Vol. 3 Chapter 34: Capture (Part 6) (Patreon)

What a glorious day for chaos! Although I don’t mean stuff like the city burning or something like that. Chaos for my enemies! Today’s the day they’re going down!

But I hope everything’s gonna be alright~.

These non-human enemies were not to be undermined, they’re plenty strong. Which was kinda unfair, but I guess that's just how things were. Equality is a lie, it is merely a concept held on by those who know how truly inferior they are to others, or those who are in denial. One can be more beautiful than the other.

For example, am I not more beautiful than any human out there? I am perfection! Imagine if equality was ever true, then what value would I have? That would be boring.

In any case, fuck equality for now and let us focus on the situation at hand. I am currently situated at the last ring of the formation, the widest and with the most holes if I were to be honest. Well, no, not exactly with most weakness in the line, but it was more along the line of the part where I am most concerned.

Well, because it was the very last line. If the enemy got through, they would have a pretty good chance of escaping. But that is why I am here! No fucking way I’m letting them run.

I would prefer to be seen as an innocent and gentle maiden, so let’s hope it won’t go sideways. But when it comes to it, haaaaah…

At least I have the high bishop on the role, which I’m gonna give my hope in. But wew, to think I would get to lead this large of a crew, who would have thought, eh? I was never kinda a leader in the good and bad old days, I lead sometimes here and there. But not an entire unit with this much number, can’t even call it a crew.

Damn, if my crew were here… I can only imagine… Well, in this world, one of us would have been pretty messed up and useless without any computer, poor guy. Stay home, boy.

I raised my eyes to glance at one of my soldiers standing on a rooftop. Must be pretty cozy up there with all the wind. For me by the way, I stayed on the ground with Vernon and Rogan.

Hm? I could climb up there…? No way… why would a fragile maiden like myself go up there?

It’s scary up there, I’m scared of heights, I would faint from the slightest of fright. That would be a great case for concern, right? I returned my eyes in front to see a golden light that lit up the lonely sky so bright.

Eeeey, would you look at that, they rhyme, causing me to smile preciously in delight. Oh, I did it again, sorry, but what’s so bad about that? Yeah well, guess what, I’m a poet now. Poet Estelia in the scene — no, um, how do they address poets again? Guess it’s just poet then their name? In any case, I rhyme in everything I speak now. Yes my previous rhymes could do some work, but eeeeeh.

No, okay nevermind, rhyming is hard, I’m not doing that no more.

Another light rose to the sky. Huh, at least things were going in acceptable parameters… Yeah… keep this up. Still, the whole situation was unclear. With nothing that’s similar to a radio, communication’s pretty tough. Responding to changes in the field would be hard, even hard to know what was currently happening. Therefore, for the most crucial part of the plan, I have to resort to light signals.

It sucks to be honest, but I can’t be choosy.

Time passed, and suddenly a knight from the roof called out to me.

“Vogue! A red signal has lit up next to our line!”

Vogue, my codename in the field. Now perhaps you’re wondering why I alone have a codename. Well, I am the princess, I couldn’t just have someone publicly announce that I’m here, could I? Calling me by name would be like telling people ‘Eeeey! Your pretty target Estelia is here, come and get her!’, and getting caught because of that would just be stupid and embarrassing.

But red, huh…

“Vogue? Should we send backup?” Rogan asked from beside me.

“No, not for now. I would rather keep the line here intact.”

This last ring was pretty thin already, let’s save it for now. If those from the next line survived, we could just call them for backup. Besides, they might be able to catch those who got them this worried. But if they died, now that would just be disappointing.

I raised my head to gaze up at the knight above the roof and waved my hand, dismissing the call for support.

“Are you sure?” Vernon asked. “They must be in dire danger if one of the elites calls for reinforcement.”

“We all are in danger, Vernon. Besides, I don’t want to make a hole in the last line of our formation. They wouldn’t likely call for help if it was just one enemy, so there must be two. If it’s just one and they got obliterated so suddenly, they wouldn’t have had the time to go to a rooftop and send a signal.”

“... I understand. We wait then.”

“Yes, let’s see how things will go for now.”

And wait we did, until a pair of golden lights rose to the sky.

“So there are two at once….” okay… “Call that knight down.”

Vernon whistled loudly and beckoned the knight down from the roof. When he landed before me, I asked him a question. “You should have seen the mess they made, am I right?”

I could have climbed up there, but I’m going on a low profile right now. And, come on, I’m the princess… I shouldn’t even be out here in the field, but here I am. I’ll remain in the confines of the ground, thank you very much.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“It wrecked the building from where I’ve seen it.”

Not particularly noteworthy. “Hm…”

None of us here were meant to face two enemies at once. Also, the two enemies were strong enough to punch through the elites, and it didn’t even take long for them to do just that. They must be something that we should be concerned about.

Just then, a white light shone from one knight on the roof.

They’re already close…? They’re really charging forward.

Alright, let’s pincer them.

“Send the red signal. At least we’re sure the men ahead are still alive. We can expect support.”

Plus you need to protect me from danger. You guys take the brunt, I take watch from a safe spot.

The knight jumped back up to the rooftop before shining a red light.

“I suppose we’ll be staying right at the back, Vogue?”

“Of course.”

Who would dive into danger? Not me… There’s no need for me in there, they should be able to do it just fine.

A moment later, two knights and two priests began moving, I watched them as they jumped over rooftops before they disappeared from my sight, covered by the buildings. There were faint noises of clanging and booms, until the buildings around them suddenly blew apart, pieces flying high in the air. What appeared to be orange translucent shards rose upward before disappearing.

The buildings, wood to bricks, were shredded to pieces with ease. Rogan from in front of me raised his spear, while Vernon stepped beside me. More chaos ensued before the wave of blasts inched closer and closer towards us.

Then I saw a priest fly in the air toward another direction, blood trailing with him. I got a glimpse of him attempting to properly land on a roof, so he should be fine. But, suddenly a projectile broke through the building we were facing — not any normal projectile, but rather it was a man, a knight.

He crashed violently a couple of meters beside us, ricocheting on the floor.

What the fuck?!

This guy just flew from dozens of meters away. What the hell did they just fight? The knight removed his helm and coughed up blood, his armor was battered as he bled. I rushed to his side and crouched beside him. Lifting my hands, light shone on my palms, casting healing magic.

“V-Vogue?” the knight murmured.

“What did you fight?”

Whatever that was, it was strong. I would need the knight back to his feet immediately to face it again. Would be foolish of me to leave him wounded when I could cast healing magic just fine.

“It was a b-beastman. But it took all of our attacks. It is covered in barriers.”

What? Some kind of tank?

A small boom echoed.

“Vogue! Get behind me!” Rogan pulled me by the hand amidst my healing.

I wasn’t finished yet, Rogan!

I was planning on complaining, to return to healing the knight, but of course I have to be more cautious now, especially when I saw what our opponent was. It was a tiger standing on two legs, and indeed it was covered in barriers, almost like how I did it with mine. But it would seem those barriers were of a different concept from mine.

A knight charged against it, shooting armament magic, but the beast merely shrugged it off before sweeping away the knight with intense strength.

There was another beastman with darker fur, facing the priests. The priests tied chains around it, pulling in each opposite direction.

“Evry!” that beast shouted.

The orange beast glanced at him at first, then at the priests. And several pieces from its barrier split up and shot towards each of the men in robes. They let go and immediately cast barriers to protect themselves, but they shattered easily, and thus they were blown away. Thankfully they had their blade to take most of the brunt force of that attack.

The wounded knight close to me forced himself to stand up. “I’m fine like this, I can fight.”

Then he did, running forward to reinforce the others. At the same time, the team from the next line arrived. A knight I was familiar with threw his dagger towards the dark furred beastman. As it was an unexpected interloper, the dagger was able to stab into its calf.

Then, magical slashes swirled around the dagger. It messed up the beast’s leg so bad that it cried loudly and kneeled down to the ground in pain.

Cool! Can I do that? How?

The dagger seemed to gleam a little though while in the air, there must be armament magic mixed into it.

The reinforcement focused their attacks on the injured beast. They wrapped chains to immobilize it, then the knights ganged up on the beast, hoping to weaken it.

Meanwhile, the team here got up on their feet and faced the armored beast. However, all of their attacks were futile as they merely bounced back or dissipated.

The orange beast looked back at his companion.

“You bastards!”

Then all of the armor around its body split into pieces.

At the same time, as if he realized what it was about to do, the knight, Elson, shouted for all to hear. “TAKE COVER!”

Then, the beast’s barrier exploded, the orange shards flying off like glass after an explosion. My pair of servants cast Palm Shield in front of me, taking the shards flying towards us head on. But those attacks were strong, and it only took for multiple shards to break them. My servants had no choice but to use their weapons to shield me, Rogan his spear, and Vernon his arms — but also along with their body.

Good my little shields! I didn’t even take any damage!

I returned my gaze to the beast.

That’s one bullshit power!

Even my Palm Shield that functions to repel can’t cut!

My two servants in front of me groaned and grunted quietly after taking damage. Rogan had some scratch on his armor, while Vernon’s plating on his arms had been cut halfway. At least they’re still standing. Those closest, however, were not as well as us.

Some were lying on the ground, still conscious though. While others were struggling to rise back up on their feet. The orange beast was taking heavy breaths, no armor to protect him anymore. However, the shields were gradually reappearing as he approached his companion.

“Can you run?”

“The pain is manageable.”

“Then let’s go.”

Elson the moment he got on his feet, pulled out a dagger and threw one at the fleeing beastmen, but he missed. He must still be dazed.

At any rate, the targets were running.

“Don’t let them escape.” I said to my two servants.

No way I’m letting them through that easily. It seems I must become directly involved.