Arc 4 Chapter 42 : Rescue

[Raul PoV]

A humming ...

Whose voice is that?

Opening my eyes, I realized that I was no longer in the forest. Instead, I found myself lying in a rather nice-looking room.

Glancing toward the side of the bed, I saw a blonde woman sitting there with her eyes closed, softly humming a lullaby for me.

I remembered then. I had met her shortly before losing consciousness.

She opened her eyes and stopped humming when she realized I was awake.

"Ah, you're finally awake," Elena said with a smile. "How are you feeling? Yesterday, I had a Priest heal your wounds."

"Overall, I'm feeling much better," I replied as I shifted into a sitting position. "However, it seems my left eye still isn't functioning."

Ordinary Priests could only regenerate damaged limbs or organs. They couldn't restore something that had completely lost its function or had been entirely severed from the body.

Only a Priest with the rank of Vicar possessed the ability to heal or regenerate an organ that had completely ceased functioning, as well as regenerate a limb that had been lost entirely.

Ariel could probably do it easily as well, but I doubted the Temple would allow me to meet her.

"That reminds me of something," Elena said. "How did you end up in the Tuscan Forest? I found you while escorting a Reconnaissance Unit to monitor the area."

"Well... It's a long story."

I then told her everything that had happened on the Eastern Front.

From the moment the Draconia Kingdom's forces entered the Margraviate of Cataluna, to the battle at Sarisa Fortress City, the operation to cut off their logistical supplies within Republic territory, and finally, my capture and escape from the Republic's forces.

"I see..." Elena murmured. "We only received word yesterday that the Draconia Kingdom's forces had withdrawn from the eastern territories of the Empire."

So they had all withdrawn...

That meant our mission had succeeded.

Everyone who had fallen while carrying out this mission hadn't died in vain...

Thank goodness.

My gaze returned to Elena. She was looking at me with a smile, as though she were pleased about something.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"It's nothing," she replied, slightly shaking her head while continuing to smile at me. "It's just that when the eastern territories were attacked, many military officials were worried because our main forces were stationed far to the west. However, I wasn't particularly afraid."

"Hmm... Why?"

"Because I knew that as long as you were there, everything would be all right," Elena answered with absolute confidence. "You always have a way to turn things around, even when your resources are limited and the circumstances are completely against you."

For some reason, I felt relieved hearing those words from Elena.

Perhaps it was because what she had just said wasn't merely empty praise. It was an absolute trust in me.

But where had that immense trust in me come from?

Was it because of the vow I had made back then?

"I'm not some Protagonist who can magically solve every problem," I replied, half-jokingly and half-seriously. "I'm just doing what I can within the limits I have."

That's right.

I wasn't some General capable of leading countless soldiers to victory. Nor was I a Hero capable of annihilating evil enemies with overwhelming power.

I was merely a human trapped inside the body of an Antagonist who had no influence whatsoever in this world.

My thoughts were interrupted when Elena touched the scar on my abdomen, the one caused by the sword thrust from the Knight who had pursued me.

Her hand then moved upward, touching my ribs, precisely where I had received the wound during my battle with Siena several days ago.

Her hand continued upward until her fingers reached my cheek, right beneath my blind left eye.

"I know it wasn't easy for you to accomplish all of that. I can tell from all the wounds you've suffered," Elena said without breaking eye contact. "I know you've always worked hard to achieve your goals. That's why, as the Princess of this country, I am truly grateful to you, Raul de Garcia."

I didn't know why...

But somehow, all the hard work I'd put in and all the life-and-death battles I had gone through seemed to be repaid by the smile of this woman.

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I felt as though every man in the world would feel the same way I did right now.

"What I did wasn't anything special," I said as I turned my gaze away from her.

But Elena stopped me, forcing me to look into her eyes again.

This time, both of her hands were resting against my cheeks.

Warm...

Her hands were incredibly warm and soft, despite the fact that she frequently trained with a sword.

"You saved countless people by forcing the enemy forces to withdraw from our eastern territories," Elena said as she slowly removed her hands from my cheeks. "Don't be too hard on yourself, okay?"

I instinctively nodded like a dog responding to its master.

I really shouldn't let Elena spoil me too much. Otherwise, the purpose and motivation behind my existence in this world might start to deviate.

Elena then stood up.

"I have to attend a meeting now. I'll come back once it's finished."

"Elena."

She turned around when she heard me call her.

"Thank you."

Upon hearing my words, Elena simply smiled before leaving the room.

---

[Siena PoV]

One day had passed since we left Tusculum City to mobilize our forces.

At the moment, 50,000 soldiers were encamped just outside the eastern part of the Tuscan Forest, taking a short rest before continuing their advance.

I was inside my tent, reading a letter that had arrived earlier this morning.

'Prisoner Escaped.'

Those were the words written on the small piece of paper.

I didn't know how he had managed to escape. But there was no way that man would allow himself to be captured without having some sort of escape plan.

"Looks like I still underestimated him..."

Nevertheless, I believed that the information I had obtained from him was sufficient.

Therefore, if we encountered each other on the battlefield again, I would not hesitate to kill him.

There were still a few things I wanted to ask him, but I believed I could find the answers through further investigation.

"Captain Siena, are you inside?"

I heard a woman's voice from outside the tent.

"Come in," I ordered.

The tent flap opened, revealing a short-haired woman approaching my desk.

"What is it, Marcela?"

"Captain, we've received word from the forces heading toward Bitola Village," Marcela replied. "They reported that the 5,000 Imperial soldiers stationed there have begun withdrawing."

Upon hearing Marcela's report, I stood up and discarded the letter I had been reading.

"Spread the order throughout the army. We're moving again."

This time, we would annihilate the entire Imperial force until not a single one remained.

No matter how long this war lasted, I would make certain that victory belonged to us.

---

[Elena PoV]

After checking on Raul, I hurried toward the meeting room to discuss the movement of the Alliance forces that we had received word of earlier that morning.

When I arrived, all the military officials had already gathered.

I immediately took the empty seat.

Marshal Salazar's adjutant unfolded a map of the surrounding territory and placed it on a large board.

The Marshal then stood up and pointed toward Bitola Village with the wooden pointer in his hand.

"Our Reconnaissance Units have spotted approximately 20,000 Alliance soldiers currently moving toward Bitola Village," Marshal Salazar announced. "With the Draconia Kingdom's forces retreating from our eastern territories, the total number of Alliance troops on this Front has now reached 100,000."

"Marquis Fran is truly remarkable. With such limited forces, he managed to win the war on the Eastern Front."

"You're right, but this puts us in a difficult position. Their remaining forces are now being sent here."

"That's still better than watching our territory be devastated by enemy forces."

The glory of winning the war on the Eastern Front had gone to Marquis Fran.

Although I acknowledged that he was a capable General, the Draconia Kingdom's withdrawal had actually been caused by Raul and the unit he commanded cutting off their logistical supplies.

Even though Marquis Fran had mentioned Raul by name in his report, the other nobles and military officials seemed unwilling to acknowledge that a young man, especially one who was still an academy student, had achieved something so significant compared to them in this war.

"I have already ordered the forces stationed there to withdraw, but..." Marshal Salazar paused for a moment. "Their escape route was suddenly cut off by 15,000 Alliance soldiers coming from the direction of the Tuscan Forest."

The Tuscan Forest?

The Reconnaissance Unit I had escorted yesterday had searched that area.

Yet we hadn't found any signs of Alliance forces there.

"We have to save them! I won't just stand by while our comrades are slaughtered for a second time!" one of the military officials shouted.

Previously, Marshal Salazar's decision to retreat and leave 20,000 of our soldiers behind had been heavily criticized by several military officials.

That decision had also caused the morale of our forces to plummet at the time.

If Marshal Salazar chose to allow another 5,000 of our soldiers to be slaughtered, our army's morale would undoubtedly fall even further, potentially causing divisions within our main forces.

"We cannot act recklessly," another noble said. "Before we move, we need to locate the rest of the Alliance forces. According to the reports, we've only detected 35,000 enemy soldiers."

He had a point...

If we didn't know where the rest of the Alliance forces were, we could easily fall into an ambush, putting our army at a severe disadvantage.

"On that matter, our Reconnaissance Units have detected a large Alliance force currently stationed in Ebro Village," Marshal Salazar revealed. "Their exact numbers are unknown, but they estimate there are no fewer than 30,000 soldiers."

More than 30,000 troops in Ebro Village?

What exactly was the Alliance planning?

Did they intend to attack us from two directions?

Or were they afraid that while they attacked Bitola Village, we would instead launch an attack on Ebro Village?

"The journey from Ebro Village to here would take more than a day," another military official said. "Meanwhile, we can reach our 5,000 comrades by this afternoon. I believe we should hurry and rescue them before the Alliance forces in Ebro Village can arrive here."

Hearing the proposal, the Marshal seemed to contemplate it while tapping his fingers against the wooden table.

The 5,000 soldiers attempting to retreat from Bitola Village would be surrounded by 35,000 Alliance troops if we didn't do something now.

Although I also wanted to save them, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

We had already been caught off guard by the tactics of the Venetia Republic's forces.

I was certain they were planning something again this time—something meant to defeat us.

"We will deploy 50,000 soldiers to rescue our comrades," Marshal Salazar finally said, having made his decision. "The remaining 15,000 will guard this position."

After deciding to mobilize the army, Marshal Salazar informed the commanders where each of their forces would be positioned.

The Cavalry Unit under my command would be stationed on the right flank, tasked with charging the enemy Musketeers who could potentially cause us trouble during the battle.

Once the war council was over, I returned to Raul's room to check on him again.

However, the black-haired man was already putting on his combat gear.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Getting ready for battle, of course," he answered casually. "While I was their prisoner, I heard that the Alliance forces were going to move."

"Have you fully recovered?" I asked again, concerned. "And can you really fight properly with only one eye?"

"Don't worry. I've already started getting used to the limitations of my vision."

He smiled at me as he said that.

"If you don't believe me, would you like to spar with me?"

Hearing his challenge, I answered with a confident smile.

"Heee~ All right. Just don't make any excuses when you lose to me later~"

I suppose sparring with him would make for good warm-up before the battle began.