My lady takes command
"What in the world is this?" Milady muttered in bewilderment.
We had somehow managed to slip through the horde of monsters and return to the camp. However, what lay before us was undeniably a battlefield.
Countless monsters were pouring in from the depths of the forest, trampling over the tents that had been set up in the camp.
Driven by their instincts, they attacked the students right before them, each of them using any means they could to hunt their prey.
On the other hand, the students were not just standing idly by. One of the students, surrounded by a radiant aura of magic, leaped into the midst of the monster horde and swiftly cut down the monsters around them.
From behind, a barrage of magical projectiles was unleashed, sweeping away the remaining monsters.
This one-sided massacre, if it could even be called a battle, was happening all over the camp. As the monsters disappeared, new ones emerged from the forest, filling the gaps.
The situation had reached a deadlock.
"This is strange..."
"What's so strange?"
Observing the situation from the sidelines, I noticed something peculiar about the behavior of the monsters.
"It's unusual for a mere monster attack to involve such a wide variety of monsters. Moreover, none of them seem to be attacking each other. They're all specifically targeting us humans, as if they're being drawn towards something..."
The monsters assaulting the camp ranged from goblins, which were low-level pests, to powerful monsters like ogres. While it's expected for monsters to prey on humans, it's quite abnormal for such a diverse group of monsters to converge in one place without engaging in infighting.
"...Ah."
While I was pondering these thoughts, Milady beside me seemed to have noticed something and let out a small gasp.
"Milady, do you have any idea?"
"Guuh!? W-Well... I really don't know, you see?"
I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Did she think her exaggerated reaction would go unnoticed? Frankly, I've never seen anyone react to a situation with a "guuh" before.
I remembered something that had happened before our departure.
Milady had received a report from some of the male students in our group. At that time, I couldn't investigate further, but now I had a suspicion...
"By the way, Milady, did you give some instructions to the members of our group before we left?"
"W-Well, I might have... I'm not entirely sure."
When I pressed her for answers, Milady wiped sweat from her forehead and looked away as if avoiding eye contact. This reaction clearly indicated she had something to hide.
"Milady, please be honest. What exactly did you tell them to do?"
"Ugh... Um... Well..."
"Milady, it's important."
"Alright, I understand. I just need to tell you, right?"
I held her shoulder firmly to keep her from escaping and looked directly into her eyes as I continued my questioning.
"Well... I, uh... instructed them to put an enchantment on that little girl's belongings with something that would attract monsters..."
"Miladyyy!?"
As Milady confessed her little prank, I couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
Is she talking about luring magical monsters? That strict, nationally-regulated magic enchantment, the one that can lead to charges of high treason if used without authorization?
"Wha, what's is it... was it bad?"
"On the contrary, I'm curious to know what part of this you thought wasn't bad!"
Why did she bring something so dangerous here? And those students, they should have stopped her!
I know it's futile, but deep down, I can't help but be angry at those male students from earlier.
No, more importantly, I need to figure out how to deal with this situation.
"I see, in that case, I can better understand this situation. Most likely, Lady Maria managed to disperse the horde of magical monsters through some means. Subsequently, the rampaging magical monsters, having lost their targets, were drawn to the lingering scent of the previous magical attraction..."
I tried to analyze the current situation calmly, but the more I thought about it, the worse it seemed, and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
This is truly the worst.
Even though it's just a lingering scent, the effect of magical summoning is potent. I have no idea how many magical monsters might gather in this place.
"Anyway, we need to do something about this as soon as possible."
"W-why? We're handling the monsters fine now" Milady argued.
Indeed, at this moment, the students are doing well against the incoming monsters.
However, the situation may not stay this way.
"Because we don't know how many monsters will be drawn here due to the magical attraction, we should prepare for a prolonged battle. It might seem fine now, but they can't fight forever. Prolonged combat will lead to fatigue, dulling their judgment and increasing the risk of injuries. If individuals tire out and stop fighting, this deadlock will eventually collapse, and we'll be overwhelmed by the monster horde."
Furthermore, the students are currently acting independently, lacking coordination.
These noble students have unwavering confidence in their abilities, often acting on their own in combat.
While that might be acceptable in normal situations, cooperation is crucial here.
If things continue like this, they'll be picked off one by one.
And now, the one who can lead them is—
"Milady, please give them instructions."
"Me? Lead them!?"
"The leader of this team is you, Milady. Right now, only you can bring them together."
Currently, the only one capable of commanding them is the daughter of the Duke, Isabella.
If Milady gives orders, the students will surely follow obediently.
"B-but, I've never led in battle before!"
However, milady looked bewildered at my proposal.
That's understandable. Until now, she didn't need to do anything. The others would act on their own, handling everything.
Even in battle, the other students would fight independently, and there was no issue.
Milady was merely a decorative presence.
But now, the usual norms don't apply.
In this situation, only milady can make a difference.
However, if milady finds it impossible, there's no other choice.
"I see... Well, in that case, there's no other choice. Shall we run?"
"......Huh?"
My words, completely different from before, seemed to leave milady bewildered.
I couldn't force her into battle against her will. If that was the case, at least I had a duty to protect her.
"If we run with all our might from here to outside the forest, we should be able to make it in half a day."
"Wait..."
If we're going to move, it's better to do it quickly. The longer we wait, the lower the chances of Milady escaping unharmed.
"In the meantime, the pursuit by the magical monsters is expected, but we can leave that to them."
"I said wait..."
Although it was likely that all the students would perish, if they could protect Milady, there would be no greater honor.
I probably felt the same way.
"If they aren't enough, we'll take on the monsters. It's alright; we'll act as decoys, risking our lives—"
"I told you to wait!"
During his final explanation, Milady suddenly raised her voice and forcefully interrupted him.
"Milady?"
"Who gave you permission to make such a selfish decision? To leave everyone else to die and save yourself...? Don't jest with me! I'd rather die than endure such disgrace!"
Milady, who had grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, displayed a level of anger unlike anything he had seen before.
Her determination was so overpowering that he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
"But you mentioned earlier that you couldn't lead in a battle..."
"Who said anything like that? There's no way I can't handle something like that! Just watch! I'll elegantly eliminate those monsters!"
"Milady!"
With a forceful shove, Milady pushed me away and rushed into the heart of the battle. I was momentarily captivated by her bravery, but I quickly snapped back to reality and hurriedly followed her.
"Listen up! I, Isabella Valiaz, will take command of this battle from now on. Everyone, follow my lead!"
Standing on the roof of the only magically constructed house that had survived, her voice reached all the students engaged in the battle through the magic of the wind.
"First, let's fortify our position. Those who can use earth magic, fall back to my location. Knight-class students, hold off the monsters coming from the forest and establish a defensive line with the river at your back. Meanwhile, magic users, fall back behind the knight-class and prepare for a large-scale eradication spell. When the signal comes, the knight-class will engage the monsters we've held off, and we'll eliminate them all at once!"
"Yes, understood! You heard her, everyone!"
"Alright!"
"Let's do it!"
This is what charisma, inherent to Milady, looked like in action. Her powerful voice transformed the scattered movements of the students, gradually bringing them together and organizing them into a unified force.
"Show them the pride of the Kingdom's nobility! We'll make those vulgar monsters regret the day they picked a fight with us!"
"""Oooooooohhhh!"""
Encouraged by Milady's inspiring words, the students shouted with renewed energy and efficiently eleminated the monsters more effectively than before.
"Is everyone here?"
"Yes, we're all here."
While they carried on with their tasks, I concentrated on my responsibilities. By calling out to the void, Eins, leading a group of ten maids, would materialize around me and kneel in unison. These maids were the most capable members of my subordinate and represented all the resources I had at my disposal. There was no time for hesitation in this situation.
"Eins, Zwei, Drei, remain here. The rest of you, conduct reconnaissance in the vicinity and report back on the situation as it develops."
"Yes, understood."
Upon receiving my orders, the maids swiftly dispersed to various locations. Although they all possessed magical abilities, their combat skills were not on par with the pure-blood nobles like the students. It was more fitting to have them work behind the scenes and support Milady and the others.
"Eins, focus on gathering information from incoming reports to assess the overall situation. Zwei and Drei, retrieve usable supplies from the wreckage nearby."
"Understood."
"Roger that."
"We got it!"
Giving instructions to the remaining maids, I watched as they each went about their tasks, then I proceeded to Milady's side as her guardian.
"Damn it, they've broken through over there!"
As I supervised the construction of fortifications using earth-based magic alongside Milady, a warning cry came from the front lines.
Turning in the direction of the sound, we saw three goblins attempting to breach the front lines and attack us.
"Gyahhh!"
"Oh no..."
In this unexpected turn of events, none of the students present were able to react in time. In a battlefield where split-second decisions could mean life or death, this delay was significant.
After all, these students were not professional knights, and their combat abilities couldn't match up.
"Damn, you incompetent fools!"
Quickly, I positioned myself between Milady and the oncoming threat. With a knife drawn from my sleeve, and infused its blade with the glow of magical energy.
I confronted the goblin charging straight at us.
"First, one down!"
"Gyahh!?"
I swiftly beheaded the goblin charging at the forefront as we crossed paths. As the goblin's headless body fell to the ground, I shifted my attention to the next target.
"Next!"
"Gyahh!?"
The second goblin swung its club wildly, narrowly missing me. I retaliated with a knee to its grotesque face, causing it to stumble. Taking advantage of its unsteadiness, I hurled my knife at the third goblin, which was attempting to evade.
"『Explode!』"
The knife pierced its forehead and exploded, obliterating its head and ending its life.
"Just one more!"
"Gyahh!?"
Finally, I deployed the blade concealed in the tip of my boot, severing the head of the goblin that had been attempting to rise, putting an end to it.
"Ha... ha... ha... Whew... If it's just these goblins, this equipment should suffice"
After a moment of tense combat, I let out a relieved sigh as I checked that the three goblins remained incapacitated. I lightly cleaned my blade and secured my knife.
I was fortunate that these attackers were relatively weak. Among magical creatures, some could withstand even my magical tools, and dealing with them would be a greater challenge.
"Milady, are you unharmed?"
"Uh, yes... I'm fine" Milady responded, still somewhat shaken by the recent attack.
Finally, as I regained my senses after the battle, I turned my attention to Milady behind me. While I didn't believe there were any injuries due to our swift handling of the enemies, I thought it best to check.
Milady, on the other hand, appeared to have been unable to react during the recent attack. She tried to appear composed despite her stiff expression.
"I've eliminated the threat. But I can't handle such situations repeatedly. Please make sure you're always prepared" I advised her.
We were fortunate that the enemies were weak this time. However, there might come a time when we would need Milady's assistance. In moments like these, I couldn't help but wish I had magical abilities.
"Understood... By the way, you were able to fight back" Milady remarked.
"Of course, I'm your butler after all" I replied. I suppressed a smile that was about to appear on my face in response to her slightly impressed tone.
After all, I am Milady's butler. I couldn't afford to smile in situations like this.
"Is that how it goes?"
"Yes, that's how it goes."
Servants are the last line of defense when the guards are down. It's only natural to have some combat skills.
I couldn't speak for other servants, but I assumed it was likely the case.
"Even though I'm your master, I don't really know much about you, do I......" Milady said, her words carrying a touch of self-mockery.
".......!"
Milady's self-deprecating words took me by surprise.
She had never shown much interest in her servants before, so it was understandable. However, I couldn't help but wonder what had led to this change in her attitude.
Nevertheless, it was heartening to know that a woman I cared about was willing to get to know me better.
"If you wish, Milady, I'd be happy to share more about myself. Of course, once we've safely resolved the current situation" I replied.
"I understand that. Right now, our priority is to handle the situation at hand. Crow, please lend your strength" she said.
"As you wish, Milady" I replied, bowing respectfully to her command.
No comments:
Post a Comment