Chapter 274 - Episode 267: Things to be Done ②
The soldiers' gazes gathered on Noein, and the commotion subsided. After confirming this, Noein spoke again.
"As you can see, the Betumia Republic Army has despicably used force to threaten the citizens of the Kingdom of Lordberg—our own compatriots—and is attempting to force them to attack our lines. The invaders seek to avoid dirtying their own hands, intending instead to make people of the same nation take each other's lives. This is an unforgivable and cruel act. Many of you likely feel a strong hesitation at the thought of killing your own compatriots."
In reality, many of the peasants had hardly ever left their villages since birth, so the concept of "compatriots of the same nation" was not necessarily understood by every soldier.
However, the people were not fools. If the opponents were clearly foreign soldiers, it would be one thing, but there was no way they wouldn't feel hesitation at unilaterally slaughtering people dressed no differently than they were in peacetime. Looking at the exhausted crowd of peasants, they surely empathized, wondering what it would be like if they were in that position.
"Therefore, I do not order you to fight that unit!"
At Noein's words, the soldiers became noisy once again.
Noein shifted their gaze to the side. Frederick remained silent, waiting for Noein's next words as if observing the situation. Turning to the other side, Yuri and Matilda wore expressions that suggested they understood Noein's intention.
"Yuri, quiet the soldiers."
"As you wish."
Yuri nodded and raised their voice so that it echoed across the entire camp.
"Silence! Do not interrupt the words of His Excellency Arqvist, the General!"
Hearing those words, the soldiers remembered that the General was in the middle of speaking and fell silent. Then, Noein spoke again.
"Those who wish to avoid fighting their compatriots need not fight. I permit you to stand by. And... I shall fight in your stead. I am the greatest golem user in the Kingdom. Even if the enemy numbers two thousand, I will face them alone!"
At the declaration that the General himself would step forward even if it meant fighting a lonely battle, tension ran through the soldiers.
"If there are others who wish to fight, if there are those who wish to follow me, then please do so. However, such persons need not bear the guilt of killing their compatriots. It was I who decided to fight our compatriots, and I who decided to kill them. All responsibility, all ill repute, shall be borne by me, the General!"
As Noein shouted, borrowing some of the phrasing Oscar had used during last year's military council, the Western Army was enveloped in silence. Some wore blank expressions, while others looked troubled, lost in thought.
Noein looked toward the enemy army and dismounted the horse. The offensive by the slave unit would likely begin soon.
"Frederick-san, enemies other than the slave unit may move as well. In that case, I ask that you take command of the entire army."
"...Yeah, leave it to me. May God's protection be with you."
"Thank you. And to you as well."
At Frederick's words, Noein nodded with a gentle smile that made it hard to believe they were the same person who had just declared they would take the guilt of killing compatriots. Then, pouring magical power into the two golems kept on standby beside the headquarters tent to make them stand, Noein walked toward the very front of the battlefield.
Behind them, a silent Matilda followed as a matter of course.
"Your Excellency, I shall accompany you as well."
"We will too, Your Excellency."
Yuri and Pence, leading the Guard, followed.
The peasant soldiers, unable to resolve their determination to fight, averted their eyes from Noein and the others as they advanced through the center of the camp. Amidst this, Baron Oggoren and Baron Wikander advanced from the left and right of the camp with their own forces.
While passing through the ballista unit, Noein's eyes met Dant's. Noein nodded silently to him as he saluted.
"Arqvist Territory Army Ballista Unit, prepare all machines for firing. We will use 'Explosive Flame Arrows'!"
"""Yes!!!"""
Hearing Dant command the territorial soldiers behind them, Noein advanced to the very front line of the camp.
"All members of Claymore, there isn't anyone here who would let only His Excellency Arqvist's hands be dirtied, right?"
"Who would be such a shameless fool? Right, you lot!"
"""Yeah!"""
At Gustav's call, Alain and all the other golem users responded.
Passing through the great crowd of golems, including the decoys, Noein reached the front line.
Looking back, it seemed that in addition to the attendants and soldiers of the Arqvist territory, Baron Oggoren, and Baron Wikander, about four hundred people in total had resolved to face the battle. Most of them were likely nobles or attendants who could rationalize this as a necessary killing.
"...That's enough."
Noein smiled faintly and looked forward again. Even if none of the other soldiers moved, with this many people and golems fighting, and the cover of Explosive Flame Arrows, they could sufficiently defeat a rabble of two thousand.
The slave unit of the Betumia Republic Army began to advance. Perhaps driven from behind by regular soldiers, the citizens of the Kingdom, now turned enemies, ran desperately toward the camp.
"...Position!"
Noein commanded, placing two golems in front of them.
The members of Claymore also raised their respective golems, lining them up with Noein's golems. With this, it would be noticed that the golems not standing were decoys.
Since the enemy unit possessed no projectile weapons, the golem users, along with their escort shield-bearers, advanced to the very edge of the front line.
The nobles and their forces who had decided to fight drew their swords, or readied spears, battle-axes, and bows.
The distance closed until the expressions of the Kingdom's citizens, who were running while half-crying, could be seen—and at the same moment the sound of the ballistas firing was heard from the rear, Noein spoke.
"Charge!"
Instantly, Noein's golems dashed toward the enemy. Noein followed, and Matilda, Yuri, and Pence followed as well.
The golem users of Claymore also advanced while charging their golems. The knights and soldiers ran while raising battle cries.
Almost simultaneously with the moment Noein's golem on the right side slammed its fist into the crying face of a peasant—likely younger than Noein—tearing the head clean off, a large number of Explosive Flame Arrows impacted the rear of the enemy formation.
"Gyaaaaaaaah!"
"Hot! It's hooooot!"
"I don't want to die! I hate this place alreadyyyy!"
"I want to go home, I want to see my family..."
"It hurts! It huuuurts!"
A rabble possessing not a shred of morale, armed only with farming tools. Facing them were mages and warriors who had resolved themselves. It was obvious which side would be dominant when the two collided.
The men of the slave unit, who were originally citizens of the Kingdom of Lordberg and could hardly be called soldiers, died one after another while letting out death rattles.
Just by about twenty golems rampaging roughly, the peasants, who were forced forward by those behind them, were blown away, crushed, had their limbs or heads torn off, and scattered their internal organs. It was a massacre far too one-sided to be called a battle.
"Do not overextend! You can win just by continuing to swing your weapons without overdoing it! Do not die in a battle like this!"
Yuri shouted to the soldiers who were on the verge of losing their composure in the gruesome situation. While speaking, Yuri himself flashed his sword, cutting down a peasant who had bravely charged forward swinging a sickle.
Surrounding Noein, who was concentrating on golem manipulation, Pence and the Guard soldiers killed the enemy one after another. Having honed their skills based on mercenary-style combat techniques, they exerted the results of previous wars and daily training without reserve to protect their lord.
Matilda blocked a hand-axe thrown desperately at Noein by one of the peasants with a small shield. Pulling the hand-axe out of the shield and throwing it back, the axe pierced the crown of the peasant's head—its original owner—splitting the skull.
Furthermore, Explosive Flame Arrows fired from the rear ballistas impacted the very center of the slave unit. Peasants who had become balls of fire walked unsteadily, and others rolled around trying to extinguish the flames on their bodies in succession.
In the midst of a battlefield that seemed to embody hell, Noein moved the golems with a vacant mind.
It wasn't that Noein was killing the opponents with their own bare hands. However, the sensation of the attack was transmitted to Noein's mind just enough to know when "the golem's movement was obstructed by an obstacle."
Every time an enemy's head was knocked away, every time an enemy's stomach was ripped open, the sensation that the golem had been slammed into a heavy mass of flesh certainly remained within Noein.
Whether the peasants crouched down and began to cry, or whether those terrified expressions entered their field of vision, Noein ignored everything and continued the slaughter.
Having carried out a massacre that could hardly be called a battle, there was no way they felt good. However, if it was to protect the people living in the Arqvist territory, their own family, and their own happiness, there could be nothing in this world that should be avoided.
Without wearing a particularly agonized expression, Noein simply continued to kill the humans before them.
By the time the remainder of the slave unit had fallen below half, a Betumia Republic Army force the size of a single legion began to move from the rear toward the hills on the left and right. Looking back for a moment, Noein saw several infantry units entering the forest to cover the hill defense units under Frederick's instructions.
The enemy's action was likely a reconnaissance-in-force to confirm that the golems placed in front of the hills were also decoys. As long as the command other than the front line was left to Frederick, there would be no problem. Noein looked forward again and continued the slaughter.
Kill, kill, kill, kill, continuing to kill. Finally, almost simultaneously with the annihilation of the slave unit, Noein saw the enemy units that had entered the left and right hills retreating.
"...It's over."
"Yes, Noein-sama."
Before them spread a mountain of peasant corpses and a sea of blood, and the other enemies were retreating. It was a victory for Noein and the others.
Noein brushed aside bangs soaked in the enemy's blood and wiped the blood that had splattered on their mouth with a hand.
Yuri, Pence, and the others went around delivering finishing blows to enemies who were still breathing, and Matilda stood by Noein's side. Her black hair and rabbit ears were also soaked in blood.
Looking at the enemy camp, perhaps to observe the pattern of the battle up close, Grand Army Commander Foster had come to the very front of the camp and was looking this way. Noein looked back at her.
"...Hehe."
Noein didn't know if their expression was visible to Grand Army Commander Foster, but they let out a small laugh.
It was only that the fact that most of the golems were decoys had been discovered in this battle, but that was all.
They had simply done what needed to be done. They felt no guilt for killing their compatriots, the innocent people. They had lost nothing.
It was meaningless to incite the people of the Kingdom as slave soldiers. Such petty tricks would not work. Thinking this, Noein looked at Grand Army Commander Foster.
After observing Noein and the others for a while, she returned to the main camp in the rear.