Chapter 10
Chapter 10 - Lady Templar Walpurgis (1)
I hurried my horse over to the healing house. It was to bid farewell to Sergeant Schultz and other injured comrades. They were already lying down on the wagon and ready to head to Wittenweier.
“You’re finally here. We’ve been waiting.”
Sergeant Schultz greeted me with enthusiasm though he didn’t yet look fully recovered.
“Let’s go. I think I want a mug of beer.”
Marx, who was lying beside Sergeant Schultz, swayed his head.
“Sergeant, you’re full of holes, but you’re still looking for beer.”
“What did you say!”
I felt relieved at the way they were bickering with each other. One wrong move and they would have been part of the corpses lying around on the battlefield. But they were arguing over here. Being alive was a precious thing.
“I’m sorry but I won’t be able to accompany you. Go ahead to the city first. I have something to do first. I’ll catch up with you at Wittenweier.”
Sergeant Schultz quieted down for a moment and spoke with a worried expression on his face.
“Take care of yourself. We’ll be waiting.”
“It’s just a simple business.”
“If it’s a simple business, then why do you need an entire barrel of gunpowder?”
“....”
There was no fooling someone so experienced. I smiled bitterly at Sergeant Schultz.
“There won’t be much of a problem. I’ll see you again at Wittenweier.”
I bowed slightly and turned my horse around. Marx and Telmann shouted from behind.
“Squad Leader! We’ll be waiting!”
“We’ll go for a mug together at a beer hall!”
I raised my hand slightly instead of a reply and sped up the horse. There was a lot to do if I wanted to save Walpurgis. I needed to hurry.
“Hyat!”
Where I was headed to was the “Deep Forest” roughly three kilometers to the left of the current battlefield. I’ve played as the Iron Prince-Elector in the past, so I knew what would happen all too well. I was planning with the a.s.sumption that today’s battle would end in defeat.
That was how disappointing Phillip was to me. In the original story, if he was defeated, it would serve as an opportunity to mature and develop himself. When he returned, he befitted the description “hero of the century”.
However, his actions today made me question if he would indeed turn out to be so. I couldn’t shake off the feelings of suspicion, but I also couldn’t abandon all hope as he was a guardian character.
“Here we go.”
I arrived at Deep Forest. To shake off his pursuers, Phillip would escape this way. Then, the demon lord’s force would catch up to him in this forest. That was the crossroad between life and death for Walpurgis. I was moving to intervene at just the right moment.
It was a storyline I experienced many times so I knew where the battle would take place in the forest. I planned to lay a trap ahead of time.
“It’ll be a big one.”
The gunpowder barrel was heavy. But there would be enough firepower.
“Let’s go, Filly.”
I named the horse Walpurgis gave me Filly.
“Pejamut!”
Philip roared while swinging his sword. Now was finally the moment to take down a demon lord with his own hands. Though he usually put on airs and pretended to be a big shot, it was impossible to hide his excitement at the moment.
“Take that!”
Hidden swordsmanship pa.s.sed down only to the head of the Electorate of Palatinate, der Mondschatten Schwert (Moonlight Swordsmanship), rained at Pejamut. Pejamut howled and retreated in pain at the mysterious moonlight skill.
“Kuaagh!”
Pejamut kneeled on one leg while his black blood oozed out. The Iron Prince-Elector Philip’s eyes filled with joy at the sight.
This is only the beginning of an epic. Die, demon lord. I’ll rise above with your corpse as a stepping stone.
Philip was renown as a genius child throughout the Empire, but today was his proper debut stage. And he was about to defeat the infamous rank 12 demon lord, Pejamut. How could he not be happy.
“Kuggh… they say there is a young dragon in Palatinate, and you certainly live up to the name. I cannot hide my surprise.”
“Pejamut! Look at this hill! I shall raise your gravestone here.”
Ecstasy at the apparent victory came out along with his words. However, Pejamut only cackled wickedly.
“Kukuku… young Prince-Elector, you certainly are talented, but you have a long way to go. Many things are hidden behind that brightness of your youth. Many things like your impulsiveness and your inexperience.”
“What? Hahaha! But you shall die at the hand of this inexperienced youth.”
Philip laughed loudly. However, he still felt uneasy at Pejamut’s words. He pretended to be full of confidence but decided to kill Pejamut quickly.
That was when a loud roar came from the left flank.
“Waaaaaagghhh-!”
Along with a ground shaking roar, the human forces that occupied the important hill to the left were being pushed back. It was because the demon lord’s army laying in ambush beyond the hill poured out.
The Prince-Elector’s army was falling back at every turn at the unexpected a.s.sault. Philip remembered the mercenary while looking at that scene.
Was he right all along?
Philip felt nauseous. However, he was confident. He could overcome this kind of trick with his leadership.
“Pejamut! Is that all! Your hidden trick? Hahaha! I will cut off your head now and remedy the situation! You think something like this would…”
“Kukuku.”
The confident Philip lost his words at Pejamut’s sinister laughter. It was because he instinctively felt danger. Pejamut smiled at the sight of Philip frozen in place.
“Now you truly look like a youth. A youth has two faces. A confident and invincible face and a face of despair after realizing the difference between ideal and reality. Kukuku. I am someone who is twisted, so I prefer the latter.”
“You!”
Philip used Moonlight Swordsmanship again, but Pejamut was different this time around. He casted magical barrier with skilled proficiency and blocked all attacks. Then Pejamut licked the drops of blood flowing through his torn clothes.
“I can bear losing this insignificant amount of blood. Especially if it means I can make our talented and handsome young dragon overconfident. Also, I am someone who is more thorough than you believe.”
“What ridiculousness are you trying to spout again?”
“Kuhuhu. I sincerely hope you fix that habit of screaming when you are cornered. It only uses up strength and achieves nothing. If you wish to win, become cold and calculating.”
Pejamut tapped his own forehead with a finger as if telling Phillip to use his head.
“Well, that is not what is important. I am more of a coward than I may appear. So I am never satisfied with only a single trick.”
That meant something else was prepared.
“It appears to be the time. Now, look over there.”
Pejamut extended his hand to point. There were ten regiments lead by Philip’s uncle Friedrich standing there. Philip felt relieved at the sight.
“Even if you try to somehow use my uncle’s weakness, it will not work! He is more experienced than you realize, so he will not be…”
Buuuung! Buun! Buun!
The sound of horns rang out. The sound with regular interval was probably a signal carrying some meaning. However, there was no such military arrangement Philip arranged.
“W, what?”
Just as he could not grasp what was going on around him, he heard his uncle’s voice. Despite the distance, it was clear and loud.
“Honourable soldiers of the Empire take heed! Prince-Elector Philip has plotted rebellion against the most gracious his majesty the Emperor! Thus, his majesty has ordered me to quell the rebel!”
Philip was at a loss of words with what his uncle was saying. At first, he couldn’t understand what was being said. But when his uncle’s forces started attacking his army along with the demon lord’s, he felt like he was going crazy.
“His majesty has already ratified a peace treaty with Demon Lord Pejamut. However, the wicked Prince-Elector Philip has broken this decree and started this war to bring chaos to the Empire! Thus, I shall work together with the demon lord’s army to conquer the rebels! Follow with your utmost loyalty to the Emperor!”
“Uncle!”
Philip shouted in frustration. Friedrich looked like he reacted for a moment, but turned away.
“Why that senile old fool!”
Philip’s hands started to shake. Pejamut laughed gladly at the sight.
“Indeed. You were correct that your uncle would not fall into a trap. However, have you ever considered your uncle would be the trap?”
“Pejamut! Kuaah!”
Philip rushed to Pejamut and struck with all his rage. But he could not last several exchanges with Pejamut’s overwhelming might. Pejamut was one of highest ranking magic-martial arts master, proficient at both magic and martial art.
Kang!
Philip’s flashy sword broke with a loud noise.
“Cough!”
Philip coughed up blood at the shock. Pejamut did not miss a beat and sneered at the sight.
“Hmph! Regret that you are not wielding Palatinate’s heirloom the masterfully crafted sword, Ljubljana. Well, I suppose I know why you did not bring it. You were not satisfied with how plain it looked. That is why you brought that garbage encrusted with gold instead! Kuhahaha!”
Pejamut’s words turned into contemptful scorn.
“If you had brought Ljubljana, even I would not be able to finish you off so easily! The way you brought some flashy sword, you are like a woman going out to a ball.”
Pejamut appeared to want to deliver the finishing blow and used his unique skill, “Hand of Death”. Black blood oozing with poison dripped from the tip of his fingers.
A single hit from the skill would cause a person to die a painful death while oozing black blood from all over the body. Since there was no cure, many people cursed Pejamut for such a merciless attack.
“Regret your own vanity!”
Just as he was about to finish off Philip, Walpurgis, who was dealing with the demon lord’s retinues, jumped in.
Clang!
Walpurgis crossed her twin swords to block Pejamut’s hand. She realized now would be her only chance and used her secret skill.
Flash!
Blinding holy aura radiated out and a.s.saulted Pejamut. Walpurgis was a sister of the Convent of Walpurga. She was a secular nun, so she could roam the battlefield swinging her swords, but the fact that she was a devout clergywoman didn’t change.
Since she poured out all her divine power in a moment the damage to the demon lord belonging to darkness was immense.
“Kuaagh!”
Pejamut howled in pain and retreated. His entire body was covered in burns from the holy aura. Unfortunately, Walpurgis didn’t have enough divine power left in her to finish off Pejamut. She convinced Philip that now was the moment to escape.
“Guards! Protect his royal highness! Retreat! I shall open the way!”
Hoffenheim was filled with h.e.l.lscape of killing and being killed. On top of that, pursuers from the demon lord’s army was closing right behind. They needed to find an escape route fast.
That was when she saw a forest not too far away. It was already too late to reorganize the army. The men were scattering in all direction and Philip was dazed out of his mind as well. There was no hesitation. Walpurgis gritted her teeth and headed towards the forest.
“Drive your horses as hard as you can if you wish to see tomorrow!”
Walpurgis raced ahead. Never antic.i.p.ating what would happen in that forest in her wildest dream.