CH 77

Breathing in the freezing air and exhaling it. This is the second time I’ve become a General, but I’m not used to this tension before the war.

The last [event]・[winter] is, in a way, a simulated war. Four Generals selected from the Academy each lead about 600 students.

This year, I, His Highness, Oswald Ceden, Kyaran Goudes are trying to accomplish this great task.

If I turn my horse around, the [Slutarch soldiers] dressed in armor and their Phantom Beasts are lined up solemnly, waiting for the war to begin.

Hard Carry Support Chapter 197-198

If I think back to this moment last year, my hands were trembling uncontrollably. Compared to that, I am somewhat calmer now.

That’s also only natural, because next to me, Emilia is riding on the light armor Kyuubi. She seems to be enjoying this tension in some way.

Emilia is my [Loyalist]. In this battle, the Generals will decide the outcome by making the other General unable to fight, or by capturing the flag in the tower of each camp. However, Loyalists can attack the Generals as an exception.

But if a Loyalist becomes unable to fight, the General also loses the ability to attack, it’s a double-edged sword.

Gon, gon, gon.

In the top of this wild Academy, a clear sound that makes one think that there is a bell on top of the clouds rains down. It’s the signal for the [battle] to start.

“Victory is only for us.”

Without raising my voice, I only spoke so that everyone could hear.

This is something I had recently found out, but there is no need to raise my voice to raise the morale of my subordinates.

Just with the same relaxed smile and the voice and back figure of someone who is convinced of victory, they move forward first.

“Let’s do our best.”

“OOOOOooooo!”

Following with a loud cry, about 400 people out of 800 comes along. Emilia and Kyuubi are among them.

The remaining 200 people are left with the flag. Furthermore, the one coiling and roaring at the top of the tower is my Phantom Beast.

With 200 soldiers and Christina, my tower will not fall.

I am heading towards the western Kyaran Goudes’ camp. This year, I am in the north, Kyaran in the west, Oswald in the south and His Highness in the east.

As soon as we started to run the horse, we knew that a few tens of troops were coming from ahead. From the direction, it’s Kyaran Goudes’ soldiers.

I raised the corner of my mouth. That is probably a scout. It’s fortunate that they were found.

“Emilia, please.”

“Understood! Fire away——!”

Emilia unleashed a blast of magic with a cheerful cry, though the power behind it was far from cheerful.

Black smoke rose from the blast site, and it seemed as though the opponent had been completely wiped out, but a few people were still standing on their own two feet.

“Kyaran’s [fall], huh.”

It was a defensive magic that could be activated from a distance. Furthermore, Kyaran’s magical power was just as strong as that of His Highness. She had undoubtedly researched [fall] for the sake of [winter].

Just as we were about to encircle and crush them, we received reports from a different direction. Another group of several dozen people emerged from the direction where Kyaran’s troops were supposed to be.

————Something was off.

There were too many scouts for our liking. We didn’t understand the point of trickling out such a small force when they were clearly outmatched in terms of numbers.

Should we ignore them? I shook my head. The most dangerous thing to be wary of was a pincer attack. We needed to crush them here for sure.

“Team A, encircle and crush the front! Team B, the rear! Make sure to cause minimal damage on our side!”

We quickly advanced with just over two hundred people, leaving behind two of the four teams.

Kyaran’s actions could only be understood as buying time. If that was the case, then our best move was to push forward.

As we progressed, we could see the enemy’s formation. About two hundred soldiers were positioned around a tower.

At the front of that formation, a familiar girl was in charge of defense. She glared at us as we approached, pointing her finger and shouting orders.

“Rebecca Slutarch! No shortage of opponents! Let’s all go!”

“OOO——!”

When Judith Ceden runs in the front, Goudes army follows us ahead.

It was fortunate that Judith was not assigned to Oswald’s army.

When the flashy and powerful earth mole of Oswald’s and the delicate and precise work of Judith’s earthworm combine, a high-dimensional trap is completed.

On the contrary, there is no need for trap vigilance in this place where only Judith is present.

I extended my fist and gave instructions so as not to lose to the opponent’s voice.

“Advance!”

“OOO——!

The two armies collide head-on. The numbers are almost equal, but we have Kyuubi and Emilia here.

Also, the conditions for victory are different. Here, if someone escapes and grabs the flag, we win.

The person most suitable for that role is waiting next to me.

“Brian, I’m counting on you!”

“Understood, leader.”

Brian Marc, who had been jumping and warming up, ran out like lightning at my voice.

He avoids the battle entirely and runs around zigzag, aiming to capture the flag.

The person is saying “I’m only good at running away,” but in reality, he’s very fast. So much so that it would be no exaggeration to say that he’s one of the best in the Academy.

With the arrival of the second squad that I left behind earlier, the situation has now become overwhelmingly in our favor.

As both armies clash and swords are crossed, my soldiers are gradually pushing forward towards the tower.

As I finish off the enemy in front of me with magic and look towards the tower, I see that Brian has arrived at the tower unscathed.

If he enters the tower and takes the flag, it’s over.

But, as Brian looked inside the tower, he abruptly stopped. His eyes widened. He looks back. Our eyes meet.

And then he screams something.

“Leade——!”

“Rebecca-sama, it’s dangerous!”

I hear a panicked voice and feel a shock run down my back, realizing too late that I have been thrown off my horse by Emilia.

I fall to the ground and collapse.

What happened?

Immediately turning around, I stare in shock.

“Wha————?”

There were countless holes opened up on the ground, even where I had just been standing. They were unevenly lined up, and there was not a single Slutarch soldier left. Only the Goudes soldiers were standing.

“…a trap hole(Pitfalls)?”

All four hundred Slutarch soldiers other than me were dropped into trap holes, one by one?

A man walked in front of me, who was in a daze. He looked down at me, who was still sitting on the ground.

He wasn’t supposed to be here. He shouldn’t have been.

With a sharp face, deep green eyes and hair.

“Oswald Ceden…?”