Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Chapter 553: Road to Kingdom ⑩ The End of the Fight

Celia faces me and goes down on one knee.

The servants, fearing for their lives, bow as well, while Rosario droops her head with a hand still resting on the king’s corpse.

That makes everyone who performed the vassal’s gesture, even if it was for appearance sake.

「Who’s going to accept an usurper like you!?」

「To kill His Majesty when he took in a thug like you, you are no human, let alone noble!」

「Fierce general my ass, war demon my ass! You are just the devil!」

Destroying the door and bursting in are ten knights and the same amount of nobles……they must be military officers because they are armed.

It’s a natural reaction.

If they said “understood, you are our king”, then I might have slipped off the throne from boredom.

「I see. So you won’t accept me.」

Remaining seated on the throne, I lift up the Dual Crater with my right hand.

「Then why don’t you come and take me out?」

I casually twirl the 20-kg Dual Crater.

「Guh……I will. I will avenge His Majesty.」

「I will rip a disloyal person like you off the noble throne in one sec……hyoe!?」

When I point my sword at the person yelling passionately, he steps backward.

「What’s wrong? You won’t move me simply by shouting.」

I think about their reactions as they badmouth me.

This is normal.

Agor, Bruno, Erich, and the king, bravely stood by their convictions until the moment they were defeated.

They were really special men worthy of being mentioned in history books and heroic tales.

「I’m such a sissy all the time. I already decided because I knew this would happen too.」

I raise my butt from the throne after talking to myself.

That was enough to make the knights and nobles in front of me collide with each other as they step backwards.

The military officers and knights here should be gallant and loyal.

「Now, come. This is the perfect chance to avenge the death of His Majesty with your own hands.」

I spread my hands with a smile.

Then I grip my weapon and emit a murderous intent that makes even Celia’s teeth chatter.

I wait a few seconds but no one comes forward.

Right, this is normal.

The great men I cut down are few and far between.

「U-uooooh!!」

One knight is pushed by the others and runs forward with his eyes closed.

That is merely a desperate guise, not real bravery.

And also――

「You idiot!!」

The knight trips over himself when I intimidate him with a yell.

「Bastard, you intend to trample over the king’s corpse?」

This knight, who fell on his ass and completely froze, is not even worth my time.

At that exact moment, it suddenly got noisy in the palace.

I thought it was more reinforcements who learned of the present situation, however that was not the case.

「We’re jumping in. And there’s no need to be polite here!」

It was Sekrit who broke the partially-destroyed door and leapt through on her horse.

Following her is Myla, who is also riding her mount.

「Follow me! You savages won’t get another chance to step in the throne room like this! Savor this moment for your entire life.」

The 105th army corps floods in accompanied by Yakov’s voice.

I quietly lower the Dual Crater.

Sekrit and Myla compare the king’s dead body with me standing in front of the bloody throne.

「Fu-fufufu……you finally did it. So you killed your friend, you killed your king and reached the top at last! Wonderful……that is what I expect of my man. That is a man deserving to make me his!」

Sekrit stands beside me feeling wholeheartedly satisfied.

「His Majesty……and the military commissioner……was there no other way……? No――there must not have been. In that case, I must see this through to the end!」

Myla stands next to me and laughs loudly, reverting back to a strange mode.

Making a crazed smile, Sekrit draws herself close to me as if to lick my ear――but instead whispers.

「The enemy only pulled out because they heard about your charge into the palace. The capital guards inside the walls and four army corps are still alive and well albeit in disarray, while we have almost no forces left.」

I know.

Everyone is not going to submit to me just because I killed the king.

「H-he managed to invade the palace……is it over for us……?」

「Don’t be ridiculous! Four army corps are gathering outside the walls. Additional reinforcements are also coming――for now, we should join up with them so we can remove the traitor sitting on the throne of vanity!」

「Exactly. Recklessly challenging him and dying is pointless! Let’s temporarily yield the palace!」

The knights create excuses to withdraw……or rather flee.

I shake my head when Sekrit asks with her eyes whether they should be killed.

「Let them go. If they make a fuss, the death of the king will also be relayed to the royal army. That will cause greater chaos.」

The royal army is healthy only in terms of numbers, as without their field commander or supreme commander or their king, they can’t coordinate properly. Although our losses are just as considerable and many of us are exhausted so we can’t take advantage.

「It seems the root of all evil had the private army rush into the capital while the royal army was at a standstill. Aside from the gate which the monster crashed into, there is no damage to the walls. Our positions have switched and we now have the protection of the walls.」

Is the disturbing description referring to Leopolt?

「Capital guards are present within the walls. It will be a battle on two fronts with a remarkably small force……」

Celia wipes the blood on my body.

She looks on the verge of crying as she scrupulously cleans my face.

「Why are you the one crying?」

It’s not like Celia had relations with the king or Erich.

Which means it has to be about Agor?

「That’s not it……Aegir-sama is……no, nevermind!」

I tilt my head wondering what she meant as Sekrit chimes in.

「Getting angry, smiling, crying, there is so much on your plate.」

Shut up. We’re going to fight another tough battle after, save the chit chat for later.

Isn’t that what being human is about?

「The king will be in my room. It will not be a battlefield there.」

Rosario bows courteously.

Her bangs covered her face so I couldn’t read her expression.

「Congratulations, Your Majesty.」

Those were the first words Leopolt said after returning from the frontlines.

I thought a rash was breaking out, but I stared at the totally unhappy face and recovered.

「I will summarize the state of war in simple terms.」

「Please do, ‘root of all evil’.」

He ignores my joke.

「All of our troops have entered the city walls. The royal army has not pursued due to a significant lack of control, and is currently assessing the current situation and regrouping outside the city walls.」

The royal army has not suffered losses that would render them unable to act.

However, being told of the king’s death after their commander Bruno and supreme commander Erich died will leave them at the peak of disorder.

「Further, the capital guards are still alive and have split into the east and west, deploying on top of the walls.」

Right, the capital still has a defense squad.

Brynhildr kept them at bay and disrupted the other soldiers while I ran to the palace, but they weren’t exactly annihilated.

「Their information became convoluted――adding to their chain of command special orders from ministers and personal orders from influential nobles and commanders they are friends with, you have clearly baseless and undecipherable orders flying around, resulting in a situation where they are not able to move.」

「So what should we do?」

Leopolt looks at Tristan and Brynhildr.

「Do battle against the guards in the capital. Their confusion is more deeply-rooted and they can’t choose an aggressive offensive move like burning the capital. I entrust the decision of whether to advance or retreat to you. Stick to a war of attrition.」

Tristan slumps his shoulders in disappointment and replies.

「You say it so easily, but a war of attrition against an opponent who outnumbers us by more than ten times is unreasonable even in an urban area……and how many people will you give me?」

Leopolt jerks his chin.

He gestures toward Brynhildr and the vampires, as well as Pochi who is resting his wings after flying.

「……」

「Eh?」

Tristan freezes when Brynhildr glares at him.

When I pleaded for Brynhildr to lend her strength with my eyes, she made an indescribably unpleasant face and reluctantly stood beside Tristan.

「Wha-! Wai-! No way! At least let me have humans――!!」

「I’ll turn you into pieces of meat if you whine.」

Brynhildr drags Tristan along.

Good luck and survive, in more ways than one.

「As soon as the royal army regains control, I believe they will attempt to invade the front and south gate. We don’t have the military strength to prevent a detour……」

「There’s no reason for them to circle around. Not when there is such a big hole.」

If they go east or west and mix with the confused capital guards, it’ll be a mess.

And Erich, the most competent person to control that confusion, is gone.

「First we will defend the area near the gate, and once they breakthrough, retreat to the main street and defend there.」

「But we’re just defending and defending and buying time. No matter how much we stall, we don’t have back up.」

A few might come, but the royal army corps from all over will gather on a scale a hundred times larger than that.

「I have already prepared a plan. However, it will not work if the enemy easily breaks through in a short time. I ask for Your Majesty to personally step onto the frontlines and fight like fierce god.」

He always tells me not to go to the front, and now he tells me to go.

It’s funny how he waits until I’ve become the most important person.

I spread both my arms with weapons in each of them and walked toward the south gate.

The Goldonian flag and the war flag flutter.

「I actually felt conflicted the first time I fought.」

I brush Celia’s face which is cute even when dignified from her mentally preparing herself.

「Now, I don’t think anything of it.」

In the end, I didn’t care about the country, the army, or my own territory.

All I looked at were people.

「Why are we not attacking? The military commissioner was killed! ――the leaders in the capital are evacuating……? That has nothing to do with me! How can I stand like a scarecrow while the rebel army is doing as they please? I’m going ahead even if it’s just my unit!」

The enemy squad rushes toward the gate.

「They’re coming! Captain Hart, get up! You too, Leonard, this isn’t the time to be laying around!」

I grab the shoulder of the exhausted infantry captain.

「Rest. I’ll take over.」

「Aah!? Wait, feudal lord-sama――」

I leap at the incoming enemy vanguard.

「Eh?」

A surprised sound leaks from the enemy.

I jump with my back facing them, turn in midair and swing my Dual Crater first.

My rotation adds to my arm strength and my blade slices diagonally through several enemies.

「That guy is――」

My Keravnos whips forth a few seconds later, shaving the armor and face of a soldier in the safety zone.

There is no point waiting for them to scream my name.

I crouch down and step forward at the same time I land back on the ground.

The Dual Crater, which I thrusted simultaneously, pierces through the shield of an enemy soldier and the Keravnos grinds along the surface of a shield before penetrating another soldier.

I pull the deeply-embedded Dual Crater sideways, tearing through the soldier’s body, while I twist the Keravnos to create a huge hole before pulling it out as well.

Without giving any time for the blood on the weapon to drip, I hurl the Keravnos as the enemy commander on horseback.

I immediately chase after the spear, and in a low stance, sweep the Dual Crater in a circle, cleaving the horse’s legs and the surrounding infantry.

The horse and four soldiers collapse around me as I grab the Keravnos after it stabbed the chest of the commander.

「「「Hardlett! Hardlett is here!?」」」

「Too slow.」

Three enemy soldiers shout in unison.

Before the first can close his mouth, he is chopped in half vertically, then a spear is shoved into the mouth of the second, and a knife flies into the throat of the last soldier.

Celia, Sekrit, and Irijina line up next to me.

We space out at a distance corresponding to our respective weapons and stand in front of the broken gate.

The cute Celia has a determined look, Sekrit is her usual self, and Irijina has the word ‘ruffian’ written on her back.

There are still people who would risk their lives for me after I’ve cut down individuals precious to them.

I was a little happy about that.

The enemy soldiers surge forward.

Although their command is not restored yet and the attacks of each squad are uncoordinated, their numbers are overwhelming.

I cut down another enemy that rushes at me.

I don’t have the time or a reason to count whether that was the tenth or twentieth kill.

An infantry goes down from a spinning slice, a cavalry is knocked down with a thrust.

I just cut down whoever is in front of me, and when no one is left, I go find more.

Corpses begin to pile up.

「He’s a monster! Use your bows!」

After archers line up, ballista bolts and cannonballs come crashing down.

Those are the royal army’s own siege weapons set up on the walls……Leopolt is standing next to one of them.

Well, it’s not worth it if I don’t get him to risk his life too.

The enemy can’t counterattack easily.

They can’t launch siege weapons with low accuracy like catapults in the capital.

On top of that, the archers are moving sluggishly.

Their chain of command is in disarray and each squad is attacking separately, making it hard to organize.

If the archers hit their allies with a volley, things will spiral out of control.

In the end, all they can do is force their way forward with infantry.

And yet, that is enough for them to push through.

「Form a wall! Charge in together!!」

Spearmen align in a row across my field of vision and run toward me.

「Thanks for lining up.」

A smoking bottle is thrown and explodes into flames in front of the spearmen.

Sekrit joins the fray.

「Heavy cavalry, stand in front! Breakthrough by force!」

The running lumps of metal fall off their horses one after the other.

「All that training is for this moment!」

Luna skillfully hits the enemies through the gap in their visor.

Although she is at close range, it is a feat that still takes incredible precision.

「I can’t fall behind either.」

I exert energy from all the muscles in my body and let out a powerful roar.

All swings of my sword are strong enough to kill in one hit.

My blade crushes, pierces and smashes the enemy’s bodies like they were not wearing any armor.

「Damn you, Hardlett! Don’t you have any shame!? Don’t you know what justice is!?」

「No. I will do anything for my dream and ambition.」

I run my spear through the knight, toss him up, and cut him in half.

Celia’s effort of wiping me clean has gone to waste, my body is red again.

I guess that cheesy line triggered it, but the pain from the minor wounds all over my body disappeared.

Additionally, I don’t even feel a trace of the pain from the arrow which stabbed into my thigh.

The enemies begin to appear like they are moving in slow-motion, and when I direct my eyes at them, they seem to appear clearer like they are magnified.

Oh yeah, this is supposed to be night time too.

I cut down a small fry soldier who had no choice but to follow orders and charge at me.

I also cut down the soldier coming toward me while exclaiming his loyalty to Goldonia.

I cut down a knight trying to avenge Bruno.

And I cut down a man wearing a traditional noble’s ceremonial suit who was pushed from behind.

I cut and cut and cut and keep cutting.

Celia and Sekrit are fighting hard too.

Irijina is still twirling her spear around despite being shot in the shoulder by an arrow.

Nevertheless, my kill count towers above theirs.

A hundred……perhaps more than that.

「I-is it even possible……to defeat the war demon!?」

「This is what a fallen hero can do……two whole companies turned into corpses!?」

「Doesn’t it look like his eyes are glowing? Or am I mistaken?」

Of course I’m going to do my best.

Losing here would be trouble.

I react to the sound of wind on my left and knock down an incoming bolt with my sword.

Whooshes also come from the right, but I simply tilt my head from one side to the other, dodging the two arrows aimed at me.

I went so far as to kill Agor, Erich, and the king.

Dying here would make me an idiot who stirred up Goldonia for nothing.

The deaths of those guys would also be meaningless.

「I’m going to do whatever it takes to grab my dream.」

I hear a whistling sound.

It’s Leopolt saying to return back inside the walls.

I slash one last enemy soldier and jump back within the walls.

Naturally, the enemies advance forward in droves.

There is enough space for a dozen people to pass through the destroyed gate side-by-side.

The battlefield shifts to the main street of the capital.

What needs to be done doesn’t change.

I cut down a charging cavalry in passing.

I dive toward the spreading infantry that are approaching me and swing my sword in the center, blowing them all away.

There are countless alleys branching out from the main street so it’s easy for the enemy to detour and reach the palace.

We don’t have sufficient troops to prevent that.

「The enemy is faced with a dilemma as that won’t work either.」

Sekrit mutters, prompting me to smile.

Right, if this were a battle between nations, they could capture the palace and end the war then and there.

However, the royal army’s winning condition is defeating the rebels, in other words, me.

And while I am on the frontlines, the enemy has no choice but to continue fighting on the frontlines as well.

They have to kill me, except I won’t go down easily.

「I am Ramudd, a knight who owes a big debt to Lord Radhalde! If you traitors have any pride, fight me one-on-one!」

「Similarly, I am――」

Three knights raise their voices.

「Nay, come all at once.」

The first to take a step in was me.

I casually parry the first guy’s sword and slice off his dominant arm, I grab the spear of the second guy and throw him to the ground, I duck the third guy’s sword, pick him up along with his horse, and toss him at a civilian’s house.

「Further declarations are unnecessary. If you want to get revenge, come as you like from the side or the back.」

I see a black cannonball in the night sky.

Finally losing their patience, the enemy has chosen to fire their catapults, that or a squad captain decided on his own.

I fix my eyes on the steel orb flying through the night sky and ready my Dual Crater as I lower my hips.

Luna, whose eyes followed my line of sight, notices the object two seconds before it lands and shouts.

「――――」

I let out a loud enough roar to drown out what she yelled and swung my Dual Crater.

Rather than the blade, I used the flat side of the sword to bat the cannonball, which seemed to stop for a split second on contact.

With a loud metallic clang, the metal ball draws an arc in the sky and ricochets back at a lower angle than it came.

The soldier standing in its landing spot acted like he was going to catch the ball, but he was obviously squashed flat.

「Aim――!」

Cannons have been brought out onto the main street.

Those are the field artillery we abandoned.

We used it on the city walls too, so I guess we’re even.

「Fire――!」

I narrow my eyes at the moment of the cannon’s discharge.

There is a single cannonball and it’s not a scattershot.

My eyes, head, and hand that thrusts the spear simultaneously move in a fraction of a heartbeat.

The Keravnos connects with the center of the cannonball, and the tip sinks inside.

Accepting the full brunt of the shot, the Keravnos bends, and I accordingly lower my left hand along the shaft.

Not just that, I pull the spear to the left, angling it away from me.

The cannonball grazes my ear and bounces a few times on the paving stones of the main road before crashing into the wall of a residential building.

Although the Keravnos bent greatly, it soon returned back to its normal straightness without breaking.

Moreover, I see a cavalry unit rushing out to deliver the finishing blow after assuming I would be knocked down.

I inhale deeply and yell.

All the galloping horses rear and fling their riders to the ground.

The movement of the enemy briefly stopped at this point.

「He reflected a catapult……」

「He could see the cannonball with his eyes……」

「He repelled war horses with just his voice……」

The enemy soldiers exchange looks with their commander.

「A matchless hero? A demon of the battlefield? No, he’s not. That’s……」

「「「A monster……」」」

I’m grateful the offense halted due to feelings of fright, but their gradual retreat still pins our backs to the wall.

Our diligently defending allies are already close to collapsing.

Tristan is maintaining command as a vampire soldier carries him, but it doesn’t look like he has any room to breathe.

I might have to dash into the enemy ranks and lop off the head of the provisional commander.

Schwartz, who probably rested a bit, wobbles over to me.

He visibly looks tired, but I can’t wait for him to recover fully.

I need him to be prepared to become horse meat.

「I won’t lose until I die. No matter how much of a disadvantage I am at, as long as I don’t die――」

「Enough! That’s enough――!!!」

The sudden cry attracts the attention of both armies.

「……Kenneth?」

I unconsciously mumble.

I practically forgot about his existence.

He’s pretty unrelated to war after all.

Kenneth wedges in between us with his creepy attendant in tow.

「Don’t create any more ruckus in the capital! The reason to fight is already gone!」

He is dressed in the most formal attire typically seen in official ceremonies.

It certainly makes him handsome, but he is remarkably out of place on the battlefield.

「This is no place for a civil official! This is a warzone!」

A new noble commander emerges from the crowd of soldiers.

His eyes are bloodshot, as if to say he will even cut down Kenneth if the interference continues.

However Kenneth doesn’t back down, and keeps speaking after pausing.

「Alexandro I has died.」

Someone shrieks and the new noble commander pounds his head in frustration.

「That is why we must hurry! We must send the rebel army and their leader to hell――」

「Oh shut up. I was in the middle of talking!」

Kenneth cuts off the commander mid-sentence.

Being able to use such a tone in such a situation proves he isn’t the leader of a faction for nothing.

And he is standing next to me for some reason.

「This person here is the new king of the kingdom of Goldonia. Behold, His Majesty Hardlett!」

「「……huh?」」

Multiple people are in disbelief, and I am included in that group.

His next words would show he was not joking though.

「With the death of the Minister of national affairs, I, as the highest authority of government, declare the succession of kings from the previous king to the new king! Here is the document signed by all the ministers, as well as influential nobles and vassals!」

Written at the top of the paper Kenneth unrolls is his own name, followed by the name of the capital’s minister, and seals of blood by individuals from marquesses to prominent bureaucrats in no particular order.

This stunned me and the generals of the royal army.

The traditional nobles who fled from the palace are dumbfounded with their jaws dropped.

「You bastard……don’t tell me……」

Tears well up in the eyes of the commander.

He must be thinking that Kenneth conspired with me to eliminate the king and Erich.

「Do not misunderstand! I promise that my allegiance was to the previous king up until the moment of his death! But the king is no longer in this world and there is no heir who will be universally recognized!!」

「Nonsense――!!」

The commander throws his spear at Kenneth.

I don’t have any obligation to protect him and choose not to move, but Leopolt knocks it down with his sword.

Kenneth goes on with tears in his eyes.

「Certainly His Majesty Hardlett has no good cause! This war has no just cause! But what good is it to keep fighting and reduce the capital to ruin!? What will you do after defeating the rebels!? Will you band together to tear Goldonia to pieces, and turn to dust all the achievements built up by the previous king and the military commissioner!?」

I remain silent.

Kenneth pleads his case on the verge of crying.

「I will take over the duties of the national minister now that he has died. Thus this declaration is legitimate and any further defiance will make you the rebel. Be careful how you act.」

Kenneth gives the new nobles a sidelong glance as they crumble to the ground in a daze, then kneels in front of me.

「I am yours to command, My King.」

I don’t say anything and simply return to the palace with my sword sheathed.

「So it has ended, Your Majesty.」

I didn’t give a response to Leopolt either.