Training began the next day.
The coach was Carlos. Ria didn’t participate in training the group’s training. Even in her previous life, she had nothing but the knowledge in her head.
And even going by appearance, Carlos clearly looked like a knight so the villagers obeyed him.
“Magic.”
Carlos answered the village chief’s question in a tone that refused speaking more of it. He was similar to Ria in things like that.
The five others undertook strengthening the defenses of the village itself.
Lulu and Maal were further away, setting up traps on slopes leading to the village. Maal, who had hunted for her own village, drew things out of her memory to help correct the village’s hunters. Though they wouldn’t be lethal, it might be enough to deprive them of fighting strength.
Ria was dissatisfied. She couldn’t create a better katana than Nagasone Kotetsu, the first one she created and one she’d personally held in her previous life. Though it was the same as Nagasone Kotetsu, just sharper, she couldn’t tune it.
Since there were just tiny openings, Serge reinforced the fencing by covering it with a magic wall of soil. Though it wasn’t that strong, with this it could block arrows.
In the end though, the training was mostly meaningless.
Midday after just two days, Ria sensed troops coming from the distance.
One of her Gifts was the Divine Protection of the War God, allowing her to sense the presence of massess of soldiers. Though it was definitely a cheat since it prevented surprise attacks, this was the first time it had been useful.
“Roger.”
When Serge informed them using space-time magic, the villagers sounded the alarm. It was even made of metal parts from Ria’s magic. The bell rang loudly, getting villagers out in the fields to seek shelter within the mud wall.
When signs of the enemy appeared at the top of the hill, the village had already completely readied its defensive system.
(I wonder, is this the power of the Gift…?)
(My soldiers…)
This. This was the nature of war. To keep their dignity as people, to keep their independence, they had to fight.
Looking from the top of the lookout, there was a single horseman coming.
For some reason, this village had not paid tax up to now. They were drafting the villagers as an alternative. If they resisted, they would be punished for treason.
Due to their slave hunt failing, moreover losing a large amount of soldiers, they were trying to come up with a pretext for it somehow.
Trying to commandeer things like rations, those that resisted were exterminated. They lost soldiers in the process.
She reviewed their victory conditions.
It was already just to try and save the commanding officer’s own neck, they needed a scapegoat. Then all she had to do was kill the commander. After that the officer would probably withdraw the soldiers.
And another important thing, minimize the damage taken by allies.
“First of all, should I kill that person with the loud voice…?”
Ria created an oversized Fireball, aimed at the solitary knight continuing to give his speech, and fired.
After the knight turned into a pillar of fire, the battle began.
(Poor horse…)
The arrows concentrated towards the figure that suddenly appeared. However, not a single one hit.
Though the wind was weak, the shots all went astray. Maal used her spirit magic.
Cordova soldiers climbed the slope towards the village. A few of the bows from here found their mark. Some of them were repelled by their armor, but it decreased their enemy’s numbers somewhat.
The enemy was no longer able to assault from the front. Avoiding the road, they spread around to both sides at the gates.
Just how much damage had the villagers avoided taking?
Ria looked towards the enemy’s base.
From the top of the lookout, he just continued to fire off Exploding Fireballs, simple work.
He dropped a Fireball where people were gathering in groups. Not even armor or shields could prevent the flames. This was more efficient than rapidly firing off Excalibur.
He muttered. He really had grown accustomed to killing people.
Nevertheless, there still was some guilt. Those soldiers could have been commoners like Serge, gathered up. In order to kill them, he needed some excuse.
He was ordered, so he is killing them.
Additionally, this was a defensive battle. Not a fight of aggression.
Serge didn’t notice that he was also inside of the range of Ria’s Gift.
Carlos and Gig were each like non-commissioned officers, taking command in order to eliminate enemy soldiers as they tried to scale over the earthen wall. [1]
Maal asked the wind to weaken the arrows’ strengths, doing her best to concentrate. Lulu waited on standby for medical duties. She really wanted to use offensive magic, but Ria prohibited it.
Against the enemy forces that exceeded one thousand, it was a miracle.
However, it might have been possible if it was Ria. He thought so as well.
About nine hundred enemies spread around the village to surround it.
However, morale was high.
However, being on par with each other was no good.
They would lose a large number of people. If they invaded the village, they would definitely suffer damage. That couldn’t be called victory.
Therefore, she would crush their head.
“Time to go?”
Then, Ria charged together with Rudolph. Could a standard soldier stop the power of a level 45 demon?
A villager hurriedly unfastened the latch. Then, Ria rode out on Matsukaze.
No, including Rudolph, one horseman and one animal.
Following behind, Matsukaze galloped.
Ria held a cross spear with a long handle, killing soldiers that got in the way. Though horsemen sometimes came at them, they couldn’t get close enough to fight against Ria. [2]
Finally nearing the top of the hill, she saw the commander being defended by infantry. Since Cordova’s commanders wore red cloaks, she immediately knew who it was.
“Y-you son of a bitch, the fuck are you!”
Her spear flashed. The battalion commander’s neck was severed.
The battalion commander’s body tumbled off his horse. Finally reacting, they brandished their weapons toward Ria.
Rotating her spear, it audibly sliced through the air. Behind her, Rudolph overran the infantry.
“The fuck are you!?”
“I am a hired mercenary for this village. I don’t intend to give my name.”
And this adjutant was a wise man. Having grown old, he knew there were existences one shouldn’t act against.
“That’s better.”
The euphoria of running through a battlefield pulled her. The sounds of bells rang in a constant rhythm from the top of the hill.
It echoed throughout the entire battlefield, signalling the end of the fight.
Cordova’s soldiers pulled back.
Cheers of joy sprang up from the village. While listening to them, the only thing on Ria’s mind was if anyone had died.