12 – reject-4

Even if the demon lord is defeated, not all the monsters scattered in various places will be defeated in an instant.

The monster armies that permeated throughout the empire were rampaging each other.

“When are the reinforcements coming?”

“I’ve sent a request for reinforcements… but the Empire probably doesn’t have enough troops!”

And the hiatus immediately after defeating the demon king was a hellish moment for the corps guarding the province.

Once the extermination of the Demon King is over, the summoning order is lifted. Soldiers conscripted from the South must return home.

In a city or castle that could be a base, an excessive number of troops were deployed in an instant. It was a force brought in under the premise of an all-out war with the Demon King’s army, so it was natural for the soldiers to focus on it.

However, a castle in a nameless province like this has to go through a double whammy.

For the purpose of disrupting the rear, or simply uncontrolled monster armies, they did not care about strategic value.

They just go into crowded places and enjoy plunder and massacre of ordinary people.

To make matters worse, there was no choice but to recruit soldiers for an all-out war against the demon lord. Before the soldiers sent to the border can be removed, they will be attacked by confused monsters.

“Don’t run away! Stay where you are!”

However, there were not many soldiers who could stand with long spears in front of an orc club that was one or two heads taller than a normal person.

Even if there is such a soldier, if all the soldiers around him run away, he will be left alone and collapse.

Soldiers who were well trained enough to have both ability and courage were already recruited and left for the battlefield.

“Lord, I don’t want to die!”

“Run away! It’s dog death at this rate!”

If the Demon King is alive, at least the morale of the soldiers will be maintained. No matter where they fled in the empire, or even to a foreign country, it was all meaningless the moment the demon king won.

However, the responsibilities now resting on their shoulders are different. The Demon King is dead, and there is nothing they can reap other than capturing some of these small territories.

As long as he somehow hid his identity and started his life in a new place, he could have saved his life.

It wasn’t easy, but the soldiers standing right next to them, watching as the monster’s club burst their bodies and ate them alive, thought it was better.

“The battle lines are collapsing! Let’s retreat…”

“Damn it, I said I’d send reinforcements! If we escape and survive, we’re all done!”

The castle of the aristocrat who ruled this territory was at a shabby level to be called a castle even in empty words.

However, simple wooden fences and low stone walls can play a big role if you’re dealing with an intellectless monster. Strategically, the adjutant recommended a retreat was right.

However, politically it was different.

He promised to fight alongside the auxiliaries on this plain.

If you reluctantly give up this area, the reinforcements watching from afar may turn their feet and move to a ‘more urgent place’.

Moreover, if the aristocrat who led the reinforcements was higher than him, it would be difficult to avoid responsibility.

“Come together in the center! Do whatever it takes to pull the time!”

Next to the lord who was in command of the battlefield, a soldier who hurriedly ran to his knees.

“Whoa, reinforcements are coming! They say retreat!”

“what?”

In terms of common sense, it made no sense.

If you look at the reinforcements sent by the empire, they would be nothing more than trained soldiers.

If the soldiers of the territory who are already fighting do not wield spears at the cost of their lives, they cannot lightly deal with the monsters.

“Ah, I see. Everyone retreat! Hold the line, retreat only as far as I am! Regroup here!”

The place where the lord was, was a little far away from the battlefield where blood and flesh splattered. Running away this far was no different from a half retreat.

However, even the lord was so crowded that he had to believe that. If not, the sacrifice had to be minimized, even by dedicating the messenger’s head.

“Is that saying true?”

The messenger was gasping for breath as if he had been running non-stop, but a smile hung on his lips.

“It’s true. We won. We won!”

“What is that…”

At that moment, a huge sound of horses hooves was heard over the hill.

I mean. A huge and strong warhorse with muscles studded here and there exposed its head first. And on top of that, the white armor was shining and reflecting the light.

“That, that!”

The lord was momentarily speechless, but he knew what he had to do.

“Reinforcements have arrived! Hold on just a little longer! Don’t give up!”

The adjutant and the soldiers next to him followed his words and shouted.

When they heard the shout of ‘reinforcements have arrived’ instead of ‘reinforcements will come’, the morale of the soldiers rose a little.

And those who rode the armor, gradually formed a formation, and rushed at the monster army with the speed of a flash.

“Let’s go! Leave no one alive! For the Emperor! For the Empire!”

And at the forefront, there was a light running towards it with waving black hair.

The flash of light emitted from her sword was a little different from the magical energy that other knights put into their swords.

That power that shone brightly and warmly was definitely the power of a hero.

“Waaa!!!”

The knights followed suit and shouted. The horse was not afraid even against a huge orc, believing in its owner and charging at it.

And the inaction of the princess at the forefront was like that of a warrior. The sword was a weapon the size of a regular longsword, but the strength of the warrior, who had grown two spans from it, knocked down everything it touched.

“Keuuuuk! Keuwiik!”

The monster army was cut down in an instant.

The arm, leg, and head of each orc were cut by the knight’s sword.

The clumsy formation, no, the crowd they were making was completely split in half by the knight’s charge.

“That… what.”

Even the strongest knight among the soldiers who originally guarded this place would not be able to enter even the lowest rank of the Platinum Knights. There was quite a bit of a gap.

It is the princess’s order of knights, formed by gathering talented people and going through rigorous and arduous training comparable to that of monks.

Originally, it was not a knighthood that would be mobilized for such a defense battle of an unknown territory.

“It’s the princess! It’s the warrior! Reinforcements are here!”

The soldiers held onto their spears again. The beating of the horse’s hooves hitting the ground was a more meaningful vibration than any drumbeat on the battlefield.

“Fight!”

The hero broke through the enemy lines at an unbelievable speed, but did not stop shouting.

Few people saw the face of the princess, but she was not one to hide herself inside the palace.

He trained with the Knights from a young age, and as a warrior, he visited the village with some of his colleagues.

Even if that wasn’t the case, even with a slight interest in the imperial family, you’d be able to spot it right away.

The brilliant brilliance of the Platinum Knights led by her, the warrior’s light, and her beautiful face were enough to recognize who she was.

“Don’t block the knights’ path! Hey, stop! Sir William’s troops back a little further! If you go in further, you’ll run into the horseshoes!”

But that didn’t mean I could just sit there and watch.

It didn’t change that the territory’s defenders were useless, but at least we shouldn’t let those beautiful knights get in the way.

I enjoyed the situation itself, thinking about how to catch the soldiers who were running away right away, and how to control the brave and needlessly advancing soldiers.

“For the Empire!”

“””For the Empire!”””

Whenever the princess’s shout resounded, the knights responded as if they were one body. Several of the soldiers roared in response, and stabbed the orc with gallantry.

After a while, the monsters all scattered and ran away, or they collapsed as bloody corpses.

“Go, thank you! Princess!”

“I’m sorry I took the credit. It was the right command. Even if it wasn’t for me, the victory could have been achieved.”

“Oh no!”

It was true that Yeongji’s troops fought well in a situation where they were inferior, but you never know what will happen on the battlefield.

Morale dropped a little faster, and the formation collapsed altogether, or reinforcements from the monster corps might appear somewhere.

“Even if we were to win like that, our troops would have been almost wiped out. All the territories owed their lives to Her Highness, the Princess.”

A very faint smile was drawn on Eleanor’s lips.

“Okay. A lord knows how to care for his subordinates. I will remember your name.”

“Go, thank you!”

To be considered a noble in a country estate like this, he had no power or anything he could do.

However, if he caught the princess’s eye, he might be able to become a member of the faction that supports her.

“Thank you so much for coming to this territory. I will never forget the grace of the princess.”

“Just as you care for the people of the territory, I am also a knight. I have a duty to protect civilians, and as a princess, I have a duty to protect the people of the empire.”

Youngjoo felt something pounding in his chest.

Many speak well of duty, but few practice it.

It hadn’t been long since the demon lord’s extermination had ended, but few were faithful enough to directly lead the Knights for the empire.

“It’s not much, but you can rest for a while…”

“I’ll take your heart. The knights have had enough rest, so now we need to subdue the remnants. Even a low-sized Orc can pose a threat to small villages and peddlers.”

Without even getting off her horse, she encouraged the other knights and left.

The exhausted soldiers did not even remove the corpses on the battlefield, watching the back of the princess and the knights as they walked away.