air between the two of them felt as if time had stopped, separate from the battle raging around us. And I couldn't see where their conversation was heading.
I glanced at Elisha, but she too remained still, her staff at the ready. Zeno's soldiers were the same. They stood with their weapons ready, but did not move.
"You tell me to be free? Is that the will of the Great Forest?"
"No. When you and I were together, we vowed to stay outside the cycle."
I couldn't help but freeze at her words.
"Wait. Ilisarie, you were Zeno's lover?"
Ilisarie smiled at my words.
"Lover… For the past few hundred years, until the talk of a Starunion daughter marrying Zeno came up, Zeno and I were in what could be called a de facto marital relationship. Though I don't know how Zeno viewed our relationship."
At her words, I stared at her, my mouth agape.
It was her usual, seemingly artificial smile. But now, it seemed strangely raw, and her lips looked vibrant and alluring, as if they had come to life.
"Then why did you sleep with me? Why are you with me? Was it to spite Zeno and Mō?!"
"Zeno never returned to me, even after his marriage arrangement with the Starunion daughter was dissolved."
"What? Damn it, you played with my pure heart! I was worried all this time, thinking you might actually like me a little!"
Ilisarie didn't answer me, but returned her gaze to Zeno.
"No matter how many times we were together, it was meaningless. It was just empty, wasn't it?"
"What? Look at this woman. She's a beauty, even among elves, isn't she? What's not to like about having a woman like this favor you?"
I had intended to stay out of it, but I couldn't help but retort at Zeno's words.
"Huh? Mash-sama… with Ilisarie-sama…?"
Elisha had been muttering in surprise for a while now, but talking to her would only complicate things, so I stayed quiet and waited for Zeno's reaction.
But Zeno also remained silent, staring at Ilisarie. In the meantime, Leafclout soldiers were steadily disengaging from the battlefield and disappearing into the darkness.
A scream came from that direction. The residents must be attacking the soldiers who were fleeing without any order. To minimize the damage, someone needed to take command and lead a retreat.
"Zeno, the battle is decided. Surrender."
"Fool… Soon, the Airally forces will return. Then, it will be your turn to be surrounded and routed."
"Were you planning to retreat with a portion of your troops and sacrifice the ones left here? I don't know where you plan to run back to, but I've already burned your house down, you know?"
"Once a battle has begun, achieving victory takes precedence over all else."
"Even if you win, without your men, Ishtvan will just become the ruler of this city. You gain nothing. Which means it's of no benefit to those who are dying here. If you seriously intend to win this battle in this situation, then aren't you just being manipulated by Clovis?"
Karpana and the Wandering People rushed over to support us. Their numbers now surpassed those of the soldiers protecting Zeno, making it nearly impossible for them to escape behind us. A soldier who showed clear signs of panic and tried to back away had an arrow from one of the Wandering People pierce his chest.
The soldier collapsed without a sound.
"Karpana, wait. Give them a chance to surrender…"
Just as I started to say that, Zeno began to chuckle.
"What's so funny…?"
He continued to laugh, as if he hadn't heard my words.
"I'll kill every last one of you."
Zeno held out the hand that wasn't holding his sword. On his palm were countless magic seeds. They emitted a dark red light that enveloped Zeno's body.
"Mash, stop him!"
Ilisarie shouted and ran forward. She tried to strike at Zeno, but was blocked by the soldiers protecting him. The Wandering People unleashed a volley of arrows.
I dodged past the enemy soldiers who were falling one after another and rushed to Zeno's side. Then I thrust my sword into his chest.
It was a solid hit.
But far from falling, he didn't even sway. I tightened my grip on the hilt and twisted the blade buried in Zeno's chest.
Blood dripped to the ground. But Zeno did not fall. He looked down at me, his eyes red and emitting an eerie glow.
"…!"
A cold sensation, like a chill, ran down my spine. I pulled out my sword and leaped back at the same time Zeno swung his rapier down.
Zeno's sword cut through the air and struck the stone pavement. The sword broke, its tip spinning away in a random direction with a high-pitched metallic clang.
He threw away the broken sword and took a sword from one of his allied soldiers. It looked heavy, with a long hilt like a two-handed sword, but he swung it effortlessly as he advanced on me.
"Die!"
I deflected the blow with my blade, but I couldn't completely evade it. My arm was shallowly cut, and my movements were momentarily halted.
Zeno didn't miss the opening. Just as he raised the two-handed sword, Ilisarie stabbed him in the side with her sword.
"Gnh!"
Zeno changed his target from me to Ilisarie and swung his sword down, but she reacted quickly and retreated. I matched her movement and retreated as well.
With some distance between us, arrows from the Wandering People rained down.
Many arrows pierced the soldiers surrounding Zeno, and many rained down on Zeno himself.
The soldiers hit by the arrows fell. But Zeno did not.
Zeno raised his arms to the night sky as if nothing had happened.
A whirlwind erupted around him. It instantly swelled to envelop us, growing larger and larger.
"Have the troops fall back!"
Ilisarie shouted. Hearing her words, Karpana raised a hand and signaled the Wandering People to retreat. The whirlwind, with Zeno at its center, enveloped his soldiers, me, Ilisarie, and Karpana, becoming a raging storm, a wall of dark red flames.
"Mash, everyone else, get closer to me!"
Karpana shouted.
As if converging on Zeno's raised hand, the fiery whirlwind covered the sky above us.
"Take this!"
As Zeno swung his arm down, the vortex of flames rained down upon us.