Chapter 379 - Episode 371: Night on the Battlefield
Evening arrived, marking the end of the opening engagement after the defense lines were barely held and the forces of the Virgo Kingdom were forced into a temporary retreat.
While the soldiers and officers took turns eating, Helga Revelant also sat before a campfire, holding a bowl of soup and a piece of hard bread.
No one was beside her as she looked down with a dark expression. At this hour, everyone was exhausted. No one wanted to eat while worrying about the tension of sitting next to Her Highness the Princess, where a clumsy word could be deemed irreverent.
Beverstamm, who was nominally Helga's overseer, was currently occupied elsewhere and was not present.
Understanding that she was being treated like a fragile object, Helga's mouth was used not for eating, but only for letting out sighs. Having witnessed a gruesome battlefield for the first time, there was no way her usual appetite would surface.
"I empathize with your feelings, but if you do not force something into your stomach, your body will not hold up."
When Helga looked up at the voice, it was, as expected, Noein Arqvist.
"May I join you?"
"...Yes. Thank you."
Noein, accompanied by Matilda, sat beside her with the same meal menu as Helga's. Whether it was because she was tired, or because the words her father had told her on the night before the start of the war were echoing in her mind, a sincere thank you escaped her lips toward the man who had shown concern for her solitude.
Following Noein's advice, Helga dipped the bread into the soup and tore it with her teeth. She repeated the tasteless chewing, as if biting into a clod of earth, and forced herself to swallow.
When sipping the soup, she held her breath, trying not to feel the smell or taste. She tried not to remember the scent of blood she had smelled during the day, or the miserable faces of the soldiers who had been bathed in that boiling water.
Beside her, Noein and Matilda continued their meal with composure. As for Noein, he almost seemed to be enjoying the act of putting food into his exhausted body.
"..."
Noticing Helga's half-stunned gaze, Noein stopped eating and directed a smile toward her.
"Does it seem strange? That food can go down the throat after a mutual slaughter."
"...I'm sorry. I wonder if I will also get used to it as I gain more experience on the battlefield."
"I suppose so. Well, it would be best if one could avoid such experiences entirely rather than getting used to them."
Noein gave a faint, bitter smile, but Helga could not return the smile.
"...I heard that Princess Helga was guarding the first-aid station."
"Yes. Compared to everyone who was at the very front, I cannot truly say that I fought."
"Providing aid to the wounded and guarding them is also an important battle. Besides, at the hectic front lines, one rarely has the luxury to look closely at the surrounding scenery. Facing your first battle at a first-aid station, where you must look directly at only those with gruesome injuries, may have actually been more painful."
Noein's tone was gentle. However, those words reminded Helga of the scenes from the daytime. Helga's face turned pale once again.
"...Why do people do such things?"
Those were the words that escaped her mouth.
"Becoming so covered in blood. Becoming such a gruesome sight. Making the opponent look the same. Even killing the people of the Duchy of Dale, who were standing shoulder to shoulder with us until just a few days ago... Why are people capable of being so cruel to other people? Why must innocent people suffer such gruesome fates?"
Helga muttered without thinking too deeply, then looked up with a startled expression after realizing what she had said. With the way she had put it, it sounded as if she were denying even the hard fighting of her allies, including Noein.
"I-I'm sorry. I..."
"No, it is fine. I understand the feeling."
In the face of the flustered Helga, Noein seemed not to be moved by emotion in the slightest.
"Why innocent people suffer gruesome fates... I think of it the other way. I wonder why only humans are spared from the cruelty of this world."
Not understanding the meaning of what Noein said, Helga fell silent.
"In nature, the falling of life is a daily occurrence. It is natural for death not to be peaceful. Your Highness, do you think it is an evil and cruel act when a beast or a monster hunts its prey? The creature that becomes the prey may still be breathing even as it bleeds and spills its internal organs. Do you think such creatures became gruesome as a punishment for some crime they committed?"
"...No."
"Exactly. The world is, by nature, a cruel thing. Whether one lives a long, peaceful life or meets a gruesome death is decided by luck. Not by good or evil. As long as humans are beings that are born and go toward death, they cannot deviate from the laws of this world. That is how I think."
To Helga, who had harbored noble ideals, this sounded like a terribly tasteless and cold way of thinking.
What a hopeless story. What a dreamless story. Helga's expression darkened further.
"...In such a world, I obtained my own utopia. A small utopia called the Grand Duchy of Arqvist."
When Helga looked up at Noein, he wore a gentle smile.
"It may be excessive self-praise, but to me, it is the only utopia. I believe it is the same for my vassals and people. In my country, there is at least hope. For the slaves, good food, a bed, and the possibility of freedom. For the commoners, reward for diligence and greater wealth. For the vassals and soldiers, pride, honor, and a homeland worth giving their lives for. I believe it is a country where everyone can find hope to live, and I believe I have been able to give them that hope."
Noein's words and expression were completely different from the impression Helga had initially held of him. He did not look at all like a villain who deceived and oppressed beastmen. Rather, he even looked like a hero or a paragon of virtue.
"I am a wretched, small human. I want to show a world better than the current one, if only to my beloved, cute vassals and people. I want to show them the hope that life can be better than it is now. I want them, at least, to avoid suffering gruesome fates. I want them to become more prosperous than they are now. I want to immerse myself in a gentle world where I love them and am loved by them. I live thinking only of such things. It is likely far from the ideal monarch Your Highness envisions."
Helga could not find words to respond to the bitter-smiling Noein.
If it had been the first day she met Noein and the others, she might have said that he should aim for higher ideals, or asked if he could still call himself a monarch. However, the current Helga felt no will to argue.
Through the turmoil in the Duchy of Dale, through her father's harsh words, and through today's battle, Helga had learned. That the world was not as simple as she had thought. That it was not a gentle place.
These were the words of Noein, who had lived while staring directly at such a world. This was the state of mind he had reached. There was no way Helga, who had yet to achieve anything, could easily deny it.
"I love those under my protection. Everything I love is the entirety of my reason for living. And everyone under my protection loves me in return. They give me unstinting love. That is precisely why I can exhaust my strength for the sake of those I love."
At that point, Noein let out a sigh.
"Still, my strength is insufficient, and there are many things I cannot fulfill. There are many things I hesitate over. But even so, I have no choice but to struggle. I have no time to spill complaints. For the world is cruel by nature. To protect those I love, I will stand against any enemy. I do not mind how much I stain my hands with blood. I am prepared for the fact that, from the enemy's perspective, I myself become a part of a cruel world. As long as I am a monarch to be loved by those I love, that alone is enough."
"..."
Noein's story was far too new and shocking from Helga's perspective. It was far from the noble ideals Helga had harbored, and as an ambition, it was infinitely low.
Then, because of that, could she say he was wrong? Now that she knew the cruelty of the world, could she say with confidence that she, who spoke of ideals, was justice, and he, who looked only at reality, was evil?
Could it be that he was the correct one, and she was the one who was wrong? That she had been wrong all along?
While Helga was assailed by such thoughts, Noein popped the remainder of the bread into his mouth, washed it down with soup, and stood up.
"My apologies, I spoke for too long about myself... It will soon be time to begin operations. I must encourage my vassals and move myself. I believe Your Highness also has duties. It would be best to hurry a little... there will be plenty of time to think later."
Leaving those words behind, Noein departed, taking Matilda with him.
Watching his figure leave, Helga looked down in silence again and seemed about to sink into thought, but she hurriedly shook her head. Now was not the time to face her own inner heart. Telling herself this, she mindlessly put the bread and soup into her stomach.
Then, Helga also stood up.
The operations about to begin would decide the tide of this battle. As a princess, Helga had to see off the soldiers and mages of the Revelant Kingdom army who would now play an important role.
She did not immediately understand the correct way to be a monarch. But right now, Helga, as royalty, had a clear job to do. She had no choice but to face it. Because in this cruel world, that was at least the work she could perform for her people right now.
.....
"Chief of Staff, the enemy has sallied out from the fort! I believe it is a night attack!"
Woken up by a soldier on night watch shouting in front of the tent, Cadne stepped outside with Yvette, barely having time to dress.
When he arrived in front of the command tent at the center of the main camp, Kaia and General Gaziev were already standing there.
"What is the situation?"
"The night watch units have already formed ranks. We are currently in the middle of waking the entire army. The number of enemies that sallied out... is roughly eight hundred, I would say. The enemy has become quite bold."
It was Gaziev who answered Cadne's inquiry. Beyond his gaze, in front of the enemy fort, countless torches were flickering.
"I see. Well, there is probably nothing to worry about."
"You're awfully calm, aren't you? You hate these kinds of surprise attacks the most, don't you? In this situation where many soldiers are still asleep, if that number of them attacks with a suicidal resolve, we will surely take painful damage."
"If they did that, the enemy wouldn't get off easy either. I cannot believe Noein Arqvist would launch a night attack with no twist like this. Most likely, by waking us up like this, he is aiming for our exhaustion. I don't think they will actually attack."
Cadne replied with a laugh to Kaia, who was looking at him with a surprised expression.
"It's doubtful if there are truly eight hundred enemies who sallied out. If you tinker with the torches a bit, you can make the number look larger from a distance. You should send scouts close to confirm."
Following those words, scouts from the beastman soldiers with keen night vision were dispatched.
The report from the scout who returned a while later was exactly as Cadne predicted.
"The enemy has torches with split ends; the actual number coming out of the fort, including the golem users, is over a hundred... How cowardly."
"Looking at this, the Chief of Staff's reading that the enemy would not attack was probably correct."
Gaziev said with a small sigh to Kaia, who was glaring at the enemy camp.
"Now that we know the actual number of enemies is small. For the sake of raising alertness, we should set a slightly larger night watch than planned and let the others sleep. Let's leave the command to the generals on night duty and get another wink of sleep. We fight tomorrow as well. There is no need to waste stamina by playing along with the enemy's farce any further."
Saying this while yawning, Cadne returned to the tent with Yvette.